155: Audience

The commotion had clearly caught the attention of more guards. Notably, more royal guards were arriving. I wondered if someone had run for help, or if they were always watching this area.

Either way, Jen was taking charge, speaking with Artour. “We shouldn’t be in any direct danger, no, but this is an incredibly powerful creature, and just its presence will be dangerous for those unprepared,” I heard her explain.

It was only a short amount of time before a group of six approached us, dressed head to toe in full plate armour, weapons drawn.

“What’s going on?” a familiar voice called from Liam.

Milo was barely through the explanation when bells rang across the city. They sounded distant at first, but grew louder and louder as more joined in.

“Dear Goddess,” I heard Artour mutter.

I looked up to see the shape of Sylverith in the sky. She was far leaner than the Tempest Dragon, but even from so far up, the sun shone against her scales, looking as if they were made of green gems.

Now hovering above us, she descended.

“We should move back,” I muttered, realising we were standing directly below her.

However, my concern was unfounded, as she touched down on the ground far more gracefully than I ever expected, not even a sound besides her wings folding up.

Lily approached, the seed still clearly in her mouth.

A voice echoed in our heads. “I apologise for any fear this has caused; however, the importance of this discovery warrants it,” Sylverith said.

“Discovery?” Liam whispered.

“A treasure once thought lost forever has been found, young one. I will take it to safety and ensure it grows strong and thrives once more. I am in your debt for this, Trevor Ashmoon,” Sylverith said once more to everyone.

Watching as the seed left Lily’s mouth, and floating up, it vanished by Sylverith’s hand.

“I will return soon to finish my tasks,” she said, before her incredibly large wings unfolded, and in a single powerful flap, she was in the air, soaring back to the east.

We all watched in stunned silence, the bells throughout the city still ringing loudly, as Lily stepped into my shadow and vanished.

The silence was broken by Liam, who let out a small cough. “Uh, so Trevor, what great treasure did you find?” he asked.

“You know what, never mind. There are far too many eyes and ears right now,” he said, looking around.

It was only now that I noticed what seemed like hundreds of guards and nobles watching from the outskirts and through windows.

“Maybe we should head inside?” I suggested.

“Good idea,” Jen said, turning back toward the shop.

As we all stood inside the empty shop, Micca was leaning against the wall, sweat on her brow and looking very pale. Liane was sitting in the corner on one of the empty counters, as both Liam and Artour made their way into the room, removing their helmets, the bells finally going quiet outside.

“So… what was that?” Liam said, looking at me.

Looking to Milo and Jen first, getting a nod, I went ahead with an explanation. “We found a seed, and Sylverith said it was of great importance, so she took it to keep it safe.”

I decided it was best to leave out the parts about not letting it fall into the hands of humans, or the legendary dust inside a jar that was currently sitting in my storage.

“Now, I feel like an idiot saying this, but it needs to be said. You understand that having a dragon visit the capital in the middle of the day and landing in the noble district is not a normal event, right?” Liam said.

I just nodded. I knew that.

“Okay, you understand that you already have a certain… I don’t know how to put this… a certain reputation right now, and that’s assuming her speaking only went to all of us, and not the entire capital,” Liam said.

Artour was just nodding along, agreeing with Liam.

“I think it’s for the best,” Liane said. “We want to be left alone, and if the nobles are too scared to approach, it makes our lives easier.”

“And this seed? Do we know why it was so important?” Liam asked.

I just shook my head.

“No, we really have no information on it, and I wasn’t about to challenge a dragon and a shadow cat to find out,” Milo said. “Perhaps Sylverith will inform us when she returns, but it’s also possible that to protect it, she might not.”

Liam let out a sigh. “Very well. I’ll return to the palace and inform the King of today’s events. We will leave a couple of guards stationed at the door to your store to ensure you’re not bothered,” he said, bowing and making his way to the exit.

Everyone stood there in the empty room. Silence hung in the air.

“So… that just happened,” Liane said with a laugh.

Crisplet let off a burst of sparks as he seemingly explored the room.

“Honestly, Trev, there is never a dull moment with you. I have to wonder if Sylverith’s voice went outside the group, though,” Jen said.

“I heard it in the shop. The pressure was too much in the doorway, so I came inside, and I heard it clearly in my head,” Micca said.

“Well, damn. What do you say we head back to the house then?” Milo said.

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“Wait! No, I need supplies from shopping,” I said, looking to Liane for support.

“We can go get you what you need, if there’s still even anyone in the market right now after a dragon landed in the city,” Jen laughed.

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I was really looking forward to going to the markets, not just for the supplies I needed, but just to see them.

“I mean, we probably could still go. I just don’t know if there would be much of a market left there after the emergency bells started ringing. People would have been scooping their goods and heading for safety,” Milo said.

“You could also go tomorrow, right?” Micca added.

“Can’t. I got the meeting with House Fairmont,” I said sadly.

“That’s not until the afternoon, and it won’t be a long visit. We can absolutely go to the markets in the morning,” Jen added.

“Before we go, Trev, do not, under any circumstances, use that powder until it’s thoroughly been tested for safety. Not even a little bit,” Milo said sternly.

Jen quickly backed him up.

“Liane, could you find our carriage? I noticed they moved away when we cleared the area outside, and I don’t want to linger too long,” Milo said, getting a nod before she vanished.

“Did you make plans for the store and what you want to do?” I asked Micca.

Her eyes lit up. “Yes! And we need to have a business discussion, with Milo as your representative, because I have some requests.”