Chapter Five: Come Hither
There were many things Orokin hated. He could list a few, but the first one on that list would be rumors. He knew the destructive powers of hearsay. As much as it hurts others, dragons cannot withstand the temptation to talk about others, even when the speaker themselves has their own rumors circulating.
He'd heard about sporadic attacks across the kingdoms, a majority of which were perpetrated by IceWings. Furthermore, they had golden tattoos, as he had.
While Orokin had little care for relations to the public (most saw him as violent already,) reinforcing their thoughts frightened him. Someone was trying to frame him.
Think, don't be a fool. It has to be someone who has seen me up close, enough to see my tattoo.
Immediately, two suspects emerged in his mind: Tributary and Snowfall.
Snowfall was questionable. She had motive; in her defense, he had taken all of her land by force, and he did threaten her. However, if IceWings were attacking others of their own tribe, it must be an extremist or an insurgent.
Or a rebel on the inside.
Tributary…she had to be the one. She'd already acted rather suspiciously around him. All of this started when she arrived. First the crossbow, now the attacks.
She must go. I was a fool blinded by selflessness.
He stood up from his office, and stalked towards her lab, a bit angry. He couldn't believe his own ignorance.
But as he walked he caught a bad mojo. The vibe of having to tell her to leave have him chills. He stopped for a second, dragons bustling around him.
I won't hesitate this time. I won't overthink. My mind is set. I will stay true to my word.
With every step the creeping, scratching trepidation in his stomach gnawed at him. It felt like something was eating him from the inside. He stopped at the door to the outside kingdom. The cold stones underfoot and the absolute zero temperature outside, mixed with the lack of light, gave forbiddingand foreboding new meaning.
Orokin did something rare then. He shivered. He wasn't cold. He was afraid.
Defiantly, as his fears chained him down, he trudged on, wrapped in a Polar bear-skin blanket. Natural resistance was nothing to this level of exposure. His eyes were merely for decoration now as he left the castle, As darkness held dominion over him.
Sounds were sharp in his ear: the frantic calls of animals who dared be out at this time, the distinct crack of ice in the distance, his own slow, shaky breaths.
Finally, he reached her lab, covered in snow and ice. Using his wings, he dusted himself off, and headed towards her. He could hear her humming in the distance. It was a soft, free forming song. It filed his ears. The song seemed almost like one of mourning. It reverberated down the icy passageway. She'd clearly had some training in musical arts.
I didn't think SeaWings could sing very well with them being submerged half the time.
It seemed a new era had began by the time Orokin finally reached the doorway. Hesitation struck again again, looking at the doors' handle. Why this was happening he couldn't pinpoint. However, he'd already dragged himself through treacherous conditions to get here. He couldn't retreat. He wouldn't.
Mustering up some courage, (what little of it he had at this point,) he strutted into the lab.
100 steps forward… Zero steps back.
Authors Note: I know I've been gone for a while. Mainly because of Hurricane Florence. Also, this chapter was a pain to write. I had to make it long enough to make it a satisfying chapter, while keeping this story's pacing. Although it was fun writing in a more creepy style.
Read, Review, and Follow! Fret out.