With a hard jolt, the dragon launched and flew toward the castle. Ambrosia squirmed and tried to free herself, but thick claws tightly held them.
Ky’s druse zipped off her shoulder. Prism flew into Ambrosia’s room but when Huntra pounced out and began to grow as he fell, she changed direction and followed him. He sprinted down the mountain, increasing his mass. Prism fluttered around him, but he snapped at her almost as if he was communicating, and then Prism circled back to Ky. Prism protectively fluttered around Ky’s head, before settling in her hair.
They crossed high above the battlefield. The dragon took them to a large balcony near the tall towers and dropped them before it slammed on the rock floor with a thud.
Ky rolled when she dropped. Before she stood, Zevera dismounted the dragon, and pointed a wand at Ambrosia. “Close your room, witch, or I’ll kill you,” Zevera snarled. Ambrosia didn’t move. “Are you pondering how to stop me? That’s laughable! You’re no match for me. I’m the three kings’ mother. You’re a lowly healer’s daughter, and not a very good one.” When Ambrosia did nothing but tremble, Zevera screamed, “Close your room, or I’ll do it myself after I cut off your arm.” Ambrosia reluctantly closed her room. As she did, she covered her face as the room’s heat escaped with scorching wind and whipping fire.
“Now,” Zevera sneered, because Ambrosia was accommodating, “follow me to the dungeons. We will wait for your mate to arrive, Ky. Don’t get comfortable, because I will kill you both when I have you together.”
Zevera shooed her dragon away, commanding the fire-breather to burn as many warriors as possible. Then she took Ambrosia and Ky into the castle, under the influence of magically bound wrists that forced them to follow. As she walked, Zevera hacked and coughed, before spitting blood.
They walked along several hallways, passing guards made of black obsidian, carved into knights with huge chests. They wore different helmets and armor, but their faces were uncovered. They each had a nose ring with a small ball that glowed black with brown swirls. Ambrosia whispered to Ky, “They’re magical protectors of the king. The nose ring controls them. If we’re guarded by them, rip the ring out, and we’ll escape.”
“Don’t talk,” Zevera snapped, and whirled around, pointing her wand at Ambrosia. She directed them by motioning with her wand, aiming for a small stone room with thick bars on their left. “Go in there.”
The gate opened, and they were shoved into the jail. Zevera locked it and left. Ambrosia rushed over to Ky when the cuffs around their wrists disappeared. Apparently, Zevera was still using as little magic as possible. “Don’t worry, Ky. Tyrus will save us. I tried getting his attention while flying overhead. My wand was destroyed, and I used my own willpower, but hopefully it was strong enough that he felt it. Magic is better if not performed at a distance, but I’m sure he knows. They will find us. Tyrus is a great seer. He may have known this would happen for months.”
“She left us alone in this jail. Open your room, Ambrosia. Release the men. Get them out of there.”
When Ambrosia opened the door, a blast of fire escaped. She hastily sealed it. There was no way they could bring anyone out safely. The room was a furnace. “Dragon fire is the worst kind of fire. It will destroy everything, and already has. It killed my toy warriors.” Ambrosia’s lip quivered, while admitting her gift from Tyrus was destroyed. She shook her head, knowing it was unimportant. But Ky understood that in this journey she lost everything, including the dream of children, and now she literally had nothing tangible. Evidently the toy warriors were her most valuable possession, but they were ash now. Ambrosia continued, “Maybe my healing gnomes can save the forest. I know little about them other than they burrow underground with an impressive network of tunnels, but I don’t know the depth of my moss. It would be miraculous if they could help the people. Wyt cannot perform magic in there. If something isn’t done within an hour or so, they will all die.” Ambrosia wept.
“I’m sure they will be fine, Ambrosia.” Ky shifted closer and put a consoling arm around her friend. “I’m sorry you lost everything.”
“Thanks,” Ambrosia cried. “I’m sad about my toy warriors; I won’t lie. Tyrus gave them to me.” She wiped the tears that fell in a constant stream. “My family crest! My heirlooms! They’re all gone.”
“I’m truly sorry,” Ky said. Ambrosia shrugged, feigning nonchalance for Ky’s sake. “Here,” Ky lifted the necklace. “You can start collecting your treasures again. You can have this back.”
“No, keep it. Please, I gave it to you.” Ambrosia paused, and then stared open-mouthed at her. “In fact, yes, you should wear it, and transform into me! Don’t will yourself to change back until this is over, Ky. They won’t be able to tell us apart. It’s the only way!”
“That’s absolutely brilliant!” Ky nodded, and let the necklace fall. Without wasting any time, she changed into Ambrosia’s double. Her clothes, voice, and expressions changed until she was the spitting image of Ambrosia. The gaping look on her friend’s face told Ky how convincing the transformation was.
“That’s so strange!”
No sooner had Ky morphed, then a secret door opened within the jail. Zevera and her son, King Rathe, entered. Rathe was identical to his brother. Although he was handsome, Rathe had chilling light-brown eyes that glared at Ky. She knew how crazed the entire Verellis family was. Ky recoiled as she wondered if he harbored animosity for killing his brother. But then his glare moved to Ambrosia, and Ky realized he was angered that he couldn’t tell them apart.
Zevera shrieked with rage, and threateningly thrust her wand in Ky’s direction. “What did you do to Ky? Change her back or I’ll kill you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Ky protested.
“You lie!” Zevera screamed. Ky panicked as her old fears of the witch resurfaced. Then Zevera pointed at Ambrosia. “No, you’re Ambrosia. You blubber over your room. You change Ky back or I’ll kill you.”
“Shine, Ky! Kill us all and end this,” Ambrosia yelled. “I will die for the cause! I have nothing to live for.” It was a good idea considering Ambrosia still wore Ky’s cloak. Ambrosia must have forgotten, because the cloak was invisible or she was clever enough to remember. Ky began to shine but stopped because Zevera cackled, saying she couldn’t be killed by Ky’s heat.
“I have her blood in me, you stupid girl. I can’t die while her blood stays in my body and she lives. It’s prophetical that they survived because of their blood. I took it so I could put an end to this nonsense. The only person she would kill is you. I protect my remaining sons with magic and to my death if need be. Once I kill Cobaaron and Ky at the same time, this will be over. Cooperate and I’ll let you live; cross me and I’ll not only kill you but your entire family.” Zevera cast a spell on Ky, but when nothing happened, Zevera growled in fury.
Zevera addressed her son, “I can’t lift the charm to change her appearance in my state. Keep an eye on this girl. She is Ky. Don’t confuse them. We’ll take them to the north tower. Our dragon will meet us there. I have foreseen that I leave deathly ill. We head there now. Cobaaron will come for her. I’m sure of it.”
“Mother, we should take them to the casemate, and send our guards to surround us,” Rathe pushed with urgency. “This is too much of a risk as it is. We need Rage to fight. We should flee to his castle and the three of us together can defeat Cobaaron.”
“You fool! We need to fight now while he’s still vulnerable as a man,” Zevera hissed. “I’ve told you countless times. This is the only way. I’ve seen his partner mourning his own body, while lying on a bed of white flowers. I’m sure it’s his coffin. If I see you in danger, my son, I’ll jinx you away from here.”
“At least let us go to the casemate for weapons. You’re weak, mother. I have no magical talent. I won’t follow you into battle with nothing. You should have let me prepare for this battle instead of nursing you to better health.”
“Very well, we have time for that.” Zevera directed her wand at Ambro
sia. She cast a charm, stiffening their bodies before floating them down the hallway to the casemate.
They walked a flight of stairs to another hallway when the ground rumbled, and the spell broke. Ambrosia and Ky embraced each other for balance, as the floor beneath them shook. “What is that?” Zevera asked, wide-eyed. She stumbled to a window when something caught her eye. “It’s that brainless cat.”
Ky saw Huntra enormously tall and standing on the castle. The floating fortress started to buckle under his weight. Zevera pointed her wand at him. “No!” Ky cried out, and crashed into Zevera. Her spell hit the wall, and cracked the rock. Another coughing fit took Zevera by surprise, and she had difficulty keeping her wand steady. Zevera aimed for Huntra again. He sprung off the castle when he saw Zevera’s wand aimed at him. Her protective nature cost her dearly when Zevera pointed her wand at Ky and water spewed from the tip. That drowned her bravery as she struggled to breathe until Ambrosia attacked. Rathe ripped Ambrosia off his mother, and threw her into Ky with extraordinary force.
“Quick, to the casemate, or we won’t have time,” Rathe bellowed.
Zevera led Ambrosia and Ky behind them with magic, once again bending them to her will. They hurried to the armory. Zevera tossed them into the middle of the room. They lay motionless, from the neck down, still under the spell. Zevera and Rathe gathered magical instruments as they prepared for Cobaaron’s arrival.
“You will not get away with this,” Ambrosia declared, shockingly stern and strong. Ky never knew Ambrosia to be so bold and brave before without immediately regretting it. This time she forged on, and continued, almost delighted with her words: “You’re the fool if you think you’re leaving this castle free from the prophecy. You will die, and I know it.”
“Shut her up, mother,” Rathe grumbled angrily. “Don’t let her speak to you with such disdain and disrespect. Or I will finish her.”
Rathe didn’t wait for his mother to act, and slapped Ambrosia before telling her to keep her mouth closed. “Don’t dawdle. Get what you need and let’s leave. Once I kill Ky and Cobaaron together, I’m no longer in danger. I’ll shed my blood to rid her light from my body.” Zevera retrieved an object that looked identical to a dream catcher and handed it to Rathe. “This will take all of Ambrosia’s magical power for a short time, minutes only. You must see to it that this breaks over Ambrosia, before I try to kill Ky, or she may try to protect her friend. I will not be able to fight Ambrosia while I bleed myself. If all goes well, I will drain her youth and power to help us free the castle once the two are dead. I have seen I’m weak. I’ll need her.”
“Mother, there has to be another way,” Rathe protested earnestly. “You’re leaving too much to chance.”
“There is no other way,” Zevera snapped, and then checked her tone. “It must be now, my son.”
“You will die!” Ambrosia yelled. Ky gawked at her, wondering why she was antagonizing them with such confidence.
“Why are you so sure?” Zevera hissed.
“Your prophecy on the wall behind you. It says you die. Why even try?” Ambrosia asked.
Ky saw where Ambrosia’s eyes were focused. On the wall, between magical instruments and artillery hovered a long prophecy. It was too far away for Ky to read, but Ambrosia was closer. Ky could make out a few words, enough to recognize the prophecy as the one they read at Elder. But this prophecy was longer.
Ky wished she could move. She wanted to get closer to read it, but her body was stiff. Her muscles screamed when she tried to resist and stand.
“I doubt a young healer like yourself has mastered the complex art of reading prophecies? Scores of people interpret them wrong! That prophecy has many loopholes, and I’m sure I haven’t discovered all of them.” Zevera glowered, and then hexed Ambrosia so she couldn’t talk. Zevera and Rathe continued to collect more magical weapons.
While the two were busy, Ky saw her druse dart across the room in a white streak. In a flash, she hid behind the hovering prophecy. Then Prism folded the scroll. With each fold, the prophecy got smaller and smaller until it was no larger than a pea, but Prism continued to press the scroll in smaller squares. Zevera and Rathe turned, glancing at Ambrosia and Ky again. Ky wrenched her eyes away from her pet, and didn’t dare look back and give any clues that Prism was hard at work, doing what druse did best, steal.
“These are enough instruments. We must hurry, or Cobaaron will reach us before we’re prepared. I want to be in the tower, and close to where the dragon will come for us.” Zevera lifted the girls with a flick of her wand. They left the armory, and to Ky’s horror, she couldn’t hear Prism’s gentle hum on her shoulder. The casemate’s door slammed shut, and there was no hole or crack for Prism to escape. Her trapped druse had no way out.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The north tower, the tallest in the castle, had winding wooden bridges hanging from thick chains. The sloping, rickety bridges had a one-foot gap between them; but the space kept shrinking and expanding as the bridges swayed, banging into one another. Ky would have preferred to be levitated and controlled, so she didn’t fall, but Zevera had frequent coughing fits, and finally declared she no longer wanted to use unnecessary magic.
They paused as they wound up the tall tower, to look out big windows and view the battle’s progress. Ky could see Huntra, massive and batting at wild beasts fighting for Zevera and the king. Ky cringed as she saw him bat the dragon. She didn’t want to lose Huntra. “Hide, Huntra,” she whispered, and amazingly, he delivered one last blow, slapping the inextinguishable flame away, before sprinting for the mountains, slowly decreasing his mass.
They continued circling, climbing the bridges to the top. When they arrived at the tower peak, Ambrosia and Ky were forced into a corner of a long platform.
“Bind them together, son,” Zevera said to Rathe.
With her wand, she manifested a rope, and handed it to him. She continually coughed, as Rathe forced Ambrosia and Ky to squeeze together. The cord magically coiled around their waists. “I don’t need to tell you this bind has menacing properties, Ambrosia,” Zevera glared at Ky, as she spoke, “so don’t try to escape. Don’t do anything foolish. You’re no match for me without a wand.”
“Mother, I still don’t agree with your plan. How am I supposed to know which girl is the healer? With all the shaking, I lost track, and you had your back to them,” Rathe whispered in confidence. “I’ve wondered how you plan to fight Cobaaron. I’ve heard rumors he’s unnaturally strong and fast. You’re weak. We should leave, and let me speak with Rage. Together we could come up with a solid plan, a perfect plan. This is madness. We fight with mindless guards. If anything, this is going to make the prophecy true.”
“I know what I saw. You’re not a seer. We both leave this castle! I make it to the curing springs and you laugh with Rage as you always have. I’ve seen Cobaaron’s death, which is why I’m confident.”
“I don’t believe you,” Rathe snapped. “Your magic and fortune-telling are becoming futile. Our brother is dead from your advice. You think we don’t care about this prophecy, but we don’t care for your tactics. We have listened to your poor advice for too long. You expect me to stand with you and fight for you, not beside you. And when my brother is dead because you told us not to come to his aid? You wanted him dead because he was weak.”
“Don’t speak of things you don’t understand. I loved Wilt! Come son, you know how much I adore all my boys. I didn’t want you in Siphrise because the prophecy was very clear it falls, while I can stop all of this. But I need your help while I’m weak. For years, I’ve told all of you this day would come when I couldn’t fight this warrior alone.”
“You have condemned us to darkness in the south when we could have had the entire world at our command. The prophecy says nothing about time. We may be lifetimes away from our death. It may not be Cobaaron. You have held us back long enough. Rage and I have possession of the key. I won’t fight for you!”
“How dare you turn against
me when I’m sick,” Zevera screeched.
“Go to the curing springs. Get well; we will fight another day when we have a real army, and unconquerable weapons,” Rathe reasoned as he reached out for her. “Your pride wants to finish him now.”
“You idiot. He can still change,” Zevera snarled. “Once he has, how will anyone stop him? I didn’t ask you to fight him. You assumed that! Wait until I tell you to crack the object over Ambrosia. That is all I ask.”
“But we don’t know which one she is, unless you are certain.”
“Together we will think of a way to make the healer reveal herself,” Zevera stressed. “Her blood is hot. We’ll bleed them both, and see who sheds light.”
“Let’s take the women with us. One of them is a Star. Change me to look like Cobaaron, erase her memory, and make her want my child. You said you wanted to replace Wilt,” Rathe suggested and looked at Ambrosia and then Ky. “I hear she is beautiful.”
“Are you crazed with lust? I will never do that! Not even if I didn’t need the Star dead to fulfill the prophecy!” Zevera shouted. “There are enough Verellis heirs scattered all over the world, Rathe. It has done nothing for us. You’re starting to sound like your brother. Women make men go crazy, obviously if you ask me for one. Am I not enough for you? Son, don’t you love me?”
“I want my own child. There’s enough time to raise him.”
“How dare you! Cobaaron will kill you for such speech. Soon he will be here, and when he brings Tyrus, you will both die. I’m certain of my dream now; I’ve seen you, witch, drenched in vampire blood and your two sons stand over your body, taking no notice because birds pecked at their eyes,” Ambrosia hissed with pink eyes. Though Ky wasn’t sure if Ambrosia truly saw the vision, there was conviction in her friend’s voice.
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