The Dragon King's Servant: Rise of the Daemon Queen

Chapter Three: Failure

Lucian's dragon form, black as shadow with a sheen of purple to his scales,
stood twenty feet tall and seventy-five feet long. The boulder dragons,
unaware of how truly massive the Vervanian king was going to be, curled
up into a protective ball. Looking like oddly shaped boulders with jutting
rocks, they sat still, ready to outlast whatever attack he was prepared to
throw at them. Across the city he heard the shouts of other battles being
had and saw smoke rising from fallen buildings. Lucian didn't want to cause
further destruction but he had to stop the threat. 'If that means leveling a
few blocks, so be it.' He drew in a deep breath and collected his inner
energy. Scales under his belly and chest glowed with a soft pink light. As he
opened his jaws, filled with rows of dagger sized fangs, a stream of scarlet
red fire erupted. The flames engulfed the rolled up boulder dragons who
were pushed back by the sheer force of his fierce attack. Their rocky
bodies rolled into other houses and stores which collapsed further. Lucian
reached into himself and pulled more of his draconic essence. From
seventy-five feet long, he grew twice over in height and length. He towered
over the city and all the buildings. So high up, he could see the battles
around him and knew just how well things were holding up. The tide was
not going in their direction. Despite Vervania having three times as many
warriors, the boulder clan was tough and durable. There was no time to
hesitate and consider. Not when dozens of his citizens and warriors were
dying. Using his long tail like a club, he swung it up, over and down
slamming into the tightly rolled up enemy. The ground gave way and the
dragons were buried into the earth several feet. Repeating the process
twice over he put all three of them into the ground. Drawing in still more
energy to unleash another attack he prepared to release another blast of
fire. Before he could do so, he was surprised when the buried enemy
unrolled and began digging into the ground. Within seconds, they had dug
deep under the city. Lucian roared with rage and unleashed a wave of fire
directly into the nearest tunnel. The fire burned through the ground and
after a few seconds, two of the boulder dragons were forced out from their
tunnels and spat into the air. Lucian moved fast as lightning. Far faster than
a creature his size should have been able to. Grabbing the first with a claw
and the second in his jaws, he lifted up into the air and flew high.

*****

Aila leaned against the wall and sank down onto the stone bench. It had
only been a year since she had been married to Lucian. Their dating had
gone slow at first. A specification of her making. She hadn't wanted to rush
in and she certainly didn't want there to be any misunderstandings between
them when and if marriage came about. After two straight years of dating,
they had gotten married. Though there were still two more things on the
royal agenda. One could wait. The one that couldn't, was being claimed.
She had kept putting that off, wanting to experience childbirth as a human.
However, with each new threat that arose, she kept considering being
claimed. Being given that healing. She already had the immortality from
their marriage. However, without his immunity, she was still just an immortal
human. 'After this. I will ask him to claim me.' She nodded her head. Just
then, she felt a rumbling. It was faint, like the subtle vibrations of hammers
far off in the distance.
"My lady?" Marvin asked, pacing back and forth in front of the cell, noticed
her confused and concerned expression. "Is everything alright?"
Aila got up and laid her hand on the wall behind her. She waited but felt no
real vibration.
"My lady? What-" Marvin was cut off by her hand being thrust out at him.
Aila moved to the floor and placed both hands on it. Her eyes went wide
and she turned to shout but it was too late. The floor erupted under her
sending rocks spraying in all directions.

*****

The wind rushed past Lucian with each flap of his massive black wings. In
less than twenty strokes, he was five hundred feet above the city with two
boulder dragons. The one in his mouth had stopped struggling. With
sword-like fangs so close to its face and underbelly, struggling would have
resulted in an immediate demise. The dragon in his claws continued to shift
angrily but Lucian's grip was firm. Raising his snout up to the night sky, he
reached in and drew up a different energy. Red glistened along his black
scales as lightning began to crackle beyond his body. With an ear piercing
shrieking cry of rage, he unleashed a bolt of red lightning straight up into
the sky. It arced upward for what seemed like an eternity before it exploded
outward. The single strand of lightning broke apart into an entire nexus of
thinner lightning streams that continued to break away.
Looking like a red tree floating in the sky, the air imploded with thunder that
shook the heavens. Everyone below who was caught in battle, paused to
look up. Enemies, allies and bystanders were momentarily paralyzed both
in fear and in awe. Lucian could feel the sway as the battles paused. He
had a single moment. One single moment to shift the tide. He reached into
his mental capabilities and expanded his senses as he connected with
every living being across the city. His head throbbed with pain but he
pushed it away. Every enemy and every warrior needed to hear his words.
Usually it required a consent but during the lull of battle, there was no time
for such things.

*****

Marvin was the first to react and the first to be knocked down. Three
boulder dragons emerged from the tunnel they had burrowed under the city.
It had taken them the better part of ten hours but they had done it and to
their surprise, the queen of Vervania was there waiting. Like a wrapped up
present waiting to be picked up, the first dragon snatched her off the
ground. When Marvin rushed in to attack, a rocky armored fist knocked him
away.
"S-Stop!" Aila shouted, terror making her voice weak.
"Or what little queen?" The dragon who had her asked in a gravelly voice.
She had no answer as she reached into her bonds with Lucian and
connected with him. Before she could though, the dragon lifted her up and
slammed her into the solid prison wall. Aila lost all focus and breath as pain
lanced up her back and into her skull.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself girl." The dragon snarled. "The king need
not know we are here. Not yet."
"What do we do with the rest of them?" A second dragon asked.
"Kill them. We have what we came for. The king won't dare harm us now."
The first one said.
"You misjudge the love for his people." Aila squeaked out.
"Shut up!" He roared and slammed her again.
"We are leaving. Now!"
Before they could take two steps, the dungeon door opened and Maalceus
stepped in covered in blood and gore that was not his own.

*****

"Leave my kingdom!" Lucian's growling voice echoed through the minds of
everyone within ten miles of his location. His words rang out like a bell
being struck.
"Leave my kingdom. Leave my people. Abandon this battle and your lives
will be spared."
Silence continued for another several seconds. That silence was almost as
powerful as the thunder that interrupted the war.
"If you do not! I will kill you all!" Lucian ended his threat with another bolt of
lightning that exploded outward across the city. The thunder that followed
was just as loud. Again, no one moved. Everyone remained frozen and it
was in that pause that he released the dragon in his mouth.

*****

Aila shrieked as she was pulled into the dragon who opened his mouth and
lowered his fangs to her neck threateningly. Maalceus paused and looked
around the room. The guards were ready to attack but with the queen in
jeopardy, they wouldn't move an inch. Marvin's face had swollen shut but
he remained ready, one eye open.
'I am sorry brother. I failed you.' He thought and looked at Aila who held an
unmistakable look of readiness on her face as she mouthed 'do it'.