CHAPTER 45 #3
There are too many of them. The creatures continue to claw at the edges of the mountain as they climb down. Thousands of them, if not more, come. As if they are tiny ants, blending into the darkness of the cliffs, making it feel as if the mountain is about to tumble down and destroy them all.
Including the man I love.
My friends.
I cannot allow this to happen. How the hell does the Queen expect me to stand here on the sidelines and watch?
They will die if we do not use the gifts from the Gods.
I can’t understand how the Queen forbids us to use them.
Even if everyone in the Realms believes the powers we have are curses, we can use them to wipe out the darklings for good.
Unless… the Queen doesn’t want that?
What if she has me sitting here, purposely, to watch my friends and the man I love, die? For payback.
A deep, violent exhale escapes through my nose. I close my eyes as I listen to the groans and screams of the men down there.
The darklings’ sinister screeches send goosebumps along my body and I grip the fire of my horse's mane tighter.
Her hooves dig into the ground, sensing my rage, my desire, to run out there and burn the darklings to their death.
I want to watch the embers light the sky.
I want the smoke from the fire to block the sun as I watch them disintegrate into the air.
I forgot what power tasted like until the darkling from the cave reminded me.
My eyes widen, catching sight of a woman in the top corner of the cliff where lava drips from the crust of the land. As if my whole body sensed her. Her hand weaves a blue flame and I know, it’s my sister.
She is going to use the flame. Koen cannot shift in front of the Royals.
My body straightens, watching the men fight. My fingers dig into my palms as the fire of my horse’s mane ignites, sparking embers up in the air and startling the Queen.
They have killed hundreds. But no matter how many they destroy, more come. Their bodies, dark as coal. Fire spreads along their spines and heads, and the lava that created them scorches through their veins.
“Koen!” Theon shouts as a darkling lunges forward, knocking Theon to the ground. He repeatedly jabs the dagger into its body, scorching, crimson-red lava spilling everywhere. “Help Koen!”
“I’m coming!” Kaine sprints, leaping over bodies of the dead darklings and tackling the one that tries to attack Theon.
They roll across the dark ground, kicking up rocks and dead sticks.
As I frantically search for Koen, I finally find him in the center, surrounded by a dozen darklings. My heart drops as my teeth grind by the sight that is unfolding in front of me. My body shifts, the urge to race down there despite what the Queen wants me to do increasing.
Which is to stay back. To watch. To let the men fight.
But I am watching. And If I continue to obey her, they will all die.
If I go down there and fight, I know the Queen will try and kill me. But she won’t succeed. Because I’d burn her to ash without hesitating this time.
I’ll burn all the Royals if I have to.
And damn it, that will start a war.
But I’d choose a war everyday if that means Koen lives.
“I’m going in.” My eyes burn with rage. “I can’t stay here and watch anymore.”
“You will not, and that is an order!” the Queen shrieks, eyes narrowing into slits at me. Her white horse, wings curled against its body, snorts steam.
“They are going to die if I do not intervene, and you know it!” I lean over, feeling my palms being to spark with fire. “Unless you want that! Are you trying to kill the chosen? Allow them to use their curses, and they could survive!”
She catches sight of the fire against my fingertips, straightening her back.
“You follow my rules, Serene. As a chosen, you take orders from me. If you disobey them, I will have to send you to the caves and let the dragons have their way with you. For centuries, the chosen have fought without using their curse. They will be fine.”
I scuff, letting my tongue glide along my bottom lip. “That’s the best you got? Throwing me in a cave with dragons? Do it. I dare you.”
Dryden screams, a raven claw ripping at his chest by one of the fire darklings. His red blood slashes to the ground.
He isn’t going to survive.
Hyreo runs, climbing up the rocks to tackle a few that surround Death.
But as he jumps, a darkling grabs his ankle, yanking him to the ground.
They are all going to die.
Her brows lift, gripping the reins of her antsy horse. “You will stay!” Her veins bulge in her neck, cheeks reddening as the language of the flames flicker a golden hue. “That’s a damn order! Obey me, or die!”
My eyes drift away, noticing one of the darklings clawing at Koen’s back, blood gushing everywhere. A few are dead from his blade, but more keep coming. Another lunges towards him, gripping his shoulders as its fire scorches him. He lets out a gut-wrenching cry, and I lose it.
No one hurts my damn man.
The anger finally combusts as the flames in my hand ignite brighter, startling the Queen next to me. I hear the Kings’ grunt as they cover their eyes with their hands.
Fire burns at every inch of my body, and I shift towards Queen Antivianna. “Throw me in with the dragons for all I care. They won’t kill me. And neither will you.”
Her body shifts backwards, hearing the deep gasps of the Kings behind us. Whispers trickle in the air as the men watch me, and all I do is grin.
This Kingdom is not hers. It is mine. It’s time for the Royals to finally see this.
“When you disobey the order of a Queen, you are disobeying the word of Azure. That will cause you your death!” Her voice booms, catching the attention of Skie next to her.
“You are no damn Queen.” I spit on the ground and kick the Fireninze’s side. “You will all burn for what you have done to the Realms.”
The hooves of the fire horse beat against the ground as we rush over the charred hills of the Darklands.
I can hear the Queen scream for me to come back, but that only fuels the rage inside of me more.
Lava courses in the cracks of the land as we leap over them.
The fire crackles under the ground and hisses with each pound of my horse's hooves.
The more we ride, the more the fire ignites from my horse's mane and tail. Brighter and more powerful than I have ever seen before. It’s as if she feels my power.
My rage. My burning desire to kill the darklings.
They should have never hurt the people I love.
Tilly made a huge mistake.
Now she will burn for what she has done.
Kill them all.
I call out to my dragons, knowing the Royals will put me in a dungeon for this. Or they will try.
No shifter, no dragons, are allowed to live. Except Florian.
But I need them. They need us.
My dragons whip outward from my stones and soar overhead, spinning around as they fly ahead of us. I watch as the fire dragon begins to scorch a few darklings, the one of ice, freezing some just in time for Death to kill it.
The flames flourish off the Fireninze’s mane and tail, whipping against the wind as we reach the final hill.
Her hooves dig into the side, leaping over the battlefield below us.
We soar in the sky. Embers float in the wind as I let my hands stretch out, lifting my chin upward as my thighs clench tighter around her body.
Fire ignites from my palms, scorching the air until her hooves beat against the ground.
Black dirt kicks up in the air, startling the darklings as they screech.
Their lengthy, pointed fingers block their faces by the light of our fire.
Some run to hide.
Good. They should.
We ride through, scorching darklings left and right.
My fingers stretch wide, staring at the ground that burns as we run.
The darklings catch fire as Theon and Kaine slice them in half.
We all watch as their bodies disintegrate into ashes on the ground, the hooves of the Fireninze kicking the ash up in the air.
A darkling pounces off of the mountainside, arms wide to attack me, but my hand swiftly grips its neck just in time.
I bring it closer to my face, allowing my fingers to tighten around its neck and watch as the fire within it burns itself alive.
“You will all die by my flames,” I hiss, eyes widening as I heave with pure rage.
My fingers dig into its body until ash floats in the wind.
“What the hell are you doing!” Death rushes up to me, dirt smeared along his face and hair as he heaves. He hunches over, gripping his thighs as he catches his breath. Blood trickles down his face.
“Saving all of you!” My fingers flick fire, wielding a flame towards a darkling that charges after Theon. “There are too many!”
“She won’t look past this!”
“The Queen?” I scuff. “I could care less.”
“She will do everything in her power now to destroy you. And she will want everyone to watch it.” He coughs. “She will want the Realm to see your destruction. And she will want everyone to know she was the one who caused it. We need to take you to the sea now for safety!"
“I shall kill her first.” My palm flicks, fire blazing from my palm as a darkling runs up behind Death. “Get the chosen away from here!”
Death nods, rushing up to Theon and Kaine who fight off a few fire darklings. But no matter how many I burn, more keep rushing over the mountain cliff and climbing down the sides like spiders.
I slam my leg into the Fireninze, fear gripping at my chest as I see multiple darklings attacking Koen. I let out a raging scream that burns my throat. I can feel the heat of my body coursing through my skin, up my neck as the veins on my head pulse so tightly I feel as if it might explode.