by Lindsey Duga
“Slaying a Sable Dragon isn’t like breaking a cursed amulet. There is no other way this time. And it’s really none of your business what goes on between me and my partner.”
Millennia raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And how has your luck been with the Royal’s Kiss so far?” She pointed a slim finger at Zach. “From what I can tell, he’s refused to participate.”
Zach was now staring out the window, still quiet.
“You want to help,” I repeated slowly.
“Before, I thought you were mindless followers of the Legion, but I was wrong.” Her tone was soft, similar to when she had been braiding my hair last night. “I meant what I said, Ivy.”
Zach wasn’t any closer to Kissing me. If anything, he was farther away. Especially now that I knew all his reasons for saying no.
His belief that a kiss shouldn’t be used as a weapon.
The Romantica’s theory that the Royal’s Kiss didn’t truly work.
And the fact that he loved me and I would never return feelings that could not exist.
So, even though I knew the Royal’s Kiss—along with the spell I’d been studying the whole trip—was the only chance at destroying the egg, I had to face the facts: Zach was nowhere close to giving in, and there’d be even more vicious monsters in the mountains. At least during the mountain leg of the journey, it would be helpful to have a mage at our side.
With a sinking feeling, I realized not only did I still have to convince Zach to Kiss me, but I also had to convince him that what he felt for me was merely Lust, not Love. That seemed even more impossible than killing the dragon.
“Yes, we could use your help,” I told Millennia. “I’ll meet you downstairs after I change.”
Satisfied, Millennia left, but Brom lingered, probably sensing something was wrong. I wondered if I wore the same expression I did whenever my mother left me broken.
“Go.” I shoved his arm gently, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’m coming.”
Brom turned to leave, glancing over his shoulder with narrowed eyes in a way that told me he blamed Zach for my state. Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
Zach waited until Millennia and Brom were well down the hall before he said, “You sure this is a good idea?”
“Not really, but she’s got a point,” I said. “You won’t Kiss me, and it’s only going to get more dangerous. If she wanted to kill us, she could’ve let the basilisk vipers do their job. And honestly? I could use someone who isn’t against me at every turn.”
“I’m not against you.”
“Well, you’re not entirely with me, either.”
“I just told you why,” he said, his voice low and weary.
I bit my bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Zach, it’s just hard for me to…”
“Believe me. I get it. If you don’t believe in my feelings for you, then at least consider the Golden Effect and the Kiss. I need you to just think about it, Ivy.”
My hands quivered again, and I clutched them behind my back. “Zach, what you think you’re feeling for me, it’s not—”
“Don’t. Please don’t tell me what I’m feeling isn’t real. You have no right to tell me that.” He turned away, rubbing the back of his neck, and swore colorfully under his breath. “That’s exactly why I didn’t want to say anything. But if it makes you feel any better—if it’s what you want—I’ll keep trying to get rid of these feelings, or at least ignore them.”
With that, he left, his footsteps resounding in my brain.
I should’ve been relieved. But instead I felt a strange void in my chest. A hollowness I hadn’t been expecting.
I stood over the threshold of the doorway for a moment longer, still thinking of his words. Of all the reasons he’d given for loving me. Freckles and strawberries and fierce and strong…something shifted in my chest. Almost like a small seed. A small flower blooming, turning its petals to the sun.
It was warm and wonderful and made me feel lighter than air.
I changed out of the borrowed dress and into my tunic, vest, and pants, which had dried overnight. The sunlight was coming in low now, and it caught something in my bag, creating a glint of light that made me squint. My magic compact.
Master Gelloren!
I scrambled to the sack and fumbled for it, my breath in short gasps. How could I have forgotten this treasure? This link that connected me to my Legion? The one thing in the world that made sense to me.
I sank onto the bed and stared at it for a few moments, reveling in its cool silver and sleek surface. I closed my eyes and thought of Master Gelloren, then clicked open the compact, and the mirror’s surface pulsed with soft amber light.
“Ivy?”
“Master Gelloren,” I breathed in relief.
His face shimmered into view like tiny bits of light congealing together. “Ivy! I’ve been trying to reach you for days. I was about to send out another party to find you.”
“I’m so sorry, Master, time escaped me,” I said, squeezing the compact.
“Great seas, princess, what have you been through?”
Perhaps it was the worry and anxiety so evident in the dark circles under my eyes, or perhaps he was confused as to why I had waited so long to contact him—a mystery I would never dare to explain. How could I tell him my attention had been captured by a certain swordsman?
“After the griffin, we encountered an entire horde of basilisk vipers, but a female mage who goes by the name Millennia saved us. Do you know her?”
Gelloren’s beard twitched as his mouth set into a deep scowl. “I’ve heard her name, yes. She’s a new young mage with incredible power and discipline. She’s from Raed, and she’s wanted for slander against the Legion. She’s a Romantica, Ivy.”
“I somewhat gathered that. Do you know anything about her master?”
Gelloren paused. “She’s rumored to have one, but I never caught the name. Romantica and Royal mages obviously don’t travel in the same circles.”
Though rare, it wasn’t unheard of for apprentices to become more well-known than the masters themselves, especially when one came around as young and talented as Millennia. But not knowing her master still made me uneasy.
“You need to stay away from her and keep moving,” he continued.
I almost laughed. I’d just told her she could join us. Merciful Queen, what had become of me these past few days? Me, direct descendant of Myriana Holly, traveling with two Romantica.
“Where are you? Are you to the mountains yet?”
“No, but we’re not far. We’re in a village north of the Galedral Forest.”
“You must hurry, Ivy, you don’t have much time left.”
“We’re about to leave, but we were delayed. The Curse of Venera had been cast on this village, Master.”
Master Gelloren lowered his gaze and sighed. “That is a tragedy.”
“We were their only hope. We had to stop and help them.”
“Ivy, I understand. But the counter-curse is greatly taxing—”
“No, it’s not that. It’s…” Explaining that we broke the curse by destroying the amulet could lead to a lot of questions I wasn’t sure I could answer. If I admitted Zach was a Romantica and had refused to Kiss me, Gelloren would tell me to come home at once, and everything—our entire journey—would have been wasted.
“We managed to break the curse without the Kiss. With the help of the mage,” I quickly added. “The results were quite remarkable. Have you ever heard of showers of gold?”
Gelloren’s brow furrowed. “Just rumors. Romantica rumors.”
I chose my words carefully. “They might not be just rumors.” I quickly explained the golden rain’s effects and the Romantica’s theory behind it.
Gelloren’s image flickered within the small compact mirror. When his face came back into focus he looked furious. “Ivy, tell me you don’t believe this nonsense.”
I thought of the griffin, of Zach’s breath on my neck, the look in his eyes when he told me I wouldn’t be sa
fe with anyone else, of the villagers weeping with joy, of the decayed, dead earth left after the monsters died by Kellian’s glowing blue blade.
“No, of course not. I’m just curious. It’s important to know our enemy, Master. You taught me this.”
The muscles in Gelloren’s face relaxed. “Remember, Ivy, your power is the only thing that can save us from the Sable Dragon. So you must hurry.”
I nodded again, mouth dry. “One more thing, Master. Do you remember that village Kellian and I cured with my Kiss about two moons ago?” The Curse of Jecep had plagued the poor village with poisoned crops. All it took was one poisoned plant, then when it was pulled its roots spread, multiplying the poison. “How is it? I mean, is everyone recovering properly?”
Gelloren sighed. “I’m sorry to say, but the Curse of Resinda descended a few weeks ago, and we were too late. I—”
I closed the compact on Gelloren’s deep, bass words.
“If we hadn’t broken the amulet then these villagers would never have properly healed. They may have even died from another curse that would take its place.”
I tucked the mirror into my bag and stood, picking up the mug of tea Millennia had brought me. I tried to take a sip to calm myself, but my hands trembled so hard I spilled some down the front of my shirt. I squeezed my eyes shut, clutching the mug tight in my hand.
Then I whirled and threw it. The mug smashed through the window and flew into the village square.
Silence followed the shattering glass.
I walked to the broken window and stared out at the rising sun and multicolored sky, where only yesterday golden rain had fallen in buckets because…because why?
Love?
I dug into my bag for a handful of coins and placed them on the bedside table, leaving more than enough to replace the window glass and shattered mug.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
A Treasonous Ballad
With the horses unable to handle the mountain terrain, we decided to leave them at the village and continue on foot. It was hard saying good-bye to Lorena. She was more than just a horse to me. She’d saved me during countless battles and gotten me through a hundred patrols. But horses would slow us down, and Rochet said she’d personally take care of them, so I gave Lorena a handful of orange peels and kissed her snout, muttering, “I’ll see you soon.” I felt Zach’s gaze on me and remembered when he said he liked oranges as well. Would he later be able to smell the citrus on my hands? Not that I expected him to be close enough to smell them any time soon.
After a day’s walk, we reached the end of the Galedral Forest at the edge of the Wu-Hyll Mountains and came to the base of the monstrosities themselves. There were still some trees here and there, but mostly the ground was covered in stone. It was beautiful, though, and I couldn’t help but be in awe of them. Not only because of how big they were, and how majestic, but the idea that this was where it all began for my ancestor.
The Wu-Hyll Mountains were where it was said the dwarves’ caves had been, where Myriana and Saevalla and Raed had their battle against the dwarf, where the first Kiss had been born. In those caves was where Myriana’s first heir had been taken and turned into the Evil Queen, so it made sense the Sable Dragon egg would be found here. It made me shiver thinking I could be in the very spot where Myriana and her sister had first encountered the huntsman, Raed.
Though I’d never been to these mountains, many of my ancestors had traveled to the caves, rooting out the dwarven clans and exterminating them like ants in their dirt tunnels. Now, only goblins, wraiths, griffins, and trolls wandered these mountains. Dwarves never came here anymore, probably because it reminded them of the slaughter of their ancestors.
The sound of trickling water interrupted my musing, and I followed it to find a fresh stream. It ran along the side of the mountain pass, so we decided to camp there and then make a fresh start into the mountains the next day.
Millennia was very useful. With a flick of her wrist, she started a fire. She was even able to guide water from the stream into our flasks, which was a spectacle in itself. Bromley was amazed to watch the rivulets of water twist and turn in midair as if they flowed down an invisible tube into the open flask.
When she offered to take the first watch, I insisted we do so in pairs. “It’s more dangerous in the mountains, and we can make sure both of us stay awake,” I said, sitting next to Millennia.
But it was only an excuse. I couldn’t forget Gelloren’s words, “You need to stay away from her.” Since I’d already agreed she could accompany us, I could at least keep an eye on her.
Zach raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The last words we’d shared had been him still trying to convince me he’d fallen in love with me.
How do you talk normally after that?
Once Brom and Zach were asleep, I turned to Millennia. “So you’re from Raed?”
Millennia frowned. “How did you know that?”
I’d forgotten that Gelloren had told me, and she hadn’t mentioned it. “Zach said your accent sounded Eastern.”
“Hm. And I thought I hid it pretty well. Yes, I am from Raed.”
“My mother just came from there. She said there’d been a sighting of the Evil Queen.”
The firelight cast a strange glow on her eyes, and her frown deepened. “I wouldn’t put much stock in those sightings.”
“Why? Because they’re from the Legion?”
She didn’t reply, and I wondered if I’d struck a nerve.
I let a few moments of silence pass before I tried again. “I understand why you wouldn’t like the Legion, but we’re honestly trying to win this war, to save everyone, even the Romantica. Why wouldn’t you trust our efforts to get rid of the Evil Queen once and for all?”
Millennia snorted. “I’ll never really trust them, just as I can never forgive them for what they did.”
Fearing the worst, I hugged my cloak tighter. “And what was that?”
Millennia looked back at me and opened her mouth, then her gaze darted to the side, as if she was considering something. “I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this…”
“Tell me what?”
“Do you believe in True Love?”
Odd that two different people asked me that same question within the same number of days.
Remembering the look on Zach’s face, I couldn’t answer.
Luckily, she didn’t wait long. “It’s fine. I didn’t think you would. But I know you feel something.” She glanced over at Zach’s sleeping form, and my face warmed. “Whether or not that something is Love, I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s there.” She kept very still, like her muscles suddenly seized up. “I’m in love. Tarren was my childhood friend. Nothing could compare to the kisses we shared. The ground shook, the stars fell, and the waves of the far-off oceans crashed down on us.
“In Raed, the Romantica and the Royals had an…understanding, I guess you could say. They enjoyed our music and stories. My troupe was especially popular. I wasn’t an entertainer, but Tarren was, and he got invited to the palace to sing. I didn’t want him to go. He’d just proposed to me that very day, and I was worried. But he told me he’d make his song count.”
Millennia took a deep, shuddering breath and lifted her head to look at the stars. “He sang of Love. He told the Romantica tale of Myriana and Saevalla, and the Council was furious. A blasphemous song in their sacred castle? They seized him and took him away to probably labor away at some mine. The next day I was told he’d been taken away in service to the Legion. I tried to break into the castle to look for him, but my earth magic wasn’t strong enough, so that’s when I set off to find a master.” She clenched her fist. “To get stronger.”
“Millennia…I…I’m so sorry.”
I truly was. Even though the punishment was clear for heresy in the Royal Legion…it was just a song.
I remembered Jiaza’s story and how furious I’d been. Now I couldn’t find it in me to care as much. Maybe it was
all this confusion about what was right and wrong and beliefs and emotions I didn’t think existed—I just knew the pain in Millennia’s voice made me want to help her. Even if that was treasonous thinking.
Millennia shook her head. “I don’t want your pity, princess.”
“It’s not pity, it’s…regret. I’ve been taught that True Love doesn’t exist. You can surrender to Lust, you can care for someone and develop a bond, but this all-powerful thing called Love doesn’t exist. I mean, it can’t. It’s impossible to give your heart to one person. Our emotions are too fragile to remain constant—it’s why the Legion teaches us to lead and make decisions without them. But then…I listen to you about your Tarren, and to Zach about his parents, and…” I shrugged. Not to mention the fact my own mother wanted to run off with a man whose name I didn’t even know. It was a story I’d never thought much about before, but now…I had to wonder…could Dahlia have thought she’d been in love with that man?
“I just don’t know anymore.”
It was the first time I admitted it out loud. That my faith was wavering, that for the first time in my life, I was confused, curious even, about this illusion in which these Romantica believed so passionately.
She rubbed her brow. “My master told me I should be going after the source of the Darkness within the mountains, and don’t get me wrong, I do want to help. But I have to admit, I had hoped that if I helped you, maybe you’d be able to free Tarren for me in return.” Millennia stared so hard at the ground I wondered if she was trying to melt the rock with her eyes. “It’s barely been two months without him and I already feel like…like a part of me is missing. Like I’m missing an entire limb.”
For a while, I was silent. Her words were illogical, driven by emotion so strong I could barely fathom its depths. But she was finally truthful with me. Whatever other reason she’d had—her master wanting her to find the dragon, or just helping people along the way—I could tell this was why she really wanted to join us. At least she didn’t try to pretend her crusade was only for some noble purpose.