Dream of Dragons

by Alex Alcasid

  The princess curled up against the cold stones of her cell. Her cries rang in her ears, echoing down the hall. She clawed at her shoulders, sore and tender from their burns, holding herself in a futile attempt at comfort. Behind the sounds of her own cries, she heard another voice. It was Kae, screaming in her memory, screaming her name. For her. And now the huntress was gone. The princess had seen Seraphis storm out of the throne room with purpose, saw the swords hanging at her belt.

  Loren screamed, clutching her pendant. She screamed till her throat burned from the effort, till her voice cracked, till she tasted blood. She would never see the huntress again. She would never wake up to Kae’s serene, sleeping face lying an inch from her’s. She would never walk through a forest, hand in hand, blissfully at peace. She would never tell her, to Kae’s face, the word that stilled in her throat from her nerves, the one word that burned in her heart now that she would never have the chance to say it.

  “Kae…” Loren whispered to the darkness once her energy was spent. All there was left in her heart was a tired silence, and pools of tears. “Kae, I...”

  Her voice echoed back to her, just as hollow as her own voice, pathetic in her ears. The princess sighed, leaning back onto the wall and letting the cool stones soothe her burned body. The familiar feeling for the silver dragon pendant in her hand grew less of a comforting touch in her hand as her chest rose and fell with her shuddering breathes. Reaching around her neck, Loren fumbled with burned fingers for the clasp of the chain. It came undone after a while, and the princess closed the clasp and folded the chain in her hands with great respect, before screaming and hurling the pendant into the opposite wall.

  The dragon bounced off the stone, clattering to a stop a foot away from the princess. Its golden eyes glittered in the dim light. Loren’s heartbroken sob rang in her ears, and she curled in on herself, her forehead pressed to her knees.

  She heard a shuffle down the hall and looked up, suddenly wondering how much time had passed. The princess wiped at her tears and stayed as silent as she could, clamping a hand over her mouth. Loren heard footsteps on the stone, approaching slowly. She curled up farther into the corner and making herself small and trying to hide in the darkness. If it was the queen coming back into the dungeons to torment her again, Loren wasn’t sure she could bear it. The thought brought hot tears to her face. She held her breath so as not to cry out. A set of prisoner’s rags lay in a small heap near where the pendant fell; the princess scrabbled to put them on before these newcomers caught sight of her.

  The footsteps were soft and slow, as if someone was trying to be discreet. Another set of footsteps rang out on the stone, these new ones much louder.

  “Shh!” a voice hissed. “I can’t see any guards, but we have to be careful.”

  “Sorry.”

  Loren’s heart hammered in her chest and her blood rushed in her ears. She was sure these strangers could hear her. Soon they would find her, they would pull her out and hand her to the queen. Loren held her breath and willed these people to pass her by.

  “Have you seen her yet?”

  “I haven’t, these cells are empty.”

  “She has to be here somewhere.”

  “Didn’t Seraphis say she was in Haedria’s chambers?”

  “Yeah, but we saw Haedria walking around. She left the throne room.”

  There was a frustrated sigh.

  “Fine, if she’s not here then we have to check the queen’s quarters. If Loren’s there, then…”

  “We’re going to die.”

  “All of us, even Loren.” The voice paused. When it continued, the voice cracked with emotion. “She can’t die here. I won’t let her die here. We have to save her, so help me look!”

  Loren slowly uncurled from her position by the wall. She thought the voices were familiar, and the last one confirmed it. But it was impossible, her friends were dead. Both wary and curious, the princess inched towards the bars of her cell. Her hand brushed the silver dragon pendant that lay where she left it. She refused to pick it up.

  “Kae?” Loren whispered. “Cassendir?”

  Both of the footsteps stopped suddenly, frozen to the spot.

  “Loren?” Kae whispered back. The fear in her voice was palpable.

  “Kae! Kae, I’m here!” Loren said, holding a hand out through the bars. When a familiar hand — calloused from years of firing arrows — reached out and held her own, the princess could not hold back her tears. She gripped Kae’s hand tightly, afraid it would be the last time. “You’re here!”

  Kae smiled with relief, but tears also fell. She knelt by the bars, holding squeezing Loren’s hand just as hard and reaching in to caress the princess’s cheek. “I’m here, princess. You can thank Seraphis for that, I’ll tell you all about it later. Can you walk? We need to leave.”

  Loren pressed Kae’s hand to her cheek, unwilling to let go. She nodded urgently but made no move to leave. “You’re here.” She said again, whispering with disbelief. “I thought you were dead. I thought I was alone.”

  “You’re not alone, Loren. I said I would be with you, didn’t I?” Kae said gently. “No matter what.”

  Cassendir rushed over, muttering a quiet greeting to the princess, and began work on the lock of the cell with shaking hands. The scholar kept looking over his shoulder, several times a minute, and his hands shook as he fiddled with some tools. After being unable to pick the lock, the blue glow of his magic appeared as he focused some spell to spring the lock open.

  “Hold on, Loren. We’re getting you out, and we’re going home.” Kae whispered.

  Cassendir sent his magic into the lock in such a panic that it not only unlocked it, it blew the lock clean off the bars with a loud bang, causing it to shatter in midair and clatter all across the stone floor.

  “Cassendir!” The huntress winced, her expression pained. Her hand flew to a stolen dagger on her belt and she quickly pulled the door open. “Come on princess, we have to hurry before guards come.”

  Loren eagerly spilled out of the cell, almost falling onto Cassendir in her haste. Kae was about to turn away when a glint of something shiny on the floor caught her eye. She crouched and picked up the dragon pendant. “Loren! Your pendant?”

  “Leave it!” Loren snapped. Her voice was filled with such urgency and hatred that Kae almost did drop the silver pendant. She nodded to the princess, and all Loren heard was a clattering on the floor.

  “How did you get in?” Loren whispered. She clutched at Kae’s hand, instinctively hiding behind the huntress and keeping to the shadows cast by the torches. “I was sure Seraphis had killed you.”

  “She didn’t. She was the one who told us how to sneak back in, where to look, even told one of her men to look the other way.” Kae whispered back. She squeezed Loren’s hand reassuringly and held the dagger at the ready. “But she can only help so much. Ma’trii and our escape route is at the kennels. We just have to cross the throne room again.”

  “The throne room?”

  Loren stopped and stood rooted to the spot. When Kae turned to tell her to hurry, to not stop because their lives depended on it, the look of horror in the princess’s eyes had drained her face of color. Loren’s gaze was far to the distance, the memory of Haedria and her flames playing over and over again in her mind. The princess shook her head, and stepped back. “No. I’m sorry Kae, I can’t go back there again. Please, don’t make me go back there.”

  The huntress didn’t sigh. She didn’t roll her eyes, she didn’t stomp her foot.

  Kae handed the dagger to Cassendir and took both of Loren’s hands in her own. She looked the princess in the eyes and mustered up as much steel in her voice as she could, even if it meant faking her bravado. “Loren. I know you’re scared, I am too. I know you’ve been hurt. But I promise you, princess. I promise you, I will never leave your side again. We will get through this, and you will be home. Do you trust me?”

  Loren’s breath hitched in her throat. Her pale hands brough
t Kae’s up to her face, pressing them to her cheeks. She slowly nodded. There was fear in Kae’s eyes, and Loren felt her pulse beating rapidly in her wrists. And yet, the huntress came back for her. After being spared Seraphis’s sword, Kae came back for her. “I trust you.”

  “Let’s go home.”

  “Can we focus on getting out of the castle first?” Cassendir muttered, his voice climbing in pitch with every word. His hands, now covered with a soft blue glow, shook in fear. He eyed the stairs leading up from the dungeon and kept his arms out in a ready stance. “I agree that once was too much, and I’d really like to get out of here, please.”

  Kae nodded, snatched her dagger back from Cassendir and took a deep breath. Entwining her fingers with Loren’s, the huntress took the first steps up towards the throne room.

  The throne room of the Firestone Keep was empty. It’s many brass braziers were still lit, giving off their stifling heat and casting flickering shadows on the walls. The veins of the firestone pillars pulsed softly, the magic in the stone still active. Kae pressed herself against the wall, signaling to her friends to follow. The three of them crept along the wall, keeping to the shadows as much as possible and hurrying past the braziers. Behind them, the sound of rushing guards in heavy armor descended the steps to the dungeon, shouting that they heard a noise. It wouldn’t be long before they found the queen’s prized prisoner missing.

  “Kae.” Loren whispered, her voice shaking. “They’ll find us.”

  “No they won’t princess, I’ll make sure of it.” Kae whispered back. The huntress’s attention was focused on the next step, on finding the next patch of shadow to creep into, on getting out. She didn’t see the hound until it was too late.

  Duro, Seraphis’s large white hound, was standing guard by the throne room’s door. The hound watched them as they approached, and tilted his head as they froze in fear.

  “Hey, Duro.” Kae said softly, creeping closer to the hound. She held out her hand, palm up, and kept a calm aura. “Good boy. We’re just going to pass through, okay? We won’t cause any trouble.”

  Duro sniffed the huntress’s hand before licking at her face. Kae giggled and rubbed at the hound’s back, but before she could say another word, the hound turned to Loren. Duro nudged his big head into Loren’s side, sniffing her hands, her rags, and her face. It was a struggle for the princess to keep still. Loren hesitantly held her hand out for the hound to inspect, when suddenly Duro barked loudly and ran from her. The white hound disappeared into one of the hallways leading away from the throne room.

  “What was that about?” Loren whispered. “Is Duro okay?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t like it. We have to keep moving, Ma’trii’s waiting for us at the kennels.” Kae tugged at Loren’s hand and continued through the Red Sister’s throne room.

  The large black and red banners hung from the walls, the twin lionesses emblazoned on them watching them closely, accusingly, as they crept through the Firestone Keep. The heat and darkness within the throne room set them all on edge. Every flickering shadow cast by the braziers made them jump, every crack of the fire was seen as an enemy approaching. As they neared the hallway that led down to the kennels, Cassendir gasped behind the girls.

  “Cassendir?” Kae muttered. She felt the scholar was no longer following them. “What is it?”

  The scholar reached over and touched Kae’s arm with a shaking hand. His palm was sweaty from his nerves, and he pointed towards the firestone pillars that stood in the throne room. The flame colored veins of the firestone were glowing brightly and pulsing, as if with a heartbeat.

  “What’s going on?” Kae muttered.

  “Kae please, we need to go. Now.” Loren pleaded.

  “Where do you think you’re going, my darling?” a voice sounded, echoing through the empty throne room. Loren heard the confident smile in the voice, and her blood froze. “Did you not enjoy my company? I so enjoyed yours. Why don’t you stay a while longer? I’ll let you keep your friends if you stay with me, my darling Loren.”

  The fire in the braziers blazed. The flames leapt straight up, towering higher than a grown man. The light they gave off lit the chamber, banishing shadows and revealing Kae, Loren, and Cassendir, frozen with fear. The queen had entered the throne room from the hallway Duro disappeared into. She strode confidently towards them, the veins of the firestone pillars she passed flaring into life. Kae’s grip on Loren tightened. She turned to the hallway leading to the kennels and darted towards it, only for a sheet of flame to rise from the floor and block her way. The huntress turned back to the queen, moving Loren behind her to shield her from Haedria.

  The queen chuckled. "My, isn't that simply precious? Your little huntress loves you Loren. She would throw herself in my path to shield you." Haedria's expression turned hard. The markings along her arms sparked to life. "How honorable. Loren, do not play coy with me. Return to my side at once."

  At Haedria's command, the burned markings on Loren's neck and wrists flared to match their master's. The light flared as if coals were stoked underneath Loren's skin. She screamed again, just as how she screamed endlessly not hours before, and fell to her knees behind Kae. When she struggled, she felt as if being roasted on a spit. When she turned towards the queen, the heat turned warm and comforting instead. The sudden relief made the temptation to crawl towards the queen more than the princess could bear.

  "Loren!" Kae screamed. The sound of the princess in pain pulled at Kae's heart, wrenching at it as if she was the one being burned. "Haedria, stop it!"

  "Stop it? Why on earth would I?" The queen smirked. "Your precious princess knows what to do to make it stop."

  Kae turned towards Loren, only to see the princess hold out a shaking hand towards the queen. Kae's heart fell through her stomach.

  "K-Kae." Loren stammered through gritted teeth. "The antidote for the basilisk venom..."

  "What?"

  "Take it, and bring it to my mother."

  "I can't leave you here!"

  "Kae!" Loren cried. She looked up, into Kae's eyes. The princess's dark eyes shone with fear, and the barest bit of hope. "Please, listen to me. Haedria will not stop till she gets what she wants. If she takes me, you all can go.. You can leave and be free of this. Please Kae, take the antidote and save my mother. And the very least, something good would have come of all this."

  "No, no, no, princess." Kae said, falling to her knees as well and taking the princess into her arms. Loren was hot to the touch, but Kae did not care. "There has to be another way, I'll find it. I can't leave you here like this. With her." Kae shot a look to Haedria, who only smiled in return. "You're the best thing thats ever happened to me. I can't lose you, princess. I can't." Kae's voice was choked with emotion, enough for Loren to notice.

  "Kae? Do you-"

  The huntress cut her off, nodding, tears streaming from her face. "Yes. So don't give up just yet. We have to go home."

  Loren smiled, happy and safe in the huntress's arms. In Kae's embrace, Loren could forget the heat and pain. She could forget the hateful magic burning her from the inside. Haedria saw, and sneered.

  "How delightful, to see two lovebirds in their final moments." The queen held out a hand outstretched towards the princess. Markings flared even brighter, and Loren screamed. The princess pitched forward in agony, breaking out of Kae's hold. "To me, Loren. Only me."

  "No!" Kae cried, leaping to her feet. The dagger was in her hand, but what could she do? Haedria was too far away. If she ran towards the queen, even worse might come to Loren. The huntress's mind ran a mile a minute, but her train of thought was broken just as quickly.

  "What!" Haedria said suddenly. "Where is your pendant? Where is the dragon's pendant?"

  The idea struck Kae like a lightning bolt. Her hand flew to the pendant in the pocket of her trousers. She easily slipped it out, her fingers curling around the silver dragon's lithe body. She held it up so Haedria could see, and poised the dagger above it.

&nbs
p; The queen’s eyes widened. “You!”

  “Let Loren go.” Kae shot back.

  “You don’t even know what it does, foolish girl.” Haedria sneered. “Let go of it before you manage to stab yourself.”

  “I know it has the dragon’s magic. I know that’s what you’re after.”

  “It is so much more than a simple vessel for magic, girl. You will never understand. Hand it over, now!” The queen stretched out her hand. Loren looked back at Kae, her eyes clouded with tears from pain. The princess shook her head. “There are shackles of magic that go beyond comprehension, that transcend the years and understanding of even ancient mages.”

  “Shackles?” Kae whispered. “The dragon is a captive.”

  The queen said nothing. She glared at the huntress, turning back to Loren in her anger. The markings flared, and Loren screamed, falling to the floor and beginning to crawl pitifully before the red queen.

  “Kae!” Loren screamed desperately. Her voice pierced the strange, heavy silence of the throne room. “Destroy it! Destroy the pendant!”

  “Silence!” Haedria snarled, her magic surging. The air around the queen began to shimmer with heat, with tongues of flame licking her form. The huntress raised the dagger and the queen raised her voice. “Seraphis! To me!”

  A scream was heard from another part of the castle, echoing over Loren’s own. After a few seconds, the sound of boots running on stone rang through the halls. The warrior princess of Sagna burst into the throne room, twin swords drawn. Her expression was twisted in pain and her body was engulfed in a raging fire. She didn’t stop or question why Haedria had activated the markings so suddenly and so harshly. She rushed straight towards Kae and Cassendir, swinging her swords wildly. If she struck down those who angered the queen, the pain would stop. She would do anything, as long as the pain would stop.

  Kae gasped, her grip on the pendant tightening. She had begun to see the warrior princess as a friend, even though it was the barest sense of the word. She thought Seraphis was on their side. But here, with wild, mad eyes, her swords drawn and flames roiling down their blades, she was never more afraid.