Silindra And Jasmine

I, Silindra had been ruler of the vampires for over a thousand years. I ruled because of systematic planning, a shrewd knowledge of the citizens I governed, and the cunning to deal with other magical creatures in the world.

Like dragons.

Dragons and vampires coexisted peacefully, for the most part. While some of the human vampires craved dragon blood, the originals, like me, had no stomach for the foul-smelling creatures.

The oldest and most impressively magical dragon of them all was called Abernathy. He was kind of a prickly character but, once you got around his rough edges, he had the heart of a gentleman.

I needed to speak to him.

His cave reeked of mortality. A mixture of decaying flesh, bat guano, and seawater. Despite the thick darkness, I could make out the bones of the damned scattered on the dusty earth. Carefully I flew over them, but they were everywhere, and occasionally my bare feet brushed against one, sending whisperings of the life of the dead.

Noises echoed off t