The Heirs - Chapter 1 Preview

"Dragon King?” Dovik stated as if he didn’t quite hear Moq correctly. “I was under the impression that dragons were a myth.”

“So were we until Aleius discovered a hive in the Easter Desert.” Moq replied.

“A hive?” Dovik looks at Moq in disbelief. “How did he discover a hive?”

“I say discover but more like fell into their hive. While we were training in the desert, he fell into a sand pit and was trapped for 3-days.” We watched the dragon fly around in a circle. “I’m still unsure of what actually happened down there but when he emerged from a cave on the back of a dragon… It was the most unreal thing I’ve ever seen.”

“He didn’t tell you what happened?” Dovik wondered.

“I asked him but he wouldn’t tell me. If you ask me, I think it traumatized him.” Moq looks at Dovik. “But it also empowered him.”

As they continued to observe the dragon, thoughts started running through Dovik’s head. He wasn’t sure if he should ask the questions that he was thinking of but, at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he shouldn’t. He continued to observe the dragon as it perched itself on top of the palace. At that point, he couldn’t resist asking.

“Moq…” He calls, as Moq looks at him in response. “Is the Emperor aware of this?”

“The Emperor witnessed it himself. Apparently, the young master told him what happened in the hive and it’s a secret between the two of them.” Moq replied.

“Any idea why that is?” Dovik wondered.

“If I was to guess, it’s probably an ability that’s not restricted to dragons.”

While Moq and Dovik were amazed by the appearance of the dragon, it couldn’t compare to the amazement by the rest of the Valencian citizens. With evacuations still underway, people were mesmerized by what they were seeing and hearing. Evelyn and her warriors were among those that were distracted by it. Evelyn, showing the reasons why she was a commander, quickly got her warriors focused even though she was dumbfounded on what was happening. As the enemy forces began to get into archer range, Evelyn stood with her top 10-archers, armed with long range crossbows, and began taking aim.

“Be as accurate as possible and don’t let up.” She commands. She looks at her Vice Commander. “Keep a steady assault. I want 3 separate waves firing until we deplete our supply.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She replies.

With the enemy in range, Vice Commander Kaya gave the order for her archers to start firing. As Evelyn ordered, three separate waves of arrows were fired continuously, reaching the middle of the enemy formation. Evelyn’s crossbow squad were also firing at a consistent rate. After depleting their supply, the enemy was cut down 3,500 soldiers. Evelyn waved for Kaya to come to her.

“Yes, Commander?” Kaya said as she stood in front of Evelyn.

“Join Tyson and lead the archer assault.” Evelyn ordered, taking heed to Aleius’s wishes.

“Yes, ma’am.” She turns around. “Everyone, on me!”

Elsewhere, Yolanna and Lady Rae, sitting back-to-back, still attempted to find Orius. A ring of blue light surrounded them as they chanted incantations. As they heard the shrieks of the dragon above, their eyes opened and looked towards the sky. Still chanting, not completely having their concentration broken, they reacted to what they saw.

“So, the rumors are true.” Lady Rae telepathically said to Yolanna. “Word had it that dragons were around.”

“What is one doing here though?” Yolanna wondered.

“That’s a good question. I’ll be sure to investigate it as soon as we’re done here.” They close their eyes and get back into position. “By how your stamina feels, we’re gonna have to drop to a sub-conscious output.”

“Won’t that make this take longer?”

“I took that into account already in my initial estimates.” Lady Rae proclaimed. “If either one of us pass out, we risk losing our progress and having to start over.”

“You’re right. I can still go full power for another hour.”

“Alright. Give it your all for the next hour and we’ll make the switch.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The dragon soars through the sky and away from the city. With the skies still dark, the dragon disappeared amid the night sky. The enemy troops continued to march towards Valencia, unaware of the dangers that were upon them. Aleius, perched on the back of the dragon’s neck, surveyed the field. His eyes were a dark blue color, giving him the ability to see through the dark. With his attack method in mind, he guides the dragon down towards the frontline of the soldiers. The dragon opens his mouth and launches three big fireballs towards the soldiers. The soldiers didn’t even have time to react as the first 10 lines were engulfed in flames. 2,000 soldiers were disintegrated in an instant as the dragon followed the attack with a sweeping stream of fire that sprayed from his mouth. In a sweeping motion, the dragon made three passes across the lines, annihilating another 5,000 soldiers. Enemy archers attempted to fire arrows at the dragon but were unable to hit it as he flew higher up. The dragon flew in a circle, turned back towards the frontline of the enemy force and made a dive towards them. The dragon opened his mouth and made an ear-piecing shriek, causing the soldiers to attempt to cover their ears, however, 600 of them had their heads explode from the sound. The dragon landed on the ground, 100 feet away from the closest enemy, inhaled and exhaled another stream of fire straight ahead. The stream of fire disintegrated another 8,000 soldiers as it penetrated the enemy force all the way to the last line. It then flew away, back towards the palace.

Seeing the dragon depart, Tyson led the charge to eradicate the rest of the enemy forces. Still in disarray, the enemy forces weren’t able to withstand Tyson’s charge; forcing them to retreat. A battle that looked as if it would be a struggle, it was over within 30-minutes. The field outside of the city was littered with bodies and ashes. Soldiers stomped out the little remains of fire that were still around. Tyson stood in awe at what he witnessed, yet still didn’t believe what he saw. This was a complete massacre…

Yolanna and Lady Rae, still in position, began to lose their stamina. As planned, they began to go into sub-conscious mode, but their concentration was almost completely broken when the dragon landed in the courtyard. Only visible to Yolanna, her eyes went wide as she tried to continue chanting.

“Lady Rae, that dragon is right in front of me!!” Yolanna telepathically said.

“Keep your eye on it but don’t make any sudden movement.” Lady Rae suggested.

The dragon let out a loud shriek. Yolanna watched as she caught the silhouette of a figure on the dragon’s back. It took a moment for her to realize that it was Aleius. She wasn’t sure what he was doing but got a feeling in her chest that he was in trouble. She also realized that if she stopped chanting, it may hurt their process, forcing them to start again. She couldn’t decide what to do.

“Go!” Lady Rae told her. “I’ll manage by myself for a while.”

With her blessing, Yolanna didn’t hesitate to get up and run towards the dragon. While not sure how to handle it, she needed to make sure Aleius was ok. She cautiously approaches the dragon.

“Aleius!!!” She calls, trying to get his attention. The dragon turns towards her and looks at her with a fearsome growl accompanying the intimidating glare. Yolanna immediately felt fear for the first time in her life. As the dragon approached her, she found herself unable to move as she quivered with fear. “A-Aleius…” She murmurs. “Aleius…” The dragon prepares to strike at her. “ALEIUSSS!!!”

Before the dragon was able to reach her, it stopped. Yolanna, who had braced herself for the attack, looked at the dragon. The dragon backed away and then started shrieking. A blinding, bright light emitted from the dragon’s chest as it continued to shriek. Yolanna covered her eyes as much as possible to shield herself from the light. The shrieking started to dull down to a loud deep yell and then to the screaming of a child. When Yolanna opened her eyes, the dragon was gone and Aleius was on the ground in his underwear.

Yolanna runs to him and kneels next to him. She could see steam and feel heat emitting from his body. Guards started to approach, alerted from the shrieks and yells. Yolanna takes the cloak off one of the guards and wraps it around Aleius, who is still unconscious.

“He’s still alive. Take him to my room!” Yolanna tells them. One of the guards gently picks Aleius up and carries him into the palace.

Yolanna runs back towards the incantation circle but before she sits back down, Lady Rae stops chanting. The light disappears and she falls onto her back. Yolanna catches her before her head hits the ground. Lady Rae opens her eyes and looks at Yolanna.

“How long was I out?” She asked.

“Just for a second.” Yolanna replies. “I’m so sorry, Lady Rae. I didn’t mean to leave you alone for so long.”

“It’s alright, Lanna.” Lady Rae smiles as she grabs Yolanna’s pendant. “I found him.” Yolanna gasps. Before she could ask any questions, Lady Rae passes out.

In the front of the palace, Evelyn, Tyson, Moq, Dovik, Lecinda and Valencia gathered.

“Has anyone seen Master Aleius?” Moq asked.

“Not since the start of the battle.” Evelyn replied.

“That aside, explain where that dragon came from.” Tyson said to Moq.

“In due time, that will be discussed.” Moq stated. “For now, we should focus our efforts to finding him.”

“He’s in my room.” Yolanna states. Everyone turns and sees her walking towards them.

“Lanna,” Lecinda calls, immediately embracing her as she approached, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Yes, I am fine, Mother.” Lecinda lets go and looks into her young daughter’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Lecinda asks, seeing something in Yolanna’s eyes.

“I’m not exactly sure.” Yolanna replies.

“Too much is happening too fast.” Evelyn proclaims. “Let’s get things in order and meet in the Dining Hall. Tyson, send scouts to alert the people that they can return to their homes.” Tyson salutes and runs off. “Averia should be here already. Let’s get her to prepare a feast so we can discuss all of the things that’s transpired.”

“Queen Lecinda and I shall help her.” Valencia volunteered. “Yolanna, you should get some rest for now.”

“Where is Rae?” Lecinda asked.

“She’s in a guest room, resting.” Yolanna replied. At this point, she’s so distraught and confused about everything that she forgot to tell them what Lady Rae said. “I’ll go rest in my room so I can be there when Aleius wakes up.”

“That’s a good idea.” Evelyn agreed. “Alright, that just leaves Moq and Dovik.”

“We’re going to inspect the grounds and tally our losses.” Dovik suggested.

“Agreed.” Moq concurred.

“Very well. Let’s all be in the dining hall in 2-hours.” Evelyn stated. Everyone nodded and dispersed. However, Lecinda walked with Yolanna.

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Lecinda said to Valencia. “I just want to make sure Yolanna makes it to her room okay.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll see you afterwards.” Valencia replied.

Lecinda, with her right arm around Yolanna, walked with her to Yolanna’s room. With that contact, Lecinda absorbed a lot of the emotions that Yolanna was feeling. Since she couldn’t actually read her mind, she didn’t know why her daughter felt so many different emotions when she was tasked with trying to find Orius. It worried her.

“Yolanna…” Lecinda called.

“Yes…” Yolanna replied in a light voice, showing her fatigue.

“You did well, my love.” Lecinda said, bailing on asking her questions.

She opens the door to Yolanna’s room and sees Aleius resting peacefully on the bed. She helps Yolanna to the other side of the bed and aids in her getting in the bed. Almost immediately, Yolanna falls asleep. Lecinda sways her daughter’s hair behind her ear and kisses her forehead. She admires her for a little bit before walking to Aleius’s side. She places her hand on his head and then his cheek. She starts thinking about his mother, Acena, as she noticed how much he favors her. She kisses his forehead and walks out of the room. Valencia was just approaching the room as Lecinda walked out.

“What’s wrong, Valencia?” Lecinda asked.

“I haven’t seen Averia.” She replies. “I’ve sent guards out to find her but I’m a bit worried.”

“That is troubling.” They start walking. “Is Tyson aware?”

“I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Let’s go to the Dining Hall and just wait it out. She was guiding a squad to flank the enemy and considering how fast the battle ended, I’m sure she is still on her way back.” Lecinda assured her. Valencia nods in acknowledgment.

“How are they doing?” She asked, in reference to Aleius and Yolanna.

“They’re both sleeping peacefully. They may be out for the night.” Lecinda replied. “I need to go see Rae.”

“She should still be resting as well.” Valencia said.

“I’ll go check on her. I’ll meet you in the kitchen afterwards.”

Valencia nods and walks ahead as Lecinda went to the right to go to the room that Lady Rae should be in. As she approaches the door, she knocks twice. With no reply, she opens the door and sticks her head in. Lady Rae was laying on the bed either sleep or unconscious. Lecinda walks into the room, closing the door behind her, and walks to Lady Rae’s bedside. She takes her hand and looked for any kind of feedback. She places Lady Rae’s hand onto her face, feeling the warmth of her hand.

“Decades later and you still do that.” Lady Rae mumbles.

“You’re awake after all, dear sister.” Lecinda says softly.

“It’s reflex at this point. Every time you bring my hand to your cheek, it’s because you’re sad about something.” Lady Rae says as she opens her eyes. She looks at Lecinda and sees the exhaustion in her eyes. Lady Rae slides away from Lecinda and gently pulls her to get Lecinda to lay down next to her, which she obliges. Facing each other, Lecinda lies on Lady Rae’s arm with her face in her bosom. Lady Rae cuddles her and strums her hair. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“It’ll come naturally, I suppose.” Lady Rae closes her eyes, still strumming Lecinda’s hair.

“It’s been so long since we’ve laid like this.”

“You stopped visiting me.” Lady Rae said.

“And you stopped visiting me as often.” Lecinda retorted.

“Every time I go towards Nialis, I get followed by Crown Princes.”

“That was a long time ago.” Lecinda chuckled.

“Feels like yesterday.” Lady Rae grinned. “As you noticed, I have been visiting a little bit more often lately.”

“To see Lanna…” Lecinda proclaimed.

“And you too… don’t make it seem like I don’t care about you.” Lady Rae replied.

“I’d never do that.” Lecinda said as she hugged her tighter. “Not when I’m being held this lovingly.”

“Exactly, so shut up.” Lady Rae said softly, drawing a chuckle from Lecinda.

“Your breasts have gotten bigger.” Lecinda commented.

“Shut up.” Lady Rae said softly again, drawing another chuckle from Lecinda.

“You really love him. After all of this time.” Lecinda stated, referring to Orius.

“All what time?”

“Since he was a kid.” Lecinda reminded her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lady Rae replied.

“Whatever you have to tell yourself. Does he remember anything from that encounter?”

“I don’t think so. He never talked about it and the way he acts around me shows that he doesn’t remember me from then.” Lady Rae explained. Lecinda nods in acknowledgment.

“Are you going to take him from me?”

“Every once in a while.” Lady Rae admitted. “I want to keep him away from our other sisters if, at all, possible. The last thing I need is to hear the shit they’ll give me.”

“You mean again…” Lecinda added.

“Shut up.” Lady Rae softly said again.

“Yolanna is growing so fast and getting so strong. I don’t know if I can keep her in Nialis.”

“You have been a lot more attached to her more than your previous daughters.” Lady Rae stated.

“I guess I’m worried about what will happen to her if I let her out my sight. There’s never been a man like Orius at any point in my lifetime. But with a great man like that on the side of good, there’s obviously an adversary awaiting him. In this case, that adversary is his best friend.”

“It’s hard to believe that Orius was outsmarted. I don’t think he underestimated him though.”

“I don’t think Orius knew much about the black arts.” Lecinda stated. “Besides you, there’s not really too many knowledgeable people regarding the subject.” Lady Rae nodded in agreement. “What happened at your palace?”

“With him?” Lady Rae asked. Lecinda nods. “We tried to kill each other.”

“He tried to kill you?” Lecinda was surprised about that but not surprised that Lady Rae tried to kill him.

“I guess that’s not very accurate. He toyed with me the whole time. Halfway through the fight, I realized that he could kill me whenever he wanted to.” Lady Rae starts to smile. “The more I think about it, I guess it was just foreplay.” Lecinda grins at that. “You really made him powerful.”

“I didn’t think it’d have that affect. I just thought he’d be immortal.” Lecinda said with a smile. “I’m constantly amazed by the things he does. Then you made him even more powerful.”

“I think the right word is dangerous.” Lady Rae stated.

“I disagree. He’s always been dangerous.” Lecinda corrected her. Lady Rae nods in agreement. “To think that he outclassed you, the immortal Warrior Goddess.”

“I have no defense.” Lady Rae humbly said but a smile crept on her face. “The way he fights is so beautiful yet sometimes I can’t see it all because he moves so fast. I don’t think Noregus could have ever imagined how much his son would surpass him.” She finally stops strumming Lecinda’s hair and places her arm around Lecinda, snuggly holding her. “His son is even more intriguing.” That’s when Lady Rae opened her eyes. “Cinny…” She said, softly, the name that she calls Lecinda.

“Yes, sister?” Lecinda said in complete bliss at this point.

“I’m with child.” Lady Rae confessed. Lecinda pulled away from Lady Rae’s bosom and looked at her face. Lady Rae looked down at her little sister and their eyes met. “I wanted to tell you before anyone else but on my way over here, I realized it. Yolanna already knows, probably before I knew. She told me I’m going to have a son.” Tears fell down Lady Rae’s eyes but it wasn’t something that she realized herself, at first.

“The first Goddess to have a son…” Lecinda repeated. “That’s amazing.” A smile crept on Lecinda’s face at the same time that her eyes started to water. “That truly is amazing, I’m so happy for you!” She hugs her sister tightly as she buried her face in her bosom again. “I truly am happy that you finally made it this far!” Lady Rae hugged her sister tightly and started to actually cry a little bit.

“Thank you, Cinny. I now understand everything you’ve been trying to tell me. Now, more than ever, I regret not accepting that marriage.” Before Lecinda could respond, there was a knock on the door.

“Queen Lecinda?” Valencia called.

“Come in, Valencia.” Lady Rae said loud enough for Valencia to hear her but not too loud for Lecinda. Valencia opens the door, walks into the room and closes the door.

“Apologies, Valencia, I wasn’t supposed to be here this long.” Lecinda tells her.

“It’s quite alright. I mainly came to inform you that Averia has returned.” Valencia informed her. “She’s now preparing breakfast with the kitchen staff.”

“That’s a relief. I wouldn’t be able to face her mother if something happened to her.” Lecinda replied.

“Averia… isn’t that…” Before Lady Rae finished, she just realized what she was about to say. “Wait, is she really?” She partially sits up, no longer relaxed. Lecinda sits up, looks at her and nods. “Is she aware of the fact her daughter was enslaved by the Romans?”

“I’m not sure. She knew that Averia was missing but didn’t say anything after that. When I told her that she was staying with Orius, she was happy.” Lecinda explained.

“She hasn’t met Orius, right?” Lady Rae wondered.

“I don’t believe so.” Lecinda replied.

“Who are y’all talking about?” Valencia asked. At that moment, another knock on the door.

“Breakfast is ready.” Averia said.

“Thank you, we’re coming down.” Valencia replied. “Try not to keep everyone waiting.” Valencia said to Lady Rae and Lecinda as she walked out of the room. Lady Rae and Lecinda sat up and looked at each other.

“Averia for the save.” Lady Rae joked, making them both laugh.

“Come, sister, let’s go down.” Lecinda said as she got out of bed. “You need to replenish yourself.” Lady Rae nods and gets out of bed as well.

They walk out of the room together and head towards the Dining Hall. There, they see Averia, Dovik, Evelyn, Tyson, Valencia, Moq and several commanders and vice commanders. At this point, everyone has calmed down so the conversations were full of storytelling and laughter. It continued as everyone began eating. Although no one asked, the fact that Aleius and Yolanna were not present was something that couldn’t be overlooked. Yet, they unconsciously decided to avoid the subject until after the meal.

As Averia started to stand up and aid the kitchen staff with the cleanup, Tyson, whom was sitting next to her, grabbed her arm. Not in a forceful way, but just enough to stop her from what she was doing.

“Please, allow the kitchen staff to handle this. We would like for you to be a part of this conversation.” Tyson told her. With that statement, it signaled the conversation that they all wanted to have and did their best to avoid.

“Yes, Averia, please sit.” Lecinda added. Averia reluctantly nodded and sat down. A moment of silence occurred as they all wondered who would go first. Naturally, Lady Rae took the lead in typical Lady Rae fashion.

“So, where the fuck did the dragon come from?” She asked, drawing a look from Lecinda. “Not only did it almost break our concentration but it appeared right in front of Yolanna which forced me to take over the incantations.”

“You saw the dragon up close?” Moq asked.

“You’ve never seen it up close?” Dovik asked him. Moq shakes his head.

“The only one that’s seen the dragon up close is Aleius and the Emperor.” Moq replied.

“Add Yolanna to that list.” Lady Rae stated. “Tell me, what you know.” Everyone looked at Moq.

“Aleius,” Moq began, “fell into a dragon hive a couple years ago and was trapped there for 3-days.” A collective gasp, with the exception of Dovik, occurred across the room. “When he emerged, he showcased an ability to control dragons. Yet his biggest achievement was the control of Karnaje, the Dragon King.”

“How does he do it?” Tyson asked.

“No one but Aleius and the Emperor knows.” Moq replied.

“Do you think black arts are involved?” Lecinda wondered.

“I don’t think so. Aleius doesn’t show that he knows any black arts.” Moq replied.

“Does Aleius have complete control of the dragon?” Lady Rae wondered.

“What do you mean, Lady Rae?” Moq wondered.

“Yolanna and I were synced to one another for the incantations. When she saw Aleius on the dragon, as did I. When she approached the dragon, I could see everything she could. So, I saw the dragon attempt to attack her.” A collective gasp echoed across the room.

“Moq,” Dovik began, “what do you really know about Aleius’s ability?”

“In truth, I only know that he can control dragons. How he does it is only something the Emperor would know.” Moq stated.

“I have a feeling that Yolanna may know as well.” Lady Rae proclaimed.

“What makes you think that?” Lecinda wondered.

“Yolanna was responsible for returning Aleius and sending the dragon away before it hurt her. To me, it seemed like Aleius lost control for a moment.” Lady Rae explained. She looks at Tyson. “How did the actual battle itself go? Seems like it was over pretty quickly.”

“The dragon demolished their forces immensely.” Tyson replied. “We weren’t in position to flank them yet before they started to retreat.”

“Unfortunately, we played this card too early.” Dovik said. “Highton is aware of this and can plan accordingly. I don’t know what kind of defense he could conjure up to handle a dragon but I don’t know if that’s truly what our worry should be.” He looks at Moq. “Considering your limitations on the subject, I suppose the only thing we can do is talk to Aleius.”

“Shall we reconvene in a few hours?” Valencia suggested. “Maybe early evening to give him time to rest?” Everyone looked around and nodded.

“It would be best.” Evelyn agreed. “Aleius is the acting Emperor right now. We can’t make any more moves without his approval.” A silence blanketed the room. That’s when Lady Rae smiled and poured herself a drink.

“I don’t know why everyone is so down right now but I think it’s a good time to celebrate. We just won our first battle without the Emperor.” She says as she slides the bottle to Lecinda. “Let’s enjoy this and deal with the serious stuff later.”

Taking her advice, everyone did just that. Drinking, talking, laughing… all of the makings of a good time. Women from the city were brought in, Legion Commanders… it turned into a big party.