Ryanon eyed him. She really couldn't believe what he was saying. Friendly fire? Was she missing something or was he for real? She looked over and saw the determined look on his face. Yeah, he was for real. They were really going to do this.
Hesitating, she pointed her bow out the window and stared at the masses below them. The shadows seemed to have come to life and were attacking the few guards who remained outside. There really was no way to pick out who was friend and who was foe. The shadows all looked the same. She could barely make out the people below through the smoke and debris. People were going to die or get hurt. However, there really was no other option. If they didn't act, the loss of life could reach an ultimate high.
Sometimes doing the right thing wasn't the easiest thing to do....
This was the right thing to do.
"Okay, let's do it," Ryanon said as she fired a warning shot down on the masses below. "And don't miss."
A rain of a thousand flames erupted from the tower and landed on the crowds below. Now, that did not come from a bow and arrow. She looked around, but wasn't able to actually see the dragon.
Ryanon did her best to identify who she was aiming at before firing, but wasn't always sure.
Where was Dak?
"Look!" a guard yelled, pointing out above the tower.
A black mass was making its way toward them.
"The dragon," another guard said, taking a small step back. "It's flying."
Ryanon and the leader exchanged looks as the dragon approached.
"Well, let's not just stand here! Do something!" a black guard yelled. "Have you guys forgotten they're coming to kill you?"
The leader pointed his armed bow at the black mass. "Fire!"
The dragon slowed only for a moment, before it was quickly approaching them again.
The leader looked at his men. "We don't have enough."
Ryanon stared out at the sky. The leader was right. The dragon was coming faster than ever and it was only a matter of time before the fire started.
"What would happen if the spell was broken?" Ryanon heard herself asking.
The leader just shrugged. "It probably would not be enough."
Ryanon forced herself to the ground beside the black guard. The dragon charged the towers, sending bits of fire through the holes and windows. She gulped, praying that the fire did not find a way to reach them. Beside her, the black guard had his eyes forced shut, muttering something under his breath. She looked around at the rest of the group, who were in similar positions as she was.
This was not going to work. They could not fight lying down, but if they were to get up, they would more than likely die. How had the dragon gotten the advantage on them so quickly? Unless, more time had passed than she realized, but that couldn't have happened. There was just no way.
She could hear the blasts of the other towers as her fear rose. She could only hope that those in the collapsing towers died quickly so they didn't have to suffer any more than necessary.
She put her hand to her forehead and slowly removed it. There was something warm and sticky on it. Holding it close to her face, she stared at it. Blood...Her head was bleeding. The funny thing about it was she didn't even remember being hit in the head.
She got to her knees and peered through a small hole in the palace’s wall. The dragon was now hovering over the battles on the grounds. She blinked. Most of those on the grounds were racing back into the castle, while the dragon sent jets of light down on them. Judging by the amounts of people falling, the fire seemed to be finding some kind of a mark.
The leader tapped him on the shoulder. "We have to get out of here!"
Ryanon nodded, jerking aside as a bolt of fire neared her. "Where?"
"I don't know! Anywhere is better than here!"
Ryanon looked at the rest of the group, who was looking up at them. She didn't know what to do, but he did have a point. If hard blast of fire hit any weakened point of the tower would bring them all crashing down.
The tower shook as another fire bolt can flying into the room, sending even more rubbish down on them. Ryanon put her arms over her head as she was forced back down onto the floor. They couldn't stay here.
"Let's move!" the leader yelled, pushing himself to his feet.
Ryanon followed the group down at narrow flight of stairs. Another flight ran opposite of them. She could make out a group of people running in the dark. "Dak," she whispered.
Right behind him was the prince, who was holding the hand of a very beautiful and very confused looking girl.
"The princess has awoken," the leader said.
The two groups crossed paths.
"We have to hurry," Dak yelled. "It's coming down!"
Ryanon stared up at the darkness as a roar of thunder sent them all plunging into the darkness.
This is it, this is how I die.
There was just something simple in admitting the fact that she was going to die. It was oddly refreshing, like you were just coming to some kind of deep understanding of how the future was going to be.
All around her, the sounds of the tunnel coming down filled her ears, but, yet, she was somehow still alive. She opened her eyes. She was still alive!
Ryanon looked over at the guard lying next to her. Blood ran down his temple and it was impossible to tell if he was still breathing. She crawled over to him, wincing at the stiffness in her own muscles. At least if she had stiffness, it meant that she did at least have feeling. "Hey," she whispered, shaking the guard. "Hey, can you hear me?"
Nothing....
She slowly backed away from him, but not completely out of reach. "If you are alive, will you at least give me some kind of sign?"
Outside, the sounds of the battle reached her. The roar of the dragon stood out against every possible human noise. The thought of being burned alive by the dragon just sent shivers down her spine.
Ryanon's eyes shifted around. She knew she had seen Dak with the princess, but there was no seeing them through this rumble. She hoped they were still moving and not buried beneath this death trap.
She looked back down at the guard, who she was pretty sure was dead.
Someone roughly grabbed onto her arm and started pulling her forward. She couldn't make out who it was. The armour did tell her that it was one of the Xandrian troops. He roughly dragged her through the rumble, letting it cut into her armour; she was thankful for its thickness. Otherwise, the debris would have cut through her skin.
"Hey, stop!" Ryanon screamed as she tried to break free, but the person had a strong grip and her positioned in just the right way that she could not break free.
The guard just kept dragging her toward what looked like a balcony of some kind. The rumble made it next to impossible to tell just what is was. The cracks in the floor made a rather painful slide. Ryanon tried once again to break free, but the grip remained just as tight as ever. She would have thought the person would have grown somewhat tied by now, but she supposed she was wrong.
She twisted around, trying to at least get to her feet. She dug into one of the cracks, but the guard just pulled all that much harder until she broke free. He continued his death march toward the balcony.
He was going to throw her off it. He was going to kill her.
She looked at his back. "Just let me. I've done nothing wrong."
"Oh, please, I know what you and your friend did," the guard hissed.
She twisted again, hoping to catch a break, but no such luck. "What did I do?"
The guard didn't response right away. "I think you know. You are a murder, but, yet, no one seems to do anything to stop you. Instead, you get to go to balls at the castle and flirt with the captain of the guard. Who would have thought the own king's son would be one of your kind?"
Ryanon bucked up, which earned her a kick to the side. "What are you talking about? I'm afraid you have the wrong person."
"Please." Even without seeing his face, there was no mistaking that he was rolling his eyes.
"I love how you play so innocent, but I know the truth. We all do things for a reason."
The balcony was so close now. The railings had been blasted away and it looked like it was going to fall at any second. There was no way it would support both of them.
"We were just following orders. The king wanted to make himself look powerful so the people would think they needed him. The plaque wasn't supposed to get this out control nor was the Trelian supposed to be killed today. He was supposed to live until the wedding and it was supposed to look like an accident."
Ryanon smiled. If she could keep him talking, it would at least slow him down. "Well, I guess things didn't go your way. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten involved with the king."
"Money talks."
Ryanon rolled her eyes. "And you're going to kill the king here, aren't you? You're going to make sure that Teodric doesn't come back from here, aren't you, Rawlin? You really didn't want the Trelian king to die, so you're to make sure that Teodric doesn't come back. Being Vicar's friend, he will make sure your family gets a cut into Trelia's wealth. With both kings out of power, you will be able to better your station."
Rawlin paused, looking back at her. "You think you have this all figured out, don't you?" His grip loosened just a bit.
It was just enough for Ryanon to kick herself upwards and knock him back onto the ground. "Teodric can't die yet."
Rawlin smirked up at her. "Oh, he can't? Why not?"
Ryanon jabbed her sword toward his neck, but didn't break through the armour. "He just can't." The words sounded so weak as she spoke them. There really wasn't a reason why they couldn't kill the king now. Vicar would be on the throne, which was bound to happen anyway.
Rawlin looked down at the sword. "Go ahead, kill me. What difference does one more death make to you."
Ryanon let the sword hover above his armour. He was actually right. What did one more death mean to her? What was one more body?
"Ah, you don't have the heart, because you know I'm right."
"Why interfere at all?"
His smile widened. "Where's the fun in making it easy for you?"
Her eyes narrow. "What do you get out of it?"
Rawlin smiled. "I believe you already know."
"What is with self-gain?" Ryanon snapped. "Is that all you people can think about?"
"Self-gain," Rawlin snarls. "What about all the wrongs he has done? You know about the plague and are trying to tell me that's okay?"
"You just want your pal on the throne." Ryanon thrust the blade closer to him, still not piercing his armour. "You just want everything to go your way."
"Don't we all?" Rawlin looked down at the sword. "Now, are you going to remove that or not?"
Ryanon just glared at him. "Why should I?"
A fireball burst above their heads, sending yet another round of debris to the ground. They had to get out of here. It stay here any longer was only going to bring them certain death. Through the cracks in the floor, she could actually see the ground below them.
Rawlin's own eyes were widening. "I really don't think you should do that."
Ryanon yanked her sword away. She didn't have time to deal with him. The dragon's thunder roared above her head again. The floor's cracking kept extending with prefect grace. "Come on, you may be of some use to me yet." She grabbed onto Rawlin as she started running away from the wreckage. All around them, the palace was actually coming down. She had never seen anything like this. Every movement had to be thought of with at least a dozen other counter moves planned.
"The Iron Fairies," Rawlin whispered, pointing out through a crack.
"What?" Ryanon jerked her head up.
"The Iron Fairies are here."
Then, the entire world went dark.
Ryanon blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The smoke was starting to clear, but it really did not help with the lack of vision. She blindly stumbled down the short hallway behind Rawlin, feeling like a fish out of water.
Rawlin caught her arm and they slowly made their way to a small nook.
Ryanon kept blinking. With each blink, the world came back into focus.
A few more guard members joined them, looking just a worn down at Ryanon felt. Lord Tyon Cragshield kept peering nervously out, but no one was coming. Ryanon frowned. This was just too easy, just far too easy.
A guard nodded forward and the rest of the group formed in behind him.
Ryanon kept her bow out, alternating between pointing it forward and to the side. So far, no one had come out to stop them. Her guard was up and her heart was racing. Something was going to go wrong, she could just feel it in her guts.
Rawlin walked next to Ryanon. His face was the most serious she had ever seen it. He gave her a small smile whenever he saw her watching him. Hard to believe that they had just been trying to kill each just seconds ago.
Another guard joined them on Rawlin's side. They stepped forward.
Ryanon's world exploded. She flew backwards and struck the back wall. She could only see dots and hear the panicked cries of the others around her. She shook her head and fought to refocus.
Rawlin was next to her, unmoving.
"Rawlin," Ryanon whispered as she crawled over to him and shook him. "Rawlin, please."
He didn't move.
Ryanon put her hand on his neck. Nothing.
"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Lord Tyon Cragshield roared in her ear.
Ryanon allowed him to pull her away from Rawlin's body. His body...She gulped. He was dead and it was all her fault. He would not had even come had it not been for her. He would have stayed with Vicar and now they would not be able find out the true extent of his plan. Dak? Where was Dak? He was probably dead as well. Two of her most powerful sources of information were most likely dead and it was all her fault.
Lord Tyon Cragshield pulled Ryanon around the blast zone. She could not get the sound of the explosion and the bodies flying out her mind. How many more were dead? She didn't want to ask.
People were rushing toward them. Blades and fire were flying, but Ryanon could do nothing.
“Look out!" a guard screamed.
Ryanon turned and sent an arrow flying toward an Iron Fairy. They killed her colleagues and tortured her homeland. They were going to pay.
She charged forward.
Another fireball from the dragon stuck the north wall sending more wreckage and smoke flying through the air. She blinked and could faintly make out the faint figure of an Iron Fairy charging toward Lord Tyon Cragshield. Ryanon held out her bow and launched an arrow that sent the Iron Fairy flying out of the dragon's hole.
She probably killed him, a magical creature, something they weren't even supposed to think about killing, but, yet, she didn't care.
She ducked as another fairy went over her head. It was rather odd; the creature did not even act like she was there.
A guard bumped up against Ryanon's back. Ryanon froze when she realized what was happening. The combined effort of the fairies and the dragon had them surrounded.
Ryanon heard the laughter of an Iron Fairy. She wasn't sure who he was, but judging by his laugh, he wasn't very old. "Well, well, what do we have here? Looks like you failed your mission."
Ryanon could feel the Iron Fairies pulling every happy thought out of her. She had heard that they could do this, but had never actually experienced it.
"You should have known that we would not allow you to walk in here so easy." The Iron Fairy paused. "And now, here you are, stuck, with no place to go."
A guard nodded to Ryanon's bow and arrow.
The Iron Fairy took a step forward. "What should we do with you?"
"NOW!" the guard screamed.
Ryanon pointed her bow and arrow at the Iron Fairies. "DIE!"
Arrows flew toward the Iron Fairies before they even had the time to react. Many of them flew backwards or just simply collapsed on the floor. Cries of those in agony filled the hall, but Ryanon could not allow herse
lf to feel horrible for what just happened. The Iron Fairies were trying to kill them.
"FASTER!" someone screamed.
Ryanon skidded around a corner, hot on Lord Tyon Cragshield's heals. She reached behind her and pulled a guard forward. The dragon must have stuck again because they air and flying objects were getting much heavier. An Iron Fairy appeared by Ryanon's side. She didn't have time to react as he shot a jinx in her direction. A guard appeared and sent a rebound arrow back at the Iron Fairy. All around, Ryanon could hear yelling, cries of pain, cries for help, the sounds of walls falling; death lingered all around her.
Ahead, a guard found a clear way ahead and pushed everyone in that direction. Ryanon winced as something stuck her head, but did not stop.
A human's screams filled the air. Ryanon's heart skipped a beat. An Iron Fairy was picking up a guard by his hair and slowly drawing its deadly nails out. The iron shone in the little bit of light that was making its way into the rumble.
The entire group fired their arrows at the fairy, who hissed as they buried themselves into its skin. Ryanon watched as the iron tipped ends burned deeply into the skin, causing it to drop the guard.
Ryanon and the guards took off running after Lord Tyon Cragshield. Behind her, Ryanon could hear another guardsmen urging other on, who was grunting in pain. The door ahead was ajar. Ryanon chanced a look back. The Iron Fairies were still coming.
"COME ON!" Lord Tyon Cragshield urged them.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," a rough voice chanted.
Ryanon could hear the Iron Fairies kicking aside furniture and see wand sparks flying. She put her hand over her mouth and willed her breathing and heart not to be so loud.
"Check under the furniture instead of just blowing it up," a rough voice barked. "We need to keep some of them alive."
Ryanon's eyes grew huge as the knees of an Iron Fairy started to bend. She pointed her bow and arrow at him. Counting to three in her head, she released it.
The arrow hit the nearest Iron Fairy. He fell over backwards, his head hitting the floor with a sickening crunch. Another Iron Fairy avoided the next arrow and has his deadly nails pointed Juel's face. The third Iron Fairy was focused on the rest of the group.
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