by Jada Fisher
Goodness, he really was striking, wasn’t he? The strong line of his jaw, the sharp cuts of his cheekbones, his intense gaze. He really did look like what I imagined an elf would, but perhaps with slightly more muscle.
I got to work, mixing colors and focusing on creating an outline to work within. The flowers stood out starkly against his pure-white hair, making a pretty sort of backdrop that I couldn’t have organized better if I had tried.
All too soon I was lost to the creative rhythm. It had been so long since I was able to do something just for fun that I attacked it like a man starved. I guess in a way I was. Ever since I could hold a pencil, I had been using art as a way to process my feelings. When I was angry, I drew angry, dark things. When I was happy, I drew celebrations and great smiles, and when I was sad… Well, I drew bright things then too. Like if I could create enough goodness and joy that some of it would leak into me. Denying myself an outlet was definitely not good for my mental health. I needed to remember that.
Just when I started to get to Bron’s eyes, one of my favorite parts of portrait work, something buzzed toward the back of my head. It started as the tiniest voice, just niggling at the end of my thoughts like an echo, but it grew and grew until all of my thoughts hummed with the same obnoxious tone.
Just when the crescendo grew the loudest, a wave of nausea came over me. I set the brush down and looked at Bron uncertainly.
“Are you alright?” he asked. “Do you need a break?”
I tried to form words with my mouth, but it didn’t seem to want to cooperate. Instead, I just stared at him dumbly while I tried to figure out how English worked.
“Something is wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. All I knew was that we needed to move. Immediately.
Grabbing his hand, I pulled him back toward the front of the building, but with every step we took, I just grew more and more ill.
It seemed to take an eternity to arrive, and when we did, there were several dark vehicles all pulled up to the front door. I stopped dead in my tracks, icy fingers clamping down on my spine and rooting me in place.
“What are those?” I asked, heart leaping into my throat like it belonged there.
“That? Just one of our grocery deliverers. They come here every week.”
“No…” I whispered, my mind churning. “They don’t have any food.”
“What? Are you sure?” He took a step toward the vehicles, as if he was going to confront them himself, but then suddenly all of the doors opened and people poured out, shifting so fast I could hear their joints pop before rushing us.
“Run!” Bron cried, pushing me back toward the garden. Guards rushed down from the stairs, but the front line of the horde was already in front of them. Already almost to Bron.
I stumbled backward, trying to go fast, but my eyes were fixed on the prince. He screamed at them, face turning red as he doubled over.
His human form practically exploded, clothing going everywhere while smoke covered the space between us. When it cleared, I saw the same great dragon that had rescued me last time, scales sparkling in the afternoon sun.
He bellowed again and some of the drakes fell back. I noticed that none of them were full-fledged dragons, and that seemed like an odd choice. Considering they were inside their enemy’s stronghold, you’d figure they would have sent their biggest guns, not grunts.
The attackers were getting sandwiched between the guards and the prince, with even more pouring out of the building. Their assault was obviously failing and going to be defeated soon, which made me wonder how they could have planned so poorly. From what I had heard Bron say about the king and his family, they were an intelligent lot. Ruthless, obsessed with perfection, but not stupid.
This plan, however, was stupid.
That was when I saw something else shoot out of the van. Something small, barely dog-sized. I watched the blur as it rushed inside, past the guards who were long since distracted.
I pointed and tried to call out, but as I raised my hand, someone grabbed it and pulled me back toward the garden.
“Miss Davie! It’s dangerous out here. We need to get you someplace safe!”
The pull was so insistent that I had to go along with it, and I finally looked where I was going to see that it was Baelfyre insistently pulling me to the back.
No! What if this was a trap? What if the whole thing was so he could get me alone and take me away, or worse, kill me? But it wasn’t like I had much of a choice. With the way he was tugging at me, I couldn’t resist him without pulling my arm out of its own socket.
We ended up passing the garden and all the way to some sort of cellar-like entrance. Baelfyre ripped the lock off with one hand and gestured inside. “Quick, get in.”
My mind instantly flashed back to the basement I had been held captive in. The one where I had fought tooth and nail for my freedom, never knowing if I was going to die at any second.
“What are you waiting for?” Baelfyre cried, for once sounding more frustrated than charming. “Get in!”
“I can’t,” I whispered, body frozen in place once more.
I heard squealing behind me and looked to see Bron’s dragon form tumbling across the grass, dozens of drakes swarming him. Other, smaller dragons that I guessed were the guards quickly chased after them.
“Hide!” Baelfyre cried once more, his voice turning more animalistic than human. Much like Bron, he suddenly fell forward, but by the time he hit the ground, a full dragon was in front of me.
How he could shift so fast was beyond me, but one moment he was the dark-haired human that filled my mind with such doubt, the next he was a giant, black dragon with scarlet eyes.
He barreled forward, his teeth snapping at the drakes that beleaguered his cousin. The two of them roared, their voices combining into something so terrible and awe-inspiring that I had to clap my hands over my ears.
The drakes cowered too, clearly stunned by the entrance of another great dragon, and that was their end. The shifters all converged on them, gnashing teeth and swiping claws. The ground turned red under their talons and the cries of the reptilian wounded scarred my ears.
A hand slipped into mine once again, but this time, it was familiar.
“Come on,” Mallory murmured, her voice surprisingly calm considering the situation. “Let’s get out of here.”
“But what about Bron?” I asked, feet still refusing to move.
“You can see the same fight I can, right? Bron’s plenty fine. It’s those intruders I would worry about. Come on, you don’t need to see them be torn limb from limb. You’ve had enough trauma in your life.”
She had a point and finally, my feet started to move. Together, we headed down into the cellar and away from the fight.
I couldn’t help but wonder at what had just happened. Somehow, a contingent of lower level shifters had found out how to sneak past security and gotten in. If I had been alone outside, or if children had been playing, or even just the prince alone, there could have been a completely different outcome.
Or maybe there wouldn’t.
I couldn’t say either way. The only thing I knew was that it felt like the attack wasn’t just for attack’s sake. Like it was just some part of a greater plan.
Too bad it also felt like time was running out for me to figure out what the heck was going on.
8
Declarations of Animosity
“This is war!”
I cringed away from the man who shouted near me, my head hurting far too much for all of the anger radiating in the room. I was grateful to have Mallory and her parents beside me, although Bron was quite far away, standing on a platform with several other of the royals.
We were all gathered in a massive chamber, basically what I’d call a throne room except it was conspicuously lacking any sort of golden seats or noble chairs. Hundreds of grown men, young men, and a few women filled the standing area with me, and most of t
hem were shouting for revenge or battle.
I had never been in such an angry mob, and that was the only way to describe it. Hundreds of rage-filled bodies who wanted justice. Who wanted to sink their teeth into flesh and tear it in two.
Finally, the fury started to die down as the same elder who presided over the meeting walked onto the platform. “My children, it is true what you have heard. The Drakith faction has indeed attacked us in our own territory. They have declared outright war on us, and it is our duty to defend our lands, and the humans who reside in them. But—” He raised his arms and it fell dead silent, even the tiniest of murmurs quieted.
“It has been many centuries since we have truly waged battle, our peace borne on the backs of our grandfathers and fathers. According to our laws, we must elect a leader general to take us forward. They will be at the front of battle, they will be the first to fight and the last to rest. They will bear the responsibility of our losses and feel the sting of each casualty.
“Be it a king, a prince, or a chief, it matters not. Rank is not required, only dignity.” The elder put his arms down and stared at the crowd, his milky eyes seeming to stare through me, and Mallory, all of us really. “Speak the names of those you would trust to lead us, and tomorrow, we shall anoint our leader.”
No one said anything for a moment, then an older dragon that I thought I recognized as Bron’s grandfather spoke up. “I trust Lohikarmme Bronne to lead us into battle, and to victory!”
My eyes went wide and my heart skipped a beat, but Bron didn’t seem surprised at all. He just bowed slightly with a grave expression. Did he know this would happen?! Why hadn’t he told me? He couldn’t be more than a couple of years older than me and he was supposed to lead his entire family, both close and far removed, to war?!
Seconds chimed from the crowd, and then thirds, and then fourths. More and more cries swept through the room until everyone was chanting Bron’s name. It was awe-inspiring, and intimidating, and I couldn’t imagine what my prince friend must have been feeling in that moment.
The chanting grew louder and louder until eventually, I had to clap my hands over my ears, but even my calloused palms couldn’t keep out the sounds and soon, time was slowing down again.
The strange holographic/ghosts of my visions floated over the crowd, swirling above our heads in a cloud of color until it settled over me and I was whisked away.
I was standing in the middle of what looked like a ballroom. I had been here once before in my visions, but dressed much more formally. While in my previous vision it had been filled with strange people performing strange dances, now I was completely alone.
“I thought I would never see you again.”
Okay, maybe not completely alone. Suddenly, Bron whisked into the room in front of me, dressed in casual clothes and looking the worse for wear.
He had a bruise under one eye and his top lip was both swollen and cut, but he was as handsome as ever, and even…a little older looking?
“You should give me a little more trust than that,” I said with a laugh, crossing to him and throwing my arms around him.
It was such a familiar, intimate gesture that I couldn’t help but be surprised. Sure, I’d throw down a good embrace on Mallory every once in a while, and my sister any time, but I’d known them for all or most of my life. To hug a man that I hardly knew—even if he was incredibly nice—seemed very out of character for me.
“You’re right, but I guess I’ve gotten used to assuming the worst.”
“I can’t blame you.”
I laughed lightly as I looked up at his face, my scarred hand caressing his cheek. While my present-mind balked at such an action, my vision self didn’t seem to mind at all. Was this the future I was seeing, or some fantasy where I didn’t have so many physical hang-ups?
I realized that he was staring down at me, face flushed and eyes hooded. My own body rushed with energy, and the next thing I knew, I was standing on tiptoe and pressing my lips to his.
“Hey, are you alright? Your face is very red.”
The vision crumbled around me and I snapped back to reality so hard that I knew my headache would get a whole lot worse in a few minutes. The room was empty now, with only Mallory beside me and Bron standing just in front of me, looking at me curiously.
I didn’t think it was possible, but I felt myself blush even harder, and I sputtered something. Even I couldn’t tell what I was trying to say, so I cut myself off, took a deep breath, and tried again.
“How long have I been standing here?” I asked.
“About twenty minutes,” Mallory answered, snickering slightly. I guessed that she wouldn’t be a best friend if she didn’t laugh at my pain every once and a while. “Were you in a vision or something?”
“Uh, yeah. Something like that.”
“Oh really?” Bron asked, expression quite intrigued. Ugh, why did he have to look at me like that? It just made me think about what I had just seen and that was one of the last things I needed at the moment. “What about?”
Nope. Wasn’t going to answer that. “Nothing important. Did I miss anything while I was out?”
The prince shook his head. “No. I was surprised when no one else was nominated. There are many who are smarter and more experienced than I.”
“Apparently, Mister Prince here is a real crowd favorite!” Mallory said with a laugh. “You’d never know from how humble he acts.”
Bron shrugged, clearly trying to downplay the issue., but as nice as it was that he was keeping his ego in check, I couldn’t help but worry about what was in store for my friend. “So what all does this leader general thing entail?”
“Elder Lewellyn said it pretty succinctly. I lead our troops into battle. I share the victory when we succeed and shoulder the blame should we lose. It is my responsibility to make sure our people survive and thrive, despite the terrible battles going on outside of our walls.”
I couldn’t believe how matter-of-factly he stated it. I could barely handle having visions and dreams every now and then, but he was talking about leading an entire army into war? That was a whole lot to be stacked on one plate.
“And that’s what you want to do?” I would understand if he was fight-hungry, but honestly, Bron only seemed to engage in violence if he had to. Sure, he messed stuff up once he got to that point, but he seemed reluctant to ever get that far.
“What I want doesn’t matter in this case. I am one of the head princes of my people. It is my duty to do as the elders and my people see fit.”
Oh, gross. I had read things like this in my books, but I never expected to experience such noble foolishness in person.
“That’s not what I asked,” I replied shortly. “I asked if that was what you wanted.”
To his credit, Bron could be very stubborn when he wanted to be. “Like I said, I want what’s best for my people, whatever that may be.”
I rolled my eyes, but I was smart enough to know when I wasn’t getting anywhere. “Alight then, cool. I guess I should head to bed then. Good night, Mallory. Good night, Future Leader General.”
I went to move past the two of them, but Bron caught my wrist. I was beginning to get a little tired of people snatching at my arms, but I turned and gave him a moment to say why he was manhandling me.
“Sorry,” he blurted, instantly releasing me. “It’s just I…I would like to talk more, but not here. Perhaps we could go on a walk? Or visit the library you enjoy so much?”
I was tempted to turn him down, just on principle, but there was something pleading in his look that I couldn’t ignore. I guess I was a whole lot more soft-hearted than I had thought.
“Alright, fine. Mallory, you coming?”
The tiny MMA fighter looked from me to the prince, an expression on her face that I couldn’t quite decipher. “Actually, I think my parents will be worried if I don’t get to our rooms soon. They’ve been a little bit overprotective since this whole fighting against a dark faction horde thing happened. You
know how it is.”
“No,” I deadpanned. “I don’t.”
She snorted and playfully pinched my arm. “Don’t be cheeky. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” I repeated, nodding and watching her go.
Once she was out of the room, I turned back to Bron. “You ready to go for that walk? Hopefully this one will have one hundred percent less attacking.”
“Yes, one can but hope.”
He offered his arm for what had to be the third time that night and I took it, strolling with him through the halls again.
I had no idea how the corridors could be so empty considering how many people I had just seen in the grand room. Then again, I had been staring up at the ceiling for about twenty minutes, so maybe they had had plenty of time to clear out. Either way, it made a strange sort of feeling rise in me, like we were walking through a ghost town or graveyard instead of an incredibly populated mansion-palace thing.
Even the sconces in the hall were burning lower, casting more of a flickering yellow light across the architecture instead of the white, vibrant illumination I was used to. If I wasn’t arm-in-arm with Bron, I might have been scared.
I had been doing pretty good about the whole not being scared thing so far, if only because I had so many other things to distract me. Sure, I was pretty terrified about ninety percent of the time, but between worrying about my sister, trying to study my power, and understand what the heck I was supposed to be doing, I hadn’t had much time to curl in a corner and cry like I wanted to.
“I believe I owe you another apology,” Bron said as we walked, his tone relatively light, but with a serious edge that let me know this wasn’t the start of a joke. Not that Bron ever joked. For being such a nice person, he wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs.
“For what?” I asked, wondering if this was the part where he admitted to doing something incredibly sneaky or hiding something behind my back. Those were always so irritating to me whenever they happened in books or movies and I really didn’t want to go through that now.
