“I’ll call Blake to come home.” Robert got up from the war room table and walked to the door with his Cammy in his hands.
Tomorrow. We were going to Etan tomorrow.
I left for my room without saying a word and started watching all the recordings I could find about the creepers.
They were horrible with their thick stalk bodies that came to live whenever something came near. Animals that roamed too close disappeared. They screamed or yelped for only a few seconds. They didn’t show plenty of humans getting slaughtered, but they had twenty-five humans that had died throughout the years. Some were teenagers that got too close with a dare.
How stupid do you have to be?
I found a really old one. The footage was almost as old as me and I watched it.
I gasped as it was the day that the creepers emerged. How could my father have done that?
A silver dragon had lost it as it charged for the creepers. The wailing that came from its lips pulled the tears to form in my eyes.
I watched in horror as another silver dragon pinned her down, and men came to help.
The wails that came out of it quieted down as if it went back to sleep.
“It’s Constance,” Queen Maggie said, and I jumped. I didn’t even hear her enter.
“Sorry, Elena. I knocked.”
“Sorry, I didn’t hear. That is Constance?”
“Isabel was close by. She pinned her sister down. Her husband was your father’s general, and she had a five-year-old Sun-Blasts stuck behind those creepers. She had lost everything that day. Many people have.”
That was Constance.
“Do you think they are still alive?”
“I don’t know. I hope they are. To be honest, I think they are moving way too fast with this rescue mission. Pushing you to go tomorrow to the creepers.”
“How am I going to get through if they react like that?”
“I don’t know. But the prophecy said you and Blake will. The same reason only a Malone can wield the King of Lion sword.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, it’s a useless sword in anyone else’s hands, but in a Malone’s hand, it destroys all evil. Your bloodline is one of the unsolved mysteries of our world, Elena. And we had lost that hope a long time ago the night those creepers emerged from the ground.”
I wondered what that was all about, but the pillar dragons had given me hope. They moved when I walked past them. It proved that I was a Malone.
A knock sounded at my door, and it opened. Blake stood on the other side and I jumped from my bed and ran to him. My body collided with his as he caught me and wrapped his arms around me. I felt so safe with him.
“We will find a way, okay?”
I nodded against this shoulder.
“Why are you watching this shit?”
I pulled my head from his shoulder. “Because I don’t want to get a bloody heart attack when I come face to face with them, Blake.”
The queen laughed as Blake put me down. “I’ll leave you two. You want something to drink?”
“Served by the queen?” Blake asked, sounding impressed.
“No, it will be Jeeves or the maid.”
I laughed at her tone.
“A Coke would be nice, thank you.”
“Elena?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“One Coke it is.” She glided out of the room.
Blake plopped on the couch.
“So, when do we leave?” I asked.
“In a few hours. My dad said to pack lightly when he called.”
“Where are we going?”
“A lodge, close to the creepers. It’s by far one of the easiest entry points and the map said we would enter close to the farmers, if there are farmers still there. I don’t know. Goran wasn’t stupid, so I’m sure he would have taken care of them, as it would be their only source of food on that side.”
“Do you know people on that side?”
“No, but the king and my father do. If there are any good people still living on that side.”
My thoughts went crazy again.
“Hey, stop with whatever is happening in that head of yours. I’m the alpha, even behind those creepers.”
I sighed as I sat down next to him. He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his one arm around me, kissing me on top of my head.
“A week was more than enough time away from you.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m going back to Dragonia if we get out of this one alive.”
“It will be a few days, though. But one thing is for sure, I won’t leave you out of my sight.”
“You better mean that. This week was way too long for me, too.”
For the next hour, we caught up on what had happened this week. The politics even reached the academy and everyone was twittering the entire week, working on Blake’s nerves until he said enough. My father was alive, and he was going to come back soon.
I packed a bag while Blake kept me company. He came with a bag already.
When I was done, he took my bag and gave it to Emanual in the foyer.
“No elevators.”
“Not for me. The cargo is going via other transportation,” Blake said.
“Which is?”
“Me.”
I laughed. “I hate the elevators.”
“Elena, we still suck in Aviant. I need to keep you on my back without falling off, and besides, my speed is way too fast if you want me to be there a few hours after you get there. You won’t be able to breathe.”
“Fine.”
Blake kissed me on my lips fast. “That’s my girl.”
My lips quirked as he said goodbye.
The king and Sir Robert, with Dad in tow, came from the east wing’s direction.
“You all packed.”
I nodded.
“Then I guess we should get going. I’ll see you there, Emanual.”
“Yup,” Emanual said and followed Sir Robert through the main entrance.
“Love,” the king yelled.
“Coming!” Queen Maggie appeared from the top of the stairs and stopped. She lifted her finger. “Just one more thing.”
The king growled, making Dad and I laugh.
A few seconds later, she emerged wearing a pair of jeans, ankle boots, and a blouse. She tied up her hair into a messy bun with a purse hanging over her shoulder.
The four of us walked to the elevator, and Dad and I sat down first. My hands gripped on the beam that lowered around my body as I took a few deep breaths. The darkness followed as the doors closed and then the drop came. I prayed for it to be over and took that breath fast when we stopped. The force yanked us forward, and the pain vibrated through my body and, just like that, it was over.
Each time, it became easier, but it still wasn’t my favorite ride yet.
When it stopped, the doors opened into a small room with two staff. Both of them bowed down, and I told them to get up.
My legs still trembled slightly as my body tried to regain its balance.
When the elevators opened again, the king and queen got out, and things happened. We got a rental and there was a word that nobody knew about us coming here.
We walked out of the room and it was some sort of airport that had one cashier inside a tiny building with one sliding door. There were open lands around us, and King Helmut walked to the first SUV in the parking lot.
We climbed in and it was weird seeing him drive. Usually it was Emanual or another driver.
The drive was a few hours, and I leaned against Dad’s shoulders, listening to music from my Cammy.
Most of the songs belonged to the Shifters, and Blake’s voice always had a funny effect on me. It kept me calm and gave me hope.
I must have drifted away cause when I got shaken awake we stood in front of a beautiful lodge.
I climbed out of the SUV and a small group of people stood in front of the lodge that had a huge open field for its back garden. An irritating buzz played in the background.
“Good day, my king and queen.” One man, who seemed to be in his fifties, walked up to King Helmut and grabbed his hand, bowing. He had a silver beard and silver hair that made me think of a Swallow Annex. “I’m David. The owner of this fine establishment.”
“Helmut and Maggie are fine. No need for king and queen. Elena, come meet our hosts.”
Dad already shook the man’s hand as I walked closer.
“Oh, you look just like your father,” a woman with brown and gray hair with the deepest dimples denting in both her cheeks when she smiled. “I’m sure you hear that a lot.”
I smiled and squinted in the buzz’s direction. “What is that awful sound?”
“Oh, that is the creepers. The more the sun’s rays shine, the more noise they make. It’s like a soothing sound, or supposed to be. You’ll get used to it.”
I just stared at David as he spoke about the creepers being gentle.
“This is David and Connie.”
“Elena,” I greeted them both.
“You’ll probably want to freshen up. We have hot showers and Jacuzzi tubs in each room, if you’d like a bath,” David said.
Connie grabbed the queen’s hand. “It’s such a pleasure to have you all here.”
“We should say thank you,” Queen Maggie said.
The buzz was going to drive me insane. Did they ever stop?
“My son, Charlie.” A man in his early thirties shook King Helmut’s hand and kissed Queen Maggie’s. Dad gave him a robust hand shake. “And his wife, Shelby.” The woman had blond hair, and she too gave me a beautiful smile.
“Come, let me take you to your room.” She looked over her shoulder, and the four of us followed her.
“We will need three more rooms for Sir Robert, Emanual and Blake.”
“When will they be coming?” Connie asked.
“Probably another few hours. They took the trek by flight.”
“We will have rooms for them soon. This time of the year we are not that busy and when we got the call, we made sure not to take more bookings. Our lodge is open to anyone that you bring back from the other side.”
“That is too kind of you,” King Helmut said. “I promise it won’t be my brother.”
She giggled and hid her glowing red cheeks as we walked up the stairs of the main entrance, which was a beautiful open verandah with steps running up to sliding doors.
We walked into a reception area, with abstract paintings by the same artist that hung on the walls and comfortable chairs. So many doors and hallways surrounded us, with an enormous set of stairs in the far left corner. A big chandelier hung from the ceiling, and you could see the first floor above.
Shelby led us up the stairs and down the hallway, around the corner to the room way at the end.
There were plenty of doors across from one another.
She gestured to any of the rooms and we said thank you as I chose the one next to the king and queen and Dad chose the one opposite mine.
“Thank you so much,” I replied, as I stepped into my room.
Plenty of windows welcomed me, and they all led to a balcony. Off green and white curtains hung next to the windows, pulled back behind one of those fancy hooks.
I looked at the big green leaves and trees. It felt as if we were stuck in the Amazon. A Victorian couch stood against the wall with a fluffy bed against the other wall.
The colors fit perfectly, an off-green with pure white linen, flowers with a gift basket on one of the dressing tables, and a fireplace.
I opened the door that led to a bathtub standing on four golden paws. The shower looked inviting, too. It was really sophisticated, something I’d recently gotten used to, but took my breath away.
“Elena,” Dad’s voice came from the door.
“In here,” I yelled, and he found me in the bathroom.
“We serve dinner at seven. Shelby asked if you would like anything special for tonight.”
“Are you serious?”
“They cater just for us for the next day or two, depending how long they are going to need you here.”
“So it’s something like my last meal.”
Dad laughed. “You’ll get through. I know you will.”
Everyone kept saying that. I wasn’t so sure.
“I’m fine with anything, Dad.”
He winked. “I’ll let her know.”
He walked out of the room and I wished Blake could just get here. I didn’t like the noise the creepers made. It was something similar to the calm before the storm. That feeling was never a nice one.
