Chapter 165

FELIX

The King was clearly shocked by my challenge. He slowly put down his wine glass, his eyes darting between me and Mila. I could tell that the idea intrigued him, as much as he wanted to seem disgusted by the offer.

The curse might have been broken, but I could still feel the panic and tension seizing Mila’s body. My wife shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clearly hating where this conversation had gone.

“You want to duel me?” The King said finally. “Here?”

I nodded. I was not really expecting this to be where the night was headed, but I also knew that the King would only respond to force. Mila and I could pretend to be the clueless little diplomats all we wanted, but the King would not ever respect us.

It was, after all, the real reason he had elected to join Charles. My brother had been woefully misguided, but he had proved that he was willing to do whatever it took to

I had to show him I was strong.

“I don’t think you understand what you’re getting into,” the King said with a slow smile spreading across his face. “If you know that I’ve been hoarding the magic, that means you have some idea of how powerful I have become in recent weeks. This is a dangerous game you’re playing, little boy.”

I shrugged. “And I am the most powerful Dragon Knight to ever live, born to protect the seven magical kingdoms. Perhaps you are the one who needs to be afraid.”

Mila grinned slightly, although I could still see the fear in her eyes.

The King’s eyes narrowed. “You’re playing with fire.”

He was angry–but maybe that was good for me. Angry people were desperate people, and if the King was desperate, I could use that to my advantage.

“Are we following the rules of ancient magic duels?” I asked.

The rules of ancient duels were simple enough. No magic was off-limits, and any true physical violence was strongly discouraged. This was truly a test of our magical abilities. I may have been on death’s door only a few weeks ago, but a lot had changed since then.

The King nodded. “The winner can take control of the other kingdom’s magic.”

I nearly flinched at that, hating the idea of losing Fresonia to this greedy monster, but it was too late now to go back.

“Agreed.” I said. I jogged over to Mila and gave her my suit jacket.

She looked up at me in concern. “Are you serious about this?”

“It’s the only way to save Abernathy from him,” I whispered. “Besides, I have a trick or two up my sleeve.”

Mila tightly gripped the suit jacket in her lap. “Just be careful.”

“I’ll always come back to you,” I assured her.

We went out onto the great lawn of the castle, a large greenspace that overlooked the neatly organized rows of towns below. From up here, it was obvious how structured and perfectly laid-out the kingdom was.

I wondered if Mila could somehow sense their suffering, could somehow feel how the citizens’ magic was being drained from them against their will.

My wife stood off to the side of the dueling ground, protected by a large stone pillar. From the way her hands were subtly tracing the air around her, however, I had a feeling that she was magically protecting her own safety as well.

When she saw me looking at her, she blew me a kiss.

I knew that she was terrified, but I was not afraid. The King might have been powerful, but so was I. And I happened to have a very large, very scaly secret weapon that I’d flown into Abernathy on, one that I could summon at any given moment.

I had basic magical skills–shielding, blocking, healing. As a Dragon Knight, I had never learned any sort of complicated spell, but I could certainly hold my own in magic-to-magic combat.

As soon as the King of Abernathy raised his hands to blast me with some of his magic, I put up my own magical shield. The power bounced off the shield and ricocheted across the courtyard, thankfully missing where Mila was standing.

While the King was caught off-guard by the magic gone sideways, I summoned Ignatius.

With a roar that split the skies, my dragon thudded into the courtyard. I was on dragonback before the King could react, and Ignatius sent a direct blast of fire down to where the King was standing. He managed to duck and roll out of the way, but not before a bit of dragonfire grazed the side of his arm.

The King yelled in pain, and I smirked, satisfied.

The King sent another blast of magic my way, and I narrowly avoided it. Ignatius, however, yelped in pain, his wing singed by the power.

The King laughed. “Not so brave without your flying lizard, huh? Why don’t you come down here and fight me face-to-face like a real man?”

From across the courtyard, Mila buried her head in her hands. Although I could not bear to see my wife in such pain, I knew what I had to do.

I slid off Ignatius’ back, allowing the dragon to retreat and look after his injured wing. Now it was just me and the King, one of us fueled by his hatred for his kingdom, the other fueled by his love for his kingdom.

Everything I had been through these last few months had led to this.

The King sent another powerful gust of magic my way, and my shields strained under the weight of holding him off. Still, I pushed onward, knowing the power bubbling inside me would be enough for victory if I could just get close enough.

Mine and Mila’s souls were intertwined. We would always share bits and pieces of each other’s powers. I knew that now more than ever as I pressed forward, despite the intensity of the magic being pushed my way. My love for her was stronger than ever, and so was our bond.

The King sent another blast my way that tore through my shields and knocked me to my knees. Pain seared through my right arm, even as my magically-enhanced healing rushed to cover the wound. Mila cried out at the impact, her voice floating away in the wind.

I could not bear to look at her. Not yet.

The King snarled as he approached me. “So this is it. The great King Felix driven to his knees before me. And you call yourself a Dragon Knight? You’re pathetic. Your brother was right about you.”

“Actually,” I said, gasping for breath, “my brother was very, very wrong about me. And so are you.”

Just as I had on the battlefield so many months earlier with my brother, something inside me exploded. A bright, blinding light poured out of me and bathed the entire courtyard in its glow. The King of Abernathy was thrown backwards, skidding along the grass.

He was unconscious and subdued, for now, but still alive.

I rose to my feet, brushing myself off. My guards raced into the courtyard, the sight meeting them clearly causing confusion and disorientation.

“Send word to Fresonia,” I said calmly. “Abernathy has been defeated.”