The others were worried when we got back and half of the farmers were stuck on the other side.
King Helmut explained and David just listened to him in awe. The creepers revealed so many things about themselves.
The ground behind the lodge had tents for the people of Etan set up and it sounded so jolly as they spoke to each other and just had a great time.
Charles and his family got rooms inside and whoever Connie could accommodate at the lodge.
A couple of Ops guys got tents too in order to make sure that the ones outside were at ease, that nothing would happen to them.
I froze when I saw King Caleb sitting at the table.
“When did he come?” Blake asked.
“This afternoon. He spoke to Charles and heard it from his own words that King Albert is still alive,” Dad said.
“He came?” I whispered.
“I told you he will. He would give his life to your father. More men are going inside. He is bringing some of his best,” Dad said.
I looked at Blake. “It means we can get all the farmers out.”
He nodded.
We ate with everyone and listened to stories about the old Paegeia. I didn’t want to leave as we sat around the fire and rested my head against Blake’s shoulder as Dad told a few stories about the kings when they were little and the amount of trouble they’d caused.
My eyes closed with laughter filling the night, and then it was followed by silence.
The next morning, it was back to filling the quota of getting people out of Etan.
We worked the entire night to get all the farmers out and stationed at David’s.
Fifty of King Caleb’s men helped. We finished by getting all the farmers replaced with special troops. I went to bed after Blake had left for Dragonia. I was going to leave tomorrow with Master Longwei while the two kings of Paegeia were going to finish putting Sir Robert’s plan into action.
I had to come back in a week to exchange groups so that they could get the intel that was gathered.
The next morning early, Connie made sure that I ate before the carriage took me and Master Longwei back to Dragonia. It was a silent ride. When the carriage landed, Blake waited outside on a bench.
Master Longwei climbed out first, and I followed.
“Thank you, Blake, for bringing my granddaughter back, both of you.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Master Longwei. General Lee was one of the bravest dragons I’d ever known.”
“It’s kind of you, Blake. Get ready and go to class. You have a lot to learn.”
He walked into the academy.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked, staring at Master Longwei’s retreating figure.
“Give him time. Losing his only son still alive is difficult on him.”
We said goodbye on the stairs and I went to the seventh floor.
When I entered, Sammy shrieked and slammed into my body, hugging me. “You are back.”
“It’s about time too. I hope Duclin will stop his crap now that you brought out a gazillion people from Etan,” Vicky said and she gave me a hug.
Becky waved, sitting on her bed, and I waved back. “I would love to sleep for an entire week.”
“I hear you. I would too. How is it on the other side?”
Sammy’s hand smacked into her stomach, and a grunt expelled from Vicky’s lips as she moved her eyes toward Becky. I looked at Becky again, who stared at Sammy.
“I saw that. It’s okay,” Becky said.
“What is going on here?” I wanted to know.
“Her dad got trapped that night, too. The tabloids are going crazy since word got out that you entered through to Etan with my brother and came out. They even went to the museum to see if that prophecy had turned color.”
“And?” I wanted to know.
“It turned color.”
“Meaning that Duclin spoiled a wonderful evening,” Becky said.
“They got the ancient’s comment about all this, too?” A snide tone parsed through my lips.
“Oh, they did,” Sammy answered. “He just said no comment and went into how he only try to protect Paegeia from imposters.”
“Well, I’m not an imposter. How much more do I have to do to please that guy?”
“Nobody can please him, Elena, nobody,” Vicky said.
He made me crazy.
I looked at Becky as I plopped my bag on my bed. “Is your dad still alive?”
She shrugged. “He was one of your father’s men. That was why he was there that night.”
“You lived in Etan too?”
“Yeah, we visited Rosa, Dad’s dragon’s mother, when the creepers came. So we do not know what happened that night.”
“We will know in two weeks. King Caleb came,” I said, looking at all three of them.
“Yeah, everyone questioned why he sent his men in, too.”
“Because of my dad, Sammy. He is alive. They saw him a month ago.”
“What?”
“I didn’t lie.”
“I’m not saying you did. The explosion didn’t kill him?”
“You knew about that?”
“King Caleb spoke about it before he left and only said he needed to speak to the people that came out of Etan.”
I zipped open my bag.
“So your father is coming home in two weeks?”
“If he is still alive. They try to see if they can’t get close to him as they hold him in a city called Sovereign.”
“Sovereign still exists!” Sammy’s eyes grew.
“The scientists got the perimeters wrong, or so your brother said. A lot of cities still exist. We just don’t know in what condition.”
“Is my mom still on the other side?”
“No, she is back.”
“You really found my cousin?”
I nodded. “I almost bawled when Constance reunited with her. It’s so happy and sad at the same time.”
“I can imagine.”
“I have to go back in a week’s time to get more men out and take more men in. It’s tiring.” I told them about the core and how beautiful it was. All three of them stayed super quiet as I told them everything. We had time to go for a quick breakfast and I found Blake speaking to a group of his friends sitting at the table.
We slipped past them and Becky held her head low as we passed.
When I stopped, I looked at her. “You sure you are okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just one of your boyfriend’s buddies is treating me like crap and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it.”
I looked at his table and the guy with dark hair and blue eyes turned his head to look at Blake again.
I squinted, and I saw Blake staring at him, too. He flickered his gaze to me and I shrug wanting to know what was his problem and Blake’s lips curved.
“What?” the guy barked at Blake.
“You are a fucking idiot.”
“What are you talking about?”
Blake shook his head, and I looked at Becky. “The guy with the dark hair?”
“Yeah.”
We dished up, and I knew Blake would fill me in class with what his problem was with her.
When the bell rang, Blake and I walked together to class. “You know why he treats her like crap for no reason?”
“Shh.”
I saw the guy rushing past us up the stairs to the upper level. They had enhanced hearing.
We entered Sir Edward’s class and walked to our spot. Everyone applauded, including Sir Edward and Blake bowed as my warmth rolled off my body in waves. We climbed up the stairs and plopped down in our seats.
Blake put his shield over us, and Sir Edward’s word grew silent. “He is her dragon.”
“What?”
“A dragon always knows. It’s been bugging me since orientation. Because he is Chromatic, he would take it to his grave. She is his rider.”
“She hasn’t ascended yet.”
“You have my word. She is a lightning wielder.”
“But she could be any Moon bolt’s rider, right?”
“No, a dragon always knows.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“That is why he treats her like that?”
Blake nodded. “He doesn’t realize that he is showing everyone that she is his rider.”
“Unbelievable.”
The shield disappeared.
“Blake?”
“Oh, fuck.”
I snorted.
“Sorry, I didn’t pay attention.”
“Yes, I know. Your shield is quite impressive.”
“Sorry, Sir Edward.”
He carried on with his lecture, and we gave all our attention. When the bell rang, it was Art of War, and Blake made it extra hard on me today. I only got twice the upper hand. He had grips that were worse to get out than Mia’s, and I tapped out more than I wanted to. My fighting style changed a lot.
In aviant, we flew low to the ground and Alex, the professor and her Rider, Professor Millikoff, stayed with us. We were making progress, at least.
The other classes were interesting, but still difficult. I excelled in Latin, but only because I heard it as English. Thanks to the fact that I was part of a dent.
When the last bell rang, heaviness pulled at my eyes and announcements of Warbel tryouts were everywhere in the hallways.
I didn’t know what Warbel was.
I opened my door, and I found Vicky sitting on the edge of her bed. She looked as if a ghost slapped all the life out of her. “You okay?”
“She just got back from the Viden.”
“Oh crap, what did she say?” I asked.
Vicky shook her head.
“Did her eyes lit up and sounded as if she spoke in ten voices at once?” The questions flew from my lips.
“How do you know?” Sammy asked.
“Lucian told me that is what she does when she makes a true foretelling.”
Vicky nodded without a single word coming from her.
“Okay, what did she say?” Sammy tried this time.
“Something scary that involved a journey through the Ackerwoods that would lead to the other side.”
“What?”
“Dragons can go to the other side. It’s not that scary, apart from the Aeckerwoods.”
“I hope it’s not in the book of Shadows, otherwise they are going to force me to go.”
“Relax. We can check once our wax figures get revealed,” I said.
“Go take a shower to get some color back,” Becky said and Vicky got up from the bed and left for the bathroom. She closed the door.
I looked at Becky. “I know why he is so mean to you.”
“What? Why?”
“Shh, theater voice.”
“The rooms are soundproof,” Sammy said.
I didn’t know that.
Becky grabbed my hand. “Why?”
“Blake thinks it’s because he is your dragon.”
“What?” She looked at Sammy and back at me.
“He said it could be the only reason he is acting like an idiot.”
“It’s why he told him he was an idiot?”
“Yeah, but he is Chromatic, so he would take it to his grave.”
“I’m going to be a lightning wielder?”
“Eeeek!” Sammy clapped her hands.
“No, it’s not eeek. An idiot is going to be my dragon, a Chromatic dragon. I won’t be able to beat him.”
“It’s what Blake thinks. He can be wrong.”
“He is the alpha of all the dragons. Is he ever wrong?”
I shrugged.
She cussed and looked as if the information had sentenced her to death.
“Hey, it’s not the end of the world. You cross that bridge when you get there. You still need to get your lightning and claim him. So a lot of time needs to pass.”
“Yeah, besides, it’s not set in stone, right? There could be another reason,” she said.
“A dragon always knows.”
“Elena!” Sammy’s eyes grew as she stared at me.
“What. She said she didn’t know. I’m just giving her the most plausible answer.”
“Great, an asshole is going to be my dragon. Just my luck.”
“Hey, calm down. I’m sure you can choose.”
“If I’m his rider.”
“Yeah, nobody knows that but us.”
She took a huge breath and blew it out through her nose.
“I’m sure there are other Moon-bolts that you can claim.”
She nodded, but that information didn’t change any features on her face.
“Settled then,” Sammy said. “We keep our mouths shut about my brother’s hunch and you will choose any other Moon-Bolt but him when the time comes.”
Oh, boy. I did not know if that was a possibility, as the other Moon-bolts didn’t act that way with her. It was only him.
