I was surprised the private collector never enquired about it again. After that, my uncle put the cup in the display cabinet in the living room. He enjoyed telling whoever was willing to listen, that the cup was a rare antique, worth a fortune. I always knew the cup belonged to me, but my uncle considered it as payment for my surgery. On top of that, he never gave back the money the antique dealer paid him all those years ago. He’s a greedy, horrible, little man.
“I’ll send an urgent message around to mages in other parts of the Eastern World,” the voice of the female shifter says, bringing me back to reality. “Maybe someone has it in their possession.”
“The cup is rare and even if anyone has it, there isn’t enough time, Diana. It’s been a long battle. Maybe it’s time to accept this is the end,” Jorgen admits, with a heavy voice. He looks away and my heart kicks me in my chest. I drag my eyes up, knowing I should enjoy this moment, seeing him so lost and filled with grief, but I don’t. On the contrary, I’m saddened by his news.
The Dragon cup belongs to me. My aunt and uncle had no right to keep it. I’ve never claimed it back, thinking they would eventually hand it over when I turned eighteen. Oh, how naïve I was. They never cared about me—only the money I handed in every month. I need to do something, to stand up to them and take what’s mine for once in my life.
“Oh, Jorgen, have faith. Maybe the healers will find a way to help him. He’s been in this situation before. I think we should pray to Hommis. The God of the Eastern World will listen to us,” Diana says.
It looks like Diana must have feelings for the duke. I recognise the way she looks at him; the heat in her eyes is so apparent. Emilia was wrong. The duke isn’t as lonely as everyone believes him to be.
“The cup can save him, but for now we have to pray for a miracle,” Jorgen adds and Diana nods. Soon they both disappear and I stand by the wall thinking about my own conscience.
I participated in this stupid contest in order to win it, eventually planning on making him pay for what he’s done to me. Now, I have to ignore the fact his own father is dying and I’m the only one who can help him. My aunt and uncle have no use for the cup and it belongs to me anyway, but I know they won’t just hand it over.
I sacrificed my mother’s necklace in order to get those crystals. Right now, I have nothing more to lose, but if I heal his father, then I’ll grow in his eyes. This is the perfect opportunity to get closer to him.
Five minutes later, I head back to my chamber and remove the invisibility spell. My thoughts are already racing, but doubts start creeping in. It’s just before two a.m. and there’s nothing stopping me from heading over to my aunt and uncle’s home right away.
“Astri, why are you not asleep?” Lenin asks, rubbing his eyes. I’m surprised he’s awake, because he can normally sleep through an earthquake. It’ll be easier if the Pixies don’t tag along this time.
“Nothing, Lenin, just go back to sleep. I need to go out for a bit,” I say, putting my jeans on and a hoodie that stinks of sulphur. The smell from the troll must have transferred onto some of my clothes. Yuck. I should’ve toasted him when I had the chance.
“I’m not tired anymore, Astri. I’ve slept enough. Why are you getting dressed?”
I don’t answer him, knowing it’s going to be much easier if I do this on my own. No one will see me, especially if I use my new ability to get inside my aunt and uncle’s home.
“I just need to head over to the shop. I’ll be back in no time. Just go back to sleep, Lenin.” Then Jetli wakes up too and stretches her tiny hands above her head. There’s only so many lies I can sell to Lenin; he always knows when I attempt to cover the truth. The Pixies can sense if I’m angry or happy. We’ve been friends for several years now.
“We’re coming along, just in case you get into trouble,” he announces and Jetli nods enthusiastically.
I roll my eyes, knowing I won’t be able to keep them away. Arguing with them is futile.
“All right, fine. I’m not heading over to the shop,” I say, slightly pissed off I have to get them involved. The Pixies don’t judge, they’re loyal and they want to help me. Jorgen might be evil, but his father is still a wonderful man. I have to help him.
Shortly after, I go over what I overheard in the corridor. Lenin automatically agrees I should’ve taken the cup years ago, because it always belonged to me.
“All right, just don’t rub it in, Lenin,” I say, furrowing my brow, when we sneak through the door of my chamber. I know he’s right, but I had no backbone before. I was afraid.
I concentrate on my invisibility spell as we move between the castle walls. Maybe I’m doing this more for myself than Jorgen. My parents are already dead and I can’t get them back. At least he still has a chance.
For some reason, I think about what Emilia said. The duke needs a wife, someone who would take care of him, and Diana’s obviously ready to take on the role. I don’t know why it bothers me, but it does. Is it jealousy? I’m not thinking about this right now.
“I don’t know, Astri. Maybe you’re getting too involved. I know the cup is yours—it’s always been yours. Those buffoons had no right to steal it from you,” Lenin starts saying while we’re walking through a narrow staircase towards the exit.
“Shhhh, keep it down. What if someone overhears us?” I hiss.
“Nah, chill, man. No one is going to be up this early in the morning,” Lenin laughs and then I stop, certain I heard something. I look up, waiting for someone to appear, but only silence answers me. It must be my nerves. No one is able to see me, but it doesn’t mean they won’t be able to sense me.
I swallow hard, rubbing the skin on my fingers. My scar is stinging again, but the pain drifts back and forth. I’ve learned to live with it and sometimes the scar just likes to remind me—“hey, I’m here!”
I swear, it’s as if it takes on a mind of its own.
“See, you’re just being oversensitive. Let’s just get to town, steal the cup and get back,” Lenin tells me. “No one will know.”
I don’t say anything, thinking about the competition again. I don’t want to disappoint Lenin, but maybe I never stood a chance. Soon I might be forced to stay in Emilia’s shop. After the contest is over, our life in the castle will just be a distant memory. Sebastian’s still holding onto the number one spot and he’s not playing fair. I need to snap out of it. Two can play this game. He’s only in first place because he’s cheating; otherwise it would be me. Obviously, he’s intimidated by me or he’d be able to win by his own merit. I need to hold on to the rage and use it. He can’t win against me if I don’t let him.
We manage to get out undetected, passing a few sleeping guards outside. At least for once Lenin knows when to keep quiet. The silence in the courtyard makes me a little nervous, but I keep going. The hair on the back of my neck rises and I start to think someone is following us. I keep glancing behind me, feeling a little paranoid.
The castle is situated on a hill and it takes me over half an hour to reach town. I haven’t been on the streets since the contest began, so it feels odd walking around. It’s late, and everyone’s asleep. I jog all the way to the human side of the city and something in my stomach turns when I think about them for a moment.
My aunt and uncle’s house is one of the biggest on their street and they always like pointing it out to their neighbours or friends. Beatrice once told me her father built it for her when she married Richard. It was their wedding present. I’ve spent enough unhappy years inside to know my aunt’s a certified liar who makes things up in order to feel superior.
Being invisible has its perks, because even this late at night, many humans would still look out the window, hoping to see someone doing something wrong. It’s just the way people are around here. Everyone wants to avoid any kind of scandal.
“This is going to be a piece of cake, Astri, stealing that cup. It’s still in the living room, right?” Lenin asks, and Jetli’s flying around. They’re checking if there?
??s anyone on the street or in the window.
Over the past eleven years, I used the back entrance, because my aunt and uncle didn’t want the neighbours to see or talk about me. It was easier for them to tell everyone I was just one of their maids, not their real niece.
I stand in front of my old home and wonder if I’m doing the right thing. I feel awful, stealing from them, but the cup has always belonged to me. It’s not really stealing—it belonged to my parents and should’ve been given to me years ago. Right now, someone else needs it more than I do. I walk in, telling myself they won’t even know I’ve taken it.
Chapter 16
Breaking the rules
My aunt and uncle have no idea I still have a key to their back door. They literally told me I will never be welcome back into their home, and we haven’t spoken with each other since the day I left with everything I ever owned. I’m surprised they didn’t change the locks.
Their house is filled with many valuable possessions and whenever they’re away they set the security alarm. I quietly open the door and walk inside. The silence rings in my ears as I walk through the dark hallway in the back. The stairs on my right lead down to the basement; the room reminds me why I’ll never miss living here.
In the beginning after I returned from the hospital, my aunt told me I could stay in one of the bedrooms upstairs. I was happy with the space, and the room was bright and cozy. Everything was fine until I started having nightmares. Then my uncle moved me down to the old basement. Apparently, my screaming kept waking him up late at the night.
I was scared, sleeping there the first time—petrified, and I ended up crying almost all night. The nightmares continued and I couldn’t control it, but my aunt and uncle never understood after such a traumatic event I was damaged, but they never even tried to get me help. I hate this place.
I move past the main rooms and find myself in the main part of the house. The old wooden floors are squeaking. I have to stop a few times just to make sure they’re still fast asleep upstairs. The house is old, filled with antiques and expensive furniture. My aunt enjoys spending and flaunting her money, bragging to her friends about her latest treasures when they come over for afternoon tea.
“I can hear your aunt’s snoring even from here. She must have worked so hard today,” Lenin says sarcastically, and I roll my eyes, grinning.
My aunt always used to say it was such hard work bringing me up; she had to sacrifice so much. What did she sacrifice? A few days of shopping here and there? I can’t help but roll my eyes. Again. I swear, I’m staying in a perpetual eye roll these days. I assume freedom and a new backbone does that when your eyes are fully open and you’re no longer cowering in a corner.
“I get it, Lenin, but just be quiet for a minute,” I say, passing the kitchen. The two maids who work for my aunt and uncle don’t sleep in the house. They come in the morning and leave late at night. Over the past eleven years, she must have fired at least twenty maids. Most of them say my aunt is just too demanding and rude. They’re right. Beatrice has a difficult personality. Understatement of the year…
I walk inside the spacious living room, and my heart starts racing. The magical energy radiates from me, drifting around the walls. Two leather chesterfield sofas are placed in the centre of the room. My aunt’s glasses are still on the table, and I’m beginning to have second thoughts.
They might not notice the cup missing at first, but they will eventually and I’ll be the first person they’ll suspect.
“Come on, Astri. What are you waiting for? Just get the cup and let’s bail out of here,” Lenin says, flying around me.
“Hold on. Don’t rush me. This is a delicate operation,” I say, thinking about Jorgen and my scar. His father probably has no idea his son’s a cold-blooded murderer.
I try to clear my head, then take my shoes off and walk barefoot on the pricey rug my uncle imported from abroad. The floor is far too squeaky in some places, so I don’t want to take any chances being heard upstairs.
The cup is still in the same place, shining in the glass cupboard with other pricey items my aunt’s been collecting for years. I remember once I nearly dropped a statue of an angel when I was cleaning it. After that, my aunt gave me a long lecture about the importance of respecting other people’s property. From then on, I never touched their stuff again.
My hands are shaking when I open the glass cabinet and reach for the cup. Despite the fact my aunt and uncle treated me badly for years, I kind of understand it must have been difficult for them, a shifter child suddenly dumped on them. They’re just humans and afraid of magic. On top of that, my mother was my aunt’s cousin. Beatrice had often said she didn’t understand how she could’ve been related to someone like my mother.
Then again, they didn’t have to be so cruel. I shouldn’t feel bad. I hate flipping back and forth, but it’s hard to stay focused after so many years hiding from my own shadow. I just have to remember why I left and what my mission is. One of these days, my emotions will catch up with my brain—if I live long enough. Damn Sebastian and his tricks.
I don’t have time to think about this right now, the cup is distracting me, beaming with magical energy and my dragon senses it. The creature inside me stirs, and my breathing speeds up.
“It’s beautiful, Astri, and it belonged to your parents,” Lenin whispers somewhere close to my ear.
I smile to myself, then touch the cup. In the exact same moment, the security alarm that shouldn’t have been set, goes off throughout the entire house. Shit!
Panic erupts inside me. I need to get the hell out of here. Moments later, I hear banging coming from upstairs.
“Astri, come on, let’s get out of here. The humans are coming,” Lenin shouts and I turn around, ready to run when my uncle barricades the doors. He’s breathing hard, holding his chest, his face is purple.
“Beatrice, I caught her. She’s come back—the caller was right. She’s trying to steal from us!” my uncle shouts, glaring at me with fury.
I stand there, unable to move, thinking someone must have sold me out. It also takes me a few seconds to figure out I’m no longer invisible. The spell faded?
I must have removed it when I entered the house. Nerves maybe? Damn. Double damn.
My uncle walks into the room, still breathing heavily and starts switching on all the lights. My Welsh Pixies are flying above me. Lenin shouts and screams for me to make myself invisible again, but it’s too late. I’m in enough trouble as it is, and my aunt and uncle might freak out if I suddenly disappear right in front of their eyes. Besides, no one is supposed to know I can become invisible.
My aunt steps into the room, wearing her favourite red dressing gown. She hands Richard a gun and my eyes almost pop out of their sockets. I can’t believe they’re ready to shoot me. I just have to be honest with them. Lies won’t get me anywhere. The cup is mine and this wouldn’t have happened if they’d given it back to me years ago.
“The police are on their way, you stupid girl. You’ve crossed the line this time. You’ll rot in prison for trying to steal from us,” Richard snarls, as he walks up to me and snatches the cup away. My heart pounds loudly in my chest while I try to diminish my energy that’s bouncing around the room.
“What do you want me to do, Astri? They can’t see us,” Lenin says. “Do you want me to distract them so you can run?”
I shake my head slightly. Lenin and Jetli need to let me deal with this. Richard and Beatrice are furious, but they should know I’m done being pushed around.
“The cup is mine. It belonged to my parents and you have no right to keep it,” I finally say with a firm, calm voice. “I can’t steal something that’s mine to begin with,” I continue. I’ve never been anything other than respectful to him, but the old, shy and quiet Astri is gone for good. He needs to understand the cup belonged to my parents and was meant for me, not his greedy arse. He had no right to confiscate it.
Then, my aunt walks up to me and slaps me hard, her
eyes slide over my scarred cheek.
“Watch your tongue, Astri. We have given you a home, taken you under our wing and this is how you repay us, by stealing from us?” she asks, almost shaking with anger. Her face looks so old and wrinkled without makeup in the dim light. My cheek starts to burn and Lenin’s ready to use his own magic to teach my aunt a lesson. He needs to calm down. He knows the rules and his magic is quite limited around humans.
“I’m done being pushed around by the two of you. The cup isn’t yours. Uncle sold it a long time ago and received a lot of money for it, but the cup came back,” I add, trying not to shout, but it’s difficult, considering how furious I am. “It was an inheritance from my parents.”
“That amount was nowhere near enough. We spent a fortune on you. You would be nothing without us, with that hideous scar of yours. And now you’ll suffer the consequences of your actions,” Richard says, smiling viciously.
“You keep saying I’m nothing without you–you should’ve never “saved” me. Why did you? I was just a little girl. I never asked you for a damn thing, yet you keep what’s mine and say my debt can never be repaid? This cup is magical and belongs to the dragons. You have no right to keep it. And even if I asked nicely you wouldn’t have given it to me,” I say, not knowing why I had been so afraid to speak up in the past. I’m a Wyvern, a dragon shifter and they’re humans who have no magic in them. For years, I put up with their degrading insults and absurd rules. It’s time to put a stop to it. “Duke Jorgen’s father is dying and only the cup can save his life. It has magical powers, but you don’t understand any of it.”
“Shifters and silly magic mean nothing to us. Jorgen isn’t the legitimate ruler of Rivenna,” Beatrice says, laughing. “And you’re an ungrateful, little thief. I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve stolen from us. My pearls went missing the same day you moved out.”