"A few weeks ago Ruscal arrived at the castle using the identity of one of the guards from Leahori. No one knew or suspected anything, so when he finally revealed himself, he took my Pixies hostage. My ex-boss, Emilia, saved me that night. She's one of the most powerful witches in the Eastern World, but Jetli, the female Pixie, was severely injured in the process. I’ve always treated Lenin and Jetli like my real family, and Ruscal knew that I would do anything to save them. Derek, the castle healer isn’t giving her much of a chance at recovery, but then I was told that there’s a druid who can heal her with dragon venom."
I explain the rest of my plans to Edvard, knowing that he won't approve of them, but right now I'm not asking for his permission to save Jetli. It's odd to think that an hour ago I had no idea that Edvard even existed, and now here he is, talking to me. I feel overwhelmed, and in a way, I'm mad that he never came back for me.
When I finish talking, Edvard’s silent and my heart keeps pounding away. My visions awakened me from one of the most uncomfortable dreams and I finally had a chance to live my life the way I wanted.
"I decided to come back to Rivenna as soon as I found out that Ruscal tried to kill you," he says. "I didn't have to hide anymore, you survived and he was exposed."
I nod, all of a sudden hearing someone singing. We both glance out the window seeing that a lot of humans are now marching towards the temple, carrying some kind of statue in the air. Others are dropping colourful flowers around them, singing loudly.
"Today is a national holiday, so humans are celebrating" Edvard explains and I keep telling myself that Jorgen’s going to be all right. He has to be. "Yes, I heard about the druid too, but it's almost impossible to reach him. His dragons have always protected him. Many shifters lost their lives trying to get there. I'm sorry Astri, but it’s a suicide mission."
"I appreciate the advice, but I have no other choice. First, I need to get Jorgen out of that temple, then we can worry about the druid," I say, determined to enter the temple myself if I have to. "You're wrong about him, and this has nothing to do with my feelings. Jorgen isn't like his brother. He healed me when I was hurt. He has a good heart."
Edvard keeps staring at me with his intense blue eyes, and I know that he doesn't want to believe me. For years, he was forced to live in hiding, all his family has been murdered, so I'm not surprised that he doesn't trust the duke.
"Astri, you're still young and a little naive. Jorgen would never mate with you or marry you. He was the one who protected Ruscal all this time when his father became ill. It's because of him, your parents’ killer is still alive."
"No, I don't believe you, besides, you're not going to change my mind," I say, shaking my head.
"Yes, it looks like I won't talk you out of this silly plan," he sighs loudly, and his eyes gleam with hope. "And now I have a chance to finally see my daughter. I thought that she would be safe there with humans, but since Ruscal’s attack, I don't think any of us are safe anywhere."
"I don't understand. What does your daughter have to do–"
"I told you, she lives inside the temple. I was scared that Ruscal might track her down, epically after what happened to you. So eight years ago I made her drink the potions that removed all of her memories. She never developed any magical abilities, and wasn't able to shift. The potions surpassed them, and I knew that she would be safer around humans, so I left her here. Trust me, Astri, I have regretted it for a long time."
Chapter Nine
My family.
"What? Your daughter lives here, inside that temple?" I ask, knowing that I must have been too overwhelmed earlier on to register him telling me about her. Edvard nods and my heart explodes with joy.
"When I followed you here all the way from Rivenna, I had no idea what your plans were or why you were leaving," he explains. "I kept thinking that you couldn't have been going to the Asian World of all the places. Then you landed just by the Surenu Mountains and I was shocked and relieved at the same time. I told myself that it was a sign, thinking that this was my chance to finally see her again. I need to gift her back her memories. Sooner rather than later, someone will find out about her and I can't risk leaving her alone again."
It's an unbelievable coincidence and I realise what Edvard must be going through. He’s been separated from Aria for years.
"You're right, we should get her out," I say. "She needs to remember her past; she needs to know that she has a real family."
"Aria is one of the sisters of the congregation that lives in the temple, along with others. It's one of the main places where General Ming enjoys staying during the winter season, where he trains his guards. The main gate is open once a day, and in between no one is allowed in, apart from the General himself. The locals will be busy with their celebrations, and this is the perfect opportunity to sneak inside undetected," Edvard says, and I want to ask him how he knows all that, but it doesn't matter right now. We just need to get inside and find Aria, then rescue Jorgen. "Tell me about your invisibility spell? I have never experienced this kind of magic before. I couldn't believe it when you vanished right in front of my eyes."
I bite my lip, thinking about that day in the old mill when I tried to get rid of my scar. I feel embarrassed that I thought I bought genuine dragon’s venom. I was ready for anything just so I could look normal.
"I developed the invisibly spell after I drank dragon’s venom. I bought it from a random traveller a couple of months back, thinking that it was real and it would help me remove my old spell. I had a really hard time accepting myself over the years. It was silly, but I hated when people noticed me and called me ugly. Obviously, the venom didn't work and straight afterwards I was able to turn invisible. It was a side effect of the venom, and even today I have no idea where it came from," I explain, feeling a little silly that I was so insecure in the past.
"Dragon venom?" he asks, looking at me with astonishment like he’s having trouble digesting this whole story. "Yes, I imagine that it must have been hard living with the knowledge that your own spell bounced back, nearly killing you in the process. Until today, I didn’t know what went wrong or why your own magic turned against you."
"No one knows, but right now it doesn't matter. It's in the past. I woke up in the hospital confused and scared, seeing my aunt and uncle. They told me that my parents died in car accident, and I was in a fire. A few months later, I started having visions, so I knew that my uncle lied to me. I couldn't remember anything from my life before the scar. It seems that part of my subconscious doesn't want me to recall the past," I explain, thinking about my mum and dad.
It's been tough not even having flashbacks from the time that I lived with them. I wish that there was a way to get all of my memories back.
"Astri, your magic abilities have always been extraordinary. Minerva used to tell me that you shifted when you were only twelve months old, and that's pretty much unheard of. As the years went by, she started getting concerned that you may hurt people with your fire magic. There were a few scary accidents that forced them to relocate in order to make sure that no one knew about your abilities."
I know exactly what Edvard’s talking about–my fire magic always brought death and destruction. I remembered those incidents from my visions. The Warlock witch brought it back when Jorgen went to ask for her help. She managed to awaken it, and because of that, I killed Pollock, losing complete control of myself. It didn't matter that it was a self-defense, I still took away his life.
"Ruscal should’ve been dead. Once I unleashed my fire magic, no one could have escaped from it, but something went wrong. Maybe it was my punishment for not being able to control myself when I was younger," I say, in a way blaming myself that my parents died. They had to keep on moving, because they were scared that people might discover that I wasn't a normal shifter.
"There’s no point going over it right now," he mutters. "We should leave this place as soon as the sun goes down. I will use a potion to turn into one of the locals and you need to becom
e invisible. We don't need to bring any attention to ourselves. "
"Do you know what might happen to Jorgen?" I ask, feeling apprehensive about what might happen once we enter the temple, but we don't have any other options. Right now Jorgen’s weak and injured, so I need to get him out of there as soon as possible.
"The General likes public executions, but Jorgen still has a few days. Ming enjoys showing people that they should fear him. This isn't the Eastern World, Astri. Humans here don't co-exist peacefully with shifters. The mages and humans have been killing each other since the Great War ended and it looks like nothing’s going to change anytime soon," he explains, patting me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we will get him out, even if I don't think that he deserves to be rescued."
I don't say anything when he takes out a small flask from his pocket and starts applying drops all over his face. Soon his typical Wyvern features begin disappearing and his eyes become darker and more slender.
"That's impressive, but what's the plan?" I ask, a little baffled now that Edvard looks like one of the warriors who was leading Jorgen to the temple. A bunch of tiny stones cascade down to my stomach. I'm nervous for some reason and worried that things might go wrong and we’ll end up getting stuck inside as well.
Aria, my cousin, has been living in the temple for years and we have no idea how she’s going to react once Edvard gives her back her memories.
"Not far from here, there’s local tavern, some warriors from the temple like drinking there. I learned from experience, that once you keep buying them shots, they’ll tell you all sorts of things. We need to convince someone to show us the secret way inside, then we need to locate Aria. She won't recognise us, but once she drinks the golden potion, she’ll remember me," Edvard states with confidence.
I purse my lips, thinking that he’s way too optimistic about how things may turn out once we’re be inside.
"Don't get me wrong, it's a good plan, but you have no idea how your daughter’s going to react. You took away her memories and for years she’s been living this other life. To be honest, if someone would’ve done that to me, I'd be quite pissed," I say.
"Maybe, but I'm not willing to wait another day. The temple’s filled with traps and humans that won't hesitate to attack once we cross their path. We need someone on the inside to direct us around."
I agree, knowing that my energy’s already fully restored, bouncing through my system. Shortly after that, I become invisible, concentrating on all of my power. Edvard confessed that he wanted to rescue Aria sooner, even before Ruscal made an appearance in Rivenna, but he was scared.
I can't imagine putting myself in his shoes, leaving my only child with humans and not knowing what might happen to her.
As soon as the sun vanishes behind the mountain, we leave our hiding place. There are a few locals around, but most of the people must have gone home by now. We spot a few warriors here and there, patrolling the narrow paths around the mountain. Edvard seems to know his way around, so I follow him closely. I keep thinking about Jorgen and his mother. That whole story about Ruscal being taken away by a Warlock seems unbelievable. Edvard’s convinced that the duke cannot be trusted, but he doesn't know him the way I do.
We start going downhill, passing through the narrow alleys and manmade pavements. The houses look poorer further down, and I spot a few barefoot children running around, splashing in the water that keeps floating in the street. Luckily, no one pays attention to Edvard who’s sneaking through the streets.
Half an hour later, he stops in front of wobbly looking budding with signs all over the doors. Some symbols are similar to those on the two flags that were waving over the temple.
I follow him inside the dark tavern filled with thick plumes of smoke. The smell of blood and whiskey wafts through the air, making me sick. I can barely breathe inside, noticing that all the windows are shaded and everyone around is smoking some kind of pipe. I cough, unable to restrain myself, keeping close to Edvard.
"Try covering your mouth, Astri, they all smoke opium and that stuff can mess with your head. Opium always affects shifters differently," he whispers as we head over to the bar.
I have no idea how I’m supposed to breathe in here, so I struggle while following him around.
"Whiskey, my friend," Edvard orders, looking at the man behind the bar who has typical Eastern features. He isn't a shifter, just a human who must have a mother or father that came from the east.
I look around, spotting a few warriors drinking on the other side of the bar. One of them looks completely wasted. He keeps throwing back one shot after the other, shouting at his companions. The barman nods and slams a glass on the bar, then pours Edvard a drink. I'm having trouble staying on course, feeling a little dizzy from the smoke and outrageous smell.
I move closer to the window watching as Edvard sips his drink, observing the warriors closely. The one that’s having trouble keeping his balance slaps the other on the back shouting:
"It was a good day, Wong. We caught a dragon shifter earlier on and the general seemed pleased.”
Edvard moves closer, as tension rises inside me. My uncles needs to be careful, he can't be too eager to talk to them, otherwise they might be suspicious.
"Well, brave man, this is a cause for celebration. Shifters are scum!" Edvard shouts all of a sudden. The barman pours more drinks and my uncle pushes them towards the group of warriors.
If it's a bribe, then that might just do the trick, because all of them finally notice him.
"Chain, you stay and have fun. We have to go home, our wives are waiting," one of the men responds, then gestures to the other to follow him. Maybe it's a good sign that they are leaving. The one warrior left is wasted, so he can be easily manipulated.
"Thank you, my friend. We should celebrate, that coward killed two other guards and I would have strangled him with my bare hands if the others hadn’t stopped me. There’s too many shifters around, spying on us day after day, and stealing our food. This one will be dead by dawn," the guard states, and then burps loudly. I move a little closer, trying to catch everything that he says.
That warrior’s too wasted and he’s not making sense. I keep telling myself that Ming needs Jorgen and he’s not going to kill him just yet.
"I bet he’s squealing like a pig and begging to let him go, right? Where are you keeping him, my friend?" my uncle asks casually and pushes another drink into his direction. I strain my muscles, holding my breath and waiting for the warrior to answer.
The warriors finally drinks the shot and holds his breath, going red. He’s struggling to stay seated.
"He's with tigers in the underground cell. The general’s already sent his wizard to assess his magic, so soon enough that scum will talk. Once the wizard pays them a visit, they all start squealing like little monkeys," the guard laughs.
"Tigers, that's fascinating. I’ve never seen one, I heard that Ming imports them from the Indian World?" my uncle asks, and I want to laugh. He can't believe anything that drunken human’s saying.
Jorgen’s a prisoner not a clown.
"Yes, yes the general buys them from abroad. And once the wizard ceases their magic, the tigers rips them apart. Sometimes we break their bones first, so they can't escape," the guard says, smiling and then spills the drink all over his jacket. My throat’s dry and I tell myself that this human’s lying through his teeth. No one’s going to break Jorgen's bones.
"Come with me, stranger. I need to get back to my quarters and you're a good drinking companion," the warrior adds, moving his arm around Edvard's neck to keep himself from falling down.
Other men in the tavern are laughing at him when my uncle helps him up to get outside. The man throws up in the street, cursing the alcohol and his woman. It's getting dark quickly, and the temperature starts dropping. My stomach makes a flip. I'm nervous and worried about Jorgen, anxious that he’s being tortured, while we’ve been waiting around, wasting time.
"Have you heard about the re
d dragon that’s been seen in the sky during the early hours of the morning?" Edvard asks, once the warrior’s done throwing up and stops stumbling around.
"Yes, a shifter told us that it was a Wyvern, but the general didn't believe him. All the Wyverns have been killed, besides, we caught the last one not too long ago."
Chapter Ten
Indulgence.
Blood rushes to my ears and I glance at Edvard, certain that the warrior’s lying. There’s no way that another Wyvern could have survived and lived unnoticed all these years when Ruscal was murdering every member of my family.
"A Wyvern?" my uncle repeats tightening his jaw, staring at the guard like he’s ready to strangle him.
I'm hoping that the warrior isn't taking about my cousin, Aria. The humans couldn't have figured out her true identity, Edvard’s potions took away her memories, and hopefully her abilities too.
The warrior’s stumbling away, shaking his head like he’s trying hard not to slam back on the ground. Edvard exhales sharply and asks him again.
"Tell me, who was that shifter you speak of? It couldn't be another Wyvern."
His voice is strained, and the warrior looks away like he’s thinking about his answer, then he falls down on the pavement.
Edvard start shaking him, then slaps him a few times. "Hey buddy, wake up, wake up. Tell me about the Wyvern dragon shifter? What happened to him?"
"Edvard, you need to calm down. People are starting to look at us," I hiss placing my hand on his arm, aware that some locals stop and stare curiously at the drunken warrior. My uncle sighs, standing up, and then he drags his hand through his hair.
"Who said that? Man, I think I drank too much, because I keep hearing strange voices," the warrior finally answers, but then remembers that he was supposed to answer a question. "I don't know what happened to that shifter. He was brought inside by some royal mage and he made a deal with the general. He was executed the next day; hung, and our people enjoyed seeing him dead."