The Curse of Iris

Chapter One

A soft wind blew through a dark tunnel rattling the dry leaves scattered across the ground, soon a series of clopping steps approached drowning out the sounds of their rattling. Its source however remained invisible concealed by the thick fog that obscured the nearby wilderness. Until finally the cover was broken, and a short figure covered in a black cloak appeared.

The figure swiftly made its way towards the tunnel's entrance, their dark cloak billowing in the wind. As they reached the opening the figure sighed, seeing no light emanate from the passage. Instead of being dissuaded however the figure stepped confidently inside. The dim light of the moon slowly disappeared behind them until the darkness became too great.

The figure stood still for several moments unsure of what to do before they finally decided to reach for the wall. As they touched the cold stone a shiver flew up their spine momentarily causing them to wonder if they had been lied to about the rebel hideout. The thought quickly passed however, and the figure slowly began to make their way further into the tunnel, the echoing of their shoes clattering in the distance.

Finally light began to glow in the distance, an orange glow only a fire could give off. "So my informant wasn't lying," the figure whispered under their breath as a soft smile appeared across their lips. As the figure began moving again, they did so slowly, careful to not alert the hideouts inhabitants to their presence before the time was right.

The figure neared the chamber the light was emanating from and began to hug the wall, hoping none of the rebels were currently watching the room's doorway. Once they reached the door the figure leaned past its wooden frame and peered into the poorly lit chamber. Within the chamber the figure saw seven hooded figures set around a roaring fire in the middle of the room, all of whom seemed to be quietly talking about something.

The annoyed figure swore under their breath as they couldn't hear what the rebels were saying and now had to get perilously close to the others just to receive the information they desired. Slowly the figure began to move closer praying that the crackling of the fire hid their footsteps. As they made their way closer the conversation the rebels were having became clear.

"I still can't believe you are seriously thinking about attacking the closing ceremony of the Wiseraven Festival? "One of the rebels laughed, leaning their hands against their knees.

"Why wouldn't I be?" one of the other rebels, who appeared to be the leader of the bunch, asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. "That event is a perfect time to strike!" ; They leaned forward towards their comrade, "I mean haven't I told you about how both the Kaiser and his son will be in attendance, I mean there's literally no better time to assassinate the two?" "I know...", the unsure rebel said shakily, ''It's just.... you do know it's not just going to be those two men who will be there right? Every available Dragon Rider in the country will be in attendance as well." The other rebels sighed at this statement as if they had heard this nervous rebel say it or other statements like it multiple times before.

At the mention of the Wiseraven festival the spying figure stopped moving, biting their tongue angrily as they now understood what the rebels' plan was. However, they soon started to move again but instead of leaving, moved further into the room as the figure suddenly realized what kind of chamber the rebels were meeting in. An underground catacomb, covered in cobwebs, filth, and rot. "They're hiding like rats," the figure muttered, "like the dirty rebels they are." The irritated figure also began to notice more of the details of the chamber, as their eyes scanned every corner of the dark and dusty room. Noticing piles of old swords and armor cracked, weak, and covered in cobwebs like everything else in the room.

The figure began to feel intense anger as they noticed this, as they now realized the catacombs, they were in was that of the Dragon Riders who had died in battle protecting the empire, and the weapons piled up in its corners were theirs. "Stealing the weapons of our empire's protectors", the figure thought, and began to clench their fist hard enough that blood began to drip from their hands, "You are worse than rats, you are filth." The figure then began to walk backwards into the dark shadows of the catacomb, as, even though they were now completely enraged, the figure had received all the information they desired to learn simply from listening to their conversation. However, as the figure attempted to stealthily leave the room they were stopped by another cloaked figure.