by Jada Fisher
“No, it’s great,” I said. “I just don’t think anyone could enjoy the food nearly as much as Mallory does.”
She stopped eating long enough to give me a look. “I’m loading up on protein, so I can keep up my muscle mass. I’ve been running cardio all over this place, but I can feel myself wasting away.”
“How very dwarven of you,” Baelfyre teased. “So concerned with muscle mass instead of how you use what you have.”
She reached out, her hand moving almost too quickly to see. When she stopped, her knife was sitting squarely between two of the man’s fingers, the blade embedded in the table.
“Would you look at that. Looks like I know how to use it after all.”
Baelfyre laughed nervously, an uneasy smile across his handsome features. “I see. Lesson learned.” He pulled the knife from the table and gently set it down beside him.
Unfortunately, that was a bit of a conversation killer, and we sat there awkwardly. Well, Baelfyre and I were awkward. Mallory just happily chowed down without a care in the world.
We were saved from really stewing in the moment, however, as dramatic music began to play, and the doors opened once again.
The three elders led the procession, just as old and grizzled as I remembered them. However, their robes were blue and white this time, instead of the dull grays they had been before, and they had such elaborate embroidery on each of their outfits that it almost looked like it told a story. Maybe it did. They were so far away from me that I couldn’t quite make it out.
Following them was someone I thought I recognized as Bron’s grandfather. Funnily enough, I realized that I had never heard him talk about his parents or seen either of them. Why hadn’t I asked him about that? Was I so wrapped up in myself that I didn’t bother to know anything about the man who saved me?
Probably. But I never claimed to be perfect.
Several more men in insanely intricate armor followed Bron’s grandfather before finally, the prince himself arrived. He looked absolutely stunning and my jaw almost dropped then and there.
He had changed out of his previous outfit into one that was predominantly black. The top was a high-collared tunic that ended just below his thighs, and just like the elders’ outfits, it had intricate embroidery all over it. But instead of being a bright blue, it was an iridescent silver that caught the light just right, making it look like starlight.
His pants were also black, with much thicker silver stitching, leading into knee-high boots that looked like they had never been worn before. A small crown sat upon his head, simple and silver, and a silver cape hung from one of his shoulders.
If I didn’t know better, I would think that he was absolutely right out of one of my favorite fantasy novels. How many of my pubescent years had I spent pining over literary figures just like him?
Too many, that was for sure.
More came behind Bron, but I didn’t pay them much mind. My eyes were locked on him the entire way up to the dais until they were all arranged the way they were supposed to be. The elder started speaking, but his words flowed past me as my eyes locked with Bron’s.
He looked so stern, so unlike the dragon I knew and lo—
…liked.
“—we do not take such violence lightly. We have exhausted all of our options and it is with heavy hearts that we find ourselves on the brink of war with those we have tried to negotiate peace with for so long.
“For such a journey, we need someone to lead us. Someone to unify us, to have us move forward into the darkness as one. For that, we need a leader general, and you have chosen Lohikarmme Bronne to guide us.”
Bron stepped forward and knelt before the lead elder. Sure enough, the older man pulled a knife from his robes and held it up dramatically.
“Behold, with this blade of ancients, we bind you to us. With this, we spill your blood and—”
“I challenge his hold!” a familiar voice filled the room.
Suddenly, the hall went silent and a piercing tension filled the still air. Borderline paralyzed, I turned my head to see Baelfyre standing with his sword drawn.
“What?” Bron’s grandfather asked, stepping forward. “But you were at the nomination! You and your kin said naught a word to put your own name in!”
“Most of my kin was not invited or prepared for that meeting. In fact, many clans were excluded from your grant election. Forgive me for waiting until this moment, but dragon law states that any leader general can be challenged if their subjects fear they are not capable.
“Trust me, I have seen how Lohikarmme acts around this palace. How he is quick to talk and slow to act, how he cavorts with the human seer and wastes her talents, how he expends our resources on protecting their families instead of us!
“So, I challenge him. On the morrow, I will meet him in the field of battle and I will show you who is a true general!”
An uproar sounded all around us, but all I could see was Bron’s face. He looked so betrayed, so shocked, as his cousin stood and betrayed everything that they had together.
Crap! I had known the guy was evil. I had known that nothing good could have come from him! Why didn’t I say anything? I had played it safe and now one of my two friends was paying for it.
Mallory grabbed my wrist, pulling my attention to her. Baelfyre had stepped away from us and was encircled by his entourage, who held off the dozens of people yelling and cursing at them. It was pure chaos, and I could see it quickly growing violent.
“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, her eyes also on the screaming factions in the room. Some of their eyes were beginning to shift from human to reptilian, and I saw jaws elongating and scales starting to appear across their visible skin.
“But what about Bron?” I asked, looking back to him,
I could see that he was angry. There was a sharp set to his jaw and his shaking fists were balled at his sides. But there was something else there too. The deep sort of hurt that only came from being betrayed by someone you loved. Someone you trusted.
His gaze flicked to me and the moment our eyes locked seemed to be its own eternity. Almost in slow motion, he mouthed for me to go, and that was the only thing that got me out of my seat.
We crept along the back wall as quickly as we could, but right before we made it to the door, I looked back. Thankfully, Bron also looked like he was exiting out another door on the far side. I heaved a sigh of relief, but as I did, my gaze landed on Baelfyre.
He was staring at me, his intense eyes as sharp as ever. For a second, I thought he might curse me, or shout. But instead, he just gave me a charming smile and winked.
That…wasn’t good.
But in that moment, I knew without a doubt that the man was one hundred percent, certifiably evil.
“Come on!” Mallory said, tugging me the rest of the way out. I let her pull me, and then we were in the empty halls and back to my room.
“Do you think it’s safe to stay here?” I asked.
“Honestly, I don’t even know at this point.” She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I, uh, I really need to go make sure my parents are alright, but I don’t want to leave you alone. I also am not too keen on walking these halls alone either.”
“I could go with you?”
She shook her head. “I have a feeling prince-boy is gonna wanna see you after everything that has happened. You’re possibly the only person he can trust.”
“You really think he’ll come here?”
“I’m sure of it. It might be a while because there’s a whole ton of stuff he needs to deal with, but he’ll be here alright.”
“Then let’s sit here and wait. You said your parents were down by the security quarters, I’m sure they’ll be fine for now.”
“Yeah, or at least better than us.”
“Exactly.” I flopped onto my bed and sighed. “I guess we just wait.”
Wait was exactly what we did. We waited, and waited, and waited. It had to be after midnight when I f
inally heard a hurried knock on the door and Bron quickly let himself in.
“You’re alright,” I breathed, jumping from my bed to throw my arms around him. “Thank God, I was so worried!”
“I apologize if I worried you. It has indeed been a strange night.”
I patted his back in what I hoped was a comforting way. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”
“So, what exactly was all that?” Mallory asked. “I picked up that it wasn’t anything good, but some of it was lost in translation.”
“Basically, Baelfyre said that I wasn’t capable of leading effectively and challenged me to prove my worth.”
“Uh-huh. And I’m guessing that’s not with a game of checkers or anything like that?” It seemed strange to me that Mallory even had to ask, but then I realized that she hadn’t had a vision about what would happen. Only I did. She didn’t see Baelfyre absolutely beating the crap out of Bron, she didn’t see the open field and all the eyes watching. Suddenly, everything I had been afraid of was happening.
I should have warned Bron, but I was too late now.
“No. It is a battle of physical strength. It is not necessarily to the death, but death is not discouraged. I would like to think that my own cousin would not wish to so grievously wound me, but after tonight… I do not know.”
My mouth was moving before my mind could catch it, but even if I did have time to think, I didn’t know if I would have said anything different. “He’s going to kill you.”
“What?”
“I saw it in a vision. I don’t know how, but he manages to get the upper hand on you and you lose. It’s awful.”
“Losing is different from being killed,” Bron said weakly, as if he didn’t want to believe what I was saying.
“I know, but trust me. I know that if he would have kept going, that you would be very, very dead.”
“I…I hope you can understand that I am having difficulty accepting this. I have known Baelfyre since I was a child.”
“People change,” Mallory said with a shrug. “It sucks, and you certainly got a very extreme example of it, but it happens all the time.”
“I suppose you are right. I just never thought…” He shook his head and stood. “Thank you for telling me what will happen. I think… I think I would like some time to myself before we meet on the field tomorrow.”
“Wait, you’re still gonna do it?!”
“Of course,” Bron said, voice flat and resigned. “It is my duty.”
“But I just told you that you would be murdered!”
“Then being murdered is my duty. I cannot refuse. If I do, then I will be excommunicated in shame while Baelfyre becomes the leader general.”
“He’ll become the leader general if you die too!”
“Not necessarily. If I manage to wound, or weaken him, then someone else from my family can rise up and challenge him in turn. I will have given my life for my people, so they may find someone truly meant to lead them.”
“You have to be kidding!” I screamed. I was pretty sure that it was the first time that I had ever raised my voice directly at Bron. “You can’t just go out there and die! It’s not right! It’s not fair!”
“But it is my duty. I know it is hard to understand, but please know that this is what I must do.” He gave me a stern look and I saw so little of the dragon I knew in his expression. “I will see you tomorrow, Miss Davie. It seems we both need time to process this.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me sputtering and full of anger. How dare he! How dare he just throw his life away!
“So…” Mallory said once he was gone and my door was closed. “That did not go well.”
“No. No, it did not.”
“So, what now? Do we start prepping for a funeral? Make a break for it before everything goes to hell in a handbasket?”
“No,” I said, feeling determination flow through me, fierce and sharp. “We’re going to make sure that my vision doesn’t happen.”
14
Battle
I paced back and forth, my stomach in my chest and my heart God knows where. I hadn’t slept much, and what little shuteye I did get was just scattered replays of the vision I’d had not so long ago.
I had a plan. It was scattered and slapdash and probably impossible, but at least I had one. I couldn’t just stand by and let my friend be killed right in front of my eyes.
I had already lost so much. I knew what it was like to hear my parents’ dying words as they tried to break through a door to get to me. I knew what it was like to sit by in a hospital and wonder if my sister was going to survive the terrible damage she’d endured. And I was done with all that. I’d had enough tragic loss in the first half of my life. I didn’t need it in my second.
A gentle but very specific knock sounded at the door and I opened it to let Mallory in. She was back in her normal street clothes and a grim look was on her face.
“It’s time.”
“Are you sure they’ll let us be there?” I asked, grabbing my bag of emergency supplies and slinging it over my back. Hopefully I wouldn’t need it, but it was better to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Especially since this whole event seemed like a worst-case scenario already.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not gonna let them stop us if they try, but honestly, nobody is probably going to pay us any mind.”
“Good. I’d like that.”
We headed out, me following Mallory as she led the way through where she had already scouted. Once more, the halls were practically empty, giving the place a creepy, almost haunted sort of vibe. I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than us running into anyone who would try to stop us, but it was what it was.
We went out the back, only a bit away from the cellar where Mallory and I had escaped the last attack, but instead of turning toward the garden area, we went straight forward, to a part of the estate that I had never been before.
There was a simple, cobblestone path leading past a maze, and then an archery range, and then finally, we reached what I could best describe as a jousting field.
It was surrounded completely by trees, giving it the same appearance as a forest. Although the sun shone high above, it felt like we were cut off from the rest of the world, completely surrounded by the arboreal walls.
It was massive enough for a team to practice football on, and covered in a thick layer of green, green grass. It was the kind of grass that one would want to have a picnic on or roll down a hill of while laughing giddily, like in commercials. It certainly didn’t look like the sort of place where someone’s blood was going to be spilled.
Plenty of people were already there. Not quite as many as the grand celebration the night before, but still quite a few. Thankfully, none of them paid any attention to us, and Mallory and I were able to find a spot where we could both see.
Bron’s family stood at one end, their colors and flags all flying, flickering this way and that in the gentle breeze, while Baelfyre’s entourage stood at the other. Although he was quite far away, I was pretty sure that I could still see the smirk on his face. What a jerk. Actually, jerk didn’t really seem to do him justice. He was a vial, manipulative, power-hungry liar and I could only guess how far his darkness went.
The elder stepped forward and apparently, it was speech time again. Didn’t these dragons ever get tired of all the constant grandstanding and overly strict adherence to ancient rules? I felt like their lives would be so much better if they allowed themselves a few exceptions. Like when an underhanded lesser prince made an obvious power grab at what was supposed to be a fun celebration.
But still, as the old man droned on, I couldn’t help but feel like something was off. It was the same niggling feeling that I’d had during the attack where the drakes had slipped in. It was like there was something running under the surface. Something that I didn’t understand.
That understanding didn’t magically appear, however, and instead, we waited f
or the man to stop speaking, and then the two young princes were walking toward each other.
They met in the center of the field, Bron’s stride stiff and Baelfyre’s full of swagger. I hadn’t wanted to punch someone so hard in quite a while, and it took all my willpower not to run out and deck the dark-haired dragon.
They shook hands, which I guessed was a fairly standard thing before official fights, but at the last moment, Baelfyre leaned in and whispered something that none of us had a hope of hearing.
Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t nice. Bron’s expression turned to one of rage, and he snarled at this cousin before tackling him.
The two rolled across the ground, kicking and fighting to be on top. As they rolled, their bodies elongated and wings burst from their back, scales rapidly expanding along their forms. It was a mass of part-human and part-dragon that was pretty grotesque.
“This is hard to watch,” Mallory murmured as they finally broke free from each other and took to the sky.
I could only nod as the giant beasts clashed, their roars so great and terrible that I could feel a headache brewing already. Their claws scored against each other’s hides and their fangs tried to find purchase in sensitive spots.
They whirled high into the sky, the sun making it hard to see. But even with them partially obscured, I could tell that Bron was holding back.
He was angry, that much was obvious, but he wasn’t striking to kill. Baelfyre, however, was going for it. His jaws snapped relentlessly, and he spit fire whenever he could at what I guessed were Bron’s weak spots.
I felt sick to my stomach as I watched. I could feel that my vision was coming true. I had to do something to stop it, but at the same time, there was something else. There was that something still niggling at the back of my mind.
Baelfyre whirled, his tail managing to slam Bron underneath the jaw, and that gave him the upper hand he was looking for. The two spiraled to the ground, crashing into the earth with a spray of rocks and the green grass I had been admiring.