DRAGONQUEEN: RISE OF THE SILVER PHOENIX

Chapter 3 - Rebellion

She sidesteps even further to stay well clear of the two sparring soldiers. That is when she finds herself in another room stacked with weapons. She walks through the wooden racks looking at the variety of medieval weapons. There is an assortment of short to long swords displayed on these racks. She sees a wooden crate that is filled with odd weapons brought over by strangers from other countries along with broken swords and daggers. The odd weapons mostly seem to be of eastern origin from Japan or China which confirms the researchers' suspicion that this continent is situated in the Indian Ocean. She sees the hilt of a katana and puls it, but the sword comes free from its sheath, and after sustaining numerous cuts, she successfully retrieves its sheath as well.

She balances the sword in her hands as her master has taught her. Her mouth curls into a smile as she notices the mark engraved at the hilt. Forged by a samurai master craftsman and perfectly balanced. She sheaths it and heals the small cuts with magic, before tucking the sheathed katana through her bra and across her back. At least now she is armed. She steps out of the weapon's storage with more care.

"Peasant, please return that weapon where you found it before I have you dragged to the dungeons!" She turns around to find the swordmaster heading in her direction.

"What were you planning to do with this katana?" Rebecca asks, hoping to be able to sway him.

"How do you know what kind of sword it is?" The swordmaster asks.

"I am familiar with this kind of weapon. It is also telling me that you are throwing away a perfectly forged masterpiece of a sword," Rebecca replies edging closer to the door.

"Can you even wield that thing?"

"Care to challenge me and find out?"

"You are a woman. Not a fighter! Guards!" There is sudden movement behind Rebecca and the telltale snarl of a dragon. Rebecca whips around to find a purple dragon blocking the entrance. The dragon snarls dangerously and from where she stands she watches the guards back away.

"Touch the dragonqueen and I will slaughter you! The dungeon is no place for the dragonqueen!" The female voice coming from the dragon is filled with menace.

"Lila, this woman is a peasant and needs to learn her place." The dragon's snarl became even more threatening. Flames dribble from the dragon's mouth threatening to spill over into a fully-fledged flame thrower.

"Grendel, you need to learn your place. I will not let you insult her any further if you value your life. Insult her again and I shall roast you!" The dragon replies. Rebecca realizes that Lila has spoken telepathically.

The swordmaster gives Lila a disapproving glare. "The gate guardians will prove the true test. If she fails to prove herself to them your charge will be roasted along with you." Lila snorts unimpressed and retreats.

Flecks of pink and purple dance across the ground as the sunlight catches the dragon's purple scales. Rebecca is mesmerized by it and a memory flares in her mind. She remembers playing with a hatchling dragon with similar almost pink scales when she was five years old. She remembers that she also named the dragon. The name she gave that dragon was Lila.

She rushes outside to find the purple dragon. She looks left and right, but there is no sign of the dragon. How can a massive thousand-pound dragon just disappear? It makes no sense. Where did that dragon go to? She makes her way closer to the gate and she sees pink shimmering on the ground. She looks at the position of the sun and then in the opposite direction. There the dragon lay curled up and basking in the sun beside the weapon storage room just out of sight from most of the keep's courtyard.

She takes a step toward the dragon but hesitates. The memory of the dragon attack is still fresh in her memory. Anger flares in her at the thought of everything that has happened in the few hours since she woke up this morning.