Cerulean paced around the small room behind the Meeting Room. She was about to give a speech, which she hated, but it was for her people. Since no one would ever try to change things, it was up to Cerulean to help. And she would, just as she had promised—she would give her life for her kingdom.
Although, it wasn’t her kingdom, at least not yet. She was still a princess—a relatively young one, too. It was astounding that she had risen up into the court ranks so fast, being only fifteen years old and the third most powerful CrystalDragon in all of Terrarestria, at least in political terms.
“Cerulean, my darling, are you sure about this?” Queen Moonstone admonished. She put a wing over Cerulean, which Cerulean appreciated but pretended to dislike.
“Mother, I’m not a dragonet. And yes, I am sure. They are your dragons too. You will give me your support, right?”
Queen Moonstone sighed, an elegant exhale through her nostrils. Her scales turned silver-blue, which was her public color. Each royal CrystalDragon had one, and Cerulean’s color was a deep royal blue.
“Yes, darling, I will.”
Cerulean adjusted her crown, which was the only jewelry that she ever wore. Her mother always told her that she would look poor amongst the commoners, but Cerulean didn’t care.
Cerulean’s thoughts turned to the speech she was about to address. She hated speeches, or proclaiming things in public. Sadly, she had to do it all the time.
Compose yourself, Cerulean admonished her mind. CrystalDragons are noble and honorable. You must set the example if others can’t. Your people depend on you.
“Your highness?” A member of the Council, Amethyst, pushed open the iron door leading to the Meeting Room. “It is time.”
Cerulean took a deep breath and strode into the Meeting Room. It was very big, with a high ceiling and several glowcrystal chandeliers. Dominating the room was a large emerald table shaped in a u. Twelve seats were on the outer edge of the u table, and three seats were on the inside—one for Cerulean, one for Queen Moonstone, and one for King Chiolite, who was away at the moment. Cerulean’s older siblings did not have a place in the court, because they were leaders of the CrystalDragon army.
“Princess Cerulean,” her least favorite Councilor, Malachite, drawled. He oversaw the dragonet schools. Cerulean hated him because he indoctrinated the little dragonets with terrible things, right under everyone’s noses.
But not Cerulean. She planned to get rid of him eventually, which was hard because he was well favored by King Malachite.
“I would like to discuss our position in the war,” Cerulean began, keeping her chin high and her voice clear. “I know we have established peace with the CaveDragons, but I question the StealthDragons’ motives and stability. Recently, we have discovered assassin camps within the StealthDragon borders, devoid of control or a monarch. We do not know what these rebels are capable of, and they could be a danger to our kingdom.”
She gazed around the table.
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“Your highness, these are just rebels,” Malachite dismissed. “We can notify Queen Serenity and King Spikethrower to easily dispel of these petty assassins. Honestly, this is what your ‘big speech’ is about?” he glanced around. The other councilors murmured in assent.
Cerulean narrowed her eyes but betrayed no emotion in her expression. Strike one.
“I would also like to discuss another topic,” Cerulean continued. “The Pit.”
All around the room, councilors shuddered and looked fearful.
“Your Highness!” One of the councilors stood up shakily as the others whispered amongst themselves. “I would please ask you not to talk about that horrible—”
Cerulean held up a talon for quiet. “Our scouts have reported odd happenings near the Pit. Some say they heard chanting in an ancient language, like dark magic. Others say that they hear evil laughter, and still others proclaim of hearing the clinking of chains together. I think something is down there, something evil and ancient that none of us know about. I think that something is stirring after a long time of silence.”
A stunned silence covered the room like a sand-filled blanket. Cerulean lifted her chin at Malachite in defiance.
He was lost for words.
Every single CrystalDragon knew about the Pit. It was in the deepest reaches of the caves, and no one knew how deep it was. Every time someone tried to create a glowcrystal to light it up, the darkness swallowed the glow immediately. Dragonets were told horror stories about it in order to keep them from falling in and getting into something dangerous, and most likely fatal.
“What do you want us to do about it?” Malachite taunted, sneering. “Fill up the hole?” He laughed, and a few of the other councilors joined in.
“Malachite,” Queen Moonstone snapped, rising up straighter in her chair. Her glare was like a thousand icicles penetrating Cerulean’s scales, and she wasn’t even the target. Malachite shriveled up and made a noise like a scared chicken.
“I would remind you all,” the queen said regally, spreading her wings majestically, “that my daughter has proven to be more intelligent than most of you gathered here, including myself. I have no doubt that she will make an excellent queen when she is ready.
“I myself also share these concerns with my daughter. I have heard the reports of the scouts with my own ears, and I feel that my dragons are in danger. Something went on between the CaveDragons and the StealthDragons that we didn’t know about, and that something failed terribly. I do not trust our own allies. There is some dark magic going on, things CrystalDragons have not seen in many years, much before the time of our great and wonderful hero, Emerald.”
Cerulean looked around defiantly at the circle of councilors. She knew her mother would back her up!
“This is why I have decided to put every single CrystalDragon in hiding.”
“What? But, mother—” Cerulean protested.
Queen Moonstone glared at her, and she subsided.
“The underground has always kept us from harm. We are safe down here, where nothing can bother us. We will abandon the kingdom, close off all tunnels leading to the Pit, and build a new kingdom deeper in the tunnels than anyone has ever gone. We will warn our children, and our children’s children, not to go to the Surface, not to talk to any other dragon that’s not a CrystalDragon, and not to question any tunnels that are blocked.”
She nodded to Malachite, and the horrible truth sunk into Cerulean: Queen Moonstone had given the command to indoctrinate the dragonets! It wasn’t all Malachite after all. The dreadful truth made Cerulean’s heart sink all the way to her tail.
“Meeting dismissed.” Queen Moonstone waved her talons, and servants opened the doors.
*************
Cerulean was locked in her room. It was a big room, and quite fancy—more fancy than Cerulean would have preferred, but she was a royal, and those were the requirements. Everything was embedded or coated with jewels of all kinds, which glittered and sparkled, casting a rainbow glow around the room. The large door always held Cerulean’s interest, because it was the only wooden door in the palace. It was a rusty golden-brown, with a cute little dragon curled up in the middle of it.
Cerulean hated the door right now.
Not because it was ugly. Quite the contrary, in fact. But it was a barrier between Cerulean and her home palace.
She would find a way to get out of this. She would not go into hiding like a coward. CrystalDragons weren’t cowards.
She wasn’t a coward.