Zenora, The Dragon's Fury
58. Divide and Rescue

A whole year had passed, without Ayinthur coming to visit. He had still blocked his mind, I couldn’t even read his emotions, as I could before, years ago.

Iris had become isolated. Only coming out of her room, for meals and obligations like trials and meetings. The rest of the day, she stayed locked up, silently waiting until the next duty popped up. And even is she was outside of her room, she didn’t talk much and didn’t look happy.

Somewhere I was glad that she had given up her relationship with Max, but seeing her so sad all these months, doesn’t make me any happier, than I was before.

I stood in front of her room right now, thinking whether I should or shouldn’t knock on her room to talk with her.

“Mother?” Tyler stood in the hallway, he was searching for me.

“Arch has a new lead, but he only told me and Dad. We want to see if there indeed is a spy around here. So, are you ready to come along?” He asked me.

“Yes let’s go.” I replied, while hating to leave Iris now.

We took several of our most trusted warriors, hunters and mages with us, asking them to come with us the moment we were bound to leave. So, no one could alert Hayden , as we left in utmost secrecy.

Bastet, Nightwing and Jack, came flying in from the aviary and soon when our team was complete and sitting on their Gryphons, we left towards the place, where Archeops had heard Hayden was hiding.

It would take us two full days to reach the village, which Hayden supposedly had occupied with his men.

Two days is a long time, and if Hayden wasn’t here, then four days would have been spend for nothing. So, I sincerely hoped that he was there. For more than one reason.

He is going to die, no matter what happens.

While traveling, we didn’t talk much. We were all focused on our mission, and busy with thinking about all the things that could happen, once we reached the village.

At night we took turns in guarding the flock of Gryphons, for them to keep flying straight. As of right now, it was my turn, and as I looked around to Tyler and Brock, they laid exactly the same on their Gryphons. Tied themselves up at the waist, and laying backwards on a blanket, with arms under their heads. Even their appearance was the same, same broad shoulders, same dark blond hair, almost the same clothes and same attitude. Hmm… If anyone doubted that Tyler was Brock’s son, then they should look at this image now.

I was so proud of my son, both of them actually. Kaden was taking extra classes, to prepare himself to take over the reins in leading the Mage Tower, and Tyler was so much looking after his father, fighting strong, and never lost a single battle. It wouldn’t surprise me, if Brock would talk to me, about making him General soon. Brock was young when he became General, and as Tyler and Kaden were twenty-two now, almost twenty-three, it is a possibility.

Archeops wouldn’t be cast away out of the castle, he would then become one of our best advisors. Like he has been, all these years already. And I doubt he would mind the step down. He is almost sixty now, and has five children and a few grand-children to take care of, I bet he wants to spend more time with his family.

I had awoken Archeops as it was his turn to watch our flock. He yawned and I grabbed my rolled up blanket and laid myself forward, trying to sleep on Bastet’s soft neck.

“My Queen, wake up, quickly!” One of my Rangers yelled.

I opened my eyes and all I could see was smoke and fire, and I felt the burning smell of sulphur entering my nose.

“Everyone, grab a cloth and make it wet with water, and keep it over your nose and mouth! Don’t inhale the smoke!” I yelled.

It had taken me a few minutes, to realise what was going on, as the screams of women and children, being trapped inside their homes, interrupted my logical thinking. Hayden must have seen us coming, maybe he had scouts hidden, miles away from the village, to let him know when we were arriving!

Shit! Putting those people in danger, is just a deception to keep us occupied! Hayden is trying to get away!

“Axel, get ten of our people to rescue those citizens. Rest of us, spread out, and Emily, use Bastet! Find him!” Brock yelled to us.

Instantly I put my hand on Bastet’s head, searching for heat signatures of people. But that was hard, as the temperature of the flames, that were obviously caused by Pteragons, were hotter than a human body, so I couldn’t distinct the difference between those two.

“Mom, fly lower, so you can see at a horizontal view, as heat from the fire will rise up!” Tyler said.

“Smart thinking son!” I said to him.

And so I did, I flew Bastet downwards, and looked through her eyes, while searching for orange, or blueish temperatures. Orange for warm bodies, blue for dead ones. Unfortunately I saw a lot of blue ones already, when getting lower to the ground notifying me that we have been too late, for too long. I tried to search at the borders of the village, as when Hayden would try to escape, he would have left a while ago.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any trace of an army leaving, nor any of the Pteragons. All I saw were footsteps, but they were from hours ago. Where is he? Where is that son of a bitch?

“Mom there!” Tyler yelled, pointing at the right side of me.

I changed my course and saw a long thin body, surrounded by flames, exhausted too much, to fly up and reach over the hot spikes. One of those Pteragons, was trapped by its own flames!

As I couldn’t replace Hayden anyway, I guided Bastet close to that same Pteragon and dismounted.

“What are you doing Mother?” Tyler asked me.

“Just guard me, I don’t know what I’m doing yet!” I yelled to him.

Tyler took his sword out of its sheath, and took a stance with his back towards me.

The Pteragon was shrieking and hissing in agony and fear. I tried to contact it, but the creature was too afraid to think clearly. I formed small shields around the fires, to not let any air get to that spot, which eventually doused the flames. The only way where the Pteragon could go now, was into my direction and so it did. It slithered its way a few yards towards me, until it realised that I could harm it as well.

“Calm down” I said to the red scaled Pteragon.

I could instantly tell that it was a female one. She looked gorgeous, even in total terror. I think that she could be one of those rare creatures of their species. Leave it up to me, to replace a rare animal in a sea of flames. Right.

She didn’t yet calm down though. She flapped her feathery wings, but couldn’t lift herself. Her exhaustion took its toll and she almost collapsed on the ground. I could see her small nostrils show signs of burns, so I assume that she has been inhaling a lot of smoke.

Pteragons aren’t Dragons, so she isn’t fireproof, and certainly not from the inside. I have to get her out of this situation as soon as possible so I can heal her, with a druid spell.

Her body gave up and she dropped her head. I caught it at the last moment, and laid it gently on the ground.

“Tyler, do you see anyone?”

“No, they are either dead, or gone!”

“Alright, help me drag her then!” I yelled to him.

With her long body, of at least four yards, and a wing span of about the same width, it wasn’t an easy job to pull her to safety. We found a small fountain on a square, and with the water still in there, I used my telekinesis and doused the closest fires around us.

Tyler kept his guard up, and his sword at the ready to attack if needed.

Cirilya had always been better in healing spells, but she wasn’t here now, so I have to help this creature myself. I focused my mind and tried to say the Elfish words with delicacy and determination. They have to be said perfectly accurate, in order to start the healing spell.

Luckily, green magic tingled at the tip of my fingers, as soon as I started to chant the words. I held my hands on top of the Pteragons head, and imagined how the insides of this creature’s lungs would look like. Hoping that I could direct the healing magic, to exactly that place, to being able to heal her faster.