“Cousin Santiago, I assume?” said the older-looking of the two, the one who had been the Amber Dragon only moments before.
“Cousin Geza?” Santiago asked in response.
“Yes. Welcome, Cousin Santiago.” The man nodded and then gestured towards the other fellow, quite obviously his younger brother. “My brother, Costin.”
Santiago offered his hand to shake in greeting with both of them. Just as with the flight crew and driver, neither of his cousins asked about the absence of his wife and daughter. While Santiago had been thankful of that from the Help, he found it curious from his family.
Once the basic pleasantries been taken care of, the two men led Santiago in through the main doors of the house, giving him a preciously short glance at the intricate design and details carved into them. The front doors were only the tip of the iceberg, as it were. The moment he set foot inside the house itself, he was in pure awe.
Everything was old. Extremely old. From what he could tell, it seemed as though much of the place had been carved right out of the mountain itself. Unending walls of stone ran along all sides of the massive entrance hall. It reminded him of their home back in Ensenada, with the large entrance hallway large enough to house two fully grown Dragons. He wondered if his father had built the house to resemble this place.
After the three of them had been handed simple robes by someone Santiago assumed was the household staff, he was lead through to a more regular-sized hall, rather than up the impressive stone staircase, that ran deeper into the mountain from the entrance hall. A number of rooms, some open and some closed off, branched from this main hallway as it burrowed into the stone. He followed his cousins, a myriad of thoughts and questions running through his mind as they went, until they stopped and gestured for him to enter one of the open rooms.
With curiosity, he stepped into the room and glanced about. What he saw was a simple study. A large room of stone walls, lined with books and works of art and filled with comfortable yet simple furniture. Settled in a chair, bathed in sunlight filtering down from a deep-cut skylight in the ceiling and reading a book, sat an older man in perhaps his early 50s. The resemblance to the two younger men was obvious. This man was their father…which made him Santiago’s Uncle Luca. Santiago took the bull by the horns.
“Uncle Luca,” he said, taking stride into the room as he offered his hand to the man, as he was still seated.
Luca looked up from his book, sizing up his nephew as the younger man approached him. He did not shake Santiago’s hand, but instead closed his book and set it on the small table beside his chair. He then folded his hands in his lap.
“I am surprised to see your wife and daughter not at your side, Santiago,” Luca said in a calm, almost blasé tone of voice that caught Santiago of guard.
“It is not intentional, Uncle, I assure you,” Santiago replied, holding back the pain in his voice as best he could. He did not want to show weakness upon first meeting his extended family.
“Oh?” Luca posed curiously. “Please, explain.”
And so, Santiago did. He explained everything to his uncle from start to finish. He told of the first time Isidora shifted into her Dragon form, her pure white color and startlingly blue eyes. He told his uncle about the night in Spain and what had happened at the hotel, how two men had somehow broken into the suite, knocked him silly, and absconded with not only the baby…but with Gabriella as well. He even explained, in detail, all the steps he had taken to ensure Isidora and the truth about her would be safe as they traveled. He paced, showing his frustration through his tone and the way his hands gestured angrily with his story. Luca only watched and listened, waiting for Santiago to finish.
“I am deeply sorry this has happened to you, my nephew,” Luca said, his voice a low and gruff one though he spoke kindly. “Though I must be honest in telling you that I am not surprised at what has transpired.”
“What?” Santiago said, a look of shock and confusion on his face.
“Sit, I will explain,” Luca said as he gestured towards another chair that sat nearby. Once Santiago had sat down, he continued. “Santiago. I do not think you truly understand how important your daughter is to our world…to our culture.”
Santiago just stared at him, a look of scrutiny on his face as he listened. He understood how important it was that his daughter was a Dragon and the only female of their kind to be born in nearly 500 years. But his uncle made it seem far, far more than just that.
“Santiago,” Luca said, a hint of pity in his voice. “Aside from the rarity of such a birth, a female Dragon is special and coveted for her ability to give birth to full-blooded Dragons. Do you understand?”
“I…I believe so, Uncle,” he said, though he only partially understood what his uncle meant.
“My dear nephew…” Luca sighed and shook his head. “I do not wish to alarm you further, but whoever abducted your wife and daughter intend to either keep the child for themselves…or sell her to the highest bidding Dragon family. She will be used to breed…”
He said it so casually it took Santiago a moment to fully grasp what he was being told. His daughter…his baby girl, just months old…had been stolen from her bed so she could grow up and become some strange family’s Dragon-baby factory? The thought made his stomach curl and he felt the threat of vomit come over him. Luca, thankfully, could tell, and gestured to one of his sons to fetch something for Santiago to drink.
“I am sorry, my boy. But it is the most likely truth as to why she was taken,” Luca told him. “I also have a theory on who may have been the ones to take her.”
That little comment was enough to snap Santiago out of his nauseous state. His eyes locked onto Luca, narrowing as he sat forward in his seat. If he had some clue, some direction to start in towards finding his family…he would take it.
“Who?!” he demanded, perhaps a bit too sharply. “Tell me who they are! Do you know their names?”
Luca held up his hand to stop Santiago. The man was hardly a dozen years older than Santiago and yet he held an aura about him that seemed far wiser and far older than what he really was. It was enough that his subtle gesture accomplished what it set out to and stopped Santiago cold.
“Calm yourself, Santiago,” Luca said as he lowered his hand. “I know nothing for certain, only my best assumption based on my knowledge of other Families.”
Santiago settled, but only slightly. He hoped that what his uncle provided him was something solid and worthwhile that he could go off of, rather than rumor and gossip spun into controversy. He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and his breath caught in his throat as he waited and listened.
“The Visconti Family of Milan,” Luca started, settling back into his seat as if to tell a story. Which he very well did. “Long ago, the forefather of that family played a ruse upon the entire area around Lake Gerundo. He had, as a Dragon, wrought destruction down upon the area without care or worry for its people. When a series of knights and young warriors came after him, though they were easily dispatched, he realized someday soon a warrior would succeed in taking him down.”
Luca paused, sending Santiago’s anxiety skyrocketing once more. He couldn’t have cared less about this history lesson his uncle was imparting upon him. All he cared to know was who had taken his daughter…and where. Luca had told him the Visconti Family out of Milan. What more did he need to know? Luca could sense his nephew’s tension and continued with his explanation.
“A clever fellow, known as Umberto, he traveled to the villages surrounding the lake, brandishing the claw from his very own left foot as proof he had killed the wretched beast that plagued them all. His trickery was believed and he was hailed as a hero, gaining wealth and fame he otherwise would have never known…”
“None of this matters!” shouted Santiago as he stood, explosively, from his seat. “I do not need to know the life history of this family! I need only know where they would be holding my wife and daughter! Eith
er tell me what I need to know, or I will find another way to bring them home safe.”
Santiago was all but growling at his uncle by this point, his amber eyes flashing with his anger and frustration…brief hints of the Dragon within him. Luca was not phased in the slightest. He simply looked up at Santiago much the way an exasperated parent looks at a child.
“Santiago. You do not understand,” Luca said in a slightly more soothing tone. “The family that has likely taken your wife and daughter…they are not to be trifled with casually. This is a family who came into their wealth and power half a millennia ago through lies and deceit. Their founding patriarch severed his own claw in order to selfishly save his skin and steal from the people under the guise of a hero. Do not be mistaken, Santiago. They will not hesitate to kill, or worse, to obtain their goal. Now that they have your daughter, they will stop at nothing to keep her.”
“And I will stop at nothing to get my wife and daughter back from them,” Santiago growled, though some of his rage had ebbed after hearing his uncle’s words. “Will you help me?”
“I, personally? No.” Luca’s answer came swift and casual, as if Santiago had asked him to borrow bus fare. “Neither I, nor your cousin Geza, will be able to help you in this matter. At least not in a public sense.”
Santiago only stood there, his fists clenched at his sides and his entire body tense with rage. How could his uncle be so cruel about all of this? First, telling him some long-winded story he didn’t care to hear…and then denying him the help he so desperately needed to save his family. It was all Santiago could manage to keep from sending a right hook to his uncle’s face.
“I will send your cousin Costin with you, while Geza and I aid you from here as best we can,” Luca added as he slowly rose from his seat, coming to stand nearly toe-to-toe with his nephew. “Being that I am the head of the Balaurescu family, and that Geza will one day take my place, neither of us can risk obvious involvement in this. The Visconti family of Milan holds far more power than ours, Santiago, and they would crush us if they felt we were wholly against them. It seems your father neglected teaching you the finer points of Dragon Culture and Politics…”
The way Luca said that last sentence made the hair raise at the nape of Santiago’s neck. He could hear the contempt for his father practically dripping from the words his uncle spoke. True, his father had kept a great deal from him, as Santiago was now realizing, but he had still been a great man who did not deserve such disrespect. He had no words, however. No words that would have been wise to say, that is.
“I suggest you take a day or two in order to rest, heal, and prepare for what comes next,” Luca said. “They will not harm your wife or daughter…that much I know I can assure you.”
“How can you be so sure?!” Santiago demanded, turning away from his uncle in frustration rather than punch him, which was what he really wanted to do. “How can you assure me of their safety when you have just finished telling me how ruthless a family they are being held by?”
Santiago tilted his head back, closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself down. His clenching fists pulsed for a moment before he shook the anger from them and instead ran them both through his short, dark hair in a move of distress. He felt his uncle’s hand rest against his shoulder.
“My boy. Their efforts would be for nothing should any harm befall your daughter or wife right now,” Luca explained in a calm yet firm tone. “The baby needs her mother…and they need the baby. I promise you, the Visconti family will not harm your wife or daughter. You have time to rest and collect yourself.”
The distraught father shook his head, letting his hands fall to his sides once more with a defeated sigh of sadness. He wanted to rush out right this moment to rescue his wife and daughter, not rest and relax for a few days. He felt doing so would be a massive betrayal to his wife and daughter…and he couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. Yet, he also understood that he was in no condition to charge in and mount a rescue. He had just arrived from a long journey, suffered a blow to the head and had gone through some serious emotional trauma. Despite how it tore him apart, he knew that taking at least a day to settle himself was the wisest choice for everyone.
“One day…” Santiago stated, rather flatly. “We wait one day.”
“Understood,” Luca agreed with a slight nod, dropping his hand from Santiago’s shoulder. “I will have someone show you to your room as well as bring you food and clothing. Rest, and I will speak with my sons to arrange all you will need.”
As if on cue, and rather impressively, a meek looking young lass appeared in the doorway of Luca’s study and waited. Santiago found it interesting how many people seemed to serve his uncle’s family. While back home in Ensenada, they only had Manuel and Lucia, here it seemed an entire fleet of servants bustled about here and there. In his short time here, he had already counted at least five.
He gave his uncle a simple nod and then went to follow after the young lass. She guided him in silence back towards the main hall and up that previously ignored staircase. He let his hand glide along the smooth and solid stone bannister as they climbed, marveling at the ages of wear and tear that had smoothed every step and rail to a shine. Beautiful.
The room he was given was simple enough while still providing him all of the creature comforts he could want. A plush bed, a lounging couch with an array of clothes folded and ready for him, table and chairs…even his own bathroom (which, of course, had him wondering about the plumbing situation they had going on). It was as if his mind was grateful for the distraction this nearly ancient home offered him, lapping up every inch of the place with intrigue and curiosity.
His inspection of the walls in his room was interrupted by a knock at his door. He hadn’t even bothered to dress himself yet, still sporting the robe he had been given, but he went and opened the door anyhow to see who had come calling. He expected to see a staff member with a tray of food or drink. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a lovely young woman with the same brown hair and sharp features as Geza and Costin…a knitted baby blanket in her arms.
“Cousin Santiago?” she asked.
“Um, yes?” he responded, confused for a moment before he realized who she was.
“I am your cousin, Sorinah,” she said with a warm yet slightly sad little smile. “May I come in?”
He stepped to the side, gesturing for her to come inside before he followed along himself. He chose to leave the door open, as he had no reason to close it during her unexpected visit. He stood just a few paces from the door and watched as she went to the lounge and draped the blanket she held across its back. A lovely lilac color, with hints of green that he could see.
“I am…very sorry to hear what has happened, Cousin,” she said softly before looking towards him with lovely green eyes. “I was so excited to meet you and your family…I cannot imagine your pain.”
He said nothing in response. He only looked away from her for a moment…nodding as his answer to her words. He appreciated her sympathy, but it still pained him. Silence settled between them and Santiago had no words he felt could fill it. Thankfully, Sorinah did.
“I know my father has only given Costin permission to go with you,” she started, folding her hands gently before her, “but I would like to volunteer as well. I may not have the ability to transform…but I am a formidable fighter nevertheless. May I join you?”
He snapped his eyes back to her with a look of shock across his face. He had not expected her to make such an offer and, to be quite honest, he wasn’t sure how to respond. Sorinah could tell, and she smiled.
“I swear to help you bring your child home, Santiago,” she promised, her smile kind. “Our fathers may not have reconciled their feud, but that is no reason not to help family.”
“Thank you…” he managed to say in return.
He moved towards and then past her, reaching out to pluck the blanket she had brought from the lounge. He could imagine Gabriel
la’s reaction to it, all smiles and gracious thanks as she would wrap little Isidora up in it tight and safe. His heart ached for the sight of it to be more than just in his mind.
“Father never did tell me what happened between him and Uncle Luca,” he offered, desperately trying to steer this conversation in a direction that didn’t rip his soul apart.
“Oh, well…” she stumbled, taking a moment to realize why he had changed the subject. “Father never gave me the full story, only that uncle Marcel chose to shirk his duty as Eldest son and ran off to the Americas – leaving my father to take up the roll and responsibility when he was only thirteen. He always seemed slightly bitter about the whole thing.”
“I see…” Santiago was surprised to hear what she told him. “I never knew.”
It seemed he still didn’t. Why had his father left in the first place? It had to have been something fairly drastic for his father to have up and left his homeland, leaving his kid-brother behind to pick up the slack. As much as he wanted to know, now wasn’t the time for conversations about the family tree. He sucked it up, turned to face his cousin and gave her the best smile he could manage.
“Thank you, again, Sorinah,” he said, still holding the blanket. “Your help means more than you know.”
“No thanks needed, Cousin,” she said. “Family helps family.”
She smiled at him again, nodded, and left the room, even taking care to close the door gently behind her. Once he was alone, he dropped down to sit on the lounge and let loose a hard and heavy sigh. Rubbing his face into the blanket, he fought back the urge to break down into tears. He needed to get himself right, for the sake of his family, and prepare to go into battle for his daughter. He would raise the flames of hell to bring her home safe if he had to.
Chapter Eight
Less than a full twenty-four hours later and the little rescue party of three was ready to mount their mission. They had waited for nightfall before setting out and opted to travel in their Dragon forms to make the journey as quick as possible. Sorinah, unable to transform, rode atop her brother’s scaly back instead.
The Forbidden Dragon Baby Page 7
