Kite - Chapter 13: The Return

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The Fae were reviled at every turn. That much I realized when the daylight shone upon me and many of the soldiers were distracted from their happiness and snarls were thrown my way. I saw the looks of disgust and utter revulsion that were thrown my way and men passed by, unaware that I was the dragon that had landed moments ago. Ivan rose and in a loud voice that boomed across the camp said “She may be Fae, but she is more human than most of you. She sacrificed her people, her home and her entire world so that this world would not break apart completely. To her we owe the sun!” His voice was carried by magic and so everyone in the camp heard the words he spoke.

“And who might you be?” spat one of the men whose decorated armor meant that he was of a high rank. Arrogance flowed from him; he was one of the few men that had dry cheeks. “You must be weak, having to side with a fairy” he taunted.

“I am Ivan, King of the Kindred of Sol. I can rip you apart limb from limb and in this sunlight, nothing you do can kill me” he snarled at the man. I jumped at the ferocity of Ivan’s words. His eyes burned with a fire that told me that was just his intention.

“Bloody right” jeered the man in decorated armor. “Ivan, King of the Kindred of Sol whose dead body was paraded through the kingdoms by men in black robes has risen from the dead. Impossible” said the man with a hearty laugh.

“Ivan, don’t do this” I told him and pushed him back. Not because I didn’t want Ivan to hurt the man, but because I did. Anger grew in my heart. Anger that I had just sacrificed everything I had to save his sorry hide. Anger that he had the nerve to insult me and the friend that delivered me from the grasp of death.  I glared daggers at the man, his ‘friends’ started whispering to him that he was making a big mistake, but he only smiled at me toothily. “You have no idea what I can do to you.”

“What would you do, FAERIE?” he said the last word as an insult. “Sprinkle dust on me and hope I turn into a frog?” he said, evidently knowing nothing about the fae other than childhood stories of a time when they were more outgoing to the mortal world. The other men laughed nervously at the snide remark.

“No. I will eat you” I said matter-of-factly and showed him a big toothy grin. I reached around my neck and fumbled for the clasp of the necklace.

Ivan helped me and whispered “Are you sure about this?” I nodded and he undid the clasp, lovingly taking the necklace from me.

The man laughed apparently thinking I was being a woman and trying to get my jewelry out of harm’s way. I snarled at him and said “I am your worst nightmare!” in a flash of light I was a dragon once more. I rounded on him and roared with all my might.

The roar managed to strip away his armor which I took and crushed with sadistic delight as I circled around the man who followed me nervously with his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but could not, he stuttered and mumbled apologies and pleas to not be heard. “You’re pathetic” I said. I drew my claw around his back and pulled, exposing his bare chest and back.

With superhuman speed, I was in front of him, dagger-like talon held to his chin. I placed it on his shoulder and drew it across to his hip. “This is for the only friend I have that you insulted” I snarled. The wound was shallow but it would be painful. “This is for my world, my people, my life that I sacrificed for worthless lumps like you!” I put my talon on his other shoulder and drew it to his other hip. He now had a bloody X across his torso and I flashed him my teeth to show him I had no intention of playing nice.

“If you so much as speak another evil word to your fellowmen, you will not live to see the sun rise again. I will find you and gut you and feed you to the ravens myself!” I said, anger starting to subside.

Looking into his eyes, he paled and crumpled in a heap. I looked at the others in turn and said “Unless you want to be eaten, I want you to give this man a proper burial.” I motioned at the old man that had given us the locket.

I turned to Ivan and he placed the necklace around my neck again. I promptly returned to my original form. I sank to my knees, crying. What I had done was against my nature. I had lost my temper. I was now less a Fae than before. But strangely, a part of me felt relieved to have let it all out.

That evening, as the light faded, I felt the small golden chain burn against my skin. I wept in anguish as my body reverted to that of a dragon. It was painful, but I welcomed it, the grief of the day’s loss nearly crushing my heart.

The men lit the funeral pyre for the man and I watched as the embers climbed into the sky. I remained there until everyone was asleep or elsewhere celebrating. I turned to Ivan and said to him “It’s time for their king to return”

“But—I!” he started to protest.

“I’ll be there, Ivan” I said to him. With that we took off into the night.

***

“Vaan mailwa oem anira maanyml!” said a voice in the darkness, in the void between voids, in the nonexistence between existences, in the nonreality between realities. And so the word passed, from mouth to mouth, in a thousand times a thousand languages.

From the most powerful right hand of the God they had come to know, the order came down to even the lowest of the low. Across the many planes and worlds of the third sphere, the Order was to move. There was but one command, one command that the entire Order followed. Let chaos rule.

From warrior to peasant, peasant to slave, the word of the Great Lord of the Night passed. “Prepare for the Return”