by Eric Vall
“You can come back now!” I bellowed back. “We can go check on everyone else.”
I saw her crimson body as she launched into the sky, and she joined me shortly. We shifted midair and landed as humans on the dirt next to the temporary palace.
“I’m going to check on Alyona,” I told Valerra. “I haven’t seen much of her since we got back. You can come if you’d like, or you can do your own thing.”
“Give me my egg,” she said as she held out her hand, and at my hesitation, she clicked her tongue. “I won’t go far. Hatra is the safest place for both of us right now. I just want her to be hidden away somewhere before the echidnas arrive.”
“I told you I’d keep her safe in my spatial storage,” I said with a frown.
“I know, but she is my family, and I am responsible for her wellbeing, not you.”
I wanted to argue, but then I remember Valerra’s past, and I knew there was nothing I could do to assuage her fears at this point in time. So, I nodded once and pulled the egg out of my storage.
“Here,” I said.
Valerra grabbed the egg with her hands and strode off, away from the palace, without another word.
“Try the archives,” I called after her. “They should be safe.”
“Don’t tell me how to care for my egg,” she yelled back in typical Valerra fashion, but she did change direction to head toward the underground library.
I laughed to myself but also felt pleased that Valerra wanted to hide her egg here, in my city. Even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud, she knew on some level she could count on me to protect them both.
I quietly made my way to the temporary palace, and the familiar paths and buildings offered me a slight comfort. Along the way, I passed several civilians who all had bags slung over their shoulders. All of them walked toward the airship, and I realized they wanted to be prepared for the attack. Julia or someone must have alerted them already.
Fifteen minutes later, I walked up the steps of the palace and quickly reached Alyona’s room. Then I knocked once before I opened the door.
Alyona was asleep in a chair with her feet pulled up next to her. Her hair was haphazardly pulled up into a bun with a long needle pushed through it, which reminded me of the hair pin I had found in the desert.
I quickly slipped the box from storage and pulled out one of the hair pins. It was made of silver and was embedded with small amethyst gems that matched her eyes. There were also swirls engraved along the sides. I knew it wasn’t nearly as glamorous as her old hairpin, but I hoped it would help her feel a bit better about its disappearance.
I hid the pin behind my back and walked into the room.
“Hey,” I said to her, and she jumped. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s alright,” she murmured as she rubbed at her eyes sleepily. “I didn’t even hear you come in. Is there something I can help you with?”
“I just wanted to check up on you. I haven’t really had a minute with you since I returned home.” I looked around the room. “I thought Ravi was here with you?”
“She was,” Alyona replied, “but I sent her and a guard from the guild to the library to see if there are any other books we could use.”
I glanced down at her book. “How is the research going?”
She sighed. “Terrible. I can’t find anything that could help us anywhere.”
“I think you should take a break,” I told her. “Also, I have a present for you.”
Her purple eyes lit up with excitement.
“What is it?” she asked as she stood from her chair.
“It’s nothing too glamorous, but it did remind me of you. And I thought since you were so upset after you lost your old one … ” I trailed off and offered the hairpin to her.
She gasped quietly and gingerly took the hairpin from my hand.
“Evan, it’s beautiful, I love it!” She pulled her hair down, and in a flash, restyled it and placed the new hairpin in the center. “Thank you. That was very kind of you.”
She pressed a sweet kiss to my lips, and I wrapped my arms around her waist as I yanked her flush against me.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said when we pulled apart.
“People don’t give me gifts too often,” she admitted with a shy smile, “but is it bad of me to say I love receiving them?”
“Not at all,” I laughed. “I think everyone loves presents. It’s a good thing you feel that way too, because you’re marrying a dragon, and I’m going to shower you in gold and gems for years to come.”
The princess sighed in contentment before her eyes traveled back to the book on the table.
“As much as I enjoy this, I need to get back to work. I’m sure there is something here, I just need to find. it.”
“Let me help you,” I offered. “Two heads are always better than one.”
“Evan, you don’t have to do that.” She smiled sweetly.
“I want to,” I reassured her. “I’ve been gone a while, and I want to spend some time with you. You are my future wife, after all.”
Alyona blushed faintly before she pressed another kiss to my lips.
“Okay then. You can start with this one.” She passed me the biggest book in the pile. “Look for anything that could be useful.”
Then she picked up her own book and intently got to work.
I laughed at her face as it scrunched cutely in concentration, before I opened my book and began to read.
Chapter 15
Alyona and I read until the dark of night. By then, my eyes were burning with the stress of the dim light, and I finally closed my book in defeat.
“Alyona, I don’t think we’re going to find anything,” I sighed.
She was quiet, and I looked over to her. Her finger quickly traced across the words on the page she was reading, and then she smiled widely.
“I found something!” she exclaimed, and when she looked up at me, her amethyst eyes were glittering with excitement. “Look, it’s an offensive spell. I can cast a light that will destroy anything I want and leave my friends alone. This could be perfect for destroying the echidnas!”
“That’s awesome, Alyona.” I grinned. “You can practice with it tomorrow, but for now, it’s time for bed.”
She frowned but let me take the book from her hands.
I marked the page with a piece of parchment and stood from the table. Then I offered her my hand as we walked toward her bed together.
“You can stay if you’d like,” Alyona offered as she slid onto her mattress.
I smiled gently, climbed into bed with the princess, and fell asleep in a few minutes, with Alyona curled into my chest.
I woke a few hours later when the door quietly opened and soft candle light illuminated the doorway. Ravi stepped inside with an armful of books. She jumped when she noticed me and opened her mouth to speak, but then she saw Alyona sleeping peacefully next to me. The phoenix smiled softly and waved toward me instead. She silently placed the books down and opened the top book to a specific page. Then she marked the page with a bookmark and turned back to look at me.
“Good night,” she mouthed silently.
“Night,” I mouthed back.
She slipped from the room as quiet as before and I could hear her footsteps as she left with a guard toward the exit of the palace.
I fell back to sleep quickly and didn’t wake until morning.
It wasn’t until three days later that everything went to shit.
I watched a practice session of Laika, Nike, and their two units. We had decided to assign Laika, Nike, and Ruslan each a different unit of fighters. Each unit would be a mix of Blue Tree Guild warriors and civilians, and each unit would take a section of land between the city walls and the desert. Ruslan would have Ravi and the largest group of mages. They would be the first line of defense. Next would be Laika’s unit along with Alyona. Her unit would have the most fighters as well as the airships from above. Then the closest to the city wou
ld be Nike and his unit. He would have the best fighters we had to offer, but he would also have the smallest number. Finally, Valerra and I would attack from both the ground and sky, whichever was needed more.
The afternoon sun was hot as it beat down across the land. Sweat was already beginning to drip down my face, and I quickly wiped it away.
“They look … ” I hunted for the right words as I watched the scene in front of me with Laika. “Promising?”
She groaned, and her gray wolf ears twitched on top of her head, a sure sign of her agitation.
“They can’t seem to understand anything I tell them,” she whispered under her breath so the Demi-Human civilians wouldn’t overhear as they practiced. “I can tell them exactly where to place their feet and when to move and yet … ” She stopped and gestured to a pair of men as they sparred.
One of the men swung his sword clumsily, and the force behind his swing threw him off balance and sent him tumbling into his opponent. After a second, both of them collapsed into a giant heap on the floor.
“Yeah, they are kind of a mess, aren’t they,” I whispered back in the same low voice, “but you’re used to soldiers, and these are just normal civilians with swords.”
“Hn,” the wolf grunted noncommittally as her keen eyes continued to survey the less than stellar troops.
I rubbed my eyes and sighed. The stress of all this gave me a headache.
“How are they doing with archery?” I asked. “They can’t be as bad as this at least.”
“No, they’re a bit better with bows than swords,” she admitted, “but it’s still not pretty. They can hit the target, just not anywhere close to the bullseye.”
“Maybe we should start to focus solely on archery now,” I told her. “There is no way they can be ready in time if this is their current state. If they can shoot a bow, that’s better than nothing. I’d prefer for them to stay as far away as possible from the echidnas anyway.”
“That makes sense. I doubt they’d even be able to hit an echidna with a blade in this state.” Laika turned her head away and whistled a sharp, high pitched sound that made me and the Demi-Humans in the group put our hands over our ears in discomfort. “Enough with sword practice! Head over to the archery station and ready your bows.”
The trainees quickly obeyed, but that was when the bells of the towers began to ring. The tower chimed four times, the amount we’d agreed meant the echidnas were close.
Everyone froze and looked at me with wide eyes. I turned to Laika as my heart started galloping in my chest, and she nodded.
It was time.
“Everyone, make sure your weapons are sharp and your armor is on securely!” I yelled to the crowd “And get ready to fight!”
The trainees gave a shout of acknowledgment in unison, and then everyone began to move all at once.
“Go find the others,” I told Laika, “and make sure the ships are ready to fly as soon as they can. I need to find Julia and Afra and make sure everyone gets to safety.”
Laika nodded sharply, and then I took off in the direction of the farm and looked around the area. I spotted Afra’s blue hair easily and jogged over to her.
“Afra, did you get everything loaded?” I asked, and she nodded.
“For the most part, yes. Moskal has made sure to store away seeds, and I should have enough food put away to last a few weeks.”
“Great. Have you seen Julia?”
“She was here until the bell tolled,” Afra replied as she glanced around, and her fox ears twitched atop her head nervously. “I-I think she ran off to get people onto the airship.”
“Thanks.” I nodded before I gestured to her. “Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m good, but thank you,” she said with a shaky smile.
“Then take care of yourself, and I’ll see you later,” I instructed.
The young fox nodded and waved as I jogged away to find Julia. The rest of the city was in chaos as the citizens ran around to find their loved ones or to ready themselves for the upcoming battle, and there was already a long line of people at the airship with children in their arms as they waited to board.
I finally found Julia as she loaded people onto the Blue Tree Guild’s massive home as quickly as she could. Her fan flicked across her face quickly while she counted the remainder of the line to herself.
“Julia!” I yelled as I ran over to her.
“Evan, what can I help you with?” she asked as she helped herd two children up the ship’s ramp.
“I just wanted to make sure everyone can get on safely,” I told her as I looked around at the gathering citizens of Hatra. “How many people are on board now?”
“We’re nearly done,” my mother replied. “I believe we just need the Asuran children, and everyone will be accounted for.”
“Do you know where they are?” I asked her, and she shook her head.
“I will look for them once all these children are on board.”
“No, don’t,” I said. “You need to stay here. I’ll find Ilya and Ilyushina and bring them here.”
She nodded quickly. “Thank you.
“Once they are on board, make sure to seal the entrance. I don’t want to take any chances.”
“I know,” my mother smirked, “and I’ll make sure I talk to the guards. I can handle this, Evan. I have been an Elder of Hatra for centuries, after all.”
“I know, that’s why I know I can count on you, Mom,” I said with a wink. “Take care of yourself.” I kissed her quickly on the cheek before I turned back to the city.
I ran to the smithy first, to see if the children were with Natalya as she worked on the weapons until the last possible moment. I looked around the shop while Natalya pulled a blade from the forge and smashed the red-hot metal with a hammer a few times. Her blue hair was plastered to her forehead, and sweat dripped from her face as she worked. Sparks flew around the smith, and she held the blade up in her gloved hand. She nodded to herself and dipped the blade into oil to quench the hot metal. Then she pulled it out and tossed the blade onto a pile with dozens of others.
“Natalya!” I called to her as she began to work on a new blade.
She jumped slightly before she turned to me with a smile.
“Evan!” she yelled, and I guessed the sound of loud hammering all day must have distorted her hearing a bit. “I’ve nearly got all the swords done.”
“That’s great, but also not why I’m here,” I replied quickly. “Have you seen Ilya and Ilyushina?”
“Not since they woke up this morning.” An exasperated look crossed her face, and she took off her gloves. “They aren’t on the ship, are they?”
“No. We need to find them before the attack. Do you have any idea where they could be?”
The blacksmith was quiet for a moment as she thought.
“Find Ruslan,” she finally said. “He stopped by to update me this morning on our materials and to help for a few hours. We also discussed the strategy for the battle. The children probably overheard and followed him out when he left.”
“Thanks.” I waved a goodbye as I left her behind with her forge, and I heard the sound of a hammer as it cracked against hot metal when I turned the corner.
If the kids had overheard Ruslan this morning, I was pretty sure I knew where I could find them.
I rushed toward the training area where I’d been earlier with Laika. The fighters of Hatra were all here, each divided into their own units while they awaited their next orders. A lot of them shifted on their feet nervously, and I felt a slight pity for them. Most of these people were just average citizens, they weren’t prepared for war.
I glanced around the area and looked for any child sized bodies, and my focus was drawn to a large pile of wood that was used to craft arrows. It was about five feet tall and eight feet long, and if looked at from the right angle, would be a perfect spot for two small children to be concealed. A glint of metal shone from the pile thanks to the sun shining overhead, and I sm
iled as I made my way over. I could hear the two siblings whisper as I got closer, and I cleared my throat loudly.
The pile went silent.
“I know you two are in there, so come out,” I said.
Slowly, the two Asuran children climbed out from behind the pile with their heads down. They both avoided my eyes, and they each had a dagger clasped firmly in their small hands.
“What are you two doing?” I asked as I crossed my arms and stared down at them. “You’re supposed to be with the other children on the airship.”
“We want to help fight the bad guys,” Ilya answered, and his eyes narrowed in determination as he held up his dagger.
“I know you do, but this is going to be dangerous, and you two could get hurt, or worse,” I explained carefully.
“That’s why we brought the daggers you gave us,” Ilyushina said as she pushed her silver blue hair out of her eyes. “Ilyushina and Ilya will use them to hurt the bad guys and help Lord Dragon save the city!”
I sighed before I got an idea.
“Actually, you’re right,” I said, and rubbed my chin in mock thought. “We do actually need your help.”
Their eyes lit up at my words.
“Oh yes, we will do whatever Lord Dragon needs!” Ilyushina exclaimed.
“The rest of the children don’t have weapons,” I said in a solemn and serious voice, “so they’ll need someone to protect them in case anything happens. Do you two think you could do that? It might be hard, you’ll have to protect the entire airship from the bad guys.”
“Yes! We can do it!” Ilya answered for both of them while Ilyushina’s eyes shone.
“Great!” I reached out and ruffled their hair. “Then let’s get you both back to the airship so you can be ready.”
“Okay!” Ilya grinned widely.
I walked the two children back to the ship where Julia anxiously stood at the bottom of the ramp.
“Thank goodness,” she sighed in relief at the sight of them, and then she began to escort them up the ramp. “Come along, children. Let’s get you inside.”
“Remember, you two,” I called after them. “You are the protectors of this ship. I expect a full report when I see you again.”
