NPCs's Story

Kami stood on the helm of her ship, The Amber Maiden, as the sun overhead created a warm glow against her ebony skin. Much like a reptile, she enjoyed basking in the gentle rays while a cool breeze began to roll in from Orangewood gulf. The gentle sound of waves caressing the boat is what she lived for; she could imagine no other life than out to sea. It provided a constant life of adventure and trials that she eagerly anticipated. It seemed today would be no exception as she received her mysterious orders to be in Port Javek on this specific day, on this specific time. She had never been one to doubt the Draconic Vigil's judgement; she knew she'd most likely be taking a new batch of dragon-tamers-to-be towards the mythical island.

While she waited, she wrapped her braided hair behind her head, letting it roll comfortably down her back. Her sharp, brown eyes were keen towards the small port town of Javek, watching for any signs of movement towards the small harbor. Not that many people passed through Javek, so she should be able to identify and persons of interest right away.

As an hour passed, she filled her time with rechecking the rigging for her sail. Although The Amber Maiden wasn't the largest ship, it was enough to ferry those deemed necessary around the gulf, or even beyond if they stuck close to the coast. Her's wasn't a ship that could handle deep sea travel too well; even a small storm out there became amplified to the point where her ship could capsize. She never wanted to take that risk with her baby, so she mostly stuck to ferrying jobs around Dracona Valley. In the recent cycle, the members of the Draconic Valley found special need for her as their dragon tamers increased in number. Kami couldn't remember how many times she's ferried these people there and back from the island. It was always a worthwhile experience though--Port Glory was something to be admired in the most elegant of paintings. The King of Whitehall spared no expense in the construction of the harbor, and being one of the only ships that had proper access, she always felt like royalty sailing through the dockyard (having her own private dock).

A roar in the distant caught her attention momentarily, resounding all the way from the sacred island. After it receded, Kami gave a dry chuckle and proceeded to secure the rigging. "Good mornin' to you too, Wrex," she quietly answered the dragon's call.

Then something in the distance caught her eye; she couldn't yet tell if it was one person or a few, but someone was moving towards the dock. With a smirk, Kami walked across the gangway and onto the dock itself, awaiting the passengers for her voyage.

Iphigenia clicked her tongue at her horse to urge her forward, gazing at the approaching dock warily. This was the correct place, was it not? If not, she had ridden this far and this long for naught.

Hair pulled back into a sloppy braid that was quickly unraveling, dirt smudges dotting ribbons of exposed skin, and cheeks that were more hollow than they used to be displayed the effects of the exhausting and challenging journey she had undertaken. And for what? A parchment. A parchment with orders. Orders for a thief. Iphigenia snorted to herself in a rare bout of amusment. A thief never took orders. A thief never even gave orders. A thief just was, a thief just did. But, if it could, in some way, help her back to her brothers, Iphigenia would take orders. If she saw fit.

As her horse trotted to a stop by the edge of the wooden boards lining the dock, her eyes fell on two silhouettes cloaked in the sea mists, one of hte female, the other male.

Iphigenia recalled what Mauveen had said to her several moons ago in the tavern: "Three have been called, three must answer." Allowing herself a moment to sigh in relief that she hadn't taken a wrong turn, she coaxed her horse toward the others, pausing for a full minute as the shrill roar of a dragon pierced the air. She would be training something that could make that unbelievable noise? The thought almost froze her in her seat. Almost. She was Iphigenia Torne. She had survived much worse in her life and, gods be good, she could take much more than some creature. She clicked her tongue again, and her mare obeyed, strolling forward.

The young lady looked enough like her--a commoner, if that--that she felt, for the moment, as if she belonged there, in some way. Perhaps the Draconic Vigil were selecting commoners who needed a different direction in their lives, if only to help bring them some success to make their lives better? That would be a wise decision to make.

This thought dissipated as she turned her attention to the young man. His threads looked expensive; he had obviously experienced a high standard of living. A royal, most likely. Iphigenia crinkled her nose. His life was already filled with luxuries and happiness as it was, if he was a royal; did he truly need a dragon on top of all that? What, then, were the intentions of the Draconic Vigil?

Iphigenia rode in a little closer to the two before pulling her horse up to a halt. Patting her mare's brown mane, she noticed Kami for the first time, stepping toward them. The royal stepped forth to meet Kami without so much as a, "Good day." Typical royal, always with their bloody noses so high in the clouds they couldn't see the peasants scrambling at their feet, only other royals with their noses just as far into the clouds.

PORT JAVEK - KITHIKA
That was all he was, a stranger in the distance. The thundering cry of a dragon had him standing so still that he could have been a statue. With his pale hair and even paler skin, he looked much like a pure white, marble statue. Kith was dressed in simple, yet durable clothing that had been bestowed upon him by the best seamstresses in the Obsidian Kingdom. He hardly cared about what clothed his back; there were much more important things to think about. Things that only special people got to think about. He brushed his fingers along the palm of one hand; he realized that the palms of his hands were callused and rough. Most of the royal family had soft hands; they had never seen a day’s honest labor. Perhaps it had not necessarily been honest, but it had been labor. He had only had to do the work because he trusted no one. Not anymore, that is.

The steady thumping of worn, black leather boots against the wood of the dock was accentuated by the jingle of heavy gold coins in the soft velvet pouch attached to Kith’s metal studded belt. He was light of foot, but even Kith could not stop the creaking and groaning of the dock beneath his feet. As he strode towards the figure in the distance, he felt extremely uncomfortable. The fatigue that his body was succumbing to was revealed in the form of dark, plum colored circles around his eyes. They stuck out against the naturally pale tone of his skin, but he paid no mind to them. His head ached, so did his feet, but still he walked on. The clip-clopping of his horse behind him was the only comfort he had in this foreign place. His fingers tightened upon the reigns while his free hand ran through the lank, unkempt white hair that was rooted to his cranium. Thick, ivory bangs fell across his multi-colored eyes. Speckled with dust, it looked rather greasy, but he could do nothing about that. He had been traveling for days now. Both he, and his horse were exhausted. His mare, Enoph snorted beneath her breath and leaned down to nip at the hand that had taken away all the slack in the reigns. Her head was pulled down by the force of his yanking, and he winced when he felt the flat, but large equine-teeth nibble at his fingers.

He had been taking his anxiety out on his poor mare, riding her harder than he ever had. Truth be told, he had not even been sure about where he was going. He assumed that this was the right place, but how could he be sure? Kithika scowled, the scowl distorted his features and made him look more terrible than he ever had before. His thin, alabaster-colored eyebrows furrowed in the middle, and his nose wrinkled like it always did when he was upset. His cheeks seemed to become more sallow, and the color of his eyes seemed to burn, becoming more vivid and brilliant than they had been before. The emotion disappeared as soon as it had come, but his lips were still curled in the snarky way that seemed to come so naturally to him. Squaring his shoulders, he strolled towards Kami at a leisurely pace, as though he were not the impatient bastard he truly was. Approaching the woman slowly but steadily, he had observed that there were two others with him, females no doubt. He had never had any interest in females… well, that was a lie. Now he did not have any interest in females.

He toyed with the signet ring that he had inherited from his father nervously, pushing the seal back and forth on the finger that it circled. Crafted from silver and intertwined with small semi-precious stones such as garnets and onyx, it was a work of art. Carved and designed into the pure, silver circlet were dragons and monsters that were never seen anymore. At the very center was a seal that held a simple sign. An O had been sliced into the seal, and within the O, were words that could barely be read without some sort of magnifying tool. This ring was small; the O was not much larger than the knuckle of his middle finger. ‘Hope is for the weak, weakness is death, and we are immortal.’ The words of his family, caretakers of the Kingdom Obsidian. The ring was only a reminder that he would never go back to his so called family, nor the kingdom that he would one day inherit. A cousin would take the throne, for the queen would do anything in her power to murder him for killing her son.

He decided that he would not wait up for Kendris and Iphigenia (he didn’t even know them yet, after all). He walked just a little faster than his normal pace and found that he was zooming ahead of both females, with Enoph in tow. When he had finally closed the distance between himself and Kami, he found that he had become so impatient that he was already irritated with her. With his gaze fixated on her face, he straightened his spine and squared his shoulder once more. Shifting his far-too-long hair out of his eyes, he gritted his teeth and tugged at Enoph’s reigns. She nickered in response and nipped his ear this time. He didn’t flinch, but he wanted to.

“I am Kith, I assume that you were expecting the three of us?” When he had finished speaking, he gestured towards the other two, who had been left behind.

Being locked up for a few nights was something of a character building experience, Kendris decided. Sleeping on the floor, choking on the surprise rat droppings present in the food, constantly being groped by one of the jailors when no one else was around --- all were inspiring, truly life-changing discoveries that made her resolve never to cause trouble again... no, scratch that, it made her resolve to never get caught again if she could help it, at least by the dirtbag authorities. One of her dreadlocks had fallen into something foul, and as soon as they had given back her weapons she cut the damn thing off because there was no way that lock of hair could ever, ever feel clean again. She had wanted to burn it as well, but at that point the constable booted her out the door and told her to get the hell out.

Outside the jailhouse, she shielded her eyes from the delightfully strong rays of the sun with both of her hands (which took more effort than she liked, since her wrists were sore from being shackled) and glanced at all the docked ships, where she had been ordered to go a mere three minutes before. Behind her, the burly constable narrowed his distrustful eyes in her direction and made a cutting motion across his neck.

Right. The gesture clearly indicated a message that resembled the following: Just give me a reason to drag you back, you little hellbeast. In reply, she nodded quite compliantly and saluted him, which made him scowl harder. Really, all this negativity was unwarranted. Hadn’t she been a terribly good prisoner? She recalled kneeing him in the balls only once during her captivity, and that was only at the beginning when they weren’t on good terms yet. Some people simply had no tact.

But that didn’t matter now. She was free! With a final jovial wave, she spun and ran so enthusiastically that one of the tassels of her shawl, which was now thoroughly stained a vomit inducing color from all the nights the accessory served as her pillow, whipped around and hit her square in the nose.

With the sun so high in the sky, Port Javek was alive and busy, a normal port on a normal day for normal people. Kendris had run barefoot over the length of these wooden docks a fair number of times, dropping by The Golden Hunstmen for a meal with her shipmates and a story from Finn. But today was no ordinary day, as proven by the sheet of parchment crushed carelessly between her fingers. The jailers had actually delayed in giving the letter to her, unsure if a criminal was the intended recipient, but reluctantly assented at the very last minute.

So when Kendris arrived in front of her destination stinking to high heaven and hungrier than a whale, she was dismayed to see two other figures approaching the very same ferry, both of which were most assuredly better smelling and probably a whole lot better suited to the job ahead of them.

First impressions are the worst impressions, she chanted within her head, and sized them up. The first one that came into sight was a woman with long auburn hair and sharp green eyes, not much older than herself. When Kendris felt the woman’s gaze on her she froze until it lifted, too self-conscious of her unpresentable appearance to smile or wave or do any of the greetings she usually gave. The second was an albino, whose pale, almost boldly monochromatic hue was accompanied by disgustingly good posture and a lovely silver ring with gemstones that caught her eye at once. Both of them led horses and were obviously travel-stained and weary.

Across from them stood Kami, who was commonly regarded as one of the more good looking shipowners in Port Javek, and who was also someone Kendris quite admired. When the albino stepped forward impatiently, Kendris from her spot behind him sent the ferryman a small but waggish smile. She couldn't wait to get off land, shimmy up to the top part of the main mast, and feel the salty wind in her hair.

Kami folded her arms and sized up the man in front of her, and then to the other two behind him. None of them had the look of a dragon tamer; at least not the ones she'd ferried thus far. But she wasn't one to question the judgement of the Draconic Vigil, even if it was to put the fate of the dragons in the hand of an such a ragged looking triplet. The man, who introduced himself as Kith, looked far too royal to be seen in such a small port town. The only people found in Javek were traders, people looking to become traders, and drunks. His very presence was like taking a mound of horse droppings and sprinkling it with diamonds. She took a moment to consider his origin; he wasn't from Whitehall, that was for certain. There were few other royal families in all of Lyte. If she pressed herself (or even cared a little bit more), she may have guessed which land he hailed from.

"That I was, stranger. Well, to be honest I wasn't expecting anyone in particular. Just following my orders though: come here on this day at this time and wait for some people to show up. The Vigil works in mysterious ways, I guess," she sighed, almost bored. "The name's Kami, and this is my ship, The Amber Maiden. Isn't the biggest ship in the land, nor the fastest, but she'll get you where you need to go." She eyed the two others as they slowly made their way over towards them on the dock. When they got within hearing range, Kami spoke up even louder.

"I'll be taking you all to the island," Kami stated, pointing towards the lush, green island in the distance. "Beautiful, isn't it?" She turned to face all three of them, looking directly into their eyes, smiling wide. She chuckled happily--not out of any humor, but instead out of the love she had for the place. "Ain't anything like it in all of Lyte, I can guarantee you that. I think it's just magical; there's no other explanation for it. I've traveled its paths several times yet it'll surprise you every time." She leaned in closer to them, using the dock's railing to support herself.

"You're all in for a treat."

She took a moment to introduce herself to the two others who had arrived. One of which was a pale women with red hair and green eyes. She noticed the scars on the girl's arms and admitted it garnered some residual respect. She too had her own scars, each of which told an interesting story, and acted like a chronicle of her lifetime. She could only imagine the women's scars were treated with the same respect. Other than that, she had learned the women's name was Iphigenia--a unique name if there ever were one. Somehow, Kami thought it suited her very well; she seemed as unique as her name. The hard lines on her face gave prudence to a life of hardships, yet here she was: standing above it all.

The other girl--a dark-skinned and decrepit--was already known by Kami. it was the same women who found herself in shackles more often than not. This didn't bother Kami; one did not commit to a life on the high seas without concerting with the underside of the world. In fact, Kami found her repetitious act infinitely amusing, and often told her so when they crossed words. It had been a while since had last seen her though; she shrugged it of as Kendris being Kendris, and doing what she did best: getting caught, as it would seem. She let the thought fade with an internal chuckle.

"Right, well there's no point standing here wasting daylight. I'm sure you're all very eager to talk to Those Greater Than Ourselves, and from what I hear, they're very eager to talk to you, too. I don't know what it is, but I think they know something we don't." Kami shrugged. "All aboard whose coming aboard!"

---

With her passengers on board, and the wind flowing in her favor, she lifted up the anchor and untied the rigging that held them to shore. Once that last knot was cast aside, the boat started drifting out towards the gulf. She felt the eyes of the three tamers-to-be on her back as she loosed a rope from it's rigging, and the giant sail above unfurled loudly and suddenly. Just as the sail fully extended, the wind caught it with a loud whoop, and just like that, they were off.

As the ferrywoman approached them, Iphigenia slid off her mare with a small grunt. Landing squarely on her feet, she repressed a grimace as her stiff muscles flexed for the first time in hours. She immediately regretted dismounting before boarding the ferry; now her muscles were going to complain every step of the way until she was on the ship. Iphigenia doubled over to stretch her achy joints; riding for so long was taking its toll on her. Thank the gods her journey was complete.

Taking hold of the tattered reigns, she led her mare, Thalia, to board the ferry, listening to the words slipping from Kami's lips. What she said about this location made it obvious that she loved working there and that she enjoyed the natural beauty of the area. Tilting her glance about Port Javek, Iphigenia could see why--with paths leading into the thick woods, the ocean stretching out and framing an island not too far into it, and waves rushing to the shore, it was a welcome sight for her. Snydett, although situated by the beautiful ocean, was filled with nothing beautiful--not the people, not the nature, which had been ruined as no one tended to it, not anything. And this lady--Kami-- seemed genuinely happy to be there. No one in Snydett was happy to be there. Everyone wanted out, but there was no way out for people who barely had the means to survive as it was.

Iphigenia spoke up for the first time when Kami told them they were all in for a treat. With a breathy chuckle, she rubbed a sore spot on her lower back and muttered, "I hope that 'treat' means copious amounts of sleep."

Tugging the reigns again, she led an exhausted Thalia onto the ferry with the others. She brought the mare to the corner closest to Kami, Kithika, and Kendris out of habit. This way, she could stand proper guard against theft. It was ironic and somewhat hypocritical, she knew, but she was no fool. She had learned much thanks to the residents of Snydett.

Raising her eyebrows in worn-out determination, Iphigenia asked Kami flatly, "What, exactly, do the Draconic Vigil want with the likes of us?"

After a long moment, she turned to her two companions, Kithika and Kendris. "Where do you two ride from? You look the way I feel." She leaned against Thalia with a dry half-grin whispering onto her features.

He eyed Kami with the same sort of I-don't-know-what-you-are-but-I'm-going-to-try-to-figure-it-out look before deciding that she looked acceptable enough to speak to. The dirty girl and the red haired woman had closed in on him and were standing near enough that it made him a little uncomfortable. Choosing to simply stand there like the gawky teenager he had once been; he looked down at Kami and found that she was not as intimidating as he had thought she was before. He spun the signet ring around his finger again and raised his left appendage to hook his ear into a silver hoop that dangled in his lobe. Grimacing for a moment as an after-sting took affect, his posture seemed to stiffen even more than it had the first few times. He clicked the heels of his boots together and had to actually restrain himself from saluting her. It bothered him, that he was so formal. It also made him feel protected; which made Kithika feel a lot more powerful than he probably was. He began to think about why he was really here. Why had he traveled past so many places, gone so many miles, run his horse until she was nearly dead to come to this port? Who were those women behind him? Why did he feel like he was getting himself into something that he would regret later?

"That I was, stranger. Well, to be honest I wasn't expecting anyone in particular. Just following my orders though: come here on this day at this time and wait for some people to show up. The Vigil works in mysterious ways, I guess. The name's Kami, and this is my ship, The Amber Maiden. Isn't the biggest ship in the land, nor the fastest, but she'll get you where you need to go."

Kami, her name was Kami. Well, Kami had just interrupted his thoughts. She went on talking about things that were not necessarily important, and he went back to thinking his thoughts. His signet ring was loose on his finger, which was not a good thing. He could not help but notice that Enoph was getting antsy, and was shifting her weight back and from, from left to right. It was bothering him, being above all this water. Ever since he was a little boy he had always hated water. Being bathed and washed made him sick, but being dirty and smelly made him even sicker. He did not shudder, nor did he show that he felt uncomfortable thinking about boarding something like a boat. He did not have his seagoing feet, and even if it would not be a week's journey or anything of the sort, he already felt a little queasy looking at the blue water and tasting the salty air. He could smell it, too. It smelled of fish.

"I'll be taking you all to the island. Beautiful, isn't it?"

'Yes, it is simply lovely. If I wanted to spend the entire time talking here while admiring the gorgeous island from afar, I would actually be saying this to you.' Kith thought grimly to himself. By the time Kami had stopped talking, he had completely tuned out anyway. He was looking up at the sky, where the blue was so deep and yet as easily seen through as glass. He thought that he saw something soaring high above him, in the air. Sometimes he wished he had wings, so that he could fly. Then, he would plummet down as fast as he could, and pull up just before he smashed into the ground and became part of Lyte itself. He could imagine being some sort of predator, perhaps a bird with wicked claws and a sharp beak to skewer people with. Suddenly, he wondered why he was so morbid. Grimly clenching his teeth again, a muscle jumped in his jaw as he worked the hinge of his jaw tirelessly. His mouth had already started to ache from the stress that this entire journey had caused.

"Right, well there's no point standing here wasting daylight. I'm sure you're all very eager to talk to Those Greater Than Ourselves, and from what I hear, they're very eager to talk to you, too. I don't know what it is, but I think they know something we don't."

"All aboard whose coming aboard!"

As bothersome as Kami was, he was grateful to her, because she had finally stopped talking. Although he was very curious as to know who "Those Greater Than Ourselves" are, he did not want to ask Kami. The tone of her voice, the very fact that she could talk bothered him out of his mind. So irksome was the poor captain of this wretched vessel that Kith had already gotten a headache. Ephon had finally had enough of this sitting around and had tugged him aboard the ship. He needed her help anyway, if she hadn't done so he would have said something that could have gotten him on the bad side of the sea faring wench. Instead of doing anything brash and rude, he shot her a charming smile on his way to board the boat and lurched forward in his attempt to not trip over himself. Hating the fact that he had just embarrassed himself in front of three "lovely" ladies, he walked to the back of the boat and hoped against hope that this would keep the disgusting smell of the salty sea away from him.

---

No luck, of course. He was already feeling sea sick as soon as they left the dock, his stomach roiled with painful spasms, and he had already had to swallow one too many belches and burps that had tried to force their way up his throat. The air that was trapped inside of his stomach made him want to eject the contents of his stomach all along the clean deck of Kami's ship. Resting against Ephon's sleek, black body, he tried to ignore the conversation that Iphigenia was trying to strike up. Finally, when she was actually talking to both Iphigenia and Kithika himself, he had to speak. Ephon snorted and nuzzled against his hand, as though telling him, "Give me some food, damn it."

"Where do you two ride from? You look the way I feel."

"I rode from Obsidian." He said airily, and very vaguely. He did not even bother to give her coordinates, or landmarks that she would be able to refer to. Instead of looking at her when he was talking, he gazed out onto the blue, blue waters and sniffed. Arrogantly lifting his nose, he straightened out his shoulders again and patted Ephon's flank. This was going to be a long ferry ride.

Kendris had never been aboard the Amber Maiden, though she had often watched Kami ferry dragon tamers to be to the island looming in the distance and wondered about it. It suddenly hit her, after Kami’s speech, that she was now one of them, had been chosen to be one of them, and that a great responsibility was now upon her, that she would have to call on all her powers to forge a new bond between the dragon and mankind, by devoting her life to raising --- wait a belly flogging minute! They were basically sticking her with babysitting duties, weren’t they? And she had left her family just to get away from that.

Not wanting to dampen her spirits so early into the game, she pushed the thought from her mind, a task greatly helped by the fact that there was an ocean beneath the hull and temperate wind in the sails... er, sail. Kendris was used to being on the Amber Maiden’s sister ship, the Amber Lady, which was bigger and faster, but required more hands. And what graceful, strong, and funny hands they were. She missed them already, her sea sisters, and made a mental note to talk to Kami privately later and ask her to deliver a message to them, one that explained her whereabouts and new occupation.

But right now, in the presence of these strangers, Kendris would wait. She scratched her elbow as discreetly as possible, desperately hoping that she hadn’t picked up fleas in that filthy rat hole. Fortunately no one had remarked on her disheveled appearance yet. Perhaps they had manners, which was more than Kendris could say of most of her acquaintances, who would have teased her mercilessly for it. And bet on how long it would take for her to get in trouble with the authorities again. Some friends they were.

“Where do you two ride from?” The question posed by the redhead hung in the air while Kendris pondered how to respond. She did not want to give these people the wrong impression, but it was absurd to think she had any leverage over their opinions whatsoever so it couldn’t do much harm to tell the truth --- when Kith spoke first. He came from Obsidian? ---wasn’t that a stone? ---he seemed to possess quite a few pretty stones, maybe he was the purveyor of some dwarf colony somewhere, exploiting them for their beautiful gems.

Kendris pried her eyes from his accessories and croaked, “Port Javek’s jailhouse.” She blinked slowly, as if confirming to herself that she had really just spoken those words, and then added curiously, "You?"

Raising her eyebrows in worn-out determination, Iphigenia asked Kami flatly, "What, exactly, do the Draconic Vigil want with the likes of us?"

Her question made her raise her eyebrows as well, mostly out of surprise. "You mean none of you know why they summoned you? Not even any guesses?" The thought made Kami laugh. "So you all decided to travel goodness-knows-how far to someplace you've never been to, for a reason you're not aware of? Strikes me as a bit odd."

A sharp change in wind forced Kami to adjust the helm ever so slightly; the cloth that made up the sail rippled with tension, and then shot open once again as the adjustment was able to catch the full front of the wind. Kami shrugged when she noticed Iphigernia was still staring at her. "Then again, I can respect the need for a change of scenery. Sometimes when you feel like something is important, you just have to go for it. Life's an adventure like that."

As Port Glory became visible in the distance, Kami focused her attention on it, but still spoke up so the others could hear. "You'll all find out soon enough why you were summoned."

---

As the ship approach the elegant harbor, Kami halved the ship's speed to increase navigational capacity. A few larger merchant ships were also present, delivering supplies to the island. Although she was assured that the ships were tied to port, it would be very simple for the larger ships to unknowingly cross into the pathway of the smaller vessel.

The port itself was large and regal; understandably so, due to humans not being the only ones there. A few times she had seen dragons walking around the port, and she'd even been able to transport some of the younger ones. Once they learned to fly though, a boat was hardly necessary.

Through the docks they went. On either side were ships, empty shipping docks, and stores along the edge of the docks that were most likely owned by the families of the Draconic Vigil. She even noticed a small pub she had gone to once or twice. It too had a doorway that could accommodate a maturing dragon, though not the really big ones. Every part of this port town just screamed dragon-accessible.

Finally, her own docking station appeared in the distance. "Right you lot, prepare to dock."

"I rode from Obsidian."

Iphigenia turned to the royal, noting in the back of her mind how he refused to even look toward her, which only confirmed her thoughts about his bloodline. Probably can't bother himself with craning his neck so low to look upon a lowly peasant, she thought to herself as she exhaled sharply through her nose and turned away. Obsidian, Obsidian. That name sounded vaguely familiar, like recalling an uncle one hadn't seen since a festival feast from early childhood.

"Obsidian." Iphigenia weighed the word on her tongue, hoping it would spark more knowledge about the place. Nothing. All she had was a name and a slight tingle in the back of her mind telling her she had at least heard of it before.

Oi. He didn't look too good. He looked as if he were going to lose whatever expensive, hot, fresh lunch someone like him could afford all over the deck of the ferry. Crossing her arms and throwing the bloke a solid look, thankful to be standing just out of his way, she inquired, "Don't have many opportunities to sail in Obsidian, I take it?"

"Port Javek's jailhouse."

Iphigenia smirked. This girl sounded a lot more forthcoming and open about who she was than their other companion. With all the thefts Iphigenia had committed, she should've been locked away, too, and probably would've been had she not carried out her crimes in Snydett and Port Gideon. There was no one to enforce the law there; frankly, there were too many law-breakers there for law-enforcers to gain any real control.

"A local girl, then, are you?" Iphigenia spoke to Kendris, amusement crinkling the corners of her eyes. Leaning back against her horse, she allowed Kendris's question of where she, herself, rode from to settle in the silence. Technically, she had only asked the same question back to her, and since she rode from Snydett, she need not mention that she originated from Verdyal. All the better, anyway; Iphigenia did not often wish to think about Verdyal.

"Snydett, near Port Gideon. If you're from a jailhouse, I have a feeling you'd fit in well there." She tilted a half-grin at her.

Thalia snorted and shimmied her head behind Iphigenia, who turned to pat her horse's neck. "Almost there now, just a little longer," she soothed the mare.

Now Kami was speaking, following up Iphigenia's question about what they were all doing there. The redhead sighed, frustrated with herself for how she phrased her inquiry to Kami--of course she knew they were going to be raising dragons; it was in the parchment she received. But there was so much more she wanted to know.

"Yes, I know about the dragons, but what--" She trailed off as they pulled closer into shore, and she stared at the sheer majestic beauty of the island's nature, which seemed to have been taken into consideration when the buildings had been constructed. The buildings, too, looked elaborate and well-maintained, and, well, just plain suitable for a place where humans and dragons coexisted. How many people lived here? How many dragons?

Iphigenia released an awed breath, eyes trained on the shoreline. She hadn't even stepped foot into the village yet and already she could see it was a definite step up from where she'd resided.

As soon as Kami announced that they were about to dock, Iphigenia pulled herself back into the saddle on Thalia's back, readying herself for leaving the ferry.

"Don't have many opportunities to sail in Obsidian, I take it?"

"No." He had replied curtly, his eyes were fixated upon the horizon, or rather, the island that they would be docking on. He seemed to have gotten a hold on his stomach, and for some reason he also seemed more at ease with where he was. He did not like ships, it was true. The Amber Maiden made him sick to his stomach, but he would have to get over it sooner rather than later. Ephon seemed to have found her place, with her hooves slightly splayed apart. Keeping the balance for both of them, Ephon nuzzled her muzzle against his shoulder and nipped his ear again. This time it was more of an affectionate nibble, rather than an irritated bite. What a bothersome woman she was, the red-haired one. He had noticed that Kendris was eyeing his ring a little while ago as well. Although he had caught her staring, he had thought nothing of it to be totally truthful.

"Port Javek's jailhouse." The dirtier girl had finally spoke, which put Kith off of his groove. Glancing at her after he had eyed Iphigenia for a couple of moments, he made a little noise of disgust at the back of his throat and turned his head away from the both of them. Why was there a criminal in their midst? She should be in her jail cell, where she belongs. Grimacing, the nasty facial expression turned neutral after another few moments of standing on the rocking ship's deck. He really did not like boats at all.

"A local girl, then, are you? Snydett, near Port Gideon. If you're from a jailhouse, I have a feeling you'd fit in well there." The tone that Iphigenia took was most obviously amusement; her posture and her body language suggested that she was totally at ease on a ship, and around people she hardly knew. It was true, Kithika had some sort of social disease, because he could not function around strangers very well. Her disgusting horse seemed at ease as well. All the way through this ride, Ephon had been eager to get away from Thalia and all three of the women as well. He felt the same way, he completely understood what his poor equine was going through. Stroking her flank once or twice, he nearly sighed in relief when he heard the words:

"Right you lot, prepare to dock." Kami's word was law on this ship, and he was actually quite happy about her actually talking at this very moment.

The port they were stopping at was so much grander than the one they had arrived near. Bigger, better, and obviously more lavish. He had had his suspicions about the island, but now those were clearer than glass. He was a very shallow person when it came down to it, and as he mounted Ephon, he was just eager to get away from Kami and the rest of the female buggers. Leaning down to rub his fingers through her rough, black hair, he tugged on Ephon's mane gently before grasping the reigns in his free hand and whistling softly beneath his breath.

“A local girl, then, are you?”

Oblivious to Kith’s obvious disgust to her squalid appearance and bluntly criminal answer, Kendris shook her head dumbly. It was not merely the fact that the island she had been born on had no name and therefore trickier to explain; the woman’s attempts at friendly small talk had made her inexplicably shy. She liked the easy way Iphigenia threw around playful half-grins and wry looks of amusement, but she herself was too nervous and dehydrated to respond with more vigor, though she really wanted to.

The redhead revealed that she rode from a place called Snydett that was near Port Gideon and flippantly added, “If you’re from a jailhouse, I have a feeling you’d fit in well there.” Port Gideon was far north from here --- that must have been quite a ride --- but Kendris knew its reputation. The corners of her mouth curved upwards in a meek smile.

Her attention to any spoken dialogue fell away as they rapidly approached the place she had been curious about for years, and she immediately flew to the edge of the ship for a better view. The nearing port was huge and dramatic, one of the largest she’d seen and certainly the most breathtaking. Lush green forests could be seen on either side, but the Draconic Vigil Sanctuary, the place where they would receive their dragon eggs and instructions for how to care for them, the place she was most curious about of all, was still mysteriously out of sight.

As soon as Kami told them to prepare to dock, the other two passengers swung onto their mares, but Kendris needed no such preparation. Instead, grabbing a rope of standing rigging for stability, she hopped onto the bulwark and let out a long and excited whoop.

Kami adjusted her speed down to only a few knots as they edged closer to their smaller port, with seemed tiny and insignificant to some of the larger merchant docks. It was prime realestate though--it was the closest dock towards the edge of Port Glory, and near the path towards the Draconic Sanctuary. What she was expected to do, she was sure, was to sit and wait for the new tamers to be finished with their little "meet and greet". She knew that could take a few hours, so she wondered what she might do with some of her free time. She considered momentarily going with them, but she soon shrugged it off. She had made the journey many times and--beautiful as it was--she wasn't in the mood to make the trip again, at least so soon.

What, then? She may just go to the pub for an hour or so. It couldn't hurt, right? The Draconic Vigil keep her well-compensated for her important tasks, so coin was not an issue. Might as well spend some if you have it. With her mind settled, she edged the boat closer to the dock, until it was mere inches away. With a sturdy tap, the boat gently knocked against the wooden dock.

In an effortless leap, she jump over the railing of the ship using the railing itself as a jumping point. With her, she carried the rope that would tie the ship to the dock itself. She grunted as she pulled the ship as close as she could, then she tied off the bow of the boat down to an iron dockpoint. She then repeated the procedure with the stern of the ship.

As she extended the gangway, she began to list instructions. "Right, you three are going to want do go down that path," she point towards a path heading into the wooded area. "It's a dirt path for the most part, but had some stone now and again. The path through the forest will take you about a mile south, then you should be on an open plain. After another mile or so, you'll read the lush green oaks, lined in such a way that you feel invited. That's when you know your close to the sanctuary."

With the gangway fully extended, she stepped aside. "Have your letters ready. The woman you're looking for is Belatroth the Wise, the leader of their order. Once inside, you should be taken right to her." For a moment, she leaned in close, and adopted a more serious tone. "Be respectful to the old woman. She has suffered long and sacrificed much so that you may have a chance to raise dragons."

"Well, if you don't have any questions, get goin'. I'm sure they're as anxious to meet you as you them."

Thalia fretted as the ferry rattled somewhat while it knudged the dock. Iphigenia wordlessly patted her on the neck as she backed away from the exit of the ferry and shimmied her head. Shushing the suddenly skittish mare--she was fine on water travel unless the boat swayed suddenly--she busied herself with making her hair look more presentable than it had been in moons since she set out for Dracona Valley. Just because she was a thief and came from a village of criminals didn't mean she had to look like one, especially on this occasion which, to her understanding, was hard to come by and held in high regard.

Quickly unwinding her braid, she wove it again with careful yet swift movements of her hands. Next, she turned her head away from the group and wiped the dirt smudges from her cheeks and neck in three swift wipes of her hands. Finally, she pulled the hood of her cloak up just to the point her braid started at, leaving the top of her head and face uncovered. She may not be in the best of spirits and energy from her long and challenging ride, but she still had dignity. This is what she'd ridden so far for--whatever was about to happen after she exited the ferry. She would not make a fool of herself by arriving in the the sanctuary looking worse for wear than she'd left Snydett.

Iphigenia looked over again to catch Kami jumping off the ferry and onto the dock, tying the ferry to it, and giving them some instructions on how to reach the sanctuary. To be sure she had heard correctly--she had not travelled this far only to lose her way!--she repeated back a summary of what she heard back to Kami for clarification, "Right. So, down the dirt path for a mile south, then a mile through the plain, and then find the oaks all in a line."

Once Kami had extended the tiny bridge leading from the ferry to the dock, Iphigenia urged Thalia over it, who seemed more than happy to be off the boat now that it was rocking somewhat. As soon as Kami instructed to have their letters ready, Iphigenia reached instinctively to the small pack at her hip. Poking her fingers in through the top, she reassured herself that her letter was still on her person as she stroked the fold in the parchment.

The redhead tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes a little at what Kami said next in hushed tones: "Be respectful to the old woman. She has suffered long and sacrificed much so that you may have a chance to raise dragons."

Belatroth the Wise was an old woman. It made Iphigenia's stomach feel even more empty than it already was, if that was possible. Mauveen... It reminded her of Mauveen. She hoped the old woman was alright, and that Jaxx was able to take care of her.

If this Belatroth had made sacrifices and suffered, Iphigenia could absolutely relate. A small kernel of respect planted itself in Iphigenia's mind, already. Was Belatroth the one who called the three of them forth? For what reasons? Perhaps she could provide them with some insight on why exactly they were there.

"Right." Iphigenia murmured, gathering Thalia's reigns in her hands. She declined her head in thanks to Kami, then clicked her tongue to set Thalia on the path.

A few minutes of silence with her companions drove Iphigenia to clear her throat and speak. "What do you two go by?" If they were going to be spending this much time together in the foreseeable future, she may as well know who they were and what, if anything, she was up against.

As soon as Kendris felt the slight tap of ship’s front hitting the dock, she followed Kami’s example in leaping off the railing. She was relieved that her legs still functioned properly; it felt amazing to be able to exercise all these muscles again without the limitations of heavy physical restraints.Then, as their ferryman fiddled with the gangway, she waited for the other two to leave the deck and paid close attention to Kami’s instructions. Unfortunately, reaching the sanctuary seemed to take a bit of traveling. Forest, plains, oaks, some kooky old lady --- it seemed simple and straightforward enough, even if it meant walking two miles barefoot. But it was nowhere as unpleasant as being trapped in a cold and windowless cell, so Kendris wasn’t complaining. She stuffed the letter she had received from the Draconic Vigil down her shirt for safekeeping.

As the others made movements to leave, she sidled up to the beautiful, ebony skinned Kami and put forth a small request in an even smaller voice. “Could you please send a message to the Amber Lady? I’d like them to know about my release and whereabouts.” Then, with a bashful smile, she added, “And thank you, Kami, for the ferry ride.” That being the last word, she spun on her heels and skipped ahead to join her strange new travel companions, who had started without her.

She didn’t have a horse like the others, so she had to walk briskly to match their speed. They traveled for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence before the young woman from Snydett decided to speak again, as though it was her self-appointed duty to keep a conversation going. “Oh... I’m Kendris.” She noticed the woman had pulled up the hood of her cloak and cleaned off some of the dirt smudges that had previously streaked her face, which made Kendris wonder about the state of her own face and appearance, and how much sweatier and worse it would be after two miles under a hot sun.

It probably was best not to think about it. There was no way she wasn’t going to arrive at the sanctuary looking like the insides of a scum bucket. The Vigil would probably take one look at her and turn her out for being the sorriest piece of shit they had ever laid eyes on. The other young woman had nothing to worry about.

Iphigenia idly watched as the scenery around her changed from forest to plain while Kendris spoke. The girl seemed to be opening up, which was slowly setting the redhead to ease. The young man was not saying much, which only meant that Iphigenia didn't know as much about him as she did Kendris.

No matter. If they were all told to stay together while they raised their dragons, they'd be getting to know each other soon enough. Then Iphigenia could know about who she was dealing with.

Iphigenia raised her eyebrows, surprised when Kendris said that she first saw a dragon when she was younger. Iphigenia had never seen a live one before, just hearing one roar while she was on the ferry had been an experience in and of itself, she couldn't imagine actually seeing one. She still couldn't believe she was about to.

"'The smallest one'? How small can a dragon be? Aren't they all supposed to be big?" Iphienia inquired. While she had never seen a dragon in person before, she had heard legends of them from time to time.

Kami had been right--the rows of oak trees led them straight to the sanctuary. Looking around, Iphigenia pulled on Thalia's reigns to bring her to a stop, tilting her head around.

"Belatroth the wise," she muttered low, reminding herself and the others who they were looking for. Dismounting her horse, she tugged on the reigns to lead Thalia, walking with her companions into the sanctuary in search of Belatroth the wise.

The triplet approached the front of the temple, which at first glance seemed small and insignificant. It had a simple pagoda style which--though vastly different from the structural appearances of other buildings at the time--gave the look of a small temple. What the adventurers didn't yet know was that the temple on the surface was but for appearances, and the full majesty lied below the surface, within the bowls of the world. As they approached the door ever so cautiously, they were all a bit unsure of what to do. A few monk-looking people in red cloaks walked along the higher floors of the pagoda, but they paid them no heed, and continued going about their business.

As they reached the door, a small hole opened at the door and a pair of brown eyes stared out at them. After a few moments of analyzing those outside, the slot closed with a loud metal clank, and the large door was heard unlocking, finally opening.

One of the monks appeared at the entrance of the open door. He looked the same as every other monk, though his hood was down letting you see his short trimmed beard and hair. He appeared to be in his early 30's, and his eyes were kind. He wore a slight smile upon his visage; invitingly so.

"Hello, I am Lereu, a Sentinel of our order. At the moment, I serve as gatekeeper to our temple." He looked between the travelers. "We have been expecting you three for a while now. Before you enter though, I'll need to see the letters we sent out."

Each of the three travelers presented him with their respective letters, and each in turn were allowed entry into the sanctuary. Once inside, they three were able to see the full opulence of the temple inside--everything was in superb condition, with paintings of dragons lining the walls, and vases that looked older than anyone in the sanctuary. At the center, you could look all the way up to the top of the pagoda. Still, everything was relatively small, especially when you were talking about enough room for a dragon. That was until Lereu asked the three to step back from the center of the room, and pulled on a secret lever. At once, the floor began to seperate, except for the small amount of floor they were standing on. Below them, a large, black and red staircase began to form seeming to go down deep into the world. Once everything ceased moving, Lereu waited patiently for the shock on their faces to subside, and then ushered them down the stair case. Once they went down the first two dozen steps or so, the floor above them closed, leaving them in relative darkness, save the systematic torches that dotted the walls of the grand staircase.

After descending for about five minutes in silence, the only sound being the clatter of their footsteps clattering off the cavernous walls, the true grandeur of the sanctuary became apparent. The ceiling above was so high that it faded into darkness, and you weren't able to see it's end. Tall, imposing columns of a rare red marble ascended to an unknown height. The floor was lined with a flawless, unscathed black material that was unknown to any of the three. Regal red carpets lined the length of the cavernous room. Lereu simply pointed forward then bowed, and then began his ascent back up the stairs.

After a few moments of hesitation, the group of three walked forward, peering around the huge room. Along the edges, they could see several hallways that were also very large--large enough so that a mature dragon could walk down comfortably. Who knew what types of rooms there could be. A few other monks were seen traveling these hallways, but none were in the main room where they were. But they did spy a hooded figured in a red robe standing at the end of the room next to a huge, golden-and-onyx dragon statue. As they got closer, the figure's robe appeared to be gold encrusted. The three circles the dragons went around appeared to be a mirror of some sort, though they appeared to be far more important than that.

It was Belatroth the Wise, waiting patiently--amusingly--as the three made their way towards her. She stood at the base of the largest of the three golden-and-onyx circles. After a short time of waiting, the three had finally reached her, and bowed slightly in respect. She nodded in turn, a small--in not slightly sad--smile formed on her face. "Welcome, travelers," she began slowly, "I am the end one adventure and the start of a new one. You have traveled far for little purpose, and for that, you are to be commended.

She lowered her hood, revealing long, shining grey hair that she kept tight in braids. "I am Belatroth; some may call be the Wise, though in conversation, you may just call me Master Belatroth. All my life, I have lived in dedicated service to the preservation of the Great Race. Over the past two years, I have been able to witness the trials of my family come to fruition. You have been given the opportunity to aid in such a noble endeavor."

She looked into each of their eyes in turn. "Children, you have been summoned to become apart of the first generation of dragon tamers. It is the hope of this effort that humans and dragons can learn to coexist peacefully. You all have many questions; some of them are not suitable for this time. Hopefully all I can answer will be answered soon, but first I must stress the importance of starting your journey. For that, you will need your dragon eggs." She watched as excitement rippled through their eyes.

"However, before that happens, the greatest secret the world has ever kept must become known to you," she spoke slow and deliberately, stressing the importance of the matter. As if to forget about what she said, she pretended to change topic as she ascended the small staircase leading up towards the largest of the three circles. "Pretty, is it not? One of the rarest looking glasses in all of Lyte. It is solid by the looks of it, but actually is something far more ethereal..."

She reached up and rested her palm against its smooth surface. At once, the entire circle began to shimmer and flow as if a liquid. It began to flow faster and faster until it went faster than the eye, and it began to disappear. A pitch black emptiness filled the firmament. She beckoned towards the startled travelers as she traveled through the black entrance.

They entered a dark room that echoed indefinitely. The true dimensions of the room were not apparent because of the darkness, but the echoing went off for a long time. Then, suddenly, a booming growl filled every inch of the room, causing it to shake. Belatroth looked back calmly to the travelers who were clutching their ears in fright and pain. She raised her hands and clapped them together, and at once the room was filled with lantern lights along the walls of the room.

In the center, as large as the previous room itself, was a behemoth black dragon staring down upon them as if they were ants. The stare was intrinsically menacing, with piercing red eyes the size of their entire body.

"I am Vanetch," came a slow, ancient voice that filled every inch of the room, once again causing the travelers to cover their ears. "I am the last of my kind from the Before Times, and protector of our eggs."

"It was I who chose you, for reasons you cannot begin to comprehend. Come forth and speak the color of your dragon, and it shall be so."

Iphigenia had tied Thalia's reigns to the post of a fence outside the sanctuary upon approaching the building. Patting the horse's head, she muttered to her constant travel companion, "Stay. If you're lucky, I'll be bringing you back a new friend soon enough."

Once inside the sanctuary, Iphigenia pulled her hood from her head in respect. She could only gaze in awe and wonder--never had she ever seen a building this beautiful. It wasn't saying much, considering the fact that the people from Snydett built their homes, taverns, and stores using whatever material they could find or steal. But Iphigenia was pretty certain that this was how buildings were supposed to look, though she knew from her time in Verdyal that the sanctuary was much more elaborate and elegant than most places.

Iphigenia followed Lereu as he led them through the sanctuary until they finally--finally--reached Belatroth the Wise. Iphigenia had so many questions barreling through her mind as she appoached the old woman, though she knew that moment was not the time to allow them to spill off her tongue. Perhaps another time. It would at least allow her the opportunity to select the most important ones.

When they were led into a seemingly dimension-less room, Iphigenia reached out with her hands to try to feel for a wall as she walked. Nothing. She tilted her gaze all around to try and find the ceiling, a wall, the floor. Nothing. Where in the name of the gods were they... and how was this possible? To have a room without walls, to have a room without being a room.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust as lantern light filled the room, and suddenly she could see the physical form of the room, feeling all at once foolish for over-exaggerating it in her mind.

But she never expected to see that gigantic black dragon sitting on the floor. Instinctively, Iphigenia gasped and leapt back, grabbing the handle of her whip, but before she could unwind her weapon from her waist, she noticed Belatroth's calm demeanor, which could only mean that this was supposed to happen. That dragon... was suppposed to be there... talking to them.

Iphigenia listened closely to the dragon's words, gazing up at it with something akin to fear, her knuckles whitening from their tight grip around the handle of her white whip. Though she was not going to lash out her whip now that she understood the dragon was meant to be there, it was still a comfort for her to hold it while her heartbeat pounded in her ears and her nerves settled.

Iphigenia's eyes widened slightly and she swallowed hard when told to select her dragon. She recalled from the letter the color choices available to her: blue, green, black, or red. Since the moment she first read the invitation, she was drawn, for some reason she couldn't place, to the red dragon.

Seeing that no one was stepping forward, she drew a deep breath and slowly forced herself to remove her grip from her whip. Another deep, courage-inspiring breath later, she was stepping forth, toward the black dragon, the first of the three chosen dragon tamers to do so. Every synapse in her body was screaming at her to run from the towering creature before her, but some unknown thing she couldn't put her finger on urged her toward it.

"Vanetch," she spoke loud and firm in order to sound more sure and brave than she felt, as well as to discourage any waver in her voice. "I select the red dragon, if it pleases you." Iphigenia stood rooted to the spot, only a few feet away from the dragon, gazing up into its huge red eyes as she waited for its next move. "Forgive me," she murmured low to Vanetch. "I have never before seen a dragon," she confessed, bowing her head slightly in apology for grabbing for her whip before.

"And it unlikely that you will ever see a dragon like me, again," Vanetch spoke in his low grumble, though a touch of amusement colored his voice. "You are curious, that much is apparent. You wonder how I can speak your tongue. It is dubious to believe that you'll find another dragon capable to do so. It took many centuries of experience and contact with mankind before I was able. I also believe that it has something to do with the plane we are now on."

Vanetch leaned his massive head down slowly until Iphigenia could--if she so pleased--count each fang and spike that make the dragon's mouth and head so terrifying. "It is a red dragon you wish to train? Befitting one such as yourself. The ability to be brave can be sensed within you, thought I believe your choice of dragon will help it surface even moreso."

He closed his giant eyelids, and a low hum filled the space emanating from his chest, the full size of which could not be made apparent for the room offered no scale for measurement. The humming grew more frayed until it sounded as if multiple dragons were humming simultaneously, then all of a sudden, Vanetch opened his eyes and they were glowing a bright red. The glow became more powerful until it forced all onlookers to shield their eyes, until finally, it ceased.

Sometime during the glow when Iphigenia wasn't aware, a red dragon egg appeared at her feet sitting upright, roughly the size of a small watermelon with a weight to match. "You have made your choice, Fiery One, and so your adventure begins."

Iphigenia listened carefully as Vanetch continued speaking to her. He seemed to know things about her, things he could just sense about her, or at least it seemed so because she had never met him before in her life. She released a breath when he told her that he was several centuries old, almost unable to wrap her mind around it. She had always thought Mauveen was old enough as it was, but she wasn't even a century old. Centuries-old, though? Mind numbing.

She quickly drew in a breath of air when Vanetch's face approached hers. While her fingers itched and burned to wrap around her whip for comfort, she forced her arms to remain motionless at her sides and for her feet to remain rooted to the spot. Goosebumps exploded down her arms in fright. But this was what she was here for.

Iphigenia closed her eyes and covered her ears when the humming became too loud. Once the sound finally fizzled out, she opened her eyes to find the red dragon egg by her feet. She glanced up once at Vanetch in a brief moment of hesitation before lowering her gaze to the egg once more. Kneeling, she gingerly scooped up the egg into her arms, surprised at its weight, and could feel movement within--a sign of life. Cradling it into the crook of one elbow, she laid her free arm onto it and gazed down at it like one would a baby--with awe, disbelief, and just a spark of hope.

Raising her eyes to Vanetch once more, she slowly, steadily, lifted the hand off the top of the egg and, trembling, rested it flat against the dragon's cool, scaly snout, which was still near her face. "Thank you," she whispered. "This is what I've travelled many moons for." The first wonderful thing to come her way in longer than she could think upon was not something she had to steal or trick from someone, it was freely given to her. All because she was chosen. It was not without its costs, not without its risks, but that was the way it ought to be--everything for a fair price, one that wouldn't drive people to steal in order to survive.

"Thank you." Iphigenia lowered her arm to her egg once more, patting it gently as she returned to her place before receiving her egg, waiting for Kendris to receive hers.