When Zaeren opened the door, her body sent stiff. The air behind those doors was warm and reeked of dragon. The scent of smoke was thick in the air, and it brought back memories of that dreadful day. The burning forest around her; scorched earth; burning flesh and hair; screaming... so much screaming; the sound of trees snapping under the weight of dragons; the blackened sky; ash filled her lungs, she was choking. She couldn't see very far. It was hazy... so hazy. A squelching sound as someone was crushed. The sound of breaking bones, the smell of blood everywhere. Blood and ash. The roaring laughter of the beasts...
It was the name of the beast that broke her free of her memories.
Hovalth.
That was the name of the dragon that ordered the slaughter of her people.
The sweat that has begun to roll down her bare back suddenly dried as a wave of warm air washed over her, accompanied by the faintest of warmth from the dagger at her right hip. She brushed her fingers over the obsidian surface, never taking her gaze from the broad muscles of Zaeren's back. Before he could even move to step aside, Brianna had stepped under his arm to walk straight into the throne room.
She fixed her eyes on Hovalth, meeting his golden eyes with her own, narrowed with determination and alight with resent and contempt. Her bare feet carried her cross the stone floor with steady steps. To her, time felt like it had slowed down. Each footstep echoed as it hit the floor, her tail swished in time with her hips; Brianna held the appearance of a strong, confident warrior as she moved. Each breath she took served only to refocus her mind away from the murmurs of the other dragons around her.
Who was this small feline and why had she come with the peace maker? What gave her the nerve to approach their king?
But they dared not move.
She had seen the way they had eyed Zaeren, and she bore his marks on her skin. Wore his scent like a cloak. Even now she knew the man stood at the far end of the hall, his hand on his blade in warning. And the thought emboldened the woman. She need not fear dragons today. No, today...
Today the dragons feared her.
Her hair and cloak swirled around her as she came to a stop before the king, glaring up at him with a fiery gaze that threatened to ignite the very air. Brandishing her bow like a sword, the kelahati pointed it at Hovalth, bearing her fangs.
"Over one-hundred years ago you ordered the extermination of a kelahati settlement in the Cloudbourne jungle. I watched your army slaughter my people on your orders. I watched as my people died pleading for their lives. I watched as they were cut down for trying to escape the slaughter," she spoke in a low voice, tinged with a primal growl that bubbled up from deep within her throat. Her fangs flashed as she continued to speak, the throaty growl in her voice growing more intense, "I don't care whether you think you were justified or not. Today, I'm here to collect a blood debt owed to my people.
And you better fucking pray to your gods for any mercy they see fit to give your pathetic scaly ass, you great ugly lizard."
In the blink of an eye, Brianna had notched an arrow, taken aim, and let it fly straight into the king's right eye.
It was the name of the beast that broke her free of her memories.
Hovalth.
That was the name of the dragon that ordered the slaughter of her people.
The sweat that has begun to roll down her bare back suddenly dried as a wave of warm air washed over her, accompanied by the faintest of warmth from the dagger at her right hip. She brushed her fingers over the obsidian surface, never taking her gaze from the broad muscles of Zaeren's back. Before he could even move to step aside, Brianna had stepped under his arm to walk straight into the throne room.
She fixed her eyes on Hovalth, meeting his golden eyes with her own, narrowed with determination and alight with resent and contempt. Her bare feet carried her cross the stone floor with steady steps. To her, time felt like it had slowed down. Each footstep echoed as it hit the floor, her tail swished in time with her hips; Brianna held the appearance of a strong, confident warrior as she moved. Each breath she took served only to refocus her mind away from the murmurs of the other dragons around her.
Who was this small feline and why had she come with the peace maker? What gave her the nerve to approach their king?
But they dared not move.
She had seen the way they had eyed Zaeren, and she bore his marks on her skin. Wore his scent like a cloak. Even now she knew the man stood at the far end of the hall, his hand on his blade in warning. And the thought emboldened the woman. She need not fear dragons today. No, today...
Today the dragons feared her.
Her hair and cloak swirled around her as she came to a stop before the king, glaring up at him with a fiery gaze that threatened to ignite the very air. Brandishing her bow like a sword, the kelahati pointed it at Hovalth, bearing her fangs.
"Over one-hundred years ago you ordered the extermination of a kelahati settlement in the Cloudbourne jungle. I watched your army slaughter my people on your orders. I watched as my people died pleading for their lives. I watched as they were cut down for trying to escape the slaughter," she spoke in a low voice, tinged with a primal growl that bubbled up from deep within her throat. Her fangs flashed as she continued to speak, the throaty growl in her voice growing more intense, "I don't care whether you think you were justified or not. Today, I'm here to collect a blood debt owed to my people.
And you better fucking pray to your gods for any mercy they see fit to give your pathetic scaly ass, you great ugly lizard."
In the blink of an eye, Brianna had notched an arrow, taken aim, and let it fly straight into the king's right eye.
