The First King

Prew stood behind the flaming inferno, pulling Sofia back as Thayer walked toward them. She saw how quickly and effortlessly this man was able to kill Jude. Now, seeing him stomping toward them, with a wide smile and darkness seeping from his body, it filled her with fear unlike any she had ever felt. As he neared them, Prew roughly pulled Sofia behind her. Though her hands were shaking, she was able to pull an arrow from her quiver, nocking it as she aimed at the witch.

Before Prew could shoot the arrow, a dark brown wolf came rushing in, slamming into Thayer. As the witch fell to the ground, smoke shot out from him, pushing the wolf and others back. She bit her lip, watching as Nero rose to his feet. Her heart filled with a mixture of hope and dread. Konrad was a strong warrior; if anyone could stand a chance against Thayer, it was him. And yet, the same could have been said about Jude.

As Thayer rose to his feet, the wolf lunged for the witch. Prew lowered her bow, watching the fight between the two men. She would wince as magic hit against Nero, but the wolf seemed to pay no attention to it. He was pushing through the pain, focusing only on fighting. And then, time suddenly seemed to stop as Thayer slammed Nero onto the ground. Prew took in a sharp breath, watching as Konrad and his wolf struggled under the witch, but it looked as if he could barely move.

"What's wrong?!" Prew questioned anxiously. "What is he doing to Konrad?!"

"It is a gravity spell," Sofia murmured as she clutched her hands tightly. "Nero won't be able to move until Thayer lets him go."

"A gravity spell?" Prew repeated as her mouth went dry. There was nothing that Nero could do to break free from Thayer's grasp. She looked around, noticing that other wolves attempted to reach them, but witches were keeping them back.

Prew glanced back to Nero, her heart racing painfully within her chest. Her face grew hot, and tears stung her eyes. She looked down at her bow and at the arrow that she held. There were only two arrows left, and with her trembling hands and blurry vision, it was likely that she would miss. But she did not care. Prew pulled back on the string, aiming at Thayer.

She let the arrow fly, watching as it flew through the air, but it landed short of the witch. Prew cursed to herself as she reached into her quiver, grabbing her last arrow. Her hands fumbled around with the string as she watched Nero struggle under Thayer. Without taking too much time, she aimed the bow a little higher before releasing the arrow.

This time, the arrow went above Thayer, landing behind him. Tears slipped down Prew's cheeks as she fell to her knees. Two chances… and she wasted them. Her hands balled up into fists, pounding the ground around her. But then she stopped. As the droplets of water rained down from her eyes to the dirt, she noticed the end of an arrow sticking out from the ground. The black feathers of the fletching flashed against the sun's light that was peeking through the clouds. And as she gingerly pulled it from the ground, she noticed the arrowhead was made of Jasper.

This was once her arrow, probably one she had shot long ago when she was helping to light the battlefield. But now, there was a slight crack running down the length of the blueberry shoot. If she shot this, there was a chance it would break mid-flight. Without taking another moment to contemplate the what-ifs, Prew stood to her feet. She nocked the arrow, quickly aiming it.

"From the mouths of the Gods to the ears of the mortals… fly my raven."

Prew's fingers opened up, releasing the arrow and the string. She watched as the arrow wiggled through the air, but it did not fall apart. Its path did not falter, and its aim was true. The Jasper on the end was sharp, and it sparkled against the light. And it finally struck against Thayer's head, piercing cleanly through skin and bone. Prew held her breath, watching as the witch fell over with a thud.

Prew took in a sharp breath as Nero shifted into Konrad. And then, when he finally gasped for air, she could barely contain her tears. Though he was barely moving, and his body was starved for air, he was alive. But now she wanted to get to him, to keep him safe until he healed. Prew looked around, trying to see if there was an opening anywhere in the fire for her to get through. But as she looked toward the north, she saw a woman standing in the distance. There was a thick, black cloud that was swirling around the woman's feet.

What Prew did not know was that this person was Evie. When Thayer died, she felt a part of herself breaking in half. And now her magic was unstable, swirling erratically around her. Evie took her sword, raising it high into the air. With a quick prayer to Erebus, she stabbed the weapon into the ground. A rush of wind spread out from around her, traveling for several miles. And for a moment, the battlefield grew quiet. Everyone had stopped, looking toward Evie as she pulled her sword from the ground.

When she walked away toward the direction of Thayer, the ground beneath her began to fracture. Cracks began to snake across the Earth, stretching for several miles in all directions. There was a loud snap and then roaring as bits of the ground crumbled around the cracks. At first, it was just a small hole, but as Evie continued walking, it grew bigger. And as it expanded, scorching lava began to spurt from the fractured ground. The land around the hole quickly caught fire, and everyone began to escape the flames.

But not Evie. She walked until she reached the body of her partner. His eyes were wide open, but the color and life had faded away. Without caring for what was happening around her, Evie sank to her knees, taking Thayer's hand in hers. Her fingers ran along his cold skin before she twisted the golden circlet around his wrist. For over a century, these two witches loved one another, pledging to spend their lives together. And now, that lifetime of love and happiness was cut short. With fire dancing through her eyes, Evie turned around, searching for the Queen of Queens: the woman with the bow. But instead of seeing the human girl, she saw the King of Kings, being helped to his feet by another wolf.

With the molten lava and fires spreading across the ground, Rowan had rushed over, shifting from his wolf form to help Konrad to his feet.

"Prew…" Konrad rasped with a hoarse voice. "Where…"

Rowan looked up, scanning the area, but it was too chaotic. Everyone was running around, doing their best to escape before they were burned or swallowed by the rapidly forming hole. He sniffed the air, but all he could smell was the smoke from the fires. Rowan closed his eyes, dreading the worst.

"She is heading West with several wolves and witches," he lied as he tugged roughly on Konrad, urging him forward. It hurt Rowan to not be truthful with his cousin, especially when it came to Prew. But he feared that if he had been honest, Konrad would have insisted on looking for her.

"Good," Konrad whispered as he leaned against Rowan. "That's good."

Rowan swallowed the lump that formed in the back of his throat. His heart ached as he thought about Prew, but he could only hope she was escaping with the others. At this moment, Konrad was more important to Rowan. His cousin, the last of his flesh and blood, had nearly died at the hands of a witch. And now it was a struggle for him to even breathe and walk. Konrad needed him more than Rowan's own heart needed Prew.

As the two men attempted to outrun the hole growing behind them, a dark, shadowy figure appeared before them. This thing was not a man but something made purely of smoke and darkness. For a moment, it remained unmoved as it stared at the two wolves. Rowan nervously growled as he gripped onto Konrad tighter. They could not afford to stop, not with the hole and fire coming toward them, but he did not want to walk toward the unknown thing that was before them either. But as he stood there, calculating their next move, other shadowed figures appeared.

"Can you stand unassisted?" Rowan questioned as he glanced at his cousin.

"I can fight," Konrad asserted as he pulled away from Rowan's grasp. But within a few steps, he could feel his legs wobble beneath him. There was no way he was going to be able to walk, let alone fight in this condition. The only thing that Konrad could do was wait for Nero to finish healing them.

"Just stay here, and don't argue with me," Rowan instructed firmly before whispering his incantation.

Once he shifted, he rushed toward the dark figures that stood nearby. The wolf tried to slash at one of the shadowed men, but his claws hit nothing. All he did was disperse some of the smoke and clouds that made up the man's body. Rowan scowled as he attempted to snap at the person, but there was nothing for his teeth to grab onto. For a moment, he wondered if he should even bother fighting the shadowed figures. If he could not attack them, then perhaps they could not hurt him, either. But that thought was short-lived as a smokey fist connected with the side of his face. The punch sent the wolf backward, landing several feet away. A growl rumbled through Rowan's chest as steam emitted from his fractured jaw.

Konrad stood not far away, watching helplessly as his cousin fought against the shadows. He wanted to help, to fight alongside Rowan, but no matter how much he willed his feet to walk, he couldn't move. Though Thayer was dead, his entire body still felt heavy, and as he took in a deep breath, there was a sharp pain that stabbed at his sides. Konrad groaned as he ran a hand up the side of his chest, instantly feeling that several of his ribs were broken. With a scowl, he began to look around for anyone that might be nearby. There was no way that he and Rowan would escape, not with a fiery hole growing behind them and untouchable shadow men in front.

After taking a moment to survey their surroundings, Konrad spotted a woman staring at him. This was not a person that he recognized, but with the burnt and tattered black robe, he assumed she was a witch from Thresnora. What he did not realize was that the woman was Evie. Upon making eye contact, she began to stomp toward him. Konrad reached down to his right boot, withdrawing the dagger he kept tucked away. With Nero still recovering, he was unable to shift, which meant if he was to fight, he would have to do so in human form.

As Evie came within striking distance, Konrad swung his arm, attempting to stab her with his blade. But with his body still stiff and heavy from Thayer's spell, she was able to evade him with ease, blocking his arm with hers. She reached out, slamming her palm into the bottom of his chin. Konrad stumbled back, using every bit of energy that he had to keep from falling. When he found his footing, his free hand reached up, wiping away the liquid that dripped from his mouth. Konrad looked down at his trembling hand, noticing the blood that stained his skin. There was a rumbling that he could feel in his chest as Nero stirred. They still could not shift, but both knew that they needed to fight, to push through their pain.

Konrad looked up, realizing that Evie was summoning dark clouds in her hands. As she shot it toward him, Konrad dodged, sliding to the ground to avoid being hit. With a growl, he took his dagger and threw it toward the witch. Evie yelled out in pain as the blade landed into her right arm. With her in pain, a few of the shadowed men who were fighting Rowan faded away. Konrad looked from his cousin to the witch, finally realizing that she was the one creating these figures.

He rose to his feet with a groan, ignoring the ache in his muscles and burning in his lungs. As he walked toward her, he scooped up a spear from the ground. But as he looked at it, he cursed to himself. The end of the spear, where the metal point should have been, was broken; it was now just a long stick. His eyes quickly scanned the ground, but he could hear Evie removing the dagger from her arm. He did not have time to search for a better weapon; he would have to make do with what he had.

With the dagger in hand, Evie lunged for him. Konrad swung the stick, striking her wounded arm. The witch winced as pain radiated up to her shoulder, causing her to lose focus on another shadowed man. She glared up at the wolf, her heart beating erratically within her chest. With the dagger repositioned in her left hand, she waited for Konrad to swing the stick at her. When he finally did, she dodged his attack, striking him with the blade. He growled as he stepped back from her, briefly glancing down at the cut going across his forearm. It was not deep, but with the other wounds he sustained, it would take some time to heal.

But time was not on their side. Konrad could hear the ground crumbling near him, and he could feel the heat of the lava and fire. He quickly stepped to his right, avoiding the cracks that were forming around him. But, as he continued to step to the right, Evie did the same. She was so focused on him that she did not notice what was happening around her. Konrad swung the stick at her haphazardly. It was not meant to hit her but to push her further back toward the gaping hole that was behind her. As she dodged his swings, she would either sidestep or back away from him.

It was like a dance between them. Konrad would attack wildly, and Evie would evade him. When she struck him with the dagger, he would allow the blade to cut him. Konrad could not risk dodging her attacks because it would only give her an opening to move forward. He needed to keep pushing her back.

The air became increasingly hotter as they stood within a few short feet of the hole. With the heat and the smoke, it was becoming hard to even breathe. But Konrad kept swinging at Evie, ignoring Nero as he whimpered from within his soul. With the broken bones, cuts, and searing lungs, there was only so much that the wolf could heal all at once.

Evie kept fighting against Konrad, trying to strike him with the knife or her magic. She was not bothered by the heat, the smoke, or anything else that was going on around her. It was as if she had gone numb to everything. The only thing that she felt was hatred. Thayer's death broke her, and she would do anything and everything to avenge him. But all of this fury and anger blinded her to what was happening. And it was not until her foot found the edge of the hole, when she nearly slipped, that she realized what he was doing.

Evie smirked as she stared at Konrad. Beneath her feet, she could feel the ground begin to crumble under her weight, but it did not bother her. Instead of attempting to escape, she grabbed the stick that Konrad held. Using all of her strength, she pulled the wolf toward her, toward the hole that was threatening to swallow her. Evie did not care that she was about to die. Her life meant nothing in the grand scheme of things; this she knew. Evie was sworn to the God of Darkness; she was just a tool, a means to an end. It did not matter that she was to die, but she would make sure that she took Konrad with her.

As the ground below her gave way, Evie began to fall backward. But with her grip on the stick, she pulled Konrad with her. He quickly let go of the spear, but not before he lost his footing. As he fell forward, he attempted to grab onto anything to catch himself, but the ground all around him was brittle. Everything that he touched broke apart, and all he could do was stare at the lava pool beneath him. As his body tumbled into the hole, Konrad could feel his skin begin to sizzle and burn.

With one final attempt to stop his fall, his left hand grasped at an exposed tree root. But as his fingers began to lose their grip, someone from above grabbed onto his wrist. Konrad glanced up, barely noticing Rowan's face as he was pulled upward. The pain… the fire that scorched his legs was intense. Even as he was being dragged away from the hole, all he could feel was the burns; all he could do was scream. His words became incoherent screeches as his vision began to fade. Everything was agonizing, and then, everything went dark.