Vela nodded. “Yes, mistress.”
The door closed, and Vela let out a deep breath. “You can come out now.”
“What’s the matter with my sister?” Theo paced the small pantry.
Vela gasped. “Nia’s your sister? The one you’re looking for?”
“Yes, and she’s acting like nothing’s wrong. She must be under Lamia’s spell.”
Vela lowered her eyes. “I don’t think so, master.”
“Huh? I’m not your master.” He lifted Vela’s face. “Why do you say that? I thought Lamia was holding her prisoner.”
“No. Nia’s her favorite.”
“It’s a trick, then.” Theo ran to the door.
“Stop.” Diva grabbed hold of his shirt. “Even if we get her out of here, Lamia would find us before we had a chance to escape. We need a plan.”
Theo paced. “We have to get Nia away, before Lamia sacrifices her.”
“Sacrifices her? Oh, the poor girl.” Vela sobbed. “You’ll never win. You don’t know how cruel she can be.”
Theo rubbed his chin. “Lamia or Nia?”
“The dragon.” Vela cupped her face with her hands.
“We have to try. I can’t lose my sister.” Theo turned to Vela. “I have an idea. Will you help us?”
“No.” Trembles shook Vela’s body. “The queen will torture me and send me to work in the mines until I die.”
Diva approached Vela. “Don’t you know who Theo is?”
“No.”
“He’s the unborn hero.”
Vela cringed. “The queen shrieks whenever she hears those words. Everyone says you’ve blinded her.”
“That’s right. We’ve weakened Lamia,” Theo said. “Other people are helping us, too. My friend Pavel and two Kukeri boys are freeing the prisoners from Zandan.”
“And my sisters will help when they get out,” Diva added. “Theo will defeat Lamia.”
“There’s something you can do to make it easier for me,” Theo said.
“Please, no.”
“We’ll protect you from Lamia. I promise. Please help us. I have to save my sister.”
“I’ll try, for Nia’s sake.” Vela wiped away tears. “What do you want me to do?”
Theo told her.
Vela paled, but said, “I’ll do it.”
Chapter 22
Betrayal
Theo and Diva followed Vela down a dark hallway, up stairwells, and along more corridors until Vela opened a door to a linen closet. Once crammed inside with Diva, Theo kept the door open a crack, holding the knob with his shaking hands. Across the hallway, mosaics of a black dragon decorated massive gilded doors. Was it the dragon’s mother, the creature whose scaly skin covered Lamia’s Bible?
“That’s the queen’s room.” Vela pointed to the doors with her chin, her hands clutching a tray. The jar of cocoa powder on it quivered like she did as she shuffled across the hallway.
So close to the beast. Theo’s stomach gurgled, and acid shot up his throat. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Laughter and chatter grew louder. Nia led several girls, dressed in white robes embroidered with dragons. “Vela, put the tray down. I’ll take it into the room. Lamia’s sure to be here soon.”
Her hands shaking, Vela left the tray, then scampered down the hallway.
Theo whispered, “I need to talk to Nia alone. I have to warn her.”
Diva shook her head. “That’s not a good idea if she’s under Lamia’s spell.”
“I have to try.” Theo shut the door and leaned against the wall. “How can we get rid of the other girls?”
Diva spun a curl with her finger. “I have an idea.”
She grabbed the feathers and claws hanging at her side, murmured a few words, and disappeared in a mist.
“Where are you?” Theo looked around the closet.
A white mouse squeaked at his feet.
“Perfect. Nia hates mice.”
He opened the door enough for the mouse-sized Diva to squeeze out. She scampered past Nia’s feet and darted in among the other girls. They shrieked and ran back the way they came. Nia stood, frozen, staring at the mouse. Theo snuck out of the closet, grabbed her around the waist, and dragged her inside with him. She screamed, and he clamped his hand over her mouth.
“Nia, it’s me. Theo. Don’t be afraid.”
She stiffened, then relaxed. When Theo removed his hand, Nia turned around. Tears threatened to overflow her lids, and her body shook as she threw her arms around him. “I can’t believe anyone came for me. Lamia said nobody ...” She pulled away, and her eyes darkened. “How’d you get here?”
“Pavel and I found a gateway. I’ll tell you about my adventures later. I have to—”
“Pavel the geek?” Nia pursed her lips.
Theo nodded. “He’s freeing prisoners. I came up here to get you away from Lamia. She’s planning on sacrificing you in the morning.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “Don’t lie. Lamia’s been like a mother to me. She’s going to make me a queen like her.”
“Please, Nia, it’s true.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Snap out of it. The dragon’s going to kill you.”
“Oh, Theo, don’t be so dramatic.” She wrenched his arms off her.
“If Lamia’s so nice, why would Vela be terrified of her?”
Nia huffed. “Oh, her. Don’t believe anything she says. She’s jealous because she can’t be with Lamia since she scalded the milk for the mistress’s bath.”
“Milk, not blood?”
“Did Vela tell you that, too?” Nia snorted. “She’s trying to get your pity because she has to carry out the slop. She’d do or say anything to get in Lamia’s good graces.”
“It didn’t seem like an act,” Theo said. “Why would she behave that way with me? I can’t make Lamia take her back.”
“Well ... sometimes Lamia gets quite angry when people don’t do things the way she wants, and she screams at everyone.” Nia shuddered. “It can be terrifying, but she’s quite kind. The mistress will eventually forgive Vela, but that girl wants it now.”
Diva opened the closet door. “Theo, hurry up before the other girls come back.”
Nia smiled at Diva. “And who are you? Another of Lamia’s new attendants?”
She sneered. “No. I’m Diva, a Samodiva, Theo’s friend.”
“Samodiva? Well, I’m glad my brother has a friend other than Pavel.” Nia pushed past Diva. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get things ready for Lamia.”
Theo chased her across the hallway. He grabbed Nia’s arm as she picked up the tray Vela had left outside the doors. The jar of cocoa powder tipped over. “You can’t go in there. You’ll die!”
“Stop it!” She dug her fingers into his arm with her free hand until he let go. “Do you want me to have to carry out the slop next?”
“It’s better than dying.”
“Hmph.” She looked down the hallway. “Where are the other girls? Lamia’s going to be angry with them.”
“Nia, please come with me.” How was he going to get her out of danger while he confronted the dragon?
“No.” She pushed open the doors and entered a ballroom the size of an amphitheater.
Theo and Diva followed. Floor-to-ceiling glass covered the opposite wall, leading to a balcony as wide as a four-lane highway. That must be where Lamia landed when she returned to the castle.
He stared at the room’s opulence. Crystal chandeliers tinkled melodic tunes. Tapestries and paintings lined the walls, depicting events Theo had once thought were fairy tales. In all, dragons were victorious. A golden mirror sat at the end of a normal-sized, claw-footed bathtub. Lamia must change into human form when she was in the castle. He had hope of defeating her after all.
“Are you listening to me, Theo?” Nia’s voice broke through his thoughts.
“Huh, sorry. What did you say?”
“You can’t stay. Lamia will be here soon.” Nia looked toward the b
alcony, fear reflecting in her eyes. “Only her attendants can be in the room. We can talk—”
A thunderous roar shook the chandeliers, and flashes of light lit the sky.
“She’s coming.” Nia grasped his hand with a strength she’d never had before. “You have to hide!”
What had Lamia been doing to her? He couldn’t fight back as Nia dragged him into an alcove behind two marble columns. A golden double door led to another room. On the central panel of one door, a carved three-headed snake wrapped its tail around a tree.
Diva pulled an arrow from her quiver, but didn’t nock it in her bow. “It’s probably a trap.”
A thump, thump, thump came from the balcony.
“Quickly.” Nia’s eyes were damp and overly bright. “You can’t be here. I’ll get you out later.”
She turned the snake’s tail on the door clockwise three times. When the door slid open, Nia pushed Theo inside.
Diva hesitated before following.
“Don’t touch anything, and be quiet.” Nia clicked the door shut behind her.
Light seeped in from stained-glass panes covering the domed ceiling, bathing the circular room in a soft, rosy glow. Intoxicating fragrances filled Theo’s senses. Magnificent flowers and shrubs in a plethora of colors packed the room—more varieties than he’d ever seen.
He gasped when he looked toward the middle of the room. Silver water flowed from a white-marble fountain. “That must be the living water.”
Lamia’s voice boomed through the golden doors, making the handle rattle like a monster was ripping at it to get in. “Lazy girls, why isn’t my bath ready?”
“Sorry, Your Highness, there was a mouse,” a shrill voice replied.
Lamia roared, “You fear a mouse over what I could do to you?”
“Welcome back, Your Highness,” Nia said, her words shaky. “Would you like your cocoa while the girls prepare your bath?”
“No! I want things in the proper order. My bath. My cocoa. My visit to the garden,” Lamia shrieked. “Now I have to calm myself among my flowers while you prepare my bath. Make sure the milk is the correct temperature, girls, and add the proper oils, or you know what’ll happen.”
Nia’s voice rose. “Your Highness, please wait!”
“Not now! I’m angry enough to harm even you, my princess.”
Theo and Diva hid among the shrubbery, peeking through the branches as the double doors opened.
A tall woman entered and closed the door behind her. A jewel-encrusted tiara sat above her pointed ears, holding back her golden tresses. She was dressed in a silver gown flowing to the floor. A spiked lizard’s tail poked from beneath her attire, its yellow and red scales glistening in the soft light.
Theo’s skin prickled. Pure evil shone from Lamia’s dark reptilian eyes, marring her otherwise beautiful face. He reached for the silver arrow, but it stung him and spoke to his mind, “Not yet.”
The dragon-woman’s mouth curved into a frown as she slithered across the marble floor. She slowly circled the fountain three times, the darkness in her eyes fading to yellow slits. “Magical water, tomorrow after the sacrifice, I’ll taste your healing powers, and my vision will be restored.” She strolled among the flowers for several moments, breathing in their fragrances.
Theo cringed as she neared their hiding place.
Lamia reversed direction, returning to the fountain. She dipped her fingers into the liquid, swirling the magical water.
A knock sounded on the door, and a timid voice called, “Mistress, your bath is ready.”
With a deep sigh, Lamia slid across the floor and returned to the ballroom, closing the door behind her.
A gentler voice came through the door. “A perfect bath, girls. You may leave now while Nia attends to me.”
Theo crept closer to the door. Tears swelled in his eyes.
Nia’s sweet voice rose in song. The words of The Flute Plays, an old tune their mother had often sung to them, made his heart break.
“The kaval is playing, mother,
up, down, mother, up, down, mother.
The kaval is playing, mother,
up, down, mother, below the village.
I will go, mother, to see it,
to see it, mother, to hear it.
If it’s a guy from our village,
I’ll love him from dawn till dusk,
If it’s a stranger,
I’ll love him all my life.”
At the end of the tune, voices murmured briefly, a door opened and closed, and the room was silent for quite some time.
Lamia’s voice broke the spell. “My cocoa, now, princess.”
Shattering glass, followed by a curse, ended the tranquility.
“That’s disgusting!” Lamia shouted. “Who made this drink?”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.” Nia’s voice cracked. “Vela was in the pantry, so I asked her to get the cocoa. She must have grabbed the wrong one.”
“Bring her to me. Now!”
Theo cringed when Vela’s weeping came from the other room.
“Hush, child,” Lamia said. “You’re here to answer my questions.”
The crying ceased.
What was going to happen to Vela? He’d told the girl that he and Diva would protect her against Lamia.
He backed away, ready to hide with Diva. Lamia’s next words were too soft for him to hear any longer, but the whoosh of the double doors opening a moment later wasn’t.
It was too late to hide. Theo stood face-to-face with Lamia.
The dragon-woman coiled her tail around his legs. Her yellow, reptilian eyes darkened to black as she ran cold fingers along his chin. “Welcome to my home, dear nephew. So glad you could visit.”
Chills tingled through Theo’s body, and sweat crept down his back. He couldn’t tear his eyes from her. “How can you see me? I’ve blinded you.”
“Only my dragon eyes. In human form, my vision is impaired, but not blinded. And your attempt to taint my cocoa failed.” She tightened her grip. “Poison won’t harm me. It only made my cocoa taste foul, and that was terribly annoying.”
An arrow zipped past Theo, and he jumped.
Lamia hissed as she looked at the door where the arrow stuck in the head of the carved snake.
“It wasn’t poison. It was sleeping powder.” Diva prepared to shoot another arrow.
Lamia shot across the room. Her spiked tail wrapped around Diva’s middle, pinning her arms to her side. Diva’s bow and arrow fell to the floor as the dragon squeezed tight.
A smirk distorted Lamia’s face. “Tut, tut, little Samodiva. I’d heard from friends that I’d missed capturing a wild one. I didn’t know it was the goddess’s favored child. You know your arrows can’t harm me.”
“Hers might not, but mine can!” Theo pulled the silver arrow from his quiver and aimed it at Lamia’s head. It stung his fingers, but he held on. “Let her go.”
Lamia laughed and squeezed Diva tighter. Diva’s face reddened. She opened her mouth to speak. Only a short breath came out.
“No!” Theo shouted. “I’ll kill you now if you hurt my friend.”
“So impulsive, like your father. I can sense you have his weak eyes—and soft soul. You won’t shoot me.”
“I will.” Theo tightened his grip to keep his hands from shaking. The stinging in his fingers where he held the silver arrow was unbearable, but he wouldn’t loosen his grip. “I have to destroy you to save Nia and Dragon Village. It’s my destiny.”
Lamia hissed and curled more of her tail around Diva. “I know all about your destiny and how you have only one shot. Who do you think created your wonderful weapon? Me! To destroy Zmey.”
Theo gasped. “Why would you do that to your own brother?”
“Why?” Lamia screeched. “I had no one but him. And he left me for her, your mother.”
“I’m sure he still loved you—”
“I don’t care about love!” Golden scales erupted on Lamia’s arms, but dissolved as quic
kly. “I wanted power. Zmey and I would have ruled together if that crazy Samodiva hadn’t deceived him. I told him to stay away, but he didn’t listen. She enticed him with her charms, and then ... they had you. The kingdom would become yours, not mine!”
“I don’t want your kingdom. All I want ...”
Diva’s head lolled to the side, and she fell forward limp. Lamia tossed her body onto the floor.
Something in Theo’s chest snapped the moment Diva’s body crumpled. A shout tore from his throat, “You murdered her.”
Lamia laughed, not moving out of his aim.
Theo loosened his fingers to release the silver arrow. The string remained taut, as if the arrow and bow both fought against him, preventing him from shooting the dragon-woman. Why? What was Nature’s clue? Wherein power blazes, close the gateway to the soul. Lamia’s power blazed in front of him, didn’t it? What did that have to do with a gateway to the soul?
“See even your magic weapons are smarter than you.” Lamia clicked her tongue and inched her way toward him as he continued to point the silver arrow at her. “They know you’ll never succeed.”
Lamia was right, but not the way she thought. He wouldn’t succeed in killing her yet, but he could cause her pain. He dropped the silver arrow to the floor, whipped out one Diva had given him, and fitted it to the bow. This time the weapon responded, releasing the arrow at Lamia.
She slid out of the way and advanced. “What a poor example you’d make for a ruler. A boy who can’t even hit an enemy. The kingdom will be mine when I kill you like I did your mother ... or you can serve me, and I’ll spare you.”
Rage filled Theo. He picked up the silver arrow again and readied it to shoot. “I’ll never serve you! I’ll watch you die first.”
Lamia’s tail rattled behind her, and her smile grew wicked. She moved even closer to him. “I’ll be the one watching you die, the way I made your father watch as I tortured your mother. She screamed and pleaded for my mercy. That destroyed Zmey more than the silver arrow ever could have.”
“Theo, my son. Beware her lies,” his mother spoke in his mind. “She wants you to shoot the silver arrow. It cannot harm her as she is now. The tip was forged to destroy a dragon’s power.”
The Unborn Hero of Dragon Village Page 22
