by Jamie Gandy
“Hector…” I force a small smile. “I have sure done it this time.” I stretch out the Hell’s DragonBlade, to show him the blood red glowing symbols. “This is one secret I cannot allow you to keep.”
“What are you talking about?”
“No one can know about this… not my mother, not Esther, especially not Adir. What I have done must die here tonight, with Ziv…”
“What he is saying is that he thinks we will tell his crimes to everyone.” Sebastian steps up behind his brother, his amber gaze flaring with anger. “Where does that leave us three? Do you plan on killing us alongside her?” he demands, motioning to Ziv’s still struggling body. Catherine now crouches in the water next to the Unicorn, softly cooing her.
“Could I possibly order you to silence?” I question him.
“Silence? Come on, Prince, there is no justice in the silence of something like this!” his words are escalating. “I understand how you are feeling about your mother, I get it…. This will not work though, Ziv’s horn, her magic, that will not cure the Queen. At least not like this.” I watch as he stalks past me to Ziv, he crouches down and takes her long snout into his hands. Her pitiful whine of pain makes my stomach rise with vile. “You are such a good girl… thanks for the time we had together.” The softness and sorrow in his voice now is so emotionally raw.
“He is right, there is no justice in keeping this quiet…. If you are willing to resort to something this evil, what will stop you from doing it again? Where will you draw the line? How much of your soul are you willing to succumb to that darkness spreading inside of you now?” Hector points at the blackness spreading further up my body.
“I cannot answer that, Hector... “ I stare down at my clenched hand that still holds the sword. “I know I have done some stupid things, and I thought I was strong enough to keep this darkness out of my heart.... But I am weak against him…”
“Who?”
“This sword… “I shake my head several times. “You must leave Kallai, and never come back.”
“What? Are you crazy? We are not leaving.” Hector rests his hand on my shoulder. How lucky am I to have such a loyal friend? “We can get through this… let’s just go back to the Castle and return to your mother. What is done is done, the least you can do now is to get that magic cure back to the Queen as quickly as possible. She will get better, and this…”
“Shut up, Hector!” Sebastian scolds his brother. I shift my gaze over to the older boy, who now has his head buried into the neck of the motionless Unicorn. A silence follows. Hector and I walk closer.
“I am sorry, Ziv,” I mutter under my breath, yet Sebastian somehow hears it. In an instant he is on his feet and in my face with his fist smashing into the side of my face. Knocking me backwards.
“You sicken me!”
The darkness around the Hell’s DragonBlade begins to reach out towards him, though it retreats when his elemental flame sparks to life around him.
“Save your dirty threat for someone else! I am not afraid of the evil that stands in front of me!” Sebastian growls out the words. “What will this Kingdom come to when you become King?”
I do not even try to stand up, the hovering haze of darkness tries to suffocate me. “Be gone!” it is not until I command it away that it fades away completely. “When I am King? There will no longer be children sacrificed for winning a single battle.” I feel the fight now sparking in my eyes as I rise to my feet, staring Sebastian down. “If I am able to be strong enough, I can stop that injustice… I have to end the killing of our people…”
“What are you talking about?”
I glance at Hector. “All those meetings I was forced to attend with my father and Sir Aeron… one of the discussions they had was about the numbers of children that they sacrificed as decoys in a battle with the Kingdom of SteelBorn.” I grimace when the pain spreads even further through my body until I can feel it in my chest, making it difficult to catch my breath. “Giving up my soul to save my mother, to someday uproot my father… it will be worth it. It has to be...”
Their silence surprises me. It takes a few moments for Sebastian to finally speak. “You cannot defeat darkness with a greater darkness. Can you not see what that thing is doing to you? It is consuming your own blood, feeding on your life. For the sake of power?” He gravely shakes his head several times as he turns back around to walk back over to Ziv’s body. “How about you put that new strength to good use and help me carry her out of the water.”
Finally, The Hell’s DragonsBlade retracts the thorn from the center of my palm, allowing me to sheath it. I rip a piece of my tunic and quickly wrap it over the hole in my hand.
Together the four of us are able to carry Ziv’s lifeless body onto the bank. Sebastian kneels and strokes his hands tenderly along the now graying coat of the Unicorn. “Welcome her into paradise,” he softly whispers. His handles begin to glow orange with fire, with each stroke it darkens until finally the flames become alive and dance along the corpse of the majestic creature. Soundlessly he rises, takes Catherine by the hand to guide her several feet away from Ziv’s burning body. My cousin buries her head into his chest, crying aloud. I expect to hear her anger, to feel her wrath, yet all I hear is her sobs.
Chapter Twenty-Six:
♞ Sebastian Ari: ♞
When the fire fades and only the ashes of the Unicorn remain do I gently ease Catherine back. Her face is tearstained, her eyes red from crying. I brush my thumb under her eyes to wipe the trail the tears leave behind. “Come on, I need to take you back to the Castle.”
“You are going nowhere!”
I turn around to look at Kage, though the command had come from his direction it was not his voice. “Who was that?”
In response he lifts up the evil blade. “It does not want you to leave… It thinks none of you are trustworthy.”
“I do not care what it thinks. What matters is what you think. Have we not proved ourselves to you multiple times already?” I point at the Prince, still allowing my anger to reign. “If you answer no to that you seriously are stupider than I thought.”
He seems to consider his next words carefully. “You are right…”
“Of course, I am right!” I mutter to him. I turn and walk away from the pool to where we had left our horses. “I will ride your horse with Lady Catherine, you can ride with the Prince on Dovah,” I tell Hector.
“There is no need for that, I can figure out my own way back to the Castle,” Kage remarks. I glance back at him to see the ancient symbols on the sword start to glow.
“You have the power to summon any creature you so desire to be your mount, all you have to do is speak it.”
I watch in complete amazement as Kage lifts the blade of the sword and speaks out loud, in a voice full of confidence and authority. “Come to me, fierce and loyal Longma!”
The dark haze spews out from the weapon. Within a few heartbeats a large creature appears from out of the darkness and releases a terrifying screech, a noise just like a dragon. When the haze disappears, the creature stretches out its scaled dragon wings while rearing onto its hind hooves. Its body, legs, head and mane all resemble that of a horse, while its pelt is completely covered in dark gray dragon scales, with wings that protrude from its sides. Its eyes are a combination of dragon and horse.
When he settles down, he kneels to Kage and snorts his acceptance of his new rider. Kage grabs onto the dragon spike along the back of the Longma’s neck and mounts up. In comparison to size it easily stands a good two feet taller than the tallest horse I have ever seen.
“How is this possible?” Hector gasps out. He has to clutch his horse’s reins to keep the stallion from bolting. Dovah however does not seem bothered by the creature at all, I assume it is due to the trust he has in Kage.
I help Catherine onto the back of Dovah’s saddle before I mount up directly in front of her. I honestly would be lying if I said that the mythical creature standing before me does not captivate me. He
is stunning, a perfect combination of both dragon and horse. His intimidating gaze flashes over to me as he snorts out a spark of fire. “So cool,” I whisper.
“Are you crazy? That thing is so creepy,” Catherine scoffs quietly. She wraps her arms around my waist and holds on tightly.
“Your cousin may have acted stupid, but I would like to believe that he would not allow that Longma to harm you. I have zero confidence he would not let it kill me.” I huff out a sigh. I wait until Kage and his steed lead the way out of the forest before I urge Dovah onward. “What do we do from here?” I question her.
“I do not know… I understand why he would do what he did… but still… it…” her words trail off as she rests her cheek against my back. “Ziv is dead…”
The sorrow wraps around my heart, threatening to suffocate it. “I know…” I exhale another defeated sigh. “As much as I hate to say it, we cannot tell anyone about this…. There is no telling if I would not have done the same thing had it been a cure for my own mom. I just… have to figure out the right thing to do about this… to keep you all safe.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven:
♚ Kage Tora: ♚
‘I can fly you, master,’ the telepathic words take me by surprise. I look at the neck of the Longma and raise an eyebrow.
“Was that you?”
‘Yes, master. I can get you there faster by flying.’
I glance over my shoulder at the others. “Catherine, do you want to fly back with me? I am sure you are still mad at me… but…” I cut myself off as I command the Langma to come to a halt. “Please come with me.”
I honestly expect her to yell at me, however she merely looks at me in confusion.
“It is a good idea, it will ensure you will get back to the safety of the Castle a lot faster,” Sebastian remarks. He guides Dovah to stand side by side with the Longma, the tall stallion looks unnaturally small next to the other creature. Dovah sends a challenging stare towards my new mount.
I offer my arm to help Catherine as she shifts from Sebastian’s steed over to mine. She loosely wraps her arms around my waist. As soon as she is safely seated behind me the Longma trots several feet away from the others before stretching out his large dragon wings. In two powerful flaps of his wings he propels himself off the ground and turns towards the Castle. His speed is incredible, even though it does not match Ziv’s speed on ground.
“I hope it saves her,” Catherine’s voice is much softer than I would have expected it to sound.
“You and me both…” The feel of the wind wrapping around us as the Longma soars past the treetops and high into the sky. It is cool and crisp, with a freshness that somehow calms my racing mind. For a frozen second in time I am allowed to forget the events of the last few hours, at least long enough to stare down at the earth in amazement. It is beautiful from this high up. “Incredible…”
“It is breathtaking,” Catherine agrees.
I allow the silence to linger around us for a few minutes before I finally decide to say something, hesitantly. “I am sorry you had to see that… I never expected you to show up like that.” I inhale a deep breath of cool, crisp air. “You know I never would have killed her if I thought there was another way to save my mom…” The image of my mother’s plague-stricken body flashes through my mind, making me want to vomit. “She…. she is going to die, there is nothing else that can be done for her… nothing the physician can do to stop the progression of this disease. If she can live because of sacrificing Ziv… it will be worth it.” Even though I say the words out loud, the sound in my voice is full of conviction.
“And… if it does not work? What then Kage?” her question is softly spoken.
“Then I have to live with that the rest of my life… knowing I killed her in cold blood, with no cure for my mother…” I see the Castle appear in the distance.
“For your mother’s sake I really hope this works, and she is completely cured.”
The Longma circles around to the back of the Castle and carefully lands in a secluded part of the courtyard. Due to how late it now is the only sign of human life is the guards that are stationed at their posts. ‘They would be so off guard if we were attacked from the sky,’ I ideally think to myself. I help Catherine dismount the mythical horse. “Thank you. If I am ever in need of your aid once again, listen for my summons.”
‘As you wish, Master.’ He lowers his head to me in obedience before silently disappearing into the night sky.
“Such a remarkable creature,” I remark while heading into the inner Castle, careful not to get noticed by any of the soldiers.
“If it was not summoned from that evil sword of yours I would be equally as impressed with that creature,” Catherine uncomfortably admits. She motions to the Hell’s DragonBlade. “You really should not carry that around the Castle with you. Someone is bound to realize that it is consumed with evil.”
“You are right… I need to hide it in my chambers before going to my mother…” We head down a different hallway that leads to the Royal Chambers. We stop first at Catherine’s chamber. “Remember, you cannot tell Esther, or Gideon about any of this… especially Gideon. He will have my head if he found out… and he will tell Sir Adir…” the thought of the hell the Head Knight of TigersKeep would rain down on my head if he found out about my heinous crime. I shiver at the thought.
“I get the feeling that Sir Adir might be more for your plan, as evil as it is, if it means saving the Queen.” She pushes open her door before turning to face me. “Go save her, Kage…” with that she closes the door behind her.
‘That went a lot smoother than I expected…’ I shake the thought from my mind as I pick up my pace until I reach my own chamber and enter it. I walk over to the lantern and light it. I withdraw the Hell’s DragonBlade.
“Grab your goblet.”
“Why?” I question the demonic blade. I obey by walking around the bed to the nightstand where the goblet sits. I drink the leftover water inside.
“You will need something to put the medicine in. Press the horn of the Unicorn up against my blade.”
I tug the horn free of my belt loop and look at the majestic horn one last time, admiring the mystical glow that it somehow still shines. I lift it to the ancient symbols along the sword and watch with amazement as the darkness swallows the horn within its black steel. Instantly the thorn spears the center of my palm, but this time it retracts instantly.
“Hold your hand over the goblet and allow your blood to fill it halfway.”
I consider questioning it, but my exhaustion stops me. I shift the sword to my left hand and hold my right in a balled fist over the goblet to allow my blood to drip into it. I wait until it is halfway full before moving it. “Now what?”
“The magic from the Unicorn is inside of your blood. When you go to your mother have her drink from your goblet. If she is able to be saved from the black plague, she will show signs of improvement. You are fully aware that this is dark magic, there is always a price for dabbling in it.”
“A price? Was sacrificing Ziv not enough of a price for me to pay?” I feel a spark of anger rise up from within me.
“The Unicorn was necessary for you to gain its horn; without it you would not be here. The horn is the center for performing the magic.”
“What is the price then?” I demand.
“That is not for me to determine. Only the spirits of thus magic will be able to set the price of summoning it.”
I grit my teeth together, finally my exhaustion and heartache makes me cave in to the rage building inside me. “Very well.” I set the goblet down on the nightstand, walk over to a small secret passage in the wall behind the tiger tapestry that hangs to the left of my bed. I push the thick textile fabric aside and enter the passageway to a small chamber. There another passage opens up, but I ignore it and walk over to a collection of weapons. I place the Hell’s DragonBlade along a mantle near the back of the small row. “You will be safe here.”
I leave the hidden passage and return to my room. I take the goblet and head out into the quiet hall. I glance both ways once before making my way down the hall towards the Quarantine area of the Castle, where my mother now dwells.
The door squeaks as I slowly push it open and step into the barely lit room. A small lantern hangs near the wall closest to the medicine cabinet. I grab a mask before I quietly walk inside and make my way over to the bed where my mother is restlessly turning from side to side in her sleep. The stench from earlier is already so much worse now. My grip on the goblet tightens with nervousness. I carefully sit on the edge of the bed. “Mother, mother wake up,” I earnestly coax her from her struggling slumber. She groggily blinks open her hollow eyes to look up at me.
“Kage? My son?” her voice is harsh and makes me want to flinch at the sound of it.
“Yes, mother, it is me. I have something for you, something that should cure you from this aliment.” I gently slide an arm behind her back to help her sit up. Her gaze questions me, yet she willingly opens her mouth to allow me to press the rim of the goblet to her pale lips. I only lift it enough for small amounts of liquid to slide down the back of her throat. It is obvious that she wants to gag on it, but the clear sign of thirst wins out in the end. When every drop is gone, I set the goblet on the nightstand and carefully help my mother lay back down. “I am not sure how quickly you will start feeling the effect of the medicine,” I admit.
“Tha...thank you…” her whisper is so inaudible that I barely catch it. I smile down at her.
“I will come back in the morning to check on you, mother,” I promise her. I give her hand a gentle squeeze before rising back to my feet to leave her chamber. It is not until I am back in my own room that I collapse on my bed. ‘Please let it work!”
‘For once we abandon our risen faith, the devil dances on our hearts. Death is our native language, yet our foolishness is the one that digs the grave. Take note, heed the voice of God, and resist the devil’s temptation and lies of eternity. Only God’s Divine love can save our souls from fire and brimstone!’