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009: Speaker of the Dead

last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-02-09 19:30:48
[Carnelia]

The water clock on the wall drips quietly, marking the moments that pass in the otherwise quiet place that was once a grand palace. My cheek is cold and damp as I inhale the scent of mold, the sodden carpet under my hand barely retaining its shape as I brush my fingertips against it.

When did I fall asleep? How am I here, in this place when just a moment ago I was....

Where was I?

"Look, she's awake," I hear Lyra's voice as she walks around my exposed body. "She didn't die after all."

She doesn't sound pleased. If anything she sounds extremely disappointed that I somehow survived whatever torture it was she had just subjected me to. Knowing her, it was especially painful.

Thank the gods I can't remember it. Whatever it was, my skin feels fresh, raw, and warm. Reaching over, to touch my other hand, I can feel that my skin is not blistered as I'd expect, but smooth and unbelievably soft, not unlike the touch of my own children when they first took their human form.

"We are ble
VictoryAnne Vice

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  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   010: Colored Thoughts

    [Carnelia] The book is heavy with more than just the sinews and hide that binds it, but with the weight of what it means. My father, what is left of him, now rests in my hands. Should I open it? Sighing, my talons grip the book more firmly between my fingers as I take a deep breath and look around to see if there is a chair where I might rest. Passing a mirror, I pause, gasping. I don’t look like myself anymore, but rather a version of myself I do not remember ever being. I am tall and lithe, my chestnut skin glowing golden from within, my eyes shining like two burning suns.And on my brow, the lattice work of golden symbols glow dully in the shadowed room. Their swirls and dots formed along my horns into the shape of a gleaming crown.Squinting, I try to make out the words…A sudden stab of red hot agony pierces the inner walls of my skull as new symbols spring to life around me, activated by my desire to understand. From every direction I am assaulted by barbs of words, arrows of

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-25
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   011: Missing Millicent

    [Primus] It has been three days since I felt my mate die. As I move through my day every moment I felt bleeding through our bond replays in my mind, unforgettable in horror. She died scared and alone, burned alive on a throne of gold, unable to fight for herself or our little ones nestled deep inside her as they burned to a crisp all for the sake of her power-thirsty sisters and their unrelenting desire to rule the world. They will die first. As soon as I find them, I plan to make everyone who was in that room watching my love burst into flames die a slow, miserable, and equally painful death. Everyone, everything in that hellish place will burn, a fitting pyre for the drakaina who call themselves her sisters. But before I grant them oblivion, I want them to see everything they built shatter at their feet. Maybe then they’ll learn that some things in this world are irreplaceable. Carnelia, my Carnelia. Another unsuccessful day of talking to shiphands while I work on the do

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-12
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   012: Secret Prince

    [Primus] Melis looks smug, her hands on her hips, so sure that she is correct in her assumptions. "So what is it going to be," she demands, tapping her foot. "Are you going to do what I say, or do I tell the constable who you are and collect the reward," Meris raises an eyebrow, and I almost believe that she'd be willing to turn me in, just to prove a point. The thing is, I doubt she has any proof, regardless of what she says. Maybe she suspects something after the other morning when she was outside my room, but I've been careful not to leave a trace, not a single scale or a claw mark on the furniture -nothing to raise her suspicions when she enters my room to clean it. Something else is going on here. She must need to believe this impossible thing is true for some reason. It's funny that in her childish fantasies that I am a missing prince who can save her from her troubles, she guessed the truth. As Leon, I am nothing like I am as Primus. I spent decades refining this form, makin

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-18
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   013: The Stricken

    [Primus] I couldn't let that poor girl suffer. Not once I heard her screaming. "I shouldn't care," I murmur to myself as I remember Carnelia in Crimson, surrounded by the angry townspeople, trapped by my nightmare of a brother who was determined to claim my mate for himself as a human slave, just to irk me. And even though that was practically another lifetime, I feel a tug on my heart as Carnelia's terrified face flashes before my vision and I forget to think. All I can do is feel. It doesn't matter that she isn't the one I love. I miss my mate so desperately that I would do anything to be in her arms once more. Maybe if I save this girl, it will save a bit of what is shattered inside of me with Carnelia dead and gone on the other side of the world. Flying without wings, I let enough of my true self to unwind as I make my way down the hall, past the kitchen, and into the main wind through the hall with the speed of a true Earth dragon, the very soil beneath my feet granting me s

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-21
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   014: Lost To The Waves

    [Primus]Standing underneath the bright blue streetlight on the sloped street behind me is Melis in her tattered clothing, a torch clutched tightly in her hand. “I said leave him alone,” her voice rings out, loud enough to wake the dead. Or to scare them. The bodies surrounding me scatter back, reaching for the edges of the shadows and safety. The afflicted aren’t really dead, or at least, they never officially died. But they also aren’t what I’d call alive anymore, not really. The transformation that overtakes them steals their inhibitions and their pain, but amplifies their needs and wants to a point of madness. First, their bodies sicken with a fever that burns so hot their body becomes covered with blisters. When the sickness ends, they rise from their illness, their bodies slowly rotting. But because they do not feel pain in the same way as before, they rise stronger, and far less careful. There is only one exception to their lack of caution--fire. For the afflicted, it is a ba

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   015: Aka' naha Rising

    [Carnelia] The shadows are cold and lonely without him. Nothing makes sense without my lover by my side. But as long as I remain powerless and under the guidance of others, I will never get him back. I realize that now. I'll always be a victim waiting for the next powerful person to take control of my life. In the hallowed halls of the Magi, they are teaching me their truespeak, and the ways of walking the void. They are giving me a pathway to power. And though I know it could get me everything I want, I am finding it harder and hard to concentrate on my goal . Because I miss him. I miss him with all that I am. Letting my mind empty, I attempt to restart my meditation. Seeking the silent places of my mind, I reach out as the magi have taught me, into the great void. It is here that our dreams take us every night, visitors in a world where anything is possible but where only a few of us have the power to change things. When Primus was injured during the All Kingdome Faire, and

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-04
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   016: Shadows Walking

    [Carnelia] I can barely contain a shiver as I think of the possibilities. Nobody talks about what would happen if I were to open the void and lose control. Would everything die, like when my darkness is unleashed and sucks the souls of those it encounters, or would everything just cease to exist? Would we even realize anything had happened? I've considered asking the Grand Magus, but I know that if I voice my concerns too strongly, she'll see through my very carefully applied mask, the one that shows Rakasha the face of a true believer instead of the skeptic and that I am. Maybe if I had been raised as a sun dragon, I'd have more dedication to their cause. But I didn't grow up indoctrinated in their ways. I didn't even know I was a dragon until I met Primus. I want to ask, "Am I doing the right thing?" as I place my hand on the black dot. "What if I kill us all because you were wrong? What if I'm not your savior, but your destruction?" "Aka'naha," the Grand Magus takes the bowl fr

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-09
  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   017: Echoes

    017: Echoes [Carnelia] Standing before me, and behind me, are the same handsome drake. His skin is the color of wet river rocks, dark and smooth, his eyes bright flames. His hair is blacker than the darkest shadow as are his scales which glow with a cool iridescence. I have known his voice since before I was born, the sweet song of it haunting my dreams for a lifetime, lulling me to sleep even as I shivered with fear over the uncertainty of tomorrow. My sanity, my guardian. My father, Deklaan Talos Andromeda, First Magus, the last true shadowwalker. “Do you know me,” his voice is deep, rolling like thunder, rich and full with the promise of rain. “Yes,” I swallow, marveling at the vision before me. “Are you real?” “Yes and no,” he replies cryptically. “I am not here, but I am speaking to you.” “How can both be true?” I tilt my head. “Am I speaking to my father?” “How can you walk the shadows and not know that both can be true,” the mysterious drake raises an eyebrow. “We

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10

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  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   020: Birth and Rebirth

    [Carnelia]I felt the cold of the void behind me as I lay in bed, dreaming of my husband.And yet, as I opened my eyes, I felt a warm touch on my cheek and the deep, earthy scent of him so strong that I was sure I must still be dreaming.Turning towards the warmth and the delicious scent of crushed leaves and pine, I blinked my eyes up to see an impossibility.Primus, my husband and mate, is standing next to me."Am I still asleep," I croak as he places his palm more firmly on my cheek."If you are sleeping, so am I. Do you mind if this is a dream? He asks, the curve of his smile outlined with the warm flickering gaslight in my room. It is so much like our home in Ridgewood, the way the light bounces off the walls, that I wish we could be there right now, curled up together. Or even the castle in Emerald Cove, where we made love on every surface."Please tell me you're real," he kneels inside the nest I've created in the corner. It is cushioned like a bed but far larger, ready to accom

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   019: Leaning In

    [Primus] I wasn’t sure what the voice meant at first. Nor did I know if I could trust it. How do I lean into shadows? Do I fall backward into the burning net? Do I turn sideways into the darkness of the room? “You’re overthinking,” the shadow man speaks again.“Just let go.” Let go of what? My anger? My suffering? "Your body," the darkness the voices in my mind. "Imagine yourself floating free of all of this. Think of your soul as being anchored to your feet and your head and just imagine peeling it back one small measure at a time." "What if I don't want to," I croak, my voice hoarse from screaming. "What if I say no?" The last time I was told to let go of my body I was being placed inside of a tank with tubes and wires as the Queen's technician hooked me up to a machine. "DON'T" the shadow booms, loud enough that I raise my hands to cover my ears. Blinking, I look around to see if the notice disturbed anyone else, someone who could confirm I'm not seeing things later when the

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   018: Cold Hands

    [Primus] Something strange happened on that beach, something I can’t quite explain because I don’t understand it completely myself. As I knelt in a defensive crouch, the humans encircled my location, the collar shining dully in their hands. I was still trying to play human, to get them to see reason, but my words fell around us like stones to be washed by the waves--meaningless and dull. "You are mistaken about me," I insist. "You guys know me. I was headed to join the crew when I came upon poor Melis. She was attacked by the stricken and... "Cut the crap, dragon," Remi, the first mate of the Merriweather, interrupts me. "I saw you at the tavern." The tavern, where I cut the innkeeper to ribbons to save his daughter from his abuse. "I don't know what you think you saw," I laugh, "But I'm just a minstrel." "Well then, if you're a minstrel, this won't matter," he holds up the collar. "These collars don't work on humans, only dragons, as I am sure you are aware, Primus since your b

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   017: Echoes

    017: Echoes [Carnelia] Standing before me, and behind me, are the same handsome drake. His skin is the color of wet river rocks, dark and smooth, his eyes bright flames. His hair is blacker than the darkest shadow as are his scales which glow with a cool iridescence. I have known his voice since before I was born, the sweet song of it haunting my dreams for a lifetime, lulling me to sleep even as I shivered with fear over the uncertainty of tomorrow. My sanity, my guardian. My father, Deklaan Talos Andromeda, First Magus, the last true shadowwalker. “Do you know me,” his voice is deep, rolling like thunder, rich and full with the promise of rain. “Yes,” I swallow, marveling at the vision before me. “Are you real?” “Yes and no,” he replies cryptically. “I am not here, but I am speaking to you.” “How can both be true?” I tilt my head. “Am I speaking to my father?” “How can you walk the shadows and not know that both can be true,” the mysterious drake raises an eyebrow. “We

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   016: Shadows Walking

    [Carnelia] I can barely contain a shiver as I think of the possibilities. Nobody talks about what would happen if I were to open the void and lose control. Would everything die, like when my darkness is unleashed and sucks the souls of those it encounters, or would everything just cease to exist? Would we even realize anything had happened? I've considered asking the Grand Magus, but I know that if I voice my concerns too strongly, she'll see through my very carefully applied mask, the one that shows Rakasha the face of a true believer instead of the skeptic and that I am. Maybe if I had been raised as a sun dragon, I'd have more dedication to their cause. But I didn't grow up indoctrinated in their ways. I didn't even know I was a dragon until I met Primus. I want to ask, "Am I doing the right thing?" as I place my hand on the black dot. "What if I kill us all because you were wrong? What if I'm not your savior, but your destruction?" "Aka'naha," the Grand Magus takes the bowl fr

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   015: Aka' naha Rising

    [Carnelia] The shadows are cold and lonely without him. Nothing makes sense without my lover by my side. But as long as I remain powerless and under the guidance of others, I will never get him back. I realize that now. I'll always be a victim waiting for the next powerful person to take control of my life. In the hallowed halls of the Magi, they are teaching me their truespeak, and the ways of walking the void. They are giving me a pathway to power. And though I know it could get me everything I want, I am finding it harder and hard to concentrate on my goal . Because I miss him. I miss him with all that I am. Letting my mind empty, I attempt to restart my meditation. Seeking the silent places of my mind, I reach out as the magi have taught me, into the great void. It is here that our dreams take us every night, visitors in a world where anything is possible but where only a few of us have the power to change things. When Primus was injured during the All Kingdome Faire, and

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   014: Lost To The Waves

    [Primus]Standing underneath the bright blue streetlight on the sloped street behind me is Melis in her tattered clothing, a torch clutched tightly in her hand. “I said leave him alone,” her voice rings out, loud enough to wake the dead. Or to scare them. The bodies surrounding me scatter back, reaching for the edges of the shadows and safety. The afflicted aren’t really dead, or at least, they never officially died. But they also aren’t what I’d call alive anymore, not really. The transformation that overtakes them steals their inhibitions and their pain, but amplifies their needs and wants to a point of madness. First, their bodies sicken with a fever that burns so hot their body becomes covered with blisters. When the sickness ends, they rise from their illness, their bodies slowly rotting. But because they do not feel pain in the same way as before, they rise stronger, and far less careful. There is only one exception to their lack of caution--fire. For the afflicted, it is a ba

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   013: The Stricken

    [Primus] I couldn't let that poor girl suffer. Not once I heard her screaming. "I shouldn't care," I murmur to myself as I remember Carnelia in Crimson, surrounded by the angry townspeople, trapped by my nightmare of a brother who was determined to claim my mate for himself as a human slave, just to irk me. And even though that was practically another lifetime, I feel a tug on my heart as Carnelia's terrified face flashes before my vision and I forget to think. All I can do is feel. It doesn't matter that she isn't the one I love. I miss my mate so desperately that I would do anything to be in her arms once more. Maybe if I save this girl, it will save a bit of what is shattered inside of me with Carnelia dead and gone on the other side of the world. Flying without wings, I let enough of my true self to unwind as I make my way down the hall, past the kitchen, and into the main wind through the hall with the speed of a true Earth dragon, the very soil beneath my feet granting me s

  • Redemption of The Dragon Prince   012: Secret Prince

    [Primus] Melis looks smug, her hands on her hips, so sure that she is correct in her assumptions. "So what is it going to be," she demands, tapping her foot. "Are you going to do what I say, or do I tell the constable who you are and collect the reward," Meris raises an eyebrow, and I almost believe that she'd be willing to turn me in, just to prove a point. The thing is, I doubt she has any proof, regardless of what she says. Maybe she suspects something after the other morning when she was outside my room, but I've been careful not to leave a trace, not a single scale or a claw mark on the furniture -nothing to raise her suspicions when she enters my room to clean it. Something else is going on here. She must need to believe this impossible thing is true for some reason. It's funny that in her childish fantasies that I am a missing prince who can save her from her troubles, she guessed the truth. As Leon, I am nothing like I am as Primus. I spent decades refining this form, makin

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