However, I made sure everyone had eaten in the finest silverware and the food to their liking as most were dissatisfied with their given living quarters. If I did not at least get their food right, fights would ensue.
Despite the waning hours, I kept a fervent hope that Owen would be among the many nobles still arriving late into the evening. A few Royal Guards also came with them, but Tiran was not among them.
The last of my hope flickered out when the Palace finally succumbed to a peaceful lull sometime near midnight. I was very much tired, but I felt an urge to stay up. Out of fear or anxiousness, it was impossible to say. Regardless of my effort, my eyelids began to droop, and sleep overcame me.
****
Sometime in the middle of the night, my hazy mind awoke to the sounds of a guard’s shout.
Weary, I looked out my window and saw, between the two pillars at the front gates, a sparkling, magical web had caught something. Without thinking, I raced out towards the clamor.
The web caught a horse and its rider, the horse frozen in mid-run and his finely dressed rider holding on for dear life. The two Royal Guards cautioned me not to come near until they deemed the traveler safe, and I slowed my pace. The swords at their hips glowed brightly in the darkness of the night, and their hands were poised upward to stop the rider from entering.
The horse’s hooves clattered on the cobblestone path as the two Royal Guards lowered their hands and allowed him entry. I could barely keep myself upright as he dismounted his horse.
“Owen?”
Is it really Owen? Or could this be another trick? I raced into his open arms, despite my doubts. He embraced me tightly.
“I thought I would never see you again,” I whispered, feeling my heart beat loudly.
“Melanie–”
“Where were you?” I asked, breaking away from the embrace, searching his darkened face. “I was worried sick that the Shadow Reaper took you!”
“I shall tell you everything in the morning,” he assured, turning me around to herd me back inside. He gave me a tired smile and I nodded. “Good night,” I heard him say behind me as I entered my chamber.
I went to sleep soon afterward, relieved.
My eyes fluttered open, my heart racing.
Another nightmare.
This time, I saw everyone: Selenah, Gareth, Owen, Tiran, Ayah, Blaire, and Yana being burned alive by the same black shadowy Dragon from my nightmare the day before.
I watched, trapped by a wall of green flame, unable to stop their torture. I could still hear their screams and the sight of the green fire bursting from the Dragon’s jaws. The Shadow Reaper was silent as he stood atop the Dragon, his face obscured in my memory.
As promised, Tiran returned this morning and I confessed my nightmare to him as we ate our breakfast. He seemed upset after I told him, and guilt settled in my stomach. I did not want to burden him, and I told him so.
“Mel, I do not want you handling this yourself,” he replied, reaching over to give my hand a pat. He composed himself and gave me a solemn nod. “It would be unfair for you to carry this hardship alone. I contacted the Captain about your worries, but the King’s Castle was attacked and neither of us had the chance to work on something to protect you from the Shadow Reaper.”
“How large were the Dragons you faced?” I prompted after some time, imagining the fearsome Dragon in my dreams.
“No larger than a horse,” Tiran replied. “Which is odd,” he said after a moment, putting down his knife. “The Dragon you speak of must be as large as this Palace.”
We lapsed into silence, unable to express our growing fears for the worsening situation.
“Have you seen Owen?” I asked.
“The Archduke? No, I have not,” Tiran said. “I heard he arrived here in the hours of night. Have your maids send for him. He is likely to still be asleep after a hard ride.” I nodded and did as he told me.
Tiran took me outside to the Palace woods and spoke of lighter –and more harmless– subjects. It was a reprieve from all the chaos I had been through.
He had just finished speaking about the daily havoc his five boys made at the table for every meal when Yana arrived. She informed me that Owen would be here soon for my audience. Tiran decided to take his leave.
“I should be off, now,” he said. “I must return to the King’s Castle.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “I know this may all be stressful but know that there are many people who care about you, Mel. So please be careful.” I nodded and hugged him in response.
Tiran patted my back before walking off towards the stables and disappearing from view. As he left, I heard someone walk up behind me. I turned around and smiled.
“Good morning,” I said.
He smiled back. It felt good to see him happy again. But my smile faded. I needed to know where he had been. Did the Shadow Reaper lure him away?
Owen sighed, knowing what I wanted from him.
“My ordeal is selfish and quite stupid on my part,” he admitted, his eyes cast to the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows at this and waited for him to continue. “I…ran off, to be honest. My father came from his estate and told me he had arranged a ship to take me to Porticor so I could wed there,” he said. My eyes widened. “But I could not go. Not with y–” He cut himself off, clearing his throat. “I knew he would send others to look for me here at the Palace, so I stayed at an inn near the edge of the city and left at night, so they would not find me.”
“You were selfish and stupid indeed!” I could feel my anger rising. “I had to manage this palace all by myself while the Shadow Reaper declared war on us and here, I was…losing sleep over your inconsiderate decision!” I had not realized that my heart pounded, almost deafening in my ears as I spoke, and a blush began to creep up into my cheeks as he stared at me.
Owen quickly bent down, kissing my cheeks. “I promise I will never disappear on you again, or make you worry for my sake if I can help it. Truly, Melanie, if you let me, I promise to be at your side even in troubling and happy times.”
For a second, I believed it. I wanted to trust those words, but I could not. How can he be making such promises to me when the King assumed he was ready to marry one of them? I turned away from him and began walking, still conscious of the feeling his lips left on my cheeks.
He followed. “You do not believe me, do you?”
“Why? Why should I believe you?” I asked, frowning. “You still must marry and have the next heir. How are you to do that with me at your side?” It had not occurred to me that I had spoken his intentions out loud.
Owen looked away, running a hand through his hair. His eyes softened as if there were tears in his eyes.
“Melanie, what I meant–”
A large shadow crossed his face, and I turned around to look at what had caused it.
A massive creature, black and shadowed, as if it absorbed all light of the sun, flew over us. It flapped its clawed wings once, sending leaves sweeping across the ground and me struggling to keep my skirts down. I took one long look at it as it continued to fly off into the sky and froze in horror.
It is the Dragon from my dreams!
Its long neck snaked backward to face me; its green eyes cold as ice. Owen shoved me to the ground and used his body a shield just as a burst of green flame erupted from the Dragon’s mouth.
I shut my eyes. The Dragon was only a monster that haunted my dreams– but Owen saw it, too. I forced myself to open my eyes and saw Owen’s face inches from mine.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I buried my face in his chest, whispering, “It is real! It is real!” How could it be?
He pulled himself up and cradled me in his arms, his eyes filled with concern.
“What is real, Melanie?”
“The Dragon from my nightmares.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
TIED AGAINST TIME
I imagined what a shocking sight we were when the Palace Guards and my maids found us. I wa
s curled in Owen’s arms, the flagstones behind us scorched black by the Dragon’s flames. My maids glanced nervously at one another and I realized that they must have overheard my conversation with Tiran.
“It is headed towards the King’s Castle!” a Palace Guard finally said, breaking the silence as he pointed towards the black shape in the sky.
Owen stood and helped me up. My maids rushed to my side and took me inside to talk while Owen and the Palace Guards discussed what course of action to take.
“What exactly happened, Mistress?” Yana asked.
“We were talking and then it flew towards us…”
I stopped. If the Dragon is real…does that mean what I witnessed in my dreams will also become real?
“It is going to be alright, Mistress,” Blaire said, patting my back. “What should we do…about the Dragon?”
“What can we do?” Ayah replied. “We would be burnt to ashes if we dared to come any closer to it!”
“But doing nothing would be just as devastating,” Yana said. “Maybe we –I mean– you should talk about this with the Archduke and the Palace Guards? You do have the right to know.” I shook my head. I should not let myself be anywhere near it. “You can do this Mistress,” she urged. “You have to.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, imagining the dragon before me. Be strong. I opened my eyes and forced a smile at the three of them. They nodded and helped me out the door.
From there, I headed towards Owen’s chamber, noticing then that he had just walked out. He immediately spotted me and rushed over.
“Are you sure you are all right?” His voice was filled with concern. He gripped a double-edged broadsword at his hip and wore a full-body armor, plated in viridian and silver.
My eyes grew wide. “Are you going after it?” He looked down at his armor then back at me.
“You know I must,” he answered. “The nobles are beyond fearful for their lives.”
“Then let me come with you,” I replied. “I want to–”
“No, Melanie,” he said, shaking his head. He let go of his sword to pull me in an embrace. “I cannot risk losing you to the Shadow Reaper again.” I held my breath, closing my eyes briefly. “If you say you have seen this beast before, then I do not want you to be near it. If you stay here, you will be safe.”
I pushed away from him. I have to go. What I saw in my dreams…I cannot allow for it to become reality. “I refuse to sit here and do nothing, so do not expect me to obey you.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Owen, I am ready for this. I may have been reckless before, but this I can do.” He took a deep breath and nodded.
“You do not have much experience in battle so if you truly want to accompany me, you must do exactly as I say when we arrive there. Do you understand?”
I nodded, and then considered leaving when he cupped his hand under my chin and lifted my face to look at him. My heart began to race.
“Melanie, should anything happen to me; you must know–” He was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. Owen dropped his hand and turned to face the approaching men.
“Your Highnesses,” a Palace Guard said, bowing.
I suppressed the urge to gasp. It would take time to get adjusted to such formalities.
“On your order, we will send flare signals to announce to His Majesty of our assistance and dispatch the King’s Guard stationed here and in Akron.”
Owen nodded. “Ride your soldiers with the King’s Guard. I will leave for the King’s Castle now and will await your arrival as my reinforcement.” They nodded and bowed before leaving.
Owen sighed once they had gone, rubbing the back of his neck. It made me think he was nothing but a child wondering what he got himself into.
“We can do this,” I said, putting my hand on his arm. He grabbed it and put it to his lips. It brought a smile to my face despite the grave situation we were in. “I shall meet you at the stables when I am ready.”
I turned away and walked back to my chamber to inform my maids I was going to battle.
****
“Mistress, I cannot comprehend why you would want to do such a thing!” Ayah said as she looked for riding boots.
“It is time I serve this kingdom,” I stated with confidence. I would show everyone my allegiance to Tenebris by aiding in the Shadow Reaper’s defeat once and for all.
“I would certainly sit it out!” Blaire said as she did my hair. “This war is magic against magic.” I frowned. I did not have magic, but that would not stop me.
Yana was the only one to side with me. “I would love to see the battle,” she had said as she looked for an appropriate dress for me to wear. “But I am far too afraid of getting caught up in the heat of it.”
A knock came at my door and Ayah rushed to see who had come. My maid let out a small yelp as Lady Yael pushed her way through the door. Yana and Blaire froze at the sight of her and immediately stood side-by-side with their heads bowed next to Ayah. I stood up and greeted her, my words strained.
“Lady Yael, a pleasure as always, but I am a bit busy for another lesson.”
She looked over her shoulder and nodded. A maid walked in behind her, carrying a robe. She lifted the covering drape to reveal a dress. Its top half was a lightly plated armor with shoulder guards. The rest was stitched leather, thick enough to dislodge an arrow from a fatal shot or the average sword from cutting deep into the skin. The front was split at the sides, allowing for quick movement.
Once her maids dressed me into it, I turned to face Lady Yael, feeling invigorated just by wearing it.
“You look absolutely lovely!” she cried, clasping her hands. I bit my lip, unable to fathom why Lady Yael was not stopping me from going to the battle.
“Thank you for this,” I said, using my hands to indicate the dress. “I would not have expected you to put your faith in me in this decision.”
She smiled and then gave me a wink. “You are a fighter, Duchess. Nothing is going to stop you from doing what must be done to change history.”
With a nod, I said my farewells and rushed over to the stables; I worried that Owen might have left without me. But after making it halfway there, I remembered that I had no weapon. I took a quick turn to the armory by the battlements, only to find not a sword or blade of metal remaining. Frowning, I went back for the stables. We would have to pick one up along the way.
When I arrived, Owen had two horses geared up. Coal was back in her stall, blinking her large brown eyes at me as I neared her. For a moment she looked apologetic, as our last time together was not so pleasant.
But I smiled at her and rubbed her neck. She was under a spell; how could I blame her for that?
After mounting her, Owen got onto his horse and we set off for the King’s Castle. The morning hours had just begun, but anything could happen in the relatively short time it would take us to get there.
In the distance, we saw smoke billowing into the blue skies. I immediately began to worry. Is Tiran alright? And what of Connor and the others? Was the Shadow Reaper victorious? Owen and I quickened our pace, fearing the worst.
It was near noon by the time our exhausted horses reached the King’s Castle. The solid blocks of rock that made up the King’s Castle had blackened. Where the four watchtowers once stood were now piles of discarded rubble. The faint smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Silently, we dismounted and tethered the horses to a fence post. There were no sentry guards or maids about. When we reached the Throne Room, several Dark Mages were there. As soon as they had come into our view, we skidded to a halt and turned away before we could be spotted.
“Take this.” Owen grabbed a sword from one of the displays on the wall and gave it to me. It was heavy in my hand, but I did not complain.
“Where could Selenah and the others have gone?”
I asked, surveying the empty halls and corridors of the King’s Castle.
“Perhaps by the forest,” Owen suggested. “It would be a much better
place to find cover than in these halls.”
I nodded and we both headed outside, making sure not to be spotted by a Dark Mage. We continued in silence as we made our way behind the King’s Castle. It was here where I had first come face-to-face with the Dark Mages after running from the King.
The deeper and deeper we went, the more doubtful I became of my decision to come here. What if the Dragon is with the Shadow Reaper? How can I help defeat them with a single sword? How could either of us slay something of that size?
We came across a clearing that looked all too familiar. Approaching the scene slowly, Owen and I kept by the trees. There were a dozen Royal Guards in a tight formation around a single person, and nearly double the number of Dark Mages surrounding them. Instead of being accompanied by their large riding crows, the Dragon stood on all fours behind the Dark Mages, gazing curiously at the person in the center.
Up close, I saw the tint of the Dragon’s scales, darker than black. Its massive body had toppled down several trees for it to stand and its claws shone silver. It bared its fangs, making me shudder at the size of its dagger-shaped teeth.
I froze at the sight of it, fragments of my dreams returning.
Amidst all of this, there was no sight of the Shadow Reaper.
“Where is the Shadow Reaper?” I whispered to Owen, searching the hooded Dark Mages to see if he was among them.
“Right here,” a voice said behind me.
I whirled around, fumbling for my sword. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Owen behind a sphere of black sparks. He was trapped.
The Shadow Reaper smiled as I raised the sword in battle position.
“I am curious to see that the Archduke still lives. But I shall deal with you first.”
He withdrew a sword from his side. The blade was rusted, and the gold-colored hilt was dull. The familiar crude markings on it made my heart skip a beat. He had my sword– the one that Father had given to me.
Shadowed Page 16