by Rain Oxford
I looked away so I didn’t have to see the shadows act that out.
“Gadiel and I did this. When she was killed, I combined both of her hearts so that I could use it to resurrect her. My plan was---”
“Wait, you took her hearts, or---”
He clinched his fist. “Do you have an off switch?”
“A what?”
“I used the two hearts that were in her body, one being hers and one being mine. By combining her heart and mine into one, our love was fortified and sealed forever. A single heart containing that much love was unstoppable, because love is the most powerful force in the universe. With this heart, I only needed more power in order to resurrect her. My plan was thwarted, however, so I hid it with the intention of returning when I had another chance.”
“Can you resurrect her without her body?”
“Of course. I can create a new one easily. Before they stripped my form from me, I tore her heart out of my own body and performed a ritual on it. Galaxy stones are dragon hearts, but dragon hearts are not galaxy stones unless a special ritual is executed on it.”
“That makes sense. Otherwise, everyone who hunts dragons would have galaxy stones.”
“Anyway, I decided to use the galaxy stone to control the power of Falkyr instead of destroying it. Unfortunately, I needed a female for that. I needed a female dragon to be hatched so that she could take the power and I could control it through her.”
“Because you can use it to resurrect Gadiel?”
“That, and because I want the power. Fortunately, I left myself an out in the original curse. It required the sacrifice of a very unique life. I had a daughter with a mortal woman and when she came of age, I sacrificed her. It was another matter to find the egg. That was where Merlin came in.”
When I opened my mouth to interrupt, Thaddeus put his hand over it to stop me.
“There was only one man who would be drawn to the egg and had the power to find it.”
“Why me?” Merlin asked out loud.
Thaddeus gaped. “When did you learn to talk?”
I put my hand over Thad’s mouth.
“I think you know, Merlin,” Baltezore said.
“What does your galaxy stone do?” I asked when Merlin said nothing. “Also, why is it bigger than mine?”
Thaddeus elbowed me in the side.
“It controls dragons.”
“Yes, all of them do. What does it control about dragons?”
“You misunderstand. It controls dragons completely, as all full galaxy stones do. Yours, and every one you have seen or heard of, is only a shard of a full galaxy stone, so its control is limited. Mine is not.”
“But if you’re a dragon, then I can control you.”
“You’re not powerful enough.”
Everyone turned to the egg when a small chirp filled the air. The cracks were glowing brighter until one piece of the shell was finally pushed up and a tiny, pure white head poked out.
I opened my mouth to calmly remark on her adorableness.
“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” Mason screeched. Thaddeus rolled his eyes. Ignoring him, Baltezore pointed his staff at the egg.
I automatically aimed my staff at him. “Stop!”
Nothing happened, not even a slight glow. I felt only emptiness inside of me.
Chapter 20
The baby dragon emerged slowly from the egg, white as snow with eyes the color of a cloudless day sky. Despite the impressive size of her egg, she could fit in my hand. When she fully emerged from the egg, it turned to ash.
“Do we bow?” I asked Merlin.
“Not for a hatchling.”
The hatchling stretched her wings and body with the grace a newborn shouldn’t have been capable of. Baltezore wasn’t enthralled by her cuteness. “You are loyal only to me,” Baltezore said. His galaxy stone glowed green, as did the baby dragon’s eyes. “You belong to me. You obey me.” The hatchling suddenly floated into the air without flapping her wings and started glowing white.
“What are you doing to her?!” I asked.
“I’m not doing this. She is absorbing Falkyr’s power as he dies.”
“Then the black star isn’t going to destroy Caldaca?”
“Not until I take my new dragoness to another world.”
So Cennuth was right; she was the only one who could save Caldaca, but everyone had been wrong about Baltezore’s motives.
“Your plan failed,” Sven said.
“Not yet.”
As if waiting for my cue, Ilvera woke from her stupor, turned her wand on Baltezore, and struck without warning. It was like black, red, and white lightning mixed together in one terribly powerful attack.
Baltezore was fast, though; he turned, his staff ready, and violent green fire met lightning and energy flew like sparks. Fortunately, the rest of us were far enough away to be spectators and not victims. The dragoness still floated as she absorbed Falkyr’s magic. If she was loyal to Baltezore, she must not have been worried about him enough to protect him.
Ilvera had the power of all fourteen Sjau and Baltezore’s power was limited because of the dragons’ punishment, so I thought Ilvera would win for sure. Unfortunately, I had underestimated the old dragon-sorcerer’s power. No matter how strong Ilvera was, she had one major limitation; she was just a sorceress.
One of Baltezore’s curses struck Ilvera’s wand and sent it flying. Without it, she was practically powerless. The wand landed at my feet and indecision made me freeze. My mother was never separated from her wand. I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to destroy my mother. All I had to do was snap her wand and Baltezore could kill her before she could get away.
But would we get our magic back? The plan was for my mother to beat Baltezore, but maybe that was the wrong choice.
While I was trying to come to a decision, my mother was doing her best to dodge Baltezore. Since there was nothing to hide behind, she wasn’t going to last long.
“Defeating your mother is less important than stopping the black star,” Merlin said.
That was exactly what I needed to hear. I picked up the wand and tossed it to my mother. If she was surprised, she didn’t show it; she snatched it out of the air and fired back at Baltezore.
It was better than fighting either of them myself. While they were distracted, I focused on my galaxy stone. Merlin had magic in him, even if he couldn’t use it. I didn’t instinctively know how to draw my magic out of Ilvera, so I was hoping we could use Merlin’s magic to invoke a vision of the answer.
Baltezore’s galaxy stone suddenly cracked, flooding the cave with an eerie light, and he shouted as if in pain. Ilvera’s power enveloped him and froze him solid, mid-scream.
I didn’t have a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. I still had no idea what to do. Ilvera aimed her wand at me and black magic flared. I pointed my staff at her. Defend.
Nothing happened. There was no magic inside me.
I was helpless.
Ilvera’s power filled the room with a black cloud. When it cleared, she was gone… and Livia was on the ground before me.
“Livia!”
I knelt beside her and shook her gently. There were no visible wounds on her, but she was as still as death. I automatically tried to help her with magic, only to be reminded with terrible disappointment that there was nothing.
“We need to get her back to my family,” Mason said. “They can’t heal a wound, but if it’s a curse, they can at least help.”
“What happened?”
“Ilvera tried to kill you… but Livia jumped in the way.”
My heart sank into my stomach.
Sven grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shoved me down. “What happened to your plan?!”
“I obviously didn’t plan on her disappearing!”
“We saved Caldaca from the black star,” Houda said. “If that means we have to live without---”
“Do you think that woman is going to just sit aroun
d and pick flowers?” Sven interrupted. “She could destroy Caldaca faster than the black star, and now we can’t do anything because we’re powerless.”
“Plus, there are only thirteen of us now,” Jeb pointed out.
I shoved Sven off me and checked Livia again. “She’s not breathing.”
“Wizards can’t resurrect the dead,” Gideon said.
“I don’t have the skill to transport all of us back to the castle,” Thaddeus said. “I’ll transport myself and have the Minof family help.”
“You have to hurry,” I said. He nodded, waved his wand, and vanished. Mason helped me lay Livia out on a cooler part of the stone floor.
“I feel like I’ve been doing nonstop magic for three days,” Mason said, panting.
“Toughen up, wizard,” Sotis said.
“The portal should be open by now,” Zelli said.
“Unless he betrayed us,” Blue suggested.
“You’d know all about betrayal,” Jeb said.
I stopped listening to them as they started outright arguing. It felt wrong to do so in the presence of my dead aunt. I felt worse for Sonya, who was losing her mother for a second time, than I did for Livia. It was my fault.
“She died to save Caldaca,” Merlin said.
“She died to save me. What did I do wrong? No one was supposed to die.”
“While it is important to learn from your mistakes, it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose.”
“But if we lose, we die.”
“That is not a weakness. That is life.”
“Watch out!” Houda shouted, pointing to Baltezore.
He was starting to move, and we were completely defenseless.
Merlin growled. Baltezore was the one enemy he had never been able to defeat. This time, he didn’t even have his magic. I pointed my staff at Baltezore, knowing full well it wouldn’t do any good. Peace, I thought.
Nothing happened.
A bright flash of light turned our attention to the hatchling as she gained awareness. The magic had significantly changed her; she was now black and silver, her scales were seemingly made of metal, and she had grown to about as long as my arm, not including her tail, which doubled her length. Her eyes were dark blue, no longer innocent, as if she had aged thousands of years.
Gold magic shot from her into Baltezore and… shattered him into pieces.
Several of the Sjau behind me shouted with shock and horror, which caused the dragoness to turn her eyes on us. Her wings flapped gracefully as her tail whipped restlessly.
“Now we bow,” Merlin said worriedly.
Merlin and I knelt and bowed. The other conscious Sjau followed suit.
“Now what?”
“Now we hope she does not decide to kill us.”
“I have no desire to kill you,” said a different voice in my head. Several gasps behind me told me they all heard it as well. The voice was feminine, but not gentle or youthful. I felt like the hatchling was cheated out of her innocence.
I didn’t risk looking up. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to save you.”
“You did save me, Ayden Dracre. Had you not distracted Baltezore long enough for me to break his spell, I would still be trapped.”
“Oh. Then, could I ask a favor in return?”
“You can ask anything you wish, but that does not mean you will receive it.”
“Can you return our magic to us?”
“I can, but I will not, for you cannot afford the price of such magic.”
Then… we’ll never get our magic back?”
“That is up to you. You have it in your power to take your magic back. You do not need me.”
“Will you fight Ilvera?”
“Such fickle opponents do not interest me.”
“Then what will you do?”
“I will do the only thing that can entertain my mind; I will create worlds.”
“Please don’t leave Caldaca! The world needs magic to survive.”
“Do not worry, Ayden Dracre. I will remain on Caldaca and provide it with magic while my mind is elsewhere. I will take the place of my predecessor, deep under the surface of the world, where my body and magic will be safe.”
“Does this mean I have fulfilled my destiny?” Merlin asked.
“You have saved thousands of worlds, Merlin,” the dragoness said. “Your destiny, however, is yours to decide.”
“Who was Merlin’s…” I didn’t bother to finish my question, because with a flash of golden light, she was gone.
“Are we going to starve here?” Blue asked.
“No; we’ll die of dehydration first,” Gideon answered.
“Thaddeus must have been attacked,” Mason said. “Ilvera could have been waiting at the castle to attack us individually.”
“What for? She could kill us all simultaneously,” Sven said.
They started arguing again. I sat next to Livia’s body, wondering how I was going to tell Sonya. I had never had to tell someone their loved one was dead before.
I ignored the gasps behind me until Merlin nipped my arm. I moved aside as I turned and saw my father. He didn’t acknowledge anyone else; he was completely focused on Livia. Everyone got out of his way as he went to her side, knelt, and put his hand under her neck.
I gaped when he pulled her up into a half-sitting position, leaned down, and kissed her.
I sensed extremely powerful magic, but it wasn’t sorcery. Almost as soon as he broke the kiss, her eyes opened. She smiled up at him. “You need to work on your timing.”
“You need to work on expressing gratitude.” He helped her stand.
“What just happened?” I asked Merlin. “How could he heal her? He’s not a necromancer or a mage.”
“It must be the power of true love’s kiss, although I never would have believed such a thing was possible if this were any other world.”
“It’s what?”
“You must know of true love’s kiss. Your world is full of these kinds of things. Never mind; I will explain it later.”
“Please take us back to the castle,” Livia said.
The cave grew dark until I couldn’t see anything. Soon, it cleared, leaving us all in the castle… to a horror we hadn’t imagined. Everyone who had been left behind except for Magnus had been turned to stone. Magnus and Thaddeus were both dead in the middle of the floor, clearly having been attacked.
Houda screamed when she saw that her baby was also cursed, followed by Mist crying at the sight of her parents. Even my goat was a stone statue.
Mason and I went to Thad’s side. He had a burn on his chest. When I tried to check his breathing, Mason pushed my hand away, put both of his hands over Thad’s heart, and started pushing on Thad’s chest.
“What are you doing?”
“You wouldn’t… understand,” Mason panted.
“Is this some death ritual thing, because Thad wasn’t---” I was cut off as Thaddeus suddenly gasped, his eyes snapping open. “You… you brought him back.”
“You’re okay,” Mason said, hugging Thaddeus. “Did Ilvera attack?”
Thad looked around for a moment before pointing at Magnus. “It was him.”
“Magnus attacked you?”
“He was the traitor who was working with Ilvera,” my father said. “That was why he avoided Livia and Sotis.”
“Sotis? What does he have to do with Magnus?”
“Ask him.”
Everyone looked at Sotis, who blanched. “I have no idea.”
My father sighed. “Not Sotis. Ask Magnus.” He started guiding Livia out.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Heal my family!” Mason demanded.
“I’ll come down later. You’ll find your answers in Magnus’s room.” With that, he and Livia left.
Merlin, Thaddeus, Mason, and I went upstairs to Magnus’s room, only to find the door locked. “Merlin, would you get my lock pick?” I asked. “Thad, we need to get you a healing potion.”
&nbs
p; “I have one in my room,” Mason said, shifting Thad’s weight. I took Thad’s arm and helped him lean on me. Soon, Merlin and Mason returned. I got to work on the lock, quickly getting it open.
Inside, the room was no fancier than mine. There were no pictures or keepsakes to suggest he felt love for my aunt, but then again, I never really asked him. Maybe he knew all along that she actually loved my father.
“Look at this,” Merlin said from the wizard’s desk. On the desk was a letter.
Ayden,
By the time you read this, you will know that I have betrayed you. I wish it hadn’t come to this; I wish you didn’t have to experience betrayal at all. This is not your fault.
The truth is that Ilvera killed me when she took Livia’s crystal of dark magic, then had a necromancer trap my soul in my body with a curse that made me obey her. At first, I didn’t understand what she had done, but as time passed, her control over me grew. It wasn’t until the majority of the Sjau moved into the castle that I realized what her plan was, and by then, it was too late.
I hope I was able to teach you something in the months you have lived here. You betrayed your family to help me and I don’t want you to regret that. You deserve better than them, and you deserve better than this letter.
You conquered your own weaknesses; there is nothing worse that your mother can do to you. Your heart is stronger than you can imagine.
“I’m… not sure what to think. Should I be angry at him for this?”
“No, Ayden. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to… suffering. Oh, I have done it again.”
“Done what?”
“Never mind.”
* * *
We explained to the others what was in the letter and then went outside so we didn’t have to hear the arguing and accusations. The sky was clear and blue, the sun was normal, and the black star was gone. We sat in the grass to figure out our next step.
“What’s the plan?” Mason asked after a while. Thaddeus was asleep, leaning against him.