Avondale: The Golden Door

Nisvārtha Shade

I'm sure y'all can guess who this is. ;)

I was shaken awake from a dreamless sleep by strong hands.

I opened my eyes to see the narrowed violet glare of Nisvārtha Shade as he leaned over me.

"Come with me." He said and walked out, leaving me alone with Sanna sitting awkwardly in his hammock.

I stood up, straightened my leggings and adjusted my tunic, then looked at Sanna. "Will you come?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I can't."

I nodded and walked out of the room.

I caught up to Nisvārtha outside of his room just as his doors opened and he gestured for me to enter.

Rather than dark and terrifying, the room was well lit with candles and torches. In the left corner against the wall, was a bed. At the back wall was a large wooden desk littered with books and maps. The rest of the wall space in the room was taken up by shelves lined with books. In the center of the floor was a single chair.

"Sit." Nisvārtha ordered without looking at me, his face brooding like he was working with a complicated puzzle.

I sat and watched him pace before me. Before I could speak he cut me off.

"You are definitely a dragon," he said in that deep velvet voice. "That much I am sure of. You do not smell like one because obviously you were raised in an environment that masked your scent. But how? And where? Not the human world, you were definitely lying about that."

"I was not!" I was appalled at the way he just assumed everything and dismissed my words like a buzzing fly. The nerve of this guy!

"Did I say you could speak?" He said with his hands steepled under his nose, eyes closed. "No, thank you, please continue your silence. It is difficult to tell your species because of your unusual eyes and the masking of your scent, so you could be from any one of the Clans and I could never tell...hmmm." He opened his violet eyes and studied me for a moment.

Then he put both hands on the arms of my chair, locking me in and getting all up in my face, his scent filled my nose. I could only describe it as moonlight, cool, sweet, and fresh. "Three possible things could lead you to be here. First; you are telling the truth and you were raised in the human world, as a human, and came into this magnificent ability to cross through the Gates, despite their being locked for hundreds of years."

"Yes!—" I started to say but his hand came up and covered my mouth, blasting that symphony in my head.

"The second option is that you are lying about this whole thing, and the third is that you were kicked out of your Clan because of severe amnesia and have this false idea of who you are." His hand left my mouth and he smirked. "I am going to go with lying."

I scowled. "Why assume I'm lying?" I spat, my temper starting to simmer.

He sighed and stood back up. "Because the simplest option is usually the correct one, and the easiest thing a person can do is lie. So!" He clapped his hands together in contemplation. "Why are you lying and what were you doing in the Silver Tower?"

Before I could answer he continued, "Of course! Some issue in your Clan forced you to run away. So obvious but the questions is why and from where? They were petty reasons judging from the state of your dress. You could not have been out there long and so your family probably wants to find you."

"Of course they do!" I shouted in frustration. "That's why I need to get home!"

Nisvārtha laughed, a cruel sound that held little amusement. "Of course! Daddy's girl wanting to go home as soon as it gets too hard," he taunted me. "I will be glad to get you home, but..." His violet eyes sparkled. "Where is home?"