Chapter 42 Blood and Betrayal

Chapter 42 Blood and Betrayal
“Aizurah! Zeidan!” Aizurah blinked the sleep from her eyes and sat up.

“What is it, cousin?” she called, reaching for her boots. It wasn’t dawn yet, but she knew they would need to have breakfast and go over plans for the day. “How was your flight?” she asked as she shoved open the flaps of the tent and stepped out into the morning. She could hear Zeidan stirring and knew he would follow close behind.

“Uneventful. It seems Zeidan’s patrols were enough to put them off from trying to resupply for the night.” The pair walked through the camp together, the wind whipping about.

“Any idea what today’s battle plans might look like?” she asked, accepting a bowl of porridge from one of the cooks.

“We need to decide which is more important, clearing Jewelpointe or destroying the camp on Starpointe,” he told her.

“What do you think?” Aizurah asked. Her cousin shrugged as they took a seat in the dirt. The porridge was bland and thick, but warm, and she ate quickly.

“Jewelpointe was incredibly hard to claim the last time we battled for the Summer Isles. The caves provide too much protection from the Varynx’s flames.”

“But they haven’t had the chance to fortify themselves, yet. The quicker we put an end to the occupation of Jewelpointe, the better off we will be. Still, cutting off their supply line at Starpointe would eliminate their resources. Both options will give us an advantage.”

“The question now,” Zeidan interjected, taking a seat beside her with his own bowl, “is which advantage serves us best?” Aizurah shrugged. Her plan had worked well enough, but she didn’t know enough about the Summer Isles to make an assumption.

“Perhaps Lord Taevar should be the one to decide. He is the captain of the royal fleet, and he will hold Summer Isles when this war is over…” she answered.

They gathered around the table as the sun rose over the horizon. A pink glow settled over the morning, and, despite the situation they were in, Aizurah couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the sunrise looked.

In mere minutes, Taevar decided that the caves of Jewelpointe were more valuable than Starpointe. He insisted the camp would be far easier to destroy in the long run than eradicating the pirates within the cave systems of the hills.

When she had dressed and braided her hair out of the way, Aizurah readied Starlyght for their departure, offering her another slice of her hand. She pressed her face to the drake’s snout and told her how proud she was of her.

“Remember what I said last night, my love. Don’t lose your focus.” Zeidan told her. Today’s attack would be led mostly on foot, and she couldn’t afford any distractions.

Much like the morning before, the dragons launched the initial attack. The princess landed Starlyght on the beach as the men pulled the longboats ashore. She grinned as Arden joined her side.

“Ready for another exciting morning?” she asked sarcastically.

“Hopefully not too exciting, Aizurah,” he answered somberly, and she laughed.

Her arm ached from her injury, but she never let it show as she helped lead the men through the rubble of the burned camp.

The hills suddenly loomed in front of them; dark caves beckoning, and Aizurah felt trepidation at the thought of blindly making her way inside. She didn’t have to worry for long. Varynx opened his maw, and a great breath of flames filled the mouth of the cave in front of her. No screams followed, and the princess realized the entrances must have been abandoned.

“How deep do you think they run?” she asked.

“Deep enough to avoid dragon fire,” Arden answered grimly. The detachment was divided into small teams, and Aizurah’s men were ordered to defend her with their lives. The princess flushed with embarrassment as Zeidan reminded them of how easily Varynx could swallow them if she were harmed. Then the torches were lit, helmets were donned, and they stepped into the dank, salty caves.

“Everyone, be alert,” she reminded the men with her. “We don’t know where or when the caves may merge. Movement ahead does not guarantee danger.”

Brendyn scoffed, and Aizurah silently cursed Lord Taevar for putting him with her detachment. No more than fifty paces into the darkness, all hell broke loose. The torches helped them see, but in the confined space, it was difficult to move and avoid injury.

As she faced her second opponent, the princess was shoved hard against the rock of the cave, the porous stone biting into her back and neck. Her skin seared with pain, but she tried her best to ignore it as she swung at the pirate.

The fighting continued. Aside from a few small cuts and a back that would bruise, the princess was making quick work of her enemy, and she was thankful for her training.

Aizurah lost track of her men, she lost track of the time, and she lost track of how many turns she had taken as she moved through the caves.

She eventually found herself alone in the damp darkness, with neither friend nor foe to be seen.

"Well, Aizurah, you’ve certainly got yourself into a mess this time…" she thought as she wandered about in the darkness. Ever so faintly, she could hear the echoes of battle in the tunnels, but each time she followed the sounds, they seemed to grow further away.

“Zeidan? Arden?” she called out, unbothered by the prospect of the enemy hearing her. She would rather fight than be trapped alone in the darkness.

Panic began to set in, and she broke into a jog, desperate to find someone, anyone. Her throat tightened, and she squinted through the darkness, unsure of the next tunnel to follow. Aizurah leaned against the wall, taking heaving breaths, attempting to calm her screaming mind.

When the crunch of footsteps echoed around her, she gripped her sword and steeled herself for an attack.

“Princess, are you hurt?” Aizurah dropped her blade and let out a breath of relief.

“Lord Brendyn,” she breathed out, no longer panicking. “No, I’m not hurt… What happened?” He glanced around in the dark, looking into both adjoining tunnels.

“The caves go deeper than anyone expected, it seems. We all must have gotten separated,” he sighed. She nodded and sheathed her blade, then took her helmet off, unable to put up with the sweat and hair that clung to her face.

“Do you have any idea which way to go?” she asked. He shook his head.

“What happened to your knight, princess? Was he not supposed to remain with you?” he asked her, looking concerned.

“Sir Stonewell… Yes. He was, but…” she huffed exasperatedly, “As you said, we all were separated. It’s like a maze in here… We should try to find our way back…” There was a faint noise down the right tunnel, and Brendyn looked warily around. “Come on, we should—”

Aizurah gasped; the sound of her metal armor puncturing hit her before she felt the searing pain near her pelvis. She staggered back from Brendyn, clutching her middle, as wet warmth flowed over her hand.