Empire of Blood, page 4
part #2 of Armageddon Series
“Please… I don’t want anything to happen to Thor…”
She silently prayed to the Divines to find a way out, or to at least save her dragon.
A few moments later, the door to the dungeons swung open. Azrael calmly walked inside, followed by Captain Altessa. He forced his way through.
“You’re ridiculous!” Azrael scowled at him.
Selena reached out and grabbed her cell bars. She tightened her grip when she and Azrael made eye contact.
“General Araneus won’t tell me anything!” Silver exclaimed. He stomped up to the cell doors and tried to open them himself. “I’ll work on getting you out of here! Hold on –!”
He was interrupted by Azrael, who nudged him out of the way.
“We need to think this through! Busting her out of the dungeons would only make things worse.”
Selena never thought in a hundred years that Azrael would be the one to say those words. Despite him working with D, Selena was sure that Azrael would have been ecstatic to see her behind bars.
“What have they done to you?” Silver demanded.
“It seems as though your fellow Co-Captain ratted her out,” Azrael said coolly. “I thought we talked about the plan!”
He reached out and grabbed Silver’s jacket collar to rip him away from the cell.
“What’s going to happen to me?” Selena asked.
“They’re deciding whether to let you live or to execute you.” Azrael answered.
“They can’t do this! She’s a war hero! How can Vidar-?”
Before Silver could finish what he was about to say, Azrael punched him hard in the jaw. A small noise escaped from Selena’s mouth.
“By the Divines, you need to trust me for once!” Azrael shouted.
Selena gritted her teeth, but lowered her head in defeat. “I don’t know if there’s a way out of this. If I die, then please promise me that they won’t hurt Thor.”
“Don’t start with me.” Azrael threatened. “Silver, we need to go over D’s plan. Selena, if you want to live and save your dragon, then you will need to follow what I do. I think the General wants to fight for you. We have one chance to make the Council see how much of an asset you are. The General plans to make a proposition during the trial to control your new awakened dragon state as a sort of weapon. What I will need to do to convince the Council members to side with him will be unorthodox, but it will get our point across. Selena, I know you hate me, but for once, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
“What are you going to do?”
“I can’t say.”
Selena backed away from her cell door. “How can I trust you if you won’t tell me what you’re going to do?”
Azrael rolled his eyes and banged his fists against her cage. “Do you want to save Thor or not?” Selena grimaced at his words, but slowly nodded in agreement. “Fine! Just follow my lead. And you,” Azrael pointed at Silver, “all that I ask is that no matter what happens, please restrain yourself. Consider it as more research for you.”
*****
“Your trial will be held upstairs in the Council’s headquarters.” General Araneus began explaining as he led Selena with his two guards who arrested her from the day before. She was escorted from the dungeons back to the main floor of the temple. “You are refrained from speaking to your dragon until your trial is over. He is wearing a special amulet made to specifically block your mental link.”
Selena kept staring at her feet as she followed them. They went through the doorway the General created earlier with a staircase that spiraled up.
She thought, So the Council can keep watch over Alfheim directly, all because their military base is here. I wonder if they would have brought me here if they had taken me away, or to someplace that was more secluded. By then, who knows what else they could have done.
She shuddered at her thoughts, but followed the General’s gestures. The walls rumbled once more as the entrance sealed itself, covering any traces that showed it even moved to begin with.
The stairs were continuous and winding. She felt her heart beating in her throat. The constant thought of her trial’s outcome grew heavy.
At long last, they finally reached a stone door that opened when they got close enough to it.
Selena was welcomed by warm rays of sunlight captured by the titanic glass dome. The floor was made of marble and walls were carved out of the mountain. A beautiful water fountain was placed by the wall. The water was clear as glass and it slid down smoothly from a lovely mermaid statue.
Selena trudged over to look out the window. Alfheim looked amazing, its glorious architecture and landscape glistening in magnificent radiance.
The four strutted to the middle of the room just as it started to shift beneath their feet. The floor was lifted into the air and made its way to the room above.
The platform took them to a large courthouse. Vidar was in position as the judge while shuffling through paperwork. All twelve members of the Council sat behind him in the stands. There were four others sitting on the benches to the side: The Empress, Silver, Azrael, and an unknown man she had never seen before. He wore the formal military attire, so she assumed him to be one of the soldiers. Engraved into the wall behind the Council was a giant seal with a dragon taking flight. In its talons was a long scroll that bore the words, ‘Enno etem Drvanis,’ which meant, ‘Year of the Dragon’ in the Elven Language. It was normally abbreviated as ‘ED’ and was used to measure how many years have passed since an alliance was made with the dragons.
So, Ashur Bel was the one who turned me in but he couldn’t even make it to my hearing? That bastard! I swear by the Divines, if I somehow make it out alive, he will have to deal with me.
“This is a court-martial trial for the alleged Andric Liongod, also known as Selena Enyalius Liongod, daughter of the Empress, on the third day of Varinth.” Vidar began, reading through his papers. General Araneus pointed to a large, metal chair that faced the podium for Selena to sit down. She did so carefully while the two guards took their post to stand beside Vidar’s podium.
She glanced up from the side to see that Azrael and Silver were sitting beside each other, both of their heads hung low. The Empress was in the way back with her cowl covering her face. General Araneus took his position to Vidar’s right, keeping his posture as he stared forward with a strong expression.
“During the time of this trial, your dragon, Thor, will be detained until further notice. With permission from the rest of the Council, I will be the one making the final decision on the outcome on whether you live or die.”
The twelve said simultaneously: “Yes, sir.”
“Very well then.” Vidar then pointed his gavel to Selena. “Please state your full true name for the court to hear.”
“Selena Enyalius Liongod.” Her words tasted vile.
“Good. Now, will the accused please stand and raise your right hand?” Selena did. “Do you swear by the Divines that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do.”
“Good. Sit back down. Now, shall we decide to let you live, this will also allow you to remain as a full time soldier in the Imperial Air Force, as well as keeping your dragon, and all charges should be dropped against you. If not, then you and your dragon will be executed by sundown. The court has been asked to hear the two opposing arguments to decide your fate. The first was submitted to me as a legal document from Captain Ashur Bel, who has unfortunately taken ill and was not able to make it to the proceedings. He declared that a legal representative to take his place in the meantime. Please take the stand.”
The formerly dressed man stood up and cleared his throat. “Thank you, your honor. My name is Derik Nuwolf, appointed advocate for Captain Ashur Bel. His argument is this: Selena Liongod was an abomination created by illegal magic with terrifying power that could easily be used against the Empire. From the reports following the defeat of the Lich, it was clearly noted that she had no control over her dragon state when her ability was awakened. Moreover, she clearly disobeyed the Council’s orders for relocation, hid an unreported dragon that was stolen from the Lich himself, and joined the military ranks with false pretenses and illegal documentation disguised as a young man. The law clearly states that she should be punished by death.” Derik bowed and took his seat.
“Thank you, and very well. Next, we will hear the defense from the General himself.” Vidar’s eyes darted over to Araneus.
He nodded and stood up to take his stand. “Thank you, your honor. I am General Araneus of the Imperial Air Force. My defending argument is this: we will continue to keep Selena Liongod as a soldier, along with her dragon, and use her power to fight against the Lich. She has proven her dedication and loyalty to our Empire. I respect a dragon’s choice in their rider and handler, despite her being the first female among our ranks. I believe that we can utilize her power for the upcoming war. As for the other claims of her being created by illegal means, clearly she couldn’t choose the origin of her birth or creation, but what she did choose was to fight for us. If I was in her shoes, I would have done the same thing.”
Selena’s face lit up when she saw that Azrael was telling the truth earlier. He still wants to keep me as a soldier! Maybe I’ll have a chance!
Vidar leaned forward and propped his chin up. “Thank you, General Araneus. So then, I have some questions to ask you. Do you still plan on continuing to fight for us, even with your new dragon state powers?”
“Yes, of course!” Selena coughed out.
“How long have you known you had these powers?”
“I was just as surprised as you were, your honor. Just after the Lich stabbed me.”
Vidar shuffled his paperwork. “Hmm… do you recognize this?” he pulled out the journal that Silver gave her not too long ago.
Her face turned pale and she trembled in her spot. “I… uh...”
“Liongod, need I remind you that you are under oath? Answer the question.”
Selena almost choked on her tongue. “Yes.”
“How long have you had this in your possession?”
“Not very long, your honor.”
Vidar’s eyes narrowed down at her. “That’s not what I’m asking. How long?”
Selena lowered her head. “Shortly before the battle, your honor.”
“So, you’ve known this before you fought the Lich? You just said that you found out when he stabbed you. Which is it?” Vidar demanded.
“Wait, no! I swear that I just found out about my powers when I was stabbed! That book didn’t say anything about that!”
“Did it not, now?” Vidar cleared his throat and began flipping through pages like Selena went through her thoughts. Did she misread any information? Missed? No matter how many times she thought about it, she never recalled reading about having any powers. She had skimmed through the book several times over. Her heart stopped when Vidar cleared his throat and began reading. “Due to the state of things, I’m wondering if I made a miscalculation or an error elsewhere. With the obvious mistakes of her being human—and not elf—and the mark on her hand, it is possible that the child may inherit some unknown side effects from being born of a dragon. Maybe even dragon powers! I don’t know yet, but only time will tell.” His eyes darted back to her. “Does this sound familiar?”
“N… no! Your honor, I’ve never read that part of the journal! I only knew who I was, but not what I was capable of. I swear it!”
“Hmph. Very well. I have no further questions for the accused. Now then. I actually do have some questions for you, Captain Silver Altessa,” Vidar continued, “how can we be so sure that you didn’t create her as a weapon to oppose the Empire? What exactly were your intentions?”
Silver’s expression quickly changed when he was called out. “That is absurd! My duty is to the Empire!”
“You still haven’t answered my question. Why did you create her through illegal magic?”
Selena felt her stomach tightened.
Silver stood up and gave Vidar a deathly glare. “Your honor, with all due respect, I never created her. I brought her back to life! That is a huge difference! I only did it to help out an old friend who lost his daughter. I’m sure you could only imagine that pain.” Silver’s voice was filled with such passion and emotion.
“Your only intention was to help out an old friend? Then explain to me why she got these powers in the first place. It should have been a simple procedure for someone of your talents to just bring her back to life, but instead, you created a potential monster that could destroy us.” Vidar’s lips curved into a sneer.
Silver attempted to answer, but Selena spoke out instead. “Captain Altessa has nothing to do with this! Leave him out of it! This trial is about what I have done! How could he have known that it would have given me the power to turn into a dragon? I haven’t seen any of you old fools being able to accomplish what he’s done! How can you call that a simple procedure? He has made the greatest discovery in history and you’re turning it against him! This isn’t about him! This is about me! Punish me instead!”
“Order in the court!” Vidar smashed his gavel.
Azrael grumbled and immediately jumped down from the stands and pushed his way past the General.
“What are you doing?” General Araneus shouted.
Azrael quickly reared up and punched Selena hard in the face. He then pulled out his fully loaded pistol and aimed it directly at her head.
“Do it!” Azrael shouted.
“This is an outrage! Azrael, I order you to stop!” General Araneus commanded, but Azrael ignored him. The guards by Vidar took up arms, but Vidar ordered them to stand down. Silver made the attempt to follow Azrael, but Araneus wouldn’t allow it. The Empress did not utter a word or even showed any sort of reaction. The Council members were appalled. Vidar, on the other hand, was amused.
Selena spat out some blood before looking up into the barrel.
“That will be the last thing you ever see! Do it now! Kill me! Show me your powers!” Azrael’s hands trembled.
“Then do it,” she growled, “shoot me! What are you waiting for?”
The two were at a stand still.
Vidar’s eerie laughed echoed inside the courtroom. “That’s what I wanted to see! Very well. I think I have made my decision.”
*****
Chapter 4
Kiba dashed through the whispering trees with three others followed closely behind. A thin mist gently hugged the environment. The trees were black as blood trickled down their branches. An eerie melody, almost like laughter, tinkled through her ears.
Kiba caught the scent of the rest of their pack that awaited for them whom was led by Maru. They were all in their wolf forms.
She turned to her mate. I smell those foul creatures in our woods.
Slaughter them all. I can feel the change in the trees. Artio is already displeased. Maru bared his fangs and turned his ears upward.
You! Kiba looked at one of the young males standing behind Maru, You’re coming with me and my group. The rest of you will follow Maru. We’re going hunting again.
After Kiba and Maru licked each other on the muzzle, they left with their groups of five and six, respectively.
Kiba jolted through the forest with her hunters, trying to head for the opening of the trees. They stopped and sniffed around. When she caught the scent she was looking for, Kiba gave one quick bark and ran the other way, followed by the others.
One of the young males growled, I smell humans from two different directions.
You take two with you to the north. The rest of us will head west.
If I may, wouldn’t it be wise if we all stayed together?
Kiba gave a huff. No human has ever been strong enough to take me down. We’ll be fine.
Their small group broke off in their assigned directions. Kiba and the one following her ran through the thicket of bushes, preparing for what may lay ahead.
They abruptly stopped when they reached their targets: two straggling humans with large packs strapped to their backs. Kiba watched as they set their cargo down to rest.
I’ll go this way and you come in from the back, she ordered. He nodded and did as she told him.
They quietly surrounded their prey.
Kiba leaped out from the bushes when she deemed the timing right, followed by her black wolf hunting partner.
The two humans panicked from the wolves and tried to gather their daggers that they kept hidden in their sacks to defend themselves.
Kiba quickly jumped up and slashed her claws through the first human’s arm to disarm him. When he staggered backwards, she then, with blinding speed, took the opportunity to go for his throat.
Her black wolf follower immediately went after their second target and started nipping at his feet. Kiba, on the other hand, ran behind the man and crouched down just as their prey toppled over her.
Together, they delivered the final blow, leaving blood everywhere.
*****
“I have decided to acquit Selena Liongod of all charges brought against her. She will keep her status as a soldier, and will keep her dragon under the following conditions: she will be directly under Azrael’s watch and if she is suspected of using any of her powers against the Empire, Azrael and Doragon have the right to strike her and Thor down immediately. However, in the meantime, Selena’s true identity will remain unknown to everyone else outside this courtroom. I can’t imagine the chaos if the other soldiers learn of you and what you are. So, going forward, you will remain known as Andric Liongod. It will be as though nothing happened, except now you will have the full support and protection of the Council. In addition, there is also an urgent matter to be discussed. Have you ever heard of the Dark Knights and the Mythic Flight?” Vidar asked.
Selena nodded. “Yes sir.”
“They were the strongest dragon riders that the Imperial Air Force ever trained. They fought against the Lich and his army in the One Hundred Years’ War. They rode astride the mighty dragons that were the guardians of their corresponding element. They left behind their eggs that we have kept safe throughout the years in hopes to find a new handler that they will hatch for.
