Moonlight shone on the Ashfen castle, illuminating the courtyard, where deformed drawings of dragons, trolls, and other creatures were etched on the dirt ground. The little girl who drew them was currently fast asleep in her father’s lap. Her tail constantly smacked him in the face as she tossed and turned.
Orias was sitting on the stone floor, his back against the wall.
“Bella, can you take over? This smacking is getting ridiculous.” He whispered to his sister, who was lying on the bed, reading a book about poison magic. Her first battle was tomorrow.
“I need to read this last spell on poison magic, brother. It might be important to counteract their magic.”
Grabbing Vara’s tail and holding it still, he looked at his sister. A pang of guilt hit him.
“You’re not coming tomorrow.”
She froze and her eyes snapped to him.
The book in her hands was dropped as she stood up and walked to him.
“Like hell I’m not coming. You are not fighting without me, Orias. I have magic and I can transform into a troll too,” she argued, her fists clenched.
Sighing, he shook his head.
“Who’s going to take care of Vara when we fight? She won’t stay with mom remember?”
As much as Vara loved her grandma, she needed her father or mother to function. When she got separated from either of them she became violent and destructive—it was a liability he hadn't planned for.
Isabella frowned, biting her bottom lip. Vara woke up from the commotion and looked between her parents. Her red eyes blinked cutely.
“What? Fight? Papa fight? I want to fight too!” She punched his chest with her small fists.
He held her hands and kissed her forehead.
“Sleep, you little demon. You can fight when you’re older.”
The girl pouted but laid her head on his lap again. Closing her eyes, her breathing slowed down.
A sigh left his sister.
“Fine. I’ll stay with Vara but you have to promise me you will come back safely, brother. Or else Vara and I will join you in the afterlife.” Her tone was firm.
Orias knew she wasn’t joking because he would do the same if their roles were reversed. Smiling, he nodded.
“I promise. You can hold onto my balls if you want. I’ll come back for them.”
She rolled her eyes and laid back on the bed.
The night was quiet, only the sound of the crickets and the occasional snore from Vara filled the air. She was his weapon yet he couldn’t bring himself to treat her as one. This was a problem.
But one he would deal with later. For now, he needed to rest and prepare for the upcoming battle.
Morning came and the sun was shining on the courtyard that was filled with fifteen fighters and five rats. The prince and Chief Sela were there too, ready to march to the lake.
Orias had Vara in his arms, her small body snuggled against his chest as he whispered to her. “Listen well, Vara. I will leave you with mommy for a few hours. I will be back before you know it. Can you be a good girl for me?”
The girl looked up at him with big innocent eyes. Her tail wagged.
“I will be good papa.”
He kissed her forehead and handed her to Bella who was standing next to him. Kissing her lips softly, he pulled away and turned to Teresa.
His mother smiled at him. “Good luck, Ori.”
A nod and he walked to the front of the group, his expression serious.
Sela stepped up next to him and cleared her throat.
“Alright you lot, listen up! Today we are going to take back the lake that was stolen from us. I expect you all to give it your all. If you die, make sure to take at least one enemy with you. Understood?”
A resounding “Sure Chief” was heard.
Sela raised a brow and looked at the prince who shrugged. This wasn’t a professional army after all.
Giving a signal, they marched out of the castle and into the city. The residents of Ashfen watched them pass by, some with hope, others with indifference because they knew the prince was going to fail anyway.
The prince ignored the looks and focused on the road ahead.
They were heading to the lake, the same path Bella took when she scouted. Charles and William were on his shoulders, watching the forest.
“Prince, are you nervous?” William asked.
Orias shook his head. Nerves were for the weak. He was a step below weak so he couldn’t even feel nervous.
The trek to the lake took four hours and as they got closer to it the smell of the poison fog hit them. They halted and he turned to the group, his expression blank.
The grey-haired man stepped forward—the one with the sick wife, Erno. The other woman with gills also stepped up. Her name was Mena, he remembered.
Sela handed the two of them a small mana core. The two placed it on their wrists, the crystal absorbing into their bodies.
“Listen up. The three of us along with Charles’ squad are going to fight the mages. The rest of you will handle the normal soldiers,” Sela explained, her orange eyes moving between them.
Some of the fighters looked nervous but no one backed out; they couldn’t afford to after losing so much already.
Orias stepped forward and held up the bag of vials Akiria gave him.
“Drink this now. It will lessen the effects of the poison magic until I can kill Lesaril, the mage who created the fog. Any questions?” He asked.
No one had any.
The group split the potion and drank it. Orias didn’t take any. He was going to be above the fog for most of the fight.
“Alright, for Ashfen!” He shouted and the group responded with a weak cheer.
Watching Sela march forward into the fog, the prince turned to Charles and whispered, “Stay safe my friend.”
Charles puffed out his chest. “You too, Prince.”
Their backs got smaller and Orias took out a sketch from his pocket—it was a raven, the same bird that Bella used to escape from the archer. Shifting his body, he grew feathers and a beak, his clothes shifting along with him. His wings flapped and he took to the sky.
The lake was visible from the air. His group still had a bit to go before arriving at the camp. Below him he saw the green fog, it covered the entire lake and surrounded the camp, a perfect defense. The mage Lesaril was sitting on a log, near the lake, and he was the target.
Flying higher, he waited for the perfect timing. The group was near the camp now. The guards spotted them and the bell rang. The camp was alive.
Taking a deep breath, Orias prepared to dive.
Three, two, one.