[Carnelia] There is a bright glow as I close my eyes and I know that it is the last time I will ever see Cressida, that she sacrificed her spark to save me. My screams turn into howls of pain and sorrow. Cressida, the kind mother who nursed me through the birth of my babies, and accepted me into her family even when she thought I was a human. I didn’t even really get a chance to know her, and now I am mourning her, along with the loss of my mate, trapped on the other side of a gate I cannot cross. “CLOSE THE GATE!” one of my captors bellows through the entry gate as we arrive at the Northern Sky Portal, “By order of Queen Cressida. This is her final command!” The drakes at the gate go immediately to work, tapping buttons on clear surfaces lit from within with swirling and changing images of blue, red, and green. The surface beneath our feet shifts and shakes and I scream in fury as I watch the large metal iris of the portal snap shut. “How could you,” I pound the chest of m
[Segundus] “Greetings citizens of Imperial City,” My queen and I shine brightly as the sun begins to set, our white clothes studded with diamonds so that when the spotlights shine on us, we gleam like fallen stars, fitting since our intention tonight is to make celestials fall from the heavens. “The Celestials have lorded over us for several millennia. Living in their sky throne, they control our resources, taking what they want and leaving nothing behind. Their children, the Sun Dragons, were especially notorious. They controlled the power that fueled our cities, and if we didn’t make proper payment, they would burn our cities, raid our farms, and send their blight to wipe all life from our land.” I pause to let my words settle into the hearts and minds of those gathered. A gentle hissing roar throughout the crowd assembled. My wife, Queen Eleanora, squeezes my hand in encouragement, smiling sweetly, projecting her confidence and trust. “My brother, Segundus, sought to alig
[Eleanora] “Your Majesty, you shouldn’t be down here,” the small man sniveled as I entered the new lab. "This is no place for a lady." “Where else would I be?” I demand, cracking my knuckles as I stare down my nose at the human technician in charge of keeping my husband’s body from dying. “My husband is here, so I am here. I wanted an update on his condition.” “We could have written a report and sent it…” he begins to sniffle but I raise my hand and he bows low before me, his back deeply bowed as is proper. “I wanted to SEE him, you dolt,” I correct the fool shaking before me. Humans are so weak-willed and this one is weaker than most. I brought him from my family home because I can trust he will be loyal. He'd sooner tattle on himself for a perceived mistake than risk being accused by someone else. Similarly, he's the first to report when anything seems amiss. The perfect little worm to place in any apple. Because while he is telling on everyone else, he is also spying for
[Carnelia] When I sat there, tied to that wagon almost a year ago, I had no idea how my life led me to that place. I couldn't even remember who I was or where I came from. It is amazing how much can change in such a short amount of time. When I was a hurt, angry girl, I had no idea that one day I'd wake up and be seen as the mother of a kingdom, or that my children would not only be heirs to all of Luxandra, but to the Solar Throne of the Southern Continent, a rebirth for a royal line thought long dead. Nor did I understand that my old life, and everyone who existed within it, would be nothing but ash and sour memories before the next summer blossomed. All I knew as I fought against my bindings was that in the next few minutes, my life would either end drastically or it would be changed forever. Because even if my body were not destined to die as a dragon’s meal that evening, something in me realized that the girl I had been up until that moment would die that day. There was n
[Millicent] People always say, "Can you remember when the problem started?" I'd like to say, "Yes, Sir. You see there was this one moment where everything went wrong..." But I cannot. I don't even know who I am. I was not born Millicent Walker. That name was gifted to me when I showed up in the village of Crimson, covered in bruises, burns, and blood. I have no parents, no family, and no memory of my life before the age of seven, or however old I am--nobody is quite sure. My strange gold hair and hazel eyes made it obvious to those who first met me on the dusty road from the East that I wasn't from anywhere near the town of Crimson, or anywhere else along the Emerald Shore where the locals were fair of skin and light of eye. To them I was different, and to people with small minds and smaller experiences, there is nothing scarier than different, except for maybe the unknown, and I was a living representation of both. I was, and remain, a mystery. With no one to care for me and no
[Primus] The wench was tied to the wagon in the exact location I had requested. They had even trussed her up, making sure she was tied securely so that she would have no chance of escaping. Good. I guess I do not have to take back my good favor from the village for something as stupid as misunderstanding my directions. I’d rather not waste a valuable resource just to prove that I can as a way to save face. The town of Crimson provides my castle with the fine fabrics and spices we need to run a household worthy of a Dragon Prince. Without them, I’d have to go further afield to find the goods that I need, and it would be…inconvenient. Reaching down with one of my foreclaws, I scoop up the wagon and take flight once again. I can hear the wench screaming, which is how I know she is still alive. Flight can be terrifying for the wingless. I expect a few screams of surprise, but she doesn’t stop. She just keeps going, a long loud bellow that resonates and scratches the inside of my eardru
[Millicent]His malicious grin, the only part of his face I could see clearly, was predatory and possessive as he grabbed my hand roughly and led me through a stone door at the side of the keep. The door slammed behind us, the solid boom reminding me of the finality of my situation. Any chance for my freedom ended when that door closed behind us.We entered a small chamber that led to a dark hallway, lit by odd metal torches burning with a strange green flame behind clear bowls of hand-turned glass. I didn’t have much opportunity to appreciate the cleverness of the craftsmanship, however, because I was still suffering under his rough handling and he pulled me along faster than my much shorter legs could travel. Nobody was around to see him drag me up the stairs as I struggled, hitting and punching his back, hoping he'd stop moving and let me go. But he didn’t. Nothing seemed to matter as he continued. Not my screams, not my tears, not all the nasty things I said about him, his parenta
[Millicent]Leon led me back the way he had come, past the waterfall room, which is called a “terrarium,” into a dark hallway that I had somehow missed the night before. He presses his hand onto a small panel in the wall igniting more of those green-fire torches, illuminating the corridor before us. As we make our way through the doorway, the hallway opens up into another grand chamber, not quite as big as the last, but sufficiently big enough to hold one of the largest collections of books I had ever seen in one place.“Why are there so many books?” I ask, honestly curious.“For enjoyment,” he replies as if the answer is obvious. “Don’t you like to read?”“No,” I admitted. “I’ve never had enough time to learn how.”He stopped abruptly, holding out a hand. “You don’t know how to read?”“No,” I shake my head. “Why would I need to? Only merchants and lords need letters written on a page. I am just a maid. What need do I have of books when all I’m expected to do is clean?”He looks at me