The Crimson Dawn
Rotted Skin

Altair stormed into the Armory chamber as Atlas buckled the last piece of her Dragonhide armor. Before she could even speak or react, he yelled. “You’re going to ride a Dragon? Use it for your own purposes? I thought you better than this, Atlas,” he told her, and Atlas flinched at his words before she turned around, trying to keep her hurt from showing on her face.

“It isn’t about using him for anything. Icarus has been trapped in that stable since the day he was born. He’s a Dragon, he belongs in the sky and they won’t let him out if he’s not linked to another,” Atlas paused before raising her voice. “I’m his only link, Altair! I’m the reason why he’s never been in the sky.”

“Linking a Dragon to you is an awful practice-!”

“But it’s the only one these people will accept, and I’ll do anything for Icarus!” Atlas screamed, stunning Altair into silence. “If I could release him, I would. He deserves his freedom after being chained to the Roost for so long.”

Altair seemed to catch his head after that, taking a deep breath before looking at Atlas again. “I am sorry, I should not be so harsh with you. My misgivings are not with you, after all.” He muttered and Atlas could tell he was having a hard time with having to apologize so much.

Altair escorted Atlas out to the Roost, and as he did, she told him of her conversation with Kadyn- or her father. Altair offered awkward sympathies, Atlas didn’t mind, she wouldn’t know what to say to another who was in this position either.

Zale was waiting near Icarus and Apallon, wearing a similar outfit to the one Atlas had been given and she was glad not to be the only one to be wearing it. It felt silly. Zale gave her a simple smile until he noticed Altair, he rolled his eyes.

“Did you have to bring the Elf?” Zale asked her as she drew closer and Atlas was close enough to hear Altair’s low growl erupt from his chest.

“Play nice. Both of you, I am in no mood for your fighting,” Atlas rolled her eyes and they both quieted down.

Zale took a breath. “First things first. You have to bond with Icarus… I don’t know how that’s going to go since we all do it as babies.” Zale muttered the last part but cursed at himself when he noticed Atlas’s frightened look. “It should go well, and if it doesn’t, Apallon and I are here.” He gestured to his Dragon, his golden scales glittered brilliantly in the sun while Icarus’s stayed dull and gray. Dusty. Atlas had half expected the wind to reveal a shiny silver underneath the dust but it didn’t.

Atlas caught Icarus’s yellow eyes and they drew her closer to him. Altair stepped forward but Zale stopped him, shaking his head and muttered something to the Elf. Atlas held his eye as she walked closer to him, and it felt like he was trying to use his voice.

Zale, I am unsure of this, Apallon spoke in her head, and she desperately wished to hear Icarus’s as well. Zale hushed the Golden Dragon.

Icarus let out a soft growl, and the giant dragon vibrated with it. He looked at her intelligently and she knew he knew everything that happened around him. You. She heard and her eyes widened. I know you. And she nodded, hearing another growl emanating from him. She took a step back as she heard Altair call for her. It only took a moment for Icarus to take her in his jaws, she was surrounded in dark and wet. Outside she heard muffled screaming and yelling as Icarus fought against the chains that tied him to the ground. His wings beat through the air, and she lurched forward as he broke free, and she hit the inside of his teeth.

“Ow! Godsdamnit!” She swore and she frowned as she lifted her right arm, slimy, saliva covering her. “This… is disgusting.” Atlas thought that Icarus might’ve laughed, and she was disturbed at the thought he could hear his meal inside of him.

It felt like hours as Atlas lay on the tongue of the dragon. She didn’t know if she hoped he would chew, she certainly didn’t wish to be swallowed whole. She felt his joy as he flew through the air, he spent twenty years being changed inside the stables, and Atlas sometimes felt the wind blowing through her hair even though the only thing she felt anywhere was Dragon spit.

“Anytime now would be great, Icarus!” She called out, this time hoping he could hear her. She felt his breath as he growled at her once again, in a fit of frustration and annoyance, she took the small knife she kept in her boot and stabbed his tongue, yanking it out just as quickly. Icarus roared and then Atlas was falling through the air.

This was fine… At least she would get dry now.

Icarus caught her in one of his sharp talons, that was unnecessary. He spoke and Atlas rolled her eyes and she felt him grip her a little more as she almost slipped.

“So was the ride in your mouth!” Atlas called back and he only let out an amused laugh before he started down towards the Earth again. Atlas rolled in the grass as he threw her down before he landed.

Happy now?

“Happy!? Happy? No not in the slightest, I am covered in your spit,” she snarled and walked away towards the nearby woods.

Where are you going? He called after her and she could hear the delight in his voice as he followed her easily on his four talons. Atlas ignored him and he only followed her silently until she found a small pond hidden in a cave. Atlas undressed, throwing the saliva-covered armor on the ground without care and she washed in her underclothes. A bath? Really? We have things to discuss. He was less amused now.

“Then talk.”

Fine. Let’s start with how you left me stuck at the Roost for our entire lives.

Atlas spun around, water flying in all directions, and she faced Icarus as his yellow eyes peeked into the cave. She faltered for a moment as she struggled to replace a reply. “I didn’t even know who I was two days ago let alone that I was connected to a Dragon! And how does a baby abandon you? Did you ever think that maybe I wasn’t gone by choice?”

His yellow eyes are slitted at her, he didn’t believe her. If you didn’t know then why did you come back riding Apallon?

“Icarus… I truly didn’t abandon you. We were torn apart from each other; I didn’t know where I came from until last night.”

Icarus huffed but didn’t speak. He stood there silently, watching her as she washed off his spit. Who would tear us apart…? We’re family… He muttered softly and she could hear the heartbreak in his voice. He believed her at least. She came out of the pond, her bare feet hitting the muddy ground. His head was low enough to the ground that she could put her hand on his snout. He pushed against her, and she felt her mind being entered, he dug through her memories and a tiny push of her mind allowed her to see his.

He was tiny, and vulnerable as the elder man stared down at him. This was Velor, his eyes stared down at the dragon and snarled, looking down at him disdainfully. Icarus didn’t understand. Where was Atlas? It had been days since Kadyn had brought her to him, they were meant to bond.

“Chain it up,” Velor ordered and armored men came in with shiny iron chains. Icarus cried out and tried to claw against them as they held down the small gray Dragon and snapped the shackles around his neck and talons. “If Kadyn wants it alive, it won’t leave the Roost.” Velor turned sharply, his cloak flying behind him as he walked briskly away.

Atlas snapped her eyes open once again and stared into Icarus’s yellow eyes, she didn’t understand how it happened, but she knew why. They were bonded.

“Thanks for not eating me…” She whispered with a small, playful smile and he nudged against her.

You would’ve taken a day to digest, Death Champion, it wouldn’t have been worth it, he smiled back, and Atlas flinched against the name. She had almost forgotten. And now someone else knew what she was, she didn’t know if she had a choice not to believe it now.

“Atlas!” She heard Altair call for her and she was surprised it hadn’t taken them long. Icarus moved his head to face the Elf and Atlas grinned and ran towards him. He gasped to see her soaking and immediately took off his cloak and wrapped her up. “You humans are way too fragile for you to be running around soaked in Autumn!” He scolded her and Atlas laughed.

✧

One month later

Vale walked through the dark halls of the dungeon, following the guards as they escorted the prisoner. He was a dark man covered in red and Vale was afraid he was a Kestvan soldier and this was extremely criminal until she saw the glint of a snake pinned to his cloak. He had looked normal enough until she saw the snake, the visage of the normal man glinted away and there stood a man like autumn. Vale thought about running, their heart jumping to get away from the undead man but they stood their ground, jaw tightening and fists clenching as they marched behind the man and his armed escorts. They were the one of two so far who knew how to secure the door. And the monster was better behind them than some flimsy iron bars.

The air was stiff and dry down in the dungeon and it reminded Vale of the suffocation of Ravoryn, which was odd because before Aspyn, they wouldn’t have thought that their home city was suffocating. The Blood started whistling over the sound of footsteps and clinking of armor. Everyone tensed but didn’t dare make a sound to shut the Blood up as Vale imagined that the guards would usually do to any other prisoner. After a minute, the whistling turned into hisses and grunts and the guards backed away and hit the wall as the Blood’s body started to slick and morph.

He began to lengthen, his legs turning into a long whip, his arms forming with the rest of his body as he began to shed. His dead skin fell to the ground in flakes and underneath were shiny scales, slick and new. His mouth grew into mandibles that resembled a snake, his teeth falling to the ground as two fangs took their place and his tongue became thin and forked. His eyes bulged and reddened, his nostrils shaping into two small holes in the snout and there slithered a great, big serpent that looked into Vale’s eyes and Vale was reflected from them, shaking as they stumbled back onto the ground.

✧

Eden sat at her desk, going through papers and transactions with a headache and squinted black eyes. She had been looking at the same document for over thirty minutes, she was barely processing what she was reading as she anxiously waited for Vale to walk through her door. Eden knew that they wouldn’t turn down her offer, it was a thousand gold, and no one would turn that down. No one could.

A knock came from her door, and she stood immediately and organized her desk with quick hands before calling them in. Vale walked through, a guard bowing to Eden and closing the door behind her guest. Eden gestured with a smile for them to sit in front of her. As Vale sat, Eden took her seat.

“I am glad that you decided to take what I am offering you.”

“You neglected to introduce yourself, Lady Eden,” Vale didn’t smile back, instead frowning, causing Eden to lift her lips in amusement. “Nor how you knew who I was or how to replace me.”

Eden raised her brow and cleared her throat lightly. “I am paying you a thousand gold pieces for not only your work but for you to keep it from the minds of the people in this city.” Eden paused, squinting her eyes and looking them up and down. “Have you done that?”

“You like secrets,” Vale took a deep breath. “The only person who knows where I am is my brother, but he doesn’t know the details. And he knows when to keep his mouth shut.” Vale then looked Eden up and down before pulling the slip of paper they were given when they met the first time. “You want a security cell that is immune magic inside and out. You want it made of silver and iron. The list goes on and it only gets more expensive and complicated.” Vale scoffed as they got to the bottom of the list. “Oh, and I almost forgot, you want it done before the month’s end! This is a heavy order.”

“Will you, do it?” Eden smiled wide and dangerous, but Vale stared back, her eyes of ice and snow.

“No promises that it will be done by month’s end but the rest is easy,” Vale’s tone was strong and defiant, sending a shiver of excitement through Eden. She threw a bag on the table, the contents clinked together. Vale snatched it from the table like a hungry dog and opened it, their hand touching the gold contents inside.

“A token of faith. Let me know how many materials you need soon so I can get them here as soon as I can.” Eden watched as Vale nodded, muttering her thanks and promises before leaving the office.

Eden’s black eyes watched over the ballroom as she waited for the time for dinner to come. Velor insisted on throwing these extravagant parties, pouring gold into them like each one had to be better than the last. But Eden wasn’t focusing her frustrations on that this time, she was thinking about the transfer of the prisoner taking place in the dungeons. Vale was down there instead of Eden, they were the only ones with knowledge of how to work the door and Eden hated the thought of them down there instead of her. Because of this Vale knew a lot more than Eden was originally planning on sharing. She might have to pay the Ravoryn rat more than she was originally planning now.

Eden carefully scanned over the room once again, spotting the Elf, Altair, and Atlas, the newly discovered and infamous daughter of the King’s brother. Such a carefully covered-up secret that Eden hadn’t even heard a peep of rumor of it until she had arrived. Eden had seen the Elf and the Red Kestvan around the castle many times but had always been too busy to speak to either of them. It was a tragedy because Eden was monstrously curious about the strange pair.

And their other special guests were at the other end of the room, surrounded by curious nobility. Their golden skin shone under the light, the only clue at first to what they were. The next was the boy’s golden eyes. The only thing recorded about the Aureus was what they look liked and where they had disappeared too. Behind the mountains, Lethoris. It was rare to see Elves. You never saw the Golden-Eyed.

But Eden was still too busy to talk to them. She was on high alert for anything going wrong, whether or not it was a simple wine spillage from some clumsy nobles.

“Eden! Come here!” Velor drunkenly called and she hid her eyeroll. He was, predictably, already drunk, Kadyn by his side trying to calm him as usual while other nobles delighted in his behavior and musings, tipsy themselves. Eden put a smile on her face and clicked her heels over to the small group. She noticed that Velor’s wife was nowhere to be seen… lucky for her. “Eden here has been working on something extra special. Haven’t you, Lady Eden?”

Eden’s smile quickly fell, and she tensed her jaw, wanting to strangle the man. “Yes. But I’m afraid it is not for public knowledge quite yet… A work in progress still.” She looked at Kadyn, telling him with her eyes to shut the King up.

“Brother, you have had enough to drink-” Kadyn tried before Velor shushed him, handing him his cup.

“Get me some more, won’t you, brother?” He slurred, Eden wanted to scold him as if he was a child. Perhaps he was. What was wrong with him this time?

“My King, if I could perhaps go check on that project now-” Eden started, wanting to get away desperately. She hated having to be civil.

“Nonsense! Everything is taken care of, enjoy the party! Drink a little, let loose, Lady Eden!” He gave her suggestions as Kadyn walked away to fill his cup. Eden watched him as he filled it with water and she slightly smiled when he handed it back. The King drank the clear liquid and gasped in satisfaction when he pulled it away from his lips.

Eden shook her head and as the King was drawn into the conversation, she made her quiet escape towards the glass doors that led to the gardens. She stood there for a minute before she took a step towards the exit, tired of waiting for news.

As she took one step forward the glass door behind her shattered and she fell to the ground with the glass, rolling in it and earning a few in her skin. She coughed and her body shook, her eyes closed shut as her heart pounded against her chest and her ears filled with the sound. It was a second before the sound of screaming came through and when she opened her eyes and groaned, someone sat on her chest, pressing a knife to her throat and she was staring up at a dead man.

His rotted teeth smiled at her, staring her down and his drool dripped onto her face. “Ugh,” Eden groaned as it slowly slid down her face. He pressed her into the shards of glass and she felt them prick and warm blood slowly dripped onto the ground. She seethed and struggled underneath him despite the other sharp object pressing into her throat. The man pressed down on her ribs, putting all his dead weight on her, making it harder for her to breathe. She gasped and squirmed, he leaned down and his decaying breath overwhelmed her sense of smell as he spoke. “Stop moving.” He ordered and the knife drew blood from her neck.

“Halynd! Let her breathe!” Another blood ordered at the man and he groaned, rolling his eyes as he lifted some of his weight off of her ribs. Eden took in deep breaths, never taking her hateful eyes off the man’s dead, white ones and he smiled, delighted by her determination to get under his skin through the cracks.