Draconess

Chapter 4

Kendra and Salt had been excited about my battle with Zarcar. They knew the end result would be worth talking about for days, if not the rest of my life; depending on how it went. However, it was finally the night that Zarcar would attempt to take everything from me and I wasn't sure if I was ready. I had spent all day studying in the library on all the spells I could use to defeat him in a small battle.

I was focusing on illusions of the mind, sleeping spells and defence from anything offensive he may dish out. The light he played with in between his finger tips, that night he confronted me on the rooftop, was something I hadn't seen before.

It was pretty. It was strange. As if an illusion. I wondered if he would use it as a weapon against me.

Regardless, it was time for him to arrive in the next hour and I had a bad feeling yet again. The dark air he breathed seemed to cause my hair to stick on end. It threw my magic right off. Being in tune with nature, the night, the moon, was not something I had to try and achieve. Yet when Zarcar was coming near... it's as if I felt there was a picture I wasn't allowed to see and I lost sight of my own path. 

A future I wasn't allowed to know, until everything came crashing down around me at once.

It starts with distant screams.

But first, I was pinning up my hair in my messy bed chamber,  hoping the white dress I've chosen to wear is strong enough to withstand any physical attacks. I preyed to the moon that Zarcar wouldn't need to get that close to me. Would he hit a woman if he was losing on the magic front? I hoped he wasn't the kind to take his power and abuse it. Defeating me with magic, if possible, would be enough. Unless I simply wasn't aware of the monstrous things he was capable of.

My fingers curl into my hair as I look at the books around me, spread out and cluttering my floor between ribbons and dirty clothes I was yet to clean. That's when the shadow falls in from the open door way.

"I'm early."

I freeze, hands up in my curls still as my eyes jump to the mirror and see Zarcar's figure standing in the door way. Dressed in a black robe, hood pulled over his eyes... a metallic sheen already glinting from the light in my fire place.

Just as I'm holding my breath at his sudden appearance in my bed chamber doorway - I hear the simultaneous screaming from outside. Piercing, high pitched and filled with terror. It's not one woman. It's multiple. And it's coming from the Sun Tower to the left of my own residence.

I turn towards him and want to run past Zarcar to see what the hell is going on, but behind him is a group of personal soldiers. A small army. Maybe guards. Maybe not.

"What the hell did you do?" I ask, a lump in my throat as the screams go on, "What the hell is happening outside?"

I can't see Zarcar's eyes with the shadow of the black hood, but I see a small smile on his lips.

"Chyronex," he speaks, as if politically, "In my land, if certain orders aren't obeyed, people die. Often."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"In any other case like yours, you would be set for execution," he finally raises his head and pushes back his hood, showing coal painted eyes. War paint. I remain silent and see the heads behind him, chins up and ears pricked as they listen intently to his words. When I look closer I see women in the crowd of the men. Familiar eyes. Downcast gazes. Upturned noses. These weren't soldiers cloaked in black - these were political leaders. Lords, ladies and such. People from Swendula, allies of Zarcar and his foreign army. They were here to witness something, "However, we reached a bargain."