The Siege Of Drakkon: Book Three Of The Drakkon Series

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Alessandra Drakkon

Queen of the Drakkon Empire

This planet would be destroyed if I didn't make it to the shuttles and lead my father away. I race through the corridors hoping that my instinctual sense of direction would lead me true, I did not want my father to kill off an entire planet full of people just to get to me. The treaty would just have to wait to be signed, though I hope Asriel didn't do something rash because our deal would be delayed. I dodged past falling debris and people running around in a panic, hoping I remembered the way down to our shuttles. Beyond all odds we actually manage to end up at the patio, where our shuttles are sitting undamaged for now. I skid to a stop as I debate the odds of me being shot out of the sky by my father, these were Aurelie weapons not the invaders or rather the Nisha's I had no guarantee that these weapons wouldn't hit me. "Stop! I am going on that shuttle alone, the rest of you are going on a different one." They all stop in front of me, looking confused and outraged by my orders.

"Your majesty! We have to protect you!" Talon was outraged by the thought of me being unprotected and alone on that shuttle, all of my guards were but that didn't stop me from knowing that this was the right decision.

"Protecting me doesn't mean you have to die with me!" My father was still shooting at the castle from the other side, shouting profanities at me the entire time, but we just ignored all the destruction going on around us as we spoke.

"Alessandra don't be foolish! We need to get out of here and this is wasting our time!" Caius was merciless in his retort to my concerns, but he proved something to me that I didn't want to accept, they were all willing to die for or with me, they would not leave me by choice, so I would just have to take their choice away.

"I'm sorry about this, I know that you would never willingly allow me to go off alone into danger, but I am just not willing to risk your lives in this, so I am going to take your choice away." Talon is the first to clue in, my other guards not far behind, having all seen me do it before on Solveig.

"Wait!" Talon shouts out, his hands spread out in a stopping motion, his eyes tinged with desperation.

"No!" Yanza is next, trying to shake her head in denial, refusing to believe that I would take this choice away from them, but they had left me with no other option. "You can't do this, your majesty!" Too bad for them, I very much could and would do it, better for only one of us to die than all of us.

"What is everyone talking about? Alessandra what are you about to do?" Caius was so confused, having never properly seen my ability, or heard of it and dismissed it as fiction, he would be a believer soon either way.

"Yes, I can and will. I'm sorry Caius, but its better if only one royal dies rather than two." His eyes widen and his face goes panicked as he realizes at least part of what I am about to do, sacrifice myself for them.

"Don't do whatever you're thinking of doing Alessandra! My life is not worth as much as yours!" His voice was tinged with panic, no doubt knowing that I had a way to force them to listen if I was so confident and my guards were so panicked.

"Go back inside King Ronan's castle and only come out an hour after I've left." After that much time, I would either have subdued my father or I would probably be dead, either way it would be too late for them to do anything.

Their eyes deaden and go blank, their mind and body overtaken by the command so that they have no choice but to do as I've said. I close my eye and a tear drips out, I didn't want to die, but I would if it spared all of their lives. I feel a nudge on my back, and I turn around, staring mournfully at Nova's face, knowing that I chose to leave her behind as well, not that she would like it. "Just wait right here for a moment, I'll be right back." I lie to her and hope she can't tell, that she trusts me enough to ignore the feeling that tells her something is wrong, I run to the closest shuttle, boarding it and strapping in quickly. "Start engines!" The engines flare to life, upon my command, making me thankful that there was indeed an A.I. on the ship that could fly it for me. "Fly off this planet now!" My father would notice the shuttle taking off and automatically assume it was me fleeing, he would give chase, but wouldn't destroy the shuttle until he had confirmed I was indeed on it, he couldn't make the mistake of incinerating it and leaving no body behind to confirm my death.