WE FLEW BACK to the manor around six-thirty that morning and crawled into bed. George went home and Becky passed out next to me.
The memory of what had happened here last night lay heavy in the air.
It thickened it somehow, and I struggled to breathe.
I couldn’t sleep, even though I was dead tired, and found myself in the kitchen.
I switched on the kettle and waited for the water to boil.
A pair of female arms wrapped around me. I gazed over my shoulder and only saw her silver blond hair. I hadn’t even heard her come in. They were so silent when they moved around.
“You want a cup of coffee?”
She grinned. “Coming from the Princess of Paegeia, how can I refuse?”
I smiled. She never treated me like that, I felt like a part of her family, like a normal human being, and not something that had special blood, something that was breakable, when she was around.
I took out another cup and made us both strong coffee as Isabel took the chair at the wooden table.
I put her cup in front of her. She seemed dead tired, drained from last night.
I always felt sorry for her, as she was the mother of the Rubicon; she loved him unconditionally, and her husband was one of the most vile dragons out there. How on earth had my father found the courage to tame him?
We sat in silence, drinking our coffee.
“How are they?”
“Robert wakes up every now and then, but always goes back to sleep a couple of seconds later.”
“I’m so sor—”
“Don’t. He almost killed my son, and he desperately needed that himself.”
“I couldn’t stop. If it hadn’t been for Dean and George…”
“It’s over. You have shown him mercy with that beating. He will be good for a long, long time again. I don’t know how to thank you for that.” Her eyes glistened with tears.
“I beat him up, Issy. You make me sound like some sort of a saint.”
She smiled and glanced down at her cup again.
“They say that the Dragonians feel worse than the dragon after a beating. It will pass when you see how it transforms Robert.”
“Why can’t Blake hold out longer?” I asked.
“He’s still young and new to this dragon/rider relationship. It’s something that only kicks in with years and years of being a part of a team. You become dark for the right reasons and not because you want to be. Blake, well, the wrong kind of dark still lies heavy with him.”
“And that disappears when they are part of a dent?”
She nodded, closed her eyes and threw her head back. She sighed, opened her eyes again. “I just wish he didn’t have to fight so much against this.”
“I’m used to it.”
“You are so strong.”
What? Nobody had ever told me that. “I can just imagine how he must make you feel when he rebels against this. It breaks my heart. Every time I look at him, I see the son that I lost. He was such a beautiful creature, so helpful and kind. We used to be so proud of him. He was a real blessing, did really good in school, and then he started to become darker. The process was slow, and now,” she said and sniffed. “I know I shouldn’t lose hope, not now that you are here, but I’m scared of holding on too tightly. What if he never dents? What then?”
“We deal with it, or I’ll deal with it.” I tried to reassure her that I had everything under control, even if I had nothing in control.
She touched my hand. “I know plenty of people tell you this, but you really are so much like your father, and Katie too. I wish I could show you what they were like in real life.”
I smiled. If only she knew. Don’t think about that.
Her chair screeched on the floor as she got up, put her cup in the sink, and came over to me, kissing me on my head.
“Try to go and sleep. I’m quickly going to check up on Blake.”
She started to walk away.
“Will he be okay?”
She turned around and nodded with a slight smile. “It might take a couple of weeks, but he’ll be fine.”
I watched her disappear around the corner. Then I finished my coffee and went back to my room.
AROUND SIX WE were taken back to the port.
Constance was still with us, and the silence was thick as all of us, including Tabitha, took the elevator back to Elm.
She was quiet, didn’t even look at anybody. I didn’t know what had happened, why she had been unconscious, lying in the corner.
I wanted to ask her how it all started, but that was pushing my limits, so I kept quiet.
We went our separate ways at the stairs, said goodbye to the boys, and went to our room.
This weekend had been more than I could handle.
On Monday, it was bliss to have Blake-free classes again. I was worried, don’t get me wrong. Isabel said she would phone the minute he woke, but I was also grateful for the terror-free classes.
How I stiffened up every time I entered a class and prayed the professors wouldn’t push. His answers were always right, but he would find a way to slip in something, aiming at me. It was so stupid to think about it, and he was such a bully.
Without him here, I actually started to look forward to them again, well except Aviance.
Peter got Tabitha’s attention again as Blake was nowhere near to scare him away.
She wasn’t as mean to him as before, but you could see she still didn’t love this relationship at all.
It also meant I was spending the entire hour alone, sitting on the steps waiting for all of them to return and wishing I could fly again myself.
That afternoon I had another meeting with King Helmut and King Caleb. It was our monthly meeting where decisions were to be made once again.
Emanuel smiled when he saw me in the lobby of Tith’s palace.
“Elena,” he greeted me.
“Hey.” I still sounded tired as we approached one another.
“How is he?”
“Urgh!” I pulled my face. “You heard.”
“Yes, unfortunately a beating like that doesn’t stay quiet for long. It’s a wonder that the cockroaches don’t know about it yet.”
I smiled as he had adopted my name for them.
“You ready for this?”
“No, but I guess it’s a choice I don’t have.”
“It sucks, I know. Let me take you.”
We talked the entire way to King Helmut’s study. Emanuel only knocked once and opened the door.
“Your Majesties, the princess is here.” I slapped him playfully once as I entered.
A small chuckle escaped his lips as he closed the door.
The meeting finally started, with so many choices on the table. Some of them gave me a headache, another one should’ve been handled already, the contract about the oil.
“Caleb, we’ve already decided against that.” King Helmut sighed.
“It’s still debatable.”
I wished my father were here. He would’ve stuffed it.
“Well, my vote is still no. I’m not going to let the dragon cities feel threatened no matter how much money will come Paegeia’s way because of this deal. We have to live in harmony with the dragon cities, Caleb.”
“I’m with Helmut,” I said.
“You don’t see the bigger picture,” King Caleb started again.
“No, you don’t,” I replied. “It will be a mess we will have to clean up.”
He gave me that sarcastic look of his. “You do not sort messes out, princess.”
“I could if you’d let me.”
“You don’t have nearly enough experience for that kind of responsibility. To be honest, I don’t think you are even ready for this sort of decision making.”
“Then what do you want me to do? I’m bending all sides for you just to give me a chance to prove that I’m willing to learn. All you do is tell me that I’m not ready, so teach me.”
“I’m trying but you don’t even want to listen.”
“Because we don’t look at things the same way. Greed is what pushes you in life. Mine is heart.”
He jumped up. “How dare you?” He pounded his fist on the table.
“Enough, both of you,” King Helmut said, and I sat down.
“She has no authority to say those things. She knows nothing, nothing!” Caleb sounded like a deranged dragon.
“Then maybe if you shared your belief in why you want this, your reason behind this, without sounding like a greedy bastard to her, maybe she will get it.”
King Caleb sat down and started telling me about a number of things, things we didn’t have the money for because they were way above budget. I listened; they were all really good reasons – more farms, work for the people, more of everything. I actually considered changing my vote the way he made it sound, but I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry that I thought you were greedy, but we can’t approve this project. We have to find the money somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“I’m sure in this pile of things, there might be an answer.”
He shook his head. He was so adamant.
“I’m not going to change my vote either, and I think Elena is right. We will find the funding with some other project.”
“You know what, whatever.” He sounded like a spoiled brat who hadn’t gotten his way, and he got up and left, making an excuse about why he had to cut this meeting short.
“Why does he do that?” I asked King Helmut after the door closed.
“He felt that he finally had a voice after your father died.”
I squinted. “What do you mean?”
“This has been the way we sorted out decisions since your grandfather gave both our fathers land to rule. Your father was a lot like you and mostly agreed with me.”
“He must know the way he thinks about things is a bit disturbing, right?”
King Helmut laughed. “He just has another vision than us. Believe me, his ideas are brilliant, and his intentions are in the right place. It’s just the way he tries to obtain what he needs that gets a bit clouded.”
Clouded was an understatement if he really wanted to disturb an entire dragon city hosting colonies of dragons in order to get what he wanted.
“But he has a good point. We need to find something that might just help bring in some money.”
FOR THE NEXT two weeks, Helmut and I went through a number of projects. I would go to the castle of Tith each day after school and we would review all the projects that wanted funding.
There were some that really grabbed my attention. One was called the Sonic. From what I read it was way advanced technology. It was going to cost an arm and a leg too, which meant other projects that were on the verge of getting granted had to wait. But it could mean a lot of money if it worked, the kind Caleb needed to do what he wanted. The “if” was huge.
It reminded me of a Cammy. It was the same sort of contraption but it could make the connection between an actual event that was recorded and your mind. The explanation read like something straight out of a Sci-fi novel. The connection would send sensors to your mind, turning the recording into a real event. As if you were there. I could finally meet my mother, if this thing actually worked. There were plenty of recordings of her.
I put it in front of King Helmut and he read through it quickly. His lips curved. “I know why you want something like this to work.”
“Can you blame me?”
“You must also think about the consequences of something like this.”
“What consequences are there? Do you know what this means? Meetings could be held with the other side without letting our dragons sort things out. And the easiest part, all it needs is a recording. It’s a completely different type of breakthrough, Helmut.”
“Elena,” he said.
“Please, just think about it. It’s a breakthrough and it could generate the money Caleb needs to do what he has to do. It’s a win-win.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it.”
I jumped up.
“But I also want you to go think about how much this will cost, and decide which of the other projects has to take a step back, so that we can fund something like this.”
“So you’re giving me homework.”
“You need to think about everything before making a decision as big as this.”
“Okay fine, just give me the file.”
I put it in my backpack and said goodbye.
I had started to feel like someone important on this side. On my way back to Elm, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Sonic. I could meet my mom, even my father if it was what I thought it was.
If it was, King Helmut just had to back me up. He just had to.
When I walked through my door at Dragonia, Sammy had a huge smile. She’d been extremely depressed about her brother, so I knew what it meant.
“He finally woke up?”
She nodded and her dimples dented deep into her cheeks. “He finally woke up.”
I put the file on my night stand, and both of them craned their necks to see what was written on it.
I laughed, they were so nosey and I started to tell them about the Sonic. Their excitement was just as big as mine, and they wanted me desperately to go for it.
“But it also means that some other projects will have to be pushed aside in order to fund this one, projects that have waited years for funding.”
“So, who cares? Let them wait,” Becky said.
“See, that is why you are not a princess,” Sammy said, and we all laughed.
“That is a freaking cool idea and, like Elena said, a breakthrough in technology.”
“I agree,” Sammy said, “but what are you giving up in order to fund something like this? I’m sure there are other projects out there just as good as this one.”
“There aren’t, believe me.”
Both girls laughed again.
Warbel tryouts were finally over and both were still waiting to get placed with a team.
Blake wasn’t coaching like last time. It was a shame as his team of the previous year had come really close to winning the entire thing.
The next few days I had to go through files and files of projects that were on the verge of getting their funding.
Three big projects had to be cancelled to fund the Sonic.
On the Friday, I had made my decisions.
I had a meeting with both King Helmut and King Caleb, gave them my homework and all the reasons why I thought it could be good for something like this to exist, why the world was ready.
It went like a dream, if only it had gone the same way when I told them about which projects were going to wait slightly longer for funding.
King Caleb wasn’t happy at all, and King Helmut just kept quiet. I thought about this for hours and hours. We weren’t cancelling those projects; we had merely postponed them.
King Caleb ran out again, as King Helmut decided to back the Sonic.
It was amazing to tell the project leader that he’d gotten the funds and the press made a huge fuss about it.
I knew it was going to work; it just had to work.
The following week, our first problem showed itself. One of the project leaders of the three I had postponed committed suicide.
Okay, so trampling on dreams hadn’t been on my list of cons at all. I took it pretty hard and King Caleb nailed me that I hadn’t thought about these sorts of actions.
Plenty of other problems started to show themselves after granting the Sonic project. Still, I had to push through; this could mean great things for not just me, but to society as well, if it was going to work, but I didn’t like the problems that showed up. One of them was that a small lecturing institute closed down as they’d bargained on funding for their latest project that would’ve kept their doors open.
Why that part hadn’t been in the file beat me; my decision would’ve been different for sure.
Most of the time it sucked being a decision maker and the princess of Paegeia. I had to read pages and pages about how I didn’t care for the human race.
“Hey, it’s just words, and it’s not everyone.” Sammy closed the pages of the magazine.
“Still, it’s my fault that Mr. Bedding killed himself, and my fault the institute closed down.”
“It’s not your fault Mr. Bedding killed himself, and if the institute ran their projects and money better, they would still be open.”
I fell with my head on my pillow.
She tapped my leg.
“Dad feels horrible,” she said, and allowed a sigh as a small smile formed on her lips. “But he is so nice. He needed that beating, and thank you again.”
I nodded. I didn’t like any of it, and I had been wrong to take out my anger on him.
“He wants to make up for it. We are going on a camping trip soon and he wants you to come with us.”
“I don’t know.”
“He is dying to see you.”
“Sammy, I almost killed your father, if it wasn’t for Dean and George. I don’t know if I’m ready to face him yet.”
“You didn’t kill my father. He needed that beating. When are you going to grasp that?”
“I can’t grasp that, it was mean. I was angry. I bet you my father never laid a hand on yours in anger.”
“Okay, you were angry, but still, he needed that. Please come.” She made a puppy face with huge eyes, even the curled lip.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Please, it won’t be the same without you.”
“Is your brother going?”
She shrugged.
“When?”
“Two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
She nodded.
“I can’t, Sammy. I have an entire weekend of royal duties.”
“Can’t you postpone?”
“No, I can’t. Besides, I’m sure I’ll feel better soon. The prototype is coming out next week. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Are we invited to this one?”
“Of course you are.”
IT TOOK ABOUT four weeks for the Sonic prototype to come out, and who else other than me was going to be its guinea pig?
I couldn’t wait.
I would go in to the science lab, which was called Techlabs, with a funny sign that made me think of a refuse logo that used to be on the trashcans back home.
Lukas was the creator. He was extremely funny, and so many things had gone wrong the first week, that I started thinking that they were all signs that King Helmut had been right about this project, that it shouldn’t have existed, but I would always push that to the back of my mind.
I had to see my mom.
The event was one afternoon and there was so much press in the lobby of Techlabs it was almost impossible to get through the
Building’s doors.
We found the scientists who had worked on it in a private room with only a few, hand-selected members of press and plenty of Council members.
In front was a huge screen.
“Princess,” Lukas said as he called me forward. “Ready to meet your mother?”
I smiled and nodded as he put a huge device over my head. “This will be replaced with small plugs that will be attached to your temple.” Lukas spoke to the press and flashes went off in our faces.
When he finished fastening the straps, he showed the press the recorded event he was going to use.
It was a charity event my parents had organized.
My eyes welled up just thinking about seeing them. I hoped it was going to work, no, I prayed it would work.
“Just close your eyes,” he said and guided me over to a chair.
He put earphones on my head and all the noises disappeared.
I closed my eyes and waited.
Nothing happened at first but then a bright light, like an old-fashioned TV set being switched on, appeared in my mind.
It was going to reflect what I saw and experienced on the big screen.
Then I found myself standing behind someone. It was a man since his back was huge, blocking my view. The entire picture filled my mind as more bodies appeared next to me. It was clear that I was in a crowd. Noises came then. All of them asking questions. It was weird; it literally felt as if I was there. There were limitations though, as my sense of smell was gone. It felt as if I had a cold.
I glanced down at my hands. This is amazing.
“Queen Catherine,” one of the cockroaches a few paces in front of me said.
I was there.
