Ember
"Despite Mace doing his best Commander Sebastian is still alive and rallying his forces." The Archivist said with his head bowed slightly in respect, but I swore, there was a defiance, a satisfaction...
Ugh! Paranoia was riding me hard. I was convinced that Mace has betrayed Talon and that Rose and the Wyrm were hiding the fact from me!
I was going mad!
"And Mr Roth?" I asked trying to calm the turmoil in me. I couldn't afford another shift-and-burn fit in front of them.
"Still elusive." Came more regretful answer.
I was sitting in my armchair and tried to follow the flow of the meeting with my advisor and mentor, but the headache and strange suspicions made it impossible for me to concentrate properly on anything.
The time has come and passed and I was still here. Riley was still gone. Garret was still alive, which made me both strangely hopeful and endlessly irritated. He was the greatest threat to Talon and me. He would never accept the world I was to bring about. He would never accept what I have become.
"Ma'am?" The Archivist prompted politely but with visible concern.
I tried to pretend that I was there but no use. He didn't comment my distraction but continued.
"I've invited Rose and Dr Miles to talk about the egg..."
Ugh! I waved my hand.
"Okay" I said more meekly than intended.
The Archivist unceremoniously came over to the intercom on my desk and asked them to join us.
The doors opened and Rose strode in, sturdy black woman dressed in a vintage pink Coco Chanel suit and newest Prada pumps. She wore round pink pearl earrings and necklace and a golden watch.
She looked kindly at me with her dark eyes.
Behind her followed Dr Miles, plain man in his forties. Dressed in the most uninspiring flonel shirt and faded blue jeans under his white doctor kitle.
"Ember sweetheart." Rose started with her smooth deep voice with southern accent. "Dr Miles has analysed the results of your examination and has important things to discuss with you." She said.
I nodded, this didn't bode well.
Rose nodded to Dr Miles, who cleared his throat nervously and started.
"Well according to the information provided by yourself, you were thirty five weeks pregnant, when examined by me for the first time... Yeah and the egg was barely ten centimetres at this point, which indicates maybe fifteenth week of normal dragon pregnancy... Subsequent examinations revealed, that the egg is no longer growing. An ultrasound of the egg revealed a dense homogenous substance..." He stammered on and I felt anger flare at his clumsiness, all I understood so far was, that there was something wrong with the egg, which could not be! It was a Sallith'tahn egg. Probably the most magical creature in this entire world!
"What does this mean?" Rose interrupted Dr Miles.
"Oh, well. I'm sorry but the egg is not developing and there's no indication of a featus... Carrying a dead egg can be dangerous for your health in this form... You... I recommend that you terminate the pregnancy..." Dr Miles looked genuinely sorry, still I was furious.
"Well this is not possible!" I exclaimed.
"Ma'am, there's been increasing number of dud eggs during recent century, but you need not worry, I have been running statistics and most females who are able to conceive produce an alive egg at some point." He said with reassuring smile.
I pinned him with my stare, seething.
"You don't understand. This is not just some egg from your breeding facility. This is a Sallith'tahn egg. This is the heir of Talon, the most powerful dragon to be born in thousands of years!" I realised I was shouting.
"I'm sorry Ma'am." Dr Miles said sincerely and it took all I had not to incinerate him.
"Thank you Dr Miles. I think the CEO needs time to process the news. We'll call for you should further explanations be needed." The Archivist said promptly, probably sensing my mood.
He was ahead of me. I didn't understand what I felt. How was this possible? This egg was supposed to be Talon's resurrection, the beacon announcing new age of dragon supremacy, the most powerful dragon born in thousands of years...
"There, there sweetheart." Rose lay her warm soft hand on my arm and I realised that I was crying. This was so unusual, that I didn't protest against the touch and let her rub my arm gently as I composed myself... To do what? What was there to do? Fifty Talons dragon's were still more or less under my command. Mr Roth had god knows how many vessels. Reign was probably waiting for slightest provocation to break free of Talon for good. Cobalt's underground was lost and the Order was warned and prepared...
The part of me, who just wanted to cry because everything went so horribly wrong, because I have been so tired for such a long time, because Riley's baby was dead, because Garret hated me. For the first time in a very long time I let her take the reins, and cry her heart out. What bad could come from this? What worse could happen right now? Maybe I would be able to sleep tonight.
"I am not familiar with this Sallith'tahn phenomenon ma'am. But the egg is not developing the usual way and it may affect your health. An egg is not hermetic, if the featus is dead and decomposing inside the egg the bacteria might cause a dangerous infection." Dr Miles concerned voice was grating on my last nerve.
I didn't sleep at all last night, my heart and thoughts racing. But the worst was the overhanging sense of utter and complete failure and strange expectation of inevitable destruction, that I couldn't understand.
"What do you suggest then?" I asked impatiently.
Sitting in my monochromatic office suddenly I felt completely out of place. My blazer was suffocating me so I took it off, and discovered that my shirt was wet through with sweat around armpits and on my chest, I couldn't get my hair to obey in the morning and my bob was no longer immaculate, I took off my shoes and my nail made a hole my tights and my left big toe was poking out.
I felt control slipping from between my fingers with every passing second.
"I suggest you shift and either terminate this pregnancy or remain in your majestic true form until it has run its course. No ailments can befall you that way." He explained with compassion and respect.
But how could I do this? Go hide for god only knows how long? I couldn't do this if I wanted to have an organisation to go back to once this nightmare is over... speaking of nightmares.
"I have been feeling unwell lately... actually since before... pregnancy" I couldn't get myself to say mating. "I keep on having horrible headaches and sleep unwell..." I said what I was hiding from everyone else. Rock might have guessed, he was my nanny ever since the infamous melt-down. He saw my short temper, that got even shorter once I was off duty. He insisted that I follow a supporting daily structure with meals, a walk, watching movies. I don't know where he knew about things like this from, but it really helped me recover... until now. Nothing could help me survive this!
"Ma'am! I've never heard of a dragon suffering from any form of ache other than pain from an immediate injury! Your health might already be affected. I could examine your human body, but you are in possession of the ultimate panaceum in your true form. All you need to do is shift and you'll be healthy and pain-free in no time."
If only it was this easy. I groaned.
"I think I'll take the rest of the day off." I said and walked out of the office. Barefoot only in my shirt. Rock standing outside took me in and went in through the doors left open in the wake of my storming out.
He caught up to me before the elevator closed and I put on the shoes and blazer he wordlessly handed me.
Back in my apartment I ate the meal he ordered for me and once left alone, on my couch I closed my eyes, minimal relief for the pulsating pain splitting my head.
Think Ember! Think! Cobalt's egg is gone bad. Nobody heed your orders anymore! Vipers are hiding and maybe turned on you, Mr Roth is hiding and certainly turned on you, Riley will never forgive you! Good luck ever getting close enough to him to force another mating flight.
Garret... The pain grew beyond unbearable and I stopped thinking altogether.
Finally slipping into, shallow and full of nightmares, but sleep.