The Hidden Sister | Book 1 of the Dragon Queen Series (BUY ON AMAZON!)

۵ Chapter 6.5 ۵

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Chapter 6.5
fly

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⌇The Heartlands⌇

Hours had passed, the sky was beginning to darken. Elia had not seen any sign of life since the Banuk Crossing, and even then the presence was scarce.

Her general dismounted his horse and slowly moved towards her stallion, holding a hand to help the Princess down. She hopped from the stirrups and landed on a grassy floor.

Blushfyre and Ashwing fought over a piece of meat in the distance. "-No sign of Elyssor, my Princess." Ser Manx said grimly.

Elia turned towards him with a sore glare. "He's not far. I can feel him, he knows I wish to ride him."

Her generals unsaddled their horses and her troops removed their helms. They swiftly got to work lighting the fire and setting up the perimeter for the evening.

As though on cue, Elyssor pushed through the clouds, and approached the convoy. Elia smiled gently and held out a hand. "Ata, ma silune." She muttered in high Vaesnuri. Come, my sweet.

The creature responded with a faint cry; members of her convoy glanced up - many still in disbelief that dragons had returned to their world.

He landed loudly against the ground beside the camp, Elia's hand open. Elyssor's tail coiled around his body, as he awaited her patiently.

"-I'm going to get this done before the morn. Do not follow me." Elia ordered.

Elia walked toward Blushfyre. The day was coming to an end and the glow of the sun disappeared below the horizon, gently leaving a ray of light glow off of her bright, white scales and rosy pink spines.

Elia used her free hand to stroke her large spiked head with her index finger.

They'd only been travelling for a mere day, they could not possibly have reached their neighbouring Keep yet - nor had they come across the distinct Tar Bridge leading to The Black Gate.

Soldiers appeared with a wagon, holding a corpse. His charred skin almost blended in with the dark oak wood, and his face was unrecognisable. But this was the soldier her father wished for her to lay at the entrance of The Black Gate.

Ser Manx walked forward from the trio of soldiers holding the cart. "It seems the soldiers have forgotten where their loyalties lie, your Grace. See to it that they're reminded."

She nodded and moved over to her larger dragon, her mount. The black beast with red wing membranes.

Elia took a deep breath of the fresh evening air, and climbed upon Elyssor's outstretched wing. He took off from his two feet and launched into the sky, not before grasping the body of the Draydon Keep solider in his talons.

As though passing into another realm through the clouds, Elia felt free. She had forgotten what it was like to ride the back of the beast whilst in exile of herself.

"I'll never let anything happen to you, my child." She said softly to Elyssor, gently stroking his scales beneath the spines she clung onto.

As Elyssor ascended higher into the sky, his enormous wings created zephyrs in the clouds. Prodigious towers formed, spiralling below.

The keep wasn't far on dragon-back, in fact it was only across the Banuk River that led through The Heartlands, and deeper south into the Western Wilds.

Elyssor's stride would lead the Princess to the castle in no time.

The sky darkened moreso, as though a creature had completely blocked out all moonlight. Stars pushed into view, and both moons joined them shortly after.

The white light shone through the darkness, lighting the way ahead.

A colosal castle made from black brick and the darkest cement materialised; it could've been there longer than Elia had realised, as though the castle itself was the darkness of the night.

Twin towers stood tall at the castle's face, mirroring The Black Gate and Tar Bridge - so aptly named after the black-water moat surrounding; turned so after The Blood Dragon War.

Elyssor's screech forced the soldiers back to duty. The archers on the walls knocked their arrows, and the foot-soldiers scrambled to the gate in formation. Squires handed oil barrels to their battlements.

A horn blared twice, signalling a royal arrival and the men stood down.

The Princess circled the mighty castle thrice before lowering Elyssor to the ground and released the charred soldier from his talons, leaving him at the entrance to The Black Gate.

The great doors opened ajar as the Princess took off into the dark sky once more, and a hurdle of soldiers dressed in black armour hurried out to tend to the victim.

Elia pushed Elyssor to face the castle, his body half the size of it itself.

She leaned over the side of Elyssor's giant head and glanced down at the men.

"-Remember your King, soldiers - or there will be a repeat of The Reaping. Seldom will treason ruin these proud lands again!" She threatened, referencing the incident when she was thirteen. The treasonous uprising.

Daren't it inaugurate once more, and thousands would die.

And as the men watched in horror at the gigantic black beast flying before them, and the Fire Lord's daughter upon his back; they believed her.