Chapter 5
Chapter five
Kaiser
My little firefly is so mysterious. Everything she does is fascinating to me. Just when I think I’ve finally managed to figure her out, she does something new that shatters my expectations.
After everything that happened the night before, I assumed Ava would be far weaker than the other dragon shifters when it comes to magic.
But I was wrong. Who would have thought there is so much power hidden in that tiny body?
I don’t understand how an underdeveloped dragon can be this powerful, but I’m not going to question it.
I’m just glad I don’t have to say goodbye to her just yet.
Still, I know my advisors have a few more tricks up their sleeves. They’re going to do everything they can to prevent Ava from winning the competition. I don’t know the specifics on how they’ve stacked the deck against Ava in the second round, but I know I’m not going to let them get away with it.
Since there’s no way we could continue to watch the competition from the stands, everyone slowly began to make their way back inside.
The servants had prepared another banquet in the dining hall for our guests, so I assume that’s where they went.
I didn’t join them. Instead, I snuck inside Darkwood Forest. My guards won’t be happy when they discover my absence, but I’m already far enough away that they’re not going to be able to stop me.
Finding Ava was trickier than I expected it to be.
I had no choice but to enter the forest far later than her, but even with that, my firefly had done an excellent job of hiding her tracks.
When had the forest become so overgrown anyway?
The trees are so tightly packed together that I couldn’t see anything from up above.
In the end, I’d had to track Ava down by scent.
And even that wasn’t easy because she’d jumped into the water at some point.
It's fortunate I’m such an avid hunter. And Darkwood Forest is well known for being the best place to practice those skills.
The annual hunting competition is held here every year.
For the past five years, I’ve been the one to bring back the greatest game.
There’s no beast that I cannot track down. In the end, Ava is no exception.
“Kaiser?” Ava gasps, stunned enough to forget to use my title. She straightens out of her defensive posture. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check in on you,” I explain. A pile of wood lays at her feet, so I know she’s got a fire going, at least. “How is your hunt going? How many puzzle pieces have you found?”
“I see. Thank you, Your Highness,” she says. Contrary to her polite words, her smile is tense and her teeth are clenched. “But you shouldn’t worry about me. I’ve found all but one of the puzzle pieces.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes,” she says, nodding, then bending down to pick up her fallen sticks. “So, while I appreciate the thought, I don’t think I’ll need any help.”
I bend down to help her, scooping a few stray twigs into my own arms. “Out of curiosity, is there a reason you’re setting up camp instead of looking for the last clue? There’s still a bit of daylight left. If you finished on time, you might not need to spend the night out here at all.”
Ava seems to accept that I’m at least going to help her carry her firewood back to her shelter.
We start to walk along the riverbend. “The last clue seems rather convoluted. The others had simple visual instructions like ‘under the Cantibou-shaped boulder’ and ‘where the oak grove meets the Bristleberry field.’ But the clue for the last one is ‘where the greatest hunters meet once a year.’ I don’t understand what it’s referring to. ”
Ah, there it is. So, that’s how the advisors planned to weed out the commoners this year. Suddenly, I feel a little less foolish for coming in here to help someone who is clearly capable of taking care of herself. It seems I’ll be some help after all.
“It’s referring to the Arendale annual hunt. It takes place in this forest every April. I can show you where the meeting point is, if you like.”
Ava goes still. Since I’m well aware of her intelligence, I know she’s realized the truth.
She was never meant to be able to find the final piece.
For a moment, I wonder if she’s going to say anything to me about it, but instead she gives me a tight smile.
“I see. Thank you, Your Highness, that would be wonderful.”
“Do you want to go right now?”
Ava bites her lip and looks towards something a little way up the river. I crane my head to see what she’s staring at, but I’m distracted when Ava nods. “Of course. Just let me put these down for now.” She lays her sticks back on the ground. I drop mine on top of hers.
Just as I’m bending down to do so, something whizzes past my ear. I look to see it lodged in the tree behind me. It’s an arrow.
“Get down!” I shout. “We’re under attack!”
Ava drops to the ground beside me, and we shuffle our way behind some bushes. I peer over the top of them, trying to catch a glimpse of who shot at us. There’s two of them. One is behind a bush on the opposite side of the river, the other is standing on a nearby branch.
I aim for the closer one first, breathing out a jet of fire so large that it engulfs the entire tree. The man burns to a crisp with a terrified shriek. At the sound of his comrade dying, the other one takes off. He weaves between the trees as he escapes. It’s difficult for me to get a proper shot.
“Damn,” I curse. Is it worth it to go after him? I don’t see how I could possibly catch him at this point.
Then the fleeing man cries out. I frown. What happened to him? A moment later, my question is answered. The man comes running back this way, trying in vain to cover his bleeding eyes. A flock of birds is attacking him, pecking and clawing at his face.
It’s a peculiar sight, but not enough to make me hesitate. In a split second, I send a second jet of fire careening towards the man. He, too, is engulfed by flames, dropping to the forest floor with a heavy thud. Silence follows.
“What was that?” Ava questions, standing up and brushing dirt and moss off her hands.
“Assassins,” I answer. My eyes are still trained to the crisped remains.
“Yes,” Ava nods, “but who were they for? You or me?”
I don’t answer right away. It’s difficult to say. They could’ve been hired by another competitor, but it’s also possible that someone saw me enter the forest. “There’s no way to know,” I admit.
“What do you want to do?”
“Let’s keep moving,” I answer after a bit of thought. “But stay hidden. We don’t know how many of them there are.”
“Okay.”
Ava and I spend the next hour or so ducking and weaving between the trees and bushes.
I’m tense the entire time. I don’t know where they are or where they’re hiding, but I’m keeping my ears trained for any whizzing noises that might indicate an arrow.
At some point, we hear voices in the distance growing closer.
Since there’s nowhere for us to hide, we decide to climb up a tree.
We stand on top of a tree branch, pressed together tightly against the trunk.
I can feel her heart hammering against my abdomen, so I pull her closer.
Despite the circumstances, it feels wonderful to have her so close.
Beneath us, I can hear shuffles and snaps.
It seems that the mysterious invaders are taking a break. When it goes quiet, I look down.
Three men are seated around a fire. One is an older man with long graying hair and a beard.
The two others have darker hair and are considerably younger.
They look vaguely similar, and I assume they must be siblings.
Come to think of it, the older man has similar features as well.
If I had to guess, I’d say we’re looking at a family.
The three are obviously amongst the group of invaders.
Now that I’ve gotten a closer look at them, I realize that the culprits are low-born.
It’s clear from their state of dress. But how did a bunch of commoners manage to reach my castle?
And why are they attacking in the first place? Is this a coup?
“I ran into Swanson and McBride an hour ago,” one of the younger ones is saying, “they said they haven’t seen him. Are you sure the king is somewhere in this forest?”
“He probably is,” the other young man argues, “Collins and Reeves never showed up at the meet point. They’re probably dead.”
“It could have been one or two of the women,” the other one argues. “If they’ve made it this far, they must be pretty damn—”
“Enough,” the older man cuts him off. “Greenwood was amongst the audience. He said the king never made it to the banquet, which means he probably went after his amulet-bearer. He’s somewhere in here, no doubt about it. We’ll find him eventually.”
“Father,” one of the younger one says hesitantly, “what do you plan to do with the king once you find him? You’re not really going to kill him, are you? Everyone, including Mom, will be executed if you do something like that. Is it really worth it?”
“Yes,” the man answers with finality. “First my fiancée as a lad, then my daughter just last night. These royal bastards take whatever they want, regardless of the consequences. Neither of them even made it into the actual competition. I’m so sick of the arrogance.
No matter the cost, I’m not going to let them get away with it. ”
I feel a tightness in my chest as I listen to the man’s tale.
He’s not wrong to feel the way he does. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to prevent once I truly become King.
Maybe it’s not too late, maybe we can still talk this out.
I bend my knees to hop down there when I’m stopped by a hand on my arm.
Ava’s eyes are sorrowful as she shakes her head at me. I see. She thinks it’s no use. As someone from the serf class, I supposed she’d know these people’s feelings a lot better than me. She’s telling me I’ll get killed if I go down there. Dammit. We’re going to have to fight.
I shift halfway into my dragon form, allowing my wings to unfurl behind me.
My fingers lengthen into claws, and I glide down to sneak up on the seated men.
With one deadly swipe, I slice off the older man’s head.
A spray of blood washes over me, covering me with its coppery scent.
The two sons are staring at me in shock and horror.
There is a second of silence, then the two spring into action.
A loud roar erupts from the shorter one.
He’s halfway transformed before I can blink.
A jet of fire engulfs him before he can reach the final stage.
It was Ava, I realize. The flames came from above.
The final man looks up at her, furious. I need to distract him.
Ava’s body is too fragile to withstand a direct attack.
“Ava, get away!” I shout up at her, already shifting into my full dragon form. “I’ll handle him.”
The man swings his attention back to me. A rustle in the treetops confirms Ava has listened. I am free to fight without reservations.
The stranger lunges at me, transforming midleap.
We reach the final stage of our transformation at the same time, clashing against each other in a mesh of fangs and claws.
I see him about to shoot a jet of fire, so I launch one of my own.
The flames collide in the middle, burning away all the nearby wildlife.
We trade blows for a few moments longer. I have more experience, but his boundless fury is giving him an edge. Somehow, a vine wraps its way around his ankle, and his moment of distraction is enough for me to end things. I breathe out one final blast of fire, and he dies engulfed in purple flames.
I am still breathing heavily as I return to my human form. A rustle can be heard from behind me, and I know Ava has returned. She’s carrying the older man’s bloody clothes with her. They’re filthy, but they’re better than nothing.
After I finish dressing, Ava speaks to me. “Why were you trying not to kill them? You heard what they wanted to do to you.”
“Because they were right. I wish I could’ve prevented this competition from happening, but I couldn’t. I need to marry before I can change any laws. I’d hoped to be able to tell them that this will be the last time.”
Ava shakes her head. “They wouldn’t have listened. Their wounds were far too fresh.” She gets close enough to put her hand on my shoulder. She’s attempting to comfort me. “You should head back now, Kaiser. It’s not safe for you to be without your guards.”
I can’t help but smile. “That’s ironic. I was just going to say you’re the one who should get out of here. It’s not safe.”
Ava scoffs. She removes her hands from my shoulders to give me a playful swat. “As if I need your help. Weren’t you watching when I kicked those other girls’ butts during the target competition?”
“Yes. But I also remember seeing you tumble through the air because you’re not even able to fly.”
“That was different. As long as I’m able to use my magic, I’ll be fine.”
I decide to take her at her word. Over the top of her head, I can see the sun beginning to set. “We need to get going,” I comment, turning away from her.
“Are you going to fly me back?” she asks, tilting her head.
“No. I don’t know how many more assassins there are. There could be a lot. If we fly over top of them, they can attack us from below. We can head back in the morning, but for now, we have to find shelter.”
To my surprise, Ava grins at my comment. “Good news. I’ve already set up the perfect place.”