Sword of Fire

by J. A. Culican

  "What did you say? He's going to kill us before the troll does!" Bells' eyes flared wide and she grabbed her chest. Her knees almost buckled. "My family—"

  "—will be fine," he interrupted. "I told him that whatever fate lay in store for you or any member of your family, that's what I would do to him. If you were devoured by a troll, he'd be breakfast for a dragon the very day, and if he raised your quotas, then he, too, would have a quota. One I'd make him work off personally."

  "You didn't." She cocked her head. Why would a dragon do that for her? That was like a king mucking a stall for his stable hand. It just wasn't the done thing.

  "I did. Your family should be safe now and that's the least I could do for the danger you put yourself in saving my father. Fa appreciates what you did, and so do I. But we're not done with that elf."

  Bells felt herself grinning so big her cheeks hurt. This was no typical rich, snotty dragon. Naive, maybe, but a good man. "What else are you going to do to Nigel?"

  "Not me. You. I'm going to take you back to Philadelphia to report him. No, no, don't worry—I'm going with you. They'll take that seriously, I guarantee it. The thing is, it's technically against the White King's commands for them to kill their fae, starve them, or even to treat them so horribly that they can't work anymore. Fae are Pures, not humans, and the elves' own beliefs mean they should treat you all better. But no one truly cares and no one does anything about it. I know that what you go through is so common as to be expected, right?"

  "Yes," she said, her voice trailing away. "I didn't even know it wasn't official policy, or whatever you call it."

  "The thing is, if the dragon heir goes with you while you file a complaint, they'll have to deal with it, and violating the White King's rules has only one penalty among the elves. Nor will you get into any trouble for moving around the city without a foreman's writ. Not while I’m with you."

  "What's that?"

  Jaekob grinned and shook his head. "Any fae in Philadelphia who isn't in the company of their Pure foreman or boss is in a heap of trouble if the guards check and feel mean that day. Normally they don't since they don't know whose master sent the fae and vendettas are common and nasty. But if you were to report an elf foreman without having such a writ, they might use it as an excuse to bury both the problem and you in one fell swoop."

  That was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. Well, almost. Could Jaekob be right? "But if you have to go to the administration center in order to report a foreman, how do they expect the fae to have written permission from that same foreman?"

  Jaekob shrugged and lost his grin. "That's kind of the point. But you and I will sidestep that dilemma to report this disgusting elf, and I will make sure they handle it to the letter of their own law."

  She rushed into him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her cheek in his chest for a second before stepping back. She was smiling and crying at the same time, and laughed awkwardly as she wiped her eyes. "Thank you. With your help, I can finally get justice. It won't change anything for the other fae, but you don't know how much it means to me that you're doing something, anything at all."

  "I might know," he said cryptically, his face expressionless and his shoulders stiff. "Shall we go?"

  She nodded and followed him to his waiting vehicle, feeling suddenly confused.

  When they got to the city’s outskirts, Jaekob's Guardians drew their motorcycles closer to the car and all heads turned to watch them go by. Only through force of will did Bells stop herself from trying to shadow-walk to hide from the danger she imagined everywhere around them. It might not have been her imagination, even, considering what had happened a few days earlier. But as they continued driving slowly through the city proper and no one launched a pixy missile at them, or whatever, she felt herself relaxing a bit. She kept alert but some of her tension faded.

  Jaekob gently put his hand on her forearm. "You don't need to be afraid, little fae. Few would dare to try anything against me, especially not surrounded by Guardians. But just in case, this vehicle is also enchanted.”

  She fidgeted with her fingers but made herself smile and nod as the drive continued. After another ten minutes, she broke the silence. "Why is it taking so long to get there?" They were in a human vehicle, after all. They were a lot faster than horses.

  "It's on the other end of town. We're going to the elves' regional HQ, after all. They don't care to mingle with the rest of us, so it's in the elf district."

  "Oh." She watched a couple more blocks go by, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere and became troubled.

  She must have let her thoughts show on her face, because he asked, "What's wrong, Bells?"

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know, what happened to my family was bad, and make no mistake, you're saving our lives. But how many others in just my little village are suffering under the elves just as I did? You're the Prince of Dragons. You could help so many more people if you wanted to, and I'm no more deserving than they are."

  In her peripheral view, she saw him staring at her, but she didn't turn to look at him. He said, "That's not actually true, unfortunately. None of those fae helped my father. I don't owe them."

  She furrowed her eyebrows, and this time, she did turn to look at him. "I'm not ungrateful, but you have to know that every fae in the region is living the same way I do. If you truly want to help me, you might try to make life a little more bearable for my people. They all need your help, and you can really make a difference in their lives. I just think it's a little... selfish. I don't mean to offend you, but that's the best word I could think of."

  Jaekob's face flushed, and for a split second, she caught a sensation from his aura. He was powerful, physically and magically, and could squash her. But as quickly as she felt it, the sensation passed. "I'm sorry,” he said. “I should control my temper better. I know you fae can feel auras."

  "Survival thing."

  "Sure. But I don't think it's fair to—oh, hold on..."

  "What—"

  Jaekob waved his hand, cutting her off. "Quiet."

  She felt her own temper rising. She was about to say something—probably something stupid—when Jaekob's radio crackled.

  "Sir, the Wards."

  Jaekob didn't respond but sat frozen with his head cocked. Bells stared at him, watching his expression and feeling suddenly worried. She desperately wanted to ask questions but bit her lip to stay quiet. He had to concentrate, and she let him.

  When he spoke again, he wasn't looking at her. He had a faraway look in his eyes, muttering, "Northwest section of the Dragon Quarter, by the elf border. Go!"

  Jaekob pressed on the gas pedal. The car accelerated suddenly, pressing her back into her seat. The car, accompanied by the troop of motorcycles, sped dangerously, and she felt the tail end drifting as they took one corner after another at breakneck speeds. She gripped the leather seats tight enough to make her fingers turn white.

  Jaekob's expression had become fierce. It kind of scared her until she reminded herself that he wasn't directing it at her personally. He said, "Before the Rising ten years ago, some elves found a way through our Wards down in Safeholme. They somehow got dragonblood and injected it into themselves. The Wards only allowed 'those with dragonblood in their veins' to pass, and so they got through, but not without triggering some alarms. Whoever just hit our Wards again is realizing we've had plenty of time to make changes over the last ten years."

  She nodded. Through the windshield, she saw they were almost to the dockyards district. The whole place looked like bedlam, even from a distance, and there were Pures of various races fleeing past the car in the opposite direction. Most looked wounded. Without realizing it, Bells slipped into her shadow-walk, vanishing into the passenger seat floorboard. It was the only shadow available.

  She felt the car accelerate even more as Jaekob jammed his foot onto the gas pedal.

  As Jaekob drove closer to the docks, Bells curled up on the floorboards. The sounds o
utside the car grew louder and more frightening. She heard screams and even a couple of explosions. Her fae senses lit up as she felt battle magic being used throughout the district, growing stronger the farther she and Jaekob drove.

  He looked down at her with his eyes glowing bright red. His gaze locked onto hers despite her actively shadow-walking. He said, "It looks like there's a huge fight up ahead at the docks."

  "Sounds like it, too." She tried to keep her voice steady.

  "I've seen every kind of Pure, including fae, and even humans, too. I have no idea what's going on up there."

  Bells frowned. "Then why are you going there? We should be going the other direction." She desperately willed him to turn around. He shook his head, though, and kept driving.

  Moments later, he yanked the steering wheel hard to the left, tires screeching as the tail drifted. He struggled to control the car but managed to avoid losing control. His voice was as tight as steel wire when he said, "Go back? Not a chance. I'll stop when it gets too dangerous to keep driving, then I'm going out there to take control of this madhouse. You stay in the car, okay? It's enchanted. You'll be safe in here."

  What a stupid, rash idea. Prince or no prince, he was probably going to get her killed, but even worse, he would also get himself killed. He seemed to be the only Pure who didn't feel the fae were disposable, so if he got out of the car, she was determined to go with him, no matter how terrifying. The heir to the First Councilor was too important to her people's future for her to passively let his stupidity get him killed.

  He slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt, throwing Bells forward hard. "Stay here,” he ordered. “The whole dockyards district is in chaos."

  With her voice squeaking in fear, Bells said, "If they carry the fighting out of this neighborhood, the whole city could go up."

  "There are a lot of dragons here, but they're not fighting together like we're trained. I have to take control if we want to keep this from spreading." He threw the car door open and scrambled out.

  She ignored his order to stay put and followed him. He stood motionless as he evaluated the situation. They were on the outskirts of the dock district, but even here, several small groups were engaged in battle. Nearby, two of Jaekob's Guardians stood near overturned motorcycles, battling a cluster of elves. Jaekob pulled his lips back in a snarl and claws grew from his fingertips, four inches long and wickedly sharp. He strode toward his bodyguards, smoke trailing behind him from his nostrils.

  Bells ran next to him, still shadow-hidden, and blurted, "You can't go help them. What if something happens to you?"

  "Dragons are warriors," he said, and then launched himself into the elves fighting the two dragons. Bells watched as all three dragons began what looked like a perfectly choreographed dance. That was their battle training, she realized, and she watched the deadly fight with mesmerized eyes. Though the elves tried to use their magic before they died, their targets were too nimble. Once Jaekob and his Guardians closed the distance, they tore the elves limb from limb. The elves never had a chance.

  When the fight was over, only three seconds later by her count, the dragons stood over the bloody meat laying at their feet, crimson dripping from their claws. She was transfixed, staring in disbelief. She had never seen dragons fight before and suddenly understood with crystal clarity why the dragons, few as they were, stood above all other Pures.

  One of the guards shouted, "Sir, you can't be here! It's too dangerous."

  Jaekob spat onto the pavement. "I stay. Understood? We have to organize the defenses. If the elves break through the Wards, the whole city will look like this. Split up and go organize the dragons and whatever loyal Pures you can find. We have to push the rioters back."

  Both Guardians stared at him for a second, but in the end, they ran toward the fighting by the docks. Jaekob turned to Bells. "I told you to stay in the car. You need to get back there. I can't fight if I'm worried about your safety."

  She shook her head. "You can stand here arguing with me or you can save your city. You can't do both because I'm not going back to the car. I'm coming with you. Someone has to make sure you don't do something stupid and get yourself killed."

  He laughed, but it was a grim and bitter sound. "What makes you think you can save me? Maybe you didn't see the fight that just happened."

  "No, I saw it. As impressive as it was, I saw how reckless you were. You and your Guardians looked like you were in a beautiful, deadly dance, but you can't see everything. You can't look everywhere. I'm coming, so get used to it. I'll be the eyes in the back of your head. Plus, maybe you don't know this, but we fae have more abilities than just talking to plants and hiding."

  He shrugged. "You're right—I don't have time to argue with a suicidal fae. Fine, stay here or come. Your fate is your own, though. Don't blame me when someone rips your spine out."

  With that, he jogged toward the docks and the raging street battle, and Bells followed.

  She sprinted two steps to every one of his as Jaekob booked it through the winding, narrow streets in the dockyard district toward the docks, which was where the worst of the fighting seemed to be. Small fights were going on all over the place—elves fighting weres, weres fighting trolls, even other Pures attacking unwary fae. Once, Bells saw a group of humans with the "guns" they were so fond of, shooting their noisy weapons into a troll. As they passed each little battle, though, Jaekob kept running and wouldn't stop to help one side or the other.

  Panting, Bells asked, "Why aren't you helping these people?"

  "No time."

  They kept on running.

  As they approached an intersection, movement to her left caught her attention and she looked over to see a group of half a dozen elves approaching the intersection, too, running in formation as they headed toward the docks. Jaekob and the elves came to a halt at the same time, no more than 20 feet apart. Jaekob snarled and more smoke rose from his nostrils.

  One of the elves in the front, the unit commander, called, "Forward, march."

  Jaekob stood his ground. Bells felt her heartbeat rise and struggled against the urge to run. Run-and-hide was the fae way of surviving. Not this time, though; she clenched her fists and bit her lip and stood beside Jaekob.

  He held his right hand out, fingers open, and a flash of light burst from his open hand. When it faded, Bells saw he held a sword. It wasn't like the short swords most dragons wore—this one was longer and shaped differently. The word 'scimitar' popped into her mind. Jaekob's scimitar was gorgeous, and she could see runes glowing faintly, etched along the curved blade.

  The small elf unit slowed to a halt just outside of striking distance. Then, without any spoken command, they spread out to partially encircle Jaekob and Bells. The elf in charge sneered at Jaekob. "Well, if it isn't the heir. What do you think, boys and girls, will a prince's head fetch a hefty price from the Black Court?"

  Jaekob grinned through his snarl. "I don't know, but you'll first have to take it. Why don't you come and try? We'll see if you think it was worth it when we’re done."

  It was hard to believe these two large, muscular men were busy talking to each other instead of attacking, but Bells didn't mind delaying the inevitable. They weren't going to leave Jaekob without a fight, and she wasn't going to leave him, either.

  The elf turned his head a little, staring at Bells. He seemed to lock eyes with her, even though she was shadow-hid. He said, "I see you there, fae. You know the dragons left you to your suffering without even raising a finger to try to help. Why don't you help us, instead? Help your betters and I'll even cut you in on the loot after we deliver his head."

  "Why would I join you? Pures are pretty much the only problem we fae have, and this dragon is the only one I've ever seen try to help us, so I think I'll take my chances with him." With her heart pounding so loudly in her ears, she couldn't tell if she’d sounded brave, but she knew how brave she felt. Not very.

  "Think about it,” the elf said. “With your sh
are, you could buy your family's freedom." He sneered at Jaekob, seemingly expecting Bells to jump him from behind, but his sneer faded a bit when she didn't attack the dragon immediately.

  Jaekob had been watching the exchange with a bemused expression but now, holding his sword at the ready, he snarled, "Enough talking. Come take my head if you think you can."

  One elf broke ranks and rushed Jaekob. Bells watched in horror as he jumped impossibly high and far, almost like flying. He streaked toward the prince and swung his sword with two hands, upward and diagonally across Jaekob's left side. Amazingly, though, where the elf's sword struck Jaekob, Bells could have sworn he grew thick scales. She couldn't be sure, as they were gone as fast as they'd appeared. While she had heard the sound of metal-on-metal, or scales rather, Jaekob stood uninjured. It was a suicide attack, though, leaving the elf no defense against a counterattack, and Jaekob's scimitar cut the elf nearly in half from shoulder to opposite hip.

  "Who's next?" Jaekob asked the remaining elves.

  The five became a little more cautious. Swords drawn, they charged all at once. Bells startled at their speed as their swords flashed in and out, but Jaekob was faster. Even so, with five elves swinging against him at once, he couldn't block them all. Every time one of their swords struck home, Jaekob's scales appeared for just an instant where the blades struck.

  Bells had no illusions about what the elves would do once they were done with Jaekob if he lost. It might take them quite a while, but eventually one of them could land a lucky hit. Or they might tire him down enough to slow his swordplay and then they would simply overwhelm him. She had to do something to help.

  Looking around frantically for a weapon better than her pocketknife, she saw bits of green growing up through cracks in the pavement. A devious idea came to her and she grinned in spite of her fear. She waved both hands in front of her face, fingers and hands trailing light. Faster and faster, she wove her hands and the light trails merged, getting brighter until they formed one larger symbol. Abruptly, she stopped waving her hands and blew across her palm; the glyph floated quickly toward the elves.