As Vireo and Caracara followed their guide, he immediately noticed the architecture was slightly different than his home nation's. The buildings had a lot more windows and sharp edges. Unlike Chert's more horizontal layout, Solifuge rose vertically, layer upon layer of carved stone. Every window seemed to be a sharp rectangle, and the edges of the doorways were cleanly cut. The voices was different too, less of a market roar and more of a constant, muffled murmur.
Vireo kept his wings tucked tight, trying to make himself seem smaller, less noticeable. He was still aching from the long flight, and the cut on his arm still throbbed. He glanced at Caracara, who strode ahead, his reddish-brown scales blending perfectly with the stone around them.
"So," Vireo whispered, leaning slightly towards the captain, "That greeting. 'The sun is hot, but the shade is welcome'?" He tried to keep his tone casual.
Caracara didn't even turn his head. His voice was a low, dry rumble, almost swallowed by the ambient city sounds. "Tradition. A greeting of friendship."
Vireo blinked. Friendship tradition? It sounded more like a code phrase, something secret agents use. He shook his head slightly. Everything here felt indirect, unlike the blunt honesty he was used to (even if that honesty was often angry, like from his mother).
Fennec, without looking back, suddenly turned onto a much wider street. The change was immediate. Here, the stone underfoot was smoother, polished, and larger pillars lined the path. There were fewer dragons here, and those present seemed to move much more reserved. Their scales were often adorned with intricate patterns of gold or silver.
"Follow me," Fennec announced, flicking his tail. Suddenly the dragon jumped in the air and flew up, and Caracara shortly followed. Vireo frantically took off to the sky in pursuit, trying to catch up on the lost distance. Now that they were above the buildings, the sheer scale of this city really took Vireo away. It was way larger than Chert. Vireo estimated around 15 times larger. It was something he's never seen in his life. He never traveled far out of Chert. Mostly because other cities in Ventifact were pretty boring so there was no reason to fly to them, and the tensions with the other desert kingdoms were a little high, so he couldn't cross countries.
But what lied before him was a spectacle, now that they were high enough in the sky, the Mina palace revealed itself. Vireo's mind flashed back to his studies, to the scrolls and lectures about the great desert kingdoms. He remembered learning about Inselberg's unique political structure: a single Queen, ruling with absolute authority, unlike Ventifact's dual monarchy. He'd always found it strange, almost unstable, to have all that power in one dragon. Now, as they headed directly towards the towering structure that seemed to grow from the hill it was on, he felt a shiver in his bones. The palace itself was an incredible work of architecture, gleaming with polished dark stone and huge, open archways, somehow both imposing and elegantly sculpted. It didn't have the grand, gold-flashing pomp of Ventifact's palace, but it was a much larger size, just like the city.
They landed on a small elevated pathway. They followed by turning on a new splitting pathway turning left. Fennec opened the door at the end, revealing a pleasant room. Painted walls with pictures of dragons in battles, triumphant Sand-Claws standing on dead foes, and pretty patterns of plants decorated the walls. There were three large windows at the end of the room, and a door with a balcony to their right. There were two places for sleeping with what looked like a comfortable cotton material on the slab. The beds in question were decorated with wood and little streaks of gold. Now that Vireo looked around, the walls and all the furniture had at least a little gold in them. Quite lavish, Vireo thought.
"This is where you'll sleep for tonight" Fennec said gesturing with a talon. "I hope the accommodations are ample for you."
Caracara grunted in acknowledgement, checked the balcony door, and settled onto one of the beds, already looking ready for rest. Vireo, despite the racing thoughts about his mother, the monarchy, the monoliths, and all these weird experiences, found himself succumbing to the intense weight of his exhaustion. The soft cotton felt amazing. He closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.
He woke to a gentle light filtering through the large windows. His body still ached, but the stiffness had lessened, replaced by a slight soreness. He stretched, wincing slightly as the cut on his arm pulled, but it too felt better. Caracara was already up, sitting by one of the windows, meticulously polishing his set of large, wicked-looking claws with a smooth stone. His reddish-brown scales seemed to glow in the morning light.
A soft knock sounded from the door. Caracara grunted. "Come in."
Fennec entered, his pale gold scales gleaming. He looked as fresh and composed as he had the night before.
"Captain, Envoy," Fennec greeted, his voice soft but clear. "If you are ready, the Queen's diplomats are assembled and await your presence."
Caracara stood, finishing the last of his claw polishing. He looked up at Fennec and said, "we are ready."
Vireo quickly shook himself, smoothing his scales and stretching one last time. He followed Caracara out of the room. They flew from the elevated pathway to an larger area with an entrance to the interior of the palace. As they entered, he noticed how the walls seemed to absorb sound. It was eerily quiet. They moved through polished stone corridors, past archways and occasional smaller, more private chambers. Vireo glimpsed intricate tapestries on some walls, depicting scenes desert oases, bountiful harvests, and sand dragons engaging in some kind of sport? The air was filled with the pleasant scent of exotic spices and baked goods. He tried to remember the turns, the layout, forcing his mind to absorb the details, knowing he might be asked to recall them later.
Fennec led them deeper into the palace, the polished floors sloping gently upwards, then turning sharply. The air grew cooler still, and the light from the embedded crystals grew brighter, casting a soft, blue-white glow that illuminated swirling patterns in the dark stone walls. Vireo felt a familiar flutter of nerves begin in his gut. This was it. The main event. He was about to step into the heart of Inselberg's power. He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm his racing pulse.
As Fennec led them through the last archway, the air inside was surprisingly cool, just like Ventifact's palace. The room they walked into was large, and circular like the platform they'd landed on, and lit by glowing crystals embedded in the high, vaulted ceiling. There were no thrones, no opulent decorations, just a massive, circular table of smooth, dark stone in the center, around which seven dragons were already gathered. Oh boy, Vireo thought to himself. His heart hammered against his ribs. He felt suddenly aware of his travel-worn scales, the faint scent of dried salt that clung to him, and the dull throb from the cut on his arm. He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm his racing pulse.
As Fennec led them through the archway, the air inside was surprisingly cool and still, just like Ventifact's palace. The room they walked into was large, and circular like the platform they'd landed on, and lit by glowing crystals embedded in the high, vaulted ceiling. There were no thrones, no opulent decorations, just a massive, circular table of smooth, dark stone in the center, around which seven dragons were already gathered. Oh boy, Vireo thought to himself.
Vireo's eyes darted around, trying to take in every detail. Seven dragons, all much older than him. Their scales varied in color, but he noted the common earth tones like tans, browns, reds, and pale golds, similar to the colors of his own kingdom's dragons, yet weirdly distinct. He quickly scanned their features, remembering his mother's words: You possess unique assets. She meant his venomous fangs and stinger. He checked each face, each jawline, each tail.
There was a large dragon with deep, terracotta-colored scales, and long gleaming fangs. He had no stinger, Vireo noted, just a thick, powerful tail that curled slightly. Beside him, a sleek dragoness with scales the color of dried mud was cleaning a stinger as sharp and wickedly curved as Vireo's. No fangs. Another, a large, gruffy male with sand-colored scales, the color of weathered sandstone, had a blunt snout with no fangs, and his tail was thick and powerful, and also ended without a barb. Vireo's gaze lingered on each of them. A pale, almost white-gold dragon with amber eyes, possessed fangs that glinted when she shifted her lips, but her tail, though long, ended in a gentle curve. A deep brownish-red dragon, had a blunt stinger, but his jaw was smooth, without any prominent fangs. The last two were a tan male, and a pale orange female.
None of them have both, Vireo realized. He was the anomaly here, the unique combination. He felt a sudden self-consciousness, as if his features were under a spotlight in this room. Would they stare?
Caracara, seemingly oblivious to Vireo's internal stress, strode confidently into the center of the room. "Greetings, esteemed diplomats," he rumbled. He inclined his head slightly to each dragon. "Envoy Spine, Envoy Quill, Envoy Burro, Envoy Gila, Envoy Viper, Envoy Scorpion, Envoy Beetle," he recited, introducing each of them.
Vireo, standing awkwardly just inside the archway, felt a prickle creep up his neck scales. He shuffled his talons, trying to seem inconspicuous, but it was impossible. He was a young, tan-scaled dragon, still sore from a long flight, with a severe cut on his body, standing among these powerful adults. He kept his gaze fixed on Caracara, trying to absorb the captain's confidence, hoping some of it would rub off on him. He had to remember his mission: observe. Listen. Appear unassuming. But right now, his heart felt like a drum.
The dragoness with scales of dried mud, Quill, spoke first. "We welcome you, Captain Caracara. And to your companion, of course." Her sharp stinger twitched slightly.
Caracara nodded. "Thank you." He turned his head to an empty seat. "Will Queen Sula be joining us, or is she occupied with other matters?"
"Other matters," Quill confirmed.