Dragon Tide Chronicles: Dawn Rising

Chapter 19: The Sapphire Elder, Tom Torikson (Act 1 Finale)

Chapter Nineteen: The Sapphire Elder, Tom Torikson

The next day, there was great  haste in our final preparations, and then we spent the day traveling on foot to the tower. When we finally got there, it was exactly time to begin.

“Well that’s convenient.” I murmur. Alexander was talking with the Warden guard, asking for entrance for our group, and surprisingly, the guard simply nodded curtly. It allowed us passage, and Alexander began walking up a spiral staircase.

“Alright all of you, hurry. We don’t want to waste time, he probably won’t want to talk for a long time.” Alexander snaps at us. We soon are climbing up the sapphire staircase. My heart pounds, and I wonder what awaits us at the top. We soon exit the staircase, after perhaps thirty minutes of climbing, and behold a sapphire door, clad with gold symbols. Alexander opens the door, and I behold a great hall, not quite a throne room, but it is evident this was formerly one. The elder, I guess his name was Tom, sat at the foot of a massive, graceful throne.

He did not look up at us, but said, “Alexander. Why are you here? Have you come for vengeance on behalf of your people?”

Alexander bent knee and said humbly, “No lord Elder Tom. I humbly and desperately plead an audience with you. It is of critical importance that you listen to what I have to say!” He says calmly but with resolve.

The Elder lifts his head. “Of what importance can your message be,” He growls, his cold blue eyes piercing straight at me, “When you have brought the enemy right to our bloody doorstep!” He growls. I pale, realizing the hood had not fooled him in the slightest. I only hoped that- “And none other then Danica Crown and Oreleanus Crown themselves!! The chosen heirs of the Crown family! This is treason!” Alexander’s face grows desperate.

“No! Wait! You must hear me out! There is an insurrection! You must…” The Elder cuts him off.

“I will have none of this! Guards! Seize him and his companions! I will not allow them to go unpunished!” Alexander’s face tightens with anger and terrible rage, and he suddenly faces me and the rest of the group. He raises his hand and his eyes glow with power. I realize, just before he casts the spell, what he’s about to do.

“NO ALEXANDER! WE CAN…” I scream, as he begins casting the spell:

“Akneaus Vos Teleous Sidious!” He bellows, and we are all enveloped in a white light as Alexander is seized by the Gem Dragonling guards.

Sirens wail, and the peaceful city had become still as night, save for the huge army of soldiers charging at us. “Surrender” and various other battle cries were shouted, which all of them of course were lost on us, as we desperately attempted to escape, ducking into alleys and heading for the main city exit, out only possible escape out of this. Several Phaser grenades land near us, and I curse who ever thought of the freaking weapons.

“Arrrggghh! Can’t we get out of here faster?!” My brother screams at me.

“YOU come up with a way out of this, jerk!” I shout back at him.

I spy the exit, and I enter my War Earth Fairy form, and accelerate our speed, so that we manage to escape in less then a minute. We run into the woods, and don’t stop. I went around a tree, and I stop dead in my tracks, and soon we’ve all stopped. A female dragonling is standing in front of me, with a deadly gleam in her eyes.

“Stop.” She says quietly. I glance around wildly, looking for soldiers. “Relax, Crown. We are alone here. For now. I can help you, but you have to help me in return.” I glare at her.

“If we DID help you, what would it be? And how can we just trust you?” She chuckles quietly.

“I just need you to promise that you won’t leave these isles without Alexander. When I get you what you need and you set out, and then free him, you are to bring him to Hav’ara’s Hold. Capital of the Ruby Dragonlings. Now if you don’t mind, you might want to hurry up with your agreement so we all don’t get caught.” I still glare at her.

            “Who are you? Why do you want to help him?” I growl. She bitterly laughs.

“I am the Ruby Elder, Naltheria. All you need to know is that I owe him a deep debt I must atone and pay for. Please.” I sigh.

“Fine, we will help. Just get us out of here!” I hiss as I hear guards approaching. She smiles weakly.

“Very well.” With a murmur of the Ancient Draconic tongue, we teleport.

As we reappear in a dimly lit cave, I observe the Ruby Elder. She has a long mane of crimson red hair, that reached down to her waist, delicate red eyes, a small ruby on her forehead, as do all of the Gem Dragonling kin tend to have, fair skin, with not a blemish on it, and generally had a fair build, I could not tell her age, but she defiantly appeared as if she had just hit twenty years of age. Her face was delicate and caring, but was tarnished by worry. Whoever she was, she obviously cared about Alexander in some way, more then just by a debt owed. I suspected personal feelings had something to do with this.

We all sat around for awhile, then I finally got bored and took a nap. As I drifted to sleep, I began to ponder many things. Irintis’s warning about the threat of the instability of the Dragonling’s government, the ‘insurrection’ Alexander mentioned, all raced through my mind. Finally, I could come up with one and only one answer to my questions.

I decided, if I wanted peace, I would have to actively take part and attempt to end the chaos ravaging the dragonling’s way of life, or else that same chaos would spiral out to consume everything I cared for. And with it, would come the ravages of war.