Chapter 11

  Siege

  Ari woke in the middle of the night with a cold ball of dread sitting leaden in her stomach. Something was wrong. She sat up in bed, looking about the darkened room for a sign of anything amiss. Nothing stood out among the bulky silhouettes of the wardrobe and desk. She got up and padded over to the room’s only window. The narrow branches of the pine’s peak swayed in the evening breeze. A sky filled with brilliant stars and vibrant, watercolor splashes of a distant nebula hung above the canopy. Its beauty was distracting. You couldn’t see the stars like that on Earth, not where she lived anyway.

  Her head knocked against the glass as the room pitched to the side like a boat rammed by a strong wave. She braced herself against the window sill, holding on for dear life, afraid she’d break through, and tumble into the open air. Shouts rang out under the scrape and thud of shifting furniture.

  The massive trunk groaned as it swung back into position. Ari didn’t let go of the windowsill. She was trembling. What could shake a tree so massive?

  The door to her room slammed open. Her fathers rushed in. They were still fully clothed. She mustn’t have been asleep for long.

  “Are you hurt?” Ashlain asked, rushing over to her.

  Ari shook her head. “What's going on? Is the tree falling?”

  A siren sounding in the distance pulled their collective gaze to the window.

  “Pine Haven’s under attack. Probably the giants again,” Hamza said.

  The heat fled Ari’s skin. Ashlain picked up her pack and pulled Boreal from the front pocket, handing him over to her. She numbly received the dot of light.

  “Keep him close, just in case.”

  She nodded and tucked the bead into the pocket of her jeans. Hamza took her hand and guided her to the stairs. The tree swayed again. The groan of straining wood sent shivers up and down Ari’s spine as she clung to the railing. In the hall below she could see people bracing themselves against walls and doorways. When the tree righted itself, she was surprised nobody started running or screaming. People proceeded to the nearest exit, no crowding, no panicking.

  Aren’t they scared? Ari wondered. There was tension in the air, a sense of urgency, but no one let it show on their faces.

  As they neared the main lodge, she picked up on a familiar hum in the air. The prickling sensation reminded her of the teleportation circle in the hollow. A man with the Armir insignia on his kevlar vest directed the stream of people into the foyer, waving in groups of three or four and holding a hand to have the rest pause. Once she reached the doorway, Ari saw the three magi standing around a shimmering ring of light, their hands glowing with power.

  “A teleportation spell,” she said.

  “Let's step out of line, we’ll be leaving via another route,” Ashlain said. The man in armor nodded as he and Hamza passed, waving another group forward to enter the teleportation circle.

  “Where does that spell go?” Ari asked.

  “A secure compound far from here. Even if the city falls, the civilians will be safe, and can start over,” Hamza said.

  “So where are we going? Are we gonna fight?” she asked, at once terrified and excited by the thought. Since her father revealed his magic, she’d been curious to see what he could do, even more so knowing he was an archmagi.

  “We’re leaving Aborra. The sooner we reach Taitamar, the better,” Ashlain answered.

  “That’s where mom is, right?”

  “Yes. She is waiting for us there,” he said.

  Ari nodded. She’d been angry with her mother before, but there was no better reason to be absent from her life on Earth than being a dragon. The neighbors were already unhappy to have a gay couple on their block. A dragon next door would have sent them into a froth. There was so much she wanted to know and her mother held answers her father couldn’t provide.

  They exited the lodge. The cool evening breeze carried the smell of burning pine. Deep bellows echoed from beneath the canopy. Giants. Ari couldn’t tell exactly how many there were, but it sounded like too many.

  “Somethings wrong here,” Hamza said.

  Ari and Ashlain looked at him with questioning eyes.

  “I know this Guildhold like the back of my hand. The alarm wards around the five pines should have gone off long before the giants got this close. See that smoke over there,” he said, pointing to the west, where distant smoke poured into the night sky. “That’s one of their villages. Someone kicked the hive and sent the hornets to us.”

  “Why?” Ari asked.

  “To flush us out,” he said.

  “Perceptive as always, Hamza. The Eye chose well when it made you a knight.”

  The voice came from behind. Turning to face the speaker, Ari saw a pale man in a blue suit. His features were narrow, pinched. His watery blue eyes were hooded by heavy lids and ringed with shadow. It looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. He had a strange smile. It was a thin, trembling, line struggling to maintain placidity. It was a disguised grimace.

  “Casimir,” Ashlain said.

  “Ashlain,” Casimir said, softly, sweetly.

  Then his attention was on Ari. The intensity of his gaze made her shiver. She could feel his hate.

  “How bold of you, brandishing your crimes for all to see, Ashlain,” he said, shaking his head. “Here she is, the lovely little abomination. The Eye will not choose you, beast. You are not fit to rule.”

  “What-” Ari said. She meant to say more, but a sudden force clamped her jaw shut as Casimir spoke.

  “Shut your filthy mouth, Beast.”

  Ari gave a muffled yelp as the pressure increased. She grabbed at her face, trying to free her jaw from the invisible bear-trap clamping down on her head. Hamza grabbed her shoulder and pulled her behind himself. The moment she left Casimir’s line of sight the pressure abruptly disappeared. Ashlain stepped in front of the two of them, brown eyes blazing with hidden magma.

  “Ari, Imagine your aura hardening around you. Turn it into a barrier. Then he won't be able to cast command spells on you,” he instructed.

  “What spell? He didn’t do anything,” Ari asked, rubbing her jaw.

  “He told you to shut up. His word pierced your aura and cast its command,” Hamza explained.

  “A bit late for this lesson, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you neglected to teach the child how to defend herself.”

  “Leave them out of this Casimir. I’m the one you want,” Ashlain said.

  “Your betrayal has rendered their lives forfeit. You lay with beasts, and so I will hunt you like one for the rest of your life,” Casimir growled.

  A bolt of vicious lightning erupted from his hand. Ashlain stood firm in front of his family, one hand raised as if he intended to block the bolt with his palm alone. Ari’s skin prickled as she felt the magic in the air harden in front of him like a wall. The bolt slammed into the invisible barrier with an ear-stinging crack. The force of the attack made Ashlain’s shield shudder, but failed to pierce it. The barrier absorbed three more bolts, each stronger than the last, but none of them powerful enough to break his defense.

  “I’m disappointed in you, Casimir. You’ve become a slave to your hatred. It has withered away your reason,” he said.

  “I have every right to hate a traitor. I will shield humanity from all its enemies. This is the duty of the Archmage. Have you forgotten that, Ashlain? Have you forgotten your duty to us, to the Strongholds?”

  “The Strongholds are no longer my concern. My time as Archmage has passed. The Eye will choose another soon enough. Protecting my family, loving them, that is my duty now,” Ashlain said.

  A cracking ball of white light flashed to life in his palm. He closed his fingers around it and it extended into a luminous spear. He brandished the weapon at Casimir, his face set with determination.

  “You are unfit to lead. It is my greatest shame that you succeeded in your coup, but that I can release. Keep your stolen title while you can, Casimir, but don’t you dare harm my family.”

  Casimir shook his head, chuckling darkly. “I don’t care what you think of me, Traitor. This ends tonight. I’ll seal my reign with your blood and blind the wicked Eye!”

  With a snap of his fingers he summoned his own weapon, a long whip of braided fire and lightning.

  Hamza snorted, “You’re gonna lose, Cas. Combat’s not your thing.”

  “Perhaps,” Casimir said as he stroked the whip, raw energy crackling around his bony fingers. “But that’s why I brought friends.”

  Men dropped down from the thin branches that hung above the guildhall. Ari tensed, recognizing Ezekiel Evangel’s military buzz-cut and his lopsided, chew-stained, grin. His four teammates from the attack on Earth were present, as well one of the men from the camp she raided two days ago. He was the father of the boy, Jesse. She trembled, remembering the sick feeling of plunging a knife into his side. The man’s acid stare made it clear that he remembered it as well.

  Three magi dropped into a protective formation around Casimir, each armed with his own luminous weapon. Ari glanced nervously at her father. Was he strong enough to face so many enemies? His critical gaze swept over the assortment. It seemed he was wondering the same thing.

  The air was electric with tension and magic. Just as it seemed the fight would begin, a roar split the night. It was as strong as a lions call, sharp as an eagle’s cry, musical, and yet menacing. It made the hair on Ari’s skin stand on end and sent something racing through her veins. Her heart thundered as a dragon soared over the canopy, a silver line of fire bursting from its throat to carve a line between them and their array of adversaries. A fiery wall rose where the line was drawn.

  Casimir’s curses were muffled by the snarling flames and the dragon’s voice. Undeterred, one of the enemy magi leaped through the blazing veil, her summoned blade carving an arc to sever Ashlain’s neck. There was a loud crack and a bolt of lightning hit the woman in the temple. Her limp body hit the platform not far from Ari’s feet. A panicked gasp tore from her throat as she stumbled back and fell. Hamza caught her arm and hefted her back to her feet. It was then that she saw the rifle in his other hand. It was composed of stormy blue light and the barrel crackled with electricity.

  Bullets and spells punched through the wall of fire. Ashlain turned to his family and waved for them to follow as he started running. Ari wondered where they were going, the only way down from the peak was the elevator in the northern courtyard. They were heading south. She opened her mouth to ask, but instead of a question, a scream escaped her as they leaped over the edge of the platform into open air.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Gravity shoved her stomach into her rib cage. She clung to Hamza as they fell. Under the rush of wind and her screams, she heard his muffled voice, but couldn’t make out the words. Their descent slowed until it felt like they were riding an elevator with invisible walls. Ari’s scream thinned into a squeak. Hamza and Ashlain’s laughter made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

  “You could have warned me,” she grumbled.

  “Sorry, kiddo, no time,” Hamza said with a mischievous grin.

  Ari shook her head and took in the scene below. Guildsmen defended the city, some with steel and bullets, others with magic. A giant scaling the southern tree struggled to keep his grip as magi coated the bark with sheets of ice. Hails of bullets pelted into its hide. It grunted and writhed like a bear enduring the bees between it and the honey.

  The dragon reappeared, threading the thin gaps between bridges, branches, and platforms with ease. Hurtling toward the giant at full speed, the dragon angled its body at the last moment before collision, brandishing its back and fore-claws so they punched into the giant’s stony skin. The giant howled as it was knocked off the trunk into open air, the dragon snapping at its face with bright fangs.

  A cheer went up among the guildsmen when the giant hit the ground with booming thud and the dragon rose, another line of fire launching from it’s mouth to pelt enemies below the canopy. The heat and raw weight of its aura carried across the distance, stirring the ambient magic into a whirlwind symphony.

  Another wave of fire sang through Ari’s veins. She could feel it now, the sleeping dragon within responding to the presence of another. Vertigo blurred the scene. Her tiny form was all wrong, too small, constricting. Her throat couldn’t produce a reply to the dragon’s song. She couldn’t breathe.

  “Ari?” Hamza’s voice shattered her spiral. She blinked. They were on solid ground. She coughed and sucked in a hungry gulp of air.

  “Wow, you okay, Kiddo?” Hamza said. His large hand was cool against her cheek. “You’re burning up.”

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  A rush of wings passed overhead as the dragon descended, landing on the platform a few yards away. In the lanterns light on the platform the beasts' indigo scales danced with shades of blue and violet. Silver tipped wings and Hannah jumped down from its back and rushed over.

  “You guys alright?” she asked. “Elysia says the Arch-fake and his knights are here.”

  “Just had a chat with them, actually,” Ashlain said with a scowl.

  Ari glanced around, searching for Elysia. She wasn’t on the dragon’s back but she was close by. The dragon’s silver eyes fell on her and crinkled with amusement. The girl stared back and then it clicked. The dragon was Elysia.

  Confirming her suspicions, the beast turned its gaze to her father, and spoke.

  “You can turn into a dragon?” Ari asked.

  “Of course,” Elysia replied, her smooth voice sounded strange coming from such a large being. “And soon enough, so will you.”

  Ari’s eyes danced with trepidatious excitement. Would she still be the same person after such a dramatic transformation? Would it hurt? Before she could ask, Elysia turned to Ashlain and spoke.

  “I hope your time spent on Earth hasn’t dulled your skills. They’ll be put to the test tonight.”

  “I’m as ready as I’ve ever been. This fight has been long delayed,” he said.

  Hamza shook his head. “Putting all these people in danger just to get at us. Someone needs to teach this bastard a lesson.”

  There came a shout from above as Casimir and his friends jumped from the platform above. A flurry of lights flashed as spells launched from their open palms or the tips of enchanted weapons. Ashlain and Hamza countered the attacks with spells of their own or let them break against invisible shields. The tree shuddered in time with a sudden surge of rhythmic chanting and stomping from below the canopy.

  “The giants are rallying. I’ll hold them off,” Elysia called over the noise. With one pump of her raven wings she was airborne, avoiding a smattering of spells and bullets aimed her way by enemy magi. Bullets pinged harmlessly off her scales as she dove below the canopy.

  “Casimir and his ‘friends’ are ours then,” Ashlain said.

  “As it should be,” Hamza said.

  Casimir’s whip lashed towards them, moving like liquid fire, crackling with raw energy. Ashlain pulled his daughter behind cover. Hamza and Hannah were close behind. The whip scythed through the platform where they’d been standing, shattering the heavy wooden planks and slagging the iron supports and bolts that held them. Ashlain threw up his shield in time to catch the barrage of spells that chased the lashing whip’s tongue, further pulverizing the platform around them. The air clouded with dust and smoke.

  “Ari, we’re going to have to part ways again,” Ashlain said.

  “What? But I just found you!” Ari protested.

  An explosion rattled her father’s shield. He grimaced, straining under the barrage.

  “This fight’s just warming up. You haven’t seen anything yet. Even with Elysia’s help, it’s gonna be hard to protect you and the Guildhold. Safer for you to leave. Head for Taitamar and find your mother. We’ll meet up soon enough,” Hamza said, his words punctuated by bursts of fire from his ghostly rifle.

  Ari shook her head.

  “I’m not leaving. I can help! I’ll fight! Or I can hide--”

  A sudden swell of magic in the air cut her short. The others felt it too. Ashlain scooped her into his arms and ran. She clung to him, startled, confused, watching over his shoulder as Hamza and Hannah followed. The platform was collapsing. One of the support branches underneath had been severed from the trunk. The sound of the massive bough crashing through the platforms and branches below made Ari’s muscles prickle with icy terror. Peoples’ homes and businesses were gone in moments. Guildsmen unable to get out of the way were either flung into open air and sent plummeting to their deaths or were crushed by falling debris.

  Ari clamped her eyes shut and the world became sound. Screaming men and women. Cracking and straining wood. Victorious chanting from below, rising and falling in time with stamping feet. The pop and rattle of gunfire. Elysia’s roars. Her father’s breathing, his heartbeat in the veins of his neck, his voice as he called something back to Hamza that she was too overwhelmed to understand.

  Then they were falling. She didn’t need to see to know. She felt the air rushing through her hair, the pull of gravity, and the tingle of magic as the levitation spell was cast once more. They landed quickly and her father set her on her feet. She clung to him, afraid to open her eyes and see the death and destruction she’d heard so clearly.

  “Ari, please. I know this is hard, but I need you to be brave for me,” Ashlain said, his voice soft.

  She opened her eyes into narrow slits, lids only parting fully when she was sure that she wasn’t about to see a pile of bodies. Her fathers expression didn’t ease her anxiety. He wore the same regret and worry he had when they’d parted the first time. Ari’s eyes prickled with frustrated tears. She knew she couldn’t help. She only knew one spell and barely understood how to cast it in the first place. She’d just get in the way. Hamza was right, she needed to go. Yet the fear of losing her father, of Casimir exacting his revenge and destroying her family, held her frozen. What if she never saw them again?

  Hannah took her hand.

  “Its okay. They have Elysia to back them up. And I’ll go with you so you wont be alone.”

  Ari nodded, blinking away her tears with some embarrassment. She didn’t want Hannah to see her crying like a baby. The other girl was cool and collected despite the chaos. Ari gritted her teeth, infuriated by her own helplessness. In the end it was that anger that helped her push past the fear and let go of her father’s sleeve.

  “You’re not allowed to die, got it?” she said, looking from Ashlain to Hamza imperiously. “Promise me you’ll survive.

  Ashlain and Hamza exchanged amused glances and then nodded.

  “Don’t worry, Kiddo. This ain’t the end,” Hamza assured her with a dazzling grin.

  “Promise!” Ari insisted.

  “Alright, alright. We promise, right, Ash?” Hamza said, looking at his husband.

  “Of course,” Ashlain said.

  An explosion sounded in the distance. Elysia’s distant voice carried on the wind, followed by the angry bellows from the giants. The shouts of men calling out in search echoed through the smoke.

  “Its time. Follow Hannah, she knows the way to Taitamar. Don’t forget you have Boreal too,” Ashlain said. Guiding them through an alleyway to a narrow stretch of bare and dimly lit boardwalk. Judging by sound, it seemed to Ari that the fighting was on the other side of the wide trunk. Even the strong voices of the giants had dimmed, if only slightly. Looking over the railing that ringed the boardwalk, she could see nothing below the canopy. She guessed they’d be jumping again.

  “Can’t you come with us? Why can’t we run away together?” Ari asked.

  “I can’t leave in good conscience knowing it was my presence that resulted in this destruction. I will stand with the guildsmen and defend Pinehaven. Besides, while Casimir’s attention is on Hamza and I, you’ll have an easier time escaping without pursuit,” Ashlain explained.

  Ari nodded with some reluctance. She wanted to argue, but she could tell by the set of her father’s broad brows that there was little point in it.

  “Be brave, Ari. We will meet again,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. A final embrace before departure. Ari hugged him back, then reached out an arm to pull Hamza in, and held them both with fierceness. She willed the universe to deliver them to her again, to shield them from harm, caring little for who heard the silent prayer, and only that it be heeded.

  They pulled apart. Hannah took Ari’s hand and they leapt the railing, Hannah’s spell slowing their descent so that they drifted safely towards the ground. Ari waved to her fathers, a gesture they returned, until approaching shouts turned their heads, and they rushed back into the fray. Ari continued to stare at the place where they’d stood until the thickening cover of the canopy obscured the city in the trees.