57. The Golden Badge
Like a dark, looming storm, every werewolf squadron had set off for King’s Harbor under Olcan’s command. They moved faster than the night wind, carrying light-weight but incredibly deadly weapons made of frost stone. It was the night of the Lunar Eclipse, the strongest ever since the dragon race had lost their spirits. The werewolves believed that, if they could conquer the dragon palace, the first beam of searing moonlight would bless them with a century’s-worth of glory, power, and endless fortune. As for their eternal rivals, the dragons would lost their position in the world and fall to the Northern Realm, all thanks to the wolves’ frost stone.
“Our fiercest enemy,” Fenris said to Olcan as they left the marshland, “the black dragon, he’s already dead.”
“Your meticulous research amazes me, Brother,” Olcan said to Fenris without looking at him, “I underestimated you. I thought you were merely a careless man.”
Fenris chuckled, hair prickled on his skin. “I’m glad to be of help. My men found him in the West. God knows what happened to him!” Fenris gave Olcan a quick look, then quickly withdrew his glance. “I didn’t want to bother you when you were clearly experiencing grief at losing your son.”
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Fenris.” Olcan put on a bittersweet smile. “My son is still out there somewhere.” He looked up to observe the fading moon. “He’s still in the dragon realm. I can feel him. I hope the moon goddess will lead him to me.”
“She will, if we take this whole kingdom,” Fenris said, then added, “under your control.” He had been pondering his options after he discovered that stupid scarred dragon prince had fooled him. If the real prince came back before the first beam of moonlight, he would have no power to reverse it. The prince would be formally registered as his father’s successor.
“I think so too,” Olcan sighed, “I have an unwavering feeling. My son and I will reunite soon. Tonight.”
Fenris paused in silence. He peeked at his big brother. The faint starlight grotesquely shaded Olcan’s face into a dark, shadowy silhouette. “That would be the most wonderful thing, wouldn’t it?” he remarked.
“But if not,” Olcan finally looked at Fenris, “I will make you my successor, with the promise of the first moonlight.”
“That won’t happen, Brother,” Fenris said, “The moon goddess will bring the young prince back to us. But I will always be here for you, if you need me.”
Olcan patted Fenris’s shoulder. “I know I can trust you.” He reached his hand down to his belt and had a sudden realization. “The badge…” His hand froze in midair. “I must’ve dropped it while I was with the girl…”
“I’ll fetch it for you,” Fenris replied, seeing an opportunity, “You continue to march, I’ll catch up with you soon.”
Olcan nodded. “It should be on the bed. Look around carefully.”
Fenris broke off from the marching squadron and made his way back to the cabin, grinning as he considered the second chance that had fallen into his lap.
--
Crickets chirped among the short grass outside the cabin. Through the window, Lily glared at the army of werewolves marching off and leaving the marsh. Only a few sentries were guarding the land, striding across the empty clearing. She ran to the door and poked her head out to look down the corridor, making sure there was no one outside.
It was the perfect opportunity to escape from her own personal hell. But before that, she needed to do something else.
She pulled herself up and slipped into the room where Rina was trapped. She couldn’t talk or move, but her eyes were fixed on Lily. The girl was dressed in a cream-colored dress. She had an innocent face. Her skin was half golden and half silver, and bruises covered her neck, arms, thighs, and ankles. Rina had never seen a true crossbreed with her own eyes. She couldn’t tolerate looking at them; it disgusted her. Her hate for them was widely-known across the kingdom. As a negligent royal dragon, she was part of the reason the crossbreeds constantly suffered.
Lily stared at Rina with a blank face. She recognized that the woman was a royal, as her shadow on the floor was a fierce dragon. But her silver hair meant that she was an evil one. The girl’s death in the cave once again reminded Lily how cruel the high-ranking lords were. She herself wouldn’t have been captured if not for the silver royals. None of this would have happened without consent from the queen. A dangerous glint flashed in Lily’s eyes. She could take her revenge now, for the girl who died in the cave and for the dozens of others she knew of, but hadn’t met in person.
Lily tiptoed out of the room, then quickly back in. In her hands was a flask filled with hot liquid. She opened it and made Rina drink, “This is the winter nectar antidote. It will need some time to take effect.” She turned face away. “I need you to know. I could simply kill you now, or simply leave you here, paralyzed. But I just can’t do it. The wolves will do bad things to a woman. I won’t forgive myself if they did the same thing to you when I had a chance to save you.”
Just as Lily was about to get up and run away. Fenris arrived and attacked her from behind. Lily instantly fainted, falling to the floor like a feather.
“You bitch! Get away from my darling princess!” Fenris crossed the room, making his way to Rina. He was relieved to find that Rina was still frozen. “Was she attacking you? The royal dragons’ hate towards the crossbreeds is well-known, even in the North.”
He picked Lily up and put her back on the bed. The golden badge fell off on the sheets. Fenris picked it up. “You stole this badge from our king, smart girl?” He squeezed Lily’s face violently. But he released her, realizing that, if not for her, he wouldn’t have had the chance to come back and fetch the badge for Olcan.
Fenris took the badge and made his way out of the cabin. The royal garrison wasn’t far off. He would definitely make it in time. He’d heard that the golden knights would only listen to the black dragon prince without question. Thorn had died. And the golden badge the only remaining thing that could call upon them, which he now possessed.
But if the young werewolf prince didn’t show himself before the first beam of moonlight, everything would work out perfectly. He would lead the knights into the city and make them join his army. But if the prince did show himself and attempted to claim the throne, Fenris had to take one final chance to win by force. Even though the knights were without their spirits, they still outnumbered the werewolves.
He ran towards the battalion, moving fast across the dark, mountainous terrain. Fenris knew the way like the back of his hand. He had been lurking around the area for the past few days. The golden knights were foolishly staying put. Even the dragon king Eros couldn’t summon them without the badge—another reason why the werewolves chose to attack now.
The Royal Garrison’s sign glistened with a cold iron sheen under the cloudless night sky. Fenris had arrived, a dozen steps away from the front gate. He seized the badge tightly in his hand. Crows were perched upon the dark eaves, flapping their velvety wings. It seemed like no one was around. *How odd*, Fenris thought. All of the windows were dark, without even the glow of candlelight. He took in a deep lungful of air. The scent of the dragons was still strong.
Then, the quick sound of footsteps thundered behind him. Fenris didn’t even have time to turn around. A huge rock smashed into his head. His ears were ringing; his world was swirling. Then, he felt his knees buckle and hit the hard ground. He used all his remaining strength to turn around. Then, he saw a man dressed in a dark cloak crouch down to pick up the badge that had fallen beside him.
Ulric pulled the large hood off his head, ginning maniacally, “Sorry about that, Fenris.” He weighed the golden badge in his hand. “The king asked me to follow you right from the beginning. And what did you intend to do with this? He asked you to fetch it for him, not use it for him.” He chuckled while looking down at Fenris. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”
A dark shadow crossed Ulric’s face as a crow flew past. He raised the rock up again, but a sword suddenly penetrated his stomach with a smothered piercing sound. Ulric’s grin froze on his face, and soon, the life in his eyes faded away. Fenris saw the sharp end of the blade, soaked with Ulric’s blood. Then a familiar face had emerged from his behind. One final word crossed his mind before Fenris blacked out. *Shit.