by D J DuMont
Sam’s forehead had started to glisten with sweat, and he gave Anjali another uneasy glance. “You’re not getting it, Miss Ember. Clove doesn’t want to choose another partner because once dragons have chosen a partner, they refuse to work with someone new as long as their original partner is still alive.”
Willow felt like she was going to pass out right then and there. “Are you telling me that…that my dad is still alive?”
“I don’t know. All I’m telling you is that Clove seems to think so.”
Willow stared at Sam in speechless disbelief. Sam shifted from one foot to another, and then, tipped his hat at Willow.
“I’ve got to go. I’ve said too much already. Good night, Miss Ember.”
And with that, he disappeared down the hallway, leaving a shaky Willow to try to make sense on her own of the fact that her world had just been turned upside down again.
Chapter Twelve
“Is he sure Clove isn’t just sad, still? I mean, your dad’s been missing for over a year and a half now. Surely, if he was still alive he would have turned up by now. Or at least some sort of information about him would have turned up. Someone wanting a ransom or something like that. It doesn’t make sense for him to just completely fall off the map.”
Willow made a face at Sylvie, and Sylvie threw her hands up in a gesture of surrender.
“I’m sorry, Willow. I want your dad to be alive still, too. But I worry about you getting your hopes up for nothing.”
Willow sighed, and turned back to her work with a frown. It had been a month now since Sam had hinted at the fact that her father, the great Sigmund Ember, might not be dead after all. Willow had tried her best to get more information, but Sam had remained as tightlipped as ever, always insisting that he’d already said too much. And Willow didn’t dare ask Anjali. Whatever Anjali knew, she clearly didn’t want to share that knowledge with Willow. Besides, if Willow started poking around without any explanation, Sam was going to get in trouble. It wouldn’t be difficult for Anjali to figure out where the information had come from.
So Willow had drawn Sylvie into the quest, hoping that a fresh set of eyes might help her see some meaningful detail in all of this that Willow herself had somehow missed. But, so far, Sylvie had spent most of her energy trying to convince Willow that she was just setting herself up for disappointment.
“Ouch!” Willow exclaimed as the boiling liquid in her cauldron bubbled over. Some of it had splashed onto Willow’s hand, and it burned like a hyper strong muscle cream might burn. Willow used her magic ring and a quick spell to adjust the temperature on the cauldron and stop the overflow, then went to get some mugwort leaves to put on her burning skin.
“I suck at Alchemy,” Willow said. “In fact, I suck at all of this. It’s embarrassing how much better you and the others are at magic.”
“Oh, stop talking nonsense,” Sylvie said “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re just as good at all of this as the rest of us. You just need to stop spending all of your time hopelessly distracted by whether or not your dad is still alive.”
Willow gave Sylvie a withering look.
“Okay, okay. I know it’s the most important thing in the world to you to find out the truth about this. Fair enough. I’m just saying don’t be so hard on yourself for being a little bit behind in Alchemy.”
“A lot behind. In Alchemy and in every other subject.”
“You’re pretty good at Broomstick Basketball,” Sylvie offered.
“Yeah, but that’s not a real subject. It’s just a way to blow off steam and satisfy the school’s physical education requirement. What good is broomstick flying in the real world? And who needs to fly on a broomstick when you’ve got a dragon to ride on?”
Willow’s cauldron started boiling over again, and she started lowering the temperature in frustration. At least the hissing noises made by their cauldrons were loud enough for them to talk without Locke or Cara overhearing them. Locke had only grown cockier over the last few weeks, never wasting an opportunity to remind Willow that she had been given a loyalty ring, or that he came from a long line of Dragon Hearts. Sylvie told her that he was just jealous because Willow’s father had far outshone Locke’s father in Dragon Heart Agent accomplishments. But Willow didn’t care what Locke’s reasons were. She just wished he’d leave her alone.
Cara was tamer than Locke in some ways, but in other ways she was more annoying than ever. Cara also came from a long line of Dragon Hearts, and she would often sigh dramatically and make snide comments about how the Dragon Heart Program let in just about anyone these days. Cara, at least, was usually on her best behavior when Anjali was around, which was often. Right now though, Anjali wasn’t in the room. She’d stepped out to speak with Headmaster Damon, who had made a rare visit over to the Dragon Heart side. Thankfully, Cara was completely absorbed with trying to turn a rock into a flower, and wasn’t paying any attention to Willow.
Willow wondered if Headmaster Damon’s visit, in fact, had something to do with Cara. Over on the Birch Point side, Cara had managed to become one of the most popular girls, despite the fact that she mysteriously disappeared for the entire afternoon pretty much every weekday during “study hall.” Willow wondered how Cara managed to maintain so many friendships while still not giving away the fact that her absences were due to a super secret magical dragon academy.
Willow was having trouble keeping just Alexis at arms’ length. Alexis had finally seemed to accept the fact that Willow was a loner, but Willow still felt badly about the hurt look in Alexis’ eyes every time Willow declined an invitation to do something. Willow wondered if perhaps she should get Alexis a nice Christmas gift this year. Would that help? At least it would show she cared about her.
“Willow!”
Willow jumped as Anjali screamed out her name, then jumped again as Anjali pointed her magic ring at Willow’s cauldron and yelled out “Tranquilo!” Immediately, the liquid which had once again been bubbling over settled down. Willow looked over at Sylvie, wondering why her friend hadn’t warned her that her cauldron was bubbling over, or that Anjali had returned. But Sylvie shrugged sheepishly, and pointed to her perfectly formed pink rosebud, which sat where minutes earlier there had only been a small gray rock.
Of course. Sylvie had been concentrating too hard on her own work to worry about Willow’s daydreaming.
And, of course, everyone else in the class had managed to successfully complete the assignment. Locke had a flower at his work station as well. Willow was the only one still sitting there with a rock, and with a boiled-over cauldron to top it all off.
“That’s all for today’s Alchemy class. Please clean up and head over to the Divination classroom.”
Willow couldn’t bring herself to meet Anjali’s eyes. Her cheeks burning, Willow began wiping up the goopy mess around her cauldron. The other three finished cleaning up much quicker than she did, but Sylvie hung back to wait for her. Anjali was not pleased by this, however.
“Sylvie, go ahead and go to the next class. I’d like a word alone with Willow.”
Reluctantly, Sylvie did as she was told, giving Willow a sympathetic look as she left the classroom. Willow took her time cleaning up the rest of the mess. She wasn’t looking forward to a one-on-one chat with Anjali, and hoped that maybe if there wasn’t much time left until Divination class was scheduled to start, then Anjali would postpone the chat. When Willow chanced a glance up at Anjali, however, the woman seemed perfectly calm and content to wait. Since Anjali was the only professor here, she could easily postpone any class she wanted, whenever she wanted. Willow wasn’t going to get out of talking to her now, so she might as well hurry up and get it over with.
The goop that had come from her cauldron wasn’t easy to clean up, though. It was as sticky as syrup that had dried out, and Willow had to scrub quite hard to get it off the table. When Willow finally finished cleaning and walked to the front of the room where Anjali sat, she was sweating from the effort.
<
br /> “You wanted to speak to me?”
Anjali nodded, but did not speak for a few moments. Instead, she seemed to be eyeing Willow up and down. Willow returned her gaze, taking in Anjali’s familiar uniform. All Dragon Heart Agents wore the same black uniform. It consisted of snug fitting pants with thick black boots, and a long-sleeved black top that had the Dragon Heart emblem embroidered into the left chest using golden thread. Willow and the others wore the same uniform when attending Dragon Heart classes. The only difference was that Anjali’s uniform had a golden chevron underneath the Dragon Heart emblem. That golden chevron signified that Anjali was a Master Dragon Heart Agent, permitting her to train new Dragon Heart Agents in the ways of magic.
There were other special patches that could be earned. Sam had a golden flame patch, which signified a master dragon trainer. He also had a golden heart, which was one of the most coveted patches. It signified that he had been awarded the Golden Dragon Heart Award during his first year of Dragon Heart training. In each class of Dragon Heart trainees, one student was chosen to receive the Golden Dragon Heart at the end of the first year. That student would then be the “Captain” of the class for the remaining three years of training. When the students all went out on missions together, the Captain would be in charge while out on the field. Locke, of course, had made no secret of the fact that he intended to become the Captain for their class. And he would probably have no trouble securing that position. Cara continued to be timid, Sylvie was too laid back to care about things like winning the Golden Dragon Heart, and Willow couldn’t even keep her cauldron from bubbling over.
“Willow, what’s going on with you?” Anjali asked, bringing Willow back to the present moment.
Willow chewed her lower lip. Was this a trick question? “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you always seem agitated and anxious. I know that there is a lot to learn in these classes, and that the first year of magical education can feel quite overwhelming. But your level of distraction is, quite frankly, worse than anything I’ve ever seen.”
Willow shrugged. “It is a lot to take in, and honestly, I think I’m not that good at all of this. I know my father was one of the best Dragon Heart Agents the program has ever seen, and I’m sorry to be such a disappointment. But I just think I’m not like him. I can’t seem to master any of the spells or magic exercises.”
Anjali leaned back in her chair and studied Willow. For the first time, Willow noticed the faint wrinkle lines around Anjali’s eyes, and the wisp or two of gray hair in her neatly pulled back bun. Sometimes Anjali acted so young and vibrant that it was easy to think of her as more of an older sister than a wizened teacher. It certainly didn’t help that they all called her Anjali instead of “Professor North.” The Dragon Heart Program believed in fostering a spirit of brotherhood among all its agents, and so, no one actually went by official titles, even though official titles were awarded. Professor Anjali North was simply “Anjali,” but the informal name didn’t make her feel any less intimidating to Willow right now.
“I think you are capable of much more than you know, Willow.”
Willow dropped her eyes to her feet. “It’s very kind of you to say so.”
Anjali sighed. “I know you don’t believe me. But you have more power than you know. The signs all point to the fact that you will be the next great Dragon Heart Agent. You were affected quite strongly by the Dragon Heart Virus. You were chosen for a rare loyalty ring. And the dragons themselves seem drawn to you. There is greatness inside of you, Willow.”
It was Willow’s turn to sigh. “I’m not so sure. I can’t even perform a simple feat of alchemy, while all my fellow trainees breeze through the task like it’s nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all your support, Anjali. But I can’t help but wonder whether you’re confusing me with my father. I know he was great. Me? I’m just ordinary, at best.”
“Willow, you’re too hard on yourself. Often those with the most magical power find it hardest to control at first. But if you would stop assuming that you can’t do things, and actually try, you might be surprised at what you’re capable of.”
Willow lowered her eyes again. “Alright.”
She didn’t want to keep arguing with Anjali. The woman had clearly made her mind up already that Willow was something special. No matter how much Willow disagreed, Anjali would have her own opinion.
Anjali sighed. “Willow, listen. I know it’s not easy to stop thinking about your dad. But you have to try. He wouldn’t want you to go through Dragon Heart training like this. He’d want you to believe in yourself, and to give it your all. Try to focus, if for no other reason than that’s what would have made him proud.”
Willow felt tears burning at the back of her eyelids. How could Anjali sit there and tell her to stop thinking about her father? Especially when Anjali knew that her dad might still be alive? Anger began boiling in Willow’s core, and before she could stop it, it boiled over just like the liquid in her cauldron had done.
“Tell me, Anjali, how am I supposed to stop thinking about him when he might still be alive?”
For a moment, Anjali looked genuinely taken aback. Then she nodded slowly in understanding. “I see. Sam must have explained to you about Clove.”
Willow immediately felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t want Sam to get in trouble just because she couldn’t control her temper. “Don’t be angry with him. He only felt sorry for me. And besides, I have a right to know if there’s still a chance that my father is out there.”
Anjali sighed. “No, no. I won’t be angry with Sam. Although I wish that he’d told me that you knew. Now it makes much more sense to me that you’re as distracted as you are.”
“Is it true, then?” Willow asked, her voice quavering. “Is my dad still alive? Be honest with me!”
“The honest truth is that we don’t know. We’re almost certain that the last time Clove saw your father, he was alive. That dragon has refused to take any new assignments with a new partner. But it’s strange that Clove came back alone instead of fighting. Normally, dragons will fight to the death as long as there is still hope of rescuing their partner. Which means that whatever situation your father was in must have seemed quite hopeless to Clove. We think he came back to try to warn us, or to get us to help.”
“So why haven’t you helped?” Willow asked, the angry tears running in streams now.
“Well, we’ve tried. We’ve sent out search parties. We’ve tried to have dragons and even bloodhounds track your father from his last known location. But nothing has turned up anything useful. If only Clove could talk, and tell us what he knew. Then things might be easier. We’re still searching, although, I’ll be honest, the head of the Dragon Heart Program is getting tired of spending so many resources on the search for one lost man whose trail has gone completely cold.”
“You can’t stop looking for him! Not while there’s still a chance he might be alive!” Willow’s whole body was shaking now.
“Willow,” Anjali said in a kind voice. “Your father was one of my best friends.”
“Is!” Willow interrupted. “Is one of your best friends. You don’t know that he’s dead.”
“Okay. He is one of my best friends. But I cannot tell the head of the Dragon Heart Program, or the head of the CIA, what to do. I can fight to keep searching for your father, like I have been. But unless we find some new clue soon, I’m afraid they’re going to call off the search.”
Willow clenched her fists, and desperately tried to get her breathing under control. She knew that what Anjali said was true, but it was so hard to accept. This was her father, the greatest Dragon Heart Agent of modern times. How could they just give up on him?
“There is one other thing you can do, Willow.”
“What? Tell me! I’ll do anything if it means I might have a chance to see my dad again someday.”
“You need to start standing out in your classes here.”
Willow’s face fell. “I already
told you. I’m trying my best. I’m just not cut out for this the way everyone seems to think I am.”
“Try harder. I know you have it in you to be a great wizard. If the Head of the Dragon Heart Program sees that Willow Ember, Sigmund Ember’s daughter, is excelling at magic, he’ll be more likely to want to continue the search for your father. He won’t want to upset you or have you consider quitting. But if you continue to go through your classes distracted and not putting in full effort, then there won’t be as much motivation to keep up the search.”
“I am putting in full effort.”
“Nonsense. You can do more. I know you can. You have greatness inside of you, Willow. It’s time to let it out.”
With that, Anjali stood and started walking toward the classroom door. “Now, come on. We’re both late for divination.”
Anjali disappeared down the hallway, but Willow stood still for several more moments, thinking. Maybe, just maybe, she could do better.
If her father was alive out there, his staying alive might be depending on her. She was not going to let him down. Somehow, some way, she was going to become the best wizard this program had ever seen.
Chapter Thirteen
Willow awoke with a start as a pillow hit her face before rolling onto the floor. She sprang up from her bed, ready to fight, and nearly slammed her face straight into the face of another girl standing right next to her bed.
“Alexis! What in the world. Why are you throwing pillows at me? What time is it?”
“Time for you to get up,” her roommate said. “You’re fifteen minutes later than usual already.”
Willow blinked in confusion. She’d been in such a deep sleep that it took a moment for her to register where she was and what her roommate was saying to her. When it finally sunk in, Willow looked at Alexis in horror.
“Wait, what? How do you know—”
