Claimed by the Dragon King (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

The huge door creaks loudly when Asher pulls it open. The sound echoes throughout the empty castle. The cool, quiet chamber is such a stark contrast to the last vestiges of battle just outside the doors. I’ve been here before with my father... I gulp down the anxiety that his memory brings. I hate him but he sacrificed himself for me. This mix of emotions has me disoriented and confused. I shake my head and push away the thought. There will be plenty of time to think about that after this is all over with. Asher stops in the Grand Hall and hesitates to pick one of the many doorways.

“The throne room is that way,” I say pointing towards the arched doorway straight ahead.

Ash bolts ahead, grabbing my hand and pulling me after him. Tension rolls off of him in waves and I can tell his fighting to keep the dragon contained. The long hallway twists upwards and ends in another heavy wooden door except this one cracked open. Ash kicks the door and it flies wide, slamming into the hard stone wall with a loud bang.

“Bravo,” Arralt says. His clapping hands echo loudly throughout the stone chamber. Arralt doesn’t appear to be worried at all sitting comfortably in the towering golden throne. He flashes a smug smile in our direction. Before I realize what I’m doing, a fireball is streaking from my hand towards the throne. It explodes before it can reach its target in a shower of sparks.

“
Tsk, tsk
little
fire witch
,”
he says. “Too bad the spell is almost complete. Did you really think you could beat me?” the Fae King taunts. The shield surrounding him shines brighter as he rises from his perch. Asher takes a step forward and I put my hand on his arm to stop him.

“Wait, there’s nothing we can do while he still has that shield up,” I implore Asher to listen but he pulls himself free from my grasp easily.

“I will not be imprisoned ever again, Lindy,” Asher turns towards me for a split second before turning his wicked gaze back to Arralt. “You are no king. You are a tyrant and you’re sitting on my throne.” His long stride propels him quickly towards his prey. My heart leaps into my throat as I watch him ascend the dias. Through half closed eyes, I watch as the man I love is about to be torn to shreds.

"Asher, stop!" I cry out one last time as tears start to well up in the corner of my eyes.

Arralt seems less than concerned that Asher is almost on top of him. I can See the magic swirling around Arralt as he pours more of it into his shield. Asher doesn't break stride as he walks right through it! I am suddenly thrown back to moment when he walked through the barrier in forest when SIGMA was after us.

I can't help but clap my hands together in excitement as the love of my life pulls back his fist and pounds Arralt right in his surprised face, knocking him from the throne. Asher reaches down and grabs Arralt by his collar and hammers him again. The magic is dancing and pulsing around both of them now. It doesn't know where to go. With both of them so close, there must be some sort of feedback coming through the spell. The orbs of light that once surrounded Arralt begin to drift towards Asher.

"This is my Kingdom. I am the ruler here. You've been a very bad steward in my absence," Asher growls as he lifts Arralt into the air by his skinny neck.

"You will never be King. You odious reptile," Arralt gurgles. His hands move swiftly and magic quickly gathers around him. A pulse of bright light blows Asher backwards and sends him outside the shield, skidding across the floor almost to my feet. "I am more powerful than you and this is my domain! I created this Underground and I will destroy it and everything living here before I let you have it." Arralt straightens the buttons on his coat and rolls up his sleeves.

With Asher far enough away from him, the magic quickly finds it way back to Arralt. With a smile he raises the flat of his palm and a stream of lightning shoots towards us. I throw myself on top of Asher and a spell flashes across my thoughts before I know what I'm doing. The lightning forks around us, scorching the marble and colorful tapestries hanging on the walls.

“Asher, you have to stay close to him. The magic wants to be yours. It is yours. You can win this. You don’t need anybody but yourself, Ash,” I whisper into his ear while electricity is still crackling in the air around us.

"You're wrong. I don't need anybody but you Lindy," he squeezes my hand tightly and surprises me with a kiss. Asher pushes himself to his feet. My heart thumps in my chest. He looks every inch the King that he is. I take the hand he offers to help me up. "Watch my back while I deal with Arralt.”

The look of terror on Arralt’s face is priceless when he sees that Asher is unfazed by his brutal attack. He scurries behind his throne and pulls a wall sconce to reveal a secret door. It closes quickly behind him. I follow Asher through the opening seconds later. It's a dark tunnel and I can hear the soft footfalls of Arralt escaping. If we don’t end this soon, the spell with be complete and Asher will be trapped again. I summon a small flicker of flame to light our way and try to keep pace with Ash. The small corridor ends abruptly and opens into a creepy tomb with tall statues standing guard everywhere.

"Come and get me reptile, if you can find me before its too late," Arralt’s taunting echoes wildly, concealing his location.

I gather my own magic and start to work it into a complex weave, layering multiple spells. I hope this works. With a loud boom all of the statues turn to dust and seep through the floor. A little trick I picked up from some gnomes. Arralt is nowhere to be seen. How is he evading us so easily?

"Come on Lindy, he must have doubled back on us while we were distracted." Asher urges me to come with him as he runs back down the dank tunnel that led us here in the first place. He stumbles and with my Witchsight I can see the spell on him tightening and renewing itself. If Asher doesn't defeat Arralt soon, this is going to end badly.

When we emerge from behind the throne, Arralt is standing in the center of the room with his arms raised. He thinks he's already won. Asher put his hand on my arm to stop me. He nods and mouths an ‘I love you’. I reach out to stroke his cheek but Asher springs forward. A roar escapes his throat as the inferno surrounding him grows. The room is just large enough for him to spread his wings get into the air. A split second later his massive form is descending on top of Arralt. With claws outstretched he pins him to the ground easily. The magic pulses faster around the usurper. A spell begins to build. Arralt reaches his tiny hands towards one of the massive talons that are holding him in place. A tiny spark of pure magic hits Asher and he roars in pain. The entire room shakes as the enormous black dragon begins to shrivel and shrink. The raging inferno is a guttering flame as Asher is forced back into his human form.

"Do you see how weak you are compared to me, boy?" Arralt says as he stands up. Asher is laying on the ground, still in shock from the agonizing shift that just happened. Arralt turns his attention towards me. I try to force myself to look him in the eye but I can only focus on Asher. I need to be with him. If he is going to be imprisoned once again. The least I can do is be by his side while it happens. I run to him but Arralt raises his hand and an unseen force tosses me backwards. I land in a heap at the foot of the throne. "You will be dealt with. Disloyal subjects will be punished. Once I'm done with you, I will find every single being that helped you here today and make them pay." As he approaches, Arralt flicks a finger toward me and pain racks my body. I can't even cry out. As suddenly as the pain starts it recedes. I blink and wipe the tears from my eyes. I See the magical orbs retreating from Arralt. I only know of one person who could make that happen.

Arralt turns around just in time for Asher smash his fist into stomach, doubling him over. With the wind knocked out of him, my King grabs him by the scruff of the neck and stands him up straight. The Magic is racing towards Asher. Jumping and zooming around its true owner.

"Nobody hurts my wife! Ever!" Asher growls into Arralt’s ashen face. He pulls back his arm and I see every muscle in his arm and shoulder tighten. The magic is feeding into him again, seeping through the cracks in the spell that surround him. With one swift motion Asher punches Arralt in the chest. No, through his chest. A spray of blood and magic spew forth. Arralt looks down at Asher's arm buried in his chest. A look of sadness and relief wash over his face. When Asher pulls his hand free he is holding a blackened heart. His other hand releases Arralt and his body crumples to the floor. The magic that kept him alive flees. He ages three thousand years right before my eyes.

“Now Lindy!” Ash screams, holding Arralt’s beating heart in his hand. I pull the chains from Asher and feed them into Arralt. The glowing orbs from Arralt’s body leap onto Asher, glad to be reunited with their true counterpart once again. They glow even more brightly as each one joins the others. Ash drops Arralt’s heart and stumbles backwards. His hands are pulsing with the magic of the Dragons but he looks scared.

“Whats wrong?” I ask.

“It’s too much,” he says, shuddering and sinking to his knees. “It’s too much magic Lindy, I can’t take it.” His body contorts in pain.

“No!” I scream and join him on the floor. “This can’t be happening, this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen!” We’ve come all this way, we’ve defeated Arralt. I do the only thing I can think of and pull some of the Dragon magic into myself.

“Lindy, no. It could kill you,” Ash whispers.

I can feel it burning through my veins overpowering my own magic. I feel like I’m going to burst but it’s not hurting. I wonder if this is what it’s like to die?

The magic pulses through my veins and finally reaches my heart and now I can’t feel anything. My whole body feels numb and I crumple to the ground. I hear Ash shouting but he sounds so far away. My heart struggles to beat with all of the magic filling it, overpowering it. I close my eyes and try to will it to give one more beat. I pull in a deep ragged breath and suddenly, I can feel everything. My heart pushes the magic back out into my body all I can feel is searing pain as the magic shoots through me. My body contorts and convulses.

“
Release it dear,
” I hear a whisper in my ear, it sounds like Georgia. Maybe I really am dead. I try to do what she says but its more magic than I’ve ever felt. My body is glowing brighter and brighter. I don’t know what will happen if I release all of this at once but I’ve got to try. I release the magic with a sudden burst of energy and the castle explodes around me.

Suddenly I’m floating above the remains of castle and it’s almost like time has slowed down because I’m not hurtling towards the ground and neither are the huge chunks of stone from the castle. It’s like I’m watching everything happen in slow motion. The battle below has stopped and there are hundreds of dead bodies littering the ground, surrounded by thousands of still living people who look very frightened! The shrapnel from the castle is going to come down right on top of the remaining crowd. No! No one else will die today.

“Stop,” I say, waving my arm and twisting in midair. The blocks of stone and shards of glass stop their downward trajectory and hoover in the air. I look at my palm and laugh. I’m glowing...and floating! I look for a safe place to set down all of the rubble and make it all go there with another wave of my hand. I could get used to this! The people below me send up a cheer as Asher joins me in the sky. His black wings hold him in the air next to me.

“What’s going on Lindy? How are you doing this?” Ash asks worriedly.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But I know what needs to be done. Do you trust me?” I ask him. The magic that pulses through me is still overwhelming. I’m sure that if I don’t release it again soon it will kill me.

“Of course,” he says.

I pull in more of the Dragon magic and focus on the crowd. I cast out as much magic as I can to them. I can feel them pulling it in, eagerly filling their own magical stores. The glow around my body brightens suddenly and the light is blinding. My skin vibrates uncomfortably with every thread of magic leaving it. I reach out with my mind and find my coven. They eagerly link with me and help pull the magic from me and direct it into the crowd. My stomach lurches as the stream of magic reaches its end. I hear a voice scream in pain, and I realize it’s my own. My body rips apart in a burst of blinding white light and my very soul comes alive. The pain and light abruptly stops and my chest heaves as I try to catch my breath. I open my eyes I’m still floating above the crowd looking down at them but I start to sink as the last of the magic leave me. Before I can try to cast a spell to keep me in the air the magic is gone and I fall with a sickening speed towards the ground. Oh shit!