Slaying the Blood King

♤•Chapter 13•♤

The light of the sun and the plumes of smoke makes it hard to see, but when my eyes adjust, I follow Albesk through the line of the trees. By now, everyone who hadn't perished is safely beneath the willow, whose vines have been maimed by the flames of the dragon. There was only one and it was lethal.

"What's the plan?" I call ahead to Albesk, who keeps his eyes to the sky. His long, red hair flows behind him while his blue eyes intensely scan, waiting for the beast to show itself. He doesn't stop when he responds.

"Not dying is our biggest goal, but we need to bring the dragon to the ground. Dragons can only produce so much flame for so long until they need to recharge, so before we can even make it land, we have to make sure it's fuel supply is empty."

"Are you saying what I'm thinking?" I ask cautiously, a sinking feeling boiling in my stomach. Finally, he stop and turns toward me, a devilish smile playing on his lips.

"Ohhh yes darling, we are going to be live bait. We need to get to a clearing before anything though," Albesk says, continuing forward. I roll my eyes and trudge after him.

"You act like you've killed a dragon before," I say sarcastically. He doesn't turn back before saying "I have."

What? I think inwardly. "You mean YOU killed a dragon?"

Albesk stops again before turning to me. Annoyance engulfs his features.

"Yes, I killed a dragon, Lunar. It was hard as hell but I needed to save my people. It's the reason I am where I am today."

He doesn't say anymore as he stalks ahead. I follow, keeping my head low in submission. I didn't mean to make him upset or test him. I knew someone had killed a dragon here but I never thought it would be him.

When we reach the clearing, I realize we had trudged to the marketplace. I cough as I inhale the smoke-tinged air as flames lick at the paneling of the once beautiful shops. The tents that had been there are gone. Nothing but ashes remain.

We step out from the woods, trudging to the center of the clearing. Sweat starts beading against my forehead as we near the heat of the fire. The sun bears down from high in the sky now. The absence of birds whose song used to fill the smokey trees creates an eerie feeling in my chest. All is silent aside from the crackling of the fire. Where are you...

As if my thoughts had materialized it, the beat of wings flapping sound overhead. I can't see the beast along the throng of the trees until it swoops out over their canopy. Albesk quickly pulls an arrow, aims, and fires at the dragon's wing. It sinks in and the dragon roars angrily. He wings glide and quickly turn, forcing the dragon to turn our way.

"Look out!" Albesk says, just as the dragon swoops down. He barely tackles me to the ground as fire spews from the dragon's mouth a few feet away from where we land. A rock digs into my shoulder and I can feel Albesk's heart racing.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his voice labored and husky. I nod in response.

"Good, get up. Now," he says. He jumps up quickly, pulling me along with a grunt before looking back to the sky. I quickly fumble for my arrows, before grabbing one and nocking it in place prepared for the dragon's rebound. It comes quickly as she swoops in like a bat out of hell. I quickly pull and let go of the string. The arrow flies and sinks into it's target; the dragon crying out in pain as it's yellow, cat-like eye is penetrated. It let's out a long howl before it tumbles down overhead of us, sliding into the trees.

With a quick glance at Albesk, I rush forward, knocking another arrow.

"Wait! It's not safe!" he shouts but I don't hear him. I listen to the tiny voice that tells me to push forward; that I can stop this.

When I reach the damaged trees, my breath catches. There is no longer a dragon, but a woman with pale skin lying on the ground, writhing and crying as my arrow remains stuck in her eye socket. Blue scales decorate along her skin in patches, letting me know that this had definitely been the dragon - if the arrow in the eye hadn't given it away.

"P-please. If you're going to kill me, make it quick. I wish to not suffer anymore," she says as she looks up at me with her good eye, the amber shining through tears that stream down her face.

I sigh, feeling my stomach churn with nausea at the sight... at what I had done to her. Kneeling before her, I feel a power thrum in my heart, in my hands, and in my soul. Finally, I speak in soft tones.

"I do not wish to kill you, but I need to understand why you had forged an attack on us, on my people," I say. She scoffs, her good eye narrowing before she hisses with the pain as her other eye tries to follow suit.

"If you take this arrow out of my eye, I might have an answer for you," she says indignantly. Again, I feel the buzzing of power thrum within my vein, following the pulse of my heartbeat. Without thinking, I let my body control my movements. I place a hand on her face and one above her sternum. She tenses but I ignore it. Pale blue light emanates from my hands, coursing through her veins and reaching to the damaged eye in c***k-like accents. I'm amazed when the arrow starts reverting backwards. It earns a cry out from the woman before the arrow drops from her eye socket, and the damage is quickly repaired. When all is healed, the power the had pulsed on my veins depletes, and I fall back on my rear, feeling the energy I once had disperse.

Albesk kneels beside me, his eyes wide with awe and surprise. "How did you-"

"Isn't it obvious? She's a healer. From the look on your face I assume this wasn't known until now," the dragon shifter says, eyeing us both with interest.

"Yeah... I just followed my instinct. It told me how to help you," I say. She nods in understanding.

"Well, my dear. For being so kind as to help me and restore me to my former glory, I will give you the information you seek. You see, there once was a time when all sorts of Fey-folk had been united. The witches, the elven, and the shifters. We all believed that together, we would be stronger. The only thing that had hindered on our beliefs were the humans. Some fey wanted to protect them while others saw the vile creatures they were. My tribes had once believed that humans were innocent. Once," she said bitterly, anguish contorting her face before she continued.

"We had sent our people with the elven tribe up to the surface on a night of the full moon many years ago. We were supposed to collect herbs from the forest that do not grow here for medicine we desperately needed. What do we get in return? Half of our people were slain. Not by the elven, but by the people they swore to protect us from. Ever since then, there had been a great rift between our tribes. It may seem petty, as they had lost some of their people too, but they are seen as human. We however, were not, leaving our kind to be seen by the human eye. Not only that, but we believe there had been an informant who told the former king, your grandfather, of our hunt. Ever since then, we cannot trust the elven," she says. I nod in understanding, but something doesn't sit right with me.

"It is my understanding that you've remained civil for the last several decades. Why the attack now? Why kill so many innocent people?" I question her, somehow keeping my tone even. She sighs.

"It was not my wishes, but when rumor had it that a half breed human had entered our world under the guise of the elven, we thought you a risk. We would not tolerate more risks to our kind. Especially since your bloodline is filled with malice and greed."

I sigh, having a constant reminder of what treachery my father continues to cause. The whole line was tainted. If I had been completely human, would I have been too? Would I have been malicious as well?

"I despise my tainted blood, and like you, I believe that my bloodline is a threat, but believe me when I say that I am innocent, that there are human lives from part of my world who share innocence too. I watched a small girl get slain by my father over being hungry. She just wanted food and I tried to stop him but was too weak. I long for his death as much as anyone. We may never be allies, but perhaps we could strike an accord, one where we rid my father of his tyranny. We can set grounds on it if you wish, but I want no more bloodshed for our people," I say to her. She remains stoic, letting the thoughts travel through her mind. After a moment, she resigns herself to a numbed look.

"I do believe that today had been an act of ill intent on my part. As you said, we may never be allies, but we can at least start to rid this world of tyranny."

My heart gives an uplifted thump. My soul knew I could create peace between our people, even if it was temporarily. Standing up, I lower a hand to hers. She looks at it, before taking it as I assist her to her feet.

"Now," I start. "Who is the leader of your tribe? I would like to discuss the terms of our agreement." She gives a small chuckle, her blue hair bouncing with her laughter. After a moment, she gains control before shooting me an amused look.

"Heavens darling, if you couldn't already tell," she starts and realization dawns on me.

"You're looking at her."