Chapter 39: Chapter 39
It was no surprise that Ruby was a bright red, shiny dragon with no black on her as Slate had, which seemed to make her scales even shinier and brighter the closer they flew to the sun. She was also smaller and more nimble. Nya kept her head down, near Ruby’s neck, as the dragon was going at full speed, in a rush to get Nya back to the battlefield, and it seemed evident Ruby had been wanting to fly for a while. Nya wondered how it had been determined who would stay behind before and who would go, but then, it appeared that Ruby was a maid, not a warrior. She flew like someone who would be good to have in battle, though, and Nya was glad that she was in such a rush to get where they were going.
Sounds of the battle unfolding met her ears before any of the dragons came into view. It was clear that Beelzanborg was still launching their massive fireballs at the dragons. As they neared the border of Beelzanborg and the other kingdoms on the west of Frindom, Nya saw more troops moving toward the border and realized that the human kingdoms that had been at odds with Beelzanborg for years were in the process of marching on Beelzanborg themselves. Even if her father hadn’t told her the truth of the history of the Dragon Moon festival, these people seemed to know and were eager to see Beelzanborg fall and the dragons restored to power.
Before her, a mass of dragons came into view, many of them with human warriors on their backs, using bows and arrows to hit their targets as the fire from the dragons lit Beelzanborg troops and weapons on fire. The dragons swooped low to hit their targets and then flew around in a circle to come back in for another go. On the ground and even atop the castle there were hand-to-hand battles going on. Nya tried to find Slate but didn’t see him from this distance. As they closed in, she did spot Gavin, atop the same dragon he’d been riding earlier. He was right in front of her, dropping down for another pass.
“Stay behind him!” Nya shouted to Ruby, who couldn’t answer her in her current form. She had no arrows, but she had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Just as Gavin turned to fire at a large Beelzanborg soldier on his left, an arrow came from the other direction. Nya sensed it with her sixth sense, and as it sailed at him, she shouted, “Gavin, duck!”
His reflexes from many years of training with her kicked in, and the arrow came flying past him. It occurred to Nya, almost too late, that if it didn’t hit him, she was next in line. Ruby swooped to the right, pulling Nya out of the way of that arrow and then followed Gavin’s dragon up into the air for a returning pass.
It was then that Nya saw Slate. He was in his human form, on top of the castle on one of the turrets, fighting against a mob of Beelzanborg soldiers. His brother was by his side, and the two of them were making short work of the group as it was. But since Ruby was nearing their position, she lowered her head and sent a burst of fire at the Beelzanborg troops, hitting several of them, knocking many of them to the ground, many of them on fire.
While she was so close to the castle roof, Nya swung her leg over the top of her head and leapt off, landing on the stone castle roof with both feet and moving into a defensive stance. The soldiers that were left broke after the fire, so there wasn’t even anyone for her to fight. Nya joined with Slate and Flint as they went after the final soldiers, pinning them against the wall. More of Slate’s forces came running up the stairs then, and the Beelzanborg troops dropped their swords in surrender.
“Nya! You’re back!” Slate shouted, his arms open wide as he put his sword away. It was clear they were winning the day. Even if there was more work to be done, at the moment, the battle was in hand. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Nya said as his arms wrapped around her. The information Gator had told her sprang to mind, but she couldn’t help but hug him back. “The Heart of Magic is in your chest in your castle. It’s yours.”
“Thank you, Nya,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.” He released her then, looking around, and then asked, “Where’s Gator?”
Nya blew out a deep breath. “He’s back in your castle. Cast in stone.”
Slate raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
She shook her head. “He… tried to get the stone. He tried to convince me not to give it to you, to keep it or give it to him, and when I refused, he tried to take it. It was the only way that I could stop him from taking it.”
Slate looked shocked. “Gator did that?” he asked. It was clear that he couldn’t fathom someone he’d trusted so much stabbing him in the back so definitively.
“Yes,” she said, her voice soft and understanding. Seeing the shock in his eyes, she wasn’t sure whether or not she should tell him what else Gator had revealed, but she also didn’t want to let it linger, either. “He also told me about the princess.”
Slate’s dark brows furrowed as he stared at her face. “Princess?” he repeated. “What princess--other than you?”
Nya’s heart began to pound in her chest. Had Gator just been messing with her, trying to convince her that Slate didn’t care about her, when he really did? “The princess of Handor.”
He cocked his head to the side and studied her face for a moment. “Nya, sweetheart, you can’t possibly--”
Slate’s words were cut short as an arrow pierced his body, near his heart. Her eyes enlarged as she turned to see one of the Beelzanborg troops getting ready to notch another arrow. Flint, Slate’s brother, was near the soldier and moved at him, anger apparent on his reddening face. He drew his sword and cut him down, but when Nya turned back to Slate, she could see it might be too late.
The dragon king was sinking to his knees, blood staining his shirt as the life began to drain out of his eyes.