War of the Dragons - Chapter 14
With the leaving of Duke Cavador, Sir Temeraire and Arcantos. Servants moved in hastily, escorting Riko away in order to get treatment for his arm, whilst his still unconscious brother was lifted up and spirited from the ballroom. Finally, the ladies descending down from the stairs as wine began being passed round. Normality starting to be restored... through it would likely take a while for the tense atmosphere to completely dissipate.Teprogia found herself awkwardly by herself in a room filled with other dragons, and the wine glass not even offered to her. That, and how the ladies were avoiding her, marked her quickly as a commoner... and Arcantos' associate. Her plan of talking to the daughters of Duke Cavador seemed to become a complete impossibility, and she just hoped to find a way to escape all the whispers and sidelong glances... when a teal dragoness with a very expensive dress came up to her, and held out a claw."I'm Zayin, nice to meet you." Teprogia was stunned at first at this sudden approach and address. Doubly so when it was a lady and not a lord... and that the title was left out entirely. The fact the dragoness looked even younger than her by a few years furthered the shock. So all in all, it took Teprogia several seconds of just looking blankly at the polite and calm dragoness, before she recovered and hastily took the claw to shake."Teprogia, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance." The formal response from the solider, make Zayin smile slightly as the hands were dropped. The teal dragoness beckoned to one of nearby servants, who quickly came scurrying other and bowed respectively. "Would you like a drink?" Zayin asked the still recovering from Teprogia, patiently waiting the few seconds that ticked past for the earth dragoness to click and make her response."Aaah... a glass of water would be nice." Whilst Teprogia was old enough for wine... and had tried it before at home with her family, and rather liked the taste of it. She needed all her wits about her in this tense situation.. as whilst Zayin was being kind, Teprogia was a little suspicious about the dragoness, and constantly put on edge... Zayin also requesting just for water, and sending the servant off before turning back to Tep."So, are all soldiers are tough as he was? And how long did you know the solider for?""Well, Arcantos is a little above the curve in all honestly." Teprogia said, her current suspicion not stopping her from talking about her friend... especially not when she could praise him. "Admittedly, the entire 'getting stabbed in the hand is just a strategy' thing? That's not exactly something we're trained to do. He was just making a point. As for how long I've known him? Well... I first met him when I was six... so about fourteen years.""You two must be very close friends." Zayin commented, rather wistfully as this, getting Teprogia's curiosity roused despite the dragoness' current wariness towards her. "Your so lucky... mummy cuts of most of the friends I make in a year or two... always citing that their a bad influence, and I should spend my time with other ladies. Some of whom are good friends... but not ones I made myself." "She sounds like a right tyrant." Teprogia said sympathetically, completely and utterly forgetting the situation at hand as Zayin talked to her just like any over girl. "I admit, my mum wasn't completely satisfied with Arcantos at first. But once he proved to be even more of a scholar than myself, she was completely fine with basically accepting him into the family... its a wonder she hasn't married me to him yet."Zayin giggled at this, accepting the glasses as the servant came back. Giving one to Teprogia, and dismissing the servant as she said. "Oh you've got it easy then. You're sooo right in my mum being a tyrant, and she constantly tries to set me up with boys! Complete and utter strangers even. Some of them are just... urg. Others are nice, but are too busy trying to impress me. The only one sensible enough to just be himself and win me other got married to someone else, and a lady can't be friends to a married noble." "That is rough." Teprogia said, unable to think of what life would be without Arcantos... and honestly being able to come up with nothing. The storm dragon had been part of her life for so long, that she could hardly remember what it was like without him. "Do you not have other friends able to help you out?""They don't really understand." Zayin said with a small shake of head and a sigh. "Don't get me wrong. I love them all to bits... but well, whilst they gossip and giggle over boys, they don't really see any reason to have one as just a friend. They're more interested than being courted... the ones that did understand, are the ones that mummy cut my contact from.""Don't you have any servants to call as a friend? Maybe help you carry messages or arrange meetings?" Teprogia questioned, earning a small, sad smile from Zayin at this."Oh I did... but mummy is very hands on when it comes to the servants, so she always found out in the end... and whilst they've never been fired or taken away from me because of it. They always have their attention taken up elsewhere, one way or another, and the friendship just dies out. Mummy does her best to make sure we're both happy... but I do wish she would just let me be me at times." "Oh, that I can understand." Teprogia said, with a smile of her own. Remembering some of her past confrontations and arguments with her mother. "My mum loves me dearly... but well. She comes from a long line of scholars, and just doesn't seem to understand that whilst I do enjoy learning. I'm love spending time and caring for animals much more.""Urg, tell me about it." Zayin said with a loud, emphatic sigh. "Being a lady is fun at times... but well, I'm aware that not everyone gets such a life... and I love the outside. I love the fresh, clean air. I love the feel of the grass and dirt under my claws... I love to hunt and wrestle... but those aren't seen as the pursuits of a noble or lady." "Really? I thought hunting for prizes was a pusit that nobles took part in regularly." Teprogia said in surprise, recalling how hunts were almost party events for the noble class... and how there was quite a few stories that included great hunts. Zayin just snorted in a very unlady like fashion
however and rolled her eyes."Oh please. With the wolves and hunting birds, as well as the sheer number of dragons we have. What a noble calls a 'hunt' is a just a chase. There's actual hunt to find the prey, no stalking or stealth... No surge of adrenaline as you launch out or throw your blade. Its all flash and show, no substance to it."Teprogia could understand where Zayin was coming from... but the conversation was interrupted when a graceful blue dragoness came over to them with a disapproving expression... and Teprogia let out a squeak when she realized it was Lady Sayath herself. "Zayin, what have I told-" Lady Sayath told in a scolding tone that instantly confirmed Teprogia's horrified theory. Zayin was one of the daughters of Lady Sayath and Duke Cavador. The fact that the teal dragoness rolled her eyes and dared to interrupted just spoke even further that the two were mother and daughter."'About spending your time with inappropriate company? You are not just a lady of the western dragons, but the daughter of the Duke of Kuvine. The eyes on the entire world is going to be on you, and you must set an example for all other ladies to follow, not go cavorting around with commoners'." Zayin said, her voice mocking the high, gentle tones of her mother. Scoffing, Zayin downed her glass of water, before putting it down on the nearby table. "I know it off by heart thank you, and it is my belief that a dragoness that Sir Temeraire extends an invitation to is more than appropriate company." Zayin twisted away, stalking away from her mother as she said. "Come on Tep, I'll show you around." Lady Sayath sighed as Zayin stalked away from her... unable to say that she was surprised at her daughter's reaction. Especially not when she was about to imitate her little scold with unsettling accuracy. Making a mental note to change what she was telling her daughter, the blue dragoness arched an eye ridge at the nearby statue. "Well? Aren't you going to accompany my daughter?" This comment earned a squeak from said statute."Yes Lady Sayath! Sorry Lady Sayath!" Teprogia rapidly blurting out, before fleeing from Lady's Sayath's presence, hoping she didn't hadn't heard the comments about her being a tyrant... even though Teprogia was very aware that she hadn't exactly done much to hide her views on the matter from anyone that could listen... 'Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!' The earth dragoness berated herself, even as she caught up with Zayin in time to slip out of the ball room."Sorry about that. I know I likely put you in quite a spot when mum approached us." Zayin apologized as she lead them away from the ballroom, getting a mental 'Ya think?!' From the earth dragoness, even as she continued to talk. "Its just that... well, I was hoping that you being an associate with Sir Temeraire would be enough for her to leave us alone... through admitted the show that your Arcantos put on
was likely why she came up to us." "You would think that it would be people that Riko is associated with that were looked down on for pulling a stunt like that." Teprogia said with a defensive huff, feeling that this dislike for Arcantos was completely uncalled for. He simply put an arrogant jerk in his place. Admittedly in a rather cold fashion that frightened her... but Riko did ask for it."Well, he did rather insult everyone there by saying that nobles were trained to actually fight." Zayin pointed out, making Teprogia pause as the earth dragoness hadn't actually thought of it like that before... "Plus, he said that as nobles don't have the same struggles as a commoner, they don't understand what honour is about.""I'm not sure about honour, but he's true about everything else." Teprogia said, stepping quickly in to defend her old friend... even as she mentally admittedly that Arcantos likely could have resolved the situation in a much more diplomatic matter. Zayin just arched an eye ridge at the fast response, before shrugging her wings."That just gives people all the more reason to dislike it. In my experience, nobles really do not appreciate it when a commoner tells them they were wrong... especially when it's clear that the noble IS wrong." That was something Teprogia just couldn't argue about... and Zaiyn shook her head with a sigh at the silence. "Anyway it doesn't really matter...I'm still sorry for putting you between me and mum back there." Teprogia said nothing, not exactly sure what she could say in response to Zayin's apology... not that it really turned out to be necessary, as Zayin proved that she was more than happy to fill in the silence herself. "Honestly, at times I wish mum was a tyrant as you said, would make situations like this all the easier... but no. She just has to be a loving mother who dotes on her daughters and does her damn hardest to raise them as fine, upstanding ladies and be happy with it as well... and does a ridiculously good job at it as well." Despite herself, Teprogia couldn't stifle the mirth bubbling up in her chest as she continued to listen to Zayin's tirade. An angry rant, complaining about how much she loved her mother, Lady Sayath. "I mean yeah, I don't get to have any servants or commoners as friends. But damn was she good at finding other ladies with similar tastes to me! We don't all like all of the activities and hobbies of the others of course, I mean I'm the only one that actually likes to have a good ol' tussle. But that's pretty much the same with every group of friends, and I love how I can spend time outside with them all! Hell, because there's enough of us, we can actually go on hunting trips, and make it an actual damn hunting trip! Through sadly we don't do that much as the others prefer a show-hunt to an actual hunt most of the time. I do admit, the hunting wolves are damn fine animals, and very friendly to boot." Zayin lead them away from the ballroom, and out to a small living room, with a balcony overlooking the sea. The doors to the balcony were closed, and Zayin did not move to open them, instead just settling herself down onto a couch. Her torrent of words slowing down as she saw to Teprogia getting settled into the room and be comfortable as well, before sighing and continuing."And I understand why she does this... why she
tries to steer me away from some of my other friends... I know some of them have become criminals since the years I knew them... but I can't help but wonder if I might of been able to stop that if I was their friend... I just want one friend that I found and made myself... one friend, dragon or dragoness... that my mum had no say in setting up.""We all want to be the masters of our own lives, and not have our parents control it." Teprogia said, seeing that Zayin wasn't just going to go ahead and keep talking like she had been doing. "From the sounds of it, your mother is doing her best to let that happen without her interference. But well... parents are parents. Until your fully grown, and proven it, they're always going to meddle... and even then, they'll still try to meddle." "Meddling... yeah, that's my mum." Zayin said with a small, fond smile. Then she suddenly shook her head, saying. "Bah, I didn't bring you here to just keep rambling on about my mother. I wanna know what Arcantos came here for, what he's speaking with dad about." Teprogia tensed at this question, which surprisingly made the teal dragoness smile. "But, I bet you don't want to share." "Its dangerous Zayin. I'm not saying it with you, simply because it's a secret, but for your own protection." Teprogia said firmly, quickly dismissing Zayin's smile. "What Arcantos and Temeraire are talking to your father, Duke Cavador about, it a very serious, and perilous to the highest degree. I only hope that he believes them..."* * * * * * *"You cannot expect me to believe that." Duke Cavador said in full disbelief and near-outrage. The Duke was sitting comfortably at his desk by his study, facing Temeraire and Arcantos, who were also sitting in plush chairs themselves. The eastern dragon had just finished recounting all the details about Arcantos' quest, and was now looking on anxiously as the purple dragon shook his head. "I mean really. The High General, attempting a coup? He's a brute, that much for sure. But he's no bloodthirsty monster, he doesn't want any more than what he has. Not to mention your claims that the shinobi would be able to kill so many of us so quickly... even if I were to believe that this myth is true. You cannot possibly expect me to believe that are THAT good.""Why would we lie to you?" Arcantos asked bluntly, only to get a very unnoble snort at this question from the Duke."Why wouldn't you lie to me? For all I know, you're the ones trying to pull a coup here, and you're trying to get me to put my support behind it to use me a scapegoat!" That declaration got both Arcantos and Temeraire to tense, something Duke Cavador noticed, and shook his head at. "Oh calm down, I don't actually think that... though I'm not sure what I do think about this claim of yours... bad enough that you have such ridiculous claims, but you're also dragging my good friend Ty's name into this mess... and I really don't see why I need to believe you know her, anymore than any of the other claims you've made!""Typhose." Arcantos said, his cool, yet firm voice cutting Temeraire and the Duke off from any further response. The bipedal dragon leveled his steely gaze with that off the bigger purple dragon as he said. "Her name is Typhose. Which, I'm sure you know... and you know that is not the name of her as a Lord, but the name in which she was born with. A name she only gives to
those she can truly trust." Duke Cavador stared at Arcantos in shock, the silence dragging on after this proclamation for a good minute and a half before the Duke shook his head."Unbelievable... for her to have told you her name after knowing you all in just a week..." The Duke sat back into his recliner with a heavy sigh as he considered the youngblood sitting before his desk. "Still... I cannot deny knowing the name and the significance behind it... and if the Lady Ty would trust you enough to tell you her name... I would be insulting her if I did not judge her trustment." "So, you will take our words and story into consideration?" Temeraire asked gingerly, if rather bluntly... politics and fancy talk was never anything that held his interest after all. Cavador surprised smiled at this, albeit a rather tired one as he shook his head."No... no consideration needs to be taken... I think half of the reason I reject what you presented to me so violently is because I did not want to admit how realistic it actually it." The Duke seemed to be leaving his title behind, and the shields he had built up with it, letting the two dragons see who he truly was. "I know that shinobi are no myth... and I know just how capable they are.""How? Until today, there hasn't been any reported sightings on the shinobi, or any work in which they perform for nearly one hundred years." Temeraire said with a small frown, puzzled at this contradiction of events. A response, that got a chuckle from Cavador, further showing how relaxed he had become, and how old he felt with the tiredness of that chuckle. "That's because there is no recordings of the work they have done not just for the eastern nation, but of the western nation. Its part of the deal I struck with them, and I have no doubt they struck it with others as well. They are very good in ensuring such deals are held to as well.""You made a deal with the shinobi?" Temeraire said, bewildered and surprised. A surprise reflected by Arcantos as well, as he had not been expecting to hear that the Duke knew about shinobi's existence... let alone having done dealings with them..."Well, I would say they made a deal with me, as they approached me. The other way round, as you might expect, is a rather implausible task... still, I suspect you would want to know the details of how it came to be." Both Temeraire and Arcantos hastily nodded their approval to the idea, getting a smile from Cavador, before he shifted slightly to get comfortable."Quite a few years ago, not to long after I had finished my own three years in training, I volunteered to join my father's - the Duke of Kuvine at the time - special security force. Created in order to hunt down a terrorist group." Cavador paused here to gesture to the banner hanging behind his seat. A crescent moon, surrounded by stars... yet the moon was odd, curving round more sharply than a moon normally would. "The tapestry above is a remnant of that group. To remind me of those days for... reasons. This group was known as-""Death In The Night." Arcantos interrupted, looking up at the banner with an intense gaze. Temeraire looked at Arcantos, before
turning to study the banner with renewed interest, even as Cavador studied Arcantos curiously. "The moon is actually mean to represent the blade of an axe, symbolizing how they hide in plain sight.""Yes, that is correct." Cavador said, studying Arcantos for a few moments more, before turning his attention to the banner himself. "They fancied themselves as freedom fighters, fighting to reclaim their country. However, when I joined my father's security force, Aran'alia had been destroyed for nearly one hundred years. They were simply fighting for vengance now. Vengeance, for a nation that no longer existed." "Blood for Blood." Arcantos murmured again, his gaze fixed on the banner, almost not hearing what Cavador was speaking off... almost, but not quite. "The oldest independent country in the world.... a place of both eastern and western dragons... Aran'alia was a place of old beliefs... and the darkest of all, was Blood for Blood.""A barbaric ideal of revenge." Cavador said with a growl, the sudden venom shocking Arcantos, and bringing him out of his trance. The Duke then sighed, and shook his head. "Philosophical discussions are best led to those who have time to spare... as I was saying, I served in my father's security force, hunting and chasing down Death In The Night... it was a harrowing experience, and I died nearly multiple times... but I survived, and I learned... and I rose up the ranks.""After seven years had passed, I was the leader of the security force at the time... and I did something no others had done. You see, the area in which Aran'alia once stood, is the regions south of us, where the boundaries of the west and east can be crossed by foot. Whilst it was the western dragons that had conquered it... all officials that ruled
over the area were targets for the Death In The Night, and the eastern dragons had their own force dedicated to hunting them down... but whilst they had approached us a few times, and got rejected, I was the first to approach them with an alliance in order to end the threat once and for all.""I'm guessing they weren't exactly willing to accept it themselves?" Arcantos said, getting a chuckle and a nod from the purple dragon. Duke Cavador no longer looking at the banner and addressing his two guests... or as they were currently, his audience for the story of his past. "No, I got thrown out practically right away. And by thrown out, I mean actually thrown out... but I was a stubborn dragon back then, and I persisted onwards. Finding ways to help them take on Death In The Night in ways that they couldn't so easily refuse... took me nearly a whole damn year, but they finally accepted... and that's when the shinobi turned up, right as we were shaking hands on the deal. Scared the heck out of me when these five dragons appeared outta nowhere all in black.""Turns out that the shinobi had been fighting against Death In The Night for just as long as us. Saw them as a threat to the continued peace of our two nations and wanted them eliminated fast. Sadly, whilst shinobi have skill and stealth, they don't have wealth, numbers or proper authority. Hence why when I persisted to get an alliance with the eastern dragons, they decided it was best for them to reveal themselves and join the alliance... unofficially that is. Officially, the shinobi were never there.""I'm guessing the alliance did its job." Arcantos said, a small pensive look on his face as he glanced up at the axe-blade moon on the banner above. "After all, it's fifty years since Death In The Night
was officially stamped out, and as your in your late seventies, I'm guessing it only took a few years for the job to be done.""Two years to be exact. Two years working alongside the shinobi, and seeing all that they can do." Cavador said with a small sigh, turning away from the two dragons on the other side of the desk, just looking off in the distance. "That's what makes me so afraid. The night of blood your mentioned? Ketsueki no yoru? I know that the shinobi can do just that... I always knew eastern dragons were the shinobi's primary concern, and I always trained my guard in order to be able to keep them out of my castle. But I have no way of knowing whenever or not I've been successful." "Officially... unofficially..." Arcantos murmured, his eyes fixed on the banner, ignoring the curious look that Temeraire sent him at this. After a few more moments of contemplation, Arcantos dropping his gaze to Cavador, asking. "Your Grace, I know that officially Death In The Night was eliminated fifty years ago. But as you just informed us, what is officially stated, is not always that truth of the matter.""Shrewd guy." Cavador noted with a smile and a small shake of his head. "Still, I can't really help you with that. The shinobi's were the one that were gonna hunt down any remnants of the Death In The Night. I'm guessing they were successful in taking them out, or at least pushing them so deep into hiding there's no point of them trying to continue their mission. Who knows, maybe they finally accepted that Aran'alia is gone, and it's not coming back anytime soon. Three generations is more than enough time for a nation to change radically.""These shinobi's you worked with..." Arcantos said slowly, still piecing together the idea in his head even as he
spoke out loud... improvisation wasn't his strong point, so he made sure to buy plenty of time for it. "From the sounds of it, you were both awed and intimidated by their skill. But, surely you can agree that they are not perfect, despite all the training and ability.""If they were perfect, Death In The Night wouldn't of been able to kill two of their number." Cavador said, ignoring the look of surprise that filtered across Temerarie's face, focusing instead on the youngling that seemed to be the real force of the two. "One slain in an ambush, whilst the other outright assassinated by them. What's your point with all these questions?""We need a counter to the shinobi's." Arcantos said bluntly and firmly, leaving no room to argument to his statement. "Whenever it be the shinobi of the east, or the rogues under Kasai. We need something in order to ensure our plans are secure, that none of us are blackmailed into turning traitor, or simply outright eliminated. Something... or someone.""And what? You think the Death In the Night will be thing counter?" Cavador said, shaking his head with a dismissive snort, only to be interrupted by Arcantos."Yes. I do. You said yourself they were able to counter and slay two shinobi. Two shinobi who at the time were working with a large security force with the sole focus of hunting them down. If they were the ones with such backing, I believe they could easily be exactly what we are looking for to counter the shinobi." "That's all well and good, but there's a problem with that plan. Their gone." Cavador said fiercely, a hint of a growl in his voice as he spoke. "Their scattered and destroyed. No one left to talk to, no one left to discuss and negotiate with. The shinobi have long since hunted them down, and even if by some miracle they haven't. There is no way to contract them!""But that's not true, is it Duke Cavador?" Arcantos said, looking calmly back at the angry noble without an ounce of fear. Though Temeraire was privy to the anxious lashing back and forth of his tail. "We do know the location of one of the Death In The Night... and not just any dragon, but an old leader of the Death In The Night... one who is surely able to get us in contact with any remaining members... one who lives even now beneath our feet. Imprisoned for many crimes for over fifty years... The Dread Sky."