by Ivy Clyde
“Are you okay, Daria?” a deep, gentle voice asked from behind me.
It was Cain.
“It’s all right,” I said, leaning against the boulder as a sudden bout of weakness washed over me. As the feeling of being sick slowly left me, I wondered what could’ve brought on the episode. Closing my eyes, I focused on the energy pattern in my body. Everything seemed normal until I caught the faint flutter of a new entity. It wasn’t the dark spirit. This was a completely new being…
I staggered on my feet as a new realization dawned on me.
There was a new life growing inside me.
I was pregnant.
Cain moved forward to support my body. His eyes glowed in the dark of night as he watched me anxiously. “Did you spend too much power to heal us?” he asked.
I shook my head.
Getting my balance, I straightened up. Cain looked much healthier than before. When he held me, heat seeped through the fabric of my clothes and sunk into my skin. His dragonborn abilities were quickly healing him. Without the effects of the toxin, he would be fully cured in a few days.
A smile tugged the corners of my lips as relief washed over me.
“You are acting strangely,” said Cain, watching me closely.
A mirthful chuckle escaped me but on the heels of that happy thought, another worry pricked my mind.
I couldn’t let my child be influenced by the darkness residing in me. His or her life was a mere flutter compared to the beating of my heart but once the spirit recognized the unborn child, it would start feeding on the purely innocent being.
Sinking onto the ground, I assumed a cross-legged position.
“What are you doing?” asked Cain, sitting down beside me.
“I have no time to explain,” I said in a hushed whisper. “There’s something inside me that I must get rid of. Watch over me, Cain, but do not interrupt my meditation even if it looks like I am harming myself.”
“Daria…”
“Please…”
He gave a nod. “I trust you.”
Relieved, I closed my eyes. Nudging the dark spirit within, I woke it up.
What now, she-dragon? It asked in a disgruntled tone.
“I am going to set you free.”
Annoyance leaked out of it. You don’t need to do that. I am far more useful to you bound than free.
“I want you gone,” I said in a determined voice.
The spirit stayed silent for a moment. I sense another life growing within you.
Dismay spread through me. “That’s none of your business. You’re free to leave, so go.”
I don’t think so.
Its tendrils hooked deeper into my heart, drawing my life forces out. It wanted to weaken me so that I would stop trying to force it out of my body. It wanted to latch onto me until it’d sucked enough power from me and my unborn child. I would never let that happen!
Gathering the forces within me, I attacked the spirit. Since it was no living being, you couldn’t kill it. The only way to make it leave me was by sheer power.
Pain lanced through my chest but I kept concentrating all my energies into banishing the spirit.
The ache in my chest became unbearable but I had to get the evil out of my body. I would never allow it to feed off my unborn child. The depth of my maternal instincts astonished me. So even when blood dribbled down my chin, I continued to hound the spirit to leave.
Do as you please, selfish wench! I am never returning to you again! The spirit cried, causing my heart to spasm but leaving my body at the same time.
A hacking cough rose up in my chest, followed by me vomiting copious amounts of blood.
I became aware of Cain’s strong arms holding me close against him as I slumped into his chest. Despite the weakness washing over me, I smiled. My child was going to be safe.
“You need to explain yourself,” said Cain in a grim voice. “Why are you hurting yourself when our enemy is dead?”
“This particular enemy was mine to battle,” I whispered weakly.
Picking my limp body in his arms, he carried me back to the spot where Adal and Norvin slept. We must have been really exhausted to simply sleep under the open sky with the hard, frosty ground underneath us.
“We should wake them up,” I said, still remaining in Cain’s warm lap as he sat down on the ground with me in his arms. “Dawn will be upon us soon. I better explain some things before you all leave.”
“Leave?”
I nodded. “Ivan is dead. I’ll proclaim it to all of Drakhaven. You should do the same in your individual kingdoms. Take back your powers and get stronger. Be prepared for resistance but know it will be useless. No mortal can ever stand up against a dragon.”
“You’ve already thought things through.”
“Not really but I feel it’s best to consolidate our powers as soon as possible. The four kingdoms have suffered enough these fifteen years. It’s time we took the reins into our hands and banished the corrupt ministers and generals.”
The sound of our voices woke up Adal and Norvin. With soft grunts of pain, they heaved themselves to sit up straight.
“What are you two chatting about?” asked Norvin, running fingers through the strands of his hair. “I can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on the hard, cold ground. I am sore all over.”
I stared at him. He had his gut wrenched out by another dragon and he was complaining about being sore from sleeping on the ground. A chuckle escaped me as I shook my head.
“Daria wishes to speak to us before we leave,” said Cain.
Adal and Norvin turned to look at me. I nodded.
Cain explained my reasoning for wanting them to return to their kingdoms immediately. They listened, silently agreeing to my suggestion with slow nods of their heads.
“How do you explain the blood?” asked Norvin, gesturing at the front of my tunic that was soaked.
“You seem much weaker than before,” said Adal in a worried tone. “Is it because of healing us?”
“No,” I said at once. Guilt was already spreading through his beautiful features.
“There’s something else I haven’t told you about.” All three pairs of eyes gazed at me. Taking a deep breath, I began explaining them about the things I’d found last night in the books, how I stole the dark spirit from Ivan to kill him and how it gripped its hooks into me too.
“Then what’s with all the blood?” asked Adal. “Is the spirit hurting you?”
“It did when I was trying to make it leave my body.” I met each of their gazes before dropping the most monumental news of our lives. “You see, there’s a new life growing within me. I didn’t want the dark spirit drawing power from my innocent unborn child. It doesn’t matter how much I bleed but I won’t let anyone hurt my child.”
Three pairs of eyes blinked at me. Then, they looked at each other, like their companions would clear the matter. At last, they glanced back at me.
“Are you saying you are pregnant?” asked Adal slowly.
I nodded.
He immediately moved towards me, staring at me with wonder in his wide, astonished eyes. Cain and Norvin followed him, their eyes lingering towards my flat belly.
“You have a child inside you?” whispered Cain, touching me gently with the tips of his fingers. “Are you sure?”
“I am sure. It’s fine to hold me,” I added with a chuckle as Cain continued to caress me in an odd way. He was behaving like I was made of spun glass.
“Move out of the way,” said Norvin, shoving Cain out of the way. He pulled me against him and claimed my lips hungrily. I reciprocated, pouring every emotion going through me at the moment. This was my first kiss after Ivan’s death. Our biggest enemy was gone and we could finally start healing our kingdoms and ourselves.
Norvin pulled away, staring at me with shining eyes. “This child of yours, Daria…This child is ours too.”
I met their gazes and nodded. It was hard to tell exactly when I got impregnated. The three pri
nces mated with me in the span of a few weeks. The child definitely belonged to each of them equally.
“Your child will be the future of the four kingdoms,” said Adal with a gentle smile. “He or she will unite the entire realm.”
“Her children, you mean,” said Norvin. “Because I plan on giving her many more.”
“We will give her many more,” said Cain, fixing his intense gaze on me.
The sky to the east was slowly turning gray. Dawn was upon us.
“I am so exhausted,” I said, slumping against Norvin. “Because of the stunt you pulled, I didn’t even get to eat breakfast. Now, I’ll have to go face Helena with an empty stomach.” My mouth formed a pout at the thought.
“This won’t do,” said Cain at once. “You are pregnant now. Our child needs to eat well so he or she grows up to be as strong as her fathers. Stay here. I’ll be back.” Getting to his feet, he jogged away several feet from us before transforming into his true form.
Cain’s silver-scaled dragon rose high into the sky. Within a minute, it disappeared in the southern horizon.
“I could do with some food too,” said Norvin, stretching his arms over his head and wincing.
“You need to be careful with your wound,” I said at once.
“I hope Cain comes back with a good amount of food,” said Adal. “I want us all to have a good meal before parting ways. This dream of ours has finally come true. Let us enjoy this moment before we go back to tackling the pieces Ivan left for us.”
“True,” said Norvin in an unusually grave tone. “I can finally go home without fear. My people will never be terrorized again. I’ll make sure of that.” He leveled his gaze on me. “What do you plan to do with your cousins?”
“They will be punished according to the laws of the kingdom.”
“I still worry for you, Daria,” said Adal. “Zane and Mekhi are cunning and merciless. You must be careful of them.”
I nodded. “They won’t get away with anything. I will punish them for every atrocity they’ve committed towards the people of Drakhaven.”
“How do you plan to tackle Helena?” asked Norvin.
“Ren would want me to show her mercy,” I said with a frown. “I plan on banishing her from the capital. That would be punishment enough for her.”
“She’s killed so many people,” said Adal with a faraway look in his eyes. He was remembering the townspeople Helena murdered in her attempt to be seen as a sacred saintess.
Anger rose within me at the thought but I knew that banishment would cause her more pain than prison or torture. She’d always been so proud of being the princess of Drakhaven. When she realized the man who conferred her the title had no right to the throne in the first place, she would know how ridiculous and fake her identity had been.
After another half an hour, Cain returned with three deer carcasses clutched in his gigantic maw. Throwing them on the ground several feet away from us, he let loose a stream of fire and ash. It took only a few blasts for the meat to get cooked and give off an enticing roasted scent.
“Let’s go and eat,” said Norvin, helping me on my feet. He was wincing and ignoring the pain in his abdomen.
“Are you sure you can fly to Redfall in your condition?” I asked as we reached the hunk of roasted venison. “Cain and Adal already seem in better condition but your wound is still not healed.”
“Nothing can stop me from going home today,” he said in a low, determined voice. “I’ve been banished from my kingdom for far too long.”
Cain transformed back to his human self and joined us in the feast. The venison was still hot and steaming but our dragonborn abilities allowed us to touch and eat the sizzling meat without the fear of being burned.
For a while, we simply tore at the meat and ate in silence. I gorged on the delicious venison, filling my empty belly. Strength and vitality spread through me. Most of the exhaustion left my body too.
The first rays of the sun shone from the horizon.
It was a monumental dawn, one that would change the course of history for the entire realm.
As light returned to the mountaintop, I noticed how haggard each of the princes looked. However, their eyes shone despite the shabbiness of their appearances. They were determined to take control of their kingdoms. It wouldn’t be easy. We would face a number of oppositions from the ruling nobles but I knew no one could bully us into submission ever again.
“It is time,” said Cain, facing south where Iorna lay.
I let him kiss me, savoring his taste on my tongue. His strong arms held me gently while I breathed in his familiar scent. Tears seeped from my closed eyelids as he parted from me.
“Let us meet again soon,” he said. His beautiful silver eyes were warm as he looked down at me one last time. “Good luck to you both,” he added, glancing at Adal and Norvin. “I shall see you soon too.”
They bowed to him and watched Cain walk away.
Adal came to me next, kissing me gently and sensually before saying his goodbye. Parting from him, I watched Cain’s dragon steadily flying towards the south.
“I hope we won’t be parted from each other for too long,” said Adal, kissing me one last time.
Giving a nod to Norvin, he headed towards the east where Baledonia lay.
“Promise me that you’ll look after yourself and our baby,” said Norvin, laying a gentle hand against my belly. “I cannot wait to meet our successor.”
“We must make a better world for the child to come into,” I said.
“We will.” Holding me close, he captured my lips. His kiss was more desperate than Cain and Adal’s. “Thank you for everything, Daria,” he said in a low, raw voice. His purple-hued eyes were suddenly full of pain. “If you didn’t save me back then, I wouldn’t be standing here with you. I vow to you, beloved. In all my life, you’d be my only woman and queen. My loyalty to you will never waver.”
I smashed my lips against his, hoping I could convey all my feelings for him that way. Words were never my forte. Assassins were taught to kill. Never to speak.
“I love you,” I whispered as he parted from me.
“I’ll see you again very soon,” he said. Turning away, he jogged towards the western horizon. When he’d created sufficient distance between us, he transformed into his blue-scaled water dragon and soared through the sky towards Redfall.
I was left alone on that mountaintop with nothing but venison bones scattered around me. Ivan’s decapitated body lay somewhere close by. Taking a deep breath, I went in search of it. People at the palace would want proof of the demise of their great emperor.
10
Daria
It was a while before I could spot Ivan’s corpse in the vast expanse of snow and ice. His decapitated head had frozen during the night, causing the permanent expression of cruelty to be etched on his face even after death. Not a single citizen of Drakhaven or the other three kingdoms would be sad to see him dead.
Part of me was thoroughly disgusted to be touching the corpse but I held it in and picked up the head by the lock of his dark hair. Clutching onto it tightly, I transformed into my dragon. The black scales on my wings gleamed orange, reflecting the rising sun’s rays. Spreading them wide, I took to air, flying towards the city of Fuvaros.
Unlike yesterday, the town was completely deserted. On a normal day, it would already be busy with the day’s activities with people milling around shops and vendors. Flying at a greater height, I circuited around the city, coming across a number of soldiers marching through the streets. Had they been responsible for forcing people off the streets? Were they expecting trouble from their emperor?
Soldiers in maroon uniforms began pointing at me. They’d spotted me but from their reaction, they didn’t seem too fearful of me. After all, I resembled the Great Dragon. Our scales were the same shade of glistening black.
Spotting a group of soldiers gathered at one of the roads that led out of the city, I headed for them. They shrunk away from me but no o
ne pointed their spears and swords at me. After a moment’s hesitation, they bent their knees and bowed to me, chanting their salutations. They still thought I was Ivan.
I glanced at one of the soldiers to my right. The young man immediately flinched.
I threw Ivan’s head at him.
He caught it but screamed the next moment, realizing he was holding a dead man’s head. His shaking hands dropped it. I cringed at the way it rolled around the feet of the soldiers.
Chuckling to myself, I rose up in the air once more. Once they recognized whose head that was, they would spread the news about the emperor’s death to the whole garrison soon enough.
Turning my gaze towards the west, I set out for the palace.
Reaching my destination, I found the whole place crawling with soldiers. Mekhi had fortified the entrance to the palace, making sure no one other than the emperor could come in. An entire day had passed since he last saw his father. I could sense his fear already. Why else would he set a curfew on the town and have an entire army guarding the palace?
Good, I thought. Perhaps, he would be reasonable when I told him the news of his father’s death and would bow down to receive my commands.
The soldiers had already raised an alarm on the ground by now. They were all watching me from their posts and bowing down to me. They all thought I was their emperor.
A lone figure in a bright crimson gown rushed out onto an open terrace. Even from the distance, I could recognize that raven-black hair and the expression of intense relief on her pretty face. Helena called out to me, thinking I was her father.
I lowered myself onto the wide expanse of the outdoor terrace. Helena stared up at my form fearlessly and called me ‘father’. That soft, happy expression brought an astonishing change in her. Did she look at Ren with the same open adoration on her face? It would explain why he thought her to be so pitiful and kept asking me to show her mercy.
Exhaling a long breath, I let the shifting magic wear off me.