Bastileborn - Dragon Fire Pt. 03

"Oh god, Ragos! I killed him!" Thistle cried as she staggered backward and fell off the stump. She stumbled into the grass and buried her face in her hands to sob.

Most of the delphian population had seen what Thistle did, and they were shocked to silence by it. An ancient enemy single-handedly shot a fire-spewing dragon from the sky and saved their entire city.

Astrum had carried Gavin safely into the city. He was sitting in the grass with him as the chaos died down. Astrum saw what Thistle did. He felt like cheering for her. Gavin suddenly stirred and yawned, surprising Astrum. His eyes eased open, and he looked at the high elf in confusion.

"What happened, beanpole? Why are you holding me?"

"You fainted and missed Thistle saving our asses. She used the gold arrow. How's your hand?" he asked as he helped Gavin sit in the grass.

"It's perfectly fine," he said in disbelief as he looked at his palm. The black rot was gone. All that was left was a white scar inside the dragon cradle. "Where's Thistle? I have to show her," he said excitedly.

"Uh, over there somewhere. In the middle of all the delphians," Astrum said as he pointed at the crowd.

Gavin hurried into the crowd to look for her. Everyone was eerily silent. He found her sitting in the grass, sobbing her eyes out. He looked west and gasped at the carnage that lay before them. A few miles of the forest had been completely destroyed.

"By the gods..." Gavin whispered as he knelt next to Thistle and touched her shoulder. "What's wrong, Thistle?" he whispered, prompting her to look up and meet his eyes.

"Gavin!" she gasped and threw her arms around his neck.

"Why are you crying?" he whispered as he hugged her tight.

"I killed Ragos! I shot him in the heart with my gold arrow," she sputtered as she burst into sobs again.

"Sidian's brother? Are you sure you killed him?"

"I'm not certain. I shot him, and he fell from the sky," she wept.

"There's still hope then. Ragos is a powerful dragon, and that arrow wasn't normal. Look what happened after you used it," he said as he held up his hand.

She looked at it and gasped.

"The rot is gone!" she laughed in delight.

Gavin smiled before he quickly pulled her forward for a kiss. Thistle happily returned his passion. They kissed for a long, enjoyable moment, then Plinkon noisily cleared his throat. They looked up in surprise to see Plinkon and Astrum standing over them. A massive crowd of delphians was gathered behind them. Minno was sitting on Plinkon's shoulders again, shaking her little finger at them.

"Humons no kiss high elves. Very naughty," she mumbled as she pointed at Gavin.

Gavin and Thistle burst out laughing.

"Sorry, Minno," Gavin began. "But you're wrong about that. I have all the right in the world to kiss her. Also, Thistle is half-human. She already broke all the silly rules."

Minno's mouth dropped open in pure astonishment after that revelation. She tapped Plinkon's shoulder, prompting him to put her down. She approached Thistle and stared at her with her big dark eyes for a moment.

"You be my sumly, too?" she asked. She was swaying back and forth with a blush on her cute face.

"Of course, Minno. Sumly forever."

Minno smiled hugely and wrapped her little arms around Thistle's neck. She even kissed her on the cheek.

"This is very sweet and all," Plinkon began, "but we have one hell of a mess to clean up," he sighed as he looked at the destroyed forest.

"We also need to look for Ragos," Gavin added. "If by some miracle he survived, we owe it to Sidian to find him."

"That dragon was attacking us! Why do you want to find him?" Kythe demanded.

"He wasn't attacking us exactly," Plinkon began. "I think he was trying to save us from the black convoy."

"I agree," Astrum added. "He has his own destructive way of doing things. I witnessed him drunk-fighting dragon assassins in Mauve Pearl Village. It was spectacular and messy, but he helped in the end."

Unmatched Cruelty

Across Luria, the human kings were preparing their troops to march south to aid the elves against Daylith. Gregory, Luradon, and Duke Arum had rushed home after Sidian's warning and began preparing for war. King Gregory of North Luria was packed up and riding out on horseback with Prince Eric and his army when something shocking appeared in the skies over Avonstine Lake. Two massive golden dragons swooped in and began circling North City.

Gregory, Eric, and the North Lurian Army wondered why the magnificent creatures were there. Eric was hoping they came to assist them in some way. He liked dragons after meeting Sidian, but as they watched the creatures swoop down and bellow gold fire across their farmlands, they realized something was terribly wrong.

"Father! What's happening? I thought dragons weren't allowed to attack humans anymore!" Eric cried.

"That's not the law, son. They're not allowed to kill royalty or actively engage in war, but they can terrorize and hinder humans all they want," he grumbled as he looked at his men. "Do NOT follow me!" he ordered before he excited his horse and charged towards the dragons.

"Father! Stop! Are you fucking insane?" Eric screamed as he turned his horse and raced after him.

Gregory charged into the field ahead of the fire, forcing the dragon to pull up suddenly to avoid hitting him. Dragons have keen eyes in war form. They knew by his armor that he was the king of North Luria.

"I demand a word with you, scoundrels!" Gregory screamed, prompting one of the dragons to land close by.

The ground trembled as it landed and began stalking towards Gregory. His horse was almost in a panic as the monster approached them, but many calming words from his master rallied the poor beast's courage.

"What do you want, King Gregory?" the dragon announced in a startling loud voice.

The sound of it made Eric's horse stop short, almost throwing him from the saddle. He couldn't make it move at all after that.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking our livelihood? Who sent you?" Gregory demanded.

"We are Brass Dragon Guards of the Living Mountain. We were sent by King Faddon to hinder the human war. We are breaking no laws," he said plainly before he took flight again to join his fellow brass dragon in the sky.

"That fucking bastard! He's aiding Brimsly by hindering us!" Gregory screamed as he watched the dragons swoop down over the village and begin setting rooftops on fire.

Eric was able to get his horse to move once the dragon flew off. He hurried over to his father to watch the destruction.

"What the hell? What are they doing?" he asked in astonishment as he watched the dragons dip into the lake and collect large mouthfuls of water.

They flew back over the village and doused the fires they had started. Then they collected more water and began dropping it on citizens as they fled in terror from their partially burned homes. Eric watched in astonishment as one of the dragons swooped down and picked up four horses still attached to a wagon. It carried them over the lake and dropped them into it.

"By the gods..." Gregory groaned as he watched the beasts wreak havoc across the city.

"What should we do, father? They're not killing anyone. Should we just take the troops and leave?" Eric asked worriedly.

"We can try," he said as he motioned for his troops to continue down the road.

The dragons noticed their attempt to leave and quickly intervened. They flew off into the forest for a moment. When they came back, they were carrying two ancient conifers with ten-foot-wide trunks. They dropped the massive trees across the road.

"What the fuck?" Gregory growled as the dragons continued to collect and drop trees until they completely blocked the army's path.

"We can't keep up with them!" Eric cried. "By the time we cut our way through, they will have dropped twenty more trees!"

"This is terrible. The elves are as good as dead if this is happening all across Luria," Gregory said as he watched the dragons return to the city to continue terrorizing.

West Luria and Talfane were facing the same problems. Brass Dragon Guards had been sent to every human kingdom to hinder any potential aid for the elves.

Back in Carus, the elves were holding their ground inside the city walls. King Brimsly sat comfortably in his luxurious royal tent behind his mass of troops. He was prepared to starve the elves out of the city if needed. Thanks to Faddon's aid, Brimsly didn't have to fear immediate retaliation from Luria. Carus would surely be his in a few weeks, and from there, nothing would stop him from conquering Luria. He could already see himself as the high king of Bastileborn.

A steady summer rain blew across the Midlands that night, drenching the Daylith troops. Wesley, Knox, and Sidian had been praying for such a fortunate turn of events. Two days had passed since the first attack, and the rain added to their confidence in winning against Brimsly. Sidian had hoped to hear from Talfane by that point, but their allies were silent. He was beginning to fear something more sinister was amiss.

"We shouldn't wait any longer," Knox said as he paced with Sidian in the war room.

"Why not? I say we wait one more day," Lacia demanded.

"I'm with Knox. I say we strike at dawn," Ellora said calmly.

"I'm still torn on the matter," Wesley said angrily as he joined the other men in pacing. "If we start the slaughter now, we may have to continue it for many days before aid arrives. Brimsly apparently found a way to slow down aid from Luria. I really want to avoid excessive death."

"Brimsly doesn't. He wants a long and bloody slaughter," Sidian said as he stopped and looked out the window at the black masses of troops camped in the meadow. "Aid may never come," he sighed as he turned and met Wesley's eyes.

"I refuse to believe that. The humans wouldn't abandon us," Wesley said in frustration.

"Wesley... I'm beginning to fear that King Faddon is the reason aid hasn't arrived. There are many ways dragons can hinder war. I've seen it done before. It terrifies me that Faddon has stooped to helping Brimsly conquer Bastileborn. It makes no sense. What does he gain in all this?" he whispered as his gaze settled on Lacia. Her beautiful face looked tired from the many days of constant worry.

Wesley groaned as he rubbed his face.

"Knox," he began, "what are the odds of the troops starting an early surrender when they realize their armor is no longer working?"

"Incredibly slim. Brimsly knows how to control people. He promised his soldiers great riches if they please him. If they die in war, their families will be taken care of for the rest of their lives. If a soldier displeases him, they will be tortured, and so will their families. Things would have to be very desperate before they risk displeasing their king."

"Fuck, he's forcing a slaughter," Wesley grumbled. "How do we deal with this?"

"I'm sorry, Wesley. That's the nature of war," Sidian said as he turned to look at him. "Begin the attack. There is a small chance Brimsly will have a change of heart when he realizes he's been betrayed and will suffer massive losses. If he insists on a continuous slaughter, we will simply offer him something he cannot refuse. That will make him stop."

The whole room looked at Sidian in concern after that remark.

"What could possibly be that valuable?" Wesley asked.

Sidian gulped as he looked at Lacia with his heart pounding. She stared in confusion at the heartbreak in his eyes, then she gasped in understanding.

"Me?" she whispered in fear.

"What? NO. I would never do that," Wesley snapped as he looked at Sidian in astonishment.

"We're both that valuable," Sidian sighed. "I'm an heir to the dragon throne, and so is Lacia. I can't imagine anything that would appeal to Brimsly more than having us bow to him."

"NO! This is ridiculous! I would never let you do that!" Wesley yelled in a rage.

"And you have the power to stop me?" Sidian growled as blue fire ignited in his eyes.

Wesley gasped and stepped back in alarm. Sidian's youthful looks and good nature often made people forget he was a dragon.

"Sidian, please... no," Wesley pleaded calmly.

Sidian took a deep breath that hissed through his teeth. He forced himself to contain his emotions so the fire would fade from his eyes. The mere thought of offering himself and Lacia to Brimsly filled him with blind rage, but the exchange could also work to their advantage.

"Wesley... you are my dear friend," Sidian began as he touched the prince's shoulders and searched his bright gray eyes. "I would be honored to call you a brother. You constantly remind me of myself, but right now, I need you to trust me. I have a plan. I need to get closer to Brimsly to prevent a massacre. I am one of the few people that can fight and kill a Brass Dragon Guard. If I'm lucky, I can set Brimsly up to be assassinated by the Shadow Guard."

"But, what if Brimsly just orders the guards to kill you and Lacia from the start?" Wesley protested.

"I'm confident he won't. The brass guards can't kill Lacia without provoking the wrath of the High Father. Ragos was right. The rules are different for her since she is royalty of two races. And if, by some miracle, they manage to kill me... well... things will go to hell pretty fast at that point. I can convince Brimsly to leave Carus. But, for this to work, I need your full cooperation. So, please, start the attack. We need to show Brimsly that he will lose this fight."

A distraught look came over Wesley's face before he nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," Sidian whispered and hugged the young elf like a brother.

Morning sun spilled across the battlefield as Wesley and Sidian marched to the top of the southern wall. The archers were instructed not to cease firing until the bodies were stacked three high for ten yards. Wesley called out the order to attack, and a collective stretching of bowstrings creaked along the wall, followed by a loud, harmonious TWANG. Hundreds of arrows tore through the damp air like a black swarm, mowing down hundreds of soldiers in less than a few seconds. It was a horrible and impressive thing to witness.

Panic quickly spread over the battlefield as terrified men realized their armor was failing. They were sitting ducks. They had no time to collect themselves before another swarm of arrows tore through their ranks. They held up their shields to escape certain death, but the sabotaged metal split like tin when they met a Carus arrow. Men were dropping in waves as they scrambled for cover. They dived behind stones, wagons, and trees. An order was given to push the catapults forward, but the equipment was beginning to fall apart from the strain of being moved. All the metal components were failing.

When word reached Brimsly of the disaster unfolding on the battlefield, he flew into a rage. He cursed Rana and Dienon to the darkest pits of hell. They were the ones who encouraged him to use the spiral armor. He had been betrayed by his own son.

"These deaths are on you, Dienon," Brimsly growled as he stood with his brass guards in front of his tent, watching his ranks fall apart. "You have forced me to use the darkest tactic I have ever conceived for war. I will surely tell you all about it as I torture you to death, my precious flesh and blood."

Brimsly ordered his emergency defense to be enacted. It would surely tip the scales back in his favor. All was not lost if you were crueler than your enemy. Wesley called for a halt to the slaughter when Brimsly's troops began pulling back from the palace walls. They weren't retreating. They were simply backing up to make room for different ranks to march forward.

"What's happening?" Sidian demanded as he leaned on the wall to watch the droves of fresh soldiers being ushered to the front. "By the gods. What am I seeing?" he whispered as hundreds of children lined up in front of Brimsly's men.

"You have to be fucking kidding me!" Wesley yelled in disbelief as he looked among the faces of the countless human and elf children from the southern end of the continent. They were dressed in full battle armor and equipped with swords and bows. "He can't seriously think we're going to fight them?" he asked as he looked at Sidian.

"No, he knows we won't fight them. That's the point," he said as he watched Daylith archers line up behind the children. They drew back their bowstrings and aimed their arrows at the children's heads.

"Elves of Carus, hear me now!" yelled one of the Daylith commanders as he pointed his sword towards Wesley. "By order of King Brimsly, I command the elves to surrender their city. If Carus refuses to surrender, we will be forced to execute these children on your behalf," he threatened.

"Holy fuck! Don't you fucking dare!" Wesley screamed. "Carus archers, FIRE at the Daylith archers!" he ordered.

"NO! EVERYONE HOLD THEIR FIRE!" Sidian screamed in the full booming volume of his war form voice, scaring the wits out of everyone in the vicinity.

Blue fire burst around him as he summoned his wings and flew up over the battlefield, drawing the attention of the Daylith archers. They quickly aimed their arrows at him instead.

"I'M THE LAST BLACK DRAGON OF THE LIVING MOUNTAIN! I'M CALLING A COMPLETE CEASEFIRE!" Sidian continued in his booming voice. His eyes were burning like brilliant blue stars in his face. He looked terrifying. "I demand a parley with the King of Daylith," he said in a calmer tone as he looked at the frightened faces of the children. "If ANY children are harmed, I will personally burn all of you alive. This is no longer war. It's complete barbarianism! I will not stand for it! And if ANY of you DUMB FUCKS test me, I will personally eat the flesh off your bones while you watch!" he growled viciously. Then he flew back to the wall and landed.

Everyone stared at Sidian in fear as he dismissed his wings and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Then he turned and marched down from the wall and went back into the palace. Wesley ordered everyone to obey the ceasefire before he hurried after him. Wesley rushed into the war room to see Sidian holding Lacia. He was whispering to her as she cried. Lacia, Ellora, and Knox had been watching the chaos from the war room balcony. They were horrified when they saw hundreds of children marching onto the battlefield.

"Did you know Brimsly would do this?" Lacia whispered as she held her forehead against Sidian's, trying to keep herself from trembling.

"Knox told me he would if he got desperate. Are you ready to go with me?" he asked as he searched her beautiful gray eyes and pet her blond curls.

"I am. What do you think he'll do to us?"

"He will take us prisoner and use the children as leverage against us. If we act against him, the children will die. That's how Brimsly controls people. I'm hoping he will retreat with us back to Daylith. That's his best course of action. He'll need new armor for his men. Summon your wings, Lacia. I want them to know what we are."

Sidian and Lacia bid their friends a tearful farewell. Then they walked together out of the south gate. A group of Daylith guards was waiting to escort them to the king. Lacia looked among the pitiful faces of the children as they walked. It made her want to cry again. Many of them didn't look much older than nine. They were whispering and pointing excitedly at the beautiful wings folded against Sidian's and Lacia's backs.

They were led to Brimsly's royal red tent at the back of the ranks. Two Brass Dragon Guards stood outside, looking menacing. The brass dragons personally ushered Sidian and Lacia into the tent to face Brimsly.

Lacia frowned at the Daylith king. He was standing on a raised platform next to a round dining table. It was stacked with delicious-looking food and random trinkets. Brimsly was red in the face with rage as he watched them approach. He was handsome like most human kings. His hair was still dark, and his body was fit in spite of his age, but Lacia didn't find him very remarkable. Two more brass guards were standing behind him with their hands on their swords.