Draco was missing from the battle field!
I would not have personally believed that. Never. He could be a scumbag. A casanova. Ruthless or arrogant. But coward?
Nah! Him and coward were words that were poles apart. They could never go hand in hand.
But that human, Liana was missing too.
What was this strange riddle?
Draco was not the type to desert his soldiers at the front line and disappear with a mistress.
Something was definitely fishy in the atmosphere.
" Hail to my Lord Lucian! "
A messenger barged in, disturbing my inner concerns.
" What is it? "
" We received urgent call for help from the Northern frontier. The walls are soon going to be breached if cannot hold back the Hounds! "
The kingdom was as much mine as it was his.
" Gather Draco's Elite Soldiers. Aish! I guess I will have to jump in again to sort his mess! "
I changed into my Battle Attire as soon as the messenger left.
Draco's Council Hall was empty.
I walked upto his chair and stood beside it as usual.
It's emptiness stared back at my face. I looked away.
That was never the position that I craved.
He had taken the thing I held most precious in my lifetime. Now she was gone forever. Nothing else that he possessed, excited me. I could care the less.
The Elites dropped in one by one like ghosts.
"What's happening Lord Lucian? " Calix was the one to start the questioning session.
" You tell me. Where is your Lord ? The Hounds are about to break into the Northern Frontier! "
He looked at Raba, Nethu and Carry.
" We need to send back up. The Northern frontline is falling apart! "
" Yes Lord Lucian! "
all of them yelled in union.
They never were this obedient in my presence. It could only confirm my suspicion. Draco was really missing.
Even his Elite Force was unable to trace his whereabouts.
" Take half of your strength. I will join you straight at the frontier! "
The four heads of the squad left without another noise.
" My Lord Lucian! "
it was Marcus.
He fell in prostration in front of me as soon as I left the Hall.
" What do you think you are doing? "
This man bothered me a lot. If it was not for the reason that he was the Master's favorite and also was aware of some of my secrets, I would have long disposed of him.
" This attire, this position, suits you the most. It was time you took over it officially! "
My hand went straight for his chin. I pressed it so hard and his tongue could be seen.
" What non-sense are you spurring? "
It was a capital offense what he committed in broad day light.
" Was it perhaps you who had to do something with Draco's disappearance? "
I lifted him up by the throat this time. His dragon feets were dangling.
" Lord Lucian. Lord Lucian. What are... (choke... cough) .. you doing. I am on your side. On your team! "
I put him down and dragged him back inside the empty hall, pressing him against the walls with my right arm.
" Don't try to sugar coat infront of me. You and I have nothing in common. So don't presume that you have anything over me! "
I pushed him before transporting straight to the Latern Corridor.
I needed to check whether he was really breathing before leaving for the battle ground.
His lantern was lit. Bright and shiny, however something was odd.
The colour of his light had changed. It did not match any of the other Lanterns anymore.
What was the meaning of this.
As I was about to leave, I barged into Draco's parents.
Lord Gus and Lady Heli.
It was an uncomfortable situation. Lady Heli loathed me. She didn't spare her stare even this time. They too had come to check on his Life Light. She must have been furious at me, staring at it.
Lord Gus, the former Dragon King. His very presence made my existence unbeatable.
For the world, I was Draco's cousin. His uncles son.
But our family knew full well that I was not borne from my father's loin. I was the result of conjugal relationship between Lord Gus and my characterless mother.
Draco was not my cousin but a half brother.
I stormed out without stopping for even a word.
Blasting off towards the Northern Frontier seemed like such a relief.
I crossed the landscape with lighting speed. That has always been my speciality.
I moved several layers up above. From there I could clearly see the damage the wild Hounds had made on the Norther Wall.
These were creatures without any ability to reason.
They had been the only predatory creature over the Dragons in the Dragon realm.
Their brute force, made them fierce and irrational.
With the slightest chance, they were capable of ravaging in our cities and tearing the entire civilisation down .
The last time they were able to do so was when we were mere kids.
Draco, myself and Kiara. We had just joined the training system and were bubbling with energy.
Draco never had any feelings for Kiara but he never failed at a chance to flex infront of others .
" Hounds are untamable. It's impossible for any Dragon to take down a Hound, single handed! "
The was apparently Kiara's challenge. Of course she had not meant it that way, but he had to abide by it's very words, just to prove himself.
Draco had lured me into stealing the keys and luring a Hound inside the Dragon perimeter.
What happened after that was notorious.
Our pages of history, wrote it down as-
The Hound Massacre.
Entire population, living in the outskirts was trampled upon and torn.
The area still held the horrors vividly. The entire area was still a ruin. A vast stretch of it.
Draco had finally been able to pull apart the Hound's limbs, rendering it vulnerable after which the soldiers were able to kill it.
Strangely the entire kingdom had began to worship him for his ' unimaginable' feat.
Nobody dared or cared about the beginning.