The queen looked amused with the proceedings, but her smile soured as Loren regained consciousness, standing with her sword drawn, and her eyes turning a shining gold. She fixed the beast in a focused stare, made eerie with dark slit irises. She lightly touched her silver dragon pendant, before rushing headlong towards the beast.
Kae was about to call out to Loren to be careful, as she had just loosed an arrow and Loren was in its path. With barely a glance, Loren ducked and the arrow flew a fraction above her head. She struck out at the beast’s side with her sword, dodging around its blows with a sudden fluid, focused grace. She hacked and slashed at the beast’s arms, chest, and face with inhuman precision, her movements like a dance.
The queen was displeased. “I had heard of Ylfair the Dragonheart, who had the nerve to enter my territory and attempt the challenge of the ebonstone castle.” She said softly, still audible over the roar of the beast. “So strange to see one of her kin. And still, so foolishly entering my kingdom. Finish with them quickly, my love.”
The beast roared, rising to its hind legs, and began to attack with renewed fervor. It singled out Loren, swiping at her with its claws and trying to chase her down as she danced just out of reach. Cassendir’s magic bounced right off its hide, and Kae’s arrows stuck into its flesh with no effect.
“What do we do?” Kae shouted, still loosing arrows, aiming for the beast’s eyes. “Nothing is slowing it down!”
“I don’t know!” Cassendir answered, ducking under the banquet table and coming up the other side. His mage markings glowed as he readied a flaming sword. “Loren!” he called, rushing to help.
Loren said nothing. She focused with such intensity at the beast, that it was if nothing else existed but her and the remnants of the king of Yureun. She hopped out of reach of its claw, tilting her head as it sailed over her. She spared a second to glance at Kae, before turning back to the beast and raising her sword.
Kae looked right into Loren’s unnaturally golden eyes in that one moment, and felt a shiver down her spine. She calmly raised her bow, held her breath, and fired the arrow. Loren sidestepped around the beast, making it follow her and turn, catching the arrow in its eye. The beast roared in pain, and began to thrash about. Instead of dodging away from it as she was doing, Loren stepped further into the beast’s space. Kae and Cassendir called out to Loren at the same time, but the beast fell forward onto her, claws blindly searching.
After a second or two, the beast’s roar died in its throat. Its arms went limp, and the fight left its eyes. The beast fell heavily onto its side, with Loren’s sword through the roof of its mouth and jutting out the top of its head. Loren herself was unscathed, but was bathed in the thick, viscous blood of the beast. She pressed her foot against its chest and pulled her sword free.
The blood curdling scream of the queen forced Ma’trii to flee from the throne room, tail between his legs. The sound carried grief and outrage, and the rail-thin specter of the queen rushed to the beast’s side. There was no trace of the human it used to be, but the queen caressed its bloodied face with the tenderness of a lover. Tears welled in her eyes as she softly stroked the coarse hair of the beast. Loren still said nothing, and raised her bloodied sword again to strike.
“How dare you.” The queen of Yureun hissed. “I allow you to come into my home. I share with you my food, the bounty of my kingdom. And you strike down my husband. My love…” she bent down and brushed her lips against the beast’s mouth.
Loren’s golden eyes flashed as she saw the opportunity. She swung her sword with all her strength, chopping off the queen of Yuren’s head. Or so was the plan. Her sword passed through the queen as if through air. Her blow was met with a hollow chuckle, like ash falling in the wind.
“You never loved me. You lied to me.” The queen rambled, cradling the beast’s head. “You will die here, child of dragons. You will join all those who came before you.”
The ground began to shake so violently that stone and brick fell from the ruined ceiling of the castle, peppering the throne room with debris. Loren narrowed her eyes, looking more like a displeased serpent than a woman, and rushed to grab Kae’s wrist. She pulled the huntress along until Kae could keep up, dodging fallen rocks and jumping over fallen parts of walls and pillars. Cassendir was close behind, blasting away debris with his magic.
The queen’s hollow laugh seemed to echo in the still air of the Plaguelands, even long after they had left the castle. Breathlessly, they took their packs, and began to run away from the ruined castle and the queen that haunted it.
The sun was about to set when finally Loren called for a halt. After watching her fight the beast without a sound and with strange, golden eyes, neither Kae nor Cassendir decided it was wise to challenge her. Loren slowed to a walk, raised her hand to signal that they will stop for a while, and collapsed on the spot.
“Loren!” Kae was the first to the princess’s side. She caressed the princess’s cheek, and thought that maybe Loren was wounded by the beast but never said anything. “Loren! Loren, wake up.”
The princess opened her eyes just a fraction, groaned, and fell back unconscious. Her eyes were dark, much
