"Loren!" Kae screamed. The sound of the princess in pain pulled at Kae's heart, wrenching at it as if she was the one being burned. "Haedria, stop it!"
"Stop it? Why on earth would I?" The queen smirked. "Your precious princess knows what to do to make it stop."
Kae turned towards Loren, only to see the princess hold out a shaking hand towards the queen. Kae's heart fell through her stomach.
"K-Kae." Loren stammered through gritted teeth. "The antidote for the basilisk venom..."
"What?"
"Take it, and bring it to my mother."
"I can't leave you here!"
"Kae!" Loren cried. She looked up, into Kae's eyes. The princess's dark eyes shone with fear, and the barest bit of hope. "Please, listen to me. Haedria will not stop till she gets what she wants. If she takes me, you all can go.. You can leave and be free of this. Please Kae, take the antidote and save my mother. And the very least, something good would have come of all this."
"No, no, no, princess." Kae said, falling to her knees as well and taking the princess into her arms. Loren was hot to the touch, but Kae did not care. "There has to be another way, I'll find it. I can't leave you here like this. With her." Kae shot a look to Haedria, who only smiled in return. "You're the best thing thats ever happened to me. I can't lose you, princess. I can't." Kae's voice was choked with emotion, enough for Loren to notice.
"Kae? Do you-"
The huntress cut her off, nodding, tears streaming from her face. "Yes. So don't give up just yet. We have to go home."
Loren smiled, happy and safe in the huntress's arms. In Kae's embrace, Loren could forget the heat and pain. She could forget the hateful magic burning her from the inside. Haedria saw, and sneered.
"How delightful, to see two lovebirds in their final moments." The queen held out a hand outstretched towards the princess. Markings flared even brighter, and Loren screamed. The princess pitched forward in agony, breaking out of Kae's hold. "To me, Loren. Only me."
"No!" Kae cried, leaping to her feet. The dagger was in her hand, but what could she do? Haedria was too far away. If she ran towards the queen, even worse might come to Loren. The huntress's mind ran a mile a minute, but her train of thought was broken just as quickly.
"What!" Haedria said suddenly. "Where is your pendant? Where is the dragon's pendant?"
The idea struck Kae like a lightning bolt. Her hand flew to the pendant in the pocket of her trousers. She easily slipped it out, her fingers curling around the silver dragon's lithe body. She held it up so Haedria could see, and poised the dagger above it.
The queen’s eyes widened. “You!”
“Let Loren go.” Kae shot back.
“You don’t even know what it does, foolish girl.” Haedria sneered. “Let go of it before you manage to stab yourself.”
“I know it has the dragon’s magic. I know that’s what you’re after.”
“It is so much more than a simple vessel for magic, girl. You will never understand. Hand it over, now!” The queen stretched out her hand. Loren looked back at Kae, her eyes clouded with tears from pain. The princess shook her head. “There are shackles of magic that go beyond comprehension, that transcend the years and understanding of even ancient mages.”
“Shackles?” Kae whispered. “The dragon is a captive.”
The queen said nothing. She glared at the huntress, turning back to Loren in her anger. The markings flared, and Loren screamed, falling to the floor and beginning to crawl pitifully before the red queen.
“Kae!” Loren screamed desperately. Her voice pierced the strange, heavy silence of the throne room. “Destroy it! Destroy the pendant!”
“Silence!” Haedria snarled, her magic surging. The air around the queen began to shimmer with heat, with tongues of flame licking her form. The huntress raised the dagger and the queen raised her voice. “Seraphis! To me!”
A scream was heard from another part of the castle, echoing over Loren’s own. After a few seconds, the sound of boots running on stone rang through the halls. The warrior princess of Sagna burst into the throne room, twin swords drawn. Her expression was twisted in pain and her body was engulfed in a raging fire. She didn’t stop or question why Haedria had activated the markings so suddenly and so harshly. She rushed straight towards Kae and Cassendir, swinging her swords wildly. If she struck down those who angered the queen, the pain would stop. She would do anything, as long as the pain would stop.
Kae gasped, her grip on the pendant tightening. She had begun to see the warrior princess as a friend, even though it was the barest sense of the word. She thought Seraphis was on their side. But here, with wild, mad eyes, her swords drawn and flames roiling down their blades, she was never more afraid.
Seraphis held her blades high over her head, poised to bring them down and cut the huntress down. As the swords came down, Kae screwed her eyes shut and looked away. There was a loud clang, but no pain. Shaking, Kae opened her eyes. Above her was Cassendir, a sword of coalesced blue light shining in his hands, blocking the blow and bearing the full weight of the warrior princess.
“Kae, whatever you are planning, please do it quickly!” Cassendir groaned. Seraphis screamed in rage and pushed against the mage, sending Cassendir sprawling away. She dashed towards him, and he tried his best to block the blows of Seraphis’s flaming swords with his own as best as he could.
Chapter Twenty Five
Kae nodded quickly and leapt out of the way. Seraphis
