The Last of the Firedrakes (The Avalonia Chronicles Book 1)

by Farah Oomerbhoy

  I stared at him. Was he serious? Here I was, nearly killed, and he was interrogating me as if it were my fault. Well, it sort of was my fault for being so stupid and following Damien, but still. I suddenly realized that Rafe thought of me as nothing more than a spoiled child. My heart sank, and all my romantic fantasies went straight out the window.

  I’d had enough of this. I spun on my heel, hoping dearly that I wouldn’t fall, and walked toward the academy. In a flash, he was beside me. Again he put his arm round my waist and half-dragged, half-carried me into a side street.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed. “Do you want to be caught by the night patrol?”

  “The what?”

  “No underage mage is allowed outside the academy after dark. You know the rules. If the night patrol catches you, they will have you expelled.” He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Come on, Aurora. I’ll get you back into the school tonight, and you can tell me what happened on the way. I have heard that the Blackwaters take it upon themselves to harass and intimidate new mages. This is a silly game they have played before. But how they got you to agree to go willingly with them is quite a mystery.”

  “I was trying to find out what Morgana and Lucian’s plans were,” I explained to Rafe. “Fagren gave them something in a small pouch, and they paid him for it.”

  Rafe’s stormy eyes widened. “Did they discuss it or say anything?”

  I shook my head. “No. All I saw was a small, brown leather pouch. They took it and left me there.”

  Rafe cursed darkly under his breath as we resumed our walk through the now deserted streets of the sleeping city. “You should stay away from the Blackwaters. They are nothing but trouble. If you had been harmed . . .” He broke off, shaking his handsome head and muttering to himself. “When you are back in school, maybe you should tell the mastermage and have them expelled.”

  “No.” I shook my head, a little calmer. “I have to learn to deal with this myself. If I get the Blackwaters expelled, they will come after me and start looking into who I really am.”

  “You really need to stay away from them, Aurora.” He gave me a pointed look. “How do I make you understand that the Blackwaters are dangerous?”

  “Don’t you want to know what they came all the way down here to get?”

  “I will look into it,” said Rafe, and he gave me a warning look. “You just concentrate on staying out of trouble.”

  “But I can help,” I insisted. “I can find out what’s in that pouch.”

  Rafe shook his head. “No, Aurora. It’s too dangerous. If the Blackwaters find out that you have been spying on them, they won’t think twice about getting rid of you.”

  “Don’t worry. Once they know I’m not going to say anything to the professors, they will leave me alone,” I said, trying to convince myself. “They think I am some insignificant ward of the Duke of Silverthorne. If I become friends with them, I can find out what Lucian’s plans are. Won’t Uncle Gabriel want to find out what they are up to? The pouch may contain some clue.” I sounded more confident than I felt.

  “You may be right,” said Rafe, but he still didn’t look convinced. “Be friends with them, but I don’t want you looking for the pouch. I will handle it.”

  I nodded and kept silent. Rafe didn’t think I was capable of doing anything, but I would show him. I would find out what was in that pouch, and then he would have to admit that I was not entirely useless.

  He led me into a large house on a side street off the main avenue. The door was locked, but Rafe had a key.

  I looked up at the massive, gilded front door. “What is this place?”

  “There are many routes in and out of the academy,” he answered, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

  Rafe opened his fist and held up his hand. A ball of light quivered and swirled in it, lighting up the darkened house just as he had done in the dungeons of Oblek’s castle. He took my hand in his as he led me through the shadows.

  As his warm hand closed about my fingers, I felt my heart flutter again. This was getting to be very irritating. What was I going to do when he went away again? And he would go away, he always did, and as usual I would have absolutely no idea where he was. There was no real future for us, and he was so obviously not interested. That thought saddened me, and my heart sank.

  The huge house looked like it had not been lived in for a very long time. Dust covers obscured all the furniture, including the chandeliers and statues. I could only imagine what this place would have looked like all clean and lit up. It was like a miniature palace. Rafe led me up the massive marble staircase and down a long corridor to the last room.

  “Is this your house?” I asked, amazed that he knew his way around so well. Even in the darkness of this eerie house, I felt safe as long as he was with me.

  He smiled. “One of them.”

  Who was he to have a house this big and never use it? I wished he would tell me who he really was. Not that it mattered. I would still be crazy about him. I had never felt this way before, and that was what terrified me the most.

  “This house belonged to my mother’s family,” he said finally.

  “And no one lives here?” It was a silly question, but it was out of my mouth before I realized.

  His face darkened. “No. Not since she died.”

  He looked like he didn’t want to answer any more questions, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

  “I’m sorry,” I said softly, feeling bad for his loss. “About your mother, I mean. At least you got to meet her. I can barely remember what my real mother even looked like.”

  His gaze softened, and he gave my hand a small squeeze, but he didn’t say anything more.

  The last door at the end of the corridor was unlocked. Rafe led me inside a small room where bookshelves lined the walls. The only other furniture in the room was a large, mahogany desk and an old, worn leather sofa. He went over to one of the shelves and pulled out a book. Part of the bookshelf moved inward, revealing a dark passage.

  I was so used to secret passages now that I didn’t even flinch. I had half-expected it. How else was I going to get back into the school at night? Calisto and Damien must have closed the magical gate.

  “This leads directly to the cellar of your dorm house,” Rafe explained.

  I peered into the dark passageway and my eyes narrowed. “Why do you have a secret passageway leading to the girls’ dormitory?”

  He chuckled. “It came in handy when I was studying there. And the girls were easier to convince to keep my secret than the boys.”

  “I’m sure they were,” I said tartly, and raised my eyebrows when I realized what he had said. “You studied at the academy?”

  He gave me an amused smile. “Don’t look so surprised—I wasn’t always an outlaw, you know.”

  “So,” I ventured, “who are you, then?”

  Rafe rolled his eyes. “Have I told you you ask too many questions?”

  I scowled back at him. “Frequently.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t think this is the right time to discuss it.”

  I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Fine.” He was absolutely exasperating.

  I turned to enter the passage, which was fairly large but dark and gloomy. Rafe led the way, his mage light glowing steadily in his hand. The gray stone walls were cold and damp, and I could hear a dripping sound in the distance. I fervently hoped that there were no rats down there as we walked deeper under the city of Neris and toward the academy.

  I wondered when I would be able to see Rafe again. He always came and went so mysteriously, and I had no idea when he would turn up. I wished there were some way I could meet him more often.

  “Can you teach me to fight?” If I learned from him, he would have to spend more time with me.

  He flicked a glance back at me as I followed him. “What?” Obviously, he hadn’t expected that.

  “Well, since you say I keep getting in
to trouble,” I said slowly, not wanting to anger him, “I thought it would be good for me to know how to defend myself.”

  “And you want me to teach you?” he said flatly as we walked quickly through the eerie passage and back to the school.

  “Yes.”

  His lips quirked to one side in the cutest smile I had ever seen. “And how am I supposed to meet you?”

  “Well.” I had not really thought about it, so the words spilled from me abruptly. “Maybe I could sneak out here some nights.”

  “Sneak out!” Rafe stopped and turned to glare at me. “No, I won’t have you breaking the rules and getting yourself into trouble. Don’t they teach you to fight in warrior classes?”

  I had to shake my head to stop myself from staring at him as I hurried after him. “Yes, the magical stuff is fine. I can manage that, but fighting with a sword is so cumbersome. I want to learn to fight with knives.”

  “Knives!” Rafe gave me an amused look. “Why knives?”

  “Well, knives are easy to conceal. You can carry more than one on your person at all times, and you can throw them. Erien said you’re faster with knives than you are with a sword, which is impressive since I’ve seen you fight.”

  “We shall see,” was all he said. He didn’t preen or look proud of himself, and I liked him even more for that.

  We had reached the end of the corridor. Rafe gave a simple push on the right stone in the wall, and a door opened into the cellar of my dorm house. I stopped and turned to look at him. He had paused, too, his eyes never leaving mine; our faces were only inches apart, and his gray eyes flickered in the dim light. I thought for a second that he was going to kiss me.

  “Good night, Aurora,” he said finally, moving back. “I will be gone for a while, so please stay out of trouble.”

  I flushed, straightening. “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t want to burden you with all the boring details,” he said, a small smile curving his full lips, “but I have some work I have to do for your uncle. How much do you know about what is going on in Illiador?”

  I shook my head. “Not much. I know that Lucian is trying to invoke an old law naming Illiador as the high kingdom and Morgana as high queen.”

  He nodded. “Yes, and there is unrest all over the seven kingdoms. Your granduncle has gone to Andrysia and Kelliandria to make sure that they don’t succumb to Morgana’s threats.”

  “Yes, he told me, but do you think they will?”

  Rafe shook his dark head. “Who knows? Morgana has now allied herself with the Drakaar, and Andrysia and Kelliandria are right in the middle. They may not have a choice. If it comes down to force and numbers, Morgana could very well take over the whole north. The fae that are left in Illiador are suffering. I must help the ones who want to leave to move south.”

  “When will you be back?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t really know.”

  My heart sank, but I nodded nevertheless. “Good night, and take care of yourself.”

  To my surprise he held me gently by the arms and pulled me against his chest, kissing the top of my head. I melted into his arms and put my hands around his waist. I wished I could have stayed there forever. I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to him while he was gone.

  “I will be fine,” he whispered into my hair. “And I want you to stay safe too.” His voice was rough. “You really scared me today, Aurora. I don’t even want to think what could have happened if I hadn’t got there in time.” Rafe gently backed away, took my hand in his, kissed it, and gave a short bow. He pressed one of the stones on the wall, and the door started closing on its own. “Till we meet again, my princess.”

  My heart cried for him to come back. But all I could do was stand rooted in place, watching him disappear into the shadowy recesses of the secret corridor. That was when I knew for certain that what I had felt for Alex Carrington was just a silly crush. I was falling in love with Rafe, and it didn’t matter who he really was. There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it.

  I snuck back to my room and opened the door slowly, creeping on tiptoe toward my bed.

  “Where were you?” Vivienne whispered, lighting a small candle and sitting up in her bed. “I was worried.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I lost track of time.”

  Vivienne raised both her eyebrows. “What are you not telling me?” She jumped off her bed and came over to sit beside me.

  I finally relented and told her about the Blackwaters and how they tricked me.

  “I told you Damien was dangerous,” Vivienne said after I had finished my story.

  I nodded.

  “And how did you escape?” Her eyes were wide.

  “The Black Wolf saved me.” I knew I had a stupid grin on my face, but I couldn’t help it.

  Vivienne gasped. “The Black Wolf! Is he as handsome as they say he is?” She nearly swooned at the mention of his name.

  “More,” I said, grinning.

  Vivienne leaned closer. “Who is he?”

  I shrugged. I guess it was better that I didn’t know. Then I didn’t have to lie. “No idea, but it makes no difference. He’s quite amazing.”

  “And dangerous,” said Vivienne, looking like a stern professor again. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You don’t even know him, Rory. I have heard stories about the Black Wolf that would make you shiver. He may be very charming and handsome, and ladies all over the lands practically swoon at his name, but there are those who say he has killed members of the Shadow Guard, and anyone that powerful is not to be trifled with.”

  I wanted to point out that she had also nearly fainted when I mentioned the Black Wolf, but I chose to hold my tongue.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I ended the topic. I really didn’t want to get into the you-don’t-know-him-he’s-dangerous conversation again. “What’s really important is what the Blackwaters have in that pouch they bought from the thief lord.”

  “I don’t think we should get involved, Rory,” said Vivienne. “If we get caught, there’s no telling what they might do to us.”

  “I can’t forget it, Vivienne. Whatever is in that pouch is probably something that my guardian would like to know about. Please help me. I need someone to be a lookout while I search for it.”

  She looked at me as if I had sprouted two heads. “You want to search Zorek’s and Damien’s rooms?” Vivienne shook her head. “No, no, I can’t. If I get expelled from school, my father will disown me.”

  “Please, Vivienne,” I begged. “I really need to do this.”

  “Why?” She crossed her arms and glared at me.

  “What?”

  “Why do you really need to do this? Your guardian has many people working for him who are more qualified spies. Just send word to the countess, and she will handle it.”

  “No!” I got up from the bed. “I have to do this myself. Please trust me. I would tell you if I could, but I can’t. Not right now.”

  “Then when?” Vivienne said more softly this time. “Rory, ever since you came here I’ve known that you’re not telling me everything. I’m your friend, and I want to help, but if you don’t tell me anything, how can I do that?”

  I looked down at my feet. What could I say? I wanted to tell her who I really was, but what if she told her parents? “You’re right. I haven’t been completely honest with you, but there are reasons. And I will tell you. Just give me a little more time. I need to find out what is in that pouch. Please help me, and I promise I will tell you everything.”

  Vivienne got up and hugged me. “I’ll help you, but we’ll talk about it in the morning. I’m exhausted,” said Vivienne, climbing back into her bed.

  I lay down on my bed and covered myself with my blanket. “Thank you, Viv. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  “Vivienne,” I said tentatively.

  “Yes, Rory.”

  “I hope you won’t say anything about this, about the Black Wolf, I me
an. I don’t want Damien finding out how I got back.”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” she said, closing her eyes and snuffing out the candle.

  I lay in my bed, looking at the dark ceiling. It would be dawn soon, and I hoped I could get a few hours of sleep before I had to wake up for class. But I couldn’t get Rafe’s face out of my head, and I kept going over everything he said in my mind until dawn broke.

  The Book of Abraxas

  The next day, I walked to the library with Vivienne. Classes were just beginning, and countless students milled about, trying to navigate their way through the library as quietly as they could. Library monitors constantly shushed those who were being too loud.

  “Isn’t that Damien talking to Zorek?” Vivienne whispered.

  I looked over to where Damien stood at the far end of the library, near the older books. He was talking to his brother, but they didn’t see us.

  “Come on,” I said softly, pulling Vivienne along with me. I wanted to hear what they were saying.

  We wound our way through the shelves and stopped on the other side of the bookshelf from where Damien and Zorek stood. I moved closer, and I could see them clearly if I peered through the space between the books.

  I saw Zorek pass the mysterious pouch to Damien. “Keep it safe. Lily goes through my things sometimes. I don’t want her to accidentally find it.”

  “Lily Brentstaff is a such a social climber,” said Damien with a trace of disgust in his voice. “You know she’s only with you because of who you are.”

  Zorek shrugged. “I don’t care why she’s with me, as long as I get what I want.” He grinned.

  Damien shook his head, opened the pouch, and took out a small, triangular piece of bronze. I couldn’t see it clearly from where I hid, but it looked like it had some strange symbols etched into the metal. He inspected it, turning it around in his fingers.

  “Fine.” Damien put it back into the leather pouch. “I’ll keep this safe until we can deliver it to Father.” He patted his pocket. “Did he tell you what it is?”

  “Yes,” Zorek lowered his voice, “but I don’t know much. All he said was that it’s the key to some book.”