by Katie Cherry
Thaddeus watches wide-eyed as the King lowers himself onto one of his plush couches. “What… where are we going to put them all?”
“In the houses reserved for contestants in the Games, in portable housing set up in the Square… in my own castle if needs be,” he replies, his vacant eyes focused towards the flames dancing in the old stone fireplace. “The only room that will be off-limits is Crystal’s room. I’m not giving up on getting her back,” he grunts determinedly, turning his haunted gaze towards Thaddeus once more.
“Speaking of Crystal,” Thaddeus begins, sitting across from the King, “I was finally able to contact Nathan.”
“Oh? That’s good. Is he coming to help us?”
“Yes… well, more to help Crystal.”
“How does he mean to get into Patrick’s blasted castle?”
“He knows some Dragon Hunters on First Earth who are pretending to be working for you. He learned of a portal Patrick means to place there to bring Bryce back to his castle.”
“Bryce?” the King stirs uncomfortably. “That monster is coming back?”
“Not exactly,” Thaddeus continues. “Nathan is going to prevent him from traveling through the portal- he’s going to be the one transported directly into Patrick’s castle instead. He’s going to break Crystal out and return her to us.”
Alexander shakes his head. “That foolish boy,” he mutters, admiration in his voice. “How does he mean to succeed?”
“With the help of our spy.”
“T?”
“Yes.”
“Then perhaps he may yet prevail…” he murmurs, standing once more. “Let’s go and discover what we can do to aid that poor boy,” he declares.
<<
I look up hopefully as the door to my room is opened. “Hunter!” I cry, leaping to my feet. “You’re back!” I feel relieved. I hate sitting here alone.
“Hey,” he smiles back. His brown hair is knotted like he’d been through a massive wind storm.
“Are you okay?” I ask, concerned.
He runs a hand through his hair, straightening it. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just… a little windy out there.”
I nod. That makes sense. “What were you doing?”
He doesn’t reply immediately. Walking to the chair beside my bed, he sinks into it. “Just walking along our borders. I had to make sure that we weren’t being attacked by the dragons or Sohos.”
“Sohos?”
“They are dragon sympathizers. They fight against us.”
“So you and Patrick are fighting against the dragons, Sohos, and our parents?” I gasp. “Isn’t that hard?”
He smiles at me. “It’s not that bad. We have a lot of people helping us, too. Plus it’s not like they are all attacking us at once. They take turns.”
“Oh, okay. …Are we winning the war?”
He laughs. “Well we’re pretty early into the war, so no one is really winning yet, but… yes. If things stay like they are now, then we will win for sure.”
I grin. “Good. I don’t like people getting hurt, and that’s why we’re trying to stop the dragons, right?”
“Right.” He opens his mouth to say something else, but is interrupted by a dull thump on the other side of the wall, followed by someone screaming.
“Hunter? What’s going on over there?” I panic, racing over to the wall and putting my hands against it.
“Um… that’s just another dragon sympathizer,” he explains. “Patrick is asking him what his people’s plans are.”
“Is he a Soho?”
“Well… no. He’s from the King’s Village. His name is Chet. You can’t talk to him- he’ll tell you lies. Okay? You can only trust Patrick and me until we finish restoring your memories.”
“Okay,” I say, sitting back down on my bed. Something at the back of my mind tells me that if Patrick was simply asking him questions he wouldn’t be screaming like that.
The door to my room opens again and Patrick sticks his head in. “Hunter, I need to speak with you.”
“Will he be back soon?” I ask anxiously, loath to let him go again.
“Of course. He’ll be back with dinner in an hour. I just need him to help me plan what to do next in this war.”
“Okay,” I sigh. “Good luck.”
<<
“What’s wrong?” Hunter inquires as soon as the guard locks the door again.
“I know I said I wouldn’t disturb you while you’re talking to Crystal… but something has come up,” Patrick explains, stalking down the hall towards his council room.
Hunter almost has to jog to keep up with his long strides. “And? What happened?”
“…Dexter contacted me. He’s coming tomorrow. You must have Crystal prepared by then.”
“…Oh,” Hunter says, realizing what this means. He had only met Patrick’s superior once, but it was enough to convince him that he never wanted to meet the man again. “How am I supposed to have Crystal totally ready by then?”
“Do whatever it takes. Have one of your dragons kill a prisoner while she watches. That should convince her that we’re fighting for the correct thing. After that, treat her as an equal in our cause. She can have her own room, a new set of clothing, unlimited access to the castle. That shouldn’t be a problem since most of our prisoners are in the other building now. She won’t run into anyone who convinces her to let them go.”
Hunter nods. “Sounds like a good plan. I’ll get started immediately.”
“No, not immediately,” Patrick corrects as he stops at the door to the council room. “You are still a part of our council, and we need to decide our next course of action.” With that, he pushes open the heavy wooden door. The stiff iron hinges complain at the movement. Those in the room turn at the sound. The eight of them had been leaning over a sturdy wood table conversing across a map of Zilferia that was spread across the surface of the table.
“Patrick.” They all bow in unison. “Hunter.” They bow again, and Hunter feels a flash of pride. These men were loyal to him. As well they should be- he was the Prince of the Dragon Hunters! Everyone answered to him or Patrick. Sure, he had to obey Patrick and his superior, Dexter, but he had more power than most, and more power than anyone his age in any of the realms. He had a gift to lead, and luckily he was in a position to utilize it. Alyssa, of course, was about his age, but despite her place in the council, he was still much more important than her to their group.
“Galwart, report,” Patrick demands the nearest and oldest man of the group.
Galwart bows before responding. “Patrick. We were just discussing which of the groups we should attack next.”
Hunter sighs impatiently. “The Dragons, obviously. They are the most powerful, and the Sohos draw their strength from them. By wiping out the dragons, the Sohos will be vulnerable. We’d be killing two birds with one stone, essentially.”
Patrick nods. “Indeed. However, time is of the essence. We need to impress Dexter when he visits tomorrow evening. It is of the utmost importance.”
“Well, it would probably be fastest to attack them at their stronghold,” one of the men states. “However, since we don’t know where that location is…”
“I do,” Hunter interrupts. At the back of his mind, the huge Gold dragon whispers his warning to not return. He ignores it and turns to Patrick. “Crystal took me there. She was hoping to get the dragons to agree to fight with the Villagers.”
“And she was successful, I presume,” Patrick sighs. “Well, regardless, it won’t matter after we blow them all sky high, now will it?”
<<
Thaddeus spins the circumference of his watch and waits expectantly. “Thaddeus?” Nathan’s face appears, hovering over his wrist. “I haven’t talked to T yet.”
“No, that’s quite alright. I actually contacted you to make some suggestions for how to proceed once you arrive.”
“Oh. Well great, what is it?” he inquires impatiently.
“Patrick has, over the years, taken many things that would aid you if you could find them. Among them are Crystal’s rewards from the Games- such as the Matter ring and lightning shoes. And, most recently, clothing made from Glaoud skin.”
“…What’s Glaoud skin clothing?” he asks, confused. Thaddeus swiftly explains the purpose and origin of the skin. “So it will make me invisible?”
“Practically, yes. But that’s assuming that you can find and access his treasury where these items and more are sure to reside.”
“Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Nathan assures him. “I’ll send Auna over to scope it out. And while I’m in there, I’ll rescue Zelda and Y’vette as well. I’m not sure what state they’ll be in after being there so long, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Just don’t get caught,” Thaddeus cautions. “Don’t try and achieve more than is safe to attempt. We still need you here. We don’t need you in Patrick’s clutches.”
Nathan laughs harshly. “Of course not. Especially since I’m his new experiment.” He sighs. “Although I’m sure you guys will want to study me as well.”
“Only enough to discover how to reverse the damage,” Thaddeus assures.
Nathan just shakes his head. “Whatever. I’ve got to go. Good luck with everything.”
“You too,” Thaddeus manages to get out before Nathan closes his watch, ending the conversation. Lowering his arm, he turns to face the King.
“Are you finished?” he asks, his fingers nervously wrapped around a sword tied to his belt. Thaddeus is surprised at the sight of it.
“I thought you said you were never going to touch that sword again.”
Alexander frowns and looks down at the black hilt. “I have no choice. It is a worthy weapon, despite its history. I need it now more than ever, and cannot afford to continue shirking it. I shall forge a new legend to accompany the blasted thing. Evil cannot follow it around forever.”
“…Right.” Thaddeus shakes his head wearily and turns away. “Ready?”
“Yes. Pearl has called the council together. The only ones left are us.”
“Shall we, then?” Thaddeus invites, waving his hand for Alexander to lead the way.
<<
Finally, Hunter thinks as the meeting ends, pushing open the door as he storms out of the room. “Hunter, don’t forget to grab Crystal’s dinner,” Patrick calls after him.
“Yes sir,” he replies, irritated. He heads to their lunch room and grabs Crystal’s tray. One of his men carries his and follows him up to Crystal’s room. The guard quickly opens the door.
“Hunter! You were gone for so long!” Crystal cries when she catches sight of him. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine,” he sighs, handing her the tray and lowering himself into the chair by her bed. He accepts his tray from the other man, then sends him away. The door closes softly behind him. “Now eat quickly- I want to show you something,” he tells her.
“Really? What is it?”
“I just want to introduce you to one of my friends,” he says, munching on a carrot. “He’s really nice- you’ll like him.”
“Do I get to go outside?” she asks eagerly.
“Yes,” he responds, unable to keep from smiling at her excitement at this. She bounces eagerly and quickly finishes off the food on her tray.
“I’m done! Can we go now?”
Hunter laughs and sets the remainder of his food aside. “Sure. Let’s go.” As he leads her out the door, he feels a pang of regret. She was so happy and excited to go outside. Maybe he should just wait to have a dragon kill one of his men until later. She was so childlike… he didn’t want to destroy that fragility.
When he opens the door leading out of the castle, he turns and observes Crystal as she steps slowly onto the dirt with her bare feet. Her wide eyes gaze around at the pitiful surroundings. She points to the place that she had thrown a grenade not too long ago. “Were you guys attacked recently?”
“…Yeah, something like that,” he chuckles.
A soft breeze picks up. Crystal gasps as she feels the movement. She opens her arms as if embracing the weather and tilts her head up to the sky, keeping her eyes open despite the glaring sun. She then laughs. Hunter is stunned. He had never heard her laugh before- not even in his guise as Chet. The sound lifted his own heart and made him want to rejoice with her.
He shakes his head. No, he couldn’t be allowed to get distracted. Patrick had given him direct orders to have her observe a dragon killing someone. Although he now regretted getting her attached to said person before so the experience would be more impactful. He didn’t want to observe her loss of childlike joy.
But it had to be done.
“Princess Crystal!” One of his subjects, the bravest of them all, jogs up to them. He was not too much older than he and Crystal, but he had the heart of a lion. He had volunteered for this venture. Hunter admired his dedication.
Crystal lowers her arms and turns to Hunter. “Is this your friend?”
He forces a smile. “Yes, he is. He mentioned he wanted to meet you. Crystal, this is Kristich.”
Kristich bows to her, his smile reaching his ears. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess,” he says, taking her hand and slowly raising it to his mouth. Crystal giggles when he kisses her knuckles, his whiskers tickling her skin. “I was extremely gladdened to hear the news that you have switched sides in this war.”
“I need to show my friends the truth,” she simply replies, repeating what Hunter told her during their first session.
Kristich’s smile widens. “You are admirable, my lady. Whatever you need, I am at your service.”
“Why, thank you,” she replies, beaming.
Hunter sighs and reaches out with his mind for the nearest dragon. It was a small purple one. “Come to me and obey your directions.”
“Yes, master,” it replies before lifting into the air. It doesn’t take long for the beast to arrive.
“Dragon!” Kristich cries. He doesn’t waver as he sees his oncoming fate. “Princess, you need to get out of here! Go with Hunter! I shall slay this beast and save you!”
Crystal gasps and weakly follows as Hunter tugs her away from the doomed man. The dragon descends, breathing a torrent of fire, which Kristich dodges. He dives under the dragon and slashes at its belly. The dragon roars, then spins and sinks its teeth into the poor man’s chest.
“No!!!” Crystal cries, tugging at Hunter. “We have to save him! Hunter!”
Hunter just grimly shakes his head. “It’s too late,” he sighs. The dragon then turns to face them after dropping the body. It growls at them, its teeth red with Kristich’s blood.
“Stay behind me,” Hunter orders, shoving Crystal behind him as he draws his sword. She cowers as he takes a few steps forward, mocking the dragon. He dances around it, making it confused. Then he hollers and dashes forward, driving his sword into its brain. It convulses, cutting his leg as it does so. He hisses in pain and watches with satisfaction as it dies.
He turns to find Crystal in tears. Lowering his sword, he holds it by his side as he walks over to her. “Crystal? Crystal, what’s wrong…” She turns from him before he reaches her and races into the castle, her face hidden in her hands. He groans tiredly and hands his sword to a Dragon Hunter waiting by the door. “Make sure I get this back in perfect condition,” he orders before following his sister, his cloak billowing behind him as he strides through the hallways. He turns a corner and is surprised to find Crystal with her face buried in Patrick’s chest. As her tears slowly soak his clothing, Patrick looks to Hunter for an explanation. “What happened?” he mouths.
Hunter just shrugs, then walks forward and places his hand on one of her quivering shoulders. “Crystal?” he gently asks as she flinches at his touch. “What’s wrong?”
She suddenly swivels and faces him. Her face red from crying, she shouts, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong! Your fri
end is dead, that beautiful creature is dead, and you’re a murderer! What’s more, I don’t feel safe here! I don’t think I’m really safe anywhere!” She then races towards the Dragon Hunter who guards her room, tears the keys to her room from his belt, and takes off running down the corridor towards her room.
As the guard chases after her, Patrick turns to Hunter. “What happened?” he demands.
“I… I just did what you told me to do,” he whispers. “She just… didn’t take it very well.”
He shakes his head tiredly and walks away, gesturing with his hand for Hunter to follow him. “Well, that was a disaster… we may have to move to more drastic measures to impress Dexter when he comes to visit.”
“…What do you mean?” Hunter inquires as he walks just behind him, holding back a wince as the scratch the dragon dealt him stretches, tearing further. I must get this leg looked at as soon as possible, he surmises.
“The dragons. You know where their stronghold is, and we must impress Dexter.” Hunter nods. He had met the man only once before, but he knew that he didn’t ever want to see him again. He was definitely one you didn’t want to disappoint.
“I understand,” Hunter begins slowly. “But do we even have time to do so? Dexter is coming tomorrow evening, correct?”
“Yes. That’s why you will be taking as many men as we can spare, as well as all the Dragon Slayers. Have your dragon squad carry the machines so you can move faster. However, I do want to make sure you get back before Bryce arrives. We will need to inform and prepare him for Dexter’s impending visit.”
“Yes, sir. I won’t fail you,” Hunter pledges.
“I trust that you won’t,” Patrick responds, his eyes gleaming.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Improvising
Angela groans with exhaustion as she hears her phone go off- yet again. She reaches over and answers the call without bothering to look and see who it is. There’s only one person who would be calling her that early in the morning. “Nathan. You do realize you just called me five minutes ago, right?”