“I suppose that I really should be more excited. Not every Truth Pendant happens to be bonded to a human born of dragon’s blood, with such a journey ahead of him. These dragons are very interesting creatures, and I have never seen anything like them. They are truly extraordinary.
But the story of Vartan’s life so far fills me with concern. If he really is fated to destroy the Forces of Darkness, then he would be the primary target of every unimaginable enemy out there. As I am bonded to him, I share his position as the number one target for assassination or death in this entire world.
For some strange reason, I do not find comfort in that fact.”
Helenia raised the cup of sweet elven tea to her nostrils with quickened heartbeats of anticipation. She drew a long whiff of the brew, and let out a breath laced with nostalgia.
“Such delightful sensations remind me of home, mother,” said Helenia. “Do you remember those cinnamon honey teas you used to make for us? I really miss how we used to talk for hours in the dining room with father.”
Andrielle sat quietly by her foggy window. She wiped away the fog with her hand and watched the fading image of thousands of men and women as they trained tirelessly with Faowind and Dryden. The mystery of a new weapon proved to be a welcoming distraction for them all, and a fresh burst of hope. She took another sip and turned to Helenia to address her.
“Those were peaceful times, my love. But this is your home now. Our home. And those days are now long behind us. We need to focus on the future and make new memories.”
Andrielle’s eyes saddened as she looked back out the window. She spoke with conviction. “Look at them all, ready to give their lives selflessly to save us. We are so lucky to be alive, you know? I can’t believe that we have made it this far. When I look outside, I see so much hope and strength. I need you to learn from them, gain their trust, and in time… lead them. I won’t be around forever, and the gods only know if we can bring an end to the dark cloud that has blanketed all of us. I need you to become the queen that will one day, rule."
“Mother, that is exactly what I have tried to explain to you time and time again. I want to be out there beside them, training to fight and helping us to win this war. I want to avenge the murder of my father. What good are a queen and princess if we just sit here while they fight in our names?"
Andrielle turned sharply to look her daughter in the eyes with serious intent. “Do you not understand why I ask you to stay here? What do you think would happen if you were to die on the battlefield?” asked Andrielle, as her eyes twinkled. “I have already lost my husband, our people have lost their king, and you have lost your father and brother. I will lead them into battle when the time comes, rest assured of that. But there really is no need to have you risking your life. Nothing you or I do will bring Arman back to us, and the pain of his loss should serve as a reminder of our purpose. Our people need at least one of us to remain alive to rebuild Greenhaven when we win this war. You want to be useful to the war effort? Look at all the reinforcements we have received from human cities far from our lands, all thanks to your brilliant plan to send messenger dragons.”
Helenia sat quietly as her mother paused to sip some tea. Her lips gaped wide toward her mother without finding any words to fill them.
“We both have roles to play in this war, and our hearts are yet to heal the wounds inflicted upon them. I understand how you feel… do you not realise that I feel the same way? I also long to be the one to thrust a sharp blade into Kassina’s stone-cold heart, but we must not allow our pain to cloud our minds,” said Andrielle, as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
Helenia approached her mother and held her, laying her head close to her chest. She did not say a word as she held the queen, but allowed her mother a moment to quietly weep.
Andrielle's voice broke as she placed her hand on Helenia's arm and whispered to her. "My beautiful daughter. I see so much of myself in you. I don't know if you realise just how proud I am of you. I have no words to express my regret that I ever gave birth to your brother. He may just prove to be the death of us all."
Helenia lay a kiss on her mother's head and sighed deeply. "I don't think that any of us can understand what he has become… But I can't say that I couldn't see the signs."
Andrielle turned to face her and asked, "Why didn't you say something?"
Helenia slumped into her chair, picking up the tea she had placed on the table. "How could I? What was I going to say? ‘Mother, I think that your son wants to kill us all’?"
Drying her eyes on her sleeve, she asked, "How long did you know?"
"I never knew for sure… I just always had a feeling of not being safe around him. Even when we were children… He always tried to hurt me, but I suppose you must have just thought it to be sibling rivalry."
"Oh, Helenia, I…"
The sound of loud banging on the house startled them both, and Andrielle dropped her cup of tea, which shattered on the ground.
“Who is it?” snapped Helenia.
“Please forgive me for the intrusion, Queen Andrielle. It is only me, Karven. May I see you?” asked the Dragon King. His voice trailed away from the door.
“I am sorry, Helenia. We shall continue this discussion later, my darling,” said Andrielle as she laid a soft kiss on Helenia’s forehead. She got up, took a moment to look at her daughter, and proceeded to open the door.
“Is everything alright?” she asked him, closing the door behind her.
“Would you care to join me for a short walk?” asked Karven, gesturing with his head for her to follow him.
“Of course,” replied Andrielle, managing a wide smile.
They began their walk together while the queen wiped the tears from her eyes. She took some deep breaths and shook out her hands.
“Your concern for Helenia is felt by all of us. I can see the terrible fear in her heart, but I wonder if you can see through her mask of strength?” asked Karven.
“I see that you don’t waste time in getting to the point, Karven, and I do appreciate your honesty. Of course I am afraid for her. She wants to put her head on a chopping block, all in the name of avenging her father’s murder,” said Andrielle, before mumbling something in Elven under her breath.
As they headed towards the barracks, a small fairy flew out from the forest and landed into her arms. It giggled as she stroked it and held it closely to her chest.
“I understand your pain,” said Karven. “If one of my own betrayed me, I would also be forever wounded. We raise our young with the best of intentions, but they carve their own paths and make their own decisions. Their life choices are not the fault of your own and neither are their allegiances and motives. As you seek comfort from the young fairy in your arms, Helenia seeks comfort from Vartan."
Andrielle stopped in her tracks and stared blankly at Karven for a moment before deciding to speak.
“Dragon King, with all due respect, I may not be as wise as you as I have not walked this world for centuries, but I am neither deaf nor blind,” said Andrielle, resuming her walking pace by his side.
“Andrielle, I believe you misunderstand. What I am trying to bring to your attention is not their feelings towards each other, but the fact that their love can never truly be realised."
“What do you mean? If there is something that I need to know, I need you to share it with me now.”
Karven gestured forward as they now circled the training grounds. The sounds of armour and weapons colliding in practice filled the air.
“ Silentium nos redimiat, ” said Karven, and millions of tiny stars surrounded them, joined by a clear layer of light. “This is a conversation that should only be heard and spoken between us, and now only we can hear it.”
“I understand, please, go on,” replied Andrielle.
Karven continued their walk.
“As you already well know, the greatest of our weapons is Talonsphere. I am aware that you hold a portion of a scroll detailing its whereabouts. But do you actually know what the weapon is? Do you understand the sacrifices which are necessary for us to win this war?”
“Of course I don't know what the weapon is, as I have never laid eyes on it. I only know of the fables, the boy born of dragon blood. One would think that if the fables were true, that you would be protecting…” Andrielle stopped as the realisation sunk in. Her face paled and she asked, wide eyed, “ Vartan is the boy born of dragon blood?”
“The elves made the right choice in their queen. You are wiser than you give yourself credit for. Vartan is indeed the boy born of dragon blood. Talonsphere is in essence a machine, and it is enchanted with magic of the ancients. The machine itself acts as a holding chamber, and deep within it is a golden dragon’s egg that, once activated, will unleash a hybrid dragon unlike anything we have ever seen. It will be born and reach full size and power at a magically accelerated rate, and it will not stop until the Forces of Darkness are vanquished. We will then enter a new age of peace. Vartan will need to activate Talonsphere to unleash the dragon egg within."
“By the gods-and he’s not here under our protection? Where is he anyway? And what if he were to be killed out there before the war is over? Would we not lose our only chance of activating Talonsphere?” asked Andrielle.
“Vartan is fulfilling the path he has set out before him, and Nymira accompanies him. There is an important detail in the prophecy that has been closely guarded by the dragons and ancients. What you do not know, and need to know the most, will bring pain to your daughter's heart. To activate the weapon, the boy born of dragon blood must sacrifice his human life and be born again immediately within Talonsphere. There is no turning back once the choice has been made.”
“Helenia will be devastated. First her father and now the man she loves? There must be another way?” pleaded Andrielle.
“I’m afraid there is no other way, and the decision does not rest with me,” replied Karven. “Nothing in this life is certain, but to the best of my knowledge, this is the only way. This is how the weapon was created, and this is the only way we can be sure to win this war. Without Talonsphere and the power of the ancients, I’m afraid that Kassina and her army will eventually overpower us. Humans and elves will be enslaved, and become food for the vampires and demons that would rule the world. They call this the prophecy of the Blood Moon, or the Blood Red Moon. With enough souls turned and available to sacrifice, Kassina’s Forces of Darkness would be powerful enough to summon back Shindar, the Demon of Darkness. The skies would be covered in clouds that rained blood, and the moon would be coloured blood red.”
“How do you know all of this? How can you be so sure?” asked Andrielle.
“We know all of this because we almost lost the world to Shindar and his armies long ago, although we succeeded through thousands of years of brutal fighting. The ancients, along with every other living creature, were enslaved by the Forces of Darkness. Our kind was the final enemy of Shindar and his armies, and Marithia’s last hope. The war between us raged for centuries, and losses were substantial. Luckily, Shindar made the fatal mistake of allowing his ego to get the better of him. I challenged him to a fight to the death — just the two of us, to decide the fate of Marithia. It was a fierce battle, and I fought Shindar with every shred of power that I had. The battle almost killed me, but just when I thought I had lost, he removed his enchanted armour in an attempt to mock me. It was in that moment that I summoned my strength and tore his disgusting head from his shoulders with one swift sweep of my tail,” answered Karven.
“What happened next?” asked Andrielle.
“The ancients rallied as we worked to free them from their bonds, and together, we fought off the remaining Forces of Darkness over hundreds of years of fighting. This began an age of alliance between ancients and dragons. We built Talonsphere, in accordance with a design created by Mother Dragon and the ancients, as the ultimate weapon in case we would ever need to face him again. I was lucky to defeat Shindar when the world was all but lost,” answered Karven.
“If you have defeated Shindar before, can’t you defeat him again?” asked Andrielle.
“Shindar has found his chosen one-Kassina. She has been trained in dark magic over many hundreds of years, and they would never again foolishly accept a direct challenge. If there is one thing that Shindar is good at, it is learning from his mistakes. Talonsphere is our only hope of vanquishing the threat before she is able to summon Shindar once again. If the two were to walk this earth side by side, I do not know if even Talonsphere would be able to stop them,” said Karven, noticing Faowind desperately trying to get their attention outside the layer of light.
“Does Vartan know any of this?” asked Andrielle.
“Vartan is aware of how to activate Talonsphere, and naturally he returns Helenia’s love. Sadly, I fear he will not have the heart to tell her of the sacrifice he must make. This is a decision that I leave up to you.”
“I understand, Karven,” she replied, taking notice of Faowind anxiously waving his arms around.
“ Solvo nos ex silentio, ” said Karven, casting off the Spell of Silence.
“My queen and great Dragon King, please forgive the intrusion, but I must speak with you immediately,” said Faowind, bowing down on one knee.
“Whatever is the matter, Faowind? Forget the formalities and spell it out,” said Andrielle.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but we have a big problem. We have received an urgent message from the fairies surrounding our city. Kassina’s scouts have found us. They tracked their way easily through the darkness of the Elven Woods” said Faowind.
Andrielle's face hardened as she stared into the surrounding forest. “I see. Did our guards not dispatch them?”
Faowind stared at the ground, his voice shaky. “All but one of the scouts, my Queen, whom we could not chase down after nightfall. It disappeared into the shadows."
"How certain are we that the source of this information is true?"
A guardian elf approached with the messenger fairy sitting on his shoulder, the fairy wept through bloodied hands. He held out his open palms to show a dead fairy in each hand. Their blood dripped from their grey lifeless bodies and through his hands.
Andrielle's face strained as she recognised the royal gems on one of the fairies. She bent down and studied her face before taking a deep breath. "Send word of my condolences to Queen Nicolai. She may not be aware of her daughter's death, and it pains me to be the one to be giving her the news. They both deserve an Elven Warrior's burial and we will see that it is done."
Faowind nodded and led the elf away slowly.
“It is only a matter of time before her scout reaches Greenhaven. We have to prepare to defend the city against a direct assault,” said Karven.
Andrielle nodded as she pulled out a small artefact attached to her necklace that appeared to be a seashell. The shell was an elven artefact which amplifies the bearer’s voice substantially. She raised it to her lips and drew her sword as her voice filled the city.
“Inhabitants of our great city, all of you who are brave enough to be here with us today-the time has come sooner than expected for us to face our enemies. Our location has been compromised, and it is only a matter of time before Kassina launches an offensive in an attempt to destroy us all,” said Andrielle.
The city was suddenly overcome with a roar of talking and panic.
“Fear not, as we will stand together. Humans, elves and dragons will unite as one to defeat this plague of darkness that clouds us. We fight for our lives, for our children’s future, but most of all, we fight for all of Marithia. This is our time, and we will not cower away and hide in fear. We have the advantage of Kassina foolishly believing that we will just sit here and wait for our deaths. I say, let her come! Let tonight be the turning point of this war. Let this night be a turning point for Marithia!” yelled Andrielle, raising her sword high in the air as the city erupted in cheers.
“For Marithia!” they all chanted.
Karven turned to Andrielle and nodded knowingly before he flew to the centre of the city, shaking off the dust cloud from his scales. The great dragon raised his head high and flapped his giant wings gently to get the city’s attention.
“Your words inspire all of us, great Queen. All of you are here, ready to fight and give your lives so that others may live. This is the most noble of all sacrifices. Some of you have travelled across the surrounding lands at great cost to join us. If it is a fight Kassina wants, then let’s make sure she gets more than she bargained for. Let us avenge the lives of the fallen and make our enemies pay with their blood. Let us prepare for war!” cried Karven.
“For war!” chanted the crowd.
All of the dragons in the city flew to Karven's side in a protective circle, raised their heads as one and roared, breathing jets of fire into the air and lighting up the city as if daylight shone through the protective canopy.