Dragon Sword

by Angelique Anderson

  Kill the king, take the throne, and restore peace to Aequoris.

  Too many questions might alert him to think she had planned on staying longer than they would have desired. It wasn't until a lovely coral structure arose high in the distance that Hekla noted the most curious creature following them. She recalled a picture of it from long ago, in one of the books Melifera forced her to study.

  A dark brown body, curious personality, a tan face.

  She smiled at him and waved as if he would respond to her and the little otter darted behind a coral home.

  Cute, she never thought she'd see one in person but was delighted she had. They entered the coral palace, and at once found herself in a great room with various forms of sea life floating around her. In the center of the room, floated four large chairs carved from something she didn't recognize.

  Upon the chairs, four green-skinned men with webbed hands, and sea-colored robes watched her entry meticulously.

  "You there, what are you doing with that Earth-Walker here?" the one on the right spoke. Clearly the eldest of the four, his long beard tinged with shades of cerulean and chartreuse.

  The young soldier stepped forward and cleared his throat, his rich Aequoran accent almost soothing as he spoke, "she had a run in with our surface soldiers, and has come here of her own accord. She is a peaceful being."

  "How does she breathe down here?" an elder to the left inquired.

  At his question they turned to her, their faces riddled with accusations.

  "As I explained to your soldier here, I use a special Earth-magic to breathe. No one else is aware of it, or is capable of using it. It was given to me by the Unseen Ones." She bowed respectfully as she awaited their retort.

  "Nonsense! She is a witch! Take her away at once and lock her in the dungeon!"

  "Calm yourself, Croecius. Just because she uses magic, does not mean she is a witch."

  "That's exactly what that means!" the stone colored man sitting next to Croecius yelled out.

  "Valdeves, lower your voice. We are not commoners, we do not respond in such a way. Witch or no, we will deal with this the way we have always dealt with trespassers in fairness. We will not change that."

  "Yes, except all trespassers are Tellurians, and all Tellurians deserve the dungeon," Croecius yelled over them.

  "Well, I am not a Tellurian," Hekla spat out. "I come from the Volcano of Shadows. I have been sent to restore peace to your land. I am not a witch."

  At her confession, a soldier to her left smacked her across the face.

  "Do not spew such lies witch."

  Her response ignited a full on fight between the elders, and at the end of it all, only the one called Croecius remained.

  "As I said, have her thrown in the dungeon! This is not up for discussion!"

  At his command, Hekla was surrounded on all sides by the small troop of soldiers she walked peacefully alongside just moments ago. Their webbed hands were much rougher than she had imagined for water beings, and the fire spells popped in her head. I could destroy you! She thought, teeth clenched as she fought back the urge to harm them.

  No, remain calm, Hekla. Not only will a fire spell do nothing for you down here, but it is not yet time. Trust me when I say you are not ready and a brief time in the dungeon will not cause you harm. I am with you.

  Hekla bit her lip to keep from yelling spells and allowed herself to be taken away. Her magic encasement still surrounding her. Why does that not dispel them?

  It is not meant to, Speltus responded.

  Hekla went limp in the soldiers' arms, as they drug her through the underwater kingdom, and then they descended a coral stairway deeper into the ocean depths where they took her to a cell and locked her away.

  "This is what we do with witches." The soldier sneered at her, and she noted sadly the young Aequoran man who had first asked her to come with him, was nowhere around.

  "Now what, Speltus? You got me into this mess."

  "And I will teach you how to get out," he responded, swimming in front of her.

  "You can breathe underwater?"

  "Nonsense. I use the same magic you do. Let's get to work," Speltus said with a flick of his tail, and a sparkle in his eye.

  40

  Astrid

  Watching someone die is never easy. It does not matter if it is a friend or a foe. And it's even harder when you know you were the one to take their life. It leaves a hole in your heart that can never be filled.

  King Arnott the Wise, Second King of Telluris, 327 A.V.

  Astrid jogged down the peak, spotting the stray soldier who had taken off. She quickened her speed to reach him. Astrid loosed an arrow at his backside, but he heard her footsteps, and miraculously dodged out of the way.

  I didn't see that happening, Aronus said.

  Of all the times, you choose now to miss, Aronus?

  I could blame your wobbling arms, he retorted.

  The soldier dove to the side, off the path that would lead him toward the army and she followed after him. His trail was taking him down the back side of the mount where the terrain became overwhelmed with rocks and broken trees. It was just as difficult climbing down as it had been climbing up. Each step risked a fall, and more cuts to her exposed thighs and hands.

  She loosed another arrow as she got closer to his backside, but a sudden rock jutted out caught his foot and he dropped. She had no choice but to quicken her pace, leaping over the rock that had caused him to roll several feet down the rocky mountainside.

  He eventually stood, his feet less sure, and his pace slowed considerably. Astrid loosed another arrow, and this one struck true. He fell forward face first onto the gravel and broken bramble. The arrow disappearing quickly, and Astrid knew he was gone.

  Go find the captain, Aronus told her.

  I don't even know where to look.

  Try the encampments at the base of the mountain.

  Aronus, I can't! I can't take all those lives, she fought against the thought.

  Astrid, this is war, this is what you have prepared for. Now look for him!

  Tired of arguing, she made her way horizontally, knowing that she would find her way back to the path of the Tellurians. The original road she had tried to take when she first journeyed on the mountainside. The trouble would come in trying to find which camp the captain had chosen to hide out in.

  "Most esteemed of the king's soldiers, my hind end," she said out loud, repeating what Captain Alastair had told the Caelestan army when he had tried to take her prisoner. "A coward if there ever was one."

  She didn't have the luxury of trying to find a path where there wasn't one, she would have to hurry at max speed if she was to find the captain and take him down before word spread too far. Best to start at the top and work my way down, she decided. She ignored the burning in her muscles as she jumped over rocks and pulled herself over the mountain ledge again.

  The empty camp where the soldiers had stayed was like a wasteland, but it was also at the very end of the Tellurian pathway. She began her descent again, keeping to the trees as she eagerly searched for the first encampment.

  "Not much to look at, is it?" she said aloud to Aronus, as the top of the encampment's tents came into view. Three pointed shelters formed a small triangle, and in the middle, a fire pit where a familiar face sat staring into the flames. In his hand, a stick with meat cooked over the fire.

  Astrid ducked out of sight, wondering how many men stayed in this camp.

  If I could just take out the captain, and be on my way, I would be quite happy.

  I know that, Astrid, but you don't know who else he's told, Aronus reminded her.

  Yes, but he obviously didn't journey far, she pointed out.

  True.

  The captain looked up from his meal, and she saw him glancing toward the top of the mountain.

  He's looking for me, I ducked out of the way just in time.

  She sat quietly, waiting to see who else joined him. She didn't have
to wait long. Three other soldiers emerged from the shelters and sat next to him. She crouched low and made her way closer to the camp.

  I have to find out what he's said to them, before I determine if they are a threat.

  Astrid, I realize you are trying to spare as many lives as possible, but if they catch wind that you are here, they will alert the whole mountainside to your arrival, and then you'll be dealing with many more soldiers than this. It will make what took place on the mountaintop look like a children's game.

  Fine. Astrid lifted her bow, and aiming carefully, she let loose three arrows in rapid succession. Each of the men near the captain let out wide-eyed expressions of surprise before they fell over. The captain, realizing what had happened, took off running into the woods of the highland, and Astrid followed after.

  She didn't yell at him to stop, as she didn't want to risk attracting unwanted attention. He was lightning fast and used the trees to his advantage, dodging out of sight several times. When she was uncertain of his location, she let an arrow fly, then stilled. Attuning her ears to any sound that would alert her to his position.

  When Astrid was sure she had lost him, he tore out from moss-covered log, and then she chased him again, leaping over trees and bushes as night grew darker. She had no idea her location on the mountain at that point, and her forehead dripped with perspiration.

  Captain Alastair fell out of sight, and her heart dropped. She ran faster, branches whipping and cutting at her face as she flew in the direction she had seen him disappear. The sound of water bubbling nearby caught her attention, and when she reached where he had disappeared, she found herself looking over a ledge where a river ran down the hillside. She quickly jumped down, eyes darting left and right quickly, and up the side of the mountain that ran parallel with the river.

  Astrid finally spotted him. The captain was riding the water downward and quickly traveling out of sight. She put her bow across her shoulder and dove in, swimming after him. The speeding current quickening her progress.

  "Stop, you coward!" she yelled from the water, getting closer.

  He turned to face her, eyes wide.

  "What are you afraid of?" she asked.

  "I'm not afraid," he yelled back.

  Astrid caught up to him, grabbing at his clothes to pull him under. He fought against her pull and pushed her head down underwater. She swallowed gulps of water and fought against the force of his hand on her head to pull herself up for a breath of air.

  The captain's experience as a swimmer was evident, and he seemed unmovable in the water. With her hands above the water as he held her under, she ripped at his neck with her nails, satisfied with the feeling of tearing flesh which made him falter momentarily. She emerged from the ice cold depths, and sucked in a breath.

  "Witch!" he screamed.

  Then he pushed her back under.

  Astrid could feel her strength fading from fighting against his grip and her lack of oxygen. Her world was growing blacker by the moment. Still fighting for her life, and clawing at him, the realization that she may not make it through this began to hit her. She was losing her battle.

  From the front of them, the sound of the water got louder, encompassing all her senses.

  I'm dying, she realized.

  As if the captain heard her thoughts, he let go of her head, and began frantically swimming away, fighting against the current. Astrid bobbed up and took a breath of air, relief washing over her as she thanked the Unseen Ones that she had not died yet. She went after him, confused as to why he had let her go.

  "Why let me go? Why not just kill me?" she screamed out against the waves.

  He didn't glance back.

  Astrid's arms screamed from the burn of fighting against the rushing water, but if she let him escape, she knew that her fight with the Tellurians would never end. It had to be stopped now. On the opposite shore, she could see the gray rock tips, and knew that on the other side, it dropped down. They approached where she had climbed up the day before, when she had to bypass the camps, and past where she had fought the Toverak.

  She had climbed it yesterday, but the way her body ached at the moment, the only goal Astrid had in mind, was to take out the captain and head back to Caelestis. He reached the other side, and climbed onto the rocky shore, pulling himself up. He fell forward on the ground and stayed there. Astrid fought with every remaining bit of energy and soon joined him. He sat up long enough to try to push her back into the water, but she thrust an awkward left hook at his face, while her right hand gripped the rocky shore line.

  The captain fell backward, and as Astrid pulled herself up, she noted there wasn't but a few feet in-between the water and the steep drop off the other side.

  "This is one beast of a mountain," she said, panting and struggling to regain her strength.

  Captain Alastair began to crawl to his knees. Astrid yanked the bow from her back, and without hesitation she loosed Aronus' arrow at him. The man fell back, tottering on his feet for a brief moment before his body fell backwards and he plummeted to the rocks below. Astrid crawled toward the edge to peek over. She could barely see his contorted and bloody body from where she was.

  With the captain finally dead, she fell onto her back, holding the bow tightly in her hand.

  It's finally over, she breathed in and out deeply, giving herself time to recover from the day's events. The image of the dead soldiers filled her head with guilt, and she had to wonder if she really was the right person to take the throne of Caelestis and restore peace to the kingdom.

  "Nonsense, Astrid. The very fact that you experience guilt at this, at the height of battle when you have defeated your enemy, only confirms that you are indeed the very person meant to fulfill this mission," Aronus said proudly.

  "I don't see how. There were many who died today."

  "And it was necessary," he said.

  "Doesn't feel like it," she admitted.

  She quieted for a bit, and Aronus sat patiently next to her on the hard rock surface while she rested and contemplated what she had done.

  Into her conscious, a voice as soft as dove wings spoke.

  Do not fret, Astrid of the Bow. You have done nothing today to be ashamed of.

  Sitting up quickly, she looked around nervously.

  "Who said that?" Astrid asked.

  Aronus had a pleased smile on his face, but shrugged his shoulders as if he had no clue what she was talking about.

  Calm yourself, child. The voice of the Unseen Ones is who speaks to you presently. You may rest easy with a sound conscience. Everything that took place was everything that we expected to happen. On this road to uniting the kingdoms once more, there will be many battles. Some of the heart, and most of the physical. As long as you follow your guide, and your convictions, you will not go wrong.

  But I killed them, which in itself is at the very heart of my convictions, she retorted.

  I understand your troubled heart, but there will be many times along this journey that you will have to sacrifice a few to save many. That was required of you today, and you did well. Your conscience is clear, I assure you.

  I don't understand, she said. Astrid fervently tried to figure out what the Unseen One meant. Only, the ethereal voice in her mind had disappeared. Well, that's better than I could have hoped for I suppose.

  Not wanting to waste another moment, she stood to make her way back to Caelestis. Aronus' steady flapping calmly reminded her of something.

  "Did you have something to do with why the captain released me? He had me, I was dying. I could feel it."

  "Waterfall," Aronus said.

  "No, I know we were kind of falling downstream, but why did he release me? A few more moments and I would have been gone," Astrid said, struggling to make sense of the situation.

  "Waterfall, you mindless girl! Look downstream!" Aronus yelled at her.

  Astrid turned her attention to where Aronus had directed it, and could see that not far off the water had gotten louder and
dropped off suddenly on the other side.

  "Any chance you had something to do with that?" she asked, unsure of just how much magic her dragon was capable of performing.

  "Has all this battling gone to your brain? This river is the one source of water for the land of Telluris. It's been here for centuries. It also leads underground feeding into the waterways that lead out to Aequoris."

  "So this river is basically the one source of water for the entire kingdom?" Astrid's jaw dropped.

  "Indeed, put in place by the Unseen Ones. Interestingly enough, the vein of water that feeds it comes up from underground into the mountain, then it feeds back into the water veins across the land."

  "The kingdoms truly have no idea how much they need each other," Astrid said, shoulders slumped.

  She made her way up the rocky shore to where the water had calmed. With no intention of scaling the vertical rock surface of the mountain again, she found it easier to swim across the river to the forested area, where she had come.

  Her arms and legs were on fire as she reached the shore and began her trek back to camp. The chill of night air biting at her skin and damp clothes was a welcome feeling as she walked calmly toward the sky pathway leading to Caelestis.

  The sight of fallen soldiers did nothing to deter the peace she felt at that moment.

  "This is what it must have been like to travel between the kingdoms with no fear of recourse."

  "Indeed, Astrid. And it will happen again."

  Aronus disappeared from sight when the Caelestans came into view.

  Surely they will let me see the king, now, Astrid assured herself.

  I wouldn't count on it, Aronus responded in her mind.

  41

  Svana

  One good deed may go unnoticed, but two--and your acts will be remembered forever.

  King Everett the Honest, Second King of Caelestis, 333 A.V.