Dragon Bow

by Angelique Anderson

  Her teeth ground together as she had another thought. Cayden had called the king, ‘Uncle’. Her eyes hardened and her lip twitched. He should have mentioned that. It was important information that he was the king’s nephew. If she had known earlier about Cayden’s relationships… well, she didn’t know what she’d do. Would she have trusted him more? More importantly, should she trust him now that he’d kept two very important secrets from her?

  As much as she wanted to call him out over the two revelations, Astrid knew it wasn’t the time. Swallowing her anger and pride, she knelt by his side to see what he would do to help the young woman, Emmeline.

  “What can I do?” she asked.

  “We need to find a bed to take her to. She’s injured badly and needs medical help,” Cayden said.

  Astrid nodded. She stood and began searching the nearby rooms. Most of them were studies or small libraries, but after scanning more than a dozen rooms, she found one with a bed. The problem was—it was occupied. A man, garnered in white robes, sat atop it. He looked weak, but he was actively looking around. His hand rested on a sword on a nearby table, but it didn’t look like he had the strength to lift it.

  “Excuse me?” Astrid asked.

  He flinched, tried to grab the sword, but it slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground.

  “I’m not here to hurt you. I need your bed. It looks large enough for two patients, I was wondering if you would mind sharing it. We have an injured woman nearby and she desperately needs it.”

  He bit his lip as he looked down at the sword by his feet. His expression was defeated. More than anything, it looked like he wanted to help. The sound of battle rang clear throughout the castle, and it was clear this man was a warrior, but he was injured.

  “That’s fine,” he muttered.

  “What’s your name?” Astrid asked.

  “Tristan,” he said.

  “Thank you, Tristan.”

  Astrid nodded at him before departing the room. She rushed back to find Cayden cradling Emmeline in his arms. Astrid came to a quick stop as she looked at the young woman. She was hurt, bad, and her eyes were closed. Was she too late?

  “Is she?” Astrid asked.

  “She’s alive, but she’s drained. We need to get her to a bed, and we need to find help. A servant or doctor.”

  Astrid nodded. “I found a bed. It’s occupied, but there’s plenty room for two patients.”

  “Occupied?” he asked.

  “It’s all I could find.”

  He inhaled slowly. “Fine.”

  Cayden attempted to lift her by himself, but he had a minor injury himself and struggled. Astrid stepped over and helped him, taking Emmeline’s feet while he carried her under the arms. Astrid turned around, securing Emmeline’s legs at her hip under her arms as she walked forward, with her upper body behind her and under Cayden’s grip. She led the way through several corridors until reaching the room she had found. A young woman servant passed by the room as they entered.

  “Excuse me!” Astrid called.

  The servant poked her head in the room to look at the two of them. “Yes, ma’am?”

  “We need help, please,” Astrid said.

  The servant stepped into the room and looked at Emmeline, who was still in Astrid’s and Cayden’s arms. She brushed the woman’s forehead.

  “Oh, light, Emmeline,” the servant whispered. “Lay her down.”

  Astrid and Cayden complied. The man who laid on the bed who had been turned away from them, suddenly spun his head around to see the woman who had been placed on the bed next to him.

  “Emmeline? No… Emmeline.”

  Astrid tilted her head as she studied the man’s expression. His eyes had widened, and his mouth fell open. The beginnings of tears could be seen in the corners of his eyes. This man not only knew Emmeline, but he cared for her greatly.

  “You know her?” Astrid asked.

  Tristan nodded. “I have known her a very long time.”

  “Tristan?” Cayden asked.

  Tristan turned to face Cayden. “Cayden? Is that really you?”

  Cayden nodded. “I wish it were under better circumstances.”

  “Me too, my friend,” Tristan said. “How is she?”

  “As long as she’s treated, she’ll be fine,” the servant said. “But I’m going to need some room to work, and some quiet.”

  Astrid nodded. “I’ll go. I need to find my sister.”

  Cayden looked to her. “Be careful.”

  “I will. Take care of your sister. And… when this is all said and done, you have some explaining to do.”

  He gulped. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

  Astrid hurried out of the room, not looking back. She had to find her sisters. They were both here in the castle with her, but she didn’t know exactly where. Yet, she had the foreboding sensation that they needed her help.

  “Aronus… I need your help. Where are they?”

  The eastern wing of the castle that leads to the dark tower. Hurry!

  Astrid dared not ask any more questions. She could feel Aronus’s presence in her mind, and through her bow. When he told her to hurry, she did not ask questions, nor did she want to. Astrid was afraid to learn the truth. Was one of her sisters injured? Worse? She shook her head from such thoughts as she ran from the western wing of the castle to the eastern wing.

  All around her was chaos. Tellurian guards still fought in the name of their king, but Astrid paid them little attention. Aequorans and Caelestans fought side by side against them, and little by little, the Tellurian guards were failing. The closer Astrid looked, the more she realized that not all Tellurians were on the king’s side. Some of them were fighting with the Aequorans and Caelestans. Astrid held back a smile, but she did smile on the inside. Perhaps there was hope after all.

  When she reached the eastern wing, she noticed a vastly different appearance. There weren’t fights currently going on, but instead—it looked like a tornado had run through. Chairs and desks were destroyed everywhere. Elegant carpets were torn. And bodies littered the ground and walls. Some injured, but most were dead.

  Standing in the center of the room was a lone Caelestan soldier. He appeared lost as he gazed in the corner of the room. At his feet was a Tellurian solider who sat. It was clear the Tellurian didn’t have much energy, and his clothes were soaked in blood, however, he didn’t seem as injured as he appeared.

  “Soldier, are you well?” Astrid asked.

  The Caelestan turned to face her. He flinched, then bowed slightly. “Yes, milady.”

  “What happened here?” She asked.

  “Death,” he replied.

  “I would have been dead if not for the woman in blue,” whispered the Tellurian soldier on the ground.

  Astrid smiled. Hekla. “Where is she?”

  The Caelestan soldier stared blankly at her for several long minutes before responding. First, he pointed to a doorway leading to a stairwell.

  “She went up when she heard a scream.”

  Astrid’s eyes bulged. She glanced at the stairway then back to the soldier.

  “Stay here, guard this room.”

  He gulped, and nodded, as if he’d been told this already. “As you wish, miladies.”

  Astrid didn’t have time to ask him what he meant. Instead, she tugged the bow off her shoulder and dashed up the stairs. They were long, and spiraled around, but after a few minutes of running, she reached the top. She stood motionless for a moment, catching her breath before she approached the door at the top.

  She heard cackling. It was quiet, but it was menacing and sounded nothing like a sane person’s laugh. Astrid shivered. She stepped into the room. Her eyes bulged at the scene before her. Svana was on the ground, not moving, with rubble on top of her. Hekla was near the entrance. She looked to be in better shape, but she too was on the ground, her scepter lying next to her, and some type of black ooze covered her body, suffocating her.

  Astrid ran to her, set the bow
to her side, and began peeling the black ooze, which had hardened away from Hekla’s face. Hekla took a deep breath, gagging on the air like she hadn’t tasted it in months.

  The cackling continued, but it was closer now. Astrid got to her feet and looked around. From the shadows, a man appeared. He wore black robes hanging all the way to the ground above his open sandals, and had a long beard touching his chest. In his hand he held an intricate staff, similar in appearance to Hekla’s scepter, but wooden instead of metal.

  “I now have all three of the sisters in the same room. And like them, you will fall. I will be rewarded for defeating the three of you. And without your meddlesome antics, the kingdoms can fall right back where they need to be. Chaos.”

  Astrid stood, grabbing her bow, and stringing her dragon’s tail, prepared to loose. But she had a single question she wanted answered first.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Power doesn’t come from unity. It only comes from destruction.”

  She tilted her head as she looked at him, but he didn’t offer further explanation as a ball of black fire flew at her. Astrid held onto her bow and arrow tight as she dove to the ground and rolled. The fire whizzed past her ear. When she finished rolling, she stopped on her knee and loosed her arrow. Her mark was true, but he had shifted, and instead of piercing his heart, it pierced his shoulder.

  He cried out in pain, cursing venomously. Staring at her, he released another magical spell, this time ice instead of fire.

  Astrid didn’t have the time or the maneuverability to dodge his next attack. Instead, she nocked and loosed another arrow. To her surprise, when her arrow met with the sphere of black ice, it disintegrated it. Her arrow was no longer there, like the two had canceled each other out. She strung another arrow and let it release.

  The dark wizard slapped the arrow down with his staff, but before he could summon another spell, Astrid released another arrow. This one he couldn’t slap down in time, and it penetrated his chest. He stumbled back in pain and on reflex released a fireball at her.

  Astrid couldn’t deflect or dodge the fireball. It struck her in the chest and tossed her backward onto the ground. Groaning, and patting herself off to put out the fire, she stood. Before she should nock her bow, he released another spell. Again, it struck her, and she was knocked back, spinning through the air, and crashing hard against the ground. Stone dust from the castle entered her mouth, drying it out as she struggled to get to her feet. He sent another spell. This time, she dove forward, missing the magical attack by inches, and rolled on the floor. When she turned back to look where she had been, a large charred hole covered the area.

  The wizard waved his staff and two beams of flames came from its tip and onto the ground. Each flame formed a large shape that grew until it was a full-sized dog. They each barked, then ran at Astrid. She moved to the side, dodging one, but the second tackled her to the ground and bit her forearm. Searing, hot pain burned through her, and she used her legs to kick the dog off her. Grabbing the tail of her bow, she prepared another arrow. The second dog jumped toward her, and she raised the tail of the dragon bow and stabbed it through the fiery heart of the fire dog. It disintegrated into nothingness. She knelt, turned around, and loosed two arrows at the first dog. It staggered, slowing as it approached her, and she loosed a third arrow, straight through the fire dog’s head. It dissipated.

  You can do this, Astrid, Aronus said.

  Astrid nodded and stood once again. Another magical attack came, but she spun out of the way. Yet, another one came, and she nocked her bow, and released an arrow. The arrow canceled out the spell, and Astrid was grateful to have magical arrows. She nocked and released. His magic deflected it. She released another, and his staff knocked it to the ground.

  He waved his staff in the air, and a mist traveled all around his body, turning his body translucent. Astrid paused for only a second, before loosing another arrow. When it neared him, his body disappeared into a cloud, turning into a gaseous form, and missing the arrow. He didn’t turn right back but rushed toward her as a cloud of gas. Astrid tried to move, but he was too fast, and his gaseous form knocked her onto her bottom. He then formed back into an incorporeal being and used his staff to smack her across the face.

  A man entered the room. “Svana?” he asked.

  The dark wizard turned to look at the man and blasted a fireball at him, and while he was distracted his form turned corporeal once more, and Astrid released another arrow. An arrow penetrated his chest for a second time. She didn’t stop and loosed another. It met his shoulder. Another penetrated his stomach. He dropped his staff. Astrid’s hand quivered as she aimed another arrow at him, but when she looked down to see Svana still not moving, her hand flinched and her last arrow met true, right between the dark wizard’s eyes.

  After a moment of silence, the man approached Astrid. She didn’t recognize him and she she tilted her head and bit her lip as she studied his appearance. He was weakened, but clearly a decent warrior, above all, he knew how to carry himself, and especially how to wield a weapon.

  “Where is Svana?” he asked.

  “Who are you?” Astrid asked.

  “My name is Jakobe.”

  Hekla stood, and began dragging her feet toward Astrid. “This is Svana’s lover.”

  Astrid’s eyes bulged. “Her what?”

  “We’re not. We haven’t—” Jakobe coughed.

  Hekla chuckled. “Well, they’re wannabe lovers.”

  “Svana…” Astrid said.

  She looked over to see Svana’s crumpled body. Now even more rubble covered her. Astrid ran over to her with Hekla and Jakobe trailing her. Svana laid on the ground, her eyes swollen shut, her body bruised, and her chest not moving. Astrid and Jakobe began lifting the rocks and rubble off her.

  “She’s not breathing,” Astrid said.

  Hekla looked uncertain what to do, and it reminded Astrid of her younger days, though, those days weren’t that far behind. Everyone had been forced to grow up fast, and Hekla had always been the youngest, but she truly looked lost, like she didn’t know what to do.

  “Hekla,” Astrid interrupted. “Can you heal her?”

  “I—I—” Hekla fell to her knees.

  After a pause, Hekla scooted closer to Svana and put her hand on her forehead. Hekla closed her eyes and her scepter glowed. Her eyes opened and tears began to fall.

  “What?” Astrid asked.

  “She’s—” Hekla sobbed.

  “What!?” Astrid demanded.

  “She’s not there.”

  “What do you mean she’s not there?” Astrid asked.

  “When I concentrate on my magic, I can feel someone’s life, and how far they are from death. However, I can’t feel Svana at all.”

  “No,” Astrid said. “Try again.”

  “I—”

  “I said try again!” Astrid yelled.

  Hekla’s lips crunched together, and she took a long, sobbing breath. Svana’s body glowed blue as Hekla fed energy into it, but nothing happened. Svana didn’t move. Svana didn’t breathe.

  “I’m sorry,” Hekla said as she opened her eyes.

  “It can’t be,” Jakobe whispered through his own tears.

  He collapsed onto the ground on Svana’s other side. Hekla moved out of the way as he edged closer to Svana’s face. He cupped his hand on her cheek as his tears fell upon her face.

  “Svana… come back to me,” Jakobe choked. “I love you.”

  She didn’t respond. Astrid and Hekla silently sobbed and held each other.

  Jakobe ran his hands through her long red hair and leaned in to press his lips against hers. He remained with his lips pressed against hers for a long moment before he collapsed on top of her, sobbing uncontrollably, thrashing his fist against the ground.

  *END*

  (If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review)

  Continue The Dragon’s Call

  www.CraigAPrice.com/novels.html

 
; http://authorangeliqueanderson.com

  Newsletters

  www.CraigAPrice.com/email-list.html

  http://eepurl.com/cfDUwj

  Also by Angelique S. Anderson

  The Dracosinum Series

  The Dragon Lady

  The Phoenix Lord

  A Steampunk Christmas Carol

  The Dragon Queen

  Quincy’s Clockwork Chronicles

  The Eden Series

  Eden’s Serum

  Eden’s Demise

  Eden’s Child-Coming Soon

  Little Lost Girl Series

  Little Lost Girl: The Complete Series

  The Redemption Series

  Redemption of the Changed

  Retribution of the Changed

  Revolution of the Changed

  Also Available

  Clara’s Diary

  Twisted Intentions

  Stealing Ireland

  Also By Craig A. Price

  Calthoria Shorts

  Chronicles of Starlyn

  Heart of Ikchani

  Victoria’s Grave

  Claymore of Calthoria Trilogy

  The Crimson Claymore

  The Obsidian Arrow

  The Violet Flamberge

  Dragonia Empire

  Dragonia: Rise of the Wyvern

  Dragonia: Revenge of the Dragons

  Dragonia: Dragon Stone

  Dragonia: Rise of Magic