Burned

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  Chapter Twelve

  Surprise.

  The next few days were difficult. I didn’t know how this happened, but it turned out that I’d broken my collar bone. Idris did what he could with his limited magic, but Aly had taken me to a human hospital where they fixed me up. At least I wasn’t in excruciating pain anymore, but the healing process would take a bit of time. The human doctor told me I needed to take it easy.

  Avianna had recouped all of her energy and her magic was thriving once again. I was still pretty pissed about everything that had went on in the Lower World. Dara was never supposed to die. It still hurt that I hadn’t been able to cure her, like I did Agnes.

  “I think you should eat something, Francesca. You haven’t been eating properly since you came back,” Aly said during one sunny afternoon while we were sitting in her garden. Apparently soaring temperatures during this time of the year was a novelty. I didn’t really care. I was used to the heat back in Draconia, but I was missing magic in this world.

  Aly had baked a cake earlier on and then she brought out plate filled with sandwiches. I just wasn’t hungry. I needed to plan our next move—do something—but even Avianna kept telling me I wasn’t ready. Besides, Idris had been silent, too. I hadn’t heard from him since he’d treated my wound. I began to wonder if he’d just had enough of me.

  I suspected that Donna wasn’t going to let us use the portal in her salon again, so we needed to figure out another way into Sepulcrum. On top of that the security around the prison was most likely tightened because of our arrival. Seeing the fully-grown dragons alive shocked me, but they also gave me hope that change was coming.

  “I’m not hungry. I can’t stop thinking about Nicolas. I have to get him out of that prison,” I muttered, then picked up the sandwich and tried to chew a bite of it. Avianna had already polished off a few large pieces of lamb. The dragon had grown a little more, but she still fit into the centre of my palm.

  She was going to be a problem later on, when she outgrew me, but right now, I wasn’t too concerned.

  Aly grabbed my hand and squeezed it. She had been very supportive in the past several days.

  “You will, but for now you have to be patient. I saw some of Idris’s kind at the market. I could sense them. Maybe they know something is going on. Idris mentioned that more and more cracks are opening around the city,” Aly whispered, and I was shocked that she could recognise the Dark Ones. Humans were supposed to be immune to their charms—they should appear human; they were always in disguise—but Aly was noticing everything.

  I swallowed the sandwich and then stood up.

  “In that case, I’m going out,” I announced and Avianna flew off the chair.

  “Where are you going, Fran? Aly is right. Your magic is a bit unstable and there are more Dark Ones in the city.”

  “Maybe, but Nicolas is stuck in the Lower World. Maybe we can find Darius and find out if he knows anything,” I suggested.

  “Francesca, this is—”

  “It’s all right. Aly, I’m only going out for a drink. I’ll be careful; besides I can’t do anything without Idris,” I assured her and smiled widely.

  “We both know she doesn’t believe you,” Avianna’s voice rang in my head.

  Aly looked like she wanted to say something, but then she seemed to change her mind. I quickly disappeared upstairs and changed into decent clothes. The baby dragon knew she had to stay hidden in my backpack if she wanted to go anywhere. This was a real pain in my backside, but the Dark Ones were onto us, and we needed to be extra careful.

  Aly was waiting for me downstairs. She looked worried and I felt really guilty that I wasn’t honest with her.

  “Francesca, just be careful, please,” she told me, and I nodded.

  Avianna and I left the house in the late afternoon; the sun was still shinning. And it seemed everyone in London was out enjoying this great weather. Back in Draconia, I liked sunbathing outside my shitty apartment when I had nothing to do. The sun out there was different, less harmful. Dara used to smuggle some alcoholic drinks and we enjoyed spending time, laughing and drinking in the sun together.

  I took the tube to the North London, to the same place where I showed up the first time I landed in this world. The pub was busy, still filled with wardens who’d escaped through illegal cracks of magic. After what I’d seen in the Lower World, I wasn’t surprised that they were seeking a better life here. They were all missing magic, and it was something they were willing to sacrifice. Today people seemed busy—no one was looking at me—but I needed to remain on alert, aware of the Dark Ones. They were around, and my magic was on standby, waiting to be called forth if I needed it.

  I remembered Aly’s warning: The council must have brought backup after Magnus’s disaster on the bridge. The city was very busy, people were pushing me as I walked through the station. I kept thinking that I was being followed. My paranoia had officially reached a new level, but Avianna was trying to keep my anxiety in line.

  For a baby dragon, she was very intelligent and sometimes my thoughts were way too transparent. It took me a while to locate the pub. I had to ask several wardens, but eventually I recognised the old run-down building. Darius wasn’t around. He had introduced me to Harvey, and that was how everything had started.

  Today I was here because I wanted to chill out. I needed to clear my head for a bit, get some alcohol into my system. I was never a big drinker, but in a way, I felt exhausted. I just wanted to feel normal for a few hours, or at least somewhat normal if there was such a thing for a warden in world with no magic.

  A couple of wardens were smoking outside. A few glared at me when I approached. I remembered what I’d said to all of them about Draconia and the Dark Ones the first time I had been here. No one cared, and I bet that even now, they still didn’t care what was going on in the Lower World.

  The bar was dark, and a few wardens glanced at me when I approached them. I noticed that the owner must have created a space at the back, because a lot of them were enjoying the sunshine in a what looked like a beer garden. Avianna was already complaining that she was too hot being stuck in the backpack, but she knew the score.

  “What would you like?” the barman asked me. I pointed at some mark of beer that I had never seen before. This world was still new to me, and I felt emotionally unstable. For some reason lately, I had been missing Dara more and more. I had no idea why.

  “Well, well, well, who do we have here? I thought you went back to your beloved Draconia,” a voice behind me said.

  It was Darius and he hadn’t changed at all. I smiled at him and nodded to the barman to pour me another pint.

  “I was close, but then everything got complicated,” I muttered.

  “Let’s go to the table. I’d rather have this conversation in private,” he told me. I agreed and followed him to a booth towards the end of the bar. A lot of wardens were outside, enjoying the weather, so we didn’t have to worry about being overhead.

  “I’m not in the mood, Darius. What do you want? I can’t get you back to Draconia; besides, the Dark Ones caught Nicolas. He’s in a Lower World prison,” I explained, taking several long gulps of beer. It tasted all right, but that made me feel even more melancholic than ever. There was something wrong with me. I had to get myself together, and soon.

  “I changed my mind, I don’t think there’s any point of me going back. This life is okay I guess, with or without magic. I can’t complain too much,” he added, and I wasn’t surprised. He seemed a bit indecisive.

  “So, what’s going on? I heard there are more Dark Ones around, that they aren’t controlling the cracks?” I pressed on.

  “Don’t know. Maybe a lot more of them came from Draconia. Something is going on and wardens keep disappearing right, left and centre, though. It’s concerning,” he said, brushing his chin nervously. He seemed tense and I didn’t know what was going on with him.

  “I was hoping you knew more than that,” I muttered and finished my
pint. I was starting to feel a little drunk. Darius continued to talk.

  “They were probably brought up from the Lower World. I have a feeling they’re hunting us down. There’s a group of wardens in South London. They’re looking for a warlock or fairies who are willing to fight with us. Someone with a lot of magic who can defeat the Dark Ones. They don’t own this world, they should be kept away from it,” Darius was saying, and I wondered why he was suddenly so adamant that he wanted to change the system. I didn’t think this was even possible.

  At the same time, the population of humans were much larger than the Dark Ones. They needed dragon eggs, the wardens. Once we could control the breeding, we could bring these bastards down.

  We talked a bit more. Darius was planning to join the group of others very soon. No one wanted to end up in prison. It was a crime to go through the portal, to go through the cracks.

  “He’s talking too much, but I guess it’s a good idea. All wardens banned together can bring out the magic within them,” Avianna said.

  Ten minutes later, Darius went to the loo and I suddenly felt an odd sensation at the back of my neck. The magic intensified, coursing through me. I was still in pain and I thought maybe my internal energy was very sensitive.

  I glanced at the bar, wondering if I should have another pint of beer, then I realised that the barman was gone. The entire place was empty, and a feeling of nausea spread through my gut. Something was wrong, so I stood up.

  “What’s going on? Why are you scared?”

  “Something is wrong. The whole pub is suddenly empty.”

  Seconds later, a Dark One walked through the door and then everything was clear. Fear caused every small hair at the back of my neck to stand on end. I recognised him straight away. It was Baxley, Zuzanna’s husband or a boyfriend. I hated to admit that he was handsome. This wasn’t good, and I was completely unfit to fight him, unless he was here for someone else.

  We had never met, but I was certain that Idris’s father had told him one or two things about me.

  “I never thought this would be so easy,” he said, and his eyes glimmered with magic. He had prefect cheek bones, dark hair and was much taller than Idris. I had nowhere to escape and when I realised that Darius didn’t come back; the situation was clear enough. I was in deep shit.

  “Darius set us up. I will burn him with my fire.”

  My baby dragon was pissed, and I was trying to think of a way out of here. I concentrated on my magic; the energy that I wasn’t supposed to have. So far, he had no idea Avianna was with me and I had to protect her.

  “What the hell do you want from me, you rat?” I shouted, and I started balancing my energy in the centre of my palm, ready to blow this whole building to pieces. He took out some kind of gold stick and approached me, with a creepy smile splitting his face. My heart leapt in my throat.

  “My father-in-law wants to have a little chat with you. A lot of people in London are after you, Francesca,” he said, and moved, however this time I was more than ready.

  I threw the magic bomb at him but missed or it bounced off the stick. Chunks of the ceiling came crashing down.

  He threw the stick and hit my leg, then tried to grab me but I dodged to the side. He was breathing hard when he stood up. My chest was rising and falling in rapid movements. I was so not prepared for this and my shoulder was killing me again.

  “You are just a common warden and you stole that magic; it doesn’t belong to you. The sooner we lock you up, the better,” he snarled and then took something else out of his pocket. It was a long chain that shined with crystals. I was already up on my feet, throwing more magic at him. Avianna was charging me with new energy. One of the energy spheres hit him squarely in the chest, and he crashed against the wall. I moved to the other side of the booth.

  I felt a warm surge of blood moving down my shoulder. My wound must have opened up again. Just great.

  “Avianna, get ready. He’s picking himself up. We have to be ready,” I shouted in my head.

  I was standing a few meters away from my booth on the other side of the pub. In my head, I calculated what I needed to do next. Something had to give, and without thinking, I jumped on him, but he must have recovered at that exact same moment, whipping me with the golden chain or whatever it was. He missed his mark, but it still hurt like hell.

  I had no idea what happened, but instead of throwing several more balls of magic in his direction, only a few sparks flew from my fingers. My hands were charged with electricity, but I couldn’t release my magic. He whipped me again, slicing my leg. The pain was excruciating, worse than I expected. Blood poured down my leg and into my shoe.

  Then someone grabbed me from behind, a giant palm covered my mouth. I screamed when he picked up my rucksack and smiled at me.

  “I have your precious backpack, and I guarantee there’s a dragon inside. The creature that everyone has been looking to find for so long,” he whispered.

  It was a done deal, and in that moment I realised I had made a terrible mistake. I shouldn’t have taken Avianna with me. Now that bastard had her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Down the rabbit hole.

  I screamed at the top of my lungs and kicked my attacker using my good leg. The Dark One growled, but he didn’t let go of me. I couldn’t believe I had been so foolish. Of course, it was a trap. Darius was most likely working with the entire council.

  “You bitch!” the Dark One snapped and elbowed me. I swirled around, losing my breath for a second. That bastard must have fractured my rib, and I crawled to the other side, trying to get away from him. I was just about to throw more spells his way when a few more Dark Ones barged through the door. Baxley didn’t move, and it gave me satisfaction, seeing that one of my spells must have burned his arm.

  The bastard who hit me had my backpack in his hand. He was smiling at me now. The pain made me a little dizzy again. My old injuries were slowing me down.

  A minute later I knew I had to a split-second decision to either leave or try to get to Avianna. There was at least five or six other Dark Ones inside the pub now. I had no more strength left inside me and only one chance of escaping this mess. Baxley looked like someone who would have killed me on the spot if I decided to turn myself in. Either way, with my baby dragon or without, I could still fight.

  “I’ll come back for you, Avianna, stay strong. I promise, I will come back for you.”

  Then I turned around and kicked the back door with my foot. Magic pounded through me and I thought I was making the biggest mistake of my life. Several spells shot past my ear, but I continued to run as fast as my legs would carry me.

  On the other side, I saw a few wardens. The Dark Ones had them pinned against a brick wall. They must have caught them while they were fleeing the beer garden. Baxley was shouting at his men to get me, but I shot past the gate, towards the busy street.

  I couldn’t look back, but my heart was shattered to pieces. I had to leave Avianna behind and now Baxley had her. Humans were staring at me; I ran into a few of them, losing control. I kept going, thinking that they were after me.

  I didn’t stop for a long time. My breathing was whizzed, and I was completely disoriented. The city was busy, there were people everywhere, but I refused to stop. The sun was blazing, and I was getting tired. Sometime later, maybe an hour or two, I walked inside an old building.

  I flopped on the floor and started sobbing, falling apart. The tiny voice in my head kept telling me I shouldn’t have left Avianna behind.

  It took me a while to stop feeling like the worst scumbag on earth. More tears fell down my cheeks. Then blackness obscured my vision. No, no, no this wasn’t happening. I felt nauseous and yet, still crying. I hid my face in my palms.

  The emotions of fury and resentment bubbled inside me. My energy was diminishing, and I didn’t know what I was going to do without Avianna. This was crazy bad. I was considering going back, but Baxley was most likely already gone. He must have taken her back
to the office. No one knew I lived with Aly, only Idris. I clenched my fists thinking about him.

  Someone had betrayed me, someone knew I would show up in that pub. I didn’t want to believe Idris had anything to do with it, but he was one of them.

  Masses of thoughts, ugly and wrong, were going through my head. I had to get out of there, I needed to get back to Aly and figure out a new plan. Who knew what that psycho was going to do with my dragon?

  Avianna was so inexperienced and still only a baby. I had no idea what Magnus was planning to do with her.

  It was later on in the early evening when I finally left the abandoned town house. I followed the streets, unable to figure out the way home. Everything was falling apart. I pulled my hood up. Some young man directed me to the tube station. He must have felt really sorry for me because he kept asking if I was on my own. There were a couple of strange-looking individuals around, but no one stopped me on the train. My vision and skin felt hypersensitive.

  Aly believed in me, but I didn’t know if I should return to see her. I didn’t think I could tell her what was going on, that I’d lost Avianna. At the same time, I had nowhere else to go.

  Idris had his own life, and I didn’t want to see him. This was all because of him. My hands were shaking on the tube. I nearly got off at the station where his fancy apartment was.

  Someone almost walked into me and my magic rose in the pit of my stomach. Even without Avianna I was powerful, charged with energy that I didn’t even have before.

  My street was deserted, and a storm was approaching. The heat was getting to me, it was humid, too, and that just added more bitterness to my mood.