Dragonet Drabbles

Chapter 7

Flame had to agree when Umber suggested they try a different entrance to the palace. Ideally one with a set of guards that Flame hadn't tried to punch.

In a moment of humble brilliance, Flame suggested they try backway. Since the palace was carved into the rocks, there was no specific grand entrance in the back. Instead there was a hodgepodge of tunnels leading into the less glamorous parts of the palace, like the cellars and kitchens - basically the staff entrance.

Flame had gotten the chance to use these tunnels a few times as part of his apprenticeship in the palace kitchens. While it wasn't heavily guarded, a pair of guards usually hung around to maintain the peace or something. In truth Flame wasn't sure what their job was. All he'd ever seen them do was help unload a heavy crate of cheese every once in a while, or catch some apples as they rolled down the hill.

For these reasons alone, Flame liked them more than most guards he'd met before.

After getting turned around a few times they finally located the correct path. It led from the base of the mountain, where the fringes of the town below pushed up against the stone giant, and twisted up towards the palace. It ended in a courtyard of smooth stone that must have been painstakingly carved from the rock.

It was a large space, used for unloading the daily foods and materials that kept the palace fed and running smoothly. The mornings were always the busiest for that sort of thing; dragons flying in and out with bundles of supplies while carts were laboriously wheeled up the pathway for larger loads that couldn't be carried. At the moment it was thankfully empty, save the guards stationed on either side of the large cave that made up the entrance.

Flame and Umber landed where the path from the mountain met the entrance to the courtyard; well out of ear-shot from the guards.

Flame stole a quick glimpse in their direction. The two guards at the door seemed to be the only ones around, which confirmed Flame's original inspection. Their metal chest plates caught the angle of the afternoon sun and shot it back into Flame's eyes. He could see they were holding spears, but they weren't holding them very well. They looked all around bored, leaning against the sides of the cave entrance and yawning. Still, a ripple of uneasiness stirred in his stomach, like someone skipping a stone across a still lake.

"Have the letter?" Flame asked uselessly. Of course Umber had it, but Flame felt reassured when Umber waved the wrinkled envelope in confirmation. He knew this feeling wouldn't last long. They had done a shit job at writing the letter. Flame was relying entirely on the assumption that guards here had never seen a letter from Zephyr before and would be none the wiser.

"So do we just - " Umber waved his talons around vaguely, "go up to them and ask for Chromis?"

"Yep. That's pretty much it."

Umber waited a moment and Flame got the feeling Umber wanted him to say more. Too bad for Umber because that was all he had.

Eventually Umber nodded. "Here goes nothing."

Flame and Umber stepped into the courtyard, their wing tips brushing. The guards perked up at their approach.

"Good afternoon," Umber greeted jovially. Flame grunted out his most pleasant acknowledgement. The guards look rather displeased at being forcibly dragged into small talk.

"Uh, hello," the guard on the right said. He was male with scales a deep shade of mauve that Flame didn't usually see in dragons of his Tribe. "Can we assist you or something?" He somehow managed to sound professional and peeved at the same time.

"If this is about that cart of vegetables that was sitting here all morning," started the female dragon on the left, "then, well.... It's gone. It's not our job to keep track of produce. If you got a problem with that then you can leave a complaint in the complaint box."