The Dragon's Consort

Chapter 11

ZARA

It was late midday when the city of Limebrook came into view; and it was far more glorious than Zara had ever imagined.

Great walls of shimmering white marble rose a hundred feet tall. The city that rested behind it even taller, laid atop a rolling hill. Even from miles away she could see the specks of thousand upon thousands of people roaming the streets. What a city it was. No less than deserved by the duke.

It was a powerful fortress. When it came to humans, not dragons of course. No human army would easily pierce the walls, but a dragon? They could fly above it in half a second, and should it be a female? They could unleash bursts of poison fog or scalding water, even ice. But the strongest of all were the flames. Especially those of a black dragon, such as herself.

Kevdron bristled with nerves beside her. He had walked step in step with her the entire day, even when they had sped up as the sun rose higher. He had cowered as they approached the city gates.

The guards standing on either side stepped forward, so fearful she could smell it rolling off them.

"Halt, all visitors must state the purpose of their business," one said. Qaris stepped closer as well, towering over the man by an easy two feet. She could see both guards gulp as if it was the last breath they'd ever take.

"We're here for a night of debauchery, nothing more," he rumbled.

"Very well," the guard squeaked, "o-open the gates."

Just like that the great metal bars began to raise, freeing their path of entry. The walls themselves were thick, made for troops to be able to pass through their centers should a siege occur.

As they cleared the threshold, all eyes landed on the group. Some were curious, even lusty, dragons were famous for their night escapades after all. But most were terrified beyond reason. A few ran into buildings. She heard Kano and Zurden chuckling behind her.

"Here comes the big scary dragons!" Zurden whispered in her ear, barely able to utter the words before laughing.

Kano leaned over next, "someone call the slayers."

"Try not to eat anyone," Zurden added.

The two wheezed and cackled as they made their way through the streets, and she couldn't help but join them. Qaris remained ever silent as he led the way, and Illy and Armos were too far out of ear shot to join in on their shenanigans. But she had no doubt they would if they had heard the two buffoons and their whisperings.

Soon the streets turned from flat grey and white to colorful booths full of goods and luxuries. Every color imaginable laid in the streets, and it was a beautiful sight to behold. Her uncle had never taken her into a city, but she knew it was marketplace based on all the vivid details from all the stories she'd heard.

She had never seen so many people in one place, especially males, or men in this case. Some walked arm in arm, others carried around their sons, looking quite proud. She'd heard that the amount of men who chose the company of other men had increased as their numbers dwindled, and it was a wonderful sight. In the times before the Demise, queer relationships had been met with harsh consequences, but now they were normal and accepted. She was in awe of how quickly humans had managed to overcome their prejudices.

Zara was barely paying attention to where she was walking as she stared in amazement at every detail in the city, its craftsmanship and architecture to its diverse people.

Qaris guided them to a cart stocked to the brim with various bright and rich fruits. Surprisingly, a woman worked the cart, probably from a lucky peasant family who had been decent enough not to sell her.