Chapter 14: A Seat at the Table

King Ezran, Queen Aanya, the two regents, and Prince Callum, were surrounded by soldiers as they made their way down the numerous stone stairs of the castle.

"What's going on?" Ezran asked. "Why would we have to evacuate?"

"I don't know Ez." Callum replied worriedly. "But we have the best guards in the kingdom. In four different kingdoms. We'll be okay."

There was a sound of screaming ahead.

As arrows came flying, striking down soldiers all around. Nobody had time to react.

Ezran froze, his eyes wide. He looked down at one of them, as the soldier tried to stand, an arrow sticking out of his chest.

"Callum?" Ezran asked worriedly.

He didn't feel like a king right now. This wasn't supposed to be what wearing the crown brought.

Jelly tarts. The ability to endlessly mess with armored guards. All in good fun of course.

This was not good fun.

The katolian guard let out a groan as a second arrow hit him.

"EZ GET BEHIND ME!" Callum shouted.

"We can't leave him!" Ezran shouted, pointing to the guard.

The young man looked up at Ezran weakly, as the child reached for him.

"Get out of here...go!" The guard shouted, blood pulsing from his wounds.

Callum grabbed Ezran's backpack, and yanked him back. He paused to look back.

Just in time to see King Iman take several arrows to the chest. He fell to the ground, and Callum turned, pushing Ezran ahead of him.

"We have to get out of here, Ez! Come on!"

"We can't just leave them!" Ezran argued. "Those are my people! Our people!"

"It's too late, Ez!" Callum shouted. "You need to survive, that is the one and only priority!" He paused, looking around the hallway. "Where's Rayla?"

The swords clashed, precise strikes meeting with sparks again and again.

There wasn't all that much bloodshed this time. Rayla could see. She could block.

Talon swung wildly at her head, and she dove down, before flipping her sword, and hooking it under his foot.

She pulled it out, knocking him off balance.

"What...what was that?!" Talon demanded.

"I swept the leg. You should try it sometime." Rayla replied, swords in a defensive position.

"That's not a thing in sword fighting." Talon replied bluntly. "Who taught you?"

"The best." Rayla replied, narrowing her eyes.

Talon let out a light chuckle.

"Forgot to teach you how to kill, though."

Rayla let out an angry yell, then threw herself at the snobby assassin, blades flying.

Callum and Ezran arrived back in the meeting room.

"Callum, why did we go up? We have no way out!" Ezran argued.

"I have an idea!" Callum replied, opening the door to the balcony.

He ran across, over to the balcony's edge, his eyes widening.

At the horror beneath them.

Etheros was burning.

Houses had become infernos. The smoke filled the air.

So too, did the screams of the locals.

"What happened?" Callum asked breathlessly, exchanging a terrified look with Ezran. "Who would do this?"

The door to the balcony was blown open behind them.

The two royal siblings jerked around quickly, eyes wide, to see a group of barbarians.

They stepped out, creating a formation around the now ruined door.

And through the doorway, a cloaked figure stepped.

Wearing a wooden mask.

"Hello boys." Azrael greeted, with a slight, mocking bow. "Im here for my seat at the table. Did you keep it warm?"

Ezran and Callum exchanged confused glances.

"No?" Azrael asked. "That's alright? I'll do it myself."

He turned, flames erupted from one of his hands, a fireball that shot into the room, and demolished the table of the pentarchy, sending burning wood splinters flying through the air.

"Whoops. A bit too much." He lamented. "Ah well." He turned back around. "Come with me, children."

"Did you do this?" Callum demanded, gesturing to the burning city behind them.

Azrael stepped forward, and Callum watched his movements warily.

"I know. Not my best work, certainly not. Trust me, in a few minutes it'll really be something." Azrael assured.

"It's you." Ezran said, eyebrows flaring. "The one Corvus told me about. You're Azrael."

"Indeed. Though I much prefer KING Azrael." He replied, his eyes carefully analyzing the young king, from under his mask. "Look at you. You're a spitting image of Harrow."

"I thought Azrael was that assassin...?" Callum asked, looking from the masked figure, to Ezran.

"No. That was my dearest Talon. A misdirection, you see. It's a lot easier to assassinate someone, when they think the assassination has already failed."

Callum stepped in front of Ezran.

"You stay away from him. He's done nothing to you."

Azrael let out a light chuckle.

"What a committed brother. Truly. Are you willing to die for your little king?" He asked.

Callum held up a hand, as he backed, with Ezran, toward the balcony's edge.

"Keep back. I'm warning you."

Azrael tilted his head to the side. Then he looked down at his feet, and took a full, defiant step forward.

"Alright." Callum replied tensely. "I warned you."

He swiftly drew a rune in the air, then, before Azrael could react, he spoke.

"Aspiro!"

Wind erupted, flying straight at Azrael and his barbarians.

Knocking several of them off their feet, but leaving Azrael himself unmoved.

He held up a hand, as the wind rippled against his cloak.

And Callum realized with wide, terrified eyes, that he was collecting the force of the wind in his hand.

"Ez...grab onto my back. Tight." Callum commanded.

"What?"

"Do it!" Callum snapped.

"A pity. You could've been a gifted mage. But you are as tainted by your father's poisonous influence as your brother. Goodbye little ones."

He opened his fist, and the wind was sent shrieking back at the two.

Callum reached back, making sure Ezran was holding him securely. And he braced.

As the wind knocked him off his feet, and sent both of them plummeting over the edge of the balcony.

Azrael walked slowly to the edge. Watching the last bits of wind ripple overhead.

He bent over to look down.

And the wind whipped back at him, as an object shot straight up into the sky, blowing him back a step.

He jerked his head up to see Callum.

Massive bird wings flapping, as he rose over the warlord. Glaring down at him.

Ezran was gripping his back tightly.

Callum turned, and swooped down toward the town, as Azrael watched with fascinated eyes.

"What a gifted child." He said with a sneer. He raised his black orb. "Borvir! You are late! Come forth!" He called.

Callum landed on a rooftop, on the untouched corner of the city. He could hear the barbarians approaching, as they tore a path of destruction through the neutral land.

"Callum, that's so cool! Why don't you do that more often?" Ezran asked, as he hopped down from his back.

"Cuz it usually shreds my sleeves." Callum replied bluntly. "I'm gonna see if I can find some help. Stay hidden."

Ezran watched him soar off, with worried eyes.

"Be careful!"

Rayla burst through an aqueduct opening, and found herself back in the streets. She ducked down a side street, pulling her hood up.

Talon wasn't far behind. But she'd managed to fight him off for now.

She took in the scene before her. Smoke was rising from the south side of the city, and her eyes widened as she saw the true level of devastation.

Then she turned her eyes to the castle. And saw flames consuming it.

Her heart sank.

"Im too late." She whispered, her shoulders sagging. She bowed her head.

"RAYLA!" A familiar voice called.

Her head snapped up, and a smile spread across her face.

As she saw Callum gliding down from the clouds.

"CALLUM!" She called, leaping up onto a rooftop to see him closer.

As she did, her heart jumped, and her eyes widened.

A shadow had appeared in the clouds behind the flying mage.

"Rayla, we gotta get back to Ezran, and get outta here!" Callum called, unaware of the massive, winged silhouette behind him.

"CALLUM! LOOK OUT!" Rayla shouted.

As a massive, ancient looking dragon burst through the clouds.

"Wait, What?" Callum asked, finding himself covered in shadow. He turned, and his eyes widened.

"Oh no. Oh no, no thank you..."

The black and gold dragon took a deep breath, then spewed flames from his maw.

Callum rolled to the side, but the flames caught his right wing with full force, the flames spreading across his feathers.

"CALLUM!" Rayla shouted, charging forward, as the burning mage plummeted.

The dragon pulled up, then smashed into a row of houses, before turning, and unleashing his flame on the market, sending humans fleeing in terror.

Rayla didn't see any of it. She was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, following Callum's descent.

A trail of smoke followed him, and the closer she got, the more audible his screams became.

He couldn't think. It hurt that bad. He couldn't even acknowledge that was in a freefall. His arm was on fire. He was desperately trying to put it out with his other, feathered wing, but it wasn't working.

He looked up from the flames, to see that he was heading straight for the street.

He forced himself to change course, gritting his teeth as he tried to aim for the flowing water that circulated in a stone stream through the city.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain.

And hit the water hard.

For a moment, everything went silent. Just the sound of the water around him. The pain of his impact.

He could feel the spell wearing off, his ruined wings turning back into arms.

He tried to breathe in, and found himself sinking.

"Breathe sweetie. Please."

He could hear his mother's voice. Urging him to fight this. Urging him to stay conscious.

And then he heard a very different voice, a moment later, as he was yanked out of the water.

"Callum! Did ya not see the giant dragon?! Why didn't ya get outta the way?!" Rayla demanded, as she pulled the wet prince out of the water.

"Couldn't...react fast enough." Callum replied, looking at his arm, and noticing it was unharmed. It had seemed his feathers had taken the brunt of the hit. "Why would a dragon attack?" He asked, looking up at it.

It swooped over the burning buildings, toward the castle.

Rayla shook her head in disbelief, as she watched it.

"I don't know. I don't...We need to go. Where's Ezran?"

Azrael stood on the balcony, watching as the dragon soared over.

And came to hover overhead.

"You're late, Borvir." He said, removing his mask to reveal a look of disappointment on his ravaged face.

"I serve you because I must. Not because I wish to." Borvir boomed. "I will not show up like some pet at your beck and call."

Azrael cleared his throat.

"A gentle reminder, dragon. Your lifespan ended years ago. My gift to you has been extending it. It is a gift I can take away at any time. If you wish to continue living, you WILL be my pet. At my beck and call." He snapped.

Borvir growled, but he knew the mage's words to be true.

"What do you wish for me to do, King Azrael?" He asked.

Azrael looked down at the city beneath them.

"Burn Etheros to the ground." He commanded. "And find me the child King of Katolis."

Callum and Rayla ran through the city streets, ducking the very loud barbarians as they did.

It wasn't hard.

"So this Azrael guy..." Callum began.

"He's a nasty piece of work. I ran into him in the catacombs. He hates elves." Rayla informed him swiftly.

"Oh no way, cuz he also hates anyone related to my stepdad. So I guess we're in the same sinking, burning boat." Callum said with a nervous chuckle.

"Wait a minute, there's somethin I forgot." Rayla said, pulling Callum aside, as a band of barbarians marched by in the street.

"Forgot? What do you mean, we can't go back..."

Callum couldn't finish his point, as a kiss from Rayla rather rudely cut him off. He closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around the moonshadow elf, the two taking a moment to enjoy each other's respective survival.

"When I saw the flames around the castle, I thought I'd lost you. You and Ezran. I don't know what I woulda done..." Rayla said, holding onto him tightly. "Let's go get your brother, we needa get out of here."

Azrael stepped out of the main door of the castle, and Rhizan ran up to him.

"We have the royal guards pinned down the street." One of the barbarians explained. "The regents of Del Bar and Evenere are slain. As is King Iman. Queen Aanya escaped, with some of her forces."

"And what of King Ezran?" Azrael asked.

"We'll find him." Rhizan assured.

"See that you do." Azrael replied, turning, and glaring down the empty streets.

Bodies littered the ground.

He held up his black orb, and more dark clouds floated across the air, into it.

"The pain of the conquered. Irreplaceable." He muttered, as he felt the energy draw from the orb into his body, his veins turning black, as the dark magic flowed through him.

"Rayla!" Ezran exclaimed, running over and hugging the elf. "We didn't know if you made it out."

"I had a run in with your wannabe assassin. But I'm alright. We gotta get movin." She said, hopping down from the rooftop, as the dragon burned the city from overhead.

Ezran paused, looking up at it.

His eyes watching it carefully. Callum paused to look back at him.

"Ez?"

"That dragon doesn't want to do this." Ezran said, eyes watching intensely as it burned down buildings.

"Ez, we don't have time..." Callum said.

"It's a prisoner!" Ezran said in surprise.

"How could a human imprison a dragon?" Rayla asked.

Before that question could be answered, the dragon's head jerked over, to glare directly at Ezran.

"Uh oh." Ezran whispered, eyes wide. "We should probably run."

The trio turned and ran down the street, as Borvir swooped directly at them, and unleashed flame from his maw, destroying the building Ezran had been hiding above.

"This way!" A voice called.

Ezran turned, and spotted Commander Fen gesturing from a side alley.

He and the others ran to him.

"How did this happen?" Ezran asked, as he looked down into the alley, and saw a handful of Katolian soldiers.

Fen sighed.

"They walked up in plain sight. In cloaks. Got up close and attacked the guards."

Rayla looked around, eyes wide.

"Is this...everyone?" She asked.

"Nobody else made it." One of the soldiers replied sadly. "Those things hunted them down in the street. The ones that got away...well...that dragon probably took care of them."

Rayla let out a sigh, her ears dropping.

"We need to get outta here. All of us. I know a way. There are catacombs that lead outta the city. I can take ya there, but we have to be careful. We can't be followed."

Commander Fen nodded.

"Anything that gets us out of this city...this conference was a mistake, King Ezran."

Ezran flinched at his comment, but nodded.

"You're right." He agreed. "We shouldn't have come here. No one should have."

"You had no way of knowing, Ez." Callum said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"We're not blamin each other for this. There's no time!" Rayla insisted. "We need to move. Now." She said, drawing her swords. "Everyone stay behind me."