Miracle

The sky fell further away as the land spread out beneath us. After the initial burst of panic, a strange calm came over me, and I found myself focused on the view. Seeing this world from above made it look… beautiful. All the evil I had witnessed, all the horrible things I had endured, it all melted away as I gazed at the rolling hills, the patches of trees and charming hamlets, the clear blue of the sky. I closed my eyes.

Memories of my time here flooded into my mind once again. But they weren’t caused by desperation this time. They came from acceptance.

Although I had spent most of my waking hours here cursing this realm, I knew there were good people who had been helped, even saved through my party’s efforts. Even though I had done unspeakable things, I had tried to do the right thing where I could, and I had fought to find my way home.

I longed to see my fiancee, my child, my world again. A tear slipped from the corner of my eye and drifted into the sky above me as I felt the wind soften on my back. I had done my best for them, but it hadn’t been enough.

The teardrop suddenly landed back onto my face, and the plink of wetness jolted me out of my thoughts.

The sky above was clear, but it had stopped receding. I was floating.

Immediately I thought Estelar had awoken and was using his wind magic to keep us from falling. But I wasn’t just falling more slowly now; I was almost entirely still. Awkwardly, I flipped myself over to see if I could find Estelar. Instead, I saw a massive eye staring at me. It blinked.

Coiled around and under our party was the draconic remnant, its mastery of the air keeping us suspended effortlessly.

The rope connecting the party had come loose and dropped away sometime during our fall, but I realized it wasn’t needed anymore. I saw Andra perched atop the dragon’s head, gently petting it as much as she could manage. I was too far away to see much detail, but I could tell even from here that her arms were mangled, damaged and purple.

The wind continued blowing warmly and softly around us as we began to slowly descend. Clouds formed around us in a protective cocoon, the light of the sun filtering in as a scattered rainbow across the misty droplets. It was surreal, but we were alive, and that was all that mattered.

A low and almost serene roar spread across the landscape as we gently set down upon the ground, the draconic remnant still surrounding and protecting us. It looked at me intently, and I could see the depth of wisdom and intelligence behind its eyes. Somehow, it recognized us as its saviors. I wondered just how much this dragon knew.

I cast about for my party, spotting Estelar lying on the grass nearby. He was still in a daze, so I lifted him and carried him on my back as I walked to where Andra and Pira waited. Andra was still on the beast’s head, while Pira stood close by.

Neither of my conscious party members paid me any mind as I approached, completely entranced by the deity before us. I couldn’t fault them. Its eyes alone had captivated me with a level of comprehension and complexity that I had barely even seen in people.

The dragon’s form was still mostly obscured by the ever-present fog wrapped around it, but I could make out a long slender shape and intricate fins that it seemed to use to control the winds and weather. Andra was petting the creature’s snout now, and it seemed to welcome the touch warmly. It felt like time had stopped in this idyllic moment.

A horn sounded from the direction of the capital, breaking the spell and shattering the illusion of peace. I wrenched my focus away from the dragon, listening. The horn echoed again, and then I heard the distant commotion of approaching troops.

The capital’s forces, perhaps? They may have been dispatched to assess or even intercept the draconic remnant. Whoever they were, they had arrived, weapons drawn and readied. Pira and I looked at each other, worry etched across our faces.

Sure enough, it was only moments later that the first mass of troops crested a nearby hill and paused, surveying our group. They were in plate armor, ready for battle, and there looked to be hundreds of them.

Andra, not missing a beat, slid down the draconic remnant’s head and stood in front of the creature. Even with her arms and hands damaged, she seemed determined to guard her deity.

“Stop!” She yelled as forcefully as she could. Her eyes were flashing with rage. Her voice carried, and I saw the troops on the hill shift about, looking at each other uncertainly.

My hairs stood on end as a small crackle of energy emanated from the clouds around us. This could become incredibly dangerous very quickly. I knew I needed to step in.

“Stand down!” I joined Andra, drawing myself up as much as I could in an effort to look authoritative. “As proxy to eighth prince Elias, I can affirm that the draconic remnant threat has been neutralized, and the creature is no longer under the command of the first prince. I repeat, stand down!”

One of the armored men on a mount paused for a long moment, then gestured to the troops to lower their weapons; there was no doubt that he was their general. The same man, joined by two other soldiers, dismounted and began to slowly make their way toward us, leaving the rest of the army behind. I knew from their easy approach that this was not an attack. This was diplomacy. They wanted information, and I didn’t blame them.

Andra and I walked out to meet them in the middle of the field. The general raised his visor and nodded to me, so I inclined my head in response.

“What has occurred here?” he asked, more curious than confrontational.

I set about explaining the situation as best I could without sharing too much. Yes, the dragon had been fighting on the side of the first prince, but that had not been the creature’s choice. Yes, we freed it from its enslavement. No, it was no longer a threat. No, there was no need for more fighting here today. I thought ruefully of the battle we had witnessed when we had first arrived in this place; there had been enough fighting and dying to last many lifetimes.

“I see,” the general replied, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. “In that case, we have no issue with permitting the draconic remnant to take its leave in peace.”

I saw tears well up in Andra’s eyes, but I didn’t comment. I knew they were happy, albeit bittersweet, tears. She ran back to the others with the good news. Estelar was finally mostly conscious, and he was entirely consumed with staring at the dragon until he saw the state Andra’s arms were in. Horrified, he tried to use what little magic he had left to stabilize her while she protested his efforts.

The draconic remnant huffed lightly and stretched, uncoiling itself from the ground. It allowed Andra to give it one more pat before it gently lifted itself up, the cloud cover around it thickening to shield it from view. The last thing I saw of it was the giant eye regarding me solemnly through the mist. I lifted a hand to wave in response. Swiftly, the beast rose into the sky and began to fly back toward the horizon in the direction of its home. The massive cloud that engulfed it finally vanished over the distant mountains, and it was gone.

The general seemed impressed that we’d earned the dragon’s regard. He informed me that a few of his men would stay here to escort us back to the capital. He turned to lead the troops back, but not before he ordered a few of them into the foothills around the mountains to search for the pieces of the collar that had fallen from the draconic remnant. Those pieces would be useful as evidence of what had happened.

Just before he walked away, the general paused and looked at me.

“You know,” he said thoughtfully, “you technically saved the capital from the draconic remnant. That’s a huge feat in the scope of the competition.” He smiled slightly and went back to his men.

I watched him go, realizing he was right. We’d saved the city, which was a massive undertaking far more momentous than saving any village. And not only that, we didn’t have the scandals plaguing us that most of the other royals had. Of course, most of those scandals had been orchestrated by Elias, but either way, it seemed that his victory was guaranteed.

I felt a burst of relief and joy rush through me, and I almost fell to my knees. Tears pricked my eyes, but the glorious feeling of success was quickly tarnished. It felt good to know that this outcome likely meant I would get to live and go home, of course, but I also hated the thought of Elias ruling this place. All the evil he’d done, from kidnapping me to manipulating the contest like a miniature Machiavelli - the last thing he deserved was power. I remembered the villagers we’d met, the dragon we’d freed, even my own party members, wondering what would become of all of them. I felt that spark of determination flare inside me again; if the opportunity to exact some revenge against the prince arose, I would take it.

For now, it was time to go. My conflicted emotions took a backseat when I was introduced to the steed I would be riding to the capital.

While most of the trained scouts were riding what appeared to be some sort of slim, muscular bear-like creature, my party was provided with “back up” mounts, which could only be described as large, unkempt labradors. Mine immediately greeted me by slobbering all over my face and head, and I felt a laugh bubbling out of me at the animal’s unbridled enthusiasm.

The awe I had felt at seeing this world from the sky, the deep majesty of the draconic remnant, the emotional magnitude of reaching the end of this journey - all of it was shoved aside by the existence of big dogs I could ride around on.

Maybe this world was perfect.

My team and I loped across the fields on our dog mounts, and it wasn’t long before we arrived at our accommodations in the city. I was resistant to saying goodbye to my new best friend, and his excited licks told me he felt the same, but eventually the cavalry pried us apart and I went to my quarters alone. I fell into bed and was asleep on the spot, the exhaustion of the day having built up to an immeasurable degree.

Waking up the following morning was excruciating. My muscles ached from everything we had done the day before: clinging to a dragon’s back had a way of using muscles I didn’t tend to use. A mix of adrenaline and dog-obsession had stopped me from feeling anything at the time, but it was catching up to me now.

I got up, got dressed and went to stumble out of my room, vaguely hoping to get someone to look me over and make sure I wasn’t actually injured. But when I opened my door, there was Prince Elias, his hand raised to knock.

“Perfect timing.” He smiled at me as he stepped into my room, closing the door behind him. “Let’s talk, shall we?”

The aches in my muscles seemed to amplify in his presence. “It’s too early to deal with you…,” I muttered, knowing he could hear me.

“Your party, well ex-party members are currently out getting treatment and handling their affairs, so it’s just us here.” He sat down in the nearest chair, giving every impression that I should be grateful for his visit. “Since this will probably be our last chance to talk one-on-one, I wanted to make the most of it.”

“How kind of you,” I groaned, falling back onto the bed.

The prince eyed me. “You know, I actually am quite fond of you, even with all your animosity towards me,” he chuckled. “Sending you to your death yesterday was a hard decision for me, harder than most sacrifices I’ve made for this day.”

I ignored his attempt at emotional connection, which was probably just another flavor of manipulation. He’d confirmed what I’d suspected.

“So you knew, huh?” I asked.

“...Yes,” Elias responded. “Sacrificing you as a martyr, along with part of the capital city when the draconic remnant exploded, that was my plan.” He brightened. “I even had a speech prepared in your honor.”

“Could you not have told us that’s what you had in mind? After your maid took out the tamer, our plan almost got everyone killed,” I snapped. “The mages’ college probably had some contingency plan in place, but we ruined it.”

“They did have a plan. It wouldn’t have worked,” the prince countered calmly, as if explaining chess to a child. “The damage they took from the vagabond uprising was far too great to enact their emergency plan for securing the draconic remnant. The vagabonds were stronger than I had realized.”

A moment of silence hung in the air as I gathered my thoughts. He’d intended for me to die, for the entire party to die.

“But, against all odds,” the prince said, as if reading my thoughts, “your team accomplished a true miracle!”

He stood up and began pacing back and forth through the middle of the room. He gave every appearance of thinking hard about something, but I knew him well enough by now to know better.

“It must have been divine intervention,” he announced finally. “The will of the gods themselves, guaranteeing my ascension to the throne!” Elias stopped, grinning broadly, and turned back to me. “I am truly thankful to you, Kai.”

With that, the prince strode over to the door and knocked on it twice. It opened; the maid stood there waiting. She handed him long staff intricately carved from what looked like ivory. There was a shiny blue gemstone embedded in the top. As the prince hefted the staff, the maid slid into the shadows and out of sight.

“Here,” Elias said, putting the staff in my hands. “If you click this button on the top while planting it on the ground, you will be sent back to your home.” He indicated that the gemstone was the button. I gripped the staff tightly. This was it. This was the last piece. I could go home.

The prince was looking at me beseechingly, which would have been more effective if the expression had reached his eyes. “I know you must be wanting to leave immediately, but I do implore you to stay for the celebration. If not for me, at least stay to say goodbye to your party.”

As he said that, Pira walked past the open doorway and glanced in.

“Oh Kai, you’re up!” She said enthusiastically, her smile broad. She took a step into the room and paused, spotting the prince. Her demeanor became more subdued, and she inclined her head. “Oh, and greetings to your majesty.”

The prince chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry, I haven’t been crowned yet. That’s for tonight. Until then, I’m still just Prince Elias.”

He turned and winked at me, waving his hand in the air with a flourish.

“I’ve waited a very long time for this, I can wait one sun longer.” Suddenly, his demeanor changed. The performative flamboyance fell away, and he stood before me, shoulders squared. For once, he looked almost regal. “Congratulations Kai. And one last time, thank you.”

He put his hand out to me for a handshake. For a long moment, I considered pushing it aside with the back of my hand in protest, but I could see a flicker of sincerity in his eyes. For better or worse, he had held up his end. Mostly.

I sighed. I took his hand in mine, shaking it for the first and last time.

“With that, I will take my leave,” Elias said, turning towards the door. “If you miss me, feel free to stop by any time.” He glanced over his shoulder from the threshold, the serpentine smile back in place. “I will always make time for my dear proxy.”

I walked past Pira and closed the door behind him as he left. My patience for his attitude was all used up for the day.

I stared down at the staff I still held. My ticket home. I didn’t want to put it down. If I pressed the button now, it could all be over. But I wasn’t done here yet. I turned toward Pira.

“Before you ask, because I know you will,” she said before I could speak, “Andra is at the doctor right now. Her arms were in really bad shape, but thanks to our newfound status, she’s getting the best medical care available, and it won’t be long before she’s at one hundred percent again.”

I nodded, relieved. “And Estelar?”