Kingdom of @HighFantasy

***

The night air is still, but it seems different.

The beautiful, twisted magic inhabiting Aelfdene's untouched valleys and mountains feels strange as it rises into the air around me. It was once warm and light, a thing of safety and security. Now, it's cold and dense with dread and terror. The news has travelled the land that the elf Queen is missing, but it's more than that.

Something else is coming. Something worse.

As if in answer to my thoughts, a mighty roar echoes across the sky, setting the hairs on the back of my neck on end.

I have met many monsters all over Quorin, and never have I heard that roar.

Alarmed, my gryphon Noyara bucks in mid-air.

"Steady, girl." I stroke her feathered neck.

She calms at my touch. We continue flying eastwards, but my eyes scan the mountains to the north for the source of the roar. Plumes of smoke sprout from them, blotting out the stars.

Like the other knights, I am supposed to be heading east in search of Aelfdene's missing queen, but what kind of knight would I be if I chose my mission over those in need?

The only villages in the mountains were elven. If a beast is nearby, my people are under threat.

The roar sounds again, this time accompanied by terrified screams, and the decision is taken out of my hands. Queen Anaeve wouldn't want me to search for her if her people were in danger. She would want me to help them.

"Noyara, to the mountains!"

Not wasting time, my gryphon swerves to the north, soaring towards the burning village.

The horrible odour of charred trees and burnt grass rises to greet us as we land at the edge of the mountain, just within a circle of flames.

At the village centre, an enormous monster snarls at the elves gathered around it.

I nod at Noyara. She lingers at the edge of the trees, awaiting my next call. Though not a fighter, she's a useful ally in battle.

I grab my bow and run into the chaos.

Striped orange and black fur covers the monster's muscular body. It has a monkey's head and a hooded snake for a tail. A cow's head protrudes halfway along its back, facing the elves behind it.

It's a chimaera, but I have never seen such a ludicrous combination of creatures. A stream of fire flows from the beast's maw. An elf falls back, shielding his face from the flames.

His fellow villagers tremble as they hold up their spears and swords. They aren't warriors, just men protecting their families from a monster.

I look around the village. The women and children are gone, and the men have surrounded the beast with their weapons trained on it. If nobody is using their magic, that can only mean that this monster is immune to it.

My stomach drops. Magic is the weapon best wielded by elves.

Even without it, we must fight.

In a fluid movement, I draw my bow and fire an arrow. It bounces off the beast's shoulder harmlessly, but I have his attention.

"Go!" I yell.

The elves flee into the trees after their wives and children. I see the last of them to safety before pulling another arrow from the quiver on my back.

The monster advances, growling. The sound is like stones clattering in its throat.

I aim at the soft, white-furred flesh at the front of its neck. Before I can fire, someone barrels into me, knocking me to the side.

"Don't do it!" she cries.

Although the woman's cerise silk dress is burnt and torn in some places, I can tell it was beautiful once. Looking past the dirt smeared on her face, I see one that is youthful and regal. Her matted blonde curls should have a crown nestled among them.

"Queen Anaeve," I say. "I wasn't expecting to find you here."

"As I intended, Sir Felix," she says.

All the knights in the kingdom have gone east to the valleys in search of her, yet here she is in front of me.

The monster bellows, setting the pile of hay beside us alight with his fiery breath.

I pull the Queen to safety. We duck behind a small stone cottage.

Out of the beast's sight and range, I dare to speak.

"You fed us false information that you were abducted and taken east."

Without a hint of shame, the Queen nods. "I knew the knights would prioritise me, giving me time to calm my pet."

"Pet?" I stick a thumb in the direction of the beast still rampaging through the village. "That's your pet?"

"He escaped from my menagerie of magical beasts this morning." The Queen peers around the corner at the flames the chimaera has spewed across the elven village. "He's from the east. Our land confuses him."

"As he has confused many of our people." I snort.

No wonder the elves didn't know how to handle him. No wonder our magic doesn't work on him. He isn't native to Quorin.

I can't believe the Queen not only deceived the knights but is also defending a monster.

"Do you know how much damage he has done?" I ask.

Maybe if she considers that, she'd see sense.

The Queen looks down. "He didn't mean to. He's usually quite placid."

"Placid?" My eyes nearly burst from my skull at that.

Does she expect me to believe that the fire-breathing monster who drove these elves out of their village could be placid?

Queen Anaeve must be delusional. I don't have time for this, not if I want to save this village and the kingdom from this beast.

"Stay here, Your Majesty," I say. "I'll handle this."

"No." She grabs my arm harder than I would've thought such a slip of a young woman can. "Montigro is aggravated because he's injured. Look." She points at the beast, still laying waste to the village.

Sure enough, a spear protrudes from Montigro's underside. I was so preoccupied with his heads that I hadn't noticed it before.

"He's not letting me get close enough," says Queen Anaeve. "If you can distract him, maybe I can pull out the spear and heal him."

"If?" I ask. "Maybe?"

"Do you have a better idea?" A flicker of irritation passes over the Queen's dainty features.

I don't like plans with so much uncertainty, but we have no choice.

"No, Your Majesty," I say. "Let's do this."

We move along the cool stone wall of the house, approaching the beast, who is delighting himself by setting a wooden shed alight.

I whistle, summoning Noyara. She bounds over to me, drawing the chimaera's attention as I hoped she would. I leap onto her back and draw my arrow.

The monster heads for us, roaring so loudly that my ears ring. 

Queen Anaeve crawls close to the ground, avoiding the chimaera's many eyes and sliding under its belly. She grits her teeth as she grips the shaft of the spear.

Noyara and I retreat. As Montigro advances on us with his teeth bared, Anaeve gives the spear a mighty yank. The instant it leaves Montigro's flesh, he stills, making a strange purring sound.

Anaeve presses her hand to the wound and closes her eyes. The skin under her hand glows. It brightens to a blinding flare.

I turn away. When I look again Queen Anaeve is back on her feet. The tip of her nose is smeared with dirt, but it's nearly unnoticeable in the brightness of her smile.

She opens her arms to Montigro, who licks her cheek, ironically making it the only clean part of her face.

"Thank you, Sir Felix," she says. "The other knights would've killed my Montigro on sight, but you gave him a chance."

"Of course," I say as if I didn't doubt her word or her plan for a moment.

In the face of her radiance, I forget what I wanted to ask her.

My eyes fall on the weapon still clutched in her hand, and that reminds me. I frown.

"Where did the spear came from?"

The Queen's face darkens. "My armoury and my menagerie are on opposite sides of my palace. This spear didn't find its way into Montigro's enclosure by accident."

Her statement turns me cold. Montigro could've destroyed Aelfdene if Anaeve and I didn't stop him.

"But who would've done it?" I ask.

"I don't know." Anaeve shakes her head as she strokes Montigro's furry one. "It could've been anyone in Quorin."

I shake my head. Aelfdene is the most peaceful kingdom. Why would anyone want to harm us? It makes no sense, but I have learned to trust the Queen's word.

Queen Anaeve and I exchange a look. We averted a disaster today, but a worse one is headed our way.

I sense it as surely as Aelfdene's magic does.