“Let’s go.”
“Elena.” Isabel looked at me.
“He’s not done. This was just belated. It works, and as long as it glows, your son is getting beaten. You said it yourself, he didn’t answer. Now let’s go.”
E ALL JUMPED into Sammy’s car. I hardly apologized to Jimmy for leaving so abruptly, but the rest of the parents and Cheng stayed behind so I was sure they would get filled in as to why we’d left so suddenly.
The drive felt long and all I did was stare at the bright pendant that was still glowing brightly underneath my sleeve.
I wasn’t the only one. Isabel was staring at it too, with horror and tears lacing her eyes as she had her Cammy in her hands, redialing Sir Robert’s number time and time again.
I was fuming. How long was he planning on hitting him? Where the hell was Tabitha?
Why doesn’t he stop?
The aches were almost gone, but I had a slight sting across my back still.
We finally reached the wooden gates and it felt as if I could blow fire myself.
Blake must have been intoxicated again as it’s the only time Sir Robert could do this. He was much stronger than his father.
The car had hardly stopped when Isabel and I were already out and running into the house.
No screams. It was the sound proofing.
“Where are they?” I asked, and images flashed suddenly through my mind. They were vague, but I could make out some equipment, fighting spears.
“What is it, Elena?”
“You have a training room somewhere?”
Isabel turned around and ran immediately toward where it was.
We all stopped in front of a steel door. Still no sound. The images were gone from my mind as Isabel hammered frantically on the door. She pounded with her fists. My pendant was still glowing.
“Robert stop, you are killing him.”
I didn’t know what we were going to find inside.
Everyone reached us and George tried to open the door with his lightning. Sammy too. Becky and Dean tried incantations, but nothing worked. Sammy tried again. She tried to burn the hinges and lock but the steel was too strong. My pendant was still glowing.
Isabel was still screaming and George grabbed her tight.
Nothing worked. Sir Robert was going to kill Blake if we didn’t get in there.
“Step aside,” I finally said and for the first time in a long time, my ability formed in the palm of my hand. It was my fire.
Everyone backed away from me real fast as they knew what my fire did if it came into contact with anyone.
I touched the lock and this time it started to melt. I guessed Sammy’s fire wasn’t strong enough. The hinges against the doors were next and they too melted.
Dean and George, with the help of Sammy, grabbed the door as it was ready to fall.
We stepped aside as they lowered it to the floor.
I didn’t waste time and ran inside with Isabel.
Inside was huge, not as big as the Parthenon Dome, but it was a training room alright. Plenty of dummies to fight against, with all sorts of weapons against the wall. It was dark and in the middle where Blake’s body was sprawled, was a stone table. It was filled with obstacles as they were everywhere in the room. Some were higher than others dangling in the air.
“Robert, enough!” Isabel screamed right next to me and moved fast, pushing her body right between Blake’s body sprawled out on the table and Robert’s blows.
Sammy started to cry. There was blood everywhere around Blake and the floor again.
Tabitha was lying in a corner unconscious. Everything was happening so fast and then Sir Robert started hitting Isabel to get to Blake.
I didn’t think and struck him with lightning. He flew into the wall of shields.
My blood was boiling as Isabel just cried, trying to get Blake to open his eyes, begging him.
I walked over to Robert who was starting to get back up and struck him again with my telekinesis. It was so easy now that Blake was out stone cold to wield them.
I did it again as he just got up again and again.
He kept crashing into the floor.
More abilities were unleashed on him, ones that really hurt, and then I started beating the living crap out of him.
Dean and George had to get me off Sir Robert.
“Elena, calm down, just calm down.” Dean spoke softly to me as I growled. I literally growled and then reality came back and I realized what I’d done out of anger. What was I turning into?
Sir Robert’s body was lying in a heap, bloody face and swollen eyes. My hand ached and my knuckles were raw, covered with blood.
“It’s over.” Dean still spoke. I pushed him away and ran up to my room.
I fell on my knees and just screamed. How could I do that to my father’s dragon? Was he okay? Worse, was Blake okay?
He’d never beat him like that before, ever, not even the first time I’d experienced it, but then again I hadn’t seen it the first time.
I spoke no words during that fight. Nothing left my mouth, not a warning, nothing. I didn’t even try to calm him, bring him back to reality.
What was I turning into?
I TOOK A shower and went out onto my opening. Why they’d built this, I had no idea.
I wasn’t a dragon, well, not anymore.
The images of tonight’s beating, Isabel’s screaming when Robert struck her echoed in my mind. It didn’t want to stop.
I wished that I could just go away, leave like all the dragons could.
Sammy and Dean left, she’d transformed and Dean had gone with her. She could never handle these beatings and was somewhere trying to calm down, trying to breathe.
Becky, well she was slightly stronger and I knew she and George were helping with damage control.
I stared at the night sky. It was so beautiful, and I would have given anything to have gone with Sammy, to fly again.
“Elena.” Constance or Isabel’s voice came from my door that lead to the opening.
I turned my head and found Constance. She rushed over to me as tears rolled over my cheek.
Her arms enfolded me. “Shhh, Issy told me that Robert was experiencing some dark himself lately.”
“I could’ve killed him.”
“You didn’t. He’s fine and to be honest that beating was just what he needed to get pulled back into the light.”
I sniffed.
“Why does he still need them?” I asked, thinking all of a sudden about Emanuel. He said he hadn’t needed one for almost five years.
“He hadn’t had a beating for a long time, Elena. It’s been almost fifteen years now.”
I shook my head. “No, King Helmut said he would do it.”
“Lucian died before he got to it. I’m so sorry.”
I nodded and sniffed.
“Let me heal your hands.”
“No, I deserve this.”
She gave me a stern look. “You don’t. This is what Dragonians have to do, well unless the Chromatics are part of a Dent.”
I knew that, but still. I felt like I had to walk with my pain too.
“Let me heal them, please.”
I just looked at her.
“I know you feel like crap, I’ve seen this face plenty of times when your father had to beat Robert, but it has to be done, Elena. Now give me your hands.”
I did as she asked and her hands immediately started lighting up as she healed my bruised hands.
“I can promise you this. He’ll think twice now before laying a hand on that boy.”
I didn’t want to laugh, but I did. It was probably the shock of tonight’s events. I never wanted to see something like that again, or be part of anything like that.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“I told you before, Robert is fine.”
“I’m not speaking about Robert. Blake, is Blake okay?”
She nodded and had to suppress her own tears.
“Constance?”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but Isabel is with him. I think you guys got to him just in time… Robert almost killed him this time.”
I just looked at the sky again, not wanting to think about if my fire hadn’t come.
“It’s why he needs to Dent, Elena.”
“It’s not up to me, Constance. I tried. Didn’t you see the bike in the garage?”
She smiled and sniffed again.
I wiped my own tear away. “Besides, nobody knows if the Dent will even work with him. He is not like the other dragons and the last Rubicon was killed.”
“Many dragons were killed with Quitto,” she said. “It was how things were back then. No dragon was trusted. But Irene saw it, Elena. He will return to the light. We have to believe that.”
I nodded.
She made everything sound so peaches and cream.
“Poor Sammy, what was supposed to be her best birthday ever just became her worst.”
“She is a gentle soul, Elena, but she is stronger than you believe. She’s going to be fine. Grateful that you got to her brother in time and grateful for what you have done for her father.”
I didn’t know about that, but I guessed I would just wait to see.
Just then Becky walked through the door followed by George.
She blew out a deep breath, the kind that made her lips slightly vibrate.
“What a night,” George said followed by a huge breath too.
“You okay?” Becky crouched in front of me with her hand touching my arm.
“Yeah, I just feel like crap and still feel a bit of anger. I don’t like this.”
“I know it sucks.” Becky hugged me while my one hand was still gently lying in Constance’s.
“I think that should do it,” Constance said and let go of my hand.
“Thank you,” I said. I still felt that I didn’t deserve her healing this time but she was adamant.
“We are going to track down Dean and Sammy,” Becky said and got up.
I nodded and gave her a slight smile.
“You want to come with?”
I looked at her and then at George.
“It’s not negotiable,” George said and walked back so that he could transform.
I looked away as he started to get undressed.
“I’ll see you later.” Constance got up and walked back into my room.
“I don’t know Becky. I don’t think Sammy wants to see me right at this moment.”
“You are shitting me right?”
“I almost killed her father.”
“Who almost killed her brother. Stop your whining and come. She needs both of us, not just me.”
She reached out her hand for me and I looked at it for a couple of seconds. George transformed and a low grumble came from him.
I finally took it and she helped me up. “It’s going to be fun.” Becky’s nose wrinkled up and I couldn’t help but snort.
“Let’s go.”
She climbed onto George’s back without her stupid saddle and reached out for me again.
I climbed on his wing the way I had that day with Cheng and stationed myself behind Becky.
George took a quick run and pushed himself off the ledge before he opened his wings.
We were a few flaps up into the air in seconds.
It was a gorgeous night. A bit chilly I thought as I used an incantation to form protection over my eyes.
“Have you sensed her yet?” Becky spoke in Latin.
“I’m getting some vibes up ahead,” George spoke in a deep voice.
It was amazing how fast he picked something up.
He flew in the direction, and in fifteen minutes plenty of trees came up. He landed and we saw Dean holding Sammy. She was calm.
I slid off George’s wing first. My feet barely touched the ground when Sammy flung her arms around me and cried again.
“Shhhh.” I stroked her back. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you,” she said through sniffs and it brought tears to my eyes.
“Sammy, I almost killed your father.”
She sniffed again and wiped her eyes. “You didn’t, he needed that.” More tears welled up in her eyes. “How’s Blake?”
“He hasn’t woken up yet,” Becky answered. “He’ll be okay, Sammy. He’s the—”
“Don’t say it. I don’t care if he’s the stupid Rubicon. Why isn’t he accepting this? Hasn’t he experienced darkness enough? Why is he holding on so long?”
She started to break down.
“I don’t know.”
“If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be the Rubicon.” I told her what Cheng had said to me.
“It’s not okay. What if he never Dents?”
“Then I’ll just have to start beating the crap out of him too.”
She giggled. “It’s not funny, I’m serious.”
“Sammy, you’re speaking about the future, unless you are a Moon-Bolt that can see my future, worry about it. If not, don’t.”
“Okay.” She sulked and hugged me again. “Thanks again.”
“I wish I could say it was my pleasure, but it wasn’t.”
“I understand that.”
“Sorry about the crappy b-day.”
“It’s fine. What would a birthday be without family feuds?”
Becky laughed and hugged her too. “We still have this baby to finish.” She took out a bottle of shooters and a faint smile lit up Sammy’s face.
We spent the entire night, just the five of us and that bottle.
We even watched the sun coming up on the horizon. It was stunning how the orange and soft pink light started to light up Paegeia. Dragons soared in the sky in the distance and for the first time in a long time, I truly felt like I was home. If they had to send me back to the other side again, I would die.
E FLEW BACK to the manor around six-thirty that morning and crawled into bed. George went home and Becky passed out next to me.
The memory of what had happened here last night laid heavy in the air.
It thickened it somehow and I struggled to breathe.
I couldn’t sleep even though I was dead tired, and found myself in the kitchen.
I switched on the kettle and waited for the water to boil.
A pair of female arms wrapped around me. I looked over my shoulder and only saw her silver blonde hair. I hadn’t even heard her come in. They were so silent when they moved around.
“You want a cup of coffee?”
She started to giggle. “Coming from the Princess of Paegeia, how can I refuse?”
I smiled. She never treated me like that, I felt like a part of her family, like a normal human being and not something that had special blood, something that was breakable, when she was around.
I took out another cup and made us both strong coffee as Isabel took the chair at the wooden table.
I put her cup in front of her. She looked dead tired, drained from last night.
I always felt sorry for her as she was the mother of the Rubicon, she loved him unconditionally and her husband was one of the most vile dragons out there. How on earth had my father found the courage to tame him?
We sat in silence, drinking our coffee.
“How are they?”
“Robert wakes up every now and then but always goes back to sleep a couple of seconds later.”
“I’m so sor—”
“Don’t Elena, he almost killed my son and he desperately needed that himself.”
“I couldn’t stop. If it hadn’t been for Dean and George…”
“It’s over. You have shown him mercy with that beating. He will be good for a long, long time again. I don’t know how to thank you for that.” Her eyes glistened with tears.
“I beat him up, Issy. You make me sound like some sort of a saint.”
She just smiled and looked down at her cup again.
“They say that the Dragonians feel worse than the Dragon after a beating. It will pass when yo
u see how it transforms Robert.”
“Why can’t Blake hold out longer?” I asked.
“He’s still young and new to this Dragon/Rider relationship. It’s something that only kicks in with years and years of being a part of a team. You become dark for the right reasons and not because you want to be. Blake, well, the wrong kind of dark still lays heavy with him.”
“And that disappears when they are part of a Dent?”
She nodded, closed her eyes and threw her head back. She sighed, opened her eyes again. “I just wish he didn’t have to fight so much against this.”
“I’m used to it.”
“You are so strong, Elena.”
What? Nobody had ever told me that. “I can just imagine how he must make you feel when he rebels against this. It breaks my heart. Every time I look at him, I see the son that I lost. He was such a beautiful creature, so helpful and kind. We used to be so proud of him, he was a real blessing, did really good in school and then he started to become darker. The process was slow, and now….” She wiped a tear away. “I know I shouldn’t lose hope, not now that you are here, but I’m scared of holding on too tightly. What if he never Dents? What then?”
“We deal with it, or I’ll deal with it.” I tried to reassure her that I had everything under control, even if I had nothing in control.
She touched my hand. “I know plenty of people tell you this, but you really are so much like your father, and Katie too. I wish I could show you what they were like in real life.”
I smiled. If only she knew. Don’t think about that.
Her chair screeched on the floor as she got up, put her cup in the sink and came over to me, kissing me on my head.
“Try to go and sleep, I’m quickly going to check up on Blake.”
She started to walk away.
“Will he be okay?”
She turned around and nodded with a slight smile. “It might take a couple of weeks, but he’ll be fine.”
I watched her body disappear around the corner. I finished my coffee and went back to my room.
AROUND SIX WE were taken back to the port.
Constance was still with us, and the silence was thick as all of us, including Tabitha, took the elevator back to Elm.
She was quiet, didn’t even look at anybody. I didn’t even know what had happened, why she was unconscious lying in the corner.