by A R Maloney
The sun went down, and the moon rose high into the Savannah night sky. We were uninterrupted in our small grotto, even his guards kept a respectful distance. For hours we talked and touched. I said goodbye to him in the only way I could, for I knew my time was ending soon in one way or another.
Morning came and I made my way back down the path to the village on the coast. Dimitri was waiting anxiously not far from the front gate. “Everyone has been looking for you!” he exclaimed in a frantic hushed whisper. “Where have you been anyway?!!”
The look I gave left him shaking his head in frustration. His face grew red with anger as he tightened his fists, attempting to control himself. “You found him again!” I could not deny the accusation as he turned his back to me and began walking towards the village. Dimitri's last words to me were, “I can't help you now. I won't be a party to this. Droghel is here now, in the village, waiting for you...I just thought you should know.”
“Dimitri!” I sucked him my breath, calming my nerves and raised my head high. “Dimitri!” I called out to my company mate again as he paused, his back still to me. “I understand. Thank you. For what it's worth, I’m sorry to have brought my problems to you but I'm glad to have known you.” I stopped and watched him continue down the path which led into the village, allowing him to enter, remaining unconnected to me and the fate which waited. I took a moment to say a quiet prayer. “Gods, if it is your will, let me have vengeance this day. Mother, Cooper, Father…today I will avenge you or join you for trying.” Either way, my fate had been sealed the moment I took the rose from the hand of my fallen Ustenian friend.
I knew what was coming, or who to be exact. I whispered a protective spell which surrounded me with a strong invisible shield. Next, I whispered another spell which would make my spells stronger. Then I opened my pouch and ate one last quick bite of the crushed fruit and fish, rinsing it down with sweetened water. I walked to the shore and splashed some water from a tidal pool onto my face and arms. Feeling refreshed, I bound my braids back tight with a cloth and stretched my arms and legs. With strong sure strides I began my way back into the village, holding my head high. I was ready.
I recognized him as soon as I entered the Rockton Village. Our eyes locked for several moments as I continued to approach the monster in shining plate. He turned to face me. “Skye! Daughter of the traitor Serafina, and Soulkos, enemy of Lucenia. You are charged with high treason against Lucenia, a crime punishable by death.” His cold voice rang out loudly through the village. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
I stopped and widened my stance. Raising my right arm, I pointed to my enemy. My own voice rang out loud and clear, matching his as the wind carried my next words to the crowd which was gathering. “Droghel! You are charged with the murders of my mother Serafina and my father Soulkos, both married legally in the eyes of Lucenia before the time of the Great Break, and Cooper, all heroes of Lucenia and Eluna. The penalty for these crimes is death! What say you?!” My eyes remained focused on Droghel as I awaited his response. Murmurs and questions began rising from the gathering crowd.
“Ha!” The man began laughing. “You think you can defeat me?” The air was filled with uneasy laughter from the surrounding audience. “You and what army?” Droghel waved his arm in a circle around him, proving the point that I was alone in this fight.
“No army. Just me. Just you.” My voice was calm.” Three sentinels stepped out of the crowd and began moving towards me.
Droghel waved a hand at them. “Stay back!” he ordered, the cocky smirk still on his lips. “This should prove to be a fun lesson for all.” Nodding to me. “Very well. If you'd rather die like this, so be it. Either way you will find the same end.” He covered his left arm with a heavy shield. His right hand carried a wicked looking sword. The blade gleamed bright as it reflected the Savannah sun. “No interference!” He commanded his men.
The crowd around us began to back away, leaving a wide space for us to fight. Droghel stood ready, waiting for the attack. I crouched down into a defensive stance. “I'm surprised you're agreeing to fight me alone, you always have your cronies come along to do your dirty work.” I taunted him, baiting him to attack.
“This is hardly what I consider a fight, you're no more danger to me than a wolf pup.” Droghel sneered back at me as he edged closer waving his blade dangerously close.
I whispered a spell and a bolt of ice flew at him, slowing his steps. I moved to the side and away, keeping my distance from him. We circled each other for what seemed like several minutes. Occasionally I would pop a quick spell or two at him, testing his armor for weakness. Finally, his patience wore thin. “Enough!” A spell fell from his lips and a shield encased him. “Get over here, NOW!” He yelled, and a spell fell from his lips. I found myself being dragged across the dirt towards him, leaving me standing toe to toe with him. I shouted a spell and ice smashed into my enemy. He laughed and swung the sharp blade at my neck. I leapt backwards away from him, the sword just missing me. I called the earth up and bound his plate boots with thick vines and roots, giving me time to put more space between us. He growled at me as I focused my magic on him calling forth an inferno which crashed down upon him with a huge force. His feet were no longer bound, and he charged at me swinging wildly as he closed the space between us once again. Another spell from my lips forced him into a dreamless sleep, allowing me to move away from him once more. Moments later another inferno surrounded Droghel, burning at the open spots in his armor, but somehow, most of the damage was being negated. I chanced a glance to the side where I saw his magus had been casting spells, shielding his master. I turned my attention to the magus, silencing him briefly before throwing another ball of fire at Droghel.
Droghel roared in pain and anger as a few of my spells began to penetrate. I hit him again with another ice spell, slowing him, leading him around the ring. He was getting angrier with every spell cast. Finally, he looked at me. “This ends now.” He rasped at me through gritted teeth. He motioned with an armored hand. Before I could see where it came from, I was forced to sleep by another of his sentinels in the crowd behind me.
When I woke my arms and legs were bound. I looked around, finding myself in an unknown room. My wings had been forced open and were secured to a wide beam where they had been stretched to their full lengths behind me. I struggled in my bindings.
“Little traitorous bitch! Did you really expect to beat me?” Droghel paced back and forth before me, spittle shooting from his lips as he spoke. He had removed his helm. His cold, blue eyes held the glaze of insanity, piercing me as he continued. “Oh, how I had hoped you would be good, but your blood is bad, tainted, just like your whore mother’s was...and we cannot have that.”
I spat at him. “Traitor? No. I fight for more than just Lucenia. I fight for all of Eluna.”
“You fight for nothing!” He yelled, wiping the wetness from his face. “Your kind is like a plague upon us. Extermination is the only answer. But trust me, your death will be swift. I have dinner with the governor of DuPage tonight.” He turned his back to me and reached to pick up his sword again. “I don’t want to be late. Let’s hurry this up, shall we?”
A spell fell from my lips and a ball of ice flew through the small room, pelting him in the back of the head. The force of the projectile sent him stumbling headfirst into the wall. Without hesitation I began calling out more spells, picking him up in the air and slamming him back onto the floor of the small room. Within moments the door had opened, and his men poured into the room. Just as I was casting an inferno that I had hoped would be the end of him I found my lips bound with a spell of silence.
Droghel struggled to his feet and approached me on unsteady legs. “Keep the bitch silenced!” he growled. “Believe me; you will NOT be coming back from this one.” He looked to his men.
I knew what would happen, but it seemed so surreal. I watched as two of Droghel's henchmen crossed the room to stand at my sides. “Keep her silenced!” He orde
red as he approached me, sword in hand. “Skye, you have proven yourself to be stronger than I had imagined. I may have brought you to work for me if you hadn't had such a weak mind.”
I glared at him, unable to speak. How I wished I could tell him all the ways I would have killed him first, had I the chance. But I did have the chance and I had failed. I prayed silently, “Gods, this cannot end here...give me a fair chance to destroy this monster. He needs to die.”
Droghel gazed at his blade, smiling crookedly. His eyes were maniacal. He signaled his men. I groaned as my head was forced down and my right wing was extended to beyond its full length, the joints popping and snapping. I gasped, trying to turn my head to see, but was able to see only the legs and feet of my captors.
Next, the pain came. I screamed in agony as one wing was severed from my body, and then the other. Warm, wet blood poured from the wounds, soaking my back and running down my legs, pooling on the floor at my feet. I could hear the beasts laughing as I struggled to maintain consciousness. I began to feel cold; my arms and legs were shaking. I tried to collapse, becoming limp in my bindings. I don't remember which came first, the blinding whiteness as I passed out, or the final blow which ended my life.
Darkness...
d a r k n e s s . . .
d a r k n e s s . . .
Chapter 25—The End?
“HEY! ARE YOU OK?” An unknown voice calls out through the blackness. I open my eyes. The world around me is hazy as I attempt to focus. Nothing sounds right. Nothing smells right. Nothing looks right. I am surrounded in darkness.
I realize I am laying down; my face is resting on the soft cold earth. Inhaling deeply, I pull myself up onto my elbows and knees, moving softly as I test each limb for injury. My head swims and the world tilts wildly with my exertion. The wind is blowing sharply across the field, picking up bits of dust and grass. My hair is whipping at my neck and shoulders. Then I notice something else, an odd pulling sensation coming from the top of my spine, tugging its way down my back. I raise my hand to push the thick tendrils of hair off my face and neck. My fingers find a thick tuft of hair. As the world around me comes into focus I gasp. I am in a dark canyon, thick with trees and surrounded by jagged black rocks. The wind is blowing, and I can feel small flakes of snow driving into my body.
“Gods! How can this be?!” I think to myself. My fingers...no…claws? They move slowly down my neck to reach between my shoulders, continuing down my spine. Feeling the growth there, I begin to panic silently. “Furback?!” I shake my head hard as I try to wake myself, the sudden motion sends the world spinning around me once more. I must be dreaming.
“Hey! Are you okay?” The unknown voice calls out to me again. She is speaking in Ustenian. I glance up at the girl, unsure how to answer. Perhaps I need to find a medic.
I try to focus my thoughts, but they are swimming. I cannot remember much of anything. How did I get here? Where am I? I whisper a spell under my breath, hoping to conjure a small fireball, but am unable. My throat feels dry, my voice is but a whisper. “Stay calm.” I tell myself. I pause to concentrate and whisper the spell again. A small flame leaps to my fingertips and a small light radiates from my hand, lighting the area around me. Realization hits me like a brick in the face.
I remember. I remember everything. I am overwhelmed by emotion. “Thank the gods!” I stand up straight and tall, examining my new hands and feet, fighting the nausea and vertigo. I have received a second chance. They have heard and have blessed me. Still, one single thought overrides all others.
“Droghel must die!”
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my wonderful team of beta readers and friends from Facebook, Line, and House Party, especially April Wilson-Nolan and Charisa French. Your words of encouragement have made the experience of writing this novel a complete joy. Thank you also to my friends and family; especially my Mom, and my son, River, who have listened to me as I struggled through edit after edit. I appreciate your input more than you will ever know. Finally, a very special thank you to authors Dee Cooper and Nancy Broadley of Angry Eagle Publishing for letting me pick your brains and helping me out as I came closer to publishing. You ladies rock!
My readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending your valuable time visiting my world. As an independent author, I rely heavily on you, the reader, to help spread the word about my books. If you liked this book, I would be very grateful if you would please leave an honest review online and recommend it to a friend. The more people who read my stories, the more stories I can write, and nothing would make me happier than to get new stories out to you!
About the Author
A.R. Maloney was born in northern Illinois. She has worked as a registered nurse for several years, spending much time focusing on school nursing and children’s health. She’s been writing short stories and songwriting for her own enjoyment for many years. While she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, camping, gardening, and playing music with her family.
A.R. Maloney has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, from Saint Louis University, as well as a Bachelor in the Science of Nursing, from Saint Anthony College of Nursing. She has had the opportunity to live in many places in and out of the United States, including Queretaro, Mexico and Madrid, Spain, where she finished her first degree.
Keep your eyes open for more from A.R. Maloney!
Other Works by A.R. Maloney
“Robby’s Wish”, Originally published by Angry Eagle Publishing in The Winter in the Apocalypse Anthology, 2019.
Contact the Author:
E-mail: [email protected]
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Twitter: AR_Maloney_