The Last of the Firedrakes

by Farah Oomerbhoy

  I tried to sense the magic around me, but I had no strength to pull it to me. I couldn’t even remove my amulet. But I had to do something. I couldn’t just give up and die. People were depending on me. And, for the first time in my life, I felt a sense of responsibility. I was no ordinary person. I was the true Queen of Illiador. I was a fae- mage with unlimited power. But where was that power now?

  I closed my eyes and silently called out for help. I had no idea if there was even anyone to hear me. Imagine my surprise when I actually got an answer.

  My eyes snapped open. It wasn’t Snow. I would recognize her voice anywhere. I had no idea who it was, but this voice was deep and distinctly male, and a sense of calm washed over me as I listened.

  “Rise, Aurora,” said the voice that only I could hear. “You are a fae-mage. The amulet doesn’t control you; you control the amulet.”

  I tried to make some sense of this in my already fuzzy mind. “What do you mean?” I asked the voice, still trying to push myself up from the floor. “My hands are bound. I couldn’t take off my amulet if I wanted to.”

  I had long since ceased to be surprised by mind communication, and this voice seemed to know what it was talking about.

  “Your powers are different from others. You can do what no one else can,” said the voice. “You don’t need your hands for magic. It is your mind, your will, and your innermost soul that control your power. Imagine the amulet disappearing from your neck and put it somewhere else.”

  “How?” I asked quickly.

  “Do not try to pull the magic to you,” said the deep voice. “Open yourself to the power around you, and you will see what I mean.”

  I pushed myself to my feet with all the energy I could muster.

  Morgana looked at me with her eyebrows raised. “Back for more, little niece?” she said, grinning manically.

  But I ignored Morgana and concentrated on the deep voice that was speaking only to me.

  “Imagine the amulet has disappeared from your neck. Push all your magic and your will into that thought,” said the voice.

  I did as I was told; I gathered my magic and pushed my will into imagining the amulet disappearing. Nothing happened, and I tried again.

  “Who are you?” I asked silently, but the voice was gone, and I got no answer.

  Morgana hit me with a fire strike. The pain was excruciating, and my skin was burnt all over. Angry, red welts had formed on my arms and legs. I was in agony, but I concentrated harder. I calmed my mind and imagined the amulet gone from my neck. I pushed the last of my magic into that thought.

  I glanced at Morgana, who was now raising her hands and gathering all her magic to deliver the final blow, the magical strike that would kill me instantly. But I didn’t break my concentration. I held the thought firmly in my mind and braced myself for whatever Morgana had in store for me.

  Suddenly, much to my utter astonishment, the chain around my neck started to get hot, as if it was resisting my magic. It vibrated faintly, but finally my magic held out, and the amulet disappeared from around my neck.

  It was like a veil had been lifted from my magic. I quickly drew my shield around me and searched outside myself for fae magic. I was not surprised this time to find the power that lay around me just waiting to be tapped. I gradually opened myself to it, careful not to force it. Magic started flowing into me in gentle waves, filling me with power and strengthening my shield. Morgana raised her hands to deliver the final blow. Lightning was sizzling in her palms. I opened myself wider to the magic surrounding me. Power filled my senses, and my shield grew in strength.

  Morgana hit me with a powerful lightning strike, which would have killed any who stood before it. But my shield was resilient, and it was still growing.

  Morgana looked surprised for the first time. “How is this possible?” she said faintly, more to herself than anyone else. She looked furious, and she shot numerous fire and lightning strikes at me. Morgana was powerful, but her magic didn’t even shake my shield.

  In the same way as I had done with the amulet, I imagined my ropes gone. They immediately disappeared, and my hands were free.

  “No, no, no,” Morgana screamed. “This is impossible. I was watching you. You never removed the amulet. How did you free your hands?”

  I shrugged, offering her no more explanation.

  Morgana had her shield up, and I lashed out at her, shattering her shield and hitting my aunt with a powerful push strike. She flew backwards and landed in a heap against a crumbling stone wall. Morgana shrank back under a hastily constructed shield.

  I could see from the look on her face that she was getting worried, and my power was still growing. Magic was seeping into my very pores, flowing into me in waves of potent power. My feet left the ground. I could feel the magic all around me, lifting me up, and it was all mine to command.

  “No, no, this is not possible,” Morgana kept saying, over and over again. “You were wearing the Amulet of Auraken. It is impossible.”

  “Nothing is impossible,” I said without emotion, advancing on her slowly, a ball of silver fire growing steadily in my palm.

  “Kill her, kill them, kill them all!” screeched Morgana to the Shadow Guard as she scrambled backwards and away from me.

  I turned from Morgana for the briefest of seconds to see Kalen being hit on the head by one of the guards. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. I looked on, horrified, as another Shadow Guard slit Snow’s neck.

  Fresh, crimson blood streamed down the pegasus’s beautiful white mane and coat, and she collapsed onto the moss-covered floor of the ruined castle, the life slowly draining out of her.

  “Nooo,” I screamed in terror, and moved to run towards them.

  In the split second that I was distracted, Morgana took the opportunity to disappear.

  I was left alone with the Shadow Guard, who had slowly started advancing on me. There were more than twenty of them, but now, suddenly, I had no fear. I had faced my greatest enemy, Morgana, and won.

  My mind shut off the rising tide of despair that was growing inside me. All I wanted to do was to get the Shadow Guard out of the way so I could attempt to heal Kalen and Snow, if they were still alive.

  I gathered all the power swirling within me. Waves of shining white light were coursing through my veins, and I lashed out at the Shadow Guard with all the magic I could muster. Silver fire exploded out of my palms and struck two of them, the ones who had slit Snow’s neck. They screamed, and the acrid smell of burning flesh stung my nostrils. I watched, a little horrified at what I was capable of, as two of the Shadow Guard were enveloped in sheets of blazing silver fire.

  Immediately my shield was bombarded with red bolts of energy, and I was momentarily pushed back. I turned to the rest of the Shadow Guard, who had now started advancing on me.

  I strengthened my shield and moved towards the Shadow Guard. They may have been men once, but the dark magic that they practiced had changed their features. Soulless eyes, black as night, and white, skeletal skin barely covered the last vestiges of humanity that they had left.

  The Shadow Guard were relentless and powerful, but with my amulet now gone, my shield was slowly becoming impenetrable. Strikes of red energy blasted at me and bounced away.

  I looked down. My feet were inches from the ground. I could feel the magic in the air all around me, helping me. I was now completely surrounded by the Shadow Guard, who were trying to get through my shield.

  I was filled with an overwhelming need for revenge for what had been done to Snow and Kalen. I gathered my power, letting the fae magic flow into me, fueling my mage power and strengthening it. The lingering Shadow Guards shrieked in terror when I unleashed the full intensity of my powers and struck them down with wave after wave of silver fire until there was nothing left around me except smoke and ashes.

  28

  Return of the Dark Queen

  I ran over and checked Kalen’s pulse. It was faint, but he would live. Snow, on the other
hand, looked like she had breathed her last. I left Kalen and knelt down next to Snow, tears streaming down my face as I held her lifeless head in my arms. She had no pulse, and there was so much blood. What was the use of all my powers if I couldn’t save the ones I loved?

  I buried my face in her mane and wept. My mind was trying to go over everything I had learned in healing class. I had to try and do something; maybe she wasn’t completely gone.

  I put my hand over the gash on her throat and proceeded to try to heal her. I opened myself to the power around me and channeled it into Snow. She was still lifeless, and I concentrated harder, searching around in her body, concentrating on trying to find some sort of life to start the healing. After an agonizing few moments of frantic examining, I found it, a faint flicker of white light. It was like a silk thread, so fine that I had to strain to catch it.

  I concentrated harder and pushed more magic into Snow. My hands had now started glowing, and slowly whatever I was doing started working. Veins began mending themselves, muscle and tendons regrowing. Bit by agonizing bit, Snow’s neck began to heal.

  Suddenly the deep voice in my head spoke, and this time it was even more urgent. “Stop this, Aurora. It is forbidden.”

  I stopped, but only for a moment. I then continued my healing as I spoke. “Why should I? If I can use my powers to heal her, why shouldn’t I try?”

  “The pegasus is on the threshold to the otherworld. If you bring her back now, and I am not sure that even your powers are strong enough to accomplish this task, there will be a price to pay,” said the voice sternly.

  “I don’t care,” I said stubbornly, refusing to listen. “If I can somehow heal Snow and bring her back, whatever the cost is, I will do it.”

  “Then let it be so!” said the deep rumbling voice. “But you have been warned, Princess Aurora. This kind of magic always demands consequences.”

  “I will deal with it when the time comes,” I said, determined not to let Snow die.

  The voice was silent again. I turned my concentration back to what I was doing. My magic was slowly starting to heal Snow’s neck, and now the last bits of tendon, muscle, and skin were reforming. I pushed more healing power into Snow, and her eyelids fluttered. I sagged with relief and decided it was all worth it when Snow opened her eyes, got up, and shook her beautiful white mane.

  “Thank you, Princess,” she said simply. “But I fear you don’t fully understand the magnitude of what you have just done. The magic you performed here has never been performed before. Even Auraken Firedrake has never been able to successfully bring someone back from the otherworld.”

  I laughed with joy, and happy tears rolled down my face. I didn’t care. I had done it. Morgana was gone, and Snow was alive.

  “What have you done?” said Kalen, horrified, scrambling over the stone courtyard towards me.

  I looked up at his terrified face.

  “This is dark magic, Princess,” he said, shaking his head, “and all dark magic comes at a cost.”

  “Whatever the price, it will be worth it,” I said stubbornly again, but I was relieved that he was all right.

  I didn’t want to think about the consequences just yet. It was done now, and I couldn’t take it back. Whatever happened, I hoped I would be able to live with myself. Even the mysterious voice in my head had warned me about using my magic like this.

  Suddenly the ruins were filled with voices and lights from wooden torches.

  “Aurora,” said Rafe, as he rushed over to me, closing the distance between us in a few huge strides. He pulled me towards him, and I let myself melt into the safety of his arms and rest my head upon his chest.

  “Are you all right?” he said, gently kissing the top of my head and smoothing my hair.

  “Sort of,” I mumbled and nodded into his chest. I had only now begun to feel my injuries, and parts of me were still numb.

  “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you,” he said, his voice rough and strained with emotion.

  “I’m fine,” I said, looking up at him.

  Suddenly there was a flash of lightning, and a dark form arose in the middle of the courtyard. I looked on in horror as the shadow moved slowly towards us. A hideous creature that was unmistakably a woman with blazing red eyes and a tattered black robe was floating a few feet off the ground. It was more wraith and shadow than any real form. Rafe moved instinctively in front of me, shielding me from whatever that thing was.

  The wraith spoke, its voice a rasp. “Finally you have released me from my prison, young fae-mage.”

  “Who are you?” I whispered.

  “Lilith!” said Uncle Gabriel in a barely audible whisper as he came to stand beside me. He was looking at the wraith with a horrified look on his aging face.

  “Yes, Gabriel,” said the shadow wraith.

  “But how?” Uncle Gabriel asked. I had never seen him look so upset. “Azaren killed you.”

  The creature Uncle Gabriel called Lilith spoke, its voice like nails screeching against a blackboard. “When the pegasus was brought back from the threshold of the otherworld, the fae-mage inadvertently opened a portal for me to come through. I have been waiting for this for a long, long time,” it said.

  Suddenly, the wraith screeched and flew at me, trapping me within shadows that clasped around my throat. I fell backwards, hitting my head on the stone floor. I thrashed and kicked, struggling to breathe, as I could slowly feel the life draining out of me. It was like a huge crushing weight was sitting on my chest, and rotting shadows pressed at my throat.

  “Heir of Azaren,” rasped the specter, “you shall pay for the crimes of your father.”

  Uncle Gabriel and Rafe were watching with terrified looks on their faces. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rafe moving forward to help me, hands raised to attack Lilith.

  “No, Rafe!” I heard Uncle Gabriel call out. “Do not strike the wraith. You could harm Aurora instead. Lilith is made of shadows; your magic will only pass through her. Aurora must do this herself.”

  I had not come so far only to die here today. My mother had died for me so that I would be safe. My father had defeated this thing once, and I was more powerful than my father ever was. So I concentrated hard, blocking out all sensations, even the feeling of not being able to breathe. Slowly, I opened myself to the magic around me and let it flow into me.

  The white light within me started to glow and move outwards, creating a shield around me. I concentrated on pushing it outwards from the center of my chest. White light coursed through my veins, and I started glowing all over, the light of my magic piercing the shade that held me in its grip. Much to my surprise, I didn’t just create a shield around me; I was the shield.

  Lilith shrieked as if she was in pain, and the shadows let go of me as sheets of white light emanated from my body and pushed Lilith away from me. The dark wraith queen rose over us, hovering just out of reach.

  With hollow eyes flashing the color of blood and shadows swirling, it spoke again. “Your power is very strong, young fae-mage, but once I have regained my body, not even you will be able to stand in my way,” Lilith shrieked and flew away in a haze of darkness and shadows.

  My shoulders slumped as my light dimmed. I searched my pockets, and, finding my amulet, I put it back on. The light went out.

  Rafe came and put his arm gently around my waist, helping me to my feet. “Come, my love, let me take you home,” he said simply.

  Rafe gathered me up in his arms and gently put me onto his horse sidesaddle. He jumped up behind me and held me in his arms the whole way back to the Summer Palace in silence.

  At some point I must have fallen asleep in the saddle, and I soon found myself resting on a soft bed in my room at the palace. I had no idea how long I had slept. Penelope had healed all my injuries, but I was still aching all over, and the burned skin would take a few days to heal completely. But, for all intents and purposes, I was fine and, most importantly, still alive.

&n
bsp; I had a bevy of visitors in my room, from Kalen and his incessant chattering, to the king, who came to tell me he was pleased that I was still alive. Kalen was hovering around the whole day, and Penelope had to keep sending him away, saying that I needed to rest.

  Rafe never came to see me, but Vivienne did.

  She came into the room in a bustle of green silk skirts and promptly hugged me. “How could you not tell me any of this?” she said, settling herself beside me on the bed. “I could have helped, you know.”

  “You’re not angry with me?” I asked tentatively. I was relieved; at least I still had my best friend.

  “I was,” said Vivienne, pouting her lips, “but only because you didn’t tell me. You are my best friend. I don’t care that you’re a princess and a fae-mage who can kill me with a simple swipe of your hand. Although my mother thinks you might murder me in my sleep.”

  We both fell into a fit of giggles, and I hugged Vivienne again. It was good to have her here and finally know the whole truth.

  “So is it true that you killed Morgana’s whole Shadow Guard all by yourself?” asked Vivienne, wide-eyed.

  I nodded faintly and silently cringed. I was not proud of what I had become, someone who everybody feared.

  “That is nothing short of amazing,” said Vivienne. “It was thought that the Shadow Guard could never be defeated. They have been terrorizing the people ever since Morgana came to power. This news has already spread throughout the kingdom. They are calling you Avalonia’s Savior.”

  I didn’t want to be a savior. I had so much to learn, and everything seemed so hard and complicated. The road ahead didn’t look like an easy one. I may have defeated Morgana, but she escaped, and now, with Lilith on the loose, I had no idea how to proceed.

  Vivienne’s voice snapped me out of my reverie.

  “I saw the prince hovering outside your door a while ago,” she said, leaning in closer.