Drakon

underwater scholars

{📜t e r r i s h u n t e r📜}

I followed Gabrielle cautiously, taking the time to admire the architecture and coral gardens all around us. The array of colours was so different to the drab gold and cream of Lukar, the only place I've ever been to. She led me to the grand library, which I recognized from the parliament building next to it. She looked at me with a proud smile. I smiled back nervously, afraid our cover was blown, but instead, she opened the door to the library.

"I know a scholar when I see one, young Teresa." She said with a grin, helping me through the door. "This is the biggest library and institution in the entire world, much bigger than any of you surface-dwellers would know. I thought you would like to see it."

We swam straight upwards, before we entered what seemed to be the biggest room in the building, spanning nearly the size of a ball pitch. "Woah." My eyes widened, and I glanced at the array of scrolls in neat piles and stacks, or sometimes in different shelves or cupboards.

"I'm glad you like it." She said cheerfully. "I met another surface dweller about 30 years ago, when I was still a young woman. He had admired this library as well, and stayed with us for 10 years. Most of these are the true histories of all the dragon kingdoms, back when Dagat and Terrande were still ruled by kings and queens. Who leads Terrande now?"

"Dagen Nightdrake." I said, hoping she wouldn't blow up in my face about how monarchs were selfish and cruel. "I assume you know about Lukar's attack on the kingdoms?"

"Yet you are a mage." She said, her face grim. "An heir to the Qamaras throne on the chair of Terrande? Why would such profanities happen?"

"We are desperate." I answered, fingers crossed behind my back, the other hand spinning my ring out of anxiety. "With Ironfang and his missing sister the only silver dragons remaining, and so many fire dragons and shimmer dragons under King Felix's rule, we need all the help we can get."

"Why would a mage join a dragon's cause?" She asked again. "Don't say you're not a mage, I can see your ring, and I recognized mage sorcery when I saw it. Thank god you are not a warlock. You are not a dragon, however you have the makings of a water dragon."

"Me? A dragon?" I spluttered. "You know I am not a dragon, only a mage, but why would you say that?"

"Silver dragons have their violet eyes, and they pride themselves in truth. Earth dragons have their warm skin, and they pride themselves in their protection of others. Shimmer dragons have their albino colouring or pale features, and they pride themselves in creativity. Fire dragons, the brash sort, have their fiery red hair, and they pride themselves in what they call courage, but what we call brute force. Night dragons have their pitch black hair and eyes, and they pride themselves in stealth. Us? Our trait is our blue eyes, as deep as the sea, and we pride ourselves in intelligence."

"No wonder Adara tried to dissuade me from coming here." I muttered. "You two are complete opposites."

"I suppose you mean Adara Firedrake of Flarenn? The queen? I was under the impression she sacrificed her freedom to protect princess Ciana of Sarken." She replied, cocking her head.

"Adara is in captivity, as my rider dragon." I answered. "I managed to sneak myself into King Felix's mighty riders to gather information on his power. Ciana we managed to free; you saw her yourself. Brighttail."

"The way you speak reminds me of my human lover from the younger days." She said with a nostalgic smile. "I gave him a daughter, before he returned to land. He was a mage too, not a very proficient one, but he was young. He had your black curls and sly smile."

I didn't question her, not wanting to break her out of her memory lane. "Why did Dagat change to a democracy from a monarchy? Terrande only converted to manage the influx of refugee dragons from the incident 12 years ago."

She gave a sigh, before looking at me with her deep blue eyes. "Oh, child. Many texts depict us as dragons that adapted to the sea, but you're wrong. The sea is wiser and older than anything else. We span all over the world, and Dagat is the largest nation there is, just like this library is big. We have been a democracy for nearly 500 years now, and it was all about a civil war.

"The queen we had was a cruel one. Her older sister was a negligent ruler, and when she died from some sickness she got in one of the colder cities, she received the crown. However, her sister managed to leave an heir behind, and the queen plotted to kill the young princess.

"The queen successfully harmed the child, but as the nursery drowned in poison, the princess was saved and was replaced by a harmless dead body that corroded from the toxins. The princess lived her life on the streets as a servant, until one day, when the queen arrived at her lonely outer city, the queen recognized her power and realized that her contestant for the throne was still alive. Her arrival did not strike fear in the young girl's eyes, but instead made her realize her true heritage.

"The young princess, hardened from her harsh life on the streets, rose up and started a rebellion, where after a bloody war, the princess killed her aunt with the same poison she tried to kill her with when she was a child. The young princess realized that in the future there would be another cruel king or queen, and not wanting the future of her nation to end up worse than it already was, she dissolved the monarchy and allowed the creation of a senate and governor in each city, and a president overall."

"That was morbid." I muttered.

Her lips turned up into a small smile. "It's reality." She handed me a scroll, and I opened it. "You can read it. It's just something you should make copies of after your own rebellion."

"Our rebellion?" I asked.

"Of course, your rebellion. Against King Felix. I hope you succeed, and just tell Terrande they have our support, but we will not leave Dagat. The scroll contains Volna's history, and I hope it can be used to repair our broken relationship with the surface-world."

I turned to leave, before I quickly remembered something: Kia, Celeste and Alistair knew nothing about the rebellion. "At dinner, please do not mention the rebellion. Let's try to talk about trade routes, for my companions know nothing of this upcoming coup against the warlock King. They are only here so that the rest of Terrande stays ignorant and covers up our work."

"Of course. Some things must be done with stealth. That much I agree with the night dragons." She nodded.

"And if anything does happen between the span of after this and when we depart, just remember that for me and Ironfang it is just an act. We are playing pawns for a king, but in truth we are the ones making the moves."

She nodded again. "I hope you have a good rest before we eat, which is soon." She said respectfully, and we began to swim back. Suddenly, another thought flashed to my mind.

"One last thing. The mortal lover you spoke of, the one who was a mage and left with your child. What was his name?"

"Why do you ask?" She replied, a confused expression on her face. "His name was Salvador Helix."

image: inspiration for the underwater library