The energy shifts between us, and a second later, I’m thrown several meters away from Sebastian. I slam painfully onto the ground, and end up losing consciousness for a few moments.
The wild shifters are already tracking me down, moving around the trees, probably looking for the source of this sudden magical outburst. I try to get up, but dizziness forces me to stay down. On top of that, my head feels like someone sliced it in half.
I quickly turn invisible again, staring down at the open wound in my left thigh. A moment later, two wild shifters appear right in front of me. Their shimmering eyes move over where I lay; their nostrils flare up as they inhale the smell of my blood. My heart pounds away wildly knowing they can’t see me, but they can still sense me.
I hold my breath until a male with mesmerising green eyes mutters they should keep moving. When they finally disappear into the bushes I exhale with relief. I should’ve never underestimated the power of betel nut. The herb must have created a sudden outburst of power.
“Here, here, master. I caught one of them,” I hear a female voice say, several meters away from me. One of the wild females must have found Sebastian. I crawl over toward the nearest tree and lift myself up, using it as a support. The female slaps Sebastian, who stares blankly into the space ahead. His entire left cheek is burned badly, and I shiver with revulsion, remembering my own scar.
“Who are you, dragon? And how did you get in here?” barks a male shifter, appearing beside the female. He removes his colourful mask and my heart shudders. If this shit keeps happening, I’m certain to have a bloody heart attack. It’s one of the guards from the castle, but what the hell is he doing in here?
Is it possible he’s been working for them this entire time?
Sebastian parts his lips and blinks a few times. It seems like he has no idea who he is and this is exactly what I had in mind. The betel nut affected his memory. I recognise the detached, blank look on his face. Oops. Sorry, dickhead. Sorry you tried to kill me and failed.
“Take him away to the others, Kendirck. He must have been messing around with betel nut. I can smell the herb all over him; his mind is a complete disaster,” says one of the shifters who still has his mask on.
Shortly after that, Sebastian’s being dragged away toward the other shifters who continue to sing their rituals songs. My fingers are tingling and I remember I still have my gloves on. I take them off and toss them on the ground and drink the rest of the energy potion.
After an injection of magical energy, I manage to stand on my feet and move closer, not wanting to miss anything. Jorgen looks shocked to see Sebastian being carried away by two masked shifters. I watch how his face changes, while he’s trying to piece everything together in his mind. He must have known from the beginning who I was, and that’s why he made an agreement with Sebastian. Everything starts making perfect sense.
I’ll enjoy seeing him lose everything he ever cared for—especially himself.
“Shifters, let the “cutting of the mage” begin. The Duke of Rivenna will pay a high price for removing all of us from our native land,” Bratlav shouts as he puts his mask back on. Other shifters applaud him, and Sebastian’s led away towards the wooden houses.
“No, hold on, you don’t need to do this. I can offer you amnesty amongst other things. None of you will ever be forced to live in the mountains,” Duke Jorgen pleads, looking around at the masked shifters. I hear the panic in his voice, and see fear in his expression. This stopped being a game right after I eliminated Elijah. His great plan has fallen to pieces, and he must have finally realised no one is coming to his rescue.
Bratlav laughs, and a few of his people join him. Energy spikes me as I move a little closer again, tingling over my body. I feel the static building in the air as tension rises. Jorgen is standing now, trying to pull his hands free, looking around in desperation. I could still help him, find a way to distract the other shifters and escape. It’s inhumane to stand here and watch them perform such a repulsive ritual. I’m strong enough to distract them with my magic, then get him out of here, but I force myself to remain hidden.
The voice of reason reminds me I’ve been suffering for a long eleven years because of him. Now it’s his turn. I just don’t know if I can watch.
“Shifters, are you hearing this? The duke is offering us his amnesty, but we can see beyond his lies. We’re happy on our land and soon we’re going to take back the city. Everyone will pay for their past mistakes,” Bratlav shouts, waving his hand, and there’s another cheer amongst his people. A few birds fly out of the trees, and the smell of sulphur wafts through the air. My hands are shaking and I take a few steps forward, calling up my magic, wanting to do something in order to stop Bratlav, but then I change my mind again.
I tell myself I shouldn’t care, but deep down I do. I can’t help myself – I’m torn.
“No one ever forced you to live in the mountains. You and your people were always welcome in Rivenna,” the duke continues, but he should already know nothing he says will change his fate.
I release some of the tension built up in my muscles when Bratlav spreads his arms wide, shouting orders in another language. All the shifters put on their masks, even the females joined in. Jorgen’s shouting at them, but I can’t understand what he’s saying—it’s too noisy. I gasp when I see his body go rigid, and his eyes roll back into his head.
The leader points a long stick at him, singing loudly and waving something in the air. A stream of energy rushes down my arms; once the duke shifts no one will be able to stop him from escaping.
In the distance, I see him relaxing, and I wait for the worst, but nothing happens. He doesn’t even try to shift. All the dancers move away, and a young female shifter, with beautiful, long blond hair approaches him. She holds a bowl in her hands, and walks up to the duke. He lifts his eyes and he stares at her for a long moment. It seems he’s held in some kind of spell, unable to move. The female kneels next to him and caresses his face, then smiles. The tribe is singing louder and the duke opens his mouth. I sense magic everywhere, slipping beneath my feet and moving alongside my dragon. Bratlav must be controlling him in some way, because a second later, the female shifter brings the bowl to the duke’s mouth and lets him drink from it.
The excitement reaches its momentum, and my inner dragon senses dark magic rising above the ground. My whole body starts to tremble, as waves of energy begin thumping from every possible direction.
I see a child, who can be no more than five or six, appear beside the wooden block where the duke is tied up. The little boy has a knife in his hands, and he cuts the ropes, freeing Jorgen, then runs away. Jorgen rubs his wrists and stands up on his feet. He glances around disorientated, paler than before. I grip the arrow in my hand tighter, wondering what the hell is going on out there. I’m going to end him here if those shifters don’t go through with their magical ritual. Then again, I don’t know if I can. This is all too much. My emotions are all over the place right now.
Suddenly, Bratlav starts shouting and everyone goes quiet. It’s an old mage language shifters used before the Great War. I recognise some of the words after taking a few lessons in school.
Jorgen starts walking as soon as all the dancers move away, almost as if they’re creating a path for him. I don’t understand what’s going on. They can’t let him leave.
I take out one arrow and arch the bow, aiming at the duke before he disappears in the forest. Anger rises in me and I start hearing mocking voices of the kids from school, my aunt and uncle when they say I should cover my face. I’m just about to release my deadly arrow when Jorgen stops suddenly, and arches his back screaming like he’s in great pain. The dancers start singing again and I see he’s just about to shift into a dragon. He starts growing, his body changes shape and size. My heart beats loudly in my chest, admiring its energy and the fire swirling around the beast. Jorgen’s dragon is gold with red horns scattered around his back.
I lower the bow, mesmerised, noticing something’s wrong
. Jorgen seems to be stuck. He’s not growing anymore and he still has human legs. He screams again and the dancers release some kind of magic mist that drifts towards him, reaching inside his nose and mouth. I stare, fascinated, seeing as Jorgen struggles to move, roaring, continuously hitting himself in the chest.
Then he reverts back to his human form, and for a moment, he just lies on the ground while his chest keeps rising and falling rapidly. The dancers stop singing, and silence stretches, buzzing in my ears like a colony of bees.
Jorgen wakes from his lethargic state and gets up, stumbling away like he’s had too much liquor.
I glance back at Bratlav who finally takes off his mask, but his expression is unreadable. Jorgen tries to shift again, and everyone is conscious of the faint waves of magical energy flowing all around him, but soon it’s clear his creature is dead.
“You’re no longer a mage or a dragon, Duke Jorgen III. I’ve claimed your creature. It’s a just punishment for all of your crimes!” Bratlav shouts, releasing his arms up in the air.
I can’t imagine existing without my dragon; it’s worse than death. Jorgen mourns over his beast, falling down on his knees and tangling his hair. I heard stories about shifters who experimented with their fire so much they lost their ability to shift, and now Jorgen’s one of them.
I look up and between the trees and see a shadow circling in the sky. Another dragon. It’s one of the contestants who’s obviously decided to take a risk and use his true form to get to the mountain.
“No way, mate, you won’t get to the duke before me. I’ve gotten too far to lose now,” I say and start to release arrows aiming at the creature, one after the other. Maybe it’s a pointless endeavour, but the arrows should scare him away. The creature roars with fire, and rises higher, trying to avoid getting spiked, finally disappearing behind the mountain.
I turn invisible again, knowing the other shifters will surround me and I can’t afford to get caught. I start running further, backing away towards the forest, taking long, panting breaths.
The pain in my thigh throbs and I have to slow down a few times. After almost an hour I stop to make sure I’m not being followed. The reason the duke’s with wild shifters has something to do with the final task, and I can't let others win. I’ve been dormant long enough now. I need to get Jorgen out of that village, and back to the castle. Maybe that’ll guarantee my victory. At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Jorgen’s lost everything—once his family and the people of Rivenna find out he’s no longer a mage, they’ll turn against him. The “cutting of the mage” spell is most likely irreversible.
I have to stop a few times to rest. My wound looks bad, and I’m risking an infection if I leave it open like this. In the distance, I hear the snarling of a dragon. I dipped some of my arrows with potion—I suspect it’s Alun, who’s now stuck in his dragon form, paralysed by my venom when I shot at him as he flew overhead.
I approach the village from the other side, and activate my invisibility spell. I start moving around, not seeing anyone guarding the prisoner. I guess the wild shifters don’t need to keep an eye on him anymore. Bratlav stripped him of everything that mattered and left him basically a human—a shell of his former self. Many of the shifters must have gone to sleep, leaving the fire torches still burning.
I finally locate him behind the wooden house, in a cage. He’s staring at the sky with his eyes wide open. My heart shudders in my chest and a familiar warmth pools into the pit of my stomach.
“Pssst, my lord, it’s Astri. I came to rescue you,” I say, pulling the lock and glancing around to make sure no one is watching me.
Jorgen doesn’t respond or even look at me. I use my hunting knife to play with the lock, getting inside the cage. His clothes are filthy, and his face is covered with dried blood and bruises. I swallow hard, wondering if he’s lost his mind.
I kneel beside him and gently nudge him, knowing the shifters won’t be asleep for long. We have to get out of here before they discover he’s vanished.
“Astri, you’re too late,” he sighs, blinking a few times. He doesn’t seem surprised I showed up. He turns his head slightly and his eyes move to my scar, finally meeting my own eyes.
“Too late for what, my lord? There were some complications along the way, but I’m here for you,” I say, pretending I’m confused. I have to touch him; there’s nothing I can do, so I wrap my arms around his waist and help him out and onto his feet. Emotions swell inside me, and his warmth comes back, reminding me I’m still a human being deep inside.
“You don’t understand. This wasn’t meant to happen,” he says, shaking his head like he doesn’t understand what’s going on. His touch feels hot on my skin, and I’m waiting for the satisfaction of my triumphant revenge over him to hit me; waiting for some kind of relief that never comes.
The duke struggles to keep his balance at first, but I urge him to keep going. He should’ve made sure I was dead before disappearing on me eleven years ago. Now his destiny has been fulfilled.
“We have to get out of here, my lord. We need to get back to the castle,” I say when he stops and glances around, hearing something.
“Astri, I have to tell you something; this is important,” he says urgently, grabbing my hands. His eyes gleam with sorrow and fury. “I’m not a shifter anymore. My inner dragon has been ripped away from me and crushed. It’s the end of me—those wild shifters found a way to destroy me.”
Chapter 24
The new beginning.
We stare at each other in complete silence, surrounded by gloom and nature. The happiness rising inside me suddenly fades, and I feel nothing. The numbness isn’t satisfying anymore, and slowly, soaring guilt reminds me I’m the real coward. Jorgen’s a shadow of the man he once was. All at once, I remember the first time I stood in front of him, hoping to get selected, thinking about my revenge. I never thought it would end like this.
He doesn’t look at my scar any longer, but the emptiness in his eyes slowly starts breaking me. This isn’t what I thought I’d feel—remorse. Jorgen won’t be able to rule without his dragon. No one will accept him or believe his creature died, unless we both keep this a secret.
“What do you mean you’re no longer a shifter?” I ask, swallowing hard, tightening the grip around my sword.
“I came up with this silly idea of getting myself captured by wild dragon shifters. No one was supposed to get hurt, and I was certain one of you would rescue me. Sebastian was here first, but something happened to his memory. Thayer had no idea what I was planning, no one did. I knew he’d never agree to let me go. Now, I’ve paid the price for my arrogance,” Jorgen explains, shaking his head like he still doesn’t believe this is happening. “The leader of the wild shifters performed the ‘cutting of the mage’ ritual and they succeeded. I’m no one without my dragon.”
I part my lips, wanting him to admit to his other crimes, but he still doesn’t recognise me.
“My lord, I was attacked by Elijah. He was charmed and he wanted to kill me. I don’t know what’s happened to Sebastian,” I say, lying to his face, because I’ll never admit I could’ve saved him, that I could’ve stopped Bratlav from killing his dragon.
This is what I always wanted—to see his downfall.
“Elijah? He had no reason to go after you. The wild shifters used black magic, they believed I banished them from Rivenna,” he says, breathing hard. We start moving slowly through the forest. The sky is pitch-black and I wonder how long he’s going to pretend he didn’t set Elijah on me. Sebastian admitted everything; he told me the duke promised him the assistant position in exchange for getting rid of me.
Now that the duke is no longer a shifter, Bratlav doesn’t care what happens to him. He probably won’t even care he managed to escape.
“In that case, we need to get back to the castle right away. Maybe there’s a way you can get your dragon back. Thayer must know—”
“No, Astri, you can’t speak a word abo
ut what’s happened here,” he cuts me off, hardening his jaw. “No one must know; otherwise I’ll lose everything. We get back to the castle and I’ll announce you as the winner of the contest. Congratulations, you’re officially my assistant. Just don’t expect me to teach you anything right now, because all of my magic has been taken from me.”
I don’t say anything, sensing the anger and regret in his voice. We continue to walk in silence until we reach the edge of the mountain. I have to shift now, because we can’t get back to the castle on foot. My wound is probably getting infected and we’re still miles from town.
“I won’t say anything, my lord,” I assure him, wanting him to look at me and tell me he remembers me. I don’t want his pity or apology, just an explanation. His future is doomed, but I no longer care. Lenin and Jetli will be ecstatic when I return as a hero.
Jorgen glances back and gives me a weak smile.
“I need your knife, Astri,” he says and I hand it to him, wondering what he’s planning to do with it. As soon as I hand it to him, he makes deep cut in the centre of his thigh. I stare, horrified as blood pours out of him.
“My lord …what have you done? This was—”
“Necessary, Astri. Shift. We can’t wait any longer. My story has to believable. You say the wild dragon shifter injured me in the battle and I lost too much blood,” he says, panting and going even paler. My own leg doesn’t look any better, but Jorgen doesn’t even notice I’m wounded.
I nod, and move several meters away from him in order to shift. Magical energy rises; every small hair on the back of my neck stands on end and I unleash my inner dragon. There’s only pain and devastation in Jorgen’s eyes and soon I forget about his emotions when the beast takes away my human senses.
I lower my tail and allow the duke to climb over my back. Soon after, I spread my wings wide and rise into the air. I release fire from my mouth and enjoy the freedom of being a Wyvern, leaving the The Decaying Mountains far behind. My senses are sharper, and I hear wolves running between the trees now, along with their loud, howling echoes through the forest. The sun slowly begins rising on the horizon, letting me know the night is over.