40: The Duty Of A King's Guard

The message was sent via root mail. Philip insisted it was the most efficient and fastest method among our options. Our options being as follows; Lucius could write a message in the sky, but then if you could decipher the code it would be written in then we were practically announcing it to the whole of Kreatier, Brise could have brought the message on foot, but I feared for her and the people who'd get in her way so we decided not to go with that and the last option, Rowan could send the message via lightning, but that was a no-no as it would probably disintegrate the paper before the message could even be sent.

Whatever the case, the fact remained, we didn't believe a thing Cyr had said. It was impossible, King Arthur couldn't have dethroned Prince James, he knew that Prince James was his only living relative. And what reason would be great enough for the king to dethrone his own nephew, surely if it were true it would be of enormous hindrance to the Prince's ability to rule. It couldn't have been true, the king would never have done something so unreasonable, right?

We were left wondering this even when we got the reply: Suspend Mission. Return to the Castle as soon as possible.

There was no room for objections, we simply had to get up and get going. And that's what we did.

Brise and I easily escaped suspicion from Toby, at least, when we said we needed to check up on our drunkard of a mom. We left the guys to come up with their own covers. We departed early in the morning. The giant forest was located on the border of the province of Cathermine and Lozs. Lozs being the capital where the royal castle was located. The journey consisted of several carriage rides and a shortcut walk over a fissure via a long rickety bridge, a walk through a water fairy village and a troll tunnel. I'm not sure how Toby manage to transport Brise and I the first time, but magic makes the ridiculous child's play.

After what was probably half the day Brise and I caught the first sights of the capital town. We took off our cloaking devices and made our way into town. All the while, I was on the edge, hoping what we'd been told by Cyr was nothing but a lie. But the closer we got the more obvious the truth became. We wouldn't have been asked to halt the mission if it weren't true. If it weren't true, they'd have simply confirmed it, right? It must have been true. But with that notion strung along many new questions. And the worst of all I was unwilling to consider. There was a spy in the castle, maybe even closer to the king. Who could have informed Cyr?

That's when we heard the first scream. And then the scent of smoke became obvious. Followed by loud crashing sounds and more screams. Brise didn't think twice, she ran right towards the source of the rising thick black smoke that laid itself over the town. I followed immediately. We rounded a corner only to be met with a stampede.

People pushed and ran and fought to get away. Driven by fear, even the sanest turn into animals. I lost Brise among the crowd. And almost had myself toppled standing in the river that was the stampeding crowd. But when the crowd passed she was nowhere to be seen. No, she was already rounding another corner. I pushed to catch up with her, to reach the fire.

The fire quickly swept up a whole block of buildings in the flames. But what caused the stampede if not the fire?

Standing before a burning building was a small crowd of people. Among them was a weeping woman being held back by two grown men. "My baby!" she cried out, struggling against their grips.

I halted, but Brise continued onwards. It seemed the fire was not her target. Though it were mine.

I ran into the flaming building. But it was almost nothing but flames and more flames. The child, wherever he was, wouldn't have survived such heat or the heavy smoke. Though I didn't yet give in, not when I saw that there was a second floor. But the stairs had been burnt to smithereens and there was no other way up.

I stood on my toes and stretched out my arms. I was desperate, dragon or not, I needed those wings. And I needed them now. But, alas, they did not come. Then I heard a baby's cries and I didn't have time to waste being disappointed. I climbed what was left of the stairs, a burning wooden pole. I slipped and fell, and again and again. And the more time I continued to waste.

After several failed attempts, I reached the second floor but the moment I did the pole fell. I grabbed the nearest object which happened to be a rail. I hefted myself up and onto the floor. I scrambled to my feet and searched every room, only to be hit in the face with smoke and blaze every time. The very last room, however, held the baby in a crib. A sweet little bundle of cuteness laid in a blanket, chest barely rising. My throat squeezed as my eyes glassed over. I wrapped him in my scarf, took him in my arms and found the nearest window. Standing on the window seal I stared down at the crowd that had dwindled to only two people, a man embracing the child's weeping mother.

The man was the first to see me. When he did his eyes went wide as he tapped the woman on the shoulder and said something to her. She turned round and relief overtook her face. She reached out for her child.

Then the window crumbled and I fell. Only we never reached the ground. Somewhere along the way, my body gave in and gave me what I needed. I hovered over the couple, reached down and placed the baby in its mother's arms. I placed two fingers on his chest, pushed slightly, and sucked in the smoke expelled from his lungs. He took his first breath and I knew he'd be alright.

"who are you?" the man asked, holding the woman securely.

"I'm," I faltered. "I'm a king's guard."

My wings flapped and I soared, above the buildings I went, higher than my fears could hold me down. My first sight happened to be Brise, fighting. She was now wielding two wavy daggers, racing towards a tall slender man who had his back to her. He turned round, his fists growing grey. From the looks of it, they also became very heavy, because they weighed his shoulders down, forcing him to a slouch. Brise reached him, but he raised his fist and slammed it into the earth. She hopped back in time. He swung his heavy fists and only warded Brise off. She held her daggers forward and inched towards him. He brought his fists down on her and for a moment I could only see dust. I dove towards them, when the dust cleared, and the result became known. The man laid in the crater of his own making, chest pooling with his own blood, as Brise raced off after her next target.

She easily caught up to the pair next, who seemed to send tremors through the earth as they moved. Joining them in the middle, she lowered her daggers and slid them against the men's thighs. They both fell, almost simultaneously. And Brise continued towards her next target, a large man, at least three times her size, who was smashing in buildings and destroying everything in his path. But when her previous targets dropped they pulled the earth from under her feet, like pulling the carpet out from under her. They clawed and forced the earth back in waves. Brise didn't realize what was happening till her target was getting further and she wasn't getting any closer. She halted, and turned round, through a few loose strands that fell over her eyes, I caught the deathly glare she sent the two men.

I reached her before she could reach them, picked her up by the shoulders and brought her over the earth carpet. Before she could stab me I made myself known.

"It's me Mo," I said.

She looked up at me. "December?"

I sighed. "Yeah, December."

"Where the hell were you, taking a nap!? These bastards are destroying the capital!"

We reached her next target. "Been busy. Do I drop you or?"

"Drop me," she said, steely.

And drop her I did. She fell onto him, drove her blades into his shoulders and down his back. He roared and crashed into a building. She hung on by her daggers, swinging to the direction of his swaying body, when his tail came up and swept her out of the air. She flew right into an alley slapping into a wall. Another figure appeared above her on the roof of a building holding a long slender blade. The new opponent descended on the unconscious Brise. Before they could meet I intercepted, the sword-wielder dropped onto my back. I rose over buildings and towards the forest. It was only a matter of time before she realized who I was and then she'd turn on me instead. Just as we reached the edge of town, a sharp pain shot throughout my back and we began to plummet. I landed in a bush of berries and began to rise when a long blade skimmed my throat. Her cold grey eyes met mine and I knew mercy would not be considered.

"any last words?" she asked.

"I hope you never get to meet Brise or Philip."

She smiled slightly then her sword dropped and she trembled to her knees, just after a clap of thunder. And then I saw Rowan, aiming a glowing blue wavy rod that threw sparks here and there, over a large brilliant bow.

I considered adding Rowan to the list above.

Philip and Lucius arrived after him. But Philip met me before Lucius and Rowan could. He held me by the arms and forced my eyes to his. "What happened?"

"The capital is under attack."