Original Stories Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness ❯ Seal ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven

Seal

 

The once magnificent palace sat above its capital like a hawk on its perch as it surveyed for its next prey. People scurried to and fro their daily routines, their heads bowed, eyes darting about mistrustfully. Business was conducted with an abruptness that could almost be called rude.

 

Since the Riagenkai had departed nearly two years prior in search of their new queen the ministers and nobles had taken to squabbling among themselves and hoarding what little wealth they could. Their squabbles had even gone so far as to involve the former Heshen whom now ruled over them at the Riagenkai's request. General Kaji had been a good Heshen, but he was ill suited for the politics of running a court and so the ministers disregarded him and fought among themselves.

 

What little diplomacy they had had built up with the wealthy country of Adair had been ripped to shreds when the minister Morion had refused to trade certain goods with the longer reigning ruler. The Adair queen had taken to ignoring their very existence from that moment on.

 

Even the Dragon Officials that had been attempting to mandate the situation had left once Farin had disappeared, feeling that the humans were more trouble than they were worth. They had returned to their own nation among the mountains of the Trestri range and secluded themselves from Regenku.

 

Now, as the people hurried about their routines a great black shadow fell across them before great black drops fell against the cobblestone and splattered against them. A great clamor rang through the city as people looked up and saw their great red and gold Riagenkai. He was back. He had found their new royal. There would be no more confusion and mayhem.

 

Farin circled the palace once before he drew his wings in a little and plummeted towards the training yards where several dozen soldiers had been drilling just moments previously. They scattered as he came at them, but slowed as they realized that he was transforming in mid-air. He landed heavily amid the confused men, holding his useless arm to his chest and ignoring the other wounds Karu had managed to inflict before he had escaped and almost completely unaware of the fact that he was naked.

 

His breathing coming in harsh gasps he staggered to his feet and seized the closest man to him, bringing them almost nose-to-nose. “Kaji,” he hissed. He blinked and released the man, turning his head from side to side as he searched for the former Heshen general. A solid, broad shouldered man pushed several of the junior soldiers and officers from his path as he swiftly made his way to Farin's side, his black eyes glittering with something akin to concern.

 

Farin seized Kaji's collar and practically fell on the other man in his haste to pull him close enough that the others would not hear him. “Find…her. Find…silver eyes,” he gasped, his knees beginning to buckle. “Not safe…Karu…danger…my royal in Jesira…Find her…before too late…”

 

His words were making no sense to the other man as he caught the dragon's waist and went to one knee with him. “You found them?” he asked softly and Farin nodded.

 

“Silver-eyes travels with…two dragons. One male…one female adult,” Farin forced out between gasps. “Find them…bring them…safely.”

 

“Yes, I will, but you're wounded and need to see the imagi at once, lest you die of blood loss,” Kaji said, loosening his grip slightly.

 

Farin shook his head, his eyes flicking to the sky. The wind carried the scent of two dragons closing rapidly on him. “No time,” he said, his voice still harsh and soft. “Go.”

 

Their eyes locked for one moment that stretched for an eternity. “Yes, Riagenkai. I will bring them back safely. Stay alive,” Kaji whispered as he released Farin and rose. Turning slightly he regarded the men he had once commanded and they stared back with an almost tangible hunger. If he commanded them they would follow him into the fiery bowels of the Trestri Mountains. “Maixim, Torun, with me.”

 

The two men exchanged a grin looks before hastening to fall in step with their general. “Don't ask, just follow,” he said, cutting off any questions they might have asked before they even opened their mouths. “Norcum, take care of things here.” He didn't wait for an answer before he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving his two men scrambling after him.

 

As they disappeared beyond the mass of bodies Farin turned his attention to the nearest soldier and barked, “You…clothes.” His sea green eyes snapped to the man's companion, whom stiffened under the gaze of the dragon guardian. “Bandages.”

 

Once the men had turned heel and fled to do as he said he collapsed clutching at his arm again and laboring to breathe, fatigue suddenly settling around him like a cloak. There wasn't much time left, but he had done what he could. Now he had to face the officials and hope that Kaji could find her before it was too late. It was a long shot at best, but what other hope was there?

 

The remaining soldiers glanced to their officers for instructions, but the dragon's presence unsettled them as much as the rest of their men. It was quite apparent from the blotches of black blood trailing down his bronze skin and other wounds that another dragon had grievously injured Farin, but they were at a loss as to what to do. Under normal circumstances no one but their ruler was allowed to touch the Riagenkai, but seeing as he had not returned with another royal there was really no one to instruct them on how to care for him. Instead, they settled on waiting for the Riagenkai to give them orders before they acted.

 

The seconds seemed to stretch for an eternity and when the first soldier appeared to him again his ragged breathing had just begun to even out, the pain still as intensely stabbing. Not more than a boy he lingered uncertainly before the dragon with the clothes clutched in his arms. “Ah…Riagenkai,” he said carefully. “I've brought the-” He stopped dead as Farin's eyes flicked up to his.

 

“I see that,” he said harshly. “Drop them and move back into rank.”

 

“Yes, Riagenkai,” he said, dropping the clothes and backing swiftly among his comrades.

 

Farin's eyes swept the crowd, a low growl forming in his chest. “Lieutenant General,” he barked and Norcum flinched. “Form your ranks. I will not have my country disgraced before my father's officials.” When the man hesitated, he surged to his feet and snarled wordlessly at the man. It was crude but effective. The lieutenant general sprang into immediate action and began organizing the lower ranking officers and their men into the usual companies.

 

He took a shuddering breath and bent to scoop the breeches up, taking careful heed of his many wounds. For a moment he stared disgustedly at his blood as it pooled at his feet, but there was nothing to be done for it; he would have to leave it as it was. Then he proceeded to pull the breeches on one handed, giving the occasional hiss of pain as the rough material dragged against his raw wounds. As he was knotting the breeches securely around his waist the second soldier he had sent jostled his way through the crowd and stopped several feet from him.

 

Giving the man a cold look he held out his good hand for the bandages and then shooed him away. “Grent,” he said softly and the air shimmered around him as the wolf Kingen appeared at his side. “The ministers?”

 

“On their way as we speak,” the wolf replied, his voice as gravelly s usual. “Shall I summon Harina and have her tend you?”

 

“No,” Farin said absently as he tore at the bandages. “I will see the palace imagi soon enough. For now I want you to stall the ministers, particularly Morion. I don't want to have to deal with them and my father's officials. If things go wrong and I am…sealed then I want you to accompany Kaji and his men. You are familiar with her scent and therefore more likely to find her than he. Is that clear?”

 

“For now, Riagenkai,” Grent shot back, a dangerous edge to his voice.

 

“Thank you, Grent,” he said softly as the Kingen disappeared from his side.

 

He grimaced as his useless arm gave a painful throb and started up again. Pushing the pain aside he clumsily wrapped it as best he could, being sure to pull it tightly around his arm to try and stem the blood flow. As he was tearing the remnants of the bandage from his arm two shadows fell across the courtyard, stilling the activity of the soldiers.

 

Farin didn't have to look up to know that the Dragon Officials had finally reached them.

 

“Move,” he snarled at the men and they scrambled to make room for the two massive dragons, taking care to rush back into formation as soon as the two dragons had landed on either side of their dragon Riagenkai.

 

Pretending not to have noticed the jade green dragons he continued tearing at the bandage. Finally, he glanced up at the twenty-foot high messenger as he dropped the cloth to the ground. “You might as well transform, Meturn,” he called. “Because I'm not going to come up to your level.”

 

“Too weak?” the dragon sneered, his hide rippling as he transformed. Unlike Farin he had mastered the ability to make his clothes meld in with his hide and when he finished he was standing before the Riagenkai and soldiers in a white uniform with a gold sash tied around his waist, a bag tied to his sash, and black hair falling barely to his ears. A cool sneer twisted his lips and made his pockmarked features that much uglier.

 

“No, I just don't feel like it,” Farin shot back, his eyes flashing dangerously.

 

“Oh, is ickle princeling tired from his little spat with the menty?” Meturn laughed.

 

“Careful what you say. This is my kingdom and anything that happens to you here could easily be called an accident.”

 

The second jade dragon snorted as Meturn opened his to make another rude retort. “Enough, Meturn,” said Jun. “We did not come here to pick a fight with the prince, so do not start one.”

 

Meturn snorted and looked away as Jun bent his head to Farin's level.

 

“Long time no roar, prince,” he said with a respectful bob of the head. “You haven't been to the capital in a long time.”

 

“Yes, well, assassination attempts do tend to put one off of visiting their family,” Farin said loftily, though a note of bitterness traced its way through his voice.

 

Jun simply bobbed his head in response and then turned his head to nose at his sleeping passenger. “Useless lump of a child,” he said distastefully when she merely smacked him and rolled over in her sleep.

 

“Who is she?” Farin asked, already suspecting her identity.

 

“Harimetia,” Jun answered, throwing Farin a sidelong glance.

 

Farin's eyes hardened at the news. “The bastard has to know that I will never accept a royal that he has forcefully put on my country's throne, especially not my sister.”

 

“Your father thought it best that he take care of finding a new royal for you since you cannot seem to hold onto one for more than a few months,” Meturn said, amusement lacing his voice. “Perhaps you are losing your touch, half-breed.”

 

If one word could cause any dragon's reputation damage it was “half-breed” since even humans feared the mixing of the two bloods and dragons disdained anything that corrupted their pure bloodlines. Farin, whom had been expecting such an insult, merely smiled and said, “You know that I care not in the slightest what you call me, Meturn. I've been called so much worse by my father.”

 

Meturn snorted, but said nothing as Jun gave him a penetrating glare. Older though he might be Jun was the stronger and more patient of the two and he, at least, thought highly of the prince, half-blood though he was. Insulting the prince further might end with their plans going awry and Farin's father choosing to look at the failure as disobedience, especially if it was Jun that made the fatal mistake.

 

“If he knew, then he must have had a plan,” Farin said, his voice suddenly icy again.

 

“Very perceptive. I take it you already know what the plan is,” Meturn said, his voice equally icy. “My question is, why haven't you attacked us, then?”

 

Farin did not answer. He merely looked at Meturn.

 

A slow smile spread across his lips. “That's right. Karu was a little stronger than you now that I think about it. He must have inflicted more damage during your battle than you are willing to admit.”

 

“Was?” Farin asked, suddenly frowning.

 

Despite the recent attack Karu had launched on him he had never wished his old mentor harm. If anything, he had come to pity the older dragon. Karu had once been a green dragon, his hide a deeper shade of jade than either Jun's or Meturn's, but his queen had successfully changed that in binding him fully to her through the workings of the Blood Seal.

 

Any dragon, Riagenkai or otherwise, would preferred\ death to being placed under a blood-seal, where even death would not sever the ties it created with the one who cast it. Bound to do their bidding till the day they died and beyond was not a fate any dragon would envy or want.

 

Jun suddenly made an odd hissing that made Meturn flinch back, his eyes wide as he stared at the younger dragon. Farin glanced curiously between them, not understanding what was happening. The last time he had met Jun, the dragon had been barely considered what was an adult and still coming into his own strength, but now he commanding Meturn as though he were the older of the two.

 

Farin brushed these thoughts from his mind as he turned a cool eye to Jun. “What does he mean `was' when he made that comment on mine and Karu's strength?”

 

Jun's eyes locked with his and for a moment and the soldiers tensed; sure that the two dragons were about to attack each other. When nothing came of the moment and Jun looked again to the woman on his back they relaxed a little, though they remained wary of any hostile moves that the two Dragon Officials might make toward their dragon guardian and continued to eye the intruders mistrustfully.

 

His tail flicked through the air and wrapped around Harimetia's waist and lifted her from his back, giving a snort of disgust when she remained asleep and rolled like a rag doll through the air. He set her to the side and then transformed like Farin and Meturn and sized Farin up with an almost wistful look. His light eyes danced with a sorrow that dragons seemed to know so well, his red hair barely stirred by the wind that blew through the courtyard; his lips twisted into a sad smile as he hunched his strong shoulders and set his jaw.

 

Something was about to happen.

 

“Is it like sleep?” he asked softly.

 

“What?”

 

“Dying. Karu said it would be,” Jun said quietly, his eyes darting to Meturn's waist and then back to Farin.

 

“No, it's death,” Farin said, swaying on the spot as he followed Jun's line of sight and his eyes locked with the bag. He understood now; why they had taken three hours to come after him after he had scented them on the wind; why they had not immediately chased him down. True, now that he thought about it, Karu had failed to complete his orders to cause him any lasting damage and that was not something his father took lightly to. Any failure to complete his orders with anything less than perfection and they were killed; their heads taken clean off by the Dragon Officials sent to carry out the final sentence.

 

“He protected you to the last,” Meturn said blithely. “Never did give up what your royal looked like, so we killed him. Failure, you know.”

 

A rasping growl escaped Farin's throat, more primal than commanding; Meturn smirked and crouched lower; the soldiers took a step forward; Jun reached beneath his sash and pulled a small pouch out. Farin sprang forward, having forgotten his wounds for the moment; before the soldiers could do so much as blink Jun had Farin, one clawed hand at his throat, the other pinning his arms behind his back.

 

“Don't be rash, prince,” Jun said quietly as Farin tried to break loose to get at the smirking Meturn. “This is not your time to fight. You know as well as we that Karu was suffering from the way that woman was treating him. The true Blood Seal is not a fate any of us would wish. He said it himself.”

 

Farin stiffened, but ceased his struggles. His eyes snapped to the soldiers as they had begun to move forward. “Stay back,” he snarled at them and they faltered. There was no need for more bloodshed that day, especially when there was very little a handful of human soldiers could do to two healthy, fully capable Dragon Officials.

 

“Well, isn't that cute?” Meturn sneered. “All you Riagenkai are the same.”

 

Farin turned hard eyes to the bastard as he said, “The seal won't hold when she comes. Next time I see you, I will kill you.”

 

That wiped the smile off his face. Farin was never one to make threats he could not carry out and when he did make one, it was a guarantee. “Well, we'll just have to find them first and do away with your royal,” Meturn said warily. “Jun, the bag?”

 

“Dropped it, my hands are full, you get it,” he said without breaking. It was better to get it over with rather than prolong it.

 

Meturn gave them a good berth as he circled around behind and scooped the small bag up and circled back around, fumbling with the strings a bit. Not a trace of his usual sneer permeated his face as he stepped closer to Farin and met his dangerous eyes. No words were needed as Meturn yanked the bag open and splashed its black contents across Farin's bare chest.

 

“Angrenka,” Jun muttered.

 

For a moment that contained eternity nothing happened, then Karu's blood turned a brilliant white and shimmered as it twisted itself into chains that snaked around Farin's chest and limbs. The chains danced wildly for a moment before they turned black and sank into his skin. A deep growl reverberated through the courtyard and broke the silence before an odd blank look slid through Farin's eyes and he went limp in Jun's arms.

 

Jun hesitated and glanced at Meturn as the older dragon backed swiftly away.

 

“Release him,” Meturn said guardedly.

 

Jun slowly let go of Farin's arms, his hands hovering over the dragon prince's shoulders as he stood quite still. “It worked. The seal has taken effect,” he said bitterly.

 

Meturn released a heavy sigh of relief. “Well, wake her,” he said.

 

His eyes flashed dangerously and Meturn stiffened for a moment. “You,” was all he said as he dropped his arms to his side and turned away from Farin.

 

His face was a mask of ill suppressed fury as he surveyed the nervous human soldiers. They were just men that had obeyed their Riagenkai without question, but they were still witnesses to the sealing of their dragon and that was something that could not get out. If Askerin's plan was to work they needed to be dealt with or disposed of. “Forget all you've seen and heard here. Just know that your new royal has been chosen,” he said and their eyes slid out of focus for a moment.

 

Turning his head away from the men to glance over his shoulder he glanced over at Meturn and Harimetia and snorted in disdain. The girl had slapped him in her sleep and rolled back over and now the older dragon looked close to throttling the younger dragon.

 

“Hari, we're here,” he snapped at her and she sat bolt upright, her black hair yanking her head back as she was still sitting on it.

 

She rose to her feet, shaking her waist length hair out and away from her slender body as she glared at Jun, whom glared back. “What have you been told about calling me Hari?” she asked coolly. “Has Askerin not made it plain that I hate the name?”

 

He ignored her outburst as he said, “We are here, princess. This is the dragon you were promised.” Though his tone was clipped, his eyes angry, he motioned to Farin and moved a respectable distance from her as she moved eagerly forward, all thoughts of the annoying name forgotten.

 

“He has such odd colorings,” she said as she seized his hair and tugged at it. “It's not a wig. I thought Askerin said his son's hair was black.”

 

“Silver hair is the mark of a dragon Riagenkai. Even if he was born with black hair it would have changed the moment he was pronounced the Riagenkai and the ceremony performed,” Meturn said; annoyed, but keeping his distance from the pair.

 

Harimetia chose to ignore him as she took Farin's face into her hands and brought his eyes to her level. “He doesn't look very intelligent,” she complained.

 

“He is quite intelligent when he wants to be and can be quite difficult to deal with, but we sealed him for you,” Meturn said.

 

“I sealed him, coward,” Jun muttered under his breath, but said nothing aloud.

 

“Otherwise, he would not have accepted you as his queen,” Meturn finished, throwing Jun a furious glance.

 

“Why?” she demanded haughtily. “Askerin said that he would be more than eager to take me as his royal. You want me as your royal, don't you?” she demanded of the now silent Farin.

 

Farin's sea green eyes shifted to her coal black ones, but he did not respond. He stared unseeingly at her.

 

Meturn heaved an exasperated sigh. “He won't respond. The false Blood Seal ensures that he is a faithful servant, but it also strips him of his will. Did the king not explain any of this to you before we left?”

 

Harimetia thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Sure, but I never pay attention to the technical stuff you males sometimes go on spouting. Will he really do anything I command of him?”

 

Jun stiffened for an instant, but she ignored him as a thoughtful expression crossed her face and she backed a step away. “Kneel,” she said. For a moment nothing happened, then Farin stiffly went to one knee and lowered his head as he placed a hand over his heart, the act of recognizing a royal. There was a clinking of metal as the soldiers slowly followed suit, still slightly dazed from what Jun had done to them, but fully aware that their Riagenkai was kneeling to the young woman.

 

The two dragons gave Farin a startled glance, but shrugged it off. It was none of their concern so long as he took orders from her. “Do you at least know the next command to give him?” Meturn asked the now smug Harimetia.

 

“Of course,” she said, her dark eyes still on Farin's silver head. “You are not to take orders from anyone but me, understood?” Farin made no sign that he had heard, but neither the dragons nor Harimetia had any doubt that he would obey only her from that moment on.

 

Jun turned away from the sight of his prince and snorted, still rather displeased that he had been the one to seal him. “Let's go,” he said, his voice unintentionally sharp. “Our work here is done, so we have no business lingering.”

 

Meturn shot him an annoyed glare, but did not protest. It was true that their work was done, but he would have preferred to linger for a moment more if not to see the arrogant prince brat bound like the living dead. As it stood, the weight of the bag at his hip reminded him that they had more pressing matters to attend to. He reluctantly turned away from the sight and said, “Yes, let us return home. We've else to be and have naught to do here.”

 

Almost as one their hides rippled and their forms changed, convulsing and expanding into their dragon forms. Jun stretched his wings to their full thirty-foot span, tensed his muscles, and hurled himself into the air first. With every beat of his jade wings the prince fell farther and farther behind, but distance could not diminish the gut wrenching guilt he felt settling into his very soul. He had sealed dragonkind's best hope of keeping the cruel Dragon King in check. And for what? His own hide? The only comfort he could find in that thought was that he had been forced to comply because of his Blood Oaths to the Dragon Throne. Even if he had been able to slip the leash of his oaths another dragon would have taken his place and the prince still would have been sealed. And now…

 

Now that the prince was bound the king could stretch his wings as he wanted. He would have no fear that his heir would challenge him. Hell awaited them.