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."