I DIDN’T KNOW how I was going to sleep, as we’d basically woken five hours ago.
Still, seeing hope on everyone’s faces, who’d thought that all of Paegeia had been lost to the Creepers and that they were the only surviving city, it was good to see that kind of relief. Finding out that Blake’s cousin was still alive, to see that look on her face, hear it in Blake’s voice, was only the beginning. Families were going to find their loved ones. I didn’t want to think about Jimmy, because dragons were not high on the survival list this side.
I worried about all of this. How were we going to free all of Etan and kill the Saadedine? Blake had made up his mind, that was something he’d made perfectly clear tonight. But without that missing ingredient. I knew what I’d seen, and I still had to speak to Blake about it.
Blake took forever to shower, which only made me nervous, and I got up from the bed and opened my door. I could hear faint voices coming from the living room and I went downstairs. Tom and August were speaking to Blake about Max and Tom’s wife, Leana.
“Oh, sorry, Elle,” August apologized. “I know it’s late.”
“Don’t worry, we basically just woke up. They have the days wrong here, it’s day time on the other side, not night.”
Tom huffed. “So there is really hope?”
“Yes, Tom,” Blake said. “There is. If my wardrobe doesn’t speak that truth, then I don’t know what will.”
“I can’t leave without her, Blake.”
“Do you know if she’s still alive?” I asked and Tom just looked at me.
“She has to be. She was a strong woman. Never gave up, always saw the silver lining around the darkest cloud.”
“I know exactly what type of girl that is.”
I rolled my eyes. “So what is the plan? I’m assuming you already have one.”
“The Feast.”
I stared at Tom and did the calculations.
“It’s that time again?”
He nodded.
“In two weeks,” August confirmed.
“We can find them, I know. From what Pop used to tell us about your abilities, you have a mean tracking ability.” Tom looked at Blake.
“I wouldn’t.”
“He has,” I answered on his behalf. “He tracked me here, not knowing that I had crossed over, but he knew I was here. So yes.” Blake struggled with accepting that nothing was wrong with his tracking ability, so I had to answer for him until he was ready to put all his trust into it again.
“Please, I have to know if she is fine.”
“Okay, Tom.”
“Blake,” I protested.
“Elena, I need info about everything. As detailed as possible. It’s going to be fine. I promise.”
“Can you teach me how to persuade people?”
“August.” I started.
“Yes,” Blake said, and I gave him the eye. It wasn’t his decision to make.
“For real?” August smiled.
Blake looked at me. “For real.” He turned to August. “You need to know how to defend yourself. Persuaders are really handy riders, if they can harness their abilities as they should, then nothing can stop you.”
“Thanks, Blake.” August got a bit of bounce back into his body.
He looked at me and saw my concern. “It’s time. All of them that are born with the mark need to know how to become riders and dragons again. This war is going to be the biggest in Paegeia’s history.”
WE SAID GOODNIGHT to Tom and August, and were now lying in bed. The moon was always too bright, like a huge spotlight. It wasn’t natural.
“I know what that image was.”
He was quiet, probably sleeping. “About the dragon and the bird?” he eventually asked.
“Yeah.” I was scared.
“I do too. I’m linked to your dreams, remember. It broke it down easily.”
His hand was underneath his head and he stared at the ceiling.
“How are we going to kill it?”
He huffed. “Have you seen yourself in that picture?”
“No,” I said and slightly raised my upper body, resting my weight on my elbow. “What has that got to do with everything?”
“There is no we.” He looked at me. “There is only me.”
“Blake, don’t be egotistic, please. You are the size of a bird to this thing.”
“No, I’m not. That image only meant that the Saadedine is going to be a great obstacle. Irene has explained all the visions to me carefully as she spoke the words she didn’t know. I will kill him.”
“So seeing something else while speaking this riddle, is normal for Moon-Bolts?”
“Apparently. George hasn’t seen any glimpses of the future yet.”
“It must be a Rubicon thing then.”
He smiled as I said it. Still, I was worried, and I frowned.
“Ever wonder what she saw with me?”
“She didn’t see anything with you, she just spoke the words.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I asked her.”
“When?” I asked.
“When I discovered your foretelling inside the Book of Shadows.”
I frowned. “When was that?”
He chuckled. “I saw something when you started hearing me that time you thought it was Paul, and I had to investigate.”
“So you were spying on me?”
He smiled. “Not really spying. It was more of a keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer type of thing.”
“Me being the enemy?” I said and didn’t look at him. This wasn’t real. This dent could not be real.
“I was a mess back then, had this craving for all dark things. So yes, I saw you as my biggest enemy.”
“What did she say?”
“She laughed when I asked her about it. She asked me how I knew about that and I told her, that it was yours and that it was linked to me.”
“You told Irene that I was your rider?”
“I told you too.”
“No you didn’t. I would’ve remembered it.”
“That night at camp, when I was drunk. I knew when you just stared at my lips that you didn’t hear a thing I was saying.”
“You told me?”
“Yes.” He smiled.
“How did the others not hear that?”
“My shield. Sammy walked into it when she interrupted our little session.”
I huffed. “That was your persuasion. That’s how it works, isn’t it?”
“Yep, Irene sang like a bird, but she didn’t remember a thing afterward. She said she didn’t see a thing, even told me that it made sense why she didn’t see anything, because it worked the same way with your bloodline.”
“Weren’t you scared that it could backfire?”
“Nope, because she would’ve doubted herself afterward.”
“Doubted herself?”
“It was right after the hippogriff incident. She was kind of a mess back then.”
“And you took advantage of it?”
“I was dark. What don’t you understand?”
“Okay,” I said as I lay back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling as well.
“How are we going to find this special ingredient? And I do mean ‘we’, Blake. I am going to help.”
“You have done your part.”
“What?” I turned my head and glared at his nonsense.
“The foretelling said both of us would free Etan, but the Creepers weren’t as kind to me as they are to you. That was your responsibility. Mine is killing the Saadedine.”
“I’m not going to let you do this alone.”
“Elena.” He sounded annoyed.
“No, you said bond is cast. The bond is us. We have to find the missing ingredient and kill the Saadedine. Maybe if Goran is dead, he would –”
“What, play nice?” He huffed. “Goran has nothing to do with the Saadedine. He can only control it, because he is that powerful.”
“I know Goran is powerful. The things he did on that mountain were unbelievable and that was through someone. I can’t imagine how it must feel facing him directly.”
“I’ll find the missing ingredient. I will find it.”
He didn’t sound so sure, but we left it there, and I tried to sleep.
I lay next to him for hours, not saying a word and then just as I was about to surrender to sleep, one of the alarms in the house rang.
Blake got up, thinking I was still asleep. I opened my eyes as the sun was coming up, and could hear him unzipping the bag and taking out clothes to wear.
He was so quiet, I didn’t even hear him stepping into anything, or moving around.
The door opened and closed.
I felt tired all of a sudden and forced myself up after half an hour of nestling in the bed.
When I went downstairs, Blake wasn’t in the kitchen, but Gertrude and Daisy were, and they were still in high spirits.
“Morning, princess.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m still Elle.”
“That’s not what that dragon of yours calls you.”
“I’m Elle, here,” I said to Gertrude.
She nodded and carried on with the eggs.
“I wanted to tell you your eyes are his. Your father’s.”
“Have any of you seen him in the past few years?”
“No, we haven’t seen him in a long time.”
“So he could be.”
“Don’t. Don’t think that. He held on for a long time. If he dies now…” Gertrude’s voice broke. I’d only met him once, and had seen plenty of pictures of him, saw what he’d done, but it was as if I was learning more and more about him through these people. The way they spoke about him, their voices broke just imagining him not being in this world anymore. They truly loved him.
“Mom?” Daisy put her hand on her mother’s shoulder and squeezed it tightly.
“I know I’m not being sensitive enough. I never knew him the way you did. I only found out recently who I was, so I’m still dealing with many things.”
“You never knew he was your father?”
I shook my head, and told them the story of my life and who Marcus reminded me of.
Gertrude had that knowing smile.
“You knew Jako, didn’t you?”
“No, but there used to be lookalike contests, and Marcus, well he won the one that looked like Jako.” She smiled again. “He was a really clever dragon. You were lucky to have known him as a father.”
Speaking about Herbert made me miss him again. I would always miss him as we’d never had that final goodbye. I always wondered what it would’ve been like if he’d come with me to Paegeia. They obviously knew who he was, but would they have truly believed his story about who I was? At least I wouldn’t have been so alone, but then again, I would’ve never been friends with Becky and Sammy, never fallen in love with Lucian, and Blake, well, I didn’t want to think about it, as it’d never happened. What-ifs didn’t exist.
“Elle!” Cassy ran into the kitchen with Annie right behind her. The women gasped when they saw Annie and just stared at her.
“My stupid cousin took it upon himself,” Annie said and her voice broke.
“He said it’s going to heal, Annie,” I said as Cassy’s arms were still around my neck.
“He can do that?” Daisy asked.
“Believe me, we aren’t each other’s biggest fans. He’s loathed me since the day I set foot in Paegeia.”
“Loathed you? Blake?” Annie asked with a raised eyebrow.
Blake entered the room. His eye did look better, like a big shiner. He bent down to kiss Annie on the temple. “I told you, Elena can change your mind.”
“Plucky, what did you do?”
Everyone laughed at the nickname. “I went really dark.”
She stared at him with concern. “How dark?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I saw the light.”
She laughed.
“Who is that?” Cassy whispered softly.
“That is my egotistic dragon I thought went to Heaven.”
Blake laughed the loudest.
“He came back?”
“Yeah, they chucked him out.”
“They did?” Her eyes were huge.
“No, they didn’t, and I’m not egotistic.” Blake sat on his haunches next to my chair and looked at Cassy. “I’m Blake.” He held out his hand.
She hid her face in my shoulder.
“Okay, maybe too soon.” He got up and grabbed a dishcloth so he could help Daisy with the dishes.
“You are just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Daisy looked at him.
This time, I laughed.
“Something like that,” Blake mumbled through a smile.
“What you did, for Annie.”
“Don’t. Please, I can heal myself. It was nothing.”
Daisy laughed. “Oh, but it is. Even if you have healing abilities, nobody would’ve taken something like that upon themselves.”
“Okay, you seriously have to stop.”
I didn’t look at them while they chatted, I stared at Cassy, who couldn’t keep her eyes off Blake. Yeah, kid, I know the feeling.
Charles came in. He was clean and looked like a new man, ready to face the day.
“That dragon of yours surely has his talents, Elle,” he said glancing awkwardly at Blake.
“What can I say,” Blake joked. “I’ll be here all week.”
Laughter broke out.
“A warm shower.” Charles sounded so chirpy.
“Let me guess, he heated up the geyser for you.”
“Yes.”
“Tonight, I’m so going to take a real bath, just soaking,” Daisy said, and we all laughed again.
EACH OF THE men, including August, looked new, hair washed and faces clean. Even Tom’s spirit was slightly brighter today.
We ate, everyone talking at the same time. Blake and Charles were in a deep discussion about telling the others, so we had to wait here, until Marcus returned. He’d left about five minutes before, after finishing his plate of food.
Annie and I helped Daisy and Gertrude clean while Blake kept Cassy company. She’d gotten over her shyness, and now it was as if they were best friends. I never even knew he was this good with kids.
“What happened with your eye?”
“Cassy,” Daisy said.
“Don’t worry, she’s just curious. Reminds me of a little one I used to know a long time ago. I like that.”
He’d never spoken about his past, and now he kept on revealing little hints of past friends as if it was the most natural thing for him.
Annie bent down next to Cassy. “He took my ouch away, look.” She showed Cassy that there was no longer a mark over her own eye. “But it left him with that.”
She stared at him. “Why did you do that?”
“Cassy,” Daisy said again.
“It’s okay,” Blake said to Daisy. “No need to bite her head off.” He looked at Cassy. “Well, because Annie is my family, like August and Tom and Pop are yours.”
“Annie is your family, but she is our family too.”
“Then I guess that makes us family too.”
“I’m family?”
He chuckled.
Marcus’s voice filled the door with Luke and so many others. “Is it true, is Elle back?” Olivia asked. “The Rubicon, the rest of Paegeia?”
“Yes, Olivia.” Charles spoke to the group in the lounge area.
“Cassy,” Daisy said softly, and the little girl ran to her mother.
I went to sit next to Blake.
“They are through here.”
All the heads of the surrounding families started to enter the kitchen. “Elle,” Luke greeted me first. “I was so scared when they took you and Annie.”
“Don’t. I’m so sorry about Max. I’ll get them back. I promise.”
Olivia looked more than withered. I hugged her too. “We will get them back.”
She peered at Blake. All of them did.
“You sure love to get into fights, don’t you?” Olivia joked.
Blake chuckled. “Yeah, they all thought I was Billy.”
All of the Bensons gasped, except Charles, who roared with laughter.
“I take it you guys didn’t beat him up?”
“No, for heaven’s sake. He healed Annie’s eye,” Gertrude said. “And he’s busy healing himself.”
Blake hated it. He truly hated it, and couldn’t handle the spotlight like he used to. I hated that. It wasn’t even really him.
“You did what?” Olivia asked, shocked.
“She is my cousin, and she didn’t want to look like that, so I helped her. Anyone would do that. Daisy, no comment.”
“I’m not saying anything.”
Olivia huffed. “You are wrong about that.” She took a seat opposite Blake, and stared at him. “I never thought that I would see what the Rubicon looked like. We thought we’d lost all of you.”
“It must’ve been hard, not having hope.”
“It was, but I had to survive somehow, for the sake of my children.”
He touched her hand. “We’ll get her back, I promise, and we will get you all out of here. You have my word on that.”
“They are going to know.”
“They won’t.” Charles spoke, and they all took their seats. He started telling them about the Buyo device. They listened, soaking it all in. A great device to get some of them out, the ones who weren’t going to fight. They would be replaced with trained men and women.
There was so much work to be done until then.
“So you are truly the key to pass through the Creepers?” Olivia asked.
I nodded. “For some reason they don’t harm me.”
“It’s her blood.” Blake spoke as if I was some sort of alien. He told them about what had happened on the mission when Brian had died, that our blood could transform any weapon into a special weapon.
“The King of Lions weapon was special because of their blood.”
“Yes,” Blake answered. “The sword is lost. Goran tried on numerous occasions to destroy it, he succeeded the last time but he also must’ve put two and two easily together as Elena’s life was constantly in danger after he saw her.”
Their eyes grew again. “Elle needs to be our top priority then,” Luke said. “If she dies.”
“It will be over my dead body,” Blake said and they all stared at him, including me. “She is my responsibility. I’ll protect her.”
“I know you are the Rubicon,” Olivia said. “But you are only one dragon.”
Blake smiled. “I think it’s time for you to meet the big guy.” Blake got up and everyone started to follow him.
I HATED THIS plan, really hated it, as he was huge, and if any wyvern saw him from the sky, everything would be ruined. Still, Blake wanted to show them the Rubicon. I don’t know if it was another hope technique or something, but he was adamant.
Everyone gathered around as Blake started to take off his shirt.
Daisy and Olivia stared at him, and I started to laugh.
“Sorry, Elle.”
“It’s fine,” I said and he pulled down his pants and walked in his boxers into the trees.
It took only a few seconds for him to disappear and another few seconds before the birds all scattered up into the air. The trees shook softly, making everyone gasp. I was worried sick. This was really stupid.
Annie was the only one who was seriously excited to see Plucky again.
The earth vibrated slightly as Blake started moving out of the forest.
Olivia and Daisy’s eyes grew big and Cassy jumped into her mother’s arms. All the kids were scared, hiding behind their parents.
“Is this normal?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah, it’s normal for him.”
A gasp filled the air and everyone looked. Blake’s dragon form stood at the edge of the forest. He didn’t come out into the open but hid in the trees. He wasn’t as stupid as I’d thought.
“Mother of Hades!” Olivia said, and Daisy just gaped. Annie ran toward him.
She laughed and started speaking in Latin. “Okay, Elena didn’t lie when she said that growing some was an understatement, Plucky.”
“Join me,” he said in a deep voice.
“You know I can’t.” She sounded sad.
“One, day, I promise.”
“Blake, enough please!” I yelled.
“I’m almost done, Elena.”
“What is he saying?” Daisy wanted to know.
“He’s almost done. I hate this.”
“I can’t wait to see what he is going to do to a couple of wyverns.”
“Olivia.” I was scared.
“No, Elle, they deserve it. Wyverns are a disgrace, and what they do to so many humans this side. I want them all dead, and I’ll pay for front row tickets to that show.”
He spoke again to Charles, who understood, and I could hear those who understood Latin translate to the children and ones who didn’t speak it.
He was going to show us something new he’d recently discovered. We all saw how he closed his eyes and started to disappear.
Just then the spot where he’d stood was filled with extra trees.
Annie walked over and touched the trees. Her hand even touched the parts that should be clear.
“It’s a blending-in technique, Jumble-Bean, not an invisibility spell.”
He came back and retreated slightly, shifting back.
Blake ran back to us in his boxers and took his pants from Charles. He pulled them on first, and then his shirt went over his head fast as they all started talking to him about his height and all the things he could do.
After a while, we all went back to the house. Well, only the heads, as Blake wanted me to go back and get King Helmut to start stationing troops this side. I didn’t like leaving him here, not one bit.
As always, he was adamant, said they needed his help, but I needed his help too, on the other side.
The deal was to take Annie back and go speak to the council, show them that we’d brought back a sign of life. That we’d made it through and it could be done. I needed to tell them that during the next few days more innocent people were going to come and we needed places for them to stay until permanent residences could be set up for them.
How on earth was I going to do all of this? How was I going to make them see? I was sure the Ancients would want a front-row seat in all of this. They feared Blake and would tell him yes, immediately.
I took a huge breath and remembered the words Blake had said to me. That courage and bravery could not come without fear.
I had to stand up to the Council, the Ancients, and show them that I was the princess of Paegeia.
I would have an entire day with all of them, then tonight Annie and I were going to go back.
At eight in the morning our paths split and I helped again with picking grapes.
Charles was whistling an upbeat tune, and this time Marcus joined in.
Spirits were definitely high again as Olivia started singing in the most beautiful voice to the tune they whistled.
We worked till five and then the wagons came to pick up all the baskets.
I was one of the first to enter the house and Gertrude’s cooking smelled delicious.
“You sure know how to make bread,” I said as I took in the smell of freshly baked bread.
She laughed. “I’m sure you are used to much finer.”
“No, this is the good kind, believe me.”
“Go wash up and come eat. Blake made sure that there was hot water flowing through.”
“I guess he does have his perks.”
I could hear her laughter as I rushed up to my room.
I poured a bath and it felt amazingly warm. I shifted the divider so that it sort of covered the entire bath and started to disrobe.
As I climbed in I couldn’t help thinking that this was perfect.
BLAKE
INSTILL HOPE, CHECK. Show them the big guy, check. Make them trust you, almost there, no check yet. Missing ingredient?
I sighed as I sat feeling extremely dirty and so good that I’d actually worked my ass off today, as the words from that day filled my head. The images that flew through my mind were already fading. I could only remember a field and walking toward the Castle in Etan. It looked nothing like I’d remembered. It used to be a majestic building, but what I saw was nothing like that. Half of the towers were destroyed.
Elena, dying.
I blew out air. That could never happen.
“Blake?”
I jumped out of my thoughts. “Sorry, Gertrude.”
She laughed. “Are you going to wash up?”
“I think Elena is still taking her bath, I’ll wash up after her, thanks.”
“Finally, someone that doesn’t think this universe revolves around teenage hormones.”
I laughed. If only she knew me better, she wouldn’t even think that, not to mention say it out loud.
“Hello bird.” I saw Seymour watching Elena as she bathed. I jumped up and rushed up the stairs.
I barged through the door but found nobody, just the divider and she was asleep.
“Elena, wake up!” I yelled.
Annie was at my side.
“Just wake her up,” I begged and she rushed to Elena.
The water splashed as Elena’s heart beat a thousand miles a minute, but I was glad she’d found Annie.
“It’s just a dream, you okay?”
I could hear her sigh. “When is it going to stop?”
“It will eventually. She’s awake, Blake. She’s fine.”
“You okay?” I had to know for myself.
“Yes, sorry about that.”
“Don’t apologize.” I hated that dream, and to voice the list of things that I wanted to do to that son of a bitch would make everyone think I’d gone dark again. The worst part was that I was so close, but I’d promised to play nice for now. It sucked.
I went back down.
Gertrude and Daisy, with Cassy on her hip, were waiting down by the stairs. All these people worried about Elena, that was evident.
“How did you know?” Daisy asked as I went past her and back into the kitchen. August sat at the table.
“Oh, that? I’m still connected to her dreams. It’s like whatever is shutting me out disappears when she falls asleep.”
“You could really hear her thoughts?”
I nodded.
“Amazing,” she said.
“It’s broken now, thanks to my past.”
“Your past?”
“I was quite horrible to her, if not worse.” I sat back down on the chair opposite August as Daisy and Gertrude sat down at the table as well.
I looked back at the stairs, listening whether she was all right. Annie was speaking to her, about their dreams.
“What is it you guys go through when you dent?”
I smiled. “I’ll tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
Daisy lifted her hands. “In that case, I don’t need to know.”
We all laughed.
“What happened to Elle?” August wanted to know.
“It doesn’t matter, she will get through this. I promise.”
“She’s got the barcode, doesn’t she?”
I nodded.
“They are fuckers.”
“August!” Both Daisy and Gertrude spoke in a scolding tone.
“Your language.”
“Sorry, Cas, don’t repeat what I just said.” He looked at her sitting on Daisy’s lap and shrugged at his sister.
Daisy shook her head.
“Max is probably…”
“Don’t, please. Don’t think that, don’t hope that. How long has she been gone?”
“’Bout two and a half weeks.”
“I will find her, August. That is a promise.”
He nodded just as Charles and the rest entered the kitchen. The two women rose and started getting plates ready while the men took their seats.
“You did an amazing job on the shed, Blake. Thanks,” Marcus said.
“What can I say, I’m a dragon of many talents.”
“That you are. How does Elena ride you?”
I laughed. It hadn’t come out exactly as he’d meant, but okay. “We haven’t tried it yet. I always carry her.”
“I bet it’s a ride of a lifetime.”
“You’ve never been on a dragon?”
“Nope, not born with the mark, but my father told me that it is an amazing feeling. I can only imagine.”
“The mark only limits you, Marcus. King Albert didn’t have the mark and he claimed a Night Villain.”
“You comparing me now to the greatest king that ever lived?”
We laughed again.
“How is your father, and the Dragon League?”
“Not around anymore. It was one of the first things that disappeared on the other side. Without my father.” I shook my head. “He is a mess. Hardly the dragon he used to be. I don’t want to know what this news is going to do to him. Instill hope, lunacy, I can’t think of it.”
“Then keep his existence quiet for now.”
“You don’t understand. The rest of Paegeia isn’t as together as it used to be. King Albert was the glue that held them together. Areeth.” I huffed. “Let’s just say everyone was affected by losing him. Not just my father.”
“You need Areeth to fight,” Charles said. “From what I can remember, Areeth and Etan had the best soldiers.”
“Yeah, but they are not Elena’s biggest fans. Caleb has tried everything to disown her of her title. Helmut is the only one that is standing by her side, but he’s not enough. He’s lost both his children.”
“What?” all of them said.
“Dezi died when wyverns tried to form an alliance about eleven years ago. They never wanted it. It was a trick, and Lucian, well Lucian was killed by another, a year ago claiming to be Elle’s dragon.” I couldn’t believe I was calling her by this name as well.
“I don’t understand,” Charles said. “You are her dragon.”
“She never knew that I was, and let’s just say the dark in me then, didn’t believe the Rubicon needed a rider so I let her believe that he was her dragon and my best friend died because of it.”
“I’m so sorry, Blake.”
“Please don’t. I meant it when I said that half of this, I really don’t deserve. Especially that girl upstairs.”
“Nonsense. We might not have known your dark side, but you clearly are not dark anymore. She knows that.”
“I hope so. She is a very stubborn girl when she wants to be.”
They all laughed.
Elena came down; her hair was still wet and she smiled.
Gertrude squeezed her shoulder as Annie took the chair opposite me.
Elena took the one next to her.
“Guess it’s my time to go and bathe now.” I clapped my hands together and got up.
“Yeah, please do,” Elena said. “You smell horrible.”
I laughed as I exited and rushed up the stairs. At least she was talking to me again, like she used to on the mountains when Cara was still with her.
That was a beginning. A sign of hope.
