by D J DuMont
Her fellow students looked grim-faced as they walked into the room. The Agents directed all four of them to sit on the front row in the conference room to watch as the pictures were displayed. As they sat down, Willow impulsively reached to link her arms with Locke, who was on her left, and Sylvie, who was on her right. Locke responded by linking his arms with Cara, who was sitting on his other side. Connected like this, Willow felt calm and confident. Whatever happened, this was her team. They would stand together for what they believed was right.
Willow’s amethyst magic ring began glowing, and she smiled. Each ring represented the virtue that its owner possessed, and Willow’s represented loyalty. She’d been ashamed at first to receive such a “meaningless” virtue, but the more she learned about being a Dragon Heart, the prouder she was. Loyalty to your fellow Agents was important. It kept you going even when your courage or intelligence failed you. Willow didn’t want to let her friends down, and she didn’t want to let Anjali down. She would find a way to show Dragon Heart leadership that she and her friends had found real, useful information about Stein and his operations.
Willow’s heart pounded in her chest as the first pictures began to appear on the screen. Many were blurry and out of focus, but she and the others had taken enough photographs that there were several sharp, clear photos showing Stein aiming his giant magic gun at the magic shield. A few photos had perfectly caught the moment where his magic gun had blasted out its blue magic light. And one photo had even caught Stein looking up at the camera with an evil scowl on his face. When that photo flashed across the screen, there was a collective gasp from the Agents. No one could deny anymore that Stein was using magic.
“But…it’s impossible,” one of the Agents murmured. “How can he do that?”
“Magic capture,” Willow said, speaking loudly and boldly. She wasn’t afraid anymore. She knew she’d done what she’d set out to do: prove that magic capture existed, and that Stein was using it. It didn’t take much of a genius to figure out from there that Stein had definitely not given up on torturing Willow’s father. Willow’s father was the only missing Dragon Heart Agent, which meant he was almost certainly the wizard from which Stein was stealing magic.
The Dragon Heart Agent who seemed to be in charge was standing now, and moving slowly toward the front of the room. “I think this means we need to rethink a lot of things in the Dragon Heart Agency. Our efforts to find Stein have been—”
But before the Agent could finish speaking, another Agent rushed into the room, waving a manila file folder in the air.
“We decoded the message we found in the tunnel!” the new Agent shouted.
“Tunnel?” Anjali asked.
The Head Agent at the front of the room glanced uneasily at Anjali. “Your students followed Stein to a secret tunnel. Our team recovered a few computer chips and other Dark Sparks items from the tunnel, including a message on a flash drive that seemed to have been accidentally dropped in the tunnel.”
Willow’s heart leapt. The Dragon Heart Agents had found the tunnel! She chewed her lower lip nervously as the Agent who had just rushed into the room continued explaining, waving around the folder the whole time he was talking.
“I don’t think it was an accident that the flash drive was dropped. I think it was left behind on purpose, in hopes that someone would find it.”
“Why do you say that?” the Head Agent asked.
The Agent with the folder glanced uneasily in Willow’s direction. “Because, the message on the flash drive was an S.O.S. cry from Sigmund Ember.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Willow’s jaw dropped, and the room fell completely silent. Finally, Willow managed to squeak out a few words.
“An S.O.S. signal from my father?”
The Head Agent seemed to snap back to life when Willow said that. “A message from Sigmund? Really? What did it say?”
“It was written in an ancient dragon language that no one uses much anymore, but it is taught here at Dragon Heart Academy, as an elective,” the junior Agent said.
“Sigmund was obsessed with learning ancient dragon languages,” Anjali cut in. “He said it made him feel closer to the dragons.”
Locke’s curiosity got the better of him, and he spoke up. “Ancient dragon languages? What’s that?”
Sylvie and Willow exchanged a surprised glance, and it was all Willow could do not to laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. They both wished they could tease Locke for not knowing something about dragons, since he always acted like he knew everything. Now was definitely not the time for teasing Locke, though, and Willow turned her attention back to Anjali, who was explaining the dragon languages to Locke.
“During ancient times, there were civilizations where dragons were much more common, as you know. The languages spoken in those civilizations are supposedly much easier for dragons to understand than English, or any other modern language. But the languages are very difficult to learn, so most students only study one or two semesters, and only know a few words. Willow’s father, however, was fluent in several of the ancient dragon languages. And it makes sense that he would use one of those languages to leave a message for us. If Stein or any of the Dark Sparks found the message, they wouldn’t have a clue what it said. It would just look like gibberish to them.”
Willow felt a swell of pride in her chest. Her father had mastered difficult dragon languages! No wonder he was considered one of the best dragon flyers around. Willow vowed right then that she would follow in his footsteps and learn the dragon languages as well.
That is, she would learn the dragon languages if she didn’t get kicked out of the dragon program today. But things were definitely looking more promising for her than they had a half hour ago. There was no denying that Stein was using magic capture, thanks to the photographic evidence Willow and her friends had obtained. And now, Stein’s secret tunnel had been found, along with a message from her father. No one could deny that the Dragon Heart students had completed a worthwhile mission today—even if that mission was unauthorized.
“What did the message say?” the Head Agent asked, impatient with all the interruptions.
The Junior Agent opened his file folder and looked down at the papers inside. “It said ‘S.O.S. Magic is in danger. Must help me or all Dragon Hearts are at risk.’”
Willow’s heart felt like it was twisting up in her chest. Her father was alive, and asking for help. Surely, the Dragon Heart Agency would resume the search now. The Head Agent was rubbing his forehead, and he looked at Willow a few times as though expecting her to say something. Perhaps he thought she was going to jump up and say “I told you so.” Or perhaps he just felt badly for her, since her father was in trouble and everyone had given up on him.
The Junior Agent couldn’t wait for the Head Agent to make up his mind what he wanted to say. Instead, the junior Agent continued talking excitedly. “The tunnel the students found seems to lead to one of Stein’s hideouts. The hideout was abandoned in a hurry, so we didn’t catch Stein. But there seems to have been a lot of information left behind. We think this is really going to help us with tracking him down.”
Willow knew she should keep quiet, but she couldn’t stand it any longer. She hopped to her feet and looked directly at the Head Agent. “I know what we did was unauthorized, but in light of everything that has been found, I think the Dragon Heart Agency should forgive us for disobeying orders. In dark times, desperate measures must be taken. We stepped out to do what we felt was right, even though we knew there could be consequences. But stopping Stein and stopping evil was too important to us to sit back quietly and do nothing.”
The Head Agent considered her words for a few moments. Willow held her breath, hoping he would say that he agreed and that all was forgiven. But instead, he asked her about the terraemotus spell. “And what of the earthquake you set off here? You can’t tell me that was done to stop evil, or because it was the right thing to do.”
Willow stood
tall, and did her best to sound confident. “I regret that I set off a terraemotus spell, but it was not done on purpose. I realized, after I set off the earthquake, that I have mental magic abilities. I was not aware of this before, but now that I know I want to learn to use this ability to help the Dragon Heart Agency. I am asking that the Agency forgive my use of the terraemotus spell, since it was due to mental magic. I’m also asking that the Agency provide me with a tutor so that I can learn to properly control my mental magic abilities.”
Willow’s hands were shaking when she finished speaking, but she kept standing tall and did not look away from the Head Agent’s sharp gaze. His silence seemed to stretch on forever. And then, to Willow’s surprise, Sylvie stood up beside her.
“I want to speak up on Willow’s behalf,” Sylvie said. “She’s worked hard at the Dragon Heart campus, and has inspired me to be courageous and do the right thing. Our class would not be the same without her.”
“I agree,” Cara said, standing up as well. Her voice trembled, but she had a determined look on her face. “Willow has helped me to be more courageous. I owe her a lot, and I would be sad to see her go. The Dragon Heart Agency needs people like her.”
And then, to Willow’s utter astonishment, Locke stood as well. “I agree,” he said. “Willow Ember belongs in the Dragon Heart program. She’s as loyal to it as they come. So loyal that she’s risked her own place in the program to do what was best for all the Dragon Heart Agents. She organized a mission to help the Agency learn more about Stein, even though she knew that the mission might result in her being expelled from school. That’s dedication right there. It takes a lot of guts to do the right thing when you know that it might ruin your own life.”
Willow felt tears brimming in her eyes. After how cold her fellow students had been to her over the last few months, she had never expected this support. But now that she understood why they had been avoiding her, she didn’t feel so alone. She would never be alone, as long as she had these three by her side. They had their differences, yes. But they were all Dragon Heart students together. There was something special about that. No matter where their careers in the Agency took them, they would always be able to look back on this time together.
The room had grown noisy with the murmuring of Agents. There were arguments going on all over the place about whether Willow and the others should be punished for the unauthorized mission they’d undertaken. There were also plenty of arguments over whether mental magic existed, and whether Willow seemed like the type of person who was capable of that. Willow was finding it hard to tell whether the room was on her side or not.
“Enough!” the Head Agent finally said, bringing silence to the room. “We have quite a bit to discuss, and I don’t think we can make a decision in a few minutes. We probably need a few days to review all of the information and make the best decision on how to handle these students. I propose the students be dismissed for now, with strict orders to stay on campus. And I do mean strict. If any of you set one foot outside campus boundaries, that will result in automatic expulsion from the Dragon Heart program.”
The Head Agent glared at the students as he said this, and Willow nodded meekly. She had no intentions of going on another unauthorized mission any time soon, especially now that the Dragon Agency had received a message from her father. The last thing Willow wanted was to get kicked out of the Dragon Heart program just as the search for her father was renewed.
“I will spend the next few days reviewing this case, and let you know of my decision as soon as one is made. For now, you are dismissed.”
Willow let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. Anjali nodded, as if satisfied with the outcome of this meeting, and then pointed the students toward the door. She followed them out into the hallway, then started shaking her finger at them as soon as the door to the conference room closed behind them.
“I swear to all of you that if you set foot off campus, I will be the first one signing the order to expel you from the program. No more games, okay? Behave yourselves. You’re only second year students for goodness’ sake. Don’t go chasing after the Agency’s number one enemy.”
Willow realized to her shock that there were tears in Anjali’s eyes. That was the first time Willow felt truly guilty about what they’d done. Yes, their mission had been done with good reason. But Willow hadn’t thought about the fact that Anjali actually cared about her, and would worry about her. After being ignored for months, Willow had started to think that it wouldn’t matter to anyone here if something bad happened to her. Now she realized how wrong she was.
“I’m sorry, Anjali,” Willow said, tears choking her voice as she tried to speak. Anjali’s tears spilled over then.
“Come here, all of you rascals,” Anjali said, and drew them into a big group hug. For the first time in months, Willow felt safe and happy.
Just as they started to pull away, Sam appeared in the hallway.
“Cara?” he said. “We’ve found Nutmeg. I think she wants to see you.”
“Nutmeg!” Cara exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes now. “Is she okay?”
“She took a pretty bad blow, that’s for sure. But I think she’s going to be just fine, after a few weeks of recovery.”
“Can I go to her now?” Cara asked, looking at Anjali as though afraid she would be refused.
Anjali nodded and smiled. “The only place you can’t go is off-campus. So go. Get out of here, all of you. I have work to do. I need to get back in that meeting with the Agents and convince them that you four should not be expelled from the Dragon Heart program.”
Cara didn’t need to be told twice. She started running toward the dragon stables. Willow looked at the others, shrugged, and then took off after Cara. She wouldn’t mind seeing Cayenne, and it would be nice to see Nutmeg and know she was okay.
Besides, she had to fill her time with something. The next few days of waiting for a decision from the Dragon Heart Agency were going to be torture.
Chapter Thirty
A few days turned into a few weeks. Willow wasn’t sure what was taking the Dragon Heart investigators so long, but it was torture. Anjali kept telling her to be patient, but patience wasn’t easy to come by. Not when your own future and your father’s future hung in the balance.
To make matters worse, final exams were quickly approaching. Willow didn’t know how she was supposed to focus on exams when she didn’t even know if she’d be allowed back at the Dragon Heart Academy next year. And she was even less motivated to study for her “normal” exams at Birch Point Academy. The idea of doing geometry and reading world literature sounded unbearably boring.
Willow might have completely blown off her Birch Point exams if not for Alexis and Marcus, who must have gotten the hint from the Dragon Heart students that they didn’t need to avoid Willow any longer. Alexis organized study sessions every night, and usually brought some sort of treat to eat as well. Willow felt guilty for ever doubting her friend’s commitment to her, and Alexis seemed to just want to put the past in the past.
“What are you doing this summer, Willow?” Alexis asked her one evening, seemingly out of the blue.
“Um, I’m not sure yet.” Last summer, when Willow had worked as an intern for the C.I.A., seemed so far away. Willow doubted that she would be allowed to intern again. Not after the way things had gone this year.
“Well,” Alexis said, leaning in with a familiar, mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “If you want to come to California with me for the summer, you know we have plenty of room at my house. We could have so many adventures!”
Willow smiled. “That sounds amazing, but…I’m probably going to be working on…things.”
Alexis sighed. “Ok. Well, if you end up not working on ‘things,’ then let me know. I’d love to spend the summer with you.”
Willow nodded, feeling sad that she couldn’t spend more time with Alexis. As she looked at her friend now—Alexis’ hair was in a wild messy bun a
nd her eyes glittered with excitement—Willow couldn’t help but once again wish that there was a way for her friend to be in the Dragon Heart program. Alexis didn’t have the Dragon Heart gene, so she could never become a wizard. But Willow couldn’t think of anyone that would have made a better wizard than Alexis, if only the Dragon Heart virus somehow infected everyone with magic.
But it was no use dwelling on what couldn’t be, so Willow turned her attention back to her geometry notes. She had barely started studying again when Marcus showed up, carrying a six pack of soda.
“I brought energy with me,” he teased.
Alexis groaned. “I shouldn’t drink that. I’ve had enough sugar already today.”
Marcus shook his finger at her. “You sound too much like a grown-up. It’s exam time, which means times are desperate. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Have a soda.”
Alexis sighed dramatically, but took a soda. Marcus tossed one to Willow, and then opened one himself. After he’d taken a long sip, he grinned and said, “So, what are you ladies doing this summer?”
Alexis poked Willow, and Willow rolled her eyes. Alexis must have put Marcus up to helping her convince Willow to come to California.
“I don’t know, guys, okay? I might have stuff going on. Or I might be completely free. I have to wait and see.”
Willow wished she could tell her friends everything. The waiting was killing her, and so was keeping secrets from her friends.
Marcus let out a long sigh. “I like you, Willow Ember, but all this weird uncertainty and being stuck on campus gets a little old.”
“I know,” Willow said in a small voice. “Trust me, I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”
Alexis got a sad look on her face then, and said, “Well, if you ever can talk about it, we want to be the first to know.”
Alexis made comments like this occasionally, and they always made Willow sad. She didn’t have the heart to tell Alexis that there would likely never be a time when she could talk to her. The Dragon Heart Agency required complete secrecy, and if Willow was expelled from the program she would be forced to get her memory wiped. She would never even know that the Dragon Heart Agency had existed. The thought made Willow so sad that she couldn’t bear to think about it. Instead, she turned her attention back to her textbook.
