Chapter 2
The gentle rays of the morning sun shone brightly through the giant-colored glass windows. Inside the lair, Alistair yawned and stretched his wings. He lazily opened one eye to peer around his room. Noticing he was alone, he rose to his hindquarters and scratched his itchy belly. His obsidian scales glistened in the light from the previous night's oiling. He snorted, a puff of smoke escaping his nose, while he gathered his waking thoughts.
Suddenly feeling restless, he stood and padded over to his doorway. He was greeted by his personal human attendant, Deidre. Deidre was a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes. Her no-nonsense gaze often struck fear in the hearts of misbehaving dragon fledglings and children alike. He wouldn't trade her for the world. She'd been with him since he first emerged from his egg.
"Good morning, Your Highness."
"Good morning, Deidre. Anything new today?" The echo of Alistair's rumbling words shook the floor.
Deidre wasn't fazed. She glanced up at him. "No. You have your usual round of meetings with the nobles. Also, your sister wishes to have breakfast with you."
He lowered his head and gently blew his warm breath on her. She chuckled and patted his snout.
"I swear, you still act like such a fledgling, Your Highness."
He chuckled, the booming sound loud in his large, cavernous room. He grunted as he shook his wings before folding them behind his back. The news that his older sister was looking for him annoyed him. She was two years older than him and bossy. He couldn't imagine what she could possibly want this early in the morning.
Alistair headed for the dining room, shifting into his human form. He entered and saw his sister, Princess Wynter, already at the table. None of the other family members were around. Most were likely still in bed. He and Wynter were early risers.
"You called?" he asked, not bothering to hide his irritation at the summons.
"And good morning to you, too, little brother."
He scowled at her disapproving tone and expression. What had her tail in a snit? The sun hadn't been that long in the sky and she was already in some kind of mood. He resisted the urge to sigh. It would only bring her ire down on his head. He opted for politeness instead.
"Did you need something, sister?"
"Father wants you to take a patrol and check the Wastelands. We received intel that something is amiss there."
"Amiss? As in…," he prodded. Sometimes getting information out of Wynter was as taxing as dealing with the nobles.
"The rebels."
Her simple reply confused him before he processed what she'd said.
"Hmm? Haven't they been quiet the past few years?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean they haven't been busy cooking up schemes to overthrow us."
"True. I'll take my knights and do a sweep. Anything else?"
"Be careful, little brother. Trust no one you find. We must root out the rebels and end them. They should get over their delusion of past glory days when humans were the apex predators in the land. They are nothing more than fodder to do our bidding. They need to learn their place," growled Wynter with a bang of her fist on the table.
Alistair nodded and left the room. As soon as he arrived at the training grounds, he was greeted by Brayden, the captain of his personal knight brigade.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Brayden bowed low, his deep bass voice vibrating the air as he spoke.
"Brayden, how goes it?"
"The new recruits are doing well."
Alistair laughed at Brayden's begrudging tone. He was a hard to please man and gave praise sparingly. The newest recruits must be a talented lot this time around. That was good news for Alistair. His knights earned their title of the best knight group in the western lands.
"We have a mission. Gather those you trust. We leave in thirty minutes."
"If I may be so bold as to ask, where are we going?"
He didn't take offense at Brayden's question. A well-informed knight was one who lived a long life.
"To the Wastelands. There are reports of rebel movement there."
Brayden's disgusted growl amused Alistair.
"Rebels, huh? How many vermin are we exterminating today?"
"Not sure. Caution is paramount. This is more of a scouting mission. We'll plan accordingly based on what we find."
"Understood, Your Highness. See you in thirty." Brayden bowed once more before walking away, shouting orders at the nearby knights.
Satisfied with his preparation, Alistair returned to his room. Deidre was inside cleaning. She promptly set her broom aside and waited for his orders.
"Deidre, I need my battle armor."
Quickly, she went into the side room and returned with his armor. The armor's colors of violet, turquoise, and white proclaimed his knight group's status. He stripped off his everyday wear and donned his armor with Deidre's help. The armor was enchanted and would withstand the change of his shift to dragon form.
He went to his weapons case in the far left corner of the room and snagged his longsword and his short sword. Alistair was a dual-blade wielder, a fact he took great pride in. He was lethal with most blades and had high proficiency in a variety of other weaponry. He was his parents' youngest fledgling, a fact his older siblings liked to tease him for.
He didn't mind. His parents gave him more leeway than the others. He enjoyed that freedom and indulged in whatever struck his fancy. He smirked and checked his reflection, pleased with his armor. He saw Deidre smother a laugh at his preening.
"I look good, don't I?" he teased her.
She gave him a thumbs-up. "You always look handsome, Your Highness. That's why all the unmated females swoon at your passing."
He frowned at the mention of the infatuated, unmated female dragons who had been hounding him of late to take a tumble with them. Alistair wasn't a prude by any means, but he did have standards. He wasn't about to hop into bed with just any female. He wanted to wait for his fated other half that the Dragon God Pyre had blessed him with.
He knew that she wasn't within the immediate boundaries of the realm. His instincts were never wrong. Soon, he would have to go on a hunt to find her. Now, however, was not the time to worry about that.
"They will have to find someone else to swoon over. I'm a little busy obeying Father's orders."
"True. I wish you luck on your hunt, Your Highness."
"Thank you, Deidre. If I'm successful, I'll grab you some sweetmeats from the market on my return."
"You sure do spoil an old lady," she joked as she bowed again, stepping aside so he could leave.
"Yes, I do, and don't you forget," he said with a laugh and a wave.
He met Brayden and the fifteen knights he'd chosen at the entrance of the castle gates. Alistair eyed them critically for several minutes. Pleased with what he saw, he shifted and bugled loudly. Brayden and the accompanying knights followed his lead.
Alistair bunched his legs beneath him and launched himself into the sky. Brayden and the knights joined him as he turned east and flew toward the Wastelands.