Page 8 of The Dragon King's Bride
Kaiser
My little firefly is so mysterious. Everything she does is fascinating to me. Just when I think I’ve finally managed to figure her out, she does something new that shatters my expectations.
After everything that happened the night before, I assumed Ava would be far weaker than the other dragon shifters when it comes to magic. But I was wrong. Who would have thought there is so much power hidden in that tiny body? I don’t understand how an underdeveloped dragon can be this powerful, but I’m not going to question it. I’m just glad I don’t have to say goodbye to her just yet.
Still, I know my advisors have a few more tricks up their sleeves. They’re going to do everything they can to prevent Ava from winning the competition. I don’t know the specifics on how they’ve stacked the deck against Ava in the second round, but I know I’m not going to let them get away with it.
Since there’s no way we could continue to watch the competition from the stands, everyone slowly began to make their way back inside. The servants had prepared anotherbanquet in the dining hall for our guests, so I assume that’s where they went. I didn’t join them. Instead, I snuck inside Darkwood Forest. My guards won’t be happy when they discover my absence, but I’m already far enough away that they’re not going to be able to stop me.
Finding Ava was trickier than I expected it to be. I had no choice but to enter the forest far later than her, but even with that, my firefly had done an excellent job of hiding her tracks. When had the forest become so overgrown anyway? The trees are so tightly packed together that I couldn’t see anything from up above. In the end, I’d had to track Ava down by scent. And even that wasn’t easy because she’d jumped into the water at some point.
It's fortunate I’m such an avid hunter. And Darkwood Forest is well known for being the best place to practice those skills. The annual hunting competition is held here every year. For the past five years, I’ve been the one to bring back the greatest game. There’s no beast that I cannot track down. In the end, Ava is no exception.
“Kaiser?” Ava gasps, stunned enough to forget to use my title. She straightens out of her defensive posture. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check in on you,” I explain. A pile of wood lays at her feet, so I know she’s got a fire going, at least. “How is your hunt going? How many puzzle pieces have you found?”
“I see. Thank you, Your Highness,” she says. Contrary to her polite words, her smile is tense and her teeth are clenched. “But you shouldn’t worry about me. I’ve found all but one of the puzzle pieces.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes,” she says, nodding, then bending down to pick up her fallen sticks. “So, while I appreciate the thought, I don’t think I’ll need any help.”
I bend down to help her, scooping a few stray twigs into my own arms. “Out of curiosity, is there a reason you’re setting up camp instead of looking for the last clue? There’s still a bit of daylight left. If you finished on time, you might not need to spend the night out here at all.”
Ava seems to accept that I’m at least going to help her carry her firewood back to her shelter. We start to walk along the riverbend. “The last clue seems rather convoluted. The others had simple visual instructions like ‘under the Cantibou-shaped boulder’ and ‘where the oak grove meets the Bristleberry field.’ But the clue for the last one is ‘where the greatest hunters meet once a year.’ I don’t understand what it’s referring to.”
Ah, there it is. So, that’s how the advisors planned to weed out the commoners this year. Suddenly, I feel a little less foolish for coming in here to help someone who is clearly capable of taking care of herself. It seems I’ll be some help after all.
“It’s referring to the Arendale annual hunt. It takes place in this forest every April. I can show you where the meeting point is, if you like.”
Ava goes still. Since I’m well aware of her intelligence, I know she’s realized the truth. She was never meant to be able to find the final piece. For a moment, I wonder if she’s going to say anything to me about it, but instead she gives me a tight smile. “I see. Thank you, Your Highness, that would be wonderful.”
“Do you want to go right now?”
Ava bites her lip and looks towards something a little way up the river. I crane my head to see what she’s staring at, but I’m distracted when Ava nods. “Of course. Just let me put these down for now.” She lays her sticks back on the ground. I drop mine on top of hers.
Just as I’m bending down to do so, something whizzes past my ear. I look to see it lodged in the tree behind me. It’s an arrow.
“Get down!” I shout. “We’re under attack!”
Ava drops to the ground beside me, and we shuffle our way behind some bushes. I peer over the top of them, trying to catch a glimpse of who shot at us. There’s two of them. One is behind a bush on the opposite side of the river, the other is standing on a nearby branch.
I aim for the closer one first, breathing out a jet of fire so large that it engulfs the entire tree. The man burns to a crisp with a terrified shriek. At the sound of his comrade dying, the other one takes off. He weaves between the trees as he escapes. It’s difficult for me to get a proper shot.
“Damn,” I curse. Is it worth it to go after him? I don’t see how I could possibly catch him at this point.
Then the fleeing man cries out. I frown. What happened to him? A moment later, my question is answered. The man comes running back this way, trying in vain to cover his bleeding eyes. A flock of birds is attacking him, pecking and clawing at his face.
It’s a peculiar sight, but not enough to make me hesitate. In a split second, I send a second jet of fire careening towards the man. He, too, is engulfed by flames, dropping to the forest floor with a heavythud. Silence follows.
“What was that?” Ava questions, standing up and brushing dirt and moss off her hands.
“Assassins,” I answer. My eyes are still trained to the crisped remains.
“Yes,” Ava nods, “but who were they for? You or me?”
I don’t answer right away. It’s difficult to say. They could’ve been hired by another competitor, but it’s also possible that someone saw me enter the forest. “There’s no way to know,” I admit.
