Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians (31 page)

Aryaunna
fell to her knees, barely realizing the threat on her life. As if it clicked
inside of her that he was going to kill her, their eyes locked. Even in the
dead of night, it was as if they could see each other almost perfectly. They
stared at one another, both realizing the moment.

As
if the sword suddenly weighed too much, his hand fell to the earth. “I wasn’t
fast enough…” he croaked. Together, they looked down at Elizabeth, cradled to
his chest by his other arm.

“I
asked her to stay.” They each professed their guilt.

Allos’
tears striped his cheeks as he sobbed, clutching her tighter with his newly
freed hand.

Doubling
over, Aryaunna’s head laid down on the ground, chin against her knees. Her
hands clutched tightly over her head, as if she could shrink herself so small
she might disappear. Her cries were so tortured that they were silent as tears
rained down.

Reign
sat beneath the great stone arch, unmoving, though his gaze struggled to keep
watch of those around him. Three Guardians encircled him. Two paced back and
forth on either side of him as one sat still. Verona. The most ethereally of
them all. White, but unlike Reign. Pure light in solid form. She was
magnificent as she was terrifying.

The
Guardians to Reign were so many things; brothers, sisters, mother, father,
child, lovers, and Gods. The two that paced at his sides circled around behind
him to cross paths to the other side.

Laviathis
crossed over to his left. He would have been unseen if not for the day light of
dawn casting light into the valley. A solid black Dragon, his scales did not
glisten but were matte like coal as he was built like a mountain. A Guardian of
fire, his wrath rained like lava. Genocien stalked along his right side, long
serpentine tongue tasting the war on the air. He was the most snake like of
them all, body seeming to change colors as he twisted about. Light changed his
body to appear in every shade of green.

Every
part of Reign felt his curse pulling against him, Aryaunna. He could feel her
calling. Something was horribly wrong. He was bound so tightly to the
Guardian’s child that her pain was truly his own. He needed to go to her.

The
three that surrounded him had made quite certain that wouldn’t happen however.
“I have done everything you’ve asked of me,” he spoke low, unable to meet their
eyes for the pain in his chest.

“Strange,
I don’t recall asking you to give your essence to a human,” Laviathis spoke
gravely as he spat the last word, flames spitting from his tongue. Reign
flinched as fire hit his already injured wing.

“Nor
do I,” hissed Genocien.

Verona
had yet to speak.

Reign
looked back and forth between Genocien and Laviathis before gazing up to
Verona, who sat perched upon a large bolder.

“She
was dying. The Emissary has not fulfilled her destiny yet. What choice did I
have but to keep her alive at all costs?”

“There
were other ways!” They’d been vehement and clear that he should never had left
her side.

“You
know the punishment this carries, Reign. No one is exempt, not even the
Emissary and her champion,” Genocien reminded. In their histories Dragons had
been tricked, even forced, to give their essence to humans. It had ended in
tragedy for their entire race.

“It
was my choice. She doesn’t even know what has happened to her yet. No punishment
should befall the girl.” Though he spoke to them all, his gaze remained upon
Verona.

“You
would take it upon yourself to spare her?” Verona spoke for the first time. A
question Reign couldn’t quite place echoed in the Guardian’s voice.

“Aye.”
Reign’s head bowed, showing his surrender.

Both
Genocien and Laviathis started to retort when Verona’s wings spread wide,
silencing them instantly. “So be it. Let him be rendered of his dignity.”

The
two at his sides lunged for Reign, attacking him with all the fury a Dragon
had. Reign did not fight back. His maw parted, releasing the most agonized cry
that roared out into the sky. In seconds Laviathis and Genocien had ripped the
wings from his body, leaving bloody stumps of bone jutting from his back.

Falling
to the earth with a thunderous sound, Reign groaned out. His gaze slowly rolled
up as he watched Verona saunter down from her perch slowly as if this were
leisurely for her-killing the last Dragon.

She
filled his gaze, blocking Laviathis out of his peripheral. He knew death was
imminent, and she his executioner. Still yet, he couldn’t release her from his
gaze. Though Reign did not fight his Guardians, he felt betrayed by them. He’d
done everything they had asked and more. For it he was facing punishment of death.
The deceit angered him, though in yielding, perhaps he would keep her safe yet.

Verona
could see all of this in his eyes. “You love her, don’t you?” she asked in such
a low whisper the others couldn’t hear them. Too weak to answer, his eyes
clinched shut. If Verona couldn’t see the truth in his eyes, maybe it would
keep Aryaunna safe. Even suspecting the truth wasn’t as bad as knowing for
certain. He did love her. He loved her more than there were words for the
emotion. Aryaunna was more sacred to Reign’s heart than the Guardians. She was
the embodiment of hope, not just for her people, or for Reign, but for all
kind. Faye and Mortal alike.

“I’m
not going to kill you, Reign,” Verona spoke against his ear. “What I have in
mind is going to be much more painful.”

Her
great talons grabbed his throat in her monstrously beautiful hand and pinned
him to the ground as her maw stretched wide. Her breath was pure magic, for
Verona was the strongest of the Guardians. It enveloped him in her essence as
it rendered scale from bone.

Reign’s
screams could be heard for miles, like thunder tearing through the clouds
above.

To be continued…

Jacquelynn
F. Gagne is an artist. When she cannot be found in the real world she is
usually found covered in paint, pastels or most usually words. Among writing,
photography and art, Jacquelynn has been married for ten years and is mother to
two incredible boys who take after their parents in every way, for better and
worse.

Jacquelynn
began reading at age four, writing by age six, though did not start working on
her first novel until January of 2008. Though Jacquelynn has been writing
most of her life, it was never her intention to become a professional writer,
but when obsession grabs you, it doesn’t tend to let go. In addition to
writing, Jacquelynn enjoys reading everything she can get her greedy little
hands on. She is positively click happy when handed a camera and often has
acrylics coating her fingernails instead of polish from her most recent
painting. Currently she lives in Springfield, Missouri with her husband, James,
and their two sons. She has declared to one day build a library that will
substitute as her house.

Note from the author,

There is something that
is just pure magic about literature. No matter what you’re reading, it holds
the possibility of all things, and that is magic! Every story has the potential
to give you any and every emotion: love, fear, excitement, sadness, joy, anger,
and so much more. There is no purer sense of humanity than emotion. Literature
is the quintessential of art. Through words alone we have the ability to create
and step into any universe imaginable. Imaginable! And what limit is there to
the human imagination? Absolutely none.

To create a book, a
novel or otherwise, there is this magnificent feeling of accomplishment but it
goes so much further than that. We’ve taken part in creating a completely new
existence. Another dimension comes to life with every word we put on the page.
We fall in love with these characters like we do with our partners and our
children. They’re not just characters, but lives that we give birth to that
every reader recreates again and again. For me to finally complete this story
and to show it to the world is one of my personally proudest moments. So thank
you, to all of those who have come this far. The journeys we’re to share
together through these pages are going to be absolutely unforgettable.