The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

-33-

POV: Fendrel

He jolted awake to see yellow eyes peering at him while something poked his side.

Venom's frantic voice came from the darkness of the room. "Wake up, we need you."

"Wha- what?" Fendrel groggily got to his feet. The night air chilled him once he no longer had the blanket's cover. "What happened?"

"We're having a meeting, and we need you, your friend, and the prince there for a second opinion." Venom guided Fendrel toward the vine door then retreated back within the cave.

Fendrel shook his head to try and wake up more until Venom returned with Charles and Cassius, wide-awake, joined them.

Venom flew the humans to the palace within the Meeting Cliff and directed them to sit beside him.

All the nobles, besides Fragrance, were present. Some nodded with respect the newcomers while others turned up their noses. Fendrel noticed the colder ones were those who seemed to favor Fragrance.

Cloud sat in his usual place with Mist beside him.

Despite the different demeanors, everyone looked worried.

"Zoricus did not accept the crown." Venom looked down at the three humans. "Instead, he gave it to Sadon."

Fendrel stared blankly at Venom. "You're joking..."

"No." Venom turned his gaze to the table they sat around. "Sadon has the crown, and it looks as if Zoricus is keeping his former position as the head of the royal guard."

Charles tossed his hands up in exasperation. "I shouldn't have left them when I did. I should have gone back and tried to kill him."

Sadon...Sadon is the king now?

"This doesn't make any sense." Fendrel stared ahead. "Sadon was never power hungry. Why would he become king instead of allowing Zoricus to be coronated?"

"Because now instead of just breaking the law without repercussions, he can change it to fit what he wants." Charles sighed.

I feel sick.

"We cannot deal with this threat unless we are fully aware of what the dragon hunters are capable of." Cloud looked at the humans. "Can any of you give us an idea of how big of a threat this is?"

Fendrel shook his head. "I- I didn't even know he had the resources to take the throne in a single night. I didn't know he had the intention of taking over the kingdom."

"Neither did I." Charles had both fists clenched. "He was very secretive. For all we know, what he's done tonight could just be a fraction of what he's capable of."

Cassius shuddered. "And now he has full rein of the royal family's mage."

A chill went down Fendrel's spine.

If I had just made up my mind about Cloud's promise and gotten out of here sooner, I might have been able to stop Sadon. I failed.

"I do not see why we cannot just attack the humans' city right now and get rid of the dragon hunters for good." The water noble, Ammonite, glared at the humans.

"No!" Cassius stood. "There are good, innocent people there. You can't just attack. You might hurt them."

Ammonite directed her murderous look at the prince, who sat back down. "We know where their leader is. We can catch them by surprise."

"I agree with Ammonite." The noble of the ice tribe smiled.

Venom's spines bristled. "Killing innocent humans without a care would make you just as bad as the humans who kill dragons for profit."