Chapter 32: Escape from Bermuda

Alyssa

Gloria had entrusted us to get our traveling clothes on and pack our things that would be easy to carry, and that meant that all of us had to leave our dresses, suits, and some of our everyday attire. Our bags have to be as light as possible. No one was allowed to go anywhere alone since we didn’t know if enemies were inside the Citadel. Honestly, none of us could believe that this was happening.

“You okay, Alyssa?” Izzy touched my shoulder. “You still look pale,”

My head was still pounding, and my body was weak, but I tried to shake it off. “I’ll be fine, but it doesn’t matter how I feel right now. We are all in deep shit, and we have to fight our way out of here,”

Izzy and Megan looked at each other. “Are you ready?” Megan asked me.

“I don’t want to answer that question, Megan,” I said.

“We have to hurry, we don’t have much time,” Megan said.

Izzy, Megan, and I returned to the great hall, and everyone else was ready. “You took your time,” Jacob said.

“Baby, are you okay?” Vincent gently took my hands and held them.

“I’ll be fine, Vincent. We have more pressing issues to worry about,” I kissed his cheek.

“I called Annabeth and told her the situation, and they’re going to get mom out of the hospital,” Alexandria said. “Everyone knows she’s there, it’s not safe,”

“Don’t underestimate my mate, Alex. Annabeth is a powerful fairy; she will keep Queen Rosetta and Audrey safe,” Izzy smiled and placed her hands on her hips.

“Do you think they will attack Varrfarrinn again?” Vincent asked.

“If they plan to expose the magical world to humanity, then that is the most logical move for them,” Alex said.

“But what are they doing here?” I pointed at Scarlet and Preston.

“Good question, When did they get here?” Alex said.

“Alright, everyone, now we don’t have much time. The dragons have started attacking the shield, and it won’t be long until it falls. You need to work together and get to Varrfarrinn as soon as possible.

“But aren’t you linked as well?” Kita asked Gloria.

“No, I’m the Crown Dragon; my duty is to Bermuda, and I’m not a kingdom leader. I oversee the kingdoms, but that is as far as my reign goes,” Gloria explained.

“I hate to a bitch and point out the obvious, but how are we supposed to get out of the Citadel, let alone Varrfarrinn?” Ashley said.

“You’ll have to make a run for it. I, along with Scarlet and Preston, will stay back and cover you.” Gloria said.

“Mom, no!” Skyler looked at her mother with terror.

“What matters is getting you out. You all must locate Merlin and take your parents’ place as leaders of the seven kingdoms,” Gloria smiled at us.

“Wait, didn’t you say that Merlin set the barrier up hundreds of years ago, after the Great War with the High Elves?” Caitlin said. “He’s still alive?”

“Wizards are known to cheat death countless times, but Merlin is different. During the Great War, Merlin committed many war crimes, such as the mass murder of unarmed Elven civilians, the firenado of the last Elven city, and torture. The Moon Goddess cursed him with immortality and imprisoned him. The thing is, we have yet to determine where the goddess imprisoned him. Hopefully, Rosetta will know where Merlin is; White Dragons hold the ancestral knowledge of all who came before,” Gloria explained.

“That’s a lot of hoping; the high elves wiped out almost every white dragon; How can we know if Rosetta’s ancestors know the prison where Merlin is?” Jacob asked.

“I agree, but it’s the only thing we have to go on. Everything depends on you linking to the magical barrier and ensuring our existence is sealed from the eyes of humanity,” Gloria said.

“But why would they expose the magical world?” I asked

“Some dragons, fairies, and magic users believe we are all superior to humans. But the Moon Goddess created us to be the protector of humans, to protect Earth, to be the stewards of the planet. If magic is exposed, all of humanity will unite against us, and sadly, the Moon Goddess agrees and deems that humans are not yet ready,” Gloria explained to me. “Now, all of you, get ready; the shield is starting to fall.”

“Mom, I won’t leave you,” Skyler latched onto Gloria.

“Listen to me, baby girl. You are much stronger than you know; you are a Shadow Dragon and must go with them. I’ve taught you so well, so they’ll need your help, and maybe one day, the Moon Goddess will bestow you the title of Crown Dragon,” Gloria said to Skyler. “I don’t know what will happen, but I will do whatever it takes to make sure you get out here. I love you,”

“I love you too mom,” Skyler let out of Gloria.

“My guards and I will take the lead and keep the attacker away from you. The only thing you should worry about is getting out of Burmuda. The entryway is enough for everyone to shift here then run through the door,”

“I hate to be a bother, but I’m a water dragon; I can’t fly well in the air; my body is built to swim at sea,” Kita said.

“I’ll carry you; you are quite small for a water dragon so you’ll be easy to carry when I’m in dragon from,” Jacob said.

“Excellent, I know some of you are scared and tonight has been rough, but everything depends on you working together, and take your place as leader. Get ready, and goddess be with you,” Gloria said.

“ATTENTION, PEOPLE IN THE CITADEL!”

We all jumped as a deep voice echoed through the air—that voice.

“It doesn’t matter your plans; all the leaders will die after tonight. Don’t you see it? Dragons are superior to humans, yet we cower in the shadows, hiding in plain sight because the Moon Goddess told us humans are not ready to join our society. Dragons and all magical folk are meant to rule this planet, and you are welcome to join us. But we warned those who stand against us will die,”

“Alyssa?” Vincent connected his hand with mine, and I felt calmer.

“He’s here; it’s him—the man who killed my mother,” I shivered. Everyone gave me looks when I said this.

“Are you sure?” Vincent said.

“I’ll never forget that tone, that voice,” my voice boiling with rage.

“Alyssa, look at me. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now, but you must stay with us. We can’t fight them now,” Vincent said.

“He ruined my life; I will not stop until I rip his heart out for what he did. You avenged your father, why can’t I avenge my mother?!” I screamed at him.

“I swear that he will pay for what he has done to you, but now is not that time for him to pay for the sins he’s committed. We have to focus on getting out of here and live to fight another day. You will have your chance, Alyssa, I swear,” Vincent said.

“You’re right, we have to get out of here,” Vincent quickly snapped me back to my senses.

“I guess that voice belongs to Sozin,” Alexandria giggled. “I expected more,”

“Don’t let him intimidate you. Everyone get ready.” Gloria said.

We stood amazed as Gloria shifted into her Shadow Dragon. Her scales were black as night, black as the void. No doubt she was twice the size of my dragon. I read about Shadow Dragons; solid and agile, they can blend into the shadows; they are the masters of infiltration and sabotage. Seeing Gloria towering over us was a little intimidating.

Everyone took their positions. We couldn’t all shift at the same; since the room wasn’t big enough, we decided to split into three groups. The wounded would be in group two: me, Scott, Alexandria, and Bao. I saw his banged-up face; Jeffery beat the crap out of him. I felt terrible for Renna, discovering her brother and her parents are traitors. Jacob was also in group two as he carried Kita, who would be defenseless in the water. She’ll swim alone, and they will no doubt send their water dragons to take or kill her.

Ashley, Caitlin, Vincent, and Haley will be the first group, and the last group will be Megan, Isabella, Daiyu, Skyler, and Renna.

Vincent kissed me, and I felt the power of our bond course through me. “Be careful,” I said. “I love you,”

“Same to you,” Vincent said. “I love you too,”

Izzy snickered. “You two said the L word,” Izzy then winked and gave a mocking impression of a kiss.

“Laugh it up Izzy,” I shook my head at her.

“I’m happy for you guys, and don’t worry, that guy will go down for everything he has done,” Izzy said.

“Crap, their taking down the shields,” Megan breathed deeply to compose herself.

It’s time.

Gloria blasted the front door open and flew out of the Citadel. After she flies out four dragons, which will aid Gloria, she takes down the attacker in the front. The first group immediately jumped to the sky and took off from the Citadel.

After the first group left the room, the second group started shifting. Standing next to Alexandria, I could feel my heart in my throat. We all nodded to each other; everyone was ready. We all took off and started running through the door. All I could feel was blood and smoke; I noticed Gloria biting down an Ice Dragon, and around her, her guards were fighting to protect her. Then I saw HIM!

I froze as I looked directly into the eyes of my mother’s killer. He looked back at me, giving me a small smile that made my blood cold. I felt pain in my head, and I heard his voice. “My dear sweet child, we’ll be a family once again,” A dragon on my side gave me a hard shove, and I saw Izzy’s green eyes staring at me.

“Alyssa, what are you doing? We have to get the fuck out of here!” Izzy said through the mind link.

I looked up, noticing that almost all three groups were in the air. I started to bolt away from the chaos with Izzy at my side. Above us, we could see dragon fighting. Vincent was using Lightning magic, but the color of the lightning was red.

Vincent then raises his left hand and summons a massive bolt of red lightning. He slams it into the fire dragon before him, embedding the bolt in his flesh. At this point, waves of red lightning emanate from the bolt along the air while Vincent raises his hand above it. Vincent then slams down on the bolt, detonating it in an enormous explosion of red lightning as he roars.

“THAT’S OUR MATE BITCHES!” Dahlia cheered.

Bao’s bronze dragon came up behind Vincent and took down another fire dragon who was about to attack Vincent. Wow, Bao is fast. Scarlet and Preston did their best to keep all the other dragons away. Preston fought two dragons at once but failed to see a third approach. He came up behind Preston and bit down on his wing, which allowed the other two dragons to deliver the killing blow. I looked back down to the ground. Sozin’s men killed the last of Gloria’s guards, and Gloria was fighting six dragons simultaneously, with more coming after her. Then, I noticed another familiar face.

Gabrial. That rat bastard was working on a device on the ground. I wanted to kill him but kept flying higher into the air. I saw what looked like a wind dragon charging in after me, but I heard thunder around me and saw a thundercloud cloaked in red lightning. It’s Vincent, but his body is a thundercloud. Vincent emerges from the cloud, diving downwards and striking with claws of red lightning on his right hand. He slams into the wind dragon, creating a massive burst of red lightning, killing the dragon instantly.

I never knew Vincent was this powerful. Is he using the true power of the Lightning Dragons?

The next thing happened in a haze. I soon saw fright in Vincent’s eyes and looked back to the ground. The device Gabrial was tinkering with lit up, and I noticed it was targeting me. It fired, and someone pushed me out of the way before I could react. I heard a roar of great pain as the large net wrapped around the dragon. I saw it was burning the dragon; the metal was draconite.

“ISABELLA!” I roared as her body started to fall towards the ground. I was about to fly down after her, but Vincent pushed me out of the way of yet another shot. He flew with me higher, and we both barely managed to avoid the other nets that followed. I looked back down. Izzy’s body shifted back because of the draconite, and I noticed Gabrial looking up angrily.

“STAY STILL, YOU GOLDEN DAUGHTER OF A WHORE!” Gabrial roared.

I watched as some guys took the net off Isabella; they placed draconite around her neck and dragged her to her feet. They brought her to Gabrial, but before Gabrial could make this perverted advance, Izzy spat in his face, deciding not to be intimated. Gabrial calmly wiped the saliva off his face and punched Izzy once in the chest and another on her face. Vincent prevented me from flying to her. I roared at him. We can’t leave her with them.

I saw Izzy looking up at me, slightly smiling, nodding.

Gabrial smiled at me, pulled out a blade, and plunged it deep into Isabella’s heart.

“NOOOOOOO!” Dahlia and I screamed.

I watched as Isabella tried to hold her breath, but her lung had also pierced. Gabrial looked and laughed at me. Gabrial kicked Isabella down to her back, gasping for air. My mind was frozen, and I noticed Vincent hovering beside me. Izzy looked at us, and I saw her mouth something to us. “Go,” her eyes closed, and I knew she was gone.

“We have to go!” Dahlia and Astarot yelled.

“Alyssa, we need to move; other dragons are closing in on us!” Astarot yelled.

“He killed her,” I gasped in shock.

“ALYSSA, WATCH OUT!” Dahlia screamed. I looked up and saw a giant earth dragon heading my way. Vincent and I waited to attack, but a vast Ice dragon swooped down and knocked him back. “It’s Scarlet!” Dahlia said.

Vincent was out of his trance and was trying to get me to move. Three dragons were closing in, and I turned away with Vincent, flying away from the Citadel while Scarlet stayed behind to slow them down. I tried to focus on flying forward, and ahead of me, I saw Jacob and Megan looking terrified at us. I don’t know if they saw Gabrial kill Izzy or knew she was gone. She knew by the look on Megan’s face, and Jacob felt the pain of losing his twin. I looked back as I heard a giant roar. I saw Scarlet’s body fall, and the remaining dragon hovered there, anger on his face.

Vincent shot balls of light at him, but he quickly retreated. We all turned away, heading to Varrfarrinn.

Annabeth

Audrey, Dr. Solus, Rosetta, and I barely escaped the hospital before someone attacked it. They tried to sneak out of town, but the royal guard spotted them. Dr. Solus and I used our magic to subdue them, and Audrey was looking after her mother, who was still relatively weak.

“We have to.” But then I felt a searing pain and collapsed to the ground screaming. “Iz-zy,” My hand was on my chest, feeling my heart breaking, the mate bond breaking; this is not the pain of rejection.

“Annabeth? Anna, what’s wrong?” Dr. Solus said.

“She’s gone!” I cried out. “Solus, go and cover Rosetta; I’ll deal with these bastards. GO!”

Dr. Solus noticed the pain fury, and sorrow in my eyes. I pulled out my bow and arrow and waited for them.

“Where is the white dragon?” Said a male warrior of Sozin.

“Answer us, or we will make you?” Said the female warrior of Sozin.

I quickly spun around, sticking one of my arrows deep into the guy’s throat. I then grabbed another arrow from my quiver, rolled forward, drew my bow, and loosed an arrow straight into the woman’s heart. I walked over to the girl as she was taking her last breaths. “Find peace in the embrace of the goddess,” I twisted the arrow in her chest, and she cried out in pain; her eyes rolled over, and she was gone.

“That’s for Isabella!” I walked away from their dead bodies, fell to the ground on my knees, and cried out for my lost mate, my destined partner.

Sozin

Gabrial loved looking at Alyssa’s face as he stabbed her friend right before her. But that still didn’t make him feel any less pissed that she got away.

“I gave you a straightforward job! To bring me, Alyssa. Where is she?” I growled. “Oh, that’s right, she got away, AGAIN!”

“The others were in the way,” Gabrial said.

I punched Gabrial in the face. I knew he could taste the blood in his mouth. “Be grateful that one punch is all you get!”

“My lord! We captured Gloria as you commanded,” said my subordinate Ricky. He and another one of my men brought her to me.

“At least this night isn’t a total disaster. Long time no see, Gloria. It’s been almost twenty years. You’ve looked better!” I smiled at her.

“You! You are Sozin!?” Gloria looked at me in shock.

“Glad to see you too. Where are the kids heading?” I rolled my eyes.

“Screw you. You won’t get away with this, Elijah!” Gloria roared.

“Now, now, where are your manners? Take her to our base and make sure she stays locked up. We can run some tests on her.” I laughed. My men took Gloria away, and I turned my focus on Gabe.

“Find out where they are heading, or you’ll end up in a cell next to Gloria,” I threatened. “This is your last chance! I want my !daughter”

“Yes, my lord,” Gabrial bowed.