Neither Sorinah nor Geza answered at first. Geza seemed to be growing more and more agitated, but he kept his lips sealed tightly and only allowed his body to betray how he felt. His eyes seemed locked onto his sister, who spared a slightly unsure glance in his direction before finally answering Ladon’s questions.
“He spoke of her true family,” she said softly, her voice catching slightly. “Her birth family…”
Silence fell. Not a single one of them spoke for what felt like hours. Sorinah, with a look of painful guilt across her face, kept her eyes downcast to the grown. Geza seemed to have become a statue, his hands as fists at his sides and that look of agitation etched into his brow. Ladon simply stood there in disbelief and pure confusion.
“Her birth family?” He asked them. “I don’t understand.”
“She was brought to us, when she was just a baby,” Sorinah explained with a heavy, stuttered sigh. “Her parents, our cousin, Santiago, and his wife, Gabriella, wrote to our father, Luca, when Isidora was first born, asking for help. They, since Santiago’s father left Romania, had been fairly removed from the rest of the Dragon culture and our world. The moment Isidora was born… they knew they would need help.”
Ladon just stood there, taking it all in as Sorinah gave him the breakdown about Isidora’s past. By the way she held herself, wrung her hands and avoided eye contact more often than not, Ladon could tell that Sorinah was feeling a great deal of pain and shame over this story.
“Before…” She choked up a moment but swallowed it down and continued. “Before they managed to make it here, both baby Isidora and Gabriella were taken. By the Viscontis.”
“Taken?!” Interrupted Ladon. “What do you mean they were taken?”
“Somehow, the Visconti family learned of Isidora, intercepted the couple as they made their journey here, and took both the baby as well as her mother. They kidnapped them.”
“Stop!” Ladon shouted at her, holding up a hand to silence Sorinah.
The tension between the three of them was thick. Sorinah fell silent, her hands worrying against one another out of anxiety. Geza only narrowed his eyes at the young Mr. Drayce and his command to Sorinah. Other than that, the Patriarch of the Balaurescus remained a stony statue.
“You mean to tell me that this Visconti family once managed to kidnap Isidora when she was an infant?” Ladon snapped at them. “And now you have willingly allowed one of them to court her and possibly marry her? What is wrong with you?! How could you be so blind when you have already seen it before?!”
“Enough!” Geza finally spoke, erupting loudly as he stepped closer to Ladon in a rather intimidating way. “You do not speak to my sister, nor I, ever. Do you understand you, disrespectful brat? The reason for Enzo Visconti being welcomed as a suitor is the same as why we welcomed you. Diplomacy MUST be recognized in a situation like this, Mr. Drayce. It is vastly important that we not alienate any clan or family from the process of Isidora selecting a husband.”
“All-out war could happen…” Chimed in Sorinah, though she didn’t sound all that happy about it.
Ladon stood in silence for a long moment. He knew they were right, but he found himself unable to admit it out loud. Perhaps it was due to his growing feelings towards Isidora… but he was not fond of such a cad being welcomed amongst her suitors even if it was unavoidable. He clenched his jaw, tension setting his muscles rigid as he attempted to calm himself down.
“Does her birth family know of all this? Where are they now and why is it that no one knows of them?” He asked, his tone flat as he suppressed his anger.
“No…” Sorinah admitted, giving a glance to Geza who just turned his back on them and walked to the stone wall.
“Her parents passed some years ago,” she continued. “Both before Isidora was twelve years old. Her three elder brothers, as far as I know, have no idea she even exists.”
“How is that even possible?” Asked Ladon, his brow knitting together.
“When Santiago and Gabriella left her with us… they cut off all contact,” Sorinah explained, looking more and more ashamed as she did. “They knew that if anyone became aware that Isidora was their child… then their other three children might be in danger. They didn’t want their other children to suffer because someone wanted to find Isidora. They knew she was safest here with us.”
“But why would she run off to Enzo Visconti?” He asked. “That still makes no sense to me. Why would she not just come to you?”
“She did!” Sorinah broke down, her words coming in stuttered sobs. “We have never told her the truth. I took on the role of her mother… and we lived the lie to keep her as safe as possible. When… when Enzo said something to her she did come to us. She demanded to know what he was talking about… and we… we…”
“I refused to tell her,” Geza said from where he stood, his back to them, by the stone wall. “I never thought she would leave because of it…”
Both Sorinah and Ladon turned their eyes towards Geza. Sorinah seemed sad and deflated… but Ladon seethed with anger. In this moment, he placed the blame for all of this squarely on Geza’s shoulders. His concern for Isidora and her safety was all that kept him from punching the back of the old Patriarch’s head. Instead, he turned his attention back to Sorinah and tamped down his anger as best he could.
“Tell me about her family, Sorinah,” He asked. “Please.”
“What?” Sorinah said, though she clearly heard him. “Oh… well last I knew, her eldest brother Rafael had taken over the family estate and business. They are located in the city of Ensenada, Mexico. Her other brothers are Ignacio and Mateo… but I don’t know where they are or what they have been doing all of these years. Their family name is DeLeon.”
“DeLeon?” Ladon repeated, curious that it was so different from Balaurescu.
“Yes,” Sorinah said, giving another glance towards the silent Geza. “A common name in Mexico, but easy enough to find in Ensenada.”
“Thank you,” Ladon said.
He reached out, gently taking one of the hands she had been wringing nonstop since their conversation began. For a moment, he simply held her hand with a soft yet reassuring grasp. Their eyes met and he made a silent promise before letting her hand fall free. Without another word, he turned and left the gardens. His stride was confident and determined. He was going to find Isidora’s family and together, they would mount a rescue to bring Isidora home.
*
The trip to Mexico was fairly uneventful for Ladon. He’d transformed to a Dragon and flown back home to England the moment he stepped out of the Balaurescu Estate. From there, he’d simply hopped on one of his family’s private jets and enjoyed a quiet ride across the Atlantic. It wasn’t until he landed in Mexico that he began to feel a hint of nervousness about the entire thing.
As his taxi cab brought him through the suburbs of Ensenada and into the more affluent parts of the city, he wondered if he was making the right choice here. Was it really his place to be dragging in a part of Isidora’s family that she knew nothing about? A family that knew nothing about her? The pure uncanniness of everything that was going on was enough to make him question what the hell he was doing… but all he had to do was think of Isidora, and those questions disappeared.
He understood what she had been trying to do, going to find Enzo. From where she stood, he was the only one who not only knew of her birth family… but was willing to tell her about them as well. Had Ladon been in her position, he likely would have run off from home to seek the truth as well. He couldn’t blame her… but he could blame Geza. He could also blame Enzo Visconti for being such a bastard.
As the miles passed and they wound through the streets of Ensenada, Ladon found himself growing anxious. His leg bounced as his eyes gazed out the window, ideas of what to say to this DeLeon family filtering in and out of his head without any of them sticking. Whatever he planned to say, he would have to say it soon.
The taxi f
inally pulled up in front of an impressive estate of marble and gray stone hidden behind a short stone wall that was perhaps three feet tall but topped with nearly six-foot-high shrubs. The estate sat on what looked to be nearly an entire block’s worth of land, the home behind the wall and shrubs enormous, yet simple.
He paid his driver, took his single bag and stepped out of the cab before making his way towards the large iron gates. He stood there, looking through the wrought iron before reaching out to push a call button on the side of a six-inch-wide screen built right into the gate. After a moment, the screen flashed to life and the face of what Ladon assumed was a security guard, greeted him.
“I am here to see Rafael, Ignacio, and Mateo DeLeon,” Ladon said with his ever-present English accent. “I come from the Balaurescu family in Romani… and it is about their sister.”
The guard on the screen seemed briefly confused, but that look was replaced with one of scrutiny that lasted for an uncomfortable stretch of time. Finally, the man on the screen opened his mouth and said something rather than continuing his staring contest with Ladon.
“Hold, please.” And the screen went black again.
Ladon rolled his eyes and sighed. He understood the security precaution, but he was in no mood to be patient about it. Thankfully, he wasn’t made to wait long before a mechanical buzzing noise sounded, and the front gate clicked open. The guard never reappeared on the screen again. Instead, Ladon was reunited with him when he finally arrived at the front door of the estate house. The guard never spoke a word. He simply opened the door and gestured for Ladon to come inside, which he did with a glance of suspicion towards the silent guard. He wondered if this fellow’s job was really necessary in a home full of Dragons.
“I need to speak with Rafael, Ignacio, and Mateo DeLeon,” Ladon repeated to the back of the guard’s head as he was lead through the entrance foyer to a massive Greeting Hall that reminded him of the main room of the Balaurescu Estate. Of course, this home was crafted from fine oaks and other rich wood with marble inlays and floors, but aside from that the design was extremely similar. Ladon wondered if it was intentional.
The thought didn’t last long and was interrupted by the appearance of three people from various offshoots from the main room. One was an older woman, perhaps in her early fifties, who materialized in a doorway while wiping her hands on a towel. The cook, he presumed. She said nothing and just stood there, watching. When her eyes shifted away from Ladon he followed their gaze to find a younger couple emerging from across the Hall. The man looked to be the same age as Ladon, with shaggy-cut dark hair and caramel colored skin that reminded him of Isidora. The only difference was the man’s amber colored eyes, which Ladon felt scrutinizing him. The young woman who appeared beside the obvious DeLeon brother looked at Ladon with more curiosity and less suspicion than her companion did. Her thick, dark curls had him wonder if she was also related to the family, though her dark ochre skin and the way she slipped her arm around the man made him think otherwise.
“Who are you?” Called the man, surprising Ladon when he spoke English.
“Ladon Drayce of England,” he answered, taking not two steps towards the fellow before the guard held out an arm to stop him in his tracks. Ladon gave the guard a look but continued speaking. “I’ve come from the Balaurescu family in Romania and I must speak with Rafael, Ignacio, and Mateo DeLeon.”
“I am Ignacio,” the man said after a long moment of hesitation. “But I have no idea who you are or who the Balaurescu family is. What do you want with my brothers and I?”
“Your sister, Isidora, is the reason I’ve come,” Answered Ladon, choosing not to beat around the bush. “She needs your help. I… need your help.”
“What?!” Both Ignacio and his companion said at once. Their near-perfect unison almost made Ladon laugh.
“I don’t have a sister, Mr. Drayce,” Ignacio said, laughing softly as he did. “I think you must be looking for another DeLeon family. There are quite a number here in Ensenada alone. I will have our man, Manuel, assist you. Lucia?”
Ignacio turned his amber eyes away from Ladon and towards the older woman who was still hovering in a nearby doorway. The look on her face made Ladon wonder if she knew of Isidora and what he was talking about. At the sound of her name, however, the older woman nodded and disappeared back to where she had come from.
“No, I assure you I have the correct family,” Ladon insisted. “Your parents were Santiago and Gabriella DeLeon? Your brothers, as I said, are Rafael and Mateo?”
“Yea, I think he’s got the right family,” the young woman beside Ignacio said, a smirk coming across her lips as she glanced up towards Ignacio. “You never told me you had a sister.”
“Because I don’t, Maia,” Ignacio said, looking at her with confusion on his face. “I have no idea what this man is talking about.”
“Well, it sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.” Maia quipped in response. “Why don’t you just have him tell you?”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Mateo’s voice chimed in from somewhere above them. “Throwing another party without me?”
As if on cue, all four of them turned towards the sound of Mateo’s voice. They were greeted with the sight of the youngest DeLeon brother standing on one of the branches of the main staircase, leaning against the banister with a mischievous smirk across his face. His relation to Ignacio was more than obvious. He started walking down the stairs towards the group, his hands slipping into the pockets of his trousers.
“What’s this I hear about us having a sister?” Mateo asked casually, as if wondering about the lunch menu.
Ladon was starting to feel a sense of exasperation with these people. Ignacio was solidly denying him, the young woman named Maia and the newly arrived Mateo acted as if it was a joke of some sort and the guard… well his presence alone, irritated Ladon. Sighing, Ladon closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself before starting from the beginning.
“I’ve just come from your extended family in Romania, the Balaurescu family,” Ladon said, doing his best to remain civil. “Your younger sister, Isidora, is in need of help.”
“Younger sister?” Mateo tossed out as he reached the base of the stairs. “I thought I was the baby of this family.”
“If we had a younger sister, I’m sure we would know about it,” Ignacio added, sounding as irritated as Ladon felt. “Who told you we have a sister?”
This was going nowhere fast. Ladon brought a hand to his forehead, his eyes closing again, and he sighed once more. He was going to have to explain everything, start to finish, for these people to believe him. Before he was able to open his mouth and try, however, the older woman, Lucia, returned with another older gentleman and suddenly, questions began to fly.
“Manuel,” Ignacio said to the newly arrived older man. “This fellow claims we have a younger sister.”
“Yea.” Chimed in Mateo. “What do you know about that? Is she real? You and Lucia would know. How much younger than me is she?”
Question after question bounced around the room and yet not a single answer followed. Before Ladon, or even Manuel, could attempted to offer an answer… another question was thrown out. With three voices all speaking one after the other and intertwining, they all just kept going in circles.
“Enough!” Sounded a deep, commanding voice from atop the stairs. “That’s enough from all of you!”
Everyone fell silent and turned to look up the stairs. The third, and eldest DeLeon brother had finally joined the party. Rafael DeLeon, looking very much like the wiser and better-groomed version of his brothers, made his way down the stairs with determination. His suit was tailored, his hair cut short and well-kept and his shoes polished to a shine. It was obvious he was the one in charge around here.
“Mr. Drayce,” Rafael said as he reached the base of the stairs. “Your arrival has caused a bit of chaos in my home. Why have you come?”
“Once again…”
Ladon said, finding it harder to suppress his frustration. “I’ve come because your sister, Isidora, is in need of help.”
“And why have you come to us?” Rafael asked, as if he knew what was going on. “What of our family in Romania, whom she has lived with all of these years?”
“What?!” Rang out the voices of Ignacio, Maia, and Mateo in unison.
“You mean he is telling the truth?” Asked Mateo, his eyes wide.
“What the hell, Rafael!” Ignacio snapped, finally leaving the side of Maia to storm towards his older brother. “Are you saying you know what he is talking about? Why is it that Mateo and I have no idea? If this man…”
“Enough, Ignacio,” Rafael said, silencing his brother with a glare. “I was sworn to the secret by our father. I’m sorry.”
“Well, you had better tell us now!” Quipped Mateo. “The cat’s out of the bag!”
“Not now,” Rafael said in a low tone.
“Yes, now!” Demanded Ignacio. “Damnit, Rafael. I am sick of you keeping things from us.”
“Fine!” Snapped Rafael. “Our parents had another child when Mateo was barely a year old. She was born a Dragon… the first and only one in nearly a century. I was barely nine years old when she was born… and we weren’t even around when it happened. We spent the summer at our grandmother’s home… and when we returned, our little sister was gone. Father told me she had been sent to live with family in Romania, and that I could never tell you or Mateo. To keep her and ourselves safe… we had to pretend as if she never existed.”
“That makes no sense, Rafael!” Snapped Ignacio, refusing to believe his brother. “Mother and Father would never have kept something like that from us.”
“I didn’t even think girls could be Dragons…” Commented Mateo out loud to himself.
“It was a safety precaution, Ignacio.” Rafael tried to explain. “We were only children then. Father and Mother wanted to keep us safe and they knew people would come after us in an effort to get at our sister. It was why they sent her away, Ignacio.”
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