Chapter 41: A Dragon Killer

Alexandria

“Merlin, we need your help,” Mom said as she folded her arms.

“And you are?” Merlin said monotonously.

“Rosetta, Leader of Varrfarrinn. Daughter of the Moon Goddess,” Mom said.

“A white dragon, I see. Well, I’m busy,” Merlin said. “You can see yourselves out,” Merlin started walking to the other room.

“That’s Merlin?” I said.

“Yes,” Ethan scoffed. “It appears we caught him at a bad time. Give me a moment to talk to him; I’m sure once he knows the world as at stake he will be more then happy to help you,”

“We don’t have time for that,” I rolled my eyes, then I started going to the other room where Merlin went, and the others followed me.

“Wait a minute!” Ethan cried out.

“Wow, you don’t see this every day,” Megan gasped with awe.

The room we stepped into was at least three stories tall. Every shelf was filled with books. Each corner of the room grew an exotic tree that reached to the ceiling.

“Do any of you do as your told?” Ethan grunted at us.

“Rarely,” Haley snickered.

“I told you earlier that we shouldn’t have brought them here, Ethan,” Finn said. Haley shot her elbow back and caught Finn in the abdomen, making him lose his breath.

“Sorry, didn’t you there,” Haley smiled innocently.

The rest of us laughed. “Sorry Finn, but you deserved that,” Ethan said.

“Merlin, we need to talk to you, the fate of the world is at stake here,” I said.

“The world is always in peril, child. Now leave me, I’m not in the mood to talk,” Merlin tried to shoo me away.

“Does it look like I care about what mood you’re in?” I growled.

Merlin turned around and took a nice look at me. Merlin then shook his head. “No, it does not,” Merlin returned to his books.

I took a step closer to Merlin. “Look, we need-” Before I could finish my sentence, Merlin raised his hand a little, and I flung back.

“Alex!” Megan yelled. “Are you alright?” Megan helped me get back on my feet.

“I’m fine,” I dusted myself off.

“I told you I should have talked to him first,” Ethan said.

Mom walked past us and confronted Merlin herself.

“Merlin, I am Rosetta, Leader of Varrfarrin and a Daughter of the Moon Goddess. As a wizard linked to the magical barrier around the world, you are obligated to aid the kingdoms should it fall,” Mom said.

“How dare you! There’s nothing wrong with my barrier, I designed it to be perfect!” Merlin scoffed.

“Until every kingdom leader was killed, except for Rosetta,” I said.

“True, that might change things. Is it true?” Merlin asked Rosetta.

“I am the only one left,” Mom nodded.

“Always trouble around the dragon race,” Merlin said.

“Wait, you have no idea what’s going on in the world?” Kita asked.

“I locked myself away while researching, which helps feed the lie about my imprisonment. The Moon Goddess didn’t imprison me; while she was angry about how the great war ended, she had an essential duty that I could only fulfill. I’ve been closed off from the world for about two months. Time does tend to fly,” Merlin said.

“Sir, a group of dragons that call themselves the warriors of Sozin has started attacking all the kingdoms around the world. I have confirmed that they have total control over the American Kingdom,” Ethan explained. “And Rosetta is indeed the last one remaining,”

“They won’t stop until my mother is dead. Merlin, the magical world, is in danger of being discovered by humanity,” I said.

“I understand, but what do you want me to do exactly?” Merlin asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? We need to link new leaders to the barrier to keep it intact,” I said.

“And the people to take over?” Merlin said,

“You are looking at them,” Ashley grunted.

“Are you telling me you are all next in line for your thrones?” Merlin looked repulsed. “Ashley, a girl who’s always angry at the world. Haley is a girl who is still angry at her father for leaving her, even though that was almost 15 years ago. Kida has hardly any fighting experience and has spent most of her life underwater. Daiyu is a girl barely out of her diapers and has been dependent on her family and older brother all her life. Megan is a girl who has always done what other people tell her to do, suppressing her feelings and independence. Renna is a girl who doubts her family so much that she’s wondering if she can be trusted.

And last but not least, Alexandria, a girl who has spent her whole life trying to impress her father only to disappoint him and herself. This is the group that’s to take over the kingdoms? What happened to diversity? Seven women hardly seem fair,” Merlin went on a rant.

“Are you done?” I was fed up at this point.

“I just don’t see if the kingdoms will be in any better position with you ‘children’ as rulers,” Merlin said.

“These ‘children’ have been through more in theses last weeks then most do in a lifetime,” I said. “It’s true not all of us are old, and many of us will do better with more training and preperation, but the situation at hand isn’t going to wait until we are ready and no one is ever ready to take over. I have seen these guys deal with loss, anger, and seen them help free Varrfarrinn,” I said. “We are all up to the task,”

“And you, Alexandria? Are you ready to inherit the throne of Varrfarrinn?” Merlin asked me.

“Alexandria has stepped up and been there for all of us since our father died. She’s the strongest person I know,” Audrey said in my defense.

“Alex got us out of Bermuda,” Ashley said.

“And Alex is one of the best fighters I’ve seen,” Haley said.

“Alexandria is a true leader,” Kida said.

“Thank you, everyone,” I smiled at them.

Merlin crossed his arms and smiled. “I’ll admit that even though you lack a lot of other things, you work together well,” Merlin nodded. “This might just work after all,”

“So, will you please help us?” I asked.

“Of course, I’ve been waiting to hear that word. Let’s get started,” Merlin beamed a smile.

“How long will this take?” I asked.

“Hold your horses, young lady. This is ancient magic, and I’m unwilling to risk my books and artifacts here. Redoing the spell, with only one leader remaining, means that we will be going to the place where I first cast the spell,” Merlin explained.

“So just open a portal and let’s go!” Ashley said.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s impossible to open a portal there. Think of it as a safety measure,” Merlin said.

“So where on earth do we need to go?” Renna asked.

“Oh, not that far. You probably saw it on your way here, after all, it is home to the birthplace of magic,” Merlin smiled. We all looked at each other with confusion. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see it? I mean it’s 8.8489 km tall. Ethan, would you like to do the honors?”

“The site where the original barrier was conjured, is inside the Crystal Caves in Mount Everest,” Ethan said.

“Son of a bitch!” Megan groaned.

Alyssa

Gabrial dragged me along the halls of the castle. He didn’t say anything on the way, but I could see him smile. He was looking forward to whatever was about to happen next. We then stopped by a large door. I heard someone screaming inside and people shouting not far from me. “What the hell is going on here, Gabrial?” I asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, dearie?” Gabrial opened the door, and I readied myself to be thrown in, as Gabrial was starting to do every time. But then he handed me a keychain with two keys. “One key goes to your neck cuff, and the other to the braclets. Good luck, you’ll need it,”

I hesitantly took the keys. What the hell was going on? “What’s your game, Gabrial?”

“Get inside the cell, and you’ll figure it out,” Gabrial smiled.

I fumbled with the keys and tried to undo one around my left wrist. “Ah, not here, in there,” Gabrial pointed at the door.

I stepped into the cell room and was greeted with a strange room. It looked more extensive than what I was used to regarding cells. It was brightly lit and had a tall ceiling and brick walls., but something didn’t seem right. I touched the walls and saw a soft glow where my hand touched; it was some magic I didn’t recognize. My thoughts were confused when I looked back to the place I had entered through, and there was no door to be seen.

“Perfect,” I scoffed. I started to undo my cuffs and neck cuff, and they fell to the ground and made a loud clang. I felt the magic start flowing throughout my body again. “Alyssa, thank the goddess. I can reach you. Those cuffs kept me from talking to you, but I could hear everything,” Dahlia cheered.

“It’s good to hear your voice again, can you reach Astarot?” I asked her.

“No, they blocked the connection we have with Vincent and Astarot and in turn they can’t reach us as well,” Dahlia whined. “Do you know what’s going on right now, what kind of hell is this?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I looked around.

“You know it’s not good that they allowed us to take the cuffs off, right?” Dahlia said

“That’s a no brainer, but the question is what is there game?” I said.

As to answer my questions, a voice was heard through an intercom somewhere in the room.

“Welcome, warriors of Sozin,” Elijah said.

A side of the wall faded to reveal rows of people watching from the other side. Elijah wanted me to know that I was being watched since the walls disappeared after a few seconds, and all I could see was a brick wall again.

“I know most of you had doubted our mission, and to show you our progress, I have bought you an extraordinary guest. Meet the only golden dragon alive today,” Elijah said.

“Alyssa, somthing’s coming!” Dahlia shivered with fear. “I have a bad feeling about this,”

“Through years of research, I was able to give life to an extinct species, but that’s just the base of what I’ve done,” Elijah said.

My attention was moved to a door opening on the other side of the room. It opened, and through it stepped a boy. “Welcome, Subject Zero. Some of you have seen him battle a shadow dragon, which he beat easily,” Elijah laughed.

“Gloria mentioned she fought a monster. Is this boy the one?” I asked Dahlia. “I’m more concerned about how this guy beat Gloria; she is one of the greatest fighters I’ve seen, if only briefly,”

“Alyssa, I smell dragon blood; look at his lips. I smell cardiac tissue. He has been eating dragon hearts,” Dahlia said.

“Now, as promised, for all your hard work. I give you the fight of the century. Tonight, we’ll witness which of these species is superior. Golden dragons are legendary for their magical abilities; then we have the mythical Behir’s.” Elijah said. “As to say about these abilities, why spoil the surprise? The rules are simple: fight until the opponent is dead or unconscious, and there will be no surrendering, and no mercy will be shown. I hope everyone is ready,” Elijah said.

“I can hear your heart beating, dragon. My kind used to hunt dragons,” the boy said, taking off his jacket.

There is no telling what kind of abilities this guy has, and if he said that his species was made to hunt dragons, then I have to be on my guard. “You don’t have to do this,” I look at him stoically. “You don’t have to listen to him,” He didn’t even seem to acknowledge what I was saying. All I saw in his eyes was bloodlust.

“It seems that you won’t be getting through to him, Alyssa. We have to fight him,” Dahlia said.

I slowed down time as I dodged the boy’s punch and ran to the other side of the room. “He wants to kill us, fight back!” Dahlia screamed. “You can’t slow down time forever!”

“No, this is precisely what Elijah wants, and I’m not giving it to him,” I said. “I don’t want to hurt you,” We circled, studying each other, then he stopped. He looked down momentarily, and I could see him close his eyes.

“Now! Attack him now!” Dahlia roared in my mind.

Fuck it! I froze time in place, not wanting to risk getting hit or giving him an advantage. But the guy caught my punch with his fist. “Time magic won’t work on a Behir,” he said coldly. I looked into his black eyes from the sclera to the iris. Just pitch black. Time resumed as he threw me back, but I stayed on my feet. The guy smiled, and a chill ran down my spine. He then started to dissolve, turning into mist before me.

I heard something behind me, but as I turned around, something hit me. “Damn,” I said. My eyes glowed as I felt power flowing through me, but another blow hit my back before I could channel it. I could see black mist moving around, but it was too fast to focus on. As I was standing up, yet another blow hit my side.

Finally, the guy materialized again. I quickly got up and started to channel my powers again. But before I could do anything, the guy took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, small fireballs came flying out of his mouth. I blocked them, but the last one broke my guard and sent me flying into the wall, and I fell to the ground. Fuck,

I’m in trouble. How can I fight a creature that was made to kill dragons?

Vincent

The others and I got a recent rest before we marched on. Since we knew about possible guards ahead, we walked slowly and quietly. “Everyone stay quiet,” I shushed everyone. “Annabeth?”

“They are not far,” Annabeth said. “The otherside of those trees,” she pointed.

I started to think about my next move. “What are you thinking, Vincent?” Jacob asked.

“How good are your tree climbing skills?” I asked Annabeth and Jacob.

With Annabeth’s help, Jacob jumped from tree to tree and found two guards looking for any sign of trouble. I recognized those two women, Lena and Lois. Annabeth and Jacob landed on them before they could see what was happening above them, pinning them down. I walked from behind the bushes. “Get them up,” I said.

Annabeth and Jacob pulled the girls up and placed a knife on their throats. The girls look at me in fear. “If either one of you even thinks baout shifting, my frineds have permission to kill you. Am I clear?” I said.

“Please don’t kill us, I’m too pretty to die,” Lois said. “We’ll do anything you ask,”

“Way to play it cool, Lois,” Lena grunted.

“Shut up,” Lois snapped at her.

I slapped both of the girls across the face. “Shut the fuck up, bitches. Tell me everything that’s going on in the castle,” I said.

“Sozin is making the golden dragon fight his test subject tonight,” Lois said quickly.

“Are you kidding me, Lois? Keep that whore mouth of yours shut!” Lena growled.

“And where is this fight?” I glared at Lois.

“We are not going to-.” Before Lena could finish her sentence, I shoved my hand into her chest, making her gasp for air. I could see the terror in her eyes as I could see that she knew what type of magic I was using.

“Shut up, or I will crush your heart!” I barred my teeth at Lena, then shifted my gaze to Lois. “I’m going to ask one more time. Where is the fight happening?” My voice was cold and filled with rage, and I felt great pleasure in the fear I was giving off. I could hear the girl trying to say something, and I slightly released my hold on her heart.

“The south wing,” Lena coughed. “Please, don’t rip out my heart,”

I released my grip and removed my hand from her chest. Lena coughed and gasped for air. “Lena, are you alright?” Lois asked.

“Tell me more,” I said.

“The top floor of the south wing. It’s a magic dome that they make people fight in. You can’t escape from it once you are inside,” Lois said. Hearing this information, I started walking towards the castle and going to the south wing.

“Woah, where are you going?” Jacob grabbed my shoulder.

“Getting my mate,” I said, my eyes flashing white.

“Look, we’ve gotten this far under their radar, and if you fly in without a plan, you might as well announce your arrival,” Jacob said.

“Alyssa is in trouble!” I said.

“And we’ll save her, but we need a plan. Just calm down,” Jacob said.

Jacob was right; if we can get Alyssa out of this hell hole, we need a solid plan. “How far to the castle from here, Annabeth?”

“Not far, about a twenty minute walk,” Annabeth said.

“How any people are inside the castle?” I asked.

“There have been people arriving all day just to see this fight. I have no idea how many there are right now,” Lois said.

“There might be dozens or even hundreds of people there,” Caitlin said.

“This is just great,” Bao said.

“What should we do?” Jacob said.

“I’ll call Elizabeth and tell her to get every dragon and magical being she can find to the cave we stayed in last night and have them be ready to fight when we call,” I said. “It’s time to finish this madness once and for all,” I said.

“And these two?” Annabeth gestured to Lois and Lena

My hand erupted with a blackish-red fire bestowed by the knowledge my mother gave me. This is the true power of the White Dragons: to deliver Death. “I can grant a proper death to one’s body and soul. If you want to see the Goddess’s Promised Land when you die, you will tell me everything you know about the castle. Now, tell us about security, every entry, and everything we need to know,” I said, holding the flame near her face.