He roared as he fell, and tried over and over to move his wings or his legs or something. But it was no use. All he could move was his head, and even that only a little bit. He couldn’t even take in a deep enough breath to breathe out fire. Panic began to set in, and Hugh roared again as he realized that, for perhaps the first time in his life, he was truly helpless. Where was Mitch? Or any of the other dragons? Or even one of the Torch Lake wizards? Didn’t they see he needed help?
With a sharp thud, Hugh hit the ground. The breath went out of him with a large whoosh, and for a moment his vision went blurry. When his vision cleared and he could see again, he saw a Dark Warrior flying toward him with an evil grin. Hugh roared again, trying to get help. He couldn’t believe he was in this situation. The odds of a dragon being struck in a vulnerable spot were so low that it had always felt impossible. But it had happened to him, and now that he was stunned, this dark wizard could easily kill him unless someone intervened. Hugh roared again, but no one seemed to hear him. The din and chaos of battle was too much for one dragon’s roars to be heard.
Hugh looked up at the sky and saw the Torch Lake wizards flying above him, launching off attack spells, completely oblivious to the fact that one of their dragons lay at the brink of death. Hugh refused to look at the Dark Warrior coming after him. He wanted the last thing he saw before he died to be his clanmates fighting bravely. He thought of Krystal, and his heart ached at all the things he would never have a chance to say to her now. He hoped she would eventually move on from his death and find happiness with someone else.
Hugh’s whole body was tense as he waited for the Dark Warrior’s final blow. It would be any second now. He heard the whoosh of the wizard’s broomstick as he positioned himself, the evil laughter as the dark wizard realized he had Hugh completely trapped, and then…
And then a scream of pain unlike anything Hugh had ever heard. Startled, Hugh looked over at where the Dark Warrior had been, only to see that he had fallen on the ground, writhing in pain. A few moments later, the dark wizard fell motionless, and Hugh found himself suddenly free of the stunning spell that had been over him. He knew this meant that the dark wizard had died, since death cancelled any spells a wizard had cast before dying. But Hugh had no idea how the wizard had died. That is, he didn’t know until he glanced a little behind the wizard to the right. Hovering there on a broomstick, with his magic ring still pointed in the direction of the dark wizard, was one of the Falcon Cross wizards.
The Falcon Cross wizard waited a few moments to make sure the dark wizard was really dead, and that Hugh could once again move. And then, with a smile and a small salute, the Falcon Cross wizard zoomed off to resume fighting in the battle.
Hugh sat stunned, trying to process everything that had just happened. I almost died, and a Falcon Cross wizard saved my life. All of it seemed so surreal. Hugh had faced plenty of dangerous situations, and he liked to joke that he defied death on a daily basis. But he had never come so close to actually dying. It had been a humbling experience, made all the more humbling by the fact that he had been saved by a Falcon Cross wizard. Perhaps, if Krystal hadn’t convinced the High Council to take on outside armies, Hugh would be dead right now. In a sense, not only had the Falcon Cross wizard saved his life, but Krystal had saved his life as well.
All of these thoughts jumbled in Hugh’s head, but the one overarching emotion he felt was rage. He was angry that a Dark Warrior had almost killed him, and angry that they were killing so many of his allies—both from the Torch Lake and Falcon Cross armies. In that moment, Hugh determined to make them pay. Without thinking too much about what he was doing, or about who was in charge of the army at that moment, Hugh roared and started flying up into the air again.
But he didn’t stop to engage in the battle in the air again. Instead, he flew as fast as he could in the direction the Dark Warriors had come from. He was going to free their captive dragon, and he was going to do it now. He wasn’t going to wait for orders, or permission. He was just going to do it. He was going to show the Dark Warriors that when they came so close to killing him, he would repay them by taking their most prized prisoner.
Hugh zoomed above the trees, leaving the main battle behind him as his keen dragon eyes scanned the forest below him. He was looking for anything abnormal. The dragon prisoner would likely be under an invisibility shield, but any strange curves in the tree line would indicate that something was hidden there. There might also be a stray guard visible, which would tell Hugh he was getting closer.
Hugh had a vague idea of where the Dark Warriors’ camp might be. The Falcon Cross commander had given everyone a heads up about some inside information he’d received telling him that it was just northeast of the spot where a nearby river forked into two. Hugh headed for that spot, hoping that the inside information had been right.
When he got to the fork in the river, he made sure to fly northeast. Adrenaline raced through his veins as he peered carefully below him. He slowed slightly, wanting to make sure he didn’t miss anything. He’d flown for several minutes and nothing looked suspicious, but he refused to give up hope. And then, just when he was thinking he must have missed something and should fly back to look again, he saw a flash of black in the trees below him.
Gotcha! He thought, and dove down as fast as his wings would carry him. The Dark Warrior who’d been dodging in and out of the trees looked up and realized Hugh was coming, but that realization came a second too late. Hugh breathed fire on him, taking him out immediately. The instant after that, the invisibility shield fell away, and Hugh could see everything. Somehow, Hugh had been lucky enough that the first wizard he found was the one who had cast the invisibility spells here. Now that that wizard was dead, all of the invisibility shields were gone.
Hugh could see wizards running around the large camp in a frenzy, shouting out warnings to each other that there was an enemy dragon in their midst. They had not expected this, nor prepared for it. No doubt, they’d thought their own army would be coming back soon, after a victorious surprise attack on the Torch Lake army.
You underestimated us, Hugh thought. Rage and adrenaline filled him once again, and he flew back and forth through the camp, taking out wizards and shifters left and right. In the center of the camp, chained and weak, a man waved frantically at Hugh. Hugh knew in an instant this was the dragon shifter the Dark Warriors had captured, and his anger burned even brighter knowing that this was how they had treated a fellow dragon shifter. Hugh made quick work of the remaining enemy soldiers. The few guards left behind had been so unprepared that dealing with them had been easy. When the last one had fallen, Hugh quickly made his way to where the dragon shifter was chained. Using his razor sharp dragon claws, Hugh easily sliced through the chains. There had probably been magic spells reinforcing the chains at one point as well, but those spells had ended when the wizards here in camp had been killed.
“Thank you,” the dragon shifter rasped out in a weak voice. “I don’t know how to thank you enough for this. I don’t know who you are or what clan you’re from, but I’m forever indebted to you.
Hugh only grunted, then nodded toward his back to indicate to the man that he should climb on. The man did, and then the two of them rose high into the sky. Hugh turned to fly back toward the Torch Lake and Falcon Cross camp. He was willing to bet the battle there would be just about done by the time he got back. The Dark Warriors had been looking weak when he left.
It was only then that Hugh thought about what he’d done. He’d gone off without authorization in the middle of the mission. The High Council was going to be furious with him. He hadn’t been deliberately trying to snub the Falcon Cross commander, though. He’d only been so overcome with rage at the Dark Warriors that he’d decided to make them pay by getting their dragon shifter prisoner away from them.
Hugh furrowed his dragon brow as he flew. The High Council couldn’t be too mad at him, could they? After all, he had rescued the dragon.
Still, Hugh
felt a nervous twitch in his stomach as he flew back toward camp. He hoped this Falcon Cross commander wasn’t the jealous type, because Hugh had just given him a lot of reasons to be jealous.
Still, he didn’t regret it. One should never regret saving a dragon. And besides, this meant the mission was over, which meant Hugh could go home to Krystal. A broad smile played across Hugh’s lips, and he flew faster than ever.
Chapter Thirteen
Krystal couldn’t concentrate at work. She was so distracted that after lunch, her boss finally sent her home.
“You’ve had a big week, Krystal. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your mind. Why don’t you take a couple days off to recuperate? We’re not that busy here and I’m sure I can manage just fine on my own.”
Krystal had jumped at the chance. Luckily, she had vacation time to cover her, and she thought that maybe a few days off would do wonders for her. But by the morning of the second day, she was going stir crazy. She just wasn’t the type of person who could sit around all day and relax. She needed to be doing something.
She tried to text Hugh a few times, but he didn’t answer. He’d warned her that once they were in Dark Warriors territory he would be turning his phone off to help make their group less traceable. Krystal certainly understood the importance of safety precautions, but she hated being out of contact with Hugh. Especially when she knew he was in a war situation, where his life might be in danger. All she could do was trust that his dragon strength would carry him through.
To keep herself from constantly worrying about Hugh, and to give herself something to do, Krystal went to the War Council and asked if they needed volunteers for anything right then. They didn’t, but suggested that she ask the High Council if help was needed with anything. At first, Krystal was reluctant to approach the High Council. Sure, she’d given a presentation to them, but they still seemed so far above her that speaking to them was scary. But then, she had an idea—an idea that she thought would make Hugh proud, and so she decided to take a deep breath and go for it.
She contacted the High Council’s main assistant, and asked for a chance to speak with the High Councilors. The High Councilors fielded hundreds of requests like this a day, and Krystal didn’t think she had very good chances of getting an audience with them. But she had to try. To her surprise, the assistant got back to her within an hour.
“The High Councilors remember you from your presentation on outside armies, and they would love to speak to you this morning.”
Krystal was shocked that she had gotten a spot with the High Councilors at all, let alone one that was so soon. It surprised her that they remembered her, but she decided to count her blessings and make the most of her chance to talk with them.
This time, it was only her and the High Councilors. There wasn’t a big room full of other people, and she had no presentation. All she could do was look directly at the High Councilors and state her case sincerely, hoping they would listen.
“Your Honors,” she began. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
“It’s our pleasure, Krystal,” Head Councilor Morgan said. “We were impressed with your presentation on bringing in outside armies, and we’re interested to see what you have to say today.”
Krystal took a deep breath. “Well, as you know, I was recently attacked in my home by some Dark Warriors. I know the investigation is ongoing, but the Dark Warriors themselves told me that they attacked me because they were upset that I was advocating for outside armies.”
“We’re sorry you were caught up in an attack like that,” Councilor Isviar said. “And we’re glad you’re okay.”
Krystal nodded. She was glad for the Councilor’s kind words, but she wasn’t here to get pity or be patted on the back. She was here to make a difference. “Well, Councilors, as you know, the City Guard should have been able to stop the Dark Warriors from entering the city. The fact that they didn’t means there is probably someone on the guard who is in league with the Dark Warriors. I spoke with Hugh Searle about this, and he thinks we need to question the City Guard immediately.”
Krystal saw the High Councilors glance at each other with exasperated looks when she said Hugh’s name. It seems he hadn’t made himself any friends here lately with his outspoken, rash behavior.
“We do need to question the City Guard, but we aren’t sure it’s as simple as that. We think there might be something more sinister at work, like a dark spell that blinds the guards,” Councilor Morgan said.
“Still,” Krystal insisted. “We should at least interview the guards to see what they’re saying. My understanding from speaking with Hugh is that this hasn’t been done yet.”
“We had plans to question the City Guard, and even gave orders to the military commander to do so. But we put the questioning on hold for the moment because we just don’t have the manpower to do it,” Councilor Isviar said. “All our manpower is focused on a mission to recover a dragon right now. That takes priority.”
Krystal took one more deep breath. This is what she had come here to say. “I can help,” she volunteered. “I have a few days free, and I’d be happy to interview the City Guard members and make notes. I’m no expert, but I’m sure if you give me a questionnaire to work off of, I can handle it.”
The High Councilors exchanged looks once again. Finally, Councilor Isviar spoke again. “Well, it would be good for them to be interviewed by someone outside of the military, I think. It would make them feel less defensive.”
Councilor Morgan shrugged. “True enough. I suppose, Krystal, if you want to do this, we could get you set up. But we can’t pay you. We’re on a hiring freeze right now, with the war and the army combinations going on.”
“I understand. I’m not looking for payment. I’m just looking to help my city.” And to make Hugh proud.
“Alright then. Can you start this afternoon?”
Krystal said that she could, and so that afternoon, she found herself with a clipboard interviewing City Guard agents. The guards were interesting to talk to, but nothing they said seemed unusual to Krystal. By the end of the day, she felt she hadn’t actually been that much help.
“Oh well,” she said with a sigh as she made her way back to the office where she was supposed to be dropping off the filled-out questionnaires. “At least I tried.”
She didn’t think she’d done anything Hugh would be proud of in the end, but at least she had stayed busy. With any luck, Hugh and the army would be back soon enough. She dropped off the questionnaires, and was planning to go straight home, but the High Councilors’ assistant asked her to wait.
“The High Councilors said they want to review this right away, and they might have questions. It shouldn’t take long.”
Krystal hadn’t expected this, but she didn’t have anywhere else to go, so she sat in the waiting area and twirled her thumbs while she waited. She hadn’t been there that long when Councilor Morgan came out.
“Krystal, thank you very much! I think you’ve solved the mystery!”
Krystal hopped to her feet, startled and confused. “I have?”
“Yes, yes, come on in, and I’ll explain.”
He motioned Krystal into the conference room, and she followed in confusion. She hadn’t expected to be called back in, or to have the High Councilors explaining things to her. But they seemed excited, and that made her excited. Maybe she had done something worthwhile after all.
All of the High Councilors were in the room, which made Krystal feel a bit intimidated once again. No sooner had she taken a seat than Councilor Morgan began pacing at the front of the room, talking excitedly.
“Krystal, we need to thank you for pushing us to get these interviews done. We didn’t make them a priority because we didn’t think they were that important, but your work has shown us that we should have done these interviews right away.”
“I’m, uh, glad to help,” Krystal said, still feeling confused.
“You see,” continued Councilor Morgan, “Thi
s simple questionnaire showed us that all of the City Guards have a memory blackout in exactly the same spots. For all three attacks, this was the case.”
“Okay,” Krystal said slowly. “I’m not sure I understand the significance of that.”
“What it means is that the City Guards aren’t traitors. They were indeed put under a dark spell. One that causes memory loss and makes them unaware of their surroundings. We’ve already called an expert on dark magic to confirm this.”
Krystal frowned. “But none of them mentioned seeing any Dark Warriors at all. And surely they would have realized they’d been under a spell when they came out of that spell.”
Councilor Morgan shook his head. “No, they wouldn’t remember seeing a Dark Warrior, or the moments after coming out of the spell. The spell is designed so that, as much as possible, someone under its influence never realized it happened. The good news is that now that we know what’s happening, we can combat it. We already have experts in this type of spell heading to our City Guard right now to shield them from attacks like that.”
“Wow,” Krystal said. “I’m glad it was such a quick fix.”
“It was. And we have you to thank for finding it. We were so convinced that interviewing wouldn’t turn up anything, but the information you gathered made us realize what was happening. Once again, Krystal, you’ve saved the day.”
Krystal felt herself blushing. “I don’t know about that. I just wanted to find a small way to help.”
“Well, you found a big way. And we—”
The page button on the room’s intercom sounded loudly. “Councilor Morgan?” his assistant asked over the speaker. “You have a call from the Falcon Cross commander. He says it’s urgent.”
Councilor Morgan frowned, then looked at Krystal. “My apologies. I need to take this. Sit tight for one moment.”
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