Dragon's Fire

by Bri Sailor

  “Ha! You act as if she is some god.” snorted the first. “No one, not even her, could withstand the entire Quinmor army falling on their head.”

  Taryn rolled her eyes. She decided to have a little fun with them.

  “Well I heard that she took on Lusha herself.” she said from her corner.

  All four men turned around to look at her.

  “What did you say, whelp?” asked the leader.

  “I have a cousin in the Black Army. He was at the battle of Stone Shield.” she lied. “He told me that he saw her go after Lusha herself.”

  “You lie.” dismissed one of the men.

  Taryn fell serious. “Ask anyone that was there. She was left for dead in the middle of the two sides clashing. She broke free from her restraints and went straight for the tree line. Lusha was there in a chariot, watching the whole thing.”

  “How does your cousin know this?” asked one of the men.

  “Because he worked the catapult. They were behind the legions, trying to take out the wall. His was near where Lusha was. The crazy woman ripped a man off of a horse and went straight for her. When they were calling for retreat he saw them fighting in the woods. Both were a bloody mess.”

  “If Ky really is here, then does that mean...” the soldier trailed off.

  “No.” replied Taryn. “Lusha is very much alive. The fight ended in a draw. After they retreated, my cousin saw Lusha back at the camp. She appeared to be on Death's door.”

  “Bullshit.” spat the leader. “There's no way that happened.”

  Taryn held up her hands. “That's just what I heard.”

  “Yeah, well I'd still like my chance with her.” said the man twirling the dagger. “I think that she is all myth and in need of a good ass-kicking.”

  The three men laughed while the fourth still remained serious. He knew what the general was truly capable of.

  #

  Ehren and Riker marched their way towards the barracks. There were only a few small squadrons of guards doing their night-watch rounds. As they approached the barracks Riker broke away from Ehren in a fluid movement and continued his way towards the stables. So far no one had given them any trouble. The barracks were silent as rows and rows of bunks filled with guards slept soundly. Ehren walked as quietly as he could. Near the back of the room was a doorway that lead to a dining hall. The glow of a dying fire barely illuminated the room. Ehren continued to the kitchens. Inside he began digging through every cupboard and every store room looking for oil and whatever else he could find. He sneaked back into the barracks and grabbed two mattresses from empty beds and dragged them back to the dining hall. Using his dagger, he ripped them open and started dumping their straw contents on the floor.

  Riker made it safely to the stables. There were a few guards standing watch just inside the door. He paused for a moment to think. He needed to get them out of there without arousing suspicion. An idea suddenly struck him. Making sure no one was around, he slipped to the side of the stables and climbed through an open window. He landed almost silently on the floor. The guards inside didn't seem the wiser. He looked around. Above the stables was a massive loft filled with hay bales that lined the perimeter. The ladders up to the loft were just out of reach and would give him away. Not too far away from where he was hiding was one of the timber posts, larger than most ship masts, holding up the roof. He quickly took off the belt around his tunic, leaving the belt with his sword still on. He sneaked over to the beam and threw his belt around it. Wrapping his hands tightly in the belt, he slowly began climbing his way up the post. At the top he sat on a beam to catch his breath for a moment before slinking out across the beam to the edge of the loft. Once in the loft he crawled until he was across from the guards. He needed to get them closer. He looked around the loft and spotted some hay hooks hanging along the wall. He grabbed two of them and used them to pull a big bale to the edge of the loft. When it was in position, he threw one of the hooks down into the stall underneath him, spooking the horse. The poor creature began to rear and neigh loudly, disturbing the other horses around him. He began kicking at the stall doors, desperately trying to get out. The guards ran over to see what had the beast so spooked. Once they were in position, Riker pushed the heavy bale over the edge. It landed hard on the guards' heads, knocking them out. He quickly slid down the ladder and grabbed some rope to tie the men up. He placed them in an empty stall bound, weaponless, and gagged. He then turned his attention to the horses and attempted to calm them down so as to not draw any attention to the stables. Once he was able to soothe the beast he opened all of the stall doors to let the horses wander around, but kept the main doors barred so they wouldn't escape.

  #

  Atreyis and Ky creeped their way around the palace. It seemed like every thirty seconds pairs of palace guards would round. Ky pulled Atreyis into an empty corridor.

  “This is where you tie my hands.” she whispered, pulling out a length of rope from her pocket.

  “Are you sure?” whispered Atreyis as she adjusted her bow on her back. “What if they recognize me? They saw all of us that day.”

  Ky waved a hand. “It's a chance we will just have to take. Look, Horgath's room isn't far from here. All we have to do is make it in there. Then we can barricade the door.”

  Atreyis chewed her lip. “Fine. But what if they do catch us?”

  “Fight like hell and run for Horgath's room.” Ky said simply.

  The two stepped out into the corridor and proceeded to walk like guard and prisoner. A nervous sweat began to bead on Atreyis' neck and her heart was pounding. They came upon a solitary guard standing at his post. Ky lowered her head and looked away from him. The princess held her breath as they passed by him. The guard didn't seem to flinch and let them pass without a care. Atreyis breathed a sigh of relief and tried to slow her racing heart. Eventually, they found themselves in the corridor leading to the steward's quarters. Two guards were posted outside. Atreyis stopped Ky.

  “You stay here. I'm going to take care of these two.” she whispered.

  The warrior nodded and stayed out of sight. Atreyis walked up to the guards.

  “I must speak with the Steward.” she stated.

  One of the guards looked her over with a clear look of disgust. “His Highness will not receive any audience until the morning.”

  Atreyis shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t have time to wait.”

  With glowing blue eyes and lightning fast speed she grabbed both of the men by their collars and slammed their heads together, knocking them out cold. Ky quickly joined her.

  “What do we do with them?” asked the princess

  “Nothing.” replied Ky matter-of-factly. “When we get in there be quiet and block the door with whatever you can find.”

  The warrior slowly opened the door to Horgath's quarters breathing a sigh of relief that the door didn't make a sound. The large room was lit partially by the bright moonlight and a small fire in a rather large fireplace. Atreyis set about barricading the door. She pushed a mahogany armoire in front of the door. The steward was sleeping soundly in his oversized bed. He was middle-aged with a patchy brown beard and thinning hair, his protruding belly a result of his overindulgence of feasts and drink. Ky grabbed a torch off of the wall and lit it in the fire. She stood over the man stewing in her anger. Around his neck was a gold chain. And hanging off of it was a long rectangular crystal similar to that of Cora's. Ky pulled a dagger from her boot. She pressed the cold steel up to the man's neck. He violently jerked awake. The warrior pressed the dagger harder into his neck.

  “Try and scream and I will slit your throat before you can even make a sound.” she threatened.

  The man's eyes bugged out of his head and he was gripped by fear. Ky stepped into the light. The fear in his eyes was replaced by a cocky smirk.

  “Well, well, well,” he croaked. “General. It's been a while. Gods. You haven't change a bit.”

  “Wish I could say the same.” said Ky sarcasticall
y as she poked his large belly. “But I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries. I want information.”

  “Of course you do.” sneered Horgath. “I knew the moment you stepped foot inside my city that sooner or later it would come to this.”

  “Good. Then that makes things easier. You already know what I want to know.” she said flippantly.

  “And that would be?” he grunted against the blade at his neck.

  “What is Lusha up to? I know that she wants those brats, but there is more to it. What does she have planned? What is her next move?” she pressed.

  “Hell if I know.” he brushed her off. “The full might of my guard will be upon you momentarily. You didn’t think you would get away with this did you?”

  Ky pressed the blade harder.

  The man flinched and then started laughing evilly. “You really haven’t changed. I should thank you, really, truly. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be sitting on the throne. I’m sure Iyara feels differently though.”

  The warrior’s eyes flashed and she took a step closer, readying the tip of her blade. “What did you do to her?”

  Horgath laughed again. “Since the moment our queen graciously appointed me ruler over this city I had eyes on you. There was nowhere in this city you could ever hide from me. It didn’t take long for me to figure out who she was. She looks so much like her mother…it’s only fair that she meet the same fate.”

  His eyes glowed purple. Ky suddenly dropped the dagger as her hand burned. The hilt was glowing hot. Horgath sprang out of his bed. Ky jumped back.

  “Did I ever mention that before I was called by our queen to infiltrate Edvard’s council I was under the tutelage of the former High Priest in Khenná?”

  Ky’s eyes widened. “So that’s how you did it. You cast a spell over the city…”

  Horgath laughed and bowed. “Thank you kindly for the accusation, but alas, my powers aren’t strong enough for something of that magnitude. Birds, however, are much easier even with their incessant squawking. They tell me what they see and hear around the city. My own personal spies.”

  All the hair stood on Atreyis’ arms and neck. In a flash the princess readied her bow and lit an arrow in the fireplace. She kicked open the balcony doors and pointed towards the sky and aimed her shot in the direction of the barracks. The flaming arrow flew through the air. Down in the barracks Ehren waited outside in the shadows waiting for his signal. Suddenly, an orange light sailed through the air. He sprang into action. He slipped back into the dining hall and threw a lantern the oil-soaked straw-covered floor and wooden tables and chairs. The fire roared to life and he raced for the back exit. He waited a few seconds. Once he saw the flames blazing through the windows he gave Riker and Taryn their signals.

  “Fire!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Fire!”

  The guards in the wheelhouse raced outside in time to see the flames engulfing the barracks. Guards were running around trying to get buckets of water to try and put out the flames. Taryn quickly locked the trap door to the ladder and flipped the table on top of it. She ran to the other window to watch as the chaos grew. Back in the stables Riker had opened the doors but the horses refused to move. He ran inside and grabbed two training whips.

  “Yah!” he yelled as he snapped at the horses with the whips. “Yah! Yah!”

  It was enough to spook the horses at the back of the stable, forcing them to try and push past the horses in front of them. In no time all of them were spooked and were racing like mad out of the stables. The barracks were now completely up in flames and the horses were running around and trampling anyone stupid enough to get in their way. Ky looked over her shoulder.

  “Looks like your time on your ill-gotten throne is over.” she said smugly.

  “Ha!” laughed the man. “Ill-got? My dear girl, you forget yourself. If I remember correctly, it was your actions that lead to my current occupation of the throne.”

  Ky glared. “A mistake I intend to rectify immediately, I assure you.”

  “You wouldn't dare.” taunted Horgath.

  “Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now.” she threatened.

  Horgath smiled evilly. “Because if you kill me, Vex will die.”

  All of the color drained from the warrior's face. “What are you talking about?”

  He strode towards her. “Your precious mentor decided to play the part of fool and tried to stop our Queen. Needless to say his efforts were wasted.”

  Ky was instantly at his throat with her other dagger. “What did she do to him? Tell me! Tell me!”

  “He's alive for now.” he sneered. “But if you kill me he's as good as dead. I can promise you that.”

  “Where is he?” she pressed.

  “My guess would be at Incta with the Xaemoan rebel leader. They must both be made an example of. Lusha’s turned the whole place into a prison. Our Queen is magnanimous enough to spare her enemies’ lives. Can you think of a more deserving punishment than rotting away for the rest of your days?” he grunted.

  Ky wavered a moment, Atreyis saw it.

  “How do we know he is telling the truth?” asked Atreyis. “You said yourself that you can't trust the man.”

  Ky's eyes burned with fury. “Seems like Lusha can’t either. This whole situation is contrived. Why do you think it was so easy for us to get in here?” She searched his eyes. “What do you think your deception will cost your queen? Did you think you would deliver her my head? What? You think you would be rewarded for your piss-poor efforts?

  He held her gaze and laughed. “You never disappoint, General. You were once the prized pet of our Queen, tell me, surely you must be familiar with her plans to recreate the world upon the ashes of the old. Where is a better place to build your throne than in the former bastion of your enemy and on the backs of their corpses? And who else better to be her king than the man that delivered it all to her? I will give her everything she needs and in return be rewarded with a place by her side!”

  Suddenly, a dozen soldiers came crashing through a secret doorway near the fireplace. Atreyis sheathed her bow and drew her sword. Ky spun around and threw her dagger into the thigh of one of the soldiers, dropping him to the ground. Horgath hid behind his bed for cover.

  “Took you long enough! Damn you!” he yelled. “Another moment and I would have been gutted for sure! What am I even paying you slouches for! This wasn't part of the plan!”

  Six men with glowing purple and red eyes attacked the princess and the rest went after Ky. The warrior drew her sword and attacked with fury. Horgath looked for a way out but was trapped by the fighting, he grabbed a fallen sword. The soldiers fought well but were no match for the infuriated warrior and her accomplice. One by one they fell. Ky knocked her last opponent unconscious she turned to see Atreyis being slowly lifted in the air. Horgath stood with an evil smile as he raised his hand. The princess clawed at the invisible hand at her throat. A soldier scrambled to his feet and raced towards the vulnerable princess. Ky heaved her sword at the man with overwhelming strength. The blade nearly cut his arm off. Horgath threw the princess across the room knocking her out.

  “Atreyis!” yelled Ky.

  The warrior launched herself through the air at the man. Horgath lunged towards her with his sword. They connected midair and landed hard on the ground, neither one moving. Ky lay eerily still on top of the Steward as blood quickly pooled on the floor. The princess slowly came around. Through bleary eyes she could see the tangled bloody mess that was Ky and Horgath. She stumbled towards her.

  “Ky!” screamed Atreyis.

  The warrior stirred. She stood up slowly and turned around. Atreyis felt all her very breath sucked out of her lungs. Behind the warrior was a dead Horgath, multiple deep puncture wounds dotted his bare chest. Ky was covered in blood and her hands had changed. Thick black scales covered her arms and her fingers had long sharp claws. Blood dripped from her scaly hands as she ripped the gold necklace off of Horgath’s body. The princess was fro
zen with fear.

  “Y-your hands!” stammered a breathless Atreyis. “W-w-what—”

  Ky wrinkled her forehead in confusion. Then she looked at her hands. She dropped the necklace in shock.

  “How did—” she couldn't believe that those were her hands. “I-I-I don't know.”

  Her hands changed back to her normal human ones. She was stunned silent and her mind was a complete blank. Her hands shook.

  “What does this mean?” asked Atreyis.

  “I don't know! It just happened!” yelled Ky.

  Suddenly, a loud crash was heard at the door. It sounded like someone had thrown their entire body against it and was followed by angry shouting. She grabbed the necklace and tossed it to the princess.

  “We don't have time to think about it. Take the necklace and get out of here! I have something that I have to do.” she pushed past the princess, grabbing her sword out of the guard’s shoulder and took off in a sprint through the secret door.