by Diana Nixon
“Yes, I am, but who are the Dragons?”
“Wait a minute,” Marion said, shaking her head in disbelief. “You don’t know who this young man is, do you?”
Now all the gazes were focused on me.
“So, who do you think I am?” I asked, crossing my arms in a defensive gesture. Her words sounded creepier with every passing second, and frankly, she looked like a crazy woman to me.
“Why don’t you sit down first. And then I will answer all your questions,” Marion said, seating on a chair in front of the fireplace. Eileen, Jaclyn and I sat on the opposite couch, while Ethan stayed behind us.
“What’s going on, Marion?” he asked in a worried voice.
“Well, I think we should start from the very beginning,” she said. “Evan, were Dominic and Elizabeth Murray your biological parents?”
I nodded silently in response.
“I knew your father.” She smiled sadly. “He was a very powerful wizard. And a very dangerous one as well. No one dared to stand in his way. And when he headed the Dragons, he became even more powerful and even more dangerous.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I flared up. “My father was a counselor of the Paris’ affiliate of the League of Keepers.”
“There have never been any League’s affiliates in Paris, Evan,” Marion replied dryly. “It was only a cover invented especially for you and your mother. Poor Elizabeth, she almost did away with herself when she found out the truth.” She shook her head at the memory. “Thank God, they managed to save her just in time, before she could harm herself.”
“Are you saying that my mom tried to kill herself?” I refused to believe her words. That was too much.
“It happened a few years ago, or to be exact – a year before the car accident.”
I froze in shock. Marion knew about the accident. I had never told anyone about the day that ruined my life and tore it into two parts – before and after that horrible night. Only my brother knew the truth.
I remembered that at that time my mom had spent a few months in a hospital, where all the local doctors, including those masked wizards, were fighting hard for her life. Kevin and I were told she had mixed up some herbs and was poisoned accidentally. But now I realized that it was a lie.
“How do you know about the car accident?” I asked Marion.
“All the Dragons members knew about it. And yes, I used to be one of them too. But we are not talking about me right now. There were rumors that the accident was planned by someone. People said that Dominic was murdered.”
“No,” I whispered. “It can’t be possible. I was there too!” I cried out loud. “I was in that damned car! I saw it all with my own eyes!” I jumped to my feet, looking furiously at Marion. My veins were burning with the fire of anger and despair. My heart was beating wildly and my thoughts were blurred.
“If you really were there, how could you believe that a hereditary Wizardy could lose control and cross into the oncoming lane?!” Marion shouted. “He possessed all the super powers to drive even with his eyes closed, Evan! Face the truth!”
“No, no, no,” I repeated, passing the room for the hundredth time. “I saw him there, he turned his head to look at my mom, because she was sick, he wanted to ask her something, he didn’t see that truck coming….”
“Evan!” Marion interrupted, coming to me and putting her hands on my shoulders. “We can’t prove anything now,” she said, looking into my eyes. “It’s too late, son. You have to accept the truth, you can’t change it.”
“Accept it?! Seriously? You must be fucking kidding me!” I shouted again, without paying attention to Eileen. She gasped, shocked. Apparently my cursing was the worst thing she had ever heard from me. Well, I've never been so pissed off. “How can you say that? I could have died in that accident too!” I said, staring at Marion. Now her eyes seemed even more unnatural, mesmerizing me with their magical liquid silver. “I don’t even know how on earth I managed to get out of that car. It was sinking so rapidly into the water. I tried to save my mom, but I couldn’t… I just screwed up!”
Every second of those fateful five minutes crushed down on me again. I didn’t want to hear anything else. I couldn’t. I ran out into the street and collapsed on my knees. I was smashed up. My eyes were full of tears and my lungs refused to breathe. I was drowning into the depth of my memories, my fears, someone’s screaming and my endless pain. A huge black hole of sorrow, growing in my chest was simply killing. And the next moment the fog swallowed me, enwrapping my mind with a dark, thick blanket.
I didn’t know how long I had been unconscious, but coming around I felt a light magical vibration and Eileen’s palms on my cheeks.
“Stop it,” I whispered. “Don’t do this,” I pleaded, trying to take her hands away from my face. I was weak and I could barely move.
“You need this,” Eileen said softly, touching my temples with her fingertips. Now I could clearly see her face and that terrible fear, frozen in her turquoise eyes. “You scared me to death.” She smiled uneasily. “How do you feel now?”
“I think you have overdosed me with some tranquilizing potion, 'cause I can barely feel anything and I can’t think straight.” I grimaced in disgust. I hated being weak and helpless.
“Thank God!” Eileen sighed, relieved. “I was afraid you would never come to yourself again!”
“You could have killed me with that poison,” I mumbled. “It’s so gross! I feel like a piece of shit!” I groaned. “Who on earth told you to give me that? “
“Anna, of course,” Eileen replied, trying to hide her laugh. “And stop swearing, please. I’ve never heard you cursing so much!”
“For Heaven’s sake, Eileen, don’t you ever think about healing people. You will drive every living creature to the grave.” I grimaced again, trying to get up.
“No,” Eileen stopped me. “Marion says you should stay in bed.”
“Marion?” I asked, puzzled. “God, we are still in her house,” I realized, collapsing on the pillows again.
“You didn’t want me to drag your unconscious body to Jaclyn’s house, did you?” Eileen asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Relax. Of course, I didn’t. What time is it?” I asked tiredly.
“It’s almost midnight.”
“Midnight? Uh, I told you your potion was simply killing! I have a horrible headache!”
“You will feel better, just wait a little.”
“Are you sure?” I frowned doubtfully. “'Cause it feels like you’ve mixed up some of the herbs in Anna’s recipe.”
“Evan!” Eileen warned, crossing her arms angrily.
“Okay, okay. I... am... sorry. Thank you,” I said slowly, trying to sound polite. “So where is the rest of my ambulance crew?”
“Jaclyn and Ethan went home, and Marion….”
“What?! They let you stay here alone? With that crazy woman?” I asked in a whisper, pointing to the door, not sure if she could be eavesdropping.
“Come on, Evan, she would never hurt me! You know that. And she’s really nice.”
“Nice, huh? When did you manage to figure it out? No, let me guess – was it somewhere between your hard efforts to make a potion and to poison me?”
“Knock it off, Evan! She and I had enough time to talk.”
“Really? Will you share your talks with me?”
“I will. Later. Actually, I wanted….”
“Eileen, I don’t want to talk about what has happened. Okay? Not now. Besides, I’ve got some questions I want to ask your beloved Marion. Would you be so kind as to call her? Please.”
“Now? Why don’t you take a rest first?”
“No, I need to see her,” I said firmly.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Eileen said, heading for the door.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to run away,” I smiled, seeing her turning around nervously.
Eileen shook her head and left, closing the door behind her. I looked around. A room, whe
re someone had miraculously managed to take me to, was a guest room, with just a few pieces of furniture and some living essentials. I tried to get up again, but failed as the dizziness didn’t want to let me go.
I remembered Marion telling about the Dragons and my father being a part of something I still didn’t understand. It was so hard to accept the reality. But judging by Marion’s assurance of her own words, she was telling the truth. I had lots of questions in my head and I wanted to get the answers. No matter how hard I tried to refuse the obvious, I had to get used to the new reality of my totally messed up life. New memories, new past, new future….
“You look much better,” Marion said, entering the room a few minutes later.
“I guess I do, thanks to Eileen.” I smiled.
“You are lucky to have such a good friend as she is. She knew what to do, so the only thing I had to do was to let her use my kitchen.”
Eileen came closer and sat on the edge of my bed. “Stop sneering, Evan. I saved your life. And you are a monster of ingratitude!” she scolded.
“Madam Blanche, please, make sure next time Eileen needs your kitchen she isn’t going to make another poison,” I whispered. To my surprise, Marion burst out laughing. And Eileen, well, she gave me one of those you-are-so-dead-Evan glances.
“I still hope there won't be next time. So, you wanted to talk to me….”
“I will wait downstairs,” Eileen said, getting up.
“No,” I protested. “Please, stay. I want to ask Marion a few questions about you as well.”
She nodded quietly in response and sat.
“Marion… can I call you Marion?” I asked.
“Of course.”
“Good. So, the first thing I want to know, is who the Dragons are and what does my father have to do with them?”
Marion sighed, took a chair and sat near my bed, so she could see both Eileen and me. “This story began many centuries ago, Evan, when our supernatural world first found out about the existence of the Cup of power.”
Eileen and I exchanged glances, recalling the first time we found out about the Cup.
“Many people wanted to get their hands on it. But no one knew about its real nature and the ability to get powers from the strongest wizards,” Marion continued. “Many years passed before people realized that finding the Cup was pointless, so they gave up that idea and got back to their own lives. But, as you may guess, there were also those still willing to find the Cup. They didn’t know that it was handed down from generation to generation and the descendants of Jillian Wizardy’s family were bound by a sacred vow, forbidding to reveal its real owner and a place where it was hidden. So then the Dragons brotherhood appeared. Its members believed that dragons were the most powerful mythological creatures, possessing the most unbelievable strength and energy ever known to humanity. Yet, the main goal of the Dragons was to get the Cup. They found the most powerful wizards, making them work for their brotherhood. They were also making them spend their energy on finding the Cup. But sometimes they faced talented and very strong magicians, who had all the members on a string and took their life energy to recharge their own powers. And sometimes they took too much and people died. When the Dragons met your father, Evan, killing people became an essential part of their everyday existence. The accident that happened to your parents was a result of the cruel way your father ruled the brotherhood. Of course, the Dragons had never been too friendly, but they never killed people without a purpose and they never used people’s energy to feed themselves. They found other sources of survival. At least so it was until the day Dominic headed them. That’s why I never doubted that your father was murdered. There are too many facts proving my assumptions.”
“But why has this case never been reviewed? I’m sure there were people still caring about my father’s life.”
“He made too many people suffer, Evan. No one wanted to raise the ghosts of the past. And I’m more than sure there were those who were really glad to hear about his death,” Marion said with sadness in her voice.
“Do you know who is heading the Dragons now?”
“No one knows. The head of the Dragons rules the brotherhood through his deputies. But they will never tell you his name. Usually it is disclosed only after his replacement or death.”
“How is that possible?”
“The power of magic is almighty. It can recruit people, erase memories, control everything and everyone around. Its owner has to be really powerful to do all the above. But not every wizard is as ruthless as your father was. I’m really sorry to say that, but it's true.”
“I see.” I nodded, turning away. The truth always hurts, but at that very moment the pain in my soul seemed unbearable. “Why were you so surprised to see Eileen and me together?” I asked curiously.
Marion chuckled and turned to see Eileen’s smiling eyes. “Because I’ve never thought that the worst enemy’s children can be friends,” she said.
“What?”
“It’s true.” Eileen nodded. “As it turned out, my father was not the only powerful magician. All his life he had been competing with your father, but luckily, Dominic never managed to surpass him.”
When I thought there would never be news more shocking than what Marion told me a few hours ago, I was definitely wrong.
Despite the fact that my brain refused to accept any more information, I still had many questions to ask.
Strangely enough, Eileen’s presence made me feel better and I wondered if it was the same way she felt when Christian was there.
And I proceeded. “How did you know whose son I was?” I asked Marion.
“You have Dominic’s blood running through your veins. You are a part of his life, a part of his power and his energy, of course,” she said, watching me curiously, as if recalling something only she knew about my father and me.
“Are you saying that everyone who has ever met him can feel his blood in me?”
“Not everyone, only those who were bound by the brotherhood ties. We all swore an oath of loyalty to our new leader. He knew everything about us. Where we were, what we were doing, how much energy we had. It was a one-way bond; we didn’t know anything about him. We were his slaves.”
“You said you were one of the Dragons members too. How did you manage to leave the brotherhood and stay alive?”
“Well, I hit the jackpot, I guess.” Marion laughed nervously. “Dominic valued my abilities. He knew he would never be able to get my powers. I had always been on equal terms with him. I never did anything of what he made others do. I was his personal amulet, his protection. I knew a lot about his family and himself. That’s why I was so surprised seeing you here. I always thought that you would follow in his footsteps, but when you went to Dever, I realized that you were different, and your destiny was different too. Quite frankly, I’m glad I’ve met you. Whoever your father was, he would be proud of you. Perhaps you are the only honorable part of his damned life.”
“Not the only one. I have an elder brother as well.”
“Kevin. I know.” Marion nodded. “But I won’t take my words back.” She winked, smiling.
I was startled by her attitude to Kevin. I wasn’t his fan, but he still was my brother. For better or worse, it meant a lot to me.
“Do you have any other questions?” Marion asked.
“Yes. How do know about Eileen’s name?”
“I knew it would happen sooner or later. The birth of a girl with the talents of her distant relative was destined by the heavens. Her name was well known a long time ago.”
“Mentioning some distant relative, you mean Lillian Wizardy, right?” Lily was Medellin Wizardy's daughter and the only known wizard possessing the powers of all the nature elements and magic.
“Yes. As you can see, this part of the story you already know.” Marion nodded, watching Eileen thoughtfully. “If this is all you wanted to talk about, I will leave you alone for a while. The two of you have a lot to discuss without me.”
“Thank you, Marion,” I said before she turned to the door.
“There’s nothing to say thanks for, Evan. Not yet. Now you need to take a good rest and tomorrow we will discuss the reason of your coming here,” Marion said. And then she left, closing the door quietly behind her.
“How do you feel?” Eileen asked, moving closer.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I said, still shocked. “When it rains, it pours. My thoughts are totally disarrayed!”
“Tell me about it! The same thing happened to me when I found out the truth about my real father. It was pretty hard to get used to that new reality.”
“I hope one day I will be able to get used to everything Marion has said. Shall I tell Kevin about our father?”
“I think he has the right to know the truth. No matter how awful it is. Dominic was his father too.”
“Yeah, you are right. So what did Marion say about Christian’s disappearance?”
“Evan, she says there’s only one way to bring him back, but…” Eileen stopped, keeping her head down as if trying to hide her eyes from me.
“But what?”
“It’s dangerous, and it needs practice. I’m not sure I can handle this.”
“Eileen,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “Why do you think I’m here?”
“This is out of the question, Evan. I can’t make you do that.”
“Do what?”
“Pierce into others’ dreams. It’s not like sending visions. You have to become a part of those dreams. And you need to know how to come back to reality. This part is much harder than the first one, because chances are high that you will stay there forever. And then….”
“Eileen, I’m game for anything to bring Christian back. I know the basics of the magic of dreams. I’m sure I can do this.”
“I don’t know, Evan,” Eileen whispered, turning to the window. “I don't want you to break your neck trying to help me. And if I let you do that and you won’t come back, I will blame myself for losing you for the rest of my life!”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Remember? I can’t believe you still question my talents!”