Layla

I am Layla Balans, Princess of Dracos. I was blessed with fair skin, sea blue eyes, and dark ruby hair. I don’t look like any of the other princesses that I have met, but I never considered myself different. I attended the same schools and balls. I watched some of them find their mates, and I was happy for them even though they moved far away. I loved growing up in Dracos, even without my mother by my side. When I would attend ceremonies was when I missed her the most. And I don’t believe it was because my father, King Edward, never found another mate. It sometimes happens among dragons even if my mother wasn’t his fated. Since a fated mate might never appear in a dragon’s lifespan, we have adapted some human customs, such as marriage. But those few customs are where the human world ends and the dragon world begins. Humans and dragons once coexisted many thousands of years ago, until a huge war nearly wiped out the humans. To ensure peace, the Fire Dragon shrouded the dragon world from human eyes forever. My father is believed to be the last descendant of the Fire Dragon, and he chose Dracos because of its location. It is located in the Southern United States in the state known as Louisiana. I only know a bit of its history as females aren’t allowed to venture into the human world unless they are accompanied by a male. Many dangers lurk there, but they do here in the dragon world, too.

Dragons control the world’s financial system, and humans have no clue. Different tribes are proficient at mining, fabricating, and even cyber currency. Dracos is known for its refineries. I have a knack for spotting prime locations to unearth rare minerals for refining. However, I don’t see it as a special gift because it comes from my dreams. I have visions of where to have the men dig, and those visions are guided by my mother. I had feared telling my father because I thought he might think that I was crazy, but instead, he told me that he had them too.

One night, we both awoke from a vision. It led us to a spot just outside the French Quarter in New Orleans. The human music and their laughter permeated the air, and I wished that I could have had the time to explore, but my father wouldn’t allow it. We were on a mission to find a valuable mineral deposit, and that left no time for frivolous things like mingling with the humans.

We both found the spot in our vision, but didn’t find anything. As we were about to leave, I felt this strange pull. “Dad, do you trust me?” I asked.

“Of course I do,” he replied. I did something that I had never done before. I put my palms on the ground and felt it melt underneath me. My hand sank past where we had been digging, and I felt something rough and cold. I pulled it up. It looked like a rock. He gasped, “Little One, that is a diamond. It shouldn’t be, but it is.”

“It looks like a rock.” I try to look at it from different angles, hoping to see a glint of a rare mineral in it. But it looks like an ordinary rock, despite the effort it took to find it and pull it from its earthly confines.

“As it should. It is a diamond in the ruff just like you,” he replied as he took it from me and helped me to my feet. We laughed as we made our way towards our portal. “See that shop over there?” he asked as he pointed.

“Yeah.” I looked at him, wondering where this was going.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black credit card. “Go inside and pick yourself out a souvenir. You deserve it.”

He had only ever brought me home souvenirs when my visions led us to a major discovery, and he never let me pick any out. I jumped up and down before kissing his cheek, and I grabbed the card from him and raced into the store. It was filled with beads, masks, costumes, things called tarot cards, and Ouija boards. There was just so much to look at. I decided on a postcard, mask, and this interesting necklace. Five different round gems descend in a straight line from the top of the pendant. At the bottom of the gems is a white gold Fleur de Lis. The lady behind the counter told me that it represents the combining of the elements to form perfect unity. Even though I didn’t believe her, I still thanked her.

I rarely take that necklace off. It serves as a reminder that nothing is as it seems. I learned what my father meant when he called that rock a diamond in the ruff. It has now been six years since we discovered what type of diamond we had found and learned of the danger we had unearthed. This diamond wasn't rare because of its color but its power. With that power comes great responsibility because if the diamond fell into the wrong hands, it could unleash a beast who would destroy this world, allowing only dragons to exist. There was an ancient prophecy linked to this diamond and my family. When my father learned of this, he fused the diamond to himself. It amplified his existing powers of transfiguration. That's what made him a great refiner and fire manipulator. Also, it gave him some special powers of regeneration, but not true immortality.

I was in our library studying geology when my father stumbled in. He was pale, dried blood was on his lip and temple. His armor had a dark film over its brilliant silver and gold. “Little One, it is time,” my father said as he handed me a special dagger. “It must be you.”

Those were the words that I hoped I would never hear him speak.