The War of the Masters

The governor stood outside his front door, watching in awe as the monstrous dragon flew in. The sleepy town of Evidria had never greeted such an honorable guest as a Candorian Prince before. Even if he was here for something as repulsive as a manhunt, this would still be a day to remember.

The creature landed on the road, cracking the bricks and sending a tremor through the ground. Sliding down the dragon’s battle-worn scales, the Rider stood just over six feet tall with a powerfully muscled frame and jet-black hair. Each joint in his midnight-blue armor came to a jagged edge. Blood-red striping trimmed the length of his gauntlets, belt, and breastplate.

The governor was unable to suppress the chill sweeping down his spine.

“Prince Kane, I cannot tell you how honored we are to have you here today,” he greeted, extending a hand in offering.

Kane glared at him with pale gray eyes. Hesitantly the governor pulled his hand back.

“Is there anything the Prince needs?” he stammered. “My servants will aid you however possible.”

Kane’s eyes narrowed.

“Perhaps we can help you with your belongings,” the governor said nervously. He snapped his fingers. Without delay, half a dozen of his personal servants climbed up the side of the dragon and circled around one of the three blanket-covered cages. Working together, they took hold of the metal bars and hoisted it into the air.

An agonizing scream rang out, and the governor gazed in horror as blood squirted from one of the servant’s hands. To their credit, the rest of his men were trained well enough not to drop the cage and help their companion. Another servant took hold of the blanket and tossed it to the earth, revealing a massive, snarling wolf with crimson eyes and pale, ghastly fur.

Though he was more than twenty feet away, the governor instinctively recoiled from the vicious beast. His gaze turned to the screaming servant who’d lost most of his hand, then back to the Prince.

“What . . . what is that thing?” he asked in a frightened whisper.

Kane ignored his question and sauntered over to the cage the servants had just set on the ground.

“It looks pure evil,” The governor continued, a slight tremor in his voice.

A disturbing smile crept across Kane’s face, infuriating and terrifying the governor at the same time.

Unlocking the wolf’s cage, Kane pulled out a beautifully adorned hairbrush and held it out for the beast to smell. The wolf arched its back and let out a chilling howl that seemed to wrap the governor’s heart in chains and pull it to the grave.

Then the Prince opened the other two cages.

In the short time Cyrus had known Terra, he had never seen her react this way. Witnessing the awesome might of the Alpha Dragon had left her frightened, but not so terrified that her entire body was shaking. Whoever this Kane was, Cyrus was already certain about one thing: he was not to be trifled with.

“Come on, we need to hurry,” Cyrus said, nudging Terra’s arm. For the first time she tore her gaze from the governor’s mansion and looked Cyrus in the eye. She gave him a firm nod and stilled the involuntary tremor seizing her body.

Together they darted across the yard and through the front entrance, careful to shut the door quietly behind them. Cyrus leaned against the wooden frame and took a deep breath.

An antique fishing net hung on the dining room wall and the helm from his father’s first ship rested above the fireplace. The house was a reflection of his parents’ personalities: simple people who loved the open seas.

“Mom! Dad!” Cyrus yelled as he sprinted into the hallway.

“Cyrus? Is that you?” his mother’s voice yelled.

Cyrus ran through the small house and burst into his parents’ room. His mother was sitting on the bed and his father stood ready to defend her with his sword drawn.

“Son,” his father said, lowering his weapon. “It’s you! We’re so relieved; we didn’t know if we’d ever see you again, especially when the army claimed control of the city. From the description it sounds like they’re searching for you. What’s going on?”

“I’d like to tell you guys, but we don’t have time,” Cyrus said. “We have to get out of here, now. Follow me.”

His father stopped him. “No, wait. Follow us, son.” Leading them to Cyrus’s room, his father darted to the far corner of the chamber and pulled the bed away from the wall.

“I don’t understand. Why are we here?” Cyrus asked.

“There’s so much to explain,” his mother replied, striding to where the bed had been. Cyrus noticed thin seams in the floor, about a four-foot square. It looked like a trap door, but there was no handle and the space between boards was so tight that he doubted it could even be pried open.

His mother knelt down and placed her palm against the square section. Then she raised her hand and the wooden square adhered to her palm like glue, revealing a dark passageway below.

Cyrus couldn’t believe his eyes. “What just happened?”

Before she could answer, a chilling howl pierced the silence and only one word came to mind:

Kane.

“Quick! Into the tunnel!” Cyrus said.

His mother jumped in first, followed closely by his father and Terra. Cyrus pushed the bed back over the hole just as he heard the front door cave in. Ducking under the bed, he grabbed the wooden square and crawled toward the entrance.

A wolf twice the size of a man darted into the room at supernatural speeds. Lowering its skull, it barreled into Cyrus’s bed, flipping it against the far wall. Wooden shrapnel exploded across the chamber.

The wolf was on him in seconds, pinning each of his limbs down with its own. Petrified, Cyrus could only stare into the beast’s blood-red eyes as it opened its jaws for his throat.

“Stop.”

The voice was powerful and frigid, yet so quiet it was barely more than a whisper. The giant wolf snapped its jaws shut and whimpered, retreating to the corner of the room with its tail tucked between its legs.

Cyrus gulped and turned his gaze to the room’s entrance. Two more of the oversized wolves flanked either side of a man in dark blue armor. He was a mass of solid muscle, his expression merciless.

It could be none other than Terra’s older brother, Kane.

Marching across the room, Kane seized hold of Cyrus’s neck, hefting him into the air with one hand. Cyrus looked into the man’s cold, gray eyes and felt a pang of terror shoot through his body. Kane looked fearless and relentless, without a shred of pity. It wasn’t until this moment that Cyrus fully understood Terra’s fear. Without a word, Kane nodded at one of the beasts. Instantly the wolf attacked the secret passage, tearing the boards from the floor with its serrated teeth.

Still clinging to the ladder’s iron rungs, Terra looked at Cyrus’s parents, then up at the entrance to the room.

Terra, she heard Cyrus’s voice in her mind, if you can hear me, you’ve got to run for it! Get yourself and my parents as far away as you can.

Terra bit her lip and tried to calm her churning stomach. Kane was hunting her, and no matter where she went he would follow, jeopardizing the lives of everyone around her.

But the thought of giving herself up caused her to shake uncontrollably. She had seen Kane commit unspeakable atrocities—atrocities performed on innocent people like Cyrus and his parents. If there was any way she could prevent that, she would. Even if that meant surrendering herself to a lunatic.

She knew what she had to do.

Setting her jaw, she whispered to Cyrus’s father.

“Keep going. I’m giving myself up.”

“I’m not leaving you or Cyrus!” his father replied adamantly.

“There’s nothing you can do for us if you’re captured. Get Cyrus’s mother to safety. We’ve already got a plan to get out of this.”

“I give up,” she yelled. “I’m coming out!”

The Princess climbed the ladder into the room and raised her hands. Kane was holding Cyrus in the air by his throat. One of the wolves let loose a threatening growl, but a single glare from her brother stopped the beast immediately.

In a blur, Kane tossed Cyrus across the room like he was trash. The fisherman slammed against the wall hard and crumpled into a pile on the floor. A shriek left Terra’s lips until Kane crossed the room and wrapped his hand around her throat.

Then he began to squeeze.