2023 Story Collection

The Isle of Dragons and The Land of Giants XII

The time had come. He stood in the center of a stone room. Liliana said it has once been used as a training room for warriors back when she was a child. Now they had new training grounds. So these were often left unused.

Standing in this room made him suddenly feel nervous. What if it didn't work? What if I can't speak through the flames?

He took a deep breath and looked to his right, where Liliana stood. An encouraging smile on her face. To his left, sat Fredor. He was looking over the list of supplies they needed for the journey, double checking that they'd gotten everything.

I can't put this off any longer. Knox closes his eyes, forcing himself to focus. To think not of this room he stood in, but of the palace he'd grown up in.

He pictures the main entrance to the palace, the gold walls, the jewels. He sees his brother walking through the space, his face filled with worry.

Knox realizes then that his brother was sober.

Knox focuses and sees the fire in the center of the room. His brother stops and turns, noticing it. He walks towards it.

Knox sees himself where the flame was. He looks around. He is in the palace, his body flames. He looks at his brother, whose eyes are wide.

"Knox?" he asks. "Knox, could that really be you?"

"It is me, James."

"Knox, I am so sorry. I was a fool."

"Yes," Knox agrees.

"How are you here?" He asks, stepping closer. "Why?"

"I am a Magician. I'll tell you more of it later. Now, what matters is what I'm here to tell you." Knox ignores the man's shock and asks for him to "Bring the maps from my office."

James does as his brother asks, scurrying quickly to grab the maps. He returns, laying them out on the ground. "Here."

Knox looks at the maps and explains to James the plan of the other kingdoms, as well as the most likely route they would take to conquer the capital first. "They will most likely try to avoid eachother until they get to the capital." James listens intently, marking things down on the maps.

"Then, would this be a good way to get the people out?" James asks, pointing to a main route to the sea.

"It would be if it wasn't the most obvious route," Knox burns a path into the leather map. "We will meet you there with the ships."

"But that's a three-day journey," James says.

It was true. The road was horribly maintained and was often hard to navigate. They would be lucky to get there in three days, but if the kingdoms decided to invade early, it would be their best chance at escape.

"It is, but it is the safest option you have right now."

James seems to think for a moment, contemplating Knox's words before nodding to himself and looking up to meet Knox's eyes.

"What will I need to do?" James asks without a hint of pride. Whatever his brother had gone through since Knox left had made him into a man. Knox smiles.

"You need to get everyone out quickly," Knox says as he burns a list into the back of a map. "Here are all the supplies you'll need."

James told Knox that everyone had fled to the capital for food and water because all their fountains had run dry except the capitals. So it was just moving all the people to the boats in time, while avoiding the army's what would soon invade.