The Dragon's Fight

Chapter 9

-Ashes-

“Ready?” I looked at Will, who stood beside me, while Carter and Henry were a little behind, readying their own horses. Will nodded briefly, and I glanced at the other brothers, who nodded as well. Once I had their confirmation, I turned to Rathilion, who had just come down the stairs.

“Where are your things?” I inquired, walking over to him. But there was a dark look on his face—something wasn’t right. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not coming,” he told me.

I glanced at Will, who stepped up beside me, looking just as confused as I felt.

“What are you talking about? Why not?” I questioned.

“I can’t. We need my father’s support. That’s why I have to stay,” he explained.

“You’re going to try to convince him? He’s already given you his answer, and your mother won’t be much help.”

“I know,” he whispered. “But I have to try. We need the elves.”

He was right. Without the elves, we would likely lose this war.

“I understand,” I replied.

Rathilion seemed more at ease after I said this, nodding gratefully. He had clearly been worried I wouldn’t approve of him staying behind.

“Do you think you’ll be able to?” I asked.

Rathilion shrugged slightly. “I’m not sure… He’s not someone who easily changes his mind, but I believe I can do more good here than out there. You know Mefan best, and I know my father best. I need to see if I can’t make him change his mind. I just need a bit more time,” Rathilion explained.

“Okay,” I replied. “Good luck.”

I extended my hand, and he smiled as he took it. Then I turned back to my horse just as Will said his own goodbyes.

“Rathilion isn’t coming?” Carter asked.

I shook my head. “No, he’s staying to try to convince his father.”

Henry and Carter exchanged worried looks. We had all experienced how stubborn the old king could be, and it seemed like an impossible task to sway him. But if Rathilion believed there was even a small chance, we trusted him.

“Are we all ready?” I asked.

Laelia’s brothers nodded, and we turned our horses around, leaving the safety of the elves’ kingdom.

-Laelia-

“Don’t dwell on it too much. It’s not going to happen,” Liam reassured me.

I turned to look at my brother, who smiled encouragingly beside me. I tried to smile back and act like I wasn’t scared about what the nymph had told me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. Even as we neared the border to the North, the thought still lingered.

“Laelia, listen to me—you’re not going to die,” Liam insisted.

I nodded, but I didn’t have much to say.

“Let’s stay there tonight,” Samuel suggested, pointing to a lonely inn near the road we were traveling on.

We all pulled our hoods over our heads before dismounting and tying our horses outside the inn. Then we walked inside. It was rather quiet, and it didn’t seem like many people passed through.

“Welcome,” the innkeeper greeted us.

She was a large woman, possibly in her late thirties.

“Hungry?” she inquired.

“Very, and we’d like to rent some rooms for the night as well,” Liam replied.

Even with his face partially covered, his charm was undeniable. The cheerful and light tone he used made the woman smile, and she quickly led us to a narrow staircase that went up to the next, and only other, floor.

She showed us to rooms beside each other. I walked into mine and sat down on the creaky, small bed. The room wasn’t much—just a bed, a bedside table, and a window—but I didn’t care. I couldn’t shake the images of my future from my mind.

I was going to die… I sighed, leaning forward and burying my head in my hands. This was too much. Knowing I was going to die but not when… that felt more like a curse than a blessing.

“Laelia?” There was a knock on my door before I heard Tylon’s voice. I took a deep breath, preparing myself to face him, then got up from the bed and opened the door.

“Come,” he urged. “Let’s get something to eat.”

“I… I’m not very hungry,” I admitted. I had no desire to eat when I couldn’t stop thinking about my impending death.

“Laelia, you’re not just taking care of yourself anymore,” he reminded me.

His eyes briefly flicked to my flat stomach, and I had to agree with him. Reluctantly, I stepped into the hallway with him and closed the door behind me before we walked downstairs to where my brothers were already seated. The food and drinks had been served, and they smiled at me as we approached.

“So, you managed to convince her to come down,” Liam remarked.

“You thought I needed convincing?” I asked, giving him a teasing smile.

He just smiled back as I sat down beside him. “I know you’re worried about what the nymphs told you. I figured it would make you less hungry. Just like when you were training to rescue Ashes and the others,” he noted.

I shrugged slightly. “Well, would you be hungry if you knew you were going to die?” I inquired.

“Laelia,” Samuel said firmly. “You’re not going to die.”

He sat across from me, leaning forward with his arms resting on the table. His serious eyes met mine, silently assuring me that nothing would happen to me. Yet, I turned to Tylon.

“And you? What do you think?” I asked, directing my gaze to Tylon on the other side. I had already asked him once, but his reply hadn’t been clear.

He met my eyes briefly before taking a sip from his drink, almost as if he were trying to avoid the question. That only made me more anxious.

“I knew it…” I whispered.

“Tylon,” Liam urged, “tell her she’s not going to die. Tell her that future stuff isn’t real.”

But even though Liam sounded quite forceful, Tylon didn’t say those words. I sighed, leaning my elbows on the table and burying my head in my hands, unsure of what to do. Here I was, worried something might happen to my child or Ashes, but now it turned out that I was the one who might not be here in the end.

“Tylon!” Liam urged.

“We don’t know the future,” he finally responded. “It isn’t set in stone.”

“That’s not a no to whether I’m going to die,” I pointed out.

“It’s not a yes, either,” he countered.

“You didn’t talk to the nymph. You didn’t hear what she said or how she said it.”

Tylon seemed at a loss for words and just nodded slowly. “Maybe not, but your brothers and I won’t let anything happen to you,” he assured me.

Yet his words didn’t calm me at all.