A moment later I hear Pollock, and he’s talking to someone else.
“I’m doing what I can,” I hear him saying. My head’s throbbing with excruciating pain and I channel my energy to connect with my Pixies. Jorgen’s glamour may hold, and he’s not important to Pollock, but the duke still doesn’t have his dragon. If he’s not released in time, things could get really bad…
The other person says something, but his voice is muffled.
“No, you can’t just expect me to strangle her,” he adds and my heart plummets to my stomach, beating in overdrive. Maybe that’s the reason the Governor brought me all the out way here and tied me up–he’s being led by someone else–someone who wants me dead. Strong fire magic blazes over my skin and I see a bright blue light. Sweat gathers over my brow as I fight with myself to release more magic. Seconds later, Pollock comes back to the cell.
“Who were you talking to you? And what’s going on here?” I shout, done being calm.
“I said earlier we weren’t done, now we are,” he says and puts the phone on the floor, then takes his jacket off. He approaches me and I notice his eyes and in that moment, I realise he’s been poisoned with black magic.
Chapter 11
Death song.
“All right, I think you have this all wrong. Let’s talk about Jorgen’s plans. I suddenly remember what he said during our meetings,” I say with desperation, trying to move away from him, but the ropes are so tight, preventing me from doing anything.
Pollock’s eyes are filled with darkness and his poisonous magic is trying to reach inside my beast. Someone must have charmed him when he was outside the door or the spell had been channel through a messenger. I try to figure out what’s going on and why someone else is using the Governor to get to me. The darkness drifts from his body–I feel thousands of invisible threads slowly tightening around me. He rubs his hands together and I pull my wrists, thinking about my deadly fire song. The Warlock gave me another chance to use it, but it’s a huge risk. Last time I nearly died, and I have no idea what might happen now. However, I don’t want to die tonight–not by Pollock’s hand.
“Where are the other Wyvern creatures?” he asks, spraying me with spit. I shake my head, no idea why he’s asking about the others. Everyone knows I’m the only Wyvern left in Rivenna.
“I have no idea–my clan is dying, and I don’t know my other family,” I say. Pollock grabs his hair and starts tangling it like he’s in great pain, releasing steady vibes of dark magic. He’s got it bad. Whoever spelled him is controlling him like a puppet.
He roars and then moves closer to my face. I feel his heavy breath on my cheek, sensing his fear.
“Useless. You’re useless and a worthless creature. You must die,” he whispers and then punches me. I must pass out for a good few seconds, then the world spins all around me. Blood pours from my nose and he grabs my neck, moving his sweaty face so close to mine that I see my own bloodied face in his eyes.
I stare at him, seemingly frozen in fear, knowing I don’t stand a chance unless I use my deadly fire.“I’m going to make this very painful for you unless you tell me what I want to hear,” he snarls, then slaps me again. “Where are the creatures who possess the fire magic? You know the location of other Wyverns. Tell me or suffer!”
Blood drips down onto my lap, and I’m shaking, trying to tear the ropes.
“I can’t tell you something I don’t know. Please let me go,” I say, but he shakes his head, tangling his hair again.
I should’ve known Pollock wasn’t working on his own. Someone must have found out I went to the Warlock, but who?
The Governor starts kicking me in the stomach and I fall backwards, hitting my head on the wooden floor. The pain immobilises me and I’m still tied to the damn chair. Then Pollock comes at me from the other side and starts shaking me.
“You’re one of them. The last piece of the puzzle. How did you survive?” he roars and I taste blood in my mouth. I might not get out of here alive. His words hit me like another punch to the gut–the same familiar words from the mage who killed my parents and turned my fire magic against me. “The last piece of the puzzle.”
He continues torturing and beating me and I lose track of time–he asks pointless questions one after another–I don’t respond.
Over and over again–the cycle repeats.
I drift away for some time, my limbs are numb and the fire magic brews deep in my core. The beast wants to be unleashed. My magic brings death, but do I have any other choice right now?
It’s either me or Pollock. Someone must have fed him with poisonous magic before we left the old mill, but then he was talking to someone outside the door. I feel tingling all over my arms, and hear buzzing inside my ears. If the Governor keeps hurting me, then I won’t be able to stop my fire from lashing out.
“Tell me about others? Where are they hiding!” he shouts, shaking me, but I still don’t respond.
Wild energy floods into my blood stream, coursing and rising inside me. I see flames, smell the burning flesh, telling myself I can’t die in here. Pollock’s still shouting in my face, spraying me with spit, while my fire magic continues to spread, escaping through my pores.
The fire injects me with strength and I shake my head, telling myself I don’t want to use it. My skin’s vibrating, and I clench my fists behind me, seeing exploding light everywhere.
Somehow I manage to pull the ropes loose, releasing my deadly fire magic–it’s dormant no longer.
Pollock starts screaming, holding his head and backing away from me.
I wipe the blood from my nose, standing up and massaging my wrists. My fire song dances along the surface of my skin, and Pollock drops to the floor, screaming louder. I bend my neck from one side to the other.
“You shouldn’t have touched me, now I can’t control my fire song anymore,” I whisper, approaching him. The mage on the floor is screaming with agony, alight with flames.
His body burns and I stand in front of him mesmerised, holding fire on top of my palm.
I try to pull away, try to stop myself from inflicting more pain, but my deadly fire song takes over.
My magic spreads everywhere, soon the flames are covering the cabinets along the walls and floor, and then other shifters barge inside. They cough, attempting to barge through the flames, but it’s too late now. Pollock stops fighting, burning alive as the fire hisses, buzzing in my ears.
Three of them collapse, trying to crawl towards the door, but they’re going to die as well.
I walk past them inhaling the smoke, feeling no pain, unable to stop myself from hurting them. The fire spreads everywhere causing destruction, and everything around me starts falling. The flames are consuming everything in its wake–the bodies of shifters who worked for the Governor will soon be nothing but ash.
I head out, passing the dark narrow corridors and lifting my hand. The door explodes and the building begins falling apart. I walk outside finally shutting down my fire magic. I fall to my knees, coughing and spewing until my lungs are clear and I’m able to breathe normally.
I back away from the building, seeing flames, consuming the entire space, radiating in the tar darkness.
I have no idea how much time passes, but at some point, I begin sobbing uncontrollably. I killed them all–destroyed their magic with my fire. The realisation of what I’ve done washes over me, and overwhelming sadness slips into the depths of my soul.
“For Hommis,” I whisper to myself, touching my swollen face, and feeling dried blood everywhere. My ribs are bruised and if I breathe in too much my chest aches. Pollock gave me no other choice. It was either him or me, and I chose to live.
I glance around, trying to figure out where the hell I am, but the territory seems unfamiliar. Right in front of me, rocky hills spread in the distance. The air’s dry and the temperature keeps dropping. I might be miles away from Rivenna. Pollock’s men kept me unconscious on the train and I have no idea how long we were travelling.
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Grief shatters my vision and I keep sobbing, still watching how my own fire destroys the silent prison and burns the corpses of my captors. I didn’t want to kill him, but he kept pushing me to tell him about others who don’t exist as far as I know.
I have to shift and find my way back to Rivenna. I wonder what’s happening to my Pixies and Jorgen.
“Calm down, Astri and pull yourself together. Pollock would’ve killed you eventually if you didn’t release your fire,” I say to my own stupid self.
The Warlock changed me–unlocking my fire magic. She must have foreseen my future along with my past, knowing I would need it again. But why help me–a Wyvern creature, she’s supposed to kill?
She saw the real me, the broken girl and decided to give me another chance. I start moving through the cold, dry land, leaving the burning building behind me. Pollock must have had orders to take me here, away from civilisation. I’m surrounded by desert, waiting for the mounting pain in my head to pass. There might be other shifters in the area, but I have no idea where I am. I need to get back to the city as soon as possible and find Jorgen.
He must be back in his true form by now, and I shouldn’t be worried about him. Pollock must have been watching the old mill for some time or someone reported back to him when I showed up in the area.
Harsh, dry wind blows in my face and I reach out for my inner beast. Soon my body starts changing, bones are getting longer and wider. Rippling energy crushes my inner fire, and I bend down breathing hard, waiting for my transformation to take full effect. I grow, changing shape, transforming into my red dragon.
Several long moments later, I spread my wings, releasing my fire and feeling the freedom as I rise up into the sky.
It feels so good to become a Wyvern again, letting my beast take control. All the pain’s gone and for a moment it’s only me versus nature. I rise higher and higher moving through the clouds.
Eventually my dragon finds the way home. I head towards the north, connecting with the magic living inside the mountains.
Soon, the weather takes a turn for the worse and rains pours down. Then thunder and lightning breaks throughout the sky and I lower myself down, knowing I’m still several miles away from home.
An hour later my dragon’s getting tired, but in the horizon I see the Decaying Mountains, drifting lower and lower. I must have been gone for hours, now the streets of the city are empty–it must late.
I touch down on the grounds and shift back into my human form. My muscles are stiff, my entire face is aching and I suspect my jaw is broken. I lie on the wet grass for several minutes, accumulating energy. That bastard Pollock is dead, and in some ways I’m glad he’s not going to cause any more trouble.
I get up and start walking towards the castle until at least a dozen guards surround me.
“Who are you and where do you come from, Wyvern creature?” barks one of the guards standing to my right, pointing a flash light at me.
“It’s me, Astri, the duke’s assistant,” I say too exhausted to start explaining to them what happened.
“Yes, that’s her. I recognise the blond hair,” snaps another one. “What happened to your face, shifter girl?”
“It’s a long story. I need to speak to the duke right away,” I say and move past them. They’re staring at me, but I have to find out what’s happening with Jorgen. Lenin has anxiety and he can’t be locked up in small spaces for too long. He’s probably freaking out.
The guards follow me, talking about me but I don’t care. I keep walking, aware I need to wash the blood away, before someone else sees me.
“Astri, for Hommis what happened to your face?”
It looks like Thayer returned from his trip sooner than I expected. He’s staring at me horrified, dressed in a black suit.
“It’s a long and complicated story. It was Pollock, but luckily he’s not going to hurt anyone else anymore,” I explain.
“Jorgen’s going crazy, he’s been looking everywhere for you. And your Pixies,” he says.
“So is he in the castle? Is he safe?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t he be? I’ve only just returned and heard you went missing,” he tells me. We start walking towards Jorgen’s quarters and I feel anxious seeing the duke. Suddenly I remember that Jorgen and I have to get our stories straight. “Come on, I’ll take you to him. He’s been up all night worrying about you.”
We climb higher up and the scene from the old mill flashes in front of my eyes. The Warlock tricked me, then asked Jorgen to kiss me. How am I even going to face him?
That dreaded kiss causes my heart to pound in my chest. Jorgen wanted it, I couldn’t have imagined it. The heat’s back in full force, burning me from the inside. Dammit! I have to get away from the castle, away from Jorgen until I can function like before. My thoughts and inner insecurities are driving me away from Jorgen. I’ve caused enough death and now my fire song is back. Maybe I shouldn’t be around people.
We walk through the corridors and then Thayer opens the door to what I know as the conference room, hearing loud voices inside.
“Really and you want me to believe that going out for a hunt with your scarred assistant was much more important than speaking to me?” Cassandra asks, sounding furious. It looks like we’re interrupting. Thayer glances at me and the door, hesitating.
“Cassie, this isn’t the best time. We should talk about this tomorrow,” Jorgen states.
“No, we’re talking about this now. My little cousin was killed and so far you’ve done nothing to find the murderer, instead you worry more about some insignificant shifter girl who follows you around like a lost puppy. You need to remember that Rivenna’s future might be at stake if you don’t honour your father’s wish.”
Chapter 12
The chain of marriage.
I glance at Thayer who seems frozen, and for a long moment the silence grows at an awkward level. It seems Jorgen’s thinking about his answer. It’s clear now this whole marriage arrangement is much more complicated than I thought. Even Thayer seems stricken by Cassandra’s comment. She obviously doesn’t want me around Jorgen.
“And those horrible Pixies. They shouldn’t be in the castle, Jorgen. They’re disgusting creatures.”
“Missi pissi, we aren’t disgusting and your giant, fat–”
“Lenin, that’s enough now,” Jorgen warns my Pixies and I exhale with relief, knowing both of them are well and safe.
Then we both hear her pounding heels and moment later she barges through the door, nearly hitting me in the face.
She notices me and narrows her eyes at Thayer.
“You again. Of course, it seems you can’t keep interfering with my private conversations,” she snaps, placing her hands on her hips. “Hello Thayer.”
“My Lady, how are you doing this evening?” he asks with a bit of sourness in his voice.
“I was fine until now. What the hell is this Wyvern doing in here?”
“She went missing for several hours and the duke was concerned about her safety,” Thayer drops the bomb and I wish he wouldn’t have said anything. She studies me for long moment, narrowing her eyes at my deformed cheek and pursing her lips, exactly the same way my aunt used to do when I lived with her.
“What happened to your face?” she asks bluntly and I shift my weight to the side, trying to come up with some kind of answer. No one in the castle knows the real truth about me, not even Jorgen.
I can’t believe she’s so blunt.
“Cassie, it’s none of your business. Astri’s here because she has information about the murder. As I said before, we will talk tomorrow, Falcon escort Cassie to her chamber please,” Jorgen says unexpectedly appearing by the door. Cassandra’s guard’s waiting for her at the corridor, materialising out of nowhere.
His eyes meet mine and his lips part, letting out a nervous breath. The warmth from his stare rushes through me and our moment in the old mill when he was just about to kiss me comes flashing back. I remem
ber he truly desired me then.
“Of course it’s my business–the girl works for you, but I’ll go as you ask. We aren’t done here, we are far from being done,” she says, shooting me an angry glare and starts marching out.
Falcon, her guard, moves his heavy gaze over my face and stares at me for several seconds before he turns around and carries on following her.
The both of them can go to hell. I don’t answer to either of them–Falcon can shove his glare straight up Cassandra’s arse. I’m sure it’ll fit–he’s stuck up there. I realise Jorgen feels he needs to honour his father’s commitment, but marrying that evil woman may be more trouble than all the enemies of Rivenna combined.
“Astri, Astri, we both thought you were going to come back in a coffin. It’s so good to see you,” Lenin says, literally attaching himself to my neck with his tiny fingers along with his sister.
I need to keep my composure, aware tears are forcing their way to my eyes. They’re all right and I’m super relieved nothing bad happened to them. I have no idea how I’m going to explain what happened with Governor Pollock. My life’s filled with lies, so many lies.
“Oh stop it Lenin, because people in here might start to think you might have a soft spot for me” I chuckle, but my voice vibrates with emotion. Jorgen keeps staring at me with the same intensity, like he’s ready to pull me into his arms again.
“Thayer, would you mind if I talk to Astri privately?” he finally asks. “You must be exhausted, you’ve been traveling for hours. Why don’t you retire for the night? We can discuss what happened tomorrow.”
“Yes, of course my lord. It’s good to know you’re all right, Astri,” he says, nods to me, then walks away.
My heart starts racing, thinking about my fire song. I released the magic that caused so much pain in the past. None of this makes any sense, and I have no idea what the Warlock did to me. In some ways, I owe her my life.