24. Kalel
Kalel
The flames only grow larger as we get closer. My home…my kingdom is on fire.
Sweat beads down my neck and my stomach twists as the dragon swoops down lower, giving us a clear view of the ruins my kingdom has become.
My palace is among those in flames, where the gardens once were is aflame, the windows have shattered and the stables evacuated.
Civilians are retreating farther up to the castle.
But how? How could this have happened so quickly?
My attention is caught by a sharp, bright strike of lightning that cuts through the gray sky and topples the café we went to the day King Achill called upon me. Horror floods my veins. Is this Jupiter’s doing?
Oh no. Without the veil, the gods can destroy the demons once and for all. The blood drains from my face and my stomach twists.
“The gods are helping the demigods. They want all of us dead.” The words fall out of my mouth slowly, stunned that after such a long time in hiding, they are showing themselves.
Demons below are dressed in their beige armor, while the demigods are adorned in their black armor. Streaks of gold and red cover the ground and fresh snow. The clacking of swords and metal against metal reverberates all the way up here.
We’re deathly quiet on top of the dragon as we pass above the carnage. It reminds me all too much of what we did to Alzhor in the time loops. The scent of smoke and burning debris stings my nose and puts a knot in my throat.
I was hoping to never smell that scent again.
Alira turns back to me. “We have to find the kings and make them stop this!” she shouts, wind blowing her hair violently.
“How? So much is already lost,” I choke out.
She studies the ground for a moment more before an idea flickers across her brilliant eyes. “The dragons.” That’s all she has to say for it to click through my mind.
Knights below are already slowing their quarrels with the few dragons flying above them.
The loud beating of their wings and sheer size are frightening enough.
At least the demons are familiar with the way the dragons look, but based on the few faces I can see from up here, the demigods look terrified.
If we had more with us, they would all have to stop to face a greater threat. They would listen because they will have to.
“I’ll do my best to convince King Achill to stop this madness before it’s too late.
Do you think you can get one of the dragons to listen to me?
I can head to the castle while you get more.
We need them to be more afraid of us than each other.
That’s our best chance at getting the kings to listen to us! ”
Alira nods and asks the dragon for the others’ help. It huffs at her, a snort of smoke that juts out and smells like coals. I take it as a form of saying yes.
The white dragon rears back and swoops up, flying us upside down for a split second, so the other dragons pass below us.
“I think this is your chance!” Alira shouts and gives me an apologetic look before she loosens my hold on the dragon.
Oh shit.
I curse as I fall from the dragon’s shoulders and drop toward the ground. I’m airborne for about thirty feet before a black dragon swoops beneath me and catches me on its back. It knocks the breath out of me, but I manage to clutch on to its scales before I slip and fall again.
Alira lets out a relieved shout, and all I can do is shake my head and grin. “Crazy demigod,” I mutter under my breath.
The white dragon she’s on dips and takes off in a different direction, away from the kingdom, the other two following her.
I reach down and pat the black dragon’s neck. “It’s just you and me,” I say nervously. I’ve never interacted with the mystical creatures like this before. It’s wondrous and adrenaline-inducing all at once. “We need to go to the castle.”
The dragon seems to understand and flaps its wings, gliding toward the castle without a care in the world. They truly aren’t afraid of us, are they? I find it very amusing. It would make sense, though. We’ve been living in fear of them for centuries now.
It doesn’t take long for us to reach the castle. My stomach curls as we pass over many of the buildings that made up the shopping district. Now the rubble is streaked in red, and smoke plumes from large blocks of brick and stone.
As we swoop above the tallest walls, some of the knights halt and turn their heads to look. A few of them must recognize me because shouts of hope rise up from below.
Neptune, they’re going to think that I’m here to help them fight the demigods.
As we near the spire, another strike of lightning hits the outer wall just above the dragon’s head. It lets out a screeching roar that makes me almost let go to cover my ears.
The dragon hastily grabs on to the closest balcony railing, knocking down a few statues and spires with its tail, narrowly missing a few of the knights’ heads below.
It lets out a distressed growl as it turns and looks at me.
Eyes as red as bird berries meet mine. I swallow my fear and lift my hand, gently patting its snout. “You did well, my friend.”
It puffs at me once more before I hop off its back and quickly maneuver my way through the rooms and down into the main corridor.
Every hallway and bedroom is packed with civilians. Fear. I can smell it throughout the entire castle. Sweat, blood, fear, and confusion. It’s overwhelming, but I flex my jaw and continue pressing through the corridors.
I’m relieved that so many are safe, at least.
I search everyone’s face, looking for a knight who can direct me to where King Achill might be. Of the many faces that run by me, one catches my eye. I quickly grab his arm, and he stops abruptly, whirling around and staring at me.
“Kalel? Where the fuck have you been?” Nikolai asks. His eyes are wide, and the dark circles below them indicate that he’s already worn out much of his healing power. He’s covered in demon blood, the red streaks on his chest plate still wet.
My face pales, and I have to refocus quickly. “Where is the king?”
He gives me an odd look. “The king? Kalel, you should be out there fighting with Tessa, not looking for the king. He’s probably at the front lines fighting King Borlin. Where have you been?”
I ignore his aggravated question again. There’s no time to delve into where I’ve been.
“I doubt he’d be putting himself out there so readily with the gods aiding the demigods. Where else might he be?”
Nikolai sees the urgency in my eyes and relents.
“The only other place I could think of would be at the cathedral, praying to any god that might help us. We have the entire kingdom here in the castle. It’s not looking good, Commander.
At this rate, they’ll…” He pauses and shuts his eyes, hands clenching at his sides to stop the trembling.
Another bolt of lightning hits somewhere on the castle, and the ground rumbles beneath us.
Scared mewls and cries erupt from the civilians as we ride out the tremors.
Dust falls from the ceiling, but the structure holds.
“I won’t let that happen, Nik. I’m going to stop all of this. Alira and me, together we are going to end the war between our kingdoms.”
His eyes narrow in disbelief. “It can’t be done.
Don’t you see that? It’s too late, Kalel.
Look around you.” He lifts his arms and motions around him.
“Alira’s destroyed the veil. Everything is damned.
If the demigods don’t kill us, then the gods surely will.
Without the veil, we will be smitten and erased from Faultore for just existing. ”
I open my mouth to dispute that, but he’s right. If we can’t reconstruct the veil, it doesn’t matter if we win the battle with the demigods or not.
Nikolai seems to notice for the first time that Alira isn’t with me. His eyes widen, and he looks over his shoulder. “Did you…kill her?” His expression falls.
I fist my hands at my sides and look away from him. “No. And I won’t be killing anyone else either. I’ve had enough of the bloodshed. Haven’t you?” I narrow my gaze at the ground and don’t wait for him to respond. “I’ll see you at the end of this, my friend. Take care of the wounded.”
My armor clinks as I walk away, quickly making it through the packed corridors and out the front doors of King Achill’s castle.
Most of the streets leading up to the castle are still untouched and vacant. Barrels and baskets of goods have been knocked over in the frenzy. It won’t be long before the demigods work their way up here. Jupiter’s lightning seems to be mainly focused on the business district, mansions, and castle.
My throat burns as the smoke thickens the farther into the center of the kingdom I go.
I run to the cathedral since Nikolai mentioned that King Achill may be there, seeking aid from other gods.
The deities have never agreed on anything, so it’s not so far-fetched to believe that some may be willing to help us.
Even if only to go against Jupiter. I hold on to that hope as I throw open the doors.
The Krinsle is standing at the altar before the stained glass, praying, I think.
But I don’t see anyone else in here. Lightning must’ve struck the rafters because there’s a gaping hole in the ceiling and debris scattered across the pews.
Little to no fire spread, thanks to the building being made mostly of brick and stone.
“Kalel, you’ve come back already,” he says ominously. He’s always known more than he should. Sometimes I think he shares the Fates’ powers in that sense.
“Where is the king?” I ask, figuring that he probably already knows.
He ignores my question. “Did you learn what you needed to?”
My brows pinch together, and I firm my fists at my sides. “You tell me.” I turn to leave, not having time to waste on this. Although I am shocked that he knows I was in Mortem with a lesson to be learned.
“Remember that not all sacrifices must end in death. There is but one path that leads to the salvation of all.” The Krinsle’s voice is weak and followed by a thud.
I stop and turn around quickly, finding the Krinsle on the ground, the cloak covering his body and the hood nearly revealing his face.
“Are you okay?” I ask, rushing over and kneeling at the Krinsle’s side. I prop his head up on my lap so he can breathe easier. My eyes instantly catch on the burn that goes straight through his heart. I slowly look back up at the ceiling where the lightning struck.
A cold chill spreads through me. Numbing me and making me sick.
Jupiter did this. Tears tug from behind my eyes, but I keep them at bay.
“Keep an open mind, and let love guide you,” he says gently before his head falls back and his limbs relax.
My entire body is trembling. No more. Not one more person is dying in my arms. Never again. I force myself to my feet and refocus on the task at hand. I need to find King Achill. There’s only one chance at this, and time is ticking away quickly.
“Kalel?” Tessa’s voice startles me, and I whirl around.
My blood boils, knowing what she did to Alira, but there’s no time for that. I suppress every fiber of my being to yell at her and instead go around her and push the front doors open and step outside. Tessa is quick to follow.
“I just got reports that you flew in on the back of a dragon? What the hell is going on?” she asks, wiping golden blood from her cheek.
“Tessa, there is a path to peace. Now tell me, have you seen the king? I need to hold an audience with him immediately.”
Her eyes are wide, and she stares at me like I said something ridiculous, then she realizes I’m not joking, and her brows furrow together.
“You’re serious? Kalel, what has that demigod done to your head?
There’s no peace to be had; we’ve seen it time and time again.
Not our king, not their king, nothing can stop this. ”
I take one large step toward her. She shrinks into herself at my fury. “Not even a horde of dragons? Or a wish the Fates can grant? Not even an ounce of hope from the hopeless?”
She looks at me as if I’m betraying my own kingdom. “What have you done with the demigod? Is she bringing them here now?” Her eyes flick to the skies, scouring them for any sight of dragons. Panic is well seated in her eyes.
“Tessa, don’t you understand? It doesn’t have to be them or us. We can all exist together.” I set my hand on her shoulder, but she shoves me away and gives me a scathing look.
“You will be considered a traitor to your kingdom,” she spits at me, venom in every word.
I give her a cool stare, not willing to meet her malice.
“And it is Alira and I who will save our kingdom. You don’t understand it now, but you will one day. Even if it takes a century, you will see what we did this day.” I leave her with that and walk forward, lifting my hand to the sky and whistling for the dragon to return to me.
I’m not sure if it will hear me, but within a few seconds I hear the beating of its wings and the whoosh as it flies down to collect me. I run out onto a wide street and grab on to its leg. It flips me back up onto its back, and we take off toward the battleground.
All I can see from the sky is the blood that mixes in the snow.