Zack nodded.
“We understand.” There was a tense, rushed feeling to Kallen, as if he wasn’t telling them everything that he knew. “Is everything okay? It seems like everything is moving so quickly.”
Kallen nodded, and that was that.
The palace gates opened, and the group was able to witness firsthand the incredible amount of security that had been put into place as well as the impressive entourages brought by the Elven Lords: elite guards with signs of rank organizing the guests as they entered, a strange and giant bird that some Elves were using as mounts to get around the castle quickly, and the shining robes of many different and beautiful Lords and Ladies. It was like something out of a medieval story back home, Samantha thought. Earth’s history was once almost as beautiful and magical as this, she reflected with a pang of sadness.
“Follow me,” Kallen hissed, and the three Ancients hurried after him as he made his way toward a side entrance that was guarded by several of the elite spearmen that were guarding the rest of the castle so fervently.
As the doors opened, Kallen took them up a flight of stairs and down a few corridors and finally, they arrived.
“Wow!” Faye exclaimed, her pretty eyes widening as she saw the large, quiet room they had been brought to. There were a few pretty, female Elves standing ready with measuring tape and other items. They smiled as they saw the group walk into their domain and bowed.
“It is an honor to attend to you, Ancients.”
The next twenty minutes were a flurry of activity as Kallen hurried the Elven tailors to get the three Ancients ready before the briefing began. The trio was allowed to have a quick bath, and then the dress-up commenced. He kept looking at a strange device in his pocket — Zack could only guess that it was a watch of some kind.
“Aaaaaand…done!” the Elf that had been assigned to Zack said with a grin. She clapped excitedly and looked at Kallen for approval.
The tall officer put a hand to his chin and took the longest moment to respond, but he nodded.
“He looks great.”
Zack’s simple leather clothes from back home had been replaced with a much more elegant set of light armor of a strange but beautiful metal. It was dark-gray and moved flexibly as he did. It didn’t cover him entirely, though, so it wasn’t made for battle. Beneath it, he wore a suit of black leather armor that was impressive to look at. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and wondered what his parents would think if they saw him.
“What about this little princess?”
Faye stepped out from behind a curtain and grinned widely, her eyes shining as she picked up the corners of her dress and curtseyed. It was a long white gown that was adorned with life-like white roses that seemed to open when she spun around. The girl was beaming, and it made Zack happy to see her like that. He grabbed her by the hand and waited for his sister to appear.
Finally, Samantha stepped out. Zack’s hand went to his forehead.
“I’m glad you didn’t dress like this back home, I’d have to fight all the guys off — you’re beautiful!”
Sammy was dressed all in red, her long dress shimmering amazingly in the light and her lips painted in the same color — a blood red that was unlike any that Zack or Faye had ever seen back home. She wore heels of some sort that seemed to balance her perfectly and her hair had been tied into an elegant bun.
“I have never, ever looked like this…I…” Tears flowed down his sister’s cheeks, and Zack laughed, hugging her and patting her on the back.
“It’s okay sis, you can’t be ugly every day.” She punched him for that, and even Kallen stifled a smile.
After thanking the three pretty Elves (one of which Zack winked at mischievously, causing her to blush), the trio sped out of the room and headed to the main hall where the briefing would take place. They were nervous, but they knew their duties. Kallen explained who was who and made sure that they got a peek at the Lords from a guarded ledge before entering the main hall.
“Oh, and forget about Sessaran helping you out; my brother is a cruel being. In there, you won’t be his guest, but instead just another rival to deal with.”
Finally, they stood before the gates of the main hall. They were beautiful; an elegant mix of dark wood and gold that shone brightly in the light.
“Where will you be?”
“My duty is to keep watch of the roof, and from it, the city itself. Very well, time to go.” He opened the door without warning and the three Ancients were forced to smile and step inside the hall without any time to take a deep breath.
The Elves had already been chatting away when the trio entered, probably greeting each other and pretending to be nice, but they all went silent as the newcomers walked up to the huge circular table in the middle of the room and pulled out their chairs.
The looks were blatantly rude as the Elven Lords and Ladies stared at Zack, Faye and Samantha as if they were naked. All of the confidence that the three adventurers had gained by wearing their best was now fading away like smoke.
Lord Sessaran cleared his throat loudly.
“I present to you, our three allies, the Ancients Zack, Samantha and Faye.” All three of them bowed their heads before sitting down and folding their arms. “They are one of our best weapons, our plan B if things go wrong. They’ll demonstrate at the very end what they’re made of, and you’ll understand.”
One of the Ladies spoke up; a thin, elderly figure.
“That’s all good, yes; but how can we trust them? Where are they from? Why are they here right now, in this crucial moment in time? How do we know they are not a third faction, hiding out there and waiting for us to battle the Dragons and decimate each other so that they can walk in and take control of the world?”
Several of the Elves at the table nodded in agreement.
“How do we stop them if they decide to go rogue, even if they’re here without any evil intentions? I’ve heard they have the gift of Ancient magic. How many lives will be lost if they decide that they don’t want to abide by our laws?”
The room was beginning to fall to mayhem, as the accusing looks fell on both the group and Sessaran himself. The Lord of the City was scowling as he raised his hands, but it was clear that he was losing control of the briefing.
It’s time, Zack knew.
Bang.
Everybody went silent and turned toward him as he slammed his fist down onto the table and rose. The guards of several Lord and Ladies stepped forward and pointed their weapons at him, but he shook his head.
“Stop.” The figures at the table looked at him with fury, but he lifted a hand, “Please.” He stood, hopping down the steps of the main platform they were sitting on and landing on the floor below. With a quick movement of his palms, he formed two blades, beautiful green things that shone in the light. There was amazement among those gathered, but there was also fear. “Our magic can be used for evil, yes,” he closed his eyes and concentrated, and soon the blades turned into small plants, trees that began to grow and bear fruit, “But we can also do good and bring salvation to this world.”
“My brother is right,” Samantha said as she stepped down beside her sibling. “If only you knew what things are like from where we come from. War has torn it to pieces. Children are born into hunger and pain. We become adults by our teenage years since there’s no other choice. We have suffered too much, we know what war is.” The Elves were silent, simply listening now.
That was when Faye stepped up.
“You just don’t understand. We need you as much as you need us. You are our guards as much as we are yours.” She lifted a white rose from her dress and walked up to the Elven Lady who had spoken so harshly of them, offering it to her like a gift. The Elf’s eyes went moist.
“I’m sorry for judging you.” A round of applause followed, and Sessaran cleared his throat again to speak.
Clang
Zack’s smile faded as he heard the distant sound.
Clang
; “What is that?” One of the Lords said. Samantha looked at Zack and he nodded. It was unmistakable.
It was the sound of swords clashing.
“We’re under attack,” Zack breathed, and as they looked up through the giant domed ceiling, they saw him.
Kallen the Wise was locked in battle against a dark figure with flames painted on his robes.
The Dragons had come.
Sessaran stood.
“Brother…” he breathed.
Shouts erupted as the figures at the table rose and began to run down the steps in their attempts to escape.
“No…” Faye breathed.
It took the siblings a moment to realize what Faye had seen.
The man that was fighting Kallen wasn’t any stranger.
It was Shinji.
That was when they heard the roar and the screaming.
Chapter 8
Burning
The dome crashed inward with no warning, its frame caving as something huge smashed through it, the roar of a massive creature echoing around the hall as Elven guards charged forward to defend their leaders.
Zack and Samantha trembled in fear as they recognized the Dragon that landed heavily onto the round table, its claws tearing holes into the very floor itself.
Lieutenant Shella, right hand of King Garadon.
Kallen and Shinji were nowhere to be seen, but the new threat was a fearsome one, the most powerful Dragon of them all after their King himself.
“Who’s first?” she growled maliciously and the fight began for real. Sessaran threw himself off his chair and ran to the back of the room as his guards powered forward with Elven spears in their hand and threw them at Shella’s massive body. The weapons pierced her thick skin to a point, but it was nowhere near enough to hurt her. The Dragon roared again and lunged forward with her front claws, impaling one of the Elves and pulling another off his feet with her jaws.
“Faye? Faye?!” Samantha was screaming, her head turning from side to side as she looked for the little girl. Lieutenant Shella blew a gust of flames all over an Elven Lord and his entourage and within minutes, the group was dead and burned. Where is Faye?! Zack wondered with fear. There was no time to sit back.
The little girl showed up a few instants later, opening a door to one side of the hall and calling them over.
“Sessaran and the rest…” Sammy complained, but Zack wrenched her away all the same. Through a window in the corridor they began to run through, they were able to see the city outside. Even if it was hidden underground, there was plenty of space in the air above the city for lizards to fly freely. Right now, it was filled with them. Where had they come from?
What fearsome creatures the Dragons are. Their wingspan varied differently, their bodies also deeply individual in their shapes and sizes. They were definitely the most destructive living being the group had seen in this world, much more powerful than most of the aircraft in their own, as well.
“Shinji was fighting Kallen, what was that about?” Faye asked, but Zack remained silent.
They pushed their way through a door and emerged into the entrance hall of the palace. There were enemies fighting the palace guards with ferocity that Zack had not seen before. They looked human, but with wilder features. He realized then that they were the Ancient-Dragon hybrids he’d learned about.
“Not here, through here,” Samantha said, recalling the way they had taken into the building.
It was only when they sprinted through the next corridor that it happened.
Smash.
The glass doors on one of the walls exploded as something large was thrown through them. Kallen the Wise groaned and shook his head, dragging himself away from the enemies that stepped through the hole in the wall. There were three of them: Shinji and two hybrids, Zack realized. We can take them.
Shinji carried his sword pointed down in a two-handed grip as he stood in front of the fallen Elven officer, his stance demonstrating an execution pose.
“This is it for you, Elf,” Shinji spat. Flames flowed from the palms of his hand into the air around him. He pulled the blade back and thrusted it forward in a single movement.
Clang!
The sword caught on something just as rigid; another blade Shinji could see shining with green light.
“What? You three…you’re here? Why?” Not for a moment did he stop his plans or change his mind. Nevertheless, he knew that Zack and Samantha had changed just like he had. Their powers were formidable now. It would be foolish to start a fight right now.
“Why are you with them, Shinji?” Zack looked accusingly at his old classmate. “You can’t surely choose pain and suffering before peace and freedom. You’re smarter than that, I know.”
“There’s more in life than just that; ever since I joined this cause, I have only gotten stronger, faster, better. It’s a path that leads only to rewards. What about your own, Zack, Samantha? It’s a road to death.” He took an instant to finish the sentence. “Scrap this all, ditch these weakling Elves and become one of us. We need each other as much as we have before.” The two bodyguards were watching, the two enemies probably trying to understand what was taking place. “Join me, all of you. The Dragons shall make you powerful, nothing like what these judgmental cowards will ever accomplish!”
The look in his eyes was passionate — Shinji had fully sold his soul to the Dragon’s cause. Faye and Samantha concentrated on pulling Kallen away from the turncloak’s allies in this sudden moment of distracted tension.
“You say that you need us,” Zack breathed finally, biting his lip and looking out of the windows to the city outside. Streets and buildings were burning and there was the unmistakable echo of screams coming non-stop from outside the palace. The fight within the main hall had gotten worse and he could hear it getting closer to them. The fight needed to end soon. “Well we don’t need you and your winged monsters. And I’m willing,” Zack said as he turned his blade into mist and slowly pressed his palms together, instead forming a long polearm that he swept out to one side, “To bring your life to an end if it means protecting these people, you traitor.”
Sammy stepped back and stuck her hand into her pocket. She had been carrying arrowheads for a while, precisely for a moment like this in which she would need them — today had been no different. They shone in her hand as she charged them with magic, ready to put any of her enemies down.
“I echo my brother’s words. Where is Julia? Tell us?”
Faye stepped forward furiously and pointed her finger at the young man.
“You let them capture her. You will not get anything from us but revenge!”
Shinji swallowed hard, his face contorting in rage. It looked like he hadn’t expected this at all. It made him feel humiliated, being rejected in front of his allies like this. He wouldn’t let it stand, surely, Zack knew.
“Very well. If you can’t see the reasons I have done what I did,” he hissed, “And your pathetic loyalty to the Elves is so strong, then you’re my enemies. It’s that simple. I didn’t want to do this,” he said, allowing flames to form in his hands, “But you’ve forced my hand. You are going to regret your decision.” He pulled his shining, black sword back behind him and ran his palm down the blade. It lit on fire immediately. The two men beside him circled around the trio and Zack knew that this would be a close fight.
“Come on, then, turncloak. Show us what you’re fighting for.”
The two sides clashed furiously, Zack’s halberd swinging around ferociously as Shinji attempted to get close enough to attack the lad with his own weapon. It was useless. The other soldiers lifted their shields as the barrage of super-charged arrowheads fired at them, cutting through one of the men’s armor with ease but not taking him down.
“Close in and cut her open!” Shinji cried over his shoulder as he saw what was going on. Zack’s weapon cut the air just in front of his old classmate’s face, and he laughed.
“Pay attention to the fight, turncloak!” With a s
pin, he brought the halberd’s sharp head around with his body weight pushing it faster and further than normal. Shinji managed to parry the polearm away from his face and stabbed forwards several times, forcing Zack to backtrack until he hit a wall. The fiery blade thrusted forward again and again, slamming into the wall around him but fortunately not wounding Zack once.
Shinji stopped and smiled as he tilted his ear at the sound of something.
“Ah, they’re coming.” The scrabbling of claws on the floor echoed all around and Zack knew what it meant. Enemy reinforcements.
Wrath of the Dragon King (Dawn of Hope, Book 2) Page 4