Chapter 1

 “I FORBID YOU TO SEE HIM AGAIN!”

“Hache, please, she’s only a child. She doesn’t know the laws.”

The little girl, who the anger was directed at, stood there, holding a stuffed dragon in her arms, her long talons almost piercing the fabric in fear of her father. Her scaly black wings were folded and pressed tightly to her body and her tail curled around her legs. She looked up at her father with gold-flecked scarlet eyes and he returned the look with a fierce gold-green one. Her father, Hache Lucretia, was the Lord of the Dragon Dimension and Ruler of all the Dimensional World. His lover, Astarte Oscura, grabbed onto his arm and placed her other hand on his face, making him look down at her and not their child.

“Please darling. She doesn’t know what she’s done. At least explain it.”

At first he tried to protest, but the grip on his arm tightened and he finally growled out, “Fine.” Sighing and sitting on his throne once again, after having leapt out of it in his explosion of anger before like a raging bull, he calmly steepled his fingers and rested his nails to his chin. “Talyn, come here.” He patted his leg and the girl started to move, tripping over the tail that was still wrapped around her legs. Tears burning in her eyes, she stepped up to the throne and Hache lifted his daughter into his lap. “My little innocent Half-child. I should have told you the laws. I am deeply sorry I yelled at you. I just cannot allow your friendship with the Green Dragon.”

“But Soverin’s really nice to me Papa,” Talyn said, oozing off the innocence of a very young child. Being only 35 in human years, she was at most 9 in a demon’s. “Why can’t I be friends with him?”

“It’s against the Dragons’ Laws child. Mastiphal’s wrath child, do you really want me to disgrace our elder’s name by breaking the rules?”

Talyn vigorously shook her head, her long red tipped black hair smacking her in the face. “No Papa, I don’t want that. But why does Elder Acham want the clans separate if you rule them all?”

Hache struggled to find the words to tell her. He didn’t want to tell her the real reason of a prophecy foretold of her and a member of the Green Dragon clan. “I can’t find the words to tell you that you would understand my darling. When you are older, you may understand the reason for keeping the breeds separate.”

Astarte opened her mouth and then shut it again. She knew just as well of the prophecy, so instead, she just nodded. Although, being a fire elemental with no dragon in her bloodstream at all, she really had no say to begin with.

“Will you promise me that you’ll never see that child again my Halfling?

Talyn seemed really disappointed and she muttered a reluctant, “Yes Father.”

“Good girl. Now off to bed.”

Talyn slid off his lap and ran out of the throne room, closing the doors with a click behind her.

Hache let out an explosive sigh and put a hand to his head, his long talons entwined in his waist-long black hair. Astarte went behind his chair and put her arms around his neck. “Darling, what are we going to do? She’s growing up too fast to stop the prophecy. She’s going to find that child eventually and He’s going to wake again.”

“Can’t we get rid of him with force?”

Hache pulled his hand away from his head and started grinning. He got up with a leap, scaring Astarte. He hugged her and twirled her around. “Love, you’re a genius! We’ll exile him! Send him far away from the Doragon Dimension! That way Talyn can never find him and fulfill the prophecy!” He gave her a hard kiss on the forehead and took her hands, pulling away. She had a small, sad smile on her face. “What’s wrong? You know what the prophecy said they both would turn into.”

“I know as well as you, but it just doesn’t seem right. We’re crushing our daughter by not telling her why she can’t keep him as a friend! Look how much happier she’s been the past week. No one in the Black Dragon clan accepts her for being half fire instead of all dragon. They see her as only a half-breed.” Tears shined on her face. “Do you know how hard it’s been, watching from the palace windows as the kids her age all crowd around her, taking turns in pushing her, taunting her, beating her. All because she has half of something else flowing in her veins! It tears at my heart Hache! I don’t want to see her like that anymore. I watch it all happen before my eyes, knowing that I’ve caused her pain by being fire born and not dragon born.” She held on to his shoulders and buried her face in his chest. “Do you know how painful it is to watch it all happening, knowing I have absolutely no right to say or do anything to stop it? Knowing that if we don’t stop it at the same time, that boy would be able to unlock the very being we all fear the most.”

Hache cupped her face in his hands and kissed her eyes. “I’ll give her private lessons in fighting so no one can hurt her again. Darling, she’ll be the best fighter in the whole world under my command. You won’t have to watch her suffer any more. Don’t blame her heritage on you. Just because she’s not a full dragon, it doesn’t mean her powers are any less. In fact, since she’s got the fire in her, she’s got even double the power. Don’t be ashamed for that. Come; let’s go to bed. The exile will take place tomorrow.”

 

 

Astarte wiped at her eyes and nodded as he slipped his arm around her waist as they walked out of the room with Hache flapping his wings once to send a gust through the room and extinguishing the candlelight before closing the door.