I gritted my teeth and faked a move forward, then darted to the side, forcing the dragon to lunge toward Alina. Then, possibly forgetting about me, it moved past me, and I was already on its back. The beast let out a piercing screech, overwhelming my senses and sending waves of dizziness and pain through my mind. I plunged my knife to the side of its head and then a second time, right above the first. The monster kept moving beneath me and I continued striking until it stilled. Then it dropped on the ground, taking me with it.
“Tynan, Tynan!” Alina was beside me in that instance.
Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet. The entire side of my body and my back were scorched and raw. I growled, the leather of my clothes had melted into my skin.
“You’re hurt.”
“We have to go.” I sheathed my knife but before taking a step, I pulled Alina closer.
“Promise me, you will stay safe. Promise me, that whatever happens to me, you will live to the fullest. Promise me, if I’m gone, you will marry someone who’s worthy of you and have a family.”
“No!”
“Promise me!”
“Don’t you dare leave me. Don’t you dare!”
“Promise!”
“No.”
“Please.”
“I can’t.”
My lips found hers and I could taste the ash and tears on her skin, her arms wrapped around my neck and I hissed from the pain.
“I want to hear it. Please.”
She shook her head, tears slid down her cheeks. She was as stubborn as I remembered.
“Let's go.” I pressed my lips against her forehead.
Carefully avoiding the debris on the floor and stepping over the broken furniture, we made it to the door.
The halls remained empty, only the unmistakable, acrid stench in the air forewarned of what was happening on the lower floors. For a moment, my childhood memories flooded back. I remembered staring out those windows, cursing my life and fate for making me suffer, for making me afraid. But now, the walls trembled with the growls of the beasts, threatened by something far darker than my sadistic mother.
I had spent countless hours fantasizing about this castle's destruction, imagining it burning to the ground. But now, with that distant dream no longer a fantasy, I found myself wanting to save it.
I took out my knife, and prepared the second one, before we made it to the corner. I pushed the armory door open, finding a group of men getting ready for the battle.
“Ty!” Victor called.
“Aly.” Frid approached us, she had a large canvas bag draped across her body.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We want to use the water. There’s only one thing... we don’t know how to do it better.” Hanoch examined the display of random objects on the table.
“Just spray it!” One of the men shouted.
“We have to save it.” Hanoch turned toward him.
“How about pouring it into a bottle and throwing it?” Sol strapped his axe to his belt.
“They might not break on contact,” I said, walking toward the table and looking through the random items.
Even with all of the preparations, we still were not ready. We never had a chance to come up with a decent plan because so many things had to be solved before that.
