Adventures of the last Wild Dragon

Chapter 282: Sonantis

Many miles away from the doscussion currently taking place between three beasts, within the towering walls of one of the human kingdoms greatest cities stood the magnificent abode of its ruler, one Jasmin Solantis.

She had held her position of power for close to 3 decades by now, yet her appearance was that of a young woman in the peak of her youth. Having achieved her status of Lord or as she preferred Lady, a long time ago her natural aging had slowed to the point that she would remain youthful for many more years to come.

In this particular day she was heading out of the city on important business.

The sound of heels echoed down the corridor, accompanied by the heavy footfalls of a man clad in heavy armour befitting one of his station as personal guard to the Lady of Sonantis.

The air seemed to ripple around him as he walked, a result of decades of training his presence. He always kept his presence extended, ever vigilant, ever careful. The pressure he exerted on those around him was of little concern for this man as his sole job was to ensure the safety of the woman he was sworn to protect. Naturally he had also long since learnt to insulate his lady from any negative effects of his presence so she could walk unfettered.

Servants that they came across halted their movement, bowing low in respect or fear for their lady as she passed, none dared to so much as glance up at her as she passed. They had after all heard the tales of servants and slaves who had lost their heads for daring to do so without cause.

Soon enough the duo reached the inner courtyard of the large estate that Jasmin Sonantis called home. It was an expansive area with only a single outbuilding within, naturally this building, or barn was quite large.

After all it did not house any regular animal or beast, no it housed just two beasts, the personal mounts of both Lady Sonantis and her loyal guard Kurtis.

When they entered the courtyard they made a short whistle to call forth their mounts, they did not have to wait long for them to arrive.

Heavy footsteps accompanied by the clicking of talons again stone rang out as the large for of two dragons emerged from within the shadow of the barn.

One was a true behemoth, standing just over 20 meters long his red scales glittered in the sunlight shining down from above. A scattering of metal plating adorned various parts of the beast to provide additional protection, on its back rested an intricate saddle, more for function than beauty yet was still a fine work of craftsmanship.

Next to the red dragon walked a slightly smaller, yet still respectably large dragon with vibrant emerald green scales, this one also wore intricate armour, although its was much more decorative in nature with golden embellishments, whilst functional it clearly held just as much of a focus on aesthetics as it did on function.

Soundlessly the dragons approached their respective masters, crouching down and extending a wing to act as a ramp for the two of them to easily walk up.

Jasmin went to the green dragon whilst Kurtis went to the red.

Soon enough they were seated in their saddles and the giant beasts launched themselves up into the sky.

Curiously enough, despite the fierce winds that should be impacting Jasmin, not a strand of her hair so much as fluttered in the wind, a thin, near imperceptible barrier covered her figure that protected her from the environment, he that wind or rain.

The two dragons rapidly gained altitude as they flew in tight circles to get above the buildings and walls of the city. Soon enough they evened out their flight and turned towards the south where their destination for the day awaited.

Below them stretched out the city sharing the same name as Lady Sonantis. It had been founded by one of her ancestors centuries ago, acting as the easternmost bastion of civilisation for the kingdom. A mighty river cut through the northern section of the city acting as a gateway towards the ocean and a passageway deeper into the kingdom.

The river slopes were a hive of industry, from thriving smithy’s to giant merchant warehouses. Anything and everything to do with commerce held interest in that section of the city.

Being the ruler of the city Jasmins mansion naturally resided in the center of the city itself. Boating a protective wall and a well staffed guard that constantly patrolled along its walls and grounds.

From there the city expanded in rings. The ring closest to the center was domainted by nobels and the wealthiest of merchants, then was the commerce districts in which the river flowed through. Finally the outermost ring of the city was reserved for the commoners unable to afford anything better.

The two dragons, whilst a common sight in the city still attracted the interested gaze of those people down below, awe from the commoners and envy from the nobels who wished they could afford such fine mounts.

Naturally Nobels could buy a dragon mount of their own, but only those with enough space could actually afford to raise one within the city itself. If not then they would be forced to either own property out in the countryside or rely on their Lady for her most lustrous of services, and the reason for her short expedition this day.

The dragons soon flew over the city walls, now flying above open grassland, the farmland mainly consolidated around the river where the soil was much more fertile and harvest improved.

Still the odd property existed out of the walls, mostly palatial estates for those amongst the nobility that wanted a summer retreat from the hustle of the city.

It did not take long before the two dragons began their decent once again, this time in no rush so allowed a much gentler and relaxing ride.

They were approaching a truly massive compound, tall walls circled the large space which was dotted with various buildings from barns to barracks. Numerous guards and soldiers patrolled the compound whilst servants and slaves scurried around rushing to complete whatever task they had been assigned.

Another factor that differentiated this space when compared to others outside of the city was the number of dragons that were present. From infant to adolescent, red to blue.

Dragons of all size and colour could be seen moving through the open space, always in the presence of a handler and with a metal collar around their necks.

The collar was a new introduction, one that whilst slightly inconvenient when it first became mandated was nevertheless a useful tool in controlling the beasts during their formative years. They had become mandatory in all dragons farms after one foolish Nobel allowed one of his dragons to escape.

Continuing their decent the two great dragons soon landed in a large stone courtyard in front of the largest of the buildings within the walls of the dragon farm.

The beasts lowered a wing and their two passengers soon descended to the ground below, the guard instantly standing by his ladies side.

Before them stood a rotund man with an number of aids bowing low behind him. He smiled at Jasmin as she steadily approached.

"Ahh dear sister, how wonderful to see you on this fine day. I see that Andrea is serving you well?"

"Hello Lucas, yes she had been serving me well thank you. I see you still fail to improve your own strength." Jasmin replied, her voice calm and composed whilst her face revealed not a flicker of emotion as she spoke.

Lucas however, lacked the perfect control that his sister held and his pudgy face crinkled in barely constrained annoyance at the provocative words of his elder sister.

"Yes well you know how it is, I am simply too busy to be able to venture out into the wilds for hunts these days. Business is booming I tell you now that the kingdom is on the warpath."

And indeed it was. That was the reason for her visit this day after all.

They had been forced into investing heavily into the reproduction of the dragons and the first clutch was set to be born soon, whilst the next much larger clutch of eggs had only recently been laid.

"Indeed. I hope you have good news for me brother, now if you would." She gestured towards the large doors behind Lucas causing him to furrow his brows again briefly before acquiescing and making a sharp gesture to his aids behind him.

The hurried to open the door then immediately returned to their previous position of bowing low for the cold Lord of the city.

Led by Lucas the three of them entered into the building, Kurtis taking up the rear as was right.

At the same time several slaves rushed over to the two large dragons, brushes and food grasped in their shaking hands as they rushed to service the noble mounts.