“Hellsfire!” Master Stradus said, his stern gaze resting on me. I couldn't believe I had let my emotions get the best of me. I was glad the tent had darkened so no one would see how embarrassed I was.
“Forgive me, everyone,” I said, and reignited the candles.
“It’s quite all right,” Krystal said. The others didn’t seem to think anything of it, except for my master, who frowned at me. “You’re the one who trained Hellsfire?” Krystal said to my master. “On behalf of Alexandria, it is an honor to meet you. I appreciate your coming here. We can use all the help we can get.”
“I'm glad to be of service, Your Highness. I'm Stradus. We'll do all we can to stop Premier.”
“Thank you.” The princess took a seat at the table, and everyone else followed suit. She looked around the table. “Thank you all for coming. Alexandria is in your debt. Wizard Stradus, since you are here and you brought a dragon, we may need to change our plans a bit.”
“That's fine, but first, may I ask how you escaped Premier, Your Highness? I had thought you were taken with the city.”
“I was.” The princess looked at the others. “I know you've heard this before, so forgive me.”
“It's quite all right, Highness,” Lenora said. “The two wizards should know.”
“Very well, but I'll try to make it short.” Krystal took a deep breath before starting. “A week after Hellsfire's departure, Premier's army of Wasteland creatures came to Alexandria. There were too few soldiers to resist, and Premier used his magic on those who stood against him. He quickly seized the city and promised no one would get hurt if we did what he wanted.”
My master stroked his beard and asked, “What did he want, Princess?”
“Knowledge.”
“Knowledge?” I asked. What could a thousand-year-old wizard with the Book of Shazul want with any knowledge Alexandria could have? I looked at my master and could tell he was thinking the same thing.
Krystal nodded. “Over the centuries, Alexandria has acquired certain…items.”
“Items?” I asked.
“I can't get into what they are, Hellsfire. Some of the items are from the War of the Wizards—others have been found in the Wastelands. A few are dangerous, especially if they fall into the wrong hands. Premier wanted these, and only those with Alexander's bloodline have access to them.”
“Did you give these to him, Princess?” Stradus asked.
She shook her head. “When Premier first came to power and began to influence my father, I took and hid those items I deemed the most valuable—or dangerous.” Her strong violet eyes met my master’s, and for a second, they wavered. “When Premier finally showed his true colors and took over the city, he came to me and demanded to know where I had hidden the items he sought. I held out for as long as I could. He threatened to hurt my father, but I knew my father would give his life to protect Alexandria, and I didn't give in. Premier then had one of his minions beat me.”
Krystal's eyes shimmered on the verge of tears, even though the rest of her face was stoic. Her bodily wounds must have been worse than I thought. I had to control myself not to let my rage take over my body and unleash my fire.
“It was only when he started executing my people, did I finally relent,” she said. “Premier was cold in his executions. He didn't care about the people he slaughtered. To him, they were merely a means to an end. So, I gave him what he wanted.”
Stradus bowed his head. “You did what you had to do, Princess,” my master said.
Krystal gave a small, satisfied smile. “I gave him worthless scrolls and artifacts. Things that once had power, but didn’t any longer. I knew I had to be gone before he realized what I had done. As much as it pained me to leave my people at his mercy, I couldn’t let him have anything that would increase his power.”
I tried to read her face, but it was impossible to break through that royal mask. I wondered what would happen to her people now—if, in his anger at her escape, Premier would kill more of them. I didn’t want to make her feel worse by bringing it up, but Krystal seemed to read the question in my eyes.
“I can't let any of those items fall into Premier's hands. If I did, he would be unstoppable and none of Northern Shala would be safe.” She paused. “You must understand,” she said carefully. “For centuries, Alexandria has dedicated itself to protecting Northern Shala from the consequences of Renak’s evil. That includes not just fighting the Wasteland creatures, but collecting objects of power and making sure that they never again fall into the hands of wizards who might use them for harm. Every citizen of Alexandria would give his or her life to keep that from happening. And, if necessary, it is my responsibility to decide when to risk those lives.”