Page 12 of Breaking Briar

The din of battle dulls to a muffled roar. Around me, lights spin as my vision wavers back and forth. Blinking, I do my best to stay in the present and not allow this malady to overtake me.

If I falter now, who will keep Master Balcom safe? In the grand scheme of things, I cannot forget him or his injuries. My eyes refuse to focus on the man next to me as I gather the tattered banner and press it against his wound once more. He groans and doubles over, the pain evident in the rigid lines of his body.

I wish I could help him, to do something to ease his pain, but I have no remedy. There’s not even a drop of ale I can give him to ease his suffering. Despite the agony etched on his face, Master Balcom forces himself to sit up.

For several moments, neither of us says a word. His chest heaves up and down as his breathing becomes a bit more laborious. I’ve seen this in battle many times. His end is nearing.

With what little strength he has left, he pats my hand. “This seal will open a box. I’ve hidden it deep within the room you used to run off to as a child. Do not worry about finding it. All will become evident the moment you step inside the room.”

“Shhh, old man,” I soothe, gripping his hand in mine. “Rest now. You’ll be better before you know it.”

He snorts and shakes his head, rightfully disbelieving what I’m saying. He will not be long in this world. I know it, and he knows it. After a moment, his face sobers.

“You must promise me. Damn the battle. Damn Kendrick and his backhanded ways. You must get to that chest. Promise me.”

A stark fear brightens his eyes, sending a tendril of unease unfurling through my gut. “I promise,” I manage to whisper.

Nodding, he rests the back of his head against the stone. “I’ve only fathered one child, and I’m grateful for it to be you.” He pauses a moment to catch his breath. “You look so much like your mother. Thankfully, you got her beauty and not this ugly mug.” As he chuckles, a rattling, wheezing sound echoes through his lungs like a death knell.

“Please. Rest. I can’t-”

“Son,” he cries out, his face screwing up in pain as he bites out the words. “Understand me. You are the last of this family. Both as my son and as the prince. You are king now. You’re the only one who can mend this rift. Though they poisoned Princess Briar against you, you must make her see past that. You two are the future.”

His lips continue to move, but nothing else comes out. Nothing but a hiss of air leaves his lips as he crumples in on himself, the life leaving his body. Tears flow in earnest as I shake my old master. No, not my master. My father.

Deep down, I never felt a kinship to the man who sat on the throne, and now I know why. If only I knew sooner. What a cruel twist of fate to leave me here alone with neither father nor mother as my countrymen are being slaughtered.

Briar. She’s the only one I have left.

At least she will be once I dispatch these demons back to the pit of hell. Sliding the necklace on, a slight sizzle travels down my spine as the heat infuses my body. A dragon. That’s exactly what I’ll be.

I’ll rain down my retribution upon these traitors until the entire courtyard is stained in their blood. With a roar, I dart around the bushes and into the melee, caring nothing for life or limb as I hack my way through the sea of people.

One by one, the men fall before me, their blood spraying me with each death blow of my sword. Time has no meaning. Sounds fall on deaf ears, no longer to hear the screaming and crying. All I can think about is death and destruction.

Glancing around, I look upon the sea of dead littering the ground. All around me, the men of Godwin cheer, their hands lifting high in the air as we reclaim the castle. But I feel no joy. No relief as they celebrate. I won’t feel anything until I lay my father to rest and find the chest he told me about.

I motion for a few of my most trusted soldiers to take a battalion and search the castle. No soldier will be left alive. No one will rest until all of Kendrick is burnt to ash. With my orders being carried out, I make my way back over to the alcove and fetch the body of Master Balcom.

As if he were a child, I pick him up into my arms, my strength fueled by the rage flowing through my veins. The other soldiers hush and bow their heads as we pass by. Every now and then, one of them reaches out and touches a piece of his armor, their respect and sorrow intermingling until it fills the space like a thick, smothering blanket.

Not a sound fills the air. Birds do not sing. Insects do not buzz.

Silence.

It’s so thick I can drown in it. Laying him down on the ground, I work quickly with my men to erect a small pyre. It’s what he would have wanted. As much as I’d want to entomb him, to let him rest beside my mother, where she will be put to rest in the crypt down below, I know this is his place, his destiny. The crypt is where she belongs if they ever find her body. But not Master Balcom. Not my father.

The moment the fire touches the dead wood, it lights up, crackling, filling the air with sound. We watch as it climbs, licking up all the dried bark until it finally reaches him. Digging into my breastplate, I grab the signet ring he gave me, running my thumb over the design as his body erupts into flames.

“Ashes to ashes,” I murmur, kissing the ring before putting it back. “Dust to dust.”

The ring scalds my chest as I force myself to watch my master, my mentor, my father burn before me. Thick smoke pours off his body, floating into the air like a somber shadow. I watch as it forms shapes before drifting off.

Though others may not have noticed, I could have sworn I saw the shape of a dragon. But that’s just infantile. No one looks for shapes in clouds and smoke anymore once they stop being children. I’m only seeing what I want to see and nothing more.

“Your Majesty!” a voice booms out from behind me.

At first, I don’t turn. Surely, they’re speaking to the king and not me. And that’s when it hits me in full force. I am the king now. Turning, I watch as my personal guard shoves a man down to his knees in front of me.