Even after landing on the crumbling outer wall of the Rain Court, the undead dragon didn’t attack them immediately. Its claws dug into the high walls around the court and its mouth opened wide in a fierce roar.
Instead of the dragon breathing amethyst fire down on them as Sapphire had expected, spawning points appeared on the tile floor. Sapphire’s gaze darted from one rift to another, seeing all kinds of lizard-like kobolds piling out from the dark Nether below, including a small army of undead kodeads.
“Protect the king!” one of the soldiers called, and suddenly several armored men with spears surrounded Sapphire, her father, and her sister.
Nightsong the Eternal may be the one leading these undead kobolds, but those rifts belong to someone else. Sapphire’s eyes shot around the Court, trying to find their source. The dragon’s power is in controlling the thralls, not in summoning them wherever it wishes! Who’s the one pulling the strings?
The dragon seemed to be waiting for something, but by the time Sapphire had worked out what it was, it was already too late.
“Wait, it’s trying to lure them in! It’s a tra—”
“Attack!” The king’s command cut her off.
The many gathered Heroes drew blades as the kodeads pushed forward. The monsters were simply being used to lure the soldiers to one point, for as soon as the two sides met, Nightsong’s amethyst fire flooded the Rain Court. There were screams as many were engulfed in flame, both enemy and ally alike being lost to the inferno.
“You idiots!” Sapphire shouted. “Pull back!”
Emerald put a hand on her shoulder. “Wait, can’t you see?”
Unlike the kodeads, the gathered Heroes had a White Ember Mage. Blaze’s white flame shot up against the dragon’s fire, protecting the Heroes in a dome around her. Other magicians and sharpshooters in the Court then began firing a cover volley at the dragon.
Nightsong’s flame cut off as it took to the sky to avoid the rifle fire. No longer pinned down by the flame, the ground soldiers rushed out to fight the kobolds circling the Crown Guard. Sapphire felt the room around her getting smaller.
There are too many of them! Someone has to take control.
Around her, the soldiers were shuffling her, her father, and her sister toward the entrance where the young Paladin from the meeting was waving them over. The soldiers were being slowly picked off layer by layer, like an onion, by the spear-stabbing kobold Skewers.
“Arrowhead formation!” Sapphire called.
The remaining soldiers shifted into an arrowhead shape and pointed their spears to stop the Skewers in their tracks. Two more soldiers were taken out by kobold Lobbers and their slings. Emerald quickly jumped out from behind the arrowhead and began sniping at them with her rifle before they could do further damage. As always, her shots were dead on.
“Get back, Sis!”
Before Emerald could return behind the front line, a Shadowscale, an elite member of the kobold infantry, rushed at her with a jagged sword raised. Sapphire ran out, drawing her sword and cutting down the Shadowscale. She retreated with her father and sister toward the Court entrance, where the young Paladin stood waiting for them. As the battle raged on in the Rain Court, the three royals started descending the stairs.
The Paladin waved them through and followed, his own sword drawn. “I say, King Jasper, you must tell everyone to retreat!”
“What?” the king asked. “Why?”
“Nightsong is already dead, Your Majesty. It can’t be killed by conventional weapons or magic. Only a holy relic can slay such a monster!”
Emerald stopped on the stairs, looking up as though hearing something no one else could. “It’s coming!”
Sapphire looked around in confusion. “What are you—”
Suddenly the wall of the stairwell above them caved in and Nightsong’s purple claws ripped at the walls. Above them was another section of wall that was about to collapse.
There!
“Paladin, strike the base of the wall! Now!”
Unhesitating, the Paladin ran forward with his longsword and struck at the base of the wall. From Otto and Sapphire’s combined attack, the wall shook and crumbled in on the stairwell just as amethyst flame was about to shoot from the dragon’s maw. The purple glow lit up the fallen rubble from behind as they turned to run.
They rushed down the steps as the stairwell caved in on itself, dust rising behind them. The cave in may have protected them momentarily from the fire, but it also cut them off from the other Heroes battling up above. Those Heroes were now trapped up there. From what the Paladin had said, Sapphire hoped that they could work together to survive.
They dashed out into a wide hall, breathing heavily.
“Well, that was exciting!” Emerald looked at them inquisitively as the others coughed to clear their lungs. “Now what?”
“To the Crystal Chamber, I say,” the Paladin said when he had recovered.
“Indeed.” Her father coughed. “The magic will protect us there.”
They swiftly made their way below the Halls of Honor, moving through the throne room and toward the Crystal Chamber. As they came upon it, the Paladin was the first to break into a run and Sapphire’s heart dropped. The place was a ruin. An older Paladin was lying in the middle of the floor, breathing heavily.
The young Paladin knelt by him. “Father! By the Goddess, what happened?”
The old man coughed and his eyes flew open as he grabbed hold of the other’s breastplate. “Ruby . . . Princess Ruby! You must . . .”
Ruby, but she’s . . .
The older Paladin convulsed, and the other looked to the king.
King Jasper frowned and turned to his daughters. “Go to where your sister is. Otto, guard them well. I will bring the Sisters of Light to take your father to the Well of Weal to help him recover. Go now!”
“Sending your daughters into danger; good one, Father,” Emerald said sarcastically.
Sapphire grabbed her by the shoulder. “Your father is finally accepting that you’re strong enough to be sent into danger. I thought you’d be happy—”
“Okay, okay, let’s go already!”
Otto took one last look at his father before standing beside them. “I’ll be back, on my word!”
Sapphire took the lead, raising her sword and running down the Castle halls to the crypt where Ruby’s body was resting. The royal crypt was at the back of the Castle, deep below the base of the tower. It housed the bones of the previous kings and queens . . . and one princess.
The three of them rushed toward the throne room; the corridors leading down to the crypt were located behind it. As they reached the corridors, they stopped. The large stone doors at the base of the stairs leading to the tomb were already open, the darkness seeming to radiate outward.
“My word. It’s already open.”
“Now who would be in such a grim place at a time like this?” Emerald asked.
Just then, Sapphire heard what she assumed Emerald, with her elf-like hearing, had heard since they arrived in the room: the sound of heavy footsteps.
“I think we’re about to find out.”
The footsteps became louder until the golem, Daemonus, emerged from the darkness, carrying Ruby in her stasis chrysalis over one shoulder. Sapphire had always been suspicious of the golem that used to follow her sister around, but after hearing of Terras and Gork’s story, she had no doubt. It was an agent of the Dark Consul. This was made clear as the golem stomped away from the entrance and another figure appeared from the crypt.
It was a woman in a dark robe. She was wearing high heels and carrying a wicked scythe, and although her hood hid her eyes, her smile was clearly visible.
“Put her down!” Emerald aimed her rifle at the golem threateningly. “Put my sister down now!”
“My poor dears!” The woman spoke in a husky voice. “What a shame it is that I cannot stay longer, but as you can see, I’m here to rescue a princess.”
Sapphire stepped forward and raised her blade, pointing it at the woman. “Who are you?”
The woman did not answer—her smile only widened under her hood.
“By the Goddess!” Otto stood beside Sapphire. “That woman . . . I believe she is the Midnight Queen!”
Sapphire ground her teeth in anger. Before them was the person who had been the cause of everything since her sister was kidnapped.
“Witch!” Emerald cursed, targeting the Midnight Queen instead of the golem.
The Midnight Queen spread her arms. “I would love to stay and chat, but we can’t leave Princess Citrine waiting, can we? They are very eager to see each other again, I’m sure.”
Sapphire gasped. “So, you do have Citrine!”
Emerald opened fire, but a rift to the Nether appeared in front of the Midnight Queen, swallowing the bullets. A smaller portal opened up behind her and the bullets flew from it, shooting into the back wall. The Midnight Queen turned to leave. A much larger portal to the Nether appeared to her left, and Daemonus carried Ruby’s body into it. As it passed through the portal, the Midnight Queen made to follow it.
“Where is she?” Sapphire screamed.
The Midnight Queen stopped, halfway through the portal so that only half of her wide smile could be seen. “Now, why would I tell you that?”
“I say, stop right there!”
Otto sprinted forward. As he leapt at the Midnight Queen, the portal closed, leaving him nothing but the rock floor to grab hold of in his fall.