Prince of Fire | Dragonfire Book One

Capitolo Trentadue

It took many days and nights to finally capture and stake the prince of the night, Dracula himself.

~ The History of the Order

Chapter Thirty Two

Dante and the rest of the dragons waited at the meeting spot, near the edge of a vast forest. They were early, but he kept checking the time on his phone and fidgeting. It was abnormal for him to be this anxious before battle. Hell, he was the general of the Draconic forces and had been in many brutal, bloody wars throughout history. But he was nervous now. Perhaps it was because Elena would be here. Or maybe that this was the battle where he would be fated to be banished into hell. He even had nightmares the night before.

By now, he could recite the prophecy.

Blood and tears and broken bones,
Sleep eternally on the battlefield.
The prince of fire stands amid,
With an army and weapon to yield.

Bitter betrayal breaks the warrior,
But none so like the mate.
The prince of fire will go to hell,
Forever closed, the gate.

And now the day of, the prophecy was no less confusing than the day Finn had said it. Dante couldn't envision Elena betraying him in any way. Her forgiveness had been genuine; he had felt it. And what army did he have? Was a handful of dragons and a few teams of hunters considered an army?

But the feature that confused him the most was the weapon. Finn had said that the Iron Reaper would play a significant role in the battle, but it was still lost.

"Finn?" Dante called out quietly. He knew the others could hear him, but the softer volume was there to indicate the need for more privacy.

"Yes?"

"The prophecy stated that I was to have a weapon, the Iron Reaper, yes?" Dante asked. He heard a faint hiss of surprise from behind him. Eon. But he ignored him for now.

"Yes," Finn said, stretching out the word. "I did See it in the battle."

Dante frowned. "I tried to look in the treasury when I went back to gather allies, but I couldn't find it. I don't understand. I'm supposed to have it, and it's already the day of," he said.

He heard Eon approach them from behind, but he was still taken aback by the hand that gripped his shoulder. "The Iron Reaper?" Eon asked. His tone was urgent.

"You know about it too?" Dante asked, looking at his sovereign.

"Unfortunately, yes," Eon said. "Phineas, you said you Saw it?"

"Indeed," Finn said. "Do you know what it does? I'm too involved in this battle to get a very clear image of anything that will happen. I'm surprised I even Saw this much."

"The Iron Reaper can cut through space to open portals to the underworld - hell - and it can seriously injure any creature, even us. One nick brings pain, the second mark impedes our healing capability, and the third kills us," Eon said gravely. Chills ran through Dante's body, and Finn stiffened. "And the last time I saw it, it was in Dracula's hands."

Shit, Dante thought. Not the news he wanted to hear on the day of the battle. "If he has it here today, I suppose I'll have to go and forcibly retrieve it," Dante said. "And make sure that I don't get cut three times. Is it three times within a day? Or three times total?"