Starlight

by Adrienne Woods

I lay back down and pulled the covers over me. The bed shifted again and I felt Blake’s warm body next to me. I didn’t even need a blanket to keep me warm when he was near.

  I turned around and shifted closer to his body.

  It felt good. He snaked his arm underneath my head and held me slightly.

  I tried to listen for a heartbeat, but there was nothing. It felt so weird. No sound was coming from him whatsoever. It was as if he wasn’t really there at all.

  We drifted away faster than I thought we would, and I hated that tomorrow was going to be the day that our paths were going to part again, but he’d made a promise and felt sort of the way I did about breaking them. So I had no choice but to let him do what it was he did best and believe that I would see him again. After all, he was the Rubicon.

  THE NEXT MORNING I found Blake’s spot empty. I got up and went down to the dining area where I found him sitting at a table digging into a huge plate of bacon, eggs, sausages—you name it. All the food groups that made a breakfast were there.

  Constance was keeping him company with a cup of coffee in her hands sitting in the opposite chair.

  She was such a beautiful person and her dragon form was even more beautiful.

  “Good morning sleepy head,” Constance smiled.

  “Morning. I really don’t think it’s a good one,” I sulked.

  “Stop sulking, it doesn’t suit you Elena,” Blake said between bites.

  “Your food is not going to run away.” I looked at him.

  “I’m hungry. I didn’t have dinner last night.”

  “What, you didn’t devour a deer on the way?”

  “No, I couldn’t find any. And even if I did, it wouldn’t fill me.”

  Constance laughed at him.

  “Morning, Elena.” Connie came out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

  “Morning,” I smiled.

  “Can I whip you up some eggs and bacon?”

  “Eggs and toast will be fine.”

  King Helmut entered and came to sit at our table too.

  It was followed by small groups of troops. Women and men alike. The breakfast was festive and they spoke about plenty of things, about the people that we were going to get out today.

  Half of them were going to stay in the lodge but the other half had to stay in the tents. They were going to have to stay like that for the rest of the month until the first sector of the new houses was finished. They weren’t farms, but at least they would have a home for now.

  When Etan was free, they could then decide what they wanted to do. Go back with the deeds to their farm and start farming again the way the used to, or sell their land to whomever wanted it.

  A part of me didn’t know how any of them would want to take their farming duties again, but then again it was all they knew, so maybe some would keep their land. Especially if it had been in their families for generations.

  If that was the case, I would make sure—no, my father would make sure that they were all safe. He was going to come home. He just had to come home. I still didn’t even know if he was alive or not and had to keep my father’s existence a secret for now. Nobody on the other side could know the truth until the right time came. If that time was going to come, I didn’t know.

  Blake finally finished his breakfast and stood up when Connie came to take away his plate. “Thank you, Connie. That was, like always, so satisfying.”

  She smiled at him. “It is my pleasure, Blake. I know how to cook for dragons. Just promise me that you are going to bring him out soon.”

  “Today, it’s a promise.” He winked and she took my plate too.

  “That was amazing, thanks Connie.”

  “You are welcome, Princess.”

  I didn’t correct her this time: princess was what I was and I needed to get used to it.

  “So,” Blake sat back down again and took the napkin to wipe his mouth. “The way I see it, Elena and I will go in first. Make sure that all of them are ready to leave and then we can start bringing them out, taking new troops in.”

  “Ninety of them come out,” King Helmut says. “The first group needs to come with. No negotiation, Blake.”

  “Got it.”

  WE STOOD IN front of the Creepers again. This time King Helmut was with us, and many of his troops, all hundred of them to be exact, behind him.

  The Creepers were still intimidating and I hoped that after this weekend, they would lose at least that.

  “You ready?” Blake asked.

  “No,” I sighed. “But I guess I have no choice.”

  He stared at me and lifted me up into his arms.

  The Creepers stirred again, and then their mouths lingered around us, making the most awful hissing noises.

  Blake flinched again as he stared at one. “I have no idea how Emanual couldn’t be scared of them.”

  “Guess he trusts me more.” I made a joke and he grunted.

  “Not possible.” We entered and I could see his body posture relax. I wielded my shield around us.

  Blake stared at the sparkles that were vibrating off my shield with a slight frown and he put me down. “Why the shield?”

  “We need to find a way to tell everyone not to mention my father’s existence Blake, without letting the other ten troops find out.”

  He smiled. “I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Elena.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I already told them before Emanual and everyone came in. It was only Luke and the ones that didn’t know.”

  “When?” I asked.

  “When we worked that day on the farm.”

  “You did?”

  He nodded.

  “Guess you do have your strong points,” I teased and he chuckled and lowered his head to kiss me.

  Please don’t get killed now, I prayed.

  A part of me wished that we could hear each other’s minds again, but it was still silent.

  “I promise you, I will find a way to get back. Nothing is going to keep me from you, Elena.”

  “You sure you can’t read my mind?”

  He grinned. “Wish I could.”

  We walked out of the Creepers. It was dark and their hissing was going to be hard to keep at bay for the next few days.

  I could only bring them out at night, because day time was too dangerous. People would see that there was non-stop activity taking place close to the Creepers.

  Still, Alkadeen was the safest way to get into Etan. It was far from the other cities.

  Blake let me go when we were a good distance from the Creepers’ reach, and we walked all the way to Charles’ house.

  We found Charles, David and Tom on the porch drinking coffee, as we neared.

  “Elle, Blake.” Tom got up and ran down the steps to meet us. “How are my sister and the others?”

  “They are perfectly fine, Tom,” Blake said. “Elena made sure of that.”

  Tom stared at me with soft eyes and a grateful smile. “Thank you, Elle.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “Mom,” Tom rushed back up the stairs as we both reached David and Charles. “Look who is here.” Tom’s voice came from the inside of the house.

  “I take it everything went well. Are they comfortable on the other side?” Charles wanted to know.

  “It’s still very new to Cassy, but she is loving it. Just wants to know when Grandpa and Grandma are coming.”

  “Soon,” Charles smiled. “I hope you told her soon.”

  “I did,” I said, and gave him a hug.

  “David,” I spoke and Charles let me go. “Your wife is getting antsy on the other side.”

  He laughed.

  “When is the Council coming?”

  “In four days, Elena.”

  “Okay, then I have three days to get ninety out.”

  Charles eyes grew bigger. “Ninety?”

  “There are one hundred troops ready to take your place, Charles,” Blake said.

  “Where are we all going
to stay?”

  “At the lodge. I don’t care how we are going to do it, but I will make sure that everyone is comfortable, Charles,” David spoke.

  “I don’t want to intrude, David.”

  “None of this. I’ve made up my mind.”

  Charles smiled. “It sure is nice to have him at my side again, Elle.”

  “Well, then we can’t break that up. We are going to start taking you through around midnight.”

  “Okay,” he spoke.

  “Elle,” Gertrude came out of the house and gave me a motherly hug. “How is Daisy?”

  “Daisy is fine, and Cassy too. They are safe.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I was so worried.”

  “Don’t be. I told you I’d take care of them.”

  “So you did,” she squeezed my cheek.

  “We need to get a meeting organized as soon as possible,” Charles spoke. “To decide which ninety are leaving.”

  THE MEETING WAS held in the barn. I stood at the back with Blake.

  All the families were there.

  Charles spoke, David made sure that all of them knew that they were going to stay at the lodge, then Blake told them about the housing that they were building at this very moment. A home for each and every family here. In the next four months, many things were going to happen in their lives, but it would be for the better.

  In four months we were going to enter Etan with an army, kill the Saadedine, free my father and hopefully kill Goran in the process too. This world didn’t need evil like him. This world needed to heal, all of it. Not just Etan, and we were not going to be able to do that with Goran trapped somewhere. No, it was time for him to not exist anymore.

  I would be nineteen, just when that time came.

  Charles ended by explaining to pack light, only clothes they needed, and that was it.

  The families dispersed and Blake had to shake so many hands again.

  I saw him taking Tom and August to one side and then he wielded his shield around them.

  I hated not being included in this mission of theirs, but he said that I only had one thing to concentrate on and that was to get the ninety people out.

  We all went home and found the first nine of the troops that had stayed sitting in the lounge. Emanual wasn’t with them.

  Many of them greeted Blake. He started speaking to one of them—I think Emanual had introduced him as Jerry. The guy sounded nice and he had so much life in his veins that it was contagious. They spoke about everything that had happened the past week, all the intelligence they’d gathered, and I knew Blake was trusting these men just like Emanual had.

  The door to Charles’s study opened. “That is final, Taylor.”

  “But…”

  “I said it’s final. Everyone leaves tonight. When the time comes you can come back inside. You did what you set out to do. We need you on the other side.”

  I didn’t like the tone Emanual used with her, and the girl with the black hair, looking like a Goth, walked out. I remembered how she’d hissed when I brought her in at one of the Creepers. She wanted to stay.

  She walked with huge strides past Emanual, glared up at Jerry and bumped me out of the way as she stormed out of the house.

  “Taylor!” Emanual and Blake yelled.

  Jerry rubbed his face. “I’ll go speak to her.”

  “You sure you want to do that?” Emanual yelled.

  “Yes, she doesn’t scare me.”

  “It’s your funeral pal.” The others chuckled.

  “What is that about?” I look at Emanual.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with her, Elena.”

  “Still, she doesn’t have to be so rude.”

  “She is harmless, I promise you. She just feels she’s more of use this side.

  “Then let her stay.”

  “No, King Helmut said everyone, Elena,” Blake spoke. He looked at Emanual again. “You found what you were looking for?”

  “Yes, I did,” Emanual spoke and looked back at me. “You are ready to take everyone back, Elena?”

  “I don’t know. It’s going to be a long night.”

  “That is why you need to get some rest.”

  “I just woke up a few hours ago.”

  Emanual chuckled. “I forgot, it’s day time that side. Still. Off to bed, Missy. Try.”

  BLAKE CAME WITH me and we both lay awake on the bed. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was awake. I could hear it in his breathing.

  I grew quiet, but I was used to him sleeping so close to me.

  We both had so many things at stake tomorrow. For him, there was me and not to get caught. I couldn’t use my abilities while he was in his human form. It would give everything away, which led to mine: my dragon, him. If Goran discovered he was here, he would put two and two together and know that it was that time. He could kill everyone.

  I’d never been this scared in my entire life and I just wanted to forget about it. Really forget about it and get some sleep.

  I turned around to face Blake and lay as close as possible to him. I could feel his eyes on me again but I didn’t dare look up. I felt his arm moving and he wrapped it around me.

  “I promise I won’t disappoint you, Elena.” His lips brushed my hair softly. “I won’t get caught.”

  “I know, I just…” I couldn’t say it.

  “You just what?”

  “What if they find me taking the others through, Blake, and you are not here?”

  “Then you use my abilities.”

  I lifted up my head and looked at him. “You know I can’t. It will hurt you wherever you are.”

  “I can take care of myself, Elena. You need to feel safe. Just wield them.” He smiled down at me.

  “How, Blake? How are you going to hide…?” I took a deep breath and rolled onto my back and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to think about it.

  “I’ll disappear, Elena. Blend in.”

  I looked at him again. “How do you even do that?”

  “It’s a Rubicon thing.”

  I smiled. “Can I do it too?”

  “It’s a Rubicon thing only.”

  I laughed softly.

  “I think whoever created this dragon rider thing knew that I was going to get a rider that would make me feel useless and had to give me some extra cool features.”

  I didn’t like that, even though he was joking. “I really make you feel useless?”

  “Elena, the abilities are yours. They were never mine.”

  “You use them more than I do.”

  “Yes, because I trust them. It feels as if you don’t really need me. These people here look up to you, they care about you and you did that within that month you stayed with them.”

  “They look up to you too.”

  “Because of my name. It’s different.”

  “No it isn’t. They would’ve feared you if you were still dark.”

  His one lip curved slightly upwards.

  “I never apologized to you before,” I said.

  “About what?” He squinted.

  “That my father is alive and that you have to keep it from your dad.”

  He just looked at me, not saying anything.

  “What was it like, when you ascended?” He asked that same question everyone asked. “Seeing him?”

  I smiled. “It was scary and good all in one. He looked like a king, the wax museum has him completely wrong.”

  He chuckled. “Then you don’t want to know what you look like.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “It was a huge thing. When you were gone, they wanted to give the people hope. I wasn’t even there that night when they revealed it, but Emanual took me there one day, said that I needed to see it too. He was right. I had to see it, and only ended up missing your face more.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I did.” He sighed. “They got you way wrong. It pissed me off.”

  “What did they get wrong?”

  “Everyt
hing.”

  I made a mental note to go and have a look. “What does my brass plate read?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “Yes,” I looked up at him again.

  “The rider and prodigal son.”

  “What?” I said. “They put you and me together?”

  “Yip, my dragon form, not my human form.”

  “Which somehow they messed up too,” I added.

  He chuckled again. “They should really fire that artist.”

  I laughed again.

  “Maybe you can give it a shot. You are really good with copying and drawing.” He smiled. “I saw that sketch in Art of War. Just to make sure, that was Will and not me, right?”

  “Yes, it was him.”

  He sighed again.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Shoot,” he said.

  “Why did you destroy the city hall that night?”

  “You really want me to answer that?”

  I nodded.

  “Because they tried to keep me from my duties, Elena, and you were thinking so little of me, which I probably deserved. I asked Master Longwei about the meeting, and he promised me it was just one that would find out if you were ready to pick up your duties again. He got that from Caleb and…” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have believed him, but after I woke up, well I thought that everyone was trustable. I learned the hard way with trusting Caleb’s word.”

  “Why is he like that? I mean, he wouldn’t have been the ruler of Areeth if my father knew this.”

  “He wasn’t always like that. Many people have lost their way after the loss of your father and mother, Elena. They were amazing humans, and if I recall, think he lost his dragon that night too.”

  “He had a dragon?”

  “All of them had dragons, Elena.” He sighed. “I wish the Crown-Tail in me didn’t suck. I could show you so many things of them.”

  I guessed we still had a lot of growing to do together.

  “One day,” he said and it fell silent again.

  I didn’t care about this stupid Dent thing anymore. I understood why Becky trusted it so easily. They were these amazing creatures/humans that, whether through a trick or real, made us fall hard and madly in love with them.

  I just wanted to be with him, always, like this, not worrying about tomorrow.