The Death Sentence
It took all of Cassandra's willpower to not stare at the dragons, to keep looking down and wait behind Kairen. They were like his majestic Black Dragon, but smaller ones and differently colored. She remembered the slaughter they had inflicted just hours earlier in the arena and shivered. They weren't calm. Even while standing right next to their masters, one could tell that only the chains were really holding them. They were agitated, glaring at the people around them, and pulling on their restraints. The purple one in the cage kept growling for no reason, frightening the Fifth Prince's concubines each time.
"That's right, Kairen. I heard you were enchanted by a slave from today's games?"
Cassandra jumped. She had almost forgotten the "slave" in question was herself! What would the Emperor say? She didn't dare move from her spot, waiting to see how Kairen would respond. But instead, the Second Prince clicked his tongue.
"To think, after presenting him with countless concubines, our brother's interest would be a slave... You really do have odd tastes, Kairen."
"Brother, is that true?" A young, feminine voice suddenly asked, "A slave?"
Cassandra hadn't realized Princesses, other than Shareen, were there too. From what she recalled, there were six Princes and at least twice as many Princesses, but she only counted five women present, each with their own golden seat like Shareen's. The one who had spoken appeared to be among the youngest. Kairen ignored her, but another Princess, this time in a seat closer to him, raised her voice.
"This is inappropriate. How can we allow lowly, filthy slaves in our presence? Brother, you are far too lenient. That kind of dirt belongs to the lower classes. You should have proper concubines and proper servants."
From where she sat, Cassandra could see the Princess's black hair and as she turned her head, Cassandra looked down just in time. She hadn't been caught staring, but nevertheless, she felt the cold glare of the Princess.
"As high and mighty as ever, Phetra..." sneered Shareen, while taking a seat close to the Emperor.
"You and Kairen should be ashamed of yourselves. Meddling with lowly servants and, worse, slaves!"
But Shareen snickered at her angry sister.
"Someone needs to stop talking out of her ass..." she muttered.
But she had said it just loud enough for most people to bear. A few concubines and servants chuckled.
But what happened next silenced them all. In a sudden and swift movement, Phetra took out a whip and lashed it in the direction of one of the servants. She caught a man by the throat and his laugh died right away, leaving only an expression of pure terror on his face. Phetra snapped her whip and threw him right into the cage of one of the colored dragons. The Purple dragon inside jumped on the man, instantly ripping his body in half. All the concubines nearby were splattered with blood.
An ice-cold silence befell the room, apart from the dragon's loud chewing. Cassandra was frozen in complete shock. She only dared a glance towards Kairen and Shareen. While her master hadn't moved an inch, both he and his sister were glaring at Phetra.
