Marek slammed his fist against the old metal doors a few times. He continued to glance at me nervously, like he was afraid that I might try to harm him. My energy must have retracted by now, because I felt more relaxed.
The small metal flap opened, and a pair of incredibly blue eyes stared back at us. Another warden—it looked like it might be our lucky day.
“Password,” the deep voice barked.
“Marshmallows,” Marek replied, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Marshmallows? What the hell kind of password was that?
Aly looked at me, but I had no clue what this was about. I wasn’t planning to stay in this strange non-magical world much longer. Dara was gone, but I could still save others from the same fate. Dragon Fever was spreading every day and as far as I knew, I was the only one who had the cure.
“Humans aren’t allowed in. You know the rules, Marek.”
The warden standing at the door was huge, built like a tree, and his eyes were like deep blue neon lights. He folded his muscular arms over his chest and glanced at Aly, who didn’t seem to be intimidated by him at all. She glared back at him.
“She’s with me and she’s coming in whether you like it or not,” I said, matching his pose, having had enough of his stupid rules. “This isn’t Draconia, and any warden can do whatever they please around here.”
“Fair enough, but that’s on you, girl. You’re responsible for the human,” the giant warden said and then winked at Aly. She relaxed and smiled back at him. I wanted to remind her that she needed to stick with me for now.
We followed the large warden through the long, bright corridors. Marek kept looking back at me, like he expected that I might suddenly turn into a Dark One and attack. He seemed like a person that wasn’t used to any sort of drama in his life and I owed him an explanation. Earlier on, I told him that I was from the lower class, so he didn’t expect me to be able to create any magic.
A moment later, we found ourselves in a wide-open room. It was some sort of bar, with people sitting behind tables situated along the walls of the space. Loud music was playing, and I sensed faint energy in the air. All heads turned when we walked into the room. I was shocked that everyone there was a warden. So shocked that I couldn’t move. I knew what the man at the door had said, but I wasn’t expecting this—not this many.
I didn’t understand why any of these wardens were here, in a place where only the Dark Ones were allowed to cross over.
“Well, well, well. Who would have thought that we would meet here in London? It’s been what, around seven years?” the voice behind me asked, nearly giving me a heart attack.
I just needed to close my eyes and pretend that I didn’t really recognise his voice. He, of all the people in my life? The universe couldn’t be that cruel.
It was my ex-boyfriend, Victor. He stood behind me and I didn’t have to look at him to know. I spent months in misery, crying after him and going over every moment that we were together. He ended our pathetic relationship and then completely vanished. He was one of the most selfish people that I knew, and yet, I fell in love with him. Right now, I wanted to bash my head against the wall and pretend that I didn’t just hear his voice. Unfortunately, when I turned around he was standing right in front of me, smirking, and my heart leapt into my throat, then crushed in my chest, turning into ash.
8
Sour love.
The atmosphere changed instantly, tension filled the space, and I wished that my magic could somehow allow me to become invisible. Aly must have sensed that I was just about to lose it, because she touched my arm.
He looked good, and I hated myself for being willing to admit it. We’d started going out because he charmed me with his charisma and good looks. There’d been an instant spark between us and I had ignored the warning signs, ignored the fact that he’d never introduced me to any of his friends, and most importantly, that we had to pretend that we weren’t even together when we were out in public.
Victor had longish dark blond hair and wide bright orange eyes that were now hazel. He was just a boy when I met him and now he was a grown man. He was muscular, and even dressed better than he used to in the past. Heat rose in the pit of my stomach, but I quickly dismissed it, remembering that right now I couldn’t afford to show any sign of weakness. Victor enjoyed acting as if he was better than everyone else. It took me months to get back to normal after he shattered me, and I hadn’t forgotten being locked in prison because of him.
“Victor, do you know this warden? She just did the most am—”
“Thank you, Marek. There is no need in telling anyone what happened with the Dark Ones,” I quickly cut the older warden off. I didn’t want Victor to know about anything that happened in the alley. He knew that I wasn’t supposed to have magic.
Back when I defeated the blood-sucking creature things settled down afterward, but now it seemed that the power I wielded wasn’t just a one off. I was slowly turning into another Fran—a warden that didn’t need to steal for others just so she could survive.
Victor took out a cigarette and lit it, staring at me with his intense hazel eyes. I felt anxiety looming over me, but I kept taking oxygen into my lungs, telling myself that he didn’t intimidate me anymore. He was always a coward, and I wasn’t even surprised that he was here now. He must have found a way to slip through the cracks.
“How did you get here? And where is Dara? The two of you were always inseparable.” His words felt like tiny knives stabbing me in the gut.
Dara had appeared running next to me when I was being chased by the Dark Ones just before I came here, but I knew that had only happened in my head. She wasn’t real. She was dead. I started flicking my band, as the same overwhelming emotions began spinning inside me. I didn’t want to lose control in front of that arsehole; it was bad enough that he was here.
“Dead. She’s dead, Victor,” I replied, aware that my voice was vibrating. His eyes grew a little smaller, and he looked surprised. “I need to find a way back to Draconia. Does anyone here know if there is a way to return?” I looked around the room.
Marek was at the bar, ordering some drinks, and after a moment, other wardens went back to what they were doing before we showed up. I was shocked that I couldn’t sense active magic, even around them. Maybe this world was sucking the last bits of energy out of us all. It was scary, and I needed to find some answers quickly. Aly looked a bit better, but I was still worried about her. She’d been hit with one of the Dark One’s spells, and that surely must have impacted her.
“You want to get back to that shithole? Haven’t you learned anything from living in Draconia, girl?” asked a warden about my age. He had several deep scars running across his face. I swallowed hard, seeing his empty eyes. His magic was almost nonexistent and that truly was disturbing on so many levels.
“Yeah, Fran, don’t be fucking stupid,” Victor said. “You barely survived there and now you want to go back? That’s laughable.” He threw what looked to be human money on the bar, then laughed at his own pathetic joke. He used that same mocking, degrading voice that always drove me bonkers in the past. A few other people smirked and laughed too, but they instantly went quiet when I glared at them. I clenched my fists, itching to slap the shit out of him.
He reminded me of all the sour moments when I really hated myself, and no one, not even Dara, could help me. I’d fallen into a deep depression after I realised that Victor wasn’t coming back.
He apparently created a real cozy nest for himself out here, but he was still the same selfish scumbag that enjoyed mocking everything I ever said.
“That was a good hard day of work we put in today, beautiful. We managed to score a lot of good stuff,” Victor said, grinning at me when we were walking down Rowling Street in Draconia.
“Yeah, the silver bracelet will sell for at least a few hundred dragon credits,” I responded, knowing full well that I had done most of the work. Victor stood outside, guarding the entrance to the building while I was do
ing all the heavy lifting, climbing over the building and taking all the risks. The man created me, though, and my heart belonged to him. So, I didn’t really care what other people told me about this relationship, especially Dara. She was just jealous because I had him, and she was still single.
We were in the wealthy part of Draconia, where all the houses were massive. There were modern steam bikes parked outside along the streets and no one ever looked poor there. Other wardens were glancing at us, and I could smell magic in the air. I wished that I could stay here and never go back to the cemetery.
Maybe this was silly, but I felt like the air was much cleaner in this part of the city. I could definitely sense more magic here. It drifted around me like an invisible fog, sucking out all the evil in this world.
We walked across the park holding hands. I felt rich and fulfilled for the first time in my life. We hadn’t had sex yet. Victor was pushing me to take the next step, but I wasn’t ready. This whole thing was new, and we had only been together for about a week, but I already knew that he was the one. Love—I never thought that I could be in love with someone, but here I was, feeling more amazing than ever.
“Shit, Fran. Dark Ones are positioned over by the gate. They are checking wardens,” Victor said suddenly, pulling me towards the trees. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t sense the danger looming right in front of us. My rucksack was filled with stolen goods and Victor knew that we could get sent to prison if we were caught.
He was dragging me across the park behind the bushes. We finally stopped, and my pulse was racing away. I was afraid, knowing that the Dark Ones had never spared anyone before. We hid behind a large tree, staring at the crowd in front of us. The Dark Ones, as usual, were wearing long cloaks with hoods. They caught someone—there was a young lad standing in front of them. He looked like he wasn’t supposed to be in this area. There were some old books scattered around on the ground. Other wardens looked petrified. I’d heard that in the past, the Dark Ones and wardens had been considered equals. I thought it was a silly joke, and this surely wasn’t possible. It seemed like they had always been the ones who ruled over us.
I watched as a long veiny hand appeared from beneath the cloak. The Dark One grabbed the lad by his throat and lifted him above the ground. His magic sparkled and crackled around. Dark energy started moving through the mage’s arm, quickly surrounding the boy’s body. His face turned blue—he was suffocating.
There was a little girl crying, standing right in front of the queue. Anger enveloped my insides and I wanted to kill them all, every Dark One. These bastards didn’t care about anyone but themselves. Everyone was witnessing how the Dark Ones drained all of the magic from this young man. This was a sentence worse than death. The boy would live, but he would never forget this day. Eventually, he would die because no one could survive without magic for too long.
“We have to do something, Victor. Come on. That’s cruel,” I hissed.
“Don’t be fucking stupid, Francesca. We have to stay hidden. There is nothing that we can do. That guy is as good as dead,” he said, then we both sensed a pull of energy. I didn’t know how I knew it, but I sensed the magic circulating around my feet. I moved a little closer, being pulled by this incredible calm feeling.
My breathing became heavy when I heard: “Wardens; there are more of them!”
“Victor, they heard us. What about—”
The Dark One must have sensed me, and I only turned around for a minute or so. Now, Victor was gone. For a split second, I thought that maybe there was something wrong with me. Surely, he couldn’t have just abandoned me?
I was too paralysed to run, but then I felt someone pulling me out of the bushes. I saw a hole in the fence—only a glimpse of it—and suddenly everything finally made sense. One of the bags with the stolen goods was missing, and the Dark One grabbed the other one lying on the ground near my feet. Wardens were staring at me, and I knew that I was caught, and they weren’t going to let me go. Victor had left me alone without even trying to help. The young lad who was held by the Dark Ones earlier was now sitting on the ground, staring blankly at the space ahead.
Victor’s annoying voice pulled me away from those terrible memories. I clenched my fists, attempting not to show anyone that he was getting to me. I hated that he still affected me in any way, especially after so many years.
“I don’t fucking care what you think, Vic. I don’t want to be here, and I have to find a way back to Draconia,” I said, confronting that stupid smirk on his face. I had no more love for this man. The poverty and pain of his betrayal sucked it all out of me.
When the Dark Ones dragged me out of the bushes I was expecting them to punish me on the spot. Instead, they took me to their quarters and then I was sent to an underground prison in Dimond City. It was obvious that the goods in my bag were stolen. I spent a few weeks in complete isolation, slowly losing my mind. I thought that I would never be able to see the sun again. At least those bastards didn’t take what little magic I did have away, but in the end, I wished they had. Prison was hard, and I was there because Victor had abandoned me.
Once I got out, he came back, showering me with gifts and telling me that he simply panicked, then ran. Dara threatened to never speak to me again if I even considered taking him back. She saw that I was different after I was finally released from prison.
The prison in the underground sucked the life out of me. I had nightmares that lasted for months, and I was so weak. The bits of magic that I had were gone. I didn’t think that I would ever be able to function like I had before.
Victor kept coming back, kept telling me that I was the only person that he ever wanted to be with. I was stupid and gave in. We slept together and then he vanished straight after that. I was broken again, but this time it was because he used me, and then threw me out like yesterday’s garbage.
“Calm down, love—”
“Don’t you guys get it? The wardens in Draconia are being used,” I shouted then, mainly in frustration with the fact that all of them were so fucking stupid and seemed unwilling to listen. “The Dark Ones are hiding dragon eggs from us, most likely in the Dimond City. I recently found out that they breed dragons in order to keep their magic. We are wardens, the keepers of the dragons. Haven’t you guys read the history books? We were fine when we were connected to the eggs.”
I had the egg for less than a day and I was kicking butt with my magic.
The whole bar was staring at me, not saying a word, and my heart pounded in my chest. Disbelief and fear: that’s mainly what I was getting from all of them, apart from Marek. He looked curious, almost interested.
“Eggs? There are no eggs left in our world. Besides, we are only trying to survive here. No one here knows how to get back to our world. We’re stuck, but life in this world is better, easier, and we don’t have to worry about finding work,” a female warden said appearing from the corner. She had ordinary eyes and kind features.
My heart was pounding so fast and Victor was staring at me with that twisted, sick and excited smirk. He could go to hell for all I cared. I would never look at him again, even if he were the last man—or warden—on earth.
“Well, I don’t care what any of you think. Wardens have the right to know. The dragon eggs exist and I’m going to find a way to change the current order once I get back. The Dark Ones created Dragon Fever to keep our population under control, and I lost my best friend because of those bastards.” I’d had enough of that crowd. These wardens weren’t free; they became enslaved to this ugly, non-magical world. They were living under the guise of what they considered freedom by escaping their own world, unwilling to fight for their people. Selfish bastards. All of them.
“Come on, Aly. Let’s get out of here. We’re wasting time,” I said, dragging her away. “And, Victor, keep your distance. I promise you that I will rip your fucking head off if you come anywhere near me!”
I started marching away, shaking with fury, but satisfied with
the way Victor looked when I threatened him. I couldn’t believe that no one in there cared enough to help me. The wardens out here were cowards.
“Hey, Fran, wait… Wait. I know someone that could help you get back to Draconia.”
It was Marek rushing outside after me. At least one magical person out here cared.
9
The new attraction.
“Okay, walk with me. I can’t stand being in this place a minute longer,” I told him, breathing heavily. I didn’t know why I was getting so worked up about it. The other wardens were scared, and they weren’t going to risk their lives for me or anyone else.
It bothered me that Victor was there, and most of all, that he saw me losing my shit. Seeing him again caused something to snap inside of me and my old insecurities flared. He ran away to this world like the others, just so he could avoid responsibility.
Aly was walking next to me. She whispered in my ear that she liked the new, more assertive me. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest. I was shocked that no one was even considering going back to Draconia. Wardens back home were oppressed; every aspect of their lives was controlled by powerful mages and there wasn’t enough magic for everyone. I understood, but I just couldn’t give up.
Marek started telling me about a warlock creature that lived on the other side of the city. His name was Harvey, and in the past, he had done a lot of business with other wardens. Marek assured me that he was the only person in London who could possibly know how to return to Draconia. I was listening, knowing that I didn’t have any other choice. I wanted to head back to Aly’s. I was going to be calmer once I was reunited with my egg.
Hatched (Draconia World Book 1) Page 6