chapter 1

It was a serene moonlit night, as I walked down the marble corridor. The velvet draperies and depictions of wars long past, shimmered in the soft light through the stained glass wall. It was silent, but for the sound of my feet hitting the black marble floors as I walked. Though as I continued to haunt the long hallway, a soft breeze rustled through the hall, tickled the nape of my neck with its gentle fingers, and pulled at my black hair. I stopped, as my heart thudded in my chest, as the breeze became a cold wind, a rank stench filling my nose. I turned with my claws extended from my long fingers, and looked from left to right, my gold cat like eyes seeing clearly in the dim light. No one was there but I, and the drapped walls, yet the wind became stronger with each moment. Though my eyes could not see, I knew there was someone or something there.

“Show yourself!” There was no reply, but for the cold wind that whipped at my face, and the putrid scent that attacked my nose. My skin crawled, and cold sweat drenched my body as a voice lurched through the air, like a dying man.

“Murderer…” it cried “Murderer...”

“Show yourself d-demon!”

A phantom knight in all white armor stained with old blood appeared from thin air, and pointed a metal finger at me. “Murderer!” It cried more stricken and piercing than before. With that it charged, with a sword of black night gleaming in its hands, and plunged the blade straight through my heart. I looked down to see blood seep from where the blade was buried deep…

I woke with a great start, screaming. I clutched at my heart, as the pain began to fade. G...god it was that horrible dream yet again; Fifth time this week. My long raven black hair falling over my face, as I shook, my grasp lessening as the pain disappeared, yet the shock still stuck with me. Every time, I had this dream I felt weak. In reality I might be slimmer than most men, but the power of the dragon was with me more than any other in hundreds of years. I was strong, swift, sure with a blade and a master archer, even beating several other nobles much older than I. I could also wield magic supposedly and talk with dragons if I so wished, the prophet had told me some years ago now. Yet dragons had not been seen for over fifty generations. And there were fewer Wizards and Sorceresses in the world than the times of old. I was a rarity. Even though my parents were human nobles, I was by far less human. At first I was seen as a threat, and a curse. For a long time I was shunned whenever my parents brought me along to court. Though many throughout the kingdom who had heard of me and those even farther away the Far East Mountains would come to me and ask me to bless them, some even felt I was a god. I rubbed my pale forehead and shivered a bit, and tugged the heavy blankets up to my chin and hugged myself tight. The dream still hung about me thickly, yet as always the feelings I felt in it, became faint as I worried about other pressing matters. I was to come of age soon, and my parents would be looking for a wealthy noble woman for me to marry, if I were lucky, but most likely it will be a lesser noble, poor in comparison for the stigma that still hung in the air whenever I was around others. I sighed as I thought on it, my long angular ears twitched and sunk. Though I had slept many times in this bed, it still wasn’t as comfortable as the smaller one I had at home. Being at court, for the season with my other distant relatives and royal family, filled my mind with painful memories.  I laid back again and closed my eyes, hoping that I would not slip back into the awful dream that had become a plague to my rest. I would need it for the day to come. Within minutes, I fell to peace and darkness.

 

The sun crept up on me, and was already high in the sky when I opened my eyes. I hurried and threw on some clothing, a silken dark green chemise, with matching trousers, black tights and a small shoulder cape. I quickly brought my hair up in a tight pony tail, only a few hairs escaped at the top as always. I had no servants to help me dress as they were very superstitious and I preferred to dress myself anyways. Finally I pulled on dark leather boots shin high, and rushed out for my morning fencing lessons, despite me already besting all the local royal guard and most of my fellow noble kin. Here with a blade I felt a little less strange, I felt more like the others. As I hurried down the hallway, many a noble and servant alike gave me a wide berth as I walked past them. As a child I had been saddened each time it would happen, but now I came to like it enough. As I reached the court, where the fencing took place I grasped one of the practice wood swords, and found the royal weapon instructor wasn’t there. It was odd. In fact there were only a few guards there, and a few younger noble boys whacking at each other sloppily and yelping and squealing. I sighed. I had been looking forward to fencing with the instructor, or even one of his older noble kin. I had slept in to long I realized as I looked up at the sky, seeing how far the sun was. Yet surely the instructor would be nearby? I twirled the wooden sword in my hand lazily as I went back to the practice weapon storage, and opened the door connected to the royal stable and peeked in. It smelled rather awful, though I knew it had been cleaned recently by the look of things.

“Sir Toby?”

There was no reply but for the soft whinny’s of the large horses shifting to get a look at me curiously. I closed the door, and placed the wooden sword back into its place, before wandering over to the guards’ quarters, where the instructor, Toby would often spend his time besides the stables, or fighting courts. Yet as I poked my head in, I saw that it was nearly empty, but for the bodies of the sleeping men who took the night shift, and a few men off duty drinking and eating. I asked a few of the guards I recognized from before, during fencing lessons, and strangely enough all they did was shrug their shoulders.

“He hasn’t been around here since yesterday early morning. Have you looked in the stables, you know how he likes them horses.”

 I left the guards quarters, and scratched my head. Where on earth had Toby gone to? Finally after searching more extensively in the stables and all the other places I could think of I went back to the practice weapon area, and grabbed a wooden sword. He would hopefully show up soon enough, and till then it be good to get in some sword footwork and movements in. I went to a corner of the fencing range, and ignored the smaller boys, and closed my eyes. I breathed slowly, deliberately as Toby had told me before one time, filling my mind with thoughts of being water, and melting. I raised the wooden sword and began to sway, slowly cutting through the air in careful arches. With moments I began to quicken my pace, the wooden sword begging to whistle in the air as the sword became but a blur. Yet just as I felt most at peace there was a cry, that rang throughout my mind and suddenly my body was wracked with pain. I lost my control and my grip on the hilt loosened enough for the sword to go flying. I opened my eyes, and hoped it had not flown into one of the kids’ faces. They all seemed fine, as I looked them over, wondering where the sword had flown to, the little buggers snickering as I walked past them. After walking from one side to the other of the fencing range, I found it sticking out of a bush by the stables. As I went to retrieve it, and held it in my hands, the bush rustled, and groaned. Curious, I pushed the leaves apart and my heart leapt into my throat. Toby, half conscious and caked in old blood, was sprawled out behind the thick bush, his eyes fluttering as I cried out to him. I realized the pain I felt before was me sense him, and that the wooden sword, by more than chance had fallen so close by.

“Sir Toby, Toby! Are you alright Sir? Toby?!” I leaned down and pulled him out from the bushes bodily, and felt at his forehead, which felt clammy and sickly against my hand. Toby’s eyes opened briefly, and he grabbed up at me with weak bloodied fingers and croaked. “M-Murderer..a-after…”

My eyes widened as the dream I had the night before hit me like a brick wall, and the white knight stained in blood. Sir Toby had been a knight before he settled down to be an instructor, and still was by right. Could…the dream had been a forewarning to this?

I called for the guards, and they came running, to help Toby up and to infirmary. The looks on the guard’s faces were solemn and full of shock. Sir Toby was a master at nearly any and every weapon known to man. For someone to have been able to beat him, one way or another could not have been easily done but for another master of warfare. I felt their eyes on me, and the suspicion behind their gazes. They knew I had often unarmed Toby during fencing, and that I was one of the few to have ever done it more than once.

A few days after finding Sir Toby, I felt the suspicion in the air grow like thick smoke, that suffocated reason, and encouraged fear and mistrust throughout the Royal Castle.  Even my parents, who spent most of their time with the close relatives to the king and queen began to treat me with growing distrust, having me followed by a personal ‘body guard’ to keep me safe from whoever had beaten Toby. I knew it was only to keep an eye on me, and to find some sort of way to link me to the attack. After a few days I went to see how Sir Toby was recovering. If it had been any other I wouldn’t have gone, but Sir Toby had been the kindest that I ever knew, and treated me like any other man. Yet as I stood over his bed, I saw fear in his brown eyes as he looked at me.  When I asked him what it was that could haunt such a strong person, he lowered his eyes and would not answer me. He was recovering well though, and would be able to walk around soon enough. His left arm had been broken, some his ribs bruised and covered in them, along with several shallow cuts to his chest, legs, and arms. When I turned to leave, Sir Toby reached out with his good hand and gripped my tunic.

“B-be careful, someone wants you dead.” Was all he would say, no matter how I pressed him. The fear that I had seen in his eyes was not from me, but for my wellbeing.

“Sir Toby…”

A day later, with his voice echoing in my mind, my parents had my coming of age event happen in the royal hall, with the king’s own blessing. The king was peculiar, much like me, only it was much more subtle. The air around him was powerful, as was he graceful in his old age. His ‘holy’ hand was laid upon my shoulder as he blessed my coming of age in front of a large sea of nobles decked out in finery and sparkling jewels. Despite not being liked much, my parents were close relatives to the king and I had a high standing. Whether that would hold much weight for the fact I wasn’t quite human, and made many of the families before me sick. The dancing and the gay music that played, did little to ease my anxiety. What if I make a false step, knock some poor woman over, trip or make a fool of myself? Every little mistake I ever made, seemed to stick in the minds of the nobles, and i would often overhear the gossip, and my insides would turn inside out. Several times accompanied by my parents, I would meet soon to be read to wed, and possible brides. Many of them were plain and petty, that I could tell within moments after bowing and introducing myself. Yet there was a single woman, that stood out like a beautiful blue rose among wilted red roses. Unique, rare and beautiful. She came down the stairs next to two older nobles, and two woman that looked similar to her. Tall, blue black hair and pale, her large bosom was exposed in a low cut yellow silken dress with ribbons and lace with elbow long yellow gloves. My eyes could not move elsewhere, for she seemed to glimmer and shine like a facet diamond surrounded by coal. Before I knew it my feet drew me forward to her, standing before her, my cheeks flushed and my heart beating hard within my chest. Was this, love? I realized that I knew this woman, when she had been but a child. Alanine drawspurk of Altria. She had been much smaller and boyish for the longest time to the horror of her parents, though she had left court of this kingdom for time now. Rumor was that she was now betrothed to a wealthy foreign Knight, and would be a bride within the year. At first all I could do was stand there like an oaf, my mouth slightly ajar, before I came to and did as I was taught. Bowed lowly, and introduced myself as graceful as I could. Alanine covered her mouth, though it did little to hide the large smile upon her lips.

“I remember you, Atwyn. You sure have grown ear boy.” Her parents gave her a disapproving look.

“Keep in mind your place Alanine.” Droned her father, whose hair now had become gray from last I saw him. He gave me a rather foul look down his nose, even though he was short as ever, two heads below me. Her mother, Rose did much the same before the two slid away to socialize and gossip with the other nobles.

“I-It’s been a long time Alanine.” I stuttered, my long ears lowering slightly. “Seven seasons now?”

She lowered her hand from her face and nodded, before presenting it to me, as would any noble woman would ask of a dear friend. I lightly grasped her hand, and leaned down to kiss the back of her hand, very aware that my parents’ eyes were hot on my back. I stood back up, doing my best not to fidget. It was Alanine, but…something was different from before. Was it because she was grown as I was now? I offered her my arm, and she took it lightly. I led her to one of the tables covered with plates, silverware and mounds of food. I pulled out her chair, and as she sat down slid it to the table, and quickly took my place besides her. I knew that this was my coming of age party, and that everyone’s eyes were on me in disbelief, for me to be talking to a woman who was already betrothed to another, but I ignored it. Alanine, oh how I have missed the days where we would chase each other, and whack at each other. At the time she was better at mock sword fights then me. I doubted they taught her much over the years we parted.

“Tell me, how have you been?” She smiled politely though I could feel something in her gaze that she was trying to hide from me.

I nodded, my ears twitching a bit. “I’ve…been good. Though there has been little for me to do here…ever since you left, but for the fencing range.”

An old spark lit in her eyes. “Have you gotten any better from last time? Or could I still out duel you now?”

“I’m much better though I feel, as if you could still beat me if you wished to.”

 She laughed, and the softness of it gripped my heart. How I missed that laugh.

For a long time it seemed we talked. Talked about what was new in our lives, what was planned by our parents and the times we had as children.

“How I miss being taller than you Atwyn.” She said with a huff. “Before I was a whole head taller than you. Now you’ve sprouted up like an overgrown weed. What are you, seven feet tall now?”

My cheeks flushed and I scratched my cheek even though it wasn’t itchy. “Almost. Six foot seven”

As she smiled something sour and rank pierced through my nose like daggers. I covered my nose, though the smell was thick like smoke, making it hard for me to breathe.

“What’s the matter?” Alanine asked, her brows furrowed, her full lips curling down in a frown. “Atwyn?”

“D-don’t you smell that?” She shook her head. “I smell nothing strange…Atwyn are you alright?”

No, I wanted to answer but the smell became stronger, nearly causing me to vomit when I opened my mouth to speak. I stood, the room reeling as I felt invisible hands cover my nose and mouth. Help, I wanted to cry out but within moments I collapsed, and blacked out from the waking world.