Rowena stared at the place the throne had been. She knew what this meant. The Dragons had lost confidence in the family.
And her stupid family didn't realize this.
And this...Tirana was not right. She had not felt quite right from the start. but now all these talks and promises. No.
Rowena spoke to her children, other than the king, and without fail, each of them left the city.
Then she spoke to the King himself. He refused to go. but he did allow Rowena to take his bride to their country home. When the Queen and the Queen Mother left, the people panicked. And within hours the city was empty.
Even the guards had vanished.
Balroc sat at the top of the tower, gazing out over the landscape of his now silent city. The place felt dark, foul, and wrong. He had tried to wave away his mother's concerns, but as he pondered, he knew she was right. How could he doubt it? His people, so brave so strong, had fled the city, their home as if it held a great plague. And perhaps it did.
He would stay. He must. But he would take precautions. He forbid his children from entering the tower, and the door was shut and barred, then sealed by his magician, while he began to research Dragons, His guard kept close watch over him, and the magician strengthened the tower and protected the food and water supply.
Silence now ruled the great city. Not so much as a dog roamed the streets. Not lights were lit. It was darkness beyond pitch. And the Palace of Bone was a fortress under siege within itself.
~
Nabaz could not blame the citizens. And while he had not wanted such fear, he could not blame Rowena. And he had not suspected that the Matriarch commanded such respect. but without her, the family would not chance being near her mad grandsons. Not even their mother could endure it. That last truly bothered Nabaz.
What had changed within the mind of the Queen? She adored her sons....didn't she? Furad had no answers...though she had noted that the Queen was less open to her sons since Tirana's wounding.
Perhaps the truth had finally touched her heart? Nabaz did not know. But he hoped she would be safe now. Had he had the chance he would have urged the Queen and Rowena to stay at least. Yes get the children to safety, but someone needed protect the people.
But the people...save for the Kingsguard they were gone. Even the beggars and infirm had fled the city.
He marveled at this. Then he studied it more, and probed the city with his mind and realized why. When the Dragons had left, they had taken every spirit, every ghost, everything of the Under Realm with them.
The city had fled because they had felt the loss and the abandonment. They would not stay because the city they knew and loved was dead and gone. The spirits of their ancestors, the blessings of their deities were gone.
Tiashin had become the lost city.
Nabaz was astounded. Even he had not known such a thing was possible. But he also smiled. Without a people to corrupt, the witch would have no one to torment save the seven. And he had no pity on them.
He also knew that the fear would spread. Tiashin would become a curse. And none would send or give aid to the city. He could already hear of the city nearest sealing their gates and barring them against any others who might come from the empty mountain.
The citizens had vanished along with the Color guard, fleeing to cities and towns. Now for more than twenty miles surrounding Tiashin, not a soul dwelt.
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