Chapter Eight

Adan Liepsnojantis

Adan had no idea what was going on. After Eridanus had flown slowly to the podium, Aquarii and himself had moved to different areas, Aquarii to her family and Adan about three paces away from Eridanus.

When the RiverWing lunged at Eridanus, everything erupted into chaos. Adan, with a roar, leaped forward, slamming his talons into Eridanus’s side and bowling her off the raised dais. They both landed heavily on the wood floor. 

For the first time that Adan had ever seen in his life, Queen Sundancer howled in rage. She flung out her wrists, and a thin, silky thread emerged, speeding toward Maris like lightning. When the gossamer-thin thread touched Maris, his scales slowly started to blister, making him scream in agony. 

Eridanus’ scales felt cold as she sat up slowly beside him, eyes full of terror.  “W-w-what just happened?” Eridanus asked, shuddering violently.

Sitting up, Adan looked at her. When they were exploring the palace’s catacombs or doing something dangerous, or anything when they were around each other, Eridanus was the brave one. His mistress would wheedle him into doing insane things that he would never have tried had she not shoved him into it. She was the dragon who comforted him when everybody thought he was a traitor just like his father. Adan had never seen Eridanus this nervous, let alone hear her stutter. Nervousness was his thing, not Eridanus’. 

“Eri, do you want to go to your room?” a quiet voice questioned behind Adan. Usually, this would have scared the living daylights out of him, but at the moment his role was to be a strong friend. 

“Yes, please,” Eridanus said in a small, quiet voice. Like a mouse or a sad little bug.

“I’ll take her to her room if that’s okay with you, my lady,” Adan said, correctly assuming that the voice belonged to Queen Sundancer.

Sundancer nodded, giving Maris a venomous look.  “Alright. Just let Lasair help you.” Turning to face the swarming crowd of dragons, Sundancer said, “Everyone that isn’t a guard, soldier, or their families, please return to your home right away.” 

A few seconds later, Lasair darted up to the duo like a scarlet dragonfly, with nervously buzzing wings. “Berry, can you come back to your room?” she asked, stroking her wings over Eridanus’ neck.

 Lasair calling Eridanus ‘Berry’ wasn’t a surprise to anybody. Lasair thought up new nicknames for dragons by the minute, to the point where no one knew who she was addressing. 

Eridanus didn’t move.

“Eri, get up! We have to get you back to your quarters before some stupid EarthWing tries to kill you with a swordfish and a pile of mangoes,” Lasair tried, tugging on Eridanus’ shoulder. To Adan’s concern, there was a brown dragon in the dining room, malevolently slapping an enormous gray fish against his palm.

Adan knelt next to Eridanus. “Princess Eridanus, please come with me – with us. You need some rest,” he murmured nervously. The EarthWing had just picked up a mango.

“Why do you always call her ‘Eridanus’? She doesn’t mind when her close friends call her ‘Eri.’” Lasair asked curiously.

Close friends? Adan thought. He had never realized that Eridanus might consider him a ‘close’ friend; sure, Adan and Eridanus were friends but that was pretty much the extent of it. He was just her servant. Dragons didn’t even know his name, they just called him the traitor’s son!

“O-okay,” Eridanus responded quietly, stumbling over her words like a baby dragonet. Slowly, with the help of Lasair, Adan was able to get Eridanus off the floor.

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Once they were in Eridanus’ warm, shadowy room, Eridanus loosened up slightly, making it easier to get her in bed, to Lasair and Adan’s relief. Lasair tramped away soon after that, but when he went to follow her, he felt a brush of scales on his wingtip.

Stopping momentarily he turned around. “Is there something that you need… Eri?” Adan asked quietly, remembering what Lasair had said.  

“Can you please stay here tonight?” came the reply in a small, sad voice.

“I’ll have to ask your mom,” Adan said quietly. “Oh, and here,” Adan added, pulling out a vial of creamy liquid. Eridanus brightened. “You made me dream milk!” she smiled.

Adan passed her the vial. Eridanus took it, but to his dismay, she didn’t drink it. He tried not to glance at it.

He’d had a supply of dream milk in his kitchen post ever since he’d begun this job, for Eridanus quite often had vivid nightmares. But this batch was special.

Eridanus slowly took a sip. Her eyelids flickered involuntarily. Adan bit his lip, hoping she would hurry up. He had added a sort of confusion draught to the elixir and combined it with the heat and spices to create a sleeping potion.

Why he had done it was because he didn’t want her to remember today. The draught would kind of befuddle her memories and erase all the more recent ones. He’d already talked to Sundancer about it, and she’d promised to tell Eridanus that Maris had tried to attack Sundancer, not Eridanus – if she remembered anything at all. 

Eridanus’ grip on the vial loosened, and she slumped onto her pillow, looking ridiculous because she’d fallen on her horns and accidentally ripped the fabric.

Adan smiled and leaned down, hoping she wouldn’t remember he’d promised to sleep in her room. Carefully, he pulled her horns out of the fabric and flipped over the damaged pillow. Then, stroking her shoulder bone, he whispered, “Sweet dreams, Eri. Don’t let the lyobokens bite”

Eridanus flung out one wing in her sleep, whacking him just above the eyebrow. 

Shaking his head, he backed out of the room and closed the door, giving his best friend one more look before whisking away.