Shadow of the Crown

by Amber Morant

  A bird song erupted above the crackling of flames. It echoed across the island. Anjuu tried to find where the bird was, but she couldn't see anything. The song grew louder and Anjuu realized it was coming from Devata's direction. She looked at the tree and saw the flames were moving, spreading out perpendicularly to the ground and shifting into a set of wings. Anjuu thought they may have been a fire dragon bursting from the flames, but she could distinctively see the flames were forming into feathers. The birdsong erupted again, and the wings flapped, bursting above the tree. Hovering now above the ground was a large bird. Its feathers were made of flames and its eyes were pitch black. The phoenix looked down at Anjuu and opened its beak, releasing another call.

  The bird looks up into the sky and flies toward the mainland. Anjuu could still see Kalio and Ream in the distance. The phoenix had made them both pause and turn around. The bird caught up to them and engulfed the dragon and it’s guardian in its flames. The dragon plummeted toward the water but caught a draft and flew back toward the island.

  Ream reached the island and Kalio jumped down, leaving the dragon and phoenix high above to fight. Her clothes were singed, but her skin had no scars from the fire that had engulfed her moments ago. Ream sliced his claws at the beast, but they went through the bird without any damage.

  Kalio was now just feet from where Anjuu stood. She was also looking up at the fight, her brow furrowed. She hadn't seen Anjuu at all.

  Anjuu held a hand up to Kalio's cheek and felt it go through the queen's body. "So, I'm not really here at all." She let out a soft sigh, seeing the madness that had long been hidden deep inside of Kalio now controlling her. Her beautiful lips and toned body that Anjuu had longed for so many times began to rot before her.

  "I wish I could do something more. You've done too much wrong, My Queen. I'm sorry, this is farewell."

  Anjuu leaned forward, kissing Kalio soft on the lips. Her body went through Kalio's and she fell forward, losing balance. She refused to turn around. To look at the truth of what was happening. Since childhood, Kalio had raised her and brought her out of the slums. Now Anjuu would repay her savior by executing her.

  "Filthy trash. Just die already," Kalio muttered. Anjuu cringed, wondering if somehow Kalio could now see her and was throwing the insults at her.

  No, it wasn't her. She could hear Kalio walking away and pulling out her gunblade. The Queen stopped and pulled the trigger, releasing a single bullet. The shot echoed around and the phoenix above them let out a shrill cry. Anjuu looked back and saw something on the ground that Kalio couldn't see from her angle.

  The phoenix fell toward the ground. One last song crawling from deep within it. Ream lowered himself to the ash-covered ground to let Kalio climb back up. The dragon was covered in burn marks from the fight. A dragon could not die from fire, yet the phoenix had harmed him. Kalio took one last look behind her, her eyes piercing through Anjuu despite not seeing her. The Queen smiled then seated herself on Ream.

  Anjuu blinked away the tears welling up in her eyes, realizing Devata was now dead and Kalio was at an advantage. The vision melted away and she was back in the hotel room.

  Tosh was still kneeling on the ground. In his hands was a small pile of ashes that Anjuu could only assume was Hartiel. His hands were red and blistered.

  "Devata is no more. Kalio burned the entire island down."

  Tosh continued to look down at the ashes. He closed his eyes and closed his hands. Anjuu thought he was simply praying, but when his hands opened back up, the ashes had hardened into a solid yellow crystal. "We should tell them downstairs. They deserve to know."

  Anjuu listened as the people continued to celebrate. She shook her head. "Let's keep it between us for now. We will let them know tomorrow when they all wake up. For now, we'll let them enjoy their evening. Kalio's evil will just grow, but that doesn't mean we will let her darkness reach them yet."

  Thirty

  Persius bit into the guard’s chest and gnawed into his flesh. It was delicious, and as the blood flowed down his throat, he wondered why he had stayed away from it for so long. His men had succumbed to the taste of it days ago, yet he had held back for frivolous reasons that he couldn’t remember anymore.

  Before their newest attack, the guard had mentioned something about a celebration at the bar downtown. Once he was done with his meal, he would investigate the party. They hadn't seen many rebels in the other towns as they traveled toward the capital, but any celebrations were suspicious in his eyes at this point. Ravencroft was no exception. Persius shoved his muzzle back into the guard's flesh and ripped one of the ribs off him. The bone grinding against his teeth held the true beast at bay for now. That would be released soon enough. For now, he needed some control of his wolf form still.

  "Persius, we traveled ahead to see what the guard said was true?"

  "And?" Persius licked his lips of the blood.

  "You'll want to see this."

  Persius looked down at the body. Someone else in the clan would clean up the mess, but he wanted to keep eating. He shook his head, clearing his mind. There was no time to think about food. If there was a lead on destroying the rebellion, then that was more important than a fresh meal he could get later. If it wasn't the rebels, then he would just kill one of those who weren't the party as retribution.

  They walked the streets. If they had been in their human forms, they would have looked like a large gang invading the city. For now, it was a group of viscous animals that had wandered from the wilderness to look in the trash for some scraps to eat. Those that saw them quickly fled into homes and the ones who weren't smart enough to hide were food for those that straggled behind.

  The bar the guard had mentioned earlier was an understatement. In front of them was one of the higher-class hotels in the city. A small spot for a valet parking during the day and statues of dragons protecting the entrance. Inside, he could just barely see a bar where people were inside. They were certainly celebrating, but from outside, he couldn't tell what was happening.

  "I'm going in. Where's the bear?" Persius growled.

  A smaller bear than Brutus stepped forward. Attached to him were bags filled with medical supplies and clothes. "The others are keeping watch."

  "Good." Persius felt his bones cracking and the fur covering his body shrink away. The skin pulled away from his flesh until it landed next to him as a small pelt. The cold air sent a shiver down his spine so he tossed the pelt over his shoulder. He cracked his neck and stood up, looking across the horde of animals.

  Persius walked over to one of the bags and opened it up. Inside was a set of jeans and a dark blue polo. He pulled them out and tossed them on. It was uncomfortable wearing clothes after so long being in beast form or naked in human form. Something he needed to get used to once he returned to the castle.

  Caius stepped over to Persius and nudged his head against Persius’s hip. "Be safe in there, brother."

  "Don't worry. I will go in. Blend myself with the crowd to see what is going on and when I give the signal, you will burn the entire building down. I want to make sure they are not friends of the queen. If they are, then we will make sure they go to the castle to be branded and drafted into the military."

  "And if they refuse to enlist?"

  "Same as the others." Persius tied his pelt around his waist and then straightened his collar. "Everyone will get to enjoy a well-deserved feast."

  Persius walked into the hotel. It was far louder than he had imagined, the bass of the music pounding through his entire body. Most of the people in the party were men with the occasional woman. One such lady was laying on the table, her shirt half pulled off and shot glasses lining her body that two others were drinking from.

  One of the larger men in the center was the loudest and Persius focused his attention on him. "…Queen won't see us coming. Moon dragon by our side and a scholar! She can shove that draft up her blue cunt for all I care."

  Persius froze, he could feel the beast inside w
anting to come out now and bite down on the man's throat. It was one to rebel against the crown, but his vulgarity for her was too much for him. He pushed the beast down. They mentioned a moon dragon, but according to his knowledge, there were no others beside Ream.

  Another shorter man chimed in, his glass raised above his head. "I can't believe the shadow became a dragon guardian. I mean Devata chooses people they feel will help the country, but this is the first shadow I've heard of being chosen. Could you imagine being someone who lives by killing others for money being given a dragon?"

  "Shut up. Do you want to put a damper on the party? She already said she will kill the queen. That's all we need to know." The larger man lifted his drink and raised his voice so it would echo across the room. "To Anjuu! May she bring Narishma back into our hands!" The others in the room lifted their glasses, whether empty or not and shouted back Anjuu's name.

  Persius smiled and held his own empty glass into the air to join the celebration. Under his breath, he whispered Kalio. None of those in the celebration would realize he was there and had disappeared into the crowd again, back to his pack waiting outside.

  On one of the tables he walked past was a small pack of matches with another dragon surrounded by a moon. A symbol the queen had authorized to be used by her allies in the country to show their support. He laughed at the irony that this one was with rebels. Persius picked up the box of matches and shoved it into his pocket.

  Outside, his pack was sitting with patience that could never have been attempted outside of today. They were sitting and waiting for a signal. All taught to wait for their next meal. A few had turned into their human forms, naked in the cool air. They had not tamed their beasts enough to be patient. At least they acknowledged it. Anyone who stepped out of line would have ruined the surprise.

  Caius, still in his own wolf form, stepped forward. "Friend or foe?"

  Persius pulled the matchbook out. "Tonight, we feast!" Roars filled the air. Persius broke off one of the matches and struck it. He watched as the flame danced on the small stick in his hand.

  He stepped inside of the hotel again and lowered the match to the carpet. It caught fire within seconds and he followed it with a few more matches. The party was still active and none of them noticed him reentering.

  The small flames grew and created larger fire. Persius lifted his hand and motioned for the clan to come inside. Each of them stepped forward.

  The bear walked past Persius, intent on being the first to feast but Persius laid a hand on the bear to make him stop. "One more thing before you have fun. I have another purpose for you."

  Screams filled the air as Caius jumped onto the back of one of the rebels and opened his throat. People climbed over one another to get out through the back door. They were turned back around when a large lion stepped in from their escape route. The main entrance was blocked by the flames and more skin walkers were consistently coming through the different windows. Chaos filled the hotel as the people ran away to avoid the skin walkers and the fire.

  Once everyone had come in and almost half of the rebels were on the ground dead, Persius pulled a small black orb out of the bear's bag. "This should smoke out any who are hiding."

  Persius had learned one thing while he traveled through Narishma. Magical weapons were aplenty in rebel camps. It was cold to the touch, but it had been created by a scholar attuned to fire magic.

  He turned the top half of the orb and saw the number three flash across. His eyes scanned for the most open area in the hotel then he threw the orb out into the crowd. It burst into black flames and spread out in multiple meters in all directions.

  Persius watched as the flames spread onto the ceiling and throughout the room. Those who weren't actively killing a rebel ran outside to avoid the flames while the others finished their kills. Screams of the remaining survivors grew louder. The sprinklers and fire alarms turned on, but the water did nothing to stop the flames.

  He looked over to the hall where the rooms led to. Amidst the smoke he could see a mother holding a small toddler. His heart pained, realizing he was killing a child, but he shook his head. Anyone in here was a supporter of the rebels. There was no way he could keep children safe while his own needed protection. The child would just have to die.

  An untouched window crashed and some of the survivors of the attacked rushed outside, followed by skin walkers. Persius took that as his own order to leave. The building would collapse soon. He turned around and stepped out of the building. He took a deep breath in.

  In front of him were survivors with guns, knives, and other items from inside the bar that were now being used as weapons.

  Persius cracked his knuckles and transformed back into a wolf. He would join the fight now and clear out those who thought they could fight. Before he joined though, he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder blade. Persius turned to look and saw a knife in his shoulder.

  "Don't even think about moving, wolf." Anjuu had managed to escape and she was standing next to her stone-faced scholar.

  Persius lunged at Anjuu, baring his teeth. His head rammed into her chest, sending her backward. He felt the blade in his shoulder twist and cringed. It was just enough time for Anjuu and she pushed her arm between the two of them.

  He didn't wait for her to push him off and bit down. He could taste her blood as he punctured her skin. It tasted far sweeter than an elf's blood. There was no wonder many of the creatures in Ombramoor grew ravage at the smell of drow blood. Persius wanted more and chomped down harder.

  Arms reach around his body and feels himself being lifted off the ground and onto his back. He turned around and saw the scholar, now out of breath next to him. He ignored the elf and turned back to Anjuu, who was now standing and holding onto a short sword.

  Another scream from above. An infant. "Please! Someone save my baby! I don't want him to die!"

  Persius felt someone grab his scruff and saw Anjuu's shoes. He squirmed from her hands. She pulled the knife from his shoulder out, twisting it the entire time.

  "You're going to die tonight with the rest of the rebels,” Persius growled, his jaw snapping in the air.

  The mother above let out another scream for help. Only he seemed to notice the cries for help. He cursed the lot of them. They acted like they were so good and calling Kalio and skin walkers evil, yet all they cared about was fighting and not saving their people at all.

  Persius turned around and snapped at Anjuu. She let go of him and he launched toward the building. His eyes met with the mother's and instinctively she released her child. Whether she held onto her child or let him stay with her, the baby could die. At least by releasing him, there was a small chance of survival. The flames engulfed the mother, and she was no more.

  The child fell to the ground and Persius picked up his speed. He needed to make it to the child. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and launched himself up. He let the pain of transformation take over and held his hands out. The small baby fell into his hands and Persius rolled naked onto the ground.

  The baby squirmed in his arms, making it harder to hold onto him. "Shut up, your mom's dead."

  Persius turned to look over at Anjuu and the scholar, who were now surrounded by his clan. His eyes scanned the scene. When they had been inside, it seemed like victory was going to be theirs. Now in the open, so many of his clan were falling. More of the rebels were coming out of nearby buildings, alerted to the attack. He hadn’t expected as much resistance. They would need to regroup or face being surrounded by the enemy.

  "We're leaving!" he shouted across the fight. Whoever heard him would escape, those who didn't would keep fighting until they died.

  Brutus charged forward from the crowd, the first to hear the command. There were scars covering his body from people trying to attack him, but Brutus seemed to ignore it.

  "Let's get out of here, Brutus. I don't have the energy to transform."

  "And the child?" Brutus turned around, watching for anyone who wanted to a
ttack them.

  "Coming with us. He'll be useful to the clan."

  Persius climbed on top of the bear and gripped him with his legs. He let out a loud whistle to signal for the others to retreat. He needed to tell Kalio that Anjuu was nearby and her followers were growing. If he died here, there would be no one to warn her.

  “Persius, the child won’t be one of us. It’s an elf.”

  Persius shook his head. “That’s for me to decide, not you.”

  Brutus took off through the crowd, pushing elves and skin walkers alike to the ground. A small group of the clan ran behind them. The hotel would burn down soon enough, killing those still trapped inside. The fight didn't destroy the entire rebellion, but the message was clear. Kalio would destroy anyone who interfered with her kingdom and anyone who wasn't an ally was immediately the enemy.

  Thirty-One

  The sun rose the next day filled with blood. The smell of smoke and ash still clung to her clothes. Many were still carrying bodies out of the smoking building. There was no telling how many had died during the surprise attack. Tosh had carried the baby dragon in a bag while Anjuu had gone into the fight and thankfully neither of them were hurt.

  Dozens of bodies were laid out on the street, families crowding the street to try and identify a loved one and police guiding crowds away that didn't belong here. If Kalio wanted the support of the people, those on the force would need to hide the truth. She knew too well that the news would say the fire was an accident from a bar brawl that went too far and hide the attacks from Kalio's keres.

  The larger man from the night before who introduced himself now as Falor walked up to Anjuu. He was covered in wounds across his body and had opted to have them wrapped by the emergency units but refused a visit to the hospital. "We're doing this? Kicking the queen off her throne?"