The DragonWitch Tales - An Unexpected Beginning

by Shannon Harris

  “Oh, I’m not trying to tame you.” She peppered her jaw with kisses. “I love you just the way you are.” She leaned forward and groaned into Alexia’s neck when the back door opened and someone walked out. “Addison, I guess it’s time to go?”

  Addison stepped off the porch steps. “It is.”

  “Okay.” With one last kiss, Alexia stood up and pulled Paisley with her. “Tomorrow then.”

  “Of course. Nothing would stop me from seeing you. Addison, I’ll be right back.” Paisley followed Alexia inside and kissed both sleeping girls on the cheek. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

  Alexia drew her into a hug. “We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Go. You know I hate it when you travel at night.”

  Paisley snickered. “I love you, too.”

  ****

  With a hop in her step, the next morning she bounded down the stairs and came to a halt when she entered the kitchen. Clara and Lana were leaned across the counter with their backs to her, talking extremely close. Maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about hurting Lana after all. She didn’t want to interrupt but she needed to get going. “Good morning.” They jumped apart. “Hello, Clara.”

  “Paisley, it’s good to see you. That’s actually why I’m here.”

  “Oh?” Paisley bit into the peach and moaned as the juices ran down her throat. She would have to grab a few extras. The girls would love them. Maybe some apples, too.

  Lana pecked her on the cheek and Paisley had to fight the urge to pull away from her. Best not to play her cards just yet. “You’ve been working awfully hard with Beatrice, so I thought you could use a day off. Clara is here to take you around. I know you haven’t had time to explore and I’ve been so busy.”

  Paisley threw her uneaten peach away, the sweetness turning sour in her stomach. She adjusted her glasses and counted to ten. “You took it upon yourself to give me a day off? I don’t have a say in this?” It would mess up her time with Alexia, and she needed to confront Beatrice today about being a DragonWitch.

  “Look, it will be good for you to get out of the city. See the sights.” Lana smiled.

  That didn’t sound good. Not good at all. It sounded rehearsed. “How far out of the city?” She rocked back on her heels. Addison stiffened bedside her.

  Clara finally spoke up, but Paisley noticed a slight twitch in her hand. “A few hours.”

  “So an overnight trip?”

  Lana took a step in her direction. “Yes.”

  Now she knew something was up. Lana had never suggested she travel before, and to do so during the peak of her training was suspicious. There was no way she would miss two days of training. “No.”

  Lana spun around to face her. “What?”

  “I said no. I have plans today. I am at a place in my teaching that I don’t want to put off.”

  “I talked to Beatrice and she said you could have the two days off.”

  “Lana, as much as you like to think you run my life, you don’t. I make my own decisions, and if Beatrice already has plans I will spend the day with my family.” She tried to shake off the dread filling the pit of her stomach, but something was wrong.

  She frowned when Lana smirked at her, and as coldness seeped into her pores she heard a familiar voice screaming in her head. She grabbed her backpack off the table and ran out the back door toward the marketplace. The rhythm of her footsteps were in sync with Addison’s, and she could hear other sets of feet running behind her. As the screams and cries grew louder in her mind, she threw her hand out in front of her. She didn’t know why she was headed to the marketplace, but wouldn’t second-guess herself. The only thought crossing her mind was that her girls were in trouble. As she pushed past the vendor stalls, bypassing shoppers, she skidded to a halt beside the fountain.

  Ahead of her, Alexia was surrounded by guards and two soldiers had a hand on each of the girls’ shoulders. Tears were running down their faces. The queen and her personal guard stood a few feet from them and turned when Paisley, Addison, Lana, and Clara entered. Paisley chanced a glance at Alexia, and she put her hand up in front of her and smiled. The barrier had worked. Her eyes narrowed when she realized she had encased the guards inside the girls’ barrier.

  She heard a slow clapping and turned toward the queen. “Bravo, Paisley, but there seems to be a bit of a problem.” She pointed to the girls, and the guards squeezed down on their shoulders making them cry out and Paisley’s blood run cold. She took a step closer, threw off Lana’s hand, and tugged on her necklaces. They came off cleanly and she handed them to Addison, who tucked them into her pocket.

  “I think I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.” The queen’s smile faltered for a second but was quickly put back in place. When she nodded at the guards, Paisley raised both of her hands and twisted them in the air before flicking her fingers in an outward motion.

  The guards’ bodies flew out of the barriers and landed on the ground in front of the queen, their heads hanging at unnatural angles. It took her a moment to ground the magic pulsating just below the surface, but instinct quickly took over and she swept her arm in an arc around her. Every guard surrounding them fell into a heap on the ground.

  “They’re not dead, but if you push me they will be.” She would not back down to this woman. She was relishing the feeling of power when all at once she knew she had been played. The smile that overtook the queen’s face made her insides quiver. It was at that moment that she realized that to keep Alexia and the girls safe, she would have to let them go. The queen would always use her love for them against her, to control her. Her heart screamed in agony as she chose her next words. “I want it written that Alexia and the girls are never to be touched again, and they will be able to roam freely without the threat of attack or death.” Alexia closed her eyes and Paisley turned away from her as a tear ran down her cheek.

  The queen chuckled. “Done. You will continue training with Beatrice, and then you will do our bidding. Yes?”

  “I won’t sign anything to that effect.”

  “I won’t ask you to. You are my daughter-in-law; it’s time you started acting like it. You are mine now, Paisley. I don’t care what happens to the woman or the brats, but I don’t want them setting foot in this town again. They will be banished.”

  “Fine.” Silver sparks flew from her fingertips, and for the first time she didn’t snuff it out. The power coursing through her veins made her shudder and she knew, no matter what, these people would one day feel the full extent of her powers. From out of nowhere, she felt an added pressure to her magic and realized it was the dragon making its presence known. The queen might have thought she had won, but the truth was far from it. Paisley had complete control of the situation. “I want papers guaranteeing their safety delivered to my family’s home in two hours. I will have that time with Alexia and her children. I’m not asking.”

  “Lana, you do realize your bond mate is in love with another, don’t you? It’s quite a disappointment.” The queen sighed. “But, you made a wise decision not to heed the almanac’s words. Paisley was a much better choice. Good day.”

  Paisley filed the queen’s words in the back of her mind, but she had more important things to worry about. She knelt on the ground and lowered all three barriers. The girls ran into her arms, and she scoped them up and stood. She felt Alexia and someone else touch her shoulder, then was engulfed in a puff of smoke. She opened her eyes to find they were in her family’s yard. Paisley buried her head in Alexia’s neck. When the tears finally dried, she raised her head. “You know this is the only way to keep you safe. I will find you again. Don’t doubt me.”

  Alexia smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Doubt you? Never. We’ll wait for you. Always.” The kiss left her breathless, but she had things to discuss before she said good-bye to them. She would see them again and no one would stop her.

  “I love you all, and as much as I would love to stay in your embrace, there are a few things I need to know.”

 
Alexia stiffened at her tone. “What?”

  “As much as you can teach me. We have under two hours. If possible, can you leave your journals here, for me to read? I would love to stay cuddled, but there is so much I need to know. Things have escalated and…”

  Alexia wiped Paisley’s tears. “Let’s get started.”

  Saying good-bye to Alexia and the girls two hours later was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. After the messenger had dropped off the papers, Alexia read over them three times, deeming them fine and complete before she signed them. After a quick hug, Paisley and Addison left. The one time she dared to look back, Addison forced her head back around and shook her head no. It would only hurt her in the long run, so she heeded her thoughts and kept walking.

  She wasn’t sure what she would find when she reached the house, or who would be there. The only one she wanted to see was Jynx, but when she walked through the door, her anger skyrocketed when she spotted Clara and Lana lounging on the couch like nothing had happened, like her entire world hadn’t been upended yet again and it was partly their fault. “I told your mother I would do her bidding, but it won’t be from this house.” Lana jumped up. “I’m packing my things and moving in with my grandmother. She’s already agreed.”

  Lana sighed. “Paisley, think about this.”

  “You lost any right to me the moment you smirked at me in the kitchen this morning. The girls had bruises on their shoulders and I had no doubt that your mother would kill all of them. You thought it was funny. I am taking my cat and my things and leaving.”

  “You can take your things, but not your cat.”

  Paisley stopped with her foot on the first step and slowly turned around. Addison handed her back her necklaces and she slipped them in her pocket. If Lana had done something to her cat… “And why is that?”

  Lana ran her hands through her hair. “She’s gone.”

  “Gone?” This was not happening. This could not be happening.

  “I can’t find her anywhere. She must have gotten out the open door.”

  Paisley turned on her heel and marched up the stairs. She threw her bedroom door open and slumped onto the bed with her head in her hands. She would not allow herself to cry in this house. She would wait until she was in the safety of her family’s home. Jynx couldn’t be gone. No. She would ask her aunt about a locator spell.

  An hour later, all her trunks were packed and her uncle and cousin had pulled up outside the house and loaded everything for her into the carriage. She did a quick check of the surrounding area and called for Jynx, but she never came.

  “Paisley, you didn’t even give us a chance. You do realize we are bonded. You can’t ignore that. You will always belong to me.” Lana reached for her, but Paisley stepped back.

  “That may be the case, but you’ve never had my heart, nor will you ever. I will find a way to break this bond, and god help the people that stand in my way. You made your choice, now I am making mine.”

  ****

  After Paisley’s uncle and cousin unloaded the carriage, she was left alone in the house with her aunt, grandmother, and Addison. She wasn’t up to chatting with them, so she excused herself to her room to settle her nerves until she felt like talking. First Alexia and the girls, and now Jynx. As soon as she shut the bedroom door her eyes landed on a stack of journals on the desk and a folded piece of paper that lay atop them. Her feet moved of their own accord and she picked up the letter, tracing her name written on the paper in Alexia’s elegant script. The people that did this to her would pay. No matter what she had to do, or how long she had to wait, they would pay.

  With trembling fingers, she unfolded the letter and gasped when she saw two small pictures drawn below the written words. She traced the pictures as a tear fell down her cheek and splashed onto the paper. Forcing her eyes away from the drawings the girls had left for her, she read what Alexia had written.

  Paisley,

  I can honestly say this isn’t the way I intended for my life to go, but I embrace it wholeheartedly. You are our future. Don’t forget that. We love you and will wait for you. Let them underestimate you. Prove them wrong. You are far more powerful than I am, and you haven’t even fully embraced your magic. Embrace it now. Nourish it and let it grow. I have waited for you my entire life, and I refuse to give you up now that I’ve found you. I don’t regret what you’ve done for us, but you idiot, we’re not complete without you. Stay strong and don’t trust anyone, unless they’ve earned that trust. Your family will always stand by you, as will Addison, I believe. Hurry back to us, but don’t rush the process. I’m not sure how or when we’ll see each other again, but I have hope that we will. You’ve won me Paisley, but you’ve yet to claim me. Don’t procrastinate, Darling.

  With all our love: Alexia, Amelia, Zoey

  Paisley folded the letter until it was small enough to fit into her pocket, and slipped it inside where it would always be with her until they were reunited. She wouldn’t let them down. With new resolve, she pushed every emotion that filtered to the surface deep down. Now was not the time to curl up on the bed and cry. She wiped her nose, opened the door, and walked back into the living room where everyone was waiting for her.

  She nodded at her nana and aunt, then took a seat beside Addison, who sat on the couch nursing a cup of tea. Out of habit, she reached up and adjusted her glasses before talking. “When we were in the marketplace the queen said something to Lana that has stuck with me. She told her that she had made the right decision about me. The way she phrased it made it seem like Lana had a choice in the matter and she chose me, but I thought every pairing like ours was already predetermined. If that’s the case, how did Lana accomplish it and who is her true bond mate?” Her aunt and nana shared a look before Olivia sighed and stood up.

  “It is unprecedented to change what has been written. For Lana to have pulled off something like that, she’d have to have had the help of several important people. Only a few individuals have access to those scrolls. They are locked away in a room inside the Royal Library. It would be extremely difficult to get your hands on them.”

  “Paisley, that is true,” Nana said. “And take comfort in the fact that if it’s true Lana had a hand in changing the records herself or convincing someone to change them, it also means that you two do not share a true bond. This bond can be broken.” She held up her hand. “I don’t know how, but I know it can.”

  Paisley stood up and started pacing. It was good news wrapped in a grenade. “The official documents are in the Royal Library. You’re sure?”

  “Yes.” Olivia crossed her arms and frowned. It reminded Paisley of her dad. Olivia sighed and retook her seat. “I know someone who works in the library who might be able to help you, but you have to have permission of the queen to even enter the library. You must talk with her, Paisley.”

  That was just great. She stared out the window, wishing she had Jynx in her arms. This was her family and Addison was her friend, but as much time as she had spent with them, they still weren’t familiar. Not like Jynx. “All right.” The last thing she wanted was to talk to her, but she had start somewhere. “Also, my cat is missing. I brought her with me and she’s gone. I don’t know if Lana did something to her or if she really did run away. If you could look into that, I would appreciate it. I don’t want to think about her out there all alone and hungry.”

  “I’ll do my best, Paisley,” Olivia said. “How are you holding up?”

  She turned away from the window. “I can’t think about them right now. I have to figure a way out of this mess. If I let them invade my thoughts, it will only set me back and I can’t afford that. I don’t want to be anywhere near the queen, but if that’s what I have to do, that’s what I have to do.” She shrugged. Nana patted the arm of her chair and Paisley knelt beside it, taking Nana’s hand.

  “You can accomplish anything you set our mind to. Have faith, dear heart. I am with you, as is Addison and the rest of the family. You can rest assured that whe
rever Alexia is, she is also on top of things. You are not alone. Please hold on to that. We are family, and nothing is more important to us than family.”

  Paisley stood up and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you. I think that for now I’m going to call it a night and dive into the journals that were left for me.” When she was finally settled into bed, she opened the first journal and started to read. She took great comfort in the fact that this was Alexia’s personal journal. After a few hours and rereading the same page five times straight, she believed she was ready to practice a spell.

  The spell outlined how to conjure a fireball. It seemed simple enough. Even though she had created one once before when she and Alexia were training, she hadn’t meant to. She read the spell one last time, laid the journal on the bed, and stood up.

  After a dozen failed attempts, she focused on a fixed point on the wall, shook her hands out as sparks flew from her fingertips, reached her hand out, and willed it into her palm. It started as a spark, then continued to grow as her anger festered for the people who had already turned on her. Her heart raced as the flames licked at her fingers but didn’t burn her. She stared transfixed at the shadows dancing on the wall. The fireball was roughly the size of a soccer ball. She flicked her wrist, and it started bouncing on her palm.

  Despite the multiple failures, it wasn’t as hard as she had expected. Alexia’s notes were simple and precise. If all her other notes were similar, she knew she could do this. At the end of the spell, Alexia had written that it was possible to change the fireball to whatever you wanted it to be. She added that she had created a ball of water once before.

  Paisley eyed the fireball, pulled her hand back so the ball floated in the air, then blew on it, per the spell’s instructions. As soon as her breath reached the fireball, it turned into an ice ball. Just like the fireball, when the ice ball rested in her hand she didn’t feel the cold. She grinned before making the ball disappear.