Treasures of Andalia Chronicles: Ring of Flames

Chapter Fourteen: I Played with Invisible Knives Called Words

AMARIS

It was my first time flying on a dragon, and I must say that the flight isn't so bad--no, scratch that. This dragon suddenly veered off course, spiraling with the wind. We all held on to what we could. I could hear Rihaan yelling but couldn't make out the words. I swear I heard Luxys snorting after being reprimanded. He did it on purpose. I wanted to smack that dragon in the face but I'm sure I'll be burnt to crisps before I even got the chance to do so.

The wind above was so strong that I could barely open my eyes and make out of what I see. If I try to lean back, I might end up getting dragged by the wind. Despite my own protests, I held tightly on the dragon's skin so as not to fall eight hundred feet from the sky.

Riding a dragon seemed like riding a plane, minus the seatbelt and the comfortable chair. The entire ride felt like we were hit by a storm, instead of the usual turbulence. And there's always the possibility that I'd fall off even with the slightest mistake. If I had another choice, I wouldn't choose to ride this dragon but since it was the only way to escape, I endured it for the time being.

I peered down the city only to see the chaos Valerian army had caused. Houses burnt to the ground and, people killed without discrimination. Blood and corpses filled the streets. Then, I suddenly thought of Moryen, Saevel, and my father. I was hoping that they'd understand my choice. I didn't choose to abandon them, I had to escape to have a higher chance of saving them later on.

And Queen Seveena.

She was gentle and kind towards me but in the end, she was killed at the hands of her own son. I wished that somehow, she was able to survive that slash but who am I kidding? Even with the help of the best doctor, if she had already lost too much blood, then she's a hopeless case.

I averted my eyes from the repulsive scene in front of me. I felt guilty towards Aleiah. She trusted me to save our people, and I've failed her miserably. But this is not the end. This is just the beginning. The war has just begun. The battle has yet to end. And when I get the chance to save them, I will make sure I won't fail.

I felt a hand comforting me from behind. When I turned to look, it was Valerick. He gave me a comforting smile as he tightened his hand on my arm, hoping it would give me comfort but I don't think anything would make me feel better right now.

"It's not your fault, Your Highness," he muttered under his breath. Even with the loud and harsh sound of the wind against my ear, I heard his words clearly.

I had the sudden urge to get stronger physically and mentally because only when I'm with power can I save our people. I need to be stronger. Therefore, I need to find the missing pieces of my whole identity to better understand my strengths and weaknesses.

I don't know if Haquilla survived the attack earlier but she's the only one who could tell me everything. I need to find her and ask her to tell me everything. My mother and sister are dead so she's the only one who knows the truth about my identity.

Knowing the truth felt like a bucket of ice thrown in my way, pricking on my fingertips, waking me to accept reality. But every question I've had since I was a kid is slowly being answered one by one. The strange and distant world I've stepped on slowly became familiar to me. Xena always said that someday, somewhere, I would be able to find the answers I've been seeking for.

Who knew that I'd be able to find the answers in another world?

I was slowly beginning to understand my existence. Though the reason why I was sent away still remains a mystery. I know that I'll have my answer someday, so what I'm going to do now is to strengthen myself, gather allies, and build an army. Large enough to save the people from the hands of that evil brother of mine.