by D J DuMont
“What is the station, though?” Kent asked. “Why is Stein interested in it?”
Anjali shook her head sadly. “It’s the top-secret lab where our scientists attempt to mutate the Dragon Heart virus. It’s quite secure, but if Stein managed to break in…it would mean disaster. He might steal a huge amount of virus samples to try to mutate, as well as the scientists’ notes on what they’ve tried and what might work to change the virus. Right now, Stein probably only has a very small amount of the virus, probably stolen for him by Locke’s parents. But that would change if he managed to get into the Q7 station. He’d have everything he needed for all-out biological warfare.”
Anjali put her face in her hands for a moment, then looked up quickly and stood tall and straight. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to take this information to the President right away. He’ll want to quadruple-check that everything at Q7 is secure.”
Anjali rushed toward the door to leave, starting to sprint as she reached the hallway.
“Stay out of trouble, all of you. And be nice to Locke!” she called over her shoulder.
Willow sighed. She’d gladly be nice to Locke, if only he would show his face. But it didn’t seem that that would be happening anytime soon. As she headed back to her dorm room, she saw Agents clearing out Locke’s dorm room.
“What are you doing?” she asked, afraid that this meant that Locke was leaving the Academy.
The Agents shrugged. “Moving Locke’s stuff to the safe house for him. He doesn’t want to see anyone.”
Willow sighed. She couldn’t blame him, she supposed. But he’d have to show his face for classes eventually, wouldn’t he?
As she watched his stuff being carried away, she knew Locke was going to do everything in his power to stay hidden. She decided then and there that she would do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t. She was the student captain, and she intended to use her position as captain to keep Locke from sinking into the depths of despair. He’d saved her life, after all. She owed it to him to help keep him out of the shadows.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Keeping Locke out of the shadows proved difficult, especially when there were so many shadows on campus. Locke kept to himself, refusing to speak to anyone. He came to class because he had to in order to keep from being expelled, but as soon as class ended he retreated back to the safe house.
The biggest shadow hanging over Willow—the fact that Stein was still out there, torturing Willow’s father and planning an attack to steal and mutate the Dragon Heart virus—meant that the students spent their days in a state of fearful despair. Willow tried to keep her head down and study hard in her classes. She truly did. But how could she be expected to focus when each passing day seemed to take her further from her hope of rescuing her father?
Rescuing Alexis and getting more intel on Stein had been a huge victory, so why did she still feel so empty? Perhaps it was because with finals approaching, Willow was beginning to accept that her third year at the Dragon Heart Academy was going to end without her father being rescued. Her mental magic was strong, and her dragon flying skills had improved immensely. But what did it matter, if she was stuck here, a prisoner on campus?
The morning of her acrobatic dragon flying final, Willow went to the dragon stables early to see Cayenne. She brought her dragon a coconut, swiped from Sam’s secret stash which wasn’t so secret anymore, and tried to find the energy to act excited about the day’s upcoming festivities. After the dragon flying final, the students would be officially done with the school year. That meant that this afternoon there would be an end of the year banquet. Willow usually enjoyed the end of year banquet, but this year she was dreading it. How could she celebrate when things still felt so unsettled?
To Willow’s surprise, she wasn’t the only one at the stables early. When she climbed up to the walkway above the dragons, Locke was there.
“Locke!” she exclaimed. She hadn’t seen him spend a single second outside of the safe house other than what he had to in order to pass his classes. He certainly hadn’t been early for any of their other finals. Now, he looked up at her dully, his eyes red as though he’d been crying, although at the moment his cheeks were dry.
“Come to rub in that I’m the Agency’s biggest loser?” he asked, although he sounded more tired than angry.
Willow frowned and went to sit by him. Tentatively, she placed a hand on his arm. To her relief, he didn’t pull away, although she did feel his arm stiffen slightly at her touch. “I didn’t come to rub in anything, and no one thinks you’re a loser, least of all me.”
Locke snorted. “Why would I believe that? I spent the last three years talking about how great I was because of my ancestry. Now, I have nothing. Most days I wonder why I’m still here. I should just accept a memory wipe and leave. No one is ever going to take me seriously as an Agent, and why should they?”
Willow frowned. “I won’t lie, Locke. I couldn’t stand the way you always talked about your ancestry, and I’m glad you won’t be doing that anymore.”
Locke did pull away then. “I knew you came to gloat.”
“No. Hear me out. You never needed your parents to prove that you belong here. You are a great wizard, but not because of your ancestry. You’re a great wizard because you’re talented and work hard. Really hard. Harder than any of us. You were obnoxious about it the whole time, but you worked hard. And when it came down to it, you stood up to even your parents. You saved my life. You’re not great because of your parents. You’re great in spite of them. And if you take a memory wipe and leave, it’ll be one of the greatest losses the Agency has ever had.”
Locke looked over at Willow, his eyes a little less dull. “You don’t really mean that,” he said, in a voice that Willow knew meant he hoped that she did mean it.
“I do. And I’ll prove it. Do the partner flying portion of your dragon flying final with me.”
Locke’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I was going to do the partner portion with Sylvie, but she can fly with Cara. She’ll understand.”
Locke considered. “Is this some sort of trick?”
Willow shook her head, then stood and offered a hand to help Locke up. “No trick. You’re one of us, Locke. We need you. I know this has all been gut-wrenching for you, but you don’t need to hide from us. We’re here for you. All of us students. Don’t let who your parents are define you. Don’t let your past dictate your future. You have magic inside of you, Locke, and you can do anything. It’s time to start acting like it.”
For what felt like an eternity, Locke only stared at Willow’s outstretched hand. Then, finally, he cracked the smallest of smiles. “Alright. Let’s fly.”
And fly they did. An hour later, Willow and Locke flew in formation with their dragons, performing the acrobatic flying tricks they’d worked so hard to perfect.
It hadn’t been easy, being trapped on campus waiting for someone to find Stein. It hadn’t been easy being on lockdown and worrying every day that someone would bring news that the Q7 station had been attacked.
But Willow knew that every day that passed brought her closer to seeing her father again. And now, hopefully, every day that passed would bring a little bit more healing to Locke’s heart. As much as she’d despised his proud attitude, she hated seeing him feeling so dejected. He was a fellow Dragon Heart, after all. He was one of the Fearless Four.
Willow looked over at Locke and smiled, and he actually smiled back. And for the first time in a long, long time, her heart felt free.
Chapter Thirty
The mood at the end of year banquet could not have been more jovial. Everyone was happy to see Locke smiling, and even though there was still some sadness in that smile, it was good to know he was rising above the circumstances that had brought him down. He told Willow privately that he planned to make his parents pay, and she told him to just make sure he didn’t let bitterness consume him. He promised her he wouldn’t, although Wi
llow knew the road ahead would be tough for him.
The road ahead would be tough for all of them. The final year of Dragon Heart Training was known for being intense, and that was without having the responsibility of chasing down someone like Stein. But Willow looked forward to the challenge. She’d been through a lot with her Academy friends in the last three years, and she knew they’d finish strong.
Things were made even better by the fact that Marcus, Kent, and Alexis had joined their group. The three non-wizards didn’t have Dragon Heart classes, of course. But they did spend a lot of time with Willow and the other Academy students, as well as with the dragons. They were determined to learn everything they could about magic, in order to be effective liaisons between the magical and non-magical worlds.
Willow smiled as Alexis sat down across from her and reached for a pitcher of Snapdragon Sap. Sylvie sat to Willow’s left, and to her right was Cara, laughing at something Marcus had said. Kent and Locke were deep in conversation, which made Willow happy as well. It was good to see Locke enjoying time with friends. On days like today, the whole world felt magical. Classes were done and the air was warming, which meant summer was here.
Too bad Willow still had no idea what she’d be doing this summer. Her mother, who had no idea that Willow or her father were wizards, had told Willow that she’d be away on business all summer long. Willow’s mother hadn’t wanted to see her much since Willow’s father went missing, and Willow tried to use that to her advantage instead of being bitter. Her mother’s disinterest in her life meant Willow could do whatever she wanted this summer. Or, at least, whatever she wanted that kept her within the boundaries the Dragon Heart Agency deemed safe. Willow sighed. She was quite tired of the lockdown.
Gasps of surprise filled the air, drawing Willow’s attention to a large crowd of Agents parading across the lawn toward the banquet table. Willow frowned. “What’s the big deal? Is anyone really surprised that all the Agents are coming to the banquet? Yes, it’s for students, but there’s plenty of food, and they do have to eat, after all. I mean—”
“Willow!” Sylvie interrupted. “Open your eyes. No one’s surprised by the Agents. Look at who the Agents are escorting.”
Willow frowned and looked at the group again, then gasped herself. She hadn’t noticed at first, but President Newson was walking in the center of the group of Agents. “The president is here?”
“Looks that way,” Anjali said, walking up to join the table along with Sam. “No one told me he was coming. On your feet, everyone. Don’t be rude.”
Anjali’s face looked strained, and Willow wondered if the President would have bad news. But then, Willow saw that the man was laughing.
“Sit down, sit down, everyone,” President Newson said. “I’m just here for the party. I thought I’d make time in my schedule for the students defending our country.”
Willow sat slowly, feeling as shocked as her fellow students looked. The President had taken time for their end of year banquet? There had to be more to this than just a simple wish to drink Snapdragon Sap with them.
There was.
At the end of the banquet, when everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the President stood and cleared his throat. “I have an announcement to make, and I wanted to make it in person.”
The whole group held their breath as the President looked over at them, his face appearing much more serious than it normally did.
“We think we’ve made headway on finding Stein. We’ve narrowed his location down to a few possible places, and—”
The president’s words were drowned out by gasps and exclamations of surprise. He had to clear his throat several times to get everyone to calm down enough so he could continue speaking.
“I’ve spoken with the Agency head, and we’ve determined that all of you students, both the wizards and non-wizards, should spend your summer helping to perform reconnaissance. We’re determined to find Stein before you start school again in the fall.”
Willow and the other students immediately started cheering. Anjali and Sam protested, saying something about how the students would be safer on campus than out searching for Stein, but the President’s mind was made up. He toasted the students again with his Snapdragon Sap, saying he needed to get going but that he hoped to see them soon. And then he was gone.
Anjali and Sam sighed in resignation, but the students couldn’t contain their excitement. Willow looked down the table at her friends, smiling at the thought of spending her summer with them, finally tracking down and stopping their worst enemy.
As she looked, Kent reached across the table and put his hand over hers. Willow looked up, surprised by the gesture. Kent smiled warmly at her, his gorgeous face sending a small thrill through her.
“It’s going to be amazing spending the summer with you, Wills,” he said, going so far as to wink. “Maybe we’ll have time to spend a little bit of time alone.”
His intention was clear, and for a moment, Willow was flattered. But then, she remembered how he’d run away instead of defending her when he’d thought Cayenne was dangerous, and she pulled her hand away.
“No one but my father calls me Wills,” she said with a tight smile. “And it will be nice to spend time with everyone this summer, yes. But if you’re chasing after my heart, I don’t want to mislead you. I have a Dragon Heart, and it takes a Dragon Heart to handle one.”
Kent frowned, and opened his mouth to protest. Willow got the impression that he wasn’t used to being refused by girls very often. Was she crazy for refusing him? After all, could anyone really blame him for running from a dragon? And he was objectively a good catch, wasn’t he?
It didn’t matter. She didn’t want to catch him. Not now. Not when her father’s life, and possibly the fate of the world, hung in the balance. She needed to keep her Dragon Heart strong. Before Kent could say anything else, Willow stood and purposefully walked away from the table. She pretended to be very interested in going to see Cayenne, who was lounging with the other dragons not far from the banquet table, happily resting after Sam had fed them a few too many coconuts.
“Oh, Cayenne,” Willow said, stroking her dragon’s muzzle. “It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? Not all good, but not all bad. Alexis is alive and well, I saw my father, and we’re getting closer to stopping Stein. Plus, I didn’t flunk any of my classes. They’re letting me come back for my final year.”
Cayenne licked Willow’s face, her rough, large tongue leaving a trail of dragon spit across Willow’s whole face. Willow squealed and pretended to be mad, then laughed and threw her arms around Cayenne’s neck in a big hug.
“Did you mean it?” a soft voice behind Willow asked.
Surprised, she turned to find that Locke had wandered away from the table as well, and was standing only a few feet away from her. She furrowed her brow in confusion. “Mean what?”
“Did you mean it when you told Kent you’re not interested in having him chase your heart?”
Willow saw an intensity in Locke’s eyes she’d never seen before, and she found her heart was suddenly thumping in a hot, funny way. The same sort of thrill that had gone through her when Kent touched her hand was going through her now, only it felt about ten times more intense. Was Locke implying what she thought he was?
“Yes,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I meant it. He’s a nice guy. Good-looking. But I’m not interested in him like that. He doesn’t have a strong enough heart to handle my Dragon Heart.”
Locke nodded slowly. “And what about me? Is my Dragon Heart strong enough to handle your Dragon Heart?”
He looked so vulnerable and handsome all at once that it made Willow’s own heart ache. She thought of how he’d jumped in front of her to save her from his own parents, and how different his actions had been from Kent’s when she was in danger. True, Locke had spent much of their time at the Academy acting obnoxious, but lately, he was changing. He was a much more enjoyable person to be around. And he always ca
me through for her when it truly mattered. A memory flashed across her mind, of Locke encouraging her in the midst of the storm back at the secret island, when she’d been trying to use her mental magic to hold back the Dark Sparks. He’d known exactly how to be strong when she needed his strength.
Willow considered his question. Was his Dragon Heart indeed strong enough to handle hers? She gave him a coy wink.
“It just might be, Locke. It just might be.”
Then, she turned on her heel and headed back toward the tables. She didn’t look back, but she couldn’t quite keep a small smile from spreading across her face.
The year that had passed had been a tough one, but the year ahead was going to be one to remember.
She’d bet her Dragon Heart on it.
* * * Thank you for Reading * * *
Ready for Willow’s next adventure? Willow’s Final Battle, Book Four in the Dragon Heart Academy of Magic Series, will be available in Summer 2020! Order your copy today:
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