The Devil's Tear

Chapter 29- Interruption

Vesta dispatched two legions of guards to watch the borders of the expanse. She couldn’t afford to be interrupted. She floated towards the dragon’s bound tail, stroking its metal cover gently, all while murmuring incantations. She flipped the page of the brown, leather-bound book in her arms. The page was blank. Vesta traced her finger along its length. Her heart was beating uncontrollably, and she stole a glance at the dragon’s head.

Nervously, she drew three symbols on the blank page with her finger. The first was a triangle within a pentagon. The second was a quadrilateral with three outward strokes on three of its sides, and the third was an intricate pattern of swirls and strokes.

“Bring them,” Vesta spoke loudly to four golden-robed mages behind her. The three instantly obeyed, rushing into the building. Three short bursts on the purplish, misty wall followed, almost taking away Vesta’s concentration.

Someone had broken into the area. The barrier was not very strong, she knew, but she didn’t expect anybody to defy her. The guards noted her distress, and began searching for cracks within the barrier.

“Your Highness,” one of the four mages called her. She glanced over a shoulder. “Here.”

The mages brought the two heavy coffins on either side of Vesta. Her heart rose to her throat, and she almost withdrew her energy from the ritual.

“Your Highness!” The tallest of the four mages addressed her in alarm. “The dragon!”

When Vesta whirled back around towards the dragon, a misty, yellow ball crashed against the chain binding the dragon’s tail. Vesta cussed under her breath; Bahamut’s tail was the deadliest. Its weight and force were unimaginable.

Vesta searched for the source of the attack, catching a glimpse of a curly bush of mahogany hair.

“Allegra!” Vesta recognized with a start. The symbols on the page began fading due to her lack of concentration, and she reluctantly traced over them.

“Rea!” Vesta called one of her mages. Rea nodded, leaping into the air and slapping her hands together. Allegra landed gracefully beside the dragon’s alert head, and stroked it with a heartfelt smile. Rea dashed towards her, parting her hands to release bolts of lightning from her palms. Allegra raised an eyebrow, and stood unfazed as Rea closed in on her. Rea directed the bolts to Allegra. The dragon lifted its heavy head, and placed it in between Allegra and Rea. The bolts bounced off its scaly skin.

“Thank you,” Allegra patted its head affectionately. “Artemis!”

Artemis fell from above Rea, almost decapitating the befuddled mage. Rea quickly placed her sword horizontally over her head. Artemis’s blade clashed against Rea’s. Rea seized the opportunity, pulling one arm back to release a powerful punch. Artemis astutely dodged it by withdrawing her sword and jumping once into the air. Her sword came down on Rea’s shoulder.

The other mages watched in shock, unable to lift even a finger.

“Do something!” Vesta shouted. The mages couldn’t reply. They were petrified. Vesta noticed this, and turned helplessly towards the numerous guards. Some lay convulsing on the ground due to wounds, while others stood completely immobile.

Demetri stepped in front of Vesta, with a hard frown. Vesta stared at him in shock. “You… You did this to them?”

Demetri didn’t bother replying, and instead attempted to slap the book from Vesta’s hands.

“Stop!” Vesta pleaded. “I must do this! Demetri, leave.”

Artemis pierced the ground with her blade, cleaning the blood. Her eyes were flat and menacing. Vesta suppressed a cry when pain seared through her left leg. She glanced down, and watched as her white dress stained red.

“Your heart will be next if you don’t stop this ritual,” Artemis threatened. “That, and we’ll free Bahamut.”

 

“I intend to free him,” Vesta mumbled, trying to dismiss the pain, “After the ritual.”

“What did you do with Cytheria?” Allegra questioned curtly. Surprise and confusion took over Vesta’s features.

“She’s free,” Vesta frowned in bafflement, “Alexei must have taken her with him.”

Artemis’s face lit up at the mention of Alexei. “Alexei?”

“He is dead,” Demetri said tersely, “She’s trying to fool us.”

“No,” Vesta was on the verge of tears, “Alexei is alive! The dragon saved his life.”

Artemis and Allegra exchanged sarcastic looks. Vesta clutched the book to her chest, locking gazes with the unusually silent dragon. His eyes were emotionless.

“Finish her,” Demetri dismissed with a wave, “It’s much easier than freeing the beast.”

Artemis hesitated, before pointing her sword at Vesta. She bit her lip, and Vesta pressed her back against the dragon’s tail. With her finger, she retraced the symbols from the book onto the dragon’s skin. She was discreet, as it even slipped past Demetri’s watchful eyes.

The dragon’s skin glowed unnaturally, and it was then that Demetri noticed what she had been doing.

“Allegra,” he called, “Free him.”

A/N: Any guesses to what might happen? And sorry for putting this on hold for so long. But it's here now~ ^_^