Dream of Dragons

by Alex Alcasid

Loren stopped beneath one painting. It was of a man with dark hair falling to his shoulders, dressed in a fine red and black suit emblazoned with a single lion. He had kind, joyful eyes, and what skin was showing bore no mage markings. He looked like a gentle, understanding man; while the portraits of obvious mages had a malice and madness in their smile. Loren’s mouth fell open as she realized whose portrait it was: she had seen him before many years ago. King Aerius Dagan, Haedria and Seraphis’s father.

  The princess was roughly pushed along again and she staggered on a few steps. Hamilcar grunted something about being late, but much of the bandit’s earlier bravado had disappeared. He kept glancing uneasily at his men and his captives, shifting his weight and tapping the handle of his axe. He didn’t want to be there any more than Loren did, she realized.

  Guards hauled open a large pair of double doors, revealing a long hallway decorated even more oppressively than the last. Columns of firestone were erected along the hall, emanating a soft red-orange light from cracks that ran spider-like inside the otherwise black stone. More of the bronze braziers blazed with flame, burning steadily and not flickering like a normal fire. Attendants stood with their heads bowed, carefully avoiding anyone else’s gaze, and men and women wearing heavy metal collars rushed about bearing platters of food and drink. Their collars and tanned skin marked them as slaves taken from the Eastern Shores.

  At the far end of the room stood a towering throne upon a dais. It gleamed with the same light as the columns, having been hewn and carved completely from the firestone from within the mountain. Standing at the dais, her hand on the hilt of a sword, stood Seraphis. The warrior princess wore leather armor exposing her midriff and bore a red cape that covered one shoulder. Her expression was grim as she watched one of the common folk from the city below, kneeling before the throne. One the other side of the throne was a slave girl from the Eastern Shores, sitting on the floor and waiting patiently, her head bowed.

  Seated on the throne was Queen Haedria.

  The queen sat with her legs crossed, leaning back and resting one arm on the armrest of the throne. She listened to the commoner’s impassioned pleas with a bored expression, her piercing dark eyes long glazed over with disinterest. She rested her chin on her fist and bore the man’s pleas with thinly concealed impatience. She held out her hand to her side, and the slave on the floor immediately moved closer. The woman put her head in the queen’s lap, letting Haedria slowly stroke her mane of soft brown hair.

  Loren couldn’t help but stare at the young queen. Haedria’s deep red hair cascaded past her shoulders and down her back, hanging like a curtain of blood over her black sleeveless gown. Her skin was pale, and the mage markings swirled up and down both arms, the pattern disappearing somewhere past her nape. She was the most marked mage the princess had ever seen, and Haedria looked so much like she did when Loren saw her years ago as a child.

  The man kneeling on the floor droned on and on, his forehead pressing against the cool stone of the throne room. He was saying something about the fields, how crops planted there now refused to grow, and perhaps the queen could use her magic to help. Haedria sighed, tired of listening. Her eyes wandered the room, passed over Hamilcar and his band entirely, and found Loren in the crowd.

  The queen’s grin stretched from ear to ear.

  Haedria stood and descended the dais, slowly and deliberately. Seraphis snapped to attention once she saw her sister move. The man on the floor rambled on, speaking more to the floor than to the queen of Sagna.

  “Very well.” Haedria said in a clear voice. “Bury a firestone where the paths of your field cross, then plant your crops in the light of the next moon. The harvest should be bountiful, and the tax paid equally so. Now leave my keep at once. I have other, more important matters to attend to.”

  The man stuttered his thanks, surprised at being let go with his life. He ran from the queen, hands and feet scrabbling for purchase on the stone floor. The farmer was out the door within seconds, and the throne room was locked behind him.

  Haedria turned her attention to the largest man in the room. “Hamilcar, my friend. I see you’ve returned with more gifts for us?” she chuckled, and Seraphis’s eyes widened. The warrior princess went to stand beside her sister, one hand tracing the patterns of her sword’s hilt.

  “Yes, my queen.” Hamilcar stepped forward, clearing his throat, but was cut off by Haedria raising a hand. He fell silent and seemed to shrink.

  Haedria approached Loren, her piercing dark eyes locked on the princess’s. “Loren, is that you? My, you’ve grown since we’ve last seen each other.”

  “It has been many years, Haedria.” Loren replied. Beside her, Kae looked shocked. “You haven’t changed.”

  The queen laughed. She raised a slim, pale finger to Loren’s throat and dragged it slowly down till her fingertip rested on the dragon pendant. “We were children, weren’t we? And the dragon was flying freely in the skies above your home.”

  Loren shivered at Haedria’s touch. Kae saw the princess’s posture straighten and her gaze grow fierce, matching the queen’s. She knew even without looking that Loren’s eyes had turn gold.

  “That didn’t take long, did it?” Haedria chuckled. “I knew you would come seeking me out, one way or another. The whole thing with your mother and that Beastman prince were simply incentives.”

  “What are you talking about, incentives?” Kae shot back. “You attempted to assassinate the queen! You had Kaiten abducted! You are a murderer!”

  Haedria gazed at Kae, eyes half-lidded. She had the air of disinterest, as if the huntress was no more than a bug. “Who is this?” she asked Hamilcar.

  “No idea, Your Grace.” The bandit grunted. “We caught the lot of them travelling by merchant cart from Killias, the border town to the north. They were on their way to Hardwick. The princess, this one, a mage, and a wolf.”

  “A strange group, aren’t you.” Haedria mused. She looked Kae up and down, mostly disinterested. She completely passed over Cassendir. “We could keep this girl as well. I don’t care what you decide to do with the mage.”

  “Sister, If I may. We may find use for the mage.” Seraphis cut in. “We could have him manage the libraries or the infirmary.”

  The queen looked to her sister, body tensed like a cat about to spring. “Another mage, sister? In my castle?” her tone was icy. “What use do we have for another mage, when I am already the Fourth Daughter? Seraphis, my dear, do not toy with me.”

  The warrior-princess bowed her head immediately. She took a step back, submissive. “My apologies, sister. I only hoped to ease your burden.”

  “Oh, Seraphis.” Haedria tutted. “Always so kind and noble. I love that so dearly about you. However, what to do with the spares can be decided later. For now, we have a much more important prize. The crown princess of Aldoran has graced us with her presence.” The queen’s smile was predatory. She slowly traced the lines of Loren’s jaw to her neck, then down to rest on the center of the dragon pendant. “I welcome you, Loren Elisis Cyrael, Daughter of Dragons, to Sagna.”

  Loren screamed. She screamed, bucking and thrashing, howling as if being burned alive. The princess was in pain yet could not move. Haedria’s finger stayed loosely on her pendant, undisturbed.

  “Loren!” Kae screamed back. She made to run towards the princess, to charge at her and get her away from Haedria, but Seraphis stepped between them and held the huntress back. The vast throne room was silent save for the haunting screams of yet another of Haedria’s playthings, and Kae’s desperate cries for the princess.

  “What are you doing to her? Stop it! Stop it, please!” Kae screamed. She struggled against Seraphis’s hold, but she was still bound, and the Sagnian princess was strong. Through eyes blurry with tears, she saw Seraphis’s grim, disappointed expression. “Seraphis, stop her!” Kae called. Her captor didn’t move.

  After a few agonizing seconds, the screaming stopped. Loren collapsed to the ground, panting and shaking. Wit
h a soft chuckle, Haedria moved behind the princess and placed a hand on the ropes binding her wrists. A small flame leapt between the cords of rope, burning through it quickly and freeing Loren.

  “Quite amazing, isn’t it?” Haedria said with a smile. She began to walk back to her throne. “Just a touch of torture, some light screaming, and my… What fascinating things you can learn.”

  Seraphis cut Kae’s binds before letting her go, and the huntress almost fell in her haste. Kae rushed to Loren’s side, turning over the princess with shaking hands. There were no burns on Loren’s skin at all.

  “What? What happened?” Kae muttered as she pulled Loren into her lap. The princess was sweating and shaking, wincing at Kae pulling at her. The huntress looked back to the queen. “What did you do?”

  “I’ve improved her, you could say.” Haedria smiled. “It is as with Seraphis’s hounds. Before you start training a pet, they must have a collar. Am I not correct, dear sister?”

  Seraphis grimly nodded. She sighed and turned away from the huntress’s pleading looks. She took her place beside her queen, her hand on the hilt of her sword. From Seraphis’s fidgeting, Kae saw the dark markings on her wrists and the reddish, burned skin around them. Frantic, the huntress took Loren’s hand and turned it over.

  Markings began to appear on Loren’s skin. They started as faint outlines, a small discoloration of her own skin tone. Then they began to darken rapidly by several shades until they formed the swirling mage markings identical to Haedria’s. The markings encircled both of Loren’s wrists as well as her neck, nestling just behind the dragon pendant.

  The queen took her place at her throne again. “Magic is a wonderful thing, wouldn’t you say? A simple touch on a magic artifact, so many years ago, would ensure that the princess come to me. That her mind would be so taken by the urge to cross the mountain, to doggedly continue her journey, till she came to my very door step.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kae said. She didn’t let go of Loren. “You poisoned the queen! That’s why we’re here!”

  “Oh yes, I did. Basilisk venom. I have the antidote right here. Seraphis my dear, if you would be so kind?” Haedria held out a small glass vial to Seraphis, who stepped forward and took it immediately. “Now then. The assassination attempt was what started you on your journey, but why would the crown princess, the heir to the throne, come alone? Where are the armies storming my gates? What could possibly have clouded her mind to common sense?”

  Kae’s eyes widened. “The dragon magic.”

  “Pride, greed, and the desire for more.” Haedria chuckled. “All values I quite enjoy. Now get up, Loren! You’ve rested for far too long.”

  The mage markings of the queen glowed with a red-orange light, flickering like burning coals beneath her skin. It was as if the woman herself was made of firestone. In response, the new markings around Loren’s wrists began to burn. The princess’s eyes flashed open and she gasped, pitching forward and gripping at her wrists. The magic felt like shackles of flame, burning metal being pressed against her skin. She looked up at Kae with the gold eyes of the dragon magic, what words she was about to tell her choking her. Kae saw fear in Loren’s golden eyes. Fear and desperation.

  Loren’s mouth opened, but the markings around her throat blazed into life as well. She tried to reach for Kae, but the pain intensified and she faltered. At the throne, Haedria tutted.

  “Don’t waste your time, silly girl. Did Seraphis not explain the shackles to you and your band before? I know that you have met previously.” The queen purred, looking to her sister. Seraphis could not meet her gaze. “Has she spilled all my secrets to you already? I shall assume she has, and punish her for it accordingly. Hamilcar!”

  The bandit king snapped to attention. He bowed his head. “Yes, my queen?”

  “Dispose of the rest.”

  Hamilcar grunted. “At once, my queen.” He gestured to his men, and Ain and a handful of other bandits roughly grabbed Kae and Cassendir, and hoisted the sack that contained Ma’trii.

  “Wait! You said there was a wolf?” Seraphis stepped forward.

  “Yes, princess. Right here. The wolf is owned by the girl, I think.” Hamilcar waved at Ain, who opened Ma’trii’s sack slightly. Ma’trii began to howl and struggle, kicking at the sack and snapping at Ain’s hands.

  “Dear sister, let me have the wolf. It looks to be of Aldoran stock, native to the Kilrough Forest. I could use it to further breed my hounds.” Seraphis looked back to her sister, some excitement returning to her.

  The queen chuckled and nodded. “Consider it my gift to you, my dear sister. I know how you adore your pets. Have Kerza set a separate cell in the kennels for it till you have the time to train it.”

  Seraphis nodded, smiling gratefully. She brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled a sharp, clear note. Duro, her large white hound, bounded forward from where he was lounging by the braziers. With a few more whistled commands, Duro clamped his jaws around the mouth of Ma’trii’s sack. The hound began to drag the sack away and out of an open door off the throne room.

  “Ma’trii! No, bring him back! Ma’trii!” Kae cried, reaching for her wolf. Ain caught the huntress and held her back, pinning her arms behind her back again. The sounds of Ma’trii’s despairing howls echoed through the hallway beyond, till it faded. “You monster. What more till you take away and destroy?” Kae said through gritted teeth.

  Haedria tapped her chin as she lounged in her throne, pretending to think. The mage markings on her arms still glowed and flickered as if with fire. “You’re quite a feisty one, even in the face of utter defeat. What is your name?”

  In response, Kae spat as far as she could towards the throne. A glob of spit landed on the dais.

  Haedria raised a brow, but it was Seraphis who answered. “Her name is Kae, my queen. She is from the Kilrough Forest, same as the wolf. I believe they were hunting partners.”

  “And her relationship with the princess?”

  Kae stilled, taken aback. She looked to Loren, who was struggling to stand. The princess had her back turned to Kae and shook with pain. Kae felt a great urge to go to her, to take the princess in her arms and run, to take her somewhere safe and away from this witch of flame.

  “I am not certain, sister.” Seraphis’s voice sounded as if it was far away from Kae.

  “Lovers, obviously.” Haedria smiled. “Did you not hear the desperation in the girl’s voice when I shackled her dear princess? I could listen to the sound of a heart breaking all day. And my, how both of them reach for each other. However, I have what I want, I have no need of the girl. What should we do with her, Seraphis?”

  Seraphis sighed heavily. She returned to tapping on the hilt of her sword, her nervous fidget. “Perhaps we could have the huntress serve us in the castle somehow? We could always do with more slaves.

  “Slaves?” Haedria pondered. The queen shook her head and waved dismissively. “We have enough, I believe. Take her and the mage, have them killed.”

  At the queen’s words, Loren turned back to Kae. Tears were streaming unchecked down the princess’s face, and her golden eyes bore tendrils of red and orange as Haedria’s magic continued to corrupt the dragon magic. Loren’s voice was hoarse. All she could say was the huntress’s name.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  The throne room of Sagna echoed with the huntress’s screams. The look of despair, utter helplessness, the pure fear in Loren’s eyes was more than Kae could bear. The moment the magic took over Loren, silencing the princess and changing the gold to Haedria’s cursed red, Kae realized she would lose her. She would lose the princess before ever having her. The pain of knowing she would never have another chance to tell Loren how she felt, to put it in words and be true, was too much to bear.

  “Loren!” Cassendir called. The mage was roughly taken by the arm by Hamilcar’s men. He craned and twisted, struggling to meet Loren’s eyes as he was dragged away. “We’ll get out of this somehow! You, me, Kae, Ma�
��trii, we’ll get out of this! Don’t lose hope princess!” The scholar’s desperate voice faded as Cassendir was dragged back down the long hall to the entrance of the Firestone Keep, to be executed outside. Kae followed soon after, held between two of Hamilcar’s bandits, kicking and screaming the whole way, out of her mind. All she could say was Loren’s name, over and over, till the huntress’s voice was silenced.

  Atop her throne, Haedria rubbed at her temples. “That may have been more trouble that it was worth.” She said.

  “You now have the dragon princess, Haedria. That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?” Seraphis said. Her eyes lingered on the doors of the throne room, even after they had closed. When she turned to face her sister, her gaze fell to the slave girl quietly sitting on the floor. “What will you do now?”

  The slight did not go unnoticed by the queen. She raised her brow a fraction. “What will I do now? Why, my dear sister, I will do whatever I want. Go with Hamilcar and make sure the huntress and the mage’s heads are separated from their shoulders. Elysia, my darling, you are to go to my quarters and wait for me.”

  The slave girl tore her beautiful blue eyes away from the princess to fearfully glance at the queen. Elysia muttered that she will wait, then quickly got up and scurried out of a side door off the throne room.

  Seraphis held the queen’s gaze for a second, the tension between them palpable. Then she nodded once and turned on her heel. The princess strode out of the doors with purpose, her shoulders squared, her head held high. The branded markings on her wrist, identical to those chaining Loren, burned like coals under her skin, trailing sparks of ember as she walked, her fists clenched tight.

  After her sister left, Haedria waved the rest of the attendants and guards away. The echoes of footsteps slowly faded until only the queen and Loren were left in the throne room. The fires of the braziers cracked and flickered, and the firestone columns glowed slowly with their inner light. The queen stood and approached the Daughter of Dragons.