A Golden Heart

by Alia Johnson

  “Golden eyes. Golden eyes. Golden eyes.”

  Vashti had been tortured and held captive. She had been coveted once before and hated every moment. But this was different. She had survived the darkness and came out something more.

  A Queen.

  Magnamar stood from his throne, showing his dominance over the Generals. He stared down at her with his hard gaze, memorizing the features of the one woman that had haunted his dreams since the first time he had seen her standing above him on that bridge. The Generals had to hold him down during Vashti’s trial. His wings had flared out, about knocking Gorius over the rails, but the other Generals on his other side had been quicker.

  It took them all to hold the King back from jumping in the stadium and claiming Vashti. She was more than he had ever imagined, and it took his breath away when she had emerged from the darkness in the flames, long enough for the Generals to reign him in.

  Soon, she would join the Hunt.

  Then, everything would change.

  Dramon stood, silencing the crowd in their revelry with a wave of his hand.

  “All hail, Princess Vashti Corallina Bay Desmond, Daughter of King Desmond of Merdi, The Incendie Tanssijja treasure of Romule, Queen of the Golden Dragon. I have only ever seen the fire wielded by Horde King Magnamar. Our Goddess Baklan has blessed you. We would be honored to have you join the Hunt.”

  Vashti curtsied in response to his praise, her heart beating out of her chest. The roar of the crowd welcomed her into their arms. Gemstones were now raining down around her, covering the entire floor, their praise never ending.

  Golden eyes. Princess Vashti. Incendie. Dragon Queen.

  Vashti stood, blowing a final kiss toward her Mar, hoping she would see him again one day. Tears gathered in her eyes when she turned her back on him.

  Magnamar snarled at her departing form, standing up to leave the room to visit the lotle worms.

  The Hunt was beginning.

  Chapter 17

  The women weren't given much time to prepare. Vashti and Medorah's minds were elsewhere. Cassira was babbling about how proud she was that they had made it through and how she had no doubt from the beginning. They didn't truly absorb her words. This was their last day here, and they had to escape.

  They reached the doorway to their room, Cassira ordering them, “Gather the things you wish to take to your mate. It must be just a small amount to not weigh you down. The tribute you received was gathered and stored until you have your own home. The Hunt can be bloody, and it is dangerous for everyone. Guardians are stationed at the borders to ensure enemies stay clear, while everyone is… distracted.”

  “We're going now?” Vashti inquired. So soon? She had hoped to sneak down the tunnels to see Mar one last time. To say goodbye to him and the lotle worms for helping her get over her fear.

  Cassira clapped excitedly. “Yes! It is time. The single demons that wish to join with a female will begin to Hunt soon. Of course, the women will get a head-start.”

  Medorah asked, “What happens if more than one male desires you?”

  “They battle. The victor wins the female, of course.”

  Vashti raised an eyebrow behind Cassira's back, pretending to whistle. Medorah flicked her wrist in annoyance. “I want no male fighting over me.”

  “After that performance, I'll be surprised if the whole stadium isn't battling for you two,” Cassira remarked casually with a wink.

  “Lovely!” Vashti beamed a fake smile behind Cassira’s head. Medorah was rubbing her head with a free hand.

  A Horde of men fighting over us and an army attacking from the side, just what I wanted for the day.

  Cassira smiled back brightly, unaware that Vashti was being sarcastic. “I'll leave you two alone to prepare. I'll grab a quick meal, and then we must leave. It's nearing time. Oh, by the way. No weapons allowed during the Hunt.”

  “Perfect!” shouted Vashti, even louder than before.

  Cassira shut the door behind her and Medorah whirled around in a flurry of skirts. “Goddess, you are a horrible liar, Vashti. You become louder and louder, the more you lie.”

  Vashti slammed her hands on her hips, annoyed. “Well, next time you can act happy that a bunch of lust ridden demon men are about to bleed over you when you just want to escape them all. Oh, wait, the best part, I don't get a weapon!”

  Medorah's mouth twitched up in a smile. “Next time?”

  Vashti tried not to growl at her. “You know what I mean. What are you taking with you?”

  “Bitsy.”

  Vashti nodded her head, replying absently, “A perfect plan. The snake will be our guide.” Her finger pointed toward the entrance to the tunnel.

  Vashti was in an odd mood, Medorah decided.

  “I'm going to have to cut pieces of this gown off. You have a semblance of “pants” on. I have a bright red train that's going to be catching on everything.”

  Vashti began slashing at her beautiful dress at the knees. If she needed to run fast, it wouldn't be a problem now. She also grabbed her cloak, wanting to hide, not be found. Medorah walked over to her bed to scoop up Bitsy. He slithered through her dangling coins, hanging on tightly.

  Medorah placed her cloak over her, looking around their room sadly. They had become friends, shared their past and their victories. Medorah was going to miss this place. It was charming in its own way. But it wasn't home without Gorius. It wouldn’t be home with another demon.

  A knock on the door signaled it was time to leave the room forever. Cassira passed them the food she had gathered, noticing Vashti's gown was in pieces on the bed.

  “What happened to your beautiful gown?” she exclaimed, pointing to the mess.

  Vashti about choked on her meal. She yelled, “It's the latest fashion!”

  Medorah just sighed, a mild headache beginning.

  Cassira nodded at the answer forlornly staring at the once magical dress. “Well, it's time. You'll have to finish as we walk, I'm afraid. The other women have all gathered.”

  They followed the guardian down the hall for the last time, trying to remember it all in their own way. The halls where they had found friendship and the men they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with was about to become a memory. They had pictured their children running through the halls, calling their names, but it was gone — just an empty hall with destroyed dreams.

  Cassira left them with two other guardians, saying she had to take up her post for the Hunt. She wished them luck with her usual excitement and a wave for good measure.

  Vashti felt an aching loss, Medorah an emptiness.

  It was hard to bear, but they had to persevere to find the future they envisioned for themselves. They wouldn't settle for anything less.

  The group of winners from the competition primped and polished before they entered the Hunt. They stood together, gossiping about who they preferred. Several mentioned Gorius, but only demon women said Magnamar’s name with hushed voices. Those were quickly shot down with reminders that the King had never shown interest in joining a Hunt. Some women showed each other the groom favors they had brought from their own land, hoping to land high in the hierarchy of demons. Did they not realize the Hunt wasn’t going to be about gift giving? Vashti shook her head, bewildered.

  Vashti and Medorah stayed in the back in their drab cloaks with nothing but a snake wrapped up around Medorah's breasts. They had left their masks behind because of the distraction. They needed all their senses to get through this.

  The mess hall was where they waited, the one they had passed to enter, but they weren't going out the entrance with the large metal doors they had first come through. No, they were branching off to a side hallway. They stepped up to the guardians to be checked for weapons. None were found on any of the victors. They gathered in a thick line waiting for the doors to open. The gossiping stopped, the anticipation gaining momentum through the women.

  A knock on the other side of the door was the signal that the Hunt was re
ady. The guardians helping the women nodded to each other and released the hidden panels to activate the metal doorway.

  It slid open, a magical scene revealing itself.

  The other side was unexpected. The women in front gasped with pleasure at their surroundings. A long archway of flowers of various sizes and colors shaded their view of anything else. The floral scent was intoxicating, relaxing. The vivid purples, whites, and pinks were magical. There was even an occasional red bloom peeking out. Medorah and Vashti looked around, enjoying the blossoms. It was the first live plants they had seen since being in Baklan.

  Baklan hides many secrets it seems.

  Vashti moved to a red rose in full bloom placed by itself from the other blooms. She reached out to touch a petal when movement caught her eye between the thick vines.

  She had forgotten the women had a head start. The demons were on the other side of these blooms waiting to be released on them.

  Hellfire, we're going to have to hurry.

  Vashti tugged on Medorah's sleeve tilting her head anxiously to the sides of the flowers. Medorah flicked her wrist and looked hard to what Vashti indicated, noticing the movement of men moving into position.

  Medorah’s face turned a sickly gray.

  Had the time already started?

  Somehow, Vashti doubted that, or they would've been swarmed by now. There must be a signal the men await.

  The women fanned out, the archway ending with the blooms. Stepping out into a courtyard, a large statue stood. A woman, frozen in time, had been created in the stone before them. The statue had been sculpted as if walking toward the archway of flowers, her gown swishing around her long legs with the movement. She was timeless in her elegance, staring down at the group with wisdom. Many walked past the statue, but Vashti stood captivated by the cunning eyes staring down at her.

  The statue’s arms were outstretched holding items in both hands. The right hand held a snake coiled ready to strike. The left held a flame. Atop her head sat a giant headdress fit for a queen. The sides of the crown came up to a point on the top of her head, aiming toward the middle path.

  “Hellfire, Bena, which path should we take?” yelled a female in the front of the line.

  Bena sat in the back idly, fixing her torn heel. “The left path looks calm with the forest floor cushioning it. The middle looks to be made of muddy dirt. The right path has a bunch of rocks and hills to climb. My shoes broke so we need to be taking the left, for sure!”

  “Alright, hurry up with that shoe! Once we cross this alter looking thingy the Hunt starts!”

  “How do you know?!” yelled Bena.

  Looking at the inscriptions, Vashti noticed that the altar language translated out to, “Once the last passes, Baklan signals the Hunt.” Bena’s friend informed her of the same.

  “We need to move, Medorah,” whispered Vashti urgently, moving away from the group before they noticed them. The women were preoccupied with choosing their path.

  “Which one then?” whispered Medorah, beginning to uncoil her tail to move quickly.

  “The right.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Vashti nodded decisively. “I was told I would survive. Here I am. I was told Odesha would survive. And she thrives. I was told to stay to the right and have no reason not to believe what she says.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Medorah asked. They were making their way slowly to the right. The women so far had all taken the other paths.

  Good. More men would go that way.

  “Esmerelda,” Vashti stated seriously.

  Medorah remembered the story from one of their late-night talks, remarking casually, “Oh, the sorceress pirate that can't remember what day it is?”

  “Good, you remember. Yeah. That one.”

  Sighing, Medorah flicked her wrist. “Let’s go. We are clear.”

  Passing the trees sheltering the path, their pace increased. They were moving fast, but the rocks and incline were slowing them down. Between Medorah’s tail getting stuck or a rock jabbing through Vashti’s shoe, navigating the terrain seemed to take up most of their time.

  Bena's shout reached them faintly, “Liza, wait! I fixed my shoe!”

  Vashti remarked casually, puffing with her exertion, “Ol’ Beans will be reaching the edge of the forest soo−”

  A blast of air cut off her sentence bringing Vashti to her knees and Medorah to her hands. They glanced behind them together, looking for the cause of the great wave. Beams of light were visible through the trees shooting from the objects in Baklan's hands to the large alter. The alter glowed with a pulse of life.

  “That must be the signal,” Vashti remarked casually to herself.

  Medorah bit out, sarcastically, “What makes you think that?”

  Vashti snorted, helping Medorah upright.

  “You seem angry, want to talk about it?” Vashti bared her teeth sweetly.

  Ignoring her, Medorah turned and slithered up to a rocky formation. Putting her hands on her hips, she frowned at Vashti.

  “I won't be able to get up there without assistance,” Medorah remarked, studying the sharp rocks protruding out. “There is nothing to hold onto.”

  Vashti looked for a handhold in the rocks hoping she could move one to help her friend around. “Here, let me give you a boost. Put your hands as securely as you can on the rock first to pull yourself up.”

  Medorah moved to the rock, following Vashti's order, groaning at the predicament. She began to pull herself up with all her strength, while Vashti moved underneath the thicker part of her tail, pushing upward hard with a shoulder.

  “You know, a couple of weeks ago I would never have thought in my wildest dreams I'd be underneath a friendly snake-lady helping her escape a demon Horde in a flaming volcano.”

  “Really?” Medorah grunted. “I've envisioned this many times in my youth.”

  A final shove from Vashti sent Medorah careening over the top. Medorah groaned at the impact after she hit the rocks. Vashti kept an eye to the sky while trying to monitor the situation around them. So far, their journey had been very uneventful.

  “You okay up there?!” Vashti whisper yelled.

  Medorah groaned, her head appearing over the corner of the rock. She glared at Vashti accusingly. “You did that on purpose.”

  Vashti quirked a smile holding a hand outstretched. “Here, help me up there.” Medorah leaned further down, stretching her hand, smiling.

  A swoosh of wings coming from behind Medorah made her turn in shock before she could grab Vashti’s hand.

  The being snatched Medorah by the back of the tail and pulled her into the sky away from Vashti. Her nails tried to dig into the ground, but she couldn’t get a good grip. Medorah let out a scream of terror when she felt herself lifted from the ground. If she fell, it would be the end of her. She struggled to see who held her, her cloak falling to the ground. Shoving her hair aside, she recognized the face that had her.

  Gorius.

  Medorah vaguely heard Vashti yelling her name, but underneath the giant rock, Vashti was unable to see the threat that had her.

  Vashti was irritated with Medorah's games. “Your teasing isn't funny anymore. Help me up there!”

  The scream coming from Medorah reached Vashti's ears putting her in motion. “Medorah! I'm coming! Hold on!”

  Vashti froze. Medorah had screamed, Gorius had her. Was he taking her to the army that waited for the rest of the people? Or did he meant to end her?

  Keeping quiet was at the back of her mind now, the safety of Medorah came first. Vashti ran sideways along the cliff looking for protruding rocks to use to climb. One solitary stone stood out from the cliff.

  If I could grab it!

  A stray rock hiding beneath the roots of a giant tree answered her silent prayer. Vashti hefted it in her arms, placing it below the area she needed to reach. She took her cloak off to shed the extra weight. It didn't matter if she was seen now; they already had Medorah. Vashti stood upon th
e rock, taking a giant leap to try to grab the closest one. She missed, scraping her hands along the cliff. A cry of pain was wrenched from her mouth.

  Damn, this rock is high. How about a running jump?

  Vashti walked backward getting ready to run, still concerned for her friend. Wiping her now bleeding hands on her short dress, she took off in a sprint, breath puffing, arms pumping. When she reached the rock, she put one foot down; the other leg bent in a strain. Instinctively she closed her eyes, to brace herself for the fall, when something snagged on her wrist, stopping her downward motion. Elated, she opened her eyes to cheer her good fortune at reaching the rock.

  Instead, it turned to a gasp of dismay.

  Gorius held her wrist, smiling down at her. His boyish hair blew in his face giving him a dashing appearance.

  An appearance that was deceiving.

  “Traitor!” she screamed at him, drawing an ice spear in her hand. “What have you done with Medorah?” She threw the ice spear at his flapping wings, hoping to bring him down. Clumsily, he moved to the side, still holding tightly to her wrist to prevent their fall.

  Instead, it brought them both to the cliffside. They both fell in a tangle of wings and extremities to land at a heap on the hard floor. They groaned together in a chorus of distress.

  Gorius propped himself up on an elbow to gaze down at Vashti as she rubbed her sore head staring menacingly at him. His grey skin looked pale, his brown gaze searching Vashti’s own golden eyes asking urgently, “Have you seen her?” Vashti noticed absently his purple sword was fastened at his side.

  “What are you talking about have I seen her? You grabbed her away from the cliff and flew off with her through the air!” Vashti shouted, moving to her knees to stand and confront him. She wasn’t going to let him get away with hurting her friend.

  Gorius reared back in shock. “I took her from the cliff?”