Lee R.B. / Lost Songs of Dragons: The Awakening
*Disclaimer: This is a first draft/unedited ongoing book that is currently unpublished. I hope you enjoy the story of pure fiction as I write the chapters and post them on a regular to semi-regular basis, granted writer's block doesn't take me.*
Lost Songs of Dragons: The Awakening by Lee R.B. Copyright Lee Barnes aka Lee R.B.
Chapter 1: Satyra
"If father knew my true feelings about Cael, he would
have a chastity belt strapped to my waist and my head on a pike," Satyra
thought to herself as she gazed upon the pale face and dark blue eyes of one of
the two vampires that stood before her father, King Barthetii.
Her heart raced as
she twirled the tips of her long, red hair, allowing her pampered fingers to
graze her soft, perky breasts. She felt
a warm flow between her thighs that were as hot as coal. She bit her lower lip and turned her head,
hoping no one would notice her face flushed with desire.
She knew it was
wrong to desire Caleb, but she couldn't help herself. There was something about the never aging
being that stood only a few meters away from her. Not only was it his looks, but there was
something about his personality, his very soul, if he had one, that intrigued
Satyra.
Satyra jerked at
the sound of a fist slamming against hardwood with a thump that echoed through
the empty domed chamber. It was her
father who now had risen from his throne and pointed a finger at the older of
the two.
"Now, you
listen to me and you listen well, Prince Ajani," King Barthetii said, his
voice was stern as Satyra had ever heard it.
"You tell your master that the people of Barthetii will not be
bullied in any fashion. Libere Landon
and its people are part of the Barthetii
Kingdom
"My
Lord,-"
"You will
address him as your grace, you beast!" Commander Forta shouted at Prince
Ajani. King Barthetii subtly raised his
right finger, hushing the commander of the King's Guard from speaking any
further. The King sat down and leaned
back.
The red eyed prince
cleared his throat and continued.
"My Lord, we do not wish anymore bloodshed. This war between our people has been going on
for nearly two hundred years now. You're
the fifth Barthetii I've had the honor of meeting but displeasure of having to
go into battle against," Prince Ajani groveled. He spoke with a smooth but dark, deep
voice. A tone that made Satyra's skin
crawl as it sounded too smooth. "The
Vampire Nation wishes peace between our people and for us to begin trade
negotiations to build a stronger relationship."
Advisor Ruza, a
short and slender fellow, scoffed at the vampire prince and said, "What
could we possibly trade? Our blood? That's all you would want, isn't it? And what would we get in return? Death?"
Prince Ajani kept
his gaze on the King and replied, "We vampires do take pleasure in owning
luxuries such as jewels and aesthetic paintings. We're also aficionados of books."
"Books? Books about what? Probably death and suffering," Advisor
Ruza commented.
"We enjoy
stories of all types," Prince Ajani said.
He turned his eyes to focus on Advisor Ruza with a look that pierced
into his very soul and said, "Including torture, suffering, and
death."
Satyra lost her
heat and shivered at the sight and sound of Prince Ajani. She lowered her eyes and touched her nose,
allowing her long sleeves to drape across the bottom half of her face, hiding
her fear. For a few moments, she
struggled to breathe, but quickly controlled herself.
Prince Ajani smiled
and returned his attention to the King and modestly said, "But, vampires
make bad story tellers and thus we rely on the imaginations of others."
"Well, some of
you people have had thousands of years of life, and some of your people were
once great artists and storytellers themselves.
So tell me, how is it they've all of a sudden lost this ability to
create stories?" Advisor Ruza
sharply asked.
"Vampires are
incapable of exaggeration as it is also our preference to stick to the truth
thus everything we say, write, and pass down is far more accurate that the
exaggerated imaginary depictions human beings convey," Prince Ajani replied,
his voice had risen a decibel but was still under control.
King Barthetii
considered the Prince's words for a moment and then leaned forward. "Thousands of my kin, my ancestors, had
lost their lives taking Libere Landon and thousands more died defending
it. I will not ask my people to give it
up so easily. My answer is, no."
Prince Ajani
mimicked taking a deep breath and said, "The city's proper name is
Septerra, and thousands of my kin, many of whom I've shared memorable moments
with, have lost their lives over it too.
Don't think you're the only ones who have lost loved ones."
"Brother!" Prince Cael said, placing a hand on his
brother's shoulder. His voice was calm
and smooth like Ajani's but it wasn't as dark or sinister sounding. He possessed a softer and more humane tone.
Satyra found her
heart beating once again at the mere sound of Cael's voice. She fixed her gaze on his eyes, ignoring the
rest of the court. She imagined him
walking over, sweeping her off her feet and making passionate love to her, an
encounter she had yet to experience. But
her fantasy would soon be interrupted again by the sound of her father's voice.
"This meeting
has concluded. I want to thank you for
wasting my time," King Barthetii said, infuriated. He took a deep breath and sincerely said,
"I hope our next meeting will be a productive and satisfying one."
Prince Ajani and
Prince Cael both gave the King a courteous bow and took a step back. As Cael raised his head, he glanced at Satyra
and gave her a brief, crooked lipped smile, and walked away.
Satyra hid her face
as she blushed. From the first day she
laid her eyes on Cael, she had fallen madly in love. She didn't know why, she couldn't explain it. She knew what he was, the fact that vampires
preferred human blood over any other creature in the world, the fact that the Barthetii Kingdom
She knew it
couldn't be a matter of mind control.
Ever since the last of the dragons were laid to rest over five thousand
years ago, the vampires lost their ability to read and control the minds of
human beings. In fact, almost all magic
and supernatural powers disappeared with the dragons.
As Satyra was
figuring out what attracted her to Cael, she looked up and saw the most
dreadful person she ever had the displeasure of meeting. He walked with a white staff that tapped
against the hard, marble floor with every step.
He had a long white beard to accompany his aged face and wore black
robes. His name was Solaris.
Solaris was once a
great wizard with hundreds of magical powers and abilities. He, along with the Counsel of Wizards, once
held dominion over the entire world and over all races, backed by an army of
dragons who were the true rulers. But
now, he was simply a defenseless, immortal being doomed to spend eternity
wandering the world. He didn't even have
the strength to raise a hand and kill a fly.
"My dear,
useless wizard, Solaris," King Barthetii said with amusement. "How are you these days? Still staking claim of the world?"
The wizard stopped
before the King and rested against his staff.
He gave Satyra the most malevolent smile and said, "My Lord-"
"You will
address him as your grace, sorcerer!" Commander Forta shouted.
"I'm here to
ask if you're willing to sacrifice your virgin daughter to bring back the true kings
of this world, and to make you a very powerful man."
King Barthetii
barked a laugh before he could check himself.
He covered his face for a long moment, clearing his system of all the
laughter. Satyra, on the other hand,
found nothing funny about the wizard's proposal. Her stomach churned with disgust at the mere
idea of the wizard knowing that she was still a virgin.
King Barthetii
straightened himself up and said, "I must first thank you for giving me
such a laugh. I needed that after
today's affairs of council after council and talk after talk with delegates
from all around the world. I still
remember the first time you asked for my Satyra as a sacrifice four years ago
when she was only twelve years old and since then, every six months you come to
my kingdom and enter my grand chambers and ask me to sacrifice my only eldest
daughter to bring back the tyranny of the dragons."
"You will be
rewarded for your loyalty and sacrifice," Solaris said.
"I'm curious,
what did King Olaf of the Swizern
Kingdom
"He said if I
could defeat one of his foot soldiers in single combat, he would allow me to
sacrifice one of his seven daughters," Solaris glumly replied.
"And did you
do it? Did you accept this
challenge?"
"Of course my
lord, I try everything and anything to bring back the true rulers of this
world, but, you know as well as I do, I am no challenge in this melee combat
you mortals participate in."
King Barthetii
laughed again and then asked, "So how did the old King's foot soldier
defeat you? Stabbing? Burning?
Drowning? How?"
Solaris sighed and
replied, "The young man was kind enough to disrobe me before thrusting his
blade into my flesh, where my heart would be if I were one of the worldly
races."
"At least he
didn't tear up or make a hole in your robes, eh? No stitching needed?"
"None, my
lord."
"Ah, well,
that's too bad. I hear Swizern fabrics
are to die for," King Barthetii said.
He glanced at his daughter and smiled.
"You may not have my daughter as a sacrifice and no when my
youngest turns twelve you may not have her as a sacrifice either. I would also like to point out that this is
the last time I'm allowing you to ever step food in my grand chamber ever
again."
Solaris cleared his
throat and said, "So let's be sure I leave here today on good terms with
you because I promise you, this isn't going to be the last time I step foot in
this chamber. I will be back. Maybe not in six months, but I will one day
sit in that throne." Solaris
pointed at the wood carved and gold encrusted throne King Barthetii sat in.
The king slowly
rose from his chair and stared down the old wizard. Satyra could see her father's rage build as
his cheeks turned red like hot coals.
She became frightened at what he might do next. She knew her father to be a short tempered
man since his wife, her mother, died.
"Get,
out!" The King commanded, his voice echoed throughout his domed chamber
and down the halls for all the world to hear.
"Your lordship
doesn't-"
The king let out a
war cry no one had ever heard in over a decade.
He grabbed his silver long sword and charged at the wizard who stood his
ground. The king thrust his blade
through the wizard's throat. Black ash
puffed out the back of the wizard's neck as the silver blade pierced through
his flesh.
Solaris struggled
to speak, but not a single word left his lips.
King Barthetii glared into the wizard's eyes and fiercely said, "Do
not speak to me again. Go back to where
you came from and stay there. I implore
you to not ask any of the lords, kings, chancellors or even my greatest enemy,
the emperor, of this world for any of their virgin daughters as a
sacrifice. The dragons are forever laid
to rest, you lost your power and hold on this world, let it go."
Satyra watched as
her father slowly pulled his sword out from Solaris' throat. She heard his razor sharp blade tear away
flesh. He motioned for his guards to
take the wizard away and watched as strong hands gripped Solaris' arms,
escorting him out of the king's grand chamber.
Once Solaris was
out of the chamber and out of sight, the king reached over and touched Satyra's
hand. She grabbed his hand and felt the
warm protection only a father could offer.
She rubbed her cheek against the back of his rough hand and shed a tear.
"Don't cry my
daughter, you will never see that monster again," King Barthetii assured
her.
"I hope
so," Satyra said. She wiped away
her tears and asked, "If father permits it, I shall retire to my bed
now."
King Barthetii
smiled and nodded. Satyra rose from her comfortable,
smaller throne and walked towards the guarded doors that led to the royal
chambers. As she entered, she heard her
father sigh and say, "Next subject, please."
Satyra entered her
lavishly decorated chamber. The smell of
lavender incense cleared her soul as she panned the room with her eyes. Violet drapes surrounded her plush, soft
bed. Her large balcony door was open
letting in the cool, fresh mountain air.
Flames danced on candlesticks set in front of the mirror of her vanity
table. Fire crackled on burnt wood in
the nearby fireplace. It was her private
chambers, a place where she could be at peace, and safe.
Satyra walked over
to her bed and plopped herself on the feather stuffed mattress and wrapped the
thick blankets around her. She didn't
bother with her nightly rituals of having her handmaiden brush her hair and
apply oils to her face and hands. All
she wanted to do was close her eyes and think about Cael.
She wondered if
Cael knew how she felt about him and if he shared the same feelings. Satyra knew her feelings for him were real
because even though Cael could and would kill her by drinking her dry, the fact
that his people killed Daniel, her one and only brother, and because Cael was
an enemy of the Barthetii Kingdom and to the human race, she still felt nothing
but love and compassion for him. It was
a feeling she had never felt in her life.
After her brother's
death, Satyra developed a hatred for vampires.
Every time she heard the word vampire and especially when she saw one,
her skin crawled and her blood boiled.
She had heard the terrible things they did do her brother before killing
him, unforgivable acts of horror as was their nature but, Cael was
different. From the moment she laid eyes
on him, Satyra felt something different in him that softened her heart. Something no one else saw and she was
determined to prove he was different from every other vampire.
Day in and day out,
she slowly began to build up a case for Cael, a case all in her mind and
derived from her heart. But for now,
Satyra lied back in her comfortable bed and felt her eyelids become heavy and
allowed them to close. She allowed her
body to relax and drift off into the world of dreams.
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