Fear was the most prominent feeling Zane could recall from the day of the Cleansing... raw, crippling fear. The kind that tightens your lungs with panic as Death runs its icy finger down your spine. He felt that touch when the Enforcers came... the day his kingdom fell.

If one looked to the north, anyone could see the great black clouds that darkened the horizon. Quick, small flashes of orange, accompanied by thunderous booms echoes across the landscape. It was normal to see smoke rising over Draconia, the kingdom of the Dragons, but this was no ordinary day, and the hot summer breeze carried the stench of fire and death.

***

Deep in the Dragon's kingdom, great fires raged throughout the towns. The roaring flames were rivaled only by the cries of Dragons. They descended through smoke and flames, talons at the ready. Many were pulled from the sky by spells that prevented them from flying, or curses that bound them inside their human forms, but they were still ready to face their enemies.

In the highest tower of Castle Draconia, a Great Dragon's slumber was disturbed as the walls of the fortress rumbled, nearly shaking him from his perch. His red eyes shot open, illuminating the pitch-black darkness of the room. His tower had no windows, so his eyes darted back and forth as he listened to the muffled commotion outside, and felt the vibrations beneath him.

A tall, regal woman threw open the door to his room, a bit out of breath as her gaze searched around her. Her unruly red hair fell around her face and shoulders in tight coils, and her green dress sparkled with every movement. When her eyes met the Dragon's, he titled his head curiously at her.

"Zane, come down from there," she demanded. "Quickly."

Exhaling a large huff of smoke through his nostrils, he climbed slowly to the floor. Before the woman's eyes, his entire body shriveled, his shiny black scales receding beneath pale Human skin. The large spikes that protruded from his back shrunk and snapped into place along his spine, and his claws retracted into clean fingernails. As his large talons became Human hands and feet, he stood on his hind legs, stretching his neck and shoulders. His joints cracked a few times, relieving the discomfort in his bones. It wasn't a terribly pleasant feeling, cramming a Dragon into a Human body.

"What's going on, Mother?" the young man questioned, trying to brush down his unruly black hair. His piercing gaze darted to the doorway as guards rushed through the corridors outside, shouting orders to each other.

"Prince Agni has called for the extermination of all Dragons. An army of Enforcers are in the city, and they'll be at our doors soon."

Zane's eyes went wide, his chest tightening while his heart beat wildly. He nearly fell over, and had to straighten himself out before he could manage to speak again.

"Draconia and Cadmus have lived in peace for centuries. What does the Cadmian king have to say about this? Anguis wouldn't just let his brother kill us all!"

"King Anguis is dead."

His jaw dropped as his mother fell silent, a distant look in her eyes. He knew how close she and King Anguis had been—his death must have been a terrible blow to her heart. He could see tears threatening to fall from her eyes, but she blinked them away before she began gathering some of Zane's belongings hastily.

"Prince Agni will assume the throne," she explaining, stuffing Zane's things into a cloth sack, "and he claims that Dragons killed his brother. He's declared war, and he won't stop until all the Draconian people are wiped out. You have to get out of here."

"I'm not going to leave you," he protested, pulling the bag out of her hands. "This is my kingdom too. I'll stay with you—I can fight!"

"No!"

The fear in his mother's voice took the Dragon Prince by surprise, and he stepped back before she reached for him, touching his cheek with a cool, shaky hand.

"You don't understand. These are Enforcers. They're mercenaries... ruthless killers... and they've come to destroy us all. You're all I have left, Zane."

"I'm not going to leave you behind," he said, placing his hand over hers. She opened her mouth to argue, but a Draconian soldier rushed into the room, reeking of smoke and trying to catch his breath.

"Lady Bedalia," he gasped, clutching his chest with bloody hands. It took him a moment before he was calm enough to speak. "My Queen... the Enforcers are nearly at the castle doors. We must get you and Prince Zane out of here before—"

"No," Zane said firmly before anyone could try to suggest he run away. "Take your men and protect the Draconians. Our people are the top priority. Get as many as you can out of the city, and lead them through the passage in the Northern Mountains, to Senin."

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard gave Zane a quick bow with his fist over his heart before he ran back out to the corridor, shouting orders to the other soldiers to follow him down to the city.

Zane could see his mother out of the corner of his eye, watching him while he struggled to put on his armor. He knew she'd only try to convince him to run away, so he focused on the task at hand instead of speaking to her.

Even with all his muscle, the armor was dense and heavy, and nearly impossible to put on without assistance. But there was no time for that—there was no one to help him now. It didn't matter, though. One way or another, he was going to get it on and protect his people.

He let out a loud sigh of frustration as the chest piece slipped from his hands. It hit the floor with a loud clatter, and Zane felt a delicate hand touch his shoulder.

"You can't put in on by yourself," his mother said, picking the chest plate off the floor. "I can't protect you from the Enforcers, but I know you're too stubborn to run from this. The least I can do is help you be able to defend yourself."

Zane stumbled over his own feet, struggling to strap his bracers onto his arms at the same time he was sliding his feet into his boots.

"Stand still, Zane," his mother scolded, helping him get the chest plate on.

It bore the crest of the alliance between Cadmus and Draconia... a Human with a blue aura in the shape of a Dragon. It was a symbol of peace and protection. At that moment, however, Zane wished the crest wasn't on his armor—the era of peace was over.

The castle shook with a thunderous boom, and the floor lurched, tossing Zane and Maeve off their feet. Rubble fell from the crumbling ceiling, and the echoes of people screaming reverberated off the walls. Zane could see the fear in his mother's eyes as he helped her to her feet, and that same fear started to creep into his own heart.

The Enforcers had reached the castle.

"Leave the helmet," Zane said, pulling his mother along by the arm and grabbing his bow and quiver with his free hand. The helmet would only slow him down—it limited his visibility when shooting, and prevented him from using his Dragonfire without burning his own face. It clattered to the floor as he abandoned it.

As the two made their way to the entrance, the castle continued to be shaken by explosions, forcing them to walk slower or risk being knocked to the floor again.

The soldiers who remained did their best to protect the castle and fight back, with little success. By the time Zane and his mother reached the entrance hall, it was littered with the mangled bodies of Dragons and Enforcers alike, and it reeked of smoke and burning flesh.

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Zane yanked his mother back from the top of the staircase as an arrow whizzed past her face, ricocheting off the dark stone wall. A squad of Enforcers was being held off by the Royal Guard, but the royal family had been spotted. Hiding around the corner, Zane rushed to string his bow.

"Kill them!"

Using the balcony at the top of the stairs for cover, Zane managed to take down a few Enforcers with his arrows. But more kept coming, and the Dragon Prince knew he would run out of arrows long before Cadmus ran out of Enforcers. He slung the bow over his shoulder with a scowl and grabbed his mother by the hand, retreating back into the castle.

"How could this be happening?" Zane asked himself out loud, his eyes darting back and forth into every doorway, fearing more Enforcers finding other ways into the castle. The fear he had seen in his mother crawled up his spine like an icy finger.

He had been so ready to jump into the fight, eager to protect his people... but his own powerlessness and the death and destruction had caused his courage to falter. They were going to die in that castle.

"There's nothing left for you here," his mother said. "The city is overrun, and now the castle's been taken. There's no reason for you to stay and die."

"I should have been out there, protecting them. Why am I still alive while our people are being wiped out?"

"This is not your fault, Zane."

His eyes burned with tears that threatened to fall while they made their way to the deepest part of the castle, into the throne room. He did his best to blink them away, trying to shake off the chill in his bones. He couldn't fall apart while a war was breaking out.

Once the doors to the throne room were secured shut behind them, Zane let out a long breath. When he turned around, his heart dropped.

The throne room was filled with terrified Draconians. They were dirty, bloody, and scared. The only clean spots on anyone's face were streaks from tears, and they all looked expectantly on their Queen and the Dragon Prince.

It tore Zane's heart in two. He loved his people, but there was nothing he could do for them. There was no hope.

"Zane," his mother said, her strong voice tearing him out of his own despair. She pulled him aside and spoke in a hushed tone so only he could hear. "Lead them out of here, through the servants' quarters in the back. If they stay here, they'll be killed."

"What about you? You can't expect me to just—"

"I can hold them off, at least long enough for you to get them out of the city."

"I can't leave you here alone," he said, but looking around at all the terrified faces, covered in blood, dirt, and tears, he knew he didn't have any other option.

"Take this," she told him, pressing something small into the palm of his hand. "Just in case."

"Just in case..?"

Zane glanced down at his hand. It was a ruby, red as fresh blood, with a shine that rivaled even the finest Dragon scales. It was a crown jewel of the Bedalia family, meant to be inherited by Zane when he became the King of Draconia. He clenched it in his fist and swallowed hard.

"You mean if we never see each other again."

Before Maeve could respond, the doors to the throne room shook with a great boom, and more rubble fell from the ceiling. Children began to cry, clinging to their parents and older siblings, who could only look on in horror.

"Go," his mother said. She kissed Zane on the forehead, then nudged him toward the Draconians. "Farewell, my little Dragon Prince, until we meet again."

Reluctantly, Zane pocketed the ruby, then began shouting orders to the men. They gathered up the women and children, leading them out through a back passage, through the castle's kitchen and servants' sleeping quarters. No one else needed to die—Zane would protect them.

***

The Queen of Draconia sat calmly on her throne, taking slow, deep breaths while the Enforcers continued their assault on the doors. Soon enough, the locks finally gave out, and the doors were blasted off their hinges.

They approached the Dragon Queen tentatively, and no one spoke as the dust settled, causing an eerie silence to fall over the darkened castle. Everyone was either gone or dead, and the queen breathed easier knowing her son and the rest of their people were out of harm's way.

If she was still afraid, she hid it well. She looked down on the Enforcers with her fierce red eyes, tapping her long emerald-colored fingernails on the arm of her throne.

"It would seem that Prince Agni is under some delusion that he has the authority to enter my kingdom uninvited and torment my people," she said, her head held high. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, lit by the fire that stirred inside her.

One of the Enforcers, the apparent leader of the group, stepped forward, pointing his long purple sword at her.

"You know what King Agni's orders are, Dragon. You must be Cleansed."

"My name is not Dragon," she replied, calm but firm, her powerful voice echoing through the wrecked castle. "I am Maeve Bedalie, Queen of the Dragons, and I will not be bullied by some thug who works for the likes of Prince Agni."

"Why do you go against the King?" one Enforcer asked, and Maeve narrowed her eyes at the young woman.

She could see the fear in the Enforecer's eyes. A new soldier? Agni must have been quite desperate, gathering as many Enforcers as possible, experienced or not, to launch his attack. The woman clutched her spellbook tightly in her arms, as if it would somehow protect her. Most mages were weak, easy targets, relying too much on their books and not bothering with physical strength or combat training.

"Agni is no king of mine," the queen said, slowly getting up from her throne.

The only thing that separated Maeve from the Enforcers was the stone staircase that led up to the throne. She stood tall before them, with all the grace and beauty of a queen, even as her kingdom crumbled and burned around her.

"My people don't deserve to die—this is a war that neither you nor Agni are going to win. It may take some time, but Draconia will rise from these ashes, and stand against your tyrannous new king."

"Enough of this!" the lead Enforcer shouted. "Just kill her!"

Before they could seize her, Maeve inhaled a deep breath through her nose, filling her core, and exhaled a barrage of Dragonfire on the Enforcers. They were forced to back away, trying to find a path through the barrier as the queen got down on her hands and knees.

As she grew in size, the sickening noise of cracking bones filled the room. Vertebrae tore through her skin and clothing, forming a line of spikes down her back. Bright green scales replaced her olive skin, glistening like emeralds in the light of the fire, and her painted fingernails extended into great talons, carving deep gouges in the stone floor.

The Enforcers were knocked flat on their backs as the Dragon Queen whipped her powerful tail through the fire, sweeping their feet out from under them. They had to cover their ears as she let out a terrible shriek, shaking the castle on its already crumbling foundation.

The young mage screamed as Maeve's claws came down, pinning her to the floor. She reached out frantically, trying to grab her spellbook as she was crushed to death. The enraged queen left her there, the Enforcer's lifeless eyes wide open and her mouth stained with blood.

The others shouted orders back and forth to each other while trying to avoid Maeve and her flames. Their arrows and swords ricocheted off her glistening scales—they had underestimated the power of the Dragon Queen.

Dodging her tail and claws, they eventually managed to throw chains around her legs, pulling them tightly so she toppled over, destroying the back wall of the throne room. As she struggled to free herself, the lead Enforcer dug his dead comrade's spellbook out of the rubble, completely overlooking the bloody corpse whose lifeless hands were reaching out for it.

While the others did their best to hold Maeve down, the Enforcer stood back while he read aloud from the book. The queen thrashed, whipping her tail and spitting fire in every direction she could reach. The throne room was quickly becoming a pile of rubble and flames.

The spell he used was an ancient curse, spoken in a language that had been lost to most kingdoms, meant to destroy Dragons back when they were the dominant species of the planet, using their own Dragonfire to burn them from the inside.

As he read the spell, another Enforcer rushed past him and out of the throne room, shrieking in pain as he was engulfed by Maeve's flames.

With one less person to hold the chains, Maeve broke free, clawing her way towards the man with the spellbook, but it was already too late. Her body started to smoke—the fire was burning holes through her skin.

The Enforcer looked on with twisted satisfaction as the Dragon Queen collapsed before him, writhing in pain. His grin looked even more sinister with his eyes and mask illuminated by the flames around him. He laughed as he raised his sword above his head and swung.

***

Far north, on the road to Senin, a terrible, blood-curdling shriek echoed across the landscape. Zane put down the young boy he'd been carrying, and looked back in the direction they had come, towards Draconia, where terrible black smoke rose in the distance.

The rest of the group froze in their tracks, listening closely. Every Dragon had its own distinct voice, and no one could have mistaken Queen Maeve's cry of death.

A painful silence followed as the sound faded, and a few of the other Draconians grabbed Zane as his knees buckled.