City of the Damned - Chap VII
#7 of City Of The Damned
CHAP VII
- Earth and light -
That night held no solace for the dragon. He sat near the back of the cave, His scales resting hard on the cold metal bars. The floor ahead of his was strewn with sleeping or dieing quietly. Rats had found their way into the subterranean maze of caves, and had been eating the dead, or rotten food that was stacked neatly just outside the cages. Such things could only hold his attention for so long. Sitting up farther he waited. The lack of sleep might be his biggest foe while he was here - for how does one so feared survive unprotected? A knife in the dead of sleep was not something he was willing to chance, so he sat... although; the night was cold and dead. Snores echoed threw the surrounding area, and a grumble once in a while as some dreamt. He merely waited, leaning up to the bars of the cage again. ...It was going to be a long night.
Hours passed, the dragon's heartbeat the only way for him to track time. He drifted in and out of his lucid dreams, the sound droning...deafening... His only indication of his life, save the air that hissed in and out of his lungs. An almost inaudible clang of metal on stone in the distance caught his ear, but it was the next sound that made his blood boil. Her voice. It made him snarl before he caught his emotions...hatred was not his way. He had little time to dwell, however, as another voice - earthy and yet otherworldly drifted by his ears; and a smell that was absurdly out of place jolted him fully awake. Nature...earth...Like loamy soil, spring buds. Something about that smell brought up a feeling of discontent causing him to furrow his scaled brow.
Footsteps came closer, and the gate to the cell next to him was opened in the shadows of night with a screech. Talon looked over with a growl, his silver eyes noting something, that although was not rare; was very interesting: Two softly glowing green orbs rising from the ground when the gate was opened - and the sound of a female's voice - a small one at that. Talon sat up, intent. Things were indeed getting interesting, it seemed.
The female he deemed to be a captive was a small being indeed...an earth faerie if his nose ever knew it. She spoke to Lillith, her tone more defiant then her size.
"Douta ronir...In'sults wer edar."
Lillith leaned in close to the smaller faerie, a dark smile descending with vile intent.
"Don't worry you little harlot... I'm going to make your death agonizing and slow."
For a moment, the other female looked into Lillith's eyes in defiance; silent and cold.
...Then she spat in her face.
" Kothar kenzi."
Lillith's face seemed to melt where the faerie's saliva splattered; showing rot and pus. Black soot filled smoke welled from her wound, and she retreated back with a demonic growl.
"Just wait till daylight... De'Sarie will enjoy your flesh."
At that she left, her footsteps quick as her personal guard met her at the door. The jail guards simply closed the gates; the echoing clash of the metal meeting the stone locks waking most of the sleeping. Talon merely sat watching, mulling over the events that had transpired... and he could only name one faerie who spoke elder draconic.
"...Edar Iguyo...?"
She was sitting in a far corner of the neighbouring cell, but she looked up with a odd flick of the neck. She knew that voice. That voice had failed her, and left in shame...yet she never blamed him. She lifted off the ground lightly, floating gently over to the cell bars.
"...Impossible."
" I had an off day."
"Just like last time?"
He growled, startling many of his closer cell mates. She spoke again, her tone more soothing.
"I'm not good at this, Talon...this was always your forte. Your "Great Prismatic High Dragon Guardian" nonsense works."
He sat silently, staring at his claws for a few moments. His silver eyes shifted around, like different layers of metal on itself.
" I'll have a plan. I need more capable warriors...We will have to kill our way out. There is many tunnels, the earth speaks to me. But We are not far from a way out. If we survive tomorrow, we will see."
She laughed, the sound musical and harmonic.
"Silly dragon...what makes you say we in such a context? You assume we fight together tomorrow?"
Talon sat up taller, his wings parallel to the wall behind him. With a snort he shook off the light reaction.
"My "Nonsense" happens to get me results. I know that Lillith is holding some sort of grand event. Myself, a wolf by the name of "Juda"... and a Earth elementalist..."
He smirked, laughing at the assumption.
"They think you're an elementalist do they."
He Had difficulty hiding his smile, as she smirked back her eyes glowing bright for a moment.
"...Looks like someone is in for a surprise."