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  Nigesanla walked past him. She curtsied. Ferhdessar nodded at her and watched as she walked on. The soldiers made way for her. Some of them greeted her.

  Wolter came to stand next to him. Ferhdessar looked at the symbol on his chest: the dragon of Merzia in the foreground with a shining orange star behind it – the symbol of Ferhdessar’s magic. Wolter’s soldiers had adapted their uniforms after Ferhdessar had come into power. The other generals had reacted with mixed feelings.

  “Rodmer sent a message saying that everything is going according to plan,” Wolter said.

  Ferhdessar nodded. “That’s good to hear …”

  A scream rang out through the square where fighting had broken out. Soldiers ran towards the crowd.

  Ferhdessar cursed. He pushed Afifa forwards. “Go and restore order.”

  He watched Afifa shout and push her way through the soldiers. She brandished her spear, and the men quickly backed away. The circle around the fight grew bigger.

  Ferhdessar took a few steps, but then froze to the spot. A soldier was pinned to the ground by two other soldiers. Rogan was bringing Nigesanla to safety. She was clutching her belly. Blood trickled through her fingers.

  Ferhdessar clenched his fists. He ran forwards. The soldiers parted for him.

  Nigesanla glanced at Ferhdessar, but then moved her gaze to the soldier who had attacked her. He was wearing a veil to hide the scar on his face. She was lifted up and carried off.

  Ferhdessar grabbed the Purified soldier by the shoulders and turned him onto his back. His grip slackened briefly when he studied the soldier’s face.

  “You’ve been in the palace,” he hissed, “You came for Lilith. Kasimirh had sent you.”

  The grin on Ghideon’s face infuriated Ferhdessar. He clenched his fist and took a swing. Then he grabbed Ghideon by the throat and dragged him up. Ghideon hit him forcefully in the jaw. Ferhdessar staggered back.

  Afifa grabbed hold of Ghideon, and Ferhdessar was pulled back by Eoghan and Wolter before he could lash out again.

  “You’re going to kill him,” said Wolter.

  “That’s exactly what he deserves for what he’s done.”

  “We need to question him first. He might be able to give us valuable information about Kasimirh.”

  Reluctantly, Ferhdessar let them carry him away. But before Ghideon was completely out of reach, he kicked him.

  Kiril came barging in. “How is lady Nigesanla doing?”

  Annoyed, Ferhdessar looked up. “She’s alive,” he said indifferently. “However, we don’t know the condition of Yvar’s child,” he added with emphasis.

  Branko entered. All the generals were now present. “Was it really a Merzian soldier?” Branko asked.

  Ferhdessar shook his head. “Kasimirh sent him.”

  “How could this have happened?” Kiril asked.

  “Ghideon walked in together with the other soldiers after the funerals,” Zander said. “Because of the great number of new soldiers, nobody noticed that he wasn’t one of us.”

  Ferhdessar banged his fist on the table. “Exactly. The size of our army is our weakness. The newcomers can’t fight and only get in the way. I want to reorganize the fortress. All the soldiers who were originally living here can move into the inner ring. All the others move to the outer ring. No one moves from the outer ring to the inner ring without permission.”

  “There isn’t enough room for our soldiers and their families,” Zander objected.

  “Who mentioned women and children? Only the soldiers belonging to this fortress are allowed into the inner ring. I don’t want a knife in my back anytime soon.”

  “Ghideon says that he was alone.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “Our women and children won’t be safe,” said Branko.

  “You’ve all trained the newcomers so well, haven’t you?” Ferhdessar sneered. “So, the women and children will be perfectly safe in the outer ring.” He got up. “Make sure it’s done.”

  He beckoned his bodyguards and left the generals behind. He went to Nigesanla’s room.

  “The lady is sleeping,” said the woman who was nursing Nigesanla.

  Ferhdessar pushed her aside and walked on. He looked at the bed. Nigesanla was breathing regularly. Her face was pale.

  “Do you know anything more about the child?” he asked as he turned around.

  The nurse shook her head.

  “Who was he?” Nigesanla whispered.

  Ferhdessar looked over his shoulder. Nigesanla was propped up on her elbows. “His name is Ghideon. He hadn’t been in the camp for long.”

  Nigesanla looked away. “I thought that as the mother of the heir, I would be safe.”

  Ferhdessar shook his head. “The Purified soldiers haven’t forgotten your descent. The hate runs deep in some of them.”

  Crying, Nigesanla turned onto her side. The nurse sat down next to her and soothed her. Then she looked at Ferhdessar. “It isn’t good for the child if Nigesanla gets worked up like this. I think it’s best if you leave.”

  Ferhdessar nodded. He wanted to leave, but then thought better of it. “I feel responsible for what happened. I should never have allowed you to go outside. I take it that you understand that you’ll have to stay indoors from now on. We haven’t elicited much information from of the Purified soldier yet, and perhaps there are more soldiers involved in this attack.”

  Nigesanla didn’t respond.

  “Keep me posted about the child,” Ferhdessar said as he turned around.

  “Certainly, lord,” the nurse said.

  Ferhdessar strode away through the corridors.

  Ferhdessar left the building and went straight for the field next to the headquarters. He ignored the soldiers who were walking to and fro because of the reorganization of the fortress. Having reached the training grounds, he grabbed a bottle of ashes and some flint stones and started preparing himself.

  “I think you’re the only man in Merzia who’s happy with this war.”

  Ferhdessar turned around. Afifa was approaching. “Why would I be happy that Merzia is being destroyed bit by bit?”

  “It’s thanks to Kasimirh that you can impose your will on Merzia.”

  “I don’t want power, I want to protect Merzia. I would have preferred to have done that as Yvar’s advisor, like I’ve always done.”

  He turned around and whispered a spell. The flame that shot up out of the ashes wasn’t very impressive.

  “You have to do it differently. Look.”

  Afifa came to stand next to him. Ferhdessar used magic to push her to the ground. “I know what I have to do,” he growled. It was just hard to concentrate. He looked down at Afifa. “The sorcerers have never supported me. They’ve always been very open about wanting someone else to take my spot. And now that there’s no way around me any more, they send you to babysit me?”

  “We all want the same thing, Ferhdessar: to restore Merzia to its former glory. You know that the sorcerers have been working towards that end for a very long time.”

  “I don’t care what they want. If Merzia is really so important to them, they should be here. But no, I’m the only one who’s putting his life at risk.”

  “What are you up to, Ferhdessar?” Afifa grabbed his arm and looked at him. He saw the worry in her eyes. He pushed her aside.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “Everything that’s necessary to defeat Kasimirh. For now, I trust in my army, but at the same time, I’m preparing for battle.”

  “You’re the leader. You can’t put your own life at risk any more,” said Afifa.

  “What kind of a leader am I if I don’t take the opportunity to defeat our enemy? Don’t you trust me? Don’t worry, I will prevail. I’ll prove everyone that this semi-sorcerer is nothing less than a sorcerer by birth.”

  He made a gesture with his hand. A flame, several meters high, forced Afifa to jump out of the way. Ferhdessar moved his hand, expanding the flame into a
wall.

  24

  Lilith woke up at the end of the day. Once again, she hadn’t slept well. Ever since she had killed Seraph, the nightmares wouldn’t leave her alone. She kept dreaming about the hellish landscape. It was a recurring torture that seemed to be getting worse, and sometimes even made her scared to go to sleep. In her last dream, Lilith had been searching for something. She didn’t know what, but she suspected that it was important.

  Lilith sat up and let her gaze wander across the landscape. They had found a crater on top of a mountain. The pit was surrounded by trees, and there were no people living nearby. It had been almost a week since they had left for Nadesh.

  She stretched and inhaled the aromas of the surrounding landscape. The scent of pine came blowing her way. She could also smell rain in the distance. The sound of a babbling brook came from among the bushes. Her new amulet had heightened her senses, and she felt stronger than ever.

  Lilith reached for her stick. She rose to her feet and made her way to the brook. She lowered herself to the ground and splashed water on her face. A twig cracked. She could tell by the sound of the footsteps that Az-Zhara was approaching. Smiling, Lilith wiped her face dry. Az-Zhara knelt down next to her.

  “You forgot a few drops,” he said, and wiped them away.

  Lilith closed her eyes and enjoyed the touch of his fingers on her cheek. She leaned forwards to kiss him. His hand travelled along her neck to her shoulders, and he drew her close.

  When Az-Zhara let go of her, she leaned against him. She listened to his heartbeat and concentrated on his fingers that were now tickling her neck.

  “If I could believe that somewhere on this earth there’s a place where no one can find me, I’d fly there with you right now,” Lilith whispered. “There’s nothing that I’d rather do.”

  “If I knew of such a place, I’d bring you there myself.” Az-Zhara kissed her hair. “Come, your father must be wondering where we are.”

  Lilith laughed and let him help her up. Together, they walked back to their sleeping place. When Lilith saw her father through the trees, she let go of Az-Zhara’s hand. She suspected that her father knew what was going on, but it was awkward to openly show what she felt for Az-Zhara. She felt guilty about it, as if the love she should be feeling for her father was now directed at someone else.

  Almor had tidied up most of their stuff. He smiled at her and gave them both an apple and a piece of bread. The day before, Lilith and Almor had bought food in a village. They’d been disappointed to discover that they couldn’t buy as much with Az-Zhara’s gemstones as they had hoped.

  “One more night and then we’re in Nadesh,” said Almor, as Az-Zhara put the kettle he had filled at the brook on the fire.

  Lilith sighed. She took a bite of apple and chewed slowly. She didn’t have much confidence in the plan they had come up with to defeat Kasimirh, but she couldn’t think of a better one. Lilith would show herself in dragon form in broad daylight. She was the bait to lure Kasimirh. There was no doubt that he would come. He wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. Fortunately, she wasn’t going to be alone. Az-Zhara and Almor would be hiding nearby and were going to help her.

  Lilith took a last bite of the apple and threw away the core. “Can we go?” she asked with her mouth full. She didn’t wait for an answer before she changed. When Almor had climbed onto her shoulders, she jumped.

  Flying helped her forget about her worries. Apart from her first flight, Lilith had never been able to fly carefree. Kasimirh had always been inside her head, or her thoughts had been focussed on her assignment. Now she soared through the darkness. She heard the bats in the distance. She inhaled the scent of the night.

  Az-Zhara flew past her. His white scales reflected the silver light of the moon. With every beat of his wings Lilith saw his muscles moving underneath his skin. A shiver went through her body. She picked up speed and flew close behind him. The wind carried his scent. She laughed and climbed higher. Then she sailed on the wind. Being a dragon did have its advantages.

  A loud bang disturbed the quiet night. Az-Zhara made an unexpected move and Lilith nearly flew into him.

  “Dragon slayers!” yelled Almor.

  Az-Zhara was trying to remove the tranquillizer dart from his side while still flying. He was flying slower and slower. The people below him were shooting burning arrows. One found its way into Az-Zhara’s armpit. He roared.

  “What are you doing?” Lilith yelled at him, because he was losing altitude. “Fly higher. And faster. Follow me!”

  Lilith turned around at the moment that Az-Zhara hit the treetops. He tried once more to regain height, but then disappeared from sight under loud cracking noises.

  Lilith’s dark, tarnished scales had been her salvation in this dark night. She looked to the ground, but all she could see were trees. There was no place large enough for her to land, unless she flew back.

  “Almor, I’m going to have to drop you.”

  Just above the treetops Lilith changed. Branches hit her in the face, but also broke her fall. Nevertheless, she didn’t have a soft landing. Groaning, she struggled to her feet.

  In the distance, she heard the sounds of the people who had attacked Az-Zhara. Her paralysed leg hampered her more than usual. Cursing, she looked for a way through the overgrowth.

  Almor joined her. “Are you hurt?”

  Lilith shook her head. “You?”

  She didn’t wait for the answer. In front of her she saw the light of the torches of Az-Zhara’s attackers. Lilith quickly counted their number. Eight men were between her and the white dragon. The fire on his body had died, but a man kept burning him with a torch. Az-Zhara growled softly and lashed out. His sluggish attacks were easy to evade and gave another man the chance to attack from the other side.

  There were cheers of excitement. “Were you going to join Kasimirh as well?” someone yelled.

  Lilith went rigid. She stopped her father.

  “Maybe we should send the sorcerer the point of his tail!”

  “Or a finger! That’ll teach him.”

  Lilith crawled ahead. A young lad landed his axe on Az-Zhara’s claws.

  “Chop off two of them! One for Kasimirh and one for lord Ferhdessar. We’ll be heroes!”

  Lilith noticed that Az-Zhara was bleeding from other places as well. Someone was forcefully thrusting a sword into the dragon’s body. He was primarily aiming his attacks at Az-Zhara’s paws and the base of his wings.

  For a moment Lilith thought that they were dealing with Merzian soldiers, but their uniforms were different from what she had seen in Nadesh. These uniforms had been put together in a hurry. The symbol of Merzia was crudely painted on the chestplates. They also didn’t have real weapons. Apart from the men with the sword and the axe, most men were wielding sticks. Some individuals even had pitchforks.

  “Now what?” Almor whispered. His knife glittered in his hand.

  “Put that away,” Lilith told him. “Let’s hope we can fool them. Help me walk.” She tapped her leg. “Don’t let me down.”

  She stepped forwards, leaning on her walking stick and supported by her dad.

  The men were surprised to see them appear out of the shadows of the trees. Lilith’s heart was in her throat. She kept a close eye on the attackers. The two men were holding out their torches as if they were weapons.

  “What are you doing here?” a man asked. Lilith noticed the gun hanging from his shoulder by a strap. This man was the dragon slayer.

  “The same as you,” she answered in a tremulous voice. “I’d also like to see a dragon up close.”

  The man didn’t stop her as she walked on. Lilith stopped next to Az-Zhara’s head. She caressed his cheek.

  Az-Zhara looked at her with half-closed eyes. “Leave,” he whispered.

  “You have to change,” she said softly.

  Lilith had hoped that he would respond immediately, but he didn’t.

  “You’re with him!” The dragon slayer grabbed Lil
ith’s hair and pulled her backwards. Lilith turned around and lashed out with her stick. The man fell, but crawled back up. The two men with the torches came closer. Almor threw himself onto one of them. Lilith had to jump aside to evade the other one. She lost her balance and fell against Az-Zhara.

  “Change!”

  He still didn’t respond. Lilith cast a glance over her shoulder to see if he was still conscious. His eyes opened slightly. “You have to change!” she screamed.

  The dragon slayer threw himself onto Lilith again. She rammed her stick into his stomach. Then she hit him in the head. His skull cracked, and he twitched a few times before he collapsed.

  Someone else attacked Lilith. She knew that she couldn’t keep this up long enough. If Az-Zhara wouldn’t listen, she had to defeat those people right here. She reached for the brooch on her cloak.

  The pressure against her back suddenly disappeared. Az-Zhara had changed. Lilith grabbed hold of him and changed into a dragon. She beat her wings until they created lift.

  “It’s her!” someone yelled. “She’s Kasimirh’s dragon!”

  “Seize her!” someone else cried excitedly. The men all ran forwards.

  Lilith jumped and took to the air, clasping Az-Zhara tightly. She felt Almor grab hold of her tail.

  There was a shot. The tranquillizer dart whooshed past her. Burning arrows followed. Lilith looked down and saw one dangling from her right paw. She was relieved that she had no feeling in it.

  Lilith spotted a suitable place to land. She had flown long enough to shake off their pursuers. She changed and laid Az-Zhara down on the ground. Lilith shook him by the shoulder and called out his name. He moaned and opened his eyes a little bit.

  Almor put a hand on her shoulder. “There’s a ruin further down. I shall carry him. We’ll find some shelter there.”