A Crimson City

It was the century of the dragon.

A witch’s curse on a noble family led to the creation of the strongest empire the world had ever known. But that didn’t stop the chaos in the kingdom.

“The night riders will go east and west. I’ll ride in the middle. We’ll catch the Black Hood by any means necessary.” Dominik slid his war piece across the large map on the table before him. The map resembled every nook and cranny of his kingdom—Dragoon. He marked a route on the table map with another red pebble. He sighed heavily as he adjusted his navy kaftan. The hard lines and scaly texture of his shoulder pads made him look ready for war.

Dominik had just fathomed the decimation that his kingdom had undergone in just four days by the hands of the Black Hood: a hundred troops slaughtered, three noble families left in shambles with nothing but their clothes on their back, two violent riots outside the castle walls in favor of the masked menace that left Dominik’s prison cells overcrowded. He wouldn’t waste another day with the menace on the loose.

“We’ll cut him off in the middle of the forest,” Dominik said.

“But Your Majesty,” Eugene, the lead Council House member, interjected. Dominik rested his hand on his chin as he stroked the thick, dark beard. His eyes flickered to Eugene’s pleading gaze. “You can’t expect us to allow you to ride alone. The Black Hood has made it very clear that he does not agree with your ruling. He might try to kill you if you’re caught alone!” Eugene moved his piece near Dominik’s. “I must ride with you,” he finished.

The door suddenly creaked open, and the whining noise caused both men to turn.

“The Black Hood has never threatened the king,” the voice at the doorway said.

“Sacha,” Dominik breathed her name. The stone walls of his private council room became suffocating. He and Eugene shared a look before he cleared his throat and straightened up. His voice deepened. “General Emerylis, I requested your audience an hour ago. Where were you?” he asked.

Sacha bowed before she spoke. “My apologies, Your Majesty. The soldiers just finished their training.” She took a step toward the table in the center of the room and looked down at the large map as she raised a dark brow. Frown lines embedded in the creases of her curvy mouth, marking her ebony skin. “War is not what we desire, but the soldiers are prepared for anything,” she said.

“War is everything we desire if it stops the Black Hood and the threats from the south,” Eugene said as he moved another piece forward and slammed it down. This one was a ship. “The Black Hood must be from the south. This is their attack from the inside! If we destroy the southern fleet, then the monarchy will have to surrender … the Black Hood will have nothing else to fight for.”

Sacha crossed her arms over her chest. “Every solution shouldn’t be about war.” She picked up the ship's piece and placed it back in its original place. “Who says the Black Hood is from the southern realms? Kusinians haven’t attacked our kingdom for ages.”

The Dragooni and the Kusinians had fought for a century. Dominik had only been a boy, but he remembered the bloodshed in the streets, how quickly his father’s hair grayed, and the tiredness that never seemed to leave his eyes. The Hundred Years' War had left the Dragooni and the Kusinian forces in near shambles until both sides begged for a treaty.

Fifteen years had done nothing to keep the peace between Dragoon and their neighbors at the southern border.

“A war general who doesn’t favor war sounds like blasphemy,” Eugene said.

King Dominik raised a hand to stop them both before pinching the bridge of his nose. “The Black Hood has turned our kingdom into a crimson city! Nobles everywhere have turned up dead … their fortunes stolen!” Dominik exclaimed.

“I worry you are next, Your Majesty!” Eugene said.

“Eugene, please—” King Dominik started.

“He’s right, you know,” Sacha interjected.

Dominik turned to her, giving her a once-over. Careful not to linger too long, he gulped after glimpsing her fit curves beneath her under armor. Staring at her mouth as she spoke didn’t make looking at her any easier, either.

“But I don’t believe you are the Black Hood’s target,” she said.

Dominik cleared his throat. “What makes you believe that? The man is terrorizing my city,” he replied.

Sacha stepped toward him, and the light from the near window moved along her body as she crossed the room. She moved in and out of the dimness—her black attire and ebony skin nearly blending with all else. When she stopped in front of Dominik and stared into his molten eyes, he shivered at the hold she had on him. Her lethal beauty held him where he stood.

“If the Black Hood wanted you dead, Your Majesty, you’d be dead,” she said in a soft, affirming voice that filled the room with the faintest of venom.