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

by Farah Oomerbhoy

  “No, Aurora, you cannot go running off unprepared into Morgana’s castle and take back the Dagger. It is not so easy.”

  “But . . .”

  “No buts, young lady.” Uncle Gabriel raised his voice. “Your parents did not give their lives to save you just so you could run straight into Morgana’s clutches. I will not allow it. And have you forgotten about Lilith, and what about the throne of Illiador? It is your parents’ legacy, the one they died to protect.”

  That was about all I could take. I stood up, pushing my chair back so hard it nearly toppled over. “I’m tired of everyone telling me what I can and can’t do,” I shouted at all of them and none in particular. “And no, I haven’t forgotten about Lilith. That’s why I came to see you in the first place. But I will not go traipsing off to Elfi to see my long-lost grandmother so that she can teach me more magic. I know enough. I fought Morgana once, and I can do it again. You all seem to think you know what’s best for me, but none of you even know me. My real mother is alive, and you want me to look the other way until I find a convenient time to find her. I can’t do that.”

  Uncle Gabriel, Penelope, Aunt Serena, and Rafe stared at me. This was the first time I had actually raised my voice at any of them. I disliked being rude, but I was tired of being pushed around. Well, it stopped now. I was going to do what I thought was right.

  I looked around and sat back down on my chair, feeling a little foolish after my rowdy outburst. But Uncle Gabriel had it coming. He rested his elbows on the arms of the high-backed chair and pressed his fingertips together as he assessed me from under his bushy silver eyebrows. Tension coiled between us like a snake ready to strike.

  Finally, after a few agonizing, stretched-out moments, he spoke. “I will take what you have said under consideration. But you have to understand that your education is in no way over, or even half done. The old magic of the High Fae is unpredictable and very complicated, even more so than the magic of the mages. Demon magic is even more powerful. It is ancient magic, and few have ever really understood it.”

  My uncle paused to see if everyone was listening. Then, satisfied at our undivided attention, he turned back to me and continued. “Even if you do somehow manage to travel through Illiador without getting caught by Morgana’s remaining Shadow Guard and by some means manage to enter the castle at Nerenor, how will you defeat Morgana? How will you find the Dagger? How will you know where it is? It could be hidden anywhere. It may not even be in the castle. Have you even thought of that?”

  I kept quiet while my heroic dreams were smashed to bits. The hope of ever seeing my birth mother was fading away into the realm of the impossible.

  But Uncle Gabriel wasn’t finished. “Then, even if somehow you do manage to find the Dagger, how will you get out of the castle? And let’s say you even manage to do that, although I would imagine you would probably be dead by this point. I would like to know how you propose to break the ancient demon curse on the Dagger and free your mother? Especially when you don’t know the first thing about demons and the magic they possess.”

  I sighed deeply. He was right, I was being foolish. How could I ever have thought that I would do all these things? I would have liked to think that I could, but the road ahead sounded impossible. Even with the powers I had, I would never be able to get into the castle, let alone find and steal the Dagger and free my mother. I needed help, but no one was going to give it to me. I was on my own again, and I had absolutely no idea what to do next.

  A Plan

  I wandered the long corridors of the Summer Palace for hours, thinking. I knew what I wanted to do, but Uncle Gabriel had expressly forbidden me to pursue the Dagger. I couldn’t forget about it just like that. My mother had given her life for me. After what I saw in the dream and now knowing what it all meant, how could I not at least try to save her? Uncle Gabriel could take one key to Elfi so that Morgana couldn’t open the Book of Abraxas. And it made sense to go after the Dagger at the same time. If we released my mother and destroyed the Dagger, Morgana could never release Dragath.

  I was supposedly the most powerful fae-mage since Auraken Firedrake, but I was not a legendary king. I could not command armies and lead battles; Uncle Gabriel didn’t really need me. He only needed me as someone to put on the throne. I would be a puppet, answering only to Uncle Gabriel if he did manage it. I knew Uncle Gabriel and Aunt Serena and the king and everyone else were expecting me to be a queen. And even though I didn’t think I was queen material, I would try my best, but only after I found my mother.

  I knew it was hard. I knew what I was proposing was foolish, but there had to be a way. If only someone would help me. I needed more information. I couldn’t understand why the dreams had only started after I turned sixteen. So I went to see Penelope. She wasn’t in her room, and I finally found her walking in the gardens.

  When she saw me, she led me to a bench and sat down, gesturing for me to sit beside her. “Tell me, my dear, how can I help? I can see something is bothering you. I have to say, I hope you don’t expect me to try to convince your granduncle to take you to Illiador. His mind has been made up, and nothing can change it. You have to understand he only wants the best for you and for the kingdom.”

  I nodded. “It’s not that, Penelope, it’s just that I don’t understand why the dreams only started when I turned sixteen. Why didn’t I remember any of this when I was younger?”

  “Yes, I had thought about this earlier,” said Penelope, “but I didn’t voice my opinion. Maybe I should have.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well,” she began, “there is a certain sort of fae glamour that can repress memories until they are ready to be revealed. It is an ancient art, wielded only by the spirit-fae.”

  I was still confused at what she was getting at. “Which means?”

  “I have been thinking about this since you told us about the dream, and I was going to speak to you about it at one point, but I cannot be sure if I am right.”

  “Right about what?”

  “I have a theory,” said Penelope slowly. “And it is only a theory . . .”

  “Which is?”

  “That Elayna knew she could only save herself or her child,” she said and paused. “She chose you.”

  I nodded weakly.

  “But Elayna was clever, and extremely resourceful as well as powerful. If she knew Morgana was going to use the Dagger of Dragath on her, she must have known she wasn’t going to die, only be trapped within it.”

  “But isn’t it the same thing if no one knows she’s there?”

  “Not if the child she protected is a powerful fae-mage who can come back one day and save her.”

  “You mean”—I paused, my eyes narrowing—“she expected me to find her?”

  “Yes, I believe she did,” said Penelope. “I think she must have glamoured you into forgetting everything you saw and knew until you were ready. But that doesn’t mean you should get yourself killed in the bargain. You have to master your powers. Only then will you be able to take on Morgana and Lilith. Even then, the chances of us winning are slim. You must listen to your granduncle and go to Elfi. Your grandmother, Izadora, is queen of the fae, and Elayna is her daughter; she will definitely help you find your mother. I am sure about that. Go to her, see what she has to say, and then decide what you want to do. Elayna has been trapped for nearly fifteen years now. A few more months will not make a difference.”

  But it made a difference to me, a big difference. Everything was so clear now. It all made sense. My mother knew she would be trapped, she knew I was a fae-mage, and she knew that if I ever found my way back to Avalonia, I would find her and save her. And that was exactly what I was going to do. I didn’t say anything to Penelope, though. I couldn’t trust her not to tell Uncle Gabriel what I was planning.

  “Thank you, Penelope,” I said, getting up from the bench. “You have been a great help.”

  “Glad I could help, my dear, and I hope you can understand why we all
are doing this. It is only for your own safety.”

  I nodded. “I know. Thank you.” I hurried off through a flowering garden path, back into the palace.

  I went back to my room and started packing a few things in a leather satchel. I had to leave soon. I had to get out of here before Uncle Gabriel took me away to Elfi. I had no idea how I was even going to get out of the palace, let alone the city, but I had made up my mind. If I didn’t leave now, I would be forced to go to Elfi, and my chance of finding my mother would be gone. I knew Uncle Gabriel said he would help me find my mother, but only after I did as he wanted. If war came—and it was coming—the lands would be in turmoil. I might be stuck in Elfi for years, unable to cross the borders. I could not be sure if my grandmother would help me. My only chance was to go now.

  “What are you doing?” said Kalen as he came in the door.

  I whirled around and threw him a dark look. “Don’t you ever knock?” I was relieved it was only Kalen.

  “The door was open.” Kalen looked apologetic.

  “Well, shut it,” I said, quickly trying to find some suitable things to take with me. I had no idea what I was doing and what I needed, so I was rushing around the room like an aimless chicken.

  “Are you planning to go somewhere without telling me?” Kalen asked, a hurt note to his voice, but I barely noticed.

  “Kalen,” I said, putting a pair of warm woolen socks and a leather vest into my satchel, “if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?”

  “I promise.” Kalen’s eyes twinkled as he perched himself on the edge of the bed.

  I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell him, but I had to tell someone. I was so confused. So I told him everything about the Dagger of Dragath and my mother.

  “Queen Elayna is alive?” Kalen’s eyes grew wide.

  I nodded. “And trapped,” I added. “I have to get her back.”

  “So you are running off in the dead of night into a kingdom you have no idea about, all alone.” He narrowed his eyes. “A masterful plan, that one, I must say, my lady.”

  “You don’t have to be sarcastic. You sound like Uncle Gabriel.”

  “Your granduncle has a point,” said Kalen seriously. “Even I can tell you that this is a hopeless quest, one in which you have absolutely no possibility of succeeding.”

  “I could,” I said quickly, sounding more sure than I felt, “if I had some help.”

  Kalen’s jaw dropped. “You want me to go with you?” He was quite obviously aghast that I had even mentioned it.

  “Well, why not? You said yourself that I need help, and you know these lands, so you could take me to the Star Palace in Nerenor, couldn’t you?”

  “I could,” said Kalen, “but I won’t.”

  “Why not?” I had been quite sure he would go along with me.

  “Because I don’t particularly want to get myself killed.” Kalen stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. “I really don’t think you should do this, Aurora. You should go to Elfi with your granduncle and meet your grandmother. I’m sure together you will all be able to figure out a way to get the Dagger back and free your mother. You can’t do this on your own.”

  “Then come with me,” I pleaded.

  I really did need someone with me; I was apprehensive about going alone. But I had to do this, I had to find my mother. She expected me to. She was counting on me; I was the only one who could manage this. Morgana would be looking for me elsewhere. She would never think to look for me under her very nose. Kalen and I could disguise ourselves and pose as brother and sister. I had some money saved from what Aunt Serena had given me, and Kalen knew all the roads leading to the capital city of Illiador. It would be a long journey, but we could stay at inns along the way or camp outdoors if we had to. I couldn’t take Snow with me, since she would be too conspicuous.

  Kalen’s expression was very stern. “You are really going to do this?”

  I nodded, saying nothing more. I moved to the dresser and went back to packing my things.

  “Fine, then I shall go with you,” he announced after not too many moments of careful pondering. “Did you know that Rafe said I could take anything I wanted from the armory? I got myself a new bow with a whole quiver of arrows and everything. And I have been learning to use a sword with Erien when he trains.”

  I smiled. Kalen was still the same—a little taller than when I had first met him, but he hadn’t changed, and I was glad. He was a good friend, and I was secretly relieved that he was coming with me. At least I would have someone to talk to on the long journey, and although I was pretty confident that I could protect myself and Kalen if it came to it, I had absolutely no idea how to get there.

  That night, Kalen fetched me from my room.

  “What did you say to the guards?” I asked.

  “Didn’t say anything,” shrugged Kalen, “I used one of my mother’s sleeping potions on them.”

  My eyebrows flew up. “You drugged the palace guards?”

  Kalen scrunched his forehead. “Well, how were you planning on leaving your room without four guards following you all the time?”

  I shook my head. “No, you’re right.” He was being practical. “Now where?”

  I crept out of my room and past the sleeping guards. Kalen must have given them a strong dose, as they were all snoring away with happy looks on their faces.

  The night was dark, and a chilly wind had crept into the palace corridors. Lightning flashed overhead as I adjusted my brown cloak and covered my head. I wore riding breeches and leather boots with a long shirt under a fitted brown leather vest and belted at the waist. I carried the sword that Rafe had given me, and I had even strapped a knife in my boot, just like he did. I wanted to try to pass for a boy, so I tied my long dark hair back and hid it under my hood.

  “We will go through the servants’ quarters and out through the kitchen,” said Kalen in a whisper as we moved silently through the dark hallways, intermittently illuminated by a flash of lightning.

  “Do you know where it is?” I asked, feeling foolish. I couldn’t even manage to get myself out of the palace. How was I going to get to Illiador?

  Kalen nodded, and I followed.

  “Going somewhere?” said a voice from the shadows. I jumped, but I knew who it was.

  “Rafe,” I whispered, “you almost scared me to death.”

  He pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on and stepped into the light. His eyes quickly scanned the scene in front of him as he took in my choice of attire and traveling satchel.

  “You were leaving without saying goodbye.” It wasn’t a question, and his voice had an edge to it that I hadn’t heard before.

  I looked down at my feet. What could I say? If I had to say goodbye to him, I would never leave. It was better that I went away and saved myself the heartache that would surely come when I saw him marry someone else. Either way, I had to leave. Even if I went to Elfi, I would probably never see him again.

  “Goodbye, Rafe.” I tried to sound like I didn’t care.

  Rafe ignored me. “Kalen, are you helping her in this foolishness?”

  Kalen looked embarrassed. “She was going to leave alone,” he said finally. “I decided that someone should go with her.”

  Rafe suddenly took two quick steps toward me, caught my arms, and pulled me to him. Our faces were so close, our noses almost touching, but he didn’t kiss me. His breath smelled of alcohol.

  “Have you been drinking?” I asked breathlessly.

  I could never think when he came so close to me. I wished he wouldn’t do that anymore. It was getting harder and harder to resist him, and my conscience was slowly being bludgeoned to death by the persistent little voice that kept telling me not to give him up.

  “Maybe,” he said roughly. “Why do you ask? It’s not like you care.”

  I wiggled out of his grasp, and he let me go. “You’re right,” I lied blatantly, “I don’t care.”

  I had to pus
h him away. I had to make him think I didn’t love him, and then he would leave me alone.

  “All right, then,” he said finally, straightening the cuffs on his half-open shirt. “Go, then, I won’t stop you.”

  “Are you serious?” I said incredulously. “And you won’t tell Uncle Gabriel?” I had been so sure he was going to try to convince me to stay and go to Elfi with my granduncle like everybody else.

  “He will find out soon enough without my help,” Rafe shrugged. “In fact, I think I am going to help you instead.”

  “You are?” My eyes narrowed, skeptical of his sudden change of heart.

  “Yes,” he said simply. “Kalen, what was your plan so far?”

  “Well.” Kalen looked around the shadowy corridor to make sure no one else was coming our way. “We were supposed to leave through the kitchen, then out of the palace gates, and then I would tell the guards I had an errand for my mother to get some herbs from the apothecary, and Aurora is supposed to be her assistant.”

  Rafe’s eyebrows rose. “And you didn’t think someone would recognize the princess of Illiador? How would you have left the city?”

  “I hadn’t thought about that yet,” said Kalen, biting his lip.

  “You hadn’t?” I turned to Kalen. “But you said you would sort it out.”

  “And I will, I just don’t know how yet.”

  Rafe rolled his eyes, and I was tempted to do the same. Kalen was so infuriating sometimes.

  Rafe turned on his heel. “Follow me.”

  We followed the prince through the palace corridors and into a closed room, which happened to be his bedroom. It was neat and cozy but not overly plush or ornate like some of the other bedrooms in the palace. A large, wooden four-poster bed was placed in the center of the room, the carved headboard resting against one wall, which was hung with a worn tapestry. A warm, tan animal-skin rug covered the floor, and a dressing room was situated through a velvet-curtained doorway. A large writing desk and a high-backed chair lay along one side, next to a wooden chest ornately decorated with intricate carvings of magical fae creatures.