The Fire Within

by Nicholas Clausen

  There wasn’t a dragon on the opened door as of yet, but Hayden was waiting for one to come out of the darkened room. Waiting for any sign that the door had not opened on accident.

  Draek stopped flying around the city and held in one spot. Other than the sounds of the dragons flying and the wind pulling at them, there was silence as they all saw the open door. Hayden began to wonder if they had opened the door on accident. If some rider had hit the lever that worked the chains by mistake.

  Hayden was about to ask Draek if he thought that was what had happened when they heard the sound of metal squealing and scraping against metal. It was a faint sound that they could only hear because of how close they were and how quiet the dragons were being, but it was a sound that Hayden knew well.

  Hayden looked back and watched as another door creaked open. Just like the first door, the second one opened and then stood silently, nothing else happened.

  Hayden was still hoping it was an accident and that they hadn’t meant to open the doors, their dragons on the ground were still scrambling to get their riders on their back. The ground troops were tripping over each other to get into position.

  Oh no. Hayden thought as he saw a glimmer of movement at both doors. A slight shine in the fading light that could only be one thing.

  “DRAGONS!” Hayden shouted and thought, screaming it every way he could.

  As if Hayden’s word had somehow summoned and called the dragons out of the Metallic Pyramid. Out of the darkness, a copper and golden dragon slowly emerged on their landing pads. The dragons shook and stretched as they came forward, and they both looked over to where Draek and the other dragons were flying.

  “Is that Elizabeth?” Kirin shouted. Hayden shook his head as he looked at the gold dragon. This dragon seemed older, much older than Elizabeth’s Herrdiga.

  “I don’t know who it is, but it’s not Elizabeth,” Hayden yelled back.

  Hayden could see that both dragons were reasonably big for their kind. Even the golden dragon looked massive compared to how big Shaylin had been. Both dragons had saddles on their back and a rider perched upon them.

  The two dragons fidgeted on the landing pads but did not take off or attempt to fly. Hayden waited for the rest of the doors on the Metallic Pyramid to open, and all the dragons step out, but nothing happened.

  The pyramid went silent again. Not even the dragons seemed to make a noise. Hayden and the others had no choice but to continue flying in place, waiting.

  They want us to land, they want to talk. Draek told Hayden.

  How do you know? Did they talk to you? Hayden asked.

  Look at the rider on the copper dragon. Draek said. Hayden looked at the rider, and then it dawned on Hayden what Draek wanted him to see.

  The copper rider was wearing a bull helmet.

  Hayden felt numb as he saw Shane. Rilora seemed to not want to look up at Draek, but Shane’s copper helmet was turned up facing them.

  What do we do? Hayden asked. He hadn’t thought this was a possibility. He had known that there was going to be a chance that he was going to face his friend but not like this.

  We land, and we talk to them. Draek replied.

  Will she talk to you? Hayden asked. They both knew he meant Rilora.

  They were told to meet with us. Draek said. They want just the two of us to land at the base of the Pyramid while they others stay away. They promise no harm will come to us. Draek continued.

  Hayden didn’t have to ask Draek or the rest of the group if they thought it was a bad idea. He knew that if they landed in the city, they were both going to die.

  Tell them they can land in between the walls and our army. We will all land, and all the other dragons will remain grounded. The army will stay back as well. Hayden told Draek.

  A part of him wanted the meeting to happen. He wanted to see Shane and hear what they had to say. A small light of hope lit in his heart that there was a chance Shane would join with him, but Hayden knew it wasn’t going to happen like that.

  Draek remained silent for a few moments while he spoke to Rilora. Hayden could feel the pain coming from Draek at having to talk with his friend this way, under these circumstances.

  Hayden began to worry that there was a chance Shane and the gold rider were going to go back into the Metallic Pyramid and close their doors again.

  They want us to land first. Draek said, breaking the silence. Hayden could tell Draek didn’t want to do that because it would give the two Metallic Riders the advantage over them. Hayden felt wrong about thinking of Shane as one, but there was no other term for it.

  We can land first, but we will land closer to our army, and they can land closer to their walls. We will walk the rest of the way. Hayden answered. Draek was staying calm and was not giving Hayden a lot of insight on what he thought about how the situation was going.

  They are thinking it over. Draek said. And you are doing a great job, if I thought you were wrong or making a mistake about something, I would tell you what I thought. Draek said, having felt that Hayden was worrying about him not helping with the decision making.

  Thank you. Usually, you are very talkative about the decisions I make, and I was just worrying. Hayden admitted.

  Usually, you are wrong, and I have to be talkative. Draek said. Hayden smiled but did not respond, and they fell back into silence as they waited for Shane.

  They watched as Rilora and the gold dragon jumped off the platform and flew, just high enough to be over the buildings and wall until they were in the clearing between the city and the army.

  They hovered over the ground and waited for Draek and the others to move.

  That’s our answer. Draek said. He quickly told the other dragons what they were about to do. Draek led the way back to the front lines of their army.

  As the dragons landed, the troops had finally lined up in somewhat orderly fashion. Nothing about their army was organized, but Hayden wasn’t going to worry about that right then.

  Hayden got out of the saddle and waited for the other leaders to do the same. They all stood together in a line straighter than their army could form and looked to the other side of the clearing where the two dragons and their riders awaited them.

  “Do you think this is a good idea?” Klarack asked.

  “Not at all,” Hayden replied.

  “That’s Shane, isn’t it?” Kirin asked. Those that had not met Shane seemed shocked but quickly realized that this was something Elizabeth would do.

  “Seems like it,” Rimney answered.

  “We might as well get this over with,” Kne said. The Bone Thief looked to the others but did not start walking. All eyes fell on Hayden to take the first steps.

  Hayden took a short, fast breath and started walking. His first step was shaky but his second was firm. By his third step, he was walking strong and with purpose.

  “The golden rider,” Durgen grumbled. “That’s not Elizabeth, right?” The others were walking beside Hayden, everyone keeping in line. Their dragons were walking behind them.

  “No, it won’t be her,” Hayden said. That would be too easy. He thought.

  Draek blew smoke out of his nose before he answered. I would kill her where she stood. His voice was deeper than usual.

  “If this goes bad.” Durgen continued. “I still get to kill the golden one.”

  Hayden didn’t want to allow his mind to start to go down that path if things went bad.

  “Fine, but no one hurts Shane,” Hayden said.

  “Hayden, what if he tries to kill you?” Kirin asked. “You don’t know what has happened to him since you two were separated.” She didn’t sound as confident as usual, but her voice was shaking with fear.

  “If he tries to kill me,” Hayden paused but kept walking. “Then I will kill him. No one touches him but me.”

  “Do you think you can take him?” Durgen asked. Shane and the golden rider were walking towards them, and even though there was some distance between them still, they could te
ll just how massive Shane was. He looked like some copper monster with a bull’s head.

  “I fought him once before, in a tournament,” Hayden said. He stared into the bull helmet as they walked closer to each other. The sun was setting off to their side, but there was still enough light to see clearly. The wind didn’t dare blow, not now.

  “How did that end up?” Rimney asked. Hayden looked at the other leaders to both of his sides and realized that they all had their hands on their weapons. Their dragons were walking so close behind them that their heads were in front of their riders, leading the way. Hayden looked up slightly at Draek and smiled.

  “He knocked me out in a few seconds,” Hayden said.

  “That’s not what you want to hear,” Kne said. Hayden wasn’t sure if the Bone Thief had just made a joke, but he wanted to ask after the meeting was over.

  The walk ended almost in the middle of the clearing. The walls of the city stood tall behind Shane and the other rider while an army stood behind Hayden.

  Shane and the golden rider stopped first. Hayden walked a few more steps before stopping. They were close enough to talk without having to yell at each other, but Hayden felt they weren’t too close. If a fight broke out, he wouldn’t have to run far to be in the middle of it.

  “Hello, Shane,” Hayden said. He didn’t want there to be silence standing between them.

  “It’s good to see you, Hayden.” Shane’s voice came through the bull helmet. His voice sounded different, strained. Hayden closed his eyes at hearing his friends voice. He hated what they were doing, but he knew it had to be done.

  “It is good to see you too,” Hayden replied. He had to clear his voice as he spoke.

  “Hayden, I am glad to see you well.” Estraken’s dry, whispery words flew across the clearing.

  “Estraken?” Hayden asked. He had not expected the old teacher and bookkeeper to be the one that Elizabeth would send to speak to them.

  “I know you were not expecting to see me.” The old man said, muffled by the helmet. He struggled to take his golden helmet off, and once he succeeded, he was rewarded with fresh air and his hair flying wildly all over the place.

  “Ahh, that’s better.” He said. “Now we can speak as people, not as barbarians,” Estraken said as he looked for Hayden to take his helmet off.

  Hayden heard Klarack growl at the old man, but none of them moved, no one else took their helmets off.

  “Well.” Estraken smacked his lips as he spoke. “We are, uh. We are here too, uh.” He seemed to have forgotten why they were there, standing before six armored warriors and their dragons.

  “We are here to discuss your surrender,” Shane said. The voice was Shane’s, but the words were Elizabeth’s.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “What?” Klarack asked.

  “Your surrender. Here are Elizabeth The Golden’s terms.” Shane started. Estraken nodded his head while his gray hair danced in the slight breeze. Had it been under different circumstances Hayden might have laughed at how crazed Estraken looked. As it stood, there was no laughter.

  “The Golden?” Hayden asked. “When did she start calling herself that?”

  “Is that really the question you need to be asking?” Rimney reminded him. Hayden was about to defend himself in some way, but he didn’t get the chance.

  “Why would we want to surrender?” Klarack asked.

  Shane, still wearing the bull helmet and his face hidden, spoke again.

  “Your armies and dragons will remain here, and all must swear fealty to Elizabeth The Golden, true Queen and ruler over all Arvain.” He said with no emotion.

  “The leaders of each race will relinquish all of their dragon eggs, and every egg laid for the next ten years.” Shane continued speaking.

  As his second demand was said, Hayden thought the others with him would shout and yell. He half expected Durgen to try to start a fight. They remained silent though, something that was not lost on Hayden. They allowed Shane to finish his crazed demands.

  “Half of your army will stay here indefinitely as well, to help with the repairs that the war has cost us.” Shane seemed set on finishing telling them Elizabeth’s terms.

  “Lastly, Hayden. You and Cassidy will hand over your dragons. Your dragons will stay here and help train future Metallic Dragons, but the two of you will never be allowed to see them or fly ever again.” Shane finished. He never moved as he spoke, Hayden thought he might have been looking at him, but for all Hayden knew, Shane might have been looking at nothing at all.

  “Is that all?” Durgen asked.

  “What do you say to Elizabeth’s gracious terms?” Shane asked.

  “If we don’t?” Hayden asked. “If we don’t agree to her terms, what happens?” Hayden stumbled through the words. They felt dry and dense in his mouth, and he could feel the air shift around him as he asked.

  “If you will not surrender, Elizabeth will unleash the full force of the Metallic Nation upon you. When every last one of you is dead, we will march to your homelands and burn everything down. The Metallic Nation will be the only ones left on Arvain.” Shane kept the same tone of voice as he spoke. There was no anger, no feeling. He could have very well been a Bone Thief.

  The sun was finally about to set, shadows were creeping across the clearing, and a chill was in the air. The air was cold, but it had a clean feeling to it. Hayden couldn’t smell the smiths, butchers, or the tanneries in the city. He didn’t know why but that calmed him. The day was coming to an end and with it their conversation.

  “How long do we have?” Hayden asked.

  “Not this time,” Shane replied. “Elizabeth knows your tricks; you must surrender now.” Shane still did not yell, but Hayden felt like he was trying to talk to a wall.

  “Can… Can…” Kirin started, but the bull helmet shook from side to side.

  “You can surrender, or we fight,” Shane replied.

  “You know we can’t agree to those terms,” Hayden said. There was a pause after he spoke, and Hayden watched Shane’s shoulders rise and fall twice before he spoke.

  “Then we must fight. You have chosen death.” Shane turned and started to walk to Rilora.

  “No. We choose to fight. We did come with an army after all.” Durgen smirked. He spat on the ground when he finished and looked at the two enemy riders, Shane included, daring one of them to fight. Shane was unmoved, and Estraken took a step back, wringing his hands and looking disgusted at the dwarf.

  Shane’s bull helmet moved up and down with a slight shrug of his broad, copper shoulders. He started to turn to walk back when Hayden interjected.

  “That’s it?” Hayden shouted.

  “Young man, there is no need for that,” Estraken said. He was offended by the tone in his voice, not by any of the words that had been said.

  “After everything that happened this is how it ends?” Hayden asked, ignoring the old rider.

  “We always knew it was going to end here, why are you shocked?” Shane replied.

  Hayden didn’t know what to say. He took a step closer to Shane, but the copper rider had his back turned to him.

  “Now, you stop right there,” Estraken commanded. The old rider stepped before Hayden and in between him and Shane. He pointed at Hayden with his dragonouts that seemed too heavy for his hands. They caused his wrists to sag and bend under the weight. He was, however, close enough that he could almost touch Hayden.

  “We are here to talk, not to fight. You will not speak to Shane The Copper like that. Not in that tone.” He said. “We have given you, eh. What was it called?” Estraken asked Shane.

  “Terms,” Shane said as he climbed onto Rilora’s back.

  “Ah, yes. Terms.” Estraken smiled and looked back at Hayden.

  “We have given you terms, and now you must either accept them, or you must reject them, and we will fight,” Estraken said. “Now, which will it be?” He asked.

  Hayden looked back at the leaders of the races of Arvain. Durgen
nodded to him, and the others stood still. Hayden knew that they all supported him, and they all knew what they had marched all the way to Celestial City to do.

  “We must refuse your terms, Estraken. I am sorry.” Hayden said.

  “I am sorry for you.” Estraken shook his head and licked his lips. There was white froth at the corners of his mouth as he spoke. “I knew that you had never been one of us. I thought, even though you were from some small town, you would have been smart enough to see what the right choice was.”

  Hayden had started to turn and walk away, but instead, he turned back to look at the old rider. Estraken held his hands limply in front of him like an old beggar.

  Hayden pulled his gauntlets off and allowed them to fall to the ground. They hit with a clinking thud. Estraken looked down at the ground, following the silver gauntlets, and did not see Hayden turn and swing.

  Hayden didn’t punch as hard as he could, but he didn’t hold back either. His bare fist collided with Estraken’s nose, and the gold rider dropped to the ground, crumbling where he stood like a stack of papers.

  Draek and the other dragons moved forward as Estraken’s gold dragon roared.

  “We killed a group of riders for doing something similar,” Shane said from the back of Rilora. “In case you have forgotten?”

  Hayden leaned over and pulled the dragonauts off of Estraken’s hands as the old rider tried to hold his bleeding nose.

  “I told you once Shane, don’t end up on the other side of my sword,” Hayden said. He stood up and walked back to Draek and the others who had all pulled out their weapons.

  “We will see what happens tomorrow,” Shane replied. Rilora took off and flew back to Celestial City. Estraken moaned and sat up as his dragon moved around him to protect him.

  Hayden slid his hands into the golden dragonauts and made sure they fit before grabbing onto the straps of Draek’s saddle and started to climb up.

  Durgen stopped him as his foot left the ground, all the others were getting on their dragons.

  “What is it?” Hayden asked. He was ready to get away from Estraken and back to their army.