by Zora Marie
“Fenari? Where?” Prince Eadwulf twisted in his saddle, scanning the trees.
“Not here, ahead,” Koin said. “We can see them drawing energy to them.”
“Where is the nearest place Raven can land?” Zelia asked, but the prince was already riding off.
“We’re almost to the edge of the woods, she’ll be able to spot us soon enough,” Jones said and urged his horse after the others.
“The wood’s edge.”
Koin nudged their horse and they sped past Prince Eadwulf and his men, the Elven horses having been bred for their ability to gallop through the woods, even in snow. “Do you need someone to ride with you?” Koin asked.
“I… they’ll need you and Donequen here on the ground.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. I know you’re still recovering.”
Zelia chose not to answer his question. She knew she probably should have someone with her, but taking someone who had never been on a dragon before into a fight with Fenari wasn’t high on her list of things she was willing to do.
“Who will be riding with you?”
“No one.”
“Then we’re not flying. If you’re worried about needing forces on the ground, bring that boy, Jones, with you. It’ll keep him out of the thick of it.”
“Fine. I’ll ask and see who volunteers. Just remember that this was your idea.”
“Zelia?” Koin asked, a singsong tone to his voice. “Are you going to answer me, or do I need to force you to take someone with you?”
Zelia groaned. If Koin could hear Raven she’d never convince him of anything ever again. “I’m going to ask and see who volunteers.”
“Good,” Koin said and slowed their horse as they reached the forest’s edge. “I’ll go up and see if I can’t see the Fenari from here while we wait on the others to catch up.”
Their horse sidestepped up to a tree and Koin grabbed a lower branch, pulling himself into the tree. It had been ages since she’d seen Koin climb, but he did it with the ease of every Elf she had ever seen.
Donequen rode up next to her and pointed to his horse. “What’s her name?”
“Why? You have a horse crush now?”
Donequen blushed and Zelia couldn’t help but laugh.
“I like you too, Donequen,” the horse nickered. “Koin calls me Kara.”
Zelia translated for Donequen and Koin jumped down from the tree.
“Not trying to steal Kara from me, are you?”
“No. I just…” Donequen grinned as he shook his head, as though he just realized Koin was messing with him.
“The Fenari are at the castle’s outer walls, they’re trying to break the wards etched in the foundation,” Koin said.
“I agree with that assessment,” Raven said as she landed.
“Why are you all just sitting here?” Eadwulf demanded as he finally caught up to them.
“I need someone to ride Raven with me,” Zelia said and slid from her horse.
“Why?”
“Because I sometimes collapse after using too much power.”
“Fine. Jones, go with her,” Eadwulf said and continued across the snow covered field.
“What?” Jones asked.
“Lucky,” Luxly said. “You’ll be fine, just don’t fall off.”
“Haha, so funny,” Jones said and handed Luxly his horse’s lead.
“You set then?” Koin asked.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Everyone rode off, leaving Zelia and Jones alone with Raven.
“So…” Jones stared at Raven.
“She won’t bite. Humans don’t taste very good,” Zelia teased. “Come on. She already said you could ride with me.”
“Uh huh.” Jones reluctantly followed her to Raven’s side and watched as Zelia climbed on. “So, why do you really need me to ride with you?”
“Jones. We don’t have time for this. Please just get on and keep me from falling, and don’t touch the staff.” She flicked the staff out to its full length and waited for him to get on.
“Just tell him the truth,” Raven said as Jones finally climbed on.
“Fine,” Zelia snipped and Jones froze. “Sorry, that wasn’t directed at you. In the process of killing Xander, I ended up extremely emaciated and I’m not back to where I need to be to ride on my own, and I promised Linithion I wouldn’t take unnecessary risks.”
“Princess Linithion?” Jones asked as he finally settled onto Raven’s back behind her.
“Queen now, but yes. She’s my soulmate. Now hold on.”
30
Jones rocked back as they took off and Raven’s chuckle rang in Zelia’s head. “Please tell him to hold on a bit tighter.”
“Doesn’t it defeat the purpose of having someone with me if I have to hold him on?” Zelia asked as she twisted to grab the front of Jones’s leather breastplate to steady him. “Squeeze with your legs and if you need a hand hold, you can wrap your arms around me to hold the ridge along the base of Raven’s neck.”
“Um…” A bit of a blush colored Jones’s cheeks.
“Of course, you all pick the modest one.” Zelia thought to Raven. “Linithion won’t care so long as neither of us fall off. Alright?”
“Are you sure? I thought Elves were overly protective of one another.”
“Oh, we are, so you’d better hold on.” She glared at him over her shoulder and he swallowed.
He acted as though he was afraid to touch her with how carefully he wrapped his arms around her. Had they had time, she would have let him work through whatever his issue was, but they didn’t. So, she grabbed his hands and put them on the small ridge that offered a meager handhold.
“Sorry, but I don’t have time for this.”
“I think the Fenari just spotted us. Should we draw their attention while Koin and Donequen get into position?”
“Yes, just be careful. Can you see their energy attacks?” Zelia stared over Raven’s bulk, scanning the Fenari below. There were only five of them, yet they drew in a massive amount of power.
“Yes. There’s a reason wizards weren’t needed near Dragon Island. Relax and worry about attacks, I’ll keep us out of harm’s way. Alright?”
Zelia forced the tension from her muscles and Raven purred a note of approval down their bond.
“Open your senses to our bond, you’ll be able to predict where I’m going.”
“We really should have practiced this, and magic attacks before now.”
It had never even occurred to her that she’d never tried to attack someone without having her feet on the ground. Sure, she knew she didn’t technically need to be in contact with the ground, but it didn’t change the fact that she had never done it without the ability to channel her power through the earth.
“You have. You did it on the ship with the dragon trappers. And, well, there’s no time better than the present to practice.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Zelia searched for the thread that connected her to Raven, and grounded herself in it. She could almost feel the fire within Raven burning bright and hot like the molten metal the Dwarves adored so much. She clung to that feeling, to the fire that ran in Raven’s veins.
“You ready?”
“Ready as I can be.”
The outer wall of the castle shuddered, and people screamed as chunks of stone tumbled inward. Zelia called her flame forth and willed it to burn the Fenari, but it felt soft and insignificant as the Fenari batted out the flames.
“I need to be down there.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t have to put yourself in danger in order to call upon your inner fire. Break their shield and then fuel my fire,” Raven’s order came out as a growl that reverberated through Zelia.
Zelia drew the rune to break their shield and pulled the energy the Fenari were already drawing into the spell, allowing them to fuel the spell for her. One of them pointed towards her, as though just now noticing her, but it was too late as she unleashed the
rune on their shield.
The ground itself rumbled as the Fenari’s shield shattered and Raven dipped, showering them in blue fire.
As she reached to latch onto the flames a blast of energy slammed through her connection to Raven. The hit stole her breath and sent them tumbling through the sky. Jones pinned her to Raven’s back.
Raven shrieked as they slammed into the ground. The warmth of Raven’s bulk beneath her disappeared as Jones lost his hold. The world turned end over end, the white of snow, then the blue of sky flashing before her eyes. She summoned her magic and begged the snow to cushion their fall.
She heard the crack as her head connected with something hard. Pain lanced through her head. No. I need to help. Her thoughts were slow and hazy as darkness claimed her. The last thing she heard was men shouting in the distance.
“Zelia.” Koin’s voice sounded faint and distant, fogged by a cloud of pain. “Come on. You have to wake up.”
A stabbing pain shot through her skull like a knife had been shoved into her head, and she groaned. What— she sat up as the fight, the blast, and fall rushed back to her. “Jones? Raven?” Her vision swam.
Koin’s hands were warm as he pushed her back onto the thin pallet. It felt no thicker than a blanket between her and the cold stone. “Easy. Jones is alright. You hit your head pretty hard.”
“What about Raven?” Zelia glanced around the dark, damp room. “Where are we?”
“The dungeon,” Jones said, his voice echoing slightly off stone.
“Yep. At least Jones managed to talk them into putting Koin with you,” Donequen said. “And don’t bother trying to get out. The cells were built with magic, it’s ironic given King Eadwine’s hatred of it.”
There was a ruckus somewhere in the distance and Zelia turned her head towards the sound. She heard a soft groan of pain as footsteps grew nearer.
“Careful!” a deeper, aged voice said. “You’ll re-puncture his lung carrying him like that.”
Someone cursed under their breath.
“If your mother was still alive she’d wash that mouth out for speaking to me that way.”
“It’s not our choice, Kilian. You’re the one who broke the law and used magic.”
“To heal Luxly. Would you rather I let him die?”
“He’s dead either way. You could have at least let him die with honor,” muttered another guard.
Candlelight flickered and Zelia watched as two guards carried a limp body between them. Another guard held Kilian’s hands bound in chains, a fourth held the candle and keys. The lock clicked open, then the guard moved to another empty cell.
“At least let me stay with him to tend to him,” Kilian said.
“Fine.” The guards grumbled as they placed Luxly on a cot, took the chains off Kilian, and locked them in.
Zelia watched the guards go with growing confusion. “What exactly happened?”
“After Raven crashed, Luxly jumped between Prince Eadwulf and a Fenari blast. It caught them both, but Luxly took the brunt of it. One minute we were killing the Fenari and the next we were surrounded by King Eadwine’s men.” Koin wiped the hair from her face. “How’s your head?”
She squinted up at him. “How do you think? How long was I out?”
“A few hours. I’ve been trying to wake you up for most of that.”
“You never answered me about Raven.” Zelia’s heart raced at the thought of how hard they’d hit the ground. “Raven?” No answer. “Koin. What happened to Raven?” She could still feel their bond, but Raven was silent on the other end.
“She was hurt. I told her to flee, that I’d do what I could,” Jones said. “Of course, look where that’s landed us.”
“Eh. I’ve been in worse,” Koin said and leaned over to grab something. “Come on. Sit up and drink a little.”
“How is she?” Kilian asked as he came to the bars that separated their cell from his.
“I’m fine.”
Koin shot her a look as she pushed herself up. “You’re not fine. I’ve been struggling to get the swelling around your brain down ever since they put us in here, which is why you just now woke up.”
“Here.” Kilian slipped a cloth bundle from a hidden pocket in his robes and held it out through the bars. “It won’t work as well without a way to heat it, but it’ll help with the swelling.”
“Here, I can—” Zelia hissed and her vision blurred as pain lanced through her head when she tried to summon flames to her hand.
“Zelia?” Koin’s palm pressed against her cheek and his magic tingled along the side of her face. “Let go of your magic.”
She shivered as she heeded Koin’s plea. He pulled her to him, his warmth enveloping her as it had when she was little.
“It’s probably the head injury. I’ve seen it effect a fire bearer that way before.” Kilian stooped and picked up the cup Koin had left near the bars. He sprinkled a large pinch of herbs into the cup, then spirited the pouch back to its hiding spot.
“Where did you see that? I don’t recall us having any fire bearers around when you worked with Vainoff and Eadon.” Koin accepted the cup from Kilian.
“Hm. There’s a reason I stayed here.”
“Oh?”
“Yep, to torment me,” Luxly said and groaned.
Kilian huffed and turned to kneel beside Luxly. “Don’t you dare try to move.”
“Didn’t plan on it.” Luxly made a wheezing, half hearted cough and smiled.
Another ruckus sounded from the entrance to the dungeon. Leather boots scraped against stone. “Dammit! I am your Prince! I order you to let me through. There are more of those things out there and our blades are useless against them.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”
A throat cleared. “Then you’re relieved of your duties. Get out of my sight.”
“Wulf.”
“No. I will not let this kingdom fall because my father is blind. Give me the keys.”
Metal clanked and footsteps rushed, some getting closer and others farther away. Candlelight chased away the darkness as Wulf neared, the orange light turning his blond hair gold. His gaze lingered on Luxly.
“I’m fine,” Luxly wheezed and gave Wulf a thumbs up.
“Sure you are. I’ll come back for you when it’s safe.” Wulf’s gaze shifted to her, to the way she leaned against Koin. “You alright?” He fumbled awkwardly with the keys and that’s when she noticed his right arm was in a sling.
“No.” She sat up. “Do you know where Raven is?”
“In a giant block of ice. I tried to order our men off her, but father ripped into them and they won’t listen to me.”
A block of ice? But she just used fire. Why didn’t she just fly away? Why isn’t she responding? Zelia felt sick to her stomach.
“Eadwulf!”
Wulf flinched and nearly dropped the keys as his father stomped down the dungeon stairs.
“I told you to stay in your rooms.”
The muscle in Wulf’s jaw visibly clenched as he turned to face King Eadwine. “Father. We need their help and for gods’ sakes, Kilian’s our healer.”
“He and the others all used magic, they’re no better than the guild.”
“What? Jones and Lucky didn’t use magic. They’re my friends and you locked them up.” Keys clanked as Wulf pointed. “Lucky grew up with me here in the castle, under your nose. He doesn’t have magic and we need their help.”
“We don’t need their help. Now give me the keys.”
“No.”
Wulf’s head snapped to the side as his father back handed him. Stunned by the blow, Wulf put up no resistance as his father grabbed the keys and shoved him in a cell. “If you want to act like an animal, then you can be caged like one, too.” The door slammed shut with a loud clang that hurled tendrils of pain through her head.
“You’re making a mistake!” Wulf called after his Father then sagged against the bars. His eyes shut as he rested his forehead against the cold bar
s. “We’re dead. We’re all dead.”
“What do you mean?” Zelia asked.
“More Fenari showed up as I headed down here. Our army won’t last without all of you. He’s too stubborn and arrogant to see that he’s sentencing everyone to death, even himself.”
“Great.” Zelia sighed and leaned back against Koin.
He pressed the cup into her hand. “Drink.”
“You know, I wanted an excuse to spend more time with you, Koin, but not like this.” She took a sip of the cool minty water and shivered. When did I get so cold? The rock and the snow came back to her.
Koin’s chest vibrated with his quiet chuckle. He wrapped his arms around her like he had when she was little. “I’ve missed you, too. I’ll help you stretch once you’ve warmed up.”
31
Koin hummed a soft lamenting tune as he made her push through a series of leg and hand stretches. She must have made a face because Koin raised a brow at her and let the tune die.
“You know, I do believe you still owe me a midsummer dance. What is it? Three hundred years past due?”
“What? You think of that now of all times?”
Jones snorted. “And here I thought Lucky was the champion of random thoughts.”
“Oh, I am,” Luxly said, the strain in his voice not as bad as it had been. “It does seem just like our luck to end up in here for something we didn’t do.”
“Like that was a constant fear for you two,” Wulf said and an awkward silence followed.
In the distance, there was a booming thud and the ground shook as people screamed. Zelia’s skin prickled at the pain and fear in those distant screams.
After a while, Donequen asked, “So, why exactly is your nickname Lucky?”
“Because the fool has a knack for getting himself in trouble and somehow escapes death every time,” Wulf said. “Though after today I might have to come up with a different nickname for you, like deathwish or something.”
“Fine, next time I won’t save you.”
The distinct crack of breaking stone reverberated through the cells. Zelia cringed as the sound echoed in her head. Dust shook from the wall and clouded the air.
