Author's Preface
Ryan sat back on his throne and leaned all the way back. Alessia and the others sat on one side as the Shadow Clan sat on the other. "After all that, you still remain separate. Fine, whatever."
Ryan sighed. "Look, I am somehow now the leader of the Shadow Clan. Before I was rudely interrupted, I was asking them to help defeat Ixur and find the king. I was about to tell them my plan of infiltrating Ixur's camp and gathering information."
Tyrus stood. "I have told you once before, dragons do not fight in such a crude manner."
Serak stood next. "I hate to admit it, but Tyrus is right. Your original plan won't work now."
"Why not?"
"Every ally of Ixur has returned to his fortress. After yesterday's spectacle the Shadow Clan put on, he recalled all of his dragons."
"Well, shit." Ryan sighed.
Poyq stood. "As much as I hate to agree with a pompous Red Dragon, he is right. With our strength combined with theirs, we can easily overwhelm Ixur and his forces."
"You guys just love sacrificing yourselves, huh?"
Fyz stood next. "It is not sacrifice. It is dominance. I do not wish to see my clan fall. With that being said, my clan will not fall to the likes of Ixur and his weak allies."
Tyrus chuckled. "I may come to respect the Shadow Clan after all."
Ryan looked at Fyz. "So, what would your plan be?"
"First, we must prepare. We have armor that is enchanted. It can help against Ixur and his clan's acid." Fyz looked at Poyq.
"Yes. We arm ourselves, then we march on his fortress and put an end to this in one fell swoop."
Alessia stood. "You mean to say your clan is joining dragon society now?"
"We are, as long as Master wishes it. We were banished here until the egg came to life. Now that it has, I see no reason to sit here any longer while Turux suffers. I do not wish to see you or Alyssara suffer either." Fyz bowed.
Alessia turned to Ryan. "So, how does a dragon's pride look to you now?"
Ryan smiled. "Still stupid, but I cannot deny the strength these dragons possess. As long as we all work together, I think we can make it work. With a little ingenuity, that is."
Ryan hopped off the throne, threw a map of the Dragonlands onto the table, and laid out a plan for the attack on Ixur's fortress.
Later, Ryan stood in a large underground facility. Dragons everywhere were beating hammers against black iron, while others chanted and cast magic and enchantments into the armor. Ryan looked over at Poyq.
"So dragons know how to blacksmith?"
"We learned from the dwarves. We gave them the heart of a Primordial Red Dragon ages ago, and they taught us how to forge and enchant items."
"How did the Shadow Clan get ahold of a Primordial Red Dragon's heart?"
"He attacked our ancestors and was killed."
"Just as simple as that, huh?"
"Yes."
Ryan shook his head. "I really am in way over my head here. So the Shadow Clan has relationships with other species on the continent?"
"Just dwarves and demons. They sought us out after the other dragons paid them no mind."
Ryan walked up to a finished piece of armor.
"The enchantments on it allow it to grow in size to fit us no matter what form we are in," Poyq said. "So, now that you have seen everything, can I assume we will be departing soon for the royal palace?"
Ryan nodded. "Tonight. We will leave under the cover of darkness."
As the sun fell, Ryan stood in front of a massive formation of Shadow Dragons. In front of them stood Alessia and her companions. Behind Ryan stood Alyssara and Olar.
"We will march to the royal palace tonight. No flying, no transforming. I am looking at you, Tyrus! We do not know if our enemy has scouts, and we do not wish to give them any reason to suspect an attack. Keep the talking to a minimum, and if you notice anything out of place, please inform Poyq or Tyrus. Any questions?"
No one answered.
Ryan turned back to Alyssara and Olar. "You two stay near me, okay?"
They both nodded.
Ryan turned back to the formation. "Let's move out!"
The formation of hundreds of Shadow Dragons moved out into the night. They marched through the mountains and flatlands on their way to the royal palace. They kept an eye out for any of Ixur's scouts but found none. Every monster that lived in the mountains cowered in their cavea as the dragons marched by. Every living creature in the area hid until they passed.
As the formation reached the royal palace, Alessia ran up to Ryan, who led them. "Can we leave the Shadow Clan out here for the time being?"
"You're joking, right? They are here to help, and you wish to treat them like beasts?"
"No, but everyone is scared of the Shadow Clan. I am not sure how the ones who witness them marching through our streets will take it."
"Let them take it how they please. Change has to start somewhere, Queen Alessia. And this change is a long time coming. You defeating Ixur and finding your husband won't come from isolating the Shadow Clan."
Alessia hung her head. "You're right."
Fyz walked up and placed a hand on Alessia's shoulder. "Thank you for trying to look out for us. We can handle the dirty looks and disdain for us... for now. Let's find Turux."
"I just don't want them to deal with what you had to go through, Fyz. I am sorry if I ever made you feel less than. I was always intimidated by his love for you."
"I know, and we can discuss that later. For now, let's get inside, and then tomorrow we will get him back and go from there."
Alessia nodded and walked to the front gates of the palace city. With their need for stealth now over, she transformed and shoved the gates open as the Shadow Army marched through and down the streets toward the palace. As they walked toward the palace, Ryan saw exactly what Alessia meant. Dragons who were on the street found the nearest building and rushed inside. Others stared, pointed, and whispered about the Shadow Clan as they walked by. Children rushed to their parents' sides like they had just seen a horrifying monster.
Ryan looked at Olar. "This is what you dealt with?"
"It is."
"I'm sorry, man. I hope this can change in the future for you and your clan."
Olar nodded as Alyssara smiled at him, took his arm, and held it tightly.
"Don't worry, brother. I won't let anyone disrespect you."
Ryan smiled as he led the formation into the royal palace grounds.