Terra’s earlier visit comes to mind.
“We must keep Stella protected and hidden at all costs.” Isalora grabs another log and throws it in the fire. “Cory, she needs to get back to Ladorielle safely. She can’t go from here. It will take her to the portal of Songbird Meadow, and I haven’t spare earplugs.” She takes a poker and fiddles with the coals.
“What are you saying? That we’re trapped here?” Dom asks.
“No,” she says, getting up and placing the poker back in its stand, “but I am saying we need to get inside the manor safely, so Stella can reach the Hall of Secrets, where her mind will be safe. It’s either posing as invisible sabretail prowlers or venturing through the tunnels.” She gives a grim smile. “Pick your poison, friends, but make sure it’s the right choice, as we will not get a second chance at this.”
“This Iron Door of Secrets portal that leads into the Hall of Secrets, is it the same as on Ladorielle, in the Storm Castle?” Rory asks.
“Yes. The council has strategically placed them throughout the universe,” Isalora says. “Actually, think of it as a hub to other worlds.”
Rory glances over to Isalora. “And I suppose the Iron Door of Secrets to this realm is in the library and not easy to get to?”
“I know of a back way instead of using the tunnels, but we will need to be careful,” I cut in. “Stella, do you think you could change us into these invisible sabretail prowlers, creating the illusion we are one of the pack?”
“I suppose I could try,” Stella answers, “but my little demonstration earlier made me a little fatigued.
“Not a problem.” I visualize the energy drinks that alchemist elves make to revitalize stamina. In seconds they appear in my hands. “This should help.” I hand her a vial filled with liquid. “It isn’t as potent as the real deal, but it should work for this situation.”
“What is this?” she asks.
“Blood Root.”
“Gross!” Rory sneers.
“Oh, stop. It’s not what you think. This elixir comes from the Bloodbane sapling. Like maple syrup from a maple tree.”
Stella hesitates.
“I assure you, it will not do harm. It will boost your energy. Perhaps not to full potential, but enough so you can cast an illusion, making us sabretail prowlers.”
“So, you think imposing as these predators will get us past the cameras?” Stella asks.
“Well, if we can blend in as sabretail prowlers, perhaps we can slip by them and sneak in the back entrance to the library. It’s how Wynter and I were able to sneak away to this cabin, trying to find a way to escape this hell hole a few weeks ago.”
“It might work, yes,” Stella adds. “But I won’t be able to be a dog myself. I’m going to need something to keep me invisible.”
“And I’m out of Waxlily powder. It’s a key ingredient to making more invisibility potions,” Isalora confesses.
“Will this work?” I ask, pulling out a bottle from the inside pocket of my jacket. “Nyta gave it to me a couple days ago. Never used it. She said it may come in handy when we came back here.”
“Is that what I think it is?” Stella asks.
“Yes,” I confess. “You could drink this, and we could get you to the Hall of History safely, leading to the Iron Door of Secrets.”
“It will be risky, since we cannot speak as human while in the illusion, though,” Arryn adds. “So, if you can be vigilant and follow our lead, we might pull this off.”
We all look at her blankly.
Arryn smiles. “Speaking from experience. Long ago, this technique was tried on me, when my coven tried to invade Elleirodal.”
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Arryn?” I say. “I need to add, Stella, you must be the one to open the library door. We won’t be able to do it in our animal forms.”
Stella nods. “Got it.”
“Also, there is a key that will open the iron gate that leads to the Hall of History, under the library desk, hidden in a secret compartment behind the center desk drawer.”
Stella appears unsure. I can feel her heart quicken.
“It will be all right, just follow my lead,” I say.
Stella gives a half smile and I know she doesn’t feel comfortable about this.
“Then it’s settled,” Isalora interrupts. “We will get Stella through the back door of the library.”
“But that still leaves the task at hand, getting Cole and the rest of the Storms free,” Thom says.
“And Red,” Rory adds. She glares at Isalora, and I can tell she’s not thrilled about her sister conveniently getting overlooked in all this planning. Honestly, I don’t get it. She’s been told Redmae is a crucial part of this rescue. Without Red, Wynter can’t complete her trials. I mean I suppose we could fine another Dire if we can’t save Redmae in time, but why when we have a friend we trust. That is, if we can save her.
Isalora nods. “And Redmae, of course. We will not forget her, Rory, rest assured. She is, after all, a vital key, but she must be the last on the list. She will be the hardest of all the tasks we encounter.”
“Great, when do we start?” Dom asks.
“Tonight. Rather… now.”
My thoughts wander, wondering if we will be able to pull this off. My gut tells me no, but my mind still has hope.
Chapter 20
Wynter Storm
Present Day:
Ashengale Castle on Dragonscale Island
I look around in the cave-like castle again. There is so much to take in. I feel like my mind will explode at any moment.
I’m mesmerized by the beauty of the walls and upper caverns made of precious gems and rock. The ceiling appears to consist of raw, unpolished gold. When light reflects on it, it produces a prism upon the interior, reminding me to ask, “What can you tell me about the Sword of Valor? Aoes and my grandmother Sara said you would be able to guide Cory and I to its whereabouts. I notice you did not show me its location with your mind. Why?”
“Because there is a strong magic shielding its location, much like that of the necklace you wear. Besides, the sword will know, and when the time is right, it will reveal itself to you. Trust your instincts always.
“You have about ten percent of your power. As you remain in your shifted dragon state, you will begin to gain more energy than you ever thought imaginable,” Dragonscale says. “But you may change back to your humanoid form at any time.” He seems to hesitate. “However, once your second trial begins, you will become more vulnerable, and the enemy will know your location. Because you have not yet learned how to control your mind from the influence of others, the dark dragons will know how to find you.”
“These trials you speak of, my grandmother Eleena mentioned something about it. When will I start them?”
“You must complete your transition first. You’re to undertake three trials. You have already passed the first.”
“I have?” I look at him, perplexed.
He laughs. “Of course. Your shifted transformation and the choosing to fight the evil that plagued your travels to me was your first test.”
It seems no matter how much I feel I have mastered the mysteries of my life, more surface. “Will it ever end?”
“I’m sorry,” he says, sounding confused by my question, “come again?”
“My life feels like a never-ending loop. As soon as I feel I’ve accomplished one goal, another appears in its place. Am I ever going to be done with searching?”
He smiles. “You never stop learning, Wynter, and you will always have tribulations. You will always have a path you’re destined to follow as long as you breathe life into your lungs. Keep in mind, you may be immortal, but you can be killed. However, you can make choices of your own free will.”
At his words, horror flashes over me. “I never thought of being immortal. Great grandmother Sara, Aunt Fran, my mother, they’re all eternal in a sense, aren’t they?”
Dragonscale nods. “Spirits live on forever
, in most cases, whether good or evil. They can also be vanquished. Evil spirits go back to the hell where they belong, and the good will be forced to the light. In your aunt, great-grandmother, and mother’s case, what they have done is a little different. They have cast a spell of immortality, where they walk the planes of the undead. The caveat to this: the evil side can do the same. They stay there until the superiors of these two worlds, good and evil, have decided they have done their work they needed to complete before they are called home. Driving an object through the heart of a dragon is the only true way to kill an immortal shifter.”
My aunt Fran comes to mind.
Dragonscale answers me. “Yes, I see why you may be confused. Nyta preserved your aunt’s heart before it grew cold. If a heart is damaged and not repaired before this happens, then it’s death to the dragon shifter.”
“Then how is my mother still alive, I mean…”
“Is your head beginning to hurt?”
“Yes.” That’s the understatement of the year.
“Because she called upon the souls of the undead, so that she may be granted temporary life to keep on task. She bound her life with the spirits of Immortality to keep her ‘alive,’ so she could get your destiny completed”
“And who are these superiors?”
He doesn’t answer, instead saying, “Come with me. I want to show you something.” I bring myself to walk beside him. He’s much larger than I, but then I suppose he should be, he is, after all, Dragonscale.
“Do all the dragons have a different color?” I ask, curious. Many fly about the massive cavern hiding beneath the lava mountain. I haven’t had a chance to explore the hidden kingdom much since my training began, because my shifting happened so quickly after I arrived.
“Each dragon is unique, much like any other person,” he says. “The color on a dragon is their fingerprint. No two have the same shade combination. Certainly, one may have similarities, but we are all unique in our own way.”
I watch as he spreads his wings and takes off flying. I follow, trying to keep up, but he’s much faster. Flying comes second nature to me. Those days of having a memory stamp are gone. My true form has been revealed. I’m a dragon shifter, and I can take human or dragon form anytime. I love being in this state; my thoughts are mine. No longer can anyone impose on my mind. Not even Moyer. It’s like keeping a door shut, and if I decide to open it, I can. The necklace still dangles from my neck, but it no longer serves the same purpose it once did. Although, it still shields my location.
“When it comes time for you to have children of your own,” I hear Dragonscale say, “you will pass The Amulet of Protection to them, also know as the Keeper of the Amulet.”
“I forget, you can still hear my thoughts,” I say, but I’m not annoyed.
“Aye, you are still in training, my child. I will teach you how to drown out the intruding thoughts of others. But I must remind you when in shifter form, other shifters may hear your voice. Filtering private thoughts from them will take time to master.”
I soar behind Dragonscale as we fly. He leads me through to an open cave entrance set on the other side of the mountain. I smell the salty air and hear the crashing waves of the ocean. This side of the island isn’t as brazen with ash and heat as it is from the other end. We fly towards the shoreline where I begin to see two images. As we come closer, the silhouette of who it is becomes clear. It’s a woman, looking much like Geneviève—the real Geneviève, I hope—and she’s beside another dragon.
We land on the shore near them. Before I can get a word in, I hear the unfamiliar dragon say, “You finally made it.” He’s light blue, with silver tips on his scales, and also has a gold shine like me. His talons are black with gold tips.
“Have you waited long?” Dragonscale questions.
“No, I thought to bring Geneviève to this side of the shore, away from the burning ash, so she may breathe easier. She wanted to get a bit of fresh air.”
Geneviève smiles. “Good day, Wynter. I’m so happy to see you finally made it home.”
“So, this is the famous Geneviève, the druid we have been trying so hard to find. She’s been on Ashengale all along, hasn’t she?”
Dragonscale doesn’t answer me.
“Rory is worried about you,” I say aloud.
“Yes, I imagine she is, but she should know Jeff and I got out safely from the Grengore mines.” She pauses to introduce the colorful dragon before me. “Wynter, I would like for you to meet my dragon brother, Gottfried.”
“Gottfried. I remember hearing that name once before,” I say. I look to Dragonscale. “Like Namari?”
“Similar, yes. Namari is a dragongryph but Gottfried is not.”
Gottfried says, “It’s good to see you, Wynter. I see you have found your truth.”
“Who are you?” I ask. “How do you know my name? I admit you seem familiar, yet I haven’t a clue who you are.”
I cannot yet see into another dragon’s mind. Dragonscale has not taught me that. I only see into his, because he’s invited me into it. I remember what Namari once told me, a human bonded to a dragon could read each other’s thoughts when they ride together. Is this what Geneviève is implying? I will need to learn to protect my thoughts. Can he hear them now, this Gottfried?
“You have come a long way, Wynter. We’ve been waiting for you patiently. Dragonscale assured us you were safe and on the right path. That we would be meeting up again soon,” Gottfried adds.
“Forgive me again, but who are you?”
In the blink of an eye, I watch this beast before me shift into his humanoid form.
“No, it can’t be. All this time, you were a dragon, and you never let on that you were a shifter. How is this possible?” I think back to the accident and when the car was consumed in flames. When Chad told me that my family died from the explosion. “Even a supernatural can’t survive after that,” he said. Now here, standing before me, the one man who has always had my unconditional love: my father. He’s not a supernatural, I thought he was, but a dragon.
I shift back to my human form and run to him. “Dad, is it really you? I have so many questions. I don’t know where to begin.” I stop and look towards the woman standing next to him. “I get it now why you and my dad were so close. Well, I mean, why the Trek pretending to be you back at the ranch laid it on so thick, as though you two were having an affair.” I stop, pondering the past, and say to dad, “You suspected from the very beginning, didn’t you?”
He nods. “I was trying to protect you. My cover was blown the night you lost your control with Nyta. I filled her in on what I knew.”
“You’re not a vampire, nytemire, nor a Shadow Walker, are you?” I ask.
“No. But I had to make you believe it. It was the only way to get you here safely. If anyone found out the truth, the memory stamps that have been placed on the rest of our family would have prematurely triggered their true identity, which would have paralyzed them from learning about their past. You must have many questions. Shall we all go back inside?” Dad shifts back to his dragon form, and Geneviève climbs upon his back. I do the same, and we all fly back to the cave’s opening to the castle of Ashengale.
Chapter 21
Rory Fernshadow
The Past:
Storm River Compound
Arryn, Dom, Thom, Zak, Cory, and I prepare to exit out into the winter cold. It doesn’t feel nearly as chilly as it did when I had clothes on. As a sabretail prowler, I find myself warm from the frigid weather. Although it’s an illusion, and we’re made to feel and appear like real animals, my mind remains lucid with humanoid thought. I can see each member of our party in their illusion animal forms, as well. Isalora placed a temporary spell upon our minds, so we can communicate with each other. Once our forms wear off, so will the telepathy. It’s strange. Although I can see the rest of the group as other dogs, my keen senses know who’s who.
The air is crisp, and the sky is bright, even though snow clouds appear
in the sky. The heavy snowfall has refreshed the ground, yet we still can hear ice crunch beneath our feet—paws—in certain spots.
“This better work,” I say, forgetting my thoughts are not my own.
“It will work, trust me,” I hear a voice say in my head.
“Right, that telepathy thing. Who’s speaking?”
“Cory.”
All of us look exactly alike.
“We all need to stick together,” Cory states. “Follow me, this way through the woods.” We begin to hear the howl of the wolves Moyer releases in the evening.
I didn’t realize it until now, but Redmae will sense me because I’m of Dire blood. “The wolves detect us. We need to make a run for it.”
“So much for the stealth approach,” Dom snaps.
Cory darts ahead, ignoring the remark, and we follow swiftly through the woods behind him. The howls increase the closer we approach the manor. Glowing red eyes watch through the dark shadows.
“They know we’re here. The illusion isn’t working,” I say.
Wynter Reign Page 15
