The Dragon Blood Guardian *COMPLETED*

Swords and Sorcery

However, despite the king's direct orders to do so, the commands I sent to my arm went unheeded and my sword remained unsheathed, but limp at my side. I'd spent my entire life serving as Cecily's guardian and protector, yet somehow I was supposed to override all of those ingrained beliefs in order to raise my blade against her. But was she really the girl I grew up with? There she was hissing out some more words, her chant in chorus with Lord Gadfrey, their eyes dark and set sharp upon Raidenfall's guard who tried to rescue their prince from the altar.

Every fiber of my being resisted what my eyes saw and what my ears heard. How could I find the conviction needed to strike a blow when I could not believe that Cecily — someone whom I considered a sister, though I knew I could never utter such a sentiment aloud — was about to commit cold-blooded murder.

With a roar, the two finished their spell and a blast of heat burst from them, sending a spiral of fire forward. A cry of pain ripped through me, a curse of regret burning my tongue as I finally urged my feet to send me lunging towards my dear friend. However, slicing her arm off would not save Raidenfall's soldiers from the fiery blast already emanating from her palms. Tears bit at the corner of my eyes as I recalled Jidora's scream.

However, I was knocked away as heat rippled back towards our position upon the podium, causing me to recoil before I managed to make contact with Cecily's skin.

I wasn't the only one caught off guard. Both of the dark mages cut off their chant, the fire dying as they cowered from the deflection of their spell. I turned to find the source of the shield and saw Juri and Jani, arms interlaced and eyes closed as they mumbled their own incantation. The air swirled around them, encasing the Raidenfall visitors, my own soldiers, and the king with his guard. As for the rest of the audience, most had escaped and only the dragon riders and Cornyx remained in a distant corner.

"Damn aunts, I didn't want to invite you to the wedding in the first place." Cecily looked to Lord Gadfrey, perhaps for some insight on how best to combat the light mages defensive magic. However, at that point, I'd become numb to my own confusion and no longer felt compelled to observe and digest the princess's strange behavior. Instead, duty took hold of my arms and I raised the hilt of my sword, hoping to strike a blow across her temple.

"No you don't!" shouted our resident mage as he pulled a strip of paper from his sleeve. With a few quick words, he tossed the enchanted slip towards me and a wave of invisible force threw me across the stage. With all my strength, I cut through the blast with my sword and once the blade sliced through his charm, the wave subsided and I regained my footing. However, just those few seconds granted him the time he needed to call upon a spell of his own and he primed his hands to unleash whatever unpleasant force was about to collide against me.

I braced my feet, angling my sword to slice off a hand, a finger, an arm, anything that would unbalance the mage's spell and protect me from the coming onslaught, however, before I could even spring forward, Lord Gadfrey finished his spell and a crackle of static filled the air. I recalled my training and raised my sword to catch the lightning that sprang forth from his fingertips, but I knew my blade could only hold the power for so long. I'd need someone to break Gadfrey's concentration, but I could see from the frustrated looks of my own soldiers, the sisters' defensive spell had the side effect of sealing off both sides. Though they could drop the force field, Cecily was already preparing a new attack to penetrate the sisters' shield.

The hairs along my arms rose as the spark and snap of the electricity increased. Zaps of energy sizzled across my fingers and I gritted my teeth against the pain. I looked over at the menacing mage and once loyal servant to our king. He drew closer and closer, his smile that of pointed teeth. Then he was engulfed in flames.

Gadfrey screamed and Cecily whirled around, quitting her spell in order to start a new one to combat the fiery breath of Cornyx.

"Still think she was worth all that effort?" From atop the ivory dragon's back, Vincent sat upon his saddle with one hand on the reins and the other holding the side of his torso that once fell prey to a mage's blade.

"Now's not the time," I answered, running forward and sending my shoulder straight into Cecily's torso, cutting her counter spell off at the quick. We both fell to the ground and I felt the nip of fire at my boots. Though Harrick was some distance away from where Gadfrey smoldered, I used what strength I had to slide him closer to the altar's edge, where his brothers were eager to break past the shield and reclaim him. They didn't have to wait long. With Cecily trying to regain her feet and with Lord Gadfrey somewhere between prone and dead, the sisters' dropped their spell and both the Raidenfall and Drackenridge warriors sprinted forward.

With the soldiers reclaiming the scene, Vincent pulled Cornyx away, giving me a last wave before he scooped up Reggie and Darla and vanished into the night sky. As for Cecily, she wasted no time in collecting herself and racing for the door.

I didn't bother to see how the others responded. I knew the Raidenfall guard would gather up their prince and leave at once while Oramon would see to it that Gadfrey lived long enough to receive his fate upon the executioner's block. The princess, though, she was my responsibility, and so I sprinted forward with my own guard at my heels.

Having grown up in the castle, Cecily knew every twist and bend, every hidden door and quiet corner. A skill that would have benefited her had she not been chased by someone who had grown up right alongside her.

"Wait," I said, throwing my hand out as I caught sight of Cecily's train disappearing behind a door. "She's going to make a break for the ramparts." I had about five soldiers trailing me, each coming to a stop and catching their breath as they drank in that realization.

"From here?" asked Heather, one of my lieutenants. "There's no door down to the courtyard from here."

"Trust me," I said, a clip in my voice that told them we had no time for further questions. "Heather, Donita, I want both of you to stand guard at the top of the northwest and north towers. The rest of you, patrol the wall between the two."

"Yes ma'am!" they all said with a salute before racing to their positions.

With them gone, Itook a breath and held my blade before me. I could see the slight shake in my sword and with a grit of my teeth, Imanaged to settle it. Then, I steppedforward, making my way through the darkened library and out onto the quietbalcony.

***

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