Dragon’s Breath
Chapter twenty

For two days now Neron and I have been asking around the city, to see if anyone knows something concerning the commander's death. So far I have come up empty-handed. The city usually start booming until first light so it could be that no one was awake during the time the commander was killed. What's Ellie going to do if we have no useful information? What if I don't see her again?

Ever since I've seen her in human form I can't seem to get her out of my mind. Everything about her draws me in.

The confident way she walks, without a care in the world, that smug smile that grazes her face, when she knows she's right. The way her eyes blaze with a burning inferno when she's excited or worked up. I can't stop thinking about any of it. I am a man bewitched by the beauty of a woman. But not in a bad way, no; I've been willingly bewitched. She has caught every part of my being and doesn't even realize it.

I dip my hands into a bucket of water and watch as it moves softly around my outstretched fingers, caressing coolly, eddying in their wake. I pull my hands out and watch the drips, both transparent and opaque at the same time. They fall as if snatched by gravity to the water below, each one swiftly haloed by ever-growing rings. Sometimes I wish life could be as free-flowing as the water on my hands. Water is powerful, it creates paths where there are none, and is strong enough to break through even the hardest of stones. But life is nothing like water, flowing onward never letting anything block its path. The thing about life is it pushes you until you shatter like glass, just to see if you can put yourself back together.

Closing my eyes and inhaling, I'm given little time to reflect jumping at the feeling of someone touching my shoulder. Whipping myself around, I'm met with Neron's smiling face.

He chuckles, "Calm down it's just me."

I sigh, "I didn't hear you come in."

Laughing, he gives me a closed eye smile, radiating with un-contained happiness.

"Sorry about that," he grumbles, rubbing the back of his head.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" I ask.

That same brilliant smile plays on his lips, a smile that I will never get tired of seeing. His smile has gotten me through the hardest times in my life. Clapping his hands together, he begins to speak.

"As you know, since Eleonora has asked us to check around the city for information, we've come up empty-handed," Neron begins.

"Yes," I say, placing my hands behind my back, giving a nod urging him to continue.

"Well, while I was asking around in The Sleepy Crow, I met a man who saw some people leaving the commander's house early in the morning, hours before you got there," he tells me.

"Really!" I exclaim, grabbing his shoulders and giving him a good shake. I should have thought about going to that tavern it is after all the best tavern in town where many gather.

Neron knocks my hands off his shoulders.

"Yes, yes, now calm down and let me finish," he says.

"Alright," I reply grinning. After two days of searching and coming up empty-handed, we finally have a lead. I can't help but grin until my face hurts.

"He told me that the men leaving the house were all hooded except for one. He got a good look at the man's face. You'll never guess who it was?" Neron urges me to guess.

I shake my head and throw my hands up.

"Well, come on Neron don't keep me waiting who was it!" I exclaim annoyed with his antics.

With a sly grin, he continues, "Why, it was Adam Blanc, the butcher who lives a few streets down from us. But this is where it gets interesting, Adam owes a favor to duke Evergreen. A while back when meat prices were too high the duke bought out the entire store to keep him from going out of business. It would seem that lady Gwen has called in her father's favor," he informs me.

For a moment I thought we would never find anything, but now I can rest easy knowing that I can give Ellie some useful information. Smiling I give Neron a hard slap on the back.

"You've done well, my friend. Now we can use the butcher to get more information, now let's go report back to Ellie," I declare.

"Slow down Flavius, we should not make a move unless we are told to. Remember what Eleonora said if we should find anything out we need to report to the castle, then request to speak with her. If we act on our own it could cause a lot of unwanted trouble and attention," he explains.

"You're right, you're right, I'm getting ahead of myself. Though we do need to report to the castle, the sooner they have the information the better," I say.

Taking off his gloves, Neron sets them on a nearby table.

"Yes, we should. I'll close up shop early then we can leave, considering traveling distance on foot we'll be gone most of the day," he says.

I wait for Neron as he closes the shop tightly locking up the doors.

As we walk to the castle the city changes every few minutes, flickering between affluence and poverty. The closer we get to the castle, the more streets are filled with upmarket stores, that are smooth black, with glass exteriors, with fancy names in fancier lettering. The kind of places with perfumed atmospheres, that seemed all the more inviting with music and well-groomed subservient staff.

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Though the streets in this part of the city are beautiful and filled with life, I can't help but also feel the darkness in the stares. As if the people here know we do not belong and are trying to ward us off. As we walk deeper the streets slowly become more and more crowded. Each person in the crowd moves as if unforeseen hands are dragging them this way and that, pulling their eyes to one thing and then another, and another. They respond in predictable ways, each of them with a set goal to archive for the day. I have never been claustrophobic before, but in the almighty swell of humanity, I feel the panic rise in my chest. When they moved I had to also and if my feet fail to keep up, I feel I risk being trampled underfoot.

"Are we close," I ask Neron in a hushed voice.

I can longer take being here, the sights the sounds, the smells, are all becoming too much.

"We're close," he replies.

Not a moment later, we reach the outer gates of the castle standing tall many guards stationed around. As I go to greet the guards manning the gate entrance, Neron places a hand in front of my chest stopping me.

"Let me do the talking," he says.

I nod, following closely behind as we walk to the guards.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen; I've come for a bit of business," Neron states.

One of the guards approaches us with narrowed eyes.

"And what business might that be, good sir?" The guard asks.

"I am here requesting an audience with Princess Eleonora," Neron tells them.

The guards' eyes go wide for a moment.

"Give me a moment, I'll go fetch Daniel to take you to the princess," he says hastily.

Me and Neron both nod in response. We don't wait for too long until we see the young boy who accompanied Ellie the last time I saw her approaching us in a hurried manner.

"I am so very glad to see you both, the princess has been waiting anxiously for your arrival. Come now, follow me," he hurries us.

A smirk plays on my face, "Has Ellie really been anxiously waiting for me?"

Turning to me with a bored expression, Daniel replies, "No, blacksmith, she was not anxiously waiting for you, but rather for the information you have," he states.

"I see," I responded awkwardly.

Daniel takes us through the halls, and down many corridors. We are moving so fast, I barely have the time to marvel at the beauty of the castle. Had you asked me a week ago if I ever thought I'd find myself here, my answer would have been no? How much my life as changed and in so little time. Ellie burst into my life like a rough ice storm tilting everything on its axis.

After a few more minutes, we come to a door and stop. Daniel knocks loudly.

"Come in." The voice, that comes from inside the room is a man's. Why has he taken us to a man's room? Is Ellie with a man?

Daniel opens the door and leads us in. Inside the room is an office. Seated at a desk on the left side of the room, is an old man with long snowy white hair and striking brown eyes.

"Your majesty, the blacksmith has come, just as Princess Eleonora said he would," Daniel says, addressing the man.

I'm startled by the way Daniel addresses this man because he's brought us to the king! I take a sideways glance at Neron and find that he is also a little shaken. Why has Daniel brought us to the king?

"Daniel, go to Nora and bring her here," The king says, not looking away from the book on his desk.

"Yes, your majesty." Daniel bows, leaving the room. For a few moments, there is an awkward silence that engulfs the room. I'm in the presence of the king and I have no idea how to act.

"Why don't you guys pull up some chairs and take a seat," the king suggests, pointing to some chairs sitting around a fireplace, on the other side of the office. Quietly, we pull up the chairs taking a seat.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Hey old man, you wanted to speak to me?" Ellie's voice fills up the silence that once surrounded the room. Looking at the king I see him staring at her with fondness. The look on the king's face mirroring that of a doting father.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter don’t forget to like and comment.- Ray

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