Dance of The Dragons

Chapter 8 (flashback)

Driftmark, 110 AC

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LAENYS WAS ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING STUPID. There was a good chance that she might die, she could turn back, but to turn back would be subjecting herself to her mother's fury, quite frankly she would rather face a dragon.

...which she was doing at the moment.

It was easy to slip through Driftmark with Laenor covering for her, it was an old castle and old castles held secrets, she left the Stone Drum crossing the gallery and passing through the middle and the inner walls with swift feet, moving unseen, she reaches the sea dragon that gazed serenely out to sea.

When she reached the beach she began to run towards the east. She had already checked the west side of the island, the dragon she was looking for had not made a home there.

She climbs up the rocky terrain, stopping only to swing her sack over her shoulder, pulling the long torch from it she retrieved flint and steel, it takes a few tries but she is able to light the torch and she moves again, avoiding volcanic ash and pits she keeps a careful eye out for caves large enough. She scales the Dragonmont huffing and puffing.

"Where are you?"

She looks up at the sky, dawn is quickly approaching but she refuses to go back without a dragon. She would not.

Laenor had a dragon, and so did Laena. She could remember holding her own dragon egg with a small pout. Wondering why it never hatched.

"It just means there's another dragon out there for you, sweet girl," her mother would whisper pressing a kiss to her head.

She was was right and Laenys was going to claim her mount or die trying--okay, she was lying, she didn't want to die.

She had spent her time eavesdropping on the dragon keepers who kept frack of the Wild Dragons roaming the shores. Sheepstealer and Cannibal were the ones spotted the most, but she was not interested in them at all. No, she's set her eyes on the one that had only just hatched.

Tartarus, the Black Death, not even a year old. Already the size of Caraxes, the dragon keepers whispered

Tartarus kept to himself, rarely changing his nest or leaving it unless it is to hunt. She was basing her risk on the hope he had not gone hunting.

She was nearly breathless as she came upon her third cave, it was larger, larger than the entrance to the dragon pit, big enough to house a dragon of his size, she was sure of it.

It smelt of dragon: grilled meat and smoke.
She stops before the entrance's gaping mouth and waits. She looks up at the sky, seeing the sunrise blessing across the horizon.

"Rystass!" She calls into the cave, not quite sure what to do. She waits for a sign of life, for a moment there is nothing, then there is a sound she's grown familiar with. Scales dragging against stone. She steps aside quickly.

Fire spews out from within, not much, just enough to be a warning. She beamed at the colour, a mix of orange, red and dark blue, just as described.

She found him finally.

Her heart hammers against her chest and a grin spread across her cheeks so large her cheeks ache.
She waits for several moments for him to calm, down and helps herself to some fruit and cake she had stolen from the kitchens before her endeavour.
Drink water for a water skin, she watches the sun climb high and higher before standing, gripping her torch she moves slowly into the cave.