"Keep Aria safe, Ruscal mustn’t know about her," Edvard says.
"I need to get to Jetli and then we’ll return to the same spot. Don't worry Edvard, Aria will be safe with me," I assure him and then we start walking towards the city. I keep glancing behind me, wondering if I'm making the right decision. My heart is slowly breaking when I force myself to leave Jorgen, but it's the right decision. I wonder what happened to Emilia. Ruscal knew that she was powerful, and he must have found a way to defeat her.
"I don't know Astri, maybe we shouldn't have split up. My father doesn't trust the duke," my cousins says, and I try not to think about the worst. Heavy rocks begin filling my gut, but I keep telling myself that Jorgen needs to get his magic back more than he needs me right now. Edvard might not believe that Jorgen deserves his help, but he’ll protect him for me.
"We had no other choice, it's all my fault that Jorgen lost his beast. He needs to get it back, and I have to get to Jetli," I say as we keep walking at a fast pace through the forest." I can become invisible making it easier to get inside the castle and locate my Pixie."
Soon we reach the castle grounds and I sense strong waves of energy drifting around. Looking from the distance, there’s no evidence that the city’s been under invasion, but then I start seeing men in black uniforms walking around and sense the wild shifters nearby.
I'm confident that Lenin managed to move Jetli in time. My Pixie wouldn't let anything happen to his sister, and now I need to figure out where they might be hiding. Now I realise that bringing Aria wasn't one of my smartest moves. No one knows her around here, but I can't risk walking into the castle with her.
"All right, I think you should stay here and keep an eye on the guards. I’ll be back soon. This won't take long," I tell my cousin, who looks a bit uncertain about being left alone, but at the same time, I don't want to risk taking her into the castle. Edvard would never forgive me if anything happened to his only daughter. Ming’s warriors don't seem to be happy working alongside wild shifters, staring at two females with open suspicion. Hans must have been caught by surprise if he let Ruscal in the castle, unless the mage made a deal with someone other than Bratlav.
"What if someone sees me? I have no idea how to def–
"No one will see you, just make sure that you don’t leave this spot. I promise that I won't be long. My Pixies are counting on me," I tell her and then quickly become invisible, vanishing right in front of her eyes. I keep looking behind me once I reach the castle gate, making sure that Aria’s sticking to our plan. She looks scared, but she’s saying hidden and that's what’s most important.
I sneak past the human warriors as they walk up and down the courtyard, failing to see any familiar faces.
I head towards the staff quarters, moving through the empty corridors and growing anxious with every step. This wasn't how I imagined my return to Rivenna to be. I wonder if Thayer’s been taken hostage too, if so then he must be with Hans. I begin climbing the marble staircase, running and panicking slightly. I have no idea where to look for Lenin and Jetli. They’re tiny and the castle is filled with hundreds of secret passages.
Once I start running through the staff quarters, I spot two maids folding the laundry in one of the rooms. I recognise them and even remember their names, so I remove my invisibly spell, feeling lucky.
"Hey Resi and Cath," I whisper and they both jump, gasping with fear when they see me.
"Shhhhh, otherwise someone’s going to hear you guys," I hiss, and they both widen their eyes at me, finally recognising my scar and my filthy clothes. Cath is the first one who calms down. She quickly shuts the door and shakes her friend to get it together.
"Astri, how did you get into the castle? The duke's brother, that awful shifter, is looking for you," she says.
"It's a long story, but don't worry. No one saw me sneaking inside. I need to find Lenin and Derek. He was looking after Jetli," I say.
"Derek hid them in a secret room when Hans was locked up. The castle was sieged very quickly, and no one knew what was going on until it was too late. Those Asian warriors must have been gathering outside the city for some time, waiting for the sign," the other maid explains, looking flustered. "They killed many shifters and they imprisoned most of the guards. We were forced to keep working. They didn't know what to do with us."
"I need to find this secret room and I only have a few minutes," I say, feeling a little sick.
I'm too sacred too ask about Thayer, hoping that he’s with Hans. Cath smiles widely and then giggles.
"I shouldn't know this, but I once overheard Lady Cassandra in her chamber, she was talking about a secret room and how she was going to seduce the duke."
Anger rises in my pores, but I haven't got time to be jealous. I need to head upstairs. Resi grabs my hand.
"Is Jorgen all right? People have been saying that he abandoned the city, but I never believe in such silly rumours."
"No, we were travelling together, trying to find an antidote to help Jetli. He's back now and he won't let Ruscal get away with his crimes," I say, imagining hurting Ruscal in every possible way, taking everything that he ever cared for and crushing him. It's a great feeling–revenge.
"Good luck. I knew you were with the duke. You’ve always been so devoted to him," I hear Resi say just before I vanish.
After I make sure that there’s no one around I cloak myself in my invisibility spell once more. I take out my knives, hoping to stay prepared, but the corridors are empty. Stabbing someone while invisible seems cowardly, but I'm willing to make an exception for Ruscal. He never showed any act of remorse for anything he’s ever done.
I keep climbing until I reach the last floor, and pass my own room located just by Jorgen's chamber. The immersed silence starts to worry me and I wonder where the hell Ruscal is now. The whole castle seems completely deserted. I break into Jorgen's chamber, using a pin in my hair and a bit of fire magic. As soon as I walk into the living room, someone starts smacking me over the head with a giant stick.
"Auu, what the hel–"
"Astri, Astri, is that you? No, my eyes are misleading me, this can't be happening," I hear the cries and the high squeaky voice belonging to Lenin. Then my Pixie attempts to hug me, digging his tiny hands into my neck. Tears swell in my eyes, but I need to pull myself together. This isn't the time to get emotional.
"It's so good to see you. Jorgen and I only got back a few hours ago, we had no idea that the city was under siege. How’s Jetli? Are you okay?" I start asking him, looking around the room and spotting Derek staring at me with a weak smile. I keep telling myself that Jetli's condition remained the same the entire time we were away.
"She's still in a coma. I talk to her, but she doesn't respond, even when I tell her jokes," Lenin says, looking emotional too. "But now you're back, Astri and everything will be all right. I can feel it in my bones."
Lenin starts flying around me while I try to hide a tear or two. Despite everything that’s happened I missed my Pixie very much. Then I remove the precious flask from my pocket, knowing and hoping that Jorgen’s already back to his true form. Deep down, I feel terrible that I let him leave with Edvard.
"Yes, because I have the dragon venom, and it's only been extracted from the dragon a few days ago, so it must work," I say, and then walk over to Derek who seems shocked, staring at the black liquid inside the flask.
Derek leads me to Jorgen's bedroom, then starts moving the books that are neatly arranged on the bedside table. Shortly after that, the bookshelf starts moving, opening another passageway along the wall. I have no idea if Jorgen knows about this room or not, but right now that's not important. Inside, Jetli’s laying on a tiny bed on the desk that looks like Derek’s work station.
"We moved here as soon as Lenin noticed foreign guards in the corridors. It was Lenin's idea," Derek explains, sounding and looking tired. "Ruscal invaded the castle two days ago, but so far he hasn’t wasted much time. He took full control of the city."
"Yeah, I was going to stab that filthy mage with the sharpest knife in the kitchen. Then use my magic to turn him into a frog," Lenin shouts, showing me his fists and flying around the room.
"Calm down Lenin, Ruscal’s going to pay for everything when the time comes. Right now, we have to worry about Jetli. The druid that we got the venom from assured me that it’ll work," I say, taking a deep breath and handing the flask to Derek. Jetli looks so pale and I have a feeling that if we waited for a bit longer, we would’ve been too late.
He puts a small amount of the venom on the tip of his finger and rubs it on Jetli's lips, then pours tiny droplets all over her body.
Then it's the waiting game and minutes start to drag on painfully. Lenin isn’t saying anything, trying to dispel the tension building inside the secret room.
"Why is she not waking up, why, why, why?" Lenin finally shouts, flying around and waving his tiny fists around.
"Just give her time, Lenin," I say, still filled with hope.
"Maybe it's just too late," Derek whispers and I look at him like he’s lost his mind. This isn't happening, not after all that Jorgen and I have been through. Jetli can’t die, and I continue to wait, but after another ten long and painful minutes, nothing’s happening. Jetli isn’t waking up.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Part of my passion.
"No, you're wrong. It's venom from a real dragon and she will wake up. We just need to give her a bit more time," I shout, clenching my fists so hard that I'm cutting off circulation to my fingers. Lenin hides his head in his tiny palms, sobbing in silence. I can't bear to look at Jetli, expecting something to happen. The tiny speck of pain that’s spreading in my chest means nothing compared to the potent anger rising inside of me.
I refuse to believe, refuse to accept the fact that this isn't working. Blood rushes to my ears, as I begin to realise that if this venom isn't going to save Jetli's life then it’ll be useless for Jorgen too. My eyes narrow, as anger replaces my fear. I start praying to Hommis, asking the God of shifters to spare the Pixie, and to give us a sign. This can't be happening.
The venom was supposed to be her miracle, the only thing that could cure the black magic that hit my Pixie during my confrontation with Ruscal. Time is not on our side; minutes pass and we start hearing voices in the corridor, knowing that maybe sooner or later someone could barge inside the duke's chamber. Ruscal should’ve checked all the rooms in the castle, one by one, but I no longer care if they find us or not. Now, I not only failed to help Jetli, but I also let Jorgen down.
Lenin keeps sobbing, and his cries are breaking my heart. Derek is silent, and he keeps checking, staring at the Pixies with pain in his eyes. I want to vanish, disappear or go back to that evening when Ruscal walked into the castle and kill him.
I feel betrayed, and cheated. Zain must have been playing on our emotions since the moment we flew into the valley. He was never planning to give us the healing venom and that’s what’s hurting me the most.
"Astri, Lenin, look, something’s happening," Derek tells me all of a sudden, and I glance at my Pixie. Lenin blows his nose and flies over to his sister, and I approach her tiny bed too.
My heart leaps in my throat when I notice that she starting to move. Her usual colour returns, and then she opens her eyes. A rush of wild emotions jolts through me.
"Jetli, Jetli, you're all right. Don't worry, Astri fixed you up, but I think you’ve been sleeping for way too long," Lenin says and his voice vibrates with emotions. He quickly wipes his tears away and I want to laugh. I never thought that I would live to see Lenin cry.
The Pixie’s staring at me and her brother with a deep frown, looking slightly confused. Then, a bright smile spreads over her face and everything’s suddenly better.
"Do you remember anything that happened, Jetli?" I ask, when Derek tries to check her, but she won't let him touch her, flying above the bed and snooping around the place. A stream of magical energy follows her. She's back and healed. I can’t believe that we’re so lucky.
I hold my chest, trying to steady my racing heart. The voices are gone now, but we can't stay in here. I need to get back to Aria. I promised her I wouldn't be too long.
Jetli nods enthusiastically, still flying around the room and then lifts both of her tiny hands like she’s asking me what's going on.
"That nasty mage who kidnapped us a few weeks ago is in the castle now. Astri and the lordi lord went for a big adventure to find the cure, because the doc here was saying that you were dying," Lenin explains and then he hugs his sister who seems bewildered with his sudden signs of affection. I wipe my own tears, realising that I'm crying too.
I briefly explain what happened after Emilia saved the day, finally going back to the situation that we’re in now. Derek still has no idea that Jorgen went through the cutting of the mage ritual. Maybe Jorgen’s back to being his true self by now, I shouldn't be worried because he’s with Edvard.
"Jetli, maybe you should stay here with Derek. You’ve only just woken up and I'm worried that Ruscal will want to end what he started when he took you captive. He must have headed straight to Rivenna, once he learned that Jorgen had left the city," I suggest, but Jetli instantly disagrees, shaking her head and pointing out that she’s coming with us.
"She wants to come with us. You should know, Astri that she's stubborn like that," Lenin chuckles.
"Fine, fine. Derek? Are you all right to stay in here? It's too dangerous for you to leave the chamber. I need to head back and find my cousin. Jorgen should be with her now," I say, convinced that so far our plan is working perfectly. This is a huge relief that both of my Pixies are all right, but my earlier vision keeps niggling at me.
"Yes, I'm not moving from here, but you guys be careful. The duke's brother is after you, he was vocal about it the moment he took control."
Lenin starts cursing, telling us how he’s going to deal with Ruscal once their paths cross again. We walk through the secret passage, getting back to the main chamber. Jetli’s sitting on my arm and I feel good that I have my baby back. When I'm just about to open the door, I hesitate. I don't want them to get hurt again, and Ruscal can be unpredictable. They can be seen and Ruscal must know that they weren't with me in the Asian World.
"Just use the window to get out, there’s a green fence behind the gate and Aria’s waiting for me there," I tell them both. Jetli looks a little too excited, and I'm still a little worried about her.
"Another Wyvern shifter, I hope she’s not annoying," Lenin mutters and I roll my eyes.
I use my invisibility spell and then sneak through the door, seconds later I give my Pixies a sign and they fly through the corridor towards the window. After they make it out safely, I start heading downstairs, thinking about Aria. Thayer’s on my mind too, and I could really use his knowledge right now. He’s most likely been imprisoned along with Hans. The maid mentioned that a few guards were killed, but what about humans and shifters in the city? Most people were happy with Jorgen being the Duke.
The foreign troops are filling up the corridors and I move past them, hoping to see Ruscal. Maybe this entire plan is stupid, but I'm looking forward to using my fire magic once again. He defeated me eleven years ago, but at the time I was only a child. That isn't going to happen to me again.
I move through the floors quickly, seeing all sorts of new faces around, humans and shifters that I don't recognise at all. My invisibility spell is a blessing, and after I leave the castle I locate Aria in the same spot where I left her. She’s already getting acquainted with Lenin and Jetli.
"Oh Astri, your Pixies are so pretty. I was so scared, but then they showed up and told me that you were on your way," Aria says, then giggles when Lenin starts pulling her ponytails. Sweat surges down my face; now that Jetli’s fine, we need to get back and find Jorgen.
"That's fab, but we can't stay here. We need to get back to the Black Forest to meet Jorgen and your father," I say, trying to stay calm, but my anxiety is rising.
"Aria you go first and we’ll follow you."
My cousin agrees and I give her a sign when the guards aren't looking. She sneaks through the bushes and runs towards the trees. I sense a lot of shifters around and my skin starts prickling with magical energy. Jetli keeps flying around my head, enjoying her miracle recovery. At the moment, neither Lenin or Jetli need to know what I had to give away in order to get the venom. For now, it's a small and unimportant detail. So far, I’m not missing any memories, and I can't really tell if I'm feeling any different.
Soon enough, we vanish in the dark forest, and my senses becoming sharper. I keep thinking about Emilia, worrying that Lenin has no idea what happened to her.
I suspect that Ruscal must have brought his own wizards with him. He couldn't take any chances and needed to protect himself from Emilia's magic. The situation in the city’s complicated, but I guarantee other shifters aren't happy with this new order. We just need to bring enough people together to defeat Ruscal.
"I’ve been hiding in the lordi lord's room for too long. Derek wouldn't let me leave and kick that nasty mage's arse. I could have used my magic. I'm very good with my magic," Lenin says, talking to Aria while Jetli’s shaking her head and rolling her eyes. It looks like she’s very much herself again. "And you're another Wyvern, you look like Astri, but you're funny. Good thing that we have you."
We’re moving slowly through the forest and my stomach makes a funny jolt, because I still have no idea if Jorgen managed to get his magic back. It's another waiting game now.
"I really hope that everything’s gone according to plan. I should’ve gone with Jorgen," I say, more to myself than anyone else. He’s my mate and I didn't prioritise, but I tell myself that I’ll never make that kind of mistake again.