Zorander, Drayce and Cloven sat in the den all with drinks in their hands waiting for Artemis to join them, the need for speaking was no longer necessary, not after what they had just heard and read.
The vid screen still had the letter from Alistair Tempest floating above them, and Drayce growled deep in his chest, disgusted with the prospect of battle again. They had named the last skirmish a few weeks ago The Siege of New Hope. This time it appeared it would be dubbed: The Battle of the Bloodthirsty.
Artemis pounded his fist against the door, the loud thud unmistakable. Not waiting for a polite plea to enter, his large body filled the doorway before shutting it with a loud slam.
“What in the name of the Goddess Gem is so fucking important that I had to be roused from my bed at this infernal time?” His eyebrows furrowed and he looked at all the men. “And why the fuck are you all drinking before noon? Shit, did…did someone die?” He sat down quickly, his face becoming very somber.
Cloven laughed, “How old have you become Art? There was a time when you drank basilisk from the ice compartment by your bed before your feet hit the floor.”
“That was a long time ago, asshole. Now, tell me what’s going on?
Zorander cleared his throat and said to his son, “Shut it, Cloven.” Drayce swore his father said that daily. “We’ve received a communication from Alistair Tempest. And, let’s just say, it’s not good.”
Tapping the vid screen, he enlarged the letter so it could be seen across the room.
They all read it in silence again and then watched Artemis for his reaction.
“He did what?” Leaning forward, he squinted studying the letter quietly, obviously re-reading the passage that upset them all. “He stole eggs from Sapphron and sperm from Azure and with a serum that they’ve invented to recreate life in quarter time, they already have baby dragons? Is that what I’m reading?”
“Yes, sadly. That’s exactly what you’re reading.” Cloven swirled the amber liquid in his glass, the firm set of his jaw noting that the normally jovial man had become righteously angry with the King of Zelora.
“Alistair is saying that he anticipates battle within a couple of months. How can that be, did I miss something on the missive?” Artemis looked at Drayce.
“It seems that he has a growth hormone that they’ve been developing that increases the growth rate of animals or humans, eight times faster than the normal patterns of growth, which means they’ll be more than ready for battle, especially since they’re full grown already, and they’ll be training them for war.” Drayce couldn’t believe that they had the technology to do this, how had their planet bypassed them so quickly with these inventions?
“Fuck! What are we going to do? We can’t let this continue; we must stop them.”
Zorander stood, walking around his desk to rest his hip on edge. “I know, that’s my thought too. We’re calling the next campaign The Battle of the Bloodthirsty.
“We cannot delay. They’re not cautious and discriminate; they’ll raise vicious dragons and seek to overcome other planets as well. It must be stopped.”
“I hate to be the harbinger of bad news or one to cause trouble,” Cloven spoke up, and all of them rolled their eyes in response. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Cloven dared to look offended, but he continued. “Are we telling the women, and are either of them going to be part of the battle?”
All eyes turned to Drayce and Artemis.
Artemis spoke up first, “If we tell them, and I think we need to, it should be done with the two of them together. They were both raised in that family, they’re identical twins, for Alphea’s sake, they need to deal with this together.”
Drayce nodded. “I agree. As for Thistle, she isn’t a Warlord or a Commander, she isn’t battle-worthy, and I don’t see Artemis dealing well with her in the midst of on either.”
“Shit! You’re right about that, my friend.”
“As for Satin, I don’t see how I can keep her off the battlefield. I’d have to tie her to a tree somewhere, and even then, I’m not sure she wouldn’t escape, causing havoc without my direction. I’d rather she be by my side, and under my thumb where I can protect her and guide her.”
Zorander responded, “I agree, Drayce, she wouldn’t be able to stay out of the skies, and Azure would want her there as well.”
“Let’s be real here. Drayce wants her close by so he can paddle her ass when she gets out of line; he’s not happy unless she’s in his line of vision at all times.” Dramatically looking around the room, Cloven gripped his chest in shock. “Speaking of which, where is she. Are you ill, brother? Do you need one of the servants to fetch her for you, you must feel faint with the distance.”
“Fuck off, Cloven.”
“Cloven, shut it!” Zorander’s face turned red, a vein popping on his forehead. “I think we’ve discussed all we can at this point. You two need to address this issue with your women. Cloven and I will leave and get some breakfast while the two of you start your day. I’ll have Gossamer inform the women to meet you here in my den.”
Wrapping his hand around the back of Cloven’s neck, he dragged his grown son out of the room, admonishing him in hushed tones.
Artemis shook his head. “I can’t believe this man would do this. What is he thinking, doesn’t he understand that both of his daughters are here on this planet, that he’s risking their very lives by attacking? Doesn’t he care?”
Drayce swallowed the rest of his drink, setting the tumbler down on the table. “I’d like to think that all fathers care, and only have the best interests of their daughters in mind. But I’ve seen way too many instances of fathers not caring at all, having more concern for their self-centered narcissistic wishes, not giving any thought or concern at all to the danger he may inflict on his offspring. I’ve seen Alistair do this several times, it’s not a mistake, my friend. He doesn’t seem to worry about anything but his needs and desires.”
The two of them sat in silence, Drayce mulling the situation in his mind and doing his best to formulate the best way to communicate it to his wife.
“One of my biggest concerns with Satin, she’s going to feel like this is her fault. I know my wife, she’s going to think she could have stopped this somehow, wondering if she had obeyed my directive and let me go to rescue Sapphron, that maybe she wouldn’t have had her eggs stolen, because I would have brought her back home, thwarting Alistair’s evil plan. I’m trying to come up with a way to argue with her.” He shook his head chuckling. “The trials of marrying a strong-willed, stubborn woman.”
“It would seem that the Gods of Alpheas would have known that one woman with a personality like this would be enough, why would they allow two women like this? Why?”
They both laughed but knew they wouldn’t have it any other way, and when given a choice, they’d want Thistle and Satin to exist, one for each of the strong Dragon Warlords. And since the Dragons had the secret and knew that Satin was a Commander and Dragon Warlord, Artemis would soon find out what secret the Dragons of Trexotera had in store for Thistle. Surely her gifting would be just as grand.