by Jensine Odom
I sit back to recover, but a roar for help comes across the field. Sitrian glances at me, unsure what to do.
“Go. They need help. I’ll be fine.” With my encouragement, Sitrian races off to assist.
The battle rages around me, seemingly endless. It’s like a hydra; for every Knight we release, three more take its place. One Knight breaks free of the dragons trying to hold it down, going on a semi-berserk rampage, injuring many of my allies. More dragons rush in, some getting control of the rogue Knight and others getting the injured off the field.
Another Knight crashes out of the sky, breaking a leg in its rough landing. Baldure swiftly capitalizes, releasing it, and the Knight goes to join the countless others for healing.
Zaara’s with Turhion in a large group of dragons, doing her best to try to release the three Knights they’re battling. Kerric and Zebulon are taking on a Knight of their own, and Tristin’s with Alivia, struggling against a duo of Knights that fight flawlessly together.
Mary even joins the fray for a moment, forced to defend the Menders as a rogue Knight breaks away, headed straight for them; Her aqua scales flash as she snaps and slashes her tail, no longer the color of a stormy sea but that of an opal. Caedryn sweeps in with a few dragons to help out and release the Knight.
Calder is injured by a particularly nasty Knight, getting a set of slashes along his side. Brigid jumps in before the Knight can come back for round two, taking an injury herself. Just as things look like they’re about to get worse for them, Rogarr joins the fray, bringing a handful of dragons with him. Together they take down the Knight, and Tristin comes in hot for the release.
“Xerxia,” Amarya calls, pulling my mind back into the fight. She’s across the way, but not in need of help; she has Baldure and several clanmates working together to dispatch two Knights.
If she didn’t need help, why did she call me? Oh, shit! The fight has moved away, leaving me out in the open. Alone. Not a good place to be. Especially since no one has gotten eyes on Drustana. She’s here influencing the battle, of that I’m sure.
Shaking off the disconnect, I get back on my four feet, pushing off hard towards the battle. Amarya may not have needed my help before, but now there’s three Knights on them.
Stealing a move from Tristin’s playbook, Baldure headbutts one Knight, sending it careening into the trees, bulldozing all in its path. He quickly follows it up, releasing it, but another Knight followed as well, and jumps on Baldure’s back, viciously biting his neck.
Baldure throws his head back in pain, but one of his horns impales the smaller dragon, piercing into its head. The Knight screams, an odd mix of human and beast, then goes limp as its life is snuffed. The battle stops all at once, and the crushing anguish in my chest halts my feet.
Baldure lays the lifeless body down, but instead of getting to release this one’s mind, he releases its soul, laying a draconic hand ever so gently on the dragon’s chest. The body dissolves into a million stars, twinkling on the breeze as they blow away.
All I want to do is run to my friend and hold him, but this fight’s far from over. Just as I begin to move again, I’m blindsided and flung back from the safety of my people by a lone dragon swooping out of the darkness.
I try to get up in the snotty mud, but am hit again right as I find my footing. Only this time I get a good look at who it is. Drustana. She disappears into the darkness of the sky, thinking she’s hidden. How wrong she is.
With a thought, several bolts of lightning illuminate the sky, and I see exactly where Drustana is for an instant.
Xerxia, I’m coming, but the Knights are blocking the way, Caedryn’s voice sounds in my mind, and panic pulls at my heart.
Drustana has made them into a ring around you, Alivia confirms.
Don’t worry about me! I’ve got this! You need to release the Knights while they’re preoccupied with being inanimate. I feel their assent and can see the flashes from the Knights being released. “Coward,” I yell into the sky, my voice echoing like thunder in the clouds. “Fight me! Let’s end this!”
“You made a dire mistake, girl,” Drustana howls, diving for me again, but this time I roll out of the way, getting back to my feet as she splashes down. Her dark purple eyes flash angrily, and her milk chocolate scales seem to exude darkness, like light simply dies around her.
To keep her attention on me, I shift to my human form. “Stop this, Drustana,” I plead, stalling for time as the Vanguard slowly make their way through the immobile Knights. “It’s not too late. Surrender and no one has to die, including you.”
“I will never surrender,” Drustana snaps, stepping closer.
“What do you hope to accomplish here? I mean, besides global domination,” I shoot back.
“I will kill you; the last Royal stopping me from reigning over all dragonkind. Once you are dead, your bond will be severed, and with all the dragons free, we will rule over the mortals. They will worship us like gods!”
“Nah. The humans will despise you. They pretty much already do. It won’t take them long to invent weapons to kill you, either. Then they will hunt you down until there are no more dragons left in the world,” I try to sound prophetic.
“Then they will all burn,” Drustana screams maniacally.
“Alright. There’s just one flaw in your whole plan. I’m not the only Royal anymore.”
Sensing my intent, mostly because I broadcast it to her, Mary steps to the edge of the trees and shifts.
Drustana’s eyes narrow and she gives a sick chuckle. “I see you did not execute the traitor. She will be easier to kill than you.” Sylaena steps out next, shifting to her silvery purple dragon, and Drustana’s eye go so wide I fear they’ll pop out of her head. “Sylaena? It cannot be! You are dead!” Even though Sylaena is the least confrontational, as far as fighting goes, Drustana seems to be inexplicably terrified of her.
“Despite your treachery, Drustana, I live,” Sylaena says, deadly calm. It’s almost like Drustana betrayed Sylaena personally.
“So you see, Drustana; you could never win,” I gloat.
Drustana turns a feral snarl on me, clearly having lost her grip with all these new developments. Her muscles tense, but before she can lunge for me, I hit her with a bolt of lightning. It took long enough. I wanted to hit her a few moments ago, but this timing is better.
“Strike!” I can’t help the stupid pun.
None of the Knights are released, though, like I thought they would be upon Drustana’s death. A few steps forward from the edge of the ring, then fall lifeless, turning to a black mist before seeping into Drustana’s body as she gets back up.
She’s not dead, or even hurt. She’s definitely pissed, and with a maniacal cackle, the last of the colorless vapor seeps into her. Where her darkness was just a presence at the edge of my awareness, it now threatens to engulf me, pressing in on my mind harder than before.
She stole those Knights’ souls to grow her own power! It’s not enough, though; having been imbued by the Wisps, I block her out of my mind, then push back, nearly cracking the wall she puts up.
The Knights suddenly turn en masse on the Vanguard trying to release them, and screams pierce the air from both sides as the battle continues, Drustana’s the loudest of all as the last tether on her sanity snaps.
I quick shift as she flies right for me, jumping back to kick her. With a quickness I didn’t know she had and a move I should have seen coming, she ducks my leg and comes back up, impaling the thick of my thigh. She follows up with a vicious body slam and I spin out of control, falling wrong on one wing.
Pushing through the pain, I just manage to roll away from getting slashed in the face. I can’t stand on my leg, and my wing cants at a weird angle, unable to tuck up on my body, throwing my balance off. Capitalizing on my handicap, Drustana slams into me a second time, and I let the blow knock me back.
Giving Drustana the impression she got a knockout hit, I lay in wait as she slowly makes her way to me. The m
oment she’s close enough I roll up, reaching for her chest, but she jumps away like a cat. Not wanting to give her a chance to retaliate, I get to my feet, but still can’t put any weight on my back leg.
Drustana becomes cautious, not sure if I’m faking or not. Good, that’ll give me time to recover and figure out how to get my hands on her. I need to enrage her again. When she’s angry, she doesn’t think.
“Ready to surrender yet?” I taunt as we circle each other, but Drustana just laughs. “You might as well just give up. You’ll never win.” This gets a snarl. “Admit it. You failed.” The snarl gets louder. “You failed to kill all the Royals.” I tick off one finger. “You failed to unite the clans.” Another finger goes up. “You failed to be a god.” This gets the results I want.
With an angry roar, Drustana throws caution to the wind, slamming into me harder than I anticipated. This pushes me onto my bad leg, and I roll back with the momentum.
“I will kill you, even if it is the last thing I do,” Drustana howls.
I put my hands up to her chest as she comes in for my prone throat, and her eyes widen as she realizes her mistake. It’s too late. Searing white flames engulf her, exploding into a fine white ash an instant later.
Exhausted, I shift back to my human form and just lay there, the imprint of my dragon looking like an impossible snow angel. My leg hurts, and although I don’t have a wing in this form, I can still feel the pain there too, like a ghost limb.
Caedryn rushes to my side, knocking all the ash off me as he lifts me against him, bearing my weight so I can see the fruits of our victory. This time all the Knights were released upon Drustana’s death. The only living dragons in the clearing now are the three Paladins, who promptly rectify that by shifting to their human form and prostrating in surrender.
Bodrick smirks as people, regardless of which clan they’re from, begin to embrace one another in victory. Unfolding his arms from his chest, he makes his way towards me with his entire clan, the rest of the clans parting to make a path for the procession.
Yipping ecstatically, Volpe flies into my arms, licking my face, and Alarr appears by my side, healing my wounds. Destaya and the other Menders join everyone in the clearing, all eyes on us as Bodrick stops just before me.
He’s tall, but not as tall as Caedryn. His dark blue eyes have creases at the corners, and his brown hair is salted with silver. If I had to say how old this man was, I would put him up there with Sylaena, maybe even older.
“Shiirah,” he says, his voice rich, and kneels, followed by his entire clan. “You have accomplished what I could only dream of. I concede to your rule. These people will follow you now.” He stands, gesturing to his clan, stepping back to join their ranks; no longer their leader, but one of them.
This inspires the other clan Chieftains to come forward, each one pledging as Bodrick did, completely abolishing the clans just like that. I don’t know what to say, or do, so I end up standing there for a moment, shocked by the surreality of it all.
“We’re truly one people,” I finally announce when my brain reengages, and Caedryn takes my hand, lifting it high in victory to the cheers of our people.
But Wait, There’s More
Iwas always curious about what devastation was wrought upon the rest of the world in the cataclysmic event that reset the globe, but never did I think I would be getting a bird’s eye view of it.
Africa’s now three separate continents, Asia’s a mess, and Europe is mostly gone. I wasn’t really familiar with the foreign continent’s countries, but I’m pretty sure places like Ireland, Scotland, and the other edge countries were washed away in the tsunamis, and the rest of the land broke into pieces. It’s one of these new islands that’s our destination.
Shortly after defeating Drustana, I learned that she had left some dragons behind; elders, younglings, and those who were useless in a fight. This was her extra leverage, collateral for the eventual. When the clans seemed to be on the verge of rebelling, she threatened their families.
This only helped me in the long run. It angered the clans, and for most, saving their families was the deciding factor for joining me. Apparently, my victory had a lot more riding on it than I was initially aware of.
Bodrick tells me Drustana’s most loyal Acolytes were left to “guard” the hostages. There’s only about a dozen of them, but if they just get a whiff that something’s amiss, they’ll kill every single dragon.
In the event that these not so nice Acolytes are Espers, which is highly possible, I taught everyone who came along how to remain undetected to their minds. I had accidentally figured this trick out when we fought with Alivia and Baldure. That odd breeze in my head was Alivia’s mind looking for mine, and letting it pass through kept me hidden.
Flying low over the roiling sea, Bodrick sets us down on the far side of the island. A stiff wind batters us, and waves rage against the rocky shore. Bodrick looks to me with a silent question, and I shrug. It’s not me. I haven’t been able to call a storm since the night I defeated Drustana.
With no energies registering in my awareness, I signal the all clear, and we head into the gloomy forest just inland. Moving slowly through the dead trees, I stay in the lead, checking for any dragons, and hold up a hand when the first signatures hit me.
There’s a cluster of brightly colored energies and two less perky looking energies, familiar to me from Bodrick’s memories. Those are the Acolytes. The bright group moves off, but the Acolytes keep their position, and I signal to keep going.
After a few more pairs of dark energies appear, I feel their minds press in on mine. Letting the breeze pass through, I have us stop again. It’s showtime.
Letting their presence be known, Baldure, Alivia, and Bodrick walk right for the camp while the rest of us quickly spread out around it. The Acolytes’ energies change, snapping to attention, and all the brighter energies are grouped together in the center of the camp, some colorless with youth.
Close enough to see now, I watch as one man looks right to where Baldure and the others will be appearing.
“Who goes there?!” he demands, raising his bow, the yellow-green flash of Dragon’s Bane glowing even more sickly in the stormy dark.
I feel Baldure’s heart skip a beat, his sister’s echoing the same off rhythm, making mine clutch with fear. Fuck. This just got a lot more complicated.
“Easy, Brother,” Bodrick greets confidently, getting the man to lower the weapon, calming both Baldure and Alivia.
“What are our orders?” the man asks next, glancing unpleasantly at the grouped families.
One elder man stands before the others, looking like Zeus himself with long white hair dancing in the wind, his bright blue eyes flashing. He’ll lay his life down to protect the others. He must have been a Chieftain in his prime.
“You are to release these people,” Bodrick commands with authority. “There is no longer a need for their imprisonment.”
Something changes in the man; a tiny shift. That was the wrong thing to say. Alivia senses it, but before she can warn Bodrick, the man raises his Dragon’s Bane again.
“Drustana has eliminated the Usurper?” he asks, his mind prying into Bodrick’s.
“No,” Bodrick replies, unflinching in the face of death. “Drustana is dead. This fight is over.”
“Did you kill her, Traitor?!” he asks, hysterical.
Knowing the man’s next move, I slam my mind into his, coming to a room filled with dark light. Before he can do anything, I step into the fire, intending to take his mind and stop him from shooting Bodrick. What I didn’t anticipate was his mind incinerating the moment mine took it.
With a strangled scream, the man turns to dust, blowing away on the wind, the Dragon’s Bane he was about to fire clattering on the ground with his bow. The shock of being linked with the dragon I just purified drives me to my knees, and I vaguely sense Caedryn catching me before I fall completely.
There’s a commotion just on the edges of my awareness,
and when I come back to myself, all the Acolytes have been apprehended, their Dragon’s Bane confiscated and laying in a neat pile. The families haven’t moved yet, still unsure if we’re the good guys.
I can’t blame them. A man just erupted into flames and turned to dust before their eyes, without explanation.
“So, apparently I can dust dragons with my mind,” I comment, shaking my head to clear it completely.
Caedryn holds me tight, relieved, and helps me to my feet. The elder man at the front of the group gasps, eyes going wide the moment he sees my crown, and kneels, followed rapidly by the rest of the people behind him, even though most are confused as to why.
“Shiirah,” his voice rasps, and he meets my gaze. “Is it true? Is Drustana truly defeated?” He sounds hopeful, yet sad.
“It’s true. I defeated her myself, in battle. I’m a Purificent, among other things, and her soul was lost to the darkness,” I answer calmly. The elder nods, but his pain pierces my heart. “Who was she to you?” I ask, knowing there’s only a few reasons behind that kind of pain.
His eyes go wide for an instant, and he stands before answering me. “She was my daughter.”
“I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t let go of her darkness.”
“I know this well,” he agrees, flashing a small smile of reassurance. “I had been trying to turn her from the dark for most of her life.” Sadness crosses his face again.
“Some people just can’t be saved.” I pat his shoulder.
“What will you do with them?” he asks, looking to the Acolytes.
“We’ll test them. If they’re lost to their darkness, they’ll meet the same fate as Drustana,” I answer. “Bodrick, you and the others see to these people while the Vanguard and I deal with the Acolytes.”
Bodrick nods and everyone but the Vanguard moves to help the families, explaining what’s happened, both here and back home. The elder man stays by my side as Caedryn and I join the rest of the Vanguard and the few Knights that hold the Acolytes prisoner.