by Dana Gricken
Elara laughed. “I think of you as a friend too. Don’t worry. Is it...romantic?”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Red. It’s not romantic at all. Some witches bond with their children. I’d like to do it right now, before the battle today, in case...” Tavia trailed off. “In case we run out of time together.”
Elara nodded. “Sure. How’s it done?”
“Have a seat in front of me, with your legs crossed,” Tavia began, as they both sat down together. “Now, close your eyes and clear your mind. Focus on your breathing. I want you to visualize our friendship. Imagine our souls becoming one.”
Elara sat there with her eyes closed, peering into the darkness while patiently waiting to see something. Suddenly, she felt a powerful energy circling her. It followed deep down into her stomach before it spread tingles throughout her entire body.
“And we’re finished,” Tavia said, standing up. “We’re connected. You’re stuck with me forever.”
“What have I done?” Elara joked as she rose to her feet.
“Very funny.”
“We’re ready!” Emperor Sarv yelled suddenly, motioning towards the citizens of Deniva. “Whoever wants to join, I suggest you get over here. This isn’t for the faint of heart and I won’t tolerate quitters or weaklings. Understood?”
The large group nodded and looked around at each other. It isn’t perfect unity, Elara thought, but it’s a start.
Emperor Sarv nodded. “Good. Here’s the plan – I’ll lead the Kohra over into the Beyondlands as we search for the location of The Fallen base. Fane and Elara will accompany us. The Amera, Palarri, and the Lithian will wait in the Beyondlands for our signal. Once The Fallen have been found, I’ll release a roar and the attack on the hideaway will begin. The witches will ride in on their Tiburon’s, casting their magic from a distance while the Orkin follow behind closely. Any questions? Don’t make me go over this again.”
There was dead silence. The plan was clear and understood.
Elara nodded. “We’re ready. We’ve trained hard. Now, it’s time to win.”
“You’re just a human,” Emperor Sarv said. “Aren’t you afraid?”
Elara shook her head. “I’m not afraid. I know I was born to do this.”
Sarv shrugged, although he was impressed by her bravado. “Let’s get going then. There’s no point in standing around here when the battle is waiting.”
FANE, ELARA, AND THE legion of Kohra dragons flew around the immense forest area of the Beyondlands. They scanned the ground quickly, searching for any sign of The Fallen. Instead, they found nothing. It was eerily quiet. Emperor Sarv was growing more hot-headed and restless by the minute.
“If you’re so certain The Fallen are in the Beyondlands, why haven’t we seen any evidence?” Sarv huffed. “I certainly didn’t come this far for a wild goose chase!”
“They have to be here somewhere! We saw them flying over us before!” Elara yelled, over the strong winds on Fane’s back. “Just keep looking!”
The dragons continued to soar above the tall trees as they searched the area. In the distance, Elara spotted the faint outline of the roof of a great tower which sat near the edge of the Imperial Ocean.
“Over there!” Elara cried, nodding towards the tower. “This is it!”
Emperor Sarv roared with such force that it shook the ground and nearly collapsed several nearby trees. In the distance, Elara could hear the rumble of the witches riding on their Tiburon’s, the races of dragons transitioning and taking flight, and the Orkin marching forward.
“So much for a surprise attack,” Elara mumbled, and Sarv scoffed.
“Surprise attacks are for the cowardly!” Sarv yelled back, disapprovingly. “They’re not for warriors!”
As they landed, they noticed the field was empty. If this had been the base of The Fallen, it was now abandoned. After a few seconds of shock, the others caught up to the tower and were just as equally puzzled.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” Elara said, as her stomach churned with anxiety. “Be on guard.”
“Show yourselves! Or are you too afraid?” Emperor Sarv yelled, and his voice echoed in the bitter silence. “Who would’ve thought The Fallen Ones were such cowards?”
Still, there was nothing. Emperor Sarv seethed with anger but refused to give up.
“I bet they’re still in the area. Emperor Zarian, take your dragons and patrol the south. Emperor Korno will take the west, and Emperor Lucina will take the east. The Kohra and I will venture into the north. Look for anything that may suggest where The Fallen have fled. The remainder of you will stay here, in case they return. I will not let them escape again.”
The dragons did as they were asked, but Fane hesitated. He didn’t know whether to go or stay.
“Bria, are you all right here?” Fane asked, with concern. “I’m expected to follow my father.”
“Don’t worry, Fane. I’ll be fine. It doesn’t look like anyone is here.”
“I’ll return in a few minutes to make sure you’re safe. I don’t trust this place at all,” Fane replied.
Elara nodded as Fane went with his father’s army and the search began again. The Miracari witches and the Orkin remained in the area of the tower, looking for any clues. A shiny metallic object deep in the dirty grasslands of the forest caught Elara’s eye, and she bent down to pick it up.
It was a locket, which had Calianna’s name inscribed on it. Elara was just about to tell the group what she had found when she felt a cold blade at her throat and a warm body behind her, holding her in place. She was trapped - and no one had even noticed.
“I was wondering when your pity party would show up,” Calianna whispered, mocking her. “I admit I’m impressed with your army. Who would’ve thought the Dragonwitch was more than just a silly legend?”
“Where’s the rest of your cult?” Elara asked, struggling to break free, but Calianna was too strong for her.
“You really don’t know? They’ve left for the King’s castle, preparing to turn that city into a pile of ash. Once they’re finished, the rest of humanity will follow. The Grey Knights will die today – and so will you. I stayed behind to finish what we started.”
“You don’t have to do this, Calianna,” Elara began, as she tried to reach for her sword. “We’re on the same side. We can work together to stop the Knights. It’s not too late.”
Calianna noticed that Elara was attempting to reach for her weapon, and so she flung the sword off of Elara’s belt and it landed on the ground behind them. Elara sighed. The only thing that could save her was gone.
“Do you really think you can outsmart me?” Calianna asked, chuckling in her ear. “You’ve lost, Elara. Soon, the Knights and the rest of humanity will be wiped off the face of the earth. And since fire can’t kill you, I guess this blade will have to do.”
Elara winced, preparing herself for the pain when Calianna gasped in her ear and let her go. Calianna fell backward, and the blade went flying out of her hands. Elara turned around to see Fane holding her lost sword. He had stabbed his sister in the back.
Fane caught Calianna as she collapsed onto the ground, in a mess of her own blood and tears. She looked into his eyes.
“Why did you have to do this, Cali?” Fane asked as Calianna coughed and gurgled up blood. “I’m sorry it had to end this way.”
“My brother,” Calianna choked out. “I love you.”
“I love you too, my sister, but now you need to answer to the Eternal Flame for your sins,” Fane replied, tears escaping from his golden eyes. “Deva Kanar.”
Calianna took her last breath, and Fane laid her body gently on the grass. He looked up at Elara with a mix of sadness and shame.
“I almost failed you, Bria, if my sister had taken your life,” He paused, wiping away tears. “Please forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” Elara asked, incredulously. “You killed your own sister to save my life. There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Oh, Cali
anna,” Emperor Zarian said as he choked back tears once he caught up to Fane.
“Fane saved my life, Emperor,” Elara began, as Fane remained silent. “Calianna would’ve killed me if not for him. He’s a hero.”
The witches and dragons huddled around Calianna’s body, moving in closer to see what had happened. No one – not even Emperor Sarv – said a word.
“She told me that The Fallen are heading to Orana,” Elara began. “They’re going to attack the castle.”
“So?” Emperor Sarv asked. “The Fallen will take care of the Knights for us. One less enemy to fight.”
“There aren’t just Knights living in Orana. There are innocent lives there too. They’ll be killed if we don’t stop them!”
“Then some will be sacrificed,” Emperor Sarv replied, shrugging.
“No. Nobody else needs to die,” Elara cried, as she looked around for support.
“My child, you’re right,” Sheba spoke up. “We must try to save as many lives as we can.”
Tavia and David nodded, moving to Elara’s side.
“I agree with Elara – this time,” Aria replied, and Elara was surprised. “Hadrian’s in Orana. We can’t leave him there to die.”
“Orana needs our help, Emperor. We can’t ignore this,” Elara pleaded.
Emperor Korno had already made up his mind. “If Emperor Sarv thinks it’s a bad idea, then the Amera think so, too.”
Emperor Lucina was furious. “Emperor Sarv, Emperor Korno, you can’t object to this! If we allow The Fallen to destroy Orana, we’ll have blood on our hands!”
The witches and dragons began to bicker amongst themselves. Nothing could stop them. Elara was brimming with anger. She felt herself begin to combust, and her skin tingled with fire. Nobody seemed to notice until she burst, with wild flames crackling all around her.
“Listen to me, all of you,” Elara began, firmly. “I am saving Orana, whether or not you like it. Those people deserve better. We’re not The Fallen. We don’t let innocent people die.”
Fane stood up, finally pulling himself out of a daze. “I’m with you, Bria. I can’t let you do this alone.”
The rest of the group was undecided. Sheba gently touched Emperor Sarv’s arm, and with it, cast a harmless little spell.
“Emperor Sarv, perhaps you should reconsider your stance,” Sheba began, and the Emperor thought for a moment. “You will help Elara.”
“I suppose the annoying old woman is right,” Sarv replied, sighing. “We’re going to Orana. Don’t make me regret this, human.”
Elara nodded, surprised. “Thank you, Emperor. Now, let’s go.”
Love and War
Hadrian felt uncomfortable as he sat in the living room with the servants watching over him. Prince Fergus stood a few feet away, chatting with the other Knights while shooting glares over at him.
“You’re making a huge mistake, all of you,” Hadrian began, pointing at the Knights. “You can’t keep doing this! War isn’t the answer!”
They ignored him. He shook his head, sighing quietly to himself. Suddenly, Master Knight Adam Cormac burst into the room. He whispered something urgent in Fergus’ ear before the secret spread around the room. All of the Knights hurried outside, leaving Hadrian alone.
Hadrian decided to see for himself what was going on, and so he rushed outside and stood at the entrance to the castle. He gasped as he looked up at the sky, to see it turn into a cloudy, burgundy shade of red.
Thousands of Knights, guards, servants, and regular citizens were all shocked as they gazed up at the sky together. That’s when they saw them coming – hundreds of Fallen dragons and witches barreling towards the city, with a look of fury in their eyes. The King was panicked, motioning towards his Knights.
“The dragons and witches are coming!” The King yelled, waving his arms madly. “Can you believe this? They must be desperate! I want them captured immediately!”
Prince Fergus sneered at his brother. “Do you still think the Knights are wrong? Do we attack people like this?”
Hadrian had no time to respond as he noticed a ball of fire mixed with lightning hurling towards them. Hadrian jumped onto his brother and they narrowly avoided impact. As they collapsed to the ground, the fireball flew over their heads and into the castle, exploding it into flames.
“Merek’s still in there!” Hadrian cried out, as he made his way into the burning building.
“Hadrian, wait!” Prince Fergus called out, but Hadrian had already made it inside.
Colrek landed in front of King Angus, cracking the sidewalk with his might. King Angus held up an arm to halt his Knights, allowing the Lord of the Fallen to speak.
“It’s a privilege to meet you, King Angus,” Colrek began, as the citizens looked at him with horror in their eyes. “And it’ll be a privilege to end your life.”
“How dare you come to my city and threaten me, you disgusting beast!” The King spat, shaking his head. “Knights, guards, attack! If you can’t capture them, kill them!”
Therein laid the beginning of an epic battle as the Knights and The Fallen charged at one another. The dragons and witches fought back with equal force, and fire blasts and potent magic fell over the city. The citizens of Orana ran for their lives, dodging flames and spells, as their lavish town turned to dust. Some citizens weren’t so lucky to survive.
Colrek turned his attention towards King Angus and prepared to unleash a blast of fire that would reduce him to pieces. Before he could, the roars of a legion of dragons were heard in the distance, and everyone paused to look up at the sky.
“Are those more Fallen Ones?” Prince Fergus asked.
“I don’t think so,” The King replied, shaking his head.
One by one, the army of dragons Elara had amassed lined up in front of the city. Soon, the Miracari witches joined them, with the Orkin by their side. Elara retreated off of Fane’s back, holding up her blazing sword in front of her.
“Colrek, stop this now! You’ve done enough damage!” Elara shouted, and Emperor Sarv grunted in agreement.
“I suggest you listen to her, Colrek,” Emperor Sarv warned. “If not, you’ll have to face me.”
Colrek wasn’t frightened. “It appears the legend has come true. I’m impressed that you managed to get the Kohra and the Orkin to join you.”
“Calianna is dead because of you,” Fane shouted. “If you hadn’t brainwashed her, I wouldn’t have had to murder her!”
“I didn’t think you had it in you, Fane. The little Dragonwitch has changed you, I see - as well as the rest of you. What happened to the stubborn, divided dragons I once knew? I miss those days. Divided or not, it doesn’t matter,” Colrek replied, tauntingly. “The more of you to fight just means more of you to kill!”
Fane roared, lunging at Colrek just as he had done before. The fight began again as Elara’s army joined the battle. The Orkin’s weapons couldn’t be matched and they slashed through The Fallen Ones effortlessly. Lady Velona kept her promise, and the earth began swallowing up Fallen Ones and Grey Knights. They were pulled down quickly, much like quick-sand.
Bella and her followers joined the battle half-way through, just as they were instructed to do. Taking a good look around the battlefield, Bella watched as the earth continued to drag unlucky souls underneath into its hidden depths. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Lady Velona,” Bella mumbled under her breath, before turning to her followers. “It’s too dangerous. We’ll never survive; not with Mother Nature against us. We must turn back now.”
Desmond stopped her. “But we promised Colrek we’d help him!”
“Lady Velona’s helping the Dragonwitch and her legion!” Bella snarled, and her followers became wide-eyed. “She’s more powerful than all of us combined. Now, turn back – unless you want to die today. We never needed the Fallen, anyways.”
Bella and her followers scurried out of the battlefield and back to the safety of the Darkwoods, never bothering to look back.
&n
bsp; WITH THE DISTRACTION of the battle, Emperor Zarian was unseen as he fled, searching for the temple Elara had told him about. In the distance, he saw the eye of providence and breathed a sigh of relief. That had to be it.
He broke down the chamber doors of the temple, leaving a blazing path behind him. Just as promised, the Palarri were imprisoned in small, dirty cells. He shook his head in disgust.
“You’ve come for us!” A fellow dragon said, and cheers erupted.
“We knew you would!”
Emperor Zarian stepped forward, pausing once he realized the cells were locked tightly. He could feel the electrical pulses underneath.
“There’s no way out!” A dragon cried. “It’s pure electricity!”
Braving the electricity, Zarian unlocked each cell door. His skin stung every time, but it was the only way. After his people were free, he collapsed to the floor in pain as his entire body jolted and convulsed.
The Palarri gathered around him as fire brimmed from their hands. “You’ve saved us, and now we’ll do the same for you.”
Combining their fire together, they healed their Emperor with powerful burning embers. Although still wounded, the blinding pain from the electricity had vanished. Zarian rose to his feet, and his people breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” Zarian replied, before nodding towards the front door. “Return to Camena. The path is clear. The Fallen and the Knights are busy killing each other in Orana.”
“We can help!” A Palarri called out, but Zarian shook his head sternly.
“No. You’ve suffered enough. Go home and rest now. It’s incredible. Elara has united the dragons and witches. I didn’t think it was possible, but we have a good chance at winning this war because of her.”
“Tell her we said good luck,” A dragon replied.
“And make sure you kill every single last one of them!” Another dragon said.
Zarian looked around, making sure every Palarri had escaped. “Now leave – all of you. Get to where it’s safe. I have one last thing I need to do.”
As the Palarri took flight and left, Zarian looked back at the abandoned temple. He hated what it stood for. Hovering in the air, he inhaled and released a mighty breath of fire. The temple burst into flames, and black smoke filled the air. It began to shake, rumbling the ground as the columns caught on fire and lost their balance.