The World Below, page 92
‘That’s the whole point,’ I argue. ‘Today is an all-or-nothing situation. And if you don’t help, it will definitely be nothing.’
‘I am aware of the knife edge we are on, and I am not standing idly by. Elias and Georgio are watching proceedings, and the guard is ready to go on their command.’
This isn’t working. Telling her about Queen Ariana sacrificing herself for magic had only made Princess Cecily more determined to stay out of the battle today. What will make her change her mind?
‘Pris is down there fighting.’
Cecily barely flinches, but something changes in her eyes. There was also a gasp from the creature standing by the door—Pris’s father. The princess draws her bottom lip between her teeth, and it’s so reminiscent of Pris when she’s worried that it almost breaks my heart.
‘And the Dragon Queen will not let this battle turn into a prolonged war without intervening.’
Before Princess Cecily can respond, a wave of power travels through the room, then it’s as if the whole world stands still. When it is over, no one moves.
We mourn the loss,
The Worlds all weep,
Her memory safe,
The dragons will keep.
The haunting words rumble through my very bones, and a sadness pulses in my chest like a heartbeat.
‘What was that?’ I whisper.
Princess Cecily places her hand on my arm. ‘You heard that?’
I nod as I realise many in the room did not.
‘It was a dragon sending.’ Princess Cecily pauses as though listening to someone, then adds, ‘Am’rena says Queen Ariana is dead.’
Gasps ripple around the room.
A taller, slimmer version of King Maddox moves to Princess… Queen Cecily’s side.
‘Malachai?’ The word is a question.
In response, he wraps an arm around her. ‘It was inevitable this day would arrive when you retained your position in the line of succession. It is no longer enough to keep the seat warm for Queen Ariana. Now you must decide what is right for the realm.’
She doesn’t even wait a heartbeat before beckoning over a youngling dressed in palace livery. ‘Tell Georgio it is time to release the guards.’
‘Thank you,’ I say, my entire body sagging with relief before it dawns on me that I am now in the presence of the Queen of the World Below. ‘Your Majesty, I have much to do on behalf of the Dragon Queen—’
‘You may go, Snake.’ She gives my arm a squeeze. ‘And stay safe.’
‘I will, ma’am,’ I respond before hurrying from the room.
Ed’rathe, I am ready.
I meet the dragon at the agreed place and find it’s harder to climb up than it was to get down. Thank goodness for dragon magic, or it would be impossible. Ed’rathe takes to the skies, sweeping over the chaos in the courtyard. I can’t see Pris anywhere, and worry churns my stomach.
Am’ratha would tell me if she is in danger, and you would see my sister dragon fly to her rescue.
That is a little comforting. Hold on, do they think of danger as mortal peril or wounded? I can’t bear to think of either.
Let’s go a little wider and see what’s happening in the rest of the Capitol, I say.
Ed’rathe banks to the left and takes me out towards the university. As we sweep over the streets, my gaze is drawn to a group of about thirty creatures skulking in the shadows about five minutes out from the main university buildings.
No, that’s not good. Drow and Percival are the only ones there, and we will lose our command centre if they are captured. I tap on Ed’rathe’s scales.
Can you set me down in the university courtyard?
I feel rather than hear him sigh.
It is safer for you if we are together.
I can’t let anything happen to my uncle and my friend. If there is a chance I can stop it….
I understand.
Ed’rathe sweeps around and gently drops to the ground. My feet have not quite found purchase when Ed’rathe snorts a warning, and I look up to find we’re surrounded by armed creatures.
‘Grossman, what luck. We come to ensure the students stay out of the battle, and we find ourselves a couple of traitors,’ a familiar creature says.
Ed’rathe tenses beside me, and I can’t believe Giles Coronas would be stupid enough to attack a dragon. As Grossman Green steps from behind Giles’s left shoulder, his face twists into a mask of fear, and I worry that the elf may just be that stupid.
I hold up my hands in a placating gesture. ‘Now, Giles, while I am a legitimate target, you don’t want to start anything with the dragons.’
The elf sneers, and the malice in his eyes sends shivers down my spine. ‘I’ve studied enough dragon lore to know that you and he are in some way bonded, and to get to you, I must go through him.’
I don’t want Ed’rathe getting involved in this. ‘I’ll send him away.’
‘He won’t go. He will stay and defend you to the death if he must,’ Giles spits. ‘And the best thing is… if I ask even one of my creatures to not join the fight, he will not use his dragon fire in case he hurts them.’
Ed’rathe?
He is right, Noble One. I cannot return home head held high if I desert you.
And the dragon fire thing?
That is also correct. It would shame me to hurt an innocent bystander, and dragon fire is not a precise weapon. But I am still a formidable foe without it.
Resting a hand on his flank, I consider my options. I’m sure Ed’rathe can fight well, but the courtyard is not big enough for him to move with ease.
My gaze falls on Grossman Greene. The goblin has been strangely quiet. He shakes his head as if he’s urging me not to fight. Why would he do that? The air pops beside me, and I jump with fright when Mandor, Eleanora, and Euphemia appear.
‘I think this evens up the odds a little, don’t you?’ Eleanora grins with a ferocity I never thought I would see on the normally caring witch’s face.
Giles sneers. ‘You have no weapons!’
Pop.
Eugenia appears with an array of swords and parcels them out. There is even one for me, although I have no idea how to use it.
‘Where?’ I ask.
Eugenia winks. ‘The university mess hall has an amazing display of ancient weapons. I don’t know how sharp they are after all this time, so you might want to tend to the blade before we begin.’
There is a hum of magic as the others do as she suggests, but I think it’s better if mine remains blunt so I don’t inadvertently cut someone in my ineptitude.
If you position yourself near my flank, then I can use teeth and claws to protect your back.
I tell the others what Ed’rathe suggests, and we’re just getting into position when the fighting begins. Grossman comes straight for me, sword in front, and it doesn’t take me long to realise he’s as incompetent at this as I am. After one ringing blow, my sword slips from my hand, and I think I’m done for. Then, as if he’s evening up the odds, Grossman lets go of his own weapon and comes at me fists swinging.
I centre myself, ready for impact, then pull back my arm and land a satisfying punch to his jaw. As our struggle continues, I catch a glimpse of the scene around me, and it’s not good. My team all have injuries, some more serious than others. Mandor is working hard to keep Giles at bay, but the elf is ferocious in his determination to beat us. This fighting for your life thing is terrifying, and the scene doesn’t cut away when it gets too messy.
No one is going near Ed’rathe—I guess the wrath of a dragon is something to be feared after all. Still, even though Ed’rathe has our backs, we are outnumbered, and we’re tiring. If something doesn’t happen soon, then we’re done for.
My distraction costs me as Grossman lands a blow that sets my ears ringing. I shake my head to clear it, but there appear to be more creatures in front of me than there were before. My head swims, and I’m not sure if it’s a reaction to the blow or the certainty I’m about to die.
‘Keep fighting, you ninny,’ a familiar voice yells in my ear as Verona pushes Grossman out of the way. ‘Where’s your sword?’
I glance at the ground and duck one of Grossman’s swings as I bend to pick up the useless item.
There’s a groan, and Grossman stumbles back, a sword sticking out of his shoulder. Blood stains his shirt red, and the smell of warm iron hits me, sending my head swimming, and it’s all I can do to remain on my feet.
Ed’rathe roars, and the earth shakes. Grossman loses his balance and collapses, and I scan the area as Gregor and several other students close in on the rebels.
‘It’s over,’ Gregor shouts. ‘Drop your weapons.’
Most of the enemy does as he commands, but a few around Giles stand back to back, ready to fight till the end.
‘You,! What are you doing here?’ Giles snarls, pushing through his followers as his daughter moves to stand beside Gregor.
‘I know you won’t understand, Father, but I’m doing what’s right,’ Verona says.
‘You’re besotted with him, and he’s turned your head.’ Spittle flies from Giles’s mouth as his eyes spin wildly. ‘Can’t you see this madness between you and him is what we are trying to stop?’
He’s lost it, and he’s going to do something stupid. At that exact moment, Giles leaps forward, sword aimed at Gregor’s heart.
What happens next is so fast, it’s a blur of arms and weapons. Then Giles falls to the ground, a sword in his side. Verona drops to her knees, tears streaming down her face, her hands empty.
‘Dad.’ Her voice is full of pain and regret.
Behind her, Gregor clutches his stomach and blood seeps through his fingers. He stares at his wound as if he can’t believe it’s there before collapsing silently behind her.
I’m so transfixed by the scene, I almost don’t hear Mandor say, ‘Snake, it’s safe. We can take it from here, Ed’rathe.’
I do feel cold air as Ed’rathe shuffles away. Do you want to come with me?
I survey the devastation and shudder as Verona’s scream of anguish when she sees Gregor on the ground cuts me to the core. No, Ed’rathe, I think I am needed here now, unless the Dragon Queen still wants something from me.
I will be above, watching. Should she need you, I will find you.
‘Prisoners are being held in the refectory,’ Mandor says, his voice cutting through the murmurs echoing in the courtyard.
Ed’rathe launches into the sky, and I reach down and pull Grossman to his feet. He groans in pain, but he will live. I’m not so sure about Giles and Gregor. Effie and Genie are tending to them, but their wounds are serious.
‘Wait. Wait,’ Grossman says.
I pause. ‘What?’
‘Your princess still owes me,’ he pleads.
Anger washes over me, and he winces as I squeeze his arm. He’s going to ask me to let him go. He’s going to get away with this. ‘You want me to release you, don’t you?’
His head drops. ‘No, I have done some bad things, and I must pay for what I did… helped do. I have a wife and children in the World Above. It is them I worry about. I did it for the gold, to take care of them. Please, make sure they stay safe.’
I don’t know what disgusts me more—the thought that creatures would support Bernais and the council because they endorse their racist beliefs or that someone could support them for money alone.
Either way, Grossman’s family should not have to suffer for his actions. And Pris does owe him for letting us go from Wistman’s Woods.
‘I’ll do what I can,’ I say, pulling him after the others.
We mourn the loss,
The Worlds all weep,
Her memory safe,
The dragons will keep.
I repeat the words under my breath, and beside me Irene stiffens.
‘What?’ I ask over my shoulder, unwilling to take my eyes off the enemy even though no one is moving.
‘A Dragon Bonded is dead,’ Irene says, ‘That’s the dragon lament for one they consider to be of their own.’
Queen Ariana is with the ancestors, Am’ratha sends.
No! I didn’t know her well, but she was my great-aunt, and the World Below will miss her. And it couldn’t happen at a worse time. Or perhaps it isn’t as bad as it might have been. The Queen hadn’t signed the agreement, and many on our side saw her as part of the problem.
However, I bet there are some followers of Bernais who are excited about this because now they have a chance to claim the throne.
The clash of sword meeting sword rings out in the silence, then it is all on again. Aeron, Irene, and I carry on fighting in our small circle. Irene’s wound hinders her, but she is still better at this than I am.
Minutes or perhaps hours later, a shout goes up, and everyone turns towards the palace as if drawn by an invisible force. I can just make out a figure on the balcony. ‘Mum?’
Aeron bellows, ‘Long live Queen Cecily!’
Others follow suit, followed by gasps and murmurs as creatures on both sides realise what this means; Queen Ariana is dead and Queen Cecily now sits on the throne. Seconds later a thundering fills the air as figures pour around the palace like a wave.
The centurion royal guard are finally joining the fight. My spirits soar as I see the fear on the mercenary soldiers’ faces. They look like they want to run, but there is nowhere to go.
As the fighting begins again, a shout rings through the square. Somewhere above me, a dragon I know lands on the building directly across from the palace. Two figures descend—Adina and her son, Bernais. He waves, and our opponents cheer—even the mercenaries are shouting their support. Then again, being under a curse, they probably have no say in the matter.
Suddenly the fighting becomes more intense as dragons take to the sky above us, ready to protect their bonded creatures.
Get to a safe place, and I will pick you up.
Am’ratha’s voice distracts me, and I take a nick to my forearm.
No. I am staying here.
You are now heir to the throne, and I cannot protect you in amongst that.
As if in concert with Am’ratha, Irene commands Aeron to get the heir to the throne out of the square. Before I can protest, Aeron picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. He slices his way through the crowd, and I do my best to protect his back from my ungainly position.
We almost make it. Struggling through the edge of the fighting a sword comes out of nowhere and slices across Aaron’s back, finding exposed flesh where the minotaur’s armour has moved as I fought.
Aeron staggers a few steps into a side street, then drops to the ground. I roll to the side and pull my legs out from under his bulky form. ‘Aeron!’ I scramble back to his side, rip at my shirt, and apply pressure to the wound. Blood seeps through the fabric as panic surges inside me.
Am’ratha, come find me. Aeron is down.
The window is cool as I lean my forehead against it. I itch to be down there helping my friends fight. A hand squeezes my shoulder as if in sympathy, but I do not take my eyes from the scene below.
‘We are too old and not warrior enough to launch ourselves into that,’ Jasper says.
‘I know, and we have an important job to do here,’ I respond wearily.
‘Or not.’ Drow’s voice comes from behind us as he stares at the map, a paper plane message in his hand.
We rejoin him at the table, and I study the map. Nothing is different. What has changed for Drow?
‘What’s going on?’ I ask as a dragon shadow appears over the palace and the site of the battle in front.
‘I believe this is the endgame,’ Drow says.
As if his words are portents, the library door crashes open, and King Maddox appears. Although he is moving fast, his face is ashen and his eyes dull.
‘Come quick, we must go and protect Cecily and Malachai,’ he commands.
‘But the map...,’ I say lamely.
‘Go. I can keep the map updated,’ Jasper says.
Drow doesn’t need to be told twice, but I pause. ‘Ed’ruven can’t take all of us.’
Maddox grabs my hand and starts dragging me out of the room. ‘Then it is a good thing the Dragon Queen sent along Ed’rima, my brother’s Dragon Bonded. As you a Dragon Friend, he will allow you to ride him.’
My heart almost stops in my chest. I have not had much luck riding dragons, and that was with someone else on back with me. My mouth is dry as Maddox pushes open the door to the roof, and I see the silver dragon lounging beside the midnight black Ed’ruven.
King Maddox and Drow are already seated when I take my first steps towards the dragon who has offered to take me to the palace.
Hello, Dragon Friend. I have heard much about you, and I am honoured to escort you to the palace.
He stays down as I tentatively climb onto his back.
It is my honour entirely, I tell him even though I am quaking in my boots.
The dragon chortles. Do not be afraid. I will use magic to ensure you stay safe. There will be no… accidents.
Thank you.
Even though I trust his words, I grip the scale in front of me tightly as we fly over the city. He descends to the main palace balcony and uses magic to place me safely by the doors. When my feet touch the ground, my shoulders sag with relief.
Thank you, my friend.
As he and Ed’ruven take to the skies, I look across the marketplace below and at the dragon perching on the roof of the building opposite. A quick ‘far-see’ spell shows me Bernais, Adina, and Magnus Baaronson watching the proceedings.
As if in response to our arrival, Adina and Bernais climb onto Am’nera’s back. As the dragon takes to the sky, Am’rena appears from nowhere, screeching a warning, determined to protect her new Queen.
I do not get to watch the battle play out because King Maddox again grabs my hand and pulls me into a crowded room. There is Cecily, surrounded by people all yabbering at her. Before I can intervene and rescue her, the door opposite opens, and Malachai strides in, followed by Elias, who overtakes the King Consort and commands, ‘Quiet. QUIET!’
