As soon as Princess Sapphire shouted that she had lost the coin, Otto had started searching for it during the battle. In the end, it had been not him but Princess Emerald—with her elven senses—who had finally found it.
“There it is!” she called. Otto looked to where she was pointing.
Sure enough, there it was, in the path that Daemonus had cleared while trying to get at Princess Sapphire. Cutting through a few kobolds in his way, he lunged for the metal disc and caught hold of it. He rose and caught a blade on his armor before cutting down an attacking Shadowscale and charging through a few monsters until he arrived where Princess Citrine was protecting Princess Ruby’s body.
“About time!” she yelled.
Otto dove to Princess Ruby’s side and pressed the coin to her cold skin. Nothing happened.
By the Goddess, no! Why? Why aren’t you working?
He pressed it against her skin harder, but still, nothing worked. “Please, I pray you!”
Please . . . Goddess, please give me your grace and let this coin fulfill its purpose. I pray you . . . give me the power to bring this girl back to life!
“What are you doing?” Princess Citrine asked as she fought off even more kodeads.
Otto’s thoughts escaped through his mouth. “Please! Goddess, if I am your servant, please, I beg you, let this work! Please!”
Warmth flooded through his body, and the coin began to glow as though the Goddess was channeling her light through him and the coin into Princess Ruby. He felt his mind go blank for a moment as he was blinded by the bright light.
Is this it? Is this the Goddess’s light?
The next thing he knew, his vision had returned and he was rising with Princess Ruby, shining gloriously in the light of her resurrection. Her hands began to glow with magic, and beams of light shot from them toward each of the princesses—a healing spell that rejuvenated them. Princess Citrine fought off her opponents and Princess Emerald stood tall, pointing her rifle at any who approached. Even Princess Sapphire, who had been struck down by the golem, rose and blocked its attack effortlessly.
With Princess Ruby alive once more, the tables had turned.
“Ruby!” Princess Sapphire cried out.
Princess Ruby smiled as she rose from the mass of enemies. “Keep fighting, Sis! I’ll make sure none of them hurt you!”
Across the Gallery from them, Otto could hear Princess Amethyst screaming. “Nooo! No! No! No!”
“Well, you heard her, girls!” Princess Citrine called. “Let’s take these fools down!”
Princess Emerald aimed her rifle. “All right!”
Otto and Princess Sapphire raised their swords and cut through the crowd. They felt completely restored, and each wound they were dealt was healed by Princess Ruby’s magic. With Princess Ruby in the center, the four of them spread out, carving a swath of dead kobolds and Riftlings in the direction of Princess Amethyst. Looking up from the battle, Otto could see her bite her bottom lip in apprehension of the sudden turn of the tide.
She’s desperate. She’s going to try something.
When the living monsters fled after realizing the fruitlessness of their struggle, and the undead monsters were finished off, Otto and the princesses began to converge on Princess Amethyst.
She spun toward Nightsong as it let out a snort.
“Don’t let them follow me!” she demanded of the dragon. “Use your claws, use your fire, use your tail if that works! But whatever you do, don’t let them follow!”
The undead dragon huffed a cloud of smoke in agreement.
“Daemonus, to me!” she commanded.
The golem stomped toward Princess Amethyst as she retreated to the entrance of the Moon Gallery.
“My dear sisters, I would love to stay, but I do have a lord I mustn’t keep waiting,” she said. “But in my absence, I will leave you in the company of my dear Nightsong. I’m sure he will treat you with the utmost hospitality.”
“You’re not getting away!” Princess Citrine punched down one of the remaining kodeads.
Princess Amethyst laughed and fled down the stairs with Daemonus on her tail. Princesses Sapphire and Emerald made to chase after her, but a stream of purple fire blocked their path. Princess Citrine attempted to cuff the dragon but was swatted away by its tail. Nightsong’s fangs gnashed at anyone who came close. Princess Emerald shot it a few times, but the dragon was already dead and bullets didn’t even faze it.
“Oh great . . . How are we supposed to get past this thing?” Princess Emerald asked.
“Everyone!”
They all turned to see Princess Ruby land on the floor, the glow fading from her hands.
Princess Sapphire hurried to her side. “Oh, Ruby, I’m so glad you’re alive again!”
Princess Ruby smiled warmly. “I know, I’m glad to see you again, Sis, but it’s Amethyst we must help now. Please listen to Otto’s plan.”
It wasn’t until Princess Ruby said this that he even registered that he had one, but Princess Ruby was right; he did have a plan. “I’ve done what I needed to do here; now it’s up to you to bring back your sister.” He hefted the Dragon Lance. “I’ll use this to scare away Nightsong and its flames and let you pass—but after that, you will be on your own.”
Princess Emerald’s eyes widened. “You’re going to fight the dragon by yourself?”
Otto grinned at her. “I can handle it. You have my word as a Paladin.”
Princess Ruby nodded. “The grace of the Goddess is with him. But there are larger schemes afoot, I can feel it, and Amethyst is a part of them. We must save her.”
Otto raised the Dragon Lance high before aiming it toward the dragon. “Everyone, get behind me!”
At his command, the princesses moved in behind him, peering out from behind his shoulders.
“Everybody ready?”
“We’re ready, Sir Paladin,” Princess Sapphire said. “Thank you.”
Otto grinned and threatened Nightsong with the lance. As he had assumed, the dragon was too afraid of being hit by the Dragon Lance to come too close. Instead, it breathed fire at them. But like last time, the lance’s magic split the flame at its tip.
Although it was painful to be so close to such hot fire, Otto continued forward, heading right into the furnace. The dragon continued to retreat, moving back from the entrance that it was blocking. Otto pushed forward. Nightsong increased the intensity of its flame while backing away.
As the five of them came to the entrance, Nightsong stopped breathing out fire in order to inhale, and Otto turned to the princesses. “Go now!”
They sprinted down the stairs, only Princess Sapphire looking back once more before another blaze of purple blocked Otto’s view of her. When they were all gone, he whirled to see Nightsong trying to get around him. He raised his lance at it.
“Now it’s just you and me, Nightsong the Eternal.”
Another inferno rushed toward him, splitting once more at the point of the lance.
“My word, it’s not going to be that easy.” Otto lowered his stance and advanced on the dragon, pace quickening with each step. “En garde!”