The Last Battle: Part 6, Draft 1

This is, again, half a section. It's starting to drive me nuts and I haven't posted anything in a while, so up it goes. Hopefully starting the next part with a clean slate (to a degree) will help me feel more inspired and less disenchanted and blocked. I want to have a short conversation between Brenn and Kata, a brief moment of connection. But I honestly have no idea what they would talk about.

Comments welcome, as usual.


The Great Feast ran long into the night, so Kata had no trouble sleeping once she finally turned in. After the Feast, there were a few uneventful days to allow the knights time to recover before the Sending. As a rule, knights who had helped prepare for the Feast did not assist with the cleanup, but Kata would still pitch in from time to time. Her need to be busy seemed less desperate now that the Great Feast had passed. Whenever she felt anticipation for the Sending start to build, she just went out riding for a while. Besides, she didn't have much longer to wait.

It was the evening before the Sending when Kata had a visit from Cinnet. Kata had long felt that Cinnet did not like her, though she was never sure why. Of course, Cinnet was never known for being warm and friendly. Still, Kata felt he seemed especially irritable when his business required him to deal with her.

"Her Majesty," Cinnet began, reading from a scroll he had probably written only minutes ago, "wishes your presence for the Welcoming of the Dragon prior to the Sending of the Knights. Your response is requested upon receipt of this invitation."

Cinnet looked up from the scroll expectantly.

"Tell Her Majesty that I would be happy to attend," Kata answered. Cinnet gave a curt nod and returned to the scroll.

"The Welcoming of the Dragon shall take place at the second bell after sunrise on the palace grounds behind the western tower. Formal attire or armor is required. Please review and observe all standard rules of conduct for interactions with a dragon."

Cinnet quickly rolled the scroll back up and snapped a ribbon around it before handing it to Kata.

"And don't be late!" he added. He turned his back to her and left the knight's quarters.

Kata just smiled as he left. There were times when Cinnet's attitude bothered her, but his surliness couldn't darken her mood now. Though she still awaited the Sending eagerly, being present to welcome the dragon for the ceremony was a great honor and very exciting in its own right. Kata checked with the armory smiths to make certain her armor would be ready first thing in the morning. Once that was settled, she retired early with thoughts of flying dragons and riding to the border swirling in her head.


Kata was delighted to see that Cinnet hadn't even arrived when she reached the back of the western tower. Only Cyra was there already. She was engrossed in scanning the skies above and didn't even notice Kata until she was quite close.

"Sorry," Cyra said as she greeted her friend. "I get kind of single minded when a dragon's coming."

"Do you know who it's going to be?" asked Kata. Cyra shook her head.

"They surprise me. It's usually someone I've met before, but sometimes it isn't."

"Who else is going to be joining us?"

"Well, Cinnet, of course. Sir Argonios will be represent the Knights' Council. And the Suto Teg priest will be here. This one just arrived, so I doubt you've met him."

Kata had not, though it didn't surprise that a Suto Teg priest would be in attendance. The Suto Teg were commonly thought of as "dragon worshippers", though Kata had been told that was oversimplifying things. Their faith held that dragons were the highest form of life and unknowing representatives of the divine powers. They also held Cyra in high regard beyond her status as queen, claiming that she was the reincarnation of no less than nine dragons. Suto Teg was often guessed to be the faith that Cyra herself followed, though Cyra had never publicly said anything to confirm or deny it. Officially, all religions were held in equal favor and Cyra kept a representative from each at the palace. Personally, Kata had her doubts about Cyra being a Suto Teg follower. She didn't think the queen was the type to follow a religion that looked on creatures she considered friends and family as saints.

The tower door creaked open and Cinnet bustled out. He held the door open as Sir Argonios and the Suto Teg priest came through. Sir Argonios came down the tower stairs first, followed by the priest with Cinnet and a armload of scrolls bringing up the rear.

Sir Argonios was one of the Southverden beastmen. In many other countries, they would have divided themselves into various subspecies: wolfmen and minotaurs and the like. But the beastmen of Sathyriel didn't make much of such distinctions, so very few of them looked like any one animal. Argonios had a face that suggested a canine ancestry. He was tall and lanky and moved with the easy grace most beastmen seemed to posses. Kata noted that he had chosen formal attire over full armor; a wise choice since council members did not leave at the Sending. He soon reached the spot where Cyra and Kata stood awaiting the dragon's arrival. He saluted Kata, who did the same for him. To Cyra, he lifted his head so he looked up towards the sky, then bowed in a deep salute. Kata had been told the first gesture was a sign of respect and trust, displaying the unprotected throat to a superior.

The priest came hurrying along in Argonios's wake. He was young; probably;y no older than Kata. He looked like most of the priests of his order: mottled blue robes, long hair tied back, bare feet. He was looking up at the sky as he came towards them and he tripped more than once. He was clearly excited and perhaps a little nervous. Even at the castle, with the dragon's home so nearby, a visiting dragon was not an everyday occurrence. As the resident Suto Teg priest, he would be responsible for recording the event and representing the faith to the dragon. He bowed before Cyra, elbows bent and fingers splayed. Cyra nodded in acknowledgement. The priest turned back to the skies, scanning for any sign of movement.

Cinnet arrived last, eyeing the assembled group suspiciously for anything improper. When he had decided that everything was up to his standards, he pulled a quill and a fresh scroll from his bag to start the official record of the dragon's arrival. They all talked a little about the upcoming sending and goings-on around the castle. Mostly, though, they looked up at the morning sky.

"There!" the Suto Teg priest cried suddenly. He pointed up and away from the castle, roughly in the direction of Mount Kel. Cyra took a step forward, squinting up at the sky where the priest pointed. Kata kept glancing at the sky, then Cyra, then back again, hoping for either confirmation from the queen or to see what had caught the priest's attention. At last, she caught sight of it. At first, it was almost nothing, an impossibly tiny dot in the sky. As it came a little closer, Kata could make out its dark blue coloring, more visible against the white cloud than the sky itself. The tiny speck grew larger and Kata could start to make out the long, slender shape and the arcing wings. Faster and faster it came closer in a wide circle around the castle grounds.

Kata snuck a quick look at Cyra again. The queen was grinning up at the approaching dragon with all the excitement of the Suto Teg priest and none of the nervousness.

"Is it someone you know?" Kata asked.

Cyra nodded vigorously. "It's my brother!"

The dragon was now almost directly overhead, though still high above them. He soared effortlessly above the high tower and out towards the field. Cyra, her face bright with joy, broke suddenly into a run and took off after the dragon. As he neared the end of the field, the dragon turned sharply, dropping closer to the ground as he did. He let out a long, thunderous roar that rose suddenly into a short high trill. Cyra answered the call with something that sounded remarkably similar, though much softer. The dragon skimmed low over the field as Cyra rushed to meet him. As she watched them speed towards each other, Kata grew a little nervous. The dragon seemed to be slowing his approach a little, but maybe not enough. Kata doubted the dragon intended to hurt Cyra, but might he accidentally crash into her?

The dragon's wings spread wide as Cyra bounded towards him. Without fully stopping, he caught the queen between his massive forepaws. Carrying Cyra, he flew up a short distance, then fell backwards, landing on his back with Cyra cradled safely on his stomach.

Argonios laughed aloud and Kata hid a small chuckle. The Suto Teg priest stared at the pair in wonder, scribbled rapid notes on his scroll, then stared again. Cinnet looked ill and turned a very pale color as the dragon began playfully tossing Cyra up into the air. He slowly began to write something, then crossed it out. He repeated this several times before putting the quill away to massage his forehead.

Cyra slid off her dragon brother's stomach and back to the ground. He carefully righted himself and crouched down so Cyra could climb onto his back. Once she managed to scramble up, he rose and began walking slowly towards the small audience.

Kata watched the two so closely that she was a little startled when Argonios tapped her one the arm. He had knelt down next to her, bringing his great height closer to her level.

"She really does look like one of them," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Argonios waved a paw towards queen and dragon.

"Well, looks at them. Their faces."

It took a moment longer for Kata to see what Argonios's shap eyes had already spotted. The dragon's lips were pulled back from his teeth and his tongue hung out slightly, a sign of happy weariness from his exuberant greeting. Kata looked up to where Cyra was sitting and saw almost the same face, exposed teeth and panting tongue.

"You're right," Kata said after a while. It made sense of course. Cyra would have picked up dragon mannerisms before she learned human ones. But it wasn't something Kata would have though of if she hadn't seen it. Strange, that this panting grimace might seem more natural to the queen than a questioning raised eyebrow or other more human expressions.

The dragon strode closer and Kata could hear Cyra conversing with her brother. Kata had tried on occasion to learn Rannak, the language of deep growls that served as a bridge of communication with the dragons. It was not easy; the Suto Teg themselves would spend decades learning its subtleties. For Cyra, of course, it came quite naturally. Kata wondered to herself whether Cyra's thoughts were in human or dragon tongue.

Cyra slid easily off of the dragon's back and returned to the ground. It seemed like a long distance to jump, but Kata imagined the queen was well practiced at it. She remained close to her brother, one hand resting on his right foreleg.

"This is my brother, Brenn," Cyra announced. Kata and the others bowed and saluted. The Suto Teg priest performed the same respectful gesture he had for Cyra.

Cyra and Brenn both turned to Sir Argonios and Cyra growled out what was likely an introduction of the knight. Argonios bowed again. Brenn lowered his head and puffed heated air from both of his nostrils. Cyra had once explained to Kata that this was a respectful greeting among dragons. Argonios looked a little surprised at having his fur ruffled by warm dragon breath, but he kept his composure like a good knight.