"I have been waiting for you too long, my dear Wyvern girl. It's time for you to pay off your debt," the voice to my right says, ringing in my head.
I look at the person who’s speaking and shock instantly ripples through me.
"No, you can't be here. You haven't got the mirror," I say, my own voice sounds hoarse. It's the warlock witch that me and Jorgen met in the old Mill. She tricked me into giving her my blood oath, then vanished when Pollock and his people showed up. Jorgen wanted to see her—he believed that she could help him to get his beast back.
A huge radiant smile spreads across her face. She still has that glamour and looks stunning.
"Oh, well I can move around in this world any time I want, sweet girl. It's time for you to pay up. I have been waiting long enough to meet with you again. I knew the moment you entered the Neverwrold," she explains, tossing her red hair behind her and smiles again.
I don't remember what happened to Jorgen? Did he survive?
She must have done something to me or she altered the past. We’re still in the forest. The three-headed dragon is gone and my back. I only just now realise that I don't feel any pain.
I was badly burned.
The warlock witch radiates with power. She's the only source of light in the dark forest. Then something falls on my nose, turning into ash. I realise that I must still be in the Neverworld.
"What the hell do you want and where’s Jorgen?" I ask, thinking about running but she can easily hurt me. Her energy is much more powerful than mine, and I can't afford to waste my fire magic on her. I’ve been waiting to fight Ruscal with everything that I have for far too long.
"I want you to steal something for me, something very dear to my heart, and then we should be even."
"And what if I refuse?"
"Then I am afraid that I will have to kill you."
Chapter Ten
Dragon egg.
I stare at her, and anger boils in my veins. She’s wasting my time, and I want to know what happened to the black warlock who took Ruscal away. I want to know who the huntsman is, and why he wanted her to hand over the baby.
Now I'm standing here, apparently owning her a favour, because she discovered my dirty secret. She told Bratlav what I’d done to Jorgen—she betrayed me, so she can't expect me to help her.
I need to kill her.
I sense my beast inside me, but some of the energy is absent, and that isn't a good sign. She must have found a way to control me, and now I'm trapped. My fire magic is in her hands.
Emilia had been right, the answer was in the past, but I still don't understand the new prophecy.
Ruscal could have been saved if he’d fallen for me, but instead he tried to kill me.
How is this even possible?
Ruscal's whole world could fall apart once he learns that he was supposed to love me. It's ironic how everything in life can suddenly change. The thought that I could have been with him rather than Jorgen is disturbing and wrong. Emilia must have had a hunch, she must have known that the answers we needed would reveal themselves in the past. She truly is a great witch, even without her magical abilities.
"Steal what?" I ask, thinking that I must have misheard her.
"A real dragon egg. It lays on top of the tower several miles from here. It's the last of its kind left in Rivenna. That tower will be destroyed years from now, and with you here to retrieve it, it’s truly the greatest opportunity for me to call on you to repay your debt. It’s a win-win. I want the egg for myself," she says, having another fit of giggles.
I stare at her with disbelief, then glance at the tower that’s finally visible in the distance, just as the mist begins to diminish. Me and Jorgen hadn't noticed it earlier. I don't understand how we could have missed it.
It's giant.
An egg—she wants me to steal a real dragon that hasn't hatched yet. I don't even want to ask what she’s planning to do with it.
"Before I do anything, you have to tell me what happened to Jorgen?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips and staring at her diminished glamour. My beast shows up; its claws are poking me with my fire magic. I can't risk unleashing my true power, Ruscal’s in the city and I have no idea if my friends are safe. The dragon egg is more valuable than gold and once she has it, who knows what else she’ll be capable of.
The warlock witch gets under my skin and there’s no doubt she’s noticing my hesitation. She grabs my cheeks, digging her sharp claws into my skin. There’s a fire raging in her eyes and I assume she doesn't like that I dare to even question her. Well, that’s just too bad. I don't really care for the egg—it's not important to me. It belongs in this world.
In the mill, she wanted me to come with her, she said that I was like her. Somehow, she awakened the fire that had been dormant inside me for eleven years. I still have no idea why she did it.
"You do what I say or I'm going to twist your little Wyvern neck," she sneers, and the sharp pain returns, slipping into my bones, suddenly spreading throughout my entire body.
I begin to pant, wanting to be ripped apart by the three-headed dragon, just so I don't have to feel this excruciating pain. She couldn't have known about the mirror, and yet she trapped me.
She lets go of my face at some point and I slam to the ground again. The pain is gone in an instant and I hate that she's able to control me like that. When I look at her I can see through her glamour, she's still ugly and deformed. It only takes a moment for her to change back to her true form, forgetting that some of her magic might not work as well in this world.
The day of the dead.
For a long moment, I lay on the ground, knowing that I have no way out of this. She wants the egg, so she will get one. I have no choice if I want to live and leave this hellhole.
"I'm too good to you. I should have tortured you like I have done with so many others before you.” She stares at me crossing her arms over her chest. “Fine, your Duke will be reunited with you once I get the egg, Wyvern girl," she adds, smoothing her red hair.
I lift myself back to my feet.
"Fine, I'll get what you ask for, but after that you're going to let me go," I say.
"Use the fire magic to deal with the female dragon who protects the egg. You need to shift to get to the tower. Humans can’t get to it—the tower doesn't have any windows or doors. It represents the darkness of this world, Astri," she adds.
I don't think that I understand what she means. Shortly after that she gives me directions, reminding me that I only have one chance.
Five minutes later, I'm walking through the forest, cursing her out in my head. I have my bag with me, and once I pass the steep hill, I decide to hide it just in case I have to go back for it later. The warlock witch didn't check its contents, besides there’s nothing valuable inside, apart from the mirror.
The flakes of ash are falling all around. It's cold and gloomy. I have no time to wonder what happened to baby Ruscal.
It's a done deal, but I’ve discovered something that he won't like it. The forest is immersed in silence and I have to find a place to shift. My heart’s pounding away, and I remind myself that I'm still strong. There must be a way to defeat her and I just have to figure it out. I hope that Jorgen’s all right. Somehow, he found the strength to attack the three-headed beast.
It takes me more than ten minutes to locate an empty field behind the forest. Thick mist starts drifting around, shading the tower from view.
Jorgen should have told me about the tower, but maybe he didn’t know about it. I was told that the real dragons hadn't been seen in Rivenna for over a hundred years, but that's a lie too.
I must find a way to get out of that that blood oath, and I need to do it before I give her the egg.
This time the transition into my true form is less painful. Soon after, I rise above the flakes of ash, spreading my giant wings. My lungs feel a little heavy, but as long as my magic flows through my system, I don't care to rest. Then I notice the tower almost instantly, it
looks impressive practically blending into the landscape.
Mages or shifters must have built it. The entire structure has slick shiny walls with smooth stones. It just doesn't fit into the rugged surroundings. I have to rise higher to get to the egg on the top, but the dragon creature must be near, so I need to be on high alert.
I keep circulating around the tower waiting for the dragon to appear, my scales are hypersensitive for some reason. Maybe the witch is keeping track of my energy, using her magic to make sure that I do as she asked. The female dragon doesn't appear so I rise higher, not sensing her nearby.
I’m beginning to worry when I can't see her beast. She must sense me, skulking closer to her egg.
Finally, after releasing a stream of fire, I reach the top of the dark tower, seeing the golden egg inside the nest. The tiny life inside is already feeding on my energy and I want to hold it in my hands. The flaming warmth starts burning through me, caressing me like fire magic.
For a split second, I consider touching down on the tower, but then a loud roar breaks the silence, and something hits me on the back of my skull. Then raw flames dance along my skin.
My beast loses its balance and I start freefalling, having no idea what's happening. The pain is sudden, sharp and intense.
It paralyses me, but I try to use my wings to stay airborne. More roars and snarls sound off in the background, but I can't see or even sense the dragon.
When I'm just about to hit the ground, my body stills in midair. I keep batting my wings, luckily keeping enough momentum to stay above the ground.
I slowly start rising, ignoring the pulsing pain in the back of my skull. The female dragon appears again from behind, releasing waves of fire. She's a stunning creature in her true form, very similar to Cami from the Asian World. Her scales are pure golden, mixed with yellow and red colours. The beast shines in the moonlight—her power is almost blinding me.
I release my own fire magic at the same time, not planning to back away. Then both energies clash when we release our magical fire. She snarls, pounding her power into me, protecting the egg. The warlock gave back my fire magic, and now I can fully control it. For that, I’m grateful.
My raw flames are slowly pushing hers away. I try to hold on to the waves of magic. I keep batting my wings in midair. The female dragon won't be able to hold on for much longer.
Slowly, memories from my life start flashing in front of my eyes. I see my parents first, then Jorgen. We’re back in the Black Forest—the night when he lost everything.
My instincts scream at me to cease my energy, to stop hurting the beast, but my human side is aware of the consequences. I can’t be trapped in this world—I have to hand the egg over to the warlock.
Seconds later, my fire reaches the beast, conquering her own. She's burning, roaring and panicking. She pulls away, and I release more soaring heat. Her scales catch fire, then she loses control and her strength weakens.
Then she’s gone, falling and unable to use her wings to keep herself in the air. I pull away too, backing higher and watching how the female dragon crashes through the trees, slamming on to the ground.
I rise higher, thinking about the egg, knowing that now it's unprotected. I hear her cries in the distance, the agonising screams that are breaking me from inside. The entire city is aware of it and soon other shifters approach. Somehow, the warlock witch allowed me to interfere in this world, breaking all the rules.
I grab the egg, and circle around the tower that’s now hidden in the thick dark clouds.
I fly down, still hearing the roars of the beast in the forest. She’s fighting to rise back up and get to the egg. Her noises, and tears are reminding me of me so long ago. I see myself, waiting for my mother, but she never comes.
I'm taking her unborn child away, like the warlock witch took Ruscal from Alyssa. The shell is soft, and the little being inside is scared. The beast—my dragon cares for it more than I can imagine.
I circle around the forest for a little while longer, at the same time trying to find a safe place to shift back into my human form. My heart keeps pounding in my chest, because other shifters are nearby. The female dragon’s still crying, now stuck and if they don’t reach her, she’ll be dead.
As soon as I touch down on the ground, my muscles and skin start stretching. I slowly begin shrinking and soon I'm standing on my own two feet. I feel sore, tired and miserable.
I force my feet to move, reaching the forest again. I squeeze the dragon egg in my arms, breathing hard. I feel it pulsating, and I hope that it won't hatch just yet. Its mother still cries in the distance, gaining her strength to fight me again. My fire magic reached her, and her scales are burned, but I was still holding out. I didn't use my full energy.
Heading towards the north where I left my bag hidden in the bushes, I locate it and after checking its contents, I realise that I’ve been a fool. The mirror—I still have the mirror.
"It's a hell of a risk, but that bitch has tricked me way too many times," I say to myself, thinking about Emilia and her instructions. With magic things are never as simple as they seem.
I keep running through the bushes, taking long whizzed breaths. I jump over fallen trees, trying to remember Emilia's spells.
"Well, well, well. Seriously Wyvern girl, I just didn't think that you had it in you," the warlock witch says when I finally locate her, stopping a few meters away.
It's now or never, the only chance I have. She's quick, but right now, too absorbed with the egg to concentrate. Her eyes are filled with greed while she's staring at what’s in my arms.
My chest keeps rising and falling in rapid movement. I place the egg on the ground and hold the old mirror in my left hand. I keep twisting it, waiting and accumulating the rising energy. Flames are slowly breaking deep inside me—electric waves crackle between us.
The warlock witch hasn't locked my energy yet with her usual spell, now I just have to distract her.
"I hope the female will be all right," I say when she snatches the egg away from me.
"Beautiful, absolutely stunning. Oh, and I feel the beast inside it. Mine, all mine and from this moment onwards, I'll become one of the most powerful warlocks in the entire world," she says, laughing out loud and not paying attention to me.
I clench my fists and whisper:
"I don't think so."
Then I release my energy when she least expects it. I might still be drained, but I'm burning with hatred for the witch. She needs to pay for what she's done, and the egg needs to go back to its mother.
My strength pounds through me as my fire song is being released. It swirls around the trees, then hits her directly in the chest. I drop Emilia’s old mirror on the ground while the witch screams. She drops the egg, and it rolls somewhere towards the trees.
Green and purple light explodes from the mirror, opening the portal to Hommis knows where.
"You won't get a—"
I don't let her finish, using my energy to force her inside the portal. The fire magic starts pouring from my fingertips, feeding on her power. She's sucked inside, and then everything goes still.
In a matter of seconds, I'm swallowed by silent darkness, and the only source of light comes from the egg.
Chapter Eleven
It's time to go back.
I stare at my shaky hands, not believing that I found a way to defeat her. She betrayed me, used my secret against me, and now I'm glad that she’s locked inside the mirror.
Several minutes pass in silence and I try to regain my strength. I have this odd metallic taste in my mouth. It tastes like blood and I want to gag.
I keep checking my arms and legs, but I don't seem to have any wounds. The warlock witch is gone, and I hope she stays trapped in the mirror for as long as it takes.
The cry of the female dragon reminds me that I have another job to do. The golden egg is in the bushes and I quickly pick it up.
As soon as I touch it, the shell changes colour—the egg is silver now
and I hope the little guy inside isn't planning to hatch just yet.
"Come on buddy, let's take you back to your mamma," I say.
I have no idea what I've done and how I managed to suck that bitch inside the mirror. Right now, that doesn't matter. She's finally gone, hopefully forever.
I keep moving through the forest, thinking about what I saw and heard earlier on. The black warlock took Ruscal away because she thought that she was saving the bastard. She claimed that she found a way to break the curse and remove his dark gene.
It looks like someone else wanted Ruscal to remain on his path of destruction.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead and start moving through the forest, telling myself that maybe Emilia will know more about this.
It takes me over half an hour to locate the female beast. There are several fallen trees around her and I sense shifters nearby. They’re holding back and I don't know why, otherwise they should be here by now. She's tangled up in the bushes, and her left side is badly burned.
Some scales are black, and she must be in pain. I keep the egg by my side, approaching her slowly.
She spots me, and tries to move closer, tossing her giant tail around. Her red eyes follow me noticing the egg. My energy drifts around, and my palms grow warm.
I carefully place the silver egg right in front of her, then back away.
When she’s calm, I remove my knife and start cutting the roots and thicker plants are around her legs. She keeps watching me the entire time in silence. We’re connected, and her energy caresses mine.
By the time I'm done, I'm sweaty and my T-shirt is stuck to my back. I wipe the sweat from my face and forehead and put my knife away.
"I have to go. I hope you’ll be all right now," I tell her, knowing that she’s free from the tangled mess.