The Girl Who Walked Through Fire

by Dana Gricken

  Senior Knight Adam Cormac entered the office after Hadrian was gone and saluted. “I apologize for disturbing you, my Lord. Is there anything I can do for you during this difficult time?”

  The King nodded. “Yes. You’re exactly the Knight I needed to see. Since David is expelled from the Order, I wanted you to know I’ve promoted you to Master Knight. Congratulations, Adam.”

  Adam was awe-struck. “This is a big honor, your Majesty. Are you sure I’m right for the job?”

  “Despite the fact that you allowed witches to escape past the Veil – twice – I’m not giving up on you that easily, Adam. It seems we lose good Knights every day. I see potential in you, and I believe you’ll make a great leader.”

  “Thank you, your Majesty.”

  “For your first task, you’ll be escorting David to the Beyondlands. You’ll leave him there, tied up and defenseless. He deserves this.”

  “Of course!” Adam replied, a little too eagerly. Before he left the room, he turned back to face the King. “I won’t let you down. You won’t regret this, your Majesty.”

  “I should hope not. There’s been too much disappointment already,” The King replied, sighing.

  DAVID HAD SPENT SEVERAL hours alone in his cell. He was cold, hungry, and exhausted, and he wondered when the waiting would end. Just when he thought they’d forgotten about him, a set of footsteps was heard approaching. Suddenly, the barred cell door opened, and he was ushered out in shackles. There was an armored car waiting in front of the castle to take him to the Beyondlands. That’s when realization set in - his life was over. He would die there.

  The citizens of Orana looked at the once famous Knight in confusion and shock, with word spreading quickly in such a small city. Reporters stormed the castle steps, flashing cameras and trying to force an interview out of him. He couldn’t hide his face from the media. They’d have his photo on every television screen soon enough.

  “Do you have any final words, Sir David?” One reporter asked.

  “Do you regret working with the dragons and witches?” Another journalist demanded.

  “Is this all because of the Dragonwitch? Did she force you to do this?”

  The questions continued, but David didn’t answer. The King watched David’s departure from Knighthood through his office window and filled another glass with scotch. Fergus was watching too, and the triumphant grin on his face showed everyone just how he felt about the situation.

  David happened to glance across the street, where he saw both his parents among the crowd. They pushed their way towards the front, and Adam stopped for a moment. It was a small act of mercy, most likely only done for the cameras.

  “We’re disappointed in you, David,” His father, Miguel, reprimanded. “We expected better from you.”

  His mother, Irina, wiped away tears. “How could you do this? Was it worth dying over?”

  It destroyed him to see his parents like this. Sure, they were proud former members of the Order and held dangerous beliefs, but they were still his family. He’d give anything for them to see things his way.

  “I did what I had to do,” David began, and the news reporters hushed as they recorded his words. “When you do the right thing, you never regret it. I only wish I’d acted sooner.”

  His parents were shocked. The reporters began to shout again, asking him more intrusive questions. They were never satisfied.

  “Enough talk,” Adam ordered, pushing David’s shoulders forward. “Get in the car, David. I won’t ask you again.”

  He did as he was asked, and ducked into the backseat of the vehicle. He watched the crowd’s faces as they became smaller in the distance, and he finally felt like he understood Elara’s misery.

  The Red City Intruders

  Merek trotted through the bitter cold of the Bluefrost Mountains, as snow fell violently and sudden gusts of wind smacked him across the face. He shivered and clung to the winter coat that he had found in Hadrian’s pack. He also found a few bottles of water, a blanket, and a compass – but no other maps or information on the safe house Hadrian had mentioned. He’d just have to find it on his own.

  The Mountains were beautiful at this time of day. If he weren’t freezing, he would’ve probably enjoyed the scenery. The crystalized snow sparkled in the sunlight, and he had the perfect view of Galea from the cliff. The Mountains were a safe haven, free from the threat of the Knights. Merek continued to climb the steep mountain pathways, hoping to see an indication of any life.

  He could feel his horse’s heart rate declining, and it was only getting worse as he continued forward. The creature panted and shivered in the breeze, and he stopped for a moment to give the animal a break.

  The blizzard made it difficult to see, and the horse kept losing its balance on the black ice hidden beneath the snow. Suddenly, the horse slipped again, and Merek nearly fell off. He repositioned himself and patted the horse affectionately.

  “It’s all right. We need to keep going,” Merek said to the horse, hoping the creature could understand him.

  The horse continued on as the winds and falling snow became more hazardous. Suddenly, the horse approached the edge of a large precipice that overlooked Galea, and Merek didn’t notice. The creature jolted backward and sideways to avoid an icy descent, and in the meantime, knocked Merek off with its hasty retreat.

  Merek went falling over the edge, tumbling quickly over snowbanks and ice, down multiple snow-covered hills. He tried to reach for something to hold onto so he would stop plunging, but there was nothing but snow and breakable icicles. When he finally landed, it was on his back, which cracked beneath him. He groaned in pain, and the discomfort was so bad it nearly knocked him unconscious right on the spot.

  As his eyelids became heavy, he came to accept the inevitable fate of his death. His worst fears had come true. The Knights had discovered the mark on Elara’s arm and he couldn’t protect her anymore.

  “I’m sorry,” He muttered to the sky. “I failed you... both of you.”

  Just before he closed his eyes, he could’ve sworn he saw a cloud of smoke in the air which looked like it came from a chimney. An unfamiliar arm began to pull him by his jacket into the direction of the smoke, just as he fell unconscious.

  FANE PACED THE FLOOR in his father’s office, watching as the clock moved by slowly in agony. Waiting for Elara to return was like torture. He chastised himself for not going with her.

  “Where is she?” He asked himself, as he slammed his fist into the wall. “It’s been too long.”

  Emperor Zarian looked up at him from his paperwork, watching his son in amusement. “Go find her if you miss her that much, son – or at least stop abusing the wallpaper.”

  Fane shook his head. “No. She needs to do this alone. I know that. It’s just difficult. I don’t trust the witches, and I certainly don’t trust the Knights. What if she gets hurt or captured and I’m not there to save her again?”

  “She’ll be fine, Fane. She’s a strong girl,” Alona replied, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “She’ll return soon enough. Why don’t you find something to do in the meantime? Mayliss is always looking for someone to play hide and seek with. That girl never gives up.”

  “I agree with your mother. Seeing Mayliss would give you an excuse to check on the advisor. He’s been awfully quiet and I want to make sure he’s all right.”

  Fane laughed, dryly. “Why do you care? You saw the way he treated Elara. I think we should leave him alone for good.”

  Zarian sighed. “I understand you feel that way, Fane, but he’s a family friend. As dragons, we have to take care of each other. We’re all we have in this world. I would go see him myself, but I have some work to finish. You need a distraction anyway.”

  “And if something is seriously wrong with Colrek, we must know,” Alona added.

  Fane nodded, reluctantly turning towards the door. “Fine. I’ll check on him and leave. If you want to play nice, that’s up to you. As far as I’m concerned, he�
��s nothing more than ashes to me.”

  He made his way through the city, smiling politely to passing dragons before he finally stumbled upon the advisor’s small home. He sighed, mustering up the courage to knock on the door. To his surprise, the door opened without much effort. He cautiously entered the home and found no one inside.

  “Hello?” Fane called out. “Advisor Colrek? Sora? Mayliss?”

  There was no answer. He checked all of the rooms before finding himself in the kitchen. It was there that he saw the body of Sora on the floor, covered in her own blood. It looked like a massacre.

  “Dragon spit!” He exclaimed, before rushing to her side to check her pulse.

  Once he determined that she had no heartbeat, fire seethed in his eyes. He noticed and read the discarded letters on the floor, revealing Colrek to be the Lord of The Fallen.

  Fane stormed his way back to his father’s home, barging through the door. Emperor Zarian and Alona jumped at the intrusion before rushing to his side.

  “Fane?” Alona asked. “Are you all right?”

  “Sora’s dead. She was stabbed,” Fane stated, plainly. “And I have a feeling that Colrek was behind this. He’s nowhere to be found, and Mayliss is gone, too.”

  Alona gasped and the Emperor hung his head, sadly.

  “I knew there was something wrong with him. The way he was speaking earlier was just so cold - as if he were a Fallen One himself,” The Emperor replied, and his voice was heavy with grief.

  Fane scoffed. “It’s funny you should mention that. I found these letters proving Colrek’s involvement with The Fallen – as their Lord.”

  Both Alona and Zarian were silent for a few moments.

  “He’s been lying to us all this time,” The Emperor realized. “I never believed he would do something like this.”

  Alona reached for Fane’s hand. “Fane, think this through before you do anything reckless.”

  Fane pulled away and grabbed a quick change of clothes before scurrying towards the door. “I’m going to find Elara, and then I’ll be looking for Colrek. He’ll answer for the lives he’s taken.”

  “Fane!” The Emperor called after him, but he had already transitioned and taken off far into the sky.

  Alona cried softly into her hands as the Emperor embraced his wife. A group of dragons heard the commotion and swarmed around the home, and the Emperor dreaded having to tell them the bad news.

  HADRIAN WAS ESCORTED back to his room, protesting the entire way. The Knights pushed him in and locked the door behind him, barely giving him a second glance.

  “Hey!” He bellowed, pounding on the door. “Let me out!”

  The Knights didn’t reply. When he began to kick at the door, he heard a gruff voice growl in response.

  “Knock it off! The door’s pure metal. You’ll never get out.”

  Then I’ll find another way out, he thought to himself.

  The Knights would probably be guarding his room to make sure he didn’t attempt to break free, so picking the lock was out of the question. He could escape out the window, but he’d be caught by patrolling guards. Every exit was risky, but he knew he had to get out somehow. He was of no use to Elara or the dragons and witches locked up in the castle.

  When he paused to think for a moment, that’s when it hit him. He remembered he’d built an underground passage that opened underneath his bed, to be used in emergency situations. Luckily, his bedroom was on the first floor. It was such a long time ago, and he didn’t even know if the passage was still intact, but it was worth a try.

  Like all underground tunnels, they were unstable and dangerous, but he didn’t have any other choice. He used all of the strength he could muster to move his large bed and opened the floorboard to reveal a snug tunnel.

  “Here goes nothing,” He muttered to himself.

  He crawled through the small opening, placing the floorboard back over the entrance so that he wouldn’t be discovered.

  The tunnels were cold, dark, and murky, as the small sand and rock particles fell from the ceiling above him. There was a lingering stench that made him feel nauseous, and the fire spiders that claimed the tunnels as their new home weren’t easing his anxiety. Hadrian grabbed a nearby torch off of the stone-covered wall, and slowly crept his way forward.

  “Hello? Is anyone there?” He called out, but the only sound he heard in response was the echo of his voice.

  While he hoped there would be someone in the tunnels to guide him, he was alone. He came to a crossroads which veered off into several directions, and he chose one at random. He didn’t care where he ended up, as long as it was on the surface.

  He didn’t look back as he delved further down a never-ending passageway, hoping he wouldn’t get lost or trapped. Dying in a tunnel was just as bad as being imprisoned within the castle – only one had less cob-webs.

  IT HADN’T BEEN VERY long since David had left the castle - maybe an hour or two - but it felt much longer. He watched as the cities became more rural until finally he was surrounded by the scent of pine and mulch, in a large, untouched forest. He’d only seen the Beyondlands once, and it was not something he cared to remember.

  The car came to an abrupt stop shortly thereafter, and he fumbled with the binds that restrained his hands and feet together. There has to be a way out of this, he thought, as he continued to tug on the cuffs.

  The three Knights that accompanied David, including the new Master Knight Adam Cormac, opened his door quickly and pulled David to his feet. They tossed him to the ground, which was covered in dirt and wet grass, and he fell with a thud.

  “You can’t leave me here!” He yelled as they laughed at him. “How dare you do this to a former Knight!”

  “You’re the one to blame, David. You had everything, and you lost it all because of the dragons and witches,” Adam spat. “After they’re long gone, you’ll realize your mistakes. However, I did want to thank you. Because of you, I’ve been promoted to Master Knight. The King finally sees the greatness inside of me.”

  David scoffed. “You can’t trust the King. He only wants power - and he’ll do anything to get it. He’ll leave you behind in a heartbeat if you disagree with him. Besides, war is coming. Don’t you want to be on the right side of history?”

  “I am. I’m proud to be a Grey Knight,” Adam replied before he shook his head in disapproval. “Goodbye, David. I hope for your sake, your death is quick.”

  After the Knights got into their car and sped away, there was just silence – an eerie kind that shook David to his core. He struggled further with his restraints, but they wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, snarling was heard in the distance, and David’s head scanned his surroundings to locate the sound.

  A pack of angry wildhounds – seven, to be exact, with drooling mouths and visible fangs – approached David slowly. He tried to stay still and not make any sudden movements, but the creatures were not fooled. To them, he was prey – and an easy target at that. David had no choice but to watch in horror as the wildhounds continued to get closer. With no means of defense or even the ability to get up and run, David was trapped.

  Suddenly, much to David’s relief, a piercing whistle rang out in the distance. The wildhounds howled in pain and took off running in the opposite direction. A set of footsteps were now approaching, and David hoped it wasn’t a bigger predator.

  As a new face came into the light, David squinted to see it better. Once he finally saw the face of the creature in front of him, his eyes widened in shock and terror.

  ELARA AWOKE SLOWLY out of the darkness, but her mind was still in a fog. Several panicked voices surrounded her, asking questions she couldn’t quite hear. She felt a tingling sensation, one she had not felt since passing the Mystic Veil.

  As her vision returned to normal, she realized she was resting on a bed back in the city of Deniva. Sheba Imani, the shaman of the tribe, was standing above her, casting a glowing green healing spell over her body. She had been wrapped in several towels to soak up
the water and mud.

  Aria, Tavia, and Jordaine stood nearby with a similar worried look on all of their faces. Elara attempted to sit up, but Sheba’s magic held her in place. The elderly woman noticed her confusion and panic.

  “Be still, my child,” Sheba told her. “You’re safe now.”

  Aria turned to Tavia, with a mixture of anger and disappointment written on her face. “What happened to her?”

  Tavia shrugged. “I don’t know! One second she was just looking at the Stone of Magic, and the next it erupted and she went flying!”

  “Tavia’s right. It wasn’t our fault!” Jordaine interjected. “The Stone did something to her.”

  Sheba nodded. “The Stone works in mysterious ways. I believe her powers are beginning to awaken.”

  That’s when Elara remembered. She had seen faint visions after being knocked unconscious. She saw the Knights briefly in battle before it faded. It was all a little too blurry to piece together.

  “How are you feeling, my dear?” Sheba asked, pulling Elara away from her thoughts.

  “I’ve had better days,” Elara replied. “My mind’s foggy, but I’m all right.”

  “I’m glad you made it, Elara. You had us all worried for a while,” Aria replied, as the tension in the room eased. “Although I’m worried about this new outfit you’re wearing. Tavia’s doing, I assume?”

  Elara chuckled.

  Sheba’s magic ceased, and Elara was able to sit up. “I feel much better. Thank you.”

  Elara was just about to tell the group about her vision when a clatter arose outside. The sound of yelling filled the city.

  Elara, Aria, Tavia, and Jordaine rushed outside to see what the matter was. Sheba stuck her head out of her home, silently observing. It was Prince Hadrian, lightly covered in rock and soil, standing in the middle of the city. The witches had surrounded him, holding their staffs high in preparation for a fight.