CHAPTER 16
Elena
July 1429
“Y
our grief is understandable, ma’am,” said Killian, though his face didn’t show any ability for understanding. “We all have lost.” He paused, allowing the weight of the moment to linger. “Yet, the enemy grants no reprieve for our mourning. If you wish to avert further tragedies, I advise you to trust us.” Just a minute ago he was talking trash, and now he sounded like the king of Genovia. Killian liked to change his tone every time he wanted to seem in control. But he needed to chill. These women didn’t need fancy words to make them feel better.
“To trust you? Where is your father? Why isn’t he leading the Fire Legion?”
“His injuries forbid him from bearing riders.”
“Well, compared to my husband, at least he is alive.”
“Unlike my mother,” he said through gritted teeth.
“And whose fault is that?” the mother retorted.
More shots were fired, and this time, she got him. Killian’s anger hung by a single thread, ready to explode.
“Mother, stop,” Laszlo said. “Excuse my mother, Legion Commander. I am here to serve the country as well as the House of the Crimson Dragon.”
Laszlo’s words appeased Killian, allowing him to gather his wits. He looked at the women and said, “You didn’t like my mother when she was alive. But now that she’s gone, one of you will need to take her place.” He looked at the sisters in particular. “Prepare yourselves for Harvest Day. The Fates will summon one of you. So you better pray one of the other families gets the honor.”
The air froze as he finished his sentence. The terror in their eyes told me Harvest Day wasn’t something to joke about. This was exactly what Killian intended: pure and unabashed terror. He let them simmer for a bit longer, before adding, “We all make sacrifices, even for a sliver of peace. If not ours, then maybe our children’s. But make no mistake, everything happening here is out of necessity, not choice. Once our ruler stands on the Wallachian throne, peace will reign in every corner of our lands. Until then, we must rise from the ashes and, if need be, fight. Be it war or tournament, we will be ready. ”
Silence overtook them once more. Then the boy’s mother said, “So be it,” and stepped forward to hug the boy. Then the sisters followed. Honestly, based on numbers alone, the sisters and aunts could easily tackle even Killian. Or at least bring him to his knees. He talked like he was the ultimate power around here. But these women could kick some dragon ass any day.
“Are you sure you can’t include any of us?” a sweet voice said behind the wall of women. “I can climb steep cliffs with my bare hands.” A lanky young woman stepped out of the crowd.
“I can chop wood fast,” another sister or aunt said.
He snickered. “That’s more than some.” He shot a side-eye at me.
I felt heat rise up my neck and burn my cheeks. I couldn’t tell if it was anger or embarrassment. One thing I knew for sure: my knee still itched to kick some dragon ass.
“I’ve already dug many holes and found water for several villages at the foot of the mountain. They call me the fountain whisperer,” another sister spoke. Unlike most of her sisters, she looked incredibly strong. She could probably squash me like a bug.
“It’s true. She is, she is,” the entire family agreed.
“I am well aware, Soraya,” said Killian. “Tarra and I know of your talents. But this, unfortunately, is not a matter of merit, but of fate. And it’s only out of duty that we accept the risk some riders place on our legion.”
Ouch. He never missed the opportunity to jab the truth in my face .
“For now, we must continue on the path chosen by powers larger than us and trust it will lead us to victory. Please step forward, Laszlo Taddeus.” Killian straightened his posture solemnly as he allowed the young boy to come closer. “Laszlo Taddeus, son of Bartosz Taddeus, by the authority of our ruler, Vlad II, son of Mircea, and Ulysses Valkorian, ruler of the Other Realm, I proclaim you a rider knight of the Fire Legion. Please align with the rest.”
If he was accepted as a rider knight, then what was I? “Um, excuse me. What am I—”
The glare that followed struck me straight in the chest. I lost my ability to speak. Killian then turned to the women and said, “You are free to go.”
“We will stay,” Laszlo’s mom said. This time she didn’t sound defiant, but more like a mother who wanted to see her child perform. Like a talent show but, you know, deadly. What I would have given to just wake up and be ordered to perform in a regular talent show? For the first time in my life, I would’ve chosen to be humiliated in front of an entire school rather than have to deal with this douchebag.
“So be it,” Jerk Face said. “Stand further away.” He ordered. “We must give space for lightning to expand.”
Lightning?
“You speak as if we’re not daughters of Solomonari. Let’s go, girls,” Laszlo’s mom said, and they all walked so far away, I wondered how they could see anything.
“Show me what you’ve got, lad,” said Killian.
Suddenly, everyone, including Tarra, took several steps back. What the heck was about to happen?
Laszlo took out a jar from his satchel and, with clammy fingers, uncorked it. Some kind of air came out of it. Laszlo began spinning the gusts with his finger until they formed a tornado. The longer he did it, the larger the tornado became. The gusts grew so powerful that everything nearby was overtaken by the strong currents—leaves, branches, even birds. All of it seemed too unreal to be believable. When I glanced at Laszlo, he was sweating buckets. Clearly, controlling the wind wasn’t easy, but he kept his focus until the tornado slipped and began wreaking havoc. Suddenly, the tornado turned toward me. It was the worst possible time to freeze, but here I was, unable to move out of its menacing way.
At the last moment, I felt an arm pull me out of danger’s way. For a second, I thought it was Killian. But no, it was one of the Solomonari men. Killian, with a chipper look on his jerk face, went on to explain something to Laszlo.
“Thank you, Sir,” I said to the man.
“I am no sir, young lady. Call me Kovak.”
“Very well, Kovak, thank you for saving my life.”
“I suspect it won’t be the last time,” he said, smiling.
I knew he didn’t mean it in a humiliating way, just as a plain fact. That hurt even more.
“What happened?” Tarra asked, checking me over. “I assumed you would move to the side. The tornado wasn’t that big to begin with.”
That didn’t make me feel any better .
“I don’t know. I just froze.” I looked down.
“You probably never saw a Solomonar in action. Am I right?” She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
I nodded, but the looming sense of failure still crept under my skin. I hadn’t done anything, and yet still felt like I had lost. How could I compete with a wind wizard? And he hasn’t even shown his lightning skills yet. What if I made the wrong choice? Foraging now sounded like a reasonable occupation. Prancing through the fields, singing a Sound of Music tune, gathering weeds, and prepping them could still be my future.
No. I had to prove to them, especially to that jerk face, that I wasn’t just a weak human. I had to prove to them and myself that the Fates hadn’t made a mistake. Jerk Face said it was beyond our choices, so my position was inevitable. I just had to prove myself. Somehow.
“Rider Laszlo, your wind powers are almost fully developed. With some practice, you will manage to keep them under control.” Killian raised his chin. His mood visibly improved.
“I’ll need to see your use of lightning, and then we can do one-on-one combat,” Killian said.
Laszlo nodded and took out another jar from his satchel. This time, a cloud emerged. A literal cloud. What next? He’ll start making snow in July? We heard a sneeze from the sky. The second sneeze sounded like thunder. I felt the rumble in my chest.
“Excuse us, Commander. I forgot Cloudy in the cellar, and he got a cold. ”
Clouds get colds too? They had to be pulling my leg. Where were the strings? Because this magic trick didn’t convince me.
“Release the lightning,” Killian ordered.
“Come on, Airy. You can do it,” Laszlo said, raising both arms toward the snotty cloud.
“I recommend you be fast on your feet,” Killian said, looking directly at me. Again. Ugh, so infuriating.
We all took another step back. With the same long, trembling fingers, Laszlo commanded, “Now.”
The cloud turned dark gray, spun around, and shot lightning several feet from me. Why were these beings trying so hard to kill me? Was there an invisible target on my back?
“Excuse her, Rider,” Laszlo said. “She doesn’t like humans very much. She knows only of Solomonar blood.”
So much for special powers. “It’s fine,” I said, but he had already stopped paying attention to me and instead looked at Tarra. “So good to see you.” His smile widened.
“You too,” Tarra answered. “We’ll make the best legion there can be.”
He grinned. “Without a doubt.”
“Stand fast, Riders,” Killian said. “Now we will train in direct combat. Though most of the time, riders battle in the air, additional preparation on land is essential. One can’t rely solely on a rider’s magical powers––or lack thereof.” The man was on a roll. He didn’t even need to look at me. Everyone knew what rider didn’t have magical powers. “We will train with and without weapons .
“Dragons are invincible forces, impervious to everything except the might of their own kind. Our only vulnerability lies with you, noble Riders. Your strength is the key to our triumph.” Killian stood before us, his presence towering. The more he talked, the taller he seemed. I knew my time of utter humiliation was about to begin, and I wanted to take the shadow of my existence and run for the hills.
“We will start with you, Costin,” Killian said.