I held my breath, trying to peek through the chink in between the walls. It was a bit too high for me. I tried to move to a different location, but the strings of magic held me in place.
With a great deal of effort, I managed to raise myself on my toes and see through the crevice.
Hera and Desmond were standing about ten yards apart; their expressions were stoic and eyes alert. Adrian trotted to the ground with two swords. He handed the one with the golden hilt to Desmond and threw the other one at Hera.
She used magic to slow it down and caught it effortlessly. Brandishing the sword in the air, she said, “Desmond, don’t you think we should set the rules of the duel first?”
Desmond shifted his sword to his right hand and looked at Hera with a blank expression. “You are my guest. So, I will let you set the first rule.”
Hera ran the tip of her finger along the blade of the word. Her eyes lit up, and she stated, “You can’t shift into your dragon form during the fight.”
I held my breath, waiting for his answer. It was really clever of Hera to place such a condition.
“No problem, but…” He shrugged and sliced the air with his word. “If I can’t shift to my dragon form, you can’t use magic.”
The color drained from Hera’s face. She was good at fighting, but magic was her best advantage. Her expression turned thoughtful as she shifted from one foot to another. With a prolonged sigh, she finally agreed. “Okay, but I have another condition. The duel will be solely between the two of us. Others can’t get involved.”
His eyebrows twitched, and he took a step towards Hera. “I should have been the one setting the second rule. Still, I will agree.” His gaze took on a fierce edge and his grip tightened on the hilt. “Let our swords do the talking now.”
Without waiting for Hera to respond, he lunged at her. Hera used her vampire speed to zip right behind him and slashed his back. The force was just enough to rip a layer of clothing. He spun around quickly and slash! His sword slid across Hera’s arm. A large gash formed across her arm and a few drops of blood fell on the ground.
Hera’s lips curved in a smirk and her eyes sparkled just the way it had when she fought the witches. She shifted the sword to her left hand and struck Desmond.
Clank! It was blocked by Desmond’s sword. Hera spun around and struck his back again, but this time Desmond managed to block it.
After that, their attacks and counterattacks became so swift that it was impossible to keep track. Clank! Clash! Swish! Clank! Clank! Their swords clashed in a strange rhythm, as if creating an ominous tune.
They both seemed evenly matched at first. But, with passing time, Desmond’s face became flushed. I could sense the strain in his corded tendons and clenched jaws. Hera, on the other hand was brandishing her sword as if engaged in some soft dance; her expression unbothered and her movements fluid.
Thud! Hera crashed against the rocky wall as Desmond pushed her all of a sudden. Throwing the sword to the ground, he jumped to a rock located a few yards away from Hera.
He spread out his arms and let out a high-pitched screech. Scales started covering his body and his blue eyes flashed with a golden tint. He was shifting.
My heart sank, and I struggled to free myself, but the magical bindings held me in place. With a frustrated growl, I smacked my fist against the wall. Why did Hera have to bind me here?
Desmond turned into a dragon with golden scales. If I wasn’t so terrified, its beauty would have mesmerised me.
My heart thundered in my ribs and my mouth went dry. The dragon was almost twice the size of the one we had seen earlier. It was so gigantic that it barely fit the underground courtyard. It couldn’t even spread its wings fully.
With a high-pitched cackle, it opened its mouth and sent a ball of fire hurling through the air. My heart stopped beating and everything seemed to slow down.
Hera raised her hands and conjured a ball of ice. It hit the fire ball, and they both froze in the air. The dragon’s eyes flashed red, and it swished its wing towards Hera. The gust of wind blew the orb towards Hera.
Hera managed to dodge it but fell to the ground due to its impact. Hera’s gaze turned frosty and her eyes turned from honeyed brown to purple. Her lips quivered as she chanted some spell.
A small orb of blue light formed on the tip of her palm. The chest of the dragon heaved and deep rumbling sounds echoed in the courtyard; as if the beast were laughing at Hera.
Hera remained unperturbed, and she continued chanting the spell. With every chant, the orb grew slightly bigger. The dragon’s eyes twinkled in amusement and it cocked its head to the side.
I didn’t need words to understand what the dragon was thinking. My expression deflated, and a defeated sigh left my lips. It would take forever for Hera to create a large enough sphere to cause the dragon any damage.
When the orb had grown to the size of a melon, Hera sent it hurtling through the air. Instead of hitting the dragon, It started spinning around the dragon, growing smaller and smaller after every spin.
It formed a kind of mesh around the dragon. Then, it started shrinking. The dragon was forced to close its wings and land on the ground. A shattering shriek resounded as the dragon struggled against the strings of magic.
My gaze drifted to Hera. Her face had turned extremely pale. I took a step reflexively. To my horror, I realised that I could move. This could mean only one thing: Hera had become very weak.
I rushed to Hera and helped her stand up again. Glaring at the dragon, I snapped, “How can you shift into your dragon form against the rules? If You didn’t like the terms, you should have refused earlier.”
I was about to lunge at him, but Hera held me back. “It’s okay, Justin.” She took a step towards Desmond and bowed. “It was an honour to fight with you, your highness.”
The dragon froze on hearing her words. His expression softened, and he shifted back to his human form. His eyes widened with astonishment and he muttered, “How?”
Hera smiled as she lifted the veil of magic, trapping him. “Your form is way larger than normal dragons and you have golden scales. I wasn’t sure at first but then….”
“Then?”
“Then, I saw the mark on your forehead.”
Desmond looked impressed. His expression softened further and his tone became more amiable. “You seem to know a lot about our kind.”
“If you are curious, I can tell you all about it.” Hera’s gaze drifted across the courtyard. “Can we go somewhere else? This place doesn’t seem appropriate for a friendly chat.”
Desmond smiled and held out his hand. “I like the idea. It would be nice to talk to you.” His gaze drifted to me and his expression grew a bit colder. “Alone.”
Hera stepped away from me and placed her hand on his. Looking at me, she mouthed, “It’s okay.” Then they both walked away.
I started walking after them, but Adrian stopped me. “You can go to your room and have breakfast meanwhile.”
I went back to our room to find the table set with an assortment of dishes. I sat down but couldn’t eat anything. Worry and apprehension were gnawing at my insides.
Why couldn’t I have been firmer and insisted on going with Hera?