Restoration - Dragons of Dragonvale Book Two (on hiatus for a little bit)

Chapter Eight

Jaessa hated the turn her life had taken. From being carefree and happy, to locked up, pressured, and everlastingly sad. The feeling of suffocation grew with each new day of strict lessons and even stricter punishments.

Jaessa felt totally alone. There was no ally to come to her side when she was being mistreated, yelled at, or harshly smacked with a switch by her tutors. No one cared if she cried. It was called a sign of weakness that a future queen should never possess.

In the few minutes she would be allowed outside. Jaessa's deep brown eyes would inevitably look towards Cragmount and she would pray the dragons were having a happier life than she. She imagined she could see their jeweled colored bodies flying in the air and that imagination was what kept her going each and every day.

During her times of solace at night, before Zara would come in and take her lamp away, she would sketch small drawings of her dragon friends. They were always in black and white, because no colors were afforded to her.

However, in Jaessa's eyes, they all had a distinct appearance, mostly in their eyes. She could always tell her sketches apart by the eyes. She had studied them for quite a while, so one might say she was a bit of an expert on the Kotai dragon clan.

But eventually, even her pencils and scrap papers were taken away, a result of her staring at a spider making an intricate web across the window in the lessons room.

She had not even seen her mother in the last few weeks. It had almost been a month now. No matter how horrible Celessa had been to her daughter, at the end of the day Celessa was still Jaessa's mother and Jaessa craved her embrace and her presence, like it used to be.

But it would never be that way again.

* * *

"General, we have the island in sight. We could be there by this evening, just a few hours, if you want."

The old captain informed Eryx of their location from his perch at the wheel. Eryx stood on the deck, a somber look on his face.

"That would be fine. Slow your speed. Instruct your men to lower a skiff. I need to make a visit to the other ship; let them in on the plan."

"Aye, sir. Shwitz, get the skiff ready! Signal the other ship the General is coming!"

In a matter of minutes, Eryx found himself and a few sailors on the skiff, crossing the short distance between the first and second ships. A dark presence hovered over Eryx, as if the reaper of the dead himself was hanging on his shoulders.

The skiff arrived at the boat and a ladder was lowered allowing the General to climb up. The men on the ship looked haggard and tired.

"General Eryx! Welcome aboard," said the Captain, happy to see the General gracing the deck of his ship.

"Thank you, Captain. Call your men around." Eryx spoke quietly, his eyes scanning the ship.

"Men! Gather round! Our General wishes to speak with us!"

The men of the ship clomped down to the deck from their perches, and up from the galleys. Soon, a small group of men were all surrounding their General.

Eryx looked at them all and a cold realization washed over him. "Tonight, we shall reach our first and last stop on our trip. We are here to pick up supplies and then go on, mapping out the ocean for the King."

"Long live the King!" shouted the group in one voice.

Eryx smiled grimly and nodded. "Yes, may the King live forever...Tonight, you shall have an evening to rest and relax with all the pleasures you see fit to indulge in this night."