Chapter 22

Hidden away in shadow, deep within the capital city of Qu'ittax and safe from prying eyes was Vishta. She found herself secured and protected within the halls of the shadow clans of the siigonis. The stone walls that surrounded her with lavish with memory. The few siigonis that'd visited her and Broxl had said little, but they'd done as they'd requested. The hunter was asleep but alive, a bandage wrapped tight around his waist. Up and down she watched his chest, each one a relief to her troubled mind.

She'd passed the time watching siigonis travel through their near silent halls, too busy to waste their time on a little kobold and her traveling friend. There was a cloud of fear about them, hanging thick and threatening to infect her as well. She fought the urge by sharpening a blade, whispering prayers in draconic that the rest of the city was not as this place was now. If more than the fire clan had backstabbed them…She didn't want to think about it.

“Your friend is lucky to survive the deadly poison of the takalla beast." The shadow clan matron hissed, slinking through the shadows. “The recovery will be hard, it melts the insides with enough time."

“Should I worry about the skill of your healers Inzetep?" Vishta's brow rose, “It's been days since we've arrived. Each siigonis' snout was more zipped than the last. What's the matter? Save us only to keep us captive?"

“Captive?" Inzetep calmly swept around them, hands behind her back. “You have your weapons, your armor, we've fed you. What more could you want from us Vishta, of the Kobold Information Network…If that is your true name."

“True as yours." She scoffed, sliding a whetstone across her blade, “You think we mean you harm? You heard the dragon during the council meeting, we meant every word."

“That remains to be seen." She hissed, “You and your ilk have a reputation beyond our borders. Your personal history is enigma, even to our seers. How many falsehoods have you sold your friends? Half truths and misdirection of your life? All to manipulate things to your liking?"

“If this is all the back and forth we're going to have, I'd prefer the silence." She growled, “Tell me one thing. Lyndis, Radiant Star. Do they yet live?"

“The princess and dragon?" Inzetep chuckled in her throat, “Course they escaped, she rode atop his scaled bulk. It would appear their promises of unity were paper tigers, collapsing at the first sign of trouble."

“Would you stick around if the people you reached out to tried to kill you? She's not stupid Inzetep."

The woman glared at her, eyes of ice. “Not our people."

“Are you sure? Scales, teeth, unhealthy blood thirstiness? Awfully seems like your people. Can't expect the soft skin queen to stick around after such wonderous hospitality."

“That problem…Is being rectified. The betrayers had help from a dragoness, the queen of Eternal flame. Only with her arrival did they feel so bold."

The kobold cursed under her breath. She'd known a dragon's fury was vast indeed, but to follow them all the way to a city and start dismantling it? That was greater than even she'd expected. “I take it by the sunny disposition of your clansmen that she's still here?"

Inzetep nodded slow, “She rests within our grand temple, twisting it from within as though it is her right. Her removal will be…more complicated than others."

“How so?"

“Poisons and blades can work well on certain dragons. However this one has traits associated with the undead. Her scales are grey, her fangs sharper than most. She has the curse of the vampire about her." She took in a deep breath, warding away the fearful eyes of a siigonis warrior strolling by, “She proved stronger than we expected."

“Course she was, else why would she be so bold? You can't count on dragons being stupid." She sheathed her blade and sighed, how bad was it? “How many sided with her?"

“The fire and sun clan threw their support in with her. They argued through sharpened teeth over the protection and thriving future that she provided. Those abominations you told us about they rather enjoyed, thought of that as the evolution of siigonis kind."

“Two clans out of five? And you think you can remove them so easily?"

She laid a hand on the wall, her voice cold, “We've done so before. Cutting off the branches so that the tree can thrive."

“If you've done so before, how could something fester for so long within these walls? Unless your observing of this city is…shall we say…less than adequate?"

“Our eyes and ears are as sharp as ever little kobold. We saw her dip her little tendrils into our city, but they remained just that, small. Her arrival was not foreseen, and by the time it swept in, it was too late. She swooped in, taking care of those that saw her. By the time we mobilized to take care of her…It was too late. You saw what happened." She stilled, looking off into the corridors, “If we were but slower, you and Broxl would be dead."

“Its good to know you're not terrible at everything. Your healers are adequate to save us from the mess you got us into."

“Says the one who enraged the dragon enough to come seeking their revenge." Inzetep replied with a growl.

“You say that like we had a choice in the matter. She's here now, nothing we can do about it. Unless that's all you came here for, to lay blame at my claws."

“We came to conjure a plan." She gestured to Broxl, “Mind coming with me?"

“And leave Broxl?" No chance."

“He will be safe within this place, everyone you can trust."

“Not from where I'm standing. Safest he can be is under my eye, anything you can tell me it can be done here. I'm not leaving his side."

Inzetep looked taken back by such sternness coming from the lips of a diminutive creature as she. With a sigh she described how the queen of eternal flame lurked deep within the temple of Nutambar, slaughtering the priests that tried to stop her arrival. “She turned them and those that tried to stop her into puppets of decayed flesh and bones. Even now she has her servants offering her gifts and boons, all in exchange for her dark blessings."

“And what do you want us to do?" Vishta adjusted her goggles, “Do I look like I have arrows of dragon slaying or something? Broxl's out, and nothing I have is good against vampires…Although." She rubbed her chin, an idea starting to form.

“Don't hold it in little one, speak." Inzetep insisted, starting to follow her around as she paced, “What comes to you?"

“Just that she's like most dragons. They seek treasure, power, ways to elevate themselves. If we could find something she values or wants more than this place, I doubt she'd stick around."

“But what does she want?"

“Did you not remember the council? She's after the uniter, I'm certain if she believed it was within her grasp, she'd leave this place."

“But how could we convince her of that? You and your companions destroyed her temple."

That was the rub was it not? Though, perhaps the seed of such a lie had already been planted. “What direction did Lyndis and Radiant Star get off to?"

“The north." Replied Inzetep flatly, towards the swamp of shadows.

“Perfect, we might have a plan then." Though as Vishta turned to smirk, a cold settled about her gut, threatening to drag her down, a realization came to her what it would mean. “We could convince her that The dragon and Lyndis have a way to the uniter. I doubt she'd let them simply swan off to get it right under her nose."

The shadow clan leader rumbled her approval, tail flicking. “But if we were to convince her, we'd need someone good at bending the truth, unafraid to stair down the terrible visage of a vampiric dragon, risking their life for the cause. Where could we find such a person?"

“You're the one with a whole clan of assassins." Shrugged Vishta, “I take it any one of them would gladly do whatever it is you require of them." But when she met the shadow matron's gaze, she had a mischievous smirk upon her snout. The kobold's eyes widened in realization, “No."

“It would be perfect would it not?" Mused Inzetep. “You require of us our help with the Drenedarians, and we need your help and getting rid of the dragon. You are a member of the kobold information network, it would seem your skills are just what we need."

“Confronting a dragoness that could swallow me whole was not in the job description when I took this case." She shot back, “And if it did, what would you lot do anyway? Sit back with a drink?"

She only smirked, tapping weapons at her side, “Take care of the corrupted branches, bring order back into our halls."

Vishta could only laugh in disbelief at the absurdity of the plan, a kobold? Standing up to a dragon such as the queen of eternal flame? “Don't you think it will be a bit suspicious that a kobold is telling her this? One that's in an entire city of siigonis?"

“And yet not so crazy." Inzetep padded to her, an amused swish in her step, “Dragons are known to think of kobolds of their servants of choice, you said it yourself. She has many qualities most dragons possess."

Her snout wrinkled, forcing her to adjust her goggles, “Yes, I'm quite aware of what I said. Don't you think she'd take offense to a-“ She couldn't believe she was actually giving this a second thought! “Servant telling her what to do? She'd kill me!"

“Not if you convinced the beast it was her idea."

Silence wove its way around the kobold's snout as eyes traveled to the unconscious form of Broxl. There she watched his gentle breaths, recounting how lucky they'd been. Deep down she knew they owed the siigonis, but this much? “We'd be double crossing Lyndis and Radiant Star. If she believes us, she'd be right on their paws."

Inzetep sighed, hands folding back behind her. “Such is the weight of leadership among our people. That we should sacrifice for the betterment of those that look to us. Should we not hold this Lyndis to the same standard? If the queen goes to her, we will be free, free to aid in what you initially came here for."

“And should the queen realize our deception and return?"

“Then we will be ready this time."

It twisted around Vishta's gut, forcing her arms to cross against her chest, lest they shake. Already she could see the terrified expressions from Lyndis and Radiant Star, could she live with doing such a thing? But the longer she dwelled, the more it made sense. Trading a queen and her dragon for the stability of the land? She slowly nodded, much to Inzetep's grin. “How will your help even get to the Drenedarians, we are leagues away."

“Leave that to our shadow weavers." Inzetep grinned, “We will pass along the shadows as easily as ships through the sea."

** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **

Why had she let Inzetep convince her everything was going to be alright? What had she been thinking at the time? Vishta slipped among the streets of Qu'ittax unnoticed, hugging tight the ring of invisibility that had been loaned to her. Only with it's protection did they think she could pass into the queen's domain without her minions from becoming aware. But even with this great gift, she couldn't stop the dread that now settled into her gut.

She could already imagine her death at the end of grey scaled paws, her corpse forced to serve that bitch for untold years afterwards. Her heart was like a stampede within her chest, thundering and seeking to leap at the first sign of weakness. When she crept into the inner sanctum of the temple of Nutambar, she could hardly stop her own limbs from trembling.

Within these walls, the living had no more quarter. Where an unnerving silence consumed every waking second between the stone. Blood and guts were the new artwork that littered every passageway, of those that'd stood their ground against the dragoness and paid the ultimate price. Each bore marks of her claws and teeth, some poor souls getting ripped to pieces, only for them to wander off in a disorganized pace. She must have risen them from the dead.

At this temples heart was the corrupted beast in all her wretched glory, slumbering peacefully between the altars that had once been revered by the clerics of life. From her maw slithered gentle growls, reverberating through the halls to fill those who heard it with terror in which they'd never experienced. Her beautiful features were betrayed by the dried blood around her snout and paws, telling of exactly what she was capable of.

Vishta found herself frozen, gulping as she searched across the field of dead siigonis. She had to count at least twenty among their number, brave men and woman who must have thought they were capable of such a task. Could she succeed where they failed? Besting the dragon with a silver tongue instead of a weapon? Her next few steps might as well have been weighed down by sacks of coins. She'd better get a promotion after this.

That's when the Queen of Eternal flame stirred, the sound of her scales rubbing across the stone might as well have been Vishta's death sentence.

She'd taken refuge behind a pillar of stone, taking shallow breaths, certain the sound of her pounding heart would wake this terrible queen from her slumber. Which, how was she supposed to wake her anyway? Without causing the great beast to be angry with her? She was larger than any dragon she'd ever seen, her paws practically four times her size! She should have left right then and there, found another way, what good was she going to do anyone when the queen woke and decided just to swallow her whole?

“For peace and the army." She whispered to still her nerves, without this hope would be dead. Everything that they'd worked for would be for nothing. Just as she was to emerge, a terrible growl resounded through the hall.

“You know little thief. It's rude to enter a woman's chambers and not introduce yourself. Reveal yourself and your punishment will be mild." The queen's piercing eyes opened, an icy blue to rival he artic fields of Azmeth. When she rose, the thud of her paws upon the stone shook the hall. She rose her head and sniffed, deadly claws kneading the floor, “My patience is not infinite kobold, and your fate balances on the edge of a knife. Come and reveal yourself…I don't bite."

She saw those gleaming teeth, doubting that to the highest degree. The kobold crept without a sound around the hall's perimeter, always keeping an eye on the slow-moving dragoness. Despite her words, seeming all more amused to be strutting around, taking whiffs along the air.

“You shield yourself in shadows, evading my sight little one. But I can hear your heart, it betrays you. There it goes now, pounding away." She chuckled, like a cat playing with it's food, “I could almost dance to the beat. But amusing as this is, if you continue to remain silent, you're reward for waking my slumber will be death. I suppose I could get entertainment from your dancing corpse."

It was now or never, why had she come if she was just going to clam up? Broxl was counting on her, all of Drenedar now was on her shoulders. With a composed breath she stepped out into the center of the hall, removing the ring that shielded her from sight. It took all her strength to not run in terror as the Queen turned around, predatory eyes locking straight upon her. “I merely wished to gaze upon your magnificence with my own two eyes oh great one. For you see, my kind cherishes the mere sight of dragons, for these days there are too few."

She didn't respond, merely advancing with a terrible growl, tail swishing menacingly behind her.

“But the tales clearly did little justice. For even at their description,  failed to capture the divine beauty in which you possess." Words failed her as that great grew snout descended, feathery wings fluffing, a mockery of the angelic form.

“Well go on." Growled the dragoness, her breath smelling of death, hinting of what awaited her. “Don't stop with your praises little kobold, the longer you speak, the longer that you live."

“Of course, how terribly sorry of me." Vishta replied meekly, adding a minor bow for good measure. “Your eyes are ever delightful, like crystals upon the shores of Braestair's coast. Your wings?" She gestured with a big grin, “Sonnets could be sung and not quite capture their majesty." As the dragon strolled around her, imposing her stature, it was all the kobold could do to not run and hope she wouldn't be caught. “Its clear than it's ever been, that not a creature on this fair earth could hold a candle to you wonderous Queen of Eternal flame-“

“Do you believe me stupid kobold?" The grey dragoness sat before her, tail flicking with cruel intent.

“Of cour-“

“For I know you were Radiant Star's little minion, part of the scheme that robbed me of mine. Whatever you play at here shall not be helping you, your death was sealed the moment you wrongly chose to enter." With a growl she swished a paw, magically slamming the door. A deep and terrible rumble traveled through the dragon's throat, eyes gleaming with wickedness. “I'm terribly afraid you won't be escaping this time."

She yelped as the dragoness snapped her massive jaws, missing her by scant inches. With ice in her blood she scampered for what good it would do her, bounding towards the stone pillars and hanging on for dear life. The Queen did not follow with the haste she'd have expected, the dragoness slowly sauntered, savoring the moment. A cat with it's cornered prey.

“Oh, little kobold, how did you expect this to go? For me to be charmed by your silver tongue? Possibly spare your life? I do cherish that you're trying to make it amusing for me, It'd be so boring if you simple…stayed put." She shot around the pillar in which Vishta hid, chasing her with a breath of intense cold, casing the stone with layers of ice. “See there we are! Run!"

Vishta dodged and weaved through the hall, ever keeping the rumbling dragoness at an arm's length. Every second was like an eternity, as her heart threatened to explode from her chest. Around and around her eyes traveled to any exit that she could find, but any were swiftly cut off by the imposing mass of scales behind her. Grim reality set in as the cold licked at her feet, she only lived as long as The queen was amused. Why had she let herself be convinced into doing this?

When she tripped and slammed cheek first into the stone, she thought her life was over. That at any moment a pair of jaws would sink into her flesh. But there was nothing but a wicked chortle, a swish of a tail and the demand that she get up. So she did, brushing off her leathers, finding the dragoness looming over her. “Here I thought you were going to kill me."

“But I am." Replied the dragoness, “When I tire of your presence. You wished to please my kobold, and thus you are doing so." She looked to the field of corpses, of the siigonis that'd tried to end her. To them she flared her nostrils, “The others were less than amusing, you're superior to them in that respect. Oh how they tried to fight with their little weapons, cute shouts of bravery. You should have seen their snouts as their pitiful attempts failed, their companions torn limb from limb." There was an uneasy pause as the queen clearly was replaying it between her horns, chortling at their misery.

“Actually, I have an amusing idea." Queen of Eternal flame announced in a brassy voice, “How you might fair against them. Who knows, perhaps I'll be so enamored that I'll let you go."

“You can't be serious." Vishta panted, trying to catch her breath. But the queen slunk back to her starting position with a wave of her wings.

“I am certainly not. Do try and put on a show before they end you. I'd hate for this to end right as it begins." At her sharpened glare, the dead that'd littered the floor began to shift. Limbs that had no right to quiver did so. Their unholy groans started to blunder out their broken maws, wafting the room in a wretched cacophony to drive the greatest warriors to terror.

Vishta found the courage to unhook her energy crossbow, hitting the activation rune and let it's hum counter the song of the dead. When they shambled to their feet she didn't give them any quarter, loosing a volley that tore apart those closest to her. She retreated, increasing the distance between herself in the growing hoard, all as the Queen watched on with a thumping tail. “But what of Radiant Star? Don't you want to know about his plans? Get caught by you? He planned for that Queen!"

She rose her head with a mocking laugh, “Plans? I'm afraid that fool in which you speak of had no such thing kobold. He turned tail and fled with his queen at my demand."

“Precisely! Why do you think he left so easily?" She laughed nervously, finding herself almost cornered by the zombies. Without giving away the terror that clutched her, she rolled between their legs, only just escaping their grasping claws. “You played right into his paws, I told him it wouldn't work, but oh boy did it!"

To this the Queen tilted her head, loosing the confidence in which she seemed to exude.

“Do I sense a spark of interest my great Queen? Or have you decided to watch my death in silence?"

The queen stirred, flaring her nostrils and answering with a harsh snort and a growl, “What plan could he have?"

“Lure you here with the promise of the city, while he and Lyndis head for the uniter! That's where they're off to now!"

“So?" The queen tossed away her head, trying to appear disinterested, but a lone eye gave it away. “What do I care? If he goes to the swamp he will be blocked same as I. He and I share many qualities that those within would detest."

“But there's an entity calling him there, I've heard him speak of it! A golden pheonix that seeks his audience, I've heard him talking to his precious queen about it!" Vishta shouted, finding the swarm of zombies closing in once more. She blasted three apart with her skill, but there always seemed another to reach out for her. She found herself pulled to the ground by one lucky corpse, only just managing to blow apart it's skull before it sank in it's weathered fangs. “If I die, you'll never know!"

With a wave of the vampire dragon's wings, the zombies suddenly stopped dead. What force that compelled their hunger died, leaving the shambling corpses to hover. Staring at the kobold with their dead, blackened eyes. “Well, don't go silent on me now." Growled the Queen of Eternal flame, blue flames twisting about her eyes, “Speak, before I change my mind."

What was important about that? Vishta lowered her weapon, trying to form the words as the imposing snout descended upon her. “So that little detail has your attention. What is it may I ask?"

“Something old and powerful." Mused the queen, “But one wonders why he would be the one called…" She shook her head, “But why would you tell me this? How do I know you don't lie upon my paws right now, desperate to cling to your miserable life?"

“That would be a fair point my queen." Vishta bowed her head, eyes clenching shut as she was washed in the spine-tingling huff of close to enraged dragon. “But that be dumb to get in your way. Do always what my mother said, move aside for other's greatness."

 “Is that so little one? You wish to be on the winning side?"

“Y-yup!" She stammered before the grey scaled snout, more apparent than ever that she could be swallowed with little effort. She gulped as the nostrils flared, grey scaled brow narrowing, trying to figure out what to do. “I've seen the future and seen the swaying of the winds. Cordenth was filled with hot air, never agreed with him."

“And you'd do this? Betray him? Right to his face?" She rose a brow, voice dripping with amusement.

When Vishta nodded, without a thought, the dragoness laugh shook the hall.

“I take it that's good?" Vishta laughed nervously with her.

“Wonderfully so!" Trumpeted the queen. “I'd hoped to tease the green dragon with your corpse, but this will be better! You will be presented before him, an ally now turned foe! It will be delicious! We have to leave here at once!"

She smirked at her ability to have convinced the dragoness to leave, but suddenly froze. “Wait…You mean… What about the sun?"

“That's never bothered me before." Rumbled the vampire, plucking Vishta up the scruff of her tunic with her teeth.

“Hey, what are you doing?" She wiggled, unable to free herself.

“Stay still." Warned the dragoness through clenched teeth, “Or I might drop you, we wouldn't want to spoil what's to come with your untimely death would we? I do believe we have to return you to your green dragon…Oh I cant wait to see his snout when he sees me again."

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