Shadow

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It was way past Prince Forya’s bedtime, but nothing could have moved him from the chess table then, not even the castle crumbling around his head. Some courtiers shook their heads at his preoccupation with tabletop games, while wiser ones smiled and nodded to themselves—they noticed the fiery intelligence in the Guardian’s eyes and how he defeated even the most cunning tacticians with ease.

His current opponent, however, was a drake many would have preferred not to challenge, for as he grimaced, twin fangs protruded over his lower lip. His pearl had acquired an ominous red sheen... This dragon was a vampire.

And he was getting trounced.

-Shadow- watched with brooding eyes as the Guardian delicately moved chess pieces around the board. His end was inevitable... and there it was. “Checkmate,” Forya murmured. His youthful face broke into a radiant smile.

“You have bested me.” The words rang hollowly in -Shadow-’s ears, and he started to feel hollow, too, when he realized that he had just forced himself into service as a guard. Him, a nobledrake of the underworld, reduced to the lowly role of palace guard...!

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad... The land had been ruled by Forya’s family for generations, and the climate here was more hospitable than many other places in Dragonhome. Furthermore, the royal family had an excellent reputation as fair and even-handed rulers, and Forya was cut from the same cloth.

“You’ll honor our deal, won’t you?”

“Of course I will,” -Shadow- sniffed—his pride was great, but he wouldn’t break the vow he’d made. He watched sourly as Forya put the pieces back into the chessboard.

The Prince looked up with twinkling eyes. “You know, my mother doesn’t like you. She thinks you’re creepy.”

“Yes, young drake; that’s a common reaction when one is facing a vampire.”

“I’ve been telling her you’re not so bad, though. And that you can be trusted. Perhaps you’ll grow on her, hey?”

-Shadow- was about to retort, something about how it wasn’t wise to let a vampiric anything grow on anybody, but the doors swung open then. The two drakes turned guiltily, but relaxed when they saw the maid’s graceful form and deep violet eyes. “Good evening, Mina,” Forya said. -Shadow- inclined his head as well.

Mina dropped a curtsey. She set a tray of refreshments on a nearby table. “The hour is late, my lords... Ah, you’ve finished your game?”

Forya let out a booming laugh. He indicated -Shadow-, saying, “He’ll be joining us as a guard, Mina. No need to be scared of him; he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

“Dear Prince, aren’t you the least bit wary about working with this vampire?” Mina’s delicate features creased into an artful frown. The mischievous spark in her eyes didn’t abate one bit, though.

“Not at all! He’s a good sort, -Shadow- is.” Forya clapped him on the shoulder. The vampire’s expression, as he looked at Mina, wasn’t as sour as it’d previously been. His face softened as if he would’ve liked to smile.

Despite his easygoing air, Forya was an intelligent and perceptive lad. He hid a toothy grin. “Gotta put this chessboard back now... You should get to know each other better, you two. You’ll be working together for a while.”

~ ~ ~

Many years had passed since that happy first meeting. Then, -Shadow-, Forya, and Mina were getting to know each other and the kingdom was still stable. Happy. Now it was in chaos, its rulers imprisoned in their own castle, their only child fleeing for his life.

Forya and Mina had lamented on the situation many times; -Shadow- had largely remained quiet. But his mind continued racing, picking up hints from the past...signs that the kingdom had been threatened by a hostile takeover.

He recalled one time he’d accompanied Forya on a hunt. Their camp had been ambushed by assassins—Skydancers, all of them, chosen presumably for the “sixth sense” their orbs bestowed. -Shadow- recalled how one of the assassins had snatched his pearl and shattered it. “Now, Pearlcatcher, you have no soul!” the rogue had hissed, trying to intimidate him.

-Shadow- had not been intimidated. “I am a vampire. I have no soul.” And he had bared his fangs and plunged them into the would-be killer’s neck.

Forya had found him sifting forlornly through the shards later on. The Guardian had fidgeted uneasily. “I am...deeply sorry about your pearl.”

After reassuring himself that Forya was unharmed, -Shadow- had grudgingly said, “You fought well.”

“Not as well as you.” There had been nine assassins, and -Shadow- alone had slain six of them, draining most of their blood. Forya had rather timidly asked if that would affect the vampire.

“That much blood will undoubtedly change my body. I shall enjoy having those feathered wings; they will enhance my majesty.” -Shadow- had spread his wings grandly, and Forya, in spite of things, had had to hide a guffaw.

And indeed, the Skydancer blood and magic rushing through -Shadow-’s system had slowly altered his shape. To complete the transformation, he’d taken a piece of his pearl and ensorcelled it, affixed it to his own brow. His sixth sense was not as sharp as that of naturally-formed Skydancers, but he had his vampiric senses to make up for it.

It was those senses that had enabled him to find his wife and his ward and guide them through the castle. On the night of the coup, as the halls erupted into battle and the loyalists fell beneath the rebels’ claws, the vampire guided the Prince and the maid into the safety of the darkness.

~ ~ ~

Forya looked back at his traveling companions. MIna was at the edge of the camp, murmuring quietly, putting up protective spells to conceal their group. -Shadow- would have to augment those later... Forya was hunched under the branches of a cypress tree like a craggy, forlorn boulder.

Mina finished her work. She looped over to -Shadow-, her claws gently flitting over his face. “And how are we today?”

“I could definitely be better,” -Shadow- grunted. Mina laughed softly at that. Many years and one lovely daughter later, she hadn’t changed a bit; she was still as merry and mischievous as ever. The recent crisis had shaken even her, though. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

She added more quietly, “I’d better prepare our meal. It’ll be dawn soon and we’d best sleep... But try to talk to Forya, would you? The poor dear could use a pep talk right now.”

-Shadow- nodded gravely. He took his time, however, instead electing to strengthen Mina’s wards. Dawn was a few hours off, and they would sleep through daylight and then travel again at night. It was better for evading pursuers—and of course, -Shadow- functioned better in the dark.

The coup had hit Forya hard, and unlike Mina, not much of his usual spark remained. He looked up at -Shadow- with sad brown eyes.

“You’ve borne up well so far, Prince, but it’s been a hard set of days and it’s beginning to show on you. You need to rest,” -Shadow- advised him. Forya let out a deep sigh. “I know, -Shadow-. But it’s just...”

He bared his teeth suddenly, and a spark leaped into his eyes. “Mother and Father were such good rulers!” It was almost a shout. “We took care of our people, and they were happy... Everyone seemed happy. Why... Why would anybody want to depose them?”

-Shadow- knew Forya wasn’t stupid. There were many possible reasons the King and Queen could’ve been deposed: the monarchy had an excellent location, there was plenty of treasure in the royal coffers, perhaps someone simply wanted a throne to call their own. Forya knew all that—probably even better than -Shadow- did.

But he didn’t want theories, he wanted encouragement and sympathy. And so -Shadow-, who had spent many a happy year serving the royal family (despite what he would have others think), declared, “I don’t know, Forya. But then, why are you asking me?” He sniffed in disgust. “You expect me to understand how those scalawags think?”

Forya lowered his head. “Aye, you’re correct; they’re right animals, aren’t they?”

“They’re pitiful fools. Landgrabbers and scoundrels.” -Shadow- tossed his mane. “I shall be glad to descend upon them and administer suitable chastisement.”

“Yes... when we’re ready.” Forya sighed deeply again. And then he queried, “-Shadow-, we’re heading to your castle, aye? What’s it like?”

-Shadow- loomed closer. “It is a fell place, Forya. If you approach it without my leave you will certainly find yourself in... shall we say, a bit of a pickle. It is not a place for the faint of heart.”

“Do you have a plan for what to do once we get there?”

“Naturally.” Dawn was breaking; they could see each other’s faces now. Mina called them to eat then, and they put away their breakfast before arranging watch duties and then retiring. Only a few more days and they would be within the safety of the Tangled Wood... They would decide what they could do then.

~ ~ ~

“Welcome back.” The old dragon bowed and gestured grandly for them to enter the castle. “We have long awaited your return.”

The doors boomed shut, and Forya looked around. He kept on blinking. “It’s awfully... dark in here, isn’t it?”

“It is the Master’s preference,” the butler declared. He peered more closely at Forya and then made another deep bow. “And you, our honored guest, we bid you welcome. Master and Madam have spoken most highly of you.”

“It’s almost like being at home again,” Forya reflected. Over the next few days, he started to get used to funereally-dressed servants bowing to him and murmuring, “Honored Guest.” -Shadow- quickly slipped back into his role as the dark and brooding vampire lord, and Mina once again busied herself with tidying up the place and caring for the bats that roosted in the high towers. Forya was left largely to his own devices, which was not really a good thing—he had always been an active, outgoing dragon who couldn’t keep still, and right now, with heavy thoughts occupying his mind, he needed a distraction more than ever.

Some days later, he approached -Shadow- again. “-Shadow-, we’ve been here for a little over a week and I want to see about helping Mother and Father out. What are you...” He paused, looking down at -Shadow-’s desk. “What are you writing?”

“It’s a list of names.” -Shadow- shrugged. “I’m going to hold a party.”

He said it very casually, but Forya was electrified. He stood rigidly, his limbs trembling. “A party,” he echoed hollowly. Then, in a deep growl, “While my parents languish in a dungeon, you’re thinking of throwing a party?!”

He lifted a paw as if to crush the Skydancer. -Shadow- faced him, steady and calm. “Forya,” he said, and something in that voice made the Guardian pause.

“Forya... How long have you known me? Do you really think I would enjoy myself like that, knowing your parents, my friends, were in danger?” -Shadow-’s voice had lost its usual razor-sharp edge. He looked at Forya with a look the prince hadn’t often seen—it was one of deep sympathy.

“But you... Well, you’re...”

“Think, Forya. Think. By now, our enemies will have realized that the three of us are gone. They’ll think we’ve banded together with every intention of freeing your parents. But then, what will they say when they hear that I, the supposedly loyal guard, am living it up in my castle and throwing a magnificent party?”

Forya’s jaws champed momentarily. The notion still seemed sacrilegious to him. But finally, finally, understanding dawned in his eyes. “They’ll think... you don’t care. And that you’re glad the coup succeeded!”

“Indeed,” -Shadow- confirmed. His own eyes darkened, and when he spoke, the menace in his voice was entirely real now: “Those usurpers have a great deal to answer to. But revenge, as has been said, is a dish best served cold. So we prepare our dish, and we wait for it to cool. For weeks...months, if need be. By then our foes will be replete on their ill-gotten wealth, and they will be idle, unwary, like snakes that have gorged themselves and are too torpid to bite back.

“I’ve scheduled the party for a week hence. We’ll have to craft a disguise for you; one of Mina’s illusions should do the job. Our enemies might try to infiltrate the castle, and if they do manage it, you will, to all intents and purposes, be unseen. They will never know you’re here.” -Shadow- inclined his head solemnly. “You are still a Prince, Forya, and I am still your guard. You will be well-protected here.”

“It’s... all a sham, then?”

“What, my blatant frivolity? Of course it is.” -Shadow- gathered his cloak, wrapped his wings around himself. His eyes gleamed in the darkness. He was smiling wryly, however, as he snorted, “Practically everything about me is a sham, Forya. Surely a bright lad like yourself would’ve noticed that by now.”

Forya had in fact noticed it upon first meeting -Shadow-. He now managed to smile back. “But Mina saw right through you straightaway.”

“That she did! She’s a bright lady... Sometimes too bright for me, I think.”

At last, Forya began to get a glimpse of why -Shadow- acted the way he did... He had been brought up to be frank and straightforward, to be what he seemed. Deception was something he practiced only in games—“But as things now stand, playtime is over...”

“What happens after the party?”

“More parties, more meetings.” -Shadow-’s eyes narrowed as he scanned his list. “This is merely a list of neighbors, but in the future we might want to speak with dragons who are connected with your parents’ enemies. We shall have to gather information, supplies, and allies if we are to take back your throne.”

Forya exhaled in a long, slow sigh. His head sank as he did so, and then he turned it into a deep bow. “-Shadow-, thank you.” His voice shook with emotion. “You came into my service only because you lost a wager, but now your aid... It means a lot, it really does. I am deeply grateful to have you as my friend.”

“And well you should be,” -Shadow- said, his usual wryness returning. But he reached out and patted Forya’s shoulder. He recalled many happy days spent in the Prince’s castle, meeting Mina, becoming her mate, and raising their daughter together....

“I do not often make mistakes,” he admitted, “but my losing that game was probably the best one I ever made. You have been a most gracious winner, Forya—and now, returning the favor... It would be my pleasure.”

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