He shook his head and waved away his thoughts. Alicia was alive, Aurisca himself said that, and Fury arrived on time and he was battling by his side; and he was alone there, he could say for sure.
Or else –
He heard footsteps from a distance – a pool of orange illumination was advancing on him and in a minute silence broke into murmurs.
‘… How the hell we’ll fight dragons?’ said a soldier, holding the fire torch.
‘… Don’t know, but can’t back off to find my neck slashed by Aurisca’s sword …’ said the other.
‘… Where is the Sana’s princess, anyway …?’
‘… Been kept in the last chamber …’
They walked by a statue behind which Derek had been hiding. He waited for the footsteps to die away and then, ran towards the very end of the corridor.
A sudden wave of excitement was cheering him up and his heart was strangely happy. For all what he worked for was getting closer to him every second. What’d she say if he saved her? Would she fling herself at him?
He reached to the very end, only to realise that Alicia had been kept behind bars, glowing with purple electricity. Aurisca had enchanted it and behind was a girl – thinner than before, weaker than before and broken more than ever – sitting at a stone.
‘Alicia!’ he called.
She didn’t respond for a second, then, turned towards him as though she had just realised him.
‘You?’ she said, getting to her feet.
“You?” just “you?” he was honestly expecting more from her side. They tolerated so much, fought so many, just to hear her “You?”
‘Don’t have time to explain,’ he continued anyway. ‘You have to hurry, come with us.’
‘But I – I can’t’ – she pointed at the bars, gleaming purple between them – ‘It’s very powerful.’
‘You know magic, don’t you?’ he said in a tone like “Just do it!” ‘Do something.’
She took a deep breath and sat down again. ‘It’s impossible. You won’t understand.’
Now he was feeling rage advancing on his mind.
‘Hey! You can’t just sit here and say that … you know, I and Anna dodged death thousand times before coming to you, Dragons are here to help us after overcoming their fear of humans and defeat. They are down there, fighting, not caring about their life just – to – save – you!’
She didn’t say anything.
‘And you are giving up, just like that? I thought you were brave, rebellious but I think … I was wrong. You deserve to be here, don’t you?’
She stared without giving any of her thoughts away to him. But he wasn’t regretting it, they were in a war not in a toy store where she could say “I cannot … I cannot …” after losing a game.
‘I will try,’ she said in a small voice.
‘That’s my girl!’
He thought he had over-stepped but was glad to see she hadn’t heard anything.
She stood straight and closed her eyes and he knew she shouldn’t be disturbed now.
But he couldn’t disturb her even if he wanted to. Because just a second later, he was too busy watching white flashes passing by him, her hair was swimming in the air and for him, she was getting more beautiful.
Wait for a second – white flashes? He thought he had heard it before – but where? … In Anna’s book! There was something else … the sorcerer with the white flashes was most powerful. He continued to work hard until he was sure those were the exact words.
Alicia was the one who could produce white flashes?
The purple illumination was being conquered by the brilliant blaze, she was producing. And in a second, the bars were dissolving and he could see her, more clearly than ever.
He knew they were free, he could ask her and Fury would be coming to them any moment now. They would fly away, they’d defeat Aurisca without fighting him directly, but the only problem was –
A purple flash came from nowhere and broke Alicia’s magic in such a hilarious manner that she was thrown into a corner – completely knocked out.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Two-Faced Father
He turned to see who had broken the magic of Alicia, who had interfered, and the sight of man disappeared the foundation of every organ of his body. He felt his inside was falling off from a mountain. He saw the man called Christin, holding a sword pointing right at her chest.
‘You?’
Christin looked at him as though he was a very different man, very different from the king who saved him – his eyes were reflecting absolute hatred and his hands were as though they wouldn’t hesitate, even for a second, to take anyone’s life.
‘No, I am killing the cause of my death, the cause of fear and the cause of my helplessness,’ he said in a hoarse voice. ‘Now back off … I made a mistake … I should not have ignored a human … even if they’re weak and arrogant.’
Derek backed off as Christin advanced, he was breathing heavily like a disease was eating him. But that didn’t stop Derek from being cautious at all, he knew he had the ability to kill him in a second and dragons were seven floors down, keeping soldiers busy – he was on his own and must trust the ability humans were gifted with – intellect.
‘I won’t let a human stop me … I planned this … choreographed for ages … I will kill her … I have to kill her …’
‘But why?’ shrieked Derek, he had to keep Christin busy. He could not let him touch Alicia.
‘Do you think I will stop to explain you?’
‘You’ll kill me too, won’t you?’
‘Yes …’ his voice rattled.
‘Your plan must have been very brilliant … and you wouldn’t want your enemy die in doubt that you were just a stinking old fool who had a sword and nothing else, hmm?’
He didn’t know if Christin was getting his plan or not, but he was glad to see him thinking.
‘Then listen if you want to die, admiring me … Fifty years ago I and Aurisca were the crown princes of our respective lands … we both were ambitious and thirsty for power … and at that time, dragons were at the peak of their powers – we knew we could not defeat dragons until we combine our forces … I showed him the hand of friendship and he took it …
‘We fought dragons, ruined them and became the supreme leaders … but how could I share something so interesting with Aurisca … my father would have cursed me for allying with the Dark City … so I murdered him …
‘But I had to make sure that no one knows about it because Dark City was still more powerful than Sana and if they knew I killed their emperor …
‘I had to do my job, a clean and secret job … I disguised as Aurisca and played my double role … killed his son for loving my Alicia, but that was lust … I was getting stuck … many visitors from Sana were suspicious about my identity … I had to find a way to poison the relationship between the two nations … I attacked Sana … many soldiers died, but a sacrifice was needed …
‘And following day, I announced Sana would no longer trade with Dark City … I had had its darkest secrets … no one doubted me …’
Derek checked his watch and Alicia in the corner, lying immobile.
‘I have a question,’ he said.
‘Ask … I am merciful to the people I am going to kill.’
‘You called your daughter your cause of helplessness and all that stuff, why? She has nothing to do with this—’
‘Oh, she has … I couldn’t kill Aurisca on time … he cursed me before my knife had touched his heart … he knew I was close to my daughter, the only person I had loved … he said the one who’ll love your daughter will end you … will take your authority …
‘I realised, love had made me weak … if I never loved her … Aurisca couldn’t have cursed me … so I took her away from everyone … every single person … she was living in the castle ever since …
‘But one day when I overheard her conversation with queen Chloe … she told her that she was in l
ove with someone … nothing more …
‘I tortured my wife to spit the man’s name out who had attracted my girl … she didn’t and humph! … You know the rest … had to kill her, had to attack; had no choice … Alicia didn’t tell me anything either … but I couldn’t kill her because she was so close to me … I loved her …
‘So I brought her here and a rumour spread that she had been kidnapped and I knew she was wandering out of the castle even when I told her not to!
‘But I couldn’t do anything because I loved her!’
There was silence and Derek realised that he had not been waiting for dragons, he had not been caring about anything after Christin said. ‘… She was in love with someone …’
‘Then Deri came to me – I’d ordered him to keep a watch on Gwarllow’s village, to finish the last dragons off … We had to kill farmers to raise the suspicions against them – we laid traps and the dragon was caught until – you got there.’
Derek looked shocked as though his father had unlocked his phone.
‘Yes, I know it was you – I know you brought the dragons to save Alicia – but I am afraid – I am in your way.’
‘But why did you attack me that evening?’
‘I was looking for a boy who I suspected could be her lover … my own fortune teller told me that – but I suddenly came across you … I had cursed him in his childhood, too, and I was shocked when I was informed that he survived and is contaminated, a disease was eating him … I didn’t find him anywhere … and hopefully he’d have died by now.’
Derek jaws fell down. It was him.
Christin took a step towards Derek raising his hand. ‘Sorry, my honourable guest but got to finish you, as I promised—’
BANG!
There was an explosion and bricks blew out of the corridor wall, Derek was thrown into a corner and Christin fell under the stones which were the ceiling of corridor, moments ago.
For moments his head was struggling to regain focus … but when it did, Derek saw a pair of yellow eyes – a dragon was hovering out in the storm; and over his shoulder sat Anna.
‘Everything okay?’ she called loudly to overrule the rolls of thunder and noise of the storm.
‘No!’ he said, watching the mount of stones getting disturbed, Christin was struggling hard to get out of them. ‘It’s Christin! He is the main conspirator—’
Bang! Christin was struggling hard.
‘What?’ screamed a shocked Anna.
Bang! Christin’s hand was visible now.
‘He’s coming out! I will take Alicia; get ready to fly away!’
‘B-but what about you?’
‘He must die, I have to kill him!’
He went to an unconscious Alicia and hoisted her in his arms.
‘What are you talking about?’
Bang! He was half-way up.
‘Go! Take her!’ he said giving Alicia’s body to Anna.
‘Please!’ shrieked Anna as thunder cracked in the sky and Derek felt Christin appearing behind him.
‘GO, FURY! SHE’S MAD!’
Fury turned to have a last look at Derek and flew away.
Something smashed his ribs and he was flung to the walls, but it wasn’t molesting.
Yeah, Anna and Alicia were safe … The purpose of his long journey had been served … One thing was there now … only one thing …
‘… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE …’
He glanced at the blood red Christin, he was shivering and looked more deadly in the light of flashes … he was shouting at Fury, who was getting smaller every second … Legend said the man who loved Anna would kill that evil … he had loved her, he knew that.
‘… YOU TINY CRAZY FOOL …’
He felt that unexplainable thing inside his heart. That great sensation. That very thing.
‘… YOU TOOK AWAY MY DAUGHTER …’
But how the hell he’d kill Christin? He didn’t know any magic like that evil did. Things were really worse than ever but there was more to come –
He felt as though his stomach was shrinking and shrinking … he felt the same sensation of sickness as he had felt in his house, five days before his death.
His feet were trembling and then, he fell flat on his chest … The world was going gloomy … he had not taken his medicine …
And from the corner of his eyes he saw the same Christin as Aurisca who gave him that purple wound, he was pointing his sword at him …
He closed his eyes and remembered Alicia … Anna … his parents … all beaming at him … then –
‘Derek!’ he heard a voice, whose? He didn’t know … who would care when death was a second away from him … he wanted to die in peace, holding his beloved in his heart …
A train of orange flame and white flashes of light were caught by his blurred vision … they hit Christin straight in his chest and he hit the wall hard …
Now the air was leaving him … his soul was as though sucking out by a vacuum cleaner and … his heart went cold … chilled …
That was probably what people called dying.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Last Day
‘You are weak … you are a worm …’ he heard words in his head.
Next second – ‘Thank you for saving me, you’re really a hero!’
‘Going to die—’
‘Thank you for saving my life—’
‘You are a pest—’
He felt as though a chain of explosions were taking place in his head … voices were coming from every direction … then – a soft voice like a whisper dissolved everything into harmony.
‘Thank-you.’
He blinked as the racing cart crossed the last lane of Black Forest and sunlight blazed his face, he swallowed in; he was thirsty more than ever. It looked as though a sun itself was drying his inside.
Then, air was leaving him, he fastened his efforts to breath but nothing was happening,
‘Derek! – Derek!’ he heard Anna. It looked as though she was standing a mile away from him, her calls were slow and long.
But he had no time to look after her, he was losing air and then, his chest – which was burning until now – felt cool, as cool as he was flung to an iceberg in the North Pole.
Several bouts of furious breaths and his metabolism, shaking from head to toe, found steadiness; he felt like someone had just healed his ripped soul.
‘He is healing!’ he heard Anna. ‘You’re doing great.’
When Derek blew his new energy to open his lashes, he saw a hand on his chest, right over his heart. It was so fair that at first, he mistook it to be milky. But it wasn’t the hand that had excited him, his chest was blazing brightly like a sun had dawned inches from them, making it difficult to even look at it with naked eyes.
He turned to look at the owner of the hand and saw – Princess Alicia. She was muttering something under her breath, her eyes closed. Her long dazzling golden hair was fluttering in breeze – that was enough to stretch his half-closed eyes to the size of golf balls.
He breathed heavily and watched everything getting normal – her hair tied itself into a bun, the light was already dozed off and he was, at last, rescued.
It was also the moment when he realised the floor was shaking and surroundings were moving – they were out of the castle. But when?
He tried to get up but was thrown to the ground again by someone who flung itself on to him; it was Anna.
‘You are alive …’ she said half crying-half laughing, still not losing her grip over him. ‘I thought …’
‘I admire your love but I think you’ll kill me if Christin didn’t.’
‘What? Oh—’ she finally, to his relief, realised she was lying over him. ‘I am sorry … really sorry … you okay?’
‘Yes,’ he said, getting up. ‘Now tell me – what the hell was that?’
‘She did this – when you were unconscious we pulled you up (honestly, you need to diet, my friend) and then soldiers came to our aid—’<
br />
‘Soldiers?’
‘Yes, they were forbidden to follow Alicia’s orders as she killed the previous ruler – they gave us the fastest cart and when your condition worsened – she – er – sort of muttered something and did this magic.’
‘She killed Christin?’ he glanced at Alicia, she was smiling softly at them. Then suddenly like a bolt of light, it hit him. ‘I am going to die tomorrow …’
‘No you won’t,’ said Anna, grinning. ‘She cured your disease – she has got something special – she is like a magician. She healed my wounds with a wave of her hand.’
Derek looked back at her. ‘Thank you.’
She nodded lightly. ‘Thanks to you … for everything.’
He continued to smile.
‘Thank you?!’ thundered Anna. ‘Thank-you?’
‘Yeah,’ he said simply, not understanding the use of being so over-reactive. ‘I thought saying thanks makes you a good boy.’
She laughed. ‘You’re completely mad, you got to say more than thank you.’
‘Like?’
She was laughing more than ever, as though he had told her something very-very amusing.
‘You know how was she looking at you when you were unconscious?’
‘Um – I was unconscious as you said …’
‘She was like – she loves you.’
‘Oh, I know that. Christin told me.’
‘Then why didn’t you ask her for a date?’ she said like an over-enthusiastic child.
‘Er – I will do that – um – tomorrow.’
‘You did all this to protect her and now you want to ask her tom- hey, Alicia!’
Derek turned around so fast that Alicia almost jumped off her feet in surprise.
‘Hey?’
‘Hey,’ said Derek.
‘It’s your birthday, isn’t it?’ she said and Derek just then realised the present she was holding in her hands. ‘It’s – um – Anna helped me to buy this present.’
He looked sharply at her as though trying to say “You …”
‘I think, I should cook something for you two …’ – she dodged Derek’s trembling hand on her way to the door – ‘Happy birthday, Derek.’
Five Days: an adventure (A Fantasy Adventure) Page 11
