Prologue Part 1: The fury of a princess
She paced her room in silent fury for a long time, the delicate fabric of her midnight blue gown shifting together softly. A young, red-headed servant stood nearby, following her with crimson eyes. Her own emerald green eyes flashed in her anger, and she brushed several stray strands of her long, black hair out of her face in agitation.
“Why?” The word fled her throat and the servant jumped in surprise, her mistress hadn’t spoken in a long time.
“Why what, majesty?” She asked softly, trying not to offend her, and yet inquisitively curious nonetheless.
“Why did today have to go as it did?” She shook her head, the trinkets in her hair clinking together beautifully, “Father knows that he is incompetent, my brother will never be able to rule justly! All because of laws created many generations ago, you’d think that the people would want some kind of change already.”
She shook her head, “Our kingdom will fall if he takes over. Our men will be sent off to fight meaningless wars, father knows that though… He knows how foolish Satul is…” She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm herself.
“You should not speak thusly, majesty. You could be overheard and arrested or even executed with such words…” Her young servant said softly, trying to calm her.
“I’m sorry, Blaze. I can’t help it.” She said softly, sinking to the
floor and burying her face in her arms. “I’m trying so hard, but when I think about our people it makes me think about what they’re going to have to go through because of Satul…”
“Perhaps you should sleep, Princess Raven. You should not speak so out of anger. Give yourself time to calm down.” Blaze said softly, helping her up and helping to undo the tight clasps of her gown.
Raven took her first deep breath since that morning, shivering slightly as the chilly evening air kissed her bare flesh. “Sleep? Maybe you’re right.” She said softly as Blaze pulled a loose fitting bed gown over her head and led her over to the beautifully carved vanity.
Silently Blaze pulled the trinkets from her tightly woven braid and began to gently run a brush through it. Raven released a small sigh and closed her eyes, having Blaze brush her hair so gently reminded her of her mother for some reason… When she had been a young child her mother had always sat her down and brushed her hair when she’d been angry, and it had always calmed her as Blaze was now doing.
After a few minutes Blaze set the brush down, “Will you sleep now, majesty?” She asked softly, helping Raven to stand and leading her over to the bed.
“Well… it is late…” Raven murmured, allowing Blaze to tuck her in once she’d been laid down.
“Goodnight.” Blaze went around the room and turned out Raven’s various lights before moving towards the door, “I will return in the morning.” She watched silently as Raven rolled over and drifted into sleep, her crimson eyes flashing mysteriously in the darkness before she was gone.
Prologue Part 2
Park's black eyes flashed in the pale light of the coming dawn. He leaned against the large window thoughtfully as the sounds of battle rang in his ears. They were walled into the city, his people were putting up a last stand, but he wasn't sure how long they could truly last with the situation as it was. Many different creatures pounded at the walls, making multiple attempts to destroy them.
He could sense that they weren't going to hold for too much longer, they'd been hacking away at it for far too long. He blinked and turned as an older man cleared his throat, kneeling behind him nervously, exhaustion apparent in every fiber of his being, "My liege... the walls are fast cracking. There is not much time, we've no choice but to flee the city before they get in or risk the lot of us dying."
"I have sensed that the time has come for us to go. What about the people of the city?" Park asked, striding over to the man's side, his long, honey-colored hair spilling over his shoulders as the thong that held it in place broke, falling uselessly to the floor.
"They have all been evacuated to the catacombs, sire. They will be safe. The third quadrant is ready to escort yourself and your brothers to safety, the rest of us will follow as soon as we can."
"Captain, how about the men on the walls themselves?" Park questioned, worry in his tone.
"They refuse to leave their posts until we have gotten you away from the city.” He replied, “They may not be able to escape in time.”
“… I see.” Park responded platitudinousl
y, “But where can we go?”
“We’re blocked off on all but one side now.” The captain said softly, his tone slightly worried as he glanced out the window.
“The Hellbone chain?” Park said softly in understanding, “None have ever gotten through those mountains alive.”
“And yet, we must.” The Captain responded, “It is better to take the chance of surviving than stay to certain doom.”
“You’re right…” Park said after a moment spent in silent calculation, “Tell my brothers to gather only what they need- tell them also not to touch any jewelry. Or better yet- nothing shiny.” He said, turning to him, “I will be ready immediately.”
“Yes sir!” The other man got up and walked quickly from the room.
After a moment, Park moved to the center of the room, placing the palm of his left hand in the center of an intricately designed circle. The tile glowed ominously and the floor shook lightly as he stood and stepped back. The circle rose from the floor, and almost immediately the stiff countenance of several scrolls were visible. After a moment, the circular pedestal stopped moving.
Silently he took the scrolls from the pedestal, placing them in a brown leather bag, along with several trinkets from the base of the pedestal, “I’ll be damned if I’ll let them get to these.” He said, touching the top of the pedestal and watching dispassionately as it lowered back into the ground, becoming invisible to the untrained eye once more.
There was a thundering crash somewhere distantly, and he felt his heart beat faster in anticipation as the Captain returned, out of breath. “Sir, the walls have fallen, we must leave now!” He huffed, grabbing Park and dragging him quickly behind him.
Park was silent as he strapped the bag over his shoulder, allowing his feet to move in step with the captain’s, “Where are my brothers?” He asked after a moment.
“They are already outside, headed towards the Hellbone.” The captain responded, “We’ll meet up with them as soon as we can. Our only chance right now is to keep moving as fast as we can.”
Park nodded, and returned to silence as they ran, his head buzzing strangely as a cacophony of sound pervaded throughout his head. Finally he caught sight of his brothers’ backs, as well as the soldiers that were accompanying them. He released a sigh of relief as they caught up and continued along their way.
The gates that led into the Hellbone were large and foreboding. Carvings and other depictions of Hellish situations led a stray traveler to think twice about entering the Hellbone. Their small group ignored the designs and pushed the gates open, taking their first few steps into the hellish territory. Behind, their city was engulfed in flames.
Prologue Part 3
Vazem sat upon a blackened throne, twirling an old skull thoughtlessly in his hands. He had fathomless black eyes and mussed black hair that fell into his eyes. He was bored, waiting for his messenger to return with news of their attack on the kingdom of Khaba. There were some special trinkets there that he desired to aid him in his plotting.
Finally a large goblin appeared, his flat feet thudding dully against the stone flooring. "My lord, Vazem..." He gurgled, bowing low and nearly toppling due to his own girth. He had thin, greasy hair atop his head and wide, rust colored eyes.
"What is the news?" Vazem stopped twirling the skull and leaned forward in his throne, the black and crimson fabric of his tunic shifting in the momentary silence.
"We broke through the walls, but the city was empty. Casualties were very meager on their side- we can only believe that they fled the city. The castle was empty my lord, the king and his brothers fled only moments before our arrival. We've reason to believe that they've gone to the Hellbone." The goblin said throatily.
"Good, they will surely die now. Tell me, what of the artifacts?" Vazem asked coolly, expecting good news.
"My lord..." The goblin said, shifting uncomfortably, "They were not found. The king probably took them with him into the Hellbone."
"What!?!" Vazem roared, crushing the skull in his grasp into fine powder and flinging it to the ground, he took several deep breaths to calm himself, it wouldn't do him any good to murder the messenger, "Send one squadrant into the Hellbone, and send the rest to journey around the mountains to meet them on the other side. There is only one sure exit from the Hellbone, look for the Winged Gate."
"The gate is in Meritates." The goblin responded, "We will have to take the kingdom over."
"Meritates, eh? We'll be able to kill two birds with one stone." Vazem laughed, "The key resides in the palace of Meritates." He stood from his throne, "Make the preparations immediately, I will be accompanying the army to Meritates." He laughed again, ominously.
"Yes, my lord." The goblin bowed and fled the room, sensing that he'd just barely managed to escape death.
Chapter 1
Raven awoke early in the morning, a disconcerting feeling throbbing within her. Silently she moved over to the door near the windows, stepping out onto her luxurious balcony and into the cool morning air. The sun was just rising over the horizon, and it stained the sky a deep blood red, an ominous sign for the day to come. She leaned against the stone archway tiredly, closing her eyes as she looked off towards the horizon.
There was a strange darkness there, and she shivered with foreboding as another figure stepped out onto her balcony with her, "Majesty, what are you doing out here without your robes?" Blaze quickly threw a heavy cloak over her shoulders, "You could catch your death out here!"
"Hm?" Raven shook herself and looked around, noticing Blaze,
"Oh... I'm sorry." She muttered sheepishly, pulling the cloak tighter about her chilled shoulders.
"Is something the matter?" Blaze asked, leaning against the railing of the balcony curiously.
"I... I don't think so." Raven said she was feeling oddly uneasy and wary towards Blaze.
"You ought to come back inside. Breakfast will be ready within the hour and you're still garbed in your bedclothes." Blaze replied, guiding Raven back inside.
"I think... I think that maybe I'd like to go riding today, so please find me something suited for a long ride." Raven said slowly as the doors were closed behind them.
"Of course, your majesty." Blaze bowed and moved to her elegant closet, pulling open its vast doors and beginning to seek out something suited for Raven's plans.
Raven seated herself on the edge of her bed, still holding the cloak tightly about her shoulders. "Here we are, how's this?" Blaze stepped out of the closet with a pair of brown slacks and a purple blouse, "It's the best I can do with your wardrobe... the pants should do for riding I'm sure."
"It's fine." Raven replied as she pulled them on, "They'll do just fine- better than any gown would do. And at least I can breathe in this too..."
Blaze chuckled softly and lifted Raven's brush, combing it through her hair gently before braiding it tightly. The two then headed off to the dining hall for their separate breakfasts, Blaze heading towards a smaller table near the king's after she'd seated Raven next to her father.
Raven was relatively silent during the meal, and immediately after she finished, she left, headed towards the stables. She immediately prepared her horse and set out for a short. Her dark braid billowed out behind her as she left the stable, and the palace, as well as her worries, behind.
She was riding at a nice gallop when she saw it- a thick cloud of dust on the horizon that generally signaled the movement of a large group. Silently she slipped from the horse’s saddle, tethering her near a small stream, and headed towards the strange cloud of dust.
What she saw horrified her- a large army of beasts of many different races- and they were headed straight for the village. She was spotted by a few in the rear and forced to take off at a swift run as they spurred their horses towards her. Breathlessly she leapt into the horse’s saddle, and took off back towards the village.
Chapter 2
They had set up camp only after the sun had fallen below the horizon and made it dangerous for them to travel further in the dark, especially in such rough and unknown terrain. A single misstep and any one of them could simply vanish into one of the many crevices that pockmarked the land.
Park lay, staring at the stars with a blank expression, his single bag tucked protectively under his arm. He had made a pact to protect those precious artifacts no matter what, and he was making very certain that nothing would get in the way of that.
“Park, how much farther do you think that these mountains go?” His youngest brother asked, sitting next to him tiredly.
“I’m not sure- nobody knows. We’ve been out here for a week already and still there seems to be no end to them.” Park replied, sitting up and tucking the bag into his lap as he spoke,
“William- how are you and Max holding up?”
“We’re both fine, you don’t have to worry. We can take a week of hard traveling no problem- but we have hardly any supplies left, and the game in these mountains is very few. If we’re here much longer we could very well starve.” William said, brushing a lock of black hair from his brown eyes distractedly.
“Meritates is at the other entrance to these mountains. I feel certain that they’ll allow us to stay with them until we can pull ourselves together and start on the offensive to get our kingdom back.” Park said.
William nodded, “I am certain. The king is a very kind-hearted man. I heard that he was handing the reigns over to his son shortly.”
“Pity, his daughter is wiser I’ve heard- a more intelligent and cool-headed individual.” Park replied with a small sigh, “I met Satul only once, and I really didn’t like him much- didn’t get a good feeling off of him.”
“You’ll have to try and get along should he be king when we arrive.” William said.
“I know you really don’t need to tell me that.” Park replied coolly, “I’m a king myself mind you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Try and get some rest, your energy’s been rather low lately- how much sleep are you getting?”
“I rest fully every night!” Park said, sticking his chin into the air.
“Liar.” William replied smoothly, “I can tell when you lie you know- you’re bloody terrible at it.”
“Er…” Park blinked, “You can?”
“Yup, and even if I couldn’t- you just told me that you were lying.” William laughed.
“Damn…” Park berated himself.
“Seriously though- how much are you sleeping each night?” William glared at him in such a way that he had no choice but to tell.
“About an hour.” He said simply.
“An hour- are you crazy?!” William exclaimed.
“No… I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately.” Park replied truthfully.
“Like that bag you carry around with you all the time?” William asked.
Unconsciously Park clutched it closer, “Maybe…” He said, yawning.
“Get some sleep, nothing’s going to take it- our men are honest and their only goal is to get us to safety.” William scolded.
"My worries don't lie with the men, but yourself and Max." Park stated dryly.
"What! Why?" William demanded, glaring at him.
"Your curiosity gets the better of you in more situations than necessary." Park said flatly.
"Really now, neither of us will touch it- I swear!" William said, "But either way- if you continue at the rate that you're going now you'll be dead before we can get out of here."
"Oh, alright, alright already!" Park ground out at last, "I'll get some sleep- but if you touch this bag, I'll kill you." His tone was deathly serious, and William had no doubt that he would do it.
"Promise." William said as Park laid down, closing his eyes as he cradled the bag protectively near him.
Chapter 3
Raven glanced behind herself several times as she fled, noticing that her pursuers were steadily gaining on her. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and the horse was straining to pick up its pace as it sensed the imminent danger that was fast approaching. Those that gave chase released a gurgling laugh- their appearances suggested that perhaps they were goblins.
Several arrows glided past her head, burying themselves into the thick tree trunks ahead of her. Raven was taking a roundabout way back- going through the forest to try and shake her pursuers. Another arrow just barely missed skimming her jaw, which made her duck lower in the saddle,
"Come on, come on!" She pleaded with the horse softly, understanding that it was a difficult run for the both of them.
She searched for anything that could serve to defend herself from the goblins as they drew closer, her eyebrows knitted close together- what could she use to fight against arrows and swords? Certainly wood would absorb the shock of the blow, but a stick would only do so well for so long. Finally she found a decently sized wooden staff, and as she passed it- she reached her arm out, wincing as it stuck for a moment, jerking her arm back before she managed to lift it and lean forward in the saddle once more.
The first of her pursuers caught up with her before the rest, drawing a large, roughly hewn sword and swinging it awkwardly at her head. Raven ducked, and as her horse whined she forced her staff outwards, striking him a hard blow to the stomach and knocking him from the saddle, nearly toppling after him before she managed to right herself in the saddle.
She released a heavy sigh as the goblin's stead continued to run with her before veering off to the right and continuing on in that direction. What am I going to do? She moaned to herself, taking several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. Raven readied herself for another attack as the trees grew steadily thinner and further apart. She soon came to a gate, and struck at a single lever to the left of the gate, which allowed them to creak open and allow her passage. She didn't have time to pay much attention to the designs of the doors as she entered mountainous territory.
Raven raced across the uneven ground- she’d never been there before and now she was moving blindly as the hoof beats of her pursuers sounded in her ears. By now her horse was sweating profusely- the poor creature wasn’t used to such hard riding and was now suffering for it. She heard one of the creatures behind her scream- and looked back to see both rider and horse vanish into an invisible chasm.
With her heart racing she turned back round in her saddle and struggled to gain distance between herself and the remaining goblins and their war steeds. Raven released a yelp of surprise as her horse tumbled- throwing her from the saddle and remaining on the ground, its sides heaving. She shakily got to her feet, not daring to look back as she took off at a run, knowing that if she didn’t find a sufficient hiding place she would have no way to escape and would very possibly die.
They drew closer to her, and finally she turned around to face them- smacking one of their horses a hard blow to the nose, the beast screamed and threw its rider to the ground before taking off back the way it had come. The momentarily stunned rider lay on the ground as she smacked him with her staff several times in the head, stopping only when one of the other riders approached her, drawing a large axe which easily sliced her staff in half. She looked from the split wood to the rider and back at the wood again in worry. She gave his horse a good crack on the nose and fled as the horse threw its rider to the ground and ran.
Chapter 4
The next morning, when Park was shaken awake, he was relieved to see that his bag was still in hand and the small charm that he’d placed on it had not been broken. He felt more rested than he had felt in a while, and was actually able to keep a steady pace for the entire morning. The group stopped briefly for a meager lunch. “What’s that over there?” One of the younger soldiers was pointing back in the direction that they’d come from, and they noticed that several figures were darting over the mountainous terrain, and would soon catch up to them.
“We’ve got to head out, now.” The captain said grimly, and the group immediately packed their belongings and took off at a run.
“Captain, what’s going on?” Park asked, running alongside him effortlessly in curiosity, apprehension knotting in his stomach.
“We’re being pursued- and it would be quite folly to battle in such a place as this. We need to find a decent place to set up a surprise attack.” The captain responded grimly, looking over at him.
“I see.” Park replied, “How long do we have?” He turned his steady gaze to the captain’s thoughtful face.
“Maybe an hour- if they see us and pick up their pace we’ll have much less.” He replied.
Park nodded, and as he turned his gaze back towards the path ahead, he collided with something hard and stumbled back, falling without grace. He shook his head to clear it and looked over to see what he’d run into- catching sight of the panting figure of a young woman. He blinked in surprise and pulled himself to his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes before approaching the woman and offering a hand to help her to her feet.
She looked up at him with brilliant green eyes and silently took the offered hand, hoisting herself up, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She said, glancing behind her as though expecting somebody to appear.
“What were you doing running through the Hellbone at such a pace?” The captain demanded, “You could have done more than bump into him.”
“Better to run with a chance of survival than stay and die.” She responded, reminding Park of his conversation with the captain before they’d entered the Hellbone themselves, “I’m being pursued by a band of goblins, it was a convenient place to go- one has already fallen victim to a chasm and I’ve frightened off the horses of two more- but there’s only so much a person can do with a mere stick. I was more or less attempting to get them lost, or at least find another chasm to push them into.” She said evenly, finally catching her breath.
Max and William chuckled at her last comment softly, “Goblins, eh?” The captain said with a contemplative look in his eyes, “If we can avoid the frontal group they’ll end up meeting those that are chasing us. If we’re lucky they’ll either kill each other- or confirm that we’re not somewhere between them. We’ll need a decent place to hide though. Keep your eyes open, and stay down- out of sight.”
“There’s a crevice between the mountains a little behind me.” The girl stated, “Should be large enough for everybody to fit through- it’s well hidden so I highly doubt that with their poor sense of judgment they’ll find us.”
“How come you didn’t use it yourself then?” Max asked, “Save yourself the trouble of nearly getting yourself killed?”
“I didn’t plan on hiding.” She replied simply with a shrug, “Now then, if you’ve finished questioning me- can we be on our way?”
“Lead the way then, quickly.” Park said, willing to put his trust in a woman that he didn’t know- her appearance seemed familiar to him, but he couldn’t quite place it.
She nodded and turned around, taking off at a swift run that they could hardly keep up with. Shortly she vanished into the side of a mountain, and it took them a moment to find the crevice that she’d spoken of. The entire group slipped inside- the captain entering last and keeping watch for the approaching goblins. Those that had been pursuing the girl passed by almost immediately and they were able to slip out of the uncomfortably small space and head back towards the gate that she’d come through.
They came across a saddled, rider less horse a few minutes later, wandering the rocky terrain as though searching for something. The girl made her way over to the horse immediately and patted it, “I’m glad you’re okay.” She murmured to it, before turning to them, “Might I ask where you’re headed going through such dangerous territory?”
“We were headed towards Meritates.” The captain responded coolly, “and yourself?”
“Away from those damned goblins. I suppose since you didn’t skewer me on the edge of your sword after my hectic entrance I could lead you to Meritates. I’m sure that Satul might be willing to give you housing and listen to what you’ve got to say at the very least.”
“So he’s replaced Zachary on the throne after all, then?” Park asked, quirking an eyebrow at her familiarism with Satul’s name.
“Yes.” The girl responded, her tone flat, “What are your names, anyway?” She asked.
“I’m Park; those are my brothers William and Max.” Park replied evenly as the captain and his group moved off ahead, “And you?”
“Raven.”
Chapter 5
Raven... Raven- why does that sound familiar? Park wondered as they passed through the gates and into the sparse beginnings of a forest. She led them easily through the trees, down a path freshly torn from hooves. Several spiny arrows stuck out of the trunks of several trees. "We can't move too slowly. There's a large army headed for my village- I've probably wasted too much time for decent preparation." Raven said her tone worried.
"An army?" Park asked, stiffening as he heard a strange sound, his head swiveled to the side, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw one of the goblins’ horses munching nonchalantly at the undergrowth, "What kind of army?"
"All kinds of foul creatures, goblins, giants, ogres, demons, even two dragons!" Raven said breathlessly, "I hope that none of you minds that I ride off ahead, I've no choice really."
"That's fine, in fact-" Park whistled and the horse cantered over to him, nickering softly as he swung himself up into the saddle,
"I'll come with you in case there's trouble. The rest of you stick together and get to the castle as soon as you can."
"Of course." The captain replied, watching as both Raven and Park took off at a gallop, disappearing within a few seconds.
"How far until we get to Meritates?" Park asked, glancing over at her bent figure questioningly.
"It should only be a few minutes until we reach the city." Raven replied, her eyes scanning the horizon, she released a sigh of relief several minutes later as the city came into sight- still in one piece with no signs of being attacked.
Park was silent as they moved through the gates, she waved to one of the guards that had opened the gates for their passage and slowed her step, leaping off of the horse in one fluid movement as they approached the palace. "Take her in for a good cleaning- poor girl's had a hard running, take his in too." She replied, jerking her head towards Park before running up the steep front steps to the palace almost naturally.
"Welcome back." She was greeted by a young fiery-haired servant, "How was your ride?"
"It was a... little more than I expected, I need to see my brother urgently, Blaze." She moved past Blaze quickly, Park at her heels, he glanced back, noticing her questioning stare before following Raven directly into the throne room.
"Is this okay, I mean to barge into the throne room unannounced is quite rude, isn't it?" Park asked.
"Raven, what're you doing here?" Satul turned a similarly chiseled face towards her, his emerald eyes shining with confusion; he swept down the stairs from the dais to greet her.
"There's not much time- an army of monsters is approaching the city." Raven said quickly, brushing aside his brotherly affections to reveal her news, "I was chased into the mountains where I met a group moving from the opposite direction- apparently headed towards the city as well. This is Park."
"We've met." Satul said, ducking his head briefly at Park, "The king of Khaba."
"King?" Raven looked over at him, "And you're from Khaba? Why aren't you at your palace?"
"We were overrun by the same army that approaches your city, my liege." Park replied humbly, bowing slightly to Satul, "We
came hoping to form an alliance with your people once more- to get back our land, and also to protect yours from this... this army of darkness."
"Raven?" Her elderly father had entered the throne room and now approached them quickly, embracing her, "I had wondered what all that commotion was, my dear. Satul, prepare the armies, dispatch our fastest riders to the outposts and have them close all the gates."
"Wait at least a little while, majesty." Park said, his tone pleading, "My brothers and soldiers have not arrived yet."
"We can't keep the gates open much longer- five minutes is all that can be spared." Zachary said apologetically, "It is a king's duty to protect his people."
"I understand." Park said, ducking his head respectfully as Raven turned towards the door, he looked at her questioningly.
"I'm going to get ready for battle." She said evenly, "We must defend our people no matter what."
"You can't go out there when they arrive." Satul said slowly, "Raven, you're a member of the royal family, and a woman at that- you can't join in battle."
"There is no choice!" Raven said bitterly, "I have seen their army and have fought off several goblins already. They're large- we need every able bodied fighter we can find." She left the room without another word; Park noticed that it took every ounce of self-restraint to do so.
"I don't understand her..." Satul said, rubbing his temples as he glanced over at Park, "She's been like this for about a month now and there seems to be no end to it."
"Why don't you allow her to fight then?" Park asked quietly.
"It is a disgrace to allow women into the army." Satul responded simply, "Our country has had many laws set in place since its very beginning."
"Then maybe it's time for a change." Park replied too softly for Satul or Zachary to hear.
Chapter 6
Raven made her way into her room where Blaze was patiently waiting, “Majesty!” Blaze bowed, “You look upset, how about some tea to cool your nerves?”
“I need riding armor.” Raven said, accepting the glass as calmly as possible, “I don’t care what my brother says, I’ll be riding out to battle with the army.”
“That’s a mite dangerous, isn’t it?” Blaze asked, quirking an eyebrow as Raven drank the glass and held it out for more.
“There isn’t a choice.” Raven said, downing the second glass and setting it down, “There’s a large army headed this way- it’s much larger than our own numbers and it’s going to take every able bodied person.”
“I see.” Blaze replied coolly, “But I’m afraid you won’t be joining in the battle.”
“What are you talking about?” Raven suddenly felt light-headed and grasped for something to hold herself up, knocking the glass over and shattering it, “Blaze, what did you do to me?”
She demanded, her words slurred.
“I’ve only given you an anesthetic drug, it won’t hurt you in the long run, but it’ll make my task all the more easier.” Blaze replied as Raven began to sway, falling over and swiping all of the objects off of the table that she’d been balancing on, they clattered noisily to the floor.
“Why?” Raven asked as darkness claimed her vision.
Park had been walking through the silent corridors in agitation when he heard something shatter somewhere down the hallway, he didn’t react except to jump in surprise at first- at least not until he heard several other heavy objects fall at the same time.
He ran down the hallway, stopping at a closed door where he was certain that the noise had come from. As calmly as possible he opened the door just in time to see Blaze running towards the balcony with an unconscious Raven in her arms.
“What the hell- what are you doing?” He demanded as she turned to him, sending several fireballs at him that threw him back out into the hallway.
Park winced, but stood quickly, running into the room as Blaze leapt from the balcony. “Shit!”
Chapter 7
He leaned over the balcony, watching for only a few seconds as Blaze took off across the courtyard- blasting various guards out of her way as she moved. It took him a moment to shake himself out of a daze and run out of the room, clothing still smoldering from her fireball attack.
"Where's the fire?" Satul asked as Park raced past him, smelling smoke a few seconds later, "Wait… are you the fire!?" He began to run after Park.
"Raven- she's just been kidnapped by a servant!" Park gasped out, "She attacked me with fireballs and is currently running towards the gates."
"What!?!" Satul exclaimed in disbelief, "Unbelievable, how can she have allowed herself to be kidnapped?"
"That's not the problem right now." Park said, "The servant is taking her to the bestial army, I'm sure of it."
Satul paled considerably and Park frowned, there was something off about Satul- something that he wasn't revealing. "We can only afford to send out two squadrants- any more than that and we'll be jeopardizing our own safety..." Satul muttered thoughtfully, catching sight of one of his captains who was very obviously heading towards the throne room, "You there!" He called.
The man turned to him, "Highness?" He said questioningly.
"Prepare the first and second squadrants- my sister has been kidnapped and there's not much time to rescue her." Satul barked out quickly to the man, who turned and ran swiftly back towards the barracks to prepare his men.
Park soon outran Satul, keeping close to the captain who was quickly gathering his men together and discussing the plan as they readied, speaking over their noisy preparations. “I’m coming with you.” Park said flatly, leaving no room for argument.
The captain looked at him mutely for a moment before nodding, “Alright, lad. I won’t try to stop you. It is highly pertinent to bring princess Raven back.”
“Not that your enthusiasm doesn’t make me glad, and the fact that she’s a princess is reason enough- but I get the feeling that there’s something more to it.” Park said his expression thoughtful.
The captain spoke after a moment, “She is our princess, and the king’s sister, a part of the royal family. Despite the fact that she can not rule, she is vital to our country. That is all that I am entitled to speak of.” He strapped his sword around his waist, “Alright men, let’s move out!” He said, and instantly they formed their lines, leaving a respectful place in the front for Park and the captain, and they began moving at a quick and yet tempered pace.
Eventually they caught sight of Blaze- who was hampered by the deadweight of Raven and forcing her way through the opposition. They soon had her surrounded and were battling as hard as possible. It was rather odd that a single woman, hampered by the weight of another, was so able to defend herself against them, and even begin knocking them out with fireballs.
She caught sight of Park, who had done well to divert her fire attacks, only burning the palms of his hands, and her eyes grew livid as she recognized him and realized that he must have been the one to warn the king of her betrayal. Blaze held out her palm, gathering a fireball larger than any other that she had created in battle. She then threw it with all her might at Park, who realized that he could neither dodge nor block it, and instead braced himself for its impact.
He was hit full force and shoved back into the outer wall of a stone building, where he slumped, dazed as Blaze smirked at him and continued on her way. After a few minutes, Park was able to stand again, but she was nowhere in sight. Distantly he could hear explosions, and without looking at the unconscious men, he raced off to find her and to prevent more damage to the village.
His feet thudded through burning pathways and diverted themselves around unconscious people, and Park began to realize that he would never make it to Raven before Blaze had gotten to safety. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest, and his head was pounding in beat with it. His body ached, but he refused to give up, he had to get to her in time.
There was another explosion and dust was thrust up into the air, blinding him temporarily. He caught sight of several figures making their way towards him, though couldn’t make them out until they were nearly on top of him. Before him stood his brothers, and carried between them was the unconscious Raven.
Chapter 8
"Park?" William gasped, wincing as they came to a stop and gently lowering Raven to the ground, "What's going on?"
Park blinked, for a moment unable to speak, "I should ask you the same thing." Park said flatly, "But I should also thank you both- you saved me the trouble of going after that servant."
"Are you talking about that red-headed girl who throws fire?" Max asked, brushing smoldering cloth away from his wrist and gazing at him with calm, black eyes ringed by semi-long honey-colored hair, "Because damn was she ever a tough opponent. What was she doing with Raven, anyway?" As he spoke the figures of the third squadrant stumbled up behind them.
"My lord Park!" They gasped in surprise, pleased that he was alright, when they'd run into the woman carrying Raven they had all feared that maybe Park and she had been attacked.
"I am glad that you've all made it." Park said in relief, "They're closing the gates to the city- soon there will be no traffic in or out. We'll be in a siege again." He made a face; one time was more than enough for all of them, "Their forces are small. I'm thinking that it would be wise to send riders out to plead for help from the surrounding countries against such a demonic force."
"You're right, if they don't send anybody out soon then they'll be in the same situation as we were- except we at least had the Hellbone to escape through. Have you spoken to the people about this?" Max asked breathlessly.
"Not yet." Park shook his head, "actually, it only just registered to me. But we need to hurry back to the palace- who knows what that servant did to Raven." He said his tone worried.
"Yeah, I don't exactly want to face her again." Max agreed,
"And I really don't want to be here when she comes back for us." Once more he and William lifted Raven, and their group headed back towards the palace.
"Captain, please take your men and help put out the fires and take care of the injured." Park said, glancing over at him as the man bowed and jerked his head towards his men, mutely they fell behind and scattered throughout the village, beginning to put out fires and rescue some of the innocent bystanders that had been hit by Blaze's attacks.
Park and his brothers burst through the palace gates and up the steps, their footsteps echoing all around them. "What the bloody-" Several guards muttered as they ran past them before starting to give chase, "What are they doing with Princess Raven?"
"Do you think that they're trying to kidnap her?" Another muttered.
"Going into the palace?" The first said skeptically.
"It could happen you know!" The second said shrilly.
Before anything else could be said, Park, William, and Max turned to enter the throne room- and ran right into the now closed door, falling to the ground, stunned. "What the hell?!" Park exclaimed, jumping up immediately in embarrassment, "When did that close?"
Max and William chuckled softly as they stood and as a group they entered the throne room, where Satul was pacing, lost in thought. "Ah!" He exclaimed when he noticed them, "You've brought her back!" He called for a few servants and they took Raven to the medical wing.
"Now explain." Park said to his brothers, "How you ended up battling that servant?"
"We were almost to the city." William started, "When we saw her blasting people out of her way. Both Max and I sensed that something most definitely was not right when we noticed that she was carrying Raven with her, so we did what we could and set up a surprise attack. Managing to knock out that servant after she blasted us a couple times with her fireballs."
"She really sent those fireballs flying- that was how it ended up being so hard to see." Max interjected simply, "And that's that."
"Wow, you really condensed the story." Park noted, "You're not going to be elaborate and give a blow by blow tale? Amazing."
"And what's that supposed to mean?!" William demanded.
"Nothing at all." Park replied simply, "We'd best prepare for battle." His brothers glared at him but said nothing more, "And your majesty, might I suggest sending out a group to get outside help for this battle?"
Satul glanced over at him, "There isn't time now. If warning had come earlier, maybe we might have been able to. But if anybody goes out now, they'll be killed for sure."
Chapter 9
The attack came around sunset, after the gates had been securely closed and the villagers huddled in their homes, hunkered down and prepared to wait out a siege. The militia was currently being gathered in the courtyard, all armed with bows to shoot down at the enemy. Several catapults rested on the outer walls of the village; soon they'd begin dumping their contents on the army below.
Their walls were battered with flaming arrows and the bodies of several giants- the arrows flames were easily extinguished, and soon they were dumping steaming pots of boiling grease over the heads of the giants- who screamed as their eyes were boiled clean out of their heads.
Some of them collapsed, one ran, and another still battered blindly at the walls. Several of the men lost their balance on the walls and tumbled over, landing on the shoulders, and some lying broken at the feet, of the giant. It batted at the ones on its shoulders, stumpy fingers groping blindly at the stinking animal pelts that were thrown half-hazardly over its body. One of the men was trapped and lifted into the air, easily crushed between the giant’s thumb and forefinger before it sucked his pulpy body from its fingers.
There were screams in the air, and several sleek, blood-red dragons flew in out of the sunset, several demons riding in roughly hewn saddles on their backs. The dragons screamed fury and bloodlust in their eyes and flew over the city- blowing flames onto many thatch-roofed cottages that had been previously damaged by Blaze.
The catapults were readied- some were filled with simple throwing knives that would pierce the bodies of the enemy, and others were filled with flaming logs. The objects were thrust into the air, and as they descended on the army, the demons continued to attack the walls. Several among their ranks fell to the blades- which had been dipped into poison. Those that didn’t die directly from the wounds were soon attacking their own men in blind agony until they were cut down.
The flaming logs crushed a group near the center of the army, setting their bodies ablaze as well as a catapult of their own. The men on the walls cheered as they reloaded the catapults and steadied their aim.
About a dozen archers were focused wholly on the dragons- taking out their riders one by one as the beasts grew more and more livid. The stench of burning thatch pervaded the village as they continued to spit flames. One of the archers poured a flammable liquid onto his arrow and took careful aim before releasing the arrow into the sky. It stuck firmly into the saddle of the dragon, distracting it and its rider as it burned quickly through the leather.
As the rider fell the dragon was quick to sink its teeth into his flesh- devouring the demon’s body whole before ascending into the sky and quickly vanishing on the horizon. Two dragons still remained- and the distinct sound of their riders’ whips on the tender flesh just behind their ears sounded.
“Put out those fires, now!” William’s voice sounded clearly throughout the streets, “And soaks down the houses that aren’t on fire to help control the flames and keep them from burning!”
The men put under his care were quick to comply as they scrambled throughout the streets, forming multiple lines and passing as many objects that could hold water back and forth as they could. William stood at the forefront of the line, quenching the flames and ignoring the swelling heat that engulfed him. Sweat lined his brow as they soaked as many houses as they possibly could. The dragons circled overhead, ready to attack once their flames were restored.
Park stood on the wall with a bow drawn taut, aimed at the roaring face of one of the dragons as it lowered itself towards the ground, but a figure in a flowing gown stopped him. She stood atop the tallest building in the village- her arms out, beckoning the dragon to herself. The creature circled her as its rider whipped it viscously, trying to get it to follow orders rather than examine the still figure, but the brute wouldn’t listen.
Park shook his head and turned his aim towards the rider, staring down the arrow’s length before releasing it. The arrow pierced through the rider’s skull, and he then fell from the saddle, making a sickening sound as he hit the ground. The dragon then leveled itself with the woman, who reached out her palm and touched the dragon’s nose gently.
The great beast’s scales shimmered and fell, the sun’s last rays catching on their crimson surface. Almost immediately new scales formed, giving the dragon the appearance of a shimmering night sky. Its demeanor grew calm as the woman released its nose and turned to the other rampaging dragon.
The one before her whined and lowered its head, and so she climbed into the saddle on its back and it lead to the other dragon.
The figure on its back attacked her, but she quickly defeated him and caused him to fall to his death before the second dragon grew calm, its scales falling out in a similar manner to the one that she rode. And before Park’s very eyes, new scales of a forested color appeared on its body.
Park’s attention turned back to the catapults as they snapped forward and rained their contents on the roiling mass of demons below them. He could tell that this battle would soon go sour- there was a strange and ominous feel to the air- they needed help and he had a pretty good idea as to how they were going to get it as his gaze turned back to the woman who led the dragons towards the ground, and as she passed him he recognized her. “Raven?” She turned dull and hypnotic eyes towards him mutely before she landed and went limp in the dragon’s saddle.
It whined as he approached, but remained relatively docile. Both Max, William, and those that currently served under them ran over after they’d seen the dragons land, “They’ve changed colors!” William said in awe, touching the green snout of one.
“Yes and these dragons are to be our salvation.” Park stated, and when his brothers gave him strange looks he clarified,
“They’ll be able to carry me out of here so that I can get help from the surrounding kingdoms, we may be doing well in battle now, but our supplies are limited and their numbers limitless.”
“I’m coming to,” Max said matter-of-factly, and William nodded his agreement.
Park looked between them and saw that there was no arguing, so with a sigh he nodded, “Fine then, both of you ride the green one and I’ll ride with Raven in the other.”
“Raven?” William raised an eyebrow, before releasing a surprised gasp as he saw her in the saddle, “Well, I’ll be- how’d she get there?”
“Actually, she’s the one that tamed them.” Park said.
Chapter 10
"You there!" Park indicated one of the soldiers, "Go and tell your king to prepare for the siege and to stop wasting weapons. Tell him that my brothers and I are going for help!"
The soldier saluted and took off at a run as Park adjusted the dragon's saddle before climbing aboard; making sure that Raven wouldn't fall out as his brothers climbed into the green's saddle. "Alright, let's head out." Park said grimly, and both dragons took off into the air easily putting distance between themselves and the ground.
The experience was phenomenal; none of them had ever been so far up in the sky before- not even the tallest tower of their palace reached up as far as they were. The three men grinned at each other as the stars blinked into life, twinkling around them as they moved silently through the night skies.
Several other dark shapes appeared from their left- the furious figures of several great, black dragons whose bellies were of a deep red. Their eyes were crimson, and their teeth long and gnashing. The creatures in their saddles drew bows and shot at Park and his brothers as they urged their own dragons to move quicker. Park turned with an arrow set firmly in his bow and released it.
The arrow glanced off of one of the demon’s helmets, and it fell from the saddle screaming as the dragon devoured it as its partner drew back on a whip and struck several heavy blows to the dragon’s neck, screaming in some rough-tongued language and gesticulating towards the two fleeing dragons as Park drew back his bow once more, striking the second rider off of the first dragon and watching as the brute fed off of him and then turned on its partner, the two dragons clashed in a flurry of claws and wings, blowing deep blue flames at each other.
Park watched them warily as they disappeared on the dark horizon, becoming only the occasional flash of their flaming lights. He released a sigh as he looked to his brothers, “Keep your eyes open for more dragons that might attack- they’re the only things that can really affect us up here.” He said seriously, both of them nodded.
It was near dawn when they finally caught sight of the lights of the nearest kingdom, and they lowered the grateful dragons towards the ground in the village square. Almost immediately they were surrounded by armored men with spears- who held the weapons near every one of the dragons’ weak points, as well as aimed at their riders. “What is your purpose here?” One of them grunted.
“Meritates is in need of the aid of her sisters.” Park said evenly, ignoring the threat of their deadly spears, “The city was attacked by a hoard of demons and even now is lying in a siege that could be broken at any time.”
“Is that so?” One of them quirked an eyebrow, “How do we know that we can trust such men that ride in on the backs of dragons?”
“I am from Khaba- these two are my brothers. Only recently our village was felled by these foul demons.” Park said, “We came seeking shelter in Meritates, the demon army is now beating at the walls of Meritates, and the lives of many people depend upon how quickly we can gain aid. We rode these dragons to allow us to move faster.”
Chapter 11
The group stood before a young dark-haired queen. She looked down at them, not with suspicion, but with open curiosity, “So you’re telling me that you men are from Khaba, and the woman with you is from Meritates? I heard recently that Khaba was in a siege…”
“We were in a siege for several weeks.” Park said, “And then the walls fell. We were forced to travel through the Hellbone.”
“The Hellbone is impossible to navigate; they must surely be lying, majesty.” The guard that had brought them in said roughly.
“The Hellbone is nearly impossible.” The queen corrected him,
“You seem to forget that that was how I came to this country.”
“You’ve gone through the Hellbone too?” William asked in surprise.
“Indeed I have, they give those mountains too much credit. I hardly met with any sort of danger…”
“Neither did we.” William said, grinning boyishly up at her.
“We will send aid to Meritates, and I do so hope that we are not too late with it.” The queen murmured, “You may call me Kindra, I’m not really much for ‘queen’ or ‘majesty’.”
“I’m Park, and these are my brothers, William and Max. The young woman who was brought in before us is Raven. Tell me, is she alright?”
“The girl is fine. Seems that she was poisoned and as we speak she is being detoxicated.” Kindra said, smiling at Park’s concern, “Joel, please prepare the troops. I hope to have them sent out as soon as the sun’s first rays light the land.”
“Of course, your highness.” Joel bowed low, still looking suspiciously at the men, before he hurried out to the barracks.
“Thank you, Kindra.” William said, “We are glad that you are willing to aid us in this time of need.”
“It is no problem. It’s my honor to aid our sister kingdoms.” Kindra replied smoothly, “Now go, get some rest before dawn.” She called several servants into the room, and they led the weary men to a large and elegantly decorated room.
Chapter 12
Park leaned back in a cushioned chair tiredly, his eyes closed but finding himself quite unable to fall asleep. His mind was too troubled, roiling through the recent events. He wondered when things would go back under control- when he'd be able to go back home. He missed his own bed, his home, and his people. Where were they? Were they still alive? He had so many unanswered questions.
William was resting on the single bed, having rushed ahead of his brothers to claim it for himself. Though outwardly he grinned and had his eyes shut, he wasn't happy per say, nor was he asleep. William was thinking of none other than the queen- Kindra. She was beautiful, intelligent, and kind. She seemed a person that he could happily have political debates with, someone that he could truly talk with and who would understand him. Even in the brief few moments that he'd been in her presence he'd felt their connection, and he was fairly sure that she had felt it too.
Max snored soundly, rolling over on the small couch that he'd gotten to sleep on. He was happy for the rest he was getting, and didn't much care about his brothers’ currently unsound minds. At the moment, he didn't have a care in the world. His body shifted again as he sought a comfortable and warm spot.
"Agh..." He muttered in his sleep as sound dreams turned to vicious nightmares, his eyebrows knitted together and sweat beaded on his brow, and quite suddenly amidst his tossing and turning, Max fell from the couch with a grunt of pain as his eyes snapped open.
Both William and Park glanced over at him, looked at each other, and back again, before bursting into bouts of laughter as their brother stood up in embarrassment, rubbing the forming lump amidst his thick hair, "It's not funny!" He exclaimed, "That really hurt!"
"We're not the ones who fell." William stated, rolling onto his stomach near the edge of the bed, mirth in his eyes, "And it's your fault for sleeping."
There was a sudden strong, but brief, earthquake and both Park and William joined Max on the floor with grunts of surprise. Max began to blatantly laugh, finding it absolutely hilarious that both of his brothers had fallen as well. The other two shrugged and laughed themselves. Footsteps pounded down the hallway, causing all three brothers to grow silent immediately as they glanced uneasily between them. Park was the first to climb to his feet, moving to the door, "What's going on?" He demanded, stopping a young soldier whose helmet was on sideways.
"T-there was an explosion in the East Wing!” The man said, squirming out of Park’s grasp and rushing off after his fellow soldiers.
“At least put your damn helmet on the right way you green kid…” Park muttered, turning back into the room, “What?” He caught sight of his brothers looking at him with mute, neutral faces.
“The East Wing…” Max started, glancing over at William uncertainly.
“Isn’t that where they took Raven?” William said bravely, knowing that it would be foolish to keep it from Park; they both knew that he was infatuated with her.
Park smacked his forehead, “Argh, I didn’t even…” He left the room quickly, William and Max at his heels.
They entered the hallway that led to the east wing and were instantly encased in smoke. Each covered their faces protectively. The voices of the soldiers ahead of them allowed them to make their way towards the east entrance. The brothers looked up, aghast. The east wing was an inferno.
Chapter 13
They battled the flames for hours, and more than anything seemed to be fighting a losing battle. About a dozen people managed to crawl through the flames, but none of them were Raven. Finally, finally they seemed to be making progress and were slowly pushing the flames back. Most of the rooms that they passed were massively damaged by the flames, a few of them held charred bodies, each one made Park’s heart clench as he thought that any one of them could be Raven and he wouldn’t know.
All the men were exhausted, and the women that were helping had long ago shed their thick skirts to keep from catching fire. They struggled to lift the large buckets filled with water, all arms were exhausted, but they still struggled on. A small cat was found cowering in an unmarred corner of the next room they came through, its fur singed but otherwise unharmed.
The wretched stench of scorched flesh burned the noses of all, and they wondered just how many had been lost to the strange but powerful fire. Park’s face was chapped and dry. He strained against his tired muscles and dizziness, pushing ahead of all but a few. “There are so many bodies…” He rasped, “How many were here?”
“About two hundred men, women, and children.” A man beside him muttered, “Poor folk didn’t even have a chance. How this fire started mystifies me…”
“Same here…” Park clenched his teeth as he nearly lost the next bucket that came his way, they were making definite progress!
There was a flapping sound near one of the walls ahead of him, and suddenly it exploded in a mass of rubble that forced all of the people back. They watched in awe as the graceful form of a dragon slithered into the room, its body long and shimmering in a light aqua color. It looked at the group with soft eyes and turned to the flames that still ravaged most of the wing. It reared its head back and its cheeks puffed out before a clear liquid spouted from its lips and the flames began to hiss and die before it.
Everyone followed the dragon’s graceful body, noticing a young man lying almost flat on its back, wearing a blue similar to the dragon’s scales and noticeable only because his clothes didn’t shimmer. His hair was also a pale blue, flowing elegantly to his shoulders. “Isn’t that the prince from Sias?” Several men beside the three brothers whispered.
“Sias?” William looked at Park and Max questioningly, “Where’s that?”
“It’s a nearby kingdom- do you think that maybe they might have seen the smoke?” The woman beside William heard his question.
“Perhaps…” Max muttered, “That sounds about right- the way these flames have been, I wouldn’t doubt if they could see us back in Meritates.”
The crowd around them began to cheer, and the brothers’ attention snapped to the dragon, who had gotten a good distance ahead of them and was putting out the last of the flames. The three of them began to cheer then too, some collapsed in sheer exhaustion, but Park had a mission.
Each room from that point on had at the very least one body, and some had up to fifteen- all of them unable to be identified. Park couldn’t find Raven anywhere- he seriously hoped that she wasn’t one of the mass of faceless dead, but the last room came and went, and she was nowhere. He had to fear the worst- it was impossible to think that maybe she had escaped, especially since she’d been unconscious. He brought a shaky hand to his mouth, and if he’d been able to- he would have collapsed right then and there in tears.
Chapter 14
Mutely somebody placed a hand on his shoulder, “Come along, laddie, there’s nothing but dead here now. They’re passing out water and rations to those of us who need it.”
“I don’t need anything.” Park rasped, feeling that if he moved even a step he wouldn’t be able to keep his emotions in check- what was he going to do if he couldn’t find Raven? He’d taken responsibility for her wellbeing- what would he tell her family back in Meritates?
“You sure as hell don’t look like you don’t need anything.” The man said firmly, turning Park and steering him out of the ruined wing. “Don’t drag your feet laddie.”
Park caught sight of William and Max, who ran over to him immediately, “Park! Where’ve you been?” Max demanded, “One minute you were there, the next you were gone; you had William and me worried you know.”
“Sorry…” Park muttered as he collapsed near a charred wall, closing his eyes as a searing pain tore through his head.
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, opening his eyes only when he was nudged by a young woman, “Here.” She muttered, forcing a ladle to his lips.
Park allowed the sweet elixir to slip down his throat in relief. It burned for a moment as it moistened his throat, and then it was gone. The woman was moving on. He watched ruefully as she passed on the liquid to the others. A man thrust a small packet with bread and cheese into his hands and Park tore into it ravenously. Finally he was done, and simply settled himself to sitting there, resting his head against his knees.
“Park, what’s the matter?” William asked finally, already guessing at the answer.
“She’s not here- not alive at least.” Park said, “I looked everywhere, and all I’ve found were charred bodies. I realize that it must surely be foolish to have hoped she’d survive in such a fire for very long…” His voice was watery and seemed about to break.
William and Max exchanged knowing looks, “Don’t be such a pessimist.” Max said, “And think that she is most definitely dead. Show your hope, and believe that she is alive. You can’t be sure that any of those bodies belongs to her.”
“Exactly.” William nodded, “Maybe you just haven’t looked in the right place, you must have missed her.”
Park shook his head, “I would hope more than anything that you are both right.”
“We’ll all look once you’ve rested some.” William said, “We’ll scour the castle and the grounds around it.”
“Thanks…” Park said, looking up at them, “I really appreciate it.”
The young blue-haired man whose dragon had doused the flames so easily made his way through the exhausted people, greeting them with smiles and an occasional laugh. He approached Park, William, and Max last, "Did you find who you were looking for?" He directed his question at Park- who remained silent.
"Thanks for helping with the fire." William said before the man could speak again, "The whole wing might've been burned to ashes otherwise."
"Twas no big deal- I saw the smoke while I was out riding Azure and figured there was trouble. We came as quickly as we could. By the way, my name's Calder."
"I'm William, and these are my brothers Max and Park." William replied, pointing to them in turn.
"Glad to meet you." Calder said, smiling warmly.
"Same to yourself." William said, smiling back.
Chapter 15
Later that morning, after spending nearly three hours searching for the lost princess in hopes that she might have been alive somewhere, Park finally gave in to the thought that perhaps she was, indeed, dead. Kindra gathered her militia and had them follow the brothers as they boarded their dragons and headed back towards Meritates. Calder had heard of their current predicament and rushed home to gain aid from his own people, who would meet them before they went into battle.
Max caught sight of the roiling mass of demonic bodies, their auras pungent in the air with their bloodlust. He nearly choked, but forced himself to swallow back his mortification and weakness, he needed to focus on the battle at hand, not his fear and disgust. The dragons descended from the sky, landing before the army that followed.
"We will wait for Prince Calder here." Park said clearly, "We will attack at dusk. Rest your bodies, eat, and prepare your weapons." He lifted his dragon back into the air to keep an eye on the demonic army- it wouldn't do for themselves to be attacked by surprise and not the other way around.
Max and William remained grounded with the army, it would be wise for their dragon to be well rested so that when Park's grew tired one of them could take up the patrol. The men were uneasy and had no appetites, though they forced themselves to eat at least a meager ration of meat and cheese, as well as to drink a goblet of ale.
Calder joined them near sunset, his men exhausted from the fast pace that he'd set them at. They had only an hour before the attack, for some it would be their last hour in life. The armies mingled and drank some watered-down beer; it wouldn't due for them to be drunk when they went into battle, that would indeed prove fatal.
Finally the time came to prepare themselves. The men and women of the armies adjusted their armor to fit comfortably and protect them at the same time. They tested their weapons and formed their ranks, the archers taking the frontal position and pulling their bows taut so that they could loose them immediately.
They began marching solemnly in silence, Park, William, Max, and Calder circling above on the backs of their dragons, each carrying a bow of their own, arrows piled in the saddles of the dragons.
Almost immediately they loosed their arrows, they simultaneously fluttered into the mass of demons, many fell to the fatal arrows, and the demons' attention was turned to the new threat. They easily turned their bodies about and ran at the mixed army with roars of fury. The men on the walls slumped in relief and exhaustion.
Park released a battle whoop as several dragons descended towards him. He drew his sword and began to duel with the riders atop the back of his dragon. The attacking brutes snapped at him and the dragon viciously.
William swept downward with his and Max's dragon, tackling one of the attacking dragons and tumbling the rider from the saddle as they grew close to the ground. The two just barely managed to pull up as the other dragon slammed into the ground, knocking the nearby soldiers from their feet.
Chapter 16
Calder’s dragon blew multiple bouts of water into the demonic legions, when it swept back through beautiful crystals fluttered down from its massive wings and onto the drenched demons.
Almost instantly they froze in place, half of them glaring at Azure in sheer disgust, others had even managed to raise their bows and take careful aim. The frozen demons hindered the progress of those behind them, and the archers from the human army enjoyed picking them off slowly with their well-aimed arrows.
The demons began smashing the frozen forms of their comrades and spilled forward, overrunning the archers who immediately strung their bows over their shoulders and pulled out their swords, axes, and spears to defend themselves as their own comrades spilled forth and attacked the oncoming legions.
Blood oozed onto the land, staining it red as the armies clashed and began tearing each other apart with their various weapons. Swords clashed, flashing brilliantly in the dusk light, and soon they were battling in the pitch black of deep night.
The men had their own secret though, on their ankles was a glowing band that would prevent them from killing their own, and in the end it was the demons whose numbers began to suffer.
Sometime near dawn the demons began to pull back, they fled towards the forest and perhaps even to their unknown home as they realized that their numbers were dwindling and they would be overrun. A simultaneous cheer burst through the men and women who fought, and even those that had remained on the walls throughout the night were cheering their comrades on.
Soon the gates were able to be opened, and the armies spilled into the courtyard, realizing just how many lives had been lost and mourning them in silence. Satul made his way quickly down the steps towards them, “My friends!” He said gladly, “How glad I am that you’ve come to the aid of Meritates!”
The crowd cheered as he stopped, “I invite you all to feast in my hall this evening, as my appreciation towards your wondrous victory against the demons.” He caught sight of the men landing their dragons and made his way over, “Tell me, where has my sister gone to?” He questioned Park as even Calder gave him a questioning look.
Park’s face grew pale and he lowered his head mournfully, “At the castle of Her Majesty Kindra, there was a fire in the east wing.” He said slowly, gazing up at Satul’s face in sadness.
“What are you trying to tell me?” Satul’s face seemed to contort in utter fury, “Where is my sister?”
“She is dead, my lord.” Park choked on his words, “We couldn’t get to her on time, the flames were too powerful.”
“Dead? DEAD?” Satul’s voice was hardly able to be kept steady, “You took my sister and then allowed her to die?!”
“Please, sir, we had no intentions of such a thing happening, there was no forewarning!” William stated, “It was all we could do to keep the flames from spreading, many people were killed in that fire!”
Satul turned his steely gaze towards William, and drew his sword threateningly, “Don’t you dare speak to me in such a manner,” He said icily, “You should never have taken her to begin with!”
Chapter 17
William leapt backwards as Satul lashed out with the sword, cutting into the already torn, bloodied, and singed fabric of William’s shirt. If he had delayed his reactions he had no doubt that his innards would have been spilled into the streets. Again Satul lashed out with the sword, Calder immediately stepped forward and blocked the blow, “Majesty, is it really smart to be attacking a man so recklessly who went to find aid for your kingdom?” He said coolly, “If it weren’t for these three your walls would have fallen and your people been slaughtered.”
Satul sneered at them but sheathed his sword. He turned haughtily back towards the castle, leaving without so much as another word. His father exited the castle next and waved the soldiers inside, “Your wounds will be treated and you will be given a hot meal as well as room for rest.” He said, smiling warmly, though his gaze was slightly distant, Park could only assume that Satul had told him the news about Raven. Tiredly the soldiers entered the castle and rested for a while.
She awoke in a dark chamber, pain filling every crevice of her being. Strangely she could smell the pungent stench of smoke, though she couldn’t recall as to why it smelled so. When she tried to move her arms and legs tingled painfully, inspiring her simply to lie still and try to clear her fogged mind.
She settled herself to sorting out her most recent memories- tea… Oddly enough that surfaced first. She remembered being offered tea, but from who? Her mind was still foggy and clung to most of the details. She remembered a face, the handsome face of a man.
She remembered a touch, gently touching the warm, scaled nose of some unidentifiable creature. What was going on? A door nearby opened, briefly allowing dim light into the room before it was closed again and she was once more left in darkness. That was until a light above her face flickered into life, the flame licked skyward, as though it were trying to touch the ceiling, move beyond it even to some unknown freedom.
The face of a young woman leered over her, crimson eyes flickering eerily in the candlelight. “What’s going on?” Her voice hardly worked, and instead it came out as a meek whisper.
The woman smirked, “I see they tried to counteract the poison, fools. I wonder how many I killed with that fire.” The dark tone of the woman caused her to shudder with foreboding- what was going on?
The woman stuck a needle deep into her vein, and she felt herself beginning to slip back into darkness, despite her hard struggle. A deep fiery pulse emitted from where the needle had pierced her vein, and she released a deep, pained scream before she succumbed to the darkness.
Chapter 18
Satul made his way towards the dining hall for lunch. His mood had been calmed somewhat, and now he was looking forward to a decent meal- he hadn't eaten since before supper the previous night, the city had been busy preparing for battle and boiled water, not for his bath or supper, but for the defense of the walls. His stomach growled loudly in his ears, he was feeling ill, but Satul supposed that it must be the result of going without food for so long and being so anxious. How could his sister be dead? He could hardly believe it; she had been with him for all of his life.
He leaned against a large, cool, marble pillar tiredly, a momentary dizzy spell sweeping over him. Satul had never felt so strange before, his body felt as though it were on fire, sweat beaded along his flushed face, and his arms felt like ice, though they perspired also. Mutely Satul pushed himself to stand up straight as he was passed by a relatively small squadrant on their way to the barracks. They looked at him curiously for a moment, though they didn't stop to see if something was the matter.
He made it to the large oaken doors that led into the dining hall, and already he could hear the raised voices of most of those who were inside. A lancing pain shot through his head and he doubled over, clutching at it. Satul felt a hand touch uncertainly to his shoulder, "Are you okay?" Park's worried tone infuriated him, and Satul straightened himself, turning to glare at him.
"I'm fine." He growled, shrugging Park's hand from his shoulder and entering the dining hall.
The noise stopped almost immediately and all rose to bow to their king simultaneously. They waited for him to be seated and to give them the sign that they could continue doing as they pleased before all went back to their meals and chatting amongst themselves. Satul breathed in the scent of the fresh food and his stomach churned painfully.
He leaned back in the chair and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose in disgust, he knew he was hungry, but he felt wrong somehow. Silently he lifted his goblet of fine red wine and drank several greedy sips before setting it down. He felt slightly better, as though his senses had been numbed by the drink and he slipped some sweet corn and meat onto his platter.
Satul ate sparingly, hoping that his stomach wouldn’t turn on him and loose its contents. Those that were dining with him stared at him occasionally in surprise, Satul always ate as much as he possibly could, the fact that his appetite was so light boded something ill. But then again, he did just lose his twin sister.
Satul finally stood up in disgust, shoving his platter away. The dining hall silenced almost immediately as he received many glances of concern. He made his way to the door and left, slamming it loudly behind him, "What the hell's wrong with me?" He muttered, hitting a stone pillar in fury, feeling his knuckles go numb from the hit, "All my favorite foods and I can hardly keep down a bite. I'm showing such weakness in front of my soldiers!" He hit the pillar again, allowing his fist to fall numbly to his side.
His breath came in sharp gasps, and he leaned heavily against the pillar that he had previously been abusing, suddenly feeling dizzy. "What... is this?" He muttered, trying to stand up straighter as Calder and William made their way down the hallway, why, why couldn't he stand straight up?
Darkness hazed at the edges of his vision, and soundlessly his body slid down the pillar. William and Calder saw him fall and ran over immediately. Despite the fact that Satul had nearly killed William for speaking up for his brother, he couldn't just ignore the ill looking man. "Calder, go for help!" William said quickly, turning Satul onto his side, Calder nodded and ran off down the hallway.
He was standing in a darkened chamber, the remains of a candle flickering pitifully in the center of the room, where the body of a girl lay unmoving. There was pain, so much heat and numbness spreading throughout his body. It was a strange feeling, one that he could not understand- where had the pain come from?
Chapter 19
Satul had been immediately moved to the medical wing, and now lay on a single cot with the nurse hovering over him, occasionally wiping the accumulated sweat from his forehead.
He muttered a lot in his sleep, the words were often incoherent. "Poor dear," The nurse murmured, "This has happened to him once before."
“It has?” William gave her a questioning glance.
“Back when he and his sister were still young- I think it was around their 9th birthday.” The nurse replied, beginning to ground some herbs as she spoke, “They were on a picnic and Lady Raven was kidnapped when she and her guard moved off into the woods so that she could pick some berries from a nearby bush. The men that were protecting her were all murdered instantly, and she simply vanished.
“It was when the guard for her brother realized that she had been gone for far too long that they sent out scouts and found her protectors dead and her gone.” She stopped to search for some liquid in the cupboards behind her before turning back to the concoction and stirring some of it into the bowl of herbs, “For weeks he would pass out strangely, and he would be in such a state that he is now in. When he awoke he would complain of pain, and what would be found were strange bruises that seemed to run deep into his body. He eventually began telling of the earthen walls of a hut, and occasionally a glimpse of a roughly hewn village with bodies splayed against the walls. His descriptions were so vividly like that of a village not far from here, and his reasoning unfaltering when he was told it was just a dream, that finally his father sent out a guard to appease the boy.
“When they returned, half of their number was gone, and laying in an empty wagon was the unconscious and injured form of his sister. As odd as it sounds, where she possessed fully blown wounds, cuts and abrasions were in the exact same places where young Master Satul had been bruised.” She turned to Satul and dribbled the thick concoction into his mouth gently, careful not to pour too much in at the same time.
William gazed at her steadily as his mind processed the story, “So you think that because they are twins they have… a connection of sorts?”
“It is unheard of, but yes. I feel that Lady Raven and Master Satul share a bond unlike any formed by marriage or blood.” She turned back towards him, setting the bowl down, “If this is indeed like the last time- I believe that perhaps Lady Raven was not killed in that fire.”
“Could that happen though?” William asked in awe, “We looked everywhere, and could find nothing!”
“It is said that the source of that fire was unknown, couldn’t it be that the fire was unnaturally started in order to cover a kidnapping?” She asked, looking at him with serious, stormy grey eyes.
“The servant…” William muttered, “I’ve got to go!” He said hastily, running from the room to search for his brothers.
Park and Calder were out near the stables, tending to the three dragons and conversing amongst themselves softly. Max was sparring with a few soldiers nearby, laughing merrily even when he was struck several heavy blows. William stopped to catch his breath before they saw him.
Chapter 20
“William, what’s the matter?” Max caught sight of him as he ducked a blow that would have knocked him off his feet, he held up his hands to signify a break in the duel.
“Satul is ill, and his nurse just gave me some interesting news.” William replied, looking towards Park, whose head had snapped up when Max had called to William.
“What kind of news?” Park questioned, leaning against the dragon.
“News that perhaps Raven is not dead.” William said simply, making his way over to Park and Calder, “But that perhaps she is indeed in danger.”
“How so?” Calder asked, and William told them everything that Satul’s nurse had said to him.
“It makes sense now…” Park muttered, “That out of control, raging fire. I can’t believe that that woman would kill so many innocent people, and what’s with her interest in Raven? Satul knows, and I’m certain that his father does too. We need to get the information and then start sending out search parties.”
“Park, we don’t know where she could be at all.” William said, “It would be foolish to waste our energy when she could be a great deal distanced from us.”
Park bowed his head, nodding, “I know…” He muttered softly, “But I just want to find her…”
“You go sit with Satul until he awakes, I’ll go talk to the elderly king.” William said.
“I’ll go with Park.” Calder said smoothly, “And you ought to take Max with you. If either group finds anything out they are to seek out the other before taking any action.”
Park nodded, “Sounds like a plan to me.”
“Same here.” Max and William chorused, heading off to find Raven and Satul’s father.
Calder and Park quickly finished with the dragons and headed off to the medical wing. They sat near Satul’s bed for nearly three hours before the man awoke, gasping shallowly and clutching at one of his arms in an unconscious gesture. “Satul.”
Park said coolly, “You’ve got some explaining to do.” The man looked over at him listlessly.
Chapter 21
Kindra sat in her room silently, worry knotting in her belly. She’d heard nothing of the battle yet, and it had already been two days. How had it gone? How many lives had been lost? She didn’t know anything, and that was worse on her worrisome mind. She’d been unable to eat, to drink since she’d sent her men to battle the horde of demons, and what of William?
Ah, William, now that was a subject that she could allow her mind to dwell on- how was he? She worried for him, a man that she’d only just met, almost as much as she worried for the lives of her soldiers. He was handsome, and had an intelligent air, something that intrigued her more than anything.
She stood, unable to deal with sitting a moment longer and began pacing her room. "Majesty!" A servant burst into the room, "They're coming home! The tower guards saw the men on the horizon, they're coming home!"
Kindra gasped, nodding, "Tell the cooks to prepare a feast, and the nurses to prepare beds and medicine just in case. Also- tell the people that their soldiers are coming home, and to greet them warmly!"
"Of course!" The servant bowed low and quickly fled the room to give the queen's news.
Kindra quickly moved to her closets and pulled out an elegant red and black gown, she slipped out of the old, dirty one from the day before and into the fresh gown before quickly raking a brush through her hair. She tied her hair into a tight knot at the base of her neck and washed her face before exiting the room, preparing to greet her wary warriors.
It was another hour before the men were easily seen from the streets, marching with grim faces and pulling behind them several wagons in which their dead rested. The people cheered and threw freshly picked flowers at their feet, some of the daughters, wives, husbands, mothers, and fathers swept into the crowd of warriors when they didn't see their loved ones and placed rings of flowers within the grim wagons.
The warriors were well greeted and cheered for until they reached the steps of the palace, where Queen Kindra greeted them herself. "My friends," She said warmly, "How glad I am to greet you here today, I can only assume that the battle was a success with the smiles on your faces, but that the losses were heavy with the frowns in your eyes."
"Aye my lady." A soldier spoke up, "The battle was a victory indeed. The demons may have claimed many of our lives, but we claimed many more of theirs and have been able to bring the dead back home for proper burial."
"We will hold the funerals of all whom we lost tomorrow." Kindra said, "For now rest, eat, and allow your wounds to be rebandaged, and for the wounded to be placed in the newly refurbished medical wing- which will be in the west wing from this point onward."
The men bowed their heads in understanding, and followed as their brilliant, kind, and beautiful queen led them into the castle. Kindra smiled, though her eyes grew misty with tears as she heard them following behind her, and heard also the sounds of the wagons being wheeled towards the cemetery. She felt a mixture of happiness and sorrow- she still didn't know what had happened to William.
Several shadows flitted overhead, and her gaze snapped skyward, catching sight of three dragons hovering to a landing nearby, "My lady, the King of Meritates wishes to reward your generosity in giving us the aid that we needed so greatly." William said strongly as he leapt from the dragon's saddle with a grin on his face and a scroll in his hand, Kindra smiled back and waited for he, his brothers, and Calder to reach her.
Chapter 22
"What's the scroll?" Kindra asked curiously when they'd regained their breath and the group had entered the castle as one.
"This is actually two different things." Park said, touching the scroll, "It is in a sense a deed to some fertile farmland between the two countries, and it is also an invitation to a ball at Meritates royal palace to be held three months from now."
“How exciting.” Kindra said with a smile, “Tell me, how did the battle go?”
“It was a long battle.” William said, “We attacked during sunset as had been planned, and once the sky grew dark their ranks were then filled with confusion. Near dawn they fled and we were able to enter Meritates, victorious. Those that died did so with honor.”
“I see.” Kindra said, her smile faltering, “It is quite the burden to bear- knowing that because I sent my soldiers to Meritates beds will be empty in the village and families will be mourning.”
“At least those that returned will have beds to return to.” Park said frowning as he thought of his own people- the last he’d known they’d fled to the catacombs and the village had been in flames.
“Indeed.” Kindra said, noticing his frown and remembering that his village had been destroyed, “I am sorry for the loss of your own village, and I hope that I will be able to aid in rebuilding it.”
“It would be an honor to have your aid.” William said, “But alas, we cannot travel back just yet. We’ve got our own responsibilities, and a dark army to defeat.”
“Understandable.” Kindra nodded, “I wish you luck.”
“Thank you, my lady.” William bowed low in respect.
“Tell me- will you gentlemen be spending the night?” Kindra asked.
“Yes, we’ll stay until the funerals have passed. Those men served dutifully beneath us, and it is only right for us to be here to send them on into the afterlife.” Park said.
“We’ve held off on the funerals of those who died in the fire as well.” Kindra said, “They’ll all get an honorary burial, I only wish that we knew who was who.” She frowned, “That fire is still a mystery to my men.”
Park, Max, William, and Calder exchanged glances, they knew who had caused it, and they also knew why. William wanted to tell Kindra more than anything, but he and the others had been sworn to secrecy- a secrecy that had lasted for many years. “It is troublesome to think that such a fire could have burned long enough to grow so massive without being noticed,” William finally said uneasily.
“Indeed, I’ve strengthened the guards around the palace so that such a tragic incident won’t occur again.” Kindra replied as evenly as she could.
“I’m glad; it’s hard to lose so many lives like that.” Max murmured softly.
“Indeed.” Calder said, “I wish that I could have gotten here sooner than I did.” He looked down.
“All those that died weren’t due to your not being here immediately.” Park said, “Things like that happen, and there’s nothing we can do about it except to move on, and keep striving to make things better.”
Chapter 23
She was in a strange, foggy place. Perhaps it was somewhere between waking and sleeping, perhaps she was dead, or perhaps she was even just simply floating there. Nothing odd about that, right? She felt no pain, but neither did she feel happiness. It was a place void of emotion, of feeling, void of everything that she’d felt in life. That reason in itself was perhaps the reason that she thought she was dead.
Her body remained still, she couldn’t move no matter how much she thought on it- why did she have to try so hard just to so much as twitch her nose? It was confusing; her mind was still groggy and couldn’t recall what had happened, what had brought her to that foggy place. “Hello?” She tried to call out, though no sound escaped her lips she could hear the word echoing around her.
She blinked in mild confusion- the only action allowed her in that strange place, "Where am I?" Again, no sound, and yet it seemed to echo as though she'd shouted it.
"You are in the realm between dream and reality." The voice startled her.
"Realm between dream and reality?" She asked, confused.
"It is nothingness and everything, the one place where rest can truly be regained. May I ask why you're here?" The figure of a young woman hovered over her, delicate silver tresses spilling over her shoulders, and beautiful, mysterious grey eyes gazing at her steadily.
"I... I don't know." She answered honestly, "I just woke up here."
"Strange." The woman said, cocking her head, "You look human to me." She poked her experimentally, "Normally humans can't enter this realm. Tell me, how do you feel?"
"I can't feel anything, I can't even move." She replied in an uncertain tone.
"I see." She looked disappointed, "You should go home. If you stay here much longer, your body will shut down. It can't handle the strain of this place."
"How do I get home?" She muttered.
"Why the same way you came." The woman giggled as though it should have been common knowledge.
"I told you that I didn't remember how I got here." She ground out.
"Oh, well that can bode trouble." The woman replied.
Chapter 24
"Can't you send me back some other way?" She asked, blinking.
"I don't know, it's never happened before." The woman replied simply, "I could always try. But... it could be fatal you know."
"And what if I stay here?"
"You'd more than likely die." The woman shrugged.
"I'll take my chances with going back." She muttered, exasperated.
"I wonder though," The woman said curiously, "Do you really want to go back?"
"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?" She demanded.
"What ever thrust you into this realm will be waiting for you when you return." The woman said, "I sense a great evil."
"I can't just stay here, please; you must understand that there are people that I care about." She said, sighing, "Besides, it's really disconcerting being in here..."
"I will try to send you back," The woman said, looking slightly sad, "Despite the fact that you've not moved, you've been wonderful company. It's been many years since any other being has conversed with me. I almost miss society now... But I like my solitude, and I like being able to keep the balance between worlds."
"I've never met anybody quite like you..." She said softly, "Though I must say you've been wonderful company yourself, though I can't lie about the fact that at a few points you were a little annoying."
"Alas, it's because I've been so antisocial for so long. I say what I think without really thinking about it if you know what I mean." She grinned at her.
"I do know the feeling of saying what you think." She said simply, "It is my own curse after all." She laughed, and the woman laughed with her.
"I will think oft and fond of you, for sharing laughter with me." The woman said solemnly, "But now it is time." A staff appeared in her hand; it was delicately carved and had many unusual designs on it. The top looked almost like a dream catcher, its feathered beads tinkling in an unknown breeze, "My name is Mika." She said softly, "And yourself?"
"Me?" She seemed uncertain for a moment, why couldn't she think of her name?
"Is something the matter, please, what is your name?" Mika asked in an almost urgent tone as the air about her began to whirl quickly, she could hardly see Mika, and her dark hair was being blown to and fro with the breeze.
"It's... it's..." She faltered, and then smiled as she remembered, "It's Raven." And then she'd vanished from that strange void, and descended into darkness.
Chapter 25
She awoke in a darkened chamber, the flame of a candle flickering eerily above her. The place was familiar, and she remembered that she’d awoken in it before. She struggled to sit up, albeit dizzily and with her body feeling heavy and mildly numb still. “Mika…” She mumbled, “You did it… thank you.”
Raven stood up, nearly collapsing, but forced herself to move. She knew that she wasn’t home, and she knew that she wasn’t safe. Occasionally she’d get flashes of her past kidnapping and fear would tear through her so quickly that her legs would turn to jelly. But this wasn’t the same, she was a grown woman, and she was smarter. She wasn’t as lost as she had been back then.
She skipped over the door, knowing that she would never have a straight shot at escape, she had to do it secretly, and without them noticing that she was gone. She turned to the metal table that she’d been lying on, and with a moment’s concentration, a hazy mirror image of herself appeared with its eyes closed. She refused to make any mistakes that would get her caught before she even had the chance to escape.
Mutely Raven thanked her mother for teaching her the trick after she’d been rescued those many years ago, and finally she sought some sort of air vent or window. With a frown she did notice a window, though it was rather small, and she got the feeling that if she went into it wrong, she’d be stuck and indefinitely in a bad situation. She sucked in a breath and moved over to the window.
Its glass was thick, and she knew that it would most likely make a sound that would draw attention to the room, but that gave her faux self an opportunity to make itself doubly useful. She called it over and drew back her fist, cringing as she thrust it forward and the glass shattered, lacerating her left hand which she immediately drew to herself before brushing the jagged glass from the window and boosting herself up.
Raven slipped through the window with little difficulty and entered a dark wood with tall, ominous trees that reached skyward, their bony fingers gnarled and twisted in pain. She sucked in a deep breath and turned to her illusion, which was attempting to slip through the window behind her, though it stopped halfway, stuck. “Good.” Raven laughed softly, “Stay like that until they find you, once I clear the area I’ll call you back to me.”
She took off at a light run into the trees, avoiding fallen branches and crunchy leaves that might give her away. She heard the exclamation of surprise as her illusion was grabbed and most likely dragged back into the room. Soon she’d be free of that wretched place that sent chills down her spine, and she desperately hoped that she would not be noticed until she distanced herself.
Raven’s feet sank into a sludgy marsh that sucked at the bottoms of her shoes and threatened to absorb her straight into the ground. But she ignored the sickening suction every time she stepped. She ignored the insects that buzzed around her head, and the snakes that slithered through the water.
Briars scratched at her bare arms and snagged her gown in many places; eventually she ripped off the base of her drenched and torn skirts and allowed them to sink into the murky water without a second thought.
Eventually sounds entered the forests, scavenger birds occasionally released harsh cries, and occasionally she could hear the frightened scream of a dying animal, each time she cringed, though kept moving. She knew that soon she’d be free of the strange wilderness, and that perhaps she would make it home soon. Raven was exhausted, driven solely by her need to escape and nothing more.
The Shard's Child 2
Stumble!