Derrex and Xania got out of the car at a plain stone building built into the mountain. It’s entrance was a large stone archway without a door. The guards lead them into a large chamber filled with rows of benches. At the front of the room there was a raised platform with tables and chairs. Thirteen drakes sat in these chairs. They varied greatly in appearance. Some looked more human than others. All of them watched as Derrex and Xania were brought forward. There was no one else in attendance.
A murmur rose up amongst the drakes as they began to speak to each other. Some stood up while others pointed at the pair standing before them.
Garr, a drake with a unique blend of human and dragon traits, slowly descended the platform stairs. His green scales shimmered in the light as he moved, and his shaggy, shoulder-length hair framed his face, adding a rugged touch to his appearance. His wings, folded against his back, shifted slightly with each step, and his tail, long and sinuous, swayed behind him with a natural rhythm. His piercing green eyes locked onto Xania as he approached, and the other drakes grew still, watching in silence. He stopped before her, his muscular frame towering over her, and knelt down with a fluid motion, bowing his head in respect.
“We welcome you to Emberhold, Void Walker,” Garr whispered.
Xania blinked rapidly, looking back and forth between Derrex and the kneeling Drake.
“Please, don’t kneel,” she whispered. She made small gestures with her hands, indicating that he should rise.
The other drakes were moving from the platform and were joining the first drake so that they were all kneeling before her.
“Please,” Xania said, looking around at the group of drakes before her “Don’t kneel.”
“You bear the Life Seed,” the drake said. “Our people will honor you.”
“No, not like this,” Xania said, tears coming into her eyes.
The drakes stood. Derrex took Xania’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I am Garr, head of the Drake Council,” the drake said. He gestured to the others and added, “We govern Emberhold.”
Xania nodded.
“Our Dragon Spirits have told us who you are,” he said.
She nodded again.
Garr was silent for a moment before saying “Please, allow us to provide you with accommodations at the palace.”
She gave no response.
“We would be grateful,” Derrex said.
The council members nodded and smiled, chatting and gesturing excitedly. They called for servants and began giving orders. People bustled into the chamber and began to move about them.
Xania followed Derrex, clinging to his hand. He led her by the hand and followed the servants back out into the street. A carriage waited for them there and they got inside. It was filled with comfortable cushions, pillows and blankets. The ride through the city was pleasant and leisurely. The driver handled the lizard that pulled the carriage by clicking and chirping at it.
As the carriage rolled through the streets, Xania pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window, her gaze fixed on the cityscape unfolding before her. The towering buildings of Emerbhold were nothing like the sleek, mechanical structures of Listama. Here, the streets were alive with green spaces, winding pathways, and the earthy scent of plants that crept over walls and rooftops. The city had a warmth to it, a sense of harmony between nature and the structures built around it, while Listama had always felt cold, almost sterile, in its relentless push toward progress. Xania couldn’t help but marvel at the difference—the way crystal lights seemed to dance off the vines and flowers, how people here moved with a quiet, grounded purpose, contrasting sharply with the hurried, almost frantic pace of life back in the Techie capital. It was as if the world here had time to breathe, to live.
Once they arrived at the palace, they were greeted by a group of servants that ushered them to comfortable guest chambers. Baths were drawn for them. Beds were made. Food and drink was provided. Clothing was laid out. There was nothing left unattended to. Their chambers were adjacent to each other, so it wasn’t difficult for Derrex to find Xania once the servants left him.
He found her sitting on the edge of the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her.
“Hey, you alright?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She furrowed her brow, but did not look at him.
“It’s like there is another person inside my mind,” she said. “A shadow that's clinging to edges of my thoughts.”
Derrex pulled her into a hug, he didn’t know what to say. She hugged him back.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“We needed somewhere to stay and they offered,” he said with a shrug.
“It doesn’t seem real,” she said. “They were kneeling.”
He ran his hand over her smooth head, but said nothing.
Xania closed her eyes and breathed in his scent slowly. He smelled like cinnamon and cedar wood, a warm, earthy blend that wrapped around her, calming her restless mind. She clung to that peace, knowing it was temporary, that the weight of her purpose still loomed ahead. The Life Seed—she needed to plant it, but the thought brought a hollow pang of uncertainty. She didn’t know where it was or even how she was meant to find it. A vague instinct urged her forward, whispering that the answers lay somewhere out there, hidden beyond the walls of Emerbhold, tangled in the roots of ancient places she’d yet to discover. Yet with every step, her doubts grew, and she couldn’t shake the worry that she’d never understand how to fulfill her mission.
"How about we get you a bath and get you tucked into bed?" he suggested.
She nodded.
He led her into the adjoining bathroom where there was a large tub filled with scented water. He helped her undress and saw that she got into the tub safely. Then he went into the other room and collected the clothing the drakes had provided for her. This was brought into the bathroom. He folded the blankets back so the bed was ready for her. Once that was done he went back into the bathroom to check on her. She was laying in the tub, staring at the ceiling.
“None if it seems real,” she said.
He nodded, but she wasn’t looking at him.
“A lot has happened,” he said.
“It’s like everything I thought was real was just a lie. I can’t decide if I’m angry about it or not. Would it have been better to grow up knowing or was it a mercy to keep it all from me?”
“I don’t know,” he said.
She rose from the tub and began drying herself off.
“I don’t know who I am anymore.”
He watched her as she dressed.
“Am I girl twelve or Xania?" She wrapped a heavy towel around her. "Maybe someone in between.”
“I think you get to decide who you are,” Derrex said.
She gave him a small smile, but said nothing as she moved into the bedroom. She climbed into the bed and he pulled the covers over her.
“Stay with me,” she whispered, laying her hand on top of his.
He nodded. He took off his shoes and climbed into the bed next to her. He pressed himself against her and wrapped his arms around her. They lay there in silence, listening to each other’s breaths as they settled in sync, the room dim and still. Xania curled against Derrex, her body leaning into the warmth of his embrace, and he felt the lingering tremors of uncertainty within her slowly soften. His hand traced gentle, soothing patterns along her back, and she tilted her face up to look at him, her brown eyes reflecting the faint glow of the crystal lamps around them.
Derrex brushed his fingertips along her cheek, his touch lingering as he looked into her eyes, a wordless understanding passing between them. She lifted her hand, tracing the curve of his jaw, the familiar scent of him filling her senses as she breathed him in.
Slowly, she leaned into him, her lips finding his in a soft, searching kiss. The tension between them dissolved, giving way to a tenderness that was both grounding and filled with longing. Wrapped together, they drew closer, letting the world beyond their quiet chamber slip away, if only for this brief moment.
