Dragon Fire : Magic Hunter

Chapter 3

The great hall was nearly empty now, but the tension lingered like a storm cloud. Tulip and Carpenter Bee walked side by side through the wide corridors of the palace, the marble floors cool under their talons. The occasional murmur from passing dragons drifted through the air, snippets of their conversations about the queen's announcement.

"I still can't believe you stood up like that," Carpenter Bee said, shaking his head. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking someone needed to support the queen!" Tulip replied, her voice firm. "Everyone was acting like she was doing something awful, but she's just trying to protect us."

"Protect us by training dragonets to hunt magic?" Carpenter Bee said with a snort. "You don't think that's just a little extreme?"

Tulip stopped walking and turned to face him, her wings twitching with frustration. "It's not extreme if it keeps the kingdom safe. Magic is dangerous—you know that as well as I do!"

Carpenter Bee's expression darkened. "I know what they say about magic. But have you ever seen it with your own eyes? Ever talked to a magic user?"

"No," Tulip admitted. "But I don't need to. The queen knows more than we do, and she says magic is a threat."

"Maybe she's wrong," Carpenter Bee said quietly.

Tulip blinked, startled. "The queen? Wrong? That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?" Carpenter Bee said, his voice rising slightly. "She's afraid, Tulip. Everyone saw it in her eyes today. She's making decisions based on fear, not logic."

"That's not fair," Tulip said, her voice softening. "You don't know what it's like to carry that kind of responsibility. She has to protect the entire kingdom."

"And putting us dragonets in danger is the way to do that?" Carpenter Bee asked.

Before Tulip could respond, another voice cut through their argument.

"Do you two ever stop bickering?"

Both dragonets turned to see Violet Thorn approaching, her violet-and-gold scales gleaming in the torchlight. She was older than them by a few years, one of the palace's star scholars-in-training, and she always seemed to know more than anyone else in the room.

"We're not bickering," Tulip said quickly. "We're... debating."

"Sure you are," Violet Thorn said with a smirk. "So, what's this debate about?"

"Whether the queen's new plan is a good idea," Carpenter Bee said flatly.

Violet Thorn raised an eyebrow. "The Magic Hunter training? That's going to be... interesting."

"See?" Tulip said, gesturing to Violet Thorn. "Even she thinks it's a good idea!"

"I never said that," Violet Thorn replied. "I said it'll be interesting. Personally, I think it's a terrible idea. But I'm curious to see how it plays out."

Tulip groaned. "Why is everyone so against this?"

"Because it's dangerous," Violet Thorn said, her tone serious now. "Magic isn't something you can just 'hunt' like it's a rogue dragon or a piece of treasure. It's unpredictable. Sometimes it's not even the magic user who's dangerous—it's the magic itself."

Tulip hesitated. "But... the queen wouldn't do this unless she thought it was the right thing to do."

Violet Thorn sighed. "Maybe. But just because someone means well doesn't mean they won't make mistakes."

The three dragonets fell into an uneasy silence.

"Anyway," Violet Thorn said, breaking the tension, "I wouldn't worry too much. Chances are, they won't pick any of us for the training. They'll choose older dragonets, ones with combat experience."

"That's true," Tulip said, trying to reassure herself.

But as they walked down the corridor, a nagging thought lingered in her mind. She  needed them to choose her. She would do anything to help her queen! Even if it ment hunting magic -and the dragons who weilded it.