Princess of Lanfor (Heroes of Ravenford Book 4)

by F. P. Spirit

  Elladan reached forward and grasped the Princess by the shoulders.

  She twisted her upper body from side to side, trying to pull away from him, but the dark-haired elf drew her back nonetheless.

  Anya swiveled her head around and yelled at him. “She’s my friend—she needs me!”

  Their argument seemed to anger the dragon even further. The great head moved in closer, a low growl emanating from its throat as the flames in its nostrils and eyes grew larger.

  Abruptly, two forms brushed by Glo and Aksel, one red and one blue. Lloyd and Cyclone swiftly moved in toward the dragon’s flank, the former drawing his two long blades, the latter with the tip of his razor-sharp halberd pointed in front of him.

  At the same time, Alana and Donnie pushed past Elladan and Anya, placing themselves squarely in the path of the angry red dragon. The lady knight wore a fierce look of determination, her shield readied and holy sword gleaming as she glared up at the monster. “You shall not pass, foul beast!”

  The dragon’s terrible gaze fell upon Alana, another growl emanating from its throat. Donnie stood beside the lady knight, watching the beast warily, an ironic smile forming on his lips. “If you wanted her attention, I think you’ve got it.”

  A large clawed limb suddenly shot toward them with incredible speed. Alana barely pulled back in time, the sharp claws raking against her shield as they passed through the spot where she had just been standing. Still, the force of the glancing blow nearly knocked Alana off her feet.

  Donnie tumbled out of the way as the clawed limb passed over him, coming up next to Alana. The slight elf let out a deep breath. “Whoa! Now I know what a fly feels like when its being swatted at.”

  Alana cast him a sidelong glance, then the duo set themselves for another swipe. At the same moment, the Princess Anya’s voice rang out from behind them.

  “Mallona, calm down! I did not come here to fight.”

  Yet it was too late for that. As soon as the dragon swiped at their friends, Lloyd and Cyclone charged into battle. The red warrior dashed forward, dodging around the dragon’s tail, while Cyclone vaulted high into the air, landing on the dragon’s back.

  Mallona spun her head around, her flaming eyes falling on the dragon hunter. The great head shot toward him, snapping at the blue-clad warrior, but Cyclone fended it off with his long, pointy halberd. Meanwhile, Lloyd zeroed in on a hind leg, slashing at it with his black blade. The weapon bit deep into the dragon’s leg, red blood spurting from the wound.

  Mallona roared in pain, pulling away from the red-clad warrior, her large wings flaring out on either side. The red dragon spun around, trying to both throw Cyclone off and turn to face this new threat who had drawn her blood.

  Aksel watched the entire scene unfold as if it were surreal. He could not believe just how quickly things had escalated out of hand. Beside him, Glo had begun to weave a spell when a dark shadow fell over the walkway. Aksel’s head snapped up to see a giant hand reaching over the battle, the huge appendage headed straight for the red dragon. Yet Mallona did not seem to notice, her attention focused on Lloyd and Cyclone.

  Anya, on the other hand, noticed it immediately. She gazed up at the colossal hand, her eyes wide with terror, her voice sticking in her throat. When she finally found it, the monarch screamed at the top of her lungs. “Mallona, watch out!”

  The red dragon froze in its tracks, the large head swiveling upward, but it was too late—the colossal hand was now directly over her. The startled dragon spun around again, the great wings beating wildly as it tried escape from underneath that huge hand.

  At the same time, Cyclone launched himself off the dragon’s back, deftly landing on the catwalk below. Both he and Lloyd scrambled away as fast as they could from the frightened dragon.

  Mallona nearly got away, but the enormous hand was too close. Giant fingers wrapped around the dragon, and inexorably drew it into the Colossus’ grasp. Mallona let out a frightened roar as she writhed around in the golem’s grip, but to no avail. The huge hand closed tighter around her—the red dragon was caught.

  Mallona continued to roar in fear, but Anya’s voice wailed above her cries. “Don’t hurt her! She was only frightened! She’s not even an adult yet!”

  Aksel gazed over at the monarch, and noted her face was streaked with tears. Her emotional reaction to Mallona’s imprisonment painted the Princess in a whole new light. From everything Aksel had heard, Anya was just another rich, spoiled noble. Yet it appeared that she really cared about her dragons—or Mallona, at the very least.

  Glo must have come to the same conclusion. The wizard cupped his hands around his mouth, and called up to Elistra, the seeress still seated atop the Colossus. “Just hold her there for now—don’t hurt her!”

  Elistra’s arm was held out in front of her, her hand in a fist. The seeress turned her gaze upon Glo, paused for a moment, then responded with a grim smile and a nod. Glo smiled back, then glanced back down at the Princess. “See, your friend won’t be harmed.”

  Anya, red in the face, swept her gaze from the red dragon to the seeress, the two women locking eyes for a few moments. The Princess then returned her gaze to Mallona. The red dragon seethed in the Colossus’ grasp, but otherwise seemed fine. Anya took a deep breath, her color slowly returning to normal.

  Aksel, Glo, Cyclone, and Lloyd all strode over to join the others. The Princess’ eyes swept across them all, finally settling on Aksel. “Very well. Now what? Are you going to renege on your deal?”

  Before Aksel could respond, Alana spoke up, her eyes hard and her voice vehement. “You all saw what happened. Red dragons are inherently evil. It would be sheer folly to let it go.”

  Donnie reached over and placed a hand on Alana’s armored-plated shoulder. When the slim elf spoke, his voice was subdued. “That may be, but we gave her our word we would destroy the Colossus.”

  The lady knight turned her head toward Donnie, mixed emotions playing across her comely features. As a Knight of the Rose, Alana was full aware of what giving one’s word entailed. The lady knight hesitated for a moment more, then let out a deep sigh, her gaze shifting to Aksel. “I see. I will not counsel you to go back on your word, but I do advise caution.”

  Aksel’s eyes met hers, his hand gingerly rubbing his chin. Letting the red dragon go might indeed be folly, but backing out on their deal with the princess of a great nation such as Lanfor was equally foolish. It was not a decision to be made lightly. The little cleric peered over at Cyclone.

  “You’re the expert on dragons. What do you think?”

  The dragon hunter casually held his long halberd in one hand, as his gaze shifted to the red dragon. Mallona still seethed in the Colossus’ grasp, yet otherwise remained still. Cyclone eyed the dragon, his face a stony mask. “If you’re asking me, I agree with the lady knight. Kill it and get it over with.”

  Anya fixed the hunter with a dark glare. If looks could kill, Cyclone would have been struck dead right then and there.

  Aksel responded with a slow nod, then swept his eyes around the group. “Anyone else?”

  Elladan, still holding the Princess, spoke in a soft, but steady voice. “I say a deal’s a deal.”

  Lloyd sheathed his blades, his voice strong and certain. “I agree with Elladan and Donnie… a man is only as good as his word.”

  Glo was the only one who hadn’t voiced his opinion yet. Aksel now turned to the elven wizard. “Glo?”

  Glo’s eyes were fixed on the Princess, staring at her intently as if trying to read her mind. “What do you say, Anya? Can you promise to keep your ‘friend’ in check?”

  Anya eyed him darkly from under her long blonde tresses. When she responded, her voice was as hard as steel. “She will listen to me,”—she cast a scathing stare at the captured dragon—“won’t you, Mallona?”

  The red dragon stop
ped seething, its large horned skull slowly bowing down to its mistress. “Of course, my lady,” came the deep, rumbling reply.

  Anya turned her hard gaze back on Glo, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “There, you see?”

  A wan smile crossed the wizard’s lips. He cast a glance at Aksel with a nod. “Then I agree with Donnie, Elladan, and Lloyd. We stand by our word.”

  Aksel took a deep breath, and turned an eye toward the Princess. “Very well, we will stand by our agreement. However, you will agree to keep your dragon at bay.”

  Anya stiffened in Elladan’s arms, the monarch obviously not used to being told what to do. She regarded Aksel haughtily for a moment, then her shoulders sagged and she gave him a silent nod.

  “Thank you,” Aksel replied as graciously as possible. “We will place her outside the antimagic field, and she will change back to her human form.”

  “She can’t,” Anya responded in a barely audible whisper.

  Aksel cocked his head to one side, his face scrunching in confusion. “Can’t what?”

  Anya let out another deep sigh. “She can’t transform herself. She hasn’t learned yet.”

  The admission caught Aksel by surprise. He opened his mouth to respond, then stopped himself. Mallona wasn’t the first dragon he’d met that couldn’t change its shape. Ruka had confided to him only a short while ago that Calipherous had never learned to do so.

  “Then who does it for her? You? Sigfus?” Glo asked the Princess.

  “I do,” Anya admitted with a wan smile. She cast a swift glance at the red dragon and added, “But only until she can do so for herself—and she is getting better at it, aren’t you Mallona?”

  Her declaration was met with a hollow grunt, the dragon spinning its head away from its mistress. Aksel had to suppress a laugh. He found himself liking this Anya more and more, despite her unpredictable temperament. Still, he had to ensure the safety of his friends. “Very well, you shall change her into human form and then Cyclone, Lloyd, and Alana will stand with her. If she tries anything threatening, they will stop her once and for all.”

  Anya cocked her head to one side and eyed him warily. “And you will live up to your bargain—you will destroy the Colossus?”

  “Yes,” Aksel said simply.

  Anya responded with a curt nod. “Agreed.”

  Aksel silently hoped they were doing the right thing. He turned to Glo and said, “Care to do the honors?”

  The wizard eyed him sharply, then took off without a word down the walkway toward the Colossus. Aksel did not envy him the task of trying to explain their decision to Elistra. Meanwhile, the little cleric motioned to the others. “Let’s all exit the field.”

  Aksel led the group back down the walkway and out of the antimagic field. They all then spun around and saw Glo, already on top of the colossal head, having an animated discussion with Elistra.

  “She doesn’t look very happy,” Donnie noted with a wry expression.

  “Why do you think I sent Glo to tell her?” Aksel responded under his breath.

  After a short exchange, Elistra barked at Glo, the word fine reverberating around the cavern. The elven wizard then stormed off, disappearing from atop the Colossus. A moment later, the giant hand opened, the red dragon unceremoniously dropping through its fingers. The large dragon swiftly beat its wings, slowing its fall and then regaining altitude.

  Aksel peered at Anya. “Well?”

  Anya cast him a sidelong glance, then called out to the dragon. “Mallona, land and stand down!”

  The large red dragon hovered in the air for a few moments, the great head glaring down at its mistress. Finally it moved, gracefully landing on the walkway below.

  Anya turned her head to the side and spoke softly to Elladan, her playful side resurfacing once more. “Much as I am enjoying our embrace, I need my arms now.”

  Elladan let out a short laugh. “Heh. Sorry, Anya.”

  The bard let go of his grasp on the Princess and stepped back. Anya, finally free, wrapped her hands around her upper arms and rubbed them gently, then turned her attention to the red dragon. The Princess’ hands spun in a circular pattern, at the end of which she spoke a single word, “Mutatio.”

  The red dragon began to glow, brighter and brighter, until the light became blinding. The larger form shrunk down, the long neck shortening, the wings disappearing, as well as the tail. When the spell was done, Mallona stood before them once more, clad in her bright scarlet dress.

  Anya called to her attendant in a commanding tone. “Mallona, come here. You are not to move unless I tell you to. Understand?”

  Mallona cocked her head and eyed her mistress for a moment, then responded in a tone dripping with acid. “Yes, your majesty.”

  The dragon woman limped forward favoring her uninjured leg as she past the others, and parked herself in between Lloyd, Cyclone, and Alana. She gazed briefly around at the trio, then tilted her chin upward with a decided humph.

  A moment later, Glo’s voice rang out from down the walkway. “Well, let’s get this over with.”

  Aksel spun about to see the wizard striding toward them at a fast pace. He seemed rather agitated. Glo halted a few feet away and motioned for them to move backward with both hands. “Why don’t you all park yourselves in the alcove.” The wizard turned his gaze toward Lloyd. “Care to help me set off an explosion?”

  Lloyd cast a glance at Aksel. Mallona and Anya seemed to be behaving themselves at the moment, so Aksel did not see a problem with Lloyd accompanying Glo. He nodded to the tall warrior. “Go ahead.”

  A bright smile crossed Lloyd’s lips at the thought of flying. The young man grabbed his cloak and invoked its spell. A moment later, he and Glo took off up toward the top of the cavern. They were soon out of sight, disappeared into the darkness above.

  The little company waited in awkward silence for Lloyd and Glo to return. It became that much more uncomfortable when Elistra strode across the cavern to join them. The seeress and the Princess locked eyes, the air between them practically sizzling with tension. Finally, Elistra walked past them all, a soft comment passing her lips. “I think I’ll wait farther back. The air in here has a tainted smell.”

  Anya, not to be outdone, waved a dismissive hand in the air, her tone purposely lofty. “Nice dye job, honey. Too bad you’re not a real blonde.”

  Thankfully, Elladan interrupted them before any more shots could be fired. The bard pointed upward and cried, “Here they come!”

  Aksel glanced overhead to see Lloyd and Glo gliding back down toward them. The duo landed on the walkway a short distance from them and hurried over to join the others.

  “What happened to the big kaboom?” Donnie asked glibly.

  Glo fixed the sandy-haired elf with an acid stare. “We set a fuse…”

  “…and it should go off any second now,” Lloyd added, motioning for the others to step back even farther.

  The companions and their ‘guests’ all crowded into the alcove just in time. A few moments later, a loud boom sounded from somewhere far above them. It was followed by several subsequent booms, each causing the cavern around them to shake violently.

  Aksel was hard pressed to stay on his feet, till someone lent him a steadying hand. He looked up and saw Lloyd, the tall warrior hanging onto him with one hand and Glo with the other.

  Outside in the cavern, the rumbling continued. Dust filtered down from the ceiling above, followed by small chunks of rocks. Abruptly Glo pointed to a spot over the Colossus. “Here it comes!”

  A chunk of rock, in the shape of an immense conical dagger, came into view, falling out of the darkness above. Aksel watched in awe as the enormous stalactite rushed downward, seconds later slamming into the Colossus’ head with an earth-shattering boom.

  The entire cavern rocked once more, a huge cloud
of dust rushing outward from the point of impact in all directions. Aksel buried his head in his cloak just before the dust storm washed over them. Several seconds passed before the rush of air died around them.

  Aksel cautiously stuck his head out and glanced around. The cavern was still filled with a thick cloud of dust, the Colossus nowhere to be seen. The others around him slowly uncovered themselves, Donnie spitting dust out of his mouth. “Well that was fun.”

  “You have a strange definition of fun, my friend,” Elladan responded, brushing a thick layer of dust off his white outfit.

  Anya seemed equally put out. She looked over her dust-covered clothes with a critical eye. “This will never do.” The Princess waved her hand and spoke a single word, “Congue.”

  A slight breeze kicked up around them, sweeping all the dust out of the alcove and back into the cavern.

  Elladan glanced at the Princess admiringly. “Nice trick there, Anya.” He cast a mischievous eye at Glo. “Why can’t you be useful like that?”

  Glo stared back at the bard with a deadpan expression. “Do I look like your butler?”

  Out in the cavern, the dark dust cloud had begun to settle. The catwalk leading out into the cave slowly became visible again. Part of it still stretched across the cavern, but beyond the halfway point, there was nothing more than a jagged edge. Further out into the cave, a large dark shadow appeared in the haze. A few more moments went by until the dust cloud completely parted, revealing the Colossus’ head still intact, the only thing missing being the throne from its enormous brow.

  Donnie let out a low whistle. “That is one thick-headed golem.”

  Aksel was stunned that the golem still stood after that devastating blow. Everyone around him appeared equally dumbfounded.

  Anya, however, seemed to take it in stride. “Well, at least you tried. Now it’s my turn.”

  Aksel spun toward the Princess, uncertain what she meant by that, but the monarch was already on the move. She grabbed Mallona by the arm and spoke two words, “Ianuae Magicae.”