The Ghost Princess (Graylands Book 1)

by M. Walsh

  Not like this, she struggled to think. I’m better than this ...

  Lenora saw her trying to fight, but she didn’t look angry. She looked intrigued. “Now, now,” she said. “Don’t give up now. There’s no reason to fight this. This is your place, little demon girl.”

  Lily’s hands shook. Sweat poured from her face. In her mind, she felt Lenora pressing down. Reminding her she was just demon trash and had no business trying to resist her will. The blade sank deeper into her chest. She could feel the tip at her heart.

  “You are a curious creature,” Lenora said, amused by her resistance. “My brother and I were linked. I saw what you did to him. What strange manner of demon are you that you would try defending the lives of others?”

  Lily didn’t attempt to answer.

  “Does the silly little demon think it’s people?” Lenora said. “Does she think she’s somehow better than the rest of her wretched kind?” She let out a harsh cackle. “Now I almost don’t want to kill you. Maybe I should keep you as a pet..? I can show off the silly little demon girl that thinks she’s a human. Oh yes, that would be most satisfying after what you did to my brother.

  “Yes. Drag you about like a dog on a leash. Train you to act like a proper demon. Wouldn’t that be—”

  Without warning, Lenora’s chest burst—spraying blood and bone onto the wall—with a thunderous boom that echoed through the room. Her hands dropped to her sides, and smoke wafted from the wound, smelling a little like fire.

  Lenora Hawke stumbled backwards and crumbled to her knees, blood leaking from her mouth. She said, “What ... what happened..?” before falling face-first to the ground.

  Lily pulled the dagger from her chest, gasping in relief. She pushed away the sound of Lenora’s voice with a shiver and looked up to see Krutch—looking disheveled and beat up—limp toward her, the smoking pistol in his hand. She stood up and stared at him, never happier to see anyone in her life.

  “Krutch..?” she whispered. “You—you saved me ...”

  “Well,” he said. “I think I was about due.”

  She ran to him and practically tackled him, repeating, “You came for me! You saved me!” Hugging him tight, she gave him a strong kiss on the lips, and a dopey smile formed on his face. He tried to say something, but only mumbled incomplete words, looking as though he was dreaming.

  It was a small and perhaps simple moment, but it meant much to both of them. Lily, the demon that never anticipated anyone coming to her rescue. And Krutch, who never thought himself as any kind of hero.

  They had only another few seconds to enjoy the moment before the Dragon’s Fang prophecy was fulfilled.

  * * *

  Even drunk, Katrina’s fighting skills far surpassed Rasul Kader. He charged with his sword, but she easily dodged each swing, slapping away his swipes with her sabre. The evil smirk never left her face, and her eyes were cold and distant. She saw fear growing in him. Of them all, she wanted him to suffer most—and she wanted to enjoy it most.

  She ducked a wide swing, and with a twirl of her blade, Kader’s sword was out of his hands and planted in a wall behind her. His eyes widened, and veins bulged in his neck upon realizing he was now unarmed.

  Backing away, his hands up, “Wait ... wait a moment. We don’t have to—”

  “You brought this on yourself, Rasul,” she said, backing him toward the balcony. “You should’ve let me be. You should’ve let me stay in the dark.”

  His back hit the railing, and he was sweating. “Please,” he said. “Show mercy! You can’t do this! This isn’t your way!”

  She pressed the point of the sabre beneath his chin and looked him in the eye. “My way..?” she repeated. Suddenly, her face turned dark and enraged. With a harsh roar, she kicked him in the face and sent him toppling over the railing.

  Kader hit the side of the tower on his way down. He bounded off the wall and slammed into the ground twenty feet below. He rolled across the stone ground and came to a stop with a broken wrist, shattered ankle, and bloodied face.

  She watched him lay there, motionless, before he began crawling away. But she wasn’t done with him. Not even close. She leapt from the balcony, landing on her feet just in front of him. The concrete beneath her cracked and shattered, and she felt the shock travel up her legs, but was unharmed.

  “We’re not done yet,” she said, twirling the sabre in her hand.

  “Get away!” Kader groaned, trying to drag himself away from the terrible woman approaching him with murderous intent.

  She responded with a quick slash across his face. A red diagonal line formed—starting from his right jaw, across his nose, and ending at his left temple.

  “Please!” he howled, clutching his bleeding face. “I beg you! I’ll give you anything! I’ll do anything! Please! I surrender!”

  His hand came across something small and metal. Awkwardly climbing to his feet, he pointed the Dragon’s Fang at her, and a look of desperation combined with triumph formed on his face.

  “I’d keep away!” he shouted, hopping backward. “You wouldn’t want me to use this, would you?”

  Katrina wasn’t impressed. She calmly approached, her eyes pitiless and determined.

  “Are you insane?!” he said, swinging the dagger, as if trying to ward her off. “If I kill you with this, I will become the dark god!”

  “That’s a big ‘if’ you’re betting on, Rasul.”

  His face was a contorted mixture of fear, desperation, and fury. With a snarl, he screamed, “Then die, you bitch!”

  He lunged at her with the Dragon’s Fang. But she caught the dagger in her hand, barely flinching as it dug into her flesh. She gripped the blade tight, blood seeping from between her fingers and drenching it.

  Kader cringed in horror and confusion. He tried to pull the dagger from her, but it wouldn’t move. She snatched it from his hand and kicked him away. Feeling none of the pain, she tore the knife from her hand and tossed it behind her.

  “What was it you said before?” she asked. “About watching Daredin cut out my heart? Someone’s getting their heart cut out tonight.”

  * * *

  The Dragon’s Fang, dripping with Katrina's blood, landed behind her near the altar. The Devil’s Moon shined directly above it. A hush came over the courtyard as the blade started to glow, and ground, shake. If destiny was at play, it was not to allow Katrina Lamont a second chance at saving the world, nor Krutch Leeroy a chance to shed his curse and prove a hero.

  When Katrina’s blood—shed by the dagger’s enchanted blade—hit the ground under the Devil’s Moon, a terrible seal was broken. Dark energy surged, so potent, Lily, still inside the tower with Krutch, was shaken to her core feeling it.

  A terrible light flashed, and the tower shook as if in an earthquake. There was a burst of black and purple fire from the altar. The force was so violent, it hurled Katrina and Kader to the end of the courtyard. Fire formed in a large circle, and the center of it seemed to sink into the ground—as though a hole manifested where the altar had been.

  A prophecy was fulfilled that night, but not the one everyone expected. Something had been awakened. From the unnatural fire, first arose a massive, clawed hand covered in black scales. Then came another, and those hands lifted out a great demonic face with a long snout, devilish yellow eyes, and thick, curved horns. The massive, serpentine body with spikes running down its spine and huge, leathery bat-like wings were next, and finally, the long lizard tail.

  No one knew the name of this creature or what ancient legend spoke of it. But everyone that saw it recognized the monster for what it was.

  A dragon had arisen.

  29

  Lily and Krutch felt the tower shake and heard the nightmarish roar. They found another balcony overlooking the courtyard, and upon seeing the monstrous beast, Lily’s heart jumped into her throat. She knew little of history, but she was aware it had been ages since a dragon was last seen—much less run amok across the land.

  Kru
tch was beside her, complaining and shouting, but she heard none of it. She could only watch, frozen and horrified by what she was witnessing. An actual dragon—and a powerful one, by the look of it—was alive again, and a terrible chill ran through her blood when she tried to think of who was available to stand between that thing and countless innocent lives.

  “Any ideas..?” Krutch asked. “Because, honestly, I think this is a job for the Sentry Elite.”

  She kept her eyes locked on the dragon, mouth hanging agape. Not knowing how she should respond, she said, “I ... I think ... we—”

  The dragon was fully out of the hole, and the ring of fire surrounding it died down. It stood there, looked around, and let rip an ear-splitting and thunderous roar. It then turned toward the tower, arched its neck, and Lily saw what was coming.

  “MOVE!” she screamed, grabbing Krutch and ducking for cover.

  The dragon thrust forward and spewed hellfire from its mouth. The apex of the tower disintegrated into a fireball, sending flaming debris raining from the sky.

  They took cover in a nearby corridor, watching as chunks of the tower crashed down and dust envelope the area. There was another roar, and through the smoke and ash, she could see the shape of the monster extend its wings and dive out of the courtyard. There was a rush of wind, and it reemerged in the night sky up toward the moon.

  The shadow of the dragon circled from above, and she knew it wasn’t done yet.

  “Okay,” said Krutch, his voice sounding strained, as though he was struggling not to panic. “So ... this mean Daredin’s prophecy worked? Or not..? Or ... what..?”

  She could only stare at him, wide-eyed, just as confused as he was. Was Katrina dead? If not, what then? She’d been prepared for many things coming to this place, but even she had to admit a dragon was out of her league. She could see in Krutch’s eyes whatever bravery he possessed had just about run dry, too.

  “Not going to lie, Krutch,” she said, dazed and out of breath. “But even I’m starting to think it might be time to pack it in.”

  He nodded and took her by the hand. “Then let’s get the hell out of here and let the Sentries and Mages worry about this.”

  She followed, though her steps were tentative. She looked around, trying to see through the smoke and fire, hoping she might find Katrina. She slowed as they passed the courtyard, now littered with flaming stones that had been the tower, and stalled as long as she could—desperately looking. A part of her even hoped to see a body—at least she’d know for certain.

  “Lily, the entrance is down this way,” Krutch said. “Let’s go, before it comes back!”

  She was just about to follow, when she saw the shape of someone approaching from down the hall. Unable to tell through the dust and smoke, she called out, “Katrina..? Is that you?”

  “Not quite, Ms. Blackthorn,” said Vicar Frost, emerging from the cloud.

  “Frost?!” she said. “Wha—what are you doing here?”

  “Just leaving, in fact,” he replied, sidling past her.

  “No!” she snapped, grabbing him by his shirt and slamming him against the wall. “What the hell is going on?! Is this what was supposed to happen?!”

  “Yes and no,” he said. “I may have misinformed Mr. Daredin regarding the prophecy.”

  “What?! What does that mean?”

  “I told Daredin if he spilled Lady Lamont’s blood with the Dragon’s Fang under the Devil’s Moon, he would become a dark god. Spilling her blood with the dagger seems to have summoned this dragon instead.” He put his hand to his chin, as though he was pondering something. “Maybe it was supposed to be: marry Lady Lamont under a Devil’s Star and he would become a god..?”

  Lily was speechless. She stared at the strange man before her and struggled to make sense of what he was saying.

  “You mean to tell me,” she said, “this all happened because you told Daredin the wrong prophecy?!”

  “I always get them mixed up,” he said, chuckling. “There are so many, after all.”

  “WHY?” she shrieked, slamming him into the wall again. “Why would you do this?! Why would you tell someone a prophecy if you didn’t even know what would happen?!”

  “The better question, Ms. Blackthorn, is why was everyone so quick to believe me?”

  * * *

  Katrina was already gone by the time Lily found Frost.

  She had been watching Rasul Kader scramble away, content to take her time, when the ground violently shook beneath her feet. For a moment, she wondered if there might have been more black powder stored in the tower, but then came the sudden screeching wind from behind. As the dragon emerged from the fire, she spared a glance at Kader and, seeing the confusion and terror in his eyes, guessed this was not the intended result of the prophecy.

  With a mighty bellow, the dragon shattered the tower with its breath. Taking cover from the falling debris, she watched it extend its wings and fly off.

  From the way it was circling in the sky, she recognized it wouldn’t stop until the entire spire was crumbled in the ocean. Seeing Kader frantically trying to crawl his way to safety, she decided—not without some disappointment—she would have to finish him off quick and make her own getaway.

  He didn’t get far when she caught up to him. The main entrance was down the hall, and she saw the bridge was still standing, but she decided it would be best not to take that for granted. She jammed the point of her sabre just before Kader’s face, letting him know she wasn’t done with him yet.

  “Are you mad?!” he shrieked. “We have to get out of here! That monster will kill us all!”

  “Oh, I’m going,” she replied, taking him by the back collar of his shirt. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”

  He squealed in horror as she dug the sabre into the small of his back. She took her time, slowly and methodically digging with her blade, hearing his spine sever. His body arched and twisted, and there was a sickening pop and spurt of blood as she tore the sword out of him.

  Kader’s face was frozen. He made feeble croaking noises, and his body twitched. He was still alive, but he had no control of his body. Katrina circled around, wiping her blade clean with his shirt, and then dragged him down the hall, away from the bridge.

  “What,” he choked out. “What are you ... doing..?”

  “I’m letting you go down with the—”

  She stopped by a stairwell leading into the catacombs. She had intended on leaving him in the courtyard for the dragon or to die in the fire—whichever came first—when she spotted something at the bottom of the stairs. She flinched upon seeing him, but it quickly passed.

  “Please,” Kader whimpered. “Please ... mercy ...”

  “I’m all out of mercy, Rasul,” said Katrina. “Maybe you should ask him.”

  She kicked Kader’s limp form down the stairs. At the bottom, the Enforcer glanced at the twitching body at his feet, then up at Katrina. He tilted his head at her, and in a strange instance, she felt an uneasy familiarity—

  (kinship..?)

  —with him. It gave her a chill, but she ignored it and turned away. She heard Rasul Kader manage one final scream that was abruptly cut off.

  Upon crossing the bridge, she looked up to see the dragon swoop past again, firing another blast of its breath. Even more of the tower exploded, and what remained collapsed onto itself. She watched the great beast glide through the red sky, elegant and frightening at the same time.

  Coldness swept through Katrina’s blood as she found herself welcoming the dragon’s presence. She didn’t understand how or why it appeared, and she didn’t care either. She couldn’t even make herself care about the inevitable destruction the monster would cause. Watching the fire and devastation, she felt rectified.

  They should’ve left me alone. They should never have found me.

  * * *

  Krutch never saw Katrina.

  He found the entrance, but stopped to wait for Lily. Every time he saw the dragon’s shadow swoop by, his h
eart skipped a beat. He could see it spraying fire on some fleeing cultists outside. His stomach dropped when he felt the tower quake from the violence, afraid the bridge would collapse.

  “Lily, what the hell are you doing?” he grumbled, hopping about like he needed to piss.

  Finally, with a strained howl, he charged back. He was ready to start screaming at Lily, when he found her staring at Vicar Frost as though she’d seen a ghost.

  “HEY!” he screamed. “Remember?! Dragon! Anyone..?!”

  His yelling seemed to snap Lily back to reality, although she didn’t respond to him. Instead, she gripped Frost by his collar and snarled, “How do we stop this?”

  “Wait ... what..?”

  “What makes you think I know?” Frost said.

  “Don’t give me that shit!” she snapped. “Don’t tell me you started this with no way of stopping it!”

  “Did I miss something?” said Krutch.

  “There are few weapons capable of piercing a dragon’s hide,” Frost said. “Especially this one. However ...”

  “However what..?” Lily growled through gritted teeth.

  “Well, I suppose—”

  Frost was cut off by another explosion outside. The ground jumped and rumbled as the back corner of the fortress gave away and fell to the ocean. The roar of rocks crumbling and stone smashing was thunderous.

  The spire itself was shaking, and for a moment, Krutch feared the whole thing was going to collapse into the sea. Dust and smoke engulfed the narrow corridor, and he felt something strike his head. He sank to the ground, his head ringing and vision blurred. When the rumbling stopped, and he regained his bearings, he was covered with rocks and dust.

  Am I dead yet..? he wondered. ‘Cause that honestly doesn’t seem like such a bad idea at this point.

  He managed to get to his feet and stumbled around. He’d lost track of Lily and Frost and had no sense of where he was going—only wishing to escape the smoke and dust in the air. He felt as though he was in a dream (or nightmare). The world seemed to be moving and jumping around him, and he felt like a torn up piece of paper in a hurricane.