Chapter 3

Day break came faster than Alec had expected, he woke up feeling frustrated… his erection still vaguely present, taking a cold shower he cleared his mind. Changed and grabbing his bag of supplies, he mounted his black stallion and rode off into the forest, the sun started rising it was a cool autumn day… the rust color leaves gracing the forest ground. They were deep within the forest, Alec looked at his map… the path they were on was correct; by this time tomorrow he would be nearing Queen Nuri’s , they journeyed further in and came to a dam; it was just after noon, the sky was turning to hues of pink and orange, it was truly beautiful. The night chill set in and Alec built a fire and roasted a pigeon he had just killed. His horse grazing in the field nearby.

The next day they began their journey at dawn, passing a nearby village Alec stopped to allow his stallion to have some carrots and oats, while he went to a bakery nearby to get some breakfast and pack up some bread for the rest of the journey. The baker and his wife were notorious for spreading rumors and love getting gossip. While ringing up Alec’s order the bakers wife leaned over the counter,

“So honey… why packing up like you’re on a trip?”

“Because I am on a long journey”

Alec was being polite, even though he knew where this conversation was heading… after all, this was the couple that started spreading the rumor from one village to another that the dragon queen and Alec had a little more than friendship between them. The thought of that just made him angry.

“And where are you going”

“My lady, you’ll come to know in time. Good day”

“But…”

“Good… day”

The tone of Alec’s voice changed, his facial expression hardened, the bakers wife backed away from the counter with her arms up in surrender faking a smile to hide the fear she felt rise within her. Stepping out into the high morning sun, Alec could see that the rebel dragons had visited not so long ago, the burnt wood still smoldering… the ruins of some houses and shops that managed to withstand the violent attack, as Alec traveled further the damage he saw was worse than the village before. It was completely destroyed and not a survivor in sight, he found a some lifeless bodies, both women and children; the claw marks along their torso’s and necks… it was clear that these dragons were now killing and looting for sport. As he rode on after the last village, the sights he had seen broke his heart… he started to change his opinion about the archdragons… even about Queen Nuri, how could these heinous crimes go on for so long unnoticed, by now they should have stepped in to do something.

His head and heart felt heavy with everything he had seen and the burden of bearing it all. Alec reached Mount Inferno Vertex half a day early, he set up camp about a mile and a half away from the volcanic mountain, after a quick supper of bread, rabbit and an apple… Alec started to feel the pressure of meeting with the great beast queen, laying on the ground next to the fire, he went over the important points that he would bring up in his audience with the great queen Nuri. Just the thought of speaking to the mighty beast made him nervous in every way possible. The queen although kind and gentle, she could be as fierce as the fires she controlled, not to mention that she was about a hundred and fifty feet tall, give or take; he had to find the right words and have the right tone to address the situation with her and if she understood, then she would call a meeting with the other archdragons and the sorcerer and sorceresses of the other villages.

“All will go well”

Alec thought to himself, and with that thought in his mind he fell asleep under the glittering stars. By first light, Alec was up, his words were a scramble in his brain. He sat on a log and faced Mount Inferno Vertex; munching on an apple and a few sun sweet berries. The day had arrived, he would have to face the beast queen… Mounting his horse he rode for the next mile, he could feel the heat radiating from the volcano. He got off his stallion and set the black beauty free. Venturing into the volcanic mountain, he wandered through the cave that was dimly lit by the sparks of fire left from the lava, all the while going over the speech he had prepared in his mind. He came to a double maple wood door white brass mounted dragon heads for handles. Pulling the doors open, he was surprised to see the that interior was cool and well decorated; it felt like he had stepped into the house of a human queen.