That came from Tollorias in his characteristic, emotionless drawl.
Jaax cursed and blew out a breath of smoke from his nostrils. It didn’t matter that Shiroxx was right, or that he had been thinking the very same thing not thirty seconds before. Her pointing it out to everyone, however, was not helping with the common morale.
“That doesn’t matter,” Jaax snapped. “Once Dhuruhn meets Jahrra and sees that I’ve been telling the truth all this time, we will have the aid of the Creecemind dragons.”
Jaax turned to close the distance between himself and the king’s throne room, but Sapheramin’s voice drew him to a stop.
“There’s more, Jaax.”
He froze, his blood growing colder. What else could there be? What further obstruction could possibly be thrown in his path? What more had Shiroxx and her misinformed minions done to bring corruption to the Coalition?
“Kehllor has requested a leave of absence to seek out the help of the Nephaari of Terre Moeserre.”
Jaax drew in a sharp breath and snapped his eyes onto Sapheramin, an expression of utter shock and horror replacing his previous stern demeanor. He wouldn’t have been more surprised if Ciarrohn himself pulled the doors open before him and invited him in for tea.
“What?!” he managed.
Sapheramin nodded somberly. “Dathian told me Kehllor once lived in the great desert of the south and had met up with the Nephaari from time to time. Apparently, he thinks he can somehow talk them into joining our cause.”
“The Nephaari are fierce and able warriors, there is no doubt about that, but they are worse than the Creecemind,” Jaax insisted. “They will have no reason to venture beyond their own borders and fight alongside those who are not their own.”
Sapheramin nodded. “I know, Jaax. I know. But apparently, this Kehllor was adamant. According to Dathian, the young Tanaan insisted he was of no use simply sitting in front of a lecture hall full of arguing Coalition members. He had to do something.”
Jaax cursed under his breath once again. Yes, that was Kehllor, alright. A young dragon determined to make himself useful, to prove he belonged.
Sighing, Jaax shook his head and started his short climb up the stairs.
“So, who is in charge then?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer. He was terrified Sapheramin was going to tell him Shiroxx had finally wrangled control of the Coalition.
Tollorias said, “Dathian and a few others on the council are sharing responsibilities until Kehllor returns.”
The tension in Jaax’s muscles eased immediately. “Thank Ethoes,” he breathed.
“Your reason for calling upon his royal highness?” one of the elvin guards standing beside the doors asked, interrupting the dragons’ conversation.
“Reporting an incident that occurred just along your city’s borders, and announcing the arrival of friends and allies of the court of Nimbronia,” Jaax responded in his characteristically cool manner.
The elf nodded and pulled a cord which sent a bell to clanging somewhere far above. In less than a minute, the doors creaked, slowly swinging inward to reveal a massive hall half the size of the one he and the two Korli dragons just passed through. Only this chamber was composed entirely of ice and was lit as bright as midday. As they stepped into the huge space, two young Creecemind dragons, both easily longer than the three of them put together, moved back to close the doors behind them. Both dragons, their scales pale blue and frosty white, eyed Jaax, Sapheramin and Tollorias with cold suspicion as they passed by. Jaax edged his snout up a little higher, doing his best to appear more domineering, although he was certain he failed at such a feat. He was nothing more than a common lizard in their eyes.
As they made their way across the king’s hall, Jaax took note of the decor, from the draping tapestries stitched in silver, gold, blue and white, their scenes depicting the history of Nimbronia and the Creecemind dragons themselves, to the blue flames dancing in ice sconces that didn’t seem to melt. Scattered throughout the chamber were more dragons like those who had opened the doors, as well as Korli and even a few Tanaan holding court. There were also elves, dwarves and Resai nobles, all attending the king who reclined on a wide, frozen dais at the far end of the hall.
Jaax tried to withhold his irritation as he took in Dhuruhn, the Creecemind ruler of Felldreim whose immense size was matched by no other. Pale silver grey in color, his scales shimmered with a hint of sky blue when caught in the light. Eyes of a similar shade watched Jaax carefully as he approached, their fierce intelligence and cunning spirit impossible to miss. Beside him on the wide platform reclined his queen, Beihryhn, the snow-white female who was second in size only to her mate. On either side of both of them sat their two children, their son, Prince Eairhyut, who was more blue in color than his father, and their daughter, Princess Eairheihn, a paler version of her brother. Crowns crafted from stylized ice shards and the brilliant, pale blue and white crystals found only in the Hruhnan Mountains adorned their heads. Similar adornments fell over their shoulders, somewhat akin to the expensive chains and pendants seen on elvin and Resai royalty.
All four of them watched the three smaller dragons approach, but each with a different emotion. Beihryhn’s expression matched her husband’s own gaze of distrust, but Jaax could almost feel some sympathy there. The two heirs to the throne, however, were a different story. Eairhyut exuded curiosity and would most likely be eager to hear what Jaax had to say and his sister even more so. They had been to some of his past meetings with their father and had listened to Jaax’s plight. He wondered now, what with their being younger and more open to change, if he should make his appeal to them. While Dhuruhn and his queen were tied down to the affairs of Nimbronia, could their children have spent some of their youth exploring the world around them? Was it possible they had seen the subtle damage caused by the Crimson King? Jaax could only hope so, because if they had, they might be willing to turn their father’s sympathies onto the correct path.
Jaax and his companions continued their trek across the lengthy room, the scrape of their claws against the frozen floor not loud enough to break through the general din of the conversing lords and ladies of Nimbronia. After what seemed like ages, Jaax finally found himself standing before the king. Not wanting to waste a single moment, he gave Dhuruhn a courtly bow, one that he’d learned long ago, and drew in a deep breath to speak.
“Your Majesty will excuse my abrupt appearance and my informal state, but I am just arrived in Nimbronia after a battle in Cahrdyarein and a short skirmish on the very edge of your own boundaries.”
Jaax’s voice carried over the light murmur of those present, but the moment he stopped speaking, the volume of their conversation strengthened and spread like dragon flame over a field of parched grass.
King Dhuruhn, to Jaax’s slight surprise, actually pulled his head up a little higher and arched a brow.
“Indeed?” he growled, his deep, expressive voice filling the royal chamber like a roll of distant thunder.
Jaax nodded once to confirm his claim.
“Do you come alone, Raejaaxorix?” Beihryhn queried.
Her voice, nearly as intense as her mate’s, was cool and calm and held enough haughtiness in its tone that for a moment, Jaax was reminded of Shiroxx.
“No,” Jaax replied. “I arrived earlier this morning with Pendric, the captain of the guard of Cahrdyarein, and shortly thereafter my ward, Jahrraneh Drisihn and our traveling companions, Ellyesce of Dhonoara and a young limbit by the name of Dervit, met trouble on your southern bridge. Pendric’s wife and child were also with them. A contingent of the Crimson King’s Red Flange ambushed them on the overpass. I was called away to help drive the enemy back, or else I would have presented myself sooner.”