"Will you voluntarily turn back into human form for this trial?"
Gradually the dragon's mighty skull moved slightly from side to side, dragging its massive chin along the cold stone floor, while dribbles of flame squirted contemptibly from each nostril.
"I'll take that as a 'no' shall I?" fumed the councillor, stepping aside to let the king through. On noticing the king, a little quiver of fear ran through the defiant dragon.
Face contorted with rage, the king addressed the rogue dragon.
"Since you won't change of your own free will, I will force the change upon you, which unfortunately for you will be most unpleasant... something I'd hoped to avoid."
Shimmering beams of brilliant blue energy lanced out from the tip of the trident as the king levelled it at Troydenn. Just as the first beam connected, the helpless dragon let out a YELP, much like a frightened dog. Onlookers in the shadows could barely watch something that hadn't happened in over three hundred years. History was quite literally unfolding before their very eyes. As the separate beams hit Troydenn's body, they formed straight lines all along it from head to toe, encircling the circumference of his belly. All the while he remained motionless, determined, resolute, apart from his eyes which flickered from side to side, betraying the fear coursing through him.
By now the lines of energy had started to crisscross each other, giving the impression of an all encompassing giant net. Without warning, Troydenn panicked and, mustering all his remaining strength, tried desperately to get to his feet, clearly sensing what was to come. Crackling ferociously, the shimmering net of blue energy surrounding him began to shrink, causing the captive dragon to let out a blood-curdling wail.
As the contracting lines of energy sparked, crackled and smoked, and Troydenn's pain echoed around the underground space, it became much harder to determine what was happening inside the energy net. Certainly a change of some sort was occurring because the area the net covered had diminished to about a third of its original size, and the howling and screaming coming from within now sounded much less like an animal, and much more like a human.
After a few more seconds, the transformation was complete. Lying slumped on the chilly stone floor, gasping for breath, a stocky, bald-headed man with a brown goatee beard and strange black tattoos on his cheeks and neck looked up menacingly at the audience before him.
A low murmur of disbelief rippled through the crowd. Unsteadily, the fully naked man before them got to his feet, taking in his surroundings as though he'd been asleep for many years. Gazing over the king's left shoulder, his eyes locked onto a pale blue pair he knew very well. George!
"Traitor!" he screamed, lunging towards his former brother-in-arms with a crazed look on his face, only to be stopped inches away by hulking great guards who had appeared as if from nowhere. Troydenn spat in George's face, all the time wriggling and kicking in an attempt to break free from the guard's vice-like grip.
Wiping his face with the back of his hand, George desperately tried to maintain an illusion of calm and serenity, even though every muscle in his body screamed at him to fight. With Troydenn’s feet dragging along the ground, the guards hauled him back to the spot in front of the king that he had previously occupied. This time a red beam of energy shot out of the trident at the king's command, hitting the imprisoned dragon in the right foot before curling upwards and around his entire body, finally stopping at the top of his head, forcing him to stand bolt upright.
"ENOUGH!" roared the king. "You will stand and listen to the charges brought against you and your supporters.”
From the darkness above the stone doors a balcony suddenly appeared, illuminated by an eerie green light. Dressed in scarlet robes, lined with purple piping and a matching hood over her head, the magistrate slinked into view, gavel in hand. Smacking it onto the stone balustrade in front of her, causing a distinctive THUD to resound around the cavern, she commanded everyone's attention.
"Troydenn, formerly of the High Council's Royal Guard, you are hereby charged with one of our race's gravest crimes. Your followers have already admitted that they murdered, maimed, kidnapped, stole, threatened and embezzled, all on your orders, all in your name. The one thing that is sacred to us as dragons, taught to us throughout our formative years in the nursery rings, is that we as a society are here to protect and guide the human race at all times because of their potential, and because of THAT prophecy. Throughout dragonkind’s history, nearly all dragons have strived to obey this underlying principle laid down in our law.
I declare that you, Troydenn, are not only guilty of the crimes previously mentioned, but of the most heinous crime our civilisation recognises... manipulation of the human race for your own selfish purposes. Since nothing on this scale has happened in over fifteen hundred years, the punishment will be decided by the king and his Council," she announced, clutching her gavel tightly.
As the magistrate stood up, the eerie green light illuminating her faded away, making her indistinguishable from the stone walls behind. Simultaneously, the same green light appeared around the king and Troydenn.
With his long golden locks, backlit by the light, the noble features of the king's face turned from quiet contemplation to steely determination as he prepared to speak.
"Over the last two days the Council and I have discussed the sentence that should be imposed on you, Troydenn. I can honestly say that this has been the hardest thing I've had to do throughout my entire reign. I believe the outcome was reached in a fair and unbiased manner, considering all the relevant options and circumstances along the way, although it should be noted that the decision was not unanimous, but reached by a majority of twenty four to one. The Council hereby decrees that, YOU, Troydenn, and all of your conspirators currently in custody, will be transferred forthwith to our secure, remote detention facility, where you will remain for the rest of your natural lives."
A combined GASP from those looking on echoed around the chamber. A few feet behind the king, George stood rooted to the spot, absolutely shell-shocked. Not for a moment had he believed the sentence would be so harsh, despite his earlier conversation with Axus.
Throughout the proceedings Troydenn remained totally impassive with his jaw jutting out, his piercing eyes not moving from the king.
"Because of the natural constrictions of the detainment facility, you will all be extremely limited in using your magical powers. Provisions and equipment will be on hand to prevent any unwanted fatalities; however you will have to work hard and constantly manage the limited resources available to you, to ensure your continued existence. Life will be very difficult for all of you. If you have anything meaningful to say Troydenn, any words of regret or apologies you'd like to offer up, now is your chance to do so.”
Instantaneously the red coil of energy holding the guilty dragon in place faded to nothing. Troydenn held his finely honed arms high above his head and turned three hundred and sixty degrees, addressing everyone in the cavern as the green light cast an ominous shadow over his malevolent face. Snarling like a rabid dog, he spat,
"We will break free from whatever prison you confine us in, and when we do, we will destroy your precious dragon domain and visit a terror like none other on all your little human pets. Whether it takes ten years or five hundred, we WILL find a way."
Having heard enough, the king, in one lightning fast swipe, knocked the over-confident dragon firmly to the ground with the end of his trident. Blood poured from his mouth and nose as the urge to get up and strike back overwhelmed the dark dragon. But it was too late. Six guards appeared out of the shadows, completely surrounding him. It was then that he knew any chance he might have had was long since gone.