Darkness filled the world around Cristina. Energy drained out of her body, growing more tired with each passing second. Yet she kept clawing, not at the demon’s hand, but for the lever behind her. The revenant lifted the nurse clean off the ground and smashed her into the wall, right into the wooden handle.
“Does it hurt? Draining you of your energy, your life force, your soul?”
No, not anymore. Cristina reached back and wrapped one strap of her bag around the switch and removed the other strap from her shoulder. The backpack dropped, pulling the lever down. The heavy tree log disengaged and pinned the door shut. With no more chance to escape, Cristina would never see her daughter again. Neither would the demon.
“You missed,” the revenant said. “And even if you hit me with this stick, I cannot get hurt.”
The world continued to darken. It felt as if Cristina shrank, shriveling into nothing. Despite being immune to the plague, her time would soon run out. Her only hope? The trapped demon would be unable to reach Lea, and her time would not be today.
Cristina’s eyes closed.
Epilogue
Lea sat on the cold, damp floor in the cellar of an unknown house with nothing but the backpack her mother gave her to hold. Feeling alone sucked. The urge to leave almost overtook her multiple times.
Hours passed. Lea lost the battle to keep her eyes open and drifted off to sleep. In her dreams, she envisioned a majestic sight. Thousands of dragons soared across the sky, all heading for a tall, dark building, taller than any structure she had ever seen.
Dragons. They all ranged in sizes from as big as a human to gigantic enough to carry one hundred on their backs. The diverse array of colors added beauty to the canvas of the sky. Red hellions blew fire and white ones froze their enemies. Green titans quaked the earth. Those with blue scales flooded the barren plains.
The legendary creatures headed for the dark spire, with one person leading the attack: Lea. Not as a ten-year-old, but as an older woman. Was this the future? Lea wished to glimpse just one dragon, but understood, even while dreaming, that dragons did not exist. No record of the mystical beasts living among humans occurred in over five thousand years. At least that was what Lea’s mommy said.
A rip in the dark sky opened, and light poured in, blinding Lea and washing away the environment. A voice accompanied the brightness, saying words like It’s okay, and I’m here to help. Then something unseen pressed against Lea’s shoulder. The dream around her faded and she realized she would soon return to reality.
Lea opened her eyes.
A man with an outstretched hand offered to help Lea up. A man with eyes like magic: silver with floating purple dots. A man with a color-changing cloak, alternating from violet to black. A man who did not seem human, but maybe a monster.
Lea scampered back and wrapped her arms around the one thing her mother had left her.
“You are guarded,” the man said. “I can respect that. What I can tell you is I am not the monster who released the plague upon this kingdom. I am here to help.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
“Your mother told you to stay here and not to open the door for anyone. Unfortunately, she cannot come herself at this moment, so I offered to help in her place.”
Lea knew. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew. “My mommy’s dead, like my daddy.”
The man nodded. “I apologize that this means you are left alone, but you will be fine. I am here to take you away from Ostarin. No one survived the disease except you and your mother. The monster killed your mother, but did not know you existed.”
Lea sat back down on the floor and thought about everything that had happened. Daddy kept her safe before he turned into a monster. Mommy destroyed the monster in Daddy. The real monster destroyed Mommy, leaving Lea alone with a man. No, not with a man, not with a monster, but something else.
“What’s your name?” Lea asked.
“Telaren.” He knelt closer to Lea. “Will you let me help you? Take you away from Ostarin?”
“Where will we go? Roswal?”
Telaren shook his head. “An incident occurred in Roswal, similar to what happened here, so it wouldn’t be safe.”
“Do we have to leave Ostarin? I like my home.”
“I’m sorry, but you will not find anyone else here in Ostarin. You are the only one left.”
“Why? Why am I the only one?”
Telaren pointed at the bag. “Open it, and you will find your answer.”
Lea flipped over the backpack cover and reached inside. The contents consisted of only one thing, which she struggled to lift. When she did, her eyes widened, staring at something as large as her daddy’s head, shiny, silver, and round. Lea did not need to ask Telaren about the item, something she had seen many times in her dreams.
A dragon egg.
The Bear’s Rescue
Enjoyed The Kingdom’s Destruction?
How about a short prequel starring Bear?
An injured knight comes face to face with a monstrous threat to his life.
How will he survive the encounter far away from his fellow soldiers?
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The Bear’s Rescue
The Chemist’s Robbery
Read another short prequel, starring Karl.
A chemist has to deal with an active robbery of his store just days before his birthday.
How will he balance his own survival with that of his family's?
Read the story right on Charlie Reale’s website.
The Chemists Robbery
About the Author
Charlie Reale has been creating stories ever since he was a young five-year-old, conjuring up new adventures for his Transformers and Ninja Turtles. Just ask his wife, who makes fun of him for recounting real-life experiences as a tale in a book.
Initially believed to enter a software design career to create story-driven games, Charlie decided to trade in the medium of video games for books. However, the goal never changed: to create stories that resonate long after experiencing them.
Charlie now lives in New Jersey trying to find a balance between his family, his job as a sign language interpreter, and his writing.
www.charliereale.com
Books By Charlie Reale
The Kingdom’s Destruction
The Queen’s Responsibility
The Knight’s Redemption
The Kingdom's Destruction Page 5
