Chapter 1
Drakonia Homeworld
Markus followed his fellow warriors down the corridors of the King of the North’s castle. The structure shook from a blast it took from outside. Rubble fell from the roof. Women were covering their children’s heads, risking their own safety.
“Help them!” his general ordered some of the warriors. “The rest of you come with me to the king’s courtroom!”
Being a young warrior, barely in his twenties, Markus wanted to be out there fighting the enemy. Acting as a guard was not what he aspired to be. He dreamed of nothing else but to be one of the Elite Warriors, the best of the best that fought their enemies’ head on and took them down one by one. He longed to soar into the sky in his dragon form and burn those that would fight against him. Instead, he was shuffling into a room that the high society used for banquets.
General Ranier ordered the warriors to spread out and be on guard. Markus positioned himself on the other side of the long table where the eight kings sat talking, or more like arguing with each other. He couldn’t stop watching the chaotic scene as the two most headstrong of the kings were facing each other and arguing the loudest.
Malachi, King of the North, glared at his cousin Niko, King of the Northeast. Niko was known for his short temper but Malachi was always the calm one. Niko was not happy with Malachi’s plan.
“The aliens have burned most of the regions, killed hundreds of thousands of our people. Do you really think you can negotiate with them?”
“We have to try.”
“King Rand tried when they first appeared. He went up to their ship to see if they would accept a truce. They sent his head back without his body for their answer.”
“What do you want our people to do?” King Malachi asked in frustration.
“We send as many of them up in our remaining battle cruisers.”
“That will only help save maybe a quarter of our kind. What about the rest? Do we leave them to die?” King Zocor of the East asked.
King Reichardt looked at his general. “We may have another way. Our mage, Hendricks, has been trying to locate other planets that we can use the portals to send our people through. Our only problem is that many of our portals have been damaged.”
Everyone grew silent with the thought. Mages were rare breeds among his people who couldn’t shift. Their dragon magic was trapped inside of them. They could use that power in other ways, though, like opening up portals that the Drakonian people used to quickly travel from region to region. Never before had they used a portal to travel to another planet, especially one that would be unknown to them.
The building shook again as it took another direct hit. The men all reached for the women in the room to protect them. A child cried out in fear. The atmosphere was as tense as it could get. Markus helped a fellow warrior to stand. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing from the kings.
“The portals may be our only hope of saving as many as we can. Notify all regions to have their master mages contact Hendricks so that they can coordinate the evacuation. Also, assign security to guard the portals while the evacuation is ongoing,” King Malachi ordered his general.
“My king.” Mage Craggen stepped forward. “The only way to expand the portal destination trajectory is to bind the spell to blood…of the kings.”
“What are you saying, Craggen?”
“We open the portals here with the blood of the kings and the portals will send those in each region to the same destination as their king. Once the kings enter the portals, it will close automatically.”
General Ranier stepped forward. “That means that the kings need to go with the evacuation detail immediately. I will assign guards to ensure that the portals stay open long enough to ensure that as many of our people get through and to make sure that the portals close and the enemy cannot follow.”
Markus listened to what was being discussed. He knew that the warriors chosen to stay behind to guard the portals would essentially be signing up to die. It would be a death that could be without much of a battle, but still it was honorable.
Without thinking twice about it, Markus stepped forward. “Excuse me for interrupting. I would like to volunteer for the evacuation security detail.”
General Ranier shook his head. “Son, I was planning on some of our older warriors to remain. Even I was going to remain here to ensure the portals close.”
“General, I need you to take the last of our battle cruisers to make sure that those evacuating via space will make it past the enemy cruisers. Allow any who wish to volunteer to do so.”
“Yes, sir.” General Ranier motioned for the warriors to move to the outside of the courtroom. “Warrior Markus, your request has been granted. Are there any others who wish to volunteer?”
Several other of the young warriors also volunteered. The older ones also stepped forward. It was a small detail, but the main city of Drakonia had been evacuated when the aliens first showed signs of aggression. Many families, women, and children had taken to their dragon shapes and flew to other regions that were not currently under attack. Unfortunately, the aliens had other ships moving into place to attack the other regions. Many had already died and the mages worked tirelessly to provide spelled shelters, but as they weakened, so did their spells.
“Warrior Orteg will be in charge of the detail—follow his orders.” There was a pause as General Ranier looked at each of the volunteers. “Men, I know what is being asked of you and if your death flight comes, each of your names will be remembered as honored warriors. I will order the battle cruiser Zyon to remain close to the surface for as long as possible. Once the portals have been closed, head for the cruiser if you can. In defense of Drakonia!” General Ranier said the last while placing a closed fist over his chest. The other warriors responded the same way.
“In defense of Drakonia and our kings!”