Dragonsbane (Dragonsbane Duology Book I)

Chapter 20: Fire

The capital was in burning disarray.

The Regent dragged himself up to a building and leaned against it clutching his bleeding stomach. His face had gone pale, his air was coming in gasps.

Amlin looked more beautiful than he had ever remembered. She seemed to glow as she hovered above him, like an ethereal creature of a mythology he only vaguely remembered. He couldn't hear her, but he was smiling. She examined his wound, and knew it was grave.

"Can you stand?" she asked, and he seemed to hear enough. Though she made a motion too, to let him know she wanted him to rise, she helped him up, then helped him into a small house around the corner.

Damos, Fellaire, and Lius stood on the castle steps watching the carnage with indifference. Their stance changed when the silhouette of the dragon could be seen in the smoky clouds.

"Get your men to the gate. Now!" Damos ordered; he had clearly declared himself King.

Fellaire and Lius nearly tripped down the stairs.

Morrigan was flying. Though the magic of the experience languished under smoke. She had to focus on her breath as Reav closed in on the scene. Covac was close behind the King, as if he hadn't trusted his right hand to deliver their greatest foe safely. Sandril seemed to be having the most fun, he had that look that looked so much like a smile, his jowls flapped in the fast wind, his tongue did as well. Morrigan pointed down below, noticing what they were noticing by the time she spoke.

"Look!"

At least a hundred men had formed up outside the gate. They had seen them coming. The clouds hadn't been as good of a cover as they'd hoped. Damos was there, a move that surprised the other two figureheads. Though the only thing they could think of was that he was attempting to make a statement, since they knew what he was doing, it did not have the same effect.

Covac landed next to Reav and relayed a message none of the humans could understand but they were soon airborne again. Covac threw the King off his back. Erimon, dressed in the armor he wore when he killed the wyrm prince, looked back like he hoped to convince Covac to take another path but he was nudged forward and knew he truly had no choice. He walked to the line, where archers had shots lined up. He moved past Midir's desecrated body but did not go much further.

"Who leads these men?!" the King demanded; his voice surprisingly as stern as ever.

Theris Damos stepped forward smirking.

"You survived? How unfortunate for you."

"Should've known you'd be in on something like this."

"You look, bigger than you did the last time I saw you."

"Where's my boy if I might ask?"

"You might."

Damos removed a bloody dagger, the King flinched but did not step. The usurper cleaned the blade against a rock. The King turned to Covac, but he would offer no aid. The King became enraged, he reached for his sword. Covac wondered if the King charged forward and got filled with arrows because he believed his son was dead, or if he believed his son being dead was the last tether he had to the throne. 

His body was still for a moment, and then he fell face first. Covac, though not sad to see his foe fall, felt disgusted for a reason odd to him. Despite the fact his wrongdoings had ruined him, the fact that he had had so much success against him had earned him some semblance of respect. He was a man to be feared.

Damos rose and sheathed his blade and said to kill the dragons. Covac took to the sky and Reav swooped down.

"Mage!" the Lieutenant bellowed before anyone could hear the approach. Cara pointed to herself like she still wasn't used to hearing the title, but she joined him in burning the dissidents. Reav bobbed in and out of arrow traffic.