Dragon's Claws

by Bri Sailor

  Some of the prisoners saw the fighting and started yelling and raising a ruckus, cheering Ky on. The second guard attempted to put the warrior in a chokehold. He managed to wrap his thick arm around her neck and started crushing the life out of her. The general felt her rage building, she thrashed around and was able to get up on one knee and tried to stand up. Her eyes burned red. The warrior’s movements caused the guard to shift and she took her opening. She drove her elbow as hard as she could into his groin. The massive man doubled over in pain and loosened his grip around her neck. With a little wiggle room she was able to turn around onto her back and planted her feet square on his chest and exploded outward. The man was sent flying through the air and into the solid rock above. The blow rendered him unconscious. Blood flowed freely from the wound on the back of his head.

  Ky jumped up and checked him for the keys and unlocked the cuffs still on her wrists and ankles and tossed them onto the pile of chains. She ignored the pleas of release from the other prisoners and ran straight for the stairs. Her escape was cut short by twenty armed guards that had been stationed outside the gate. They had heard the sounds of the yelling prisoners and stampeded down the stairs, their eyes glowing various intensities of blue. They wasted no time and charged at the freed prisoner. The warrior was cornered at the bottom of the pit with no escape. The yells of the guards filled her ears and her eyes glowed an even brighter red.

  The first of the men made it to her. His sword was raised and ready to attack. He came down hard but not hard enough. Ky stopped the blow and grabbed his wrist. She flipped the now helpless man clean over her shoulder, pulling the sword out of his hand. He landed a few feet away with a thud. A handful of guards attacked as one. With a yell Ky swung her pilfered sword and knocked their swords out of their hands. The weaponless men recoiled and then began attacking with their fists. One by one Ky knocked them out with her fists and hilt of the sword. The bodies began to quickly pile up around her. Guard after guard came at her and she deftly dealt with them. After a few minutes the king’s men were reduced to writhing bodies and comatose shells.

  Ky’s eyes stopped glowing and she dropped the sword, breathing hard. The palace guards proved a much harder opponent than those men in the forest. Her path opened, she jogged to the stairs and swiftly made her way to the surface. The gate safeguarding the way out was left open by the hasty squadron. She peered out into the hall making sure that there were no more guards in sight. The bleak stone and darkened hallway were a far cry from the smooth white stone of the palace. Finding the corridor empty she slipped out of the gate and closed it enough to appear that it was actually shut.

  The warrior was grateful for the long shadows cast in the setting sun, they helped hide her movements. Rounding a corner she wandered into a large hallway with marble pillars, she was back in the main part of the palace. At the end of the hall there were two guards posted at either side. As she assessed the situation a troop of soldiers marched down the intersecting hall. Engaging them here wasn’t the best option as there would be reinforcements in seconds. Fortunately, a window caught her eye. She rushed over and unlatched it. Peering down she figured it was just over thirty feet to the outer garden. She looked around and without a guard in sight she leapt deftly to the soft ground with a muted thump. Eyeing a nearby tree she sprinted towards it and ran up the trunk and jumped for the nearest branch and pulled herself up with ease. She climbed higher into the thick branches and leaves to avoid detection and to gain a better vantage point. The warrior perched herself like a jungle cat and surveyed her surroundings.

  The outer garden of the palace was huge; it formed a quarter-mile wide semi-circle around the palace. Each side ended in a wrought iron fence and a sheer drop off the cliff into the sea below. The garden was similar in design to the one at the temple. It was lush with trees and an over-abundance of flowers and various shrubs. The wall that protected the palace was at least forty feet tall and ten feet deep with reinforced ironwood doors at the gate that guarded the only way in or out. There were ten sentries posted at the gate and more scattered along the top. With the front so heavily secured, Ky figured that her best bet was to try something around the back. She waited for the sentry to pass her and jumped to the ground and made a break for the fence. Another sentry came into view and she dove into some bushes for cover. From this new angle she was able to see the backside of the palace with ease. There were several balconies jutting out at different levels, she judged that the nearest one had to be almost a hundred feet high. The walls were made out of mostly flat stone, but there had to be a way up. Just underneath the balcony there were decorative carvings that looked like they might provide some handholds. She scanned for a path up. Supportive columns at the corner were stacked on one another and stretched upwards. This could be it.

  The moment the sentries were out of sight she exploded out of the bushes and ran for it. Using her momentum she ran up the wall and reached for a long window ledge that was just wide enough for her to get a finger grip. Hanging, she tucked her feet under her and shimmied sideways along the ledge. Just diagonally above her head a small dragon gargoyle jutted out from the wall. She coiled and jumped and was just able to grab ahold of it. Hanging from the fixture by one arm she reached up with the other and got her grip. The column was just within reach. Kicking her feet forward she began to swing and build momentum. At the height of her arc she let go and flew through the air and grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up. Wrapping one arm around the column she took a moment to catch her breath. She carefully undid her belt and wrapped it around the column as well. Gripping both ends of the belt tightly she carefully started climbing and pulling herself up to the next column. This was the trickiest part, one wrong move and that was it. There was no garden below her now, only jagged rocks and the unforgiving sea. The waves crashed wildly below. Finally, she made it up to where the decorative carvings began. She grabbed the lip above her with one hand and with the other she hung her belt around her neck. The warrior reached out with her free hand, and securing her grip, she started making her way towards the balcony, not noticing the figure that had just perched itself along the edge. With a final push she lunged for the ledge. Mercifully, her hands were able to grab ahold, barely. She breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a while since she had made a climb that dangerous.

  #

  The sun was beginning to set and a cool breeze washed over Atreyis as she sat on the ledge of her spacious balcony, resting her head on her knees. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the salty sea air clear her mind. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe not. But her father exploding like he did, Ky nearly getting her throat slit, Cora with the whole glowing eyes thing, and Saebic. He had her very worried, she had never seen a reaction like that from the General, and the way that he threatened her legitimately scared her. Suddenly, the memory of Ky’s penetrating gray eyes invaded her thoughts.

  “Why did I ever think that would have worked?” she said quietly to herself.

  She needed to get out of her room. Sliding off the ledge she took long determined strides to the door and flung it open and was greeted by the stoic visage of a guard. She jumped.

  “Your Highness is to stay in her quarters until the king commands.” He said in a rough voice.

  Atreyis stared him down, willing him to move. When he refused to she slammed the door in his face and stormed back to the balcony. She tapped her fingers on the stone. If she played it right she figured she might be able to take out the guard. She sighed. But what good would that do? Where would she go after that? Talk to her father? Her mother? Maybe she would go to the dungeon again. But why would she do that?

  “As if they would even let me near her again.” She laughed sardonically.

  Suddenly, a floating head nearly collided with the princess. Atreyis stumbled backwards. Gray and blue eyes stared in panic at each other.

  “Y-you! H-how—” stammered Atreyis. She found herself turning for the door.

  “Wai
t!” exclaimed Ky as she cleared the balcony ledge. Her arms were burning and she was sweating. She grabbed the frightened Atreyis and clamped a hand over her mouth. The princess’ hair got in her face. The long locks smelled wonderfully of lavender. The warrior mentally slapped herself.

  “Shh! Don’t scream!” she whispered harshly.

  Atreyis thrashed around trying to get free.

  “Just hold still for a minute and listen to me dammit!” the warrior’s patience was wearing thin. Atreyis stopped struggling and Ky removed her hand.

  “I know what you must think of me, but I need you to believe me when I say that your life, your brother’s and your parent’s are all in danger.”

  Atreyis stepped back, shaking her head. “Why are you even here?”

  Ky took a breath. “It doesn’t matter. All I know is that you have to be out of the palace before the attack occurs.” She fake-pleaded silently with her eyes.

  The princess crossed her arms. “Why should I believe you? You lied. You hid the fact that you are a General! And then what happened with Cora, what were you trying to do? Provoke her? You just walked into my life and messed things up! You just make everything so…confusing! The way I see it, you should be trying to explain why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand!” The princess mentally arched an eyebrow at herself, what was she saying?

  Ky threw her hands up in defeat. This girl was going to drive her crazy.

  “Unbelievable! Because I saved your life! If I was truly the enemy that your father and his lap dog General make me out to be, then I should have just left you for dead. Or better yet, I could have easily brought your head back as a trophy, yet here we are.”

  “Is that a threat?” growled Atreyis.

  Ky crossed her arms as well and shifted her weight. “And what would you do about it?” she challenged.

  Atreyis stormed up to Ky and stood toe to toe with the black clad warrior. A breeze blew in past the blonde and carried the scent of salt and sun. The princess felt chills run down her spine. The hair on Ky’s arms stood on end.

  “Don’t underestimate me.” Said the princess in a low voice.

  Ky smirked evilly. “You mistake me for one of your pathetic royal sparring partners. Or did you forget our little bout at the temple so quickly? You have no idea what I am capable of. I was merely toying with you before.”

  Her eyes started glowing red and her being radiated a dark energy. Atreyis cautiously took a step back.

  “So what’s your big plan?” The princess tried to recover and not let Ky see her trepidation.

  Ky’s eyes stopped glowing. “First, you need to convince your father that I am not a threat and that what I was telling him is the truth. I shall take it from there.” She moved toward the balcony and started climbing over the ledge.

  “Wait!” yelled Atreyis as she dashed after her. “How do you expect me to do that? For Goddess’ sake you saw how he went over the edge last time. Not to mention the fact that he doesn’t exactly trust my judgement at the moment.”

  “I have faith in you.” Grunted Ky as she lowered herself. “As well as your priestess friend.”

  “But what do I say?” whined Atreyis.

  Ky continued her descent.

  “Ky!” shouted the princess.

  The general poked her head out. “Quiet! Do you want the guards to find me? I need to get back before they figure out I’m missing.” Said the exasperated warrior.

  “How do you know that they haven’t already figured out that you escaped?”

  “Do you see any guards running around?”

  “No.”

  “Do you hear anyone raising alarm?”

  “No.”

  “Then I think I’m good.”

  Ky disappeared once more. Atreyis walked back into her room in a huff and left the warrior to navigate her way back to safety. It mystified her how frustrating she found the blonde. Not to mention the fact that she could kill her and not even think twice about it. Atreyis didn’t know if she wanted to cry or slap that smirk off her smug face. She stood in the middle of her room and rubbed her face. What was she going to say to her father? What more could Cora say? Would it matter? Would it save Ky from a most certain death? Or only prolong the inevitable?

  Back in the garden Ky landed with a grunt. There was still no sign of the sentry but she stuck close to the palace for cover. She crept along the wall to the window that she had originally jumped out of. The ledge was just out of her reach. She debated her options and she ran back to the tree. Just then a sentry came back, continuing his security sweep of the garden. An idea popped in her head, it was a stupid one but she went with it. Eyes glowing she charged at the guard when he was underneath the window. By the time he reacted it was a moment too late. Sprinting as fast as she could, the warrior ran straight at the man and jumped. She landed on his shoulders and pushed off as hard as she could. The sentry fell to the ground, dazed, and the warrior was just barely able to grab the opening with one hand. She pulled herself up and climbed in. There were no other guards in sight and she breathed a momentary sigh of relief.

  Just as she was about to go back towards the dungeon, she heard a horn blast. The stunned sentry had gathered himself and sounded the alarm. She knew this was going to happen. The horn blasted again. She heard shouts and running footsteps. The whole palace was now on alert. Head down, she bolted for the gate to the dungeon. She slammed the gate closed behind her and flew down the dark stairs. Barely giving her eyes time to adjust she vaulted over the still unconscious guards. As she ran she snatched a rock off the floor. Instantly, she dropped to the floor and slid on the wet rock into her cell, chucking the rock at the lever that held her cell door open, the heavy door slamming down with a deafening boom. She lay down on her wooden bed to catch her breath and waited.

  Chapter 11

  “She is the General of the Black Army! And she has killed not only our soldiers but razed entire villages and towns to the ground.” Shouted a red-faced councilman dressed in burgundy robes.

  An equally impassioned councilwoman countered back. “But she came to us and willingly surrendered, and let us not forget that she saved the princess!”

  The council chamber erupted into shouts and arguments once again.

  “She should be executed!”

  “But what if what she is saying is true?”

  “We need to prepare for battle!”

  “She’s a butcher! Justice demands her head!”

  King Toran rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair that was positioned at the head of the table. The council members continued to argue and a few looked like they were going to crawl over the table and strangle each other. For several hours they had been discussing what to do with the now captive general but had not made any progress.

  “Silence!” shouted a weary Toran, his eyes red and outlined in dark circles. He had hardly slept since the moment Ky had entered his life.

  “Yes, Ky is the death-dealing right hand of our enemy, and yes, she claims, as well as my daughter, to have saved Atreyis’ life. But I can’t help sensing that there is more going on.” He stood up, all eyes on him, curious and confused. “I sought the guidance of the High Priestess. I was sure that this was a test from the Goddess. I thought that my dealing with the General would prove my trust in her judgement.”

  He began walking around the room. “Over the last few years I have been attempting to teach myself the sacred language of the gods. I am aware that this practice is forbidden, which is why I have done so in secret. While my understanding of the language is nowhere near that of the priesthood, I have spent the last few days buried in ancient texts written in Ílóáthé, attempting to decipher them for myself, and it only served to bolster my fears. I am confident in my deciphering and believe this girl is a harbinger of doom for what is left of the four kingdoms.”

  He stopped and searched his audience.

  “How? How were you able to accomplish such a feat? You can’t possibly believe in those c
laims made by ancient fortune tellers long dead.” Interjected a councilman.

  “Never mind how. And, yes, I believe with all my being.” Replied a deadly serious Toran. “According to the texts it all starts with a great war, much like the one we currently find ourselves in the midst of. It is said that during this war a great dragon like the ones of old will arise. This dragon will then set about destroying everything…it’s the end of the world.”

  A councilwoman stood up. “What makes you think that this soldier is part of the prophecy?”

  “From what I understand the texts roughly translate that ‘the Dragon will destroy the royal sun and moon’.” He paused. “As you are all aware, my children were born during the last eclipse. Ehren was born under the sun, and Atreyis under the moon during the moment of the complete eclipse of the sun. However, with that being said, I do not believe Ky is the dragon itself, but merely a tool to be used.”

  “How are we to prevent such a disaster?” asked a councilman.

  “By showing the Dragon that his General is useless against us.” Said the king cryptically. The council looked at one another.

  “We prepare for the battle that this Ky warned us of. My scouts have confirmed that the Black Army has pulled back, just as she said.” The king smirked. “Since she was gracious enough to warn us, I believe King Ultrek would like to learn that his precious general was the one that betrayed him. She will be bound in chains and her fate shall be decided by her own men.”

  All eyes were on him. The king puffed out his chest. “We are the children of the great dragon Aznu and we will not go without a fight! As we speak I sent my messengers to pull all available troops and send them to Stone Shield.”

  A council member spoke up. “If you truly believe what Ky says, then what are we to do about the prince and princess and queen? She said that assassins would be coming for all of you.”