by Aderyn Wood
Dale exhaled a sharp breath. Rhys was so angry with her. “I’m sorry. My path has been a strange one, but I’ve found it now, and things are finally clear—”
“You’ve no idea of the risks we’ve taken. The lives we’ve lost, yet you stroll in here like you’re the leader. Like you’re the queen.” Rhys was on his feet now.
“Rhys—” The queen tried to interject but Rhys wasn’t listening.
“How can we even know to trust you?” His dark eyes burned with fury. “How do we even know you have the power necessary?”
“Rhys,” the queen tried again.
“How do we—”
“I’ll tell you how!” Dale stood too. She called on a slim thread of her power and Rhys was whisked down onto his seat. A flush of confusion on his face. “Because I am your Princess, and I pull rank here, Sorcerer. You listen to me, you obey me. Especially in times of war.”
Rhys’s eyes widened. Everyone sat in tense silence.
Dale took a quick breath and lowered her voice. “I will let Hentiel know when he is to open the seal at the northern bridge. And that is when we shall begin to drive them back. It is the only way to ensure we don’t suffer any retribution on account of the balance.”
“And what of Ricardo?” her mother asked.
Dale met her glare and nodded. “Rest assured, we shall deal with him.”
“Are you quite sure, daughter?”
Dale wasn’t sure. But the new window inside fed her wisdom as well as power – the part of her that was of the First, the part of her that was a young god.
31
The dawn was shrouded in mist and the muted ring of steel echoed over the riverbank. At Sa’r Coneril’s command the Seelie soldiers had lined up in their ranks, and the sorcerers had gone to their posts. It wasn’t long before the Unseelie learned of their movements and their own soldiers rushed to stand in position on the other side of the southern bridge. The two hosts faced each other in a strange stalemate. The river ran between them. Unseelie archers loosed a few arrows and spears, but they fell well short of their targets.
Dale stood in her armour next to her mother, up the mountain path some way, where they had a good view of the river. The Unseelie looked like a horde of monsters from a childhood nightmare. Some of them had wolfish jaws with fangs and claws on furred hands. They were a motley collection of orc, troll and goblin-like creatures with a look of madness about them. Their grunts and snorts mixed with the ring of steel.
She could understand why Rhys was so intent on exterminating them. Not all appeared so monstrous though. There were men among them, some with round ears, some pointed, and there were dwarves there too. Perhaps they were from the Borderlands, originally, and had been lured by the temptation of the Unseelie to join them. Perhaps Balak was among them.
“It is time, daughter,” her mother said.
Dale licked her lips taking another sweeping glance. War was so new to her; she hoped she could do what was needed. She had power now, true enough, and a vast power it was, but her father had warned of its limits. Her body had its limits as did her mind. She could die just as any other, or fall with exhaustion. The Unseelie were powerful too, she couldn’t afford to underestimate them. And Ricardo was with them. She sensed his presence. The universe hung in wait with its own rules of balance and retribution. She didn’t want to risk anymore lives. She needed to get it right if she was to save them.
“I’m ready,” Dale told her mother, but the butterflies in her stomach threatened to make her bring up her scant breakfast.
The queen reached out and held Dale’s hand. Her mother’s blue eyes and pale skin made her seem fragile, but Dale knew better. The queen had powerful magic too.
A trumpet call ripped through the mist and echoed up the valley, followed by a roar of voices as Jaral let down the seal of protection and the first group of Seelie soldiers ran over the bridge screaming their war cries, swords held high. The thunderous roar of the Unseelie host drowned their voices as the horde moved as one toward the bridge.
They made a frightening picture. A mix of thick dark hides and elongated protruding teeth, and many stood over seven-feet tall. Just like the orcs she’d read in numerous books. Stories she used to enjoy reading because of their sense of adventure. But now that she stood on the front of a terrifying battle, Dale didn’t feel any joy at being part of such a story. Could she finally do what she was meant to do and be its hero?
The ringing of steel on steel now filled the air, along with grunts screams and shrieks. Dale bit her lip hard, waiting to see who would fall first. Man or beast. Seelie or Unseelie.
“Perhaps I should go now,” Dale said.
Her mother clutched her hand. “Not yet. Do not worry, daughter. Sa’r Coneril has chosen our most seasoned soldiers for the task. It is important we stick to our plan, we each have our part to play.”
Dale nodded but the thudding of her heart wouldn’t be calmed. The river churned, seemingly angry, Dale had never seen it so agitated. It sped along at a great rate and whirlpools of vast depths zoomed past. The normally calm water now roiled with some foreign energy as though angry. And when Dale looked more closely, white water splashed up and took the form of a soldier who, in an instant, would lash out at the horde on the bank, and some of the Unseelie creatures would shrink back from it before the glassy soldier would return to its watery form and fall back into the whitewash.
“Someone is casting a spell on the river,” Dale said.
The queen turned, a small smile on her lips.
“It is you mother!”
“I grow weary of saving my magic for the worst.”
Dale grinned.
Her mother reached out and touched her shoulder. “It is time, Dalendra. Go to your dragon."
32
Dale’s breath came in fast puffs as she climbed the mountain. She wove a thin strand of raw energy to her limbs, but still they burned. As she climbed, she sent out thoughts to her hysbryd that she was coming. She wanted to catch the enemy by surprise, and that meant going to her dragon, rather than having the dragon come to her.
So, you return. The dragon’s eyes seemed to dance the way flames in a fire would.
“Are you ready?”
No, but that won’t stop you from bullying me into it.
Dale sighed. “Being surly isn’t going to help. Now, let us begin.”
Dale ran a few short strides and climbed up the warm scales of her dragon until she sat atop. “Let’s go.”
Az stood on all fours. Fine, but don’t let one of those disgusting rodents near me.
With a swoosh the dragon beat her wings and in seconds they circled the mountain. Dale’s fear of heights still tickled her limbs but she forced herself to ignore it. “Higher,” she yelled into the wind that whipped her hair, and they flew into the wisps of high cloud. The icy atmosphere made Dale clench her teeth, but she focused on the scene below. She could just make out the battle – the two hosts like small ants, fighting over a nest. The palace no longer glimmered as it once did as though the life of its shining exterior had faded.
Dale concentrated on a spot between the palace and the bridge. The horde roiled like a lake of lava. “There,” she shouted. “Now!” and Az twisted, seeming to pause, suspended for just an instant as she changed position, then she folded her wings, thrust her head forward and dived down like a rocket. Dale’s hands sweated, but she didn’t move their tight grip on the scales. Her stomach lurched at the free fall, but she focused her mind and soon the feeling normalized. The city rushed closer. The horde still hadn’t seen her. Her dragon – a silent assassin.
“Ignis!” Dale shouted.
Some of the Unseelie saw her now, fear stretched taut on their monstrous faces. Her dragon flew so low it seemed her belly would almost touch them, but Az opened her huge maw and let loose a wide stream of fire. Hundreds of Unseelie blasted away and the scent of burning flesh saturated the air. Az circled and came around again. This time the Unseelie tried to f
lee, but there were so many of them, with nowhere to run. They shrieked as the dragon unleashed her fire once again. The air grew thick with smoke and the stench of burning flesh made breathing difficult.
Dale bade Az to circle once again. This time closer to the river. The band of Seelie soldiers still worked at their drill on the bridge, throwing fallen Unseelie into the river which reached up to devour them with never-ending hunger.
The dragon lifted and Dale smiled as she spotted her mother, still in her place on the mountain watching on, working her spells on the river. Finally, the princess was giving her mother something to be proud of.
Dale made two more swoops, and thousands more Unseelie fell. They were making headway. But when she looked to the north, there remained thousands more. Dale grimaced. They seemed to be as never-ending as the river water. Az swooped again and Dale fed her hysbryd energy from the void. She looked to the palace; Ricardo had to show his face soon.
Before she could think through her next course of actions, a boom of thunder shook the world, and the Unseelie host stood still. Their roiling stopped and the monsters beneath stood motionless like stone gargoyles.
“Princess Dalendra!” a voice boomed and echoed over the valley. A familiar voice. Ricardo called her, but from where? Dale looked around but couldn’t see him.
“It is time for you and I to stop this farce and face each other. We can end this now, you and I.”
It’s a trap. Her dragon’s thought came to her. Not that I care.
The hordes remained still, even the Seelie soldiers on the bridge were frozen in time, swords held high, Ricardo had summoned some great power to stall everyone on the palace side of the river in their place. Just as Natalia had done on Earth when she’d trapped Ness. Everyone, except Dale and her dragon, froze.
Az glided over the city. “Where are you? Show your face?” Dale shouted.
“Look to the palace.”
There on the terrace stood Ricardo. A woman struggled before him, he held her in his grasp.
Dale gasped. “Ness.”
“Come down to me, Princess, let us battle this between us and I will let the old woman go.”
A trap, I tell you.
Dale ignored the dragon. This was her last chance to save her friend. This was her chance to set all her wrongs to right. The prophecy called to her, stronger than ever. The hawk must be stopped, it shrieked. And she was the one to do it. She would face him alone.
“Fly closer, I’ll jump.”
Well, that was a short-lived enslavement. At least now, I can return to my cave and live my life in peace without all this ridiculous need for world domination.
The dragon flew so close Dale could see the fear on Ness’s face and a pang of sorrow and guilt ripped through her.
“Go back to the mountain, I will summon you later,” Dale said, and she jumped from her dragon’s back, landing like a cat on the marble tiles of the terrace, her hand gripping her sword’s hilt.
Ricardo wore his black cloak and his usual cool expression as though he controlled every moment.
Well, he doesn’t. Not anymore. “Let Ness go to my mother, and I will do what you want me to do.”
Ness’s eyes widened, her head shaking. Ricardo snarled. The crevices around his mouth became deep, his eyes glowing their usual gold. “I don’t think so. Natalia.”
Natalia stepped forward out of the shadows of the palace entrance and strode toward them. She took Ness from him, handling her roughly about the shoulders and holding a knife to her neck.
“No!” Dale gritted her teeth. “If you hurt her, you die!”
Ricardo laughed. A deep, mirthful sound that filled the world with cold evil. “I would very much like to see you try. My patience has met its limits with you, Princess, I tried to open your eyes to the good we were doing on Earth, and the apathy of your mother here. But clearly, you’re too dimwitted to understand. We had hoped you would join us. I see now that was a foolish desire. It’s time for you to meet your end. In this world, in all worlds.”
Dale scowled. “Well stop talking about it and do it.”
Ricardo squinted then raised his hands and whispered a word.
Dale’s throat restricted, as though she was in a room full of smoke, the air was thick and she couldn’t breathe. Her hands went to her throat and panic filled her mind. The harder she tried to breathe the less oxygen she had. She went to her knees, her hands in front of her were turning blue.
Ricardo’s laughter filled the terrace once again. “So much for all your power. You’re too easy to quash. And to think Gareth gave his life for one as weak as you.”
“Please don’t hurt her!” Ness yelled out.
Natalia brought the knife closer. “Don’t be a fool, old woman.”
Dale closed her eyes. Her head dizzy. She wanted to lie down and go to sleep. She wasn’t strong enough to fight him. She needed her mother; only the queen had the power to fight Ricardo. Another mistake. She’d allowed Balak to betray them all, and it was because of her that Gareth had died, and Ness had been imprisoned again. Ricardo was right.
But the void called to her. In her panic, Dale managed to focus on that secret window within. Her deep well of power churned like a mountain about to blast its lava. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword, but it was her magic she needed now. Not her swordplay. Yes. She could overcome this. She must keep her faith.
She closed her eyes and focussed on the light within – that great well of power. Her breathing returned to normal in seconds. She gripped her hands into tight balls as she stood and opened her eyes to stare at Ricardo once more.
His smile turned at once to an expression of wonder, his brows creased. “No.”
Dale thrust a hand out and clenched the air with her fingers as though grasping his neck and Ricardo went to his knees as Dale had moments before, his hands about his throat, coughing and gasping.
“It’s unpleasant. Not being able to breathe,” Dale said. Her hand clenched harder and Ricardo struggled, his face red with pain.
“Now, I will tell you what you will do. When I release you, you shall send the Unseelie horde back to their home, I will ensure the northern bridge is accessible and I will grant you safe passage. We will give you three days to flee before we resume our chase. You will not stall between here and the Underlands – your rightful home. Then, once your horde has started to move, you will hand Ness over to me, unharmed. Do you understand?”
Ricardo’s eyes bulged as Dale gripped harder. Slowly she released her hold and Ricardo coughed and spluttered, massaging his throat as he got his breath back. Then he stood, rolling his shoulders.
Dale glanced at Natalia. She had returned to the shadows, but she still held Ness in her grasp, a knife pointed at the old woman’s throat. It was so tempting to call on her power to rip the knife away, but what if Ricardo killed her? It was too risky. She had to focus on them one at a time.
Ricardo spoke; his voice raspy, and still he rubbed his throat. It was red and bruised where her magic had held it. “Send back?” he rasped.
Dale nodded. “Do it now, or you shall meet your fate much earlier than expected.” Dale put power in her voice and it echoed, louder and deeper, bouncing off the terrace.
Ricardo glared. “You’ve never seen our homeland. It is a cruel, cold place. You think you are good and fair. But you would have us return to a harsh home indeed.”
“I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to manipulate my emotions. It won’t work, Ricardo. You’re not even from the Underlands, you were born on Earth. Most of your flock—” Dale gestured to the Unseelie horde, “most of them are perfectly adapted to your homeland. They were made for its ice cold. It is your place now, Ricardo.” Dale gave him a level stare. “I command you to return there.”
Ricardo closed his eyes, murmuring. Dale spun to look down at the riverbank. The clink and clank of thousands of armour rang as the surrounding horde slowly began to move. Not in the frenzied action of war, but in the slow, meth
odical movement of travel. They had a long journey back to the north but their first steps had been taken.
Dale looked to the smoky sky and thought of Hentiel, saying his name in her mind.
Dalendra, his response was quick.
Hentiel, she thought back to him, it is time, break the seal over the northern bridge and get to safety. They are coming.
Dale banished their link and turned to look back at the southern bridge. The Unseelie soldiers were marching, no longer frozen in place. After a moment, a cheer could be heard from across the river. The Seelie knew they had won this battle at least.
Dale returned her focus to Ricardo. It was time for her to win the war, and to save Ness. She needed to imprison both Ricardo and Natalia. Her mother would want to question them. She wanted to question them.
“Very good,” Dale said. “Now, let Ness come to me.”
Ricardo looked back to Natalia and nodded. Slowly Natalia came forward, the knife still at Ness’s throat. Ness stumbled but Natalia was strong and held her up, forcing her to move.
“What do you intend to do with us?” Ricardo asked as Natalia inched forward.
“Ness first,” Dale responded. “Questions after.”
“Perhaps we could make a deal.” Ricardo’s voice had returned to its usual smooth tone, the way he used to preach when he pretended to be the pastor. He was up to something.
Dale took a step forward and raised her hand. “Speed it up, Natalia. Or you’ll never see your lover again.”
Natalia scowled, and held the knife in its place, but kept the same slow pace, dragging Ness in front of her. Dale clenched her fist ever so slightly. Ricardo gasped and his hands went to his throat again.
Natalia stopped and glared at Dale. Her eyes were red and her transformation was complete. Her long fangs dripped with saliva as she gripped Ness’s neck with taloned hands. “If you hurt him she dies.”
