The Last of the Firedrakes (The Avalonia Chronicles Book 1)

by Farah Oomerbhoy

  She flicked a glance at the door as if Penelope were going to come bustling in at any moment to throw her out. I smiled at the vision of Penelope going after Vivienne with a broom, or maybe a huge stack of books to study.

  “Now I have to go see Mother and help her. She is having one of her boring garden parties again.” Vivienne rolled her eyes and opened the door. “Don’t get into any trouble while I am gone.”

  “Why does everyone keep saying that to me?” I scowled. “I can take care of myself, you know.”

  “I can see that,” said Vivienne, good-naturedly raising one eyebrow as she left the room.

  Finally, Uncle Gabriel came to see me.

  “I am glad to see you are feeling better, little one,” he said kindly, sitting down on a chair next to my bed.

  “Thank you, Uncle Gabriel,” I said. “I have to tell you it was Damien who let the Shadow Guard into the palace. You must tell the king.”

  “I know.” Uncle Gabriel sighed and leaned back in his chair. “The Blackwaters have fled the kingdom by ship, apparently, so we have no idea where they are.”

  “They’re gone? All of them?”

  Uncle Gabriel nodded. “The royal fleet is on the lookout, but I doubt they will be found. They have now openly shown their allegiance to Morgana and Lucian.”

  I couldn’t help the smile spreading across my bruised face. I was glad Damien and all the Blackwaters had finally shown their true colors, but the guilt over what I had done was overwhelming me, and I had to talk about it.

  “I am so sorry about what I did, Uncle Gabriel,” I blurted out, “but I couldn’t let Snow die. I couldn’t! I had to do something. I didn’t know Lilith would come back like that.”

  Uncle Gabriel listened to me quietly and then said, “I think you’d better tell me everything, young lady. Start from the beginning, and do not leave anything out.”

  I recounted everything that had happened to me that horrific night: meeting Morgana, the fear I felt, the anger about what she did to my parents, the voice in my head, Snow, everything except Leticia’s role in the whole thing.

  I had finally decided that, since she was going to be Rafe’s wife and Rafe would never go back on his vow to his mother—even if he hated the person he was married to—I didn’t want him to spend his life hating his wife because of what she did to me. Technically, it wasn’t her who let the Shadow Guard into the palace; it was Damien who had the magic, and it was Damien who openly hated me. So I resolved to say nothing. In any case, Leticia without Damien and his magic was harmless. Still mean, but harmless.

  Uncle Gabriel patiently listened to me. His face looked troubled, but he didn’t interrupt. Finally he spoke. “I understand why you did what you did, Aurora, but I hope you now realize that all actions always have consequences. And the greater your power, the greater your duty to do the right thing.”

  “The voice told me there would be a price to pay,” I said quietly, hanging my head in shame, “but I didn’t listen.”

  “Yes,” Uncle Gabriel’s azure eyes narrowed. “Now, about this voice. Has it ever spoken to you before that night?”

  I shook my head. “No, only when I was nearly killed by Morgana.”

  “Well, I am glad the voice helped you. Nevertheless, you must be very careful. We don’t know who it is.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “He has only helped me so far.” I don’t know why I trusted the voice, but strangely enough, I did.

  “Yes, but if the voice speaks to you again, I want to know immediately,” said Uncle Gabriel, giving me a stern look. “We don’t know who or what we are dealing with, and we must always be on our guard. With Lilith back, our chances of defeating Morgana have become even less.”

  “Why?” What had I done now?

  “Because Lilith is half demon, she is immortal,” said Uncle Gabriel. “That is why she was able to return. She is still weak in her wraith form. She needs a host, but she will easily find some poor soul who will not be able to resist her powers. She will use their magic to strengthen herself.”

  I sat up straighter in my bed. “But that means that she could be anyone!”

  Uncle Gabriel nodded. “Yes, although she will keep changing bodies until she finds the one that suits her purposes. She needs the body of someone with powerful magic. That’s why she attacked you in the ruins. She thought she could take over your body and your magic. But whatever power lies within you did not allow it.” His eyes narrowed as he assessed me. “You may have escaped the Dark Queen’s clutches, but she will not stop until she finds a body with magic powerful enough to suit her purpose. She cannot be stopped without harming the person she possesses.”

  I gasped. “So how will we know where she is?”

  “We cannot possibly know for sure, but Lilith is hungry for power, and Morgana is her daughter,” said Uncle Gabriel. “It would be safe to presume that Lilith will join her daughter and assist her in her quest to rule the seven kingdoms. Lilith’s immortal demon magic will be a great asset to Morgana.”

  What had I done? Instead of helping, I had made matters worse. I had to do something. This was my mess, and I was the one who should clean it up. “There must be a way to stop Lilith and Morgana.” I tried to think of something, but my mind came up blank.

  “There might be,” Uncle Gabriel thought for a moment before going on, “but the answers we need are not to be found here. We must journey at the earliest to Elfi and meet with Izadora. You must learn the true extent of your magic. The old magic of the fae is the only thing that can help us now.”

  “Then we will leave right away.” I tried to be brave, but all I wanted to do was sleep for a week.

  Uncle Gabriel smiled. “You have gone through a prolonged and horrific ordeal, Aurora. You will rest for a few days until your wounds have healed completely. The journey to Elfi is long and arduous, and I would have you at your full strength.”

  He got up to leave. “Rest now. You have been very brave, and I am astonished at what you have achieved in such a short time. Your parents would have been very proud to see the young fae-mage you have become.” Uncle Gabriel left the room and shut the door.

  I smiled, happy tears pooling in my eyes and threatening to spill as I contemplated the rest of my life. I was no longer the scared little girl who was dragged through the tapestry in Redstone Manor. I had changed and grown up, finally accepting who I was and what my place was in this world. I was the true Queen of Illiador, descended from Avalonia’s greatest dynasty, and I was at long last ready to fight for my kingdom and take my place on the throne.

  The Dagger of Dragath

  The next day, Penelope let me out of bed for a short walk, but now four palace guards followed me everywhere I went, and they had been instructed never to leave their posts for any reason. I made my way to the palace library, looking for Uncle Gabriel, since one of the footmen had seen him head there that morning.

  I found him sitting on a chair, a pile of big leather-bound books with yellowing pages in various states of being read lying all over the huge rectangular oak table in the center of the room.

  The library was a wonderful two-storied room with a wooden gallery running along one side that could be reached by a large spiral staircase. It was bright and spacious, with shelves upon shelves of beautiful, leather-bound books adorning the walls. A set of doors led out onto a large balcony that overlooked one of the palace’s inner courtyards.

  “Is there something you need, Aurora?” said Uncle Gabriel, looking up at me for a second as I entered the library before going back to studying his books.

  I sat down in the chair beside him. “I was thinking, Uncle Gabriel.”

  Uncle Gabriel closed the book he was reading, raised one eyebrow, and looked at me patiently. “Yes, well, that is never a good thing with you.” His eyes looked like he was holding back a smile.

  “It’s just,” I began, my hands fiddling with my amulet, “I’ve been thinking about my mother a lot ever since Morgana confirmed what real
ly happened that night.”

  “Oh,” said Uncle Gabriel, “and what is it you would like to know?”

  “Penelope once told me that there are magical weapons that can kill a High Fae. And that’s probably how Morgana killed my mother.”

  “There are such weapons, yes,” said Uncle Gabriel, “but no one has seen one in centuries. What is your point?”

  “Can’t we use one of those to kill Lilith?”

  “Possibly.” Uncle Gabriel leaned back in his chair and stroked his clipped white beard. “But the only weapon we know of is probably with Morgana, and we don’t even know what it is or what it looks like.”

  “I do. I know what it looks like.”

  He raised his eyebrows again. “And how, may I ask, did you manage that?”

  “I haven’t told you everything,” I began.

  Uncle Gabriel gave me a pointed look. “I surmised so.”

  I was hesitant at first, but I finally told him about my dream. Having Morgana confirm that she stabbed my mother through the heart finally made me realize that the horrible nightmares I used to experience were a real memory, and I wanted to make sure my uncle knew the whole truth if we were to defeat Morgana and Lilith.

  Uncle Gabriel heard me out patiently, but when I came to the part about the dagger, his eyes lit up.

  “Are you sure?” he interrupted, quite unexpectedly. “In this dream, are you sure you saw Morgana stab Elayna with a dagger?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I think so. She was about to stab her, but in my dream I am always pulled away at the last second, and then there is a blinding flash of light.”

  Uncle Gabriel nodded sagely. “You were being pulled into the portal. The flash was the portal closing after you went through. Such power is rarely seen. Only the fae can create such a gateway, but usually it takes over a dozen powerful fae to do what your mother did for you that day.”

  Again tears welled up in my eyes, and I brushed them away, determined not to get waylaid by my emotions. My mother was gone. There was nothing I could do about it. I had to concentrate on the task at hand, which was finding a way to defeat Lilith.

  “About the dagger.” Uncle Gabriel’s eyes lit up again, just like when I mentioned the weapon before. “Describe it.”

  “Well.” I tried to visualize it. “It was sort of curved . . .”

  “Curved, or sort of curved?” asked Uncle Gabriel sternly. “There is a difference.”

  I envisioned it in my memories again. “Yes, curved, definitely curved. With a gold handle,” I added.

  Uncle Gabriel sat on the edge of his chair. “Good, good. Go on.”

  “The blade was made of a strange black metal, and it had a big, red ruby on its hilt,” I finished.

  Uncle Gabriel stood up and abruptly walked to the door. “Guards,” he bellowed.

  The guards posted outside the door responded immediately.

  “Summon my daughter and Mrs. Plumpleberry.”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” said one guard as he marched off to do the Duke’s bidding. To the other guard, Uncle Gabriel said more quietly, “Ask the prince to meet me here. Let him know that it is an urgent matter.”

  “Yes, Your Grace.” The second guard scurried off in the opposite direction.

  My eyes narrowed. “Why have you called them all here?” What had I done now?

  Uncle Gabriel was not listening. He rummaged around on the shelves, trying to find a book; which one, I had no idea. He refused to speak to me.

  Serena and Penelope arrived a few moments later.

  “Father,” said Aunt Serena, “is everything all right?”

  “It will be,” said Uncle Gabriel, still rummaging among the shelves for a book.

  “Is there some reason in particular you have asked us here, Your Grace?” Penelope came over and checked me for the tenth time that day. “Is Aurora in any discomfort?”

  “Yes. No, I mean. Yes, I have a reason, and no, she is not in any discomfort,” said Uncle Gabriel, pulling out a large, dusty leather-bound book. “Found it!”

  He opened the book. The paper looked worn and yellow, and Uncle Gabriel turned to a page that had a horrifying picture on it. A terrible, demon-like creature with curved horns, hooved feet, and reddish-black skin held aloft a dagger, ready to stab it into the heart of a kneeling fae-warrior. They were painted amidst a battlefield, and all over the page, bodies lay strewn in contorted poses and grisly heaps.

  I looked away at first, but there was no mistaking the dagger the hideous evil creature held in his clawed hand. It was definitely the same dagger, the one Morgana used to kill my mother in my dream.

  “This is it,” I said incredulously. “How did you know? This is the same dagger.”

  “I thought so.” Uncle Gabriel closed the book and sat down in the chair. Aunt Serena and Penelope sat down too. They looked disconcerted; Aunt Serena would not even look at the picture in the book.

  The doors opened, and Rafe walked in. “What’s this about? Is Aurora okay?”

  My eyes narrowed. “I’m here in the room. You could ask me yourself.”

  Rafe didn’t so much as blink an eye and looked straight at me. “Well, if you didn’t run around the kingdom trying to get yourself killed all the time, then I wouldn’t have to keep asking how you are, would I?” he snapped.

  I huffed at his answer and could not think of a suitable retort. Even if Vivienne were right and he was concerned about me, why hadn’t he come to see me? I was still angry with him. One minute he’d say he couldn’t stay away from me, and then he wouldn’t see me for days. His moods were too confusing, and it was playing havoc with my emotions.

  “Now, now, Aurora,” said Aunt Serena. “I am sure the prince meant no harm in asking about your health, my dear.”

  Rafe threw me a dark look. He did look a bit disheveled and not himself, but I was still upset that he hadn’t come to see me even for a few minutes. Especially after he called me “my love” at the ruins. Did he say that to all the girls? Was that the way he got them to fall madly in love with him, only to move on to the next one? So I huffed childishly again and looked down at my lap.

  “Sit down, Rafe,” said Uncle Gabriel. “This is important.”

  Rafe abruptly became serious and sat down immediately. “What is this about?”

  “This,” said Uncle Gabriel slowly, “is about the Dagger of Dragath.”

  My eyes widened. “The same demon lord Dragath who ruled these lands before Auraken Firedrake?”

  Uncle Gabriel wasn’t smiling. “The very same,”

  Rafe leaned forward in his chair. “And what does the Dagger of Dragath have to do with Aurora and us?”

  Uncle Gabriel told Rafe, Serena, and Penelope about my dream.

  Rafe’s eyebrows rose in astonishment. “And you think Morgana used the Dagger of Dragath on Elayna?”

  “Precisely,” said Uncle Gabriel, smiling now. Why was he smiling?

  “But that would mean . . .” said Penelope, flicking a glance at me.

  “That Queen Elayna is still very much alive,” Rafe finished, turning his head to look straight into my eyes.

  I was stunned; I didn’t know what to say. My mother was alive! How was this even possible?

  “How?” My voice was a small, hopeful whisper. “Didn’t you say that there are weapons that are capable of killing an immortal High Fae?”

  “Yes,” said Uncle Gabriel, nodding, “but the Dagger of Dragath is not one of them. The legends say that the Dagger was specifically crafted by the demon lord Dragath himself to trap, not kill, the High Fae.”

  “What do you mean?” Magic in Avalonia was so complicated.

  “Before Auraken Firedrake defeated Dragath and trapped him in his magical prison, Dragath used that Dagger to trap countless fae-warriors within it,” said Uncle Gabriel in disgust. “That was how he controlled them and their magic.”

  I stared at Uncle Gabriel. “Are you saying that my mother is trapped in that Dagger?”

  “That is exa
ctly what I am proposing,” said Uncle Gabriel. “That is why Morgana wants to open the Book of Abraxas. It all makes sense now.”

  “How does this make sense?” I asked, completely lost.

  Rafe turned toward me. “Morgana’s plan is even more devious and elaborate than we had thought possible.” He got up from his chair. “If Morgana has the Dagger of Dragath and has Elayna and other High Fae trapped inside it, she may be able to use the Dagger’s powers to release Dragath from his magical prison.”

  My eyes widened. “But Morgana trapped my mother almost fifteen years ago—why didn’t she release Dragath then?”

  “Because she has been waiting to get her hands on the Book of Abraxas,” Uncle Gabriel answered. “That is why she wants the keys to open it. Only then will Morgana finally be able to control Dragath. If she released him without possessing the secrets to controlling him, Dragath would destroy the world along with her.”

  My mind had gone into overdrive, assimilating all this new information. My mother was alive, trapped and alone for over a decade. I had to find her. She had given up her life to save me, and now I must try to save her. Also, if I retrieved the Dagger, then Morgana could not use it to release Dragath. I had to do this for my parents, for their kingdom. Whatever it took, whatever the cost, I would find a way.

  “If my mother is alive, I will find her,” I announced to the room, my voice breaking slightly. “We cannot let Morgana use the Dagger to release Dragath.” I had absolutely no idea how I was going to accomplish that, but I was going to give it my best shot.

  Uncle Gabriel shook his head tiredly. “She will not release him until she has the book and all four keys. Without the Book of Abraxas, the magic of the Dagger will not work as it should, and she will never gain control over Dragath. We still have time, but we must make sure she never gets her hands on those three remaining keys. That’s why we will take one of the keys with us when we go to Elfi. It will be safe with Izadora.”

  “But what about my mother?” I asked, perturbed that no one was concerned about releasing her. “We need to go to Illiador and take back the Dagger first.”