THE DRAGON THIEF

A short, fantasy story

Hello All,

To be honest, I am quite nervous to start posting these short stories. But, as I prepare for the release of my epic fantasy novel, EGATU: A NEW WORLD ORDER, I want to get in the groove of consistently writing something. Marketing and sponsorships and marketing and querying takes up so much of your time (and brain cells!) that it becomes hard to keep up with creating new stories and I don’t want that to be the case for me. So, I want to start releasing stories consistently. It’ll be hard because of my dystopian scripted pod, my book, and my day job but I have so many stories in my head and they gotta go somewhere. LOL.

So, here’s the first short in a series of short stories I have coming soon. Audio will be available soon, also. I will keep you updated on the date. But, in the meanwhile, please take a look at THE DRAGON THIEF below. Truly, it was SO. MUCH. FUN. writing this, even with it’s challenges! I tried some new things, but I really hope you guys like it! Please, engage with me! Haha. And, as always, THANKS FOR READING.

~

THE DRAGON THIEF

“This is ridiculous! How has he made it this far?” Chancellor Charles Henry, a dark brown man with a mustache rumbles in his deep, gnarly voice. His tall, lanky legs pace across my marble floor in the dimly lit basement room of the castle while he scratches his chin with one hand and throws out his free arm for emphasis whenever he says something new. Although he’s my cousin on my mother’s side and a talented lawmaker, he’s not much of a warrior - at least, not anymore - so the trembling fear in his voice can be heard across the room.

I stand in the corner watching him – watching everyone. There is a small group of brown faces with varying complexions spread out in a semi-circle. Some whisper to each other in nervous tones with a foot tapping or a hand slightly shaking while others simply stand there, watching The Chancellor pace as their minds churn with their own thoughts. Each person in this room holds a title of council member or royalty. These are the few who managed to make it to my secret chambers in the bottom of my castle at 10pm, after an unexpected attack at our capital city’s border. For the past 15 minutes, different people have voiced their concerns and have offered half-baked solutions. I scan each worried, creased face, assessing the situation with care and vigilance, not saying a word.

Not yet, anyway.

“He’s skilled at what he does. You know that, Chancellor.” My best friend, and Second Commander Amy Singleton says in her calm, airy, voice as she stands there with her arms folded. Her reddish black curls are somehow perfectly placed at the sides of her deep brown face, even at this hour. Gods, I wish her products worked on my hair.

Next to her stands my aunt on my father’s side, Princess Teresa Holder. She’s a tall, slender woman with bone straight, dark brown hair. She stands with one hand scratching her chin in slow, methodical movements. I know she’s thinking of something. And, whatever it is will be incredibly brilliant, but also very risky. My aunt takes strong swings, something I greatly appreciate when it doesn’t mean someone innocent dies in the process.

She takes a deep breath before she moves forward, having finally come to a conclusion.

“Go after him with full force and a full army. Now. Do one of the emergency war time formations. I’m thinking A, C, or S line. I know the risks with each one, but it’s what we’ve got. And, what will be best.” She finally says in a cold tone. It’s an answer I’m sure she’s presenting because it’s the only option she believes we have. But that doesn’t stop some people from gasping.

“What?!” Charles stops in his tracks and glares over at my aunt. They hate each other, but often sleep together. That look he just gave her tells me that he not only disagrees, but they’re also in a fight. “No way.” He continues. “Are you insane?”

My aunt whips her head at him and gives him a glare no one ever wants to see on her face. “Do you just want to stand here and wait for him to come to us? Should we just wait to die?” She scoffs. That’s definitely not happening on her watch.

Ah, yes. They’re definitely fighting. My jaw ticks at this inconvenience. I need them both in better spirits. My aunt is great when she’s angry. But Charles? He becomes too unpredictable. He’s like a toddler roaming the grounds looking for dragons that don’t want to be bothered. I’m nervous he’ll make a stupid move and that means she might try to save him from himself and we don’t have time for that.

I don’t mention any of this though. Not yet, anyway.

“No.” Charles stutters as he looks around the room at our small group. “No… I’m not saying that we should wait to die… I’m just saying…”

“I don’t care what you’re saying, Chancellor.” Third Commander Tara Bliss blurts as she storms in. Her golden brown face is littered with mud and leaves and dirt. The same goes for her black flight uniform, gold chest plate, and black knee-high combat boots. She’s my other best friend and a brave soldier. Her face is tight with anger, the intense look emboldening her big, brown eyes. But there’s a hint of nerves there, too, something that only me and Amy can probably sense. She continued, “We need to move, now. We’ve stopped the first round of his invaders and managed to evacuate most of the civilians. I think they were testing our shields to see if they’d finally come down. They aren’t completely down but a few were able to cross the border veil without burning immediately. We handled it after they made it through, but it’s not looking good. What happens when hundreds come in at once? What if we can’t get our shields back up? I’ve got some people holding the line right now, but it’s not enough.”

Murmurs spread throughout the room. Worry, sorrow, disdain, and anger washes across the eyes of the small sea of faces. So many eyes wear different layers of emotions and all of them are valid. The Dragon Thief and his “Wicked Light Kingdom” (seriously, that’s what he named it) has finally made it to our Mahari Kingdom and capital city of Blackstone after years of conquering neighboring ones.

Blackstone City is a place we all thought was safe and protected due to our impenetrable shields. Unfortunately, someone on the inside of our Kingdom recently had a hand in weakening them. We executed that person earlier in the night — Duke Ashton Mayfield. He was a bitter man who was still angry at my late parents for killing his mother. She’d tried, and failed, to smuggle ten of our dragon eggs out of the city for her own financial gain after her husband left her destitute. It was something we had to beg the Dragon Council to forgive us for, a feat that took 5 years and led to no dragon pairings during that period. This led to weaker trades due to our lack of riders to far away cities and provinces, a weaker economy, and an even weaker military. My parents honestly should have killed Ashton sooner as hints of his evil were always there, but I think my mom felt bad for the little boy who had to watch his mother die and my dad didn’t want to potentially lose a useful royal that he believed he could control.

Well, now look at what mercy got us — weakened shields that may not be fixed in time and a whole Kingdom coming to rip us apart and steal our dragons.

Or, at least they think they are.

I finally step in. My bright silver breast plate is unmissable in the dim light. My navy blue pants with the hardened protective layer of dragon scales built inside them make me feel warmer and warmer with every step in what I know is an otherwise cold dungeon.

Everyone turns to look at me without saying a word, some graciously bowing their heads as I walk into the middle of the room.

“We’re going to the front. Gather all of the foot troops, the dragon riders, and the other magic wielders and tell them it’s time for a fight.”

“Magic wielders who don’t ride or aren’t foot troops might not want to fight.” One of the Regional Troop Colonels points out.

I swing my head towards him and lock my eyes on his. “Gather the other magic wielders.” I say firmly. “There’s a tyrannical King coming to take out their people and steal their land and dragons. There’s something in that list they’d want to fight for.”

“But, some of them don’t want to use their magic for violence.”

I blink at him, my glower intensifying as my eyelids close and reopen. I don’t know why he thinks this is any kind of debate.

He sucks in a breath and almost dares to sigh in my presence. But my never-ending glare only increases the tension as I raise my eyebrows to lock further in on his gaze.

His breath stutters instead.

“Yes, my… Queen. I will gather all of the other magic wielders as well.” He bows in dedication, although I’m not sure he means it.

I return my attention back to everyone.

“There should be at least one Walker in each region to help get people here quickly. Most Walkers can take about ten people with them on long distances as long as they hold hands. The rest need to get on a sky rail immediately or wait for the Walkers to return if they’re too far out. Some dragons may be willing to carry an extra person or two, but you know there’s very few dragons that nice, so you’d need to consult with riders. Regardless, get as many soldiers to the border as you can as fast as you can. I’m suspecting two hours before the shield falls completely. I need an A-line formation. You should all know what that means and where that means you’ll be stationed.”

They all nod, understanding. But, I notice the hesitation in almost everyone’s eyes.

“Listen, this won’t be easy. Being on the front lines when our Kingdom hasn’t seen war in four decades, let alone anything like this, is scary. But we can do this. We have to do this. For ourselves, for our families, for me, and for Mahari.” I ball up my fist and pump it into the air as I chant — “For Mahari!”

My council does the same as they all put on brave faces. “For Mahari!”

“Great. Now, move out!”

We all lower our arms and everyone leaves the room with the utmost urgency, shuffling out the door, chanting words that make them disappear at a moment’s notice, or walking a few steps and being gone. All royalty and its council are magic wielders. Some of the strongest magic wielders there are.

Tara, Amy, my aunt, and Charles stay. My aunt and Charles exchange aggressive, whispered tones before Charles shakes his head, backs away ever so slightly, snaps a finger and turns into a hammerkop bird. He lingers for a few seconds, a quick glance at me and then my aunt before he flies out of the window, squawking as he does so.

I look immediately at my aunt, serious.

“You need to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash. You know… like doing nothing. He knows it’s treason to do nothing as he’s a former Foot Troop Commander. All active and retired Foot Troop Commanders are required to fight in times of a Kingdom wide war unless otherwise stated and I know he knows that. Let him know it’ll be even worse if he takes all of his belongings and puts a protective barrier in his house like I heard he tried to do when he thought we were being invaded weeks ago. That’ll be like he’s basically asking to die. So, he might as well get his ass out there and fight if he prefers not to.”

My aunt nods before she takes a deep sigh. “How did I end up with such a coward?” She smirks, although her eyes remain serious.

“A question I wonder everyday.” Nothing about me suggests jokes.

“Must be the di—”

“--Let’s not create that visual right now.” I interrupt Tara before she even starts.

“You right. Lets… not.” Tara shivers in disgust before she looks at my aunt with that same ick, although there’s also a hint of remorse in her eyes. I’m sure she’s thinking how my aunt’s a true disappointment for her taste in men, just like I am.

“You’re almost out of time, Queenie.” My dragon, Shawnnoitian, abruptly groans in my head via our mental connection at the loudest tone I’ve ever heard him speak.

“I’m well aware, Shawn.” I say grittily through the mental connection. I thought I had shut him out during the meeting but I guess I’d forgotten to. I tap the back of my ear and do it now. He’s such a nuisance when he’s doing things he doesn’t want to do, especially after what he deems a bedtime.

Who knew dragons even had bedtimes?

Just as I cut him off, my aunt sashays over to me. A favor on the tip of her tongue, I know it.

She leans down and whispers in my ear, although I’m sure Tara and Amy can hear her.

“Let me kill him.”

I jerk back in surprise. She must have just slapped me because she couldn’t have said what I think she just said.

“Now, why would I do that?”

“Because you tend to… want to compromise sometimes. And, with a King this big… this brutal, you may try political maneuvering vs just severing his head from his body and I think the people would prefer a clean sever.”

My eyes widen. Does she think I’m incapable of killing an enemy? I literally just suggested killing my uncle seconds ago if he doesn’t do his duty and he isn’t even an enemy. What the fuck is she on about?

“Auntie… I love you… but tread carefully, Princess.”

I scrunch my eyebrows as I narrow my gaze towards hers, trying to contain a simmering inner rage. The dim lights of the castle flicker. Noticing this, Tara steps between us.

“Let’s save the battling for outside, please. I think Auntie Teresa is just saying to kill without asking questions. This King is ruthless and he’s known for playing with his prey and manipulating leadership before he kills them and takes down their armies. Just… don’t let him get in your head.”

I step back, flabbergasted by the speculation that I would allow such a thing.

Shawnnoitian thinks the same thing because a feeling of rage floods the mental connection and then a loud roar comes from outside.

“Offending you like that is not something I’ll tolerate again.” He says to me and even though I won’t allow him to burn my family and best friends, I’m not going to stop him from considering it right now. I normally hate when he overrides my cutoff of the connection, but this time I’ll let it slide, especially because he closes it right away.

Point made.

Amy shivers and steps back while Tara and my auntie (mostly) stand their ground.

Aunt Teresa continues from over Tara’s shoulder.

“My dearest niece…”

“My Queen.” I correct her with grit in my voice, still incredibly aggrieved.

A flutter of hurt crosses her eyes but she obliges.

“My dearest Queen…” she corrects herself and continues, “…this man has conquered ten Kingdoms of various sizes and ours is the last one on the continent that isn’t under his rule. His constant war with the border nation on the other side of the continent has led to his aggressive hunt for more dragons and now he’s finally made it to us. The place with the largest hoard of dragons on the continent. He’ll need us in order to win his war with his enemy border nation and he’ll stop at nothing to take us over. I heard he’s merciless. And, I just want you to be merciless.”

“I can be merciless!” I blurt out.

With trepidation, Amy adds, “Yes. You can be, my Queen. But, you sometimes try to understand all sides of an equation and see people’s humanity, which leads to you showing grace by offering a compromise. Of course, those compromises often benefit us the most but some people believe some of the law breakers we made deals with should be dead, even if it did lead to us benefitting in the end.”

I scoff. I won’t apologize for making profitable trades. For making sure people suffer in life for their wrongdoings. While I don’t mind leading an execution, death isn’t always the answer people think it is. Sometimes, people’s punishment is giving them the horrible life they deserve. They earned. But many people across my Kingdom, and the continent at large, don’t always see things that way.

But that’s how I’ve made us the richest Kingdom across the continent in the past ten years, long before I even ascended to Queen. It’s also why more dragons have started to flock here. I’m a clear minded leader who doesn’t get off on war, thus making this place a safe haven for their dragons and a land worth defending.

I close in on the ladies as the room becomes shrouded in darkness. My fury has taken on a physical form that I am doing my best to not fully unleash. After all, I would never truly harm them. But my power - well, my emotions - can have a mind of their own sometimes and although I won’t harm them, this room is still up for grabs. Luckily, I gain control and stop the darkness from going any further. We can barely see each other in the room now, although one dim light remains.

“I killed a Duke tonight without hesitation. And, even though I didn’t kill a thief last week for the sake of his adult children, I stripped him of all of his titles, reclaimed his land, and got him to give up his valuable family heirlooms that his ancestors had successfully hid away for centuries. Now, he’s destitute and at my mercy, which I will use to my advantage, and we now have resources to acquire more food and housing for orphaned children in outlying provinces. I won’t apologize for being tactical.” I sigh, then confess with no shame in my voice. “And, if I don’t kill The Dragon Thief tonight, I’ll have a good reason.”

Although there’s a small hint of fear in her eyes, maybe mixed with a little resentment, Tara doesn’t offer it to me. She just takes a breath before saying - “Fine. No need for the theatrics.”

“Agreed.” My aunt nods, nervous but edging her way from behind Tara.

The darkness slowly fades and the greater dimness of the room returns. Everyone lets out vocal sighs of relief. I know I just did too much in that moment but it is what it is. I’ll have to apologize later. I just hate that they think I can’t be a ruthless Queen. That they clearly see me as too soft. It reminds me of something I’d rather forget. Someone, if I’m being honest.

I shiver at the memory of my father’s words that this conversation brings up. “A total softie who could never rule the Mahari Kingdom effectively.” I remember him saying it with a scowl as he looked down at my 10 year old face. All because I saved a baby dragon from a mercy kill due to a slow growing wing. A dragon that went on to become Tara’s dragon, one of the strongest in the Kingdom, and who happened to be Shawnnoitian’s only child.

I won’t allow my father’s awful judgement of me to cloud my mind. Especially after he let the Duke survive, regardless of reason. I won’t.

I won’t.

I shake it off and look up at my girls, determined.

“Fine. Now, let’s go.” I say to the ladies as we rush out of the castle basement.

Shawnnoitian - or Shawn, as I like to call him - is waiting for me on the grassy flying field just outside the castle. The large black dragon, who is a beautiful dark green during the day, stands tall in the middle of the field, blocking Tara, Amy, and my aunt’s dragons from view. I tap the back of my ear to recactivate the connection. Slight irritation floods my mind as he’s always irritated when I turn the connection off, even though he does it all the time and he just overwrote it minutes ago. What a drama king!

Nevertheless, I smile wide at him as I approach.

“Longest ten hours ever.” I say with longing through our connection since I last saw him ten hours ago. His irritation with me immediately eases.

Attention whore.

I laugh at him as I shake my head and his golden eyes light up at the sight of me, too. I rub his head right between his eyes just how he likes before mounting, climbing up his body with ease as I’ve done so many times before.

“You missed me?” He growls in a tone that I know is gentle as the words travel through the mental connection.

“Always.” I say as I get comfortable in my seat.

“Well, that makes sense. What’s not to miss?” He laughs through the connection almost mockingly as I finalize settling in.

I smack one of his scales playfully. “You’re insufferable.”

“Well, good. Let’s be insufferable together and go kill this continent’s most powerful King.” He roars aggressively as he speaks through the connection, sending waves down the grassy area of the field.

“Not you, too.”

“I don’t like the way they just spoke to you but I do agree that the King should die. That part feels obvious.”

Does it? I wonder to myself as I think through things, strapping myself into my saddle now that I’m settled in the seat. I guess it does considering his history. But, something in my body says there’s more to this King’s story. More to the war on his side of the border. Maybe that’s me just wanting to have the least bloody experience, though. Maybe.

Although, none of that matters since he’s at my border and attacking my Kingdom. He’s not really giving me a choice other than to kill him. So, my people are right in many ways. Possibly in every way.

I sigh.

After finishing strapping myself in, I put on my flight contacts. They protect my eyes from debris and allow me to see in tough conditions mid-flight.

“Queenie, don’t get any ideas.” Shawn says as he bends his knees, preparing for takeoff, obviously having heard my series of thoughts.

“You already know I have them.”

He makes a disapproving hissing sound before he leaps into the air, flying off at full speed. The wind hits me so hard that it feels like I’ve just been thrown backwards. I hold on tight to my harness as my hair blows backward and my cheeks pull against my jawline. My locs are thankfully in a ponytail and out of my face. I hate having flowy hair when on my dragon. As we reach our highest altitude, the rain that had greeted Tara an hour earlier now decides to greet us, too. Droplets hit my eyes but my magic infused contacts work fast, clearing my vision almost immediately.

Shawn’s wings beat harder as the wind increases and the rain intensifies, but not enough where he reaches even slight exhaustion. He’s used to flying in all kinds of tough circumstances, and he’s the strongest of his kind, so this is a breeze for him.

We get to the border within 30 minutes. Many dragon riders are already there, spread out in their formation. All riders wear all black with black chest plates, while leaders of sections wear gold ones, although theirs lack the shine and revered design of Tara’s or Amy’s. Stronger dragons and their riders cover both the front and the back of the formation while new and/or weaker riders and dragons are in the middle. Some dragons are engaged in combat closer to the ground with foot troops as small numbers of the invading forces make it through the shield. The invading forces all wear purple and carry massive swords or small knives that they all seem pretty skilled with using. And, while my people have smaller swords with a slight curve to them that bear the MK symbol on the end, I know that they’re better. They’re sharper and do more damage due to their design. I know my people can take our enemy.

Swords collide, sliding in and out of my troops’ bodies as knives slice the neck of our enemies. Dragon fire catches some enemies off guard while others evade with an impressive speed. The good thing is that the invaders don’t seem to have many magic wielders, which sucks for them because we have quite a few.

As we fly alongside the border, I notice that some parts of the shield are weaker than others with the glossy white shield flickering intensely in some areas. Those areas are exactly where the invading troops are entering at their highest rates.

I press against my other ear, activating the comm that is nearly always there.

“Amy, have the second and third rider lines of the southern forces move closer to the ground, the foot troops are going to need extra help as the shield is weakening fast on that end. Tara, move some of the northern riders towards the middle of the border as we’ll have to pull some current middle border riders to the south soon.”

Shawn and I fly toward the south border. From what I know about this King, he likes to get stuff done fast and he likes to step in himself. He doesn’t like to sacrifice much of his army as he’s saving that for his bigger foe. So, I presume he’ll be coming through the southern part of the border sooner rather than later. He’s a Lightbringer and not known much for hiding. I’m sure he’ll be recognizable in this crowd pretty easily.

I watch as the shields begin to fully give out in the south as the glossy white protection peels away and begins to reveal the dark city just outside of our Kingdom. Amy and her southern stationed riders and foot troops began to engage in more challenging combat. Amy lowers herself closer to the ground on the back of her stunning yellow dragon, but never actually touches it. Swords are swung, knives are thrown, wind is wielded by a foot troop soldier, a rider throws out a temporary protective shield whenever a foot soldier seems to be in immediate danger, and Amy herself emits ice from her hands, freezing invader troops where they stand and never having to leave her dragon to do so.

The first third of the border shield finally disappears, making nearly the entire southern border territory vulnerable. Luckily, most of the people have evacuated, but there are still screams in the distance as people who didn’t wake or move in time try to get away, screaming at the loss of their homes and the fear of what’s to come. Riders from Tara’s earlier wave are escorting them out, keeping track of any invading troops that are looking to attack civilians. But it seems that’s not the case, the troops are focused on the border and engaging our troops. I guess I can thank the gods that they’re not merciless scum who attack the vulnerable without reason.

I follow the fight for a while. The northern shields are starting to fall away but not in as quick of a succession as the southern shields. Thank the gods for that, I guess.

Then, I see it. Before it even crosses our shields into our Kingdom. The beautiful bright light, and power of their King. He’s already wielding before he crosses. Ready for the fight without hesitation. He must have just got word of the shield completely falling because I can see the light actively moving south where we’ll soon be able to see his power in all its glory. And, horror.

“Let’s go.” I say to Shawn through the connection with determination in my voice.

“At your service, Queenie.” Shawn and I lower into a forest area that takes up the first ten percent of the southern border territory. The unlucky invaders who crossed our shields at that point all died quickly as the forest is tricky to navigate for a person that’s never been to our capital city. Word must have gotten out though because very little of the fighting is taking place in that area. But, I’m sure their King has a less avoidant attitude. Especially if he thinks I’ll be there.

Shawn and I hover, but we don’t enter just yet.

“We’re headed south.” Tara says before she sends a whistle through the comm. Once she does so, everyone along the border, both dragons and troops alike, abruptly move backwards, confusing all of the enemy combatants. Tara, along with four other riders in different areas down the border, lower towards the ground and immediately begin to dish out rapid fire with never ending flames along the border entrance. But, the flames aren’t coming from their dragons, it’s coming from their own hands in order to make more controlled, targeted flames. They obliterate enemy troops and stop new ones from entering. The enemy troops scream in horror and some even run around, trying to put out the fire in their backs, on their feet, and even at the top of their head. One water wielder within their ranks attempts to put the fires out, but Tara spots him and throws a fireball right into his chest, ending that once and for all.

After I feel secure with the effective distraction, I fly to my position in the forest. Since the King hasn’t crossed the border yet, he has not seen me or my dragon, and thus won’t know where we’re hiding. And, by the time he makes it over, he’ll have to come and find me.

Shawn and I land near the edge of the forest’s clearing. I quickly untie my harness and dismount. I rub his head again and look into his sharp, golden eyes.

“I love you.” I say through our mental connection, never taking my gaze off him.

His eyes squint in disapproval. “Do not speak to me like you’ll never see me again. I won’t allow it.”

“What? I’m not. I can’t say I love you?”

“I may not be human, but I can sense a hopeless tone.”

I scoff. He can read me too well.

“I’m not hopeless… persay. I’m just… a realest. This King may very well be stronger than me if the legends persist. Therefore, I could die in a few minutes and that would be devastating, so I want you to know that I love you.”

“You do realize that if you die, I die, right?”

“Well… not exactly. You could survive. Unlikely, but you could.”

His eyes widen this time, like they do right before he’s about to open his mouth and blow fire.

“Queenie, do not test my patience in the middle of a battle.”

I rub his head to calm him. “I’m just saying.” I hunch my shoulders nonchalantly. Then, I step back and shake off the nerves. I smile at him. “Besides, if you are about to die, too, wouldn’t you want to know that your favorite human loves you?”

This time his eyes peer at me, the corners raising slightly. “I already know that. Obviously.”

My smile widens. And, with expectation, I say – “Anddddd, you love me too?”

Shawn does his version of an eye roll just before a bright light flares in the background and a series of screams follow soon afterwards. Shawn and I both look towards the flare of light and it seems to grow blindingly large at a rapid pace, incinerating everything in its path. Despite the distance, the smell of smoke and blood from the incineration hits my nose hard, causing a faint spell of dizziness for half a second. I gather my bearings and anger floods me, fast.

Lets fucking do this.

“Go!” I yell to Shawn who disappears into the forest, unseen to the naked eye. I run in the opposite direction, navigating trees, grass, and gross mud as I run through the winding, sometimes steep path that I grew up navigating through for fun with friends.

“Where is your Queen?” A deep, booming voice erupts in the distance. There’s no way I should be able to hear him where I am. Let alone, at this volume. Does this man have a voice enhancer?! How did he acquire one of those? Only a small city-kingdom has those and they are known for not selling them to anyone. They also never get involved in wartime matters. They only give them to the voiceless population as an aiding device. So, how did he convince them to give him one? I know from the records I’ve read of him that he’s not voiceless. He’s just using it to command attention.

What a fucking asshole.

I can almost feel the light he’s wielding on my back as it shines brighter, unexpectedly helping me make my way through the forest, although my contacts are also helping with that, and my innate ability to see in the dark. I am only feet from where I want to be when the King inevitably finds me. The forest’s home tree, the Life Tree, is just in front of me. It’s a 500 foot, black tree with dark blue leaves, just 50 feet taller than our largest tree. It enhances my abilities and makes me all powerful whenever I’m in its vicinity. And, to take on a Kingdom conqueror like this man, I want to be at my highest power. Besides, the tree also weakens the power of those not native to our land. Anyone who comes near it that’s not from here powers are rendered useless the second they step within five feet of the area. The tree isn’t in any of our textbooks and is just a mythological creation to those not from here. And, we like to keep it that way.

I stop behind the tree and gather my breath. I just ran at least 5 miles without stopping, and even though I’m trained for this, I’m not invincible. It’s a miracle I didn’t slip considering this rain.

“Talk to me, Queenie. Are you alright?” Shawn demands to know through the connection.

“Fine.” I mutter, still gathering my breath.

“I… feel deeply towards you as well.” Shawn reluctantly says through the connection.

I snort a laugh as my breathing still staggers. “That took a lot, huh?”

“Not as much as it would take out of me if you die right now. So, don’t die. Catch your breath. And, do not die Queenie.” Shawn says with a firm love in his voice. “I’m right here.” He risks being discovered by flashing his golden eyes toward me from a distance before blending back in with the forest. I smile, even though he can’t see it since his golden eyes are what give him the far sight and he’s camouflaged them, for now.

Light flashes in the distance as The Dragon Thief Light King takes out more of my people, furious that no one has given up my position yet. I take one last breath and then I say into the comm – “Tell him.”

There’s no response in the comm but I know they’ve told him because I see the light moving my way. It dissipates as he gets deeper into the forest, only leaving a glow as he makes his way through the winding, steep paths. A few screams along the way indicate that his soldiers have fallen down unseen cliffs or into ravines with creatures who eat humans. All things I effortlessly avoided on my way here.

The light gets closer and closer to me then stops.

“Where are you Queen… Renita, right? I know you’re out there somewhere.”

I shiver from the way he says my name. So much disdain and contempt from a man who doesn’t know me. Hearing Renita in his mouth sounds more grating than the way he says Queen. He isn’t even honorable enough to say my name properly. What did I ever do to him?

I peer through two branches of the large tree. My eyes land on him relatively easily since the glow from the light he’s emitting from his hands is settled right under his face.

And…

WHOA.

What an unexpectedly beautiful face. His jawline is toned and chiseled while somehow still giving him cheeks that contain two deep dimples. I see them because he forms a contemptuous smile as he calls my name, looking through the forest. Almost like he’s finding joy in hunting me. He’s tall and wide. Hefty. Fit. Broad. And, those teeth. Even with all the menace in his grin, his smile is the kind of perfection a woman only dreams of. Is this part of the mental manipulation my people were trying to warn me of? Because with a face and body like that, I’m sure he gets anything he wants.

“I know you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking in this moment!” Shawn grumbles down the connection so aggressively that it snaps me out of my trance.

“Sorry! Sorry.” Its all I can think to say. Because I must be losing my mind. I’ve seen some beautiful men in my life. Laid with quite a few. But nothing this beautiful –

“And, there you go again!” Shawn interrupts.

“Sorry!” I shake my head and refocus.

I move further behind the tree as his gaze turns back towards the front and almost directly in my direction. He starts to move again but then abruptly stops. He looks up, staring at the tall structure in front of him.

“The Life Tree. It’s… it’s here. It’s really… here.” He stumbles through his words as he gawks at the tree. I am still peeking from behind it but I know that myself, including my eyes, are shrouded in complete darkness. So, although I can see him, he can’t see me thanks to the enhanced power that the tree has given me. Speaking of, this King’s eyes widen as he realizes what being near the tree means. He notices his distance from the tree and sees that the light in his hand has nearly disappeared. He turns to his four remaining men. “Step back. Step back!”

Why the light didn’t completely disappear is a question that I wonder in my head. It immediately unnerves me but I try to let it go. But I think he notices too as he looks at the dim light while he walks away, watching it get brighter again as he moves backward.

He blinks and refocuses. The King resumes looking around the area, clearly searching for me.

“I know you’re out here Queen Renita. If you come out, I won’t kill you. We can negotiate terms for me taking your Kingdom. As you know, I really just want your dragons. The lesser dragons I have right now are nothing compared to yours. Plus, the sheer number you have. And, all of the magic wielders you have. Honestly, your Kingdom alone is all I really need to take on the continent. Your Kingdom and my original Kingdom. All of these lesser places I’ve conquered can go free. I’ll just keep their dragons. I heard you like negotiating, so how does that sound? My original borders. Your borders. That should be enough. We can protect the middling Kingdoms together. Well, you’ll be under my rule too, but you get my point.”

I stifle a laugh. He flicks his head up in my general direction, but still doesn’t spot me.

“Oop, I heard that.” He says with a menacing grin as he takes one slow step towards the tree. Then, another. His light slowly dimming in the process.

“I meant for you to hear it.” I say in a sultry, low voice. I didn’t mean for it to come out as sexy as it just sounded. But, it turns out my sexy, menacing voice actually sounds kind of intimidating. Shawn tsks through the bond, disgusted by my unconscious flirtation.

“Did you now?” The Light King looks towards my general direction again, but still not seeing me.

“I did. But, unfortunately, it’s no deal.”

Branches move through the forest swiftly, snatching up two of the Light King’s men. They whip into the air, disappearing into the dark in less than two heartbeats, barely having time to scream. But, the quick screams they do manage to let out gets the attention of the Light King and his two other soldiers. They turn around to see the commotion, but it’s too late. Two other branches go through the hearts of the other two soldiers by the King’s side, whipping in and out of their bodies before they can even catch a full breath.

“Thanks Auntie.” I whisper into the comm. I briefly look up at my aunt as the shimmering power in her arms dissipates and the branches fall back into place beneath her. She sits on the back of her dark red dragon, Pearl, and they both smirk at me. They fly out of range just as the Light King throws quick light beams towards the sky. His weakened powers due to his proximity to the tree makes it easy for him to miss Pearl as she and the Princess fly away. But Pearl is so fast that I don’t think he would have caught them even if his powers weren’t weakened. She’s one of the quickest dragons we have, probably only Shawn is faster.

“And, that’s why she’s astonishing.” Shawn says in a weirdly loving tone that he only reserves when speaking about Pearl.

I scowl through the connection. “And you talk about me.”

“Pearl is not my enemy. Although, we’re no longer mated at this time.” He sighs from a clear heartbreak. “She’s not my enemy. Yet, he is yours.”

“Don’t care about your dragon drama right now. Focus.”

“I am focused!” Shawn retorts in a snappy, defensive fury. “You’re the one staring at him again. Get it together! Now, Queenie!”

“Don’t make me cut off the connection.” I say, just as snappy.

A groan erupts through the bond before a sudden silence.

But, he’s right. I am staring. I’m staring because I’m curious. The Light King hasn’t said a word since his men were killed. He’s just been looking around. Studying the scene in front of him. No doubtedly trying to calculate just how much danger he’s in. He moves closer to the tree. His light dimming even further. But still not going out. Truly, what is that about?

“Scared, are you?” I say in that low, sultry voice again. I guess I’m not shaking that anytime soon.

“I ain’t scared of a single thing.” The Light King stands tall self-assuredly, but a flicker of fear crosses his eyes. Just a flicker that would be easily missed by a lesser leader. He continues. “You’re the one who won’t reveal yourself. It seems you’re scared of me.”

I stifle another laugh. “I don’t need to be scared of you. You’re in my territory. A foolish move, by the way.”

“You think I don’t know your territory?”

“I think you know what we want you to know.”

“Is that so? And, what do you think that is?” He asks with a condescending curiosity.

I ignore the tone.

“Well, judging from your reaction to this tree, I presume you had no idea it was here and believed it was a myth like everyone else and now that you’ve seen it up close and know through the stories what it’s capable of, you’re scared.”

The King laughs. It’s low, slow, and mocking in its tone. “I’ve known your tree was real for years. The Life Tree of the Mahari Kingdom. The Rishon Magic Forest along your border. My mah told me all of the stories as a kid. She’s from here. Adopted when she was 8 after her parents were slaughtered.”

I… freeze. When she was 8. The King is 30. His mom, their Kingdom’s Queen Dowager, is 50. So, 42 years ago…

Oh. No.

The Civil War of our Kingdom where my father killed ¼ of his own people. The late Duke’s father… and later, mother, being victims of this. Some family members of executed high officials were secretly sent off to be adopted elsewhere to avoid ostracization and poverty and in some cases, death. I–

This is why his light won’t completely dim around the tree. Oh my gods. How did I miss this? Of course they omitted his true family history from his Kingdom’s history books. Why didn’t I dig deeper?

“Do not let this distract you, Queenie. Stay on task.” Shawn asserts.

“I will. You too.” I say through the connection. My attention briefly moves past the King towards the main fight at the border, something that no one should be able to see from as far away as I am, with how dark it is, and how bad it’s raining, but I can see everything with my contacts and my natural eyes that are made to embrace the night. I spot what I’ve been waiting for and I say to Shawn through the connection – “What you’re looking for has just moved across the fallen shields.”

Shawn turns off the connection and goes to handle his part of the plan.

And, finally, I start to move from behind the tree and walk towards the Light King.

“I see you’ve been keeping secrets, Light King. Dragon Thief.”

He scoffs at that second name without saying anything.

As I move toward him, I slowly reveal my dark silhouette. I push my eyes from a black color to a light grey. I push my power further to gradually reveal my dark brown face, and my body. Not at full view, but enough where he can pick up all of my features. I glide towards him at a slow pace. His eyes widen like he’s awestruck. But I’m not sure why. It could be my beauty, my eye color, or even the way I slowly reveal myself. You never know with this one.

He closes his eyes and reopens them, blinking away whatever awestruck stare he had. A menacing look displays in its place.

“Every Kingdom is entitled to their secrets.” He says with a haunting grin. I can tell that combination of fear and charm has worked on people before, but not me.

Then, I feel a sudden flicker of pain at the back of my mind. It’s strong enough for me to grab onto the back of my head and stop in my tracks in order to not stumble. My brain feels a rush of fog as dizziness takes over me. He looks at me with a grin as I attempt to regain my balance. I push the pain out with all the force that I have.

That’s when I realize…

This fucker is trying to mind trick me! My aunt was right, he literally gets into people’s heads! Even with the limited power he has right now, he’s still trying to get into my head. And, even succeeded for a few seconds. That means his power is unfathomable outside of the dampening of this tree. This egotistical mother fucker never loses because how fucking could he?!

Well, that is… until today.

He probably thought I wouldn’t feel his power until it was too late. He definitely thought I wouldn’t able to fight it off, even with the little strength he has right now. And, I guess I understand seeing how powerful just a flicker of it was!

I gotta admit. He’s good.

Real good.

Too bad for him that I’m better.

Waves of darkness flood the forest floor as I call to it from everywhere. It moves towards the Light King with a rapid fury and by the time he notices it, it’s too late.

His mouth falls agape.

“You’re….. A Darkling?!” Fear floods his eyes and before I know it, he throws a light beam at me, but I dodge it. He throws two more in rapid succession and I quickly move to the side and duck for the last one, nearly slipping on the muddy forest ground. The darkness reaches his ankles and wraps around him, but that doesn’t stop him from throwing two more fucking light beams my way! One nearly grazes my cheek and the other pierces the side of my hand. The fucker also has near perfect aim, even with a moving target. And, he got the only part of my body that’s not protected besides my face. And, gods! That shit burns.

Fuck.

I’ll need a healer later.

Darkness quickly ties his hands behind his back and covers his light, smoking it out in the process. I know the power emits from his eyes too, so I quickly maneuver my darkness across his eyes by wrapping it around his forehead like a blindfold. I’m not a fool.

I step closer to him. His legs buckle at the heaviness of the darkness and he falls to his knees. Just how I like my men.

Gods, there I go again.

I shake that annoyingly sexy thought off.

Bad time for that, Renita.

I look down at him, loosening the grip on the darkness over his eyes, I slowly release it except for the darkness in his irises. I don’t return his original, beautiful brown color, I keep them grey.

“Can you see me?”

He doesn’t say anything, and for a second, his jaw tightens so tightly that I think he’s going to spit on me. But he seems to think the better of it.

“Can you see me?” I repeat.

He lets out a low chuckle.

“I can.”

“Good.” I smirk at him, satisfied.

He laughs as he looks up at me. “You know this isn’t over, right?”

“I think it is.”

A loud roar erupts from behind and is accompanied by a pained whimper coming from a blue and green dragon about half the size of Shawn. Shawn has bitten into his side, leaving a gruesome hole.

The Light King’s eyes widen as his dragon barrels to the ground.

“Murphy!!!”

Shawn watches the dragon hit the ground, whimpering and struggling to breathe. Shawn, however, is unharmed, and unphased, as he lands behind me.

“You thought your dragon would sneak up on me in my own forest? Did you never stop to think where my dragon could be? You did realize you were attacking my Kingdom, right? Famous for my dragons? You can’t use the same tactics you used in other Kingdoms. You’re not the only one with a camouflage dragon. And, even more unfortunate for you is that I can see in the dark. That was something left out of my family history books too. As you said earlier, every Kingdom is entitled to their secrets.”

Abruptly, I hear squawking in the distance. I look towards it and notice a hammerkop bird flying through the air, lightning falling wherever he passes. My uncle, The Chancellor, didn’t wimp out after all.

Then, Tara in my comm – “Shields are back up.”

“Got it.”

I look at the Light King.

“Unfortunately, it looks like you won’t be conquering us today. Our shields are back up, your dragon is down, your soldiers are defeated and you are… well… like this. I gesture to how I have successfully tied him up using my dark wielding.

The Light King shakes his head, like he refuses to accept defeat.

He looks up at me and smirks. “My mah told me that the Mahari Kingdom was full of beautiful women and that their stunning Queen would be my demise.” He chuckles as he puts his head down. “I guess she really is a gifted Foreseer.”

“Your mah saw your fate and you still decided to come? A magic wielder from our Kingdom told you your future and you didn’t listen?” I laugh, mockingly. “You really are the tyrannical King everybody says you are.

“Am I? Or am I desperate to save my Kingdom from a much more horrifying bordering nation?”

There is an abrupt seriousness in his eyes. And, a true horror. Whatever his Kingdom is facing on the other side of the continent has him spooked.

“And, you thought coming to your mah’s homeland, killing their Queen, and stealing their dragons was the way to go? Because we both know your “compromise” you offered earlier wasn’t in the slightest bit real.”

“I heard you’re known to be ruthless. Whether it’s through murder or stealing people of their dignity with your imbalanced ‘negotiations.’ You really think I could let you live?”

It oddly feels good to be called ruthless, especially after what happened earlier tonight. A tingling sensation moves from my stomach to my throat but I ignore the butterfly.

I bend over in front of him, eyes menacing as I stare into the grey of his irises.

“And, knowing what I know of you, do you think I should let you live?”

He grits his teeth. It’s clear in his gaze that he wants to live, but he answers – “No. You shouldn’t.”

I think through my options. Kill him and deal with the fury of his people and more than half the continent being on unstable political grounds. Meaning, I’d have to fight off gods know how many forces, plus probably deal with another, possibly more terrifying Kingdom that’ll probably eat his up in the political uproar that is bound to happen after his death since he has no heir. And, then there’s the nation on the other side of Mahari’s border on the next continent that loves to poke around and try to take us over every few decades. Sheesh. Seems like a lot of unnecessary fighting. And, a lot of unnecessary death.

“I know you’re not thinking….” Shawn begrudgingly questions through the connection.

“I know. I know. But it’s the only way.”

Shawn growls, both through the connection and out loud. He doesn’t agree but he doesn’t disagree either.

I stare at the Light King and ask one question.

“What’s your name? It’s not listed anywhere in your family books. You’re just called The Dragon Thief or The Light King everywhere. It’s…. weird.

The Light King looks up at me with a gaze I can’t fully read. Is that admiration on his face? Or adoration? Or both?

I must be asking a question he wanted me to ask.

“It’s Gregory. King Gregory Holmes.”

“Nice to meet you, King Gregory Holmes.” I smile. I can’t help it. Shawn hisses through the connection.

King Gregory returns the smile, flashing those beautiful, pearly white teeth. “Nice to meet you Queen Renita…?”

“Byers. Queen Renita Byers.”

Another hiss from Shawn. This time, out loud too.

“Shut. Up.” I say through the connection.

I continue speaking with King Gregory. “Tell your men to stand down and you get to live another day. And, I may just have a way that you can get out of this.”

King Gregory studies me. His mouth crooks upward into a smirk before he taps the comm in his ear. “Stand down.” He says with cocky confidence. I guess he can’t seem defeated in front of his soldiers. Or, maybe he wanted this?

Seconds later, all fighting ceases. Even the lightning stops.

I take a deep breath and tap my own comm, but I double tap for a private channel with Amy, Tara, and my aunt.

“Don’t hate me. But, The Dragon Thief King lives. For now.”

THE END.