Unbroken Kingdom

by Lorie Gurnett

  Katerina shuffled her feet. “It’ll take a while to gather an army willing to fight Lucas. Plus, I’ve planned a funeral procession and farewell for Mother and Princess Delores. Right now, we have our local leaders, but I’ve been calling more to our aid. We need to give them time to arrive.”

  Crystal rolled her eyes and scrunched up her nose. Here we go with the excuses. Hasn’t my sister learned anything? “When’s the farewell? You weren’t going to have that without me, were you?” Crystal asked.

  “I…well...” Katerina paced the room. “I didn’t know if you were going to wake up. Sir Gervon’s here, and he’s helping keep the peace. You know how he is.”

  “Fine. I can show you, Nora.” Crystal offered as she slowly stood from the bed. “I say again, when is the farewell?”

  “I think the day after tomorrow.”

  “We’ll return with Sam and Bobbie. I promise you that. No thanks to you, Kat.” Crystal spat her words and stormed out of the room.

  Squeezing Katerina’s shoulder, Senora turned to leave. “She will come around. Give her some time. She has a lot to process.”

  “That is just it. I don’t deserve your trust or her forgiveness,” Katerina stated.

  “Everyone deserves forgiveness. Trust has to be earned,” Senora replied while following Crystal.

  Crystal led Senora to the barn, saddled two horses, and handed the reins of one horse to Senora. “You can ride, can’t you?”

  “I’m a natural, and I have my own horses back at home,” she said as Crystal mounted her horse with ease. Senora put one hand on the horn of the saddle and the other on the back brim and quickly mounted. She nodded to Crystal to lead on. They rode out the castle gate.

  Senora galloped to keep in stride with Crystal’s horse. It amazed her how natural and graceful this young twelve-year-old was on the back of her horse. It had taken Senora years of training and riding to get this confident on a horse. I wonder how long she has been riding? The thought hung in her mind, but she didn’t feel right to ask. She needed to focus on how she was going to save Sam and Robert.

  Part 5: Healing

  11

  Storms of Deceit

  Robert sat in a dark room, flexing against his bonds. “Easy now. Are you the one they call Bobbie?” Lucas spoke through the silence.

  “You know my name, but what’s yours?” Robert asked.

  “My name’s not important right now.” Light illuminated the room; Robert’s eyes burned at the intensity. His eyes slowly adjusted while he looked around the room. It surprised him to see how large and cluttered the room was.

  “One can easily get lost in here,” he said.

  “One can lose themselves only to become anyone they want to be,” Lucas replied.

  “What do you mean by that? Where are you? Show yourself.”

  Lucas stepped out from behind a large pile of dusty file folders and random scraps of papers on top of a table. He bowed toward Robert and grinned. “Welcome.” As light radiated from all around Lucas, Robert fell back in shock and covered his eyes for protection.

  “You make it sound like I’m a guest.”

  “Not just a guest but my honoured guest.”

  “Do you chain all your guests to a chair?” Robert rattled the chains with his hands, out of frustration to get free.

  “Let me take care of that.” Lucas simply snapped his fingers, and two Shadow Knights appeared at the door.

  “Yes, Lord?” the first knight declared.

  “What’s the meaning of chaining my guest to a chair? Release him immediately,” Lucas ordered.

  “But you said…” The Knight started but quickly silenced his protest at the glare and sheer darkness he saw flaring in Lucas’s eyes. He jumped at Robert and released his bonds, gathered the chains, and shuffled out of the room.

  “There, you see, my guest.” Lucas reached out his hand.

  Robert raised his hand to grab Lucas’s but hesitated. “Where’s Sam?”

  Lucas leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Walk with me. Let me show you around.” Robert stood and followed, almost feeling as though he were in a trance. Lucas led him out of the cluttered room, down a dark rock tunnel.

  “Where’re we goin’?”

  “To where it all began.”

  Sam sat bound to her chair in the small, dark room. “You’re not strong enough,” Drayvon whispered through the darkness.

  “Strong enough to defeat you. ‘The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.’1 Stop hiding in the shadows and face me. You’ll soon learn how strong I truly am.”

  “If you were strong enough, why didn’t you save them?” Suddenly, Sam found herself sitting in her dragon form in the Dragon City, where she grew up.

  “Starstorm.” Sam jumped at the sound of her mother calling her long-forgotten name. “Come, Starstorm, they’re coming,” Rhaegal called.

  “Who’s coming, Mama?” Her mother drew her close in her wing to protect her from a fireball blast. Sam felt the heat surrounding them. “Mama, I’m scared.”

  “It’s alright, little one; I need you to do something.”

  “Anything,” Sam declared. Her mother wavered as another fireball blast knocked her off balance. “Mama?”

  Rhaegal drew Sam close and whispered, “Stay strong. Transform.”

  “But, Mama, you said transforming was forbidden.”

  “I need you to transform. You’re the only one who can other than the Silver Dragon. It’s a gift the Saviour gave to only you and the Silver Dragon. That’s what makes you so special. You need to survive.” The little Red Dragon transformed into a small red-haired girl with emerald green eyes. With Rhaegal’s red tail she surrounded Starstorm and lifted her safely into a high tree. “I love you, my little Starstorm. Never forget who you are. The Tree of Hope will protect you.” Sam watched in horror as the Silver Dragon dove on top of her mother.

  “Where’s the little whelp?” The Silver Dragon yelled.

  “I won’t allow you to corrupt her!” Rheagal yelled.

  The Silver Dragon lunged at Rheagal’s throat and sank her teeth in. Rheagal’s cries reached Sam’s little ears. “No, she’ll be your undoing.” Rheagal fell as the Silver Dragon ignited the body and surrounding area with fire, leaped to flight and flew toward a cluster of dragons in the distance. Little Starstorm sat helpless in the burning tree.

  Sam covered her ears and closed her eyes. “Make it stop,” she pleaded.

  “Why didn’t you save her?” Drayvon asked.

  “I was just a child. I couldn’t save her.”

  “You weren’t strong enough. You couldn’t do enough to save her.”

  Sam hung her head as she saw the hopeful memory of Princess Delores finding her. “Come down, child. I won’t harm you. What happened here?” Delores questioned. Sam climbed down from the Tree of Hope, looked at her surroundings of the city in ruins, and took Princess Delores’ hand. “Come you’re safe now. What’s your name?”

  Sam looked down at what was left of her mother’s body, swallowed hard, and said, “You can call me Sam.”

  “Not only are you not good enough, but you’re a liar too. Not even those who thought they knew you actually know your real name,” Drayvon claimed.

  “I had to protect my true identity. I didn’t know where the Silver Dragon was or what she would do to me if she found me,” Sam replied.

  She tried desperately to hold onto the memory of the Tree of Hope, “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.2 Just listen to the Saviour; He will guide you in His truth, little one. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”3 Delores whispered in Sam’s ear.

  The memory of Delores’ lifeless body lying in a pool of her blood invaded her memories. “She died not knowing who you really are. Why didn’t you save her?”

  “How could I? You had me bound.”

  “You’re a
lone. You’re a liar. You’re not good enough, and you’re not worth loving.”

  “Not true. I’m born of the blood of Jesus; I am adopted, chosen, I’m a child of God.”

  “We’ll see. I’ll break you.” Sam stared confidently with a tear-streaked face, but with determination in her eyes.

  Robert cleared his throat as they exited the cave into a thick forest. “What do you mean where it all began? Where what all began?” Robert asked.

  “Let me tell you a story,” Lucas replied.

  “What kind of story?”

  “A story of love. It was just beyond the Forest of Truth when I saw her, full of power, authority, and beauty. I knew right there I needed her for my empire.”

  “Your empire? I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, you will.” As they stepped out of the Forest of Truth, Lucas pointed off in the distance. “Look: what do you see?”

  Robert stared toward where Lucas pointed. “It looks like the ruins of an old city.”

  “You’re right. We’re nearly there.”

  “Where, exactly?” The two walked along silently for a few hours and emerged at the entrance to the ruins. “What happened here?”

  “You know, control, power, greed. Welcome to the Dragon Kingdom. Home of the Silver Enchantress.”

  “Who’s the Silver Enchantress?”

  Lucas lunged at Robert, grabbed the front of his shirt, and shoved him against a wall. “Only I can call her that. She belonged to me!” he yelled, then almost instantly softened, released Robert and continued walking. Robert straightened his shirt and ran to catch up.

  “What happened to her?”

  “She was corrupted. We had it all. Only one could stop us from moving forward in the plan.”

  “What plan?”

  “Well, only one is what I thought. I never considered the power Scarlett held until her undoing.” Lucas ignored Robert’s question.

  “Let me ask you: what would you do to keep those you love safe?”

  Robert shifted his weight and avoided Lucas’s question. Lucas turned and got right in Robert’s face. “If their lives were threatened, would you kill to save them?”

  “What? I would do anything to save them.”

  “Anything? To Anyone?”

  “I don’t understand.” Robert’s uneasiness began to rise within him.

  “Never mind. We should go back.”

  “Go back? Now? We’ve already been walking for hours.” Lucas simply tapped Robert’s forehead. Robert blinked his eyes, and to his surprise, he found himself back in the cluttered room again facing Lucas. “How did you do that?”

  “I can teach you if you'd like. In fact, I can teach you a lot of things.”

  “Can I see Sam?” Instantly, Lucas’s smirk faded.

  He snapped his fingers, and three Shadow Knights rushed in and secured Robert’s arms. Robert instantly started kicking and fighting them off. “I thought I was your guest.”

  “A guest on my terms.” Lucas turned toward the door. “You’re a fighter. I like that. What would you say if I told you I could teach you to fight so you could never lose and all who you cared about would always be protected?”

  “I would say, what’s the catch?”

  “No catch. I can help you save everyone who’s important to you. You have lost so much.”

  Immediately, Robert found himself kneeling at the bottom of his stairs with blood-stained hands, looking down at Trevor’s bloody body.

  “You couldn’t save Trevor. Just think about the control and power I am offering you.” Soon, Lucas left Robert alone in the dark room once more. Hanging his head and feeling defeated, Robert pondered what Lucas had told him.

  Senora flinched as she looked ahead of Crystal at the sight of the large mountain that came into view. Everything around her appeared to be engulfed in stormy darkness. Soon, her horse veered up and sent her flying to the ground with a loud thud, filling her shoulder with stabbing pain. Crystal quickly dismounted, secured both horses, and ran to Senora’s side. “Nora, are you alright?” Crystal asked.

  “My shoulder hurts, but I’ll be fine. How much farther?” Senora replied as she carefully sat up.

  Crystal turned to look toward the mountain. With her arm extended, she pointed. “That’s the entrance to Shadow Dominion; the Sheol Mountain is its border. I’ll wait here and keep the horses calm and secured so we’ve a way back home. But you need to be on your guard. Darkness rules there. Time has no boundaries. You can’t trust what you see. The Shadows and especially Drayvon live on deception, lies, and fears. The moment you lose truth, you’ve lost,” Crystal warned. “The storm’s great right now; Drayvon’s using the storm to guard his borders. This’ll be a good time to try to sneak in. You might be able to stay undetected if you go now. As long as he continues the storm, his focus is elsewhere.”

  “Please pray with me. That the Saviour will guide me and surround me with His protection and truth.” Crystal bowed her head. The two prayed together as Senora prepared for the next leg of her journey.

  “Dear Heavenly Father, You know the journey that’s before me. You know the dangers and trials I’ll face. Please guard my heart and my mind. Give me wisdom and strength. I lift up Sam and Bobbie to you. Fill their hearts with truth. Guard their minds from the attacks of the evil one. Remind them they’re not alone. In Jesus’ name, amen,” Senora prayed. Senora hugged Crystal and slowly stood. Crystal gave her a confident nod as Senora stepped into the storm cloud raging around the mountain.

  The moment Senora entered the cloud, she was instantly shrouded in darkness. The weight that pressed in on her made it hard to breathe. She pushed forward. When I pass through the waters, You’ll be with me. She felt warmth surrounding her as light illuminated from her eagle pendant. She was amazed that as the storm raged about her, she was untouched by it. A barrier of protection surrounded her. Thank You, she prayed.

  “Tell me about your dad,” Lucas prompted. His question startled Robert.

  “Why do you want to know about him? He’s nothing special,” Robert snapped.

  “I just want to get to know you. Why you do what you do. I shared with you from my past. Now, it’s your turn.”

  “There isn’t much to tell. He’s quite private and a hypocrite.”

  “Why do you say hypocrite?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. He can be a good guy. I mean, when he wants to. He can be quite likable. He taught me to fish and shoot. But when the booze comes out, he’s a completely different person.”

  “Go on. Ohh… do tell.” Lucas rubbed his hands together gleefully.

  “I learned a long time ago to make myself scarce when I saw the vodka and scotch bottles come out.”

  “How was he different?”

  “Let’s just say things got broke.”

  “What sort of things?” Lucas questioned, his eyes greedily drinking in all the details.

  “Oh, you know. Walls, sticks, chairs, tables, arms, noses. If he wasn’t beating on me, he was beating my mom.”

  “Did you ever try to stand up to him?”

  “Once.”

  “What happened?”

  “You know, he was beating on my mom for not getting the dishes done right after supper. He was plunging her face into a full sink of soapy water. I pulled at his feet caused him to fall backward as Mom limply fell to the floor, gasping for air. I was only eight at the time. He turned violently toward me, gripped me by the hair, dragged me out of the house, my feet scuffing against the gravel stones in the driveway. Then, he picked up a thin stick and pulled me into the woodshed.”

  Lucas licked his lips, almost as if he was deliciously drinking in every word. “Tell me more.”

  “He bound my wrists extended outward to two hooks on the wall. I stood helplessly facing the wall. And the stick slammed upon my back. Again and again. I lost count of how many times the stick hit, but when his rage subsided, he threw the stick at my feet. I looked down, not willing to give him the satisfaction of a te
ar. He would not break me. No matter how bloody he made that stick. Dad just turned and left me barely hanging there with my wrists bound to the wall. You know what he said to me?” Robert looked up at Lucas for the first time.

  “What?”

  “That’ll teach you to get in my way. I hung there for hours before Mom came out and unbound me. She acted as if this was normal and told me to go to bed. What parents do that to their child?” Robert’s muscles constrained, he took low shallow breaths, and the heat rose up into his face. Clenching his fists, he bit his lip to fight back the tears.

  “You deserve better. I can teach you so you don’t ever hurt like that again. You can get even.”

  “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you who are you to judge your neighbour?”4

  Lucas stood and paced the cluttered room, swung his arm, and knocked the pile of papers on the floor. He left the room without saying a word.

  12

  Lost to Unforgiveness

  Senora saw movement ahead. She dodged behind a tree and peered out to see what headed her way. She saw a strange-looking, tall, hairy beast-like humpbacked creature emerge from the storm. “Patrol the perimeter, patrol the perimeter I’m patrolling. One wrong choice leads to the possibility of getting stuck in a patrol with everyone else.” The beast sarcastically yelled out, “It’s not like anyone will try to penetrate his storm! They wouldn’t dare. Doin’ the wrong thing is like getting’ shot by an arrow. It’s usually a long-lastin’ pain that doesn’t go away. The Master holds all the power The Master has the control. But yes, I’m out here patrollin’. Patrol is a boring man’s game that never ends. You can’t quit. Soon, she’ll fall, I’ll find the hidden entrance to the rest of the dragons and nothin’ will stop The Master.” The beast walked past the tree Senora was hiding behind and cackled like a hyena. She watched and slowly followed quietly behind this strange creature.