“Where are you taking me?” I asked, when we went outside the station and ran across the street. There was a car waiting there, and they forced me inside. The engine roared to life. The one with a funny moustache glanced at me, situating himself on the seat opposite me. He had a stupid smile, and I wanted to stab him.
“Magnus wants to see you. We have been running around London for far too long,” he answered.
I didn’t ask any more questions, feeling so tired and overwhelmed. My ribs were most definitely cracked, because it hurt with every breath I took. The pain in my head was escalating. The driver in front was going fast, speeding through the streets of London. I felt a little sick.
Sometime later, maybe an hour or so, I was forced out, and we ended up on a busy street in front of a tall building.
The shorter one barked at me to keep moving. My magic was absent again and I wondered if it only worked when Avianna was around. It started raining heavily, and people were rushing, moving past me.
I was shoved through a tiny door after we turned right. Once there, I felt a bit more like myself, and the dizziness finally went away.
“What is going on? Where am I?” I asked, ready to launch myself at both of them. Either way, I wasn’t going to be manhandled anymore; they had no right to tell me what to do. They continued pushing me through the narrow corridor. Avianna was most likely freaking out and I was worried about her. Victor was with Lilly and what if she sensed her magic? Avianna was vulnerable without me.
There was a Dark One walking in front of me and one behind me. There were pictures along the side wall. Men and women all wearing suits and sitting ramrod straight with serious-looking expressions on their faces.
I was more scared than I had ever been until we reached the black door. The Dark One took out a key and opened it. The second we walked through, I thought that they had made some sort of mistake.
We walked straight into a large open plan room. There were other people inside, all working at their desks. They were wearing grey and black suits, men and women.
“You entered this world illegally. Magnus is already waiting for you. There will be a hearing,” the same Dark One answered me.
We kept moving again, passing people that were writing on notepads with old-school quills. Now and again a few glanced up at me; some even whispered amongst themselves. Icy fear dug its claws into my stomach. Marek told me that there was not supposed to be many mages in the non-magical world and yet, there were more than a dozen in this room alone. A lot of wardens in Draconia called the Dark Ones mages. It was easier to define them that way, because to us, they were always magicians.
The magic crackled, permeating the room. The air smelled of something musky and sweet. I was really worried about my magic. I felt it everywhere but not inside me.
We reached the end of the room and walked through another narrow door. The mages pushed me along the stairs leading to the lower parts of the building. Panic started clawing its way to my throat.
It seemed that the stairs were never going to end. Every time I glanced up I saw people walking up and down. I had to concentrate on my energy if I wanted to survive this. I couldn’t imagine being sent back to Draconia without the egg. I needed to let others know what was going on, or they weren’t going to believe me.
The oxygen started dropping or maybe I was just too sensitive. The lights at the end of the long dim corridors were flickering, hurting my eyes.
“Wait here,” the Dark One behind me said, then placed his cold hand on my shoulder and sat me down. Both of them sat on each side of me, right outside hearing room number one. I really had no idea what to expect. Five minutes later, the door opened, and an older mage stuck his head outside.
“Bring her in. They are waiting,” he ordered.
My bodyguards nudged me, and I was pushed inside the large courtroom-like hall. There were tall benches in the front of the room and mages sat around in a circular formation, all looking down at me. There were at least ten of them, all wearing toga-like clothing, with no hoods. All the lights in the corners were switched on and I was ordered to walk up to the main bench in front of the room. I suspected that the Dark Ones in this world were able to disguise themselves—take on any human appearance as they saw fit. This way they could follow wardens around without being noticed, especially after the confrontation I had with two of them in an alley with Marek. Now it was confirmed. Once I started sensing their magic, I understood that they could easily kill me. Their energy radiated, drifting slowly around the room. My heart was vibrating as I waited for my judgment.
The mage that sat in the highest chair looked familiar. He had very thick dark hair, olive skin and charcoal eyes. He stared intensely at a bunch of papers in front of him, tensing his square jaw. I presumed that he was in his late forties, maybe even fifties. It was difficult to tell, but I had a feeling that I had seen him before.
“Francesca Turou, you’re the warden from the lowest class and you’re accused of accessing the portal to the human world illegally. You are also in possession of a stolen dragon egg,” he said, finally lifting his gaze to me. In that same moment, pain exploded in my temple and I screamed, as my knees nearly gave out under my weight.
I managed to stand, breathing hard. A bead of sweat rolled down my face and the Dark Ones continued to stare. It seemed to me that they were enjoying the show. “Where is the egg now? You were found in the illegal tunnel without it.”
I wanted to laugh, looking around at their gloomy faces, thinking about what to say. Maybe they didn’t know that Nicolas had fallen through the cracks straight after me, about Aly or my meeting with Idris.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. What egg?” I lied, playing stupid. I wasn’t going to tell them anything.
The skin on my wrist was red and painful. I kept rubbing it, and now blood was soaking my sleeves.
“We can do this the easy way, Miss Turou, or the hard way. The choice is yours,” he said.
Then the door to the room opened, and someone else walked in. I looked up, thinking that my eyes were misleading me. It was Idris. He glanced at me briefly like he had never seen me before, nodding to the man that was most likely Magnus—his father. I remembered that he mentioned his name once and now I was able to connect the dots. A cold shiver crawled over my spine and the savage heat was back, spreading through my core. I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing here, but thought better of it. No one was supposed to know that he’d let me go.
“You’re late,” Magnus barked, ignoring me for a second. Idris smiled, and it was like he brightened the room. All the sorrow and painful memories went away in an instant. I quickly forgot about the pain and exhaustion. I couldn’t believe that he had this kind of effect on me. Even when his magic drifted around, I felt tingling warmth in my stomach.
He went to the people who sat in front and then situated himself behind his father. Others were staring at him, and their eyes shimmered brightly. I reminded myself that I had to keep taking oxygen into my lungs, that somehow, I had to survive this.
“Where were we? Ahh…yes, so, Miss Turou, have you told anyone about the egg?” Magnus asked me again while I kept my eyes fixated on Idris. He wasn’t even looking at me and that hurt a little. I was stunned how similar they both were. It was almost like I was looking at an older version of him.
I was done with being obedient. They’d been getting away with murder, and they needed to understand that this wasn’t going to go on forever.
“Yeah, I stole the egg from that wealthy, warden, and I was going to return to Draconia. Do you think that I don’t know what has been going on there?” I asked, laughing like I had lost my mind. I finally caught Idris’s attention. He could go to hell for all I cared. Our connection no longer mattered, because he wasn’t going to help me.
Only stunned silence answered me. Magnus frowned, and I decided to continue.
“I know you have been keeping the eggs away from wardens for centuries
now. We are the original dragon keepers and we need the eggs to produce magic. All my life I was told that I was born this way—without magic, but now, I know that was a complete lie. One hour with the egg and I had more magic than I could ever dream of. The division of classes is wrong and unfair. And I’m planning to expose all of you,” I shouted, thinking about Dara and that terrible disease that had been wiping out the population of Draconia. More and more wardens were being born with little or no magic. I was the only person who could change that, alter the future.
Idris’s eyes turned into a brilliant blue when his father spoke again.
“That’s a bold conspiracy theory, Miss Turou. You are facing the death pen—”
“I don’t care about your rules, you fools! My friend died because she was infected with Dragon Fever and you all created that disease. And you will never get your hands on that egg,” I shouted, losing control.
I was proud of myself, and I finally felt my magic rising. Then a dull pain hit me hard, radiating throughout my body. I grabbed the bench, trying to hold myself up, but my lungs contracted. I opened my mouth, but only air escaped. Magnus was staring at me and I screamed as raw pain tore through my chest like an invisible wound. That bastard was starting to strip me of my magic, the energy that Avianna had been seeding inside me this entire time. It was the worst feeling in the world, but even then, I wasn’t ready to shut up.
“You won’t silence me. Soon, all your crimes will be out in the open. I will be the one who frees the dragons…”
“The dragons have been extinct for centuries and that egg will soon die without a host, so you won’t be a problem anymore. No one will ever hear your unbelievable tales,” his voice rang through my ears. I slid to the side, holding onto the bench, wheezing. I was taking oxygen in, but it wasn’t enough. I was going to suffocate soon if he didn’t stop hurting me.
“It’s all your fault, Idris. You were supposed to bring her in as soon as she fell through the cracks. Now she knows too much and there are—”
Then everything stopped, and I was lying on the floor by the bench, breathing hard. Sweat was dripping down my body and I closed my eyes for a second. I needed to calm down.
When I looked up, all the lights in the room were flashing. The Dark Ones were rushing out in a panic. The alarm was going off, and I pressed my hands to my ears. I needed to get out of here, but I couldn’t move.
Then someone was lifting me up, and warmth spread everywhere, deep into my bones and bloodstream.
“Come on. I’ll get you out of here before you get yourself killed, little one,” a voice whispered in my ear. His breath was on my face, and I quickly forgot about the havoc and pain. My muscles relaxed and loosened.
He picked me up and carried me across the room. We were leaving together, moving past the Dark Ones who were running around.
“I’ll take care of her,” he told someone and then everything faded as I drifted away, instantly feeling better.
21
The rescue.
I started coming around some time later, my mouth was dry, and my eyes were stuck together. For a moment, I thought that I was back in Draconia, waking up in my shitty apartment straight after Dara’s funeral. I felt so lost and alone there. I had a feeling that this was when my anxiety began to take over, when I realised that she was gone forever.
I tried to move, but then agonising pain shot down my left side. My ribs were most likely broken; that other Dark One had kicked me pretty hard. Now I wished that I’d punched him when I had a chance.
I was lying in a very comfortable bed, trying to understand where I was. The linens smelled very fresh like they were new. The sheets had this specific musky, spicy scent that I somehow recognised. I rubbed my tired eyes, looking around the room. Heavy red curtains were shading the windows. It was still light outside. Then I suddenly remembered everything.
“Motherfucker,” I whispered, quickly getting up and pulling the curtains back. The world outside didn’t change, but it was much better.
My breath caught in my chest when I stared at the magnificent view of the city spreading in front of my eyes. I figured that I was most likely on the fifteenth floor or so, because I felt a little dizzy looking down at the world that I still didn’t know very well.
My heart raced, my skin tingled and felt flushed. The memories from the previous night started spinning in front of my eyes. The bedroom was huge, and everything looked so stylish. It was obvious to me that it belonged to a man. The colours and the whole setup just didn’t fit a woman.
Idris must like dark shades and slick modern furniture. We had similar tastes, but I never had enough dragon credits, or I would have decorated my own bedroom the same way.
And that damn idiot, Victor, still had my egg. He must have been planning this the whole time we were riding in the tube. He used his own magic against me, and I was caught off guard. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from him. He was still a giant scumbag, but I believed in karma and one day, he was going to pay for everything. I just needed to give myself a bit more time.
The clock on the bedside table was showing seven a.m., which meant that I had been here all night. That bastard had no idea what to do if Avianna hatched out. Magnus said something yesterday during the hearing that stuck with me.
“The dragons have been extinct and that egg will soon die without a host, so you won’t be a problem anymore. No one will ever hear your unbelievable tales.”
I didn’t want to believe that this might happen, but Avianna wasn’t with me, and Victor most likely didn’t even realise what he truly had in his hands.
There was an en suite bathroom in the room, so I opened the door wanting to take a look at my reflection in the mirror. At least the Dark Ones didn’t hit my face, so that was a plus. A shower was in the cards—I knew that I stunk. I stripped off all of my dirty clothes and switched on the hot water. When I stepped inside, the water was blissful, and I soon began to relax. Idris had helped me, but maybe I was still a prisoner. He must have brought me to his apartment for a reason. Yesterday, his father confirmed what I had been thinking this entire time. The Dark Ones must have found a way to keep the baby dragons alive without them having to rely on wardens as hosts. Magnus was convinced that Avianna would die if I wasn’t around. I had to figure out their secrets somehow.
They were trying to control the population of wardens and that made me sick. They had more dragon eggs, and I suspected that they were breeding dragons in a different location, somewhere far away from the city. They were also using magic to keep all the dragons alive.
I just knew that the mages couldn’t connect with dragons. It was something that only happened with wardens and they couldn’t replicate it. The Dark Ones were born with incredible magic, whereas we developed our abilities over time. They were hunting me down because they wanted to silence me, but this wasn’t going to happen. I was willing to fight for the truth and to expose them—no matter the cost.
Idris was half human, so that meant that his father must have had an affair with a human woman. I didn’t understand how this was even possible. The others should have instantly expelled him. He broke the code of practise; he gave himself away to a human. I didn’t know anything about his life, but I was in shock that Magnus was still their leader.
I wanted to believe that Idris was different, but during the hearing he acted like everyone else. I needed to find out what he was planning to do with me.
I quickly got out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Then I realised that I had nothing that I could change into. I couldn’t really wear my old stinky clothes. Idris must have left me lying down, and chose not to undress me. In a way, I was a little disappointed that he decided not to touch me. I stunk, yeah, but there was that connection—the magic that linked us together. Either way, maybe he was just being a total gentleman.
“Ahh, you’re already washed. Great. I didn’t want to touch you last night because you’re one of them, you know, but I had to keep Idris
away from you somehow,” a high-pitched voice startled me all of a sudden.
A second later, some woman barged into the bedroom. She was wearing a sharp grey two-piece suit and her hair was tied up in an elegant bun. She was beautiful: tall, very slim and just perfect in every way.
I stood in the middle of the room, soaking wet, with a towel wrapped tightly around me, completely stunned.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I’m Zuzanna, and I’m Idris’s sister. Here, I brought you some clothes. Just hurry up, we have a lot to go over,” she said, and threw jeans and a top on the bed. She smiled at me, and her eyes shimmered with magic.
“Right, thanks, and where is Idris? I need to speak to him,” I said. “I can’t stay here.”
“He’s downstairs, waiting for you. This is my apartment, but I disagree with what he’s doing. What can I say? He was always very stubborn. Get dressed and meet us downstairs,” she ordered, then turned around and left.
I scratched my head, thinking about my options. There weren’t many, and I really needed to find out what Idris was planning to do with me. He helped me last night, and that meant he was going against his own family. This baffled me more than anything, but I started drying myself and quickly put the borrowed clothes on. Everything was the perfect size, almost like it was made for me.
My hair was a mess, so I quickly twisted it up in a nice plait. I always struggled with brushing and I just didn’t like the hassle. Zuzanna was Idris’s sister or maybe his stepsister. Either way, I had no idea. She was the one who put me in this room and left me in my clothes. That made perfect sense. Once I was ready and looked decent enough to face him, I opened the door to the bedroom and walked downstairs. The truth was that I had no idea what to expect. I’d met Idris once, and I didn’t want to fool myself; maybe he was ready to hand me over to his father.
Hatched (Draconia World Book 1) Page 15
