114 Family Meeting

Xinglong cocked his eyebrow at his father.

"So now you decide to return?" he said sardonically.

"No need to be cocky, sonny boy," Laolong admonished.

Loalong turned to face Lanhuo.

"Why on earth are you here, father. Surely you must have realized your presence would set off those cut-throats?"

"Hmpf, as if those old bastards scare me," Lanhuo barked, outraged at his son insinuation.

"Oh! And just what were you going to tell them if we didn't arrive?" Loalong inquired.

Grinning cheekily Lanhuo said: "I would have told them I was waiting for you."

Shaking his head at his father audacity. "One day your confidence is going to bite you in your arse, old man," Loalong warned.

"Ah please, if that younging," he said pointing to Xinglong "could have felt her magic, then there was no way you and Yulong could have missed it."

Ah, seriously this old man of his, Loalong growled to himself, he will never admit he is wrong.

"Xinglong, have you summoned your brothers and sisters?" Yulong asked, changing the topic, after years of experience she knew if she didn't intervene her father-in-law and husband would degenerate into bickering like children.

Cringing Xinglong mumbled: "Not yet, Mother. But surely we don't need them?"

"Xinglong!" Loalong roared. "This is too important to let sibling rivalry interfere."

Sibling rivalry, my ass. Xinglong thought. You are not that one that has to put up with those troublemaking brats.

Seeing the focussed look on his mother's face, Xinglong suspected that she must be summoning his brothers and sisters. Not even a minute later his suspicions were confirmed.

"They on their way," Yulong said, looking around at the throne room, she moved in the direction of a small door to the right.

"This is no place for a family meeting, let us move this conversation to the family quarters."

The dragon place was huge. Generations of dragons had spent their lifetimes adding to the splendor of the royal palace.

Most of the palace had no doors, just huge archway built into the sparkling white crystal walls. The flagstone floors were made out of exotic blue stone imported from the Elven domain. From the distance, the dragon palace seemed to grow right out of the ground like a glacier and it reflected the light like many shards of glass in the sun.

Luxury tapestries depicting various scenes from the dragon's long history hung on the walls. Chandeliers of glow stones hung from the ceilings. Hidden within the palace were small marble fountains and manured gardens, adding a sense of delight to this awe-inspiring building.

The family quarters were placed well away from the general palace, and only shadow dragons were allowed access to this area. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, this sprawling courtyard was filled with shadow dragons and dragonesses, the screaming laughter of wyrmlings use to fill the air.

But now less than a hundred shadow dragons remained and only a handful of wyrmlings played quietly under the careful watch of their nannies and guards.

Sadly it wasn't just the shadow dragons who's courtyards were empty, every dragon sect was the same. Between the inter-race wars and the Zartonesh wars their numbers had been depleted, and with no new queens, their fertility had dropped. Anyone looking at these empty courtyards could see that the dragon race was dying.

Every time Lanhuo saw this empty courtyard his heart clenched, it was one of the main reasons he and his mate lived secluded on their own mountain. He couldn't bear being reminded day in and day out that his race was dying, and that he was helpless to do anything about it.

But now that a silver queen walked among them, there was hope. With her, they would be able to revive all the dragon sects and she would bring back fertility to their dying race.

Just the thought of the great dragon nests being used again, and filled with precious eggs was enough to make his throat and chest tighten.

Entering the family sitting room,Xinglong two brothers and two sisters were waiting for them. The girls immediately screamed in delight seeing their parents, causing Xinglong to cringe. It took a while for everyone to calm down.

Yulong looked at her five children, unlike most dragonesses, she had been blessed having five hatchlings. Even if most of the dragonesses had five or six eggs, they were extremely lucky if even one hatched.

It was one of the main reasons most of the dragonesses hated her, as all her eggs had hatched, and her wyrmlings were all healthy.

Besides Xinglong the younger four were typical shadow dragons, the had dark grey scales, with metallic blue head plates and silver horns indicated their silver dragon blood.

Only Xinglong showed his combined bloodline, his dark grey scales with edged with metallic blue, with faint hues of turquoise and green. His eyes burned a fiery orange, and he had a streak of red across his snout. Two large silver horns grace his handsome face.

Shadow dragons were despised by other dragons as unlike them, they were mix blood or as the other dragons like to call them half-breeds. Their race had been specifically created by the ancient queens as guardians. Unlike other dragons, they had multiple elemental abilities.

Yulong personally thought it was their multiple facetted magic that the other dragons hated and were envious about.

The only reason that the dragons had elected them to rule, was due to them having silver dragon blood. After the silver dragons fell, war broke out between the different dragon sects, every sect wanted to rule the dragon realm.

After nearly a thousand years, to save their race, the dragon elders of the sects decided to elect the shadow dragon elder as the leader of the dragons. This was mainly due to shadow dragons having no affiliation with any of the other sects, they had always been removed from the political infighting, and shadow dragons were the only race with some silver dragon blood running through their veins.

While the dragon elders would pretend to be civil and respectful in public Yulong knew deep within their hearts they despised and looked down on the shadow dragon sect.

"So Mother why have you summoned us?" Yinglong [1] asked, interrupting Yulong musing.

Hearing her youngest daughter question, Yulong turned to look at her.

"Did any of you feel anything strange earlier?" Yulong asked instead of answering her daughter's question.

The four young dragons looked at each other, then all of them nodded.

"There was some weird kind of magic, it made me feel strange. It was I don't know how to describe it," Xingteng [2], Yinglong elder sister said.

"Familiar," Yinglong interrupted.

"Yes that's it,"Xingteng exclaimed.

Huifu [3] and Hulong [4], Xinglong young brothers nodded their heads in agreement with their sisters.

Smiling in delight Yulong said: "That's great!"

She had been worried that only Xinglong silver dragon blood had awakened, but now knowing that her younger four had also felt the queen's magic she was thrilled. Her family had truly been blessed that all of them had felt the magic and that their silver dragon blood was awakening.

In the next few days her husband would have to check with the other shadow dragons as see who else had felt the magic, but right now they had more important matters to take care off.

Yulong wasn't worried about the other shadow dragons talking about the magic they had felt as, besides her family, all the other shadow dragons kept to themselves, they had no interest in interacting with the other sects.

Seeing her eldest brother and her father looking serious. Yinglong felt a little bit nervous it wasn't her father to be so serious, her brother well he always looked like that.

"Mother, Father, what is happening? Why have you two returned and why is Grandfather here?"

It was her Grandfather's presence that really worried Yinglong, she couldn't remember that last time he had personally come to visit them at the palace.

Yulong smiled at her daughter nervous expression.

"Ah Yinglong, it's not bad news. If anything it is a miracle."

The four young dragons looked at their mother's smiling face, then turning their heads they looked at their grandfather. At his huge grin, the weight in their stomach disappear, if their grandfather was smiling then it must be good news.

"So tell us already, what is the good news," Huifu demanded.

"Yes Mother, what is the good news," Hulong echoed his brother.

--

Notes

[1] Yinglong – Eagle Dragon.

[2] Xingteng – Star Flying Dragon

[3] Huifu – Grey Belly

[4] Hulong – Fox Dragon

Quote of the day

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." -Margaret Mead