Cloudchild

Chapter 3 - Dragon

A coppery dragon swooped across moonlight in Annani's dream, pursued by shadowy figures—she snivelled and sneezed, awoken.

"Wuh-what are you doing?" She swatted something aside and rubbed her nose.

"Poking you with a stick," Inanna replied, her crown back on. "You sleep like a rock!"

Annani sat up and yawned. "Why did you wake me up?" She rubbed her eyes.

The princess tossed the stick and leaned over, wild-eyed. "Because you sleep too much! Come on, I want to show you something!"

"Nnoo, I want to..." another yawn came, "huhhh-swwee-eep—ihwup!" Inanna yanked her up.

"No! You have slept enough! Come on! Quickly, Annani, quickly!"

The princess dragged her tottering friend across the garden.

"Hey! Slow down!" Annani fumbled.

"No!"

"You're hurting my arm!"

"Come on!"

Inanna pulled her friend through distortions of reality and a doorway at the edge of the garden. They went up the stairwell, leading atop the wall, and ran past a few surprised guards who turned their heads.

"Which one is the..."

"Who was that?"

"Does the princess have a sister?"

"Commence your duties, sirs!" the princess laughed.

Annani looked back. "Did they think I was you!?"

"Looks like it!" They giggled. "Guards are not the smartest people around."

"It's because you look like me!"

Inanna stopped at a tower doorway and gave her friend a weird look. "I look nothing like you."

Annani returned a weird look. "But I do..."

Inanna rolled her eyes. "No, you got it backwards again. You look like me but you are not me. It's not the outside that counts, it's the inside."

"Hunh?"

The princess pulled Annani into the tower. "Come, honeybee, obey your queen."

Annani's mouth dropped. "More stairs!?"

"Yes! Up we shall go!"

Annani panted, Inanna untiring.

"How much longer?"

"A little more..."

...Actually became much more.

Inanna burst into the room at the top of the tower, Annani breathless. Inanna let go of her—who collapsed—then scurried to a refracting telescope by the window.

Annani picked herself up. Various armours, swords, polearms, longbows, and crossbows armed the walls. Winded, she scuttled to the princess who raised the telescope and busily adjusted it.

"I am sorry for our abrupt charge. This tower held the closest refractor."

"A what?"

Inanna tapped the telescope.

Annani caught her breath. "Oh. I recall seeing something like that at the moondial. A big blue man worked on it."

The princess chuckled. "Lazulinus is not the only one who loves observation."

"Why are we even here?"

"Take a look." Inanna stepped aside and gestured.

Annani gazed into the telescope, the revelation draconic reminiscence. A copper-scaled dragon swooped, perched upon a hook-shaped structure atop a tower betwixt obsidian mountains. He looked around and yawned.