His eyes widened when the Shadow Elf crouched down onto all fours. His thin eyes glared up at Liam as he slammed his fist to the ground. There was a loud ringing sound that made Liam, Wilem and Jorge flinch and cover their ears.
The room vibrated and they had to steady themselves. Liam looked around and gasped.
Out of the shadows appeared elves. The once quiet room was suddenly filled with the snarls and voices Shadow Elves who had slaughtered the Alden family.
“Thank you,” one of them said. “For leading us to the talisman.”
Liam backed away, closer to the boys as the elves began to close in. He pulled the talisman from inside and it was warm to the touch.
“Oh my god,” Wilem gasped. “What's happening?”
“Use it Wilem!” Liam said quickly. The elves were getting closer. Liam caught an elf with his sword, slicing the jugular. They gasped and charged. They were outnumbering and nearly smothering him. He began to sweat and panic. He slashed through the closest ones with his sword. They reached for him and clung to his arms in an attempt to try and hold him down.
Liam’s gaze darted to Wilem. He couldn’t call his lightning, not inside, not where he could hurt the children. “Do it! Now!”
Wilem fumbled as he took the talisman from Liam's hand. “I've never done this!” he admitted and raised the talisman towards the Shadow Elves who reached for it in awe. “I call the power of Alden!”
“Who calls?” A voice boomed, filling the room.
Liam stepped back in disbelief. He could feel a low rumble on the floor. The talisman glowed yellow. There were circles of light crisscrossing and radiating from it. Everyone quieted.
Wilem swallowed, afraid of what would happen next. “Wilem Alden,” he spoke and fell to his knees as the talisman burned into his palm. He cried out, holding the talisman outstretched before him.
Liam gasped and stepped away as the glow nearly blinded them all. Out of the tiny trinket emerged a glowing shadow. The Shadow Elves ducked as the light blinded them. They all shielded their eyes and out of the talisman stepped a massive dragon. It grew and grew, until it filled the room with its body and looked down at Wilem, sniffing him.
With shining gold scales and black wings it towered over them all. It roared. The sound resonated throughout the room. Their bones shook. Their teeth chattered. The Shadow Elves trembled with fright. Hundreds of them became clumsy as they stared at the dragon and tried to flee at the same time.
As they stumbled and ran, the dragon blew fire onto them all. Liam pulled Wilem and Jorge close and surrounded them with his shield of auras. They watched from safety as the fire singed and burned every living creature in that room.
Chapter 16
Wilem held onto Liam as the fires began to die down. The dragon sat before them and bowed its head. Liam was unsure if he should let the shield down yet. They stared at the dragon, watching to see if it would rekindle its anger and turn the flames on them.
“You can come out now,” the dragon said in a female voice that sent chills through them.
Liam looked at the two little boys and saw the fear in their eyes.
“I don't know,” Wilem said. They could smell the burnt flesh in the air. It was pungent and overwhelming.
“I'm scared,” Jorge whispered, hoping the dragon wouldn't hear him.
“I know Jorge, but the dragon is part of the Alden family,” Liam reasoned. “I don't think it can hurt us.” At least he hoped not. Dragons were virtually impossible to kill.
“Well I'm not part of the Alden family, and neither are you! Only Wilem is safe!” Jorge exclaimed in a high pitched voice.
Liam sighed and looked into the dragons amber eyes.
“I will not harm any of you. You are safe.”
He nodded and hesitantly let the shield dissolve. He put his sword into its scabbard and they stood exposed before the dragon. Jorge still clung to Liam, his gripped tightening, but Wilem stepped forward.
“Who are you?” Wilem asked.
The dragon bowed its head to Wilem, its nose at Wilem's feet. “I am Vleta. I am yours.”
“Mine?” Wilem repeated in awe. “Remarkable!”
Liam put a hand on Wilem’s shoulder. “You will protect the boy? And do his bidding?”
Vleta nodded. Her golden eyes examined Liam. “And you Storm. I will protect you as well as you fight for what is good.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “Of course, I’ll always fight for what is good.”
“You can always be led astray,” Vleta said. “As all men are inclined to do at times.”
Wilem huffed. “Hey! I thought you were mine!”
“I am here to protect the Tryan race. Each realm has a secret weapon. I am yours.”
Liam nodded. “We see.”
Wilem folded his arms across his chest. “I don't,” he mumbled.
Liam ruffled his hair. “Why don't you ride Vleta down to the south entrance of the kingdom? Just you and Jorge. How does that sound?”
Wilem's eyes brightened and he nodded excitedly. Jorge looked at the dragon cautiously.
“Yes! Yes!” Wilem grabbed Jorge's hand. “Let's go!”
Liam was pleased that he could cheer up the young prince. He knew the boy didn't want to share his new prize. He imagined that at ten years old, he probably would have reacted the same way. He helped Wilem and Jorge onto Vleta's back. Wilem's smile was radiant, and Jorge held on tight to his young master.
Vleta craned her neck and lowered her nose towards Liam. She smelled him and returned to her statuesque position. “You smell tainted.”
Liam scrunched up his nose. “What does that mean?” Tainted?
Vleta didn’t respond for a moment. “I will tell you when I find out who tainted you.”
Her words vexed him, but then he reminded himself that he was talking to a dragon. Her senses must have been enhanced, who knows what she had picked up on. He nodded cautiously and looked to the boys.
Wilem was still smiling. He was happy to see that the dragon had turned into the perfect diversion from reminding Wilem of what had occurred that day.
“All right Wilem. I'll see you all very shortly,” Liam called up to the boys.
Vleta nodded to the ceiling.
“Oh yes.” Liam looked up as well. He crashed the glass and slowed its descent to the floor, so that he wouldn't harm the boys. Like rain, crystalline glass particles floated all around them. Wilem and Jorge squeezed their eyes shut and held their heads down until all of the glass was out of the air.
With a puff, Vleta outstretched her shiny black wings. They were so large and long that they filled the entire room. She took off into the air and out of the palace with the new king of Raeden, and his only subject.
Raeden was gone. Liam looked around at the burnt remains of those Shadow Elves. He’d never seen them hide so well. He hadn’t even sensed their presence. Something definitely wasn’t right, and he feared to wonder which kingdom they would target next.
***
“Liam,” Rowe said. He looked worried. The little boys sat by the fire in the center of the camp. They set up their camp west of the city after hours of searching for survivors. “That boy is a Legacy. We couldn’t find any survivors of his line. Whoever was behind the attack on Raeden will be looking for him.”
Liam nodded. He knew the implications of rescuing a Legacy. Legacies were sole heirs to a line of powers and traits. Whenever an entire clan died with one survivor, all of their powers were passed down to that individual. It was done to keep the traits alive and to be distributed in whatever offspring the Legacy bore.
“Well what would you have me do? We couldn’t just leave them in the city. That young prince is important to the preservation of our people.”
Rowe stared at Wilem and Jorge. “I know. But they will need to be hidden.”
“Of course. We’ll take them to the fairy colony. They’ll be safer there than anywhere.”
“Indeed,” Nani said. “My people would be
glad to take in the boys. Tolrin is well hidden, where no one will find them.”
Liam clasped his hands. “It’s settled then. We’ll head for Tolrin first thing in the morning.”
Rowe nodded and they all returned to camp.
“All right, let’s pour ourselves a drink.
“I’ll have some,” Wilem chimed. His licked his lips as he looked at the bottle of ale.
Liam shook his head as he sat beside Wilem and crossed his legs. “No thanks. None for me.”
Wilem held out his cup further. “I’ll take his too.”
“Sure little man. Chug away.” Rowe hid a grin as he filled Wilem’s cup with the dark liquid.
Wilem licked his lips and held the cup with both hands. He smiled and took a mighty gulp. Immediately, the ale spurted out of his mouth and into the air.
Everyone laughed at Wilem’s look of disgust, while the liquid fell off his chin.
The boy looked around embarrassed. When even Jorge joined in, Wilem couldn’t help but chuckle along. He fell onto the ground and laughed hysterically. It was the most endearing thing Liam had ever seen.
Liam sat back and watched them. He smiled at how easily Wilem fit in with battle worn soldiers. More responsibility had been tossed onto his already leaden shoulders, yet this time, he welcomed the task. He knew it was his duty to get that child to safety.
Chapter 17
The night at The Blind Cow began a whirlwind of excitement and fun for Lilae. She found herself looking forward to the evenings, when all of the work and chores were completed. At sunset, she would slip out into the warm air and find Anic waiting for her, with a hand reached out to her.
She smiled and took his hand. She followed him as he led her to a variety of places.
“Where are we going tonight?” She looked ahead with a smile on her face. She even let her hair fall free from her cloak now. She no longer cared as much about what others thought. Anic liked it, and that was enough for her.
Anic glanced back at her with a grin. “It’s a surprise.”
She giggled and quickened her step. She saw that many of the villagers were heading the same way and she and Anic were walking. People would actually see them together in public. Lilae hated their judging eyes, so she averted her own.
In the center of the market square was a stage. It was a festival of some sort. It seemed as though everyone from the village was in the square that day. Even the soldiers were gathered around the festivities. They were in uniform, as always, and drinking frothy mugs of ale.
Lilae saw Kelsi, Yonna, and a few other girls chatting with the younger soldiers. They fingered the soldier’s sword hilts and batted their eyelashes.
Lilae stopped beside Anic and looked around at the different forms of entertainment.
“What is this?”
Anic gave her hand a squeeze, and ran his thumb softly over the back of it. “Partha’s traveling festival. It comes through here at the beginning of each summer. You see,” he pointed to a box-like shape on their right. “There are puppet shows, plays and even dances.”
“Dances?” Her face paled. Lilae took her hand away and put it in her pocket. “I can’t dance.”
Anic laughed. “You don’t have to know how. I can teach you. There are only a couple of moves. We aren’t dancing at a royal ball or anything.”
She forced a half-smile. She pictured herself tripping over her own feet and embarrassing herself. She didn’t think she could handle having Anic laugh at her. “No thank you.”
Anic shrugged. “Fine. We don’t have to dance.” He waved for her. “Come on, the plays about to begin.”
Lilae followed him through the thickness of the crowd and towards the front of the stage. She shielded her face when she saw Risa and Jaiza standing with their future husbands.
It was too late. They spotted her. She took a step away from Anic as they hurried over with amused smiles on their faces.
“Well,” Risa said as she stood before Lilae. She gazed at Anic with a big grin on her face. She pushed Lilae’s shoulder. “What is going on here?”
“Looks like Lilae has a boy.” Jaiza wrapped an arm around Anic’s shoulders and leaned her head close to his face. “Meet Mr. Anic Treu. The son of the town blacksmith. I hear your father makes quite a few gold quinne a week,” she winked at Lilae.
“Really Lilae, you’ve managed to snag a man of trade. Impressive.” Risa nodded in approval. “I didn’t know you had it in you. I didn’t even know you were interested in boys, Lilae. Have you really grown up while we weren’t looking?”
“Looks like Lilae might not be a pauper all of her life,” Jaiza added. “I mean, Risa and I will be married to barons, but Anic here, makes armor and weapons for the king… Perhaps he could buy you two titles someday.”
Anic cleared his throat and shrugged Jaiza’s arm from his shoulders. He sidestepped her towards Lilae. “Jaiza. That’s enough.”
Jaiza raised an eyebrow. “What is it Anic?”
He shook his head.
“I think he’s being modest.” Risa nudged him. She looked up at the sky. “But I can hear the gold quinne falling from the sky already.”
“I just think it’s improper to talk about money. Especially with women.”
Risa’s smile faded into skepticism. “Who said we were proper? Did you know that our little Lilae here is quite an animal? I’m surprised you’ve managed to tame her.”
“What next…dresses?” Jaiza grinned. “Rouge? High heeled slippers?”
Risa laughed. “You have your hands full Anic. You don’t know Lilae like we do. But if you’re good, we’ll tell you all of her childhood stories.”
Anic was the one to grin now. “Childhood stories?” He pulled Lilae close to him. “I think I’d like to hear those.”
Risa folded her arms. “Oh yes. You’ll love it. Remember Mordrow?”
Jaiza’s eyes widened with the memory.
Lilae cringed. Oh no, she thought. Not this story.
Jaiza chuckled. “How could I forget? You see Anic, Mordrow was a little fishing village we used to live in. One time, our little Lilae decided she wanted to take a bath in the lake. Of course she was only five, but it didn’t make it any less hilarious!”
Lilae’s cheeks reddened. She glanced at Anic to see that he was avidly listening. She felt her fists ball up.
“Honestly,” Risa added. “She has an odd obsession with water. Hang out by the lake in the morning and you might get a free show.”
Lilae pushed Risa. “Shut up! All of you.” She shot a stern look at Risa and Jaiza. “What do you think you’re doing? I don’t need your opinion on everything.” Then she glared at Anic. “Don’t encourage them, Anic. You think I need you judging me too? ”
Lilae stormed off, her face reddened from embarrassment and anger. She fought her way through the crowd wanting to get as far away from the three of them as possible. She knew the whole thing with Anic was going too far. She liked him, but she feared he expected so much more from her. She only wanted to have fun, for once in her life.
Who knows how long before we have to pack and leave again?
She almost made her way to the newly finished village gates. She stood facing the gates to the roads when she overheard the soldiers standing patrol.
“Are you sure, Jessup? I think you like to spread rumors. Like the one about the dragon you supposedly saw when you were a boy.”
“Listen, I’m quite sure of it. I’m not fooling. The general really sent us here because the villages further north are being ransacked by Imperial forces. They are heading towards Partha.”
The men grumbled. “Right, Jessup.”
“I’d be on my guard if I were you. “
“You sure you’re not just trying to scare young Roddie here? The Avia’Torenians are coming from the west, not the north.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it either. But my sister is the chamber maid of the general’s wife, and she heard him talking about it. There is a force of t
wo thousand men scouring the entire realm. They never lose even one soldier, and they double every year. That force isn’t even a sliver of what Avia’Torena really has. I hear there are millions of soldiers waiting.”
“I don’t like this. Why in the name of Holy Elahe would they send us here? What can we do against these monsters?”
Lilae hid in the darkness, listening when someone pushed her into the wall. Lilae gasped as her face was roughly pressed into the cold stone of the back of the building. Her arms were pinned to her sides. She tensed, ready to strike out.
“I told you,” she heard Kelsi whisper in her ear.
Lilae froze. Her fear fleeted. She could tell that the other three girls were with her. They held her arms. She clenched her fists and tried to remain calm. She breathed carefully but her blood began to boil.
This girl just won’t let it be, Lilae thought.
Kelsi pulled Lilae’s hair, yanking her head back in an awkward position. She held a hand out to Yonna. “Scissors.”
Lilae waited. She looked sidelong at Yonna as she pulled a pair of rusty shears from her pocket. Yonna saw her looking and gave her a wicked smile. Lilae smiled back, and used her Evasion to wrench free from their frail grasp, her body flickering before their eyes, and snatched the scissors from Yonna’s startled hands.
Lilae held the pair of scissors like a weapon and grabbed Kelsi by the front of her blue dress. The girls brown eyes looked up at her fearfully, she started sniveling before Lilae even had a chance to say anything to her. Yonna and the other girls shuffled uncomfortably, their eyes looking for an escape.
Lilae was nearly a foot taller than the girl, and slowly lifted Kelsi from the ground as if it were effortless. Her toes searched for the ground but felt nothing and Lilae smiled a wicked smile, but there was no trace of humor in her cold, green, eyes.
Kelsi saw the light flicker in Lilae’s eyes and shuffled. Lilae’s smile faded when she glanced down and saw urine trailing from Kelsi’s dress and into the dirt. Lilae rolled her eyes and put the girl down.
Lilae’s shoulders slumped and she pushed Kelsi with a disinterested arm.