Dragon's Claws

by Bri Sailor

  Cora let out a frustrated sigh. “Something told me to come to the archives. It lead me to this…abomination…”

  “What happened?” Atreyis was genuinely concerned.

  Cora waved it off. “Nothing. It just got me thinking.”

  “You sure you’re alright?” asked the princess.

  “Yes. Yes. Nothing to worry about now.” Cora stood up. “Now what do you mean about keeping your father at bay?”

  “If my father comes here or Goddess forbid, the army, Ky will surely be killed.” Atreyis rubbed her sore abdomen.

  Cora looked questioningly at the princess. “What do you mean?”

  The princess flopped painfully into a chair across from her. “She was a soldier in the Black Army. And a traitor…or not. Either way she is on the run. You know that if she were found out it would be a death sentence.”

  The high priestess glanced at the doorway. Ky stepped forward.

  “I am willing to risk it.” Said the warrior.

  Atreyis whirled around. “What?”

  “I didn’t quite get to finish what I was telling you.” Ky said calmly. “There was another reason I was coming here. I need to see the king, to warn him. I think King Ultrek is up to something. I think he is planning an attack, possibly assassins as well.”

  A blank faced princess turned to Cora. “Now what?”

  Cora thought a moment. She had that gut feeling again, the same as when she let Atreyis leave. Her face grew serious.

  “I think that it’s time for you to return home, Atreyis.”

  The princess’ mouth dropped in protest, she wasn’t ready to leave Cora yet. And she definitely wasn’t ready to face her parents.

  Cora held up a hand. “Don’t question your High Priestess. I believe that the Goddess meant for you two to meet. This may be the reason why. Maybe this is the reason she woke you up that night. I believe you need to listen to what Ky has to say, she needs to speak with the king as soon as possible.”

  “But—“ Atreyis protested, she wasn’t ready to face her parents yet.

  Cora shook her head and went about cleaning up her scrolls and books. The princess watched, stupefied, as her friend simply left her alone. She looked at Ky and crossed her arms.

  “You seem pleased with yourself.”

  Ky snorted. “On the contrary. I am simply happy that we will be seeing the king and I can inform him of his enemy’s intent.”

  “Is that all?” Atreyis was suspicious.

  “Yes.”

  “Fine.” She moved to leave when something struck her. “You said that you were intrigued by what happened in the forest. Why exactly is that?”

  Ky raised an eyebrow. “I had wondered why someone such as yourself would rush into a fight with untouched steel and lackluster skills. I had a feeling that there was more to you than meets the eye. Why do you ask?”

  “It wouldn’t have to do with why you saved me, would it?”

  The general got the feeling that she was being tested. “Possibly. Or maybe I simply thought it the right thing to do.”

  The princess got in her face. Blue eyes stared into unflinching gray, electricity flowed between them.

  “You know as well as I what my “bright” eyes might mean. How am I to know that you don’t plan to ransom me or perhaps kill me and my family later?”

  Ky started getting mad.

  “How dare you accuse me of something so devious!” she bit in a low tone. “You know as well as I that not all Descended are of pure noble blood. Your eyes didn’t glow that bright. It just shows how highly you think of yourself. Besides, do not my actions speak for themselves? If I were to ransom you, don’t you think I would have taken you somewhere else other than this temple? Or try to steal you away in the night? Furthermore, why would I stitch you up only later to kill you? Seems like a waste.”

  There was a raw anger beginning to burn in her eyes and it scared the princess. The soldier might actually be telling the truth. She considered her words carefully.

  “What you say does make sense, I suppose. And if your actions are as innocent as you insist, then you wouldn’t object to training me? Teaching you former enemy to better wield a sword shouldn’t be a problem if you are no longer the enemy.”

  Ky was confused. “I guess?”

  What in the world was this girl after?

  The princess lit up. “So when do we start?”

  “Can you pick up a sword without passing out from pain?” teased Ky.

  The princess shot her a look. Ky returned it. The princess’ wounds were healed enough, thought the warrior.

  “Meet me in the garden in ten minutes. And be ready.” She said over her shoulder as she left.

  “Wait! What? Now?” Atreyis stammered, but Ky was already gone.

  Chapter 6

  The princess limped and paced impatiently in a grassy patch in the garden. Her instructor was nowhere to be seen. Between the moonlight and torches she would be sure to see her. She was still wearing the blue silk robes and her sword was drawn and ready at her side. Hoping that the soldier was already outside she glanced around nervously. Nothing. Maybe she missed her. Suddenly, cold steel at her throat halted her pacing.

  “Rule number one, never let your guard down. A warrior takes control of others and never lets another control them.” Came a husky voice behind her.

  “Noted.” Squeaked Atreyis, chills ran down her spine.

  The sneaky blonde released her quarry. Atreyis whirled around, ready to attack. Ky was also still wearing the blue robes. Her raised sword belied her seemingly docile beauty. Atreyis gripped her sword tight and took a deep breath. Steel cut through the air and crashed against steel. With great ease Ky blocked every blow that the princess threw at her. To the untrained eye it seemed like an impressive fight, with Atreyis gaining the upper hand. Their shadows danced and twisted in the torchlight. Her sword came down hard. Their swords locked. The princess struggled and the blonde gave moderate effort against her. Every stitch burned and every bruise ached. Atreyis grunted against the force and pushed with all her might, her eyes began to glow blue. Ky’s eyes widened and flashed red. She shoved the princess hard and sent her flying across the grass. The girl landed hard and struggled to get up. Breathing hard and using her sword she braced herself and stood up. She reached for her stomach, it felt like something had gave, but thankfully everything seemed intact and there was no blood. She pulled up her robes and checked on her leg, the stitches held but it was bleeding some.

  “Some Descended you are. Were you even trained? You’re pathetic.” Ky taunted the fallen princess.

  The brunette felt her blood begin to boil. Her eyes glowed again. Ky gestured for the girl to come at her. Atreyis let loose a yell and charged. The soldier easily dodged the attack and jumped out of the way. The hilt of her sword came down on the back of Atreyis’ head. It wasn’t enough to knock her out and the princess stumbled and turned in time to see Ky lunging after her. Atreyis panicked and dove out of the way, losing her sword in the process. She tried to get up but Ky was already at her throat with the point of her sword.

  “Like I said, pathetic.” Growled the blonde.

  “You wouldn’t be saying that if I had my bow.” The princess tried to sound confident.

  The warrior released the princess and backed up. “Rule number two: be prepared for every situation. A rash attack without thinking leads to defeat.”

  Atreyis dusted herself off. “Just wait until I am fully healed.”

  Ky rolled her eyes and flew at her again. The princess froze. Seeing the girl paralyzed by fear the blonde changed tactics at the last second and let loose a strong front kick. Atreyis barely had time to react. Throwing up her arms, she was able to block most of the kick but was still knocked backwards a few steps. She recovered and let Taryn’s training take over as she dodged the warrior’s blade as it cut through the air. Seeing her window she kicked the sword out of Ky’s hand and followed with a roundhouse kick to the warrior’s jaw.
The kick was enough to cause Ky to stumble. Atreyis coiled, waiting for the next attack. The blonde was impressed and wiped away a drop of blood from her lip. She arched an eyebrow. The princess was breathing hard but ready for more. The warrior grinned impishly. She stood still and closed her eyes. Atreyis waited a beat. The blonde was up to something. When nothing happened the princess charged. In a split second Ky’s eyes snapped open and were glowing a bright red. The princess saw it a moment too late and threw a punch at the warrior’s head. Ky gracefully dodged the strike, grabbed the assailing arm, and hurled the princess some twenty feet away into a patch of rosebushes. The princess didn’t get up this time. Eyes still glowing, the warrior sauntered over to her. The princess was coughing and sputtering and rolling around in pain. Thorns were burying themselves into her skin and snagging her clothes. The red-eyed warrior towered over her and spoke in a low voice.

  “Rule number three: those that live by the sword, die by the sword; finding themselves within Death’s unforgiving grasp all too soon.”

  Atreyis leaned up on her elbows. “And do you fear death, Ky?”

  Red eyes stopped glowing and turned into softened gray, she frowned. “No. I lost that long ago.”

  She offered a hand to the princess. Atreyis grabbed it and her eyes widened. It only lasted the briefest of moments but she felt the jolt of electricity run up her arm. Ky gave no sign as to if she felt it as well. The warrior’s arm twitched ever so slightly as she felt an electric sensation race from her fingers to her head.

  “Do you fear anything?” stammered the dirt-covered princess.

  The light drained from the soldier’s eyes, but she didn’t say a word, just retrieved her sword and walked to the pagoda. The princess didn’t press and let it go, deciding that it was for the best. With more than just her body bruised, the princess limped over to her dropped sword. Groaning, she bent over and grabbed the bejeweled hilt. She didn’t know what hurt worse, getting her ass kicked by Ky or nearly being gutted in the forest. Pausing, she debated whether or not to join her or go collapse in bed. She chose the former and mentally kicked herself for it. The warrior was sitting quietly on a cushion meditating again. Atreyis plopped next to her.

  “Some lesson. I think you missed a spot. My toes don’t hurt.” She said sarcastically.

  The warrior didn’t move. Atreyis sighed and once more attempted to meditate as well. Crickets chirped and the spring bubbled and trickled over rocks. It had a very soothing effect on the princess and she finally relaxed. Sometime later Ky broke the silence.

  “I’m surprised that your people have fought off the Black Army’s forces for so long if that’s the type of training provided by your king.” Her eyes were still closed. “That wall of yours helps, I guess.”

  Atreyis kept her eyes shut but wrinkled her nose at the slight. “Contrary to your belief I have had proper training. However, I will admit it was not to the same degree as that of most. My parents felt that I had to be treated delicately.”

  Ky laughed sarcastically. “Really? I have never heard of a delicate Descended. We are the strongest and most powerful people that have ever lived.”

  Atreyis fidgeted and picked up her sword. “I am very much aware of our shared abilities. If you must know, I wasn’t supposed to live past infancy…”

  She placed the blade in her lap; she couldn’t believe she was spilling her guts to a total stranger, but she couldn’t stop it.

  “…something about me being too weak, and my parents have forever thought of me as something that was somehow lesser. They say that the Goddess took pity on me…and that’s where this came from.” She pointed to her white streak of hair.

  Ky frowned. “I am sorry to hear that.”

  The princess’ eyes welled up, she fought back the tears.

  “We will resume training later.” Ky said quietly. “For now the rest of the evening is to be spent in meditation. You need to learn to control your emotions better. A warrior who lets their emotions control them lets their enemies control them. Open your awareness to your surroundings. Let go of everything and focus solely on the rhythm of your heartbeat and breathing.”

  The warrior closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Atreyis followed suit. She had a long way to go before she would be anywhere near the level of fighter that Ky was. A sudden and newfound determination took root inside the princess, one day she would be as powerful as the warrior.

  #

  A lifeless body. Blood staining the ground. A black shadow with large wings and white glowing eyes stood over the body. Ky felt the eyes burn into her soul. The shadow let loose a terrifying roar. Ky felt like she was frozen in place. She couldn’t find her sword or any other weapon. Suddenly, it felt like there was a gaping hole in her chest and despair began crushing her like a heavy weight. A white-hot anger flowed through her veins and she ran at the shadow, her feet leaving the ground as she flew. The shadow lashed out at her with a large clawed arm and she felt the claws rip through her flesh. She clutched her chest and slowly raised a bloody hand. She looked down in disbelief at the river of blood that poured from the center of her chest.

  #

  Choking and gasping, Ky tried desperately to breathe. Her chest felt heavy and constricted like a giant weight was sitting on top of her. A cold sweat drenched her body and she was filled with panic. Wiping her brow she tried to get her bearings and stood up. She was shaking uncontrollably and her head was swimming.

  “Damn those dreams!” she cursed under her breath.

  The princess remained oblivious. The warrior rubbed her face and paced. The anger was boiling and building. Her skin felt like it was crawling. Suddenly, she erupted. Eyes burning red she spun around and punched a stone pillar. Chunks flew from the impact and the resulting boom scared Atreyis, who fell over with a grunt.

  “What the hell?” she yelled. The princess hopped up and marched over to the girl. “What was that for? Whatever happened to that ‘letting go of your feelings’ bullshit? You nearly took out that pillar!”

  She tried to grab the upset blonde and ended up flying through the air across the pagoda, landing hard. The wind was knocked out of her and she lay gasping for air. The warrior blinked, coming back to reality. Her eyes stopped glowing.

  “I—I—I’m sorry.” She stammered.

  The warrior was all out of sorts and hating it. Her hand was throbbing and blood was trickling from the fresh wounds on her knuckles.

  Atreyis glared at her. “If this is how you train your students—’’ she gasped holding her ribs, “—then you are completely insane.”

  Ky stood awkwardly, no knowing how to act. She needed to leave before it got worse. She bolted for the temple. The princess held her injured side.

  “What the hell?” Atreyis exclaimed to the garden.

  Limping and wincing she grabbed both weapons and made her way to the temple. She meant to go straight to her room, but when she passed Ky’s room she sighed and turned around. Ky was sitting on her bed breathing hard and clenching and unclenching her fists, ignoring the fresh wounds. The swords in Atreyis’ hands clanked as she leaned against the doorframe.

  “I think I’m done with training now.” She said in a low voice.

  Ky didn’t respond.

  “Cora was right, we should leave tomorrow.” The princess left Ky’s sword on the bed beside her and went back to her room for the night.

  A soft knock on the door awoke Atreyis the next morning. Cora peaked her head in.

  “Hey.” She said softly. “Mind if I come in?”

  Atreyis stretched and shook her head. Cora sat down on the bed.

  “I saw part of your ‘training’ last night. I don’t think it was wise to be so physical so soon, your wounds could have reopened.” She looked at her hands.

  The princess grinned mischievously. “You doubt your healing abilities, High Priestess?”

  She lifted up her robes just enough to reveal her leg. The hideous gash was almost completely healed. Cora was amazed; she
reached out and touched the wound. The princess recoiled.

  “Hey! It’s still tender!” she joked and smacked the curious hand away.

  “Forgive me.” Cora’s face a deep shade of red. “I have never had the need to use my healing powers in such a way. It took a lot more out of me than I expected.”

  Atreyis arched eyebrow. “What do you mean? Does it weaken you?”

  Cora nodded. “In a way. There is a physical part to it as well as a spiritual aspect. As the High Priestess I am a conduit for the physical manifestations of the Goddess’ powers when called upon. The moment I saw you I knew I had access that part of me in order to save you. But yes, it’s a draining process.”

  The princess fell back against the wall. “I totally underestimated what you do here. So much for just lighting candles and saying prayers.”

  Cora shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been doing some thinking, and praying as well. I need to speak with your father. If you don’t mind I will be joining you.”

  Atreyis smiled. “Not at all. I welcome it. And I know that Taryn will be more than happy to see you too.”

  Cora laughed nervously. “Some High Priestess I am. I let my best friend and princess run off and nearly get herself killed.”

  Sad blue-green eyes looked at sapphire blue.

  “Why did the Goddess choose me? I’m just a child. I’ve rarely been beyond Stone Shield. And yet, here I am, leading all these people, and the mouthpiece of the Goddess. I’m not ready for this.”

  The princess took her hands in her own and held the priestess’ gaze. “Cora, you are one of the most compassionate people I know and far wiser than I will ever be. Don’t ever doubt why the Goddess chose you.”

  Cora smiled weakly. She held out the palm of her hand between them. A soft glow surrounded her hand. Slowly, a small orb of light floated up in the air. Atreyis laughed.

  “See? What did I tell you? I could never do that. Plus, I have never seen anyone heal like you can. You saved my life.”

  The priestess flicked her wrist and sent the orb flying around the room and then caught it. She watched it disappear into her palm.