Shadow of the Crown

by Amber Morant

  Her room was at the end of the hall, still slightly cracked open from when the housekeeping had decided to be absentminded when they finished cleaning. She stepped in, welcomed by the smell of lemons and chemicals throughout the small room. Inside was only a queen-sized bed and a writing desk. Nothing special for such a small-town inn. Most excitement happened at the dining room, so there was no need to have any entertainment built into the room.

  It would be a long night for her, so she took her cloak off and proceeded to arm her room. First was her window. She pulled one of the smaller knives out of her pocket and stood it up so that anyone that opened her window would immediately be stabbed. After double checking her traps were in place, she was comfortable enough to lie down and contemplate everything that she had to do to stop the rebels.

  Five

  It was too quiet for Azrael. He had been with Kalio the least amount of time compared to the other members of the council, but he still remembered when the castle had been filled with servants. The languages spoken within the halls were plentiful and provided a harsh culture shock compared to his life in the desert. After only a few years, Kalio had gone from welcoming to no longer letting anyone within the castle walls. Most who had been servants were now deep in the dungeons, locked away for false accusations of treason.

  "Serves them right for trusting her. Don't trust anyone, not even your family," he muttered to himself.

  He was thankful though. He had been serving as ward to Kalio for years now. He was the rightful heir to his own people's kingdom. Even if it was a desolate place where everyone lived underground, it was rich with jewels and other rare material. She couldn't just stop trusting him one day or she would lose that entire fortune for herself and her kingdom. It was the only thing that kept her kingdom alive and the rebels at bay. She had promised their safety and his tutoring to become one of the best dragon guardians in all Narishma.

  Yet here he stood, now going back home because the people refused to pay their dues. He hadn't seen his family since he was a small child. Yet now he was going to stand before them with a dragon and destroy them all. Kalio had wanted him to send a simple warning if they wouldn't cooperate. He wanted blood. There would be no way that his family had simply decided to stop providing funds to the crown. They were willing to kill their only son so that way the rebels could win. That was not family and they were not his people anymore if they chose his death that simply. No, he was going to make sure those who decided this would die in his stead and he would make sure hundreds of shipments would arrive at the castle within a matter of days.

  Remembering how his people owed so much money reminded him of the quarries. He had placed the idea of the quarries into Kalio's mind just five years ago. It was a joke after he had heard her getting frustrated with the scholars and their magic fighting back when she had conquered Narishma. Despite this, he hadn't gone to look at the quarries or mines in a long time. If it was going to be his idea, he had to see it through. There was no denying that. There he could at least burn off some steam and get a little combative practice in before going to his home. No one cared if a scholar or two got hurt, so long as they could go back to work the next day. That's all that mattered; there were the numbers and maintaining them.

  The roost where his dragon was sleeping was quiet. He had managed to convince Kalio to keep one dragon keeper within the castle to care for the beasts. It wasn't that he didn't want to take care of his dragon, he just didn't have time anymore with all the missions that Kalio put him on. Often, the dragon guardians wouldn't go out unless it was for political reasons, thus left to simply shine scales or trim claws. Now he was lucky if he even had the time to put on his own saddle for the dragon. There weren't many dragon guardians left in the world either, many of them executed after Kalio had conquered Narishma. It was unspoken history, but he remembered it all too well. The day he had to kill an innocent man, simply because Devata had chosen him to aid the people.

  Azrael shook his head. There was no need to think about such things now. It was the past, and he was still alive and chosen by Devata. Even if he killed people, he was chosen, which meant his place in the world was the right path.

  He neared the roost, feeling the warmth of the hallway increase. A benefit of keeping the one dragon keeper. They had to maintain the heat of the roost for the beasts inside or they would become restless and weak. Fires were scattered all over the roost, some roaring at uncontrollable levels, but perfect for the dragons. Even he felt comfort in it, remembering his life at home in the desert. The door inside the roost was blocked by a large stone door. Anything else would have melted away or burned, something the last architect had not thought of, trying to choose aesthetics over practicality. Still, the architect did have his way even with the stone door. Etched onto it was a figure of a woman riding atop a flying dragon. He immediately recognized it as Kalio during her conquering days. She rarely flew anymore, and he couldn't remember the last time she had even stepped into the roost.

  Cat, it has been some time, a gravelly voice called out from high above. He hated the name and there were few who were allowed to call him that.

  "It's only be a few days since I was in here." He didn't bother looking up. He knew his dragon would come down eventually to stretch out his wings.

  To you it has been perhaps only a few days. For us dragons, we wait an eternity for our guardians to return to us. Yet only you arrive for us still. Where once you were plentiful, now it is empty.

  He didn't need to respond. The dragon knew that those were amongst his thoughts coming here. The connection of a dragon and its guardian wasn't so simple to block, and dragons never held back their thoughts.

  The dragon's claws scraped the stone walls. The roost was too small to fly around for a proper landing. Instead, many of them climbed the walls to get around. Within seconds, Azrael could see the sharp white claws of his dragon gleaming over the lip of one of the caves high above. The great beast stepped forward, standing twenty feet tall. He had dark red scales like rubies with golden cat-like eyes that held more knowledge and wisdom than he chose to let on. Many dragons gifted their name to their guardian as soon as they were born as a sign of contract. Azrael's dragon still refused to give his name, preventing their bond from completing like a true guardian.

  So, how long will we be traveling today?

  "Short stop in the quarries, then back home finally. Shouldn't take more than a week at most. My family will probably try to hold a large celebration for my return. You know the whole prodigal son thing. After that we're coming back to report in."

  The dragon snorted in retort. "You mean you're going to let them spend money on you and then threaten them for wasting money that should be going to the crown."

  Azrael shrugged, grabbing one of the large saddles near the storeroom. It was a lot heavier than it looked, but thankfully, after centuries of dragon guardians, they had perfected the material to be only around fifty stones. "I don't see the difference. They know why I will be coming, and they will proceed to try and ignore that."

  The dragon remained silent after that. The connection between them was all they needed. Talk was left for questions that couldn't be answered through the connection. It took about thirty minutes for Azrael to place the saddle on and connect it. He was thankful that he had a fire dragon for a partner. Saddles were easily placed near the base of the neck before the wings. On other dragons, the saddle was seated toward the back, and some never grew large enough to even fly on. He still remembered one dragon guardian he killed who had a water dragon that only grew to the size of a large cat. Back then he regretted killing the boy, but now spilling blood was just another task he needed to perform.

  He clambered up onto the saddle, holding on with just his legs. There was no horn to grasp so he had nothing to do with his hands. He could place them on the scales of the beast, but that was just more tactical, and not effective in remaining balanced on the beasts. Too often when learning to fly he had fallen off and
too often he had to get back on and learn to fly properly. Now he was able to fly just as easily as walk.

  "Let's go then. No tricks, just get out of here."

  The dragon obeyed the command and began its climb up the walls. A few times the beast had to jump from one cliff to another in order to ascend. His stomach dropped with every leap. It was so much different than actual flight as it was too sudden in its stops that no one could physically get used to it. The roost continued up in this same pattern for another few minutes. If the roost had been wider, they would have flown out instantly. There was no room to build anything larger. The castle was the first building in the capital, leaving every other noble to build right up against it to try and steal some glory for themselves. Unless he got permission to destroy their foundations, there would be no way. Even Kalio knew better than to anger the nobles who still paid their dues and were loyal to her by destroying their homes.

  They reached the top of the roost and Azrael sighed in relief. He could feel the cool wind blowing through his fur as the clouds blew gently through the sky. A clear day, perfect for flying. Even his dragon couldn't deny that feeling when being cooped up inside the roost all day. Far below them were buildings that dotted the capital. A distinct line where the wall wrapped around the upper-class district was barely visible from where he was. What could be seen as formidable and impossible to climb when facing it was more like a stick on the ground for him. The sky was his road, and walls could never reach him here.

  "Let's go," he commanded.

  The dragon unfurled his wings, stretching them out to their full potential. He flapped them, sending air currently underneath their bodies. Within an instant, they were airborne. He let out a yell of excitement. This was what he lived for. What every dragon guardian lived for; when beast and man became one with the skies and the people below were specks of dust that held no consequence. Even the dragon was purring in delight at being in the air again.

  From high above, Azrael could see a faint speck in the distance where the quarries began. It would only be an hour before they reached their destination though. If no wild dragons came, that time may be faster for him. He wasn't in the mood to fend off any wild beasts today. There had been reports that dragons were frequenting the quarries again but, last he heard, the reports were still rare and far between. If it never destroyed any progress or killed anyone of importance, there was no need to send any additional protection against the dragons.

  Azrael was right on his estimation of time. He was thankful no wild dragons did appear. Too troublesome. As they descended, Azrael was able to see a group of overseers crowded in the center of town, away from the scholars. He decided he would talk to them after landing. In the meantime, his dragon was much too large to land in the center of town and he would have to go to the outskirts near the actual quarry. From there, his dragon was free to do whatever he wanted, whether it was to go hunt or simply sleep some more, so long as he was close enough when called Azrael didn't care.

  The landing was rough. Uneven hollow ground from excavating versus the soft sands of the desert or the hard-packed earth from the countryside, there was just never a good place to land. Even his dragon refused to release his claws to dig up the earth. He reminded himself to mention that to Kalio for the next part of infrastructure improvements for Narishma. Better landing pads for the dragons. Even if he was the only one to use them, if there were any future guardians loyal to the crown, they could make use of it too.

  How long? the dragon asked.

  "Tomorrow morning, unless something happens." Azrael climbed down off the dragon. He could feel the warmth of the beast's scales underneath his hands that felt like a small flame deep within. The dragon's breath. He left the saddle on as he had nowhere to store it immediately and wasn't going to carry it around the entire town and quarry like an idiot all day.

  Good. With that, the dragon took back off into the air, sending dust to lift off the ground and create small clouds that floated away with the wind.

  He didn't bother watching where the dragon flew off to. It wasn't his business to think on such things. Instead, he turned his focus back on the town. After the dragon had left, his ears couldn't pick up any sounds from the quarry. A strange sign as they should have always been staffed during the day. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be the overseers who he had seen earlier and now he knew potentially why he had seen them there in the center of town and not in the quarries.

  Most of the town was filled with run down shacks and large living quarters for the scholars. Most were near the center of the town while the outskirts of the town contained nicer homes for the overseers to stay in. Most were halfway homes as they returned to their families for a few months and then came back to continue their work. For the scholars, it would be where they lived and died. Compared to how the capital was built, it was strange to see the outer homes in better quality, but this was to be expected. If the overseers were surrounded by the scholars, a revolution would be simple enough out here without anyone knowing until it was too late. At least with the current structure, the overseers were able to live comfortably and if a scholar tried to escape from the town, someone would spot them.

  He peered inside one of the shacks and saw a few older men huddled close together with a sewn together blanket draped around the three of them. Off to the side were a set of beds small enough to fit a single person on. Where once scholars had lived a life of luxury reading, writing, and studying the inner workings of magic, they were now slaves to the crown with the sole purpose of excavating anything of value and occasionally performing for a noble with the few tricks they could still learn. Azrael had come across a book when he was younger talking about how many scholars had once been powerful enough to control the ocean currents and either prevent boats from landing ashore or sailing faster than even a dragon could fly. It amazed him that such strong people were now a shell of their former selves, but it was what happened when you chose to put your nose outside of the books and fight against the queen.

  He shook his head in disgust and then walked toward the center of town where he had seen the overseers. With the town being so small and compacted together, it took no time for him to reach the center. As you got closer to the center of town, what was once nicer homes turned into even worse run-down shacks that piled on top of one another, threatening to cause the bottom homes to collapse at any moment. The only pleasing image was the center, which held a large fountain with a statue of a willow tree in its center. Pouring from the branches was water that completed the willow tree appearance. Devata. Next to the fountain were the men from earlier. All of them wore the overseer uniform of tan cargo pants along with a white t-shirt.

  "Which one of you is in charge of you lot?" Azrael called out.

  The overseers turned to look at Azrael. One reached down for his pistol, ready to shoot at him as if he were an attacker of some sort. He laughed to himself at their belief that a simple bullet could stop him. Once they all recognized who he was, they bowed low in respect. None of them wanting to acknowledge that they had just attempted to kill him with their ignorance and conclusive nature.

  One of them stood up and stepped forward. "None of us are in charge around here. The boss is out, got a report in the quarry that someone was trying to start a rebellion out here. None of our guys though. They know better. Tried any of that and they'd get the dogs using them as a chew toy or being hung out to dry within a matter of seconds."

  Azrael's eye twitched. They weren't wrong about punishment by death for any sign of a rebellion, but even still too much threatening and they'll up rise anyways. He was surprised the overseers standing before him didn't even think about that considering not long ago the drow were subjected to their own form of slavery under the elves. "So instead of having some still working, everyone just takes a holiday and the crown gets nothing out of it."

  The one who had stepped up gulped. "Well, sir, we can't just put them all back down there, ya know. If there is a
rebellion that's just asking for some of us to get killed."

  He sighed, irritated at their lack of bravery. "If there was no actual rebellion and all of this was just a false rumor, you'll still face death from the queen. She doesn't take kindly to her losing money because of stupidity." Azrael noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a few scholars huddled together in one of the alleys. "Let's get this over with properly. Get every living soul out here at once. I don't care if they're shitting in the damn toilet. They better get out here in five minutes or they will be suspected of treason and executed on the spot." He looked back at the overseers who had yet to move and follow the order. "Do you understand me?" He barked the last bit, causing the three to jump and scramble to nearby buildings to command the scholars to come outside.

  One by one elves of different ages filed in front of him. Some still looked half asleep while others he was surprised, they could even stand without keeling over and dying. It took much longer than he had hoped, but with how incompetent the overseers he had talked to were, it wasn't surprising. There was no point in threatening an elf's life when it wasn't their fault to begin with. Opposite from the line of scholars was a large group of overseers. Some of them wearing their uniform haphazardly, an expected sight given his warning. At least with the scholars they lived in the same clothes all day, so their uniform was expected to be worn properly.

  Azrael pulled out a small stone from his pocket and placed it against his throat. It glowed a bright electric blue as it touched his skin and caused his voice to boom out across the city. If anyone wasn't at the meeting, they would hear his warning. "Listen up, all of you! There has been a report of rebellion going on around here. As dragon guardian, it is my duty to protect all that live here. The rebels fight against the crown. They fight against your wellbeing. If you choose to fight alongside them, they will not care if you die. They will not care if you starve. Here you are fed. Here we care that you live. You may be a number, but you are a positive number, not simply a piece in a game of chess." He paused, waiting for anyone to potentially respond. He saw a few scholars within the group squirm, but none said anything to give themselves away.