“The city has already been addressed,” Norwyn said.
Dark raised his eyebrows. Norwyn motioned to follow him back to the Abstraction Chamber. “It’s time to prepare for an assault.”
LII
Amal waited impatiently for results of her letter.
Edwil was supposed to return to give her the news. But he had been gone for a few hours now and she was getting worried.
She couldn’t even have a television in the secure location. She hated the isolation.
She walked around her office, thought about how she would have decorated the real governor’s office.
She tried to think back to when she had visited Ennius a few days ago—he had a large mahogany desk. Photos of himself everywhere.
Amal didn’t know how many photos she had of herself. It just wasn’t in her to take photos every day. She wondered if she even had more than a dozen current photos of herself. Or Demetrius.
That was going to be the toughest part about all of this. Being in the public spotlight all the time. Though she and Demetrius prepared themselves for it, it was different when you actually had to live it. But it’s what you had to do if you wanted to serve the public.
But in a way, she couldn’t help but think if she had all the accoutrements of the office right here in this secret place, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad place to govern from.
The city needed a shakeup. Maybe this was one way to do it. She imagined headlines:
Governor governs from secrecy!
The best progress is...secret?
The best governor you’ve never seen?
She laughed to herself.
This was ludicrous.
Where was Edwil?
She shouldn’t have been thinking about such trivial things when people in the city were going to die!
And then she felt guilty.
But all she could do was pace this place, and think.
What was to be done about Fenroot?
She didn’t know, but she was ready for the challenge. Wouldn’t it be something, for a human governor to take down the most powerful dragon in history!
She wanted the challenge. She wanted to be more hands on. She wanted to be in the city, with the people, leading by example and not from a secret location.
As nice as the “secrecy” could have been, it wasn’t her.
None of this, none of it—was her.
She was going to tell Edwil. She was going to demand to get out of here and she wasn’t going to listen to any excuses.
That was the mark of leadership. Sometimes you had to make the hard choices. Sometimes you had to make people do things they didn’t want to do, but if you were a true leader, they would follow as long as they understood your vision.
What was her vision?
Governor Amal Shalewood—fighting for the people, with the people. Laying her life down if she needed to.
If it meant that her safety was in danger...so be it.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in, Edwil,” she said.
It was Demetrius.
“Oh, sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
He looked nervous, as if something were bothering him.
“You okay?” Amal asked.
“Baby, come with me.”
Demetrius stared directly at her. He didn’t move his head. He was trying not to look at something.
“What’s wrong, Demetrius?”
He laughed a fake laugh that confirmed her suspicion. “Everything’s fine. I just want you to walk with me.”
She followed him reluctantly into the hallway. He grabbed her by the arm and whispered “Just walk. Don’t talk until I do.”
“Demetrius—”
They started down the hallway, passing under several orb lights until they entered the bathroom. The room had a single toilet, and a broken mirror.
Demetrius shut the door quietly and then he looked at Amal frantically. “Baby, something’s up.”
“What?”
“When you lock a detective up in a place like this, he’s going to look around.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fragment of dragon stone—a chalky, rock-like material often found in dragon caves.
“Look at it,” he said.
Amal frowned. “Why are you wasting my time with dragon stone, Demetrius?”
“Look at it,” he insisted.
Amal took it in her hands. She crumbled it with her fingers, smudging them with dust. “Are you happy now?”
“Builders haven’t used dragon stone in construction for decades,” Demetrius said. “The dragons in Abstraction lobbied against it. They argued it should only be used in their own buildings due to its unusual magical properties.”
“So? We’re in an old building. It probably predates the construction ban.”
Demetrius tapped on the doorframe, which was carved in the classical style and slightly crumbling. Amal hadn’t noticed that the doorframe was made from dragon stone. It was smooth and shiny. Demetrius pulled another crumbling piece from the frame.
“What place do you know that uses dragon stone like this?”
Amal shrugged.
Demetrius wasn’t happy with her answer. “You haven’t paid much attention to the lights, have you?”
“Demetrius, this is—”
“We’re being watched, baby. Yesterday I went into your office to talk to you. When I came out, the orb light in the hallway looked different. Well, it had rotated so it could see me.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“Go outside right now,” he said. “You weren’t paying attention, but all of the orb lights had a blue stripe on the side. The stripe should have been facing the bathroom because they were watching us. We’re going to go out now and they’ll be facing your office—the opposite direction. You’ll notice a small camera in the center of the stripe.”
“Okay,” Amal said. “We’ll see if you’re right. And if you’re not, it’ll be one more good reason to tell Edwil we’re not staying here anymore. This place is making you stir-crazy.”
Demetrius pushed her gently out of the bathroom. “Try not to look up with your head. Look with your eyes.”
Amal walked down the hallway, her eyes wandering up at the orb lights.
As Demetrius said, there was a blue stripe on the side of the lights, and they were facing her office. She spotted a small eye in the center of the blue stripe.
Strange.
She entered her office, then pretended as if she had forgotten something. As she made her way back to the bathroom, the blue stripes had rotated again.
The orbs were watching her.
“Think I’m stir-crazy now?” Demetrius asked, folding his arms as Amal re-entered the bathroom.
“But who would be watching us?”
Demetrius held up the dragon stone. “No idea. But we’ve got dragon stone. We’re in a ‘secure’ location. Yeah, it’s real secure. Most secure place there ever was. It’s all a joke, baby.”
“Then where are we?” Amal asked.
Demetrius threw the dragon stone into the mirror and cracked it further. “If I had to bet, it looks to me like we’re somewhere in the Hall of Governance.”
***
Edwil returned a few hours later, wearing sunglasses, a black topcoat and leather gloves.
Amal had lost track of time, and her watch didn’t work. She had been storming around her office, trying to figure out what to do. Demetrius tried to calm her down but his words only sharpened her edge.
She stopped when Edwil entered, and she smiled at him.
“Glad to see you’re okay,” Amal said.
“It’s chaos out there, Mrs. Governor,” Edwil said. “Fenroot broke the wall. His army is within the city.”
Amal feigned worry. “What should I do, Edwil?”
“We must wait it out. We’re safe here, Mrs. Governor.”
“No, Edwil. I’ve been thinking about all of this, and
it’s not working for me. I can’t be holed up here. I need to be out there. I need for you to find another location for me, one where I can govern among the people. And please, make sure it has windows.”
“But—”
“Those are orders,” Amal said. “I appreciate your concern for my safety.”
Edwil shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t accommodate you, Mrs. Governor.”
“I don’t care,” Amal said. “You’re going to get me out of here, now.”
“My orders prevent me from allowing you to leave.”
“I’m giving you new orders.”
“Unfortunately, m’am, your protection detail doesn’t take orders from you. It’s to protect you from yourself.”
“In a normal government arrangement, that would be true.”
“Normal or emergency, m’am, I can’t let you leave. We don’t work for you. We—”
CRACK!
Demetrius appeared from behind the door and hit Edwil on the head with a chunk of dragon stone. The elven man toppled to the floor, unconscious.
“Let’s get out of here,” Amal said.
LIII
Miri, Alvia and Tony ran as the street behind them filled with elven soldiers. Rain poured down on the streets in a drenching downpour, making it hard to see very far ahead. Still, Miri knew the way forward. They were almost to the Hall of Governance.
“Faster!” Tony cried.
The elven soldiers cheered.
Miri grabbed a grimoire and pulled it out of her coat.
“It’s not you they’re after,” Alvia said.
“I’m still going to defend myself!” Miri shouted.
A Crafter dragon streamed in the sky past them, carrying a dozen elves. The dragon spewed flames, setting a roof on fire. The elves jumped off and began running across the rooftop, the flames chasing them. The dragon roared.
Miri’s blood ran cold.
Tony grabbed her, and she continued running up the long serpentine street that led to the Hall of Governance.
She heard the army’s footsteps now. They shook the ground. Her heart pounded.
Maybe she made a mistake coming with Alvia and Tony. Maybe she should have run away. Maybe she would be safe now….
No. No one was safe. Nowhere was the best place for her to be but here.
In charge of her destiny.
“Are you afraid?” Alvia asked.
Miri didn’t answer. Alvia’s personality was wearing on her.
At the other end of the street, a group of citizens gathered. It was a mob, at least a thousand people deep. They held grimoires, shovels, guns, and other household items that they must have grabbed at the last minute.
“Get out of our city!” someone shouted.
“If Amal’s going to fight, then we are, too,” someone else said.
Miri smiled as they broke through the mob, running past them.
“Let’s get ‘em!” a human shouted.
Miri, Alvia and Tony turned the corner as the fighting broke out.
All over, Miri could hear people fighting the army. Across the rooftops, magic exploded in pink bursts.
“We’re defending ourselves,” Miri said. “I’ve never been more proud of this city.”
She thought about Earl and Celesse, and hoped they were safe.
Tony tapped her on the shoulder. “Put your pride aside.”
They reached the Hall of Governance. A giant pink wall protected the grounds, resplendent in the storm. The Hall stood gray and ominous, like a fortress. Dragons circled the skies over it, watching everything on the ground. Miri shuddered at the sight of them.
Hard to think that Old Dark was in there. She had never imagined the Hall of Governance as a fortress for him, but it was a good fit.
“We’re not getting through that wall,” Miri said.
Several dragons and elven soldiers appeared on the other side of the street. They screamed something.
Alvia’s eyes widened. “Get down!” she cried.
They dove to the ground as a giant ray of pink energy tore through the streets, slamming into the wall.
Miri watched with wonder. Fenroot was using aquifer magic. Pure. Raw.
She covered her ears as the wall shattered and the army cheered.
“Come on,” Alvia said, grabbing her.
As the army charged the Hall of Governance, Miri, Alvia and Tony followed.
***
Dark’s dragons swooped out of the sky as the army charged.
Blood-curdling screams erupted all across the grounds as Dark’s dragons scooped up Fenroot’s dragons, crushed the elven warriors in their claws and sprayed the lawns full of fire. The elven warriors fought back, throwing powerful spells into the air, suffocating the dragons.
Fenroot’s dragons clashed with Dark’s dragons mid-air, and they chomped at each other’s necks, mixing in blood with the rain.
Miri screamed as an elven soldier fell from the sky and landed in front of her, full of blood. She jumped over the body and followed Alvia, who pushed bravely ahead, her hands glowing with magic. Pepper ran next to her, blazing intensely like a star.
A Keeper dragon bounded in front of them, growling.
Alvia jumped into the sky and came down upon the dragon, her hands glowing. The dragon recoiled, stunned—and Alvia used her hands to levitate the dragon and then hurl him into the throng of fighting warriors.
Miri couldn’t believe what she’d seen.
What was Alvia really capable of?
Maybe she’d seen a glimpse of it.
“Come on!” Alvia said, running up the long stone steps leading to the revolving doors of the Hall.
Miri stumbled up the steps, ducked as an explosion rained grass and sod on the steps.
Something told her to look over.
Tony was lying on the steps covered in blood.
“Oh my God!” Miri cried. She slid down next to him but he waved her away.
“No—keep going!” Tony said. The area around his stomach was filled with blood.
“You need help,” Miri said, pulling out a grimoire. She activated a wheel and cycled toward a healing spell.
“It’s okay,” he said, taking her hand. “You don’t even know me…Listen…”
Alvia knelt next to him. “Thank you, Tony.”
Tony smiled at her. “I guess I can’t ask you on a date, huh?”
Alvia laughed. She stared down at his stomach and grimaced. “No, I guess not.”
Another explosion rocked the building, and Miri and Alvia rolled away as a chunk of dragon stone flopped down the stairs.
“We’ve got to go,” Alvia said, tugging Miri. “We’ve done all we can.”
Miri cast a healing spell, and a wave of blue emanated through Tony’s body. He sighed with relief. “Thanks.”
His stomach was still bloody, but the wound had closed.
Miri’s feet tingled.
She couldn’t feel them.
“It’s no use,” Tony said. “But thanks for making it a little better.”
Miri shook her head. “Tony, stop talking like that—”
BOOM!
A shrieking wail screamed through the sky. Miri looked up. A dragon was falling toward them.
In a flash, Tony reached into his pocket and threw a grimoire into the sky. A purple dome flashed over them and protected them as the dragon landed on it.
“Go!” Tony cried.
Miri looked up at the dragon’s carcass. It lay on top of the dome. If the dome disappeared, it would crush them.
“Go, or my sacrifice will be for nothing!” Tony yelled.
Miri took a lingering look at Tony.
Alvia and Pepper were already running toward the revolving door.
Then Miri nodded and dashed toward the door. When she was safely inside the cool lobby of the Hall of Governance, she looked back at Tony, but the dead dragon lay in his place, curled up on the steps.
The wall exploded and several dragons flew into the lobby,
roaring, elven warriors following.
“The final battle begins,” Miri said as she and Alvia ran up a spiral staircase.
LIV
Dark waited on the ceiling of a long, vaulted hallway.
He slowed his breathing, ready for battle.
It’s going to begin now, old dragon, he told himself. Soon, the beginning of the end.
He was ready. He trained his eyes on the hallway below, which was as silent as it had ever been when he took over the Hall.
He ordered his dragons to spread out over the premises. The army would have to go through them first before reaching the Inner Chamber where he and Norwyn were located.
“Once the fight begins, you’ll need to take as many out as you can,” Norwyn had said. “I can localize a few blasts, but it won’t be much.”
Dark had placed his hand on Norwyn’s shoulder and thanked him. Norwyn refused to accept the thanks and he said that he would accept it when this was over.
But even Dark knew it would take a miracle to escape thousands of soldiers, all looking for him.
He knew that it would be tough.
He knew that it would be over soon.
He knew that he was ready to fight.
The distant sound of soldiers stomping through the grounds reached him. Dragon roars. Screams. Cries. Magic exploding. Blood spilling on the walls.
Dark’s muscles tensed as he crouched on the ceiling, preparing himself.
War.
War.
War.…
Dark motioned to Sage, Brownigan, and Lister, who were also crouched on the ceiling. They heard the approaching chaos and their faces were visibly worried.
War.
War.
War.
War.…
The walls shook. The ground shook. The light fixtures jangled in anticipation.
Dark licked his lips.
War. War.
War. War.…
Dark listened intently. The footsteps were closer now. They were nearly one room away. He took in a deep breath and readied himself.
The army crashed through the doors, roaring through the hallway like a river rapid.
Dark motioned to Sage. The green dragon slashed a nearby wire with his tail.
The lights went out.
Old Wicked (The Last Dragon Lord Book 3) Page 18