Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy)

by Paula Flumerfelt

  Two large dragonflies the size of houses dropped into the area between Mathieu and the King.

  “Is that the best you can do?” Erik laughed.

  The man against the desk smirked. “No. This is.” He snapped his long fingers, and an odd snapping sound filled the room. With grotesque sounds, the dragonflies started to curl into themselves and mutate until their legs were replaces with sharp stingers that dug into the floor, fire licked at their mouths, and the wings took on an metallic glint.

  “Oh, shi--” Mathieu dived to the side the one closest to him lunged at him, wings fluttering madly. The way they moved was disjointed, the wings only powerful enough to lift the dragonflies until their six stingers scrap along the stone, making a bone rattling screech. The fact they were longer than four carriages end-to-end didn’t help their gruesome image.

  The dragonfly was bearing down on him, standing at least three times his height. Fire released his way, but it was clear the dragonfly had no control over it. Ducking, it flew right over Mathieu’s head, but he could feel the heat of it. He swung his dual blade out widely, forcing his energy into the space between. But his weapon bounced back with a resounding clang, making his arm shake. Of course they were armored. It couldn’t be any other way.

  Mathieu rolled forward under the belly of the beast, praying there was unprotected. But it was just as armored as the leg had been. “Are you kidding?” He could stand up completely under the dragonfly and he did his best to stay under it, out of its line of sight. But he realized that this was a very bad idea, because the longer that the monster couldn’t see him, the more wildly it started to attack at nothing, becoming more dangerous, if possible.

  Dodging out into the open, he steeled himself for more fire. And it came, but he swung his sword hard, cutting through the flame. The dragonfly fluttered at him, its front legs, now stingers, stabbing out at him. Mathieu stumbled back, doing his best to avoid them, but he stumbled backwards and landed on his back. He knew that one hit from those yard long stinger meant it’d all be over.

  A pained whine came from his left, followed by Erik yelling out Vincent’s name.

  Doing his best to still avoid the dragonfly, Mathieu looked towards his father and cousin, and he nearly lost it. Vincent lay in a heap on the floor, bleeding out and whimpering. “Vincent!” He’d had enough of this. Lifting his hand into the air, he let his eyes come to rest on the phoenix wrapped around his wrist. Anger was rippling through him and the gold started to glow red. He could feel Erik’s pain coursing through him with Enak’s power. “Svenak!”

  Power so strong that it hurt to contain welled up in him. He knew he was yelling, but he wasn’t sure what, as he aimed the flow the molten energy at the mouth of the dragonfly. The magic flew out of him, and it felt like his soul was being taken with it. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to see, but it was like a jet of solar energy shooting out of him, ripping the dragonfly closest to him in half. It was nothing like the small drills he had done back in Korinth with Enak.

  Ignoring the dull green blood that splattered everywhere and sizzled, including onto him, he ran to where Erik was kneeling over Vincent. The dragonfly’s blood was like acid, burning his skin, but as he skidded to a halt in front of his family, he just didn’t care. Shotting Enak’s power at the second dragonfly, he eliminated it just as easily as the first. More blood landed on his skin.

  Mathieu dropped to his knees beside his father, petting the fur of Vincent’s muzzle. “Can you try to hang in there…?” All he got as a reply was labored panting, a pitiful whine, and hands covered in blood. “Oh, Vincent…”

  Erik was shaking beside him, “He jumped in front of me and took the blow…this is my fault.”

  Mathieu looked at the King, who was now cowering against the back wall. In the back of his mind, Mathieu realized that he stood between the King and the only exit to his secret chamber. Vincent’s pained sounds were pulling at his heart, and he knew that he wasn’t strong enough to heal that much damage. “I’m sorry, Vincent…you’re such a good cousin…and I wish I’d gotten to know you better.” He leaned down and kissed Vincent’s muzzle. The wolf gave a soft whimper as Mathieu ended his pain.

  Tears streamed down his face and his sword was back in hand. Mathieu let the energy he was tapped into mix with his own, flowing into the dual blade. “You’ll pay for this.” He said, standing to face the King. “Erik, find the Queen and get her to safety. Now.” There was a rustle and a sound of retreating steps, then the door opening and closed. “You bastard.” Mathieu was shaking like before, but this time it was with anger, not fear. This man, this King, was slowly taking everything from him that he cherished, and Mathieu would have no more of it. Walking through the corpses of the King’s pet dragonflies, he came to stand a few feet from the man. He was so angry that he had reached a state of false peace. The dragonflies’ acid-like blood wasn’t even hurting him anymore.

  The King’s voice trembled as he spoke, “And w-why should you kill me? If Avian knew—”

  Mathieu had no need for words, and was upon the King in a matter of steps. He slashed down with his sword, slicing into the man’s shoulder. “You don’t deserve to even say her name.” Was all that he could grind out past his consuming anger.

  It was easy. Just one twist of his wrists and a hard shove was all that it took to sever the man’s head from his body. But it wasn’t enough. Rage clouded the corners of his vision and he began to scream and cry, hacking and slashing at the body until nothing remained but a bloody pile of meat and bones.

  Now it was enough.

  ~*~

  A day later, Ateri was still smoldering from its fires. Solomon was safe; he’d seen him in passing with his own two eyes, as were all the others. A few cuts and bruises, but no lost limbs or anything major. Avanon and Elric has announced their plan to be wed soon, Narrie was helping to organize with the cleanup of the city, Erik had reunited with Enak, and Anastasie had returned to her home with Banin to mourn the loss of Vincent. The rest of the rebel force was currently holed up in the castle, resting and recuperating. At the moment, they were all asleep and everything was okay.

  Mathieu sat in the Royal Graveyard that was set upon the slight hill at the back of the castle’s property. Beside him was Avian’s newly erected headstone; he’d made it himself, with her name and dates of birth to death. Under it, though, was buried Vincent. He didn’t think Avian would have minded. He couldn’t see her at the moment, but he knew she was there.

  As the suns came over the horizon, he and Avian watched over her city.

  Epilogue

  Mathieu wouldn't have believed that a wedding could be pulled together in a mere two days if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Narrie had been the spearhead to getting things her, determined to give Avanon a proper wedding. Mathieu hadn't realized how close the two girls had become since Narrie had joined them in Korinth.

  From what he had heard, as soon as the palace servants had come running into the streets, yelling about how the king was dead, fighting had all but ceased. And according to Darcia, who had seen it first hand, once the fight was over, Elric turned to Avanon, scooped her up and kissed her. Then he said something along the lines of: 'I thought I was the only one who felt something between us. I guess you won't be upset if I ask you to marry me, then?' Mathieu had genuinely laughed at that.

  As Narrie orchestrated the clean up and reassembly of Ateri, Avanon had been a bundle of energy, bouncing around behind her. Mostly, Avanon was underfoot, but Narrie didn't seem to have the heart to tell her that. The two had done most of the clean up in one day; the explosion that had gone off were Anastasie's design and meant mostly for show, so only a few buildings had suffered some surface scratches.

  The next morning Narrie had then reported that the wedding would be that evening. Everyone had scoffed, but in a matter of hours, the square of District 1 had been decorated and was now almost set to go. The ground was scattered with daisy petals of all the colors, and the altar
had been carved out of some rare light pink wood. It was covered with beautiful lilies from Avian's garden, with Mathieu's permission of course. The aisle was also made of petals, however they were deep red rose petals instead of daisies, and the seating was being put in place. Mathieu was helping with the heavy lifting, moving wrought iron benches from the storage in the castle to the square.

  Mathieu hadn't seen Solomon in two days, but that didn't surprise him. He was sure the blond man was busy helping, too, but Mathieu still missed him. After they moved all of the benches to Narrie's satisfaction, they started to hang the finishing touches on the square. Overhead, a myriad of fabrics were tossed and knotted from balconies and trees to make something of a fabric lattice overhead. The sky peeked through in some areas, the blue a stark contrast to the pinks, purples, reds, and golds of the fabric.

  The suns were hanging low in the sky and Narrie sent the general populous off to get themselves ready. There was to be a feast for all of the citizens after the ceremony, so everyone wanted to get a little dressed up. Mathieu found himself being ushered up the stairs inside the castle to Avian's old room. A familiar red and black suit from so long ago was laid out for him, now altered to his new measurements. His hair, which he had begun to keep just past his jaw was pinned back and he found his way into the suit much easier this time around. His three Shadowriders sat on the bed, watching him.

  Sighing, he looked at himself in the mirror. This was as good as it was going to get, so he smoothed his hands down his suit and headed out. Niveus followed behind him, her feet silently padding against the stone. They emerged from the castle, following the newly erected signs to the seating area.

  Entering the square, Mathieu looked around. The suns were touching the horizon, but not quite setting yet, and the whole area was lit perfectly. Smiling in general at the happy occassion, he spotted Elise and Mina. Weaving between the guests and politely nodding to those who acknowledged him, he made his way to the women. Sitting next to them in the front row, Niveus hopped into his lap, purring.

  "This is such a wonderful thing." Elise said with a smile, looking serene.

  "I'm surprised you came." Mathieu admitted. "I didn't know if you would feel safe leaving your manor."

  She patted his thigh. "I wouldn't miss the wedding of a friend for the world. I've been waiting for them to get together for a very long time; almost as long as I waited for you and Solomon.” That comment made Mina grumble under her breath.

  Smiling, Mathieu pet Niveus’s head. “I’m glad Elric finally got it. It took him a while. Avanon’s looked so happy when I’ve seen her, though.”

  Narrie bustled through the crowd, parting it with the loud grace she had never lost. “We’re ready to start!” She said excitedly. Turning to the group at large, she whistled shrilly. “Everyone, the Darc-Vaine wedding is ready to begin. Please take your seats.” Dressed in a dark blue skirt suit, she stood with her hands on her hips until everyone was seated.

  Raising a hand, she motioned for Elric to step out by the altar with the minister. Elric was in a traditional black and white suit, but his eyes behind his glasses were bright and alive. He was smiling more than Mathieu had ever seen, and he had a daisy in his lapel; that was Avanon’s favorite flower. Clearing her throat, Narrie nodded to the musicians before taking her seat next to Mathieu.

  As the music played, he turned in his seat to watch. Coming down the rose petal aisle first were the Shadowriders. Tesla and Nikola were about the size of dogs at the moment, and had pillows tied on their heads. Each pillow had a ring tied to it. Inside of his head, he could hear the grumblings of Tesla at the indignity of being treated like a tuvash and Mathieu tried not to snigger. Tesla gave Mathieu a piercing look as he passed.

  Next in the cue were the best man and the maid of honor. Kiev looked beautiful in her dark red bride’s maid dress, her blond hair braided on one side. It was mid-calf in length, low cut in the front, showing off her breasts, and had a little fabric bow just under the left side of her bosom. Solomon, in opposition was in a black suit with an azure vest and a white undershirt. Mathieu put a hand to his chest at the sight of his Solomon; not seeing the man in a few days made him sometimes forget the exact placement of the little scars along his jaw, or the way that those emerald eyes could pierce through his soul. Solomon blew him a subtle kiss and Mathieu caught it.

  There was a music change up and Mathieu took that as his cue to stand. He looked at the end of the aisle and waited. Darcia stepped out with Avanon and they genuinely took his breath away. Darcia was dressed similarly to Solomon with the black suit and the azure vest, but on his arm was a stunning woman. The bust of Avanon’s wedding dress was beaded with white daisies on it, and there was a ribbon tied around her waist. The straps of her dress were made of white silk chiffon and traced the sides of her bust. From there, the chiffon draped down and became double layered so it was no longer see-through, but it swirled softly in the light breeze. The skirt was tie-dyed, as was her veil. Under the veil, her mutli-colored hair had flowers woven into it and hung in a sheet down her back.

  Now, Mathieu had only been to very formal weddings, but he was sure that what the musicians were playing was not the wedding march; it was something more ethereal and Avanon practically floated down the aisle to it. It was only when Darcia stepped up to Elric, ready to give Avanon away, that Mathieu realized Avanon was barefoot.

  “What’s up with no shoes?” Mathieu murmured to Narrie.

  The brunette rolled her eyes and she whispered back, “I told her that she was wearing heels or nothing. Apparently, she chose nothing.” They both looked at her feet again and exchanged a look.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” The minister began, bringing the music to a close.

  Mathieu was happy that two of his friends were getting married, but he had heard the wedding vows enough times that he could recite them by heart. So, in the politest way possible, he ogled his boyfriend instead. Solomon winked when he noticed Mathieu’s attention and that made him turn red. Rolling his eyes at the blond man, Mathieu looked at Kiev. She didn’t seem jealous, just happy for her friend. That, to him, was refreshing to see.

  Just then, a soft trickle of rain started to fall from the sky. Narrie swore and others began to stand, collecting anything that they had brought with them. The ceremony interrupted, Elric looked at Avanon. “I’m sorry.” He said with a frown as a rain drop landed on his glasses. “We can continue this inside.”

  “No.” Avanon said simply.

  “No?” Everyone turned to look at her.

  She reached up, touching Elric’s cheek. “That’s right. No. I’m going to marry you right now. If we get wet, we get wet.” She smiled and looked at the minister to continue, but held up a hand at the grumbling coming from behind her. Turning to look at the gathered people, she put a hand on her hip. “Excuse me? Sit your asses down. If I’m not upset by the rain, you can’t be either. So shut up because I’m getting married.” Avanon glared until everyone was seated again. The minister continued the ceremony.

  She looks so pretty. Niveus purred into his mind. Even if she is getting wet.

  Nodding, he buried his hand into her fur. Yes she is. The soft sprinkling of rain didn’t bother him.

  And she’s happy. Tesla pointed out, joining their conversation.

  Nikola stretched in her place beside Avanon and purred loudly. Mathieu, how silly does this pillow look on me? She asked a worried way.

  You look beautiful. Relax. He didn’t point out that the problem was going to be in a few hours when she dried from the rain and looked like a walking poof ball.

  Oh, I’m up! She thought gladly to the others, standing up. Avanon leaned down and patted Nikola’s nose before taking the ring from the pillow.

  Smiling, the bride and groom turned to face each other. Each held their rings in their hands and joined together. While Elric went first and followed the traditional vows, ending in “I do”, Avanon had something a little different up he
r sleeve.

  Smiling, she kindly interrupted the minister. “Uh, if it’s possible, I have my own vows I want to use.”

  “Alright…” The minister said and folded his hands in front of him, looking up at the sky; the light rain had stopped and the clouds had opened up to let the sky peek through.

  Coughing, she brushed her veil over her head in an annoyed way, batting at it as it half fell in her face again, and looked shyly at Elric. “Um, well, okay.” She shook her head slightly to get her thoughts in order before starting over. “Vows, right. Elric, I promise to always love you, even when you forget something important because you’re more interested in some medical mystery. I promise to always be faithful, even when you annoy me by missing the signals I give you.” There was an appreciative chuckle given by those who knew Elric. “I promise to always be yours, even if you develop bad habits like leaving your wet towel on the floor. I promise to always want to be your wife, even though I’m sure we will fight. But most importantly, I promise to always be your friend, because without that, loving you isn’t worth anything.” Elric beamed at her in the setting sun, the small pools of water that had formed from the rain caught the light as well and made the moment glow.