The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

MIRA

“Hide!”, he commands me and I snort at that.

“In your dreams!,” I roll my eyes, “Finally, something interesting happening!”

The dark lord of Gerdian Empire does not look impressed at all. If anything, he looks annoyed.

“Stupid girl!”, he swears under his breath, and flames of dark magic appear around me. Gods, no! That’s not fair! He can’t just teleport me out of this battle!

However, the flames disappear and I am still here, looking questioningly at my companion, who is as surprised as I am.

I try to summon fire magic to the tips of my fingers and feel a very slight tingling sensation. The magic is there, but most of it is blocked, suppressed, not able to emerge at its full force.

I hope all my nannies and mentors would forgive me, but I have to say at least in my mind that we are in very deep s**t!

“Well, at least now we know what this barrier was doing”, Derrien smirks, face calm as ever. Just how is he doing it?

“How bad is it with your magic?”, I ask.

“I’ll survive”, he says coldly, “But you’d better run!”

“I highly doubt that separating in such circumstances is a good idea!”, I turn my back to his back, “I am pretty sure we are surrounded! And I can hardly use a third of my abilities!”

“Then stay close!”, he agrees and then mutters, “Should have taken my sword at least!”

Yeah, I should have taken my daggers as well. But they are left in my bag at the carriage with griffins.

I see dark figures emerging at different sides around us. One, two, seven, twelve…fifteen. Fifteen. That’s a lot for the two of us. Even considering that he is a gerdian. If his magic is suppressed, how many can he take? Because my maximum would be around five, depending on my luck and how they will attack.

I need to think logically here. No weak attacks, nothing risky. Only the ones I am sure of, only my strongest points. Because even they will be working at half force, if not less.

Fire, fire is my best chance. It never failed me before, it’s the one I am most comfortable with out of all the elements…

I even my breathing and look at my targets. Three are heading towards me, another three are staying behind. Others are concentrated on Derrien. Gods, I hope he is as good as legends about gerdians are! Otherwise, I’d be dead today!

Three pulsars are thrown at me, but I put a quick shield blocking them and sit down to throw a fireball at one of my attacker’s legs. I hit the target and he is thrown back, his legs on fire. Damn, that’s bad. That attack should have killed him. It was prohibited to use it in the academy unless under a teacher’s supervision because of how dangerous it is. And now it just barely scratched this person.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Another four pulsars land onto my shield and I feel it almost c***k at the pressure. I don’t know how much longer I’d be able to hold it for.

One of them is close to me now and attacks me with two daggers at the same time, I block both of them and twist his wrists with a trick Dereck and I practiced multiple times at the Academy. Finally, all that hard work pays off! I feel his accomplices’ pulsars flying at me again and turn him, to use his back as a temporary shield. He falls dead to my feet and I form a new shield, putting one of the daggers behind my belt and holding another ready for an attack.

Our executioners and I can’t call them anything else in my mind, are all wearing black from head to toes. Black capes, jackets, pants, boots… Gerdians would approve. Only these are definitely humans. I don’t feel an inch of dark magic in them. I am going to be killed by my own people! How ironic!

Another two bodies fall next to me, but this time it’s Derrien’s work. I turn to look for just a second and see him break someone’s neck. Well, I can’t blame him now, considering we are on the same team.

Several pulsars and fireballs at one break my shield and I feel a shard of it scratch over my face. A warm trickle of b***d slides down my cheek. This is it, I don’t have enough strength to form another one and even if I do, it wouldn’t last long. So now my only chance is to attack.

I charge at them, sliding in between two pulsars, and get the second dagger out of my belt, putting it into one of the men’s heart. I flinch. I’ve never killed anyone before. He is my first. The one before was killed by his own “friends”. But this one is on me. A human mage at that.

Thinking about him was a big mistake, though, as I missed a pulsar made of lightning and it got straight into me, throwing me away to a huge piece of rock nearby.

“Mira!”, I hear Derrien shout and try to sit up, holding by the rock I just met with my face. With a corner of my eyes, I see another two pulsars heading right at me. This is going to be the end of me… I close my eyes, to meet my end as a warrior, not crying, and not running away! But I feel a shadow hang over me. And then… nothing happens.

I open my eyes and see Derrien! I need another few seconds looking at his shuddering frame to realize what is going on. He is covering me with his body!

“No!”, I gasp, trying to push him away.

“Stupid!”, he blurts, spitting b***d.

He turns back to the people who try to kill us and something like a growl comes out of his mouth. The sound is inhuman! But this is the least of my troubles. I stand up and notice a dagger in Derrien’s back, almost fully in! My fault! All my fault! But again, not the time now.

I stand up and quickly tear the skirt of my dress with magic until the middle of my thigh. This dress was not made for combat and I have to survive first and think about decency later!

I charge at the man, who is closest to me and grab his hand, before he manages to form another pulsar, and break it mercilessly, also grabbing a knife out of his scabbard and put it into his neck, moving forward.

I catch Derrien’s look on me, but this time don’t stop and attack the next person, pushing him to the rock I just personally got acquainted with. He, however, hits me on the stomach, throwing me back a few steps, and then slams me against the bloody rock again.

I see his wrist just for a mere second as he tugs my hair with it but this is enough to recognize the tattoo on it.

“The Invisibles!”, I gasp in shock.

“Clever girl”, the man smirks, his face is covered in the darkness of his hood, “Such a shame!”

“Yeah”, I agree, as I put his own dagger up to the hilt into his side. At that moment, he is thrown away from me and I see a furious gerdian lord.

He breathes heavily. Clearly tired. Of course, the Invisibles are a group of the best assassins in the Kingdom. Specially selected. The best of the best. Even a gerdian at full power would have troubles standing against a group of them… Once, I dreamed of joining them… But that dream is over today.

Derrien is looking at the bloody blade in my hands and grasping the situation slowly.

“You are full of surprises, lady Mira,” he chuckles, wiping b***d out of my cheek. I look behind him and see that everyone else is dead. “Are you hurt?”, he asks.

“No, not badly,” I say quickly, “But you are! Oh, gods, Derrien, you have a dagger in your back! Let me…”

“Not now!”, he g****s and tenses at once, looking up. I follow his gaze and my heart sinks. On the heights around us, there are people. People in black. The Invisibles. Many of them. More than we can take now!

“Gods, help us!”, I whisper in horror. For the first time ever I realize that I really don’t want to die. Not the slightest desire in my heart. I want to live!

“Mira,” Derrien says calmly, “Listen to me very carefully. Right now I want you to fully trust me and do whatever I tell you to however crazy it sounds. Then I promise you, you will survive. Can you do that for me?”

I just nod. Right now, I am ready to do anything he says. Because I for sure do not have any ideas that can save us.

“Mira”, he speaks with me as if I am a child again, “Give me your hand!”

I put my hand into his and he squeezes it tightly.

“What now?”, I ask him, no hope in my voice.

“Now, Mira, run!”, he says and starts pulling me behind me, as he is much faster.

I look back and the Invisibles are following us. They do not hurry too much. Probably sure that we are going to die anyway.

I run and I run until I realize that we are putting ourselves in a corner. There is only the edge of a cliff before us, nothing else. And it’s high, too high. But Derrien continues to run there, dragging me with him.

“No, it’s the end!”, I try to explain to him.

“Trust me, Mira! Jump with me!”, he shouts.

And I jump…