Chapter 7 - Trial by Fire
Lord Commander Vane snarled, drawing his broadsword and charging directly toward Elara.
Before Elara could even raise her blade, Ignis leaped from her shoulder. In mid-air, the young dragon snapped its jaws, catching Vane’s sword blade between its teeth with a sharp clack of metal against reinforced scale. With a vicious twist of its powerful neck, the dragon ripped the weapon from the commander's hands and hurled it across the room.
Vane stumbled back in sheer terror as Ignis landed heavily on the marble floor, hissing menacingly, wings flared wide to display an intimidating span of silver membrane.
"Yield, Vane," Elara commanded coldly.
The commander dropped to his knees, his sword arm trembling as rebel guards stepped forward to secure him in heavy iron chains—the very same chains Elara had worn just days prior.
King Aldric, cornered against his own throne, grabbed a heavy iron mace from a display stand, his face purple with rage and panic. "I built this dynasty! You will not take it from me!" he screamed, lunging forward with desperate, uncoordinated fury.
Elara stepped smoothly inside his erratic swing, ducking beneath the heavy mace with lethal grace. With a sharp, practiced strike of her dagger handle, she hit the exact pressure point beneath his breastplate. Aldric gasped, dropping his weapon as his breath left his lungs, and crashed hard onto the marble floor.
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She placed the tip of her blade lightly against his throat.
The king stared up at her, trembling, realizing for the first time that his cruelty had birthed an unstoppable force.
