by G. Bailey
Safe? my dragon hisses in my mind, but I don’t have a response for her. I don’t think we will ever be truly safe for a long time. Essna slows down a little, falling back to walk at my side after Dagan steps away when I nod at him to say it’s okay. I still feel Eli and Kor step closer, and glance over to see Thorne has his hand on his sword, watching Essna closely.
“Tell me, princess, what are your plans for Dragca if you reclaim the throne?” Essna asks, never looking my way once as she speaks.
“I want peace, something Dragca hasn’t known since my mother was alive,” I say determinedly, and she laughs.
“There was never peace for the poor, for the hunted, or those who didn’t want the dragon guard curse and paid the ultimate price. There was peace for the rich, but that is it, and I know that well,” she chuckles, and there is a silence between us as I think about her words. Was there ever peace when half the dragons were slaves to a curse?
“How did you know there was never peace? It is true I only had my view from the rich side, but they seemed happy,” I ask, curious.
“I was only ten when my family was killed in a fire that destroyed my village. The fire was caused by an accident, but no ice dragon came to put it out when they could have easily done so,” she sighs. “I was the only survivor, and for years I travelled around Dragca, looking for food and, well, a home.”
“I am sorry that happened to you,” I say, though I’m still confused about why she’s telling me about her past.
“Most are, but being sorry does nothing for my past or for your future. When I turned eighteen, I found this place, secretly run by Melody’s mother. I was her second in command before she died,” Essna explains. “I respected and loved her dearly, even with her mistake of loving your father.”
“Does Melody know this?” I ask quietly. Melody seems to hate Essna, maybe she wouldn’t if she knew how close her mum was to her and how her mother trusted her enough to place her as her second in command.
“Melody does not want to ask the questions she is scared of the answer to. I may be strict with her, but only because when I am gone, Melody is the rightful leader. She is too young, too strong-willed to lead the seers at the moment, but I see so much of her mother in her,” Essna says, and for a moment, I think I may understand her a little better. Sometimes you can’t act how you wish to in order to get the right outcome.
“When I am queen, I will change what my father always should have done. I know my words feel like an empty promise, but I can only offer you words for now. Dragca needs to unite and fight for itself, rather than being at war like it always has done,” I say, looking up at the sky and enjoying the warm sunlight that streams onto my skin. It reminds me of the light and for a second, I call the light and feel it spread over me like a wash of cold water. I glance at my hand, seeing I’m glowing a little brighter than usual, but you can’t tell in the bright sunlight. Essna keeps her eyes forward as I stare at her, seeing the yellow light of her soul and knowing she isn’t tainted. I glance back at Kor, Elias, and Dagan, seeing they all have normal souls too, even if Elias’s is the darkest yellow out of them all. The power slowly leaves me as I turn back to Essna, and she finally replies to me.
“I see you bringing change, but I also see you bringing about our destruction because of who you love,” Essna says, placing her hand on my shoulder briefly, before walking ahead. “I only hope it is peace you love more.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Isola
“This must be it,” Dagan says, and I follow his gaze to the small cavern at the bottom of a mountain we are approaching. The mountain is well-hidden in the forest, and I doubt you could see it unless you flew over it. The cavern has a massive door, with what looks like dozens of etched dragons flying around in a circle on it. The dragons are painted red, blue, black and white, which sends goose bumps all over my skin as I look at them. My eyes travel all over it, to the middle where in the center of the dragon circle is a circular hole that looks like something fits in it. There are dozens of lit candles on the ground near the mountain, many looking old and some newer. Essna walks back to me, stopping at my side with Thorne moving to her other side. We wait for the other people following us to catch up and gather around us. Some of them carry new candles over to the other candles, lighting them and bowing their heads as they whisper.
“Seers have a tradition, every time we lose someone, every time a new seer is born, every time there is a blessed mating, we leave a candle outside here. Our tradition says the memory cave is where the first seer was born and gifted her sight. Therefore, we have always respected this place,” Essna explains from my side as we come to a stop.
“Come Isola, Thorne, it is time,” Essna says as the crowd parts around us, and she walks over to stand by the door. Dagan skims his hand over my face, making me turn to him, and he kisses me lightly. His blue eyes look darker than usual, with worry, I expect. I place my hand on his cheek, and he leans into it, closing his eyes for a second.
“Good luck, and come back to me, kitty cat,” he whispers, stepping back as my hand falls away. Kor and Eli both kiss me goodbye next, neither one of them needing to say a word that hasn’t already been said. I know they are worried, so am I, but this has to be done.
“Stay safe,” I tell them all, knowing there is nothing else I need to say. They know how I feel and that I will fight to survive this for them. And for myself. In nearly every romance book I’ve read, the main girl always wants to live for her guy, when she should want to live for herself, too. She is just as important. I miss reading, why are there no books here, or any time for reading?
“We will wait for you here. None of us are leaving until you return,” Elias states, making me smile as I walk over to Essna. I glance back to see Elias’s hand on Thorne’s shoulder, whispering something to him before letting him go, so he can catch up with me. I slide my hands over the two daggers on my hips, feeling the soft material of the new leather dragon outfit, and keep my head up high as I stop near Essna. Essna pulls a flat, glass, circle-shaped object from inside of her cloak, and turns around, walking to the door. We follow her over, standing a few feet behind her as she places the object into the gap in the circle. Nothing happens for a long time, and I glance at Thorne, who shrugs in confusion. I’m about to say something when Essna steps aside, placing her hands high in the air. She looks up at the sky behind us, and I follow her gaze. The moons slowly appear out of the tree line, rising in the late evening sky as the blue light shines through the trees. Both of the moons are a bright blue colour, shining so brightly that it could be mistaken for daylight. When the moons are high enough, the light shines on the door, and we hear a clicking noise. Each one of the etched dragons lights up blue, and then the door opens itself gradually.
“Go, and good luck, princess,” Essna says, and Thorne walks in first, not hesitating at all. I slowly follow him in, looking back only once as Essna closes the door and her words follow us through, echoing in the cave. “Beware of the past, because it is just that.”
“Here,” Thorne says as he clicks a flashlight on and hands one to me, before clicking his own one on. Thank god he thought ahead and has a bag full of useful things.
“Thanks,” I say, flashing the light around the room. It looks just like a normal cave with brown dirt, rock walls, and what I’m sure is a rat that runs past our feet. Gross.
“We should be careful not to touch any crystal in here,” Thorne says and starts walking down the silent cave. “The burns aren’t bad, but I don’t fancy risking it.”
“Thanks for coming with me. You didn’t have to do this,” I say, and Thorne chuckles as we walk quietly.
“I did have to do this, and not only just for you. Since I met you, I’ve repeatedly dreamt of walking through a cave. The same dream all the time, and something urged me to come with you. Call it what you will, but I believe fate wanted me here,” he says, pushing his messy blond hair out of his eyes. He hasn’t cut it in a long time, and it’s lo
ng enough that the ends are starting to curl.
“Do you believe in fate? That some things are meant to be?” I ask.
“Yes. Though, I believed in it more the day I met you,” he says, glancing back at me once as my heart pounds in my chest, and I look away. I don’t look back as we continue walking in silence, my own thoughts not straying far from Thorne and what he means to me. The more time I spend with him, the harder it is to deny there is something between us, but it still hurts when I think of how he betrayed me. It’s an an odd mixture of pain and possible love, and I know it could destroy me if I’m not careful.
“Stop,” Thorne says suddenly as I walk into his outstretched arm, which he uses to hold me back as he shines a light on the massive room right in front of us. The floor, walls, everything is smooth crystal, looking almost like a mirror.
“Mother?” Thorne says suddenly, dropping his arm and running into the room. I dash into the room after him, grabbing Thorne’s hand, and a shock vibrates through my arm. I turn to where Thorne is looking and see two girls running through a woods in the glass. The image is so clear that it’s like we are in a cinema or something.
“Mum?” I whisper.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Isola
The two girls run through the forest as we watch, holding hands and laughing loudly, glancing back every so often with big smiles on their faces. They must only be ten or so, but the one on the right is clearly my mother as a child. I’ve seen paintings of her in the castle, her long blonde hair and blue eyes are so much like mine that I would recognise her anywhere. The girl next to her I don’t know, but she is an ice dragon, too, with short blonde hair and blue eyes, too, but hers are darker and her features sharper. The girls both have blue dresses on that sway in the wind and knock against the flowers on the ground.
“Let’s stop, Tata. He won’t be able to find us, we ran too quickly,” my mother giggles, dramatically throwing her arms in the air.
“Okay,” Tata shrugs, lying down on the grass, and my mother lies next to her.
“Is that your mother?” I ask Thorne, sliding my hand into his without noticing I’m even doing it. I turn to him, his expression full of sadness as he watches our mothers. Everything must be clicking into place for him, everything that his mother has lied about. I look back at Tatarina, wondering how this little, innocent girl became the monster we all know now.
“Yes,” he whispers back, just before my mum and Tatarina start talking.
“Everyone is saying that one of us will have to marry Ofen and become queen,” Tatarina says, staring at the sky. She speaks of my father, and it hurts me to even think of him right now.
“I don’t want to be queen, or marry a stinky boy, even if he is a prince,” mum replies, and it makes me laugh as well as Tatarina.
“Nope, me neither. Boys suck, and I love you anyway,” she says so innocently that I want to believe she is lying, when it’s likely she isn’t.
“I love you, too. You’re better than anyone else,” my mum says, and then they fade away. There is just a crystal mirror left behind, reflecting the image of me and Thorne. We stare at each other’s reflection for a while, neither one of us breaking the growing tension with words. My heart breaks for him. I know what it is like to have the image of your parents smashed to pieces by finding out what they were really like.
“Our parents were friends . . . what Darth said was true. It’s all true,” Thorne says in shock, shaking his head and stepping away from me as he unlinks our hands. “My mother lied.”
“Melody showed me a vision of your mother, a vision that showed me Tatarina had convinced your adoptive parents to kill the queen. It was all her. You might as well know all the entire truth. Somehow, they went from best friends to Tatarina wanting my mum dead and making sure she got her wish,” I say, knowing he needs to know this. He needs to know who his mother really is. Thorne doesn’t look at me as I go to him, placing my hand on his tense shoulder.
“No!” Thorne shouts, rubbing his hands through his hair. He jerks away from me, refusing to look my way.
“I think she did all of this because she wanted to be queen. She wanted to rule. Your mother killed mine and then married my father,” I whisper. “We have all tried to tell you any parts of her that were good are gone, but I think you can finally see it now.”
“Why?” Thorne shouts, walking to the crystal wall and kicking it. “Show me why!” I gasp as he slams his hands against the wall, and it burns his skin, but he doesn’t stop.
“Thorne, stop!” I shout, running over and grabbing his arm to stop him, just as the crystal wall blurs again, and an image eventually comes into view. We step back together, watching as two people appear, and it becomes apparent they are Tatarina and my father, only much younger. They look like teenagers.
“It’s not you, Tatarina. I’m sorry, but I love her,” my father exclaims, pushing away Tatarina’s arms as she tries to cling to him. She is a mess, tear-stained cheeks, messy hair, and desperate eyes that watch my father. He looks worried, but no other emotion is on his pale face. My father smooths his hair down, straightening his cloak as he watches Tatarina fall to pieces.
“We slept together just last week! You told me you loved me and wanted me as your queen,” Tatarina pleads, and tears stream down my face as I witness her heartbreak. My father pushes her away, and she falls to the floor. My father’s face is cold as he walks to the door, pausing with his hand on the handle.
“It was a mistake, and I am sorry I hurt you, but I love her,” he says, and Tatarina bursts into tears as my father walks out the door. We both silently watch Tatarina break down, pulling her beautiful blonde hair out in chunks and screaming on the floor. She does eventually get up, walk past us and out of the door. The image in the wall follows her down the corridor of the royal castle, through a little door that leads to the gardens. Tatarina stops as we all see my father down on one knee, offering my mother a ring. Proposing to my mother just after he destroyed Tatarina.
“Yes! Of course I will! I love you!” my mother’s sweet voice sings, and she laughs as my father picks her up and swings her around in joy. The last thing we see is Tatarina’s heartbroken, tear-filled face as she walks away, and the wall turns back to the crystal mirror. Thorne falls to his knees, his head bowed. I kneel next to him, putting my hands on his shoulders and resting my head against his. I pull his hands up, going to call my ice to sooth them when I notice I can’t do that. I can’t feel my dragon or her emotions in here, it’s like she is locked inside my head by the magic in this place.
“My whole life, even before I was born, she has lied and destroyed everything good around her, out of nothing but pure jealousy,” Thorne whispers, the anguish in his voice painful to hear.
“Life is cruel at times, and it has different effects on us all. When I saw that, I only felt anger towards my father, sorrow for your mother, and sadness for my mum,” I admit. No one other than my father won in that situation. Both of our mothers were hurt, because I doubt my mother knew her soon to be husband had slept with her best friend.
“All I felt was anger at my mother,” Thorne says, lifting his head and locking his eyes on mine.
“Your mother killed mine, or at least made the order, and I hate her for that. I always will, but I understand her better now. She was lost from that moment we just saw, but I’m sure there is some part of her that still loves you. You are her son,” I say gently.
“She doesn’t love me. I was just a way for her to get the rebellion on her side,” he whispers.
“You don’t know that,” I reply, and he laughs.
“I do. It’s always meant to be like this for me. The people I love, they don’t feel the same way. I might as well finally start accepting it,” he says, pulling away from me and standing up. He clicks his flashlight on as I stand, and I place my hand on his shoulder.
“You don’t know what she, or anyone else, feels for you,” I say, and he looks down at me for a second, something s
hining in his eyes that I can’t understand.
“Then tell me,” he pleads, dropping the flashlight and grabbing my face with his hands. I don’t–no can’t–say anything for a while as I just relax at his touch.
“I can’t say it yet. I'm not ready to admit it, but I will say that you are wrong. You are so wrong about how I feel for you,” I whisper. “And you might be wrong about your mother. It’s hard not to care for you, even when someone doesn't want to, or isn't ready."
“Then I will say it, and I can only hope that you do feel the same and are willing to forgive me one day. I get that I still have a lot of making up to do, and you can hate me forever if you want, but I do love you. I loved you from the first moment I saw you, and it killed me to betray you for my mother. I was torn between two women, and not knowing which side to choose. I really did believe my mother was still good, and she was doing the right thing. I wish I realised how lost my mother was, but I didn’t, and I can’t change the past no matter how much I wish I could,” he says, and I lean up, brushing my lips against his ever so gently before pulling away before it can become a real kiss, and I’m honestly surprised that he lets me.
“You’re right. I can’t just forgive and forget, but I can’t let you go either. This is so complicated between us, but I’m not denying there is something more here than just our past. There was something from the moment we met, and together we can build again,” I assure him, and he pulls me to him, holding me close.
“Thank you. I promise I will never let you down again. Never,” he says into my hair, kissing the top of my head.
“You best not,” I chuckle, wishing I could hear my dragon’s thoughts on the matter, but she is still locked away from the magic in here. I don’t even want to know Eli’s, Kor’s, and Dagan’s thoughts on this when we get out of here. They are likely going to flip a lid, but I won’t lie to them.