The Dragon Princess

Chapter 28

King Felix Andry

Iron City, Sarkin

"Mother!" I yell, running to her, but the closer I get I know she is gone. I push past the grief starting to weigh on me. I can't let it in just now. I have to finish this. As I pass by my mother's body, I see that of her twin sister as well. How Topaz died, I may never know. So, this battle ends with the death of Henrietta. Justice for all the death today, resides in this. I have to do this. "Henrietta." I acknowledge as I grow close enough for her to hear me. "Isn't this enough?" I question, motioning to the chaos still happening around us.

A strange sound pulls at my attention, and I turn, still having a fairly good sense to keep an eye on her. What is that? A good distance back I see a beam on fire pulling up into the sky. It is hard to see what is starting or stopping it, but then it is gone and a ring of fire explodes out, killing instantly the rebel soldiers that were crowding around it. I am almost too shocked at what happened to the soldiers to look back at the thing that caused it, and my blood starts to run cold. "Jaymie." I mumble. She drops to the ground, but I see Iris run to her. I have to go to my daughter, but I can't leave knowing Henrietta is still alive.

I face her again, realizing she had been watching Jaymie as well. "She has a dragon?" Henrietta yells.

"Of course she does." I fire back, turning the sword over in my hand. "She is my daughter. All the members of my bloodline have dragons." I may know the truth about what happened that day, years ago, with Jaymie in the Vault, but she doesn't need to know. As far as she is concerned, and everyone else questioning it, Jaymie is my daughter.

"But, the rumors..." She shakes her head, not being able to make since of it.

"The rumors are false." I state as calmly as I can, lying straight though my teeth. Yes, Jaymie's biological father may have been Tom Willa, but I am her father. I am the one who raised her. I am the one who sat by her side when she was sick. I was the one who guided her when she was blind. I was the one who taught her everything I know. "Jaymie is my daughter, and she is the future Queen of Sarkin."

Henrietta's eyes flash with anger. She hadn't expected us to put up such a fight, I can see that now. She thought we would give up. However, when it comes to the future of Sarkin, I never give up. If Jaymie chooses to be the next Queen, like I hope she will, she will be the strongest one yet. "This ends today, Henrietta."

"No." She shakes her head defiantly. "The rebellion will never end. You may kill me but my soldiers will keep fighting. Every last one of them."

"Are you sure about that?" I question, seeing doubt cloud her mind. "How about we put that to the test?"

"It will be your funeral, Sarkin King." Henrietta hisses, swiping a sword in my direction.

I deflect it easily. "No, it won't." I state, knowing fairly well that she didn't become a high member of the rebellion by name alone. She is testing me, to see if I will underestimate her. If I hadn't known who she was before today, I might have, but I know her far too well.

"You are outnumbered, Felix." She sneers, straightening a bit, and I can see the blood of my mother on her blade still. "Outnumbered and cut off. No one would dare come to your rescue. They wouldn't risk it."

"I have faith, Henrietta." It is true. Her rebellion does outnumber us, but my soldiers know these mountains, and hills. There would be nowhere for the rebels to hide if they ran. Most of my soldiers were born and raised in this city; their families are in this city. If they fall, and Sarkin falls, so do their families. Like me, they will fight with everything in them to stop it.