The King Trials 2: Beyond.

~The Beginning of the End~

The day dawned with the sight of insurmountable terror.

I race to the waist of the voyager, holding on to the railing for support. Beyond and below the waterline straddles the shore of the Pantheon. The sky above is blanketed above by a cover of grey fog that fails to conceal the shroud of black-fortified warships looming on high as many as my vision permits me to see. Columns of thick smoke billow from the besieged city. Even from our distance, the bellow of resounding drums can be heard like a phantom scream.

We are too late.

A clamorous rumbles ensues an enormous ball of fire that erupts from a towering edifice. A holy monument. The explosion bursts out as the building crumbles, swaying before toppling over another structure.

I whisk around and shove through a clump of thunderstruck sailors who are clustered at the rim. So horror-stricken it renders them immobile. I dash to the bridge of the ship and when I enter, Kelan is already there. Devwar is ready at the helm, steering the airship away from the beleaguered metropolis.

"You cannot abandon this course of action!" Kelan yells, a wild glint in his eyes. "I need to reach the castle; I must ensure the life of the High King!"

"You and what army?" Devwar wheels on him with his veins standing out in his neck. "All hope is lost. Emikrol has an entire armada out there, and I am certain by now word has been sent about the invasion. A dozen hells, you can see the bloody ships from Nivalis!"

"As long as they still live, there is still hope," I say pouring conviction into my words to rally both his and mine's courage. "This is about the life of our sovereign High King. I am not asking you to fight. I am asking you to take us close enough where we will not be detected by armed forces."

"No!"

"Captain, I beg of you—"

"No." Visibly trying to calm his fraying temper. He nods his head to himself, resolve settling within him. "You are going to need all the aid you can get; you are right. This is more than just us or...my fears. I will aid you. For our King and for our realm, my sailors are not soldiers, but like I. We can hold up well in a fight."

Devwar guides the airship eastward to go around the City of Old and come out on the other end, at the rear of the castle. Sailing above a sprawling forest that infringes the steepish spine of the hilltop that the castle sits upon. The vaporous beast descends with a ravenous advance. Its misty maw devouring everything, giving us a blest covering from the invaders.

A fanfare of horns signals the castle's distress.

Devwar halts the ship so it hovers directly above the treetops.

"How do you plan on infiltrating, the only already infiltrated castle?"

"With a surgical strike," Kelan says steadily, unnerved, and undaunted. "There are secret tunnels in the southkeep that lead outside. Erected for the event of an untenable crisis. I made sure to memorise all of them when I came into the confidence of the Crown. It's dark, but you need only to follow my lead."

The Second Officer bursts in and demands an appraisal. Devwar dismisses him brusquely, ordering him to rally the crew. Swallowing a protest, he whips around and exits the cabin.

"Aurora, you stay here—"

"Stay here?" I nearly laugh. "No, unlike the other Heras you have shuttled. I am not a defenceless prude."

He stares at me confoundedly, doubt and disconcert filling his eyes.

Trampling over humility, I say, "Just watch."