Serpentine Lies
By: Delilah deSora

Please be aware that this page is not finished! I'm working on it! Until then, here's a bit of teaser, just for all of you!

Characters

Shea Aidan

The current Emperor of Ardae. He was crowned Emperor five years ago when he was thirteen after the death of his father. He has not yet shown the power of the dragon's blood but being the prior Emperor's only child it is believed that he must have the power.

Mallus Aidan

Shea's uncle and older brother to the prior Emperor. He ruled the Empire until Lorian was sixteen. Many resent him and claim he still rules from behind his nephew's shadow.

Sebastian "Seth" Llyr

Brought to the palace seven years ago as the Emperor's Leviathan he has served both the prior and current Emperor. He has begun to suspect that something isn't correct with Shea's claim to the throne for he feels no "spark" in the young Emperor as other Leviathan's have felt in their Emperors before, even if the Emperor in question still hasn't come into power.

Seth was widely travelled as a younger man, though his path always brought him back to Aquilae. He is happy being the Leviathan for it grants him security, which he never had growing up. Once an alcoholic who sold his body for favors, Seth finds his new position more than satisfying. Having "seen and done it all" he doesn't mind being shut off from the world because the world never did anything for him.

Kael Doranich

The current head of the Knights of Aidan, he brought Seth to the palace after recognizing his abilities. He and Seth have a close friendship. At first skeptical about the Leviathan's suspicion he is forced to admit more than a little truth to it. Shea has shown none of the dragon's powers and Kael fears Mallus's intent. After going through the Leviathan's journals at Seth's behest, he begins to believe that perhaps Shea isn't the heir at all.

Lorian Aidan

Raised in a run down city on the Ardae coast near Aquilae, Lorian was taught that he must never leave or let strangers see him for he is the disgrace of the Aidan family. Two years ago he began to suffer from the fire madness but he has done his best to keep it banked. He survives on his uncle Mallus's "generosity" and believes that the fire that burns him from within is the fire god Aidan's anger at him for being a black spot on the illustrious family.

Would you like to read a quick excerpt from the fic?
NOTE: May contain some small spoilers!
Do not read if spoiler-phobic!

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Lorian hesitated as the large curtain was pushed aside but when the knight’s face softened and he tilted his chin forward the young man took in a deep breath and stepped through, into another world.

He gasped and stared about. The walls were made of a dark grey stone and light filtered in through a skylight. It reminded him greatly of the caves back home where he used to go when the pain inside of him had gotten to be too much for him to bear silently as his uncle had said he must.

His eyes were drawn to the main feature of the room and he cocked his head, staring in amazement at the waterfall that flowed from the ceiling down a series of stone slabs worn away from years of water coursing over them and into a massive pool that took up almost the entire floor.

He glanced back at the knight behind him and received an encouraging smile. Wrapping the oversized robe tighter about his body he stepped closer to the pool, his bare feet sinking into soft carpet one step and then slapping lightly against stone as he got closer to the water’s edge. He peered down into the pool and smiled brightly.

Stones were scattered about the bottom of the pool, leading deeper and deeper until it reached a great depth by the waterfall. Sea fans reached up from the bottom, their brightly colored branches reaching out widely. Among them were other colorful plants and Lorian laughed in delight as a school of bright fish flashed silver and zipped from one shelter of rocks to another.

A darker shape suddenly broke away from the bottom and Lorian felt his delight turn to trepidation as a much larger form slithered over the bottom to finally rise where the pool was shallow enough for a person to stand.

A dark head broke the surface and Lorian shrank back fearfully as blue eyes narrowed and the man stepped forward. He was naked except for the strands of long black hair that brushed his thighs as he moved closer and Lorian’s eyes were drawn to the strange patterns that decorated his skin, moving sinuously with his muscles.

A rose with sharp thorns bloomed on the inside of his hip bone, matched on the other by a long tailed dragon the glided up his side and curved in over the right side of his chest, where the light sparkled off of a single silver ring that had been pierced through his nipple.

The man smirked and placed a hand on his hip. “Would you like to see my leviathan?” He asked slyly.

Lorian blinked for a moment as his mind processed the request and then cried out in fear and fled back to the red room.

The knight in the door way watched the young man’s flight under his arm before turning a dry gaze to the man in the pool.

Seth laughed at the look. “Skiddish little thing, ain’t he?” He observed dryly as he turned his back to the knight, giving Kael a perfect view of the blue-scaled leviathan that had been tattooed onto his back.

Kael shook his head. “You aren’t helping.” He chided. The Leviathan laughed, his deep voice echoing through the room as he sank back down into his pool, leaving the fair haired night to deal with the Emperor, who was currently huddled under the bed.

Kael sighed. “Never a dull moment.” He grumbled, rolling up his sleeves and trying to figure out the best way to explain to the frightened young man that his Leviathan really wasn’t as big of a pervert as he liked to pretend. Kael hesitated at that thought. Who was he kidding? Seth really was that perverted. He groaned and shook his head. He suddenly felt like the bad guy feeding a quivering mouse to an overfed snake. The only thing that kept him on his course of action was the fact that by the time the Leviathan got through with this frightened little dragon-ling Lorian would be enjoying ever minute of his demise.

Kael sighed.

Some people just didn't deserve Seth.

Even if he was the only person who could coax a frightening little dragon out of its shell and teach it how to live. No, Kael reminded himself, no matter how much he wanted to protect the boy's innocence Lorian needed to learn some self-worth and how to survive. Seth could give him that. Seth could take this backwater youth and turn him into the shining god he had been born to be.

Kael had to admit that his sensual friend had some good qualities about him.

Even if he was a pain in the ass.

-Rest due in August-

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