Fallen One (Book three of Alfireán age)

- Amongst the Ruins -

The world blurred around Drake while they followed Rex via traverse wake. In mere seconds, the end of the drained rice fields flashed past them and they shot through a small, overly crowded village bordering its outskirts.

"Sorry," Rex called back as he nearly sideswiped several pedestrians casually strolling across the road.

An older man stared after them in wide-eyed surprise. His straw hat drifted to the floor and his jaw hung open as the group disappeared into the dark night and left the crowded little hamlet far behind.

As the smell of smoke became increasingly stronger and the stony fields flashed on by, Drakovian closed his eyes, hoping Rex was wrong. He had to be. There was no rational reason for Vackzilian or his men to destroy Cliphkirk; it wasn't an Imperial Legal center like Carlos had been, and its inhabitants were mostly retired sailors or dock keepers and business owners. He doubted they could even put up a fight, and they definitely weren't anything like the hardened warriors in Glandledale.

So why would he attack them?

Cliphkirk, while a wealthy port city, didn't have any strategic value other than keeping people out of the nation. That meant they shouldn't garner Vackzilian's attention, at least not for some time to come. It just didn't make sense. In fact, if the usurper continued to attack his own people, he ran the risk of those on Dragon Isle deciding they weren't fans of the new Alfireán Emperor.

That would be a dream come true, Drake thought to himself as he imagined a horde of unstoppable dragon kin crushing Vackzilian underneath their boots. Sadly, that was a pipe dream, and he knew it. While Dragon Isle liked to officially tell everyone what to do, they wisely kept their nose out of most affairs and rarely stepped foot off of their island.

"I think I see smoke," Alf said, pointing at the night sky and pulling Drake from his thoughts.

Drakovian looked up and gazed through the glistening, blue barrier around them while he peered into the darkness. It was hard to make out against the black backdrop of the night, but the High Lord was right; there was a slight haze lingering in the eastern sky.

"I don't see anything," Scarlet answered, her attention momentarily directed away from her book as she peered outwards.

"That's because it's more of a smog than smoke," the prince told her, wondering how the maid could constantly keep her nose buried in a scrying despite the chaos raging around them.

"Which means we're too late," Rex said with a hint of frustration in his voice as he bent further forward and picked up speed.

Drake nodded. "More than likely," he admitted as the warrior's glowing, shielded feet left half-moon afterimages in his eyes. "Though we should still be cautious as we approach."

"You got it," the vice-champion replied, and with a minute shifting of his feet, his pace slowed back down as the craggy, barren land of the plateau raced by. The stony fields resembled that of a giant's rocky playground gleaming in the light of the crescent moon. It was as if giants had picked up massive boulders and randomly tossed them here and there, disregarding location or order.

"We should probably lose the shield," Zaphaniea spoke up, her face pinched in concern. "It will make us stick out like a sore thumb in this darkness."

"You're right," Olivia agreed while they passed a lone tuff of trees that looked more like bushes than actual trees. "Alf?"

The young High Lord reached up and touched the glowing crystalline surface. Like a river flowing backwards into Alf's hand, the magical force field blinked out of existence, plunging the group into darkness.