Dragon Blossom

A light in the dark.

It was as though every window faced east, the light of the dragon's flames coming from all directions. Dozens of winged monsters of all sizes and colors hurled their fury and fire at the city of sand and sun. Powerful roars echoed in every direction, as if the storms themselves were conversing. The cold night of Pellegrin was no more. The beautiful starry sky was replaced by a dense cloud of smoke.

Chaos reigned almost immediately after the attack began. The people of Pellegrin had no plan or organization to face such a threat. Some locked themselves inside their stone houses to hide from the flames, others tried to run towards the river. The apprentice soldiers tried to guide the civilians as the warrior Frey had taught them, but the structures offered little protection. There was nowhere to escape.

Queen Clessa, or rather, Caramin, the red prince, was awakened by the light of the first attack when a mischievous child opened the door to her chamber. She awoke startled and felt the presences she had always feared. They were not trying to hide; they were daring her. If they had reached the city, countless of her own dragons must have already been slaughtered. This was not supposed to make her feel sad or angry, perhaps it was the influence of the body she inhabited during the day, but a fury burned within her as if her own fire had turned against her. She decided there was no time to flee like a queen. If she was going to help her two peoples, humans and dragons, she had to act.

She shook herself to stretch her wings and leaped through the stone roof like a fish leaping out of water. She flapped her wings to stay aloft, rising higher and higher despite her colossal size. She roared, calling to all her dragons hidden in human bodies.

In the sky, there were nearly twenty dragons attacking each neighborhood of the vast city. Caramin had twelve hidden among the population, and she hoped that some of those patrolling outside the city would come to her aid. They had to; it had been her absolute order.

High above the city, they were already waiting for her. In an unprecedented event, the Green and Black princes had joined forces to attack. Caramin would say that dragons do not make alliances, but she remembered that she herself had sought the help of humans and the Blue prince. That girl, Eri, was on her side, or something like that. She roared to make herself known.

 ---

The ceiling was caving in. The guards had stopped chasing Eri and were now running out of the palace. Where was Koro? She headed quickly towards the entrance to the throne room, ignoring the roars she heard. The words were aggressive and threatening, but Koro came first. That’s what Father had always taught her: the helpless before the enemy.

As she watched from a distance as the guards transformed into dragons, she found her friend safe by the door, crying on the floor, looking at the spot where the queen had recently rested.

“Eri!” As soon as he saw her, Koro clung to her. “Let’s go, I’m so scared. What’s happening?”

Eri was scared too. The roars of so many monsters made her little hands tremble. She wanted her mom and dad to come help, but she knew that at that moment, she was the strongest, and it was her responsibility to get Koro home safely. She clenched her fist, trying to stop the trembling, and put on her best smile, the one that made even Mrs. Mera react.

“Come on, Koro, don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” As she spoke, she helped him to his feet. They looked in the direction they had come from when they heard the sound of hooves on stone, barely audible over the sounds of battle. Peony had come to find them on her own. Confused but grateful, the little ones mounted the small mare to try to find help again. Koro went behind, clinging to the dragon princess’s back. Eri, just in case, slung the sheath of her dagger from her belt. She couldn’t have more problems than she was sure awaited her when she got home.