Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

85.) Banquet

"This is where your escort ends." Dante told him.

"Its my hatchlings banquett." Cerastes said.

"Then go guard your hatchlings." He said shoving him to the side.

I looked at Cerastes suprized that he would actually speak up in front of his brother. It couldn't have been easy considering the first time i had seen Cerastes interact with his eldest brother, Cerastes came out of the interaction wounded. But that was were the interaction ended. Cerastes still couldn't win in a duel even I knew that.

Dante put his hand on my back and ushered me forward toward the banquet room doors. I didn't have to look back at Cerastes to feel him seething. There wasn't anything either of us could do about it. Behind me I could hear the sound of his footsteps receding.

The room smelled great. I thought we would have a banquet meal in the high lords hall with just the heads as we had done before but that wasnt the case. Maybe they had gotten sick of seeing eachother after coming to early. For a group of creatures that had all the time in the world. I didnt understand their need to rush things.

They must be eternally bored. They already own all the land, and everything on it, and they know all the people they think of as important.
The dragons live in a luxurious stagnate box of their own making.

Dante held my hand up under a gloved arm. His long black hair was braided with gold brackets into a high pony tail. Every strand neat and tidy. When we came in i felt that there were many eyes looking in our directions but i did my best to not make eye contact with anyone.

"Try to not to offend anyone this time." Dante said with a meaningful glance.

"I doubt they will be able to drowned me in the goblets." I said non-committaly. 

"Mind your behavior. You know what ill do if you should decide to do otherwise." Dante said as he smiled at guests through clenched teeth.

And i did know what he planned to do. The man went for the knees and fought dirty. Aiming for my weakness.
He had already told me hed keep me from my kids if i didnt play nice. I believed him.

The room smelled of that scent again. Almost a metalic bloody scent. It made my head feel fuzzy like the inside of Talons wing. Women laughed while sitting in a roped off section. They looked as if they had just gotten comfortable as they drapped themselves over couches and sucked smoke out of tubes connected to a tall vase. The dragonesses blew smoke rings in the air.

Many males walked infront of the area posing in a half state of undress. They reminded me of turkeys strutting about with the plumes up.
I walked with Dante to where the high lord sat. I had a smile on his face. His hair was slicked back and the clothes he wore were not especially revealing but seemed oddly conservative compared to what some of the other males were wearing in the hall.

His chair was like a small movable version of his throne. Still gilded and bejeweled but not attached to the floor. Dante stoped a short distance from the throne and stood at attention. Releasing my arm to hold his position. High lord Kaver nodded  his head in recognition.

"Blessing to the Sire of the mountain. May you bask in the light of your bounty all your days. "

The high lord accepted the grace with a nod.

"Blessing on the offspring, may your offspring look down from the mountain top." Kavern blessed him.

With that he dropped his pose and moved to the side to let the next person address the high lord as a line had formed behind us. Only the elites and the women remained in their cozy positions. As my eyes looked over them, I held the gaze of a woman in the group. She tilted her head to the side and then waved her hand as if to call me over.

I hadn't met this person but with Dante holding on to me and his earlier warning, i was unsure of what to do. I looked up to Dante and as we made eye contact i nodded toward the woman who was still beconing me over.

He pursed his lips for a moment. Deciding. Then he started moving towards the ladies section. While the dragon population had less females than males. There are still women in other clans. I was about to enter into their area when Dante held my shoulder back with a gloved hand.

"Do you require my presence, dragoness?" He asked.

"Im more interested in having your females presence." She retorted.

Her skin was a red color and she was covered from neck to foot in draping fabric. Her horns were a crown that encompassed her head. Several other women murmered in agreement.

"Im afraid she cannot enter." He told her.

"She is female, surely you can spare her for a short while." The woman encouraged.

"Im well aware of the practices of the dragoness section and I have no desire for her to participate." He shut the conversation down.

"As stiff as ever i see." The woman said grouchily.

"If you want to chat with her, you are welcome to schedule an appointment with her. You can call on her at my wing." He told her plainly.

"Aiming higher now that you proved your value." The woman chuckled joking towards me.

As i couldnt cause a ruckus i could only smile and tilt my head. I couldnt very well plainly say that i didnt have much choice in the matter. Im not sure what the clans elite told their people about me. Maybe they think im actually a dragoness by birth or maybe some know i was a human to begin with like Arany.

In the end i didnt really want to talk with any of them.