This book is now available for purchase on Tapas! Please download the app (https://tapas.io/) available on both Apple and Android and search for the book to support it!

~

Chapter Fifteen

I turn around to the sound, my black hair flying wildly around as I watch Kaloua and Nadi combining their elements on the cage, making the metal both red hot and ice cold, forcing it to buckle and break. Nadi is first out and is a raging flame - literally. Her scales are covered in blue hot flames, dancing and flickering, making the entire cave glow brightly. Then Kaloua follows, his scales forming icicles over them. They both snarl with anger and Christian runs over to Nadi, jumping on her back,

"Quick Belle, get to Kaloua and lets go!"

I look to Snow, who is kneeling limply beside the King, knowing that there is no hope for her. The King kicks her hard in the stomach, yelling, "Kill them, you pathetic excuse for a witch!"

I expect her to fight back at the witch comment, but she just lays still. Arthur snaps and draws his sword, pointing it at her neck, "Kill. The. Dragons."

Snow narrows her eyes and turns her head to the King, spitting at him, "I don't take orders from you, I take orders from her." She nods towards me, "She is meant to wear that silly crown."

I don't think I've ever seen as much anger in anyone as I did in that moment, because the next thing Arthur did was swing his sword up, prepared to strike it right at Snow's neck. A mix of fear and shock pauses through me as I try to think of something to do in the few seconds I have. I push my legs forward as hard as I can, forcing my body towards the King with as much force as I can, knocking him to the ground.

Once he is on the floor, I kick his sword away, panting hard from the sudden use of a lot of energy. I stand shakily, my head spinning from how I had hit the floor hard. I watch as Arthur stagger to his feet, his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed as he dusts off his clothes,

"You'll regret that you little," he grabs something from somewhere and in his hand appears another sword, though this one is a fair amount shorter. As he approaches me, I rush to get his sword and pick it up, twirling it around gracefully,

"Don't even try, old man."

Arthur gives a wicked laugh, "Old man? OLD MAN? Ha!" He lunges out and I easily dodge if, though it made my heart near a few notches too quick. It had sure been close.

"Be reasonable!" I snap as the king goes for another strike, but misses once again.

"Be be reasonable? What about you! You're just like your father, arrogant," he goes to drive the blade into my arm but just skims it, cutting shallowly into my skin, "and stubborn!"

I feel the warm blood trickling down my arm, but I ignore it the best I can, hiding the stinging feeling if the cut, "I would rather be arrogant and stubborn, than a liar and a dirty rat!"

I twirl around, the dress I am wearing spiralling madly around me. I land behind Arthur and swing my blade, but he moves and it just scrapes along his back. I watch as the super sharp sword cuts easily through his shirt and skin, almost like its thin air. Arthur staggers, then turns to me,

"Why don't you just give up now, Arabelle. Swear the oath and guarantee your life and your dragons life. Why bother risking it all?"

I ignore his words, knowing he is just trying to ooze his thoughts into my own, "N-No! I am doing this because its what I am destined for, what is right!"

I glance quickly over to where Kaloua, Nadi, Christian and Snow are, trying to figure out how to unlock Snow's cuffs. I realise now that Christian is doing this because the only way out of here is through a portal, since the way we came doesn't exist anymore. While I am looking over st them, the king takes it to his advantage and gets his blade, driving it into my side. I cry out in the pain, and fall down to the floor,

"You stupid girl..." The king mumbles and takes the blade out, leaving me curled on the floor, pressing my hands to by deep, gushing wound. I use my element from Kaloua to try and cool it, but all I can feel is pain. Pain, pain, pain. I don't hear anything but the blood beating in my ears. I see Christian drag Snow over to me and I feel her delicate hands on my side, probably using magic to heal the wound or at least stop the bleeding.

Suddenly, I feel her being dragged away and look up lightheadedly to watch as the king grabs Snow by the hair and throw her across the room. I notice her cuffs are gone, but she has bright red marks where they were before. They must have been enchanted against her magic.

"Let...heal...die..." I hear vaguely coming from Snow, her voice sounding almost like she was pleading. The king laughs and says something in reply I can't quite hear. Beside me, I see a large pool of blood forming and I feel as though I am about to vomit.

"It's okay, Arabelle, stay with me..." I hear Christian saying clearly beside me, shaking me back to full consciousness, "Stay with me..."

I grunt, tearing a large chunk of fabric from the black dress and wrap it around my waist, covering the deep wound above my hip. I make sure it has lots of pressure on it before standing, though I just fell straight back down. I see Kaloua and Nadi attacking Arthur, protecting Snow with their combined powers. Arthur had no choice but to run and hide, but I didn't see just where he went before my vision got covered in blue spots and I blacked out.

When I woke up, I saw Snow standing over me, tears welling up in her eyes,

"Oh, thank goodness you're alive! For a while there I could have sword we lot you."

I look around to see we are still in the cave, but I don't see Kaloua, Nadi or Christian - and they are all very hard to miss. Puzzled, I turn to Snow again,

"W-What happened?"

"Once you went out, I ran to your side and Christian said he would go after Arthur with the dragons. I stayed with you and began to heal your wound, but it was just so deep and you're pulse was getting weaker...for a while, I couldn't find it at all actually. You lost too much blood for your own good." Snow says crossly, "Why weren't you focused on your fight? I've seen you training in the woods before, when you and Kaloua still loved with me, and it's lethal, so how did this happen?"

I shrug, "I turned to look at you all, just for a moment. That was all he needed I guess."

Snow scowls in disapproval, "Never loose focus in a fight, even for a moment, Arabelle."

"I know, I know." I say simply and go to sit up, but Snow pushes be back down,

"No, no, don't get up yet. You'll black out on me again."

I grunt, "But I need to find Kaloua and Christian and Nadi."

Snow stroked my silky black hair, "They will be back, Princess, don't wo-"

"He got away!" I hear the familiar voice of Christian yell from somewhere nearby, "He summoned a portal and jumped through it, then it closed behind him and he got away!"

"Then why didn't you just say the same spell and follow him?" Snow snaps angrily, "He nearly killed your sister, after all."

I hear rushed footsteps coming towards me and soon I see Christian in my vision, "Belle, you're okay!"

"Yeah, just a little bruised, but nearly good as new!"

"You wish. Come on, we need to get you to a proper doctor in the palace-"

"The palace?" I say in a mix of outrage and humour, "After what we just did? We'd be lucky if the king lets us back in the kingdom without putting a price on our heads and send us to the gallows."

Christian sighs, "We will find someone else then, but we need to get you to a medical place."

"I know someone with good healing experience." Snow speaks up, "She lives in the woods. I used to go to her to get my mother's vision herbs, when she could still partially see."

Christian nods, "Ok, so we will go there." He scoops me up into his strong arms, "I will fly on Kaloua with you, just in case you aren't strong enough to hold on yourself."

I see Kaloua and Nadi standing a short distance away and smile at Kaloua,

'I'm fine, don't worry,'

'Fine? Fine! That isn't what I call fine! You nearly died earlier, if it weren't for Snow...' Kaloua growls in my thoughts, then moves closer to me, putting his face close to mine, 'I wouldn't be able to live if you had died.'

I smile and reach a weak arm up to stroke Kaloua's cheek, "I know," I say out loud.

Snow jumps on Nadi's back, "So we ready to go?"

Christian climbs slowly onto Kaloua's back, holding me close, as a protective brother should, "Ready."

I watch as Snow closes her eyes and mumbles something, a glowing ball forming in her hand. She throws it in front of us and it expands to the size of the dragons, a forest on the other side of it. She ushers Nadi through it, then Kaloua, Christian and I follow.

When we arrive on the other side, my stomach feels queesie and I can see Christian had gone pale. I decide then and there I don't like portals. As we continue to fly over the forest, I recognise where we are and it brings back recent memories,

"We're right above the river, aren't we?"

Snow nods, flying beside us, "We are indeed. Come on, lower." And her and Nadi drop from view, and I feel Kaloua plunge after them. I watch as the dragons weave throughout the trees, then Nadi suddenly drops again and I hear a thump on the ground, the sign of her landing. Kaloua follows and lands gracefully beside her.

Snow dismounts Nadi and walks over to me, "Hurry now, and be quiet. She often doesn't like in-"

"Dragon Heir?"

I let Christian lower me to the ground after he had hopped off and turn towards the familiar voice, confronted with memorable red hair and the electric blue eyes,

"Zana!" I go to move towards her but pain tears through me and I collapse onto the floor, tears pouring from my eyes in a quiet cry. Zana rushes over to me and looks between Christian and Snow,

"What in the world happened to her!"

"She fought the king and he stabbed her badly...Snow stopped the bleeding, but she can't heal the wounds..." Christian says slowly and Zana helps me up,

"Come now, we must get you to my tribe."

I let Zana lead me towards the darker part of the forest, hobbling helplessly beside her. The weakness I feel right now is horrible, and I just hope that whatever healing medicine Zana knows can fix my wound so that I can launch the beginnings of a full out war.

It's just the path of fate, I guess.