7. Kaida

Ablast of lightning and plasma collided and caused the walls to shake. Kaida pulled up a shield in time for Gemar’s second attack, feeling the sizzling energy go through her arms as the lightning crashed into her shield. She winced as Gemar smiled.

"The legends are true. You do have a powerful magic. One that can contend with a Storm Dragon," Gemar told her as he lowered his arms. Kaida could see that his magic was still present around his hands. It was blue gray in color, like the clouds as a storm rolled in.

While holding the shield in place, anticipating another attack, she retorted, "I know a few Elementals that can kick your ass."

Kaida noticed his eye twitch. "Elementals don’t hold a candle to our power." There was a growl in his voice. He hated Kaida for saying Elementals were powerful.

Why though?

Kaida smirked at him. "Wanna bet? I’d love to see you go up against my mates. They would kill you."

Gemar cackled. The growl was still there, adding a level of creepy Kaida had never felt before. "If you think those children could kill me, you are more delusional than I thought. There is no chance of the Elementals ever having a chance to ’kill me.’" Gemar used air quotes to make a joke at her.

Enzo tugged at her hand. She noticed the guards behind Gemar. They were trying to conceal themselves, pulling in clouds in the hall with their magic. They weren’t staying still, making the clouds move and give their position away. Kaida couldn’t risk glancing backward to know if they were blocked in the hall.

"Kaida," Enzo whispered, "We need to leave."

A well of power filled the room. Kaida felt it brush against her. She tried to hold in her smile. If she did, Gemar would know Enzo’s plan, and they wouldn’t be able to make their escape. Kaida pushed more power into her shield as the scent of the rain after a storm filled the small space. Gemar’s nostrils flared, and he threw his arms outward. The scent of ozone overpowered Enzo’s, and Kaida fought herself not to rub her nose. The scent smelled wrong as Gemar’s magic built, lightning crackling around his body. Enzo let his magic loose, shrouding the hall with his cloud, and they dashed down the hall as Kaida felt Gemar and the guards slam against her shield.

"Turn left ahead!" Enzo shouted, leading her away to safety.

Kaida heard the stampede of the men behind her. There was a lump in her throat as she ran for her life, wishing she were in her boots instead of heels. Enzo created a space inside of the cloud around them so she could see him. It wasn’t enough for her to know which way they were going, so she had to rely on watching him. The footsteps behind them grew louder as the guards and Gemar closed in. Kaida stopped to blast a ray of her plasma down the hall. Purple magic filled the space, and hearing the men scream in agony or fall to their feet gave her the confidence to believe they could make it the rest of the way to the door.

Enzo grabbed her hand and pulled her along again. This time, he didn’t let go. With his other hand, he threw a lightning bolt down the hall every few steps without looking. Kaida tried to do the same but almost lost her balance. The throne room was on the back side of the castle. There were a lot of halls and stairs to go through before they would make it to the front. How they were going to survive this felt like she didn’t know, but if they did, it would be miraculous.

Especially if I can’t even run properly.

Someone collided with Kaida from the side and tackled her to the ground. She heard the thunk of another body hitting the ground next to her. A fist connected with her cheekbone when she tried to confirm if it was Enzo. Kaida saw stars from the hit, and her dragon roared inside her. Energy from her plasma magic crackled around her hands. The guard on top of her looked young. He couldn’t be much older than her. He was seated by her hips and left her arms free. Kaida thought this kid must have been new if he allowed her arms to be free. She pulled her hands to be on either side of his head and allowed the magic to sizzle around his head. Arcs of light danced between the space, and she heard him cry out in pain for a few seconds before collapsing beside her.

Enzo came into view, his shrouding cloud covering them once again. He held out his hands to hoist her up. With the cloud around them and him pulling her into a run, Kaida didn’t get to look at the kid again. Her heart clenched as the shadow of his body on the ground disappeared.

I just killed someone...I’ve never killed anyone before. I took a life. How could I do that?

It was self-defense. You had to. Buckle up. You might have to do it again before we can get out of here.

Her dragon wasn’t comforting, but Kaida knew she was right. Instead of dwelling on what she had done, she continued to move her feet. Kaida felt the twists and turns of the hallways as they ran as fast as they could. Enzo tugged her to the side. There was a little alcove beside a door. She heard a few footsteps run past them as they tried to catch their breath. The cloud gave them enough coverage that the guards couldn’t see them.

"I don’t know how much further we have. I know the castle, but I’m trying to lead us where they aren’t. I can hear them, but if I drop the cloud, they can see us as we see them, and we’ll be prone," Enzo explained.

Kaida struggled to catch her breath. She pushed her body against the cold, hard wall to keep her steady. Her lungs were on fire, and her throat and mouth felt so dry that saliva couldn’t be produced. Enzo made the clouds thicker where they stood, giving them just enough time to catch their breath and regroup.

"Where are we in the castle?"

"Still on the same floor as the throne room. We need to go down to get out."

Kaida swallowed just enough to lessen the fire in her throat, "Maybe we shouldn’t be trying to go out the front door. What if we tried to find a room with a window and fly out?"

A dragon’s roar caught her attention. There was some distance between them, but it was still close. Kaida listened closer and heard the flapping of giant wings. Multiple sets of wings flapped hard just behind him. Kaida looked out of the alcove just enough to notice that they were next to a door and realized that the dragons she was hearing were just outside that room.

"Well, it was a solid idea. Just not the answer."

More sets of footsteps thundered through the hall. Kaida and Enzo pressed themselves against the wall. Kaida held her breath so the noise wouldn’t catch their attention. The sound of the oncoming guards grew louder as they turned from the left down toward them. Enzo grabbed her hand and held it as the guards made it through the hall. There was murmuring between them. From what Kaida could tell, there were four separate voices. They walked through it slowly since it was difficult to see through Enzo’s magic. One voice grew louder than the others. The rest were moving forward while one continued to search in this section. Kaida silently put a shield before them while Enzo made the cloud thicker around it to conceal them more. Kaida prayed to the Great Dragon that the guard continued on their way. Kaida felt her heart ramming against her ribcage, and her mouth went dry as the shadow of the guard became more visible. Kaida’s knees shook before her dragon surged to the surface, pushing her fear out of her in an instant.

I’m here if you need me.

I can’t shift without destroying the castle.

That might not be a terrible thing.

As the guard stepped closer, Kaida wished her magic was more like a Witch’s than a dragon’s. If Adrien were here, she would have a spell or enchantment to get them out of there with minimal effort. Shifting into her dragon would only cause the castle to come down on them. Their magic would draw attention, and they would fight for a lifetime to get out.

Another pair of footsteps caught her attention. They were still far out but close enough for the person to be able to speak to the guard in front of them.

"Colt! Are you getting a read on them?"

"No. The cloud has its scents spread through the whole damn thing. I can’t pick up where they went because they are everywhere!"

"You think this is what the Plasma can do?"

Kaida heard "Colt" growl, "NO, you imbecile. It’s what the prince can do. Keep moving. I’m right behind you."

The footsteps receded until the hall was quiet. Kaida’s breathing leveled as her body relaxed against the wall. Enzo momentarily put his arm around her shoulder as he relaxed but then moved out of the alcove.

"We need to keep moving," he whispered.

There was no argument there. They needed out before Gemar found them. Enzo told her to keep her magic at hand and pulled her through the halls until he found the stairs he had been looking for. The door was a deep-colored wood, creaking as he opened it so loudly that it alerted the guards nearby.

"I’ve found them! They are in the north wing’s staircase!" Colt bellowed as his footsteps drew closer.

Kaida dashed down the stairs behind Enzo. The footsteps behind them thundered in her ears. Kaida picked up her pace and did her best to balance on the heels she wore. When they reached the bottom, Kaida kicked off the shoes and sprinted after Enzo. Without the shoes, she closed the distance in no time. He grabbed her hand again and led her through the halls once again.

They were on the main level now. The staircase was precisely what they needed to get here, and Kaida knew they were closer to escaping. Enzo’s magic filled the space to keep them covered. Kaida knew where she was in the castle now, and they were almost to the front door. They were almost free. It was straight down this hallway and through the double doors.

That’s when Enzo’s magic dissipated.

Gemar was standing in front of the door. Kaida didn’t have to look behind her to know that the guards were there, trapping them just twenty feet away from their freedom. Gemar smirked at them. Kaida’s stomach twisted in, knowing they were caught. The only way out was to fight. It was Kaida and Enzo against the King and his guards. Was it a fair fight? No.

But I know I am strong enough to get us to that door.

Kaida didn’t waste any time. With her dragon just below her skin and her magic crackling at her fingertips, she had a fighting chance. The Great Dragon blessed her with this power, and she would be damned not to use it to get back to her mates.

Only Gemar made his move faster than she did.

Kaida saw the flash of green in his eyes before guards behind them stomped to spread around them instead. The hallway was large enough, around fifteen feet, because it had to receive many people at once. Each guard had an iron helmet, gold cloak, and dark blue armor underneath. There were openings around the eyes, and Kaida could see the vibrant green of Gemar’s magic glistening in the shadows under the helmet. Kaida knew they would need to fight their way out, but she didn’t want to hurt this many people to escape. Unfortunately, there was no other obvious choice.

With her hands ready with magic, she created a gap between her hands and allowed her magic to grow. Gemar smirked at her in a challenging way. He wasn’t going to call off the guards. He wanted her to use her magic to gauge her power level. She could feel it as he stared into her eyes.

Enzo unleashed lightning from his hands, controlling its arcs to spread through the hall. Most of the guards could create shields to protect them from the attack. The others took the hit and fell to their knees. Kaida threw her plasma beam at Gemar, concentrating the blast forward to blow open the door. Gemar’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected Kaida to attack, and he managed to jump out of the way just in time. Gemar hit the floor while Kaida’s magic blew the door to pieces. Gemar covered his head with his arms to keep the shattered remnants of the door from cutting his face. Enzo grabbed her hand and ran toward the door. Kaida pushed her magic outward and created a bubble-like shield around them to protect them from every direction.

When the sun glistened on their skin, Kaida pushed for the shift, which was instantaneous. With Enzo’s dragon beside her, her powerful wings had her airborne in seconds. Kaida looked behind her, expecting someone to follow them to continue the battle, but no dragons were chasing them, and no soul was outside the castle’s walls.

That was a close one.