Rise of Fire: Dragons Reborn [COMPLETED]

Chapter 38

Being pushed to the King's chambers was a lot like being strapped into the torture chamber Nazir had crafted to punish her. The trepidation roiling in her stomach was similar, but she wasn't fearful of being hurt like she would have been normally. This fear was different, if it could even be called fear.

"How long is this going to take?" She tried to sound level headed but it came out more of a snarl than anything. The healers remained silent as they continued. The sound of the wheels clacking against the stone floors only frazzled her nerves more. What she wouldn't do to be able to throw fire again. She'd burn all of them to ash just to amuse herself.

"We're here." The healer pushing her spoke in a gravely voice as they arrived in front of what looked like a door carved from ivory. On one door was the three towers that dominated the city, they were depicted shooting beams of either energy or light out of the floating orbs and into the distance. The other door had a carving of the royal family, though she recognized none of the faces. They were likely the original King and Queen and their two sons. Talia wondered if the current King was of any relation, by now most of the original bloodline had all but died off.

The second healer knocked on the door briskly before stepped back and positioning into a deep and respectful bow. She turned slightly to see her healer-pusher doing the same. The door opened cleanly, not even a squeak to announce its movement, revealing two glittering armor-clad guards with helmets covering every portion of their faces. They looked like little chess pieces, Talia thought to herself idly, as they stepped forward and her healers stepped back.

"The King is grateful for your acceptance of his invitation." The fist guard said, his voice deep and authoritative. The second guard walked up to her before taking control of the wheeling chair and pushing her forward. She sneered,

"Certainly, it was my honor to accept such a forthright invitation from a man I know nothing about." Her remark was biting yet respectful enough to not warrant a reaction, thus the guards remained silent as they escorted her in and closed the door behind them.

Inside the royal chamber she was assaulted by gaudy riches. Statuettes, glowing orb lights like the one in her medical room, animal hide rugs, tapestries, decadent fruit platter lying about on what she imagined were impossibly expensive tables. It reeked of overcompensation. Low and behold, the King reeked of it too.

He was a short man, especially for a human. Or perhaps she was biased as a half giant. Either way his stature was measly at best, he was underwhelming in every way. Typical muddy brown hair, typical murky brown eyes, typical round face. He had thin lips and ears that were more like saucers on the side of his head. He was actually sort of goofy looking, but she could see one thing about him that made her skin crawl and that was the pure venomous darkness that pooled in the depths of his eyes.

"Greetings dragon rider, it is an incredible honor to host the very first of your kind in my illustrious city in... What has it been now? Five thousand years? A shame about your condition however. Let me assure you that I will call upon every healer in the world until your walking is restored to you." He stood from the cushy chair he had been perched in to step forward and offer her a goblet of wine. She took it from him gently with a soft polite smile, she hadn't been in the game of killing royals for a few years but she still remembered her manners.

"A kind offer your highness, I can not fathom the resources such efforts would cost you. I am grateful of course but I feel that it would be in my best interest to return to my elvish homelands." It was the lie she fed everyone who tried to hold her hostage. She looked more elvish than anything and the threat of the elvish kingdoms retaliation was often enough to buy her release.