by Logan Byrne
But was it worth potentially giving up my elemental powers? Losing my ability to control water, as well as to heal, would be an irreversible decision. Fae lived a long time, and losing those abilities would also possibly make me ineligible to rule once my mother either died or stepped down. After all, how could our people follow a powerless fae?
A new female line would take over, meaning the end of our lineage on the throne. God, why the hell was this so fucking hard?! I just wanted to scream as loudly as I could, but I knew it wouldn’t help anything.
There had to be another way. There had to be a way I could be with all of them, not just one of them, and still have it all. Why couldn’t I have my cake and eat it too?
•••
Morning soon came as my eyes opened a little bloodshot and slightly burning. I’d stayed up an hour or two after turning off the lights, completely psyching myself up about the decision and making it impossible to fall asleep. The guys lay there sleeping peacefully as I tossed and turned, thinking about our impending future.
“How much further is it to the top of the mountain?” Tyvin asked Pren.
“From here it will take another three hours if you move quickly, four if you are slower. Remember, the manticore is at the top of the mountain, and once you step foot on the summit, you must keep your wits about you,” Pren said.
“We will slay him and bring peace to your home. Not only because of Kira’s feat, but to help you for showing us such hospitality,” Aidan said.
“Here, I prepared you all a little food. It isn’t much, but it’s something,” Yiri said, handing me a small satchel with rolls and butter inside.
“Thank you for everything,” I said, looking in her eyes. She smiled, nodding, knowing that I meant to thank her for more than just her cooking and a place to rest my head.
Pren worked his magic and the little window above the door became illuminated as the rocks outside moved out of the way. “Goodbye now,” Pren called as we walked out into the fresh mountain air.
“There’s a storm on the horizon,” Adam said, glancing up.
“It might miss us, it’s still far away,” Aidan said as we all watched the swirling mass of gray and black in the distance.
“Then we better get moving,” I said, slinging my bag around my shoulders.
Pren had given me some more herbs in case my symptoms started up again. The original herbs had made me feel a thousand times better, whatever they were, combating the symptoms that had knocked me on my ass.
Still, no matter how good I felt, one thing was certain: this mountain was a bitch to climb.
My calves burned as I felt the dagger Adam had crafted for me pushing into my skin. I kept my knees slightly bent as we walked what felt like straight upward, into the sky. The ground below seemed to grow further and further away with every step.
An hour passed, and then two, before the summit became less of a thought and more of a reality. We looked to the skies, watching for the manticore before we reached his dominion, but he was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t hear anything aside from the screams of the howling wind as it buffeted us against the rocky wall of the mountain.
“We should stop and rest. We don’t want to summit while tired,” Adam said, setting down his sack.
“Good idea. Let’s eat and take a breather. We need all our energy for this battle,” Aidan said.
“Do you smell that?” I asked, sniffing the crisp mountain air. I could smell something, flowers, their sweet, pungent aroma filling my nose as the scent danced inside me and made me smile.
“We must be getting close,” Tyvin said.
“I didn’t think there would be enough of them up there to cause this kind of smell, did you?” I asked, looking at the three of them.
I pulled out the bread from Yiri, handing out the rolls, their cores still a little warm as we rubbed them against the butter she’d given us. “We should come up with a plan before we do this,” Aidan said.
“Flank,” Adam said, before ripping into his bread with his teeth.
“Who’s taking what area? Tyvin, what are you going to use?” Aidan asked.
“My staff will suffice, I believe,” Tyvin said.
“Not exactly great for stabbing,” Aidan said, sounding annoyed and frustrated.
“My goal is to protect Kira and to help her during her feats. Killing isn’t in my wheelhouse or hopes,” Tyvin said.
“Easy, boys. The manticore would love for us to be fighting right now, but we need to remain a team. Tyvin will provide great support no matter which weapon he uses,” I said.
“Thank you,” Tyvin said, winking, and I smiled back.
“I’ll be using this,” Adam said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a weapon. It was a stalwart-looking hammer, with a medium-sized leather handle wrapping around the hilt and a perfectly square head with slightly rounded edges on top. “I forged this myself, it cannot be broken,” he said.
“It’s beautiful,” Tyvin said, admiring the runic inscriptions around the edges.
“No sword?” Aidan asked.
“I have my dagger on me should the situation call for it,” Adam said.
I pulled out my sword, my most prized possession, holding the blade in my hands as it reflected what little light was left from the overcast gray skies. “So many have died on the edge of this blade, and this manticore will be no exception. We should get moving, I don’t want to do this in the dark.”
“Yes, of course, let’s go,” Aidan said.
We walked for another hour and ten minutes before reaching the edge of the summit. There was a single wooden post that had weathered tremendously over the years. A red ribbon, tattered and stained, whipped in the wind. The wind tousled my hair so I grabbed a blue ribbon, tying it back, so that the manticore, wherever he might be, couldn’t use it against me.
“This is it,” I said, approaching a small step about four feet high that separated us from the official summit.
“There’s no going back. Watch each other’s backs, and don’t let this creature get the best of you. Remember the plan,” Aidan said.
We hopped on the ledge, pulling ourselves up, before we all drew our weapons, gripping them tightly and waiting for the beast to show its face.
“There,” I said, noticing a single flower growing on the other side of the summit. “We can get it and get out of here.”
With nothing in sight, I booked it, the guys yelling for me to stop, until I heard a screech. I froze, looking upwards as a creature the size of my mother’s carriage flew above me. A shadow covered my face, its body covering the small sliver of sun breaking through the darkness of the storm. He swooped down, landing twenty feet in front of me and blocking the flower from my sight.
I backed up a little, the guys slowly coming forward as the creature hissed. He was hideous. His eyes were red, like a burning flame. His face was human, kind of, but its features were melded with those of a lion, covered in fur, and his nose was that of a cat. A luxurious mane branched out in every direction and his large black wings, transparent in the middle like a bat, flapped and blew stones towards us. His tail snaked up behind him, the stinger dripping bright green venom. He must’ve been ten feet long, and stout. His roaring and screeching would send chills into the spines and souls of any who dared to fight against it.
And I was about to be that soul.
The creature crouched, hissing, as the guys came to my side. “Ready?” Adam asked, as I looked down to see his white knuckles gripping his hammer tightly.
I looked at my sword once again, as if feeling its power enter me as past ancestors came to help me through this difficult battle. “Ready,” I said, before yelling and raising my sword in the air.
The manticore sprung forward, galloping towards us, before his wings thrust downwards and he began to rise in the air. “We need to create some space,” Aidan said, backing away.
The manticore, flying ten feet above the ground, noticed Aidan standing on his own and swoope
d down at him. Tyvin stayed by my side and Adam was seven feet or so behind us. With his sword in hand, Aidan cocked it back, his free hand guarding in front of him, before he swung. The manticore snarled as the tip of Aidan’s sword slit the pad of his foot.
He came down, looking at his wounds, as Aidan and Adam flanked him, one on either side, while Tyvin and I cautiously approached. “Let us have the flower, and nothing will happen to you,” I said, trying to reason with the beast.
“I will kill every last one of you fae,” he snarled.
“No, you won’t,” I said, before looking upwards and charging.
A lion-like roar ripped from his mouth before he charged forward, his tail flying upwards. “The venom!” Tyvin yelled, as I saw the oozing stinger moving towards me with my name on it. The manticore leapt forward, his curved claws extended out from his paws, before I slid down, my left leg extended, my body slipping under his.
He landed, turning, just as I swung my sword. I missed. Cocking back, his stinger released, coming straight for me, but Tyvin’s staff knocked it down. The manticore snapped, lunging for Tyvin, before Adam’s hammer smacked into its ribs, making him wince. He roared, backing up, as the four of us began to corner him.
“Aidan!” I yelled, pointing towards him with my sword, drawing the manticore’s attention away from me.
Like a feat pulled from an ancient fable, I jousted forward. I was sure the inscriptions on my sword glowed for a quick, fleeting second before I swiped, slicing off the end of the manticore’s stinger as venom spurted from the wound.
He screamed, his roar shaking me to my core, before jumping upwards, his wings taking him higher. He circled above, giving us a few seconds, as the tip of his stinger twitched and shivered on the ground below in its spiny shell.
“We have a chance!” Tyvin said bravely, running for the flower. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy. The manticore swooped down, landing right in front of the flower, and using his newly pruned tail as a club, he smacked Tyvin in the chest.
All I heard was a loud thump before Tyvin flew seven feet backwards, sliding against he rocky ground, knocked out by the blow.
“Don’t let him get Tyvin!” Adam yelled, running towards the manticore.
The manticore tried for a double feature, swinging his tail once more, but Adam caught him, pounding the butt end of his hammer into the beast’s tail. His wings snapped out, causing Adam to stumble backwards, before I heard him scream again. Aidan was there, his sword piercing the manticore’s wing, cutting the muscle that allowed him flight.
He was mad, rightfully so, swinging and torqueing his body with such velocity that hitting Adam and Aidan was a guarantee and not just a possibility. Both of them flew backwards, neither of them getting up, as the wounded manticore looked up at me.
“You were never more than a thorn in my side, fae,” he hissed.
“I’ll put a lot more than a thorn in that side,” I said, twisting my sword in my hand.
I didn’t know why he wanted to protect this flower and this summit so badly, or why his life was worth it, but he was about to find out that I didn’t mess around—not only because of my feat, but also because he’d hurt my mates.
With a scream channeling the power of every woman in my line before me, I ran forward. This manticore was no more than a feisty challenger like those I’d faced in the arena. He roared, the wind of his breath blowing against me, before I swung my sword forward, catching him along the leg. His paw, bigger than my head, beat against my sword as I used both hands and all my might to hold him off.
I looked to my right and left, seeing Adam and Aidan still out of it, before I sank to one knee, straining myself and struggling to hold him back. “You were a good opponent, but I was better,” he cackled.
I looked down at my calf, seeing the dagger Adam had forged for me, before nodding to myself. I knew it was my only chance. I rushed to the side, dropping my sword as his paw slammed it to the ground. I unsheathed the dagger, striking upwards, straight into his chest. I felt something, maybe a lung, pop against the blade.
With one final act of defiance, he slapped me back, sending me flying through the air like a rag doll. I felt my stomach flip-flop as I landed on the edge of the summit. I held on for dear life, looking down and seeing nothing below but a straight drop into the abyss.
The rocks I was holding onto started to crumble. My upper-body strength wasn’t enough with the rest and food I had in me. I yelled out for help. Nobody replied.
Then I heard a loud thump, the manticore dropping to the ground as a few drops of blood dripped from my palm. The jagged rocks were digging into my skin.
I looked down once more, taking in a deep breath, knowing my fate was about to call to me. After another nine seconds, the rock betrayed me, breaking. I looked up, reaching outwards, and grabbed onto a wooden staff. It was Tyvin.
He was struggling, his face dirtied and his ribs obviously hurting him, but he pulled me up, slowly, until I reached solid ground again and rolled onto him. “You saved me,” I said, as he smiled.
“I told you protecting you was my number-one priority,” he said.
Without a thought, I kissed him, lying on top of him, as I thanked him for saving my life. He might be an air elemental, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be as brave as Adam or Aidan. If anything, some might even call him braver.
Our lips parted and I looked up, seeing Adam and Aidan watching, neither of them looking pleased. Aidan looked a little pissed, especially after our mishap in my tent, and Adam looked a little defeated, since I hadn’t even done anything with him yet.
I stood up, walking over to the flower, before picking it and tapping my amulet. A portal soon opened and Telerius walked through, standing in front of me on top of the summit.
“I see you defeated the beast,” he said.
“Why do you need this flower?” I asked.
“You will see one day, but for now you don’t need to know. Whenever you are ready, I can open another portal to your next feat,” Telerius said.
“It’ll be a few minutes,” I said.
“Use your amulet again once you’re ready, young one,” he said, disappearing back into the portal as it dissipated in front of me.
“You both are upset, and rightfully so,” I said, approaching Adam and Aidan.
“I’m not upset,” Aidan said.
“It’s just hard to see you with somebody when I think that both of us like you, Kira,” Adam said.
“I like both of you too,” I said. “It’s hard, being told to pick one guy, meeting the three of you, and wanting all of you.”
“That isn’t allowed,” Aidan said.
“Why isn’t it? Why am I not allowed happiness?” I asked.
“It isn’t tradition,” Tyvin said.
“Traditions are meant to be broken. Do you all like me?” I asked.
They all nodded.
“Do you all want to be with me?” I asked.
They all nodded once more.
“Maybe you three—” I said.
Telerius showed up again, interrupting me, before opening another portal and telling the four of us to walk through. Flashes of light blinded us as vibrant colors flickered. We were transported to a village somewhere in the magical realm. The townsfolk looked at us strangely, the four of us completely out of place, before the portal closed and we were left alone.
This definitely wasn’t Terrandale.
9
I saw a fiery scene as I looked off in the distance. Burned buildings, blackened like coal, scarred by claw marks. Parts of the roof of another building across the street had been ripped off, as if they were made of toothpicks. That meant one thing: dragons.
Dragons were rare, but they were definitely still around even in this day and age. They were hunted hundreds, even thousands, of years ago, but quickly went into hiding and the practice had been stopped. People found out they were necessary in the ecosystem, taking care of creatures like giants who st
umbled out of forests and wreaked havoc on towns. It had been a pretty symbiotic existence for a long time, but I supposed that relationship was now over.
“I’ve never seen a dragon,” I said, as we walked near the wreckage.
“I wonder how hard it will be to kill something that did all of this,” Aidan asked.
“We just need to worry about taking its ember,” Tyvin said, holding his hands together with prayer beads wrapped around them.
“What’s that again?” Adam asked.
“The ember of a dragon is sort of like a gem deep within its belly. It’s the magical object that allows a dragon to spit fire, and many believe it also gives it the power to fly, though I would say the wings disprove that theory,” Tyvin said.
“So a dragon doesn’t have the ability to produce fire naturally?” Aidan asked.
“I suppose you could consider it something natural, or not, it doesn’t really matter. Dragon embers have long been traded and studied, and I know our scholars have been trying to procure one for a while. There aren’t a ton in existence, though. I do know the mortals have one in a museum in New York,” Tyvin said.
“So mortals have one, but we don’t. Excellent,” Aidan said.
“We don’t now, but we will soon,” I said. “It’s obvious that this is our mission, and the dragon is terrorizing the village. We should talk to the people and see what exactly we’re up against. Maybe their accounts will help us,” I said.
“We should find a place to stay before it gets too late. I for one don’t feel like staying in a tent in the middle of town,” Adam said.
We approached a building with a creaky sign out front that squeaked as it swayed back and forth in the wind. Inn it said, the Tudor-style home reminiscent of the ones in England I’d read about during my studies growing up.
“Hello, how may I help you?” the woman asked, a small accent to her voice.
“We would like a place to stay for the night,” I said.
“I should tell you that we only have one room available tonight,” she said, looking a bit embarrassed.