Hidden Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon Book 7)

by Genevieve Jack

  Sylas had long hated Aborella, and his empathy was far thinner than his mate’s even now. But he had to admit to some sympathy for her. What Eleanor had done to her was dark indeed. He knew better than anyone that it would be a punishment she’d carry with her for the rest of her life.

  “I don’t suppose you could fly us to Mistcraven without invisibility?” Dianthe leaned into his side, looking drawn.

  “You’d freeze to death before we got there. I can’t keep my wings wrapped around you and fly at the same time.” Dragons were impervious to cold, but fairies were not.

  She groaned. “Our choices are a ten-mile hike huddled together like narwits in mating season or a potentially suicidal jaunt over the mountain into Everfield where the Guard might be waiting for us?”

  “I’d prefer door number three if there is one. Fire up that second sight.” Sylas looked at her expectantly.

  Dianthe took a deep breath. “I’ll do my best.”

  A vision was not something she could demand from the universe. It wasn’t owed to her. For Dianthe, seeing the future was like a biological function. It happened regularly, like a heartbeat, and just the same, happened in its own time.

  Still, there were ways she’d found to welcome or hinder her sight. As she had at Solaris Lake, she closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders. Breathing deeply, she visualized a light branching outward with a million bright and welcoming hands. I am here and I am ready. She opened the cage of her mind, sprinkled the birdseed, and waited.

  It worked. A vision rammed into her, sending her eyes rolling back in her head. She watched the images unfold one after the other. By the time she came back into herself, she had what they needed.

  “There’s a cabin.” She pointed east. “An old hunting cabin, less than a mile from here. There’s a woodburning stove, and I saw us eating.”

  He landed a kiss on her forehead, lifted her, and broke into a jog in the direction she’d pointed. They reached the small log cabin in minutes, just as the suns set and a fierce snowstorm moved in.

  Dianthe pulled open the door and saw the room exactly as she’d pictured it. While Sylas placed a barely conscious Aborella on the sofa and covered her with a dusty blanket, Dianthe did her best to start a fire in the stove. There was dry wood, thank the goddess, and a tin of matches. In no time, the small space began to warm.

  Sylas came up behind her and wrapped a fur blanket around her shoulders.

  “Where did you find this?”

  “At the end of the bed.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “You’ve saved us again.”

  The wind and snow picked up outside the window, howling against the walls. She started opening cupboards. “Don’t thank me so quickly. I don’t see the food or drink my vision promised.”

  Sylas frowned. “Aborella is resting. She’s very weak. Any other fairy—”

  “She’s survived worse.”

  “With the help of a zum zum tree and an apothecary of healing herbs.”

  A dark, cold feeling overcame Dianthe, and she pressed her hand into her chest. Grief and loss seized her as if they’d been waiting in the wings for a sliver of an opportunity to take over. A soft mewl escaped her lips.

  “I don’t think the loss will ever get easier.” She wiped away a stray tear. “It could take hundreds of years to regrow that forest. Even if the fairies sprout new oaks, maples, and redwoods, do you think there are any zum zums left? They were already so rare.”

  Sylas frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to reopen the wound.”

  What could she say? The wound had never closed to begin with.

  Three hard knocks interrupted their conversation. Sylas flashed her a worried look and crept toward the door. He peeked out the window, squinting into the storm.

  At once his eyebrows shot up and his mouth widened into a grin. “The rest of your vision has arrived.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He threw open the door, and Nathaniel, Clarissa, Avery, and Xavier entered, laden with supplies.

  “Bloody hell, it’s a blizzard out there,” Nathaniel said. “If I’d had any common sense before coming here, I’d have lost it to frostbite while waiting at the door.”

  “Aye, pure Baltic. ’Tis cold enough to scare yer skin right off yer body.” Xavier gave Dianthe a friendly nod. “Gud thin’ for Avery I’ve fire in my blood or she might not ’ave made it.”

  “What are you doing here?” Dianthe asked happily.

  Avery shook the snow from her hair and walked to the fire. “Nathaniel, Clarissa, and I used magic to teleport us here once Sabrina and Tobias told us what happened. We thought you’d probably need our help.”

  “How did you know where we were?” Sylas asked.

  “Nathaniel’s cards,” Clarissa said. “His tarot cards were screaming not to leave you to your own devices.”

  “Mum isn’t the only one with a bit of magic,” Nathaniel said.

  Clarissa spread her hands. “It takes three witches for this type of portal, so we all had to come.”

  “And I go where Avery goes.” Xavier pointed his chin at his beloved.

  “Raven sends her love. It was too risky for her and Gabriel to leave with Charlie,” Avery said.

  “Colin was in a sweat over splitting up the three sisters, but given the possible scenarios, this one was the least unfavorable,” Nathaniel said. “The resistance needs both of you. Be prepared for a proper chewing out upon your return. It was very stupid doing what you did.”

  Dianthe looked around the room, which had quickly filled to the brim with dragons. She could cry from the relief. She’d had no idea what she and Sylas would have done tomorrow if they were on their own.

  “Speaking of what you did, were you successful?” Clarissa asked.

  Without even thinking about it, Dianthe had moved in front of Aborella when the others came in. The injured fairy was curled beneath a blanket in the corner of the sofa, and up until that point, no one had seemed to notice her. Dianthe moved aside now to reveal the fairy whose skin was an awful shade of gray, her silver eyes looming too large in her starved frame.

  “By the Mountain, you’ve got her,” Nathaniel said, the same way you might comment on the successful trapping of a rat. His mouth twisted in disgust. Avery reached for the hilt of the sword on her back. Dianthe held up a hand, stepping between Aborella and the others.

  “It’s not what you think. She’s helping us. Sylas, show them.”

  Sylas retrieved the orb from the place he must have put it after setting Aborella down and held it up between them. In the candlelight, a cogwheel, a piece of the key, floated in a milky wave of twinkling stars.

  “Good God,” Nathaniel said. “You’ve found the fourth orb.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  In her vision, Dianthe hadn’t seen the others arrive, only a bright light, a feeling of warmth, and a table laden with food. Now the vision made sense. The others had brought provisions, including a cauldron of beef stew that they warmed over the stove, along with several bottles of strong wine. Before long, the cabin filled with laughter and merriment. She ate and drank late into the night, detailing her adventures with Sylas in Everfield and Nochtbend. They also told the others everything they’d learned from Aborella, who said very little but ate well.

  After dinner, each of them found a place on the bed or the floor to take their rest. They’d polished off a fair amount of wine, and it wasn’t long before Dianthe slipped into happy oblivion. She wasn’t sure exactly what woke her—she’d been having a wonderful dream about flying through the Empyrean Wood in the heart of summer—but she opened her eyes to see Aborella staring out the window. Dianthe took a moment to come back to reality, pushing aside the grief and disappointment that her forest home was indeed still gone, then slipped out of Sylas’s arms and approached her.

  “Can’t you sleep?” Dianthe whispered, trying not to wake the others.

  Aborella blinked at her. “Seeing your friends, I am reminded of my greatest regrets. I’
ve done some horrible things, Dianthe. Things for which I can never make amends.”

  Dianthe rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “No one can take back what is done, but you can do the right thing going forward. You’ve already started. You’re helping us.”

  Wistfully, Aborella stared out the window. “The suns are rising. Can you feel it?”

  “In my blood, yes.” All fairies did. Even though the black mountains still blocked their rising light, she could feel the sunrise in her veins, anticipation of the day zinging through her.

  “It’s pure joy to be free. I can’t wait to feel their warmth on my skin. Thank you, Dianthe. Thank you for coming for me. Thank you for being my one true friend.”

  “There’s still time for you to make other friends.” Dianthe tried to be positive. She didn’t like the look on Aborella’s face. “Once people get to know you, how you’ve changed, some may forgive you. Some may become friends with time.”

  “I’ve had another vision.”

  The way she said it, almost absently, gave Dianthe a hollow feeling. Not exactly sad, but empty, resolved. Whatever Aborella had seen weighed heavily on her soul.

  “What of?” Dianthe asked.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Aborella turned to her again, her face brightening. “It has to do with the three sisters. I wonder if you might wake Avery. I have a message for her.”

  Dianthe balked. “Clarissa too? She’s also one of the three.”

  Aborella shook her head adamantly. “No. This is just for Avery. You’ll understand once I share it. Tell her to bring her sword.”

  “Okay.”

  Ice seemed to form in Dianthe’s stomach at Aborella’s tone, but she did as the fairy asked. Tiptoeing around sleeping bodies, she crouched beside Avery and shook the woman’s wrist, careful not to wake her mate. She held her finger to her lips. Avery carefully extricated herself from Xavier’s arms. The dragon gave a few warning snorts but then fell back into a rhythm of rumbling snores.

  At least she didn’t have to ask her to bring her sword. It appeared Avery had slept with it on her back. Dianthe motioned for her to follow to Aborella. Light shone on her face now through the window. The suns must have broken past the mountains.

  “What’s this all about?” Avery whispered once they were all huddled together.

  “Aborella had a vision. It has to do with you,” Dianthe explained.

  “With me?” Avery’s eyebrows lifted in surprise and she crossed her arms, seeming suddenly uncomfortable.

  Aborella pulled the blanket she was wearing tighter around her shoulders and gestured toward the door. “Come outside so that we don’t wake the others.”

  “Are you sure? It’s freezing out there.” Dianthe didn’t wish to go outside, but visions were a tricky thing. The expression on Aborella’s face told her this was necessary. There was a secret, one she could only share with Dianthe and Avery. She’d been there before. Seen things she couldn’t share widely.

  Avery leaned to whisper in Dianthe’s ear. “Should we trust her?”

  She nodded. “Absolutely.”

  Aborella opened the door and slipped out into the snow. Dianthe followed and so did Avery, albeit reluctantly. She closed the door behind her.

  “So what’s this vision?” Avery asked.

  Aborella took a few steps into the bright sunlight. “I’ve seen where the last orb is hidden. It’s not far from here, but if you are to retrieve it, you must go soon. If you wait too long, you will miss the opportunity.”

  Dianthe’s heart leaped. “Where, Aborella? You have no idea how important this is to the cause—”

  “It is in the Ice Forest in the belly of Skelna, the frost demon. You will have to kill her to extract it. It won’t be easy.”

  “Where do we find her?” Dianthe asked.

  Aborella folded her hands. “If you go to the Ice Forest, she’ll find you. She is its protector.”

  “I thought you said your vision was about me.” Avery hugged herself against the cold.

  Aborella gave her a slow nod. “The reason you and your sisters are having such trouble translating the scroll is that you don’t have the tools your ancestors thought you would have.”

  “Tools… What? How do you know about the scroll?” Avery shifted uneasily.

  Dianthe gripped her hand in support. It wasn’t always easy to be in the presence of a seer, especially when their vision was about you.

  “Your ancestors left you the tanglewood tree. They assumed you would have it. You need it to focus your power or you won’t be able to do what you need to do to stop Eleanor. You will need what remains of the tree to do that.” Aborella’s expression was gravely serious.

  There was more to this vision. Dianthe’s stomach sank as she waited for the other shoe to drop.

  “The tanglewood tree?” Avery shook her head. “It was chopped down and used to burn one of my ancestors at the stake. It no longer exists.”

  Aborella stared at Avery as if she were looking into her soul. “Parts of it do exist. They’ve been carefully passed down from generation to generation. Think, Avery. What have your ancestors ensured would come to you in this time?”

  The witch’s eyes grew wide. “Oh my God. Not my mother’s bar! Are you telling me that part of the tanglewood tree is there?”

  “I have seen it. In my visions, it grows there at the heart of the building. I don’t think this is to be interpreted literally. I see it hazy and glowing, a representation of something rather than a living tree. I suspect the original three left you a piece or pieces. Maybe a seed.”

  Avery shifted as if the news agitated her.

  Dianthe desperately wanted to ask for more of an explanation about what the tanglewood tree was and what bar Avery was talking about, but the revelation seemed to have struck Avery mute. She rubbed her head as if it hurt.

  Aborella spoke again. “There is one more thing, Avery. Now that you know, you must kill me.”

  “No!” Dianthe’s voice came out high and sharp. She shivered against the cold, but it was nothing compared to the ice that had formed in her stomach. “Aborella, what are you saying?”

  The fairy turned her face to the sun, her skin already growing darker from the healing light. “I asked Avery to bring her sword for a reason. She must kill me, and then you all must leave this place as soon as possible. Eleanor knows where we are. The only thing delaying her is the vampires. They surrounded Paragon last night, threatening revenge for Eleanor’s raid on Nochtbend yesterday, but now that the sun has risen, she will be selecting her troops and coming for you. It will take her longer, of course. Darnuith has stronger protections than the other realms.”

  “How?” Dianthe yelled. “How does she know?”

  Aborella frowned. “The same way she knew someone in Everfield helped me.” Aborella’s hand pressed into her abdomen. “She fed me her tooth; bound me against my will. It was meant as a punishment. Meant to keep me alive while I festered in that shallow grave you found me in. I’ve felt her calling me down the bond since yesterday. Anywhere I go, she knows. She can compel me, make it very uncomfortable for me not to obey. My blood burns with the desire to go to her even now. Please forgive me for not revealing this sooner. I needed time to tell you what you needed to know.”

  Dianthe’s breath caught, and Avery appeared equally appalled. It was a grave sin to force a bond. Once in place, it could not be undone, not even with the strongest magic. The tooth was a part of Aborella now. There was no way to remove it without killing her. Her bond to Eleanor was complete and irreversible.

  Aborella reached out and wiped a tear from Dianthe’s cheek. “My friend, I don’t want your tears. We both know what needs to be done. This isn’t a sad day. I am free because of you. And what Avery will do for me will free me from this bond. It is my only means of escape, you understand. It must be done.”

  Dianthe only cried harder. She knew that Aborella had done atrocious things in her life, even to Sylas, but there had been times, times when
she was healing the fairy, when she saw the child within. Aborella’s life had never been easy. In many ways it had never even been her own.

  “Avery,” Aborella said. “Please. It’s time. If you wait any longer, you’ll place everyone in danger.” She extended her neck and looked toward the suns.

  Avery drew her sword. Fairy Killer, Dianthe had heard it called. The broadsword scared her, but then it was crafted of iron and poisonous to fairies. She took a step back. Aborella was right. It had to be done.

  But she didn’t have to rejoin the universe alone. There was one simple thing Dianthe could do. She opened her mouth and sang. She sang the song fairies everywhere sing to the dying. It was said that the song opened the way to the next world.

  Aborella’s silver eyes met hers. “Thank you.”

  Avery’s sword whistled through the air, slicing cleanly through Aborella’s neck in one swoop. There was no blood. Her head never even hit the ground. Her body broke apart into confetti, the sparks peppering the snow, melting holes into its icy surface. And then she was gone.

  “Holy shit!” Avery yelled. “Where the hell did she go?”

  Dianthe wiped the tears streaming from her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. “It happens to some fairies. It’s normal, although rare. She t-turned into light. It usually… it happens to fairies when it’s their time, when they’ve accepted their fate.”

  Avery sheathed her sword, wiping her own cheeks. “I didn’t want to do it, Dianthe. You know I didn’t want to, right?”

  Dianthe pulled her into her arms. “I know. You had to. You did the right thing.”

  Behind them, the door opened and Sylas squinted into the sun. “What happened? I heard singing. Where’s Aborella?”

  Dianthe threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. “She’s gone. She’s g-gone.”

  It was a few minutes more until she was able to explain to the others what had happened and why they had to leave immediately. She also told them about Aborella’s vision concerning the orb of Darnuith.