Burned

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “Do you remember the house where you stole the egg?” Rhian asked, studying some old book.

  “I wandered off to a poorer class neighbourhood. It wasn’t far from the Irvin Place. This only happened by chance. If I hadn’t seen the Dark Ones, I don’t think I would have ever met Avianna,” I said, remembering that day like it was yesterday.

  “The population of dragons are diminishing, and it’s due to the fact that the Dark Ones are not connecting them to their hosts. The dragons belong to the wardens; it’s in their nature to be bond to us,” Rhian said, sounding nostalgic.

  “I know what you mean, but it’s like trying to fight an entire army. Wardens don’t have the resources to start the kind of uprising needed to defeat them,” I told her, not wanting to live in a fairy tale. She smiled at me and closed her book.

  “We don’t have to, we just need to find the eggs. They don’t keep them anywhere in the Lower world, but in Draconia,” she whispered and Avianna flew over and sat on her arm, most likely because she was interested in this conversation.

  “Yeah, but there must be thousands of them out there. We can’t physically move them all,” I said.

  “Thousands? No, there could be a few hundred at the most. The dragons aren’t hatching, and the Dark Ones are worried. They cannot sustain them; a lot of creatures are dying, too,” she told me with a sad expression marring her face.

  I spent a long afternoon with her in the study and we talked about everything. Eventually she started telling me about Idris’s mother. Apparently, she was a dancer on Broadway.

  “My brother wasn’t a coward back then. He wasn’t rotten inside, and he wasn’t brainwashed by the system. He kept going out to watch the human shows, he used to enjoy them so much. One day he saw her, and they fell in love. That bastard knew there was no way they could be together. She was killed because of him, because of his selfish nature.” We were sitting in her basement eating a delicious cake when Rhian revealed this to me. I was somewhat shocked that Magnus had been kind at one time, that he was capable of love.

  Her house was enormous, but I could tell that she was bored and miserable being on her own for so long. I didn’t understand the spell and she didn’t want to tell me exactly what had gone on between her and Idris’s father, but I had a pretty good idea anyway.

  We discussed the plan in detail and around ten o’clock that evening, we started getting prepared. Idris kissed me again, telling me that once this whole thing was over, we could start again in London. He expected me to tell him yes, but it was a huge decision. I didn’t want to promise him anything just yet. Everything could go wrong tonight, and I had to think about Avianna’s well-being.

  I was nervous when we went downstairs again; my palms were damp with sweat. I told Avianna to hide in my hoodie. She had to be close to me in order to use our fire magic. We couldn’t wait until tomorrow and Rhian mentioned that tonight was the market, so it was going to be busy.

  First, we had to make sure the streets outside were clear, then we left the house. Idris and his aunt were going to watch me from the window, but he insisted that he needed to go with me. It was a late market day, so there were plenty of wardens at the square already, trying to hunt for some sort of bargain. The mages would know straight away when Rhian left the house, but if there was disorder on the street, they wouldn’t be able to get to her. I was wearing a long coat, and Avianna was situated up around my neck.

  No one was watching the house or if they were, then no one noticed me. There were too many wardens on the streets and I was just one of them—I blended well. The market was always big in Draconia. Wardens showed up from all over The Lower World.

  I started walking around the square, passing people who were haggling with the buyers. I saw dirty and hungry children. I wanted to help them, but right now this seemed almost impossible—I had to turn away from them. Nicolas was waiting for me.

  Idris was supposed to join me straight after the Dark Ones showed up on the streets. Then we could go straight to the tunnels that ran beneath the city. The statue of the God was by the large tent set up near one of the wealthier wardens. I walked around, getting as close to it as possible, pretending that I was staring at the sky.

  “Now Avianna, use your fire!”

  She did, and it was just the beginning of the end.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Dimond city.

  I looked around, but no one was paying any attention to me. Eventually I knelt down, pretending to tie my shoe. There were a lot of wardens around in the crowd, and I was a little worried. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but this was necessary. The statue was made entirely of wood. Avianna really needed to make more of an effort, but her magic was developing extremely fast. She leaned away from my collar and I felt a wave of blazing hot fire spreading over me.

  No one had noticed me just yet. She lit up the bottom of the statue and the flames started spreading slowly. Once the fire began to spread at a steady speed, she hid herself around my neck and I backed away into the crowd. We waited for a long moment until the fire was noticeable enough.

  Finally, people realised that the statue was burning, and someone started shouting, but it was way too late. The magical fire was spreading around the entire statue of the God—it was engulfed in flames. Qesborth would never forgive me, and I might burn in the pits of hell for doing something like this. I started pushing through the crowd, thinking about the Dark Ones and Nicolas.

  A warden screamed, and the tent next to the statue caught on fire, too. The crowd started to panic, trying to escape as the situation was becoming dangerous. The Dark Ones must have noticed that something was going on, because I saw them trying to calm the wardens down.

  People were pushing each other, and it took me longer than I expected to leave the square. Avianna was wiggling, and her claws were digging into my skin. When I glanced behind me, I saw that several tents had been caught up in the fire. Fear rippled through me, and I hoped that no one got hurt.

  Seconds later someone grabbed me. I started jerking away, thinking that a Dark One must have recognised me.

  “It’s me, little one. Stop,” a familiar voice said, and I calmed down instantly. Idris must have caught up with me. The crowd had pushed me to some back street. We could still hear screams coming from the square. The fire escalated, spreading everywhere, and I felt so guilty. Avianna must have used a lot of her own magic to intensify the attack. It was complete havoc, just the way Rhian wanted.

  “What’s going on? Has Rhian managed to leave the house?” I asked, a little worried that something went wrong. I had a headache and Avianna was scratching my back.

  Idris grabbed my arm and dragged me across the road.

  “Yes, she has. Come on, we need to get going. We don’t have much time and I think the Dark Ones are tracking us. Where to now?” he asked me.

  I nodded, and we started walking in the opposite direction, passing wardens who were running away from the square. We were hearing their screams, too, and I hated to think that someone had gotten hurt because of me. My heart was breaking for them.

  “We can enter the tunnels from there. I used to sneak in there quite often when I was younger,” I told him, as I kicked an old door to the abandoned house about mile from Rhian’s home, about fifteen minutes later. Avianna flew out of my coat. This entrance to the tunnel was here a while ago, and I truly hoped the Dark Ones hadn’t shut it down yet.

  We started moving through the darkness, and Idris pulled out the flashlight I told him to bring so we could find the basement.

  “Here, here I sense magic,” Avianna told me.

  The entrance to the tunnels was covered by some rubbish. No one had been here for a long time. We squeezed through the small flap door, ending up at the top of some very steep steps. Avianna vanished in there, before I could tell her to be careful.

  By the time we got inside the tunnels I knew we needed to hurry. I was anxious, filled with worry that the Dark Ones might want to patrol these
tunnels from time to time. We couldn’t afford to be stopped, but this was very unlikely. We were near the old house where that vampire had tried to rape me. I shuddered with revulsion at the memory.

  “What the hell? I thought you would never show up. Several wardens looked at me strangely while I was walking towards the Dimond City,” Rhian said, startling us.

  “The fire escalated. I think the whole market must have burned,” I explained. No one could enter the Dimond city without a special license, but a lot of wardens have tried. Apparently, Rhian could get us past the guards, so I remained positive.

  “Let’s start moving,” Idris said. “We just need to stick together. If anyone asks, we’re heading to the Dimond City for business. Besides, the news about the fire must have already spread, so wardens could be rushing back to check on their loved ones.”

  I started walking ahead, calling Avianna to slip under my hood again. My nerves were shot, and my heart was pounding furiously in my chest. We had at least an hour before we could enter the Dimond city. The tunnels split now and again, but I was following my nose.

  Two or three wardens had moved past us. They looked like they were in a bit of a hurry. The further we moved into the Underground, the more scared I became. The streets of Draconia were my territory; I knew them like the back of my hand, but Dimond city was different. Wardens there were stronger, and we had no idea if we could get inside the prison once we arrived.

  Rhian seemed excited and several hundred meters into the tunnels, we began to see lights. Ahead, there was a golden gate. A few Dark Ones stood guarding, allowing wardens in and out. Rhian assured us that she would be able to get us inside without any problem.

  “Let me do all the talking; if anyone asks, you’re working for me,” Rhian muttered. Behind the gate, we were already seeing the masses of people. The Dimond City was several hundred meters underground. It was like another universe: dark, wet, but a magical world where there were much more opportunities. I still had no idea why it had been created. The magic here was incredible, and I instantly felt stronger.

  The Dark Ones noticed us approaching. They were all wearing long cloaks with hoods. We couldn’t see their faces and I wondered why they insisted on keeping their magic hidden. The mages in London needed to adapt. They all looked like good-looking humans, most likely so they could spy on wardens.

  “The license,” the one to the right barked at us, but Rhian didn’t seem worried. She walked up to him confidently and lifted her sleeve. She must have showed him something very important, because he took off his hood. His skin shimmered and my throat went dry. I hated that I was affected by his energy.

  Another sort of magic was zooming over the surface of my skin, causing every tiny hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. Avianna kept telling me that she was almost drunk on this unexplained force. I didn’t know exactly what fed the Underground, but now I began to understand why everyone wanted to be here.

  “I don’t believe I need to explain myself further?” she asked, confidently. The Dark One was bald with shimmering diamond eyes. He glanced at me and Idris briefly.

  “No, my lady, you can go through,” he muttered. I couldn’t believe it, this was just too easy. The golden gate opened, and we marched right through. There were several steam bikes and an old caravan on our right. It was just another crowded city; the council building, and prison stretched in front of us. We quickly blended into the crowd. Many wardens were dressed up and everyone looked happy. It was like no one here ever experienced misery.

  “How did you do that? What was it you showed them on your hand?” I asked. Rhian smiled at me.

  “Right now I don’t have the time to explain, but another time I will. Come on, we need to get into that caravan. It’s our ticket to the prison,” she told us, and I had no idea what she was talking about.

  I was confused when she led us to the right. We walked between several parked steam bikes. It was very quiet here. Rhian stopped after a moment and then jumped inside the old colourful caravan with funny-looking signs. Idris glanced around, and I was very much confused. I thought we were supposed to head to the prison.

  “Come on. What are you two waiting for?” Rhian hissed at us. Idris nudged me forward. There were wardens moving past us on the bikes, but no one paid any attention to us. The caravan was filled with strange-looking barrels. It stunk of rotten food and beer.

  “What are we doing here? I thought we were heading towards the prison.” I said.

  “The caravan delivers the food especially prepared for the prison warden. He’s an old Dark One who has a very delicate pallet. I used to date him, that was before I started sabotaging the council’s work.” She giggled, rolling her eyes. I scratched my head, thinking that Rhian was really clever, but we needed to make sure that no one knew we were here. Moments later we heard a whistle, and then the caravan moved. The front of the vehicle must have been attached to an old steam bike. I recognised the noise.

  “Aunt, I’m very impressed; this was very clever,” Idris said.

  “Thank you, hon, but we can’t celebrate yet. We need to get inside that prison undetected,” she said. We were hidden in the back, behind a curtain that was probably used as someone’s changing room at one time. I made a little whole in the material of the caravan, so I could see what was going on outside.

  I was amazed with the stores and wardens who were walking around the Dimond City. Everyone looked healthy and so content. The magic was making everyone stronger and healthier.

  The mysterious disease—Dragon Fever—was spreading around Draconia. The council was planning to announce an epidemic. The wardens had no idea what was really going on with them.

  The caravan was moving fast, and after half an hour, the steam bike moved past yet another gate. We drove past the council building.

  Sometime later, I recognised that we were in some sort of wasteland; the space smelled of mould. We couldn’t have entered the prison just yet. Ten minutes later, the bike must have stopped again, and some wardens started shouting. They were standing near the caravan.

  “Load in at least ten!”

  I made a larger hole in the material, because I didn’t understand what was going on. Then in the distance I saw something that shocked me to the core. There were at least twenty Dark Ones standing around a large hole in the ground. Inside, I saw dragon eggs. It wasn’t a hoax or a hallucination. The eggs were shining, and there were a lot of them stacked together—at least a hundred or more.

  Seconds later, someone loaded something inside the caravan, but didn’t climb inside. The three of us were probably squeezed in behind the curtain. My heart stopped while we waited to see what might happen next. If we were to be discovered now, this whole rescue mission was over.

  The weight of the caravan changed. I counted at least five more barrels that had been loaded inside.

  “That’s it. Drive Mathias; the warden is waiting,” someone else from the outside shouted.

  “Guys, there’s a massive hole in the ground around hundred meters away from here filled with dragon eggs—hundreds of them,” I explained, breathing hard, once the caravan started moving again.

  “The council must have moved them. The Dimond city is controlled entirely by the Dark Ones. The wardens arrive here for work, and they leave after dark. That’s why no one ever gets ill here,” Rhian was saying, sounding angry.

  It was difficult for me to figure this whole thing out. We kept moving, but I thought the council was being clever. They were keeping the eggs near the prison, near the wardens. This way they were in control of everyone.

  When the caravan stopped, I knew we’d arrived at the prison gates.

  “Come on, we need to get out of here,” I said, seeing the driver disappear somewhere. We were situated just by the wall inside the prison. The Dark Ones were probably greeting him inside, so this was our chance.

  “I don’t know, little one. He might come back for the barrels at any second,” Idris told me.

&n
bsp; “There’s no one there and we really need to keep moving,” I told them, going to the front, jumping off the caravan. We were right by the locked loading bay at the back of the prison.

  Giant stone walls were surrounding the whole prison. Behind, there were just never-ending caves. There was no sign of the Dark Ones or the driver, but I could sense all the prisoners were inside the gates. My blood ran cold when I thought about Magnus and I shivered, wondering if we were going to walk straight into a trap.

  “Let’s follow the driver. He’s coming,” I hissed, then we hid behind one of the loading bays. Indeed, several minutes later the warden showed up again. He took one of the barrels out of the back and his eyes shimmered with magic.

  “The wardens in here are much stronger,” Avianna’s voice echoed in my head.

  The driver went around the caravan struggling with the weight, then headed towards the metal door. Rhian nudged me, saying to Idris,

  “We have to get inside now,” and before I could say anything, she flew from our hideout and caught up with the warden.

  “Trick and tricks,” she said, waving her hands like there was no tomorrow. Magic shifted through her fingers, and he didn’t even have a chance to turn around. The lights all around the walls switched on automatically. The warden dropped the barrel, his eyes bulged and he passed out. Moments later, we all barged through the metal door, walking straight into a bunch of high-class wardens.

  Rhian looked at me and smiled.

  “Release Avianna, Francesca; she can take care of them,” Rhian whispered to me, when the wardens noticed us. She was right: we needed to act now before anyone had a chance to raise the alarm inside the prison.