Meanwhile, Mina stubbornly clung to me in a show of unrestrained emotion that was really unlike her.
For my part, I forced myself to breathe and calm down, knowing I needed to keep a clear head. As a vampire, I knew better than anyone that time was a volatile thing. Certain spells, particularly ones akin to my translocation one, could disturb its balance. I should have probably realized earlier the real reasons of me losing my powers.
It hadn’t been due to my confrontation with the witch, at least, not directly. When I’d been thrust in the portal, something had happened that had propelled us into the future. Basically, that had left me much like I might have been without feeding for months. If I had to guess, I had actually withstood some of the possible aftereffects. A vampire who didn’t feed was very dangerous and could turn practically feral because of his thirst.
A possible backfire of the spell also explained the reasons why I’d only sensed slight traces of magic at the crossroads. Likely, I could only feel even those due to the strength of the original ritual. I would have been inclined to say that time flew when Vesper and I had fun, but it hadn’t depended on us, not really.
Which brought me to the matter at hand. When my sisters calmed down a little, I broke the embrace between me and Mina and repeated my previous question. “What happened?”
“I can answer that,” a sudden, male voice said.
A small redheaded man whom I didn’t recognize appeared from inside the building, followed by Robert Hood. My hackles rose when I saw the way Robert stared at my sister. It didn’t take much for me to understand what had happened in my absence.
Mina winced, obviously noticing I wasn’t very happy with this new development. “I know you’re disappointed in me, Vlad,” she said. “But it wasn’t Robin’s fault, for any of it.”
I shook my head. “When we came here, I promised that you would always be the one to choose your own destiny. I’m not disappointed.”
I was, however, pissed off with the fucker who’d taken advantage of my sister in my absence. I felt very tempted to tear his throat out, and kind of regretted not doing so when he had first attacked me. Mercifully, my mate’s presence tempered my bloody impulses, and my mother intervened before the situation could escalate.
“Don’t worry, Mina,” she said. “I’m sure that your brother understands and accepts your decision.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Mina said softly.
It occurred to me that they weren’t talking like they hadn’t seen each other in centuries. Had they been in contact during my absence? Probably. My sisters must have gone to my parents when Vesper and I had gone missing.
Vesper cleared his throat, which came out sounding a little strange because he was still in his rabbit form. “Excuse me…I hate to interrupt, but you still haven’t explained. Is the witch gone? Are my friends all right?”
The smaller man—whom Vesper identified as a fellow prisoner named Red—finally replied, “Most of them came out of it just fine. But…well, Prince Leonard went missing just like you did. Prince Kirril went to find him, but he never returned.”
My mate gasped, his mind a whirlwind of concern for his friends. I had to admit that I was pretty upset, too. “And the witch? Rapunzel?”
“Lord Rapunzel and Prince Medwin are in Arthuria right now,” my mother answered, much to my surprise. “Their wedding has been postponed, as has that of Prince Kirril with his dragon. They regularly stay in Álfheimr, with Lord Rapunzel’s father, but with Prince Kirril gone, Prince Medwin has responsibilities that keep him in his homeland.”
So, she had known about all this. I wasn’t surprised, but it still irritated me that she had waited up until this point to tell me about it. Perhaps she herself hadn’t known how to deal with the matter. My parents hadn’t been the most loving and affectionate ones in the entire world. I wondered if they had been looking for me and Vesper as well before we’d shown up in Necro Valley. It was certainly possible.
Either way, it was clear to me that our family and friends needed us. “Mother, please stay here with Mina,” I said. “She needs your support through this. Vesper and I will head toward Arthuria. Hopefully, we’ll find some sort of clue that will help us track down our missing friends.”
“I’m sure you’ll succeed, son,” my mother answered. “You always were very persistent and reached whatever goal you set your mind to.”
I thanked her and stole my mate from Veronica’s arms. After the peculiar revelations, I felt reenergized again. Or maybe it was the desire to soothe Vesper that fueled my sudden need to get to Arthuria. Either way, for the third time in the past ten minutes, I cast my translocation spell, with my target being the Arthurian grove where I’d once met up with Rapunzel and Medwin.
The beautiful clearing was quiet now, but it didn’t take long for me to notice that we were not alone. Under the large trees, I spotted a small purplish form, lying on what seemed to be a nest of sorts. “Dini!” my mate cried out.
Instantly, the dragon in the nest—for he was the purple creature in question—lifted his head. “Perry?” he asked, his voice weak and ragged. He started to get up, but his limbs trembled and he couldn’t quite leave the nest.
I rushed to his side so that he wouldn’t have to make such an effort in his obviously weak condition. Vesper leapt into the nest and climbed on top of his friends. “Are you all right, Dini?”
“I’m fine,” Dineiro answered, completely unconvincing. He looked all around the Kirril, his gaze briefly sliding over me before he looked away. “Is he with you?”
I would have very much to be able to say yes. Those large purple eyes fixed me with a pleading look, practically begging me to give him hope. Sadly, I couldn’t do that, because it would have been even crueler. “I’m sorry, Dineiro,” I answered. “I haven’t seen him.”
“We didn’t even realize we’d been gone for so long,” Vesper explained. “We thought that we were only away for one day.”
The light faded out of Dineiro’s eyes and plopped back down on his nest. He did hold Vesper close, but it was clear that his enthusiasm to be reunited with his friend was surpassed by his sadness at his separation from his mate.
“Oh, Dini,” my mate said with a sad sniffle. “I’m sure Kirril will come back to you.”
Dineiro released a small whine. “He didn’t want to leave me, but I promised I could take care of our egg,” he said. “I haven’t been doing a very good job, have I?”
“Nonsense,” Vesper answered fiercely. “You’re a great parent. You’re just upset, and that’s understandable given that you’re nesting.”
Nesting alone—that was real problem, that Kirril couldn’t be here by Dineiro’s side at this difficult time. It was truly quite strange. Kirril and Dineiro should have been able to communicate through their mental link, but as far as I could tell, they hadn’t. I didn’t want to prod into that, because it would be undoubtedly painful for the young dragon. In the end, I decided to attempt to distract him.
“Where are Victor and Larue?” I asked. “Did you speak to them?”
“Yes,” Dineiro answered. “They watch over me all the time. It’s actually very rare for me to be alone, you know.”
As if to confirm his words, the Fairy Godfather suddenly manifested at the edge of the nest. “You’re never alone,” he said, petting Dineiro’s purple scales.
Taking advantage of the appearance of the mysterious magic user, I asked, “What happened with the ritual? Is the witch captured?”
“Sadly, no,” he replied. “Come with me. There’s a lot we need to discuss.”
Epilogue:
In Which the Story Repeats Itself
Arthurians weren’t used to magic. That was what I had always been taught, and meeting Kirril hadn’t changed my opinion. At that time, the Arthurian hadn’t even known dragon were shape-shifters and had actually tried to slay my friend. I would have never believed then that one day, Merlinians would be welcome in the Arthurian capital of Camelot.
But we were, indeed, welcome. The Fairy Godfather accompanied us there, and Dini came with us, too, although he was still very upset. He hadn’t even shifted from his dragon form, but Arthurians didn’t seem surprised upon seeing him. Apparently, he had a nest in the Arthurian palace as well, and only on occasion did he take refuge in the grove, when he sought solitude.
The Arthurian sovereigns, Kirril’s parents, met us at the gate. They actually looked very enthusiastic that we’d arrived. Although they must have been disappointed that their sons weren’t with us, they hid it well. They didn’t even seem to be bothered by the fact that I was still in rabbit form.
What really surprised me was that they didn’t seem to blame me for the part I’d played in the disappearance of the two princes. However, when we entered the palace, I couldn’t help but note Rapunzel and Medwin’s conspicuous absence.
According to my mother, they were here, but if they hadn’t come to greet us, they must have had a good reason. Had they gone to see Rapunzel’s father? Or…was Rapunzel sick? I couldn’t help but remember that he had been pregnant when we’d left, and the shocks he must have gone through this time could have easily harmed the fetus. Thankfully, dragon pregnancies were pretty hardy, so Dini didn’t seem to be encountering real problems in that regard, but for all we knew, it was different for Rapunzel.
Concerned, I decided to ask the queen about it. “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but where is Rapunzel? Is he all right?”
Queen Sedonia tensed visibly. “He’s in his quarters. You needn’t worry about him.”
From her tone, I gathered that any extra conversation on the matter wouldn’t be welcome. Undoubtedly, even if she didn’t resent me, that was not the case for Rapunzel.
Pointing out that it hadn’t been Rapunzel’s fault probably wouldn’t help. The only guilty party in this entire debacle was the witch, and, according to the Fairy Godfather, she had disappeared after the ritual.
We hadn’t had much time to discuss the details of what had happened that day. It seemed that after our disappearance, the witch had somehow managed to use Rapunzel to open the gateway to the cursed kingdom. A struggle had ensued, and Leonard had managed to save Rapunzel. However, he’d paid a price for his bravery, as he had disappeared into the portal, together with the witch. The Fairy Godfather claimed that the actual curse was still in place, but none of them knew exactly why that was and how it had happened.
It was believed that both she and Leonard had ended up in the cursed dryad kingdom, but no one could be sure. Trying to investigate the matter, the Arthurians had sent many expeditions to find the crown prince. When the first two groups had been unsuccessful—and in fact, had failed to return—Kirril had gone himself, taking a company of men in the direction the Rainbow Brick Road had indicated. Rumpel Stiltskin and Anelah had gone with him, with the Fairy Godfather staying behind to watch over Rapunzel and Dini, and hopefully, attempt to find me and Vlad. In theory, it had been a good plan, but it hadn’t worked out that well. Just like the soldiers who’d left before him, Kirril and all of his companions had disappeared.
“We have to come up with something,” I told my mate through our bond. In that moment, I really felt thankful that Vlad was now holding me, because the chill coming from the Arthurian queen could have turned me into a bunny-shaped icicle. “We can’t let this situation continue.”
“Agreed,” my mate replied. “Clearly, there must be some sort of opposing force there. I’ll speak with Mother to arrange something. Meanwhile, you can stay here with Dineiro.”
I instantly bristled. While I was fine with him being dominant in bed, I drew the line at him ordering me to separate from him. I refused to end up like Dini, staring into the horizon while I waited for my mate to come back to me. Not that I blamed my friend. I understood why he couldn’t have been able to follow Kirril. After all, he himself had said that he needed to take care of the egg that would soon emerge. I, on the other hand, could handle a trip. Sure, the witch had captured me without too much trouble, but I hadn’t been ready for her. Now that I was, I could show her, and everyone else, that I was a true predator and deserved Vlad as a mate.
“Vesper,” my lover tried to argue, “no one doubts that. I just want you to be safe and out of harm’s way.”
“So do I,” I shot back. “Or do you think I don’t love you as much as you do me?”
Vlad didn’t get the chance to reply, because the queen led us into a sitting room and gestured for us to make ourselves at home. Dini plopped down on a low couch—obviously one he had used before—and closed his eyes. As he did so, Victor and Larue entered the room, both looking a little breathless.
It was still somewhat peculiar for me to see Larue in his current, human-sized form. It seemed particularly strange because he still had his wings, and when he ran toward us, pixie dust flew all over the place, just like before. But he was so much bigger than me now, and I truly would have shifted into my human form had I not been aware that my nudity might offended the royal figures present.
“Perry!” Larue cried. “Oh, it’s so good to see you.” His enthusiasm soon melted into anger, and he glowered at me. “Where in the world have you been? Do you know how worried we were?”
It seemed that Larue might have changed sizes, but in everything else, he remained the same. For whatever reason, seeing this was actually quite comforting for me. “Vlad and I were stuck in a time warp of sorts. It seemed that when we were thrown into that portal, it propelled us into the future, or rather, made us miss several months. We thought we were only gone a day.”
Larue’s eyes widened, while Victor’s gained that look I now recognized as scientific interest. “How exactly did that work?” he asked. “Did you experience any sort of discomfort? Do you think the same thing happened to Leonard?”
“It was probably because of the instability of the portal,” my mate answered. “We ended up in Necro Valley, my original home. I did feel some weakness, like I hadn’t fed in a long time. My powers didn’t work for a while, until I got sustenance. And I don’t know about Leonard. He wasn’t with us, so it might not have happened for him.”
The queen and her husband, King Ralph Theodore, looked a little disappointed at my words. Perhaps they had hoped that their son’s disappearance could be explained as easily as ours. And it was still possible. We just couldn’t guarantee it.
“Actually,” the Fairy Godfather said, “I highly doubt that was the case. My scrying managed to detect his presence, but not Vlad’s or Vesper’s. He disappeared after you did. I am fairly certain that he is in the Dryad Kingdom, just like I said.”
“Yes, but all the forces we attempted to send after him didn’t manage to track him down,” the king said. “Dear gods, there were even dragons in the expedition with Kirril, and we still received no news from them.”
Oh, wow. Dragons? I hadn’t known that. Dineiro’s parents must have wanted to protect Kirril, but had probably failed. That meant that my friend was now not only without a mate, but also without his parents. The situation was more serious than I’d expected.
My mate seemed to think the same. “So I take it you have been trying to regroup since Kirril’s disappearance,” he said.
The king nodded. “There were two other expeditions before Kirril’s, and we still don’t know what happened to them.”
“Arthurians are pushing for another one,” the queen added, “but as much as we want this, we have to take into account what’s good for our people. We can’t keep thrusting them into a situation they’re not ready for. These witches are a danger we did not expect.”
“Quite understandable,” I said. Even if I could grasp the reason behind this logic, the implication of the latter phrase bothered me and made me bristle. It didn’t seem that the royal family hated magic users per se, but obviously, they hated Rapunzel. Shaking myself, I suggested, “Perhaps we should have a different approach, a smaller group that would be able to infiltrate enemy ranks easier.”
At th
at, Dineiro perked up. “Do you really think you can find Rili, Perry? He’s out there, I know it. I felt it when he was attacked. I think it must have been a dryad, because there were live trees…battling, not like in the Laughing Forest. He was fighting one of their leaders, and our bond went mute. But I’m sure he’s still alive. He has to be.”
“We will find him, and Prince Leonard,” I promised, hating the tremor in his voice. The fact that Dini’s connection with Kirril had faded during a battle with the dryads was important, and as much as I hated to admit it, quite disheartening. “And we will prove that Rapunzel had nothing to do with their disappearance.”
The queen’s eyes flashed with anger, and she glared at me. However, she still held a tight hold over her temper, so she didn’t lash out at me like she must have wanted. Instead, she coolly stated, “You misspeak, shifter. We are all very much aware of Lord Stiltskin’s involvement in the matter.”
The king nodded. “He deceived us all and drew the witch’s attention onto our family. He is their blood. If not for Medwin’s insistence and the child he carries…”
“Stop, please,” a familiar voice said from the doorway. I looked in that direction, unsurprised when I saw a pale Rapunzel walking inside. His swollen belly spoke of a very advanced pregnancy. Prince Medwin supported him, a silent guardian by Rapunzel’s side. The Arthurian was obviously angry with his parents, but said nothing. Instead, he wrapped his arm tighter around Rapunzel, supporting him.
Rapunzel shot a brief smile his mate’s way, then turned toward us once more. “I’m so happy to see you, Count Dracula, Vesper. We were truly so very worried for you.”
“If you’d been worried, you would have never drawn them, or anyone else, into your entanglements,” the queen snapped at him.
Medwin opened his mouth, obviously ready to utter a scathing reply. However, Dini stopped him. “Enough!” he shouted, his voice no longer tremulous, instead holding that same strength I remembered in my friend. Unrestrained magic flowed through the room, the essence of pure love, which was Dini’s affinity. I curled closer to Vlad, while Sedonia fell into her husband’s arms, crying softly. Victor embraced Larue, while Rapunzel hid his face in Medwin’s chest.
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