Prologue

Prologue: Day 5

Vast emptiness. Pitch black. Infinite Abyss. These are the words flashed in his mind as the SeaWing swam across the ocean. Even with his night vision eyesight, he was only able to see his way about two dragon wingspans ahead. The only guide he has was the seafloor pattern which he remembered since he was young. Occasionally, a drift of fish or flash of Coral reef drove by him as he used them landmark checkpoint for his journey. He had particularly chosen this time of day in order to avoid any the suspicious glares and unwanted attentions.

"Your majesty?"

Flashes of bioluminescent stripes shone beside him. He snapped back to himself as a figure with silvery-blue scales with a hood flashed across his view. It was Abalone.

"I'm sorry." Gill replied while massaging his temple. "I'm just not used to waking up in the middle of the night."

Abalone was quiet all the way since he had been following besides him. And rightfully so. Abalone was appointed as the new Council Chief of Dragonet Care about a year ago. With Snapper, deputy chief, who were tasked to protect the eggs resided in the SeaWing Royal Hatchery. They had done a great job, following the instruction given by the Queen to her every last word. Have never broke any rules during their duties. Two of them were the most loyal guard Gill could muster from the palace and it seem to be the perfect choice at the moment.

But as the expectation of eggs' hatching was high, so was his anxiety. He began to make frequent trips to the royal hatchery, only to found out that Abalone mysteriously gotten sick. His neck had a lump which had grown with pale red and was burning hot to touch. Gill wondered if he even can breathe through those lumps. Even in so much pain, Abalone's wings was still covering the eggs by his sides. Knowing that leaving the eggs alone would means certain death for the royal dragonets.

So, Abalone waited. Waiting for someone to get help. Gill was the first to found him lying on the floor of the hatchery.

"You don't have to do this." Abalone flashed anxiously, interrupted his stream of thought.

"No. I must." Gill flashed back. "If there is one thing, I can make it right. It would be this. And that's final." He added few more flashes to indicate his determination. "And we mustn't talk until we reach there."

Abalone nodded and fall behind him to follow. Talking aquatic underwater in this deep black sea could easily to be seen by the patrols a long way before they could spot any of them. But in his heart, He wished he could talk freely with Abalone right now. To figure out some of the mysteries behind the incident.

After Gill had found Abalone laying sickly on the floor, he had tried find others to get help. Only to find his sons was playing nearby the palace entrance hall. One of his sons, Turtle, had volunteer to help. He had asked him to find Snapper and returned her to the hatchery in order to get Abalone to the healers, and in the meanwhile, he can protect Abalone and the eggs. Disappointingly, Turtle never came back. It left him no choice but to get the healers himself before Abalone die. He could still remember the scene behind his head as he re-entered the hatchery. Blood seeping through both side of Abalone as he unconsciously clutching two eggs beside him. Two broken eggs. Gill was devastated by it. The assassin had done it again, killing off all his daughter again just as they were about to hatch.

If only that sea-slug Snapper was in the Deep Palace.

This is was one of mysteries that had plagued him since that day. Why hasn't Snapper, the chief deputy, stay at in the Deep Palace? She must have known the eggs were about to hatch and that she be required at an instant of notice. Why would she had left deep palace without notifying anyone?

He still remembered the words came from Turtle. The tired shaking voice almost terrified to his death uttered from that tiny dragonet. Turtle mentioned that he had not able to found her anywhere in the Deep Palace. Nobody had known where she had been. But how was that possible? She had strict protocol that if she were to leave, she had to assign someone to take her place or letting someone knew she will be away.

Gill wished he could had asked her the question himself but it was too late. When Queen Coral found out about the broken eggs, she had sent execution orders on Snapper and Abalone. She was too furious to get any answer from Snapper and she had executed her gruesomely on the spot where she found her. He hasn't been there to see the action but what's left of Snapper's body made his stomach twisted.

One day, I had to talk to her about executing others publicly. It doesn't do any good but scare our subjects. Even if it was an unforgivable crime.

Gill spotted a glowing line of corals reef just about ten swimming strokes away. This marked the spot where he remembered as one of the borders of the Deep palace. At here, they would safe from any on-lookers and SeaWing patrols. He signalled Abalone and both of them took off their hoods.

"Here is the border of the Deep Palace." Gill lit his scale. "We will be safe around here. There will be no patrol around here."

"You have my greatest gratitude. Your majesty." Abalone flashed backed.

Gill waved away the formality. He was able to see that Abalone's injuries on the sides of his neck. It had caused by the burst lumps that was now healed. The healers he sent had done their job well and now it was his turn.

"We are only friends here." He turned around to point to the far side of the corals. "You are to swim to that direction and find a place to hide. I believe there is a small village there. I have dragons there would kind enough to lend you a talon."

Abalone nodded and glance at that direction. His expression was numb and empty. His eyes were hallowed and sway under sea current. His abrupt quietness made Gill worried.

"You had never been to the outskirt of the palace?" Gill asked.

He shook his head. Then, shook again frantically and flashed.

"Don't mind me. I can survive." Abalone said. "But what about you. A convict missing from a death penalty is not something others would miss easily."

"Don't worry. Many of the guards were on my side. They agreed to help me set you free. You had done nothing wrong. Only…" Gill clenched his teeth as the image of the broken eggs flashed through his mind. "Only a series of unfortunate events happened."

Abalone studied him and a flash of realization shone in his eyes.

"It was you, wasn't it? You had stalled my execution. You ordered the food and healers for me in the prison. You prepared all these plans for me to escape."

Gill nodded. Judging from the shock expression Abalone had. He had some explanations to do.

"The council sometimes doesn't always make the best decisions. Most of them wouldn't even bother to admit." Gill flashed. "Their actions affect thousands of lives in the Kingdom of Sea and yet some of them lack of considerations for the dragons living in it. So, I-"

He took one deep breathed through his gills and continued.

"A king does not actually have much say in the Royal Council Meeting. I'm merely just a figurehead which the dragons of Sea bow to. So instead-"

Abalone flashed brightly in a sudden causing Gill to shield his eye with one of his talon.

"You're not just a figurehead." Abalone flashed quickly and – was there anger in it? "A king who always putting his subjects in mind. Always watching for the dangers. Always thinking about the best for his kingdom. Your presence in the council may lack of power to directly challenge them in the moment. But with Queen Coral besides you, they wouldn't dare to defy you. At least, Not directly. With you keeping them in check and having us in mind, there is nothing more a Seawing could ask for."

Abalone's sides were heaving. Then, he quickly composed himself and flashed apologetically.

Gill busted out laughing. Streaks of bubble rose through his mouth.

"That's the reason why I had chosen you." He replied as calmed himself down. "Our kingdom could use a couple of more you in the Royal guards."

He spun his head around. The cover of darkness is still intact but he feared he might spend too long outside of his palace that someone might notice his absent. Still, there is some questions needs to be answered.

"Abalone before you go." Gill questioned. "Do you know why you were sick? Why was Snapper away from the palace? And did you saw the assassin?"

Abalone thought as his glowing scales fading in and out before he flashed.

"I suspected that my food was being poisoned. I always had my food before my shift because it will be a long shift. The healers mentioned that my swollen sides were due to something I have digest. It slowly causes my gills to swollen and suffocated me. The healers quickly gave me antidote and patched me up so that I could breathe again."

"Regarding Snapper, I have no clue." Abalone continued. "Before the night, we always confirmed our schedule with each other, let one another knew who going to be in shift and who the backup is. Because the eggs were close to hatching, we had assigned that I shall in charge of caretaking while she would be my backup. Not one else was involved."

"As for the assassin. I'm sorry. He flashed apologetically. I was unconscious when the egg was being killed. When I woke up, I was in a bed tended by the healers. But just before I fainted…"

Abalone closed his eyes; he seems too had fallen back into painful memories of the dying dragonets.

"I thought I heard sound of stones scrapping against the floor."

Stones? Gill thought.

"I know what you are thinking" Abalone continued. "Before we started all these shifts. We make sure the Royal hatchery was thoroughly checked. Every stone in the wall pressed and pulled. Unless there is a special mechanism which we didn't know of; there is no other way to in other than the entrance doors."

Gill had his talons over his eyes and temple. The only possible way for an assassin to break the eggs was to trick Snapper away from the Deep Palace and poisoned Abalone so that the assassin can enter the hatchery unknowingly. Does that meant someone was conspiring with the assassin? The food was prepared by the servants of the palace and sent directly to them. Did they have a talon in this? What about Snapper? In what condition that Snapper would risked heavily punished by the Queen for leaving the Deep Palace?

He sighed. This would just be going to end up as another dead end just like last time.

"Sir, before you go. May I ask how Prince Turtle been recently?" Gill almost gotten himself swept away by the current at the mention of his son. "There had a rumour that he was being punished by the other prince for not able to get help. But we all knew that wasn't his fault."

Ah, Turtle. I almost forgotten about him. Gill thought. The things I said to him In front of his brothers. I was being too harsh on him. He was just a two years old dragonet. It was my mistake that I ordered him to find Snapper and no one else. He didn't know the situation when he set off. And now, he is paying the price. I will have to explained to him someday and tell him I'm sorry. I should also call off the punishment just in case.

"Don't worry about it." Gill replied. "My sons would forgive him. They are just angry about it. This had happened before and they always ended up forgiving each other."

Abalone stared at him and nodded slowly in agreement.

"Alright. It's almost time for me to return to the palace." Gill straighten himself. "It's been a pleasure having you by my side. Stay safe."

"It's an honour to serve you, my king." Abalone swung around and swam toward the direction of the village.

"May the sea current guide you. And your wings never failed you." Gill flashed, slowly, intensely and intently.

Far away within his sight, he saw Abalone's silhouette spin around, scales flashing, then vanished into the deep sea.