The Dragon Knight Order (14 page)

I felt my consciousness slip again. It wasn’t like before, I was just simply tired.

“Lord Vicis, Adria, I feel tired. I must rest for now. I have no more questions. Thank you.”

“I told you not to call me Lord, Alex,” said the ancient dragon leaving the room. 

“Sleep well Alex I will be here when you wake up,” said Adria with a smile.

I closed my eyes, regretting it. It wasn’t always that I was able to see Adria smile with a real smile. I had become accustomed to my own gloominess and hers. As I fell asleep, I entered a dream which seemed more like reality then a dream.

“You are placing too much responsibility on him Lord Shadow.”

“Your concerns are duly noted Zetzu. But for the good of the Order, we need the support of the Twelve Noble Houses.”

“And since when was the Dragon Knight Order more interested in support from the Nobles than the well-being of its members?”

“Ever since we stopped receiving new recruits and our current members died of old age or killed off in combat. I will not argue this with you, Zetzu; you are merely his guardian and have no say in the matter.”

“I am his guardian of my own free will and I stand by my words. Not only have you proposed the poor boy to be the next head of the Order but you have now set him to fulfill that role as well. He might have talent but he cannot survive on talent alone.”

“Enough! What I say is final and as a Cardinal Lord, you are a vessel to the Dragon Council of which I am a member and it is your duty to obey.”

“I am also a free dragon and I shall do as I please!”

“My fellow dragons please do not fight amongst yourselves. We have more serious matters to attend to. This assault on the academy is a very unnerving matter. The Irkanians have never attempted to pull something like this in the past. They have been growing exceedingly bold these last few years and while our power wavers, theirs do not.”

“And what do you suggest we do about this? It is only a matter of time before war is upon us and this time around we do not have the veteran human army or the large number of Dragon Knights to fight back the might of the Irkanian Heresy,” said the green dragon.

“I agree and the internal disputes within the Empire are of no help. The Twelve Houses do not seem to remember their role in keeping the Empire together and Emperor Clause II doesn’t seem to understand the importance of limiting his meddling with army, dragons and the Dragon Knight Order’s dealings,” said the red wine dragon.

“Which is why we shouldn’t miss this opportunity to send Alex!” concluded Master Shadow.

“He is not ready for such a responsibility. If you must send someone, send a senior member of the Order. There might only be few of them left but there are still others besides Alex,” said Zetzu.

“I agree with Zetzu, my Lords. He simply is not ready for such an important role, perhaps if he had a few ye-“

“Do you think the Irkanians will wait a few years, Aylia? You might not have much to worry about as the Cardinal Lord of the North, but I simply cannot understand why you would be so against this Zetzu. Your domain is next to the Irkanian border; storm dragons would be the most heavily affected by a war. If anything, you would be greatly benefited by a more united human Empire.”

“Careful Lord Shadow, you are beginning to sound like Lord Lux. I will not explain my reasoning to you; I just believe the boy is not ready for such a task.”

“Why you insolen-“

“I believe both sides have merit in their opinions. However the facts remain unchanged, a more united and balanced Empire is in the best interest of dragons and humans alike. I will allow Alex to attend the imperial meeting as requested by the Emperor, but in light of Alex’s inexperience I shall be sending Shadow and Zetzu as his advisors.”  With that the ancient time dragon lifted is wings and took off.

As I watched the dragon meeting from above, my dream focused on Adria’s room.

“It is a bad habit to listen in on others conversations Adria.” It was Lord Vicis in her human form.

“Who are you?”  demanded Adria.

“You don’t recognize me?”

She looked into her bronze eyes; then it seemed to hit her.  “Lord Vicis?”

“I have told you, I don’t like to be called lord,” she said gently and then added more seriously, “I hope you do not repeat what you have heard here today.”

“I am not sure I understood all I heard but isn’t Lord Shadow acting strange, almost forceful?”

“It is better that you don’t understand everything, all you must know is that as soon as Alex is allowed to leave the medical wing of the academy, he will be heading to Alexandria to meet the emperor. As for Shadow’s forceful behavior, even dragons are susceptible to stress and mood swings.”

She seemed like she was going to ask why, but from what I could tell she held it back. Adria understood it was to help stabilize the Empire. I didn’t understand it very well, but I trusted Vicis.

“When will he be back?”

“I am not sure, but I can tell you he will come back a changed man.”

My dream shifted back into the red sky and there stood the Reaper.

“You did this? The weird dreams I was having,” I asked it.

“Not dreams, but things as they happen.”

“You were showing me what others were doing while I am asleep? You can do that?” 

“Yes, and more.”

“Like what else?”

“I will show you another time for I am still weak from my imprisonment, but always remember young Knight. Time waits for no one.”

Trip

Several days later I was allowed to leave the infirmary wing. The academy was oddly quiet. There used to be a lot of chatter in the halls, people going about in a cheerful manner, but it had become quiet… quiet and dull.  Whenever I passed a group of people they would whisper and hurry past me as if I had some sort of curse…

“Hey Alex, wait up!”

Turning around I could see Axcel making his way to me.

“Looks like I got here a bit late. I was supposed to escort you to the Sky Dome, Lord Shadow has been expecting you.”

“You are supposed to escort me to the Sky Dome? Why would I need an escort inside the academy? Wasn’t the kill squad dealt with already?”

“I am not here to protect you it’s more like to keep you from getting side tracked. Come on let’s go.”

Once at the Dragon Hold, it wasn’t hard to see the increase in security. There were sentinels in every single entrance and more than a few were dragons in human form. These were invisible to most but after being a Knight and in constant contact with a dragon you can sense their magical presence.  What was impressive to see was Master and Zetzu’s scales glittering with the reflection from the Sky Dome’s fountain.

“Ah, so the lazy one has arisen.”

“It is hardly fair to call him the lazy one, Lord Shadow,” said Zetzu.

“Nonsense it has been several days since the poison left his system and with magic his wounds would have healed days ago. Had it not been for Vicis orders of a natural recovery of his flesh wounds I would have already had him up and about, training him until his bones hurt.”

Master seemed to be in a good mood. Maybe I could get a bit of information out of him regarding the Reaper. “So what have I missed?”

“Nothing that demands your attention.”

“So when will I start training again?”

“For now, your other duties demand your attention.” Before I could ask, he answered my question. “You have been summoned by the Emperor Clause I to Alexandria.”

“Why?”

“Because the elves demanded an audience with you. I am sure Lord Vicis made you aware of the impression you made on the world. You are the first to hold such power at such a young age.”

“Not only has that particular event made you interesting, but your lineage has sparked interest in the Emperor personally.”

“My lineage? You told the Emperor who my parents were? How could you do something like that if you’re not even sure who my mother and father are?!”

“It is a way for the Dragon Knight Order to obtain much needed influence in the Emperor’s inner circle but remember your mother had a twin and regardless of which of the twins it was, you are the sole inheritor of the House of Time. With that alone, you are bringing back a large part of the Order’s former power.”

“It matters to me who my mother was,” I said looking down avoiding their gaze.

This time it was Zetzu who spoke up. “It is not something to be ashamed of Alex, wanting to know who your parents are. It’s natural.”

“I just wish they were still here.” At this point I was just trying to hold back the tears.

“We know Alex, trust me, we know.”

“Come on Alex we have to get ready for our journey to the capital and teach you all about the art of political scheming and flying on a dragon,” said Shadow nudging me with his giant head.

“Isn’t dragon flying exclusive to Riders and Paladins?”

“Exceptions can be made. Besides, I most certainly am not walking to the capital in human form, are you Zetzu?”

“No and two dragons walking around would surely cause an uproar. Flying is the only option.”

“What about Ilean, Evy and the Guardians? As their senior, I can’t just leave them behind.”

“While it would be an excellent opportunity for all of them to meet the Emperor and see the imperial capital, it would also cause a terrible impression given the state within the academy. Or have you forgotten? This place was supposed to be the third most secure place in the Empire beaten only by the Dragon Knight’s headquarters and the Imperial palace. To have all the Knights and Guardians leave would show the Dragon Knight Order no longer deems the Central Academy as a safe place for learning.”

“But isn’t that the truth? It was breached by a kill squad isn’t that enough proof of the failing security of the academy?”  asked Adria appearing from behind the fountain.

“They are the most skillful assassins in the entire Irkanian Empire. It was certainly a blow to lose them, as well as the Death Knight that died here. I doubt they will attempt something like that for quite some time, do you not agree Lord Shadow?”

“I do Zetzu, besides the wiping out of the squad sent a clear message to their queen. So as long as you remain in close proximity of a dragon, your powers combined can withstand any attack made on you. But enough talk already. Alex you need to get ready to leave. You don’t have to bring anything but you must change to your new uniform. We will be stopping at your family’s estate for the rest.”

I stared at Master. He just let Adria know indirectly who my parents were… At least one of them… sort of… The things I have in common with her were starting to be taken away from me too. I had already lost my normal life, now I was going to lose my equality with Adria. I don’t want to be a Nobel if she’s going to hate me for it. I looked at her deep blue eyes staring at me, and saw a question forming on her face.

“His estate? He doesn’t know who his parents are, how could he have an estate?”

“You haven’t told her?” asked Master. Zetzu, sensing an argument, slowly turned around and walked towards the edge of the Sky Dome intending to fly off.

“No, I was busy with other things at the time, like the threat of maybe being killed by the Irkanians.” I then flinched; I had stabbed myself in the back.

“You knew about the attack beforehand and didn’t tell me?” she said visibly hurt. She turned around and stormed off.

“Sigh… thanks Master… thanks.” I took off without waiting for a reply. I was going to leave for the capital but I couldn’t leave with her mad at me.

It wasn’t hard to find her because she emitted a strong magical feeling. She had run down to the Dragon Hold and was sitting with her back against a tree next to a small lake found inside the Hold. I walked up to her and set next to her. I didn’t say anything and her head was buried in her legs.

“Even if you show courage and pretend to be strong you can't live all alone. Do you remember the promise we made all those years ago when we were small?”

“Yeah I do. We will always be together no matter what.”

“I intend to keep it even if you are a Noble or the next Dragon Paladin of the Order. You can’t handle things on your own like this, no matter how strong you are. It will break you. I will always be here to help you no matter how hard or dangerous it gets.”

“I know… I am sorry for not telling you who my parents were and about the kill squad. I was just so afraid you would get hurt or want to leave my side if knew the truth.”

“Do you realize how foolish that was?” she asked gently lifting her head.

“Yeah, I do now, I just… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

She leaned in and kissed my forehead. I hoped she didn’t notice how heavily I was blushing, but it didn’t work out well.

“You sure turn red easy,” she said with a wink.

“So do you,” I snapped back. Her face was maybe a tad bit redder than mine.

“I think you have somewhere to be,” she said getting up and extending a helping hand. I took it.

 “Will you be alright?”

“Of course! I am after all training at the same level as you.”

“We will have to see about that when I get back.” I took her hand to stand up and she pulled me in to a tight hug. If I wasn’t boiling red before, I was now.

“Take care, please,” she whispered softly.

“I will,” I said hugging her tightly.

When I let go, I gave her one final smile and headed to the Sky Dome where Master and Zetzu were waiting for me.