The Kingdom of Dawn

Chapter 10: A Game of Cat and Mouse

Dedicated to xXVault_GirlXx. You are a great friend both on Wattpad and in real life. I want to thank you for all the support and ideas you've given me. You are a very great friend, and I was so excited to find out that you have a Wattpad account. Besides being a great friend, you are also a great writer, and I love reading every new chapter you put up.

"What do you mean they're not going to bring her?" Edmund was practically screaming at the messenger carrying Tarvill's message. "I gave them a fortnight, ending today. If they're not going to bring her, then we had better go get her ourselves."

"I'm afraid that will be quite difficult, your Majesty" The messenger's voice was shaking, as if he knew that the King would not like his news. "Tarvill said she ran off. They can't bring her in because they don't know where she is."

"If she is hiding from us," said Edmund, "then we must draw her out. If we cannot go to her, then we must bring her to us. Perhaps a little accident will catch her attention, a fire in an fortress perhaps." The general standing behind the messenger smiled and nodded. He knew where this idea was going and he definitely agreed that it would work.

"General Blackthorn, since you seem to agree so much with this idea, then you should be the one to execute it." The crafty tone of his voice rang off the stone walls of the council chamber. Once the deed was done, he could execute General Blackthorn for gross negligence of his duty and high treason and there would be no way to pin the crime on him later. Except for the messenger, but he had a different way of dealing with him.

Reuben quickly unrolled one of the blank parchments laying on the table in front of him and began writing. Father, by the time this message reaches your hands, I will have succeeded in the task you have given me. The armada of Dawn should arrive no later than a month after you read this. Please do not send this messenger back with a response. He knows too much, and I can not risk him telling on me. Your son, Edmund. He rolled up the parchment and sealed it, then gave it to the messenger. "Take this directly to Emperor Edmund, do not delay. Now go, both of you!"

Bowing, both men left the council chamber. The messenger immediately headed for the royal stables, where the messenger's horses were housed. General Blackthorn headed for the army barracks to summon his men.

"Saddle your horses and grab your torches, we have a special mission today. We ride to the fortress of Dusk. The enemy has infiltrated the fortress, and Reuben has decreed it must be destroyed." Blackthorn's ruffians cheerfully gathered their weapons and armor, glad for a chance to see battle.

A lone figure galloped hurriedly along the northern road. This was not the fastest route to Darnell, the city of midnight and the home of Emperor Edmund, but the messenger didn't care. He knew that Reuben was trying to get rid of him, and he had to get the information to Tarvill before it was too late. Quickly stopping beside a great oak, he slipped a parchment of his own into a knot in the trunk. The dragons checked the tree daily, and he knew that they would put this information into hands where it would be safe. This tree held many secrets, including a chest below its roots that held the sun blade, and a message to Estrella in case Tarvill died before she came of age.

The sun blade was the symbol of authority bestowed upon the ruler by the house of the Sun. Only the true ruler could draw it from it's scabbard, it simply wouldn't come out for anyone else. If Estrella drew it in front of the people, it would be irrefutable evidence that she was the true queen of Dawn.

Blackthorn and his men arrived at the fortress in the dead of night. "Surround the fortress, do not let anyone escape!" As soon as his men had the fortress surrounded, Blackthorn himself lit a torch and threw it into the pile of hay outside of the stables. After taking down the guards with arrows, his men followed suit. Within minutes, the fortress was a raging inferno.

Several men attempted to leave, only to be quickly slain by Blackthorn's men, who, retreating behind the gate, shut it from the outside, jamming it shut with their spears. Amidst the smoke and flames filling the fortress, one figure climbed steadily up the secret tunnel that led up to the dragon's lair. The one dragon who was still awake crawled over to him.

"Go," he whispered, his voice strained from the smoke "find Estrella, and bring her the sun blade. Tell her..."his voice cracked for a second before he continued, "Tell her that I loved her" As Zephyr flew off into the rising sun, Tarvill's eyes closed. He would never see the sun again.