Starbeam

by Adrienne Woods

“You’re free, go. I don’t need you. I don’t want a dragon.”

  She froze. “You mean that?”

  “Yes, I mean it. Go.” I yelled and she just stood there. She nodded and then disappeared into the woods.

  The trees rumbled and a dragon figure flew out of the forest. She was in the air. I kept staring at her and then I saw a net catch her and bring her down.

  “No, no.” I yelled and got up.

  It was too far for me to reach her in time.

  They were going to harvest her organs for sure.

  I had Andrew’s bow with Katherine’s strength. It wasn’t going to do shit.

  But I kept pushing forward.

  My wound was bleeding again profoundly and I had to rest.

  Still I kept tracking them.

  I never knew I had this kind of tracking ability. It was never that strong before.

  I started to hear voices as the sun was starting to set.

  They had made camp and I moved closer.

  I could see Tanya hoisted in the net, still in her dragon form. She wouldn’t show them her human form. Her mouth was tied with something, rope or some sort of contraption otherwise she would have been able to persuade herself out of this situation. Somehow they knew that.

  C’mon Katherine. You need to save her.

  I took my bow and nocked an arrow, but the string didn’t want to budge with the amount of strength I had left.

  I tried again.

  If there is a greater power out there, please help me to save her. They are going to harvest her organs, please.

  I opened my eyes and pulled back on the string with all the strength I could muster and aimed at the net that held her.

  I let the arrow go as my strength waned and it cut the rope halfway in width.

  The weight broke the rope and she landed with a thud on the ground.

  The men immediately ran in my direction as I fell against the tree.

  I was done. I had lost way too much blood and wasn’t going to know Albert’s fate or Paegeia’s for that matter.

  Everything turned black.

  ALBERT

  I woke up in the infirmary.

  My chest was aching and I saw a long burn mark.

  “You are alive, thank heavens.” My mother hugged me.

  “What happened?”

  “I thought you were dead,” my mother cried.

  “What happened, where is Katherine, Robert?”

  “Who is Katherine, Albert?”

  “Where is she mother?”

  “I don’t know. I only care about you. I thought you had died, and this is what you did, Albert.”

  “What happened mother?” I tried to get up and it was like my mind was open. Voices, voices that weren’t in this room with us overpowered my ears.

  I grunted.

  “Lie down.” My mother yelled.

  “You don’t have to yell at me. I need answers.” Tears welled up in my eyes.

  “I need answers too.”

  “Your answers can wait.” I said through gritted teeth.

  Tears rolled down my mother’s cheeks. “I thought you were dead, your father thought you died. Do you have any idea what you put us through, put him through when he found you on that acid spitter’s back?”

  “A Night Villain.” I corrected her. “His name is Robert, where is he?”

  “Where do you think he is.” She looked sad.

  “No, Mom, please. He is my dragon, has been for the past six years. Where is he?”

  “Your dragon. Al, they can’t be tamed, what were you thinking.”

  “I tamed him. Where is he?”

  Her gaze left mine and looked at the floor.

  No, he can’t be dead.

  “Where is he!?”

  She flinched from my tone. “He told your father he could save your life.” She looked at my scar. “He gave you a piece of his heart.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t know dragons could do that.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Your father waited until you were fine, and then he locked him up with all the other dragons.”

  They had refused to change.

  “Where is Delilah?”

  “She is sleeping Albert. It’s late. Rest, your father needs a word too when you are better. This is treason.”

  “I’m the crown prince of Paegeia.”

  “It’s still treason.” She yelled, got up and left.

  “Mom,” I begged.

  She stopped and sighed.

  “Did you find a woman with brown hair?”

  She squinted. “Not that I know off, but the scouts are bringing more and more rebels to the dungeons, Albert. What you did…”

  “They are dragons too, they are just different.” Tears flowed down my cheeks.

  She left.

  Where the hell was Katie? Was she even still alive?

  Chapter 29

  KATIE

  * * *

  I woke up in a cell with Tanya sitting in the corner.

  My chest ached.

  “Where the hell are we?”

  “You’re awake.” She came over to me and hugged me.

  I froze. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “I’m sorry. I was an idiot, Kate.” It was the first time she said my name.

  I touched my chest and crinched of the pain.

  “I had no choice.”

  “Had no choice about what.”

  “You would’ve died. I gave you my essence.” She opened her dress and showed me a similar scar.

  “Tanya, what did you do?”

  “You will heal, Kate, just take it easy.”

  At once voices drummed in my ears. Loud voices.

  I covered my ears and grunted as I lay on the floor. “What is happening?”

  “Deep breaths.” I heard Tanya’s mumbling. “You hear the way we do now. You can control it, just turn the voices down.”

  “How?” I grunted as my ear drums felt like they were going to pop.

  “C’mon Kate, you can do it.”

  “What is this, Tanya?”

  “I accepted the bond.”

  “Why, you stupid woman, I freed you.”

  “And then you saved my life. All acts of kindness, it was the turning point. I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I know you don’t want a dragon, I’ll be anything you want me to be. I give you my oath, I’ll die for you and with you.”

  “Stop, this isn’t you.” I looked at her as I still tried to make the voices softer.

  “It is. I promise. I just didn’t see things clearly.”

  The voices were still loud but they became bearable.

  “You have the gift too, Kate. They don’t know that, we can get us out of this mess.”

  “Is Albert alive?” I need to know and she grunted.

  “Tanya, tell me is he alive.”

  “I don’t know. I think he is, but he isn’t here, is he Kate.”

  “He will come for me.”

  She shook her head.

  “And you. He said he needs us for his school.”

  She laughed. “You really think there is going to be a school. You are just as naive as he is.”

  “He will come for us. What is this essence you gave me.”

  “A piece of me. We heal faster, we do everything better than humans. It’s not immortality but you will live for centuries.”

  “What!” I didn’t want to live for centuries. Not if Al was dead. “What the hell did you do?” I screamed and clutched my head.

  “You were about to die.”

  “Then you should’ve let me die.”

  “I couldn’t do that. I just told you we do everything on a deeper level. I care about you. I wouldn’t be able to live in a world without you Kate.”

  I grunted. “Please don’t tell me that you are in love with me too.”

  “No, it’s not like that. I know you are married. See me as your big sister.”

  “My big sister?”

/>   “Yes, one that will always be there. Always.”

  I squinted. This was too complicated to make sense of.

  “Kate,” someone familiar called my voice.

  “Fred, is that you?” I yelled.

  “You’re alive. We were so worried when they brought you in.” He was a few cells in front of me.

  “Is Albert alive?” Dragons roared. I froze. “They are here too.”

  “Al is alive. It’s Robert.” He said.

  “What are they doing to him?”

  “Nothing, their fate will be determined with ours.”

  “Their fate?”

  “You don’t know King Louis, Katherine.”

  I got what he was saying and Goran’s words played like a broken record in my mind. He was never going to accept me. I was a commoner.

  “I have a plan. As soon as we are out, they don’t know I’m a dragon. We will get out of here.”

  I didn’t want to nod but I did. My life with Albert was over.

  This ring meant nothing if his father was not going to accept me.

  I started to cry and Tanya held me tight.

  “It’s going to be okay, Kate.”

  “No it’s not. Goran warned me this would happened. I didn’t listen.”

  “I’ll get us all out of here, I promise.”

  * * *

  ALBERT

  I spoke to Delilah. Told her that I needed her help to find Katherine.

  “Who is Katherine, Albert?”

  “The girl from the ball, my wife.”

  She gasped and then smiled. She touched my face lovingly and then her smile disappeared. “Your father is never going to accept her.”

  “I don’t care what he says. We were married in front of God. She is my wife.”

  “He believes he is God, he will annul it.”

  I sighed. “He won’t. Not her. He will see.”

  “Baby, he is talking about a trial. He captured all the rebels. The princes are being held hostage in their rooms too. The kings are not taking this lightly.”

  “When is his hatred going to stop? With my death, my real death. He never learns.”

  “He’s not going to either.”

  “I hate him.” I put my arms on my knees and just cried.

  “You tried to listen for her.”

  I nodded. “I can’t hear into the dungeons.”

  She sighed. “I have problems with that too.”

  “I love her so much.”

  “He is going to make you marry Drizelda, Albert, like he intended to.”

  “I don’t love Drizelda.”

  “Why would this lady even be in the dungeons.”

  “She fought with the rebellion.”

  “She what?”

  “She is everything I ever wanted.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Then let’s hope with all the strength we possess that your father is going to see that, Albert.”

  She knew what that meant. Katherine was fierce, a perfect queen for me.

  I nodded.

  The door opened and my father walked in.

  “My king,” she bowed, got up and walked out the door.

  My father closed the door and silence lingered.

  “I don’t know where to begin.” He said.

  “How about I understand why you did this.”

  “I don’t Albert. I thought you were dead. When I saw you were the leader of the rebellion I saw black. It was Jako who told me it was you. I could’ve killed you. Why, why did you do this?”

  “Because they are dragons too. It was necessary.”

  “Starting a war. Do you know what this war cost us, the people.”

  “The people. What about the Chromatic children, father, being hunted for the black market.”

  “You know I can’t stop the market Albert. We need those potions.”

  “No, you need them because of the curse.”

  “It is treason.” He yelled.

  “There can’t be peace without war, you taught me that.”

  “Peace, there was peace.”

  “No, there wasn’t. You were too blind to see it. I thought you would have learned from your true love.”

  “She was Metallic.”

  “She was a dragon father. Dragon is dragon. It doesn’t matter how you look at them. Some are just scarier than others, but they are all dragons.”

  “It was a Chromatic that cursed me.”

  “Because you didn’t do a thing to try to stop them when they executed her.”

  “That’s not true. I did everything in my power, but I had to make a choice.”

  “Make a choice.” I huffed. “Do what you need to do. If there is going to be a trial, then throw me in the dungeon too. I was the head of this rebellion. If my dragon dies, if any of my men die, then be prepared to execute me too.”

  “Albert.”

  “No, the law is the law, father. If you are not prepared to change it,” I got up and hit my door. The guard walked in.

  “Take me to the dungeons.” I said and surrendered my hands to him to be cuffed.

  “Don’t be absurd. Leave us.”

  The guard closed the doors.

  “Albert you don’t understand. I have lost so many men.”

  “I have lost many too.”

  He closed his eyes.

  “Then we will negotiate.”

  I nodded.

  “Rest, I need to consult with Jako first.” He left.

  I knew where his negotiations were going to lead to.

  I just want her to be safe. It’s all.

  * * *

  KATIE

  The next few days a lawyer came to our cell.

  “My name is William Time.” The man said. He couldn’t have been older than Albert. “I’m your lawyer, if a trial is going to take place.”

  Tanya gave an unbelievable laugh. “You are here to defend us.”

  “Not at the moment. The king is willing to negotiate.”

  “Negotiate. It doesn’t matter what is said. Dragons won’t come out of this one alive, and you know it.”

  He just looked at her.

  “What negotiations?” I asked.

  “The crown prince told his father that he will die with you all if there is a trial. I’m on your side. What he did was treason, but he is the crown prince. If he wasn’t, everyone would’ve already been executed. Now, I’m not going to lie. You two being women your chances are not good as is.”

  “Because women are so less superior.” Tanya snided.

  “It’s their law.”

  “Their?” I asked.

  “I know she is a dragon.” He said.

  “You are a dragon too.” Tanya said. “Let me guess, a Crown-Tail.”

  “I was hired by the prince way before all of this started. Now is there any leverage you two might have?”

  “Yes,” Tanya said. “She’s Albert’s wife.”

  He froze and frowned as he looked at me. I stared at Tanya.

  “Is that true?” William asked.

  I nodded. “We were married about 20 days ago.”

  “Can a priest verify this?”

  “No, because I was ordered to compel him.” Tanya snided. “The prince can confirm it.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll get word to him. I’m sure he is worried about you.”

  He left and went into another cell but left faster than he entered.

  “Why did you tell him that.”

  “You heard what he said, we need leverage. If you being Albert’s wife isn’t leverage, I don’t know what is.”

  I didn’t reply to that. I was just worried about how all this was going to turn out.

  I kept seeing the boy that looked like Andrew. The girl was just a possibility, that was it.

  * * *

  ALBERT

  I hit my hand hard on the table. “No, none of the dragons will lose their lives.”

  “Albert,” my father yelled just as the door
opened. His guards had taken a register of all the surviving men.

  I didn’t see Katherine or Tanya’s names on it.

  It was William, a Crown-Tail who I had hired to be our presentation if it was going to end up in a trial.

  “Can I help you?” The king asked.

  “It’s William, he is representing the rebellion.”

  “You got representation. I thought we are negotiating.” My father said.

  “If it came to that, Father. I’m not stupid. I know how you think.”

  I got up and went to William while my father sat at the desk annoyed that I had gotten representation to begin with.

  “Albert, you have women in this crusade.”

  “They are down in the dungeon.” I asked and he nodded.

  I closed my eyes.

  “One of them claims to be your wife.”

  “Katherine.”

  “What?” My father said. “You are married?”

  “Father it has nothing to do with you. If you thought I was going to marry that spoiled brat that has no backbone, you were making a huge mistake. She is cruel, she will never be fit to be my queen. There are no negotiations about that. We were married in front of God. That is that.”

  “I need to see this priest.”

  “He was compelled afterward.”

  “Then the wedding never happened.”

  “It’s a done deal. It happened. I made my vows to her in front of God. She will be my queen.”

  “Her bloodline.”

  “I don’t give a crap about her bloodline.”

  “Albert this is ludicrous. Who is she.”

  “The girl that won mother’s lottery.”

  “A commoner.” He yelled.

  “Take that word back, she is not a commoner. She is the fifth woman that made it out of the Sacred Cavern. She has royalty in her being, she doesn’t need it in her blood.”

  My father fell quiet as he knew all the women before her that made it out of the Sacred Cavern were all queens.

  “No, I won’t be lowered to this.”

  “It’s not your choice.” I roared.

  “I can’t listen to this. If it’s a trial you want, you will get one.”

  He walked with huge strides out of the door.

  “Albert stop him. This will end with executions. These women don’t stand a chance.”

  “He knows what he is doing. If he kills any of my men, he will have to kill me too.”