At long last, the city of Prolla spread before Sophia. It was so different as to when Sophia had last seen it so many years ago. The city was bigger, the walls higher, and a magnificent palace grew up from the centre. That had only been under construction when Sophia had received her banishment from King Leon. Finally, she was home.


    Zander had forced Sophia and Andromeda to ride quickly the whole way here, hoping to reach Leon as soon as possible. Their soldiers had been left behind to fortify the cave of the dragon. They had stopped at Sophia’s old fortress to send messenger birds ahead to Prolla, as well as to send more troops for the cave. They hadn’t even spent the night there, instead grabbing provisions and leaving again quickly.


    The city of Prolla was surrounded by plains in all directions, and was the first major city to fall into Leon’s control when he had risen. It was that victory that led Leon to make it his capital. Sophia had been with him when the city was captured, as had Zander and his equal General Morlan.


    “Welcome home, Commander,” Zander said to her as they approached the city’s entrance. Sophia grinned at him.


    The guards at the gate bowed to the General as he passed, and he nodded back politely. The streets of the city were busy, but people moved out of the way as the General approached.


    The palace was a beautiful building, almost a work of art instead of a defensive structure. As Sophia entered the palace courtyard, she took in the statues that dotted the outside of the building, showing Prollan warriors holding huge weapons. Intricate columns supported the walls, as much for decoration as for structural necessity it seemed.


    They dismounted their horses in the courtyard, a stablehand coming to take them. Zander led them up wide steps, and the huge doors were opened before him. A statue of Leon gazed down at them in the hall. More statues lined the wall, smaller than Leon’s, three on his left, two on his right. Sophia gazed at them for a moment. She recognised them all. On either side of Leon were Morlan and Zander, his two generals. The other two on the left were Ircan and Tognor, and with Zander on the right was Daunal.


    They were the leaders of the Prollan army during Leon’s conquest. They had all won him his kingdom. Ircan had died during the war, and Sophia did not know what had happened to the others since. She was never close with Tognor, and though Daunal was her friend, she had fallen out of contact with him when she had gone into exile.


    Seeing their faces there both saddened and angered Sophia. She knew she should be up there with them. She had been as valuable as any of the others in winning Leon his throne. If only she hadn’t been forced into exile, she would have a statue up there, remembered as a hero of Prolla.


    Zander strode past them, a set of doors opening for him. They entered the throne room.


    King Leon sat on a huge stone throne, his hand running through his long black beard. His face and bare arms bore the scars of many battles. He wore robes of golden silk instead of armour, but his sword was still at his side. It was a simple enough weapon, forged specifically for him years ago. The only ornament on it was where the crossguard joined the hilt and blade; a golden helmet was carved into the metal.


    General Morlan stood close to the throne, turning around as Zander entered. His armour was of shining gold, symbols etched all over it. His sword was at his side, his shield on his back. He wore no helmet, just like he had always done as Sophia remembered. Unlike Leon, Morlan was unscarred and clean-shaven.


    “Your Majesty, I have returned,” Zander said, bowing before the throne. Sophia and Andromeda did the same.


    Leon leaned forwards. “So I see. I hear you had an unexpected detour.” Leon turned his gaze to Sophia. “Commander, it has been a long time.”


    Sophia bowed again. “Indeed it has, Your Majesty.”


    Leon smiled. “It is good to see you again, Sophia.”


    “I’m glad to be back, sire.” Sophia turned to Morlan. She knew she shouldn’t say anything, but she couldn’t help herself. She nodded at him. “General, I hope you have been well.”


    Morlan practically growled at her. She had known he wouldn’t be pleased to see her. She stopped herself from smiling, knowing it would only infuriate Morlan further.


    Leon watched them for a moment, before turning away. “You must be Commander Andromeda. Have we met before?”


    Andromeda bowed. “Once, Your Majesty. Five years ago, after the Battle of Lorpian.”


    “Ah yes, I remember that battle well.” With the pleasantries done, Leon could move on to the matter at hand. “Zander, your messages said you found a dragon. Is that correct?”


    Zander nodded. “Yes, sire.”


    “Where?”


    “In the mountains, between our border and Lorr’s. We found a Lorric camp, and we took it over. The dragon was chained inside a cave at the edge of the camp.”


    “You are sure it is the Lorrics?”


    “Yes, sire. Their symbols were everywhere, and we heard Erion himself was there.”


    “Hmm.” Leon stroked his beard. “That is interesting. I have long heard rumours of a dragon in those mountains, but that’s all I thought they were: rumours. And you think we should do what with this dragon?”


    “Release it, sire. I am certain it will fly straight to Lorr, where it will destroy the Lorrics for us.”


    “And what if it doesn’t go for Lorr? What if it goes for us instead?”


    “Sire, I plan to already be in Lorr. I will see to the death of Caedan myself, to ensure that if the dragon is killed Caedan will already be dead. If the dragon decides to come for me, it will have to go for Lorr anyway.”


    “That is a bold plan, Zander. You think you can pull it off?”


    “I am certain of it, sire.”


    “This is ridiculous, sire!” Morlan burst out. “You can’t seriously be considering this.”


    “What are your objections, Morlan?” Leon said calmly.


    “Where to begin? A dragon? That is not how you fight wars. You fight them with skill and strength, not dragons. It is against the gods!”


    “Against what gods, Morlan?” Zander asked. “The gods we used to worship, the gods we know to be false? Or against the gods who control this Afterlife?”


    “This plan is horrible!” Morlan walked towards Zander, his hand falling to his sword. “You are okay with sending a dragon to kill thousands, if not hundreds of thousands?”


    “They were going to do the same to us, and they would not hesitate. We must strike first, for the good of all Prolla!”


    “Enough, the both of you,” Leon said, rising from his throne. “Come with me. If we are going to do this, we will do it properly. Launching this attack will begin a war that will not end until either us or them are dead. So we must begin planning.” Leon looked at Sophia and Andromeda. “Commanders, you are excused.”


    Leon left the throne room, Zander and Morlan following. Sophia and Andromeda were left alone in the huge room. The room felt empty to Sophia without the King in his throne, and it seemed improper to be there.


    “Let’s get a drink,” Sophia said, knowing they could be waiting a while. Andromeda nodded.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    They left the throne room. Outside, they spoke to a guard, and he pointed them in the direction of the officers’ mess. They strode through the corridors, Sophia taking it all in as she walked. It truly was a magnificent building. She wished she could have been here the past few years, instead of spending them away in the mountains.


    The officers’ mess was a plain room, for it was not the Prollan way to set oneself too high above others. The tables and chairs were basic, little better than you would find with the common soldiers. The only thing that set the room apart was the people, for the armour of the officers was better than anything that could be found elsewhere.


    Sophia and Andromeda grabbed small flagons of beer, and took them over to a table. They sat far away from any of the others in the room, unnoticed and ignored. Sophia took a long swig of her ale, glad to finally rest.


    “So, Morlan seemed glad to see you,” Andromeda said, placing her flagon onto the table.


    Sophia laughed. “I’m afraid that man will always hate me.”


    Andromeda tilted her head. “Are you going to tell me what you did to be so disliked?”


    “I suppose I might as well. We need to do something to pass the time.” Sophia took a drink, gathering her thoughts. She hadn’t told anyone this story before, not in all the years of her banishment. She had never been close enough to anyone to tell them. “It all goes back to the closing days of Leon’s war. Morlan and Zander were his generals, myself one of the high ranking commanders, ten thousand soldiers under my command in the Third Legion. Morlan was sent to take the city of Legaros, and I accompanied him….”


    ***


    Sophia wiped the blood off her blade, letting it drip onto the floor. The battle was over, but that brought her little joy. So many soldiers had died. Too many. Legaros was theirs, but the cost had been too high. Needlessly high. If Morlan had only listened to her from the beginning, their victory would be all the greater now


    Speaking of the General, the doors to the hall were thrown open. Morlan strode in, his sword sheathed at his side. His armour was covered in blood, and rage filled his eyes. Sophia sighed. She had known he would be coming.


    “Sophia!” Morlan roared as he strode towards her. “What did you do?” The sword slipped from Sophia’s hand as Morlan pushed her against the wall. “What did you do?”


    “I did what I had to,” Sophia said. She pushed Morlan back. “I did what I told you we should have done.”


    “You are a fool Sophia!”


    “I’m the fool? Morlan, if you had listened to me in the beginning we could have saved so many lives!”


    “Captain Paston is dead because of you! His whole battalion was wiped out because you weren’t there to guard their flank. Their deaths are on you.”


    Sophia had feared something like that would happen. But it wasn’t her fault they had died. “No, Morlan, their deaths are on you. If you had just gone with my plan they and many others would still be alive.”


    “You disobeyed an order.”


    “It was an idiotic order.”


    “Leon put me in charge here, not you!”


    “That was his first mistake.”


    “I’ll kill you for this,” Morlan snarled as he drew his sword.


    Sophia dodged past his swing, scooping up her own sword. She spun to face him, catching his blade. Morlan’s strikes were fast and strong, fueled by anger. Sophia retreated across the hall, parrying each of his blows. Morlan might have been a better warrior than her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t beat him.


    Sophia tumbled past one of his strikes, swiping with her foot as she did. Morlan was caught off balance, and stumbled to the ground, his sword slipping from his fingers. Sophia stood over him, raising her sword for the final blow.


    Sophia felt a hand grab her arm, and turned to see Commander Daunal at her side. She did not know when he had arrived. He was shaking his head sadly at her.


    “Don’t do it, Sophia. You don’t want to do this,” he said, not releasing his grip on her arm.


    “Oh, I do,” Sophia snapped.


    “No, you don’t. It’s not worth it, Sophia. Don’t do it.” Sophia slowly lowered her arm, and Daunal released his grip on her.


    Morlan staggered back to his feet. “You will pay for this, Sophia. Just wait until Leon hears of your insubordination. Oh, you will pay.”


    ***


    “....Morlan brought me before Leon, and the King decided that I would spend some time in exile. I got to keep my title, but was sent to the remote fortress in the mountains where you found me.”


    “That was rather cruel, was it not?” Andromeda asked. “Why did you stay in the army?”


    Sophia thought for a moment. “Because, truthfully, I understand why Leon had to send me away. I may have won the battle, but I had undermined both his and Morlan’s authority. His empire was still young, and he needed to make an example of me. And I would not know what to do if I wasn’t in the army. I have always been a soldier, in this life and the last. And I hoped one day they would bring me back.”


    “It took them a long time.”


    “Indeed. But I am back now.”


    “Not for long, it seems. What do you think of Zander’s plan?”


    “Hmm.” Sophia thought for a moment. “I don’t like it much. But it makes sense. We have the dragon now, we might as well use it to our advantage.”


    “I disagree. We would be sending the dragon to kill thousands of people.”


    “Caedan would not have hesitated to do the same to us.”


    “But what about us going to Lorr? That seems like we are putting ourselves in unnecessary danger.”


    Sophia nodded. “I agree with that. There is no need to go. I think the dragon will attack Lorr no matter what.”


    “A dragon is too unpredictable to be spoken about with any certainty.”


    They sat in silence for a while, before Sopha got up to get another round of drinks. She noticed the room was filling up, as night came closer. A man had taken a seat at the table behind them, eating quietly by himself. Sophia paid him little attention as she reclaimed her seat.


    “I’ve been thinking,” Andromeda said as Sophia began on her second drink. “Do you think this is the dragon’s second life?”


    “Hmm.” The idea intrigued Sophia, but she was unsure. “I don’t know. It’s certainly possible that he has lived once before and died.”


    “Right? I mean, he is as intelligent as we are, if not more.” Sophia nodded. The mind of the dragon had been powerful. “Why wouldn’t this be his afterlife?”


    “I don’t mean to intrude, commanders, but this would be any dragon’s first life,” a voice said. Sophia looked around. The man behind her had finished eating and was facing them now. He smiled at her. “You are Commander Sophia Raegis aren’t you?” Sophia nodded. “I have heard all about your battles. It is an honour to meet you in person.”


    “And you are?” Sophia asked, annoyed that someone had been listening to them.


    “I am Commander Flemon. Well, more of a scholar than a commander, but the title is mine. I am an advisor to King Leon.”


    “And why were you listening to us?”


    “I am sorry if I bothered you, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. About a dragon.”


    “Why do you think that this is the dragon’s first life?” Andromeda asked.


    “Oh, I am certain it is his first life. As I said, I am a scholar, and I have spent a lot of time learning all I can about Wardom. You see, a dragon is like a horse, or an ant. They only live the one life.”


    Andromeda snorted. “A dragon is a lot smarter than an ant.”


    Flemon leaned forward. “Ah, but it’s not about intelligence. An ant would be smarter than some of the humans you meet in this afterlife. No, in the end, as far as I can see, it comes down to the gods.”


    Sophia barked a harsh laugh. “You are going to give me some theological explanation for this?”


    “Why not? You are in the Afterlife, Commander. Nothing here obeys anything other than theology. Wardom is infinitely big, yet the sun rises, and seasons come and go. There are some lands in the north frozen in eternal winter, and yet if you keep going north you will meet lands where the snow never falls. What answer do you have for that other than gods?”


    Sophia knew when she was beaten. “Fair enough. So, why do the gods view us as more important than a dragon?”


    “The good thing about having died is there are very few who doubt in what gods are real. We are almost certain that the religion is the Faith of the Twelve, and the real deities the twelve Lords and Ladies. Now, these twelve are divided into six pairs, and each pair has a race. There are humans, elves, dwarves, dryads, merfolk, and wizards. These are called the High Races.”


    “And this is all proven?”


    “No, it can still be doubted. But it is the closest thing we have to the truth. Anyway, my point is that only the High Races go to this Afterlife. The other animals are born and live here, put here by the gods to give this life similarities to the last. So, therefore, any dragon you encounter is from here and here alone.”


    “What happens to animals when they die, then?” Andromeda asked.


    Flemon sighed. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to learn that. But, for now, that information is far beyond my reach.”


    Sophia looked up as Zander entered the mess. He strode towards them, the people he passed saluting as he went. He stopped beside their table, glancing over them to look at Flemon.


    “Commander Flemon, please leave us,” Zander said.


    Flemon saluted. “Yes, General.” He nodded at Sophia and Andromeda. “Commanders, it was a pleasure speaking to you.” He turned and left.


    Zander pulled over a chair and sat down beside them. “We leave for Lorr tomorrow.”


    “King Leon approved your plan?” Sophia asked. She couldn’t say if she was happy or sad that the plan had gone through.


    Zander grinned at her. “Did you hope he would do otherwise? Morlan is being sent east, ready to push into Lorric territory the moment Lorr has fallen. Are you both up to coming with me?” Sophia glanced over at Andromeda. They both nodded. “Good. Relax tonight. We have a long ride ahead of us.”