Final Hope
By Evan Drake
© 2019, Evan Drake, All Rights Reserved

Dright shifted his weight, his hand inching toward his sidearm. By his count, there were eight guards: Two in front, two behind and four on either side, each one armed with the latest tech-weaponry. The ones in his field of vision gripped their weapons tightly, yellow eyes flitting to their king, awaiting the signal to turn things into a bloodbath. Even without their pulse rifles, the lizards were still an impressive size and had the numbers advantage.

It was like a bad joke. Why would the council think they would be good for this mission? He knew they only sent him because he was, technically, one of them. But being large and covered in scales didn't mean they would take the news any better from him than someone else. Then there was his voice. He had a deep rumbling timbre making him sound as if he was always angry at the world.

His captain, Rey seemed unbothered by the hostilities. The large Ursine was the furthest thing from what anyone would call a diplomat. With her fatigues straining to contain her muscled form, she looked more likely to break someone's limbs to have a rational discussion.

“It's as I said," Rey said in her deep growling voice. There was the unmistakable hint of annoyance in her tone. “The other countries have decided to form an alliance to combat the Deathbringers. However, it's too late to save your country. You're warriors, so you already know you lack the numbers and the supplies to launch any kind of counterattack. The best you can hope for is to evacuate."

“So you expect us to abandon our homes and turn tail like a couple of cowards?" the king growled. “Send us the warriors and supplies. I assure you, we can—"

“Even if we wanted to, they won't get here in time," Rey interjected calmly. “The Deathbringers will be on your doorstep by this time tomorrow. By time we get a sizable force together down here, you'll be dead."

The king seemed unconvinced of the hopelessness of his situation. Stubborn lizards refuse to acknowledge they've already lost. “Then what do you suggest we do?"

“They sent me here to give you this message and to evacuate the royal family," Rey said. “Gather your family and whatever things you can carry and come with us."

Dright noticed the guards in attendance stiffen. This wasn't good. The guards swore to protect their king even at the cost of their lives, but how long would those oaths hold in the face of certain death, knowing there was no escape for them or their loved ones while their leader fled and abandoned his people to die?

The king slumped into his seat, his black scales paling to a dark grey. “But, what of my people? Our homes? Our culture?"

Rey's voice remained calm as she said, “There's nothing I can do for them. My ship can only hold so many and there just isn't time for a large-scale evacuation."

The king slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne. “Maybe there could've been if you had brought more ships with you!"

Prepping a large ship—even in an emergency, took hours, and they would require several to evacuate everyone. Dright was certain the king knew this, but despair was taking over his higher functions. The guards noticeably stiffened now. Dright reached for his sidearm. This was bad.

The doors to the throne room burst open and a messenger rushed into the room. It was a sight to see, a six-foot lizard stumbling over his feet and gasping for air as if learning to run for the first time. “Your grace, the Deathbringers are here! They've already reached the outer wall!"

As if on cue, the alarm sounded signaling the city was under attack. Dright rushed to the window and peered out onto the city below. The dark plumes of smoke at the edges of the city confirmed the report. And it looked like the outer wall had already been breached.

“Cap'n, I don't get it," Dright said. “The reports said they wouldn't get here until tomorrow!"

“That's only true if they stopped to rest," Rey said, her face and voice grim. She turned to the king. “If you're coming with us, you have to leave now."

The king slowly stood. For the first time since coming there, he looked like a true ruler: strong, proud, and fierce. “I will not abandon my people," he said.

“Suit yourself, but me and my friend are leaving," Rey said. She motioned for Dright to follow her as she left the throne room.

“Is it really okay for us to leave them like this?"

“You heard him. He made his choice. This isn't our fight, and I won't sacrifice myself to a hopeless cause."

“But our orders—"

“Doesn't include the king," Rey finished. She turned left at the intersection instead of right which led to the landing platform.

Dright knew exactly what was going through the captain's head. “Cap'n, you sure about this?"

“We won't get another chance. Our orders were to save the royal family. Didn't say we had to save all of them. Get back to the ship and start the engines. We'll need to take off fast."

Dright ran back to the ship. Thankfully, the guards were scrambling to mobilize and ignored him. He hoped that would be the case with Rey. He hurried into the pilot's seat and started up the engines. Usually, the old junk heap took a few tries to start up, but the ship roared to life immediately as if understanding the urgency of their situation.

No sooner had the engines warmed up, did he see Rey running onto the landing platform as if the building were falling down around her. She had the unconscious princess slung over her shoulder. At least there were no angry guards following her. Yet.

“Get us out of here!" Rey shouted from the storage area.

Dright took off from the landing platform. Already several blocks were ablaze and the  massive army was pouring into the city. There would be no defense. The Deathbringers were going to swarm the city and likely have it under their control by nightfall.

Rey climbed into the co-pilot's seat and strapped herself in. “Well, this is gonna be awkward to explain to the council."

“Then why'd you do it? You do know she can have us executed when she wakes up."

Rey shrugged though her expression showed she was bothered by how things turned out. “If I hadn't done it, she would've died and the royal family would've been lost. If there's going to be any hope of getting support for that country, it needs a ruler. They'll need her to petition the council to send aid to evacuate the rest of her country. She may hate us now, but she'll have a chance to save what's left because of us."