The Dragon Chronicles; Aphrodites Fall (Part 5)
A/N: The next few posts are gonna be epic xD (in my opinion. They're full of drama ^_^)
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Lorcan stormed down the corridor, heading for the stables. He needed to have a few words with his sister, and Artemis be damned if her Dragon was going to get in the way. Lorcan knew that going against a Dragon was dangerous, but she wasn’t the only one with a Dragon. He stepped out into the cool night air, lifted his face to the stars and whistled, a long low note.
A few moments later, a small silvery Dragon landed silently in the centre of the courtyard. A small specimen for a Dragon, Zilar was an ice Dragon, one who could breathe ice or water instead of fire like Canicus, or spit poison like Etain. His name meant ‘Silver water’, appropriate for someone who could blend in against the background, especially in the moonlight. He and Lorcan had removed many obstructions that way, and more than once had used it to their advantage during fights with Lorcan’s siblings. Lorcan stepped forwards and gently stroked Zilar’s neck, flinching slightly when he realised that there were bird feathers around his mouth.
“I hope you asked permission from Artemis and Athena before you went hunting.” Zilar gave him a hard stare, conveying his disdain for the lack of faith Lorcan showed him. Even Dragons were not above the rules of the Gods.
“Naturally.” He growled. “As if I would ever dishonour our beloved Artemis, or show disrespect to Athena. And I wouldn’t have to hunt if Etain didn’t insist on having her meat cooked to burning point. The smell makes me feel sick, you know that.” Lorcan narrowed his eyes, it wasn’t like Zilar to speak so freely when there was a chance they were being watched.
“Don’t worry about anybody listening in. Your sister and Canicus are sleeping so deeply Zeus himself couldn’t wake them, and Etain left after eating to fly for a while. Its just us now.” Zilar nudged Lorcan with his head. They were the same underneath, still young and headstrong, sharing the belief that they were invincible and destined to rule. He settled down by the wall, folding in his powerful wings, his scales dipping from silver to slate grey in the shadow.
Lorcan sat in front of him, leaning his back against Zilar’s side, wanting to feel his comforting presence after the confrontation with his parents. He sighed, and tilted his head back, listening to the sounds of the city from outside the palace walls. A small rodent was scuffling nearby, and he forced himself to relax, reaching out to it with the extra sense gifted to him by Artemis. The rodent noticed his presence and moved closer, crossing the open courtyard to sit by his legs. Lorcan slowly released his concentration and opened his eyes, staring down at the tiny brown mouse that was perched by his left foot. He slowly placed the palm of his hand next to the mouse, willing it to trust him, to climb onto his hand. Being a high priest to Artemis meant that he had been given an affinity for animals, and as long as he thanked them afterwards they would do what he asked.
The mouse looked at his hand for a moment, as if trying to decide if it was safe, before it scrambled on. Lorcan sighed with relief and lifted the mouse to his face, quietly and calmly asking it to go into the stables, see what the human inside was doing, and then come back. He released the mouse in the direction of the stable, before closing his eyes again and working on ignoring the stare Zilar gave him.
“Why not go and look yourself? She’s probably asleep, she’s been travelling all day.” Lorcan opened his eyes and stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes, before he climbed onto Zilar’s back. He lay down on his front, resting his head on his arms, never removing his eyes from the stable door.
“Its Canicus I’m thinking about. I get the impression he wouldn’t be very happy to see us.” Lorcan gave a wry smile, thinking about how much simpler it would be if he was already King. He closed his eyes, letting his extra sense feel for the little mouse. He wondered how annoyed Deyanira would be if she discovered that he was spying on her. No, thought Lorcan, its much more satisfying with her not knowing.
He felt the mouse scamper back towards him, could feel the little creature’s distress as it ran as fast as it could. Canicus must have been awake. Lorcan slid down from Zilar’s back, crouching down as the mouse reached him. He lifted it up to his face, trying to understand the squeaks the rodent was making. He nodded after a few moments, thanked the mouse and released it. He turned to Zilar, placing a hand on the side of his head.
“I’m going to try and talk to my sister. If Canicus comes out try not to get into a fight. Believe me, it will not be worth it if I catch you trying to provoke him. Keep Etain out of the way if she comes back.” Zilar watched Lorcan walk towards the stable, trying to fathom what his partner was doing. It was unusual Lorcan actually tried talking to Deyanira or Deiaro, even stranger that he did it with a calm attitude. He’s still soft on them underneath, Zilar thought to himself, and with that settled down for a nap.
Canicus nudged Deyanira with his tail, gently at first, then harder when she didn’t wake up. He could sense that she was in the grip of some dark nightmare, but he was powerless to comfort her until she woke up. As strong as their mental bond was, even he couldn’t interfere with her dreams. Canicus bumped the Princess again, trying hard not to bruise her. He sighed, looking up as he heard the stable door creak open, a figure silhouetted in the doorway. He scented the air, growling when he realised who it was.
The figure took a step forward as Deyanira sat up, gasping for air, tears rolling down her face. Canicus was torn between growling at Lorcan and trying to stop Deyanira crying. Lorcan walked towards the entrance to the stall, and Canicus tensed, causing Deyanira to look up and see her brother. She wiped her tears away and dived towards her little brother, catching both Lorcan and Canicus off guard as she embraced him in a bone-crushing hug, before regaining her composure and stepping backwards to stand awkwardly next to Canicus. Lorcan was the first to speak.
“Considering that we’re sworn enemies, that was rather unexpected, dearest sister.” His voice slipped back into its normal condescending tone, rooting his sister to the spot with an icy glare. Deyanira could feel her eyes welling up again, this was just too much after her dream. Canicus growled, a low threatening sound that caused the hair on Lorcan’s neck to stand on end.
“Get out,” he snarled. Deyanira tried to step backwards behind Canicus, away from Lorcan’s piercing stare.
“Tell me what in the name of Artemis what that was all about.” Deyanira paused, uncertain as to what answer would be best. Canicus answered for her, instinctively knowing that she didn’t have an answer ready.
“She just had a nightmare, she’s obviously over-emotional, and since I’m guessing you were the reason she was so angry earlier, seeing you probably wasn’t the best thing for her just now.”
“I killed you.” Lorcan and Canicus stared at Deyanira with a mixture of disbelief and amazement, unable to comprehend what she had just said. Her voice shook as she continued to speak.
“In my dream just… I killed you, and the worst part was, I was happy to do it.” After a few moments, Lorcan laughed, a short nervous chuckle.
“As if you’d ever be strong enough to do that. You’ll always be too emotional to rule.” He turned to walk away, trying to hide the smirk that had crept onto his face when Deyanira’s eyes had filled with anger. He had almost made it to the door when a young boy ran inside, a determined look on his face. He ran straight past Lorcan, before skidding to a stop and turning back towards the Prince.
“Prince Lorcan! I have some urgent information for you!” The boy stood there gasping, trying to catch his breath and impart the information before the Prince became annoyed. Lorcan casually folded his arms and leaned on a nearby post, his cool demeanour hiding the anger that constantly simmered below the surface whenever his rival siblings were close by.
“Your brother, Prince Deiaro, he was spotted to the east, about a days ride away by horse, travelling towards the city of Nahele. Several of my sources told me that he’s going to the Temple of Hermes to ask a favour of the God.” The messenger bowed after saying this, a gesture that was a polite way of excusing oneself. Lorcan absently nodded to him, before striding outside. Deyanira shared a look with Canicus, wondering what Deiaro could be planning. She sent a quick, silent prayer up to Aphrodite that Lorcan would leave Araceli to investigate. The messenger stood for a moment longer, trying to avoid looking at Canicus, before he scampered out. Deyanira sighed, sitting back down on the pile of hay, and Canicus curled up around her, the sound of his deep breathing soothing her troubled mind.
Part 6