Drogonny Bloodmoor's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Drogonny Bloodmoor and Catrina Nighthorror reached the hall outside the king's chamber. The second bell still hummed in the air. Then a boom split the stone floor. Green light poured up through the crack, bright as poison. A gate rose from nothing, wrapped in thorned red vines, a carved moon staring down from its crown. Drogonny shoved Catrina behind him and drew his blade. A man stepped out of the green light. He was tall and dark-skinned, his robe stitched with stars. His crown burned with blue fire. His black eyes fixed on Drogonny alone. The guards down the hall froze, then dropped to their knees. Even the carved stone demons seemed to shrink from him. "You are my son," the man said. "I am Celest. I rule the moon and the stars. Your mother was mine, and so are you. Half demon, half of me. You are a demigod. Come home." Drogonny's grip tightened. "I have no father who left me to be hunted." "I did not leave you." Celest's voice stayed flat. "My stars are going dark. Something pulls them out, one by one. Power will not stop it. I need blood of my blood beside me." He reached out a hand. "This throne is dust. I offer you a galaxy." The offer landed hard. A galaxy. A father. A place where no one spat the word demon. Drogonny felt the pull of it in his chest. Catrina's hand pressed against his back. She said nothing. She let him choose. "The third bell is close," she whispered. "Decide." Drogonny looked at the chamber door where the old king slept with his crown. He looked at the god who had never come until he wanted something. "You come now," Drogonny said, "when you need me. Not when I was starving at these walls. Not when they called me filth." He raised his blade toward the king's door. "My throne is here. I earn it with my own hands." Celest's eyes did not change. "Then you refuse a god." "I refuse you." For a moment Drogonny thought the god would strike him down. Instead Celest lowered his hand. "You are strong. Good. You will need it." The green light pulled back into the gate. "When your crown burns and your stars go dark, call my name. I will not come twice." The gate sank into the floor. The crack sealed. The green glow died. The hall went silent. Then the kneeling guards lifted their heads. They had seen Drogonny's face. They had heard a god name him demon and demigod, enemy of the king. The third bell rang. A guard pointed. "The intruder! Take him!" Catrina grabbed Drogonny's arm. "They know you now. Run." Steel scraped from every scabbard in the hall. The covert path was dead. Now there was only the chamber door ahead and a wall of blades behind.