Chapter Nine
“Lady Knight, this is not a good idea. If she didn’t know you were here when we were outside, she’ll know you’re here now. She’ll feel it, feel you,” Jamison whispered as he led Karina through the serf passages. Her armor was bulky in form and brushed against the walls of the hallways as they twisted and turned.
“This is something I must do,” Karina stated, her tone blunt and determined. “Carmichael needs my help.”
“C-Carmichael? As in Caichmiorral the Dragon King?” Wonder had flooded through Jamison’s green eyes as he spoke. He paused their journey to turn and look at her.
“You’re the lover of the Dragon King? Of Caichmiorral? Caichmiorral hasn’t been seen for over two centuries because he was cast into his human form by a witch. By Danasi. That is the curse you wish to lift?” Jamison gasped.
“Yes. The Dragon King Caichmiorral is my lover and this is a task I need to complete for him.”
Jamison grinned and laughed, the sounds echoing around them and down the halls. A true happiness seemed to rise up from the depths of his heart as he all but danced in place.
“My lady, you’ve already won! Has he bedded you, yet? Has he lain with you? He was cursed to damnation as human, lest he finds true love. Tell me, this is the man you are trying to save?” he asked eagerly, though instead of waiting for an answer, he pressed a hand to her breast plated stomach. Another peel of laughter split his lips as he looked up at her.
“You can free them from her! You can free this land from her reign! You can bring back the dragons again,” Jamison gasped.
In the back of her mind, Karina recalled their conversations about mating and eggs and the curse. Determination burned in her chest as her resolve for lifting the curse settled over her twice as strong.
“He has bedded me, as you say, but the curse still remains,” she sighed softly.
“He has? But then…”
But before Jamison could finish his statement, the wall to their right was blown wide open and a sickly sweet, smiling face peered out at them.
“There you are.”
The Queen Danasi stared at them. Her lips were smeared with crimson as deep as blood, her skin was paler even than freshly fallen snow and her face was so angular it was a wonder the bone didn’t cut straight through her pale skin. The most disturbing were her eyes, clouded over with scar tissue to the point it was near impossible to see her pupils and irises.
As she raised a hand and yanked it backward as if pulling on something invisible, Karina felt invisible hands wrap around her armored waist. They were impossibly large and she suddenly found herself careening forward through the wall and into the throne room.
A wall of energy, purple and shimmering strangely separated Karina from Jamison, who stared at her, petrified. She stared at the Queen, a hand on her sword as the alien woman paced around her.
With blinding speed, a hand lashed out and struck Karina across the cheek, leaving her head spinning as she fell to a knee. Blood filled her mouth and a tooth, one of her back molars, rolled about across her tongue.
Karina didn’t respond. Instead, she immediately lunged with her sword and the Queenside stepped her blow. A flash of purple crackled past, just barely missing Karina’s head and she swung her sword again, lightly grazing the tip against Danasi’s thigh. The taste of the witch’s blood left the blade humming in her hands as if it were eager to taste more. Karina was happy to oblige.
They sparred together, locked in a deadly dance of sword and magic. Karina took a blast of purple electricity to the chest with the force sending her flying back a few feet. As soon as Danasi came close to strike again, Karina sprang forward and slashed a deep gouge across her shoulder.
Danasi was easily faster than Karina and her magic was more deadly than her sword could ever hope to be, but she was significantly stronger and had professional training with her chosen weapon. Their match was even and resulted in sweat rolling down Karina’s temple with Danasi gritting her teeth.
Another burst of purple flashed and Karina deflected it with her blade, sending it back in Danasi’s direction though the witch merely levitated up into the air with a grim smile.
“Your time has come, Witch Queen!” Karina called to her as they both bent over, panting heavily. “You can never hope to defeat me!”
Queen Danasi just smirked, opened her mouth wide and screamed so high pitched it left Karina spasming uncontrollably in pain on the floor. The sound cut straight to her bones and left her struggling to stand as she writhed.
“I’m just getting started, knight,” Danasi cackled. In Danasi’s arrogance, Karina recovered enough to slash across her breast. “I am but toying with you.”
With that, she blew Karina backwards once more with a chest full of purple magic. The light given off the beam coming from the Queen’s hands was bright enough to hurt the eyes.
Once more, Karina struggled to her feet and her sword felt heavier than lead in her hand. “Well, that’s good to know. I’d have thought I was too challenging for you,” she growled out, her breath coming and going in rough pants.
“Why don’t we sit down and relax a little. Tell me all about that coward of a man known as the Dragon King,” Danasi sniffed, disdain clear on her face. “What a pathetic excuse for a monarch. He was too weak to hold his throne.”
Karina lunged with the sword and stabbed it deep into Danasi’s shoulder and the witch screeched in pain as she backed away. Yet, with the movement and Karina’s fatigue, her sword was yanked from her grasp.
“You don’t care about Carmichael...” Karina said, defiant despite her defenselessness. “Why kill all the dragons? The elves? Why do this and cause so much hatred and destruction in this land?”
Danasi grinned and her lips split wide with a cackle that echoed sickeningly around the all-but-empty throne room. “Why?” she repeated. “You are about to meet your death and yet you wish for conversation and ask me why?”
“You seem narcissistic enough to want to talk about your so called success story. If I’m going to die either way, why not give you another opportunity to gloat?” Karina snapped. Her words rewarded her with a slap across the face, not nearly as hard as the first had been, yet equally as painful.
“Hold your tongue. I could have you tortured and imprisoned for your threatening presence,” Danasi said as she waved a hand. Karina very suddenly lifted up into the air until she was level with her, suspended in the middle of the room.
“You know,” Queen Danasi hummed. “I always hated the question why. The elves all asked why I killed them, the dragons asked why I imprisoned them and Caichmiorral asked why I poisoned his mate... It’s a very bland question.”
Karina struggled in the air. No matter how hard she fought, an invisible hand clenched around her chest that much tighter, until she was sure her plate armor would bend around her body.
“Put me down!” she snarled, flailing her arms and legs about, but Danasi just cackled and clenched the invisible hand that much tighter around her.
“I think the simplest answer is because I could,” Danasi continued, as though she wasn’t quite literally holding her audience captive. “Of course, Morrigana was personal,” she purred, floating high enough now to touch the ceiling with her fingertips. Her eyes stared, transfixed at Karina as she struggled and fought.
“You do want to hear, don’t you?”
“Not particularly! Put. Me. Down!”
Danasi huffed, but continued on, as if Karina’s answer didn’t matter one way or another.
“See. I had always loved Caichmiorral. He was strong, valiant, majestic and had the most attractive human form I had ever seen. He loved me!”
Karina’s attention snapped to the story as she listened. Carmichael? Her Carmichael? Loving this... creature?
“You liar!” she snapped, glaring territorially.
Danasi stared at her, as first a look of cruel victory crossed her lips before her eyes flickered down to Karina’s hidden stomach and terror flooded her gaze. Without warning, Karina was dropped and plummeted to the stone ground.
Her breath whooshed from her lungs painfully as she slammed against the ground and her vision swam from where her head had cracked violently against the ground. She could already feel blood rolling through her thick red hair and down both her temple and ear.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”