9 QUEEN OF DRAGONS

I was stuck in a tornado created by my own energy that gushed around me and rushed out, striking everyone. My hair flew wildly and my vision was clouded. But I could see enough to know that apart from Ryne who stood his ground, everyone else was on their knees. The rumbling of thunder had me looking up at the sky. My energy had interfered with Ryne's magic causing the chains around the moon to break. Without the bracelet's power, I was left open and vulnerable to the blood moon's influence. Since I was a royal dragon, the effect it had on me was amplified.

The stone platform I stood on cracked under the sheer force of the wind. I began to glow a flaming red. My gut heated up until fire crackled within.

"Oh, no! This cannot be happening," I began to panic and the fear acted as a fuel to the fire.

Although the amount of energy I had within and around me currently would protect my body, it was illegal for dragons in human forms to breathe fire. Without our thick dragon scales to protect us, the fire could end up charring our organs and killing us. After the curse, we only retained a percentage of our true power which left us all vulnerable to our own magic. Even though I was sure of my safety, as the queen, I couldn't break the rule. I tried my best to suppress the urge to just let it all out.

The fire within me raged and burned. My emotions which were all over the place- my guilt, anger and disappointment, helped stoke it. I couldn't even protect the secret of my clan, how could I possibly hope to complete my quest successfully? I was a terrible, terrible queen. And the one who made me this way was Ryne. When he chained the moon and helped me, I was honestly moved. I couldn't believe that he had helped me. But he had to go ahead and ruin it.

Without an outlet, the fire merged with the energy flowing from my body. It was probably just for a second, but all my energy gathered above my head and took my dragon form. I gasped, unable to believe it. Is that how I would look as a dragon? It was beautiful. I was beautiful. The image showed a ten-foot creature with thick, white scales. Before I could drink in the details it was gone and with it, all my energy. Having spent more than I had, I collapsed.

Just as I was about to hit the floor, Ryne caught me in his arms.

"What have you done?" I whispered before giving in to darkness.

***

"Meredith? Meredith, wake up, my child," I heard the raspy voice of Lord Dragomitus.

I opened my heavy eyes to almost complete darkness. A white cloud hovered in front of me and when it had my attention, it began forming colours. The colours formed images which soon started to move. Then I saw Ryne running and, in his arms, I saw myself.

"Where am I?" I asked, confused.

"Physically, you are still there. Mentally? You are in my head," he replied.

"I... how's that possible?" I asked him, surprised.

"We have very little time. Are you sure that's the question you want me to answer?" he asked, amused.

"No, wait!" I said quickly, in case he had a two-question rule or something, "You are not at Adelmiro Circle, are you? It feels different here. Almost as if it's a completely different world," I said, looking around for any sort of confirmation. I was met with eternal darkness and unusual quiet.

Feeling suffocated, I focused on the images in front of me again. Ryne had brought me to madame principal's chamber and was explaining something to her. All his closest friends were beside him. I glanced at Arlan for just a moment before looking away. I couldn't stand the disappointment and confusion on his face.

"So? Is that the right question?" I asked when I received no answer.

After a second too long, he replied, "Yes."

He took a deep breath and then chuckled. Like always, it sounded like a fit of cough. Inside his head, it reverberated and I had to shudder due to the sudden noise in comparison to the drastic quiet of the place.

"I'm not at Adelmiro Circle," he said.

"Then, why did you send me there? I don't understand," I said, my patience wearing thin. I really couldn't stand him acting like an annoying grandpa.

"I am no grandpa. But I suppose I am old. Quite old, very old," he mused.

I cursed him in my head before stopping. He could hear that too, after all I was in his head.

"Figure it out, Meredith. Find out why I sent you there," he said abruptly and I was tossed out of his head into the darkness.

***

I woke up to familiar voices on an unfamiliar bed. The quilt on me was as soft as the clouds. I kept my eyes closed, breathed heavily and pretended to be asleep. If what I saw in Lord Dragomitus' head was right, I was currently in madame principal's chamber. I knew what was coming. Confrontation was inevitable. My heart's pace began to increase and I tried my best to calm down. Keelin was here and she had supernatural senses.

"That must be why she denied the mark then. I mean, she's a dragon," Keelin said and laughed as if baffled.

Arlan joined her in the laughter, though his lacked any hint of amusement. He sighed. "I can't... I have known her all my life," he let out another laugh. "A dragon."

"Have they always existed then? We were told that they were wiped out by our ancestors," a soft voice spoke up. Was that Hystia? I saw her and Yuvien join the others before. I wondered what they were doing here.

"Seems like they have. All the legends of the last millennium have been a lie," Ryne spoke up finally. But I couldn't discern anything from his voice. Damn it! Why was he so hard to read?

"Is she the only dragon? Or are there more?" Yuvien mused.

"Most importantly, what's her purpose? Why did she come here? Is she a spy? Are they planning an attack?" Ryne continued.

I didn't like where this was going. Were they going to lock me up in prison?

"Yuvien, go with Arlan. He knows where she lived before. Find out how many more of them there are. Round up anyone you may think might be a dragon. Take Hystia with you if you want. I want all of them at one place before reporting to the Council," he said. After a moment, he sighed, "If they seem to pose a threat to the Circle, I give you permission to take the necessary action."

My heart raced as I heard the authority in his voice. He seemed like the ti-eglor for the very first time. No matter how powerful he was, however, I couldn't let them harm my people.

"Wait," I said and opened my eyes. The sudden onslaught of light blinded me. I blinked, trying to adjust my vision. When I saw everyone staring at me, I wished I could go back to pretending I was asleep. Ryne stood next to the bed and when I sat up, he ran his eyes down my body. I realized I was still wearing that excuse of a dress. I covered my body with the quilt and cleared my throat.

Madame principal sat on a chair nearby. The rest of them were scattered across the moderately large room. I searched for Arlan and found him seated on a stool straight ahead of me. His arms were locked together and he was staring at the floor. Gyrod stood next to him, leaning against the wall. When his eyes caught mine, he ran his fingers through Arlan's hair as if he were comforting him.

"Arlan," I said softly. He looked up at me after a moment. If I owed anyone an explanation here, it was him. "I didn't mean to... I," I let out a shaky breath and tears pooled in my eyes when he stared back at me with complete indifference. This was not going to be easy.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to deceive you. It has been a long-kept secret in my clan."

"Clan? There are more of you?" Yuvien asked with a sneer.

I took a deep breath and fiddled with my fingers. There was no going back now. I could only trust in my fate and be honest. I looked up at Ryne. Something shimmered in his eyes. I didn't know what it was but my gut told me that I could trust him. I would trust him. I had no other choice. "I'll tell you everything. But please don't hurt my people. They mean no harm."

I prayed to Lord Dragomitus for strength, courage and the right words. "I promise I'll never make fun of you again," I thought and was close to tearing up. I felt the burden of my clan press onto my shoulders again and it was the heaviest my heart had ever felt.

"Please. They are...They are barely surviving," I said and tears cascaded down my cheeks. There were a lot of firsts in my life. First queen to have revealed the secret. First queen to have begged the ti-eglor.

"That depends on whether I consider them a threat to the Circle. However, I promise to listen to you completely before taking this to the Council," he said earnestly. Then he sat down on a chair nearby, folded his arms and waited for me to proceed.

"Years ago, your goddess Hecate cursed us and we couldn't shift into our dragon forms anymore. Did you know that?" I asked.

He nodded, "That was what helped us win the war. We captured the capital of the Dragon empire and the power shifted to us."

"Your kind didn't stop there," I said as rage burned my face to a bright scarlet, "They hunted down every dragon in the world until only a few hundred remained. The dragons that survived went into hiding and used the help of a few kind witches to create a concealment spell around the Riu valley. That's where we've lived the last millennium. My great ancestor, Eremonia Dragomir, was the one who brought them to safety and formed the pact with the three witches. We received charms and spells to disguise ourselves as humans. She kept us from going extinct."

"Dragomir?" he asked, his brows knitting together.

"Her husband, Fendal Dragomir was the one who began the war," I said softly.

"Right!" Hystia said, jumping slightly, "The ruler of all dragons, Fendal Dragomir murdered Seon Uchigi, the champion of Hecate. It was the immediate cause of one of the bloodiest wars in history." She spoke as if she were reading from a textbook.

I nodded, "He was my ancestor. Since then, every dragon from my bloodline has been paying for his sins. You see, Dragomirs die very young, thanks to your goddess' curse. My mother died at twenty-five and she was the longest surviving royal." My heart clenched together when I spoke of her. If only she were alive... She would know what I had to do, how I had to proceed. She always knew everything.

"I'm sorry," Ryne said and he seemed to genuinely be so. "Does that mean you are..."

"I'm a Dragomir. And I'm the dragon queen."