by Eric Vall
With a shake of my head, I shifted from my immense draconic body to my human form. My limbs grew smaller and fewer as almost all of my scales disappeared, save for the ones on my inner forearms. Soon enough, I felt my hair graze the back of my neck and brush along my cheeks. It’d grown longer during the time I’d been in this world, I kept it pretty short back on Earth since I’d been an EMT, but maybe growing it out here wouldn’t be a problem.
A pure presence hovered on the edge of my senses, and I glanced over at the main gate. That had to be my princess approaching.
“Evan!” Alyona called out as she stepped through the main gate with a bright smile on her face. “Thank goodness you came back in time.”
Behind her, my adoptive parents followed at a sedate pace and waved at me.
“I thought it was supposed to take a week for the architects to arrive,” I muttered as I walked over to my princess. “How are they here so early?”
“I believe someone interesting is coming with the entourage,” Alyona giggled into her hand. “Their presence would explain how quickly they’ve arrived.”
“Someone interesting?” I placed a finger underneath her chin and tilted her head back. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” my princess teased, and delight glittered in her amethyst eyes. “I’m sure you’ll both get along splendidly.”
“I’ll take your word on it.” I shook my head as I smiled and let my hand fall away from her chin. “Are we prepared to welcome them? I know we have the space to house them, but this is kind of short notice.”
“The quarters in the buildings next to the temporary palace are prepared to house guests,” Alyona replied as she began to list things off on her fingers. “A lunch has been prepared and set up on the first floor of the temporary palace, and there’s enough for twenty people. Though, I doubt there’ll be that many.”
“You’re a saint, you know that?” I pressed a quick kiss to her lips before I walked away. “I’m going to go check in with my parents, see if there’s anything they need.”
My parents met me halfway through the gate, and I noticed Ruslan was wearing shoes for once. I didn’t know how Julia had managed to accomplish that, but I was impressed.
“How did the patrol go?” Ruslan asked as he clasped an arm around my shoulder. “Laika told us you were meeting Valerra out by the waterfall, and that you’d somehow convinced her to help protect the areas around Hatra.”
“Well, there’s fireproof monsters in the desert,” I replied dryly as I grimaced, “other than that, nothing much really happened.”
“That … is not what I wanted to hear.” There was a look of disgusted confusion on Ruslan’s face. “Did you kill them?”
“Yeah, I got them all.” I nodded as I brushed back some of the hair from my face. “And Valerra is, well, the same as always.”
“Well, good to know something is still the same,” Ruslan muttered partly to himself and shook his head. “Fireproof monsters in the desert? What’s next, killer plants? Or maybe the forest is suddenly going to march on Hatra?”
“Ruslan, be quiet,” Julia commanded as she fanned herself lightly. “I don’t want you accidentally jinxing us.”
“At this point, Julia,” Ruslan replied with a frown, “this is a valid concern. Have you seen what’s been happening here?”
“Pops has a point about this,” I added easily. “Things are getting pretty strange, even by our standards.”
“Then we keep adjusting to the new standards.” Julia snapped her fan shut and walked over to where Alyona stood several feet away.
Ruslan and I exchanged a glance as we trailed behind Julia. Everything had really escalated for Hatra, it was pretty much nonstop over the past month. There hadn’t been even a moment where something wasn’t happening, from water demons attacking us to demonized harpies appearing out of nowhere.
We came to a stop next to Alyona and followed her gaze to the north, but I couldn’t see anything in the sky. Even so, there was something on the edge of my senses, but nothing like the overwhelming and suffocating presence of King Rodion. It was more like Alyona’s power, steady and almost warm.
“This is weird,” I murmured to my family. “It’s like I was basking underneath the sun and all of its warmth is sinking into my bones.”
“I thought it was just me,” Ruslan confessed as he ruffled my hair. “It’s somewhat strange. I’m starting to feel more cheerful? No, that’s not the right way to describe it.”
“Like anything is possible?” I suggested as I kept my eyes on the northern sky.
“Yes,” Julia agreed quietly, “just like that.”
Suddenly, something came into view in the distance. I squinted in an attempt to try and make out what it was, and when I saw it, I gasped.
It wasn’t an airship, but what looked like an ornate little cottage on a large white cloud with gleaming crimson columns in front of the door. Strange carvings, similar to the ones in the underground library, covered the red columns, and there were two windows, one on either side of the door, and the glass shimmered as if it were liquid mercury.
“What is that?” I managed to get out, and my voice was full of awe. “That can’t be an airship, can it?”
“It is.” Alyona glanced at me with pride in her eyes and dripping from her voice. “It can be considered a floating home. There are some places that float in the sky and travel in whichever direction their master wishes. This is an example of one. But they take a great amount of power to maintain. Not everyone is capable of such a thing.”
“Is this the interesting person you mentioned earlier?” My eyes snapped back to Alyona with more than a little curiosity.
“Yes,” Alyona replied with a laugh. “He is called the Prince of Light, and he is a Noble of the Sword. His Eminence himself has even recognized him for his prowess and abilities.”
“That’s impressive,” I let out a low whistle as I kept my eyes on the airship. “I see King Rodion really delivered when he said he was sending help to Hatra.”
“His Eminence does not go back on his word.” Alyona smiled, but the light disappeared from her eyes for a moment. “He has promised to help Hatra, and help Hatra he will. I wouldn’t be surprised if he opened the treasury of the White Jade Sect for Hatra’s renovations.”
The airship, or floating home as Alyona had referred to it, landed gently a dozen yards away from us. No dust was displaced by its landing, and the cloud at its base seemed to merge down into the earth. It was like the tiny cottage had always been there in front of us, and there was just some leftover snow from winter at its doorstep.
Then the door swung open, and eleven people walked out of the house, far more than should have comfortably fit inside of a cottage of such size. If that wasn’t proof of the magic that created the tiny structure, I didn’t know what would be.
A young man with black hair led the group toward us, and he seemed to be even younger than I was, maybe a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. Even so, there was something about him, and I could tell the warmth we’d all felt came from him. He was the source of that invigorating energy, but there was nothing youthful about his silver eyes. They were like the eyes of someone who was already dead and tired of the world.
The leader of the group knelt in front of Alyona, and the other ten strangers followed suit immediately.
“Hail to Her Royal Highness,” the young man spoke with confidence, “the Divine Maiden of Rahma and the future sun who will protect us all.”
“Rise, my loyal Sword.” Power and quiet confidence rolled off Alyona in waves as she inclined her head slightly.
“We greet you, lords and lady of Hatra,” the silver eyed young man intoned as he turned on the spot and glanced at us.
“Would you mind introducing yourselves?” I asked with a wry smile and stepped forward. “You know who we are, but we have no idea who you are. Well, save for the princess here.”
“Of course,” the silver eyed
man replied easily, “we would be remiss in our manners if we didn’t. I am Nikolaus of Leyte, and I am a Noble of the Sword.”
“Aine is mine name.” The gold haired girl next to him dipped into a shallow curtsey. “Mine master is Nikolaus.”
Aine! Miraya’s voice cried out happily throughout my spiritual sea. Oh, my heart is overfilled with joy at the sight of her. She is one of my sisters.
I glanced back at the younger girl with more than a little surprise. I hadn’t realized the other Sword Spirits could transform as well.
“Nadezhda is my name.” One of two white haired girls stepped forward and dipped her head. “I am a disciple of Leyte’s Sage.”
“I am Lord Aleksey, and I come from the city of Leyte,” a smug looking man with pale brown eyes and white hair said as he stepped forward to bow shallowly.
“I’m Seryozha, and I am a scholar.” Another white haired girl with brilliant blue eyes inclined her head. “I’m also from Leyte, but I served in the Mihireti Mountains for some time.”
“Yes, yes, there is time for us to learn each other’s names later,” Nikolaus spoke up with a sigh. “There is a more pressing matter to attend to.”
Before Nikolaus could go on, Aine tugged on his sleeve, and he glanced down at her with a sudden frown on his face.
“Welcome to our city,” I said when the silence stretched for a moment, and I realized Nikolaus wasn’t going to continue. “We have empty quarters for you near what we’ve been calling the temporary palace.”
“Temporary palace?” the man named Aleksey sneered as he looked at us.
I frowned at the man and clenched my jaw tightly as I took in a breath. There was no point in getting upset at someone so early in the day, I didn’t even know these people, and they had come with the king’s recommendation. That had to count for something.
But if anyone else decided to trash talk my city, I wasn’t at fault for my actions.
“Before anything else commences, I must ask a favor of you,” Nikolaus drew me out of my thoughts and took a step toward me with a serious expression on his face. “It is the important thing I mentioned earlier.”
“What is it?” I asked with a frown. I half expected there to be someone wounded amongst the group.
“Fight me,” Nikolaus replied easily.
“Excuse me?” I blinked, sure I had heard him wrong. “Why do you want to fight me? We’ve only just met.”
In front of me, half of his entourage sighed and buried their faces in their hands. I could even see Alyona, out of the corner of my eye, do the same. I guess this wasn’t the first time Nikolaus had challenged someone to a fight after only just meeting them.
“I wish to see firsthand your strength,” Nikolaus continued without any malice in his voice. “My king has told me of you, but I wish to test myself against my fellow Noble of the Sword.”
Behind Nikolaus, an excitable looking boy with silver hair sent me a helpless smile and shrug. He lifted one finger to his forehead and made a quick circle before he pointed at the Sword that dangled from Nikolaus’ hip. It was obvious he was trying to get me to understand Nikolaus was a combat freak.
And that was perfectly fine by me.
I’d show these nobles I wasn’t something to sneer at.
“I understand the sentiment,” I chuckled as I stepped away from the group. “How do you want to do this?”
“I challenged you,” Nikolaus followed me swiftly, “so you pick the method of battle, be it swords, magic, or hand to hand combat.”
I glanced down to the Sword that hung at my hip. I didn’t know the first thing about swinging a blade, and from both the look and sound of it, Nikolaus was more than comfortable with his own sword. Fighting by hand would be the better choice.
“Let’s settle this with fists.” I grinned as I untied my own Sword and set it gently on the ground. “What better way to get to know each other, eh?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Nikolaus replied as he mimicked my actions and set aside his own sword. “Shall we begin?”
My reply was to dive at Nikolaus and attempt to topple him over. Instead, Nikolaus side stepped me with a wide smile on his face as he let his arms dangle at his sides.
Using my back leg as support, I turned and brought a fist up to where I sensed Nikolaus was, but it just grazed his shoulder as he swung his body out of the way. I barely even had time to think as Nikolaus’ own fist whistled past my face.
He was just as fast as I was, and maybe even stronger. Instead of getting frustrated, this only made me more excited for the fight. This was someone who knew how to fight barehanded and didn’t depend on their weapons. I could definitely get along with someone like him.
There was a certain type of honesty in Nikolaus’ attacks, they weren’t obnoxiously showy or purposefully elaborate. I could tell from the way he moved seamlessly that he was more than experienced in fighting, this was a man whose whole body had become a weapon.
If I slipped up in the slightest, this mock battle between us would be over in a second, and I would have lost. Which was something I wasn’t going to allow. This was the perfect opportunity for me to start laying the foundations for winning over the nobles.
If I was able to keep avoiding Nikolaus’ powerful punches, of course.
One of Nikolaus’ fists narrowly grazed my cheek, and the air pressure behind the hit left a thin trail of blood on my face. That had been too close for my comfort, and I was sure he was slowly getting faster.
Were all Nobles of the Sword like this?
“Impressive!” Nikolaus cheerfully called out as he sidestepped my punch. “You’re just as good as I’ve heard, you’re definitely living up to my expectations.”
“Oh?” I growled as I swiped at his ribs. “Just what have you heard about me?”
“You’re a born fighter, it’s like you were created for combat.” Nikolaus’ silver eyes glittered with excitement. “I cannot wait for the day we will fight side by side in actual battle. It will be a day of glory that will be remembered for ages to come.”
“You’re a bit of a battle freak, aren’t you?” I couldn’t help the amusement in my voice since I was the same way. “Is fighting all you can think about?”
“Of course not, the wellbeing of my people is always at the forefront of my mind,” Nikolaus replied easily as we circled each other. “It’s simply that the best way I can protect my people is in battle. We’re Nobles of the Sword, after all. Battle is where we’re at our best.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that!” I laughed as I dove toward Nikolaus and attempted to tackle him to the ground.
“That was an interesting move.” Nikolaus neatly dodged my attempt to throw him down, but I saw a hint of surprise in his eyes at my tactic. “Were you attempting to use my own strength against me?”
“Yeah, that was the point.” I was surprised at how quickly he had picked up the move. “It’s a whole fighting art based on using your opponent’s strength against them.”
“You’ll have to teach me that fighting art one day.” Nikolaus rolled his shoulders as he settled back into a loose stance. “Implementing your fighting technique into the training camps could prove to be helpful. Some of the soldier’s lack physical strength when in battle against the demons, even through strenuous training and cultivation. How difficult would you say it is to learn?”
“It just takes dedication,” I explained as I bounced on the balls of my feet. “Even a child can learn how to use this technique without hurting themselves.”
“That’s perfect!” Nikolaus’ silver eyes lit up at my words. “If this is a fighting art anyone can use, it will save countless lives in future skirmishes.”
I smiled at his praise for a moment before I dove back into the fight. That was a discussion for the future.
After several more attacks and feints, we ended up at a stalemate. Nikolaus kept managing to parry my blows back and I his. We circled each other with narrowed eyes, and Nikolaus’s mouth twitched
into a smirk, like he thought he’d already won.
I was looking for an opening somewhere, though, a way I could slip in and gain the upper hand. I had to do something he wasn’t expecting.
As Nikolaus’ shuffled to the side, he kicked up a cloud of dirt, and I knew just what I could do.
I could change the terrain and throw him off his feet.
Nikolaus was going to be expecting my punches and kicks to be aimed at him since that’s what I’d been doing this entire time. He wouldn’t expect an attack from below.
I watched Nikolaus carefully for the right moment to strike against the ground. He’d adapted pretty quickly enough to my fighting style, so I would have only one chance if I wanted to catch him off guard. My plan wouldn’t work a second time.
There was a minute shift in the wind as we parried blows, and a lurking sense of power that was almost reminiscent of the miasma fluttered through the air. There was nothing to worry about, though, there was always a subtle presence of the miasma in the air outside of the city.
But Nikolaus didn’t know that.
For the slightest of moments, Nikolaus’ eyes shifted from me to the surrounding area, and that’s when I struck the ground between us with all of my strength.
The force from my punch caused a minor shockwave that threw Nikolaus into the air, but I hadn’t expected to be launched off my feet as well. We both landed on the ground and gasped from the impact.
“Ha!” Nikolaus cried from his prone position in the dirt. “I was not expecting that! Impressive.”
“Thank you?” I wheezed as I stared at the sky overhead and tried to get air back into my lungs.
“Now that we’ve fought and greeted each other,” Nikolaus laughed as he pushed himself up to a sitting position, “do you have any food? I’m famished.”
“Is that really what you’d call a greeting?” I grinned at his reaction as I sat up from where I’d landed on the ground.
