The Time Tournament (Order of the Dragon #1)

CHAPTER 9

Elena

July 1378

S tep by step, I blended into the silence. The pheasant, however, didn’t share my sense of stealth and, at the first chance, fluttered its wings and slipped out of my hand. But it was too late to worry about my escaped dinner. Something was off. Everything looked the same: the fire still burned in the fireplace, the furniture was in the exact same place, and no jars were broken. It looked as pristine as we had left it that morning. Still, an eerie feeling crept up my neck.

Then I turned toward the bedroom. Mel was lying on the floor, covered in a red substance. Blood. I raced to her in a panic. I’d never seen someone that hurt before. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. I grabbed Mel’s hand, but it fell limp. “Mel, Mel. What happened?” Her pale purplish face, blank stare, and blood-soaked clothes told me only one thing: they killed her. The warlocks killed her.

“No. No.” I grabbed her face and searched for a speck of life in her eyes. Tears filled my eyes. I brought her lifeless hand to my forehead. “Why? Why did they kill you? You said you never died, so why now? What changed?” This was bad. Either the Fates decided to end the loop, or Mel didn’t tell me the whole truth. Either way, I was screwed big time. But I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to my friend.

“I’m sorry, Mel. You dedicated your life to save me, but I couldn’t save you.” I knew she would be reborn and be okay in a distant future. But I would be forgotten, and in a way, this was the death of us. The bastards had to be close by, but somehow, I couldn’t move away from the one who became my mentor, my mother… my friend. I kissed her bloodied cheek and closed her eyes. “Farewell, my friend. I will mourn the loss of you until we hopefully meet again.”

After wrapping her body in her cloak and covering her face with the hood, I began searching for clues. Why didn’t the warlocks wait to finish me off?

Then, heavy footsteps broke the sorrowful silence. It was them. My heart threatened to leap out of my chest, but I couldn’t lose control. I couldn’t betray Mel and surrender to the circumstances. I had to fight. That’s what she taught me. Now or never, I needed to end the loop myself, or at least, before the Fates did. Though it felt like I was already late. I peeked from behind the door to see who these infamous, legendary warlocks were.

At first, I was relieved when Mel said there would be only two of them. But once I saw them, even one seemed like too much. Mel hadn’t exaggerated when she said they came prepared. They resembled the embodiment of terror. Both were at least six feet tall, covered from head to toe in black armor, including their faces. And not just any regular chainmail—full metal suits. There wasn’t a spot of skin showing. These guys didn’t come here to play, and I was ready to pee my pants. I meant skirt. Skirts. Whatever. How Mel expected me to kill these dudes was beyond me.

“I believe she returned to the shed,” one of the murderous bastards said.

It’s not a shed, you asshole. It’s my home.

“Scour the territory again,” the other one said.

I quickly hid behind the bedroom door. The footsteps grew louder, coinciding with my heartbeats. I unsheathed my prismwater dagger and held it close to my chest. I checked the vial tied around my neck. It was still there. Phew. Then I began practicing the spell in my head. Crap.

I had forgotten it. What was it again? Portae temporis , vires something, something. I hadn’t practiced it in so long. Mel would be so disappointed in me. Hell, I was disappointed in myself.

“Lord Corbin, the body has been covered.” He knelt in front of Mel.

“Find her and let’s finish her quickly. I’m ready for lunch. The cook promised a feast.”

What the fuck? I was here, fearing for my life while these people discussed their meal of the day. How minuscule did my life seem to them? But I wasn’t going out without a fight. Humans could fight too.

I flung the door open. As it slammed closed, I yelled my best Amazonian scream and jumped on one of the guys. As soon as I jumped on the bastard, he grabbed me and threw me across the room. I landed hard on the other side of the bedroom. Crap. That was not how this was supposed to happen.

“Take the dagger and make sure you destroy the vial,” the scary warlock-I-didn’t-want-to-fight said. The other warlock didn’t charge toward me, or even walk briskly. No, he ambled in my direction as if picking a flower. The level of damage they assumed I could inflict on them was subzero.

“Hey, guys… sirs. How are you today?” I pulled myself toward a wall.

“Do not speak to the target,” Lord Corbin, or whatever his name was, said. Clearly, he was the leader between the two.

“You know, this is not necessary at all. We can all live in this world peacefully. I really don’t get these Fates, you know. How about we just part ways as if nothing happened,” I rambled.

“Attack,” Lord Corbin the bastard ordered .

The other guy aimed for my neck, and I unconsciously blocked his hand. With the other, I jabbed it into the helmet that looked similar to a fencer’s mask but much more menacing. With adrenaline pumping through my body, I ripped the head cover and revealed his face. Green eyes met mine and black curly strands fell on his shoulders. These wizards could break your heart as well as your bones. When I placed him in a vulnerable position, his demeanor changed. He grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I’d never felt such pain in my life. But before he pinned me down, I hid the dagger in my dress pocket.

“Remove the vial,” Lord Corbin ordered.

One quick pull and the vial lay in his gloved hand.

“No,” I bellowed. “Stop.” I tried to change the inevitable.

He threw the vial on the ground and stomped it. The glass shattered into a million pieces, just like my hope. What was I going to do now?

“Finish her. Every time she gets weaker and weaker, even by human standards. These female humans are worthless, only good at opening their legs.”

“What did you just say? You bastards are only good at killing innocent people. You’re just soulless murderers.” I tried hopelessly to free myself from the warlock’s iron grip.

“You can’t even move, yet you dare insult me?” He walked closer, ready to finish me himself.

“You’re nothing but scum, even in the Other Realms. Actually, in all Realms that ever existed.”

“This time, it will give me pleasure to rip your heart out,” Lord Corbin, the warlock scum, said. “Hand her over to me.”

“No one said we couldn’t have some torturous merriment, did they?” the other warlock chimed in.

As soon as I felt the blood flow back into my arm and could stand, I pulled my dagger with my left hand from my dress pocket and stabbed him in the cheek.

His screams of agony echoed throughout the entire room. I could hear his skin melt, rapidly uncovering his skull. But I didn’t let myself react. Instead, I switched the dagger from my left hand to my right, sprinted to Corbin’s back, and struck at his nape. He was faster, and I only succeeded in nipping him. But it didn’t draw blood. My one chance at subduing him had failed.

“You human whore. These are going to be your last breaths,” he bellowed.

I knew if I didn’t do something fast, his words would become reality. I shoved the dagger back in my pocket and knelt before Mel.

“I’m so sorry, Mel. I’m so sorry, but I have to do this.” I uncovered her body and began smearing her blood all over my face, neck, and hands.

“That won’t be enough for you to travel, human,” he said. I heard the shing of a sword being unsheathed.

Triple crap. I continued the bloody bath. “It has to work. It has to work,” I whispered. I looked at my hands dripping with Mel’s blood. This had to be enough.

Cosplaying Carrie, I stood, turned, and confronted the terrorizing figure before me .

“Prepare to die.” He grinned sinisterly.

My breath stopped. This was probably my last chance given by the Fates. His nightmare-fuel expression froze my blood and made the pit of my stomach burn, but I couldn’t let him win. I couldn’t stay weak. Not like before.

“ Fac yourself in Latin, you Neanderthal reject. Portae temporis, vires tuas effunde …” I began reciting the spell. It all came to me out of nowhere.

“No,” he bellowed and swung his sword at me.

“ Fac me transpire per viam tuam ad annum mille quadringentesimo tricesimo .”

Fac me. I said the spell wrong. Still, the walls of the cottage disappeared, replaced by wind and fog. The gusts increased, and, for a moment, I felt safe––except, my right arm hurt badly. I turned and began to panic. A deep open gash bled profusely from my arm. I almost didn’t realize it, since my entire body was covered in Mel’s blood. The bastard had hurt me, and I had failed to kill him. This was not going according to plan. Then again, considering the multiple failures, maybe it was.

In a matter of minutes, I found myself in the wilderness. The cottage had vanished, along with Mel and the two creeps. This trip was much shorter than the previous one. My only hope was that I had time-traveled to the correct year. I inspected the area around me, and it seemed safe for the moment. I walked to the nearest tree and began mending my wound. Why hadn’t Mel taught me this life-saving skill? I should tell her that the next time we meet. But she won’t remember me. Well, guess what? She’ll have to. She found out about me once. She’ll find out about me again. Unless I survive and meet her in her time. Right, back to the “stay alive” plan.

My best bet was to stop the bleeding. I took my prism dagger and slashed my dress and chemise. What use were they to me now? The gentlemanly raccoon was long gone. I tied my gash as best I could with my left hand. I had lost my dagger sheath in the past, so I had to improvise. I wrapped some of the fabric around the dagger, then tied it to my thigh. Fearing the crows and vultures, I wiped off most of the blood. Once again, the pang in my heart reminded me of Mel’s death. It still felt surreal. The aggressiveness of those warlocks told me they were prepared to kill off not just me but the entire time thread. Was I getting closer to completing my quest? I doubt it. The only thing I felt closer to was death. So, on I went in search of my next mission: finding people, witches (the good kind), or shapeshifting dragons. Just like Mel said. How was I going to do that? No idea. Maybe following a stream would lead me to some form of civilization.

I treaded carefully in search of a body of water, not only to follow it but to quench my thirst and wash my body further. The soreness in my throat made it difficult to swallow. The woods were so dense I could barely find a spot to step on. Everything looked menacing, from the thorny ivy to the stinging nettle. With so many rocky hideouts, stepping on anything other than the ground seemed like a daring act. I wriggled through tunnels of branches. The further I ventured, the deeper the forest became. I feared I would have to spend the night in the forest. Or a week. The very thought made my throat tighten. I still had my dagger to protect myself. But would that be enough for me to survive for several days? After hours of what felt like swimming in mountainous fauna, I found a brook. The answer to all my hopes. I chugged the water as if for the first time in my life. The cool taste gave me a new breath of motivation. I could do this. I had everything I needed to reach my quest. Then my stomach began churning. Crap. Now I had to find food. After so much dread, my stomach locked itself, and the water opened its gateways to the feeling I probably needed to get used to—starvation.

I looked around for berries or something edible. I found some gooseberries and several mushrooms. I checked if they were poisonous, just like Mel taught me, but I could never be sure. Still, I folded under my stomach’s scrutiny and began munching on the berries.

To my relief, they didn’t turn my stomach upside down. And with a half-full stomach, I could prepare for the night. I used my lucky dagger and sawed through several branches I could reach. That became my bed and cover. Once I felt like nothing else could be done, night had already settled. The never-ending stream surprisingly calmed my nerves.

Even the pesky mosquitos didn’t bother me, though they became the companions I least wished to have. I turned my gaze up and began admiring the starry sky. The comet was gone, probably for many years to come. I leaned on a branch and let my tears roll down my cheeks. When was a better time to cry if not the middle of the night?

Then a massive shadow appeared above me. When I glanced at the sky again, I saw a birdlike figure. I couldn’t see it clearly as it flew far, but it didn’t resemble a bird. Maybe it was a…dragon. Was I this close? Or, considering how far the figure flew, was I that far? When I looked up again, it disappeared. I must be hallucinating. I’ve been hungry for some time now. It didn’t do any good to my brain. I needed to rest. Sleep felt like a hug from a good friend.

Dawn reached my eyelids, and I jolted awake. To my horror, a snake lay on my leg.

“You thought you could escape. Your only fate is to die,” the snake hissed.

When I looked down, I saw two bloody marks on my leg. The snake bit me.