I broke down in Master Longwei’s office and cried my heart out. Blake did not know who I was. He thought Goran was his rider. What spell was there that could make someone forget like that?
“Is Sir Robert dead?” Master Longwei asked.
“No.” I sniffed. “He is still alive. I have to go.”
“Elena, I’m always here for advice.”
“Not with this,” I said, and walked out of Master Longwei’s office.
I opened the door to my room and found the gang, including Brian, Annie, and Jeff. More sobs poured out of me, followed by tears streaming down my cheeks.
Tabitha was the first to reach me. Her floral scent overpowered my nostrils as her arms wrapped around me.
“Sir Robert is dead?”
I shook my head.
“Then why are you crying, Elena?”
“It’s not the claim,” I yelled into her chest as she hugged me tighter. I sobbed uncontrollably and struggled to breathe as my thoughts became my enemy. How was I going to reach Blake if he didn’t remember me? Goran had won.
“Elena, breathe,” Tabitha insisted and hit me with an icy blast on my back. Cold air filled my lungs as I gasped.
She took me to my bed and sat me down.
Brian handed me a glass filled with dark liquid.
“Are you crazy?” Tabitha asked in shock, and I grabbed it from him before Tabitha chucked it on the carpet.
I swallowed it, and it burned the whole way down my throat. The ice slap and hard liquor worked.
Lucian crouched in front of me. “What is not the claim, Elena?”
“It’s not the reason he became dark, Lu. My father believes now that he can choose.”
“No, the claim said—”
“He isn’t just Chromatic, Tabitha. It’s a fucking spell.”
“What?” everyone blurted out.
“There might not be a counter spell to this.” I looked at Lu. “Blake did not know his father or mine. He almost killed his dad.”
The horror embedded on all their faces, Annie the most. She knew just how dark Goran was.
“The worst part is that he does not know who I am. He thinks Goran is his rider. There is no coming back for him.”
Tears welled up in all the girls’ eyes.
“No, I refuse to accept that. We will hit the books, the dark net if we have to.” Lu looked at Tabitha. “There has to be something.”
“It’s one of Goran’s spells. My dad couldn’t even hear what he said. He doesn’t even know which one.”
“I’ll find it,” Tabitha said. “It has to be somewhere. I’m with Lucian. We are not giving up. Blake is your fucking Dent. He went through the process and saved your life three times. Don’t give up on him. We aren’t.”
“Thanks,” I said and grabbed her around her neck.
“We will help. I don’t care if it’s Goran. He got our alpha, and we will do whatever we have to get him back,” Jeff said.
“Jeff is talking now like a true dragon. Ten dragons to take on Blake’s abilities,” Brain added.
“Whoa, he is under a spell, Brian,” Lu said. “We are not trying to kill the guy. I still think you should try to claim him, Elena. We will find him, and then you need to make him yield.”
“You don’t know if it’s going to work. My dad said that there was a ringing sound again.”
“The one of that night?” Brian asked.
“It’s horrible,” Tabitha said. I remembered the pain vibrating in my head, too.
“It’s a spell to call him back. He will call Blake back before I can claim him. If he puts more spells on him…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“We need to find that spell.” Lucian got what I was saying.
“I’ll search tomorrow. Just make an excuse for me during class,” Tabitha said, and Lu nodded.
I looked at all of them. “We need to find the wyvern.”
“And we need to ask for Irene’s guidance, Elena.”
“Lu?”
“You have that foretelling.”
Everyone gasped as I looked at him. “You knew about that?”
“Blake told me about it. Had to pry it out of Irene.”
“What?” He’d lied that time I had told him about it.
“He saw how much it upset you. There isn’t a dragon that is going to let it go. Especially the alpha.”
I nodded.
“It might not be what you think it is, but if it’s connected to this, she will help.”
“Then we need to make an appointment with her soon.”
Lu nodded. “I’ll set it up.”
We got ready for class, and Lu was especially clever by asking Professor Pheizer about the Saadedine and how the dragon functioned.
She nodded, deep in thought, before launching into the story and starting with the eggs. Only wyverns could pick up their aura. They didn’t find them all together either. It could take like months, sometimes even a year. She then moved on to why Saadedines came into this world. There had to be a threat big enough created first.
I knew it was Goran that had put this threat into motion. He knew it would awaken the eggs, and he wanted to station that wyvern in our school, to do whatever he had to do under our noses.
Thank heavens my father was smart.
Professor Pheizer spoke about the spell that was horrible to merge with the host. It killed the wyrms, but transported their essence into whoever was going to be the host. Then the host becomes the Saadedine. It couldn’t be a dragon. It had to be someone that wasn’t a dragon, but that had dragon ancestors.
My eyes locked with Lucian’s gaze. Killing the wyrms. That was horrible.
Dad Albert was the perfect subject for a host.
“They usually take a non-Dragonian. Someone that isn’t born with the mark. If the host is good, the Saadedine becomes evil. If the host is evil, the Saadedine becomes good. The host usually dies with the Saadedine when defeated, or disappears when the danger is over and becomes the dragon rocks that are all over Paegeia.”
“What?”
“The ones on Dragonia grounds are past Saadedines. Not our time. It’s one reason your father built Dragonia on their burial ground, Elena. He believes that there is magic and an element that is the reason the school can stay afloat in the air.”
“So they would come to Dragonia and become a pillar when done.”
“If the Saadedine is good. We haven’t have a bad one yet, but I think it might be the reason there are three Dents. We might not be so lucky this time to have a good Saadedine.”
The class fell silent as we thought about it.
“There are no other uses for them? Do they always become the Saadedine?” Lu asked.
“I can’t answer that. Nobody wanted them for other than the Saadedine.”
He nodded.
“Interesting question,” she said, mostly to herself.
The bell rang, and we walked to Aviant.
“I’m going to the library,” I said.
“I’ll come with you,” Lucian said. “Tabitha won’t take a break.”
“Lu, it’s not because—”
“I know. He is my blood brother, and she doesn’t want that heartache for me.”
I smiled. “She told you that?”
He nodded. “I didn’t even ask her.”
“Cause she thinks you are still worried about her feelings for Blake.”
He sighed. “I messed up with her big time.”
“Thank heavens she is the dragon and not the rider. They seem to understand so much better.”
He wrapped an arm around me. “We will get him back, Elena. Somehow.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t lose hope now. I had to fight and push through my doubt. Goran couldn’t win. Not this time.
We reached day four. It was all Tabitha did, day after day.
We would not find it on the dark web. I looked at my watch. It was just past six. My stomach growled, and I was just about to get up and get food when Tabitha stopped typing, her eyes scanning the screen.
“Tabitha?” Lucian walked out of the aisle in front of mine.
“Tabitha?” I asked too.
“I found something. It has to be this one, Elena,” she said, and laughter pushed through her lips. We rushed toward the computer, and I read over her shoulder. There were so many spells on the system.
“I know it sounds like a lovely spell, but put it in a dark context. A change of each word might cause what Blake is experiencing.”
It was almost like my vows that Papi wanted us to repeat, but different.
“Holy fuck,” Lucian whispered, getting what Tabitha said. “Who created this one?”
Tabitha laughed. “C. G Soulaman.”
“Fuck.”
“No fuck, Lu.”
“Catherine, Goran, Soul a man. It’s Goran’s alias. I read it in a post a few days ago that was all about conspiracy theories about C. G Soulaman. I put some thought to it and then searched for their spells. They were all beautiful, but when I looked deeper, they were all messed up and twisted. I think it’s him.”
“You think it’s Goran?”
“Think about it. He is a narcissist, always has been. I mean King of the Wyverns when everyone calls King Albert the King of the Dragons. He won’t create spells without posting them online. That is how I know I will find it. He likes the limelight. This is the spell.”
“There is no counter spell, is there?” I asked.
“No, there isn’t. But we have the spell, Elena.”
“How are we going to break it, Tabitha?”
“I don’t know.”
I lifted my hands in the air. “We are back to square one.”
“No, we are not. It’s a step forward. Speak to your father. See what he has to say, or better, we take it to the viden. She can help with this.”
I nodded, and Tabitha wrote the spell in her notebook.
We had the spell, but that was it. It didn’t lead to anything else.
I spoke to my father and told him we’d gotten the spell. I also told him what Tabitha had discovered, and my father shook his head.
“I should’ve seen it and I didn’t.”
“Dad, he was one of your best friends. How could you have seen it?”
“It’s not an excuse. If I’d seen it, your mother would still be alive today. You would’ve grown up with her, and Blake would not have become his puppet. I messed up.”
“Dad, you are a human being. Not a dragon that can see the bloody future. So stop blaming yourself. We can’t go back and fix the past.”
“It’s my fault.”
“Stop. You saw something in him that nobody saw. We’ve already spoken about this. No more. It’s over.”
He nodded. “I’ll kill him myself if I get my hands on him.”
It was scary hearing Dad Albert speak like that, but at least he wasn’t sympathizing with Goran anymore.
“So, have any advice?”
“I don’t, but send it over. We might make sense of the spell. I’m proud of you, relying on your friends. Tabitha is smart. Don’t underestimate her intelligence, Elena.”
“Oh, I know she is smart, Dad.”
“Send it over. Let us help.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too.”
His hologram disappeared, and I involved one more person.
I wrote a message and asked Papi to meet me tomorrow for ice cream.
I couldn’t believe Blake had been gone for more than a month, doing Goran’s bidding.
I called the crow and placed the note on his foot, and spoke Papi’s name.
I gave him his treat, and he left. The crow disappeared on the horizon.
Later that night, when we were all doing our homework on our beds, the crow tapped on my window. I got up and took the note from him.
Papi had agreed to tomorrow.
I know if there was someone who was going to have more answers, it was him, and I’d speak to him about the Saadedine, too.
Now that he wasn’t an ancient anymore, didn’t have those duties, Papi was free to do as he pleased. Dad still made sure that Micha and Jose were in his service to protect him, but we didn’t have to meet in secret anymore.
I drifted away and dreamt of Blake—my Blake, not the asshole that belonged to Goran.
I loved him so much, and there wasn’t this horrible omen for us in my dreams.
I woke up and wanted to cry when reality hit me.
He did not know who I was. He had forgotten me, and it felt as if infinity was just a dream.
Papi stood by the ice cream vendor, still in disguise, and I laughed.
I hugged him and kissed him on his cheek. “Your spirits are still high, Elena. What will it be?”
“I’m going to try a scoop of peppermint and chocolate and blueberries.”
“Together, child? You are going to have stomach cramps tonight.”
Luigi, the vendor, laughed as he gave me the cone filled with my order. Papi paid, and we took a walk in the park.
“So, any news on Blake? How is his father?”
“Better, healing. We found the spell that Goran had put him under. Did you know he used an alias to post them?”
“C. G Soulaman. I always wondered if it wasn’t his spells. It sure sounded like the boy.”
“You knew him?”
“I did, when he was still sane. It was a hard pill to swallow when we discovered that he’d betrayed them. He loved Kate with all of his heart. Was going to marry her—”
“I know. I’ve heard the story.”
“How is your father doing?”
“Great, but he blames himself. You should’ve told me to claim him the right way. Then Goran wouldn’t have a claim on him.”
“None of us could imagine Goran doing that, child.” He took a bite out of his ice cream and grunted.
I giggled.
“So let’s hear the spell. I’m sure you have memorized it.”
I recited the spell to Papi, and he frowned.
“Again?” he asked, and I repeated each line slowly.
My hopes went up a few notches whenever he got that look on his face. As if he knew something I didn’t. Like there was a chance.
“You know the counter spell? Is there one?”
“Not with Goran, but the way it sounds, it’s a spell created for a dragon, Elena.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t help us, Papi.”
“It does. A lot. A normal transfer spell would take care of it, but make sure whoever says those words is not a dragon. It won’t last as it’s created for a dragon, not a human.”
Goosebumps sprawled over my skin.
“You think a transfer spell would work?” The spell Blake wanted me to learn with him for the exams flashed through my mind.
“They are powerful if done right. I never understood why they labeled them as easy spells in Dragonia, as they are everything but easy. The stronger the bond, the faster it would work.”
“Oh, I agree, they are hard to do.”
Papi nodded, and I kissed him on his cheek over and over. He laughed.
There was hope.
“What was your original plan?”
“To claim him.”
“It’s not a bad idea, but if Goran calls him back…”
“You know about that?”
“I know Goran, and I read about the incident with the dragons at Dragonia. Your father told me he used it that night too, when he saw there was no way he was going to get the sword. He just disappeared.”
“Dad summoned you?”
“I’m still labeled as a wise old man, Elena. I look at things from a different perspective. Your father knows this too.”
“So a Dragonian has to take his place?”
“He is going to need you to get better. Ask his blood brother. Well, you only have to mention it. That boy would do anything for Blake.”
“Papi, he is the prince of Tith.”
“He also promised many times to save the Rubicon, Elena.”
I nodded.
“He would break the spell in no time.”
I hated the weight that pressed against my shoulders. But Papi was right. Lucian was a great Dragonian. He would shake off the spell fast.
“What do you know about the Saadedine?”
“They are magical wyrms. But their only use is to become the Saadedine.”
I sighed. “That evident?”
“Pretty much. You have so much of your mother in you, child. The wyrms are pretty useless on their own.”
I laughed at the way he said it. “Is the spell really that bad?”
“It’s horrible to watch. The Saadedine that is at the Parthenon Dome was my brother.”
“What?”
“He wasn’t like us. He had a troubled soul, and our community thought he was the perfect candidate at that time when we needed the Saadedine.”
“Why did you need him?”
“It was the time of the wall. He had become my best friend after he’d turned into the Saadedine, and it was the saddest day when he turned into that rock.”
“He woke up when I walked past him.”
“Because you are blood, Elena.”
“Micha said it’s because I’m a Malone.”
“It’s because you are a Squires. Don’t throw the Squires’ name away. They might have been peasants, but they were special peasants.”
“I don’t doubt that for a minute.”
We spoke about everything that had happened since I’d last seen him.
Around four, we said goodbye when Micha showed up out of nowhere.
“Don’t be a stranger, and keep hoping.”
“Thanks for this, Papi.”
“Anytime, child.” He kissed me on my forehead and left with Micha.
I went back to Dragonia and called everyone to meet me in the room.
They all arrived in pairs. Jeff and Brian were first, always first, followed by George and Becky, then Sammy and Annie, and last were Lucian and Tabitha.
“Please tell me that he told you about other ways to use the Saadedine,” Lu urged.
“No, he said they were pretty useless on their own, but he had good news about the spell that isn’t good news either.”
“Which is?”
“It’s created to hold a dragon.”
“Is there a counter spell?” Tabitha asked.
“No, but there is a way to break it.”
They gasped and looked at me.
“Speak, woman,” Jeff said, and Lu gave him a glare.
“The transfer spell.”
“Elena, that spell—”
“A human has to do it, Lu. Humans can shake the spell.”
He got what I was saying. “How long did he say?”
“I don’t know, but it’s our only hope. He said, claiming him will not work. Not unless it’s in a confined space where Goran doesn’t have access to him. He would just call him back. It has to be the spell, and it can’t be a dragon, as the poem is created for a dragon.”
“You are going to take my brother’s place? Your dad will never allow this, Elena.”
“What choice is there, Sammy?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Lucian,” Tabitha said.
“I know more than Elena. No offense, but you need a strong wielder to face Goran.”
“He will kill you!” I yelled.
“I know spells on how to defend myself, and besides, it’s my uncle. I’ll play the game as long as I can, pretend to be elated when I see him. Fuck, I’ll even pretend that he is my father if I have to. He will kill you because of who your father is. He won’t think twice.”
“He loved my mother.”
“Yeah, you are not his. It won’t work. I’m going to do it.”
Silence fell over everyone as Tabitha stared at him.
He walked to her and cupped her face. “I’ll be fine. All of us have a part, Tabitha. This is mine.”
“I can’t follow, Lu.”
“I don’t want you to follow. You will be safe here. Just wait for me, as I won’t make it if something happens to you.”
Goosebumps spread over my skin, hearing Lucian saying those words to her.
Tabitha grabbed him and hugged him tight. Papi knew him so well, even if Lu didn’t know who Papi truly was.
