Part One
Morning dawn had arrived.
The first light of the sun slowly spread across the sky.
Rose stood.
Slowly.
She tilted her head toward the morning sky and breathed in the air.
Once.
Deeply.
But she felt nothing.
Her mind was numb.
Her heart was silent.
She lowered her gaze.
Claudette was still there.
Rose stared at her for a long moment.
Then she bent down and carefully lifted Claudette into her arms, holding her bridal style against her chest.
Rose began walking.
One step.
Two.
Before she could take a third—
a figure appeared directly in front of her.
The Lich.
Rose stopped.
The Lich immediately lowered himself before her, bowing his head all the way to the ground.
Like a servant before his queen.
"Master," the Lich said. "How may I fulfill your bidding?"
Rose stared at him.
Her eyes were cold.
Empty.
She heard his voice.
But the words barely reached her.
Her mind was somewhere else.
She looked straight through him.
"Move."
One word.
Nothing more.
The Lich immediately obeyed.
Rose walked past him without another glance.
Then—
the dragon roared.
The sound thundered across the land.
Rose stopped.
Slowly, she turned her head.
The black dragon stood behind her.
Watching.
Waiting.
It could feel everything Rose refused to show.
The rage.
The grief.
The pain.
The need to destroy something.
Someone.
The dragon lifted its head and roared again.
Louder.
The earth trembled beneath it.
It was as if the dragon were releasing the rage Rose kept trapped inside herself.
Then it lowered its massive body to the ground.
Its head bowed before her.
Waiting.
Rose stared at the dragon.
Then she looked down at Claudette.
Slowly, she walked toward it.
The dragon remained completely still as Rose carefully climbed onto its back with Claudette held tightly in her arms.
Rose whispered where she wanted to go.
The dragon raised its head.
Its massive wings spread across the morning sky.
Then—
it flew.
Rose held Claudette close as the dragon carried them higher into the air.
And behind them—
the Lich followed.
⸻
The truck finally reached the base.
The massive hidden doors opened, and the driver sped inside before bringing the vehicle to a stop.
General Baxter was already waiting.
The moment the doors opened, everyone began climbing out.
His eyes searched through them.
Then he saw Bonnie.
She stepped down slowly, one hand pressed protectively against her stomach.
Sergeant Wyatt stayed close beside her.
General Baxter's face hardened.
His eyes moved across the people leaving the truck.
Someone was missing.
Then another.
He turned toward Sergeant Bill.
"Good job."
Then his expression changed.
"Come with me. I need a full report."
Sergeant Bill nodded.
As they began walking away, he stopped and looked back.
"Red Team. With me."
Every member of the team immediately straightened.
"Yes, sir."
They followed.
⸻
Moments later, General Baxter stood in complete silence.
The color had drained from his face.
He looked from one member of Red Team to another.
Waiting.
Hoping someone would tell him he had misunderstood.
No one did.
The castle had collapsed.
Claudette was gone.
Rose had been left behind.
Then came the rest.
The power.
The creatures fleeing in terror.
The pressure that had spread across the battlefield.
The roar that had shaken the land.
General Baxter slowly sat back.
Marina's warning returned to him.
Be careful with Rose.
Now he understood.
Rose Maxwell was not simple.
He dismissed Red Team before turning toward Sergeant Bill.
"She's still alive."
Sergeant Bill looked at him.
General Baxter continued.
"And she's coming."
Silence filled the room.
"We need to notify Marina immediately."
He turned toward the monitors.
"If that power came from Rose, we need to find her."
Sergeant Bill's expression tightened.
"And when we do?"
General Baxter stared at the screen.
"We find a way to calm her down."
⸻
Morning had fully arrived at the base.
Then—
BOOM.
The entire facility shook.
Everyone froze.
Another deep sound came from above the hangar.
People rushed toward the monitor room.
Soldiers stopped what they were doing.
Technicians turned toward their screens.
General Baxter and Sergeant Bill hurried inside.
"What happened?" Baxter demanded.
A technician moved quickly between the monitors.
"No one should know this base is here."
The base was completely hidden.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than part of the mountain.
The camouflage was still active.
No one should have been able to find it.
No one should have been able to see through it.
Then the main monitor changed.
And the entire room went silent.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
High above the hidden base—
a massive black dragon hovered in the morning sky.
And sitting on its back—
was Rose.
She held Claudette close in her arms.
Behind the dragon, the Lich floated silently in the air.
General Baxter stared at the screen.
Rose had found them.
She had seen through the camouflage.
The secret base had been completely invisible to her when they left.
But now—
she could see it.
Rose lowered her eyes toward the mountain below.
Then she spoke quietly to the dragon.
"Take me down."
The dragon folded its wings.
And slowly—
Rose began to descend.
⸻
Alarms sounded throughout the base.
Soldiers rushed toward the hangar.
Weapons were drawn.
Orders were shouted.
General Baxter pushed through the crowd.
"Lower your weapons!"
Some of the soldiers hesitated.
"I said lower them!"
One by one, the weapons came down.
Above them, the dragon continued its descent.
Its enormous wings sent powerful waves of air across the ground. Soldiers shielded their faces as dust and debris swept through the hangar.
Then—
the dragon landed.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
Everyone froze.
The massive black dragon slowly raised its head.
Its eyes moved across the soldiers.
A deep growl rumbled from its chest.
Several people stepped back.
Then the Lich descended behind it.
The fear changed instantly.
Soldiers who had faced creatures on the battlefield without hesitation now stared in disbelief.
They knew what it was.
They knew what it could do.
And yet—
the Lich did not attack.
It floated behind the dragon.
Silent.
Waiting.
General Baxter stared at it.
Then at the dragon.
Then finally—
at Rose.
She sat completely still.
Her clothes were covered in dirt and dust.
Her face was empty.
Her eyes were cold.
And in her arms—
she still held Claudette.
Sergeant Bill stopped breathing.
"No…"
The word escaped him before he could stop it.
Members of Red Team began arriving behind him.
One by one, they saw her.
One by one, they fell silent.
Rose looked down at the people waiting below.
She recognized them.
But it did not feel like she did.
Everything around her seemed far away.
The alarms.
The soldiers.
The shouting.
The fear.
None of it mattered.
She looked down at Claudette.
Then Rose moved.
The dragon immediately lowered itself.
Rose climbed down slowly, never letting go of Claudette.
The moment her feet touched the ground—
the entire hangar fell silent.
General Baxter took one step forward.
"Rose…"
She did not look at him.
She began walking.
The soldiers moved out of her way.
No one had to order them.
Then the medical team rushed forward.
Rose stopped.
"Don't touch her."
Her voice was quiet.
One of the medics hesitated.
"Rose, we need to—"
"Don't touch her."
Flames burst from Rose's body.
Everyone stumbled back.
The dragon roared.
The heat rolled through the hangar as the lights above them flickered.
But Claudette remained untouched in Rose's arms.
Not a single flame reached her.
General Baxter slowly stepped forward.
"Rose, listen to me—"
Rose looked at him.
That was all.
The pressure hit the hangar.
General Baxter stopped where he stood.
His body would not move another step.
The soldiers around him struggled to breathe.
The walls trembled.
The lights flickered again.
Rose stared at Baxter for one long moment.
Then she turned away.
She did not warn him again.
She did not need to.
Rose continued toward the entrance of the base.
Behind her, the black dragon began to change.
Its massive body slowly became smaller.
Its wings drew closer.
Its enormous frame transformed into a form that could move through the corridors of the base.
Still powerful.
Still dangerous.
But small enough to follow her.
The dragon walked behind Rose.
And behind them—
the Lich floated through the air.
Silent.
Watching.
Following.
No one tried to stop them.
Rose left the hangar and entered the corridor with Claudette in her arms.
Everyone moved out of her way.
Then—
someone froze at the other end of the corridor.
Bonnie.
Sergeant Wyatt stood beside her.
The moment Bonnie saw Rose, her face changed.
Then her eyes dropped to the woman in Rose's arms.
Claudette.
Bonnie stopped breathing.
"No…"
Rose continued walking.
Bonnie stared at Claudette.
At her closed eyes.
At the way Rose held her.
And she understood.
Her face crumbled.
"No…"
Tears filled her eyes.
She moved toward them.
Sergeant Wyatt grabbed her arm.
"Bonnie, wait."
She pulled against him.
"Let me go."
"Bonnie—"
"Let me go!"
She broke free.
Sergeant Wyatt reached for her again, but Bonnie rushed forward.
The dragon immediately growled.
The sound stopped everyone in the corridor.
Bonnie froze.
The dragon moved closer behind Rose.
Watching her.
Warning her.
But Bonnie looked past it.
She looked only at Rose.
And Claudette.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice broke.
Rose stopped.
Bonnie covered her mouth as tears fell from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry."
Rose said nothing.
Bonnie took another step.
Sergeant Wyatt stayed close behind her, ready to pull her back.
"This is my fault."
Rose's eyes slowly moved toward her.
Bonnie shook her head.
"She came for me."
Her words broke apart.
"You both…"
She struggled to breathe.
"You both saved me."
Rose's arms tightened around Claudette.
Bonnie looked down.
Her hand moved protectively over her stomach.
Then she began crying harder.
"No…"
She shook her head.
"You saved us."
Rose's eyes lowered.
To Bonnie's hand.
Resting over her stomach.
For one moment—
something broke through the numbness.
Claudette had known.
She had gone into that castle knowing Bonnie was not the only life she was protecting.
Rose looked down at Claudette.
Bonnie's voice trembled behind her.
"I'm sorry."
Rose stood completely still.
The dragon watched.
The Lich waited.
Everyone in the corridor remained silent.
Then Rose looked at Bonnie.
For a moment, it seemed as if she might speak.
But no words came.
She turned away.
And continued walking.
The dragon followed.
The Lich followed.
Behind her, Bonnie's legs gave way.
Sergeant Wyatt caught her before she reached the floor.
Rose did not turn around.
She kept walking with Claudette held tightly against her chest.
But now—
she knew.
Claudette had saved them both.
⸻
Part Two
Rose continued through the corridors with Claudette held tightly in her arms.
Every person they passed stepped aside.
Some stared at Claudette.
Others looked at the dragon and the Lich in fear.
Whispers followed them.
No one understood why the creatures were following Rose.
And no one dared to ask.
Rose ignored them all.
When she reached the quarters she had shared with Claudette, she walked inside.
The dragon entered with her.
The Lich followed.
Rose turned toward the bedroom.
She opened the door and walked inside.
Slowly, she approached the bed.
For a moment, she stood there with Claudette still in her arms.
Then, carefully—
Rose laid her down.
She pulled the sheet over Claudette.
Fixed her hair.
Then gently positioned her hands beneath the sheet.
Rose stared at her.
"Stay with me."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
For several seconds, she did not move.
Then Rose stood.
She looked toward the bedroom door.
The dragon and the Lich were waiting silently in the living area.
Beyond them, people had gathered outside the quarters.
Whispering.
Watching.
Rose turned back toward Claudette.
She raised one hand.
Flames appeared around the bed.
They moved slowly around Claudette, forming a protective barrier.
No one would touch her.
Rose walked out of the bedroom.
She passed the dragon.
She passed the Lich.
Then she stepped outside the quarters.
The whispers immediately stopped.
Rose looked through the crowd.
Her eyes found General Baxter.
"We need to talk."
General Baxter looked at her.
"Where?"
"My room."
Rose turned around and walked back inside.
General Baxter followed.
As they entered the bedroom, his eyes immediately went to Claudette.
She lay beneath the sheet, surrounded by Rose's flames.
Rose stood beside the bed.
General Baxter remained near the door.
"Do you want Sergeant Bill here?"
Rose did not take her eyes off Claudette.
"Bring him."
⸻
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
"Sergeant Bill, sir."
"Come in."
Rose and General Baxter spoke at the same time.
For a brief moment, neither seemed to notice.
Sergeant Bill entered and saluted.
Then he saw Claudette.
He fell silent.
His eyes remained on her for several seconds before he looked at Rose.
Rose turned toward both men.
"Someone in this base killed Claudette."
Both men froze.
General Baxter and Sergeant Bill looked at each other.
Then back at Rose.
General Baxter spoke first.
"How do you know?"
Rose looked at Claudette.
"At first, I thought it was the castle."
She paused.
"The dagger was behind her."
Rose's voice remained quiet.
"Hovering."
Her eyes flickered.
"Pointed directly at her."
She swallowed.
"I saw it too late."
General Baxter said nothing.
Neither did Sergeant Bill.
"It struck her."
Rose's hands slowly tightened.
"And then…"
She stopped.
Her eyes remained on Claudette.
For a moment, she could not continue.
"The dagger disappeared."
The flames surrounding the bed flickered.
Rose stared at them.
"I thought it was a trap."
She shook her head.
"But something about it…"
Another pause.
"It didn't feel right."
General Baxter watched her carefully.
"We went in and out of that castle."
Rose looked at him.
"Nothing happened."
Her brow tightened as she replayed the moment.
"No traps."
"No attacks."
"Nothing."
The room became silent.
Then Rose's expression changed.
"And there was the Blackwell."
Both men froze.
A chill ran down Sergeant Bill's spine.
General Baxter slowly turned toward her.
"The what?"
Rose looked between them.
"A Blackwell."
Neither man spoke.
For several seconds, the only sound in the room came from the flames moving around Claudette's bed.
General Baxter stepped closer.
"You met a Blackwell?"
"Yes."
"Inside the castle?"
"Yes."
The two men exchanged a look.
Rose noticed.
"What?"
General Baxter did not answer.
"Rose, start from the beginning."
His voice had changed.
"What happened?"
Rose looked back at Claudette.
"After Claudette took Bonnie and Beatrice and told them to leave, I stayed behind."
Sergeant Bill frowned.
"Why?"
"To hold him there."
Silence.
General Baxter stared at her.
"You did what?"
"I stayed behind."
Rose's voice remained calm.
"I needed to give them enough time to escape."
General Baxter and Sergeant Bill looked at each other again.
This time, neither could hide the uneasiness on his face.
"You stayed behind…"
General Baxter paused.
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"With a Blackwell?"
Rose looked at him.
"Yes."
Another chill ran down Sergeant Bill's spine.
"Did he attack you?" Baxter asked.
Rose hesitated.
"We fought."
Sergeant Bill stared at her.
"You fought a Blackwell?"
"Yes."
"And you survived?"
Rose's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm standing here."
Neither man responded.
Rose looked between them.
Their reaction was beginning to irritate her.
"What aren't you telling me?"
General Baxter hesitated.
Only for a second.
But Rose saw it.
"First," he said carefully, "tell me what happened during the fight."
Rose stared at him.
She knew he had avoided her question.
And judging by the way Sergeant Bill suddenly refused to meet her eyes—
he knew something too.
Rose said nothing about it.
Not yet.
"I showed him my power."
Both men waited.
"And then he became afraid."
Silence.
Sergeant Bill slowly looked at General Baxter.
General Baxter did not look back.
His eyes remained fixed on Rose.
"Afraid?"
Rose nodded.
"Of you?"
"Yes."
Neither man spoke.
A Blackwell.
Rose had fought one.
Survived.
And somehow—
made him afraid.
General Baxter felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"Afraid of what?" he asked.
"I don't know."
Rose shook her head.
"He looked at me like…"
She stopped.
Like what?
She replayed the man's face in her mind.
The fear.
The disbelief.
The way he had stared at her power.
"Like he saw something he wasn't expecting."
Rose looked away.
"Then he ran."
Sergeant Bill studied her.
"And what makes you think he didn't kill Claudette?"
Rose was silent.
"I don't know for certain."
The flames around the bed flickered again.
"But I don't think it was him."
"Why?"
"He went in the opposite direction."
Rose looked at both men.
"The dagger came from behind Claudette."
She paused.
Her mind returned to the castle.
Claudette in front of her.
The dagger behind her.
The truck in the distance.
Rose's expression slowly changed.
"From where the truck was."
General Baxter's face hardened.
Rose kept staring at nothing.
Thinking.
"The Blackwell had already fled the other way."
Silence filled the room.
Rose shook her head.
"No."
Both men watched her.
"The castle didn't do it."
Her voice was quieter now.
"And I don't think it was the Blackwell."
She looked at General Baxter.
"That leaves…"
Rose stopped.
The flames around Claudette's bed began to rise.
Sergeant Bill understood before she finished.
"The people near the truck."
Rose looked at him.
Her breathing changed.
Someone had been near the truck.
Someone had seen her.
Seen Claudette.
Seen the castle collapsing.
"They wanted to hold me back."
The room became heavier.
"They knew the castle was coming down."
Rose's voice turned cold.
"They knew I was close to Claudette."
Sergeant Bill stared at her.
Then the realization reached him.
"They used her to stop you."
Rose looked at him.
Flames flickered in her eyes.
"They targeted Claudette…"
Her voice nearly broke.
She looked back at the bed.
"To get to me."
Silence.
The flames rose higher.
Pressure slowly filled the room.
The walls trembled.
Rose turned toward General Baxter.
"What are you going to do about it?"
General Baxter could feel the pressure coming from her.
He forced himself to remain still.
"I'll look into it."
Rose stared at him.
"We will investigate everyone who was on that truck," Baxter continued. "Someone must have seen something."
His expression hardened.
"I know it was chaotic. But something was seen."
Rose said nothing.
Then—
knock.
Everyone looked toward the door.
General Baxter closed his eyes for half a second.
Please tell me some idiot did not just knock on this door.
Another knock.
Baxter stared at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened.
The Lich floated into the room.
General Baxter stiffened.
Sergeant Bill's hand moved instinctively toward his weapon.
The Lich ignored them both.
He floated directly toward Rose.
Then bowed deeply.
"My Master."
General Baxter looked at Sergeant Bill.
Sergeant Bill looked back at him.
Master?
Their eyes slowly returned to the Lich.
Did that Lich just call Rose Master?
The Lich raised his head.
"If you are searching for the one who took this girl's life…"
He smiled.
"I believe I have already solved your problem."
All three of them stared at him.
Rose's eyes narrowed.
"Did you see who did it?"
The Lich bowed his head.
"I can show you who did it, Master."
Rose stared at him.
"Then show me."
The Lich did not move.
The room became silent.
Rose's eyes narrowed.
"What are you waiting for?"
The Lich slowly lifted his head.
"A small agreement."
General Baxter's expression hardened.
Sergeant Bill's hand remained close to his weapon.
Rose stared at the creature.
"What agreement?"
The Lich smiled.
"I want you to understand something."
He lowered himself before her.
"I am here to serve you."
His eyes remained fixed on Rose.
"And you alone."
Rose did not react.
"You are the most powerful being I have ever encountered."
Still—
Rose said nothing.
The Lich lowered his head.
"Give me a name."
He bowed lower.
"Give me a title."
Rose stared at him.
"And then you show me who killed her?"
The Lich slowly raised his head.
He smiled.
"You have my word."
Rose looked at Claudette.
Then back at the creature bowing before her.
The room fell silent.
The Lich waited.
And Rose had a choice to make.