The Silver Revenge

Chapter 12: Diplomacy

Silver collapsed in a nest of straw, not caring what it was made of and simply enjoying the chance to rest. It had seemed like a long time since she had been able to sleep in security without anyone else lying beside her. Kunder had lead them to one of the large ice pillars in the haven, which turned out to be riddled with caves, and allowed each of the dragons to choose one of their own while they waited for the leader of the Syndicate to summon them. It annoyed Silver slightly, their plight was important, but her exhaustion far overwhelmed any need to be noticed.

She let out a tired yawn, curling up in the nest but not yet going to sleep. It was still only the middle of the day, and sleeping during the day was not a good idea in her mind. Instead she went to gazing out the entrance of her high up cave at the haven outside.

There were dragons everywhere, far more then what there was at Sky Mountain. From what she knew there were close to ten thousand dragons living in Eldawin's Syndicate of every known species. Their customs were quite strange as well. It was almost like a human world, with everything from currency and shops to different sports, like dancing. There was also a strict code of honour that every dragon obeyed under punishment of death, or worse. But it seemed like a relatively happy place, completely cut off from the rest of the world.

Feeling herself slowly drifting off to sleep Silver shook her head and growled. She got up from where she was laying and trotted over to the entrance of her ice cave and looked outwards. Maybe later, after an appropriate rest, she would fly down and explore a little. Her stomach grumbled, causing her to sigh.

"I wonder if there's anything to eat around here," she murmured to herself.

"Not if you just sit around," came a very feminie voice from right above her.

Silver yelped in surprise and jumped backwards, spreading her wings out for balance and growling. She looked up at the assailant and frowned. A fire dragon was hovering right above her, female, and possibly the most beautiful dragoness Silver had ever seen. Her scales were polished to perfection, talons sharpened to the sharpest point and horns polished so they glowed. A perfectly lean and curvy body rippled slightly with every flap of her unscarred wings. A long tail swayed behind her in a hypnotising fashion and the ruby red eyes glittered like gems from the dragonesses' face. White sharp teeth flashed as she grinned, seeming to enjoy Silver's lack of words.

"It's rude to stare dear," she said with a tilt of her head and a colourful smirk.

Heat rose in Silver's scales, both from anger and embarrassment. She looked away and shook herself before looking up at the dragoness again, "Who are you?"

"Hmm, I may ask the same question," the fire dragon glided downwards and touched her paws against the ice in the most elegant fashion.

A growl found itself out of the silver dragon's throat, "You first."

"Oh fine, fine," the other dragon's head bobbed side to side as she said the words, "I'm called Firefly."

Her words were laced with eloquence, sounding like music. But behind it all was a surprising amount of cunning, along with a dangerous edge that sounded as if it could snap in a single moment. It was a challenge; one Silver would rise up to.

"I'm Silver," replied the metallic dragoness, holding herself slightly higher.

The other dragoness was larger then her, but not as robust. Speed and agility then. It was impossible to guess Firefly's age. It could have been anywhere between ten and fifty. No one would know. A strange heat also radiated from her body, similar to Raize but far greater. She was powerful as well.