Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

86.) Starting with a Bang

We moved away from the women to an area with drinks. An attendant stood next to a stacks of goblets by the wall. Large basins were filled with different types of drinks, the first one smelled like fermented honey and spices. It was a familiar smell that I hadnt smelled in ages.

Mead? Like the kind my father bought from town every year. It brought up memories of cool nights, the smell of wool and the dirt under my bare feet. Did they break out a barrel of mead and put it in a bathtub? All the sudden it felt like an actual party. I almost smiled.

I went to reach for a goblet to have a drink but Dante deflected my hand.

"Dont." He said.

"Why?" I asked. My face undoubtably scrunched in annoyance. Dantes eyes flicked to the dragonesses behind us. I followed his eyes and they were still watching ever so causually from their pillows.

"Dragonesses can be especially ruthless especially when they are envious. You are young with three healthy offspring under your tail. Yet, you are also not entirely right by a dragoness standards and they can see that." He said tucking a hair behind my barely pointed ears and his eyes lingered on my chest. "No doubt they wonder what you look like under those clothes as well as the males."

He darted another look around the room. Eyes that were watching from a distance moments before turned there heads. They could hear our conversation but acted like they didnt. It must be difficult to have private interactions around a group of keen hearing dragons, when you cant help but hear.

"Theres an old form of hazing the dragonesses participated in. If i had let you frolic with them, they would have plied you with drink till you were inebriated. Parted you from your clothes and sent you of to accompany a group of males." He explained taking a drink from a goblet himself.

I tilted my head in disbelief. "Thats terrible."

"It was something perpetrated by high born dragonesses towards low born ones or ones without much backing. Usually they would be considered to pretty, or an easy target for malicious entertainment."

"Thank you." I told him with a nod.

"Your my responsibility now." Waved his hand as if to blow the thank you away.
....

The night went on with dancing and drinking. Well into the night. I carefully obstained from drinking after the last warning. Maybe it was the heat of the dancing but i felt my blood surging in my hands. Heard my pulse getting louder in my ears. I must have been away from the kids to long, i thought. How long will i be expected to stay here.

The scent of incense was only getting thicker. It clung to my hair and my clothes. As i danced through the hall it felt like i was treading water. Clothes littered the floor. Vests, belts, and other items of clothes. Were these grown men children?

I tried to step over them and tripped into Dante. He stumbled as well. Why would he stumble? Dragons tend to move gracefully. I looked up to find his pupils dilated. Thats not right. I looked around there were some males lying mostly naked on the floor just relaxing. There was a slowness to the ones still standing.

Are they drunk? Is this what drunk looks like to a dragon? I felt slower than usual but not as bad as the ones littering the ground. But I didn't drink anything. The smoke. It must be like the drugs Talon keeps in his room. Overwhelming.

"I need to sit down." I told Dante.

He stood still almost as if what i said didnt register in his mind.

"Can i sit?" I asked.

The second time the message seemed to click. We found a place in a deserted corner. Far from the elites and the dragonesses.

"Why do they like this incense?" I said more to myself than anyone.

"Its never been this strong.." Dante agreed.

"I cant even smell anything els." I complained. " everything tastes like blood and metal."

"Like what?" He asked.

"Its like a nose bleed is coming." I explained. My body swayed with little regard to direction.

"I dont smell that at all." He disagreed.

"It sort of reminds me of those weapons." I continued talking to myself. "They had a weird smell like that."

"What weapons?" He asked. Then he paused getting very still. Dante looked around the room as if he was seeing it for the first time. Dragoness wobbling, lying on the floor, dispriented.

"It couldn't be..." He said standing up.

As if him standing up had been an alarm humans with those same special weapons began their attack. The servants who were once standing against the wall obediently were now casting their garments to the side to reveal weapons hidden underneath. Other humans poured in from outside the room already armed.

The dragons on the ground came under attack first from the flood of angry humans that entered the double doors. Those ones were dismantled quickly. The other dragon males still standing on the dance floor were watching in disbelief. As if every thing they were seeing was a hallucination.

Humans. They never had a chance to stand up to the dragons and here they were, rampaging in the hall and actually causing deaths. It wasnt real. It was impossible. For only a moment there was a hesitation, and then it broke.

Dragons clumsily ran at the humans. Swatting them to the ground with their tails. Swiping at them with their teeth. I felt Dante grab me by the arm. I wasnt sure if it was to stabilize himself or if it was to keep me near.

I looked over to see that the elites had also come under ambush. The dragonesses were not allowed to have humans in their section so they were relativly far from the action. But the elites had been targeted specifically.

It was chaos rippling around the room. A unit broke apart from the pack and started running for Dante and I who were outside the fray.
I crouched defensively. Ready to spring.