Page 9 of Scalebound

“I traveled to Elenar,” she said as she pursed her lips. “We made a trade with their city. Our seeds for gold.” I nodded in reply, delicately placing the gold necklace on the shelf next to an empty jar.

We were known for our seeds, greenery, fruits, and vegetables. We often made trades with neighboring cities throughout the kingdom.

A sigh escaped my lips as I reclined on my bed; Cora jumped on the plush sheets, joining my side. “Cora, tell me more. Whatis Elenar like?” I couldn’t contain my curiosity as she went from city to city, wanting to know everything in detail as if I were there alongside her. It muffled the longing I felt.

“Elenar was very glamorous. They are a high-end city. Some of their large towers and buildings were made of straight gold! Their jewelry there was breathtaking. They had so many small shops along the streets with everything you could imagine made from gold! I wanted to buy more items, but they were too heavy to return!”

“And you went by horse, I presume?”

“Yes,” she exclaimed.

“And you had safe travels? No robbers?” I was always worried when she left. Robbers in the area had become more and more prominent. It was almost as if they were looking for something, but we couldn’t figure out what. They would take apart the carriages and everything the king’s men brought for traveling but wouldn’t take anything.

“Yes. No robbers this time.” She paused after saying those words. However, something felt off. She was biting her lip and wouldn’t make eye contact with me, which was very unlike her.

“Cora, is something wrong?” I knew something was wrong as I observed the furrow in her brow and the quiver in her voice. Her usual upbeat demeanor was replaced with a curt one. Something beyond being the anniversary of her parent’s deaths. What could’ve happened on the trip?

She paused, not wanting to respond. Anxiety started to rise in my spine. I had never seen Cora like this. “Something is happening throughout the kingdom. Queen or not, you should be aware.”

I could feel my body tense up and freeze in place. “What do you mean? What’s happening?” I quickly asked, moving closer to her.

“Have you heard of the Deathlies?”

I wracked my brain to think of what the Deathlies could be, but nothing came to mind. “No, I don’t believe so.”

She anxiously stood up and started to pace around the room. It made me even more antsy for her to explain whatever the Deathlies were. Usually, the roles were swapped, and Cora asked me for answers about different creatures throughout the land. Surprisingly enough, I had never heard of these.

“They are plagued monsters and carry disease. They fly and are similar to dragons, but a lot smaller. They are called Deathlies for a reason, as they look like death itself,” she said, still pacing, her hands covering her face with fear. My heartbeat quickened, pounding against the cage that contained it.

“Did you see them?” I questioned.

“No,” she continued, “but I saw their effects, and it’s not pretty.”

“Tell me about the effects.”

“They have been killing off all the crops and spreading their disease like poison. I passed through and saw Leveland…” her words drew out breathlessly, scared to push through her sentence. “The city was completely blackened. The crops were all dead, and people were dying. Very few escaped. Luckily, we were on the outskirts and had just seen it. They said that if you touched even the blackened ground, you would be infected with their disease.” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, securing the truth in her words. A lump formed in her throat. “Aurelia, so many people died. And it’s spreading. Your father is worried that it will make its way here.” Her face contorted with fear, tears dripping down her cheeks.

I didn’t know what to think. Deathlies? Disease? Plague? Famine? It all sounded suspiciously horrible. Where did these creatures come from? Why the Clandike Kingdom? Something wasn’t adding up or making any sense. If tears weren’t leakingfrom Cora’s face, I would’ve thought she was joking with me as if it were some sick prank. But it wasn’t. This was real.

“How do you kill them?” I asked urgently, hoping that there was an answer to this question, and that there was something that we could do. My eyes watched her tense.

“We don’t know,” Cora said, all hope drained from her voice.

There was a pause between us. We both were processing what Cora had witnessed and what it meant for the Clandike Kingdom. The Deathlies sounded as though they could single-handedly kill off the entire kingdom–my kingdom. This couldn’t happen. I wouldn’t let this happen.

It wasn’t even a kingdom I was Queen over, yet I felt responsible for everyone’s safety. The dream of becoming Queen and being the safety net for the people flashed to my mind. I wanted to prove that I was worthy of being heir to the throne. I could save a kingdom. A Scaleborne could save the kingdom.

It must’ve been a few minutes of silence with both of us in thought until Cora broke it. “I got to go to report to the king.” She started to stand up from my bed, as duty, and responsibility took control of her actions. She gave me one last hug and then began to head down the stairs.

“Cora,” I called to her. Her purple ponytail slung off her shoulder as she stopped and turned.

“I want to help. With the Deathlies,” I stated. “Tell me if there’s anything I can do,” I added with a smile.

She nodded and went down the stone steps to the castle, about to tell my father of her journey–a luxury I couldn’t help but envy.

Chapter seven

DAMIAN

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