A Quick Sun Rises

Jace pulled a dagger from his boot while Jne and Thane jumped on the brown robbed assailant struggling to hold him down. Thane wrapped an arm around his throat in an attempt to subdue him and felt an almost instant connection between himself and the man. But he was no man. Just as understanding was forming itself in his mind, Thane and Jne were catapulted back with more force than ten men could have mustered. But it was too late. Thane knew the truth. He landed hard on the marble floor knocking the wind from his lungs and temporarily stealing his voice with it. Amazingly, Jne landed on her feet, as if part feline and crouched in defense, though the look on her face betrayed the amazement she felt at having been so easily dislodged. Jack tried to regain his feet as Tam and Dor rushed to help Thane. Meanwhile, Jace pulled another dagger that had been hidden on his person and tossed it to Ranse. Dagan’s other sons sat in their chairs, unable to move as their screams mixed with those coming from the gaggle of women who were now running about pell-mell as if unable to form the complete thought that would direct them to one of the exiting doors. Jace let fly his dagger, its force enough to have easily penetrated the man’s robes and pierce his heart but to his amazement, the blade merely bounced off and fell with a clang to the floor. Teek and Domis were quickly at Jack’s side, pulling him to his feet and trying to get him to one of the exits when the brown robed figure rose to his full height and then continued to grow in size. Thane watched from where he had landed, his brain knowing what was going to happen but his voice still unable to communicate it as he struggled to refill his lungs with oxygen. The others watched in horror as the brown robed figure grew larger, the fabric of his clothing expanding around his body, as if another skin, before hardening into small sections. No longer was a man standing before them but a scaled creature that continued to expand in size and bulk. It was then that Thane was finally able to work his diaphragm enough to shout to the others, “Get out! It’s a dragon!” Teek looked to the Waseeni boy still watching from the dais and called out to him. “Hurry! Come with us, now!” The boy looked at the growing, brown figure, his eyes locked on its transforming shape with a look that could almost be described as envy before he suddenly leaped down the stairs toward Teek and the others as they ran for the pillars and the door beyond. The dragon was now at full size, its terrible girth filling much of the room as it roared a terrible sound that shattered the glass domed ceiling and rained deadly shards down upon those still in the center of the room. Dagan’s oldest son’s screams were cut short as a large piece of glass sliced his neck, cutting his vocal cords, and almost completely severing his head. His brother escaped immediate death, receiving a slight gash on his arm but was not spared as the brown dragon bore down on him. He opened his mouth to scream but the dragon fear gripped his heart, stealing his voice and releasing his bowels. The prince was frozen like a bird caught in the hypnotic gaze of a great serpent waiting to be eaten. But it didn’t eat him, instead it released its terrible breath in a stream of liquid decay that hit the prince directly in the chest and almost instantly decomposed him into a mass of rotted flesh that dropped into a rancid pile. Turning quickly, the dragon expelled another load of liquid breath at the fleeing companions just missing Jne as she ducked behind the nearest pillar. The rock immediately began to age and then started crumbling away, unable to hold against the dragon’s exhalation. The deteriorated pillar, no longer able to sustain its top heavy weight, dropped under its own mass and then toppled to the side where it cracked the pillar next to it before crashing to the ground creating a huge divot in the marble floor.