Dragon's Fire

by Bri Sailor

  “Ky! Ky!” shouted the princess as she picked up her sword.

  The warrior was gone. Atreyis stuck with the plan and raced for the balcony. To the right she could see an open window a few yards away. She leapt onto the ledge of the palace and started to shimmy her way over. She could hear the barricaded door give way as more troops flooded into the quarters. Moving as fast as she could she made it to the window and dove inside, startling some cowering court members before rushing out the door.

  Chapter 13

  Atreyis sprinted through the halls of the palace. Total chaos had ensued. Outside guards and soldiers were frantically trying to put out the fires and corral the horses. Heavily armed palace guards raced towards the Steward’s quarters. Those that had been staying in the palace, court members and servants and guests alike, were running in fear for their lives. The princess could see the main palace doors as she raced through the throne room. With glowing blue eyes she barreled through the door, nearly busting one of the hinges. The night sky was lit up like a warm sunrise as the raging fires cast a bright orange light over the palace and the grounds. The horses were trampling anyone foolish enough to get in their way as they frantically searched for a way out of the inferno. Atreyis bolted in the direction of the wheelhouse.

  Taryn stood with glowing blue eyes and all of her weight on top of the table over the ladder entrance to the wheelhouse. Frantic and furious soldiers yelled and shouted as they tried desperately to get past her barrier. The small shaft of the ladder made it possible for only one person at a time to fit, making it all the more difficult. Forgoing her own safety, Atreyis let her eyes glow bright blue as she ran towards the small mob of soldiers trying to get into the wheelhouse to open the gate. She drew her bow and readied her first arrow. It instantly found its target and took him down with ease. In the panic the others didn’t seem to notice a thing. Atreyis continued to release her deadly barrage of arrows, thinning out the mob. The soldiers finally noticed the blue-eyed imposter attacking them. They turned their attention to the attacker. All five of them ran at her with swords raised and spears ready. Atreyis quickly threw her bow over her back and drew her sword. The ruckus below Taryn suddenly stopped and was quiet. The guard held her breath a moment. She stared at the makeshift wooden trap door under her feet. It was too quiet. After a few moments someone started banging on the wood again. Taryn dropped to her knee and held on to the legs of the table.

  “Taryn, let me in!” came a muffled voice. “Hurry!”

  She breathed a sigh of relief and jumped off of the table and flipped it over and unlocked the door. Atreyis quickly climbed out of the shaft.

  “Open the gate! Hurry!” she panted.

  Taryn ran over to the mechanism and kicked the lock release. The large spool of thick chains spun out of control. The gate outside free-fell into its slot in the ground. The pair watched as the chaos spilled out into the causeway and towards the city square. Suddenly, the deep bellowing sound of the alarm bell rang out across the city. Some brave soul had dared push through the flames to sound the alarm. A breathless Ehren climbed up the ladder.

  “It’s working. They’re running for it.” He panted.

  Riker was right behind him.

  “The place is nearly empty.” He gasped.

  “Good.” Replied Atreyis firmly.

  She grabbed the crank and starting raising the gate. Those that were still fleeing vaulted over the rising metal, and a few more tried to climb it. Soon the gate was closed once more. The four imposters raced down the ladder and outside. Atreyis raced up the stairs that lead to the wall walk. Her heart nearly stopped as she gazed at the hundreds and hundreds of fresh troops that marched towards them ready to crash their way into the palace.

  “Is Cora here yet?” asked Taryn behind her.

  “No.” said Atreyis. “I haven’t seen her.”

  “Well she and the princess better get here quickly.” Said Riker.

  “They can take their time and be safe.” Said Ehren calmly. “The gate will hold them plenty long.”

  “Where’s Ky?” asked Taryn.

  Atreyis threw her arms up in defeat. “I don’t know. After she killed Horgath she took off, saying that she needed to do something. But not before giving me this.”

  She dug the crystal necklace out of her pocket. It appeared to glitter with an etheric energy.

  “Amazing.” Whispered Riker.

  “We’re that much closer now.” Said Ehren with a small sigh of relief.

  They watched the insanity from the wall. A strange stillness grew as they waited for the city’s forces to come crashing down on the gate. Suddenly, Riker’s ears perked up.

  “Did you hear that?”

  #

  Ky raced through the secret door and found herself in a very small and cramped spiral staircase. Her heart pounded in her ears as she raced down the steps. The sound of the chaos outside echoed down the stone passage. A soft glow of light appeared and the warrior stumbled out from behind a thick purple curtain and ran smack into the dark mahogany throne. A fleeting feeling of disgust bubbled up from her stomach as she thought about who she had allowed to once sit there. Yells from outside of the throne room were getting closer so she ducked behind the throne. A few dozen guards ran past from the main door and were headed in the direction of the Steward’s quarters. The warrior glanced to make sure there weren’t any stragglers before sprinting off towards the dungeon. As she raced through the halls the memory of running through the Aznurro palace flashed through her mind; at least this time she could leave a trail of bodies if she so desired to slake her rage.

  When she finally reached the spot she froze a moment. The massive staircase led three flights down into the pitch black. The warrior suddenly became lightheaded and an overwhelming sense of dread gripped her heart. She had seen this before, or at least something like it. A dream perhaps? Ky managed to get ahold of herself and shook off the feeling as she descended. The guards had completely abandoned the place. Seemingly endless rows stacked upon rows of cells lined each wall. The warrior stopped in the middle of the dungeon. Prisoners begging for release began yelling and trying to get her attention. Ky searched them but could not find her, and time was running out.

  She yelled at the top of her lungs. “IYARA!”

  The warrior desperately searched for any response. Nothing.

  “IYARA!”

  The prisoners continued to shout and yell. Ky’s eyes flew over all of the cells. She finally noticed a cell in the upper corner of the room that appeared empty. Her stomach clenched. There, she had to be there. Ky raced up the wooden stairs to the upper level and ran to the empty cell. All the breath in her body left her. Huddled up in the corner was a mess of dirty rags cowering against the noise and confusion.

  “Iyara!” cried Ky.

  The gaunt woman turned to the sound of her name. The light that once shown bright in her clear emerald eyes was now gone. What hope she had held on to for all those years had faded into a pit of hopelessness. The warrior’s strength left her and she fell to her knees.

  “Iyara?” her voice cracked. “It’s me, Ky. Please, we have to get out of here.”

  The starving woman tried to stand up. “Ky?”

  Holding the wall she stumbled to the bars of her cell. Guilt-ridden gray eyes searched out the dim emerald.

  “How did—’’ Iyara whispered, her lips chapped and pale. “I never thought I would see you again.”

  Ky cut her off. “I will explain later. I must get you out of here now!”

  The warrior gripped the bars and studied the cell. They were thinner and meant to hold humans and not Descended. Ky shook the bars. They rattled some.

  “Stand back.” She told Iyara.

  The girl stepped back as Ky’s eyes turned red. The warrior gripped the bars tightly as she braced a foot on the wall. The metal groaned as she pulled with all her might. The wall slowly began to crack. The prisoners continued to yell and begged for the warrior to free them as well.
The veins in the warrior’s neck bulged. Suddenly the wall gave and one of the bars popped loose. Ky lost her balance for a moment but kept pulling. Soon more of the wall gave way and the bars bent enough for Iyara to slip out. The poor woman collapsed in Ky’s arms. Tears filled her emerald eyes as the warrior gently smiled down at her. Suddenly, she found herself being lifted in the air as the blonde picked her up in her arms. Iyara wrapped her arms around Ky’s neck and held on tight as the warrior raced as fast as she could out of the dungeon. The light of the fires streamed through the windows of the empty palace. The sounds of Horgath’s army trying to bust down the gates rang out. Iyara looked around in horror.

  “By the gods…Ky, what did you do?” she gasped.

  “Something I should have done years ago.” Replied the warrior with an icy coolness.

  They made their way towards the wall walk. Bodies were piled up near the gate. She grabbed a sword from a dead soldier as she raced up the final set of stairs. Her lungs burned as she panted heavily trying to catch her breath. Everyone caught up with her.

  “Congratulations on your little coup.” Riker smiled impishly as he noticed the woman in her arms. “Ah, I suppose this was your little side project.”

  He was quickly joined by Ehren and Atreyis and Taryn.

  “Finally!” said the exasperated princess. “Took you—’’

  Atreyis stopped dead in her tracks. A frail woman rested her head on Ky’s shoulder as the warrior held her. Before Atreyis could get out another word Ky cut her off.

  “I will explain later. Right now we need to get up there.”

  Ky nodded in the direction of the section of the wall walk that overlooked the main gate. Ehren led the way, taking the stairs two at a time. At the top of the wall walk there was a ladder leading up to the platform above the gate. Ky set Iyara down.

  “Do you think you can climb this? We have to get up there.” She searched her eyes.

  Iyara nodded her head meekly. “I can manage.”

  Ky tucked the sword in her belt and stayed close behind the girl as she carefully made her way up to the platform. From up there they could see everything. The empty palace. The giant burning shell that was the barracks and the half-burnt embers that had been the stables. The warm wind billowed the palace banners. Down in the city square the remainder of the army stood at the ready. Troops lined the entire causeway up to the main gate. There they tried their best to break the locks that held the gate in place trying to get it to fall back down into the ground. Ehren and Taryn quickly pulled up the ladders from both sides so that no one could get to the platform. Ky stood still. The light of the fire and torches showed the blood that covered her arms nearly to her shoulders, her neck, and saturated her black clothes. Her platinum blonde hair blew wildly around her as she stepped up to the edge. Her eyes burned a furious red. Some of the soldiers beneath noticed her. She took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

  “Your steward is dead! Your chokehold over this city has come to an end!”

  The soldiers nearest her stopped and looked up. One man moved towards her. His armor was highly polished and looked as if it had never seen battle before. He pointed his sword at her.

  “You lie!” he shouted back. “You and your lot will pay for what you have done!”

  Ky smiled evilly at the commanding officer.

  “How’s this for proof?” she held up her bloody arms. “Is his blood not enough?”

  She looked over at Atreyis and gave her a nod. The princess produced the shimmering necklace and walked to the edge, holding it high for all to see. The officer went white as he recognized the necklace.

  “Break the damn gate!” he shouted frantically at his troops.

  They picked up the heavy battering ram and continued their assault on the gate. Ky simply stood smiling at the edge looking like a woman possessed. An arrow whizzed through the air at Atreyis and Ky caught it and broke it in half with one hand. She looked the princess dead in the eye. Atreyis’ stomach clenched, she had seen dead eyes like that before. The roar of conflict seemingly erupted all around them from nowhere. Everyone watched as fires exploded across the city. The sounds of battle rang out in the night. Atreyis whipped her head back and looked at Ky.

  “What did you do?” the fear was evident in her voice.

  The warrior smiled like a deranged wolf. She pulled out both of her swords and stared a moment at the stunned princess. She took a step off of the ledge and fell fifty feet. She landed directly on the battering ram, smashing it to the ground before leaping into the sea of soldiers. Atreyis moved to follow but was stopped as Ehren reached for her arm.

  “Don’t! She can lose her life to this madness but I’ll be damned if I let you!” he shouted.

  Atreyis watched in utter disappointment as Ky gave in to her bloodlust and bodies steadily fell off the causeway. She looked back at the equally shocked Iyara who waivered in the wind. The rest of the group stood ever vigil as the lone wolf made a bloody path. Suddenly, a series of loud horn blasts stopped everything. The sound of marching began growing louder near the square. Everyone turned to see a massive army of soldiers wearing golden yellow and majestic purple uniforms. Leading the army was Princess Joslette, decked out in full armor, a silver crown with shining amethysts sitting proudly on her head. By her side rode an equally armored Doan and Cora. Ehren and Atreyis smiled proudly.

  Ehren shouted. “Your rightful queen has returned from the grave! Your queen could not kill her! She your true leader, your true queen! Lusha no longer has any influence here! Turn your loyalties to those that truly deserve it! All those who choose to follow the witch will be met with the same fate as the steward.”

  “Bow to your Queen!” bellowed Doan from his mount. “Queen Joslette! Daughter of Edvard the Magnificent! Child of Morlex, Guardian of Thaemo, and Protector of Quinmor!”

  The officers immediately dropped their weapons. The trapped soldiers hesitated a moment, but one by one they dropped their weapons. Slowly, they dropped on their knees and bowed reluctantly.

  #

  Saebic studied the moonlit horizon before him. Thaemo was only a few miles away. He clenched his jaw. Every bone in his body told him that he should just deal with the twins himself and forget about Horgath. He squared his shoulders. No. He would follow the commands given to him by his queen. Saebic suddenly stopped. Off in the distance he could see something long and snaking glinting in the moonlight. He spurred his horse closer. A sizable army began to take shape. He inched closer, using the dark of the night as his cover. Each of the soldiers was wearing the yellow and purple colors of the royal family.

  “What is happening here?” he whispered to himself.

  He followed as close as he could without getting caught. As the army approached the city gates opened wide to receive them. Saebic waited a few minutes until they had all passed through before attempting to sneak past, leaving his horse safely behind. Thaemo was eerily devoid of people. Sticking to the shadows, he slipped through the streets unnoticed. Suddenly, explosions rocked the city and the sound of fighting slowly grew louder. He raced through the city towards the temple dodging fleeing citizens and flames. Every barrack and citadel burned. He reached the temple and raced up the bell tower stairs as it rang out in alarm. His heart stopped as he looked out over the burning city. He could see the hellfire that was behind the palace wall. He watched the horror unfold as his auxiliary forces were surrounded by another army. The fighting suddenly ceased and a woman on a white horse came forward. All of his men slowly dropped to their knees and bowed. Saebic wasted no time. He jumped over the rail and grabbed the impossibly long rope that was attached to the bell and slid down it. He vaulted onto the saddle of the nearest horse he could find and raced to the barracks.

  Everything was trashed as if there had been an ambush or rush to get out of there. He went straight to the officers’ quarters. Ignoring everything, he zeroed in on a spot in the far corner of the building. A loose brick was coming out of the flo
or. He knelt and lifted it. Under it was a small folded piece of paper with something scribbled on it.

  “Priestess contacted old priest. Search for crystals continues. Steward confident in capture. Reports of Toran amassing forces.”

  “So much for your confidence, you damned fool.” Bit Saebic.

  He folded the note up and stuck it in his pocket. His brow furrowed. Lusha was not going to like this. He mounted his horse and sped for the gate. He needed to get back before anything else could go wrong. Thoughts raced through his mind. With Thaemo gone how would they be able to hold the front against Toran? And those crystals. Despite what his queen had told him, something deep inside that those crystals were more powerful than she realized. He raced through the grasslands. Reaching inside of his shirt he pull out a chunk of crystal attached to a necklace. A gift from his love. He glanced at it. Let’s hope this works. He lifted it to his lips and whispered something. Instantly, both he and his steed vanished in a black cloud of smoke.