Day 14

First light slowly moved across the land. Everything was quiet and still. The creatures off the night slept and the creatures of the day awoke. The heavy dew on the land sparkled in the light. It was a new day.

James Thornbulton woke up because of the cold wind blowing on him. Lakisha Thornbulton his niece and godchild slept soundly. She had insisted on staying with him. She was his best friend and his family. He loved her very much and felt very protective of her.

James went to close the window. The massive wooden blocks that fitted tightly into the holes in the walls that they called windows. At least these massive blocks of wood were on hinges. He saw the land looking beautiful and undisturbed.

He considered all that had happened since he had arrived, he had found someone to love, he had lost that person, he was kidnapped by pirates and poisoned by magic, he had been on a flying ship. He was then cured by magic. He had saved the harvest.

People would be naming their son’s James for as long as he was remembered.

He had made friends with royalty and was counted as a friend of the queen. He was in a real castle, had seen real dragons, and given blood. His time off earth had been eventful.

James heard the door open to the room next door. Then screaming filled the silent air, followed by a cold silence.

Lakisha woke up.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Nothing good. Barricade the door with me. We must climb out the window.” James said.

James and Lakisha pushed the bed in front of the door. They put shoes on, and Lakisha climbed out the window.

“There is nothing to hold onto!” she said.

“Breathe, look around. We must get out of the room.”

People were pushing at their door trying to break in.

“Move slowly, stay quiet. We can do this.” James comforted.

Lakisha held onto a stone with one hand and some dead plant with the other. She moved along, climbing down the wall. James followed. Quietly moving.

“We must keep moving.” He told Lakisha who had frozen during her decent.

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The men turned the room upside down. The one looked out of the window.

“They are here.” He called.

They shot arrows at them but missed.

“Go after them.” One told another.

“No!” the second man said.

They argued.

James and Lakisha were grateful as they climbed down to an open window.

“That was too close.” James said.

“Why are we being attacked?” Lakisha asked, “I hate this place!”

* * *

The castle was under siege from within. Griffith had turned enough leaders against the queen to attack. The queen was weak, they had seen this. She no longer had the stomach to do what needed to be done. The loss of her friend made her overlook things and Griffith was counting on Tẽra being so tired from everything that had happened that she wouldn’t even wake up. Griffith was unable to get the Dragon Rider’s royals on board. But they agreed to leave the castle before first light so they wouldn’t be part of it.

* * *

Drake had been woken while it was dark by his parents saying,

“Come let us look for this Jessica.”

Drake had been all too happy. The army moved out to the City Point in search of Jessica. Prince Ryu and Princess Libelle already knew where Jessica was. This was just to get Drake out of the castle and justify moving their army out.

* * *

Griffith and his men moved from one room to the next killing everyone that was not with them. For him it was not personal.

Tẽra Trazzie the new queen to the land, woke up to the sound of screaming. She quickly got dressed and grabbed a knife, the dagger Zazo had given her. She took the knife presented to her as a gift as well.

She left her room with her cub, Otchulissa, in an attempted to find a hiding place in the walls. She only knew of a few entrances into the walls and the queen’s dining hall was one of those places.

Tẽra reached the dining hall. She put her cub down and trying to find the entrance.

“I found her.” a man yelled from the dining hall.

“I have waited a long time to do this.” He said moving closer to her.

The big man with a full black beard moved towards her. His crooked yellow smile, grinning at her in delight. His eyes sparkled at the idea of killing her. His dirty mattered curly hair hugged his head and ears. He dropped the bat that was in his hand. It made a thud as it hit the floor.

Tẽra held the knife behind her back and stood up straight. She was trying to pretend she was not afraid.

‘Remember what Joe taught you.’ She told herself.

When he was close enough, she stabbed him in the chest with her dagger. She felt the blade tearing through his flesh. His warm blood touched her hands. It was harder than Joe and other warriors made it look. She pushed the knife in until the handle reached his skin. But he did not fall over dead. Instead

“Ouch! You stupid @*!%@….”

He struck her in the face.

Nicolette Sintonarta came in with her bow. She shot him in the back. He crumpled to his knees and blood came out of his mouth.

“Are you alright?” Nikki asked Tẽra.

Tẽra looked at the blood on her hands.

“It’s warm.” she said.

Tẽra looked at Nikki then at the dead man.

“We killed him” she said.

“We had too” Nikki reassured.

Tẽra was still on the floor after getting hit. Her lip was bleeding, but she hadn’t noticed. She pulled her knees up and held her cub.

“I want to go home. I don’t want to be queen.” Tẽra cried.

Nikki knew Tẽra had made hard choices as queen and some she disagreed with. But in truth no easy choice had been presented.

“Duchess, we need to go.” Nikki said.

“I am the queen now. But I wish I was just duchess.” Tẽra sobbed.

“They want to kill me. They want my head. I am not even the queen. I didn’t do those horrible things. I want to go home.” Tẽra cried.

Zazo came in with General Nathan.

“My queen?” they both asked.

Zazo saw the dagger he had given Tẽra in the dead man lying on the floor. Tẽra looked up at him, her green eyes were red from crying. Her lip was bleeding, and half her face was red.

“You are not the old queen.” Zazo said softly to Tẽra.

Zazo gave Tẽra a hanky.

“I’ve got you.” He said picking her up.

“General lead us out of here.”

General Nathan walked to the door and checked. He shocked his head and went to another door.

“We are trapped.” He said.

“Under the table is a passage. When I was fighting in here, I saw it.”

The general opened the hatch and they climbed in.

The only sound heard in the darkness was Tẽra sniffing.

“Nikki?” Tẽra said holding out her hand in the darkness.

“Where are you?”

Nikki reached for Tẽra and took her hand.

“I am here.”

Tẽra held Nikki’s hand and rested her head on Zazo’s shoulder. It was finally too much for her. She had hardly slept in four days. Everyone wanted her dead and her best efforts to keep everyone safe had failed. She had failed again.