The Ghost Princess (Graylands Book 1)

by M. Walsh

  He finally emerged into relatively fresh air on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. He collapsed to the ground, coughing and trying to clear his throat. He was about to call out to Lily, when the world was ripped by an ear-splitting roar. His nerves locked when his vision cleared and he saw the monstrous beast in the courtyard before him.

  The dragon’s back was to him. He could see its long, serpentine body from the back of its head to the end of its tail. It was curled in a semi-circle to fit into the courtyard that suddenly looked tiny containing the thing. Its wings were folded on its back, and it looked as though it was slithering about—its attention focused on something in front of it.

  Holding his breath, Krutch started to ease his way back the way he came, terrified he might draw its attention. He could hear its breathing, sounding like a hissing rumble. He sensed the fiery power in its gut and felt the heat emanating from its body.

  Don’t mind me, he thought, inching to the stairs. Keep looking at whatever you’re ...

  Just as he reached the passageway, Krutch stopped. A thought sprang to mind—clear as day and so unlike him, it could only be divine intervention or he was just delirious. Frost said the dragon’s hide was virtually impenetrable. The old tales used to say no arrow, sword, or spear could pierce a dragon’s scales.

  But I bet you’ve never taken a bullet, have you, you big bastard?

  He drew his pistol and took aim, forcing his vision to clear. “HEY! SHIT-EATER!”

  The dragon turned and glared at him with glowing yellow eyes. He couldn’t tell if it registered him as a threat or not. It tilted its head, almost as if to say, Oh, I forgot one.

  There was a moment, just before he squeezed the trigger, Krutch thought everything felt as it should. That this was the reason he’d been dragged into this whole mess. This was what his life had been leading to. The curse, his gun, meeting Lily, and all the stupid nonsense he survived.

  In that moment, it didn’t matter if he survived this night or didn’t. It didn’t even matter to him if no one knew it was Krutch Leeroy—the infamous pirate—who destroyed the dragon and saved the day. This was his moment. His destiny.

  Krutch aimed at the dragon’s heart, pulled the trigger ... and nothing happened.

  The gun was empty.

  “Oh, crumbs.”

  Then came the fire.

  30

  The eruption of smoke, coupled with the violent shaking, forced Lily to lose her grip on Frost. In the confusion, she ended up in the courtyard, coughing, rubbing her eyes, and cursing to herself. There was a harsh rush of wind, causing her to lose her balance and fall on her back.

  She felt the eerie silence before she realized the dragon was there. There had been wind, rumbling, explosions, and roaring—but all suddenly went quiet and still. She shuddered, sensing she was being watched, before she heard its breathing.

  When she opened her eyes, the massive thing was perched atop the remains of the burning tower. The long serpentine neck curved around, and its massive, horned head was looking right at her.

  Her heart went into her throat, and she slowly backed away. The dragon followed, coming down from its perch and slithering into the courtyard. It used its long body to curve around her, as if boxing her in.

  Because of what she was, Lily never put much thought into prayer. She figured even if there was something out there to listen, it wouldn’t because she was a demon. Standing there, face to face with the great dragon, she felt very small and very lost.

  It glared at her with beady, glowing yellow eyes, and she sensed malevolent intent within. It was not some mindless beast or wanton animal. There was intelligence and cunning in those eyes. It regarded her and sniffed, as if it was curious and studying her. She stared right back and felt the link between herself and the dragon. They were both creatures of the Black—demons in their own way—and it was drawn to her.

  The dragon couldn’t speak with any mortal voice, but she felt its presence in her mind. She felt malice and desire. She felt the Black calling out to her, and in her mind, she saw herself riding atop the dragon, unleashing hellfire upon the countryside. It felt so real she could almost feel the dragon’s hot scales beneath her and the wind blowing through her hair, smelling of smoke and ash.

  “HEY! SHIT-EATER!”

  With a hiss, the dragon turned and looked behind it. Standing on the balcony at the opposite end of the courtyard, Lily saw Krutch pointing something at the monster. It tilted its head in apparent curiosity, and a bolt a terror hit her when she remembered the gun had only one shot left and Krutch used it on Lenora Hawke.

  “Krutch!” she screamed when the pistol didn’t go off.

  The dragon arched its neck, ready to spew fire. Without thinking, she lunged at its head, grabbed its horn, and pulled as hard as she could. The dragon’s head jerked, but its breath still sprayed where Krutch had been standing, and the balcony exploded in a wall of fire.

  “KRUTCH!”

  The dragon roared in irritation and whipped its neck around. Lily lost her grip on its horn and slammed into the ground halfway across the courtyard. She barely felt the fall—leaping back to her feet and staring at the balcony that was engulfed in flame. There was no sign of Krutch.

  The dragon snarled in anger and stomped in front of her again. It bared its teeth and smoke wafted from its nose. It wasn’t curious anymore. She was a pest to it now. Lily backed away and knew what she had to do.

  She reached into the Black, summoning the part of herself that was a monster. It wasn’t hard—her fury over Krutch saved her most of the effort. Her eyes started glowing red, fangs formed in her mouth, and claws from her hand. Her skin faded to an ashy gray, and her body contorted into an inhuman shape.

  If anyone should die stopping this beast, she decided, it should be the demon.

  The dragon sensed her intentions and roared. Fire came with it, and she dove out of the way. It lunged forward, trying to grab her in its mouth, but she moved too fast. Its face smashed through the wall of the courtyard, and she grabbed onto its horn. The dragon bellowed and tried shaking her off, but she held on.

  She roared back and dug her claws into the dragon’s eye. Its blood was black, but it burned and steamed. The dragon howled in pain, blindly spraying hellfire into the air. Lily pulled on its horn, trying to rip it from its skull. The dragon slammed its head into debris and rubble, and she was finally thrown off.

  She crashed into the concrete ground, and the wind was knocked out of her. The dragon was still thrashing in pain—its tail slamming into walls and fire spewing in all directions. Whatever was left of the tower crumbed, and the spire shook.

  Fortune favored Lily Blackthorn that night. While catching her breath, she happened to look over and see a small dagger with a silver handle—the blade, forged from a dragon’s fang, still stained with Katrina’s blood. There were few things that could pierce a dragon’s hide, but she was pretty sure another dragon—namely, another dragon’s teeth—could do the job.

  She felt the ground shake as the beast charged at her, looking to snatch her in its jaws. She dove out of the way, hearing the vicious snap behind her, and slid to the dagger. Wasting no time, Lily was back on her feet and circling around to jump onto the dragon’s back.

  The beast saw her coming and spewed hellfire at her. Using all her strength, she leapt as high into the air as she could manage, and plunged the Dragon’s Fang into the back of its neck. The monster snarled in pain as the small dagger slid into its scales. It twisted its neck, trying to bite her off, but it couldn’t reach her at that angle.

  Roaring in fury, the dragon slammed its back into what remained of the courtyard wall. Pain wracked Lily’s body, but she held on. With another roar, the creature dove from the spire to the cliff’s side, violently trying to shake her off.

  Using her claws, Lily managed to climb over the dragon’s shoulder and make her way to its chest. She gripped into the dragon’s hide and found her mark—right above its heart. With another roar
, the dragon extended its wings and started to lift off.

  It tried to tear her away—but too late. With her orc strength, she drove the dagger through its chest—piercing its flesh, tearing through muscle and bone, and reaching its target. The Dragon’s Fang dagger cut into the massive beating heart, and the creature let rip a piercing shriek of pain and outrage.

  Lily jumped from the dying beast and came to a harsh landing in the dirt near the edge of the Blind Cliffs. The dragon flailed in the air for a few moments, crashing into the spire, and let out one final roar before falling to the ocean where it shriveled up and dissolved into inky black pus and bone.

  31

  Lily lay on the ground for several minutes, trying to catch her breath and slowly willing herself back to her human form. She didn’t see it, but she heard the dragon’s death throes and the crumbling of the spire into the ocean. The ground rumbled, and she heard the sound of horses not far away, but she was too exhausted to do anything.

  She would need to feed again much sooner than usual. Her hands were blistered from heat, and her right arm was burned up to her elbow. Both shoulders throbbed in pain, and she couldn’t feel her left arm. Her head was pounding, and she was covered in cuts, scrapes, and sores. But she was alive, and the dragon was dead. Even she was surprised.

  She pushed herself to her feet and limped behind a nearby hill. A troop of Sentry Elite had just arrived, and by the looks of it, a small battle had erupted between them and the remnants of Daredin’s cult. Among the Sentries was the Major, Garrison. Seeing him, she was instantly reminded of Krutch and felt her heart wrench when she saw there was nothing left of the tower.

  “Krutch ...” she choked, under her breath.

  She slumped down, feeling the tears form behind her eyes. Krutch had stuck by her side, despite everything. He saved her life. He even tried to kill the dragon himself. And she still didn’t know what happened to Katrina. Suddenly, her triumph against the dragon seemed much less important.

  “What,” she heard a familiar voice say—one that sent a cold chill down her spine. “What in heaven’s name are you..?”

  Benedict Vogel stood behind her, his face frozen in shock. There was a sword in one hand and something hidden behind his back in the other. She stared at him, feeling like a cornered animal. Even if she wasn’t physically drained and wounded, she wouldn’t have known what to say.

  “You,” Vogel said. “You’re the demon I’ve been hunting ...”

  She wasn’t sure if he meant that as a statement or a question. She stared at him, petrified, with her mouth hanging open. “Please,” she said, “I ...”

  “Stay back!” he snapped, revealing the item behind his back. It was a small metallic shield in the shape of a diamond. In the center was a design like a cross with a spiral wrapped around it. It was a Shining Shield of the Silver—a sacred, blessed symbol that warded off evil.

  She flinched and drew away. It hurt to even look at it. Terrible pain formed in the center of her head and burned up and down her body—in addition to the aches and sores she already felt from her fight with the dragon.

  “Please!” she said, reeling back. “I’m not ... I’m not what you think..!”

  He stepped closer, holding the Shield out in front of him. Bringing it closer, Lily shrieked in pain. “You,” he said. “You are a demon. A creature of the Black.”

  “Please!” she screamed. “Please stop! I’m not ... I don’t want to hurt anyone..!”

  Vogel watched her writhe on the ground. He raised the sword, as if to strike, but paused. His face was stern, but there was uncertainty in his eyes. He stared at her and tried to make sense of the creature before him.

  “Please,” she whimpered, curled in a ball at his feet, unable to even crawl away. “I’m not like them ...”

  Suddenly, a pair of blades sprang from Vogel’s chest. Lily saw his face turn pallid and arms go limp. His sword and the sacred Shield dropped to the ground, and with one final breath, Benedict Vogel fell on top of them.

  “I told you,” said Scifer Bréag with a smirk. “When you needed me most, or when it’d be most dramatic.” He sighed, sheathed his weapons, and grinned. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I got some real business to take care of. Be seeing you, kid.”

  He tapped his forehead and started walked away. She could only stare in shock—not knowing how to feel. She looked at Vogel’s body and supposed she should feel better knowing he was out of her hair—but instead felt guilty and sick.

  A few yards away, Scifer stopped to say, “Crazy night, eh..?”

  * * *

  Katrina was cutting down any cultists she could find, when she heard the dragon’s death throes. With Kader and the Enforcer behind her, she felt obliged to pay Jacob Daredin back as well, but—assuming he escaped the tower—there was no sign. She instead set about killing what remained of his followers, though that brought small satisfaction.

  She discovered a handful of Sentry Elite also fighting the remaining cultists, and there appeared to be even more on the way. Even without the dragon’s presence, the fighting between the Sentries and Daredin’s followers was chaotic. Although the soldiers were outnumbered, the cultists’ prowess was dubious at best. People were running in all directions and shouting random orders at one another in feeble efforts to gain control.

  The last thing Katrina wanted was to get involved with more Sentries, and with a dragon on the loose, she considered the best move would be to steal a horse and create as much distance as possible. If Daredin wasn’t already dead, he could wait.

  She had managed to tear a young Sentry down from his horse and knock him out, when she heard the dragon shriek in pain. She turned to see it try flying upward, only to die in mid-air and crash through the burning tower. What remained of its melting body fell from the spire and landed in the ocean.

  “So much for that,” she muttered, mounting the horse.

  Sentry reinforcements were coming from the north, so she decided to head southeast and circle back around. Heading in that direction, she passed more dead cultists and a strange-looking man with two scars on his face. He regarded her with a smile and nod, and she couldn’t help but feel she’d seen him before.

  Further along, she passed the body of an older man wearing a black cloak she didn’t recognize, before finally coming across a young woman that stopped Katrina cold.

  “Lily!”

  In a flash, Katrina was off her horse and running to the girl. Lily looked like she’d been through a war. She was propped against a nearby rock wall, bruised and bleeding. Her body was riddled with cuts, scrapes, and burns. She was motionless, with a distant, empty look in her eyes, and for a horrifying moment, Katrina thought she was dead.

  “Lily!” she said, rushing to her. “Lily, say something!”

  “Katrina,” Lily said, her voice weak and shaking. “You’re okay..?”

  “Am I okay?” she repeated, trying to help her up. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

  “I came—” Lily winced as she was helped to her feet and started limping along with her. “I came to save you.”

  The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Until that moment, Katrina didn’t care about the dragon in the slightest. In her rage and desire to murder Kader, she had awakened the monster. She let him draw the dagger and allowed herself to be wounded getting to him—not thinking of any consequence. She paid no thought to what the dragon would do when it was done with the tower—no thought to the devastation it would bring to the countryside. And amidst all that, this young woman was risking her life to save her.

  It was a sobering thought that made Katrina feel sick to her stomach.

  “When I,” Lily continued. “When I found out you were the one they wanted, I had to come.”

  She flinched and felt the sting of guilt. “You shouldn’t have,” she said. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  “I figured I owed you.”

  She flinched again. Lily explained how she got
there, but Katrina heard none of it. Her guilt was joined by anger. Lily should never have been brought into this. Kader even said he only took advantage of their chance meeting. There was no fate at play. Just bad luck—just another example of Katrina bringing misfortune to everyone she touched.

  “You shouldn’t—” she hissed, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter. We need to find you some help.”

  She led Lily to the horse, but the animal suddenly squealed and bucked as they approached. She tried to get it under control, but it kept jumping away.

  “It won’t let me ride,” said Lily, behind her. “Animals don’t like me.” She stepped back and sat down on a nearby rock. “It’s okay. I’ll be all right.”

  Katrina finally got the horse under control, although it would come no closer to Lily. She sighed and said, “I guess we can wait here for a bit. Once everything calms down, we can head out.”

  “I’m glad you’re all right. When the dragon appeared, I was worried you’d—”

  “You shouldn’t have come here, Lily,” she interrupted. “You could’ve been killed.”

  “I can take care of myself.” She paused, looking herself over, and continued, “Okay, I know I look pretty bad, but what should I have done, Katrina? I wasn’t just going to leave you. And then that dragon—”

  “Wait, wait,” she interrupted again. “Did you actually try attacking that thing?”

  “I ...” She hesitated, looking like she was either embarrassed or hiding something. Finally, she mumbled, “Yeah.”

  Katrina felt her stomach lurch, as though she was about to vomit. It wasn’t just the guilt. It was seeing the same story all over again. Marcus, his unit—and Katrina herself, when she was younger—getting swept up in these disastrous calamities in the name of justice, adventure, and destiny. An endless cycle—none of them realizing what’s in store for them until it’s far too late.

  “Are you crazy?! What the hell were you thinking?!”

  “Katrina, wait,” Lily said. “You don’t understand. You see, I ... I’m a ...”