Starlight

by Adrienne Woods

  “Oh and you couldn’t tell me before we got there?”

  I smiled. “Sorry, I forgot about that to be honest. I had to make Tim forget that I told you that you should’ve spit it out. If he told Yuri that I don’t drink it anymore, he would never sit with me again.”

  “Next time just make sure I know what it is you are saying, please. That was horrible in a very nice way.” She started to laugh.

  I pulled her closer to me and kissed her on the head. “Sorry about that, I felt awful afterwards and had to get you to my mom as soon as I could.”

  ELENA

  I STILL STRUGGLED to get over the fact that I was drugged out of my mind last night. The things I’d experienced were out of this world. Blake wasn’t far from it when he said that I took a stroll through fairy land. I saw all sorts of creatures that didn’t belong to this world, at least the parts I had seen.

  Isabel put a plate of food in front of me, and although I didn’t felt like eating, I was starving.

  They spoke about last night. How it went from introductions to horribly wrong in a few minutes.

  “Missy’s gotten really big.”

  “She has?” Isabel loved the change in topic. She smiled at a memory, must be of Missy. “I remember when she first transformed. Yuri wanted it to be another Soverheight Eagle and was so disappointed when he discovered another Chimera.” She laughed. “He got horribly drunk and your father had to get him out of a tree he’d somehow gotten himself stuck in.”

  We all laughed as she tried to explain how the Chimera’s wing had gotten caught in a hook of two branches and his body just hung like a rag doll, cussing the night away—or rather slurring the night away. I knew it hadn’t been that funny at that precise moment. It couldn’t have been fun, but the way Isabel laughed out of her stomach when she told us the story was addictive and we couldn’t help but laugh with her.

  Isabel spoke about all the shifters she used to know. They sounded like an amazing breed and I wondered how Nora had gotten mixed up with Wyverns.

  King Helmut had gotten his revenge and it was a story I hoped I would never hear. It would haunt me forever.

  “What time is your meeting with King Caleb?”

  “We need to get ready soon,” Blake downed his entire cup of coffee. “I just hope that it would be enough for him to fight.”

  “Of course it would be enough. King Caleb turned out to be many things, but he was always loyal to the king, Blake.” Isabel sounded so sure of herself, and of King Caleb.

  “Yeah, I will believe that when I see it, Mother.”

  “You’ll see. It’s going to be much more satisfying than last night.”

  The two of them laughed again and I just shook my head with a hint of a smile.

  “I’m never going to forget about this, am I?”

  “Not for a long time,” Blake peeped.

  I got up and went to my room to take a shower and get ready for a meeting I didn’t even know we had today.

  When it was time to leave, I had to admit it was hard to say goodbye to Isabel.

  I should’ve come and visited her more.

  Blake decided that we should fly to Areeth together, to show the people that we were finally together, just like the statue inside the Museum of Etan showcased the both of us. That we were strong and would do everything in our power to make sure that the Saadedine would die.

  “So, what if this doesn’t work?”

  “It has to work, Elena. It just has to. We need Areeth.”

  I didn’t question that, or doubt his ability of getting Areeth to finally stand with our cause.

  There was a crowd of protestors standing in front of the Castle where Blake was going to try and talk some sense into King Caleb for the final time.

  If this didn’t work, then nothing would.

  The minute we landed, a woman spit in front of us.

  “You don’t fool any of us,” she spoke in Latin. “We know the two of you will never stand together, will never be brave enough to lead this world to victory. Making up your father being alive is the lowest low you could ever go, Elena.”

  “Just ignore her,” Blake said as I slid off his other wing away from the crowd.

  The big doors of King Caleb’s castle opened up. I’d never been inside King Caleb’s dwelling place, and to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. A few torture rooms, gargoyles guarding the roof tops, but nothing like what was hiding behind those two gates was what I’d thought.

  It was the most beautiful courtyard I’d ever seen, covered with many statues, at least ten standing in at least fifteen patches of gardens.

  Lamp posts stood tall in between these gardens and intersections with cobblestone paths leading all the way to a majestic castle, as big as the one in Tith.

  Blake changed back into his human form and reached me in no time wearing his robe.

  Two men stood guard in front of the castle’s doors and opened them for us to walk into a lobby.

  It was nothing fancy. The McKenzie’s had taken the fancy-shock away from me, but it sure was filled with light, tall windows and drapes hanging from the walls. More pictures than anyone could ever imagine hung tall against the walls. There was even one of Arianna, or one of her ancestors that was the spitting image of her.

  Talk about the devil and you step on her tail, I thought as she waltzed into the room.

  “I thought I saw you landing,” she said as she reached us and kissed Blake on both his cheeks.

  “Elena, welcome to mi casa.”

  I squinted and just laughed.

  Blake stared at me with squinted eyes and looked at Arianna.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I just never imagined those words leaving your mouth, ever.”

  She stared at me and Blake laughed. “You have to forgive her. She drank some of the Shifter’s juice last night so there is no filter for the next twelve hours.”

  “What?” both of us asked. I was sure Arianna meant another type of what.

  “You drank it?” she asked me.

  “Yes, cause Plucky forgot to tell me to spit it out.”

  Arianna laughed. “Was your trip at least a good one?”

  “You could say that.”

  Blake didn’t say anything, he just suppressed his laughter.

  “Still welcome, and you don’t have to tell me what a bitch I was, I know I was mean to you.”

  “Is that love talking?” Blake teased.

  “Ha-ha, Heico sure puts some light into this place.”

  “C’mon, I’m sure that’s not all he lights up.”

  She smacked him with the back of her hand. “I’m still a princess. Not The Princess, but a princess.” She winked at me.

  “So how is home-schooling?” He asked.

  She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow-type of thing. “I’m suffocating inside these walls.”

  “You are still a spoiled brat.”

  She laughed and shook her head as she led us into a room where her father was having a conversation with a man wearing the emblem of Areeth on his uniform.

  They both looked up as we entered.

  “That will be all, Rupert.” King Caleb waved his hand and the man stood straight, rolled up something that both of them had been staring at and walked out with huge strides.

  King Caleb walked out from behind his desk and came to stand still in front of it.

  He then gracefully planted his butt on the table and started to chuckle.

  I didn’t like it, and by the way Blake’s posture changed, neither did he.

  “You really believe that Elena’s little stunt with Just Kev is going to change my mind?”

  “It’s not a stunt. You can ask any of the people we brought out—” I started to speak and Blake covered my mouth gently with his hand. King Caleb just stared at me.

  “Like Elena said you can verify with the one hundred and fifty, or just watch their interviews. We weren’t lying.”

  “I’ve seen all the footage Blake, especi
ally the one where they said they haven’t seen proof of life for the past six months.”

  “Goran would never kill him, he is…”

  “You don’t know Goran as well as I do. He would do anything to humiliate Albert.”

  “Yes, humiliate. He won’t be able to do that if he’s dead. He’s still alive. I know it.”

  “You know nothing. Never fought a war in your entire life.”

  “Yes, I’m very lucky,” Blake sounded sarcastic.

  “I won’t fight.” King Caleb had that final tone in his voice. “Neither will anyone that lives in Are—”

  “Speak for yourself, Father,” Arianna interrupted him. “What will you do if they are telling the truth? If King Albert is still alive? Will you be able to bow in front of him, be able to look into his eyes and what? What reason will you give your best friend for not being a part of this?”

  “Arianna, stay out of this, it’s a tactic.”

  “I don’t believe that. Elena wouldn’t say something like that just to get people to fight with her. She might be a pain in my ass, and a thorn in your boot, as you’ve said so many times.”

  Both Blake and my heads shifted back to King Caleb as Arianna said those words. Blake’s hand pressed my mouth a little more as I really wanted to tell him what I thought about him.

  “But she is not capable of lying like that.” She walked slowly over to her father. “I’ve humored you for the past nine months. You took me out of the Academy, the only place that didn’t treat me like a princess, you took me away from my friends, you shoved so many negative things down my throat, and you never approve of my decisions. If you are not proud of me the way I am, well, I guess it’s time to stop trying to make you proud of me because you will never be. I will fight, with Heico, whether you like him or not. He is my choice, and you can go to hell for all I care. I’ve never been more disappointed in my father than I am today. I don’t know who you are anymore.”

  She snarled at him, turned around and walked out of his office.

  Blake was speechless and so was I to be honest. I always thought that she was a Daddy’s Girl, his princess, but I’d just gotten a rude awakening that their relationship was the exact opposite.

  “Well, I guess that is it then,” Blake spoke first. “Thank you for seeing us, Your Majesty.” The way he said your majesty made it sound like it wasn’t a good word at all.

  King Caleb didn’t say anything. It seemed he was still shocked by Arianna’s words.

  We both turned around and left.

  “I am a thorn in his boot!” I said the minute he lifted he’s hand from my mouth.

  “Elena, don’t let his words fester inside of you. My mother was so wrong about him. I was a fool to think she might be right. It’s very disappointing.”

  “It is, but Arianna’s got one thing right.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I can’t wait to see the day he has to give my father an explanation.”

  WE ALL STOOD in the Dragon League’s cafeteria watching a huge press release being given by King Caleb on the TV.

  This was it. King Caleb was going to address Areeth about his decision.

  I had to admit, I never thought Arianna would stay true to her decision but she and Heico had arrived at the Dragon League yesterday to learn more.

  The two of them couldn’t keep their hands off each other when he was done with his training.

  I was glad that she’d found someone. It meant that she too was moving on.

  My nerves were on end. Areeth had to fight, but by Blake’s reply from earlier this afternoon, he had no hope. Even his father had said that he had changed for the worst. King Helmut and Emanual had arrived earlier this morning too as I had to take in a few more of his army and bring out the previous group who was gathering more intelligence.

  I hoped King Helmut was right about this and that for some reason he’d changed his mind. I knew if Areeth’s King entered the fight, so would his men.

  The speaker introduced King Caleb and the crowd cheered. The camera shifted to him as he walked up the steps to the podium outside his castle’s gates.

  I took a huge breath and Blake’s hand stroked my back softly.

  I glanced up at him for a few short seconds, but he was staring at the screen with no expression on his face.

  King Caleb just had to change his mind.

  He took the mic and addressed his people.

  He smiled.

  I couldn’t recall that I’d ever seen a genuine smile on him. He’d always given me that sarcastic smirk of his whenever I was near.

  “The papers are filled with news that King Albert is still alive, trapped behind Etan, being tortured by Goran.” He started to speak and I closed my eyes.

  Blake was so right. He was never going to change his mind.

  “Do I believe it’s the truth?” The question came.

  Silence lingered in the air for a few seconds, and it felt like minutes.

  “No,” he said.

  “You fucking idiot!” Arianna cussed at the TV.

  “Hey, don’t upset yourself like that,” Heico whispered softly in her ear. He was standing behind her, rubbing her shoulders.

  “I don’t, and I will tell you why. I witnessed King Albert being blown up, the night the Creepers consumed Etan. I was there with King Helmut, and a few of his men. He gave his life to save us all.”

  I stared at the screen as he said this.

  “My father was blown up?” I asked King Helmut who was standing a few paces away from us.

  “Later, Princess,” He spoke softly.

  My breathing picked up.

  He couldn’t be dead. I knew what I’d seen, what I’d heard while I ascended. My father wouldn’t have lied to me.

  “Shhhh,” Blake tried to sooth me too as I pushed back the tears of this disappointment. We shouldn’t free Etan if my father wasn’t alive.

  I didn’t have to die. Neither would Blake.

  We could live this side. King Caleb still spoke about that night when my father sacrificed himself and his words just sank deeper and deeper into my soul.

  Why would all the other people say that they saw him then? Why? Was it a trick Goran had used, to give them some sort of hope? Was it a sick and twisted game he played with them?

  “So that is what I believe,” King Caleb said and I knew they weren’t going to fight.

  “But,” he carried on and and the entire cafeteria fell quiet again. “Believing and knowing aren’t the same. Yes, there was an explosion, and yes, the chances of him being alive aren’t much, but I am not one hundred percent sure whether he is alive or dead anymore.”

  He looked down and took a huge breath.

  What was he saying? What did any of this mean?

  “If there is a chance, even one percent, that my friend, my brother, and my King is still alive, then I will pick up my sword and I will fight. I don’t expect any of you to follow me. I won’t force any of you to follow me. That is not what kings do, but you need to ask yourself: If what Elena says is the truth, if what the hundred and fifty that lived on the other side say is truth, what will you tell your King the day he asks you why you didn’t help? Do you have a good reason? A good enough reason to live with for the rest of your life? Remember who he was, who he might still be. Make your decision on that. I will leave tomorrow at nine a.m. to go to the Dragon League in Tith. Whoever wants to join me in this battle, meet me at eight. If there are some of you that would like to give their services in any other ways, to protect this city, to protect the women and children, please meet me there too. Remember what King Albert did for us all, remember the King he was, and make your decision on that and only that.”

  He said thank you and left.

  The crowd wasn’t cheering anymore; their faces were numb, like mine, like Blake’s. Like all the other’s standing in the cafeteria—even Arianna hadn’t expected that at all.

  The only one that didn’t look surprised was King Helmut. He l
ooked relieved.

  “He’s only doing this because he’s afraid to lose everything.”

  “It’s a good thing, Robert. It means he is starting to believe that Al is alive.” King Helmut slapped him on the shoulder.

  “We should make preparations for Areeth to come,” he said to everyone in the cafeteria.

  I looked at how King Helmut turned around and walked toward the entrance.

  I followed with huge strides.

  Blake was behind me. Even though I couldn’t hear him, I knew he was a few steps away from me.

  “King Helmut!” I yelled just as Emanual changed into his dragon form.

  “Elena?” He sighed.

  “Just tell me. Is it the truth what he said? Was there an explosion?”

  “There was, but you saw your father, you heard what he told you. Your father was many things, but a coward and a liar wasn’t one of them.” He cupped my cheek. “And he would never lie, especially to you.”

  I nodded, and he smiled. He climbed onto Emanual’s wing with his boot and made it all look so easy. “He is alive, Elena. We all just have to play our part and keep him that way.”

  Emanual lifted off and I watched both of them ascend into the sky.

  He is alive, my father is alive. I just had to believe that too, but all I could see now was an explosion happening in a place that I never knew, a place that should’ve been my home.

  Blake pulled me into his chest.

  “I believe he is alive too, Elena. Don’t lose hope now.”

  I looked at him with so many questions in my eyes.

  “You didn’t know him. He was special. If anyone could survive an explosion, it’s him.”

  I nodded. “King Caleb changed his mind just like that?”

  The corners of Blake’s lips tucked slightly. “It was one of your father’s strongest traits. He somehow always found a way through to people, even the pig-headed ones.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  But my laughter disappeared faster than I wanted it to.

  It didn’t matter how all of this was going to go down. There was always the omen.

  Blake cupped my face and turned my head to look at him. “You will meet him, I promise.”

  “At what cost, Blake?”