‘Thatcher… I… was that the right decision?!’ I buried my hands in my hair as the two sat outside not an hour after the negotiation. I watched my reflection in a small stream of water as the hunter sat on a rock behind her.
‘Yes, it’s some for all.’
‘But… my people… my cousins, families, children… their fate is to become slaves?’
‘Would you rather they all die?’
‘I feel like this was not my decision to make… I’ve been queen for a near week and already I have doomed my people.’
‘It will all work out in the end… and if it doesn’t then it’s not the end.’
The mighty red dragon approached with rumbling steps. ‘I am ready.’
Thea looked to Thatcher. ‘Let’s finally end this.’
The wind rushed by on the dragons back! A blood red beast cut through the white cloud. From Thatcher’s pocket I stared in awe at the tiny forests and waters below, I wished to talk to him about the sights but the rushing wind was deafening. I watched as they passed over the water, so far away the boats were like bits of floating bark. I swallowed as they approached the city… somehow it still looked so big…
The dragon touched down outside the city walls, its muscular legs quaking on the impact which caused leaves to drop like the trees were weeping. Two more dragons followed, but remained circulating in the sky. The day was turning overcast so with each moment the dragons were hidden more and more by the grey. ‘God of the Hunt, you will accompany this Burning.’
I tried to step out from his pocket, but in my stumble he caught me ‘burning?’
Thatcher placed me on a branch, ‘we discussed how the snatcher is to die this seems like a surest way.’
‘Burning? Thatcher… Is the entire city to burn?’ I was misunderstanding. There was no way that was the agreement.
The dragon swished its tail as it faced the city, ‘one city of countless.’ It turned its mighty head away, uninterested in our prattling.
Thatcher looked me in the eye ‘it’s the surest way to destroy him and all his works, any accomplices, safe houses- everything. It’s the right thing to do.’
‘There are thousands of people in that city!’
‘With millions more outside it. The world is a very big place Thea you couldn’t imagine its magnitude! It’s so big the Gods won’t even be able to see this burn from the stars.’
‘You… you’re going to let this happen? You’re going to have all this blood on your hands?!’
‘It’s just like the deal you made, some for all.’
‘It was a deal I couldn’t change. This is a choice you are making.’
‘It only seems that way because you’re naïve, I have seen wars, genocide-.’
‘But you didn’t care about a single one!’
‘But this is one I can stop. Cities-worth of people die every day you just don’t see it and this is a choice between nothing and everything. I must fix my mistake.’
‘With dragon fire?!’
‘With anything. You know the threat the snatcher possesses.’
‘Let us rethink this. There is a better way we just haven’t discovered it yet. You can’t kill a city because it was your first thought, the quickest, easiest solution! You’d say different if it was someone you loved over there!’
‘I’m sorry Thea.’
‘You can’t just leave me here!’ The God and dragon began to walk through the forest, leaving me on a branch. ‘Tha- Hunter! Your oath- you PROMISED!’
The dragon and hunter walked in step across the moors. A cutting wind bristled through the long grass which the dragon flattened with ease. The Hunter took a sharp breath in and an arrow of starlight formed in his hands. ‘We’re close enough.’ He stopped walking and the two looked to the sky. To the two circling dragon silhouettes amongst the clouds, chasing each other. ‘We could simply travel in and kill him…’ The dragon dared speak.
‘Magic in felden is like a sickness in beasts. This is a purge of a disease, you do not simply kill the first one sick. You burn it all. Him, his research, and any followers he has. How long will the spell take to have an effect?’
‘The city is large… hours.’
The Hunter sat amongst the weeds as the dragon rested its legs and wrapped its wings tightly to its body.
‘Then we will wait.’
I gripped the branch as the leaf bent from my weight. Pulling my body to a more stable part of the branch my mind seared with panic- I had to get over there! I had to stop it! A bird’s caw made my ear twitch and I turned to see a bird eye me hungrily which made me smile.
Hunter watched a crow arch toward the city as he gravely watched the stone city soon to be glass. A few raindrops darkened his clothes. The starlight arrow flickered away as it was too much of a struggle to maintain in his new, corrupted state.
Clutching the bird’s neck I forced it toward the city. ‘Come on you pile of feathers!’ I didn’t have a true plan, but I prayed if I was quick enough and found the snatcher maybe I could convince him to leave the city? I recalled, on their first meeting, his sympathies lied with other people. Perhaps he could be convinced to give himself up for the sake of the city? His papers especially spoke of a woman. A friend, sister, wife, child? His desire to protect them from dragon fire, so hot it can turn stone to glass, could trump his want for revenge.
Arcing closer to the stone the bird grew panicked, spotting eerily large figures in the clouds. Cawing my grip weakened and was flung off! Cutting through the air the city rushed around me as I fell to the stone! But… it didn’t hurt. Not as much as I expected. My panicked gasps carried as I pulled myself up. It was silent. Wiping hair from my eyes they widened in shock. Everything was still, like I had stepped into a painting. The crowds of people were so still it was like they were frozen. It felt like a dead city despite everyone. I looked into a bystander’s eyes. They were so bright. Were they still conscious? He had dropped an apple which was frozen in the air. I took a deep breath only for air to feel stiff, and growing stiffer around me. I looked upwards toward the two dragons circling in the sky. They must have been doing something. A motion-stop spell to prevent the pandemic of magic from escaping the city last-minute. I needed to find the snatcher quickly before I grew still like the rest of them. Taking in a heavy breath I pushed myself forward, deeper into the city.
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As sweat clung to me I rushed to the familiar steps of the federation. I looked dauntingly at the steps… rushing to the first suddenly an explosion threw me back! The snatcher pulled his body through the stiffening smoke. He was using the blood to try and resist the slowing spell. Grabbing the few vials he had left he drank it in one gulp and became able to stand up taller. His sharp eyes spiked into mine. Could he sense me? I instinctually pulled myself backwards as fear was shocked across my features. ‘A fae?’ His eyes narrowed. ‘You! You came back?!’ He growled. He forced his feet toward me, making me jump up and run from his slow efforts to snatch me.
‘I came to talk to you.’
‘Your blood will make potent potions.’ He clawed at me again which I nimbly dodged.
‘The city will be destroyed! Dragons and Gods wait to turn it to glass! Don’t just hear me, listen!’
His sluggish movements ceased. The monster retracted himself from his attempts to kill me. ‘I don’t have much choice.’
‘If you hand yourself over then-.’ Dragon wings clapped through the sky like thunder. The mighty beast was preparing to destroy it all. ‘Then this can all be avoided! You can save everyone in this city! If not, everyone and everything here will burn!’
He let out a deep growl from the back of his throat. Crushing two crimson vials in his hands his blood mixed with the spells and he shot himself to the heart of the city. I tried to pull my body along but finally my legs gave up and I fell to my knees. I could see the silhouettes of the three dragons through the overcast sky. The red dragon climb higher into the sky, uniting with the other two still circling. Its body ignited, glowing hot. ‘STOP- STOP!’ I screamed. I forced my hands together in prayer. Thatcher had to stop if he knew I was in the city. I took a breath as the air began to suffocate me. ‘Please hear m…’ A glaze overcame my eyes as I became motionless.
The Hunter watched from the moors as a biting wind flew by in the grey landscape. He watched the red dragon ready itself.
Then… fire.
It was so powerful it was like a second sun. Blindingly bright light overcame the entire city and forest. He could feel the heat. A crimson inferno exploded downward to the grey stone.
The snatcher looked to see the fire come down! It was like the sun was falling! He took out a red bottle marked ‘Hunters’ and drank the contents. He drank the Gods blood.
The Hunter felt a shiver travel through him… a dread swallowed him.
The snatcher extended a hand and with a teeth rattling cry the fire funnelled itself into his palm! His veins turned deep blue, eyes bleeding aqua! Forcing his other hand to the sky the fire redirected back to the heavens! The flames overcame the sky and consumed the dragons! The God felt light-headed and held his chest. No… God no… As earth ending flames consumed the sky it bit away the clouds! In only moments the fire died away to show three bodies drop. The first green dragon turned charcoal crashed into a house, the next blue one shattered the peer, and the final red dragon crashed into the federation!
The God of the Hunt dropped to his knees and yelled in agony, his voice travelling through the moors. A bright light overcame his figure and he shot forward as fast as a falling star!
My eyes focused as my surroundings became clear… ‘What’s…?’ I croaked and suddenly pulled myself up and threw my weak body backwards. A golden eye, the red dragon, was bloodied crashed in front of me! It looked at me as it died. The light drained from its pupil which unnerved me down to my bones. But then the air became lose, back to normal. The spell was over, which meant… I saw purple blood of dragons stain the river. ‘Oh Gods…’ I managed to stand.
‘Mmmm, mmm, mm, mmmmmm, mmm, mm.’
Humming.
I looked to see the snatcher step through the stone dust. His veins were a dark blue, mouth stained near black. Humming still he stepped toward the red dragon. With a heaving breath the red dragon managed to stand but in a burst of power he sheered its side. Purple blood gushed out but he didn’t seem interested in it. Grabbing its head he bored into its eyes. Like the four winds silver strands flowed from the dragon into his body! I watched in horror as the red dragon grew still, its eyes empty. ‘You… called me a snatcher… No…’ His freak eyes found me amongst the rubble with ease. ‘I am a soul eater. I am… Dragon-Cast!’
Power coursed through him to the point I felt nauseous from it. Putrid power pulsing through him! In a burst on light The Hunter seemed to appear from nowhere and bury an arrow of starlight into his chest! I realized he was in his starlight form, but the Dragon-Cast gave a sickening smile. ‘That’s not going to work anymore.’ His white teeth shone like a wolves and grabbed the Gods neck. ‘You tried to BURN MY CITY?!’ He threw the God into the stone, breaking through it like a boulder through water. I could only stare as people became static around them, suddenly screaming and running! I clutched my Itha-Shaw pendant still around my neck, but despite it all I couldn’t move, I couldn’t even think! I could only watch in horror, unable to believe my eyes. The Dra-Cast sharply turned to me with a murderous glint in his eye. Stepping closer he raised his foot to crush me. I pulled myself up and jumped out of the way of the bloodied boot, the ground cracking around me as I ran. ‘GET AWAY FROM HER!’ The God of the Hunt shot in quick succession and the starlight arrows pierced his body like a pincushion. He turned to the God, scoffed and threw a punch with such force the God broke through several buildings! I continued to sprint but the soul snatcher easily caught up with me and stomped on the tiles around me, shocking me upwards into the air. But instead of his hand it was Thatcher’s sickly pale one which plucked me from the air! I was suddenly placed on an arrow of starlight and shot upwards! Cold air charged through me as my surrounds were pulled away. The arrow arched out of the city and vanished over the forest- dropping me out of the sky! I screamed helplessly as I plummeted down!