A Sprinkle of Stardust

Chapter 21 - Scarletwing

The sky was the soft grey that Lyrani associated with a cosy day at home, reading one of the many good books begging for her attention on her bookshelf. Sometimes she would order cornflower pancakes and enjoy them in front of the fire with Morloy on a cool afternoon.

She missed those days. They had been so much safer, and she had taken them for granted.

On instinct, Lyrani turned away and shielded her face from the wave of fire surging against the wall of the enclosure in front of her. When the heat dissipated, she looked up.

The scarletwing dragon roared so fiercely that the trees shook with fear. The creature stepped out of the shadows, its blood-red coat glistening. It snapped at Lyrani with jagged teeth the size of her hand.

Lyrani's nerves quivered at the sight of the magnificent beast. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but she ignored them. She was in no danger from this scarletwing.

The enchanters who managed this sanctuary knew how to contain their residents in the least harmful way while still allowing for admiration of their terrifying beauty.

The wall between Lyrani and the scarletwing shimmered with magic. That was the only indication that they were there at all. Although the dome-shaped enclosures were transparent to allow visitors to see inside, they were impenetrable to dragons, their fire and their claws.

These creatures were dragons—vicious and unpredictable, even as many of them were recovering from injuries and abuse.

The thought that such majestic creatures could be at the mercy of beings far less powerful than them unsettled Lyrani like claws scraping down her back. It brought to mind the elf king and the powerful races he could decimate simply with his word.

Lyrani's boots thudded against the ground as she strolled between the enclosures. She didn't know whether she was angrier at Nash for dragging them outside on a day like this or for brushing her off the previous afternoon.

Something needed to be done about him but what? Lyrani knew she and Trelle had a plan, but she wasn't sure if it was the right one.

What kind of elf orchestrated the murder of nixies?

What kind of elf sponsored a dragon sanctuary?

What kind of elf did both?

The sanctuary stretched over many acres, and the section Lyrani wandered through was deserted. The earth was bare of any footprints but her own. It was as if she was the first to explore this area since it was established.

Perhaps she was. The other elves who had come on this excursion had probably lingered closer to the entrance.

Lyrani could imagine them now—haughty dukes stepping around mud puddles and obnoxious viscountesses turning their powdered noses up at the smell of animals. Trelle was probably among them.

Lyrani glanced into each enclosure as she passed. Not a roar or a curious eye greeted her, not even at the sight of her hideous maid's dress. These reptilian residents lay listless at the edges of their cages, staring at nothing, knowing nothing stared back at them.

One broad-snouted beast with wide nostrils was missing an eye. A crocodilian monster had a misshapen stump where his foot should be. A slender dragon with a build that reminded Lyrani of a swan had shredded wings lying against her back.

She couldn't describe the heaviness that overtook her heart when she looked at them, so forgotten and sad and hopeless. Some of these injuries were accidental, while others clearly weren't.

It was better that these creatures had found a home where nobody could hurt them anymore. They were lucky they had good people to care for them now.

Even people like King Nash, who were both good and bad.