Chapter 13: The Dragon Moon

The sun had set behind the mountains, and dusk was approaching. A majority of the golden knights had been sent to the main palace for Rina’s Dragon Moon. Only a small squadron, led by Hugo, was discreetly searching the city and the dragon palace, seeing as Leila’s aunt, uncle and cousins had all disappeared from the Royal Garrison last night.

Hugo met with Thorn in front of the main palace dungeon. “Anything?” Thorn asked.

“No.” Hugo shook his head, “We searched everywhere. Still no sign of any of them. The human slaves arrived and were crowded into the cells. I didn’t have the right to interfere. But I checked, and they are not among them.”

Thorn’s suspicions were correct. Something would happen at tonight’s ceremony. They walked into the open yard where the event would be held. At the very center of the space, a towering altar had been built. Grooves were engraved into its surface and snaked into a massive totem of a dragon. Rina would complete her Dragon Moon there. He ordered Hugo to keep an eye from the ground; he himself fled upwards onto the roof and looked down upon the guard.

On the other side of the dragon palace, Leila was sitting before a mirror in her nightgown. Her long, lush hair was being brushed by Nyree.

“I think I’ll turn in early tonight,” Leila said, slightly distressed. “Please put out the candles when you leave the room.”

“Are you alright, my lady?” Nyree asked worriedly, “Feeling down? You can always talk to me.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just a bit tired.” Leila replied distractedly.

Nyree made another few passes through her hair, then said, “But the noise from the main palace will be so loud. I can fetch you earplugs, if you like.”

Leila lifted her eyes. “Will it? What is this ceremony about anyway?”

Nyree answered slowly, “You could consider it a coming-of-age ceremony. A Dragon Moon is god-given bliss, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a real dragon.” Nyree sensed that she had caught Leila’s interest. She continued, “Princess Rina will mark her identity on the moon, making her existence known to the dragon divinity. Then, she will be granted her fire. That’s how every member of the royal family is able to breathe fire.”

“It must be quite a scene to witness.” Leila half smiled, recalling Rina’s menacing stare. “But Thorn and I won’t be there anyway.”

“I heard he’s already there, at the main palace,” Nyree added plainly.

“He is?” Leila felt a heat smoldering under her skin.

“Yes, the servants saw him there, with Hugo,” Nyree confirmed.

Leila stood up from the mirror and paced across the room, fretting about why he’d broken his promise to not attend the event. He didn’t even tell me he would be there, Leila thought anxiously, *He’s been all gone all day… Does that mean he’s been with his sister all this time*?

Nyree gently pushed her again. “I’ll go with you, if you’d like to have a peek at the ceremony.”

Finally, Leila gave in. She changed into a dark cloak and exited the prince castle with Nyree.

They walked under the stars, sneaking through a side gate, to an entrance linked to the main castle. The quiet of the prince’s castle emphasized the chaos echoing from the other side of the gate.

Walking through a thick maze of thorny trees and exotic plants, Leila heard the nearby roar of cheers and the dull clank of metal. It sounded as if several people had already gathered there.

They finally arrived at a huge yard. Columns mounted with blazing torches lit up the area like it was daytime. Golden knights all wore their best armor and wielded shiny swords. Warriors sparred to impress the golden dragon girls. Lords and ladies sat high atop the surrounding mighty ramps. Whole bulls and goats were being roasted above large stone fires; their fat oozed out and seethed in the flames with a smoky, charred scent.

Lords and knights were feasting on the mountains of meat. They drank blindly from the large flagons of finely-produced bubbling wine. Ladies were giggling at the dirty jokes the drunken lords told. A golden dragon girl amorously reached down towards a lord’s erection, as another sat on the lap of a golden knight, letting out unconstrained and lascivious moans. Their skin was glistening under the flaming blaze. Their fine gowns and marvelous robes added an air of outlandishness to the debauchery.

With the loud beating of drums across the yard, the ceremony began. Leila concealed herself among the crowd. She hadn’t seen either Thorn or Hugo, the giant altar blocking her sight.

But to the left side of the yard, she could see clearly the royal dragons—Thorn’s family.

King Eros was the easiest to spot. Wearing a large, beaten-gold crown, he sat in the largest chair made of fiery stones, gleaming with a dark sheen under the stars. His silver hair was mixed with locks of grey. He was aged, but not old. Eros was talking with a short-haired, herculean man. He was dressed in a white leather cloak, cinched with an emerald badge emblazoned with a dragon.

The queen, Amaya, sat next to the king. She stared forward at the altar in silence. Wearing a red leather dress with padded shoulders, her young face was free of wrinkles. Leila was intimidated by her, even though their eyes never met.

A younger, silver-haired prince in a blue leather cloak was sitting among them, a deep scar carved across his right cheek. The gaunt lines of his handsome face made him appear maliciously fierce. His glum eyes darted between the plump breasts of women and the bulky arms of men.

Yet Princess Rina and Thorn were both missing.

The bright moon painted the yard. A loud bang shot across the vast yard. Leila looked over to the source of the sound. Confetti was shot into the air from a large canon and littered all across the dusty ground. The wheels of wooden carriages spun as they delivered several iron cages, stopping at the center of the yard. Human slaves were crowded inside the cages, most of them healthy and burly men.

Rina suddenly appeared on the altar. She looked extravagantly beautiful in a deep burgundy satin dress, lined with gold and a high side-slit. Her silver hair was neatly tied back in a thick braid. A dark sneer curled on her plump lips as she glared at her audience.

Queen Amaya stood up from her seat and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Princess Rina’s Dragon Moon.”

The audience applauded.

“Tonight is meant to be a special night. This exclusive event is for your eyes only.” Amaya stepped forward and stood before Eros, continuing, “The humans are here to offer up a sacrifice.”

As she spoke, a dozen golden knights entered on white horseback. Long, heavy spears were carried in their strong hands. They pointed their glistening weapons at the terrified slaves, who were shoved up onto the altar, and ordered to lay down in the grooves in a row. Leila was surprised that none of them even tried to escape, as if they had already accepted their miserable fate.

Leila noticed the clouds were clearing up, the night wind started to pick up.

The queen continued, “Throughout history, humans were enough for us to complete a Dragon Moon. However, this time, I have decided to do something special, for my special girl.” She gave Rina a look.

Rina nodded to her mother with a sly smile, then she went over to a stone dais and touched it; the size of the stone was perfectly suited to her right hand.

Then, a long gallows was raised up from the center of the altar among the humans. Four people were lied up across and tied to it. Shockingly, it was Leila’s family.

“Four grey dragon descendants, here because they committed a serious crime: Keeping a crossbreed in their home for years.”

The audience all gasped and fixed their eyes on them.

Leila’s uncle, aunt and cousins looked like they had already lost consciousness.

A cold shiver ran down Leila’s spine. She did her best to hide her terrified fidgeting and try to figure out what was happening.

But before she had time to understand, the drumming became more aggressive and violent, its beastly wail echoed across the yard. The sound was almost deafening, but it seemed as if everyone else in the yard couldn’t hear it. At the very moment, Amaya made a decree, “Release the blade!”

Everything happened incredibly quickly. An enormous blade, as wide as the entire stage, emerged from within the altar, cutting right through the necks of all of the humans and the grey dragons. Blood flooded out and filled the grooves, forming the image of a bloody dragon.

A black shadow had swooped down over altar. Thorn only had time to save one grey dragon—Leila’s aunt. He picked her up and fled from the scene. Right then, he saw Leila crying in the crowd.

Rina, still standing at the center of the altar, peeled away her white cloak, tossed it into the blood, and released her silver hair. Then she turned into a red dragon and stroked her wings above the corpses, against the night wind. The audience sensed that the moonlight had started to change. Gradually, the dragon’s dark red scales sparkled and gleamed under the moonlight, as if they were soaked with fresh blood themselves.

Rina flapped her wings harder. Then finally, with a hoarse roar, she breathed out a blazing flame.

Leila was crushed. She lifted her head to the dark, velvety sky. Then, she saw the Dragon Moon.

Among the sea of stars, the orb was dyed a deep, crimson red.