by Laurie McKay
His answer seemed to appease her. She pulled back so that she could look down on him. “Pish,” she said in her dragon voice. “What you ask me to give up is of great value to me. What will you give me in return? Something equally valuable.”
This was a bad turn of events. Caden’s enchanted coat was shredded. Even if he could get jewels and such from his homeland, Ms. Primrose seemed to value cheap, tacky treasures more, and he had none of those either. His Ashevillian possessions weren’t worth much.
Then again. To give up her Blue aspect was of great value to her. Wasn’t magic about exchanges, about equivalencies. That’s what Brynne had said. Caden needed to offer to give up something of great value to him as a trade. What was truly his and his alone that he could offer?
Caden knew exactly what was valuable to him.
Nothing was more important to Caden than slaying a dragon and becoming an Elite Paladin. No, that wasn’t exactly right. Nothing was more important to him than one day serving his father and his kingdom as an Elite Paladin. Then he could prove he was brave and loyal. He would make his father and people proud. He would serve together with whatever loyal brothers he had left and bring his family and people back together.
“I’m waiting,” Ms. Primrose said. She held up a claw and glanced at it as if she expected to see an Ashevillian timepiece wrapped around her wrist that she could tap. When she didn’t, she set her claw back down. “Offer something of equal value or offer nothing and let me turn blue.”
This pact wasn’t about giving away something of worth, but about the value of what was given up to the giver-upper. Caden sneezed. He hesitated. Would she truly be terrible as only a Blue Elderdragon?
“Tick. Tock. Young prince,” she said. Even speaking in the forgotten tongue, her eyes were cold, her sneer cruel. She would be the terror of Asheville. Maybe of the entire Carolina of the North in the South. Or worse yet, she’d attack Razzon.
So there was only one choice. “I will give up serving my king and people as an Elite Paladin.”
Had she been more Silver that would likely have been enough. But she wasn’t. Not at the moment, and she said, “But you could still serve them? I don’t think that’s enough. And what do I gain from that?”
His sacrifice had to be equal to hers. It wasn’t yet, but it was close, right? Caden concentrated. “Instead . . .” How could he sacrifice more than that? And what could he give her? Then he knew what to say, even if he didn’t want to say it. “Instead, I’ll serve you. I’ll give you my favor. My honor.”
Even with a dragon’s face he could tell she was unimpressed.
But Caden didn’t think it mattered if she liked what he offered. It mattered how much it was worth to him. The Forgotten Language of Power would decide if it was worthy. “Nothing is more important to me. It is the most valuable thing I can give.”
The power in the room grew heavier, more suffocating. Caden felt as if his soul were being branded. That meant just one thing. “And so I, too, accept,” Ms. Primrose said.
The hovering silver scales turned sparkling blue. They dropped to the floor. Immediately, the power let up. The pact was complete, and somehow Caden didn’t faint.
Without the language weighing on him, Rath Dunn recovered quickly. He was already to his feet. The large dragon in the room shrunk back to her human form.
With the spell stopped and the language done, Caden became aware of other noises. Someone pounded on the thick oak door. Without the huge dragon blocking it, whoever it was kicked it open.
Rosa rushed into the room. Officer Levine followed Rosa, his weapon drawn. He motioned Rath Dunn to move against the wall.
“Caden?” Rosa demanded.
Rath Dunn flicked his hand in Caden’s direction. With a quick motion, he shoved his blood dagger under the desk, hiding it. “He’s fine. He’s been in my care. I’ve done nothing against the rules, nothing to warrant that type of tone.”
Rosa froze where she was. She looked Caden up and down, and her anger seemed to explode. “Did you hit one of my kids?”
“I pulled him from a dangerous situation in the forest. At night,” Rath Dunn said. “Where he was without his guardian.”
Oh, Rath Dunn sounded as if his teeth were gritted, his jaw clenched. His plan had failed, and he was angry. He’d have to start scheming again. If Caden wasn’t using all his focus not to fall over, he would have taunted him about that.
Rath Dunn leered at Rosa. “As his foster mother, you should be thanking me.”
“Step back. Hands against the wall,” Officer Levine said.
Rath Dunn turned and put his palms so they were flat against the red paint. “I’ll have your badge if you keep this up.”
“Just arrest him, Harold,” Rosa said.
Ms. Primrose stepped between them. “Now, now, there’s no need for that, dear. We take good care of our students. I’m certain this can all be worked out.” She had returned to her old-lady persona. Was she still intent on keeping Rath Dunn as a school employee? Truly, she should know better now. “Mr. Rathis,” she said. “Just go downtown with Officer Levine. I’m sure you can work everything out.”
“He’s coming downtown,” Officer Levine said. “Not so sure about the working everything out.”
“Chop chop then,” Ms. Primrose said. She turned to Rath Dunn. There was a spike of cold in the air. “I’ll run things while you get this sorted out.”
“It won’t take long,” Rath Dunn said.
Caden’s vision was becoming fuzzy. Ms. Primrose was a silvery blur. Her hair. Her dress. Even her eyes seemed silver speckled. Though no aspects of the Blue Elderdragon were visible, her small frame emanated power. “It will take long enough,” Ms. Primrose said.
Caden swayed on his feet. Likely, speaking forgotten tongues wasn’t wise for those with head injuries, and whatever battle adrenaline had kept him up was gone. He tried to grab the wall to steady himself, but the wall kept moving away. “Rosa,” he said, and his tongue felt clumsy and slow. “I feel . . . unwell.” The room and those in it started to turn. Caden felt himself plunge toward the floor. Rosa caught him just as the room faded away.
When Caden returned to consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the smell of antiseptic. Which wasn’t a bad smell. It was a good, clean smell. He heard Ashevillian machines beep beep beeping. He lay in an uncomfortable bed with sheets that weren’t soft enough for a prince. He opened his eyes, but he already knew he was in the hospital.
There was a second bed across from him. The beeping machines were grouped on that side of the room. The person in the second bed slept as if dead. Short, golden-colored hair. Long and lean body. Caden blinked. That was Jasan. Caden pushed himself up.
Ugh. How his head ached.
“Rest a bit longer, child,” Manglor said. He reclined in a chair beside the bed.
Caden motioned to the other bed. “Is my brother alive?”
“He is.”
Caden was too groggy to be much more than confused. When he was properly awake, he’d likely be overcome with joy. For now, he blinked and said, “How?”
“Blood can be transfused. He already had some done. I believe that the transfused blood kept him alive when his blood was lost. He’s been given more now. I donated mine.”
Caden only understood the final part of that, but that was the important part. “Thank you.”
“He’s my neighbor. We protected my home. No need to thank me, child.”
While Caden liked Manglor well enough, he wasn’t who Caden expected to see. “Where’s Rosa?” he said. He was surprised she wasn’t there. For that matter—“Where are Tito and Brynne and Jane?”
“The other children are at home with Officer Levine,” Manglor said. “Rosa is talking to your doctor.”
“How long have I been here?” Caden asked.
“A day.” Manglor replied.
That meant Caden was still bound by his curses. “Why are you here?”
“If I leave, the nurses will r
emove your brother’s paper clips, and all the blood I and others gave him will leak out when his hand falls off.”
“Then it’s good you stay,” Caden said.
“Hmmm, it is,” Manglor agreed.
Caden cut his gaze to his brother. “Is he really okay?”
Like Jasan heard him, he turned his head. Then he opened his eyes. “I’ve been better.”
Caden felt a rush of relief.
Jasan’s voice was weak, but he still managed to sound surly. “I told you to stay safe,” he said. “Not come to the forest.”
“You needed help.”
“Not so much for you to risk your life,” Jasan said.
Caden knew Jasan was wrong. He wanted to say so. But he was drifting back to sleep.
The next morning, Friday, they released both royal brothers from the hospital. The doctors wanted Jasan to stay longer, but Jasan refused, and Manglor stood behind him as he did it. Manglor did promise he and his family would keep watch over Jasan as he recovered. And Caden would go home as well. His home in Asheville. With Rosa, in the foster prison.
Later that afternoon, Caden rested on the green couch. The living room curtains were still charred. Outside, an early Ashevillian snow blanketed the mountain. The trees, colorful with red, yellow, and orange leaves, were covered in ice. When they looked like that, Caden could almost pretend the mountainside was a Winterlands hill.
Jane’s eyes weren’t back to normal, but they were better. Rosa had taken her to the eye doctor. While they were away, Officer Levine stayed with Caden, Brynne, and Tito. He clattered around in the kitchen, cleaning dishes.
Brynne sat beside Caden. She took off her hat. “Feel my head,” she said.
An order. After the incident in the office with the dragon and the tyrant and his two nights in the hospital, Caden determined orders made him sneeze, hiccup, or belch. And while he couldn’t ignore them, he could choose whether to comply or to resist.
Caden sneezed. Then decided to resist. He wasn’t sure why she wanted him to feel her head, but it sounded uncouth. “No, I must respectfully decline.”
“Just feel my head, Caden.”
He sneezed again. She had a nice round head, but Caden had no desire to feel it. “Why?”
“Rub it and you’ll see.”
Caden sneezed. “No.”
Tito walked into the living room and plopped onto the floor. “I don’t want to know what you two are talking about, but I wouldn’t let Rosa overhear it.”
“Caden is being difficult,” Brynne said. She leaned down. “Sir Tito. Feel my head.”
Tito shrugged. “Okay.” He patted the top of her head. Then he smiled his lopsided grin. “Dude, you’ve got peach fuzz.” Tito glanced at Caden. “That means hair.”
“It’s growing back,” Brynne said.
Caden leaned over and inspected her head. There were hairs there. Fine white ones. “They’re the wrong color.”
“So? I can change the color if I desire. The wonderful thing is that my hair is growing.” Brynne narrowed her eyes. “It’s hair, prince,” she said. “So I’m happy.”
Jane’s eyes were better, but not great. Brynne’s hair had started to grow some. Enough of the spell had been cast to affect them. But stopping it also seemed to lead to some recovery. Hopefully, Jasan would also recover some of his own blood, too.
Rosa and Jane showed up soon after. Jane sported a brand-new pair of glasses. The frames were metal, and Caden was certain Jane had picked them so she could enchant them. Officer Levine came out from the kitchen to meet them, drying his hands with a bright-orange dish towel.
Tito grinned at Jane. “You look good in glasses.”
“And now I can see clearly again,” Jane said.
“That’s what’s important,” Officer Levine said.
Rosa sat next to Caden and put her hand on his forehead. He leaned away. “How are you feeling?”
“Royal heads heal quickly,” he said.
For a split second, she looked uncomfortable. “Don’t you mean future Elite Paladin heads heal quickly?” she said. It was a kind attempt to make him feel better.
Caden had told no one, not even Brynne, that he’d agreed to serve Ms. Primrose instead of his father and his people, told no one that he would never be an Elite Paladin. His heart felt heavy. But some burdens needn’t be shared. He forced his most charming smile for Rosa. “It is true Elite Paladins also have hard and quick-healing skulls.”
Officer Levine examined him as well. “You do look better, son,” he said.
Indeed, Caden was feeling better. “I feel better.”
Rosa stood back up and surveyed him and the others. Officer Levine set aside the dish towel. He nodded to Rosa.
“Good,” she said. “Then we want talk with all of you.”
They all scooted over so Jane could sit with them on the green interrogation couch. Brynne stayed on Caden’s left, Tito on his right. Jane sat in the space between Tito and the end of the couch. This is what Caden expected. Punishment. They’d willfully disobeyed and run into a forest fight. Brynne had burned the curtains.
“We need to establish some new rules,” Rosa said. “First, no deals with dragons.”
Caden sneezed. Truly, he wasn’t sure he could follow that rule. A deal with a dragon had saved their lives.
“No riding Sir Horace through the hills at night.”
Caden sneezed again. He didn’t want to follow that one. Sir Horace loved night rides.
“No fighting villains.”
Caden sneezed once more. Elite Paladin or not, Caden would always fight villains. It turned out there was a downside to Rosa accepting Caden as sane and from another world. She had a long list of new rules.
The list went on and on. There were new rules for Caden, for Brynne, for Jane. Tito mostly had the same rules as before, but he was local and nonmagical even if he trod on the noble path of the Elite Paladin.
“And Jane,” Rosa said. “No enchanting.”
Jane was resistant. “Why?”
“Because I said so. No enchanting anything, big or small,” Rosa said. “That’s final.”
Jane reached up and touched her new frames. “Small things should be okay,” she said.
Rosa’s tone was like the strongest Razzonian steel. “No.”
Caden doubted Jane would really stop, but maybe Rosa was enough of a force to keep her enchanting curbed. Truth be told, though, he’d wager those glasses would be enchanted before nightfall.
Rosa turned her attention to Brynne. “No magic at home.” She thought about it. “And no magic at school either.”
School. So as always, school would go on. “We still must go then?” Caden said, but he wasn’t surprised.
Rosa took in a sharp breath. “I can’t keep you out. I don’t understand why. But it should be safer now.”
Some things were beyond even Rosa’s control. Caden understood.
“But don’t think I won’t have rules in place about who talks to you and when and where they interact with you,” Rosa said.
“Are there any more rules for us?” Tito said.
Brynne shot Tito a death glare for reminding Rosa.
“A few.” Rosa focused back on Brynne. Of all of them, Brynne had the most new rules to follow. “No using magic to steal. No stealing period. No flipping people over. No setting things on fire—not with pyrokinetics or anything else. Got it?”
Brynne arched a brow. She leaned forward, and the couch groaned. “What if I’m attacked?”
Rosa closed her eyes. She seemed to have to think hard on that. “If you’re in danger, then defend yourself. By whatever means necessary.”
Brynne seemed happy enough with that. “I will.”
“Good girl.”
Caden grew bored with these new rules. Maybe that was why Brynne feigned sleeping so often when they were lectured. She simply couldn’t stay awake.
“Caden,” Rosa said gently. “Pay attention.”
An order. Inside
him the urge to obey and the urge to resist collided. He felt for a moment as if he were going to burst. The power of the curses had to be released. He expected to sneeze or hiccup or belch. Instead, the power was released in a new and terrible way. Gas. A mighty stench descended around the punishment couch.
Caden blushed. Brynne scooted to the edge of the pillow as if offended, which was ridiculous. She’d cursed him twice. Any side effects were completely her fault. He glared at her.
Tito, however, seemed to find it hilarious. “This curse-curse gets better and better.”
Jane laughed. As did Officer Levine.
“It’s not funny,” Caden said. He looked to Rosa. She would understand. “Tell them it’s not funny.” He pointed at her. “You mustn’t give me orders during my time of the month.”
“Bro, you’ve got to stop calling it that,” Tito said.
“That’s what it is,” Caden said.
Rosa covered her mouth with her right hand. The iron in her expression seemed to be splitting away. She looked to the side. Was she laughing? If so, Caden was definitely offended.
It was decided that Caden would spend every other weekend with Jasan to see if the arrangement worked. The rest of the time he’d stay at Rosa’s. As for school, it reopened after seven days.
Caden worried about his family and homeland, but they had no more enchantments to sacrifice. They had no way to contact them. The barrier between worlds seemed intact, though. Caden hoped that meant all were safe and the spell had been stopped there as well.
At the school, Ms. Primrose was reinstated as principal. Officer Levine said Rath Dunn had disappeared from his cell. Yet as far as Caden knew, he hadn’t returned to school. Point of fact, he hadn’t been seen at all. Several teachers and the nurse had also disappeared. No one seemed worried, which made Caden suspect Ms. Primrose did something to them—specifically, ate them. Although, hadn’t Rath Dunn claimed he’d yet to break her rules? He frowned at that thought.
Rosa dropped them off at school. The early snows left the lawn white. The ice on the school gave it a silver shimmer. “Call me if you have any problems,” she said.