I stare at the warrior horrified, while my heart keeps pounding in my chest. No, no; those humans couldn't have killed another Wyvern. This isn't fair, and what royal mage is this man talking about?
"Anyway, let's move my friend. I want to show you the tigers. I know the way, and maybe we can even see the new prisoner too."
I tell Edvard to move, and he finally manages to pull himself together. He knows that the Wyvern shifter who was executed was a man, so his daughter, Aria is still safe inside the temple. Her abilities wouldn't have developed anyway if she hasn’t been around shifters.
"Yes, you're right, let's go," my uncle mutters and then helps the warrior to stand back on his feet. We start walking again, slowly passing the narrow streets that have been built around the mountain. Magic keeps rushing through my veins, and my head still feels heavy, probably from all the opium smog that I inhaled earlier on. It's already pitch-black, and there are barely any humans on the streets.
The warrior starts singing, hanging over my uncle's shoulder, trying to keep up with him. I find it strange calling him my uncle, but the fact is that we are related even if we barely know each other.
We move past the temple, noticing that the entrance inside is tightly shut. The whole village seems deserted, people must have ended their celebration earlier than expected. Unless they moved to a different part of the village.
"This way, this way, my friend. I should be off duty this evening, but I know the secret passage that will lead us to the cellar inside the temple," the warriors says and Edvard nods, looking more alert now. I can't stop thinking about the Wyvern who was executed. It’s sad that I’ll never know his true identity.
Finally, a few minutes later, we stop in front of the empty stables. Once we pass a few small boxed rooms filled with straw. At the end of the long corridor, the warrior pushes against an old rusty door.
"Not many people knows there’s a tunnel connecting the stables to the underground entrance. The General sometimes uses this passage to leave the temple undetected. One of his servants told me about it when we were drinking together."
Once the doors are shut and we’re swallowed by the darkness, my blood pressure starts rising.
"Astri, remove your spell. We don't need that fool anymore," Edvard tells me while the warrior’s trying to stand without falling down again.
My uncle takes a small bag from his side pocket and starts spreading gold powder around. I concentrate on my energy that keeps flowing through me, becoming visible again.
The warrior finally notices me, and then starts screaming, pointing his dirty finger toward me. Edvard knocks him down, unconscious, with one strong punch, and I glance around, hoping that no one heard us.
"Is that fairy dust?" I ask, and feel a drift of cold air coming from my right. Maybe Edvard shouldn't have knocked the warrior out after all, we have no idea what to expect or how many more warriors are guarding the temple inside.
"Yes, it will guide us through the tunnel, come on, let's find Aria," he urges me to follow him. Soon, we both start jogging though the long, wide tunnel.
We pass pools of water, and I keep telling myself that Edvard knows what he’s doing. Soon enough, we enter a large room that looks like a wine cellar. Several bottles are stuck by the wall, and there are other boxes filled with different assortments of cheese. My stomach growls and only now I realise that I haven't eaten since Jorgen was taken away.
He opens the door that luckily isn’t locked and we climb up entering another room. Long, black cloaks are hanging over the rail by the window that’s covered with wooden panels. There are several lamps on the floor lighting the room.
"This must be their prayer room," Edvard explains. "The guard shouldn't remember anything once he wakes up, by which time we’ll be far away from here. You should become invisible again, women don't tend to walk around the temple with men."
I nod, and summon my magic once again, unsure if he should be seen walking around the corridors alone. Aria has been living here for years, and even if she gets her memories back we have no idea if she’ll take the news well or try to turn us in. It’s a gamble either way, but a risk we’ll have to take.
Edvard seems like he doesn't want to waste any time. He grabs one of the cloaks and changes quickly. The earlier potion that he used is still holding, and we should be able to move around the temple without attracting anyone's attention.
Several moments later, we’re moving quickly through the long, dark corridors. All the windows are covered, and the fire torches lighten the space. The temple seems huge, and I sense people around on different levels. My energy sends tingles of heat over my body. I can't sense Jorgen anywhere, and it’s starting to worry me.
"There are other–"
"Shhh, someone is coming," he says, cutting me off. Moments later, he drops his head and continues moving. A bunch of warriors walk past us, but none of them pays any attention to Edvard. They can't see me, and it looks like my uncle’s plan is working to our advantage so far.
We reach an open space with a few corridors leading in several different directions.
We spot a few women heading towards one of the rooms. Edvard stops around the corner.
"Hold on. I think we need to follow them. Those women are part of Aria's congregation. They are under the general's protection," he tells me, looking anxious.
"Okay, but we have to be careful. I'm sensing a weak shifter presence around here, and that's impossible. This place should be filled with humans," I explain.
Jorgen isn't a mage, so I know it's not him. His energy is unique and I can recognise it anywhere.
"If anything goes wrong, use your fire magic, Astri. You must protect Aria no matter what," he says. "And that story about another Wyvern doesn't sound right. I have a bad feeling about this, and something is telling me that Ruscal might be involved too."
I'm not sure if this is such a good idea. I’ve lost control before and I'm too anxious to use it again, but right now Edvard doesn't need to know any of that. Moments later, we follow the group of women that walked through the door, heading into a large open plan room. There’s at least a dozen humans inside.
"The sisters are used to the warriors because they’re always around. If everything goes according to plan, no one should even notice me. We just need to get Aria out of there," Edvard says, looking around desperately, probably searching for her. It must have been hard for him to leave his only child with humans. It's been years and she probably looks different now. I can only hope that he can recognise her.
I clench my fists, thinking about Ruscal again. He destroyed so many other lives with his hatred for the Wyvern line. He doesn't deserve being treated humanely, and he has to pay for all of his sins no matter what happens to me or Edvard.
We carry on through another door and the strong smell of lavender wafts around.
There’s a small pool in the centre of the room, steam evaporates along the edges and there’s at least five women sitting inside, talking to each other. Everyone seems very relaxed, even all the other women who are walking around with trays filled with fruit and glasses of wine. They all wear long, white cotton tunics and black bonnets on their heads. I hear soft, slow music playing and instantly feel rising heat within me. The whole room is very light and all of the windows are shaded, not allowing any sunlight in during the day.
I smile, wanting to become visible again, so all the women will notice me. I desire to be one of them; to lounge in the pool and taste delicious wine. They’re all so beautiful, and their skin is soft in a warm shade of coffee. The sisters bow to a few ladies in the pool and offer them the food. Their voices bring me back to the room; sweat starts dripping down my face and I feel drained.
"Astri, for Hommis, where are you?" Edvard hisses, still standing by the door, frowning with confusion.
"Sorry, something happened. I felt so–"
"You have to be careful. Those are the nymphs from the River Savage. The General keeps them inside the temp
le and sometimes he uses them to entice shifters to his land. You mustn’t fall into their spell. I have protective spells inside me, so I'm immune,” he explains quickly, and then goes quiet when one of the sisters in a black bonnet approaches us.
"Greetings brother," she says with a smile, while I'm fighting with my need to get closer to the nymphs. My skin’s heated and I never realised that nymphs could be so beautiful. For some reason, I can't take my eyes off of them, as they laugh and talk, swimming in the pool. "How can I assist you?"
"Sister Aria has an urgent message. I’ve been asked to fetch her," Edvard explains and I clench my fists, trying to deal with the heat that’s slowly melting me from the inside out.
No, no, no this isn't the time to experience the effects of being in heat. Jorgen isn't even around nor any other shifter that I’m not related to. What the hell is wrong with me?
Sweat starts surging down my face, and I'm afraid that my invisibility spell might just stop working. Edvard needs to hurry up.
I can already sense the tension rolling off his body when the sister calls the tall girl from the other side of the room.
My hand wanders off to my pocket, I still have Alex's potion on me, and I only need a drop to ease off the symptoms. Their enticing smells send thrilling waves of excitement throughout my body.
A few of the nymphs raise their head and look in my direction, and for some reason I know that they can see me. They whisper to each other, pointing at me… and Edvard really needs to hurry up. The invisibility spell might not hold up, and I can feel their energy radiating from them, drifting towards me in slow steady beats.
Then the tall girl looks directly at me, raising her eyebrows and for the first time in my life I know that I'm staring at another female Wyvern shifter. She has typical ocean blue eyes and light blond hair. Her energy crackles over my hand, spitting invisible white fire into the air. She’s a true Wyvern and it doesn't matter that she’s half human, because we’re instantly connected.
She doesn't seem to acknowledge her father at all, so we’re lucky, Edvard's potions have kept her in the temple bubble this entire time. The other sister leaves and I nudge Edvard, trying to hurry him along.
"Please sister, come with me, I have an urgent message for you," he blurts out, most likely aware that the nymphs have noticed me. My invisibility spell might not be as effective as I thought.
A minute later, we all leave the strange room and head through the long corridor. My head pounds like a drum, but I keep moving my feet, telling myself that the nymphs are using their magic to trap me. I dig a small flask from my pocket and drink a little, praying for it to work.
Edvard turns abruptly to the left and then opens the door to the first empty room we come to. There are a few tables and chairs inside. I smell the furniture polish and then feel a little relieved. Alex’s potion must be finally taking effect, because my energy’s not tearing me apart.
Edvard keeps checking his pocket and I remove my invisibility spell. Aria notices me and backs away to the door. Then she glances at her father with confusion, who walks up to her placing a small flask with golden liquid into her hands.
"You must drink this child, deep down you must trust me," he says with desperation in his voice. She looks down at the flask, probably not understanding any of it, then glances at me again.
The silence spreads over several long seconds, then uneasiness settles in my stomach. I have no idea what Edvard must have been thinking, Aria isn’t going to drink some random potion.
"Only because you asked me brother," she says and then lifts the flask, drinking the gold liquid that supposed to turn her into a Wyvern and return her memories.
Chapter Eleven
The General.
I watch as Aria swallows the magical liquid, then stares between the two of us for a long while with an indifferent, yet twisted look on her face. I’ve never had a real family, and I don't really know how I’m supposed to behave around them. I waited eleven years to been able to remember my parents, to know what kind of life I had before Ruscal took it all away. Right now, I'm staring at a girl who’s my true cousin, and I know that she would’ve loved me for who I was no matter what.
Tension pours into the room and I can practically hear Edvard's heart beating frantically in his chest. The magic spreads faster than I expect, and I sense when Aria's energy suddenly begins waking up. My gut twists with unease, as I try to keep still. Moments later, Aria widens her eyes, and all colour drains from her face. She’s most likely beginning to realise that her life has been one, giant lie.
She backs away from us towards the wall and parts her lips.
"Aria, just stay calm child, and let me explain everything."
She’s far from being calm, because all of a sudden she starts screaming as loud as she can. I should’ve known that this was going to happen; that Edvard was way too positive about this whole thing. She starts touching her face and tangling her hair in a fit of rage. This is a complete disaster, someone is bound to hear her and we’re running out of time as it is.
Edvard approaches her and starts telling her that she needs to be quiet, that everything’s going to be all right. Shock riddles me speechless, because I have no idea what to do, things are getting out of control. We can't get caught, because Jorgen has no chance of pulling through without us and I owe this to him. I'm not even surprised that Aria’s reacting this way. After all, she’s spent the past eight years locked in the temple, believing herself to be one of the sisters.
After some time, Edvard manages to calm her down. I started sensing mages and other creatures nearby, in a place that’s only supposed to be filled with humans. The walls are thick, but someone must have heard her screaming. We need to start moving, otherwise warriors might start snooping through the corridors, and then we’re truly going to be screwed.
"I can't believe that you left me in here all alone when I was still only a child," she cries, hugging Edvard and I feel like an outsider, ruining their moment. I keep glancing at the door, expecting warriors to barge in here at any second, and yet my own heart’s bursting with joy that the two of them are finally reunited.
"I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, but I had no other choice. Your life was threatened and I knew that if I left you under Ming's protection, you would be safe. I wanted to come for you sooner, but I was too afraid of losing you," he keeps saying and I know that I probably would’ve done the same thing if I had a child. My mother and father sacrificed their lives because they wanted to protect me too. I would give away all of my magic and lose my dragon, just so I could see them again.
Aria pushes him away, and then starts hitting him in another fit of rage, screaming at the same time.
"You shouldn't have left me in here. I always knew that I didn't fit into this life or with the people around me, but I couldn't leave. I don't understand how you could do this to me?" she shouts and keeps punching him, as more hot tears keep streaming down her cheeks.
My uncle isn’t reacting for some reason, he allows her to hit him, probably filled with remorse and overwhelming guilt.
"Aria, you have to calm down, otherwise someone’s going to hear us. Besides, you're not the only one who’s been stuck in limbo for years. Your father forced my human aunt and uncle to take care of me, and they weren't exactly good people," I explain, trying not to be angry, but my thoughts are racing. This entire thing is happening too fast. "They treated me like an outcast; like their personal maid and never once showed me any love or affection."
She stopped punching her father and stares at me for a very long moment.
"You look a lot like me," she states.
"She’s your cousin, Aria, and her name is, Astri. Until tonight, she had no idea that you ever existed. It's a long story, but General Ming captured the Duke of Rivenna and we’re trying to free him. Only recently, was it safe for me to come out of hiding. Things started to change and you can't even imagine how badly I wanted to see you; how much I’ve missed you," Edvard says,
telling her briefly about my confrontation with Ruscal and what happened to Jetli.
I keep pacing around, knowing that Edvard should be more conscious of the time. Then I realise that I’m no longer burning up, and the effects of the heat are slowly dying down.
Once her father’s done with mine and his story, she walks up and hugs me. This sudden affection is unexpected but our energies are already bonding us together. My heart leaps into my throat, as nervous waves of energy slide through me, making my fingers tingle. She looks a lot like me, and I'm tormented with emotions. She’s another female Wyvern shifter, even if only half of her genes are magical.
"Oh Astri, I'm so glad that you're here with my father. I'm so sorry that I upset you. My life in the temple, amongst humans wasn't that bad," she tells me and Edvard exhales with relief. Her energy’s already growing, and I know how she’s feeling. I remember the first time when I realised that I could shift. It was like taking a breath of fresh air, sadness was suddenly eked away, replaced with a low buzz of energy, humming in the back of my skull. It was an incredible feeling and Aria’s just about to experience it.
"This is all great and moving, but we really need to get going. Besides, I'm pretty much certain that the nymphs sensed me," I say once she pulls away from me.
"They feed on human emotions and the general enjoys spending time with them," Aria explains. "They’re only dangerous if there are shifters around, like this morning. One of them nearly killed a guard."
I shudder with repulsion knowing that Jorgen and I arrived several hours earlier. Maybe the nymphs sensed us, and that's why the warriors were in the forest. Now all of this starts making sense.
"Astri’s right, we should go," Edvard says, like he finally realises that we need to stick to our plan. "Aria, do you know how to get down to the holding cells?"
It's dark outside and we need to get to Jorgen before morning, otherwise this entire plan might collapse. Aria's eyes brighten up and she seems excited again. It seems like she’s already forgotten that she spent the last eight years living her life as someone else.