My "The Muse of March" contest entry

   

Raze’s eyes snapped open as air flooded his lungs and his consciousness surged to life.  Gasping, the man fought to rise from the ground, the battered plates of his armor grinding together as he did so.  His ears rang and his vision swam as he planted an iron boot into the mud and slowly stood.  Through the bare and moonlit branches of the trees that surrounded him, he could see flames of war curl above the horizon, the blazing tendrils cutting through the dark sky. 

Blood, thick and warm poured from Raze’s forehead and down his face, dripping from his copper beard onto his chest plate.  An inky black substance covered his hands and stained his chainmail, the sight making his heart churn in grief.  Dragon blood.  Turning away from the forest, the warrior directed his attention to the silver lake that lay several hundred yards away, silently shimmering in the moonlight, blissfully unaware of the death and pain that devoured the land beyond the trees.  Taking in a deep breath, Raze walked towards the lake and placed a hand in the water. “Please, lady Valen, I need your help.” He whispered.

After several seconds of silence, Raze released his bated breath and rose to his feet.  Defeat clutched his soul, stealing his breath.  There was nowhere left to go.   Just as Raze turned to leave, the surface of the lake began to ripple, disturbing the perfect mirrored image of the moon. One massive eye appeared above the surface of the lake, and then a snout, and then a body.  Water spilled onto the bank Raze stood on as a basilisk appeared out of the water, its aqua scales clearer than the lake it rose out of. Baring its fangs, it poised to attack.  Raze inhaled sharply and took a step back, panic freezing his thoughts. 

“That’s enough.” A quiet voice commanded, the basilisk going still. 

From behind the monster emerged a woman, her frame small and skin pale.  Her long white hair trailed on the water she walked on, the surface rippling as her feet touched the lake.  

With wide eyes, Raze dropped to his knees and bent his head. “Lady Valen, queen of the Elthiem kingdom basilisks.”

“Why have you called me?”

“I am in dire need of your help.  The Elthiem throne is in danger of being overtaken by evil.”  Raze said, forcing away the tremor in his voice as he slowly lifted his head and stood.

The queen tilted her head, her expression unchanged.“You are Raze, sixth son of Elthiem: dragon master.  Are you not strong enough to fight your own battles?”

Raze swallowed and lowered his eyes to the ground, shame burning his heart.  Pride urged him to turn and leave, to face whatever death lay in wait for him; but it was not just his life at stake.“It is not just an evil, that has arisen to take the throne and kill my people, my lady.  It is-” Raze struggled to swallow the knot that had formed in his throat. “It is my own kin.  Elthiem’s second and fifth son, and his second and third daughter.  Elthiem’s third and fourth son have fallen.” 

The queen slowly drew closer, the bells of her robe tinkling as she did so. “And what of the first son?”

“Missing.” 

Pressing her silver lips together, the queen’s eyes grew dark. “An unfortunate burden for so young a heart.” She said quietly. “You did not expect to be cursed with the responsibility of leadership.”

Her words were not a question but a statement, her gaze peering into Raze’s soul.  The young man resisted the urge to turn away and steeled himself, tightening his grip on his sword.  After a long and uncomfortable silence, the woman finally retreated back towards the monster. 

“We will help you, sixth son of Elthiem.  In return, I require the continued good faith between the Elthiem royalty and the basilisks.” 

A surge of hope brought new life to Raze’s lungs.“You may have anything we can provide, lady Valen.”

It took quite a bit of time of stumbling blindly through the dark woods before Raze finally emerged near the back of the castle.  Rushing past the barricades he gave one of the guards a slap of encouragement on the shoulder before running through the courtyard and into the back entrance.  Navigating the winding halls towards the main hall, Raze’ mind raced as he ascended a winding stairway. 

“Raze!” A voice said from behind him after he reached the top.  Elither, Raze’s eldest sister ran down the hall to meet him. “Where have you been?”

Raze grinned. “Getting help.” 

Elither’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. “You made it out alive?” She asked breathlessly.

Raze nodded. “We may yet have hope.” Raze’s smile dissipated as his eyes fell on the gash that cut through Elither’s side. “You’re hurt.”

Elither nodded her head at the blood that caked Raze’s face and beard. “So are you.”  She said, brushing past Raze and continuing down the hallway. “The men have retreated into the castle, and Valmar’s army is nearly at the moat.  Most of the men have congregated in the main hall.”  Elither stopped at the balcony that sat above the main hall. “There’s a lot of scared men and women down there, Raze.”  

She turned to look at him, her brown eyes somber. Raze nodded before wrapping his sister in a quick embrace and then descending down the stairs into the main hall

The hall grew deathly still the moment Raze stepped up in front of the thrones, defeated eyes peering up at Raze through battered and bloodied faces. Inhaling, Raze struggled to still his racing heart and opened his mouth.

 “I am not the leader you deserve.” He began. “Yet here we are.  Evil clamors at our doors, clawing at our gates. My brethren, will we sit and let it overtake us?” 

There was a stir in the crowd, more soldiers listening, some standing taller, emboldening Raze.

“No!” He growled.  “No, we will not!”

Some of the men cried out in agreement.

“We will stand and fight until we take our last breath, whether we see the dawn or not!  Tonight we fight!  Tomorrow we live as legends!”

The room erupted in angry shouts, the warriors once more ablaze with rage. 

“The basilisks fight for us, we will not be silently slaughtered!”

Jumping down from his perch, Raze ran through the part in the crowd and towards the doors, Elither following behind.  With an angry cry, he pulled them open and charged forward into the night. Valmar’s army had advanced further and had nearly reached the drawbridge, the sea of massive black figures rushing towards Raze.  There was a rumble beneath Raze and Elither, and the water under the drawbridge began to rise; slowly at first and then in one great rush. The massive waves crashed over into the valley sweeping half the army to the ground.  Raze’s breath caught in his chest as he watched the shadowed figure of a basilisk emerge from the woods, it’s head reaching above the trees.  The serpent-like monster let out a massive roar and charged at the army, sinking its fangs into the nearest troll, driving it to the ground.

The screech of a crow cut through the battle cries, the black bird flying above Elither and Raze.“They’re on the roof,” Elither whispered.The two exchanged a glance before turning back inside, making their way to the roof. Eventually, they emerged onto the very top of the castle, a sea of chaos stretching on and on below.  At the far end of the roof stood four shadowed figures.  Slowly, the two walked forward until Elither and Raze stood facing their siblings, Raze’s dragons and Elither’s griffins circling the roof.

 “I have to say, evil’s not a good look for you.” Raze chided his siblings, his gaze sweeping their charred skin and dull eyes.

Valmar, the second son, ignored Raze and turned his attention to Elither. “Are you certain you, the first of Elthiem’s daughters, want to die beside the least of the brothers?”

Elither simply smiled wearily. “How can he be the least of my brothers when he is my only brother?” 

Rage darkened Valmar’s gaze. “So be it.” 

The eldest brother shed his cloak, revealing his grotesque figure, the black glow of cursed blood surging through his limbs. One of Raze’s dragons landed beside him, the creatures claws tearing up the stone as it did so, its gold eyes glaring down at Valmar and the other siblings.  Raze drew his sword. 

“You may hold the kingdom by fear for a time Valmar, but it will not stay that way.  Whether we live or die tonight, good will triumph.”

And with that, Raze and Elither charged forward.