My heart, My love, My dragon

Chapter 13

The carriage wheels squeaked as Luthor pulled down the curtains at the window to block the sunlight from hitting Anya's face.

"Luthor...I have never told you my true intentions and why I have stayed this long at House Hydra. You know well that I had many opportunities to escape but didn't," Anya spoke calmly. Perhaps this is what scared Luthor the most. Anya had followed all her training to the point.

"I know, that was what always bugged me," Luthor had grown a lot since the two years that have passed. Anya, a beauty of sixteen and Luthor a handsome young man of seventeen.

"I plan to escape to the fairy kingdom once I arrive at the capital. It's the only way to get back home...To the human world," Anya folded her long slim fingers on her lap. 

"But that's insane you'll get killed!"

"They kill dragons. Not humans. Or do you know any other way to get me back home?"

Luthor hesitated, "There are...hidden portals."

"Do you know how to access one?"

"No...I need more information," Luthor looked out the window to the horizon. The castle was up ahead.

"Ok...I'm not asking for you to investigate nor for you to come with me to the human world. I need to do this on my own," Anya felt for the locket hanging on her neck. Within, it held the crest of High House Hydra.

Luthor didn't respond for a few moments but then he broke into a grin, "You think I'm going to leave you alone even for a second? Where you go, I go."

*****

Anya had fallen asleep in a matter of minutes but almost instantly the carriage had stopped to a sudden halt. She woked up, not startled, but calm. Glancing around, she saw Luthor sticking his head out to the side window, speaking with the carriage driver.

"Luthor, what's going on?" Anya asked, tugging on the sleeves of his shirt. She didn't yelp when he suddenly fell back against her, pinning her to the seat. "Luthor?"

Luthor was groaning in pain with an arrow pierced into his rib cage. Her eyes widened crazily. Blood seeped into the yellow fabric of the dress on her abdomen.

"Barbarians...they killed the coachman," Luthor gargled as Anya laid him down against the carriage seats. "You need to leave."

"It's fine. I'll be okay...I've been trained for these purposes anyways," Anya smiled and left Luthor behind as she stepped out of the carriage. 

From outside, she could see that the capital palace was only a mile away and eventually, help would be sent in five to ten minutes. But barbarians are still considered dragons and she was still human with a few spells up her sleeve.

But there was no one around but the beaming sun and the mauled corpse of the coachman who also was a dragon but was ambushed. Anya deemed this coward's play. She sniffed the air and detected a hint of scales, earth, and blood. Barbarians are dragons who were expulsed from a High House or Low House. But Anya knew that this dragon belonged to High House Terrain or used to. High House Terrain was a High House of the earth elemental dragons born into regency and wealth.

But this dragon was expulsed from this High House for being selfish and earth elemental dragons are selfless. Anya knew that this rogue dragon could only be fought with House Hydra spells. She crouched down on the ground and felt the dust of the road between her fingertips. Scanning the field, she determined that the dragon was still around and connected with the earth. Getting them to shift back the difficult part.

Twenty-five meters away came Arin's armada and King Arin himself. He was running toward her and Anya only felt her disgust flame for him. He left her at House Hydra and she couldn't help feeling resentful toward him. As expected, for her it was no surprise when the rogue dragon dropped down before her, she had already felt him circling her above. She crossed her arms like an X in front of her face to shield herself from the dust cloud he had created.

"ANYA," Arin yelled out. Once the cloud cleared out Anya tilted her head upward and saw an enormous green-scaled dragon. "GET AWAY FROM THERE."

"Ice Dome!"  Anya spread her arms outward and then clasped her hands together as wind gushed around her and a large ice dome was built around the dragon and herself.

'Are you a witch?' the dragon had mind-linked her.

'No,' she responded. 'I'm not a witch at all, Ryu.'

'How do you know my name?'

'It's quite simple really. I just slithered into your mind with a simple spell,' she said brightly.

'Quit wasting my time, little girl. You're going to be the new queen from High House Hydra and I can't allow that. King Arin banished me from every House and expelled me to the outskirts of the Kingdom. Now, I want revenge,' Ryu's eye's glowed green with hatred and the earth rumbled below Anya.

Ryu had summoned the earth and created large stones below her. Theses stoned were called the punishing stones. Bringing pain to whoever the spellcaster deemed punishable.

'Punish!' Ryu roared but he was too late.

"Black Ice!"  Anya yelled and slammed her fist onto the ground. Her eyes turned the darkest shade of blue. Dark enough to be black as she controls the spread of the soul-taking black ice. She could feel the movement of the dark ice as it enveloped Ryu's claws.

He struggled as the dark ice began to suck his soul out of his body but he was quite strong that he summoned an earthquake that broke the ice into glass shards.

"Levitate," Anya said and she began to float to avoid being cut by the ice as Ryu was. 

Ryu chuckled, 'You're not a witch. I know what you are. In fact, everyone outside of the dome watching can guess what you are.'

'I'm human. It's as simple as that,' she clarified. 

'DEVIL'S  TOWER,' he roared once more and five towers sprouted beside Anya, closing her in. 'Crush her.'

The towers began to tighten around her but as Anya touched the towers she realized they were made of hardened sanded. Which was vulnerable to water.

"FLOOD," Anya yelled and placed her palms on the ground, feeling the water in the earth begin to rise within the dome. This would have caused mass destruction in a normal city. The water rose, rose, and rose until the entire dome was flooded. Ryun struggled to keep his breath in but Anya could breathe normally underwater and open her eyes. 

The Towers began undone and Anya saw her opportunity, "ICICLE!" 

A large icicle spear was formed at her palms. Before, when Anya learned this spell, the heavyweight of the ice spear immediately tugged her down. But now it didn't. In silky movement, she swam in the water and pierced Ryu's heart with the spear. He roared loudly in agony but became still. Anya undid the dome and returned the water to the earth.

Her black hair hung like curtains over her face as her hands were still clasped over the spear and she was kneeling on Ryu's dragon chest. He was no doubt, an enormously strong dragon. Looking up, Arin's armada was deathly pale but Anya quickly made her way back to the carriage. 

Luthor had passed out from the loss of blood but Anya took a deep breathed and pulled the arrow out of his rib cage. The pain awakened him. Anya placed her palm on his rib cage and felt five ribs broken. 

"Mend..."  she whispered and the ribs snapped back in place. Luthor groaned but there was still a gash on him. Anya placed her palm against her mouth and whispered, "Frost..."

The movement was like blowing a kiss but Anya blew frost on the gash to prevent the wound from bleeding even more. This was who she was now. A deadly weapon. Dangerous. A weapon belonging to House Hydra...