Emphyralis

In a stately study somewhere in Myrkir a man sat at an elegantly crafted desk. He was dressed in understated luxury. A type of person who likes to show off his wealth while pretending he's not showing off his wealth. He had dark curly hair and deep green eyes. His pale skin had an olive undertone. A lazy black scaled Drake was draped over the back of his chair. On the desk, a magic stone was lit up and above it floated the faces of five other men.

A cold faced, fair skinned, blonde man with icy blue eyes was the first to speak. "Why the emergency meeting? I was in the middle of a negotiation," Lucien Coldstone said, his voice just as cold as his face.

A man with shining golden eyes, warm tawny skin, and short dark hair snorted. "Vikkernoff wouldn't contact us for no reason," he said.

However, it was the almost kindly man with long silver hair and gray eyes that radiated the most gravitas. "Indeed. Something has gone wrong somewhere?" he said in an almost bored tone.

Another man yawned. "Then why bother me? I'm stuck in Thale. What do you want me for? It's the middle of the night," he said lazily. Dark hair was messy, and pale yellow eyes were drooping as much as the dragonfly-like wings attached to his back. His glowing medium olive skin belied his words.

"Have you ever been good for anything?" asked the final man who had long chestnut colored hair, shining mahogany skin, and deep green eyes.

"Enough," the silver-haired man said, his voice full of authority, his gray eyes cooling slightly.

These five men were part of an organization. Seamus Eveningstar was a Silver Dragon from Silubra, and he was at the top of the pyramid. The man in the study, Vikkernoff Blackhollow, was an Onyx Dragon in Myrkir. The man with golden eyes was Adonis Brightflame, a Gold Dragon in Varmur. The two of them were on par with each other in this organization. Lucien Coldstone, a Sapphire Dragon in Isaz, and Draycen Bloomingtree, an Emerald Dragon in Vedanta, were also given equal rank with each other. The lazy one in Thale was Yvor Sleetfall, a Platinum Dragon. There were also more ranked members, but they weren't high enough for Vikkernoff to bother with them yet.

He leaned forward slightly. "I'm merely reporting the problem. I'm already taking steps to deal with it," he said. He was a calm, aloof person. Their bickering didn't bother him. He was used to it. He'd been in this organization since he was child, before the Plague  when his elders were still alive. 

"Carry on," Seamus said. He, like Vikkernoff, had been a lifelong member of the organization. 

"Ludvig Shadowclaw was arrested," Vikkernoff finally said. Although Zane Darkwynde tried his best to minimize the spread of the information, there would always be cracks. His spies had sent him word not long ago. 

Seamus frowned slightly and sighed. "It's a shame to lose such a pawn. How are you taking care of it? Your son?" he asked.

"No. It would be useless to send Gore for this. Ludvig is locked in the dungeon of Starshadow Castle. There are all sorts of protections against shadowwalking. He'd never even get close. No, I decided on a tactic no one would ever expect, not even Zane Darkwynde. After all, who would guard against a peaceful little monk?" he said, showing his hands as if confused. "Any objections?" he asked, looking at the other four.

No one had any objections.

"Let us know when it's done." Seamus said and waved his hand. His face disappeared. The other faces disappeared one after another.

Vikkernoff leaned back again. "Percival," he said.

The Drake lifted his head. Drakes were about the size of house cats and were like miniature Emphyralis Dragons in miniature. Their shapes and structures were identical. Drakes were also highly intelligent. They were treated as citizens with their own voices in government.

They were divided into two types. Wild Drakes referred to communities of Drakes that chose not to live in "two-legged" spaces. They had colonies that functioned as their own autonomous towns. Domestic Drakes referred to Drakes that chose to live and work with "two-leggeds". They didn't mind being treated as pets as long as they weren't taken advantage of or treated as lesser beings.

Most domestic Drakes worked as messengers and lived in Drakeries where they were taken care of by Drakers. But just as many lived with a "two-legged" or a "two-legged" family.

Percival was one such domestic Drake. He yawned and stretched. "Yes, Vik? The meeting is over?" he asked. Even though he had no stake in their ideologies, he was bonded to Vikkernoff, and therefore helped him and wouldn't tell his secrets.

"Hmm," Vikkernoff answered. He wrote a letter and magically sealed it. He put it in a small pouch and draped the strap over Percival's body, careful not to obstruct his wings. "Find Fei Yellowglade and deliver this. Come back. Naryssa is making your favorite rummed eggs," he said.

The lazy Percival perked up. "Make sure she saves some for me!" he exclaimed. He jumped into the air and spread his wings. He began flying around the room, faster and faster, picking up speed until he was just a blur. With a small crack, he slipped through the fabric of reality.

Drakes were the only known species that could organically tear through the void. But they were small, their distances were limited, and they had to be fast enough to do so. This is what made them very good messengers.

Vikkernoff stood and left the study. He only had to wait for the news of success. He wasn't worried about Ludvig talking too much. He was only a pawn in the organization and didn't know the central players. Still, it was better if those chyasytim didn't even know about the organization at all. He had confidence that his operative could act before Sonja Starshadow could call a Truthcaller from Isaz. 

He could already smell food cooking in their house, and a light smile graced his face.