Cassandra Pendragon

“Nghh…” alright, let’s try this again. “Need to get up.” Better. Not yet as concise as I would have hoped but we were getting there.

It had taken an astonishingly short time to convince everyone to give me a break. My pallor, slurred speech and the fact, that I had been leaning on Ahri the entire time might have had something to do with their consideration as well. Not that the dwarf in charge, Ivar, had really let me off the hook but he had swallowed his complaints, aside from a foreboding declaration along the lines: “that’s not the last we’ve talked about our destroyed ship, young lady.” My brother, at least had been a bit more understanding, when I had told him that the supposed flying stones weren’t the precious treasure he had expected them to be.

Long story short, after I had, once again, proven my aptitude at blowing things up, I had quickly been escorted to the baths and from there to a surprisingly remote cabin, where Ahri had taken care of me. Two hours and a short nap later, I was feeling much better, relaxed and recharged, it didn’t mean I was eager to move, though, and the naked vixen at my side wasn’t exactly helping, either. To be precise, she lazily opened a glowing eye, snuggled deeper into my embrace and wrapped her tails around my waist, effectively boycotting every chance of me ever getting up.

“You’re not helping,” I grumbled half heartedly and pinched her thigh, eliciting a cute squeal.

“Just a few more minutes, or do you have somewhere to be,” she asked, still half asleep.

“Unfortunately, yes and so do you. It shouldn’t be long now, before we arrive.”

“You think they need you for the landing? You don’t even know how to steer a ship!” I rolled my eyes, which would have been a tad more effective if hers hadn’t been closed, again.

“No, but I’d rather be around when my proud brother meets the queen of the night, not to mention the rest of our merry band of misfits.”

“Your mom will be there and she’s a bit more diplomatic than you are. Plus, he’s already met the fey and our resident dragoness. What could possibly go wrong.” A cry from above made us flinch.

“Smoke, smoke ahead! The harbours burning!” I sighed, clinging to her warmth for just another second, while I silently cursed our luck.

“You had to jinx it, didn’t you,” I mumbled exasperatedly and reached for my dress. I didn’t have any other clothes with me and while I loathed the idea of stumbling into a conflict, dressed like a silver and black peacock, it was still a far cry better than going naked or having to ask Sylvia for help. She’d be crowing for days to come.

“Sorry,” Ahri whispered playfully in my ear. “I’ll make it up to you, tonight.” Somehow it felt like she didn’t take the alarm very seriously. I couldn’t really blame her, considering what we had already been through, but I’d still have appreciated a bit more… poise.

“Mordred and some of our friends are down there,” I complained, while I shrugged into my dress and threw hers onto the bed. “I wouldn’t put it past them to be stuck in the middle.”

“You mean you wouldn’t put it past them to act like you? Neither would I, but they can take care of themselves.”

“You’re right, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the course of the last weeks, it’s this: bad luck trumps strength, any day of the week.”

“Are you really worried,” she asked much more sombrely while she hurriedly dressed. I nodded.

“Their fleet is destroyed, we don’t know where the Emperor’s remaining ships have disappeared to, Serena Brightblaze has already made it plenty clear what she thinks of beast kin, not to mention vampires, Alassara has lost almost all of her children, I don’t even know how many humans died last night and now the harbour is in flames? Of course I’m worried. I don’t expect us to run into a dangerous fight, but the whole town has turned into a powder keg. And we’ve seen first hand, what those can do.” She touched my shoulder apologetically.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… we should probably be dealing with whatever transcendent bullshit just happened. In comparison, everything else seems so…”

“Inconsequential? It probably is, on a wider scale, but it’s still our life. Or do you want to quit?”

“Never. I’d run away with you, if you wanted to, but I don’t want to abandon our home. There’s… you haven’t even met my family, yet. There’s so much I’m actually looking forward to.”

“So am I. Which means we probably shouldn’t start looking at the world through a transcendent glass. Otherwise we might as well call it a day.” She kissed my cheek briefly and helped me close the last straps.

“You’ve always been beautiful but now you’re even getting wise. So, what do we do?”

“Get down there, find whoever is responsible and start squeezing until they see reason?”

“I take it back. You’re still a hot head. Let’s try to figure out what’s going on, beforehand, shall we?”

“If you insist. Turn around, I’ll help you fasten yours.” Not even two minutes later, surprisingly fast considering how long it had taken me to help her dress the last time around, we quickly made our way upstairs. The crew was already assembled, Viyara, in her human form, clad in clothes Erya had probably conjured for her, Aurelia and the fey among them. When the dragoness saw us approach, she gesticulated for us to join them, shooing away the dwarfs and my newly acquired guards.

We hurried over and when the sea of backs parted for us, I drew in a sharp breath. The harbour of Free Land was hidden underneath a thick, black cloud, dancing lights illuminating it from below. The wooden posts, walkways and stalls had caught on fire, a crackling noise cutting through the swaths of smoke every time something combustible went up in flames. We were quite far away but the acrid stench still made me cough when a gust of wind blew the heavy fog in our direction.

I closed my watering eyes and listened intently, trying to ignore the curses, heavy breaths and groaning sails. At first, I couldn’t hear a thing over the roaring flames but after a few moments, I thought I could barely make out muffled shouts and the sharp, bell like strikes of swords.

“They’re fighting,” Viyara explained, her eyes shimmering with her innate magic. “Several groups. It seems almost like they’re battling over the few remaining ships. Your friend, Captain Brightblaze, is down there. Believe it or not, she’s joined Xorlosh and his dwarfs. They’ve kept the others at bay, at least for now.”

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“Can’t say I’m really surprised,” I replied and sent a trickle of energy towards my eyes. Immediately, the obscuring mist vanished and I saw the spectacle in all its stupid glory.

Chaos, utter chaos reigned in the harbour. From the looks of it, the remaining Captains of Free Land had decided to restock their fleets with the ships, anchored in their harbour. One of them had, presumably, decided to take action. Considering their vessels had been destroyed, the additional ships, even if they had been built for trade, would bolster their power immensely. The other Captains had probably gotten wind of his plans and had marched their people to the harbour as well, either to prevent a shift in power or to seize the vessels for themselves.

As a result, several squadrons were battling it out in a wild frenzy with no apparent rhyme or reason. Somewhere along the line, a stall had caught on fire, either on purpose or because one bumbling idiot had dropped a torch, and since no one had had the time to extinguish the flames while they had still been manageable, the whole area was in danger of burning down. The only place where I could at least discern who was fighting whom was the pier, where Xorlosh’s ship was anchored. The gods only knew why they hadn’t simply set sail, the very moment weapons had been drawn, but as it was a wall of glittering mithril prevent everyone from setting a single foot onto their small, wooden kingdom. And they weren’t alone.

Behind them, protected and safe, I saw not only a tight knot of warriors wearing Brightblaze’s colours, but also a throng of pretty women, led by an ancient hag. Somehow, Madame Sinis and her girls had found their way to the harbour. Again, I couldn’t possibly guess why they would even be close to a fight, their prowess and elegance between the sheets would in no way translate into swinging a sword, but there they were, sticking together like frightened kittens.

“By the Great Fox,” I mumbled, “if I didn’t know better, I’d say they’ve been cursed. What insanity has overcome them?”

“I haven’t got a clue but we can figure it out later,” Ahri replied quietly. “For now, we have to stop this madness. They’re going to destroy whatever little is left of the city.” Her wings whispered into existence and mine followed suit. I glanced around, catching the eyes of Aurelia, Viyara and Erya. A second later, a gargantuan, golden serpent rose into the air, surrounded by specks of green, crimson, gold and silver. Faint shouts reached my ears, but the raging winds of our passage carried them away before I could puzzle out their meaning. It was plenty obvious, anyways. I’d have been screaming my lungs out as well, if I had been stuck on deck, while my comrades were fighting for their lives.

We were about four kilometres away, a distance my voice could easily cover but I hesitated. The last time I had used my power like that, I had been in an artificially created space and Mephisto’s warnings about me destroying Amazeroth’s wards still rang loudly in my ears. Viyara didn’t have the same problem. A gold and silver cone of flames, more silver than gold by now, shot from her maw, accompanied by a thundering roar that caught the attention of everyone fighting down below. The dwarfs raised their axes in an impromptu salute and the human warriors… well, they did what most people would do when a towering lizard was approaching, fangs bared. They fled like mice before a hunting hawk. Most of them, at least. From one second to the next, the chaotic melee transformed into a race, weapons and shields clattering onto the walkways.

Scared men ran and callous ones stabbed, hacked and thrusted at exposed backs and necks. The deep grunts and pained screams of battle were replaced by obscene gurgling sounds, when fallen warriors drowned in their own blood and the quiet moans, when hearts rushed through their last, fluttering beats. The walkways became slick with crimson, the treacherous footholds dooming even more to a swift but brutal end. A single misstep and their kin, their brothers were upon them like vultures, ending yet another life.

“I’ll be damned,” I whispered. “They’re animals, rabid animals.”

“No,” Erya mumbled. “They think they’re right. There’s nothing more cruel or dangerous than a righteous man, fighting against his own reflection. Nothing else matters anymore.”

“We’ll see about that,” I hissed. With a thought, I sent a rush of power to my wings, the silvery blue torrents expanding like the corona of a star. At first, the light of the sun still overshadowed my own brightness but quickly enough, I stood in the air like a shimmering full moon, my wings extended to their fullest. Tentacles of crystallised light grew around me, a maelstrom of energy, of pure will and still my wings grew until each one was longer than Viyara. I didn’t have to shout, I didn’t have to use my magic, the glittering display in the sky was enough to make everyone pause, even the most fearless warrior froze in place, sword raised high for a devastating strike that never came.

“Damn girl,” the fey breathed, “when have you learned that trick?”

“When I conquered my past,” I pressed out, the surging tides within me demanding my fullest attention. “Don’t come near,” I added. “Ahri and Viyara should be fine, but the rest of you…”

“No need to tell me twice,” Aurelia said reverently. “The last time I’ve seen something like this…”

As much as I had impressed my friends, it was nothing compared to the terror, spreading through the ranks below us. It had been a while, since I had annihilated the Mask but everyone in Free Land remembered what had happened. They remembered who I was and what I could do and right then and there, I was burning with more energy than I had unleashed before.

Silence settled in, weapons dropped form slackening grips and then, the first one fell to his knees, but he wasn’t the last. Like a wave, the movement rippled through their lines, seasoned warriors and scared adolescents alike bowed before me, their hatred and ambitions forgotten in the face of a creature so much older than their world. The dwarfs began to move. Like an avalanche of shimmering steel they marched, the steady drumbeat of their studded boots a resounding reminder of their discipline and strength. They marched and they sang, their voices drowning out even the crackling of the flames.

While we were still soaring towards the harbour, they gradually pushed forward, collecting weapons and prisoners. Whoever resisted was quickly disabused off the notion, an armed fist to the noggin could have that effect, especially when you were already being bound tightly while you still tried to spit out the remains of your broken teeth. In their wake, Brightblaze’s army followed, making sure no one was overlooked. And then, we were above them, Viyara’s shadow slithering over the wooden planks, blocking out the sun. She angled her body and came crashing down amidst a shower of splinters, dancing sparks and ravenous flames. Again, she opened her maw and roared, her thunderous voice convincing even the last, stubborn cutthroat that the fight was over. The spell of my appearance broke and they fled, head over heels.

Aurelia and Erya joined her, touching the ground on either side of the dragoness, while Ahri and I glided a bit further, lightly landing in the centre of the entrance to the harbour. A few isolated soldiers had already vanished into the maze of the city behind us but the bulk of them was still streaming towards the exit. When they saw us waiting, they stopped in their tracks but the pushing crowd behind them, eager to get away from the seemingly enraged dragoness, forced them towards us, step by reluctant step. Eyes bulged and the few patches of skin I saw underneath thick beards and helmets paled, while they were inexorably carried along.

I would have pitied them, if their armour hadn’t been sprinkled with crimson drops, one or two were even decorated with macabre trophies, bloodied scalps and the like. For the first time, I was thankful that the heavy, suffocating smoke cancelled out almost every other smell. I had already had to endure the stench of battle more than once and however bad the fires might be, they were still a far cry better than the alternative.

Our wings flared, silvery blue and crimson mixing in a breathtaking display of power as we took a synchronised step forward. Light spilled form our eyes like water, blinding the first row as effectively as if they had stared into the sun for too long and when I finally spoke, my voice reverberating with transcended strength, they threw themselves to the ground, cowering.

“Enough. Have you lost your minds? The blood of your brothers, spilled last night, hasn’t even dried yet and you’re already eager to shed more? I’ve just about had it with all of you. The first one to move will die an instant later. Good. Now, tell me, who, in the nine hells, is in charge?”