Snippet #2724619

The captain waggled the end of his ranseur irately, trying to flick the insect free from its gleaming blade, but the gently buzzing vermin payed it no heed. The guardsman abruptly gave up and turned his attention back towards the Favored.

"Be that as it may, I cannot permit him passage. My apologied to you, Master Sek-" the captain said before being abruptly silenced by a crackle of lightning down Nedelethakor's spined neck. The air went sharp with the smell of ozone, and a glowering rumble issued forth from the dragon's belly.

"If the Suzerain forbids it, let him be the one to say so. Waylay me further, knave, and you shall know the peril of a scorned Wyrm." the Lady said gruffly, punctuating her words with an abrupt snap of her jaws. The scything fangs stopped just short of the guard captain's abdomen, causing him to lurch and stumble back in fear. He dared not bring the tip of his weapon to bear on the dragoness, however, for doing so was ensuring a swift death. He caught his breath while his compatriot took the reigns of the conversation.

"Do pardon Captain Masheed, milady. He is bitter, and has been stewing in his armor since the crusade left for Skyfall. You and your company may follow me to Suzerain Hall." the lesser guardsman choked out. He stood to the side and allowed the Lady to pass, the harpies continuing behind, carrying the long train of her deep, violet cloak. Nedelethakor was always insistent on being impeccably dressed when she departed her lair in the north, especially given her draconic body. Why other dragons were so insistent on flying about in the buff was always a mystery to her. Sekhemkare walked alongside the Royal Mistress as they ascended the immense, spiral staircase. The Lady glanced back over her shoulder at the wizened nomad and blinked, causing her reptilian eyes to m emit a pale, yellow gleam. Speech would drift across the surface of the desert shaman's mind like a stone across water; words without language directly from the Favored Concubine's mind.

Well met then, Sekhemkare. For good or ill, you now have a part to play in this evening's doom. I suspect you savvy enough to know that treachery of my design is afoot, but if you would make yourself a boon to my service, it behooves us to know one another. What knowledge would you ask of the Lady Nedelethakor?

The words echoed away into the aether as the scuffs and plods of the ascent were borne away on twilit breezes...