“I don’t know who you are, but I like you.” He smiled at the golden rider.
“The dragons we have brought will be enough to handle those foolish enough to fly against us. We must turn our attention on the final leg of this fight.” They all looked to the Metallic Pyramid that seemed to be taunting them.
“I should have known when we built it how ugly it was going to be,” Isaac said.
“You built it?” Hayden asked.
“Not alone, but yes, I helped build it.” Hayden had to stop himself from asking just how old he was.
“Elizabeth is in there. Her and the other two that sit upon the thrones in my absence.” Isaac said as his dragon began walking across the rooftops, towards the pyramid.
“What’s the plan?” Hayden asked as they followed Isaac and the other dragons with him.
“Find them and kill them.” He shouted.
“Did I mention how much I like him?” Durgen asked.
It wasn’t long before they were at the base of the pyramid, the same way Hayden and walked to start his trials.
All the riders got off their dragons and came together.
“The dragons should stay in the air around the pyramid,” Isaac said.
“If Elizabeth tries to escape, kill her,” Hayden told the riders with him.
“Agreed,” Isaac said. Their dragons lowered their heads to their riders before taking off. “But I fear she will not try to flee. She still thinks she can win.”
Hayden watched Draek fly with the other dragons to circle around the pyramid and found himself face to face with Cass.
“Hayden, I am so sorry.” Cass started.
“Not now,” Hayden said and went to walk around her. He stopped when they were side by side. “We will have all the time in the world to talk about this when this is done.” Cass nodded, her phoenix helmet shining with the raindrops beading off it. She reached out and lightly touched the golden scale in the center of his chest.
“I am glad to have you back,” Hayden said. Hayden couldn’t see if she was smiling, but he knew she was. They all made their way into the pyramid, turning down the first hall and beginning to trek to the Hall of Stories.
Hayden tightened his grip on his silver shield and drew his stolen sword. He heard the sound of the others with him pulling out their weapons.
Durgen looked at his blade and saw that it was not the one he had made. “Where is your sword?”
“Shane took it, but I will get it back,” Hayden said. Cass looked at him sadly but didn’t ask.
The halls were empty as they made their way further in. The torches burning were the only signs that there was still life in the pyramid. Hayden was about to tell Isaac where to turn when he made the turn on his own.
He built it. I am sure he remembers which way to go. Draek said. Hayden was happy to hear Draek was making jokes again, but it did little to calm his nerves.
They found the large doors that led to the Hall of Stories and found two armed guards standing before them.
“I’ll handle them,” Durgen said and charged at them with his ax held over his head.
The two guards pulled the doors open to allow them to enter. Durgen slipped and almost fell through the doors. The others looked at the guards as they passed, they did not attack, but seemed to have been waiting for them. The hall was crammed full of people, with nearly no walking room.
The citizens of Celestial City had been crowded into the Hall of Stories. Sitting on the thrones at the far end of the room were three people clad in armor, but the one in the middle didn’t have her helmet on.
Hayden pulled his shield closer to him as he saw Elizabeth stand and lock eyes with Isaac.
Hayden was about to charge when he saw the people of Celestial City cower away from them as if they were monsters. It didn’t bother him that much, but then he saw something that nearly caused him to lose his sanity.
Shane was chained up to the base of the platform the thrones sat on, he was kneeling and missing an arm, but still alive.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Look who has decided to join us.” Elizabeth smiled as she spoke. A grin that was as vile as ravenous dogs. She addressed the multitude of people in the throne room and seemed to hardly glance at the group that was marching in armed for war. Elizabeth remained calm, but those in the Hall of Stories that were closest to Hayden’s group shrieked and tried to get as far away from them as possible.
“Shane!” Hayden said, ignoring Elizabeth and her remarks. All he saw was his friend, hurt and chained before his enemies.
Shane looked up at Hayden, his bull helmet laying on the floor near him, discarded and forgotten. Shane seemed to be having a hard time catching his breath and kept looking at his missing arm. As if it confused him that it was now gone. He didn’t seem in pain as much as he was simply in shock.
“Don’t worry about him. His punishment is nearly over.” Elizabeth started. That’s when her eyes finally fell on Isaac and the other older riders with them.
“Isaac?” She almost whispered. She had been expecting Hayden and the other, but Isaac was truly a surprise to her.
“Elizabeth,” Isaac replied. His voice rumbled and echoed in the Hall of Stories. All eyes seemed to fall on the old golden rider. Hayden couldn’t help but notice the ripple of murmurs go across the crowd as everyone began talking about Isaac’s return.
“You… you fled. I thought you would have died years ago.” Elizabeth seemed to forget about everyone around her because Hayden could tell the citizens of Celestial City didn’t like the sound of fear in her voice.
“I fled, but I did not die.” Isaac corrected.
“Something I am sure to rectify shortly!” Elizabeth barked, screaming the last few words. Everyone stopped talking and couldn’t help but look on as her outburst echoed off the decorative walls encasing them. Her eyes seemed to bulge a little further out of her head as she yelled.
She coughed slightly and straightened her back, seeming to remember what she was doing and that all of her people were looking to her.
“Elizabeth The Gold.” Isaac roared, pulling all attention from the thrones back to himself.
“You are hereby accused of treason against your own people. As well as attempting to further enslave all the races of Arvain to your will. You are also charged with the murder of Benjamin The Copper and Melanice The Silver, the two riders that sat upon the thrones before your imposters took the seats.” Isaac pointed his finger at Elizabeth as she took a slight step back.
His hand did not shake, did not tremble as he spoke. He locked eyes with the Queen and did not break her gaze. Isaac made sure to say his words loud enough for all to hear.
“Elizabeth The Golden.” She corrected him.
“What?” Isaac asked. The group had made it almost halfway to the thrones, but now they were entirely surrounded by her people.
“It is Elizabeth The Golden now, I earned that title when I pardoned Shane The Copper and took him back into our ranks.” She spoke proudly until Isaac, and the others looked down at Shane.
“This is your pardon? This is your forgiveness?” Isaac’s words got everyone around them talking again, but Elizabeth simply raised her head even higher instead of responding to him.
“Will you surrender?” Isaac asked. “Will you end this war now and accept judgment for your crimes?”
“Surrender? Judgment?” Elizabeth laughed, but her voice cracked slightly, and it was obvious she was getting nervous.
“Why would I surrender? Your cavalry lies smoldering beneath us, your dragons are falling out of the sky almost as much as the rain. And who are you to pass judgment upon me? I am the Queen!” She screamed at them.
“I have done nothing wrong! Everything I have done has been for the betterment of my people, for you!” She pointed out over the sea of people as she screamed.
“The way I see it, you should surrender to me!” Elizabeth sounded insane as she spoke. Her words came out in stutters as if she was trying to convince
herself as much as those around her.
“Yes! You… You are surrounded, lay down your weapons and ground your dragons, immediately!” She barked.
“Your people are unarmed. They might be able to take us, but at what cost? How many would fall before us?” Isaac asked.
“As many as it takes!” Elizabeth’s eyes were wide, her hair coming undone and falling in her face. She had a wild look about her. Hayden didn’t think she could yell any louder and her left eye was turning blood red.
“See how she throws away your lives? See how little she values you?” Isaac said sadly. “If you wish to try to stop us, we will fight you. If you stand aside, no harm will come to you.” Elizabeth laughed at his words until the people made way for Isaac and the others to get to the thrones. Everyone moved out of their way, and none stood before them.
“You fools! You will burn with the rest of them!” She shrieked as she took off running. She ran behind the thrones, pushing through the silver a copper riders that stood with her. For a moment they looked like they were going to stay and fight, but fear got the better of them, and they turned and ran right behind her.
Be careful, she may be running, but she is not finished fighting. Draek cautioned as Hayden and the others chased her. Hayden stopped and with Durgen’s help, got Shane unchained.
You are right, but there is little left for her to do. Hayden replied.
“Shane!” Hayden said as he pulled his friend up. Cass was there by their side, and they helped him walk to the platform to sit.
“I am sorry Hayden, I had to try to fight you. I got my family out of the city, but Elizabeth caught us. I tried to fight her off and…” He looked down at his missing arm.
“It is ok you are safe,” Cass said. “Where is Rilora?” She asked.
“She is on her way back to the city now,” Shane answered. Isaac and the others ran past the thrones, and through the door, Elizabeth had disappeared behind.
“Tell her to join the others circling the pyramid,” Hayden said. He looked around them and saw that everyone in the room was looking at them.
“Will anyone, please watch after our friend, is there a healer amongst you?” He asked.
“No, Hayden, no.” Shane stopped him.
“Shane, we have to end this. We are so close, but we need to see this through.” Hayden explained.
“I know, I am coming with you.” Shane stood up, shaking slightly, but of his own strength.
“Are you sure?” Cass asked.
“She took my arm, not my legs.” Shane grabbed his bull helmet and put it on his head with his left hand. The movement was awkward, and he almost dropped the helmet. Hayden wanted to help him but thought better of it. This was something he was going to have to do on his own.
“Let's go,” Cass said, and the three of them took off after the group.
They didn’t go far before they heard the sound of shouting and fighting. They rounded a corner and saw armed soldiers fighting with Isaac and the others.
Hayden pulled out Giles’s silver blade and ran at the group, Cass and Shane behind him.
They could see Elizabeth running further down the hall, but she had forced the silver and copper rider to turn around and shouted at them to stay and fight. Both seemed unsure if they were going to follow her order, but they both reluctantly obeyed. Ten soldiers came spilling into the hall, blades held out in front of them.
The added number of soldiers fortified the two rider’s resolve, and they met Hayden’s group with sword and shield.
Hayden couldn’t keep track of who was where and who was fighting who. All he knew was shouts kept ringing in his ears, and his shield kept deflecting hits while his stolen blade lashed out like a snake biting at anything that threatened him.
He added his own voice to the mix as he caught glimpses of the others fighting.
Durgen flipped over a soldier just to dig his ax into the man’s back. He then threw the man against the wall with a deafening thud.
Kirin kicked a soldier in the side of the helmet and that soldier crumbled to the ground. The kick looked to Hayden like there was little force behind it, but it was enough to dent in the side of his helmet.
Klarack slammed his unarmored head into a female soldier’s face who was wearing a helmet. Both of them staggered back, dazed.
Hayden saw all of this and yet none of it registered with him. They were quickly pushing back the soldiers, but his eyes fell on the silver rider. He recognized him and pointed his blade at the rider.
“Sebastian!” Hayden shouted. The silver rider seemed to cower and was trying to avoid the fighting while the copper rider was trading blows with Isaac and the dwarf rider with him.
Sebastian faced Hayden but made no move to fight him, he didn’t want to be there. He was afraid, and it showed. Hayden took a step forward, but Shane stopped him.
“No!” Shane shouted. Hayden stopped and looked at his friend. Shane had stayed near the back of the group but now came to the front. Hayden seemed to be the only one listening to Shane.
“He is mine!” Shane shouted, each word taking a breath to say. Sebastian smiled a little as he looked at Shane’s wounded state. Shane did not even try to use his copper blade.
“Shane are you sure?” Hayden asked. The fighting had died down as the copper rider turned to stone and the last two soldiers turned and ran before the group. They had lost no one in the exchange.
Shane ran at Sebastian, roaring and screaming with every step. Shane was massive, and even with the missing arm, he was intimidating. Sebastian only focused on the weakness of his lost arm and drew his silver blade.
Sebastian slashed and stabbed at Shane but just as when Hayden and Shane had fought, he avoided every strike. Sebastian refused to fully engage in the fight, he was almost surrounded and didn’t want to step closer to all the enemies.
“They won’t fight you, this is between us,” Shane said. Hayden wasn’t sure if Sebastian believed him or not, but he seemed to fight harder after that.
Shane stepped back, ducked under, and turned sideways to avoid the over-eager attacks. Shane seemed to calm down as he fell into his rhythm. Arm or no arm Shane was made for fighting.
Sebastian seemed to grow more frantic with each failed strike. He tried punching, kicking, and every sword maneuver he knew, but he couldn’t touch Shane.
He screamed, called Shane a coward and did everything he could to hit Shane, but it was all for nothing. Shane was too fast and could not be touched.
When Shane had had enough and had run out of room, he backhanded Sebastian with a closed fist. Hayden doesn’t know if the hit caught him off guard or if there was just too much force behind it but either way, the silver sword fell out of his grasp and clinked as it bounced off the metal floor, shaking as it came to rest.
Shane stepped on the blade, not out of intent but it was just where his foot landed. He reached out and grabbed Sebastian by the throat. Sebastian grabbed at the copper hand with both of his weak, feeble hands. Shane tilted Sebastian’s jaw up, not too much. Just enough to make it ready to receive a punch.
Shane leaned back to smash his fist into Sebastian’s face, but it didn’t feel right. Even though Sebastian was trying his best to not pass out from Shane’s grip, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Forget… your… arm?” He managed to whisper out. Shane looked over to his stump, his missing arm. There was a thin layer of stone where his arm had been, there was no feeling and no blood from the wound. Hayden felt a moment of heartache for his friend, Shane would never be the same.
Shane seemed to fall out of his rhythm as if he missed a step and didn’t know how to recover. He looked at the silver rider and back to his missing arm.
He found the missing step and figured out what to do. He squeezed a little harder and slammed his head into Sebastian’s, and then again, and again. He did two more times, and then he was smashing stone against his helmet. He let go, and Sebastian fell to the ground, clinking as he settled against th
e metal floor, shaking as he came to rest.
“Shane,” Hayden said, reaching out to his friend. Shane turned and looked back at him. The bull helmet was dented and had been scraped but was still in good shape.
“I am sorry, he… he did things to me when he found out that you killed his father.” Shane explained.
“I am sorry that he hurt you, we are almost done,” Hayden said. Everyone was breathing heavily, and they all turned to face the door that Elizabeth had gone through alone.
“Where does that lead?” Hayden asked Isaac. He didn’t remember where the door led, he didn’t remember ever seeing the hall before.
“It leads to the end,” Isaac said. He stepped up to the door and threw it open, and they all made their way through it.
Hayden was near the end of the group to walk through the door. As soon as they stepped through the door, Hayden remembered being in there only once before.
It was the room where Hayden had picked to be a silver rider. Where the three dragons had presented him with his final test.
Hayden saw that there were still three dragons in the room, but two of them were stone. The third was Herrdiga, the golden dragon of Elizabeth and she was still very much alive.
Elizabeth stood before her dragon, panting and trying to catch her breath. Her hair was more crazed than before, and she was slightly hunched as she stood. Hayden had a hard time believing this was the same person that had stood over him as he hatched Draek.
“It’s over.” She said, slightly louder than a whisper. “It’s over!” She tried to shout, but she couldn’t say it without coughing. She looked more animal than human, and Hayden felt sorry for her.
“I was about to say the same thing,” Isaac said grimly.
“You… you think you can face me and my dragon?” She laughed.
“Wouldn’t be the first time I took on a dragon,” Hayden said. All the nervousness had left him, and he felt ready. Hayden looked up from Elizabeth as Herrdiga looked down at him.
The fighting is done, we have won. Draek told him. The storm was still raging outside, but all the dragons had landed, many of them Metallic Dragons that had joined with Isaac. The fighting was truly over.
The Fire Within Page 24