Faisceau

Faisceau

Queen's Flight

A cloaked Imperial dragoness crept down the dark, musty staircase. Her talons clicked on the cobblestones and her wings brushed against the close walls. Nervously, she pulled on the hood that covered her head.
Rounding a tight corner, she came to a wooden door, a silver knocker hanging in the center of the weathered boards. Grasping the cold metal, she knocked twice, paused a moment, and then knocked again. The door creaked open, wisps of white smoke drifting out from the room beyond. Pulling it open further, she slipped through the opening, and then pulled it closed behind her. Inside the room, the smoke swirled thicker, pooling out of a cauldron sitting in the middle of the floor.
“My Queen!” A Skydancer dragoness swept out of an adjoining room, the runes along her body glowing a bluish green. She stooped into a deep curtsy. “I did not expect to see you again so soon.”
“Please, Vieux, not now.” The Queen’s eyes darted around the room distractedly. “We hardly have time for formalities.”
“Of course.” Vieux came up out of her curtsy, her claws steepled in front of her. “I assume the situation has worsened.”
“Yes. The King is growing more violent with every passing hour.” Her tail curled tightly around her feet, swishing her cloak. “How soon will the spell be done?”
Vieux closed her eyes, the feathers around her face twitching slightly. “I can finish it by tomorrow night. It won’t be perfect…but it should work.”
The Queen nodded curtly. “That will do. Thank you for your loyalty and diligence. I will return tomorrow night with my parents and son.”
“Yes, your Highness.” “Prophecy?!”
A thrown vase shattered against the wall, broken shards of painted ceramic scattering around the Queen. She cowered against a closed door as the King howled in rage. He snarled, baring his teeth. He flared his wings out in a threatening display, towering over her. His eyes glinted with an unnatural red light inside their icy depths. “It’s your fault we had the whelp. And now this!” He pointed a polished claw in the Queen’s direction. “You had better watch that precious little Prince of yours. If I get my claws on him…”
A mix between a gasp and a sob escaped the Queen’s throat. She spun, throwing the door open and darting out into the hallway beyond. Another expensive item shattered against the door as she pulled it shut behind her. The King’s screams continued to echo from inside the chamber.
The Queen rushed through the palace.
She threw open the door to the Royal nursery, practically flying across the room to the nest where a small silver and cream dragonet slept. She scooped him into her forearms, wrapping him inside a dark green blanket. She left the nursery through an adjoined door, bursting into a chamber where two dark figures laid in bed.
“Mother! Father!” she hissed at the bed. “Wake up!”
The two sleeping dragons started, their heads shooting up.
“What are you doing here?” The male slurred drowsily. “It’s the middle of the night!”
“Lunetaches is going to kill Everhart,” the Queen choked out. “We have to go, NOW.”
Both dragons seemed to snap out of their sleepy stupor and scramble out of the sprawling bed.
The Queen adjusted the blanket around her son, making a sling. She grabbed the sling in her mouth, clamping down tightly, as she turned to the door. Opening it slowly, she peered out into the hallway. She glanced back over her shoulder to ensure her parents were following, and then crept out into the torchlight.
“Halt! You there!” A cry came from the far end of the hallway. A guard had turned the corner, coming into view. “Stop! In the name of the King!”
The Queen bolted, charging down the hallway in the opposite direction. Her parents followed, right on her tail.
“I said halt!”
The sounds of pursuit followed the royal family through the palace. More guards began to tail their hasty flight.
“This way!” The Queen pushed aside a tapestry, unveiling a tight doorway in the wall. She plunged down the staircase, almost tripping over her own claws.
Reaching the door with the silver handle, she pounded on the wood. It flew open, the scared face of a young Pearlcatcher dragoness peering out from inside the room. The Queen stormed in, her parents following, and the small indigo dragoness shut the door, bolting it carefully.
“Where is Vieux?” the Queen cried, whirling on the dragoness.
“She-she is out,” she replied, cowering. “She’s not returning until moon-down tomorrow.”
“That’s too late…far too late…he will find us before then…” The Queen paced nervously, the bundle in her mouth swinging lightly. “Far too late. We must leave NOW.” She whirled on the young dragon. “You. You’re her apprentice. Can you perform the spell?”
“I..I…” She stuttered for a moment, before taking a calming breath and closing her eyes. “The Sorceress instructed me on how to perform an emergency version of the spell.” She opened one eye and looked up at the Queen. “It may have unexpected side effects.”
The Queen stared her down for a moment. Her icy eyes glittered. “Do it,” she breathed. “To save the Kingdom.”