by Melody Rose
However, this choice Zulu presented me with brought on a whole new world. I didn’t know how to rule over a kingdom. I still struggled with the mere title of queen, but now that I would have to put it into practice, I wasn’t sure it was possible for me. That, and I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted.
“Okay, say that I agree to this,” I started, the thoughts forming as I spoke the words aloud. “We still have the problem of Reon. I never wanted to kill him, but what are we supposed to do with him? Lock him up forever and ever? I have a feeling that he will continue to wreak havoc as long as he stays here.”
“She has a point, Zulu,” Monte argued on my behalf. A swell of pride welled up in my chest at Monte’s words. Even though he and I had been speaking in my mind, it was a whole different sensation hearing him defend me out loud.
Zulu contemplated my words for a moment before responding. “If you agree to rule over the kingdom of Rictorus, you will have unprecedented power.”
“Well, I kind of already have the power to create and destroy pretty much anything,” I said, a little confused. “What else is there?”
“Bonding with all of these dragons.” Zulu spread her wing out to indicate the army flying behind me. “It will enhance your abilities in unimaginable ways, giving you the freedom to break the laws of reality as you know them.”
“Hang on,” I said as I held out a hand as if I could physically stop Zulu’s words. “Break the laws of reality? How is that supposed to help get rid of Reon?”
“Eva,” Monte said, his voice eager and excited, “you can do anything. You can make it so that he never existed.”
“I don’t want to do anything that messes with the time-space continuum.” I shook my head at the thought. “That seems too complicated.” I released a weighty sigh. “He’s just going to continue threatening everyone if I let him live, isn’t he?”
“You do not know that,” Monte tried to reassure me. “You broke all of his bonds. He will not have the power.”
“The only guarantee is to get rid of him permanently,” Zulu agreed with me. Her voice was sharp and definitive as if I had already made the decision.
I looked at the frozen figure of Reon, stilled with fear and wrapped in the black ribbons of the darkness. He was just a man at the core of it. He made terrible decisions and was consumed with something inexplicably disturbing.
It was uncanny how much he reminded me of the shooter that killed my parents and so many that fateful day on Main Street. Both were selfish men, determined the hurt the world as much as they could. Despite all that, I could not be the one to put them to death. Just as I hadn’t done for the shooter.
My thoughts raced, wondering how Reon got to be this way. He tried to explain his twisted logic to me, but of course, it hadn’t made any sense. It was diluted and awful.
Didn’t that kind of evil deserve to die?
I didn’t need Reon to die, I realized. I just needed him to be gone. To be removed from Andsdyer, as the shooter had been removed from society. In a way, it was more of a punishment to keep Reon alive, knowing that he had failed.
I wished there was some sort of life sentence equivalent in this fantasy realm.
So many wishes I made across my time in this world. One on a penny in a well. Another on birthday candles. A third on a falling star. And now, on nothing but my own will.
As that thought crossed my mind, I stilled. Pieces crawled together like crabs at the beach. They wormed their way into my brain and settled there until a clear picture formed. Maybe there was a way. It was unconventional for sure, and I wasn’t even sure it would be done, but Zulu said I could break the rules of reality, right?
If my idea were going to work, I would have to agree to Zulu’s terms. I would have to commit to ruling over Rictorus and the dragons, helping them rebuild their kingdom to the glorious, monumental entity it had once been.
As I remembered those past wishes, the answer was clear. I knew exactly what I needed to do.
“I’ll do it,” I announced. “I’ll rule over Rictorus and the dragons.”
Zulu raised her chin. “We need you to swear it.”
I took a big breath in and steadied my heart rate. I found that as I spoke the promise, my certainty solidified and my nerves evaporated, comforted by the knowledge that I was doing the right thing. I turned to face the multitude of creatures hovering in the sky.
“I, Eva Lawrence, daughter of John and Mary Lawrence, swear my loyalty to the kingdom of Rictorus and the race of dragons. I choose to bond with you.”
“And we you,” the dragons said in a chorus of angelic voices.
At the pronouncement of our vow, the world dissolved into its regular coloring. The purple disappeared, and the eclipse hung in its full splendor over us.
Reon collapsed to the ground, heaving in breaths on his knees, as I called the darkness back to my hand. It was like pulling back a resistant dog on his leash. Still, I managed to reel it in and contain it within the spinning black bands on my arms.
I gestured at Monte to stay back, and the dragon did as he was told. I crouched in front of Reon and put my hand under his chin. I forced the false king to look at me straight in the eye.
“I could kill you,” I told him as if that wasn’t already obvious.
“You won’t,” Reon said through spastic breaths as if he had just run a marathon.
“I won’t,” I confirmed, my voice firm. “You don’t deserve death.”
“I don’t?” Reon snarled though I noticed the slight surprise in his voice. “Your mercy is a weakness.”
“No,” I argued, “it is a strength.”
“No matter where you put me,” Reon said with a threatening rasp, “no matter where I go, I will come back. I will find a way to make this land exactly what I want it to be. I don’t care who gets into my way.”
“I know that,” I said as I kept my face neutral. “Which is why you’re not going to stay here.”
“I do not understand,” Reon said. This was one of the only truthful statements I had ever heard come from his mouth. He really didn’t know what I had in store for him.
“Monte,” I said to my djer as I took a step back from Reon, “contain him please.”
“Gladly,” the dragon said.
He stretched out his massive tail and wrapped it around the traitor. Reon grunted at the tightness of Monte’s grip. I smiled with pride as the dragon added a little extra pain to Reon’s experience.
I took out my last nub of chalk and rubbed it between my forefinger and thumb. Then, I walked to the tip of the Sky Entrance and crouched down. With one flourished and practiced movement, I drew a circle. It had a four-foot diameter and arched along the edge of the rock. As I closed the shape, the chalk turned into unusable dust in my fingers.
Reon laughed from behind me. “What are you planning, girl? To have me stand in that circle for all eternity?”
“Not quite,” I said, not really believing that I was dignifying him with a response to such a stupid question.
I got to my feet and gestured with open arms to the dragon army displayed out in front of me. I sent them a picture of what I wished for down our collective mental link.
Without missing a beat, the dragons responded. Once again, they flew in a circular formation. However, I was at the heart of it. It was like being at the center of a tornado as the wing from their wings flapped around me. It was comforting, like a tight blanket wrapping me close. I relished in the feeling as I spread my arms wide and leaned my head back.
Right then, I knew I made the right choice.
I added my own magic. The light spread from my fingers freely, connected with the dragons, and mirrored their motions. A dazzling array of creatures and light danced around us.
After a few moments, the dragons ceased their spinning and dispersed around the entrance. When they cleared away, my most recent creation was on full display.
In the exact place that I drew the white circle was a well.
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nbsp; Reon’s eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. The former king remained silent as my djer lifted the man with his tail over the opening of the well.
“I won’t kill you, Reon,” I said, looking him right in the eye, “but I will send you away. Just as this well brought you here, it will send you away.”
“This isn’t real,” Reon stuttered, finally finding his voice. “That is impossible. Only the dragons can come and go. They control the portals to the other dimensions.”
“And now,” I said with an involuntary smile, “I control the dragons.”
I met Monte’s eye and gave him a single nod. The dragon responded appropriately and released Reon on the edge of the well, so the former king stood precariously on the edge.
“You can go of your own accord, or you will be forced,” I said, giving him the choice.
Reon teetered uncomfortably on the stones. He rocked back and forth, waving his arms to catch his balance. Once he got steady on his feet, Reon snarled at me, his nose crinkling in the most unattractive manner.
“You’re going to have to push me down this well before I jump.”
Without hesitation, I reached out a hand to Reon’s chest, intent on shoving him down the well.
He grabbed my wrist with an inhuman force and yanked me forward.
My scream of surprise echoed against the stone well as we descended together. As Reon and I tumbled down the well, roars from the dragons responded to my cries.
“Eva!” Monte’s voice called down the tunnel, his face blocking out the light from above. It was too narrow an opening for any of the dragons to follow after Reon and me.
The wind rushed up into my ears, increasing in volume and speed as we journey down and down. Our bodies hurtled towards a purple light at the eventual bottom of the well. It signaled a door to another world, the one we both originated from.
My wrist burned from Reon’s touch. The false king pulled me closer to him, nose to nose.
“I told you I was coming for you,” Reon shouted over the force of the wind. “If you force me out of this world, I am taking you with me.”
I pushed and pulled, trying my best to remove myself from Reon’s grasp. He held on with an iron will, and we continued our rapid descent to the portal at the end of the well. The two of us turned in the free fall as I shoved against him and yelled in his face.
“You evil asshole!” I cried, tears running down my face. “Let me go!”
Reon opened his hand dramatically and freed me. He held his fingers splayed out and waved them, taunting me. “If I cannot be a part of this world, then neither can you.”
I spun in a somersault, turning head over heels, as my body fell farther and farther. I flattened out and stretched my limbs like a skydiver widening themselves. The purple light down below grew, intimidating and looming, as it threatened to take away everything I knew.
I couldn’t go back there. There was nothing for me in that world. My parents were gone, my life was full of nothing. But here, in Andsdyer, I had friends, love, and a kingdom who put its faith in me. Instead, I allowed myself to be tricked into leaving it.
My mind’s eye raced with images of Andsdyer. I saw the dome of the Menagerie and the splendid array of animals within its walls. I pictured the courtyard of nobles during the time when merchants from the town came in with their carts, and the whole thing looked like a farmer’s market. The Mason dinner table came next with bright smiling faces of Lance, Peena, Knaylor, Vio, and Kaian.
More faces flashed into view: Donnel, Merna, King Elroy, my lady’s maid, Westa. I thought about the fellow inductees and the council members to the king. The memories shifted to the seven people who accompanied me on this journey.
Brave Julei who came because her visions told her she would save my life.
Loyal Troylan, who came believe he owed me a debt but became a fast ally.
Resilient Freja, whose strength never ceased to amaze me.
Clever Heloise with her positivity and understanding nature.
Faithful Hannan, who I could always count on.
Kehn, who I wanted a second chance with.
And Stella. Beautiful, amazing Stella who gave her life so we could survive. As her bouncing blonde curls and dazzling face flashed through my mind’s eye, more tears fell. I couldn’t let her death be in vain. She believed in a stronger, peaceful Andsdyer and Rictorus. Two kingdoms that could live in harmony.
But now, Rictorus wouldn’t have its queen. The dragons would be left alone to who knew what trials, with no ruler to rebuild their destroyed kingdom.
Zulu. Chyndron. Myels. Lucien. Gideonia. Timone. And Monte. My original djer who chose me, saved me more than once, and, without fail, was a constant for me in this new life.
As the purple light grew to a blinding array, I thought about all of them who I would never see again. How I failed them.
“No!” I shouted into the well. “I can’t fail. I have the power of creation.”
I closed my eyes as if not seeing my impending doom would stall it longer. If anything, the purple seeped through my eyelids and interfered with my vision. I curled into a ball, squishing my limbs in on themselves. I reached into myself and spoke to the light and the dark. Those entities, whom I had met in the white space, put their trust in me to save the kingdoms, and while I might have ridden them of the biggest threat, I won’t rid them of their protector too.
As I spoke, I pictured the dragons. I pictured their ability to fly and soar. That sense of escape and freedom churned in my chest. With my mind, I drew my way out of here.
The light and the dark responded instantly. I could feel a pull at my back, between my shoulder blades. A heavy weight sprouted from me and stretched out to the sides. I gritted my teeth and held back a scream as the wings burst from my skin and spread out. Their immediate and sudden release slowed my descent. The wings, one black and one white, flapped in order to keep me steady.
I watched with a fierce satisfaction as the false king’s eyes widened in horror. He reached out and grabbed my legs, a final attempt to avoid his inevitable fate. The added weight set me off balance, and I tilted a little, one of my wings scraping across the jilted stone.
“Impossible,” he shouted. Then his features changed to anger. “You bitch! You cannot leave me to die like this.”
“I’m no killer, Reon,” I said back to him. “That’s why you are going home instead of to hell.”
I kicked out my leg like shooing a bug off my boot. Reon struggled to get another hand up and swung wildly, but I gave my new wings an extra shove and forced more wind down towards Reon. He held up an arm to block his face from the force. With one more good kick, I managed to break his hold on me.
The false king tumbled backward with a mighty shout. He clawed at the air but found no solid hold as he fell down into the purple light. As his body connected with the light, a bright surge expelled outward, so intense I had to hold up my arms to shield my eyes. After a moment, I lowered them to look down towards the bottom of the well.
Nothing but a glowing purple light remained.
An involuntary smile spread across my face. Relief and pride rushed through me. I shifted my gaze upward towards the opening and saw a small circle of stars waiting for me at the top. With a fierce push, I shoved my wings back and flew straight up into the air.
38
When I emerged from the well, my feet found ground as quickly as they could. I fell to my knees and wept. I cried openly and let the tears drip down my face. The exhaustion of it all overwhelmed me to a breaking point. The feeling of relief was there but hadn’t quite settled in yet. I didn’t believe it could be possible.
It was over. Reon was gone. It was finished.
Even as I repeated those words over and over to myself, as I replayed the image of him falling down the well and disappearing into another world, I didn’t believe it. The whole thing seemed surreal. It was a weird feeling, not quite
triumph, and not quite elation.
I stayed like that, on my knees with streams of tears traveling down my face as I expelled more emotion than I knew what to do with. I knew all of the dragons were watching me, that much was obvious, but they all let me have my space. Every last dragon stood over me while I cried.
The thought made me cry even harder. The idea that all of these beings were there for me and helped me accomplish this seemingly impossible feat brought in a whole new bout of feelings I wasn’t prepared for.
The wings dissolved behind me in a breath of white and black dust. They twinkled in the starlight as I let them fall away. I didn’t need them to lift me anymore. I had my friends and my dragons to do that for me.
“Eva,” a voice interrupted.
I pressed a palm to my forehead and took some deep breaths. I collected my thoughts and wiped underneath my eyes. Sitting back on my heels, I straightened up and looked around.
It was Timone who had spoken, her voice cautious and hesitant. I couldn’t blame her. I probably looked like a hot mess with all of my crying and moaning.
“We need to tell the others,” she said with a gesture of her horned head to the Sky Entrance, leading back to the inside of the mountain.
I looked up at the rest of the dragons. Some hovered in the twilight sky while others stood on the rock platform, all awaiting further instruction.
Monte approached me and offered his back. He leaned down slightly, without a word, and signaled for me to get on. I did so and nestled against the dragon’s white, wispy hair. He let me.
“Well done, Eva,” he whispered to me in my mind.
I didn’t respond but smiled against his skin. Together, we led the group of dragons back into the mountain of Rictorus, to assess the damage and see where my human friends had hidden or escaped to.
As if they, too, sensed the end, the humans emerged from an enclosure in the stone. The six of them ran forward to meet the assembly of dragons that gathered on one of the jutting rock platforms, nearer to the bottom of the mountain.
