I’m holding the flask and I want to believe that the venom can reverse Bratlav’s ritual. The druid helped us, and the venom saved Jetli. It's time to rectify the mistake I made in the Decaying Mountains.
It's been a few months since I took part in the contest, but I feel like I’ve been in the castle for years. Many people doubted me, and I doubted myself, only to rise above it all. My dragon never disappointed me.
There are others following us: Alex, Tom and Kyalan. None of them know what happened to Jorgen or the reason why we’re marching further into the mountains. Our surroundings change, and the ground becomes rocky and dry. It takes us another hour to reach the valley.
This used to be the wild shifters territory, and we see their now-deserted village. Empty wooden houses, but the smell of their energy is still wafting around. This place still sends shivers down my spine.
"We don't have to worry about wild shifters. They abandoned this place once their leader joined Ruscal," Kylan says, walking around the abandoned camp.
Jorgen remains silent, looking at the place where everything was ripped away from him.
It's where everything went wrong—where I betrayed him. We fought hard to push aside our emotions. I stood behind him and he finally stopped holding a grudge against me.
"Are you ready, Jorgen?" I ask and he nods. I hand him the flask and then briefly explain what’s going to happen.
Others gather around him too: Alex and Tom. Kylan’s in shock when he learns the real reason behind his Duke's disappearance.
"For Hommis, this is unreal. Now everything is finally making sense. I would have done exactly the same thing if I were in your shoes, my lord. Everyone in the city called you a coward, they thought that you ran away," the mage says.
Jorgen nods, clenching his jaw. Kylan’s only repeating what he heard and saw in the city.
Everyone knows that Jorgen isn't a coward. No one had any idea that the duke had to find a way to rise above his brother—to become a mage again.
"It was difficult, but we’re in this together. It's the moment that we’ve been waiting for," I say, aware the of the rising tension.
I shouldn't feel relief yet, but deep down, I know that Jorgen learned to be a better human—a better man, after he lost his dragon. Seconds later he takes out the flask, and unscrews the top. Emilia watches him in silence. Jorgen knows that he only has to drink a few drops.
"Cheers lordi lord, hopefully this taste better than human rum!" Lenin shouts, and Jetli smacks him in the head.
Then Jorgen drinks the liquid, and I watch him swallowing it for several long moments. The tension rises, becoming unbearable. Everyone’s staring, even Aria.
Seconds turn into minutes and nothing seems to be happening. I try to recreate the moment in my head when Bratlav forced Jorgen to drink the herbal mixture. I didn't act, only stood and watched him lose everything that made him a shifter.
Jorgen roars, tensing his whole body, the vein in his neck pulsates dangerously fast. He falls on the ground, breathing hard like he’s in pain. I'm ready to interfere when flames begin appearing around him. Energy starts rising in the form of mist, flooding the old village from the forest and surrounding mountains
The flames fade away and Jorgen starts panting loudly. He must be in pain, but I don't think I can help him in any way now. Emilia grabs my wrist.
"I sense white magic; his beast is trying to return, Astri. You must give him some time," she tells me and I want to trust her. Maybe some of the energy drifting around is affecting her too, and somehow her magic must slowly be returning. Soon the mist covers the entire valley and it's difficult to see anything beyond that. At some point, Jorgen goes silent and we all wait.
My heart starts pounding in my chest. For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this, but I can’t interfere right now. Jorgen wouldn't want it.
"Astri, it's done. I can feel it rising inside me again. It's amazing and I'm a mage again."
Jorgen shouts appearing a few meters away from me, the mist is descending. My heart bursts with joy and I can sense it. He's right.
The venom worked—his dragon has returned.
"Thank Hommis, that's wonderful, Jorgen," I say, while my own voice vibrates with emotions.
Then he walks up to me before I can protest, grabbing my face and kisses me deeply. His lips are burning mine, making my knees weak. Then Lenin starts whistling and I quickly realise that we aren't alone, and it's time to get back to reality. Besides that, my uncle is dead and this isn't exactly the appropriate moment for any kind of celebration.
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I know that everyone who had no idea that we mated is probably in a hell of a shock.
"Emilia, it's your turn. There’s a bit of venom left in the flask and I know that it can help you too. He's dead now, so his magic is weakened," Jorgen states, while I try to deal with my embarrassment.
Lenin keeps flying around, making strange exciting noises. There’s more silence and finally Emilia walks up to Jorgen. She takes the flask from him and drinks it.
This time around no one really knows what to expect. The venom is designed to heal and Emilia was born with her magical abilities. This might not necessarily work, but I'm filled with hope. She never told me exactly what Bratlav did to her during my absence.
I don't know how, but a moment later, I feel the changes in her already. The new energy starts pounding through me, affecting my own system. Aria, Kylan, Alex, Tom, Jorgen and the Pixies must be aware of what’s happening to her. She starts radiating in an orange and yellow light. Her magic wand appears in her hand and for a split second, I swear that I see the magic coursing through her veins. She hovers above the ground until it's all over. The light vanishes, and when she looks at us she waves her wand creating a fire in the middle of the village.
"Thank you, Astri. I must say, I feel amazing, alive and healed. The past several weeks was difficult, but it's good to be back in my own skin," she explains, stroking my cheek.
I feel relieved, and better, but nothing can get rid of the grief in my heart right now. Ruscal’s most likely to announce that he killed another Wyvern very soon.
Aria needs to heal in her own time and I have to do everything in my power to avenge her father.
"What's next? My lord, I suspect that your brother’s taken the castle back again. We must act, and surely we can't stay here," the mage says.
I think about Hans, regret that he's dead and that he will never bless our relationship. Maybe I'm not the partner that he wished for his son, but I'm a Wyvern.
"I think we should get back to the mill and regroup. The storm in the Eastern World should be over now. I'm hoping that our allies will be here soon," Jorgen says.
Everyone agrees, and after we gather all of our things we start heading back towards the city. I don't want to bother Aria. She's lost in her own thoughts.
From now on I have to make sure that she's well protected. Edvard might be gone, but his legacy will remain.
"Astri, we might have to leave everyone behind and meet the army ahead. We need a solid defense strategy to take over the city to defeat my brother. Both Dukes detest Ruscal. My brother plotted Duncan's downfall. He nearly took over his kingdom and Duncan’s been trying to end him ever since," Jorgen explains later on, once the silence fills the forest.
We’ve been walking for hours, and everyone’s exhausted.
"So. There’s still a chance. Once people see that we have a fighting chance to kill him, they will join us," I say.
"I hope you're right Astri. I really do hope that you're absolutely right."
Chapter Nineteen
Unexpected surprise. New hope.
We get back to the city several hours later. I’ve been living in Rivenna for over eleven years, and now I'm finally able to take advantage of the fact that I know the city better than anyone else. Soon, I lead our group through the backroads taking us directly to the human populated area.
We met a few rebel shifters on
the way and learn that Ruscal’s already started publicly executing captured shifters this morning. People are outraged, but no one dares to stand against his mages. I'm shaking with anger, knowing that now we can't waste any more time. We’ve lost too many lives already, and we can't let anyone else suffer.
It's clear that we can’t go back to the mill now. There’s evidence of our magic around the area and it's a hell of a risk. We might be leaving soon, but we need to make sure that everyone in our group has a safe place to stay.
Once Emilia, Aria and the Pixies join us, Lenin suggests that we head over to my aunt and uncle’s house.
"You said yourself that they have left the city. No one’s going to look out there. Ruscal doesn't know that you were brought up amongst humans," Lenin suggests and I realise that this is an excellent idea. Richard and Beatrice left their huge house behind and there will be plenty of room for everyone there. Returning to the mill is out of the question. I suspect that wild shifters and Ruscal know that I'm still in the city.
He’s lost most of his advantage, and his men must be doubting him by now. Sooner or later some of them might abandon him. I wonder what was so important that he had to leave Bratlav in charge last night. It was one chance in a million and we all took it.
I quickly run this idea by Jorgen and he agrees. My aunt and uncle’s home isn't far from the mill, and it’ll be easier if we gather everyone in the new location. Some of the neighbours might be still devoted to the old order and now with Emilia's help we can use protective spells.
Humans are more perceptive to magical energies, and it’ll be much easier to convince them that the house remains empty.
Deep down, I want to believe that Edvard isn't really gone. Maybe some compassionate wild shifter saved him. I don't have much hope, but we flew the grounds straight away, leaving him behind. We have no idea what happened after that.
"My father is gone Astri, regardless of what anyone thinks. We were connected the moment he gave me my memories back, and it's hard. Now I have to keep living without him, " she admits, staring at the space ahead, like she just read my mind.
She's in pain and maybe she isn't blaming me for what happened. We all say things in the heat of the moment, filled with grief and despair.
"Ruscal’s going to pay for everything. You're the only family that I have left, and we have to stick together. No matter what."
She nods, not responding and discreetly wipes a tear away.
Soon, we head towards my aunt and uncle’s place. Ruscal must have increased the security, bringing more shifters from abroad. Jorgen mentioned there are still other countries that support him.
There’s only eleven of us left from our group. Some of the shifters and mages who joined us earlier were captured or are now dead. I use my invisibility spell to guide everyone towards the human area after making sure that the streets are clear.
Emilia approaches the house first creating an invisible threat around the whole street.
I'm a little conflicted returning to the house where I spent years leading such an unhappy life. After Emilia's magic takes effect, and her spells reach the neighbours, we send in the others. I watch how my friends and allies use the back entrance, moving inside.
They all have to pass the basement where I was forced to stay day after day. That part of my life is over and I have to forget about it. Ten minutes later, everyone is safely inside. I spot three shifters approaching from the north. They have a wizard with them, so I quickly disappear. Any delays and they would have sensed us.
"This used to be our room. Astri couldn't sleep in any other room in the house. That horrible obese human, Richard, always insulted Astri. I played tricks on him and I liked seeing him getting mad. Astri hated him, but then she adopted us. We don't remember anything from our previous life," Lenin explains how my life used to be like to Aria. They’re both right outside the basement. I wish he didn't say anything.
Unease tangles my stomach and I hate that everyone saw the way I used to live. The Duke of Rivenna has chosen to mate with someone who isn't even a mage. I feel stupid doubting myself like that. It's the past, and I shouldn't care what other people think. This no longer matters.
I hear others upstairs, probably discussing our next move. A lot of shifter, mages and humans have been killed, and we’re still here. Ready to fight. Their lives cannot be forgotten.
"That's terrible. Why would they keep you in the basement?" Aria asks, looking at the old dungeon. It looks like my aunt and uncle took advantage of the fact that I moved out. They quickly turned it into a dumping ground.
"Oh yes, they fed us with scraps of food, and Astri had to work all the time. Her aunt was so horrible, she was a vicious woman. Good thing that I kept farting in her face and playing tricks on her. It was funny times," Lenin adds, laughing loudly, and lifting my mood a little.
"I think my life inside the temple was much better. I can't believe that you had to live with these people," she continues, shaking her head.
"It's all right, it's all in the past. In the end, my aunt was a decent enough to give me some information about my mother, and about Edvard. Apparently, he wanted to protect me, so he forced her to take me in. He found me after Ruscal flew the scene, after I was almost dead. You see, my own magic turned against me. I was only ten years old and he came for me after he murdered my parents," I explain.
I was angry with my aunt and uncle, furious that they treated me badly. Now I no longer care about it. They were only trying to protect themselves or maybe they were just scared.
I smile and just about to head upstairs when I start having a flashback.
"Impossible," I gasp.
Suddenly I remember everything—the past. I swallow hard, and sit down on the stairs feeling like I'm going to faint.
All the memories—the events that have been missing are back. Something strange is going on with me.
I see my mother standing in our old kitchen, and my father outside. Ever since I can remember, my memories were blocked. I only relived the moment when Ruscal attacked me in my dreams. Everything before that was gone.
"Astri, Astri, what's wrong? You're very pale. Do you want me to call someone?" I hear Aria's voice, and see her staring at me with concern.
I suddenly can’t breathe; this feels so good. I remember everything—their voices, smiles, songs and the love that they always embraced me with. I see my mother telling me off when I accidentally used my fire magic that frightened the neighbouring cat. My time at school, the time when we lived in the Western World, my first time shifting into a dragon. Tears are streaming down my cheeks, and I'm breaking from the inside out. I don’t understand how this is happening.
Why now?
"What's going on? Astri, for Hommis, tell me what's wrong?"
It's Jorgen, and he’s shaking me and I keep sobbing, not believing that everything is finally coming back to me after all these years.
Jetli keeps pointing at the basement, but she doesn't understand what’s happening. My mum and dad always loved me; they lost their lives to protect me. Even now, my father's personality shines through me. He lost his own life to let my mother get away. That day when Ruscal showed up out of the blue, he tried to fight him.
My mum didn't listen to him; she shouted at me to run instead and stayed behind. They truly loved each other.
"I remember them. I don't know how this happened or how it’s possible, but I have all my memories back, Jorgen," I say, still shaking. It's all so beautiful and I just want to keep my eyes closed. This doesn't even feel real.
Jorgen frowns with confusion. Finally, Lenin starts shouting with joy and Jetli flies around, giggling away. She gets it.
"I'm sorry Astri—"
"She never knew what happened before that vicious mage tried to kill her and your own healing lordi lord, must have done something to her. Astri remembers everything now. She has all her memories back," Lenin cuts Jorgen off, with a stupid, giant grin on his face.
"Do you
remember my aunt and uncle? Oh, this is fantastic, Astri. My father would have been so happy," Aria says, then burst out crying, running upstairs.
"Of course, you're right, Lenin. The druid asked for part of your passion, Astri, and you gifted it to him. Maybe your memories are back because you helped us," Jorgen says, smiling now.
He’s right. Nothing went the way I planned, but I’ve done everything within my power to get his beast back. I used the venom to help Emilia too. I didn't give up and kept fighting for him—for us.
Hommis allowed me to get my memories back, to finally remember that I was loved.
"Come on, let's go upstairs. I think we should at least have a drink. We damn well deserve it," Jorgen says. "By the way, there’s a lot of buzz in their storage. Lenin’s planning a feast."
I smile at him and we go upstairs. Edvard’s dead, but we have to keep going. The living room is filled with luxury furniture. It looks like my aunt and uncle bought a lot of new things when I moved out. Every room seems cluttered, and Lenin’s already pulling some delicious things from the fridge. My relatives left in a huge hurry; their freezer is still loaded with food.
In the office, we find my uncle’s safe wide open. He must have emptied it out before he left. Emilia shows up several minutes later, saying that Aria has taken one of the guest rooms upstairs. She managed to drift off to sleep. In a way, I'm glad. My cousin needs to rest.
Jorgen keeps telling me to get some sleep too, but I keep thinking about my parents. Going over every one of my memories, reliving the good moments that I had with them.
Then later, someone knocks on the door. Everyone exchanges worried glances because no one’s supposed to know that we’re here. I sense a mage standing outside. Jorgen draws his sword, readying himself for another bloody fight.
"For Hommis, my lord, put your weapon away. We just need to see who’s out there," Emilia states, holding her magic wand in her right hand.
She walks through the wide hallway; other shifters follow her. Seconds later we hear screams of joy and relief washes over me. It's Thayer, and thank Hommis, he survived last night’s attack. Jorgen's formal assistant looks to be injured. His clothes are torn, and he has several nasty wounds on his arms. I remember that we lost him straight after Edvard was shot with the arrow.