WHEN WE GOT back to the hotel we found Sammy inside our room busy speaking to Dean on her Cammy. We all waved at his holograph as she said goodbye when we came in. “Elena, where the hell were you?”
“By the time I made my way back from the bathroom, the place was so crowded that I couldn’t return to my spot. Are you okay?” I had to lie as neither of them knew about my foretelling inside the Book of Shadows.
“Blake!” She spat her brother’s name as if it contained poison and got up from the couch. “I could kill him right now.”
“I’m sure you father can too,” Becky said laughing.
“It’s not funny, Becky.” She sighed and buried her face in her hands. “My father tried so hard to keep our name high, and he just plunders it in seconds.”
“It’s not so bad. He just gave Elena the credit she deserves, in a creepy, love-puppy kind of way.”
We all burst out laughing at her “love-puppy” comment.
“I think my mom is right,” Sammy spoke softly.
“About what?” Both Becky and I sang.
“She thinks he has a huge crush on you, Elena, and that it comes out when he’s really drunk.”
“Oh, please. He despises me. It’s my virginity, like you said that night, making his Sun-Blast crazy.” The thought of him right before he made that speech jumped into my mind. How long had he been standing behind me? I flinched as I remembered the words he’d mouthed.
“Lucian felt pretty bad because he didn’t mention your name or the Sacred Cavern,” Becky pointed out.
“He shouldn’t. His speech was great. Brian was the hero and it was the perfect choice for the exhibit, choosing Brian in both of his forms.”
Suddenly, Sammy stood up remembering something. “There’s a package for you on the table. It was here when I got to the room.”
I looked over at the table and found a beautiful pink box with a shiny ribbon wrapped around it.
“Open it,” Becky pleaded excitedly.
I picked up the card and read it out loud. “Sorry I wasn’t at your birthday party, better late than never.”
“It’s from Lucian.” I spoke as I peeled the ribbon from around the box.
Inside there was a wooden case. It was really heavy and Sammy helped me as we took it out gently.
Thick swirly borders were burned into the lid of the box along with the name “Alex Rodes”.
Both girls gasped as they read the name with wide, unblinking eyes.
“I know what that is,” Becky said holding her breath as I moved my fingers across the words.
“He got you an Alex Rodes.
“What the hell is an Alex Rodes?”
“Not a what, a who. Open it,” Becky said again more excited now that she had been a few minutes ago.
I took off the lid and found two sliver axes inside along with two thick, leather hand gloves. I pulled on one and it reached hallway to my elbow. Only my index finger was halfway covered with soft leather, the rest was open. It had soft rubber on the palms and a ruby was sewn into the top of my hand. I couldn’t take my eyes of it as it sparked sending off a thousand beams of light as I held it closer to the lamp. I picked up one of the axes and saw that the shafts were covered in black rubber and the blades had plastic protectors over them. As I was inspecting the axes Sammy explained who this mysterious Alex Rodes was.
Apparently, he used to make weapons for the Kings and Queens of Paegeia; they say he never made another weapon after the night King Albert died. I picked one up and found engraved in small font my name with a couple of hearts on the blade. There were Latin words inscribed right below them. I gently touched the engravings as I admired the craftsmanship. They were simply exquisite.
“They must have cost him a fortune,” Becky said as she nodded toward the other one.
“Go for it.”
“There is another box.” She’d forgotten all about the axes and showed me the blue velvet jewelry box tucked inside.
The three of us just stared at it.
“You guys aren’t thinking the same thing as me, right?” Becky asked.
“Lucian wouldn’t, we’re way too young for this.”
“He was going to get married at 21.”
My heart beat faster as I took the velvet jewelry box and flipped the lid open. Inside was a diamond heart dangling from a silver necklace chain.
Becky and Sammy leaned closer to get a better look.
“Is that real?” Sammy asked as her eyes grew wide.
Becky took it without asking and lifted it up to the light “Oh, it’s real.” She gave it back and I just kept staring at its beauty.
Sammy took another envelope out of the pink box. She handed it to me and I pulled out a beautiful card. Inside it had a birthday wish and in Lucian’s terrible handwriting he had written a message.
“Scare you a bit? Not that I don’t want to marry you. I would be honored one day. I hope you like my gifts and wear the necklace so you will think of me always. See it as my heart and that it is always close to yours, no matter what.” I handed the card over for Sammy and Becky to read.
Sammy helped me with the necklace, while a knock on the door sent Becky flying through the air to see who it was.
George entered our room looking stunning in his tuxedo as he gave Becky a long kiss. He spoke to her in Latin and Sammy just rolled her eyes.
“I’m going to take a long bath,” I said to Becky right after I waved at George.
“Bathe as long as you want. I’m going to plunge myself onto this chair. My feet are killing me.”
“Now you know why I don’t do heels,” I said laughing as I went into the bathroom. I poured in some extra bubble bath and let the taps run full. Only when I was fully covered in the bath, did the knots in my muscles and stomach start to dissipate.
It felt wonderful and I wished that I could lay there forever. For the first ten minutes I just stared at the diamond heart that I held gently suspended in my fingertips. I closed my eyes after the sparkles began to hurt my eyes and my mind relaxed. For the first time, in a long time I didn’t think about anything.
The aroma of the bubble bath seemed to transport me to a peaceful place as my mind began to wander. A picture of a lake with beautiful trees, and a waterfall stood right in front of me. I was so close I could feel the spray of the water as it made contact with the rocks below creating lacey patterns around the leaves floating as if they were performing a choreographed dance around the swirling water. I would have never guessed my mind could create a place as serene and magical as the one before me. Just behind me, a wooden bench suddenly appeared as I felt the urge to sit down. I smiled as I plunged myself onto the warm, soft wood of the bench, lifting my face to the sun and absorbing its warmth. I felt as if I could stay there forever just watching the ducks and swans on the lake and listening to the relaxing bubbling of the waterfall. Suddenly, there was a sharp banging sound that felt as if it was coming from inside my head.
I jumped and water flew over the edges of the porcelain tub as a knock on the door brought me staggering back to reality. The water had long since lost its temperature and was now lukewarm.
“Lucian’s on the phone,” the voice yelled through the closed door.
Lucian….
I got out and carefully wrapped a towel around my body. I wasn’t even close to being finished with my bath and decided to just pour in more hot water once I was off the phone.
Walking into the room, I saw his face illuminating from my Cammy that Becky had placed on my bed.
“Come,” Sammy waved at me as I ran to face him.
The expression on his face looked shocked and surprised as he took me in. For a moment I had forgotten that I was just in a towel.
“You are really spoiling a very good bath,” I joked. “Thank you so much for my gifts. They are beautiful.”
“I’m glad that you are wearing my heart.” He gave me his super sexy smile. “How on earth do you expect me to talk to you like a normal person when you are just wrapped in a towel?”
“Oh, for crying out loud, do you want me to dress first?”
“No, towel is fine.” He wiped at the corners of his mouth playfully.
“What did they say?” I asked as a new warm feeling grew and began spreading in my gut.
“It worked.”
“What!” All of us yelled at him at the same time.
“Are you serious?” I asked a bit loud.
“Dead serious.” He smiled from ear to ear. “They dropped me off at the hotel after the function and only came back about ten minutes ago. I wanted to still argue when my Dad blurted out that it was fine.”
“You’re not getting married anymore?” Becky interrupted.
“King Caleb is going to love that one, but my father said he will speak to him at the next Council meeting.”
“Yes,” I fell on the bed and the Cammy fell to the floor. Sammy and Becky both went for it and we found Lucian chuckling.
“I’m glad you are so happy. I got to go, my Mom’s calling.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you more.”
“I doubt that.”
“Wanna bet? Now get dressed before I climb into a cab.” I watched as his face and glowing smile disappeared from the screen.
“Yay,” Becky and Sammy clapped their hands.
“It’s the greatest news ever.”
“I would love to be a fly on the wall when Daddy tells his poor little Princess the wedding is off.” Sammy buffed her eyes.
“Oh, it’s going to be heartbreaking,” Becky teased too.
“You guys, that’s mean. Even though she deserves it; no need to rub it in.”
“Elena, she’s a cow. She rubbed it in your face every chance she got. I’m glad it’s off.”
“Oh, I’m with you on that last part, Sammy,” I said as I made my way back to the bathroom.
“Seriously?” Becky asked.
“Go out with George, or something,” I said with finality and closed the bathroom door
WHEN I FINALLY got out, Becky was gone and Sammy was sleeping peacefully. I crawled into the bed Becky and I shared as Sammy had completely taken over the other bed. If there was one thing you didn’t want to be near, it was Sammy accidently transforming into her dragon form.
The next morning Becky woke me up to breakfast waiting at a small table outside on the balcony. They had everything I could possibly think of displayed on the table, from scones to bacon and eggs.
I poured a glass of orange juice and quickly joined the girls outside. A stack of newspapers were piled on one of the chairs next to Becky. Curious, I picked up the first one and was face to face with myself standing next to Lucian. Half of them had more or less the same cover, just taken from a different angle. The other half had him kissing me goodbye at the cabby.
“Guess you weren’t kidding when you said a picture of me was worth a lot.” I said to Becky.
“I told you. I should’ve taken a picture.”
“You wouldn’t,” Sammy chirped.
Becky grunt and waved it off.
My Cammy rang again and I laughed as the girls speculated who it could be.
“It might be Blake, for all we know,” Becky said rolling her eyes.
“He’s sober again,” I joke as I went back inside.
“Good morning, sweetheart. No more towel?” Lucian’s face appeared on my Cammy with a fake frown.
“Ha ha. Funny.”
“It was everything except funny. I still had to talk to my mother after that.”
“Oh, shush,” I blushed and he laughed. “They haven’t changed their mind yet?”
“Nope. If school didn’t start so soon, they would’ve invited you to stay here for a couple of days. They asked me so many questions; especially about your father.”
“What did you tell them?”
“What I knew. Christmas is in a couple of months, you could spend it with us.”
“That would be nice.”
King Helmut’s stare from last night suddenly jumped into my mind. “Your father was staring at me last night.”
“It wasn’t really a stare, Elena.”
“No, before. He found me in the crowd during that wonderful speech of Blake’s. He just stared. It was kind of creepy.”
“He stared at you?”
“Yes.”
Lucian had a frown on his face. “Hmph. It must be that then. Maybe you remind him of one of his teenage girlfriends.”
“Haha, did a clown visit you in your dreams last night?”
“No, my dreams are just for you.”
“You are such a flirt.”
“Only when it comes to you. You guys leaving soon?”
“Yes, we are checking out around nine.”
“Just take care, please. I don’t like the way Blake spoke about you last night, and I really don’t want to slay him.”
I laughed. “Did you see the pictures this morning?”
“I told you we make an awesome couple.”
“Yes, you did. Why did I wait so long?” I joked and I couldn’t help smiling as I thought back to the first time I’d met him.
He laughed quietly at my joke as he said goodbye.
Our elevator to Tith was scheduled for around ten. As we walked into the terminal I noticed that the port in Elm was a lot bigger than the one in Tith. Once again, I hated the fact that we couldn’t drive and I so didn’t want to relive that horrible feeling.
Just suck it up, Elena.
The attendant strapped us in again as I took a chair next to Sammy this time.
Sammy smiled at me softly as she sensed my nerves. “You’ll get used to it. Just close your eyes and don’t forget to hold your breath.”
“It doesn’t help, looks like my breakfast will exit the same way it entered.”
As we began moving, I started to say a soft prayer. Now I know why Dad loved rollercoasters so much. Why, why, why couldn’t I remember his stupid stories? I was almost positive they would be filled with rollercoaster elevators and people gliding on raiders.
I closed my eyes as the chairs started to creep closer to the door. I would’ve given anything just to fall into a deep sleep. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, it didn’t take very long for us to reach the shiny metal doors. I could feel my body begin to shake as Sammy grabbed my hand.
When the elevator door closed behind us, we dropped at a break-neck speed. I felt my stomach push up to my ribs and I swallowed hard as I clench my teeth. When we came to a sudden stop, I took a deep breath as I kept thinking over and over, not to let it go.
Then the horrible sting came and to my surprise the sensation of being burned with hot irons didn’t follow. It still hurt like hell, though.
After a couple of seconds it stopped completely.
“You can open your eyes,” Sammy said softly.
I took a deep breath as bile stuck in my throat but the feeling wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time. Sammy looked at me quizzically and handed me a brown paper bag just in case.
“That was actually not so bad, if you compare it to the first time. The breath really does help.” I managed to give her a smile through thin lips.
“See? Next time you are going to yell with excitement.”
I highly doubted that.
We needed to wait in the terminal for the rest of our party to exit, well everyone except Blake. I knew he didn’t like the elevators, but something told me that he was going to disappear every single time he had an episode with me.
Becky and her Mom appeared next, and after a couple of minutes Sir Robert and Isabel followed.
“Thanks, Lucy,” Isabel touch Becky’s Mom’s arm with her one hand while she fixed her hair with the other.
“It was my pleasure. I’m glad that’s over.”
“I do apologize for my son’s behavior,” Sir Robert apologized but still looked disappointed.
“Don’t. Just think how boring it would’ve been if he hadn’t spoken last night? Besides he is the only one that can say what the rest of us are thinking.”
A smile played on the corner of Sir Robert’s lips at her last remark. “You are too kind.”
“Not at all.”
Sammy and I both gave Becky a hug as our paths were going to part once again.
We all grabbed our bags and slowly made our way back to the car. People in the terminal kept staring at me and some even pointed in my direction. All this attention was really making me feel uncomfortable.
“Is something stuck in my teeth?” I asked Sammy softly.
“You’re famous now, let them stare.” She smiled knowingly.
Oh crap, the photos. “I forgot,” I mumbled quietly and tried to ignore the piercing stares.
The ride home was a silent one and we seemed to reach the house in no time. Curiously, Blake didn’t appear to be home yet and all the lights in the house were off as we made our way in to unpack.
Around six, Sir Robert was growling like a bear. Blake was still missing. Sammy glared from underneath her eyelashes as we both gobbled down our dinner to get back to her room as quickly as we could. At nine we could hear Isabel and Sir Robert fighting loudly down the hall.
“I’m sorry about this, Elena. It’s usually not a good sign when Blake stays out like this.”
“Don’t, I feel sorry for your parents. It can’t be easy for them.”
“I feel sorry for my brother. I just hope he doesn’t do anything messed up.”
“It’s going to be okay. He’ll be back before you know it.”
“I hope so.”
As I laid my head down on the pillow, I just hoped that Sir Robert didn’t strike Isabel. I didn’t like womanizers, but then again, you could see the love Sir Robert had for his wife, so I doubted he was capable of it. I fell asleep after their fighting stopped.
As I drifted off, the picture of them fighting changed into me flying again. I followed close behind a Sun-Blast. In the distance, I could see an expansive ocean as I flew over a boiling volcano. It was so real, I could feel the warm heat radiating from it; as it heated my body it felt as if I had been frozen for centuries. The Sun-Blast was a couple of hundred meters in front of me when he stealthily dove into the trees below. I had a strange urgency to follow him into the mass of green foliage.
I watched as he picked up a man who had a small girl dangling from his ankle. Suddenly, the girl fell and was caught in the arms of a young boy standing below her on the forest floor.
A shriek left my mouth, as I watched, it sounded shrilly and horrible. The Sun-Blast looked back at the sound and dropped the man. I watched the unknown man tumble through the air. I couldn’t help but be consumed with strange emotions. It was as if he was my only love, the reason for my existence. He fell until he landed hard in a small clearing. This feeling of love for this man was so deep that watching him struggling to get up his feet made me want to kill every single person on that mountain below for doing this to us.
As I began to make my descent into the mountain to protect this man, I suddenly stopped. I remembered that he had given me a mission and I couldn’t turn away, even for him. My duty was to destroy the sword and now that the task was over, I needed to take out the Sun-Blast. I launched myself into the air and collided with its right side as we spiraled through the air, locked in battle. I thought I finally had him when he followed me to the volcano, but something made him turn back and all I could do was chase him, trying to finish my task.
I darted above the trees behind the young Sun-Blast but he was no match for me.
My eye caught on something happening to my one true love below and when I looked back, I froze in horror. “No!!!!” Another shriek, more demanding than before, made some of the boys down below lookup. My heart broke into a million pieces as I saw ‘my-everything’ turning to dust. Another shrill shriek left my body and I dove forward focusing all my rage at the Sun-Blast that had caused all of this.
I chased him, flying as fast as I could, and began gaining on him quickly near the forest. My belly became warm and the sensation slowly moved toward my throat. A huge bolt of fire escaped my lips and flew with perfect aim at my target. Swerving at the last minute the blow hit the tree in front of the Sun-Blast but before he could compose himself and swerve again, I blew out a second bolt of fire.
It hit him straight in the left wing, throwing him into the air with a violent force. As he started to tumble to the ground he tried flapping his other wing to gain his balance. Without a second thought, I blew out a third bolt hitting him straight in the back. He was falling now and as I gained on him, I clutched him in my huge talons, shredding his scales and skin apart.
Fury gave me extra strength and fueled my assault as I shred one of his wings completely off. He didn’t growl or anything at this last wound as he was too weak to fight me off. They’re always too weak. With the last bite of my gaping jaws I ripped a huge part out his neck, sending a crimson waterfall cascading onto the trees below.
As I let the Sun-Blast fall through my talons, I growled as something hit me from behind. I looked back and saw a Moon-Bolt, his blue scales shimmering in the last rays of the setting sun.
In an instant, a burning so strong crept through my entire body as if I had been plunged into the very core of the volcano, I couldn’t breathe…
I startled awake and found myself safely on a mattress in Sammy’s room. Cold sweat rolled down my temple and my breathing was fast. How many times had I dreamt about Brian, with me taking the other Sun-Blast’s place?
Guilt made me feel sick and I made a run for the bathroom.
When I found the toilet nothing came out but the heaving didn’t stop. I was coughing and breathing in ragged breaths when the light flickered on.
Sammy’s arms wrapped around my body and I started shaking.
“Brian, again?”
I nodded.
“Shhh, it’s going to be fine. You didn’t kill him, Elena.”
“I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m dreaming about killing him.”
“It’s just a dream. Stop blaming yourself otherwise it’s never gonna go away.”
I shook my head. I was responsible for his death. I should’ve never taken him with us that night. I should’ve protested like I wanted to.
Sammy led me back to her room. I sat on her bed and she went to the kitchen to get me a glass of water.
As I listened for her returning footsteps the phone began to ring.
Sir Robert’s voice roared like a mad beast and he was yelling something about a warehouse burning to the ground. He sounded defeated as he yelled at Isabel. How long were they going to fight like this?
Sammy came back into the room slowly. Her eyes were as big as saucers and the water inside the glass spilled around the edges, landing tiny droplets on the floor.
I took the glass from her shaking hands suddenly terrified of the news she carried. “What happened?”
“Blake burned down a warehouse. My father is going to kill him,” she cried painfully.
I pulled her into a hug and held her tight. It was my time to be strong now. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay.”
“No, Elena, it’s not.”
Isabel came into Sammy’s room. She wore the same expression as her daughter. “Elena, you need to pack. I’m so sorry, but you can’t stay here anymore. If Robert comes back with Blake…”
“Don’t. Please. I can handle it.”
“Where do you want her to go, Mom? It’s like two o’clock in the morning.”
Isabel started to cry. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Sammy hugged her Mom.
“I can’t prepare you for what is coming.” She looked at me and then at Sammy. “I’ve never seen your father so upset.”
“I know. He needs one just as bad Mom.”
She nodded and kissed her daughter on the head.
Isabel stayed with us and we all flinched as Sir Robert’s growls and Blake’s cussing came floating in from outside.
We listened to them enter the house and my heart started to pound as things began to break downstairs. Horrible growls and screams filled the house. I covered my ears to try and block it out, but it didn’t help.
Isabel got up, and I took my hands off my ears. The screams grew ten times worse.
“Mom, stay!”
“Your father is going to kill him, I have to go,” she said as she left.
Sammy cried and I couldn’t help but cry with her as my arms just squeezed her tighter.
We listened as Isabel’s voice added to the choirs below as she yelled at Sir Robert.
Both of us jumped from the bed when we heard the front gate open and slam loudly. Instantly, three huge men ran into the yard and pounded urgently on the door.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Sammy looked to the sky.
The screams and beatings stopped as soon as the men entered the house. The men yelled at Sir Robert and dragged him outside the house.
The pictures running through my head of the scene downstairs made my entire body shiver. I grabbed Sammy again and held her for a long time. They were right; I wasn’t ready for something like this.
We didn’t sleep a bit that night and instead watched in silence as the sun peaked over the horizon. For some reason tears just kept rolling over both our cheeks, and by now my shirt was soaked.
“Is your brother…”
“I don’t know?”
At six, we both went downstairs to survey the damage and to discover Blake’s fate. The lounge was strewn across the floor in what looked like a hundred pieces. Cracks and blood ran down the walls like some kind of grotesque wallpaper. I gasped audibly as fear and anger pinned me to the floor.
We found Isabel scrubbing blood from a wall near the kitchen. She was sobbing like a ten year-old that had just been spanked.
“Mom?” Sammy sounded frantic as she ran to her mother side.
No, no, no, Blake can’t be dead.
