Kingdoms Falling

Chapter 16

Everyone in the square stood stock still, their petrified gazes on Twisterheart. No one ran, no one spoke, no one dared to breathe, for fear the blue dragon would slaughter them all. From Meadow's position near the fountain, he had a perfect line of vision to the villain, and what he saw sent shivers through his body.

He's acting like he's already won, he realized. He wants them to be afraid of him, because that's the only way he can control them. With fear. It was wrong, and he could feel his talons digging into the stone angrily. The dragon had some nerve coming there now, after successfully turning all of Watterlaek into zombied henchmen. Meadow couldn't imagine what he had in store for this place, but he was sure it wouldn't be good.

"How dare he?" Cotton hissed furiously in his ear. "He has no right to--"

She started to shove her way past, but Meadow leaped in front of her, spreading his wings and blocking her path. "No!" he yelped. "Cotton, wait!" he pleaded, holding out his talons desperately. "This is a trap! Think about it! Why come all this way to challenge your parents openly when he can just as easily brainwash everyone from a safer location?"

Cotton stopped and blinked at him. "Because he knows I'm here," she growled. "And he wants me to challenge him instead!"

Meadow nodded. "So he can claim he won the throne in fair combat." But he doesn't know I'm here. He thinks Cotton's alone, and that she's hot-headed enough to take his fight. But he doesn't know about me, because I am not supposed to be here.

"Why the nerve of that little roach!" Cotton snarled, lashing her tail. "I'm gonna go up there and put him in his place!" With that, she shoved her way past Meadow, ignoring the green hatchling's pleas, and marched right up to the front of the crowd, shooing them back with her wings.

Twisterheart looked down at her with a smirk and lazily flicked his tail. "Princess Cotton Scale, I presume?"

It was less of a question, more of a courtesy. He knew exactly who she was. He'd seen her in Meadow's dreams. He was simply biding his time, sizing her up, and finding her weaknesses.

Meadow slipped through the crowd, keeping his head low, and his eyes trained on Cotton in case she needed help. He could feel the lightning tingling in his claws. He could react in seconds, and for her, he would. He just needed a better position to prepare himself. There were still a large number of dragons blocking him, both on the ground and in the air. If Twisterheart decided to attack, it would be extremely difficult for him to get to her. Especially when he was trying to remain inconspicuous. Come on, come on, think! He scanned the clearing. Where can I get a good shot?

His eyes fell on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Yes!

"You are correct," Cotton replied coldly as the last of the spectators fanned out, leaving a wide ring for the two dragons. "You may not be aware, but we have a pact with the blue dragons," she went on, eyeing his talons and his scales suspiciously. "To comply to a fight would break our oath."

"An oath signed by my pathetic excuse for relation," Twisterheart snarled, eyes gleaming menacingly, "who was too weak to see the chance of power and seize it."

"A wise dragon who knew he was outmatched and outnumbered," Cotton retorted sharply, her voice wavering as she struggled to remain cordial. "He did what was right, and by doing so, saved years of unnecessary bloodshed."

"He was a fool!" the blue dragon spat. "A fool and a coward! The Realms don't deserve to rule themselves! That is the duty of a real blue dragon, not treacherous snakes who pretend to be what they are not!"