I COULD BARELY CONTAIN my excitement as I slid onto the cool leather seat of the limo that was set to take us to Elm. I had never ridden in a limo before and I knew a dopy smile was plastered to my face the entire ride. I ran my hand over the seat admiring the soft tingles the leather sent up my arm as I looked across the cushion I shared with Lucian over to his Mom “Are you excited?” he asked as he took in my smile.
“It’s my first time in a castle, what do you think?”
He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me. “You forget that Dragonia used to be a castle too.”
“It’s not the same.” I glanced over at the Queen who was still looking at a device that was sitting in her lap. She had a slight grin on her face as she typed away.
Once we arrived in Elm, porters took our luggage and we walked to a private elevator. The chairs were huge and luxurious and there was no waiting in line. I grabbed Lucian’s hand as the doors closed the drop came almost instantly.
Lucian was just like Becky, he loved every moment of it and I couldn’t help but join him.
I held my breath and this time I barely felt any pain as the chair moved forward at an accelerated speed.
When we finally stopped, the doors opened into a huge room. My eyes grew wide as I took in the opulence before me and I hastily reached up to fix my hair in an attempt to make myself presentable. A butler and a couple of maids stood just inside the room waiting for our arrival. They all smiled and applauded when they saw Lucian and I assumed his attempts to claim Blake were really important to them. I had to admit, he was one hell of a guy, not to mention how brave he was for even thinking of claiming Blake.
He took a deep bow and they laughed.
“Maybe next time, Your Highness,” a butler with white hair said. “I heard you almost had him.”
Lucian just stared at him. “My Mom isn’t around yet, Jeeves, you know the rules.”
Everyone laughed again. I couldn’t believe how much he hated to be addressed as royalty.
“If it wasn’t for that ability of his, I sure would have. Well, he will reveal them all to me in a matter of time, and then no more surprises,” Lucian joked casually as if he hadn’t almost died. I secretly hoped that was a joke.
I followed him and the butler into a spacious lobby big enough to accommodate a crowd of at least two hundred people. The wooden floor was a light brown and the walls a pure white. Portraits as big as the walls greeted me and I couldn’t help but notice a slight resemblance to Lucian in many of the faces.
A round table with a vase brimming with flowers gave the room a more welcoming ambience.
King Helmut entered the lobby just then and I took a deep breath. I had only seen him once inside the museum and only for a short period as Lucian’s body was dragged in after the claim.
“Welcome to our home, Elena.” His warm smile made me feel welcome as his hands reached out for mine. They were warm, but rough, and he shook them gently.
“Thank you for having me,” I said and returned his smile.
“Your Majesty, there is a call for you.” The butler returned.
“Thanks, Jeeves.” He looked at the butler. “Where is your mother?”
“She’s on her way.”
“Denise, Mary, please show Elena to her room and Lucian, I need to have a word with you.”
I turned to look at him and smiled as his entire body inflated. He raised his eyebrows at me with a smile and I could tell that he wasn’t impressed at all. Denise gestured for me to follow her. Everyone here was so friendly and Lucille’s words from a night a few months back jumped into my head. King Helmut was a great ruler.
“This is the King and Queen’s personal wing, miss,” Denise said, her voice filled with reverence.
“Oh, please. Call me, Elena,” I said and a small giggle escaped my lips.
“The Queen wanted you to feel safe, so we didn’t think you would’ve enjoyed it much if you were stuck alone in the guest wing.” I followed her up a wide marble staircase and turned down a long hall that reminded me of the museum. Thick, lush blue carpets lined the entire floor area and more portraits, this time of women and landscapes, looked down at me. She led me in front of two double doors and opened both of them together.
A gasp left my mouth as a room, triple the size of the one I had at Lucille’s, welcomed me. The bed had a golden satin cover and it was so large, five humans could easily lie next to one another. A dozen of matching pillows were stacked high on the bed. It all was simply breath taking. The carpet was a cream color and the décor was comprised of earthy abstracts. A magnificent, golden chandelier hung delicately from the ceiling completing the royal styling.
A girl with the red curls sticking from underneath her cap, that I had seen as we passed in the hallway, opened the balcony doors while Denise went into another room linked to mine. She walked out almost immediately and gestured toward the space. “That is the bathroom. We just put a couple of fresh towels in this morning for you. We’ll have a light lunch with tea in the garden around three. As my mother always said, you need to eat six times a day to keep a chubby figure away.”
I giggled as she curtseyed. They both giggled as I poorly returned their gesture.
The maids skittered toward the exit and Denise closed the door.
Once I was alone, I turned around and started to laugh.
For the love of blueberries, what am I going to do alone in this room?
I went to the bathroom and took in an enormous shell tub that stood against the wall in front of a frosted window with blue and white curtains. It had about three basins and a shower made of glass that looked like a mini sauna.
Towels were folded beautifully over the rail and more were rolled up and stacked on a beautiful murmur shelf against the wall. My hand touched one that hung over the rail gently. I grabbed it and lifted it up to my face and closed my eyes. The texture was as warm and soft as lamb’s wool.
“Elena,” Lucian’s voice came floating in from my room.
“In here,” I shouted back as I put the towel lightly back over the railing. “Is this for real?”
He laughed. “What do you mean?”
“Lucian, this place is huge. How do you get use to the dorms at Dragonia?”
“Believe me it’s not very hard. This place really gets too big for me at times.”
“I can imagine why.”
He held out his hand for me and I took it. We left my room as I followed him back through the hall and down the staircase.
He led me in the opposite direction of the entrance and down through another passage. This palace reminded me of the first time I had followed Master Longwei through Dragonia. The memory pulled at my lips and I smiled.
When he reached two huge, wooden doors he opened one side and we entered a library. Now I know how Belle in Beauty in the Beast felt. Books were stacked up the walls and three huge ladders on wheels rested against them. A beautiful, heavenly scene of cherubs floating on clouds were painted on the ceiling. A piano stood at the back in front of a huge window with green drapes. Everything was so overwhelming I felt my breath escape me.
“Elena.”
My head shot right to the voice and I found Lucian’s father with a teacup in his hands sitting on a chair at a small lounge stacked in the right corner. “Please sit.” He gestured toward one of the chairs in front of him and Lucian took the chair right next to me.
After he inquired if the room was to my liking, he started asking me questions about my Dad.
The words began spilling out: “Dad used to ask me a different riddle every day. I would try to answer but I never came close to the correct answer. I sucked at them back then, now I was a master at answering the chef’s riddles. He was an amazing guy now that I think about it. He’d tried his best so many times to apologize for all the moves and we had a good relationship.” The memory of the playful back biting at night made me miss him so much more. “Then the fleeing came, every three months. I could have set my alarm to the exact day. Because of that I didn’t have any friends, the few I had, felt so uncomfortable with my Dad interrogating them, that they would leave me too.”
He frowned as he listened to every word that came out of my mouth.
When I was done with my story he just stared into the dead fireplace on his left.
“You knew her father, Dad?”
“No, I don’t, sorry, Elena. I wish that I had. It might have given you some piece of mind.” He smiled.
“It’s okay. I’ve made peace with all the unanswered questions in my life. There is no logic in wondering about it. I mean those dragons could’ve wanted my father for so many reasons. The only thing that does bother me is why he never told me what he truly was.”
“Maybe he was scared that you wouldn’t accept the fact that he was a dragon. What would you have done if you couldn’t make peace with it? Would you live with a father you feared? Dragons tend to ponder on the little things us humans don’t think about, especially Copper-Horns.” He plugged his eyebrows and smiled. “I used to know one a long time ago. He was serving on the Dragon League, and was one of King Albert’s advisers. He could give you so many outcomes of just one simple decision.” He told me the same story that his wife had while Lucian was in the Infirmary. “After a while, King Albert struggled to make a decision without consulting him first. Jako, he was one of the noblest creatures I’ve ever met. He used to have these crazy difficult riddles too, that none of us could guess.”
I laughed. “I used to hate my father’s riddles, now it’s one of my favorite things. I wish that he could be here to see that.”
“He does, Elena. Not in the way you want him too, but he does,” King Helmut said solemnly.
“So there is a Dragon League too?”
Lucian’s posture stiffened and my eyes grew a bit in alarm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Not at all. There used to be. It was led by Sir Robert. After the king’s death, the Dragon League slowly faded into nothing.”
“They used to be similar to the Musketeers of France,” Lucian explained. “Protect the King.” He did a small fist pump at these words.
Goose bumps rushed over my skin just thinking about the Musketeers. I’d always loved stories about them and the Man in The Iron Mask was my favorite movie of all time.
We soon got lost in the story King Helmut shared with us about Sir Robert just after he had started with the Dragon League. A new admiration for Sir Robert developed inside my core as he told us what a brave dragon he was and how much he loved King Albert. King Helmut also mentioned that they shared their own kind of dent, even though King Albert was never really immune to his acid. From his stories I could tell they respected and shared a deep brotherly love for one another.
The library was left in silence after the last memory King Helmut shared.
It was so sad that Sir Robert had to give up the League. It made it a bit clearer to me the toll King Albert’s death had taken on him. He was lost without his rider.
“Did you find anything else about that night, Dad?” Lucian said after a couple of minutes referring to the recent attack on the Academy.
“I told you everything I know, Lucian. I think now that Blake is back, they won’t try to attack Dragonia again.”
He took another sip of his coffee. “So, Lucian told me that you are the Wyvern’s rider.”
“That is what he said,” I replied softly.
“Dad, he saved my life a couple of times.”
“I know Lucian.” He took a deep breath. “I just don’t trust them. Doesn’t matter how noble they seem, there is always that doubt if it is pretend or not.”
“He killed his own kind.”
“I know,” King Helmut said again as he looked at Lucian, worry wrinkles appeared around his eyes. “Just be careful, Elena.”
I nodded respectfully.
“He told Elena some pretty amazing stuff, Dad. He’s even teaching her how to speak Wyvic.”
“Wyvic. That I must say is a first. They are usually so guarded when it comes to what they are capable of doing.”
“He said we have the names of their races wrong.”
King Helmut laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me. The old fart who wrote that book had no idea what he was talking about.”
“They have abilities too. Some that would raise the hair on your arm.” Lucian looked at me. “Go on. Tell him about their abilities.”
“They are very similar but extremely dangerous. The Brown–Horn’s scales can shoot out and be used as flying weapons. Its horns can do the same. Paul told me that each one of his horns contains a poison, one that ages you really fast and then you die. The Spear-Tail has the ability to see through animal’s eyes, the Spike-Tail can suck up souls. They said that each soul represents a life. The more it has, the longer it lives.”
King Helmut’s eyes were huge.
“What is it Dad?”
“Wyland was a Spike-Tail.”
“Dad,” Lucian touched him on the arm.
He touched Lucians hand and tapped it twice. “It’s fine son. I killed him, remember.” He nodded for me to carry on.
“The Hummer-Head can multiply himself. Paul thinks that there was a couple there that night. He doesn’t think that there were that many Wyverns.”
“What does this Paul do?”
“He’s a telepath. He can put things in someone’s head and…” I realized that it was probably wise not to go into too much detail about the Wyverns. “It’s all very complicated and I’m still struggling to capture what he really can do.”
“Still, he has a really dangerous ability.”
“Dad, he promised Elena that he would never do that to anyone.”
“And yet Wyland was one of the greatest men I’d ever met, Lucian.”
Lucian jumped up. “So what do you want me to do? Hate them forever? Dad, he’s going to be part of my life if he’s Elena’s dragon.”
“If… you don’t truly believe it?”
“Stop putting words in my mouth. He’s not Wyland. I’ve got no choice but to trust him.”
“Okay son. Relax. I’m just trying to make you remember how devious Wyverns are. If anything happened to the two of you…”
“Nothing will, Father. He saved my life.”
“And I’m grateful for that, Lucian.” King Helmut looked tired and worried all at the same time. “It’s good that you learned so much about Wyvern’s, Elena. Apart from how to kill them, we don’t really have much to go on.”
“I’m planning to find out everything I can about them.”
He smiled. “King Albert had that same longing for knowledge. I tried to fulfill his dying wish and I almost killed an entire colony instead.”
“It was different. He killed your daughter,” I said and the King gave me one of Lucian’s lopsided smiles. “I do know that there are a couple of Wyverns like Paul who don’t like what the Wyverns do. He told me about the Wyvern and King Albert.”
“He was one of the good ones. So maybe Paul does want to change. Still be careful, please.”
“I will.”
He looked at Lucian again and the tone of his voice changed. “So are you ready for your trip?”
My head shot to Lucian. “What trip?”
Lucian closed his eyes and his body dropped as he chuckled softly.
“You haven’t told Elena, yet?”
“I was in the Infirmary for five days, Dad. No, I didn’t because I was so sure that I would claim him this time.”
“Then I’m sorry for putting you with Cat, son.”
I laughed even though I had no idea what he meant. The King and Lucian joined in after a while.
“I’ll tell you later, promise.”
AFTER OUR CHAT with his Dad, Lucian showed me around the palace grounds. He took me outside and down a staircase surrounded by a small man-made forest on the left. On the right, the view of the city below and farmland opened up before me and took my breath away. Mountains rose tall and proud in the distance and when we finally reached the bottom of the steps Lucian took me through their vineyard. It wasn’t picking season, so there were no workers around. As we walked he would grabbed me every ten minutes or so for a kiss. He even chased me through the orchard until I ran into what looked like a hedge maze. By the fourth turn I was horribly lost in it, but Lucian found me after a couple of minutes and led me out. How he knew which way to go was beyond my knowledge. “You should only stay clear of them during the full moon. They tend to change their course.” He was instantly back to the Lucian I knew.
“Are you serious?”
He chuckled. “Yes, Elena. It’s magic.”
“Then we really should get out of here and soon too.”
“It’s only three o’clock in the afternoon. Nothing will happen now.”
“Still, it’s creeping me out.”
He led me out and we went back to the castle. The staff was busy setting a table in the garden underneath tall shades.
They smiled at us as we walked closer and his Mom and Dad came out after we’d taken our seats. A dog’s bark made me look up and I saw an English bulldog at the top of the stairs.
Lucian whistled and called to the dog. When he saw Lucian he ran down the stairs with surprising speed. Drool ran down his cheeks and was splattered on his hind legs as Lucian ruffled his head. “Hallo, Cat. Missed me?”
“You named your dog Cat?” I asked making everyone laugh.
“Catastrophe,” the Queen answered. “He was a menace when he was a pup, still is. To your bed, Cat,” she said in a stern tone. The dog looked at her as his tongue hung out and snorted before he waggled to a fluffy pillow and made himself comfortable on it.
“Mom?” Lucian protested softly.
“I’m not going to watch him beg while we eat, Lucian. Besides, the vet said he needs to lose a couple of pounds.”
“There is nothing wrong with his weight.”
“The vet and I beg to differ. He’s not getting nearly enough exercise as he used to.”
I had to suppress my laughter at the quarrel Mom and son had. I never knew mine and I would’ve given anything to have what Lucian had.
After lunch, Cat followed us everywhere and we became really good friends. Lucian showed me all his pets and I was amazed. They had two monkeys and their cage was so big I didn’t know if you could call it a cage. They were cute as hell though. One kept tugging on my hair as he sat on my shoulder. Five parrots were locked in another cage and one seemed to want to be more colorful than the others. Lucian kissed one on his beak while the parrot nibbled him softly back on his lower lip. You could tell that he was really good with animals.
Around five we ended up in the game room. It was just like all of the other rooms: big. A billiard table stood right in the middle and on the walls hung a couple of dart boards. A big plasma screen with a saddle on a mechanical post was stacked in a corner. To my left I saw a black net covering a closed off area.
“Come, I want to show you something,” he said and led me to the area I had been staring at moments before. “It’s where I practice when I try to claim Blake.”
“What is it?”
“A virtual game, it’s really fun.” He pushed the net away and a huge green room with stations made of wood stood everywhere. He took me to a podium where five helmets with cables coming out of them awaited. He grabbed one and reached it out to me. “Just put on this helmet, choose your ability, and give it a shot.”
I put on the helmet and at first nothing happened. I was surrounded by darkness; then a loud voice welcomed me into the virtual world and I found myself in a different room. One I didn’t trust or like very much, but as soon as Lucian appeared out of nowhere I felt safe.
“How did…”
“I locked myself in,” He smiled. “Choose the game you want to play, Sweetheart.”
“Is it going to be as realistic as this room?” I asked as names of games started to float inside an empty room that resembled a ballroom floor with book shelves against the wall.
“More or less.”
“Can I watch instead?”
He laughed. “Fine, just remember, it’s a game.”
He was right beside me now and he chose the one I really wish he wouldn’t. It was a claim and I could only imagine who the dragon would be.
Everything changed so fast and we found ourselves inside the Coliseum. Blake was showing off how macho he was the same way George had that first time I saw him in the ring with Becky. It was nothing like the real Blake.
“He’s going to change, Elena. Just stay behind me, because he is going to try and fight both of us,” Lucian said.
My heart started to beat faster as I kept staring at Blake’s human body. It wasn’t because he was sizzling hot, but because of what I know he would turn into in the next couple of seconds.
I hid behind Lucian and had to keep reminding myself over in my head that it was just a game.
Blake changed in an instant. It looks so freaking real. He’s face hovered right in front of me and Lucian and I could even feel his warm breath blowing on my skin.
It’s just a game.
Lucian chose fire as his ability and it looked so cool when his hand lit up.
“Choose an ability, Elena. Just in case.”
I just stared at him.
“C’mon. Do it.”
“Ice,” I said out loud and I could feel how cold my hand got at the word. When I looked down at it, snow formed into a soft ball on top of my hand. This really looked awesome. I saw how Lucian threw the first ball of fire and it hit the Rubicon straight in the face. He told me to hide behind a rock as he charged at the Rubicon full speed.
I couldn’t help but admire him; Lucian was really fast with his fire balls. My heart rose faster as he slipped and slid through Blake’s dragon legs and hit him again with a fire bolt on his back.
It went on for what seemed like an hour and I could see how Blake was starting to lose his strength. If Lucian could only become a Fire-Wielder, then he might have a chance to claim Blake.
In a flash, Lucian was hit by Blake’s tail and he didn’t get back up. I froze, just like my make believe ability, and saw Blake charging me.
It’s just a game, Elena. Lucian wake up.
My hands were freezing and just as Blake wanted to blow me with his fire, my hands covered my face and I fell backward as my ability released.
I waited for the Rubicon to kill me or something but when nothing happened I open my eyes. The Rubicon was frozen in place, the fire that came out of his mouth mixed with the ice from my hands made him powerless.
Lucian’s voice came into my earphones and yelled that I should kick at him. I did it a couple of times and he fell over like a pin. I doubted if I really kicked Blake’s dragon figure, it would have the same outcome. I would probably lose a leg or something.
When Blake fell on the floor, ice spattered everywhere. A huge congratulations sign in golden fire spread over the podium complete with ringing bells. The crowd cheered and I could feel someone tugging at my helmet. I instantly found myself back in the room. Some of the staff were watching the game on the big screen and cheered with Lucian.
“You claimed the Rubicon!”
“I claimed the Rubicon! This game is awesome. Does it really feel like that if you have gained your ability?”
“My Dad said it comes close to the real thing, but it’s not there yet. The real claiming is a bit harder.”
“Wow, guess Blake would love to hear that I beat his ass in a game.”
Lucian and the rest of the staff laughed. “Just as long as I don’t have to slay him at the end.”
