Skwyr Court

Lord Velal ran through the mountains, the young girl in his arms. The moon shone overhead, providing him little light to use. Instead, he sensed his way through the rocky ground, listening for the sounds of anyone coming after him.

Lord Velal, as the one most able to deal with complications, it will be your responsibility to see that the girl is returned safely.

He slid down the mountainside, keeping one arm around the girl while he used the other one to steady himself. It wouldn’t be far to get to the court. If he could make it, they’d both be safe. At least, if he could make it back to the rest of the waiting officers.

By now, Lady Emgard would know he had the girl. With his four most trusted knights keeping the dragon’s attention, he had a good chance to escape. But he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

He heard the dragon roar. The sound echoed throughout the mountains, thrown from one to another and back again. This was the complication he was meant to handle. He hoped his knights were all safe. They’d all figured the dragon would place more importance on retrieving the girl than on killing them, but there was always a chance they were wrong.

He ducked behind a boulder and scanned the sky. He doubted he’d be able to spot it, but any disturbance in the stars would give away its position.

As he was about to move on, he spotted a fire soaring through the sky. What must’ve been an arrow moments ago struck something large and invisible. The fire spread, fueled by magic, to cover the shape in the sky. He spotted the outline of the dragon as it attempted to shake off the spell. Even as the fires died, sparks remained behind, revealing the dragon.

Clever.

He continued through the mountains, knowing that the dragon would be able to sense him without seeing him. Now it was a matter of staying ahead of it until help arrived. He couldn’t hope to win a fight with the dragon while keeping the girl safe.

He looked down at her through the dark. She was still fast asleep, enchanted to remain so until they returned to the court. With what little light he had, he could see her white skin. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought she was a refugee from Nelaro. Her white skin would stand out enough in the court, but the streaks of red in her hair — the mark of one touched by a dragon — would ensure people looked at her differently for the rest of her life.

His mind went back to a little boy with scars over his face and bandages over his eyes, lying in a bed in the court hospital.

You can bring her back, right?

There was such hope in the little boy’s voice that Velal couldn’t have said no if he’d wanted to.

I swear on the name of His Majesty King Fohra that I will bring her back.

There was no stopping him. He would keep his promise, even if the dragon found them. There was every possibility that they’d be found; it was becoming more likely with every moment that he stayed in the mountains.

Up ahead, another complication found him.

A light shone in the dark. It was like looking at a pearl, full of pinks and blues, but overwhelmingly bright. Velal shielded his eyes from it, taking a step back.

Once it’d gotten his attention, the unicorn lowered her aura.

Velal took another step back and tightened his grip on the girl.

“I mean you no harm,” he said, keeping his voice respectful and calm. “I seek passage back to Skwyr Court.”

“I know, Velal.” Her voice was soft, gentle. “You may pass through these mountains unharmed. But the girl may not. Give her to me so I may kill her.”

“I am under oath to protect this girl.”

“She is dragon-touched,” it said as if that explained everything.

“I can see that. The dragon that did this—”

“Is on his way. A unicorn can always sense a dragon in her territory.” The unicorn tossed her head to the girl. “That thing you hold is an abomination. It must be removed from this world.”

“I have a better idea,” a new voice said. It was low and smooth, calm and confident. The voice of one who was used to getting his way, who had nothing to fear.

The dragon landed on his other side with a crash, his invisibility spell gone. The ground shook, nearly throwing Velal off balance. The unicorn held her ground, raising her head in disdain.

“Valignatiejir.”

“Shisona,” the dragon said. “So good to see you.”

Velal looked from one to the other. He had his back to the mountain, keeping them both in view at all times. He could hold the girl with one hand and fight back with the other if necessary. And his knights wouldn’t be far behind Valignatiejir, nor would Lady Emgard and her mages be far away.

“That girl is mine,” the dragon said. “I already disposed of your knights. I can kill you too.”

Velal’s eyes flicked back towards the mountain caves. He knew that wasn’t true; he’d seen the arrow go up to illuminate Valignatiejir, meaning that at least one knight still stood. Even knowing that, he felt the fear of Valignatiejir’s words creep into his head.

His grip on the girl tightened once again. His chances of survival were slim, but her life was more important than his.

“You have made an abomination of this girl,” Shisona said.

“On the contrary, I made her better. Humans are so flawed and weak. You would be thanking me if you didn’t hate them.”

“I have no problems with humans, only with hybrids born of dragon magic.”

“Can the process be reversed?” Velal asked. He was sure the answer was “no”, but no dragon had ever offered them information on it. There were two types of dragons as far as the court knew: those that used the touch, and those who saw it as a perversion of life.

“Of course, not,” Valignatiejir said. “Why would I ever do that?”

“Irrelevant,” Shisona said. “The girl is damaged and cannot be repaired. Leave her, and you may escape.”

A rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. Clouds moved to block the moon and stars, leaving Shisona’s aura the only light Velal had. He lifted a hand and touched his helmet. The world lit up in his eyes, full of blacks, whites, and grays. Even if he could see, the oncoming storm was the work of Shisona, preparing to force him to hand over the girl and fight off Valignatiejir.

At least now I’ve got a fighting chance.

“Preparing for a fight, I see,” Valignatiejir said. “It’s no matter. I’ll kill both of you and take the girl back with me.”

Keeping a firm hold on the girl, Velal moved his free arm to his sword. With all three sides ready for a fight, his best chance was to escape while the dragon and unicorn were distracted by each other.

Valignatiejir stomped one massive claw on the ground, and stalagmites erupted all around them. Velal didn’t need to look back to know that his escape had just been cut off.

He kept his breathing calm, flicking his eyes from the dragon to the unicorn. No one would make a move until the others did. Thunder rumbled overhead, the storm holding until Shisona commanded it to strike.

Valignatiejir sucked in air, then growled the arcane word for “fire”, sending a wave of flame sweeping toward Velal and Shisona. Velal drew his sword, but turned his back on the fire. It washed over him as lightning tore through the sky and struck Valignatiejir.

The fire parted around Shisona, who reared up and brought another bolt of lightning down on Valignatiejir. The dragon shook it off as easily as he did the last one, laughing as it left him unharmed.

“Lightning? You’re so predictable, Shisona.”

Velal scanned the stalagmites, searching for a way out. There was a chance he could scale them, but they were at least twice as tall as he was. It’d take time to get over them, time during which he’d be unprotected. Which meant he had to get through them.

Another bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, but Valignatiejir wasn’t its target. Velal had a second to react, thrusting his sword up to catch the bolt. The magic in the sword absorbed the lightning, but the force knocked him off his feet. He grit his teeth as his back slammed into the rocks behind him. Before either could attack, he was back on his feet, looking for an opening or weak spot on Valignatiejir.

Shisona charged Valignatiejir, giving Velal a distraction he needed. He spun around and focused his ki in his blade. Using his momentum, he sliced clean through the stalagmites. His ki flowed from his sword to his legs as he ran at them, then leaped over the barrier, landing on the other side. He sprinted away from the fight the moment his feet touched the ground.

Velal ran through the mountains, but he didn’t get far before the other two caught up. Another wave of fire swept the ground behind him. He slipped into a crevice too small for dragon or unicorn, then sidled through it, pressing the girl to him.

The cliffs on either side of him shifted and spread apart. He looked up, and saw an opening not far above him. He jumped to one side, then the other. In a few leaps, he broke the surface and kept running.

Valignatiejir landed in front of him and reached out a claw. A harsh wind picked up and threw Velal off his feet, away from the dragon. Velal vaulted off his hand, letting the wind carry him away from the fight.

Shisona charged him, but he parried her with his sword in midair. He took off again once he was back on solid ground. Stones rolled beneath his feet as he ran through the mountains, looking for some sign that help was on its way.

Before help arrived, the ground shook beneath him. He stumbled, but kept his footing, looking for another way to escape. Before he could find one, he started sinking. He tried picking up his feet, but he sank too fast to get out.

“Enough of this,” Shisona said, galloping up to him. She faced him, glaring at the girl. “I’m sorry, Velal. I mean you no ill will, but that girl must die before the dragon takes her.”

He stopped sinking as the ground turned back to stone. He tried to move his feet, but they were still held fast.

“Thank you, Shisona, for holding them for me,” Valignatiejir said, swooping down behind him. The ground shook when he landed, and again with each step.

Velal focused his ki into his sword, but didn’t make a move. He watched the other two, knowing that if he did anything, they’d have a few seconds in which he couldn’t act. It’d take time to cut himself free, time he and the girl didn’t have.

Before either of them could act, words rang out through the night. The ground cracked apart, freeing him. A large chunk of the ground ripped free and carried him over Shisona’s head to a newcomer’s side.

Lady Emgard set him down beside her, allowing him to step off the platform. The wrinkles on her face emphasised her scowl that she kept directed at Valignatiejir and Shisona.

Valignatiejir roared and sucked in a breath.

“Before you act,” Emgard said, “you might want to know that I’m not the only member of the court here.”

A light appeared in the darkness. It formed into a doorway, through which stepped King Fohra. Valignatiejir and Shisona stepped back as the king tapped his staff on the ground, breaking the door into smaller lights and sending them swirling around all five of them.

“Valignatiejir. Shisona.” The king addressed them both, then turned his focus to the dragon. “Valignatiejir, there are plenty of places in this world where dragons may exist peacefully. I ask that you find one of those places and leave Skwyr behind.”

Valignatiejir let out a low growl.

“Why would I do that?”

“You may be able to kill any one of us alone, but together, we both know you won’t be so fortunate. I’ve met you now; I’ll always be able to find you, and I don’t approve of what you’ve done.”

The dragon glared at them, then looked at the girl. Even on a dragon’s face, Velal could see the longing. There was something about this girl he needed, and he was thinking of challenging the king himself to get it.

“Don’t think this is the end,” he said at last. “I’ll be back.”

“I expect so,” the king said.

The dragon beat his wings and lifted off into the air. He swung around, then flew off into the night, disappearing like a shadow against the sky.

“Shisona,” the king said, turning to the unicorn, “thank you for telling us where to find him.”

“You must kill that girl.”

The king turned back to Velal and the girl. Velal wondered what he was thinking. Was he considering it? Was that the plan? It couldn’t be; they’d worked hard to retrieve her, to get her safe, and the king wouldn’t hide his real intentions from Velal like that.

“I feel it too,” he said. “The unease that creeps inside your head. That she was never meant to be like that.” He turned back to the unicorn. “But she is a citizen of Skwyr now, and we will find her a home. We will protect her, from all threats.”

Like Valignatiejir, Shisona glared at the girl again, but unlike Valignatiejir, Velal knew what she was thinking. Her longing was not for some unknown goal, it was to see the girl removed from existence.

She broke her gaze, then nodded to the king. “We shall meet again, Your Majesty.”

“I look forward to it.”

Shisona turned and galloped into the sky. The aura around her faded until she was nothing more than a star in the night.

“I think that was enough excitement for one day,” the king said, turning back to Emgard and Velal. “It’s time we took that poor girl back to her family.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Velal said.

The three of them turned around. The king spoke words that Velal couldn’t understand, and the lights from his spell reformed into a door. The king beckoned them forward, and the three of them returned to the castle, to deliver the girl back to her family and a new life.