Starbeam: Chapter 28

The war was getting closer and closer.

Tanya came back and was forced to stay.

She made sure that she wasn’t in the same vicinity as me though.

She hated this arrangement as much as I did. I should’ve never fought with her that day in the forest. It broke her. But I thought she was going to kill me.

It was so stupid, I should’ve just walked away.

I wished that was the case. I really didn’t want a dragon. I wasn’t like Albert thinking it was a jolly ride.

He still promised me one on Bob when this war was over. Talking about making a saddle for Robert for various reasons. He didn’t like his skeletal features and it was always messing up his pants whenever he climbed off.

I laughed so much at that, but he was wearing a leather suit now whenever flying on Robert.

I could feel Tanya’s eyes on me again. What didn’t she understand about me not liking it anymore than she did.

She had no choice but to stay put.

We had a meeting. Goran send word that they were starting to move in.

The scouts, the hunters, everyone was coming back to base camp and more and more dragons and humans were showing up.

They all took Albert’s news of taking a wife great and I hated that they all bowed in front of me.

“I need my kernels Al.” I said to him one night as I sat on top of him.

“Katherine.” He moaned.

“I need Andrew’s strength. You know what your dad might do.”

“He will find out that they are fighting against their sons, sons they thought died, sons that riled them up enough to go into an actual war.”

“Andrew shoots farther. I need him as much as I need you.” I kissed him in his neck.

He moaned again. “You are going to give my father a heart attack.”

I chuckled. “Just think how relieved he will be when it wears off.”

He laughed. “I know that feeling.”

“Oh come on, stop talking nonsense. You weren’t in love with Andrew.”

“I was. I promise. I fought so hard against it, woman. If I knew that you were a woman behind his manly features, it would’ve been a different story.” He sat up with both of us.

“Please.” I begged him.

“You are strong enough.”

“Please.” I begged again kissing him in the nape of his neck.

“Fine, just stop begging me.”

I laughed. “Thank you.”

We kissed again. That’s all we had been doing lately. I couldn’t get enough of this man. He was seriously turning into my everything too.

“I didn’t know you had so many men fighting for you.”

He smiled. “Many of them are dragons, but yes, most are tired of this war that never leads to anything and the conditions they are living in Katie.”

I smiled. He had a good heart, a pure heart. I couldn’t wait to see what sort of a king he was going to be one day.

“And with you by my side, nothing is going to stop us.”

“I love that. Me by your side.”

“Well you are whether you love it or not.”

I laughed as our frolicking continued.

He was everything that I ever wanted. I never thought that I would find it in the boy I used to despise with my entire heart.

Meetings were held every single day. I got my assignments under Andrew and was going to become him soon again.

Albert gave me my bow back. I couldn’t even pull back the string with my strength, and the one I made was good, but Andrew would break it with his strength.

I made more and more arrows for myself on a daily basis, carving my initials into them.

“You really have a talent for making those.” Albert came behind me and kissed me on my ear.

“What can I say, I’m a Viking.” I teased.

“No, you are a princess, don’t forget that.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose and went back to what he needed to do.

The days were flying by now and to be honest I was nervous as hell with everything that was going to come.

I remembered the vision of the boy in the Cavern and was worried about what he meant.

I pushed it to the back of my mind and carried on with making my arrows and just trying to not worry too much about things that were still to come.

The scouts were coming in. The army was close and we all retreated to the mountains where we were going to fight this war.

There weren’t going to be any negotiations.

Katherine wasn’t going to be close to me. I made sure that she was well hidden, fighting with her bow and arrows, taking lives to save her own. It was war.

She changed into Andrew early this morning.

“See you when it’s over.” Andrew said as he hugged his mother. I already missed Katie and it felt weird to hug him.

Maggy had tears in her eyes. “Just take care, Katie, Please.”

“I’m Andrew, Maggy.”

“Oh stop it you are freaking me out.” She scolded and Andrew laughed as he picked up his quiver. I might never see her again.

“Katherine wait.” I said before Andrew disappeared and I didn’t care. It was Kate.

I grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug. “I miss your breasts.” I said and he laughed.

“I’ll be fine. Al. Don’t die.” He said.

“I’m with Maggy, this is weird.” I kissed him on the head.

“It’s me, idiot. But I understand.” He smiled and touched my cheek before he looked at Robert. “You take care of him.” He spoke in Latin.

“Always,” Robert said and ran after the team of archers.

So weird.

I climbed on Robert’s back, Helmut on Emanual and Yvonne said that Caleb could fight with her.

“Hey you,” Constance said. “Stay alive, please.”

“I’m not planning on dying, Connie.” I said and put on my mask.

Robert took off and we were in the sky in two ticks.

We landed a few moments later on the mountain. They were already fighting. Robert blew on some of my father’s men, and Emanual breathed fire from the other side.

I jumped off Bob’s back and started to fight with my sword. Slashing through one after the other.

I had to get to my father, to make him see that this needed to stop before more died.

I was fighting with more than one, and they boxed me in. I needed to stay alive.

The three men grunted one after the other as they fell down. Arrows sticking from their backs and neck. Katherine’s arrows or Andrew’s. She was keeping an eye on me.

The fight carried on as more and more of my father’s men fell. I saw a glimpse of him on Jako’s back.

I whistled for Robert and he caught me in mid air as Jako was flying with my father.

He flicked me onto his back as we followed in pursuit.

He did a reroute, took us into a trap. I should’ve seen it coming.

A net covered Bob’s entire body and he was going down.

I tried to cut the net, but nothing worked.

It was dragon magic.

Jako caught the net and threw Bob with me lodged on his back against the mountain hard.

He was stone cold.

We were going to lose badly.

He hit the ground hard with me and everything went black.

I tried to stay hidden and keep an eye on Albert too but when he disappeared on Robert’s back, I knew it was a mistake.

A dragon on the horizon caught my eye.

It had a rider on it’s back. Long hair flapping in the wind.

Whoever they were, they weren’t from our party and I pulled my bow’s string back and aimed for the rider.

That dragon was the biggest I’d ever seen, and I let the arrow fly.

I saw the rider fall.

The dragon darted down to the ground fast, and just like that disappeared from my sight.

The fight was coming to us and we tried to outrun it.

I had my part to play in this too, I needed to stay alive.

Archers with arrows overpowered us on the run and one of the arrows struck my side.

I was losing a lot of blood as I tried to get away.

A dragon’s call made me more afraid but it lifted me up and its paw closed as it flew with me.

Was it Robert?

“Hold on, human.” Tanya’s dragon voice said.

She was saving my life, why?

I passed out and woke up as the sun rose.

We were at a river bank.

“What happened, where is Albert.”

“I don’t know. It’s over, that’s all I know.”

“Oh,” I touched my side.

I was a woman again and Andrew’s clothes were too big.

“Where are my kernels?”

“I don’t know. Here are some clothes.” She threw pants and a woman’s shirt at me. “I can’t heal you, you have lost a lot of blood.”

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“I didn’t want to do this. Something made me save your life. I’m not happy about any of this.” She yelled at the sky.

“Why did you lie and tell everyone that you couldn’t speak English?”

Her head snapped at me. “I’m not speaking English, you are speaking Latin.”

“What? Don’t be absurd. I can’t speak Latin. I suck at Latin.”

“Well, you speak it fluently now.”

“I’m talking English.”

“Think again.” She looked at me. “Probably the idiots that want this are giving you a gift.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Whoever is out there wanting this.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

There was goo and shit on my wound with a leaf or two numbing the pain.

She was really resourceful.

“If it’s of any consolation, I didn’t ask for this either, you know.”

“Just shut up.”

“For what it’s worth, thank you.”

“I don’t need your thanks.” She snided.

“You are unbelievable, you know that. Sulking around about shit. People are dead, Tanya. I don’t even know if Al is still alive.”

She looked at me. “I didn’t see what happened to him, all I know it’s over.”

“Who won?”

“I don’t know but we were outnumbered by far. Albert was naive to think he could put an end to anything.”

“Hey, that’s my husband you are talking about.”

“I don’t care. It was stupid. We can take care of ourselves, we don’t need humans.”

“You idiots don’t think so.” I pointed at the sky.

“You are so annoying, just shut up.”

“What don’t you understand I don’t like this arrangement either.”

“You humans will say anything.”

“I’m not like them.”

“Sure, I don’t care.”

“Fine, you want proof.” I said, and she nodded.

“You’re free, go. I don’t need you. I don’t want a dragon.”

She froze. “You mean that?”

“Yes, I mean it. Go.” I yelled and she just stood there. She nodded and then disappeared into the woods.

The trees rumbled and a dragon figure flew out of the forest. She was in the air. I kept staring at her and then I saw a net catch her and bring her down.

“No, no.” I yelled and got up.

It was too far for me to reach her in time.

They were going to harvest her organs for sure.

I had Andrew’s bow with Katherine’s strength. It wasn’t going to do shit.

But I kept pushing forward.

My wound was bleeding again profoundly and I had to rest.

Still I kept tracking them.

I never knew I had this kind of tracking ability. It was never that strong before.

I started to hear voices as the sun was starting to set.

They had made camp and I moved closer.

I could see Tanya hoisted in the net, still in her dragon form. She wouldn’t show them her human form. Her mouth was tied with something, rope or some sort of contraption otherwise she would have been able to persuade herself out of this situation. Somehow they knew that.

C’mon Katherine. You need to save her.

I took my bow and nocked an arrow, but the string didn’t want to budge with the amount of strength I had left.

I tried again.

If there is a greater power out there, please help me to save her. They are going to harvest her organs, please.

I opened my eyes and pulled back on the string with all the strength I could muster and aimed at the net that held her.

I let the arrow go as my strength waned and it cut the rope halfway in width.

The weight broke the rope and she landed with a thud on the ground.

The men immediately ran in my direction as I fell against the tree.

I was done. I had lost way too much blood and wasn’t going to know Albert’s fate or Paegeia’s for that matter.

Everything turned black.

I woke up in the infirmary.

My chest was aching and I saw a long burn mark.

“You are alive, thank heavens.” My mother hugged me.

“What happened?”

“I thought you were dead,” my mother cried.

“What happened, where is Katherine, Robert?”

“Who is Katherine, Albert?”

“Where is she mother?”

“I don’t know. I only care about you. I thought you had died, and this is what you did, Albert.”

“What happened mother?” I tried to get up and it was like my mind was open. Voices, voices that weren’t in this room with us overpowered my ears.

I grunted.

“Lie down.” My mother yelled.

“You don’t have to yell at me. I need answers.” Tears welled up in my eyes.

“I need answers too.”

“Your answers can wait.” I said through gritted teeth.

Tears rolled down my mother’s cheeks. “I thought you were dead, your father thought you died. Do you have any idea what you put us through, put him through when he found you on that acid spitter’s back?”

“A Night Villain.” I corrected her. “His name is Robert, where is he?”

“Where do you think he is.” She looked sad.

“No, Mom, please. He is my dragon, has been for the past six years. Where is he?”

“Your dragon. Al, they can’t be tamed, what were you thinking.”

“I tamed him. Where is he?”

Her gaze left mine and looked at the floor.

No, he can’t be dead.

“Where is he!?”

She flinched from my tone. “He told your father he could save your life.” She looked at my scar. “He gave you a piece of his heart.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know dragons could do that.”

“Where is he?”

“Your father waited until you were fine, and then he locked him up with all the other dragons.”

They had refused to change.

“Where is Delilah?”

“She is sleeping Albert. It’s late. Rest, your father needs a word too when you are better. This is treason.”

“I’m the crown prince of Paegeia.”

“It’s still treason.” She yelled, got up and left.

“Mom,” I begged.

She stopped and sighed.

“Did you find a woman with brown hair?”

She squinted. “Not that I know off, but the scouts are bringing more and more rebels to the dungeons, Albert. What you did…”

“They are dragons too, they are just different.” Tears flowed down my cheeks.

She left.

Where the hell was Katie? Was she even still alive?