“Let me out, please, let me go. I must show them my fire. They are already wondering what is in the bag.” Avianna was telling me.

  “Hold on. I will, just let me finish what I need to say,” I hissed, using my internal voice.

  I took a deep breath, knowing I had to give them a good reason to help me; otherwise no one was going to care that the Dark Ones were planning to murder Draconians. These warlocks were wealthy, their magic was developed, and they were happy.

  “We all know wardens were the original keepers of the dragons, but then the Dark Ones started growing in power. They took them away from us. I bet every one of you would like to return to the Lower World someday. I bet you miss the magic, and the freedom,” I said, but I was losing them. Ripley was smirking, and others in the crowd were laughing, too.

  “The dragons are dead; they were slaughtered by the Dark Ones. One egg won’t change anything,” someone shouted from the crowd.

  “That one egg helped me to develop incredible magic. The creature inside the egg fixed me. Later on, she hatched, and the dragon is here with me now. You’re wrong; you are all wrong, warlocks. The Dark Ones are controlling the wardens because they have the eggs, many, many eggs in Dimond city. We want to start an uprising, and I want you all to join me. Me and several other wardens could steal the eggs, then charge against the council. This could work, this could change the order and put warlocks high on the council!” I shouted, then tried to open the bag, but the zipper was broken.

  Warlocks were staring at me; some of them were shaking their heads and laughing. Avianna was shouting that she’d had enough of being stuck inside, and I couldn’t open the bag. Sweat started dripping down my face, and I took a deep breath, telling myself to calm down.

  “Uprising! Are you out of your mind, girl? There are thousands of Dark Ones in Draconia. You will never be able to defeat them,” the warlock with the white beard said. A few of them agreed with him. They were reacting just as I had expected, but they had no idea that wardens in possession of eggs were much stronger than them.

  “No, you’re wrong. We can defeat them, and we will. Idris and many others have seen the eggs; there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of them in Dimond city. I’m looking for fearless warlocks to join me to change the order,” I shouted, losing control. The zipper still wasn’t opening, and this was already going terribly wrong.

  Then the bag became very hot; smoke started rising from it, and then Avianna ripped it apart, flying away. Some warlocks screamed, others were trying to cover their heads, as she began circling around the room. She was showing off, screaming inside my head that she was finally free. Only then, when she spread her wings, did I realise how much she had grown. It was crazy; she was a little creature that fit in the palm of my hand only a few weeks ago.

  “For Quesborth, that’s a real dragon!” Some warlocks were shouting. Others were staring with their eyes wide open.

  “She was telling the truth.”

  “What if there are more eggs in Draconia?” someone else asked.

  “Come here and sit on my shoulder. They are impressed, and I have to say something that will make them want to work with us,” I shouted at her when she started singing some fire songs, still flying around.

  She finally calmed down and flew over to me. I felt my magic again, pounding through me when Avianna sat on my shoulder. She was damn heavy. Most warlocks here had never seen a real dragon. A lot of them had lived here for years.

  “And you are saying that there are more eggs, more dragons in Dimond city?” the dark-skinned warlock enquired with a funny French accent. I wanted to slap him, really. Had he not been listening to what I said earlier on?

  “Of course, there are more eggs, and more dragons. A few days ago, I heard that some elders from the council wanted to release the Dragon Fever to the north side of the city. They were ready to infect healthy Draconians. Do you all realise that the Dark Ones are the ones who engineered this terrible disease?” I shouted, looking around. My face was probably red, but I didn’t care. I felt like I was finally connecting with all the warlocks in here. “We are planning a revolution; an uprising, and we want to stop them from spreading death. The uprising needs to happen, and I’m very confident that other wardens will join us, too, but we need help. I promise you with all my heart that I’ll give you seats on the council if you decide to help me. Who is going to come with me? Who is willing to return to the Lower world with me?”

  All right, this was the moment of truth. Silence had fallen around the room. Some warlocks were glancing around, looking at each other; the others were smirking. I didn’t know exactly how many were in this room, but the silence remained for way too long. This wasn’t good; they were supposed to cheer that they were ready, but none of them seemed to be bothered. Slowly, Harvey’s doomed words began sinking in.

  It was more than awkward. I glanced at the warlock with the white beard and at Ripley, but they were both immersed in a hushed conversation.

  “For Quesborth, no one is willing to step forward? We are offering you freedom and life with magic, we are offering you power. I can’t believe you’re all such cowards,” I shouted with anger, looking around. Avianna could sense their emotions. She was telling me that they didn’t believe we could defeat the Dark Ones, or that they could share power with Draconians. I knew our history and I had learnt more than I realised. The Dark Ones were the mages who came from the other parts of the Lower world. They weren’t in charge of us in the very beginning, but then the civil war began, and they slowly started to take our rights away.

  “Oh, come on, you can see she has a dragon, and she can communicate with the creature. I’ll join her, because we have all been voting for change, right?” said a voice that I recognised. Moments later Harvey walked up. He was squeezing through the crowd of people, having the same serious expression on his face. Rhian was right behind him. I took a deep breath, thinking he had waited long enough. Some warlocks looked shocked, others were pushing forward, trying to see what was going on.

  “And you guarantee that you will give us a seat on the council?” someone asked. I glanced around, noticing that it was Ripley who had asked the question. My heart shuddered inside my chest. He was interested. Hmm. I didn’t expect that.

  “Of course,” I assured him.

  “Then count me in, dragon girl. I haven’t been back in that shit hole for a very long time, but it’s home, and I need to show Fredrick what he has been missing,” Ripley said.

  Chapter Ten

  The missing person

  After that, a few other warlocks joined me. There were only four of them: the French warlock from Paris, and another one who was a friend of Ripley’s. Deep down I was devastated, but I couldn’t show my disappointment. Harvey warned me that I shouldn’t have expected anything, and yet I hoped that he was somehow wrong. This wasn’t an army, but it was at least a start.

  Avianna was still flying around the room, but most of the warlocks had already left, heading to the buffet. I glanced back at Idris who smiled at me. His colour had returned, and obviously, the healer was using her magic to put him back together.

  “What’s wrong with them? Do they not want to be free?” I asked the warlocks gathered around me. I was a little worried about Avianna, but if I hadn’t brought her, then no one would be standing around here now.

  I was determined to stop the Dark Ones and avenge my dear friend, Dara. I was still grieving her.

  “Little one, they are warlocks. They do not care about the wardens. It has been like that for a very long time,” Idris told me, approaching us. He had a black paste covering the wounds on his neck. The female healer who had attended to his injuries was gone. The image of that vampire draining him was going to stay with me for a long time.

  “He’s right, Francesca; you’re lucky to have a few of us,” Harvey said. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this.”

  “This isn’t over. I will get them to join me. There is a few hundred warlocks in here, and I honestly can’t believe that they don’t care,” I told them, trying hard to hide my anger. “Come on, Idris, we need to get going. I’ll be in touch with all of you when we finalise a plan.”

  “Come on, Avianna, darling we need to get out of here,” I said, using my internal voice. Avianna flew over.

  “I hear you sister!”

  “This didn’t go according to plan. We need to gather a lot of wardens, or maybe even fairies. We have gone too far to back out now,” I said. “And we need to find a way, we need these warlocks.”

  I needed to get out of there, so I headed toward the door. Idris stayed behind, probably to talk over the fact that I was acting a little irrational. My anger was pounding through me. I knew I needed to calm down and just let it go. This whole idea of an uprising was dangerous, and I had too many expectations. Wardens and warlocks could die. We were going into battle. Most warlocks were selfish, and they didn’t want to be part of it.

  “You need to calm down, Fran. We will figure this out. We just need to get to the other dragons, and then we will gain strength,” she said.

  “Yes, but we need to tell a lot of wardens what we are planning; they have been living in fear for years. And I don’t think they will follow up; they are stuck in their ways,” I admitted.

  “Little one, stop, stop for a second and listen to me,” Idris told me once he caught up with me outside. Rhian showed up a few minutes later, looking unhappy. “Ripley is an authority amongst the warlocks. The others will follow him. This is good progress.”

  Idris had been spellbound, and someone there wanted him dead, so I didn’t see it that way.

  Rhian had a pack of cigarettes. She took one out, lit it up, and started smoking. “They are just cowards, and they are too comfortable in their perfect lives. He’s right, Fran.” She inhaled smoke from her cigarette and looked away. She seemed upset, too.

  “Let’s just go. I think I’ve had enough of the warlocks for one day,” I said. “I need to call Nicolas. We have to figure out our next move, think about a plan.” Idris had someone bring his car here, so we didn’t have to drive back with Harvey in the limousine.

  Avianna refused to be stuck in another bag.

  After a few minutes, we were all in the car. The smell of burnt rubber wafted through the air again. Idris sat in front of the steering wheel. He was staring at me from the rearview mirror. He was silently asking me if I was all right. I looked outside the window, aware of the tension that filled the car. We all had a lot to talk about. The warden who brought the car was now sitting in front. I had a feeling that this was going to be a long and uncomfortable ride.

  Harvey showed up a few minutes later, just before we were about to leave.

  “I need a ride,” he said and then squeezed between us in the back. I didn’t want to talk about what had happened. I was shocked that Harvey didn’t want to stay behind, but maybe he’d had enough of the other warlocks, too.

  His eyes were glued to his mobile phone, and he ignored us during the entire drive. Avianna couldn’t sit still on her seat, and at some point, I couldn’t help but to tell her off, and then held her down on my lap. Her claws were digging into my thighs. I loved her dearly, but she was getting on my damn nerves, or maybe it was just the events from the meeting that had me so on edge. Not to mention, she was getting so big, and I had no idea how I was going to hide her in the Lower World.

  After an hour in the cramped car, we were back in the city. Idris parked outside Harvey’s place and then said, “I think this is a suicide mission, little one. The warlocks won’t help us, and the wardens here are too scared to act.”

  Harvey lifted his eyebrow, getting ready to leave us. I chewed my bottom lip, wondering why our future appeared to be so gloomy.

  “I thought you were on board with it? Have you changed your mind during the drive?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. I just couldn’t help myself. We were supposed to be committed to each other, but he had really pissed me off with that comment. Maybe he was still experiencing the effect of the magic from the warlock, or it could have been the vampire venom lingering in his system.

  His eyes darkened and he shook his head dismissively. “No, of course I’m on board, but I don’t think you realise that we can all die. One dragon won’t help us defeat the entire council, Francesca. This whole plan doesn’t make any sense,” Idris shouted, losing control.

  Avianna hissed at him and he frowned at her. All right, so he was pissed off, too.

  “You don’t need to do this, Idris. I can go back to Draconia on my own. My best friend was killed by those fuckers,” I shouted, “and I won’t just stay in London pretending that I have a happy life here.”

  Idris inhaled deeply. “I have to go, too. Rhian will drive you guys to my apartment. I have to show up in the office.” What Idris said was unexpected, and I sensed indifference in his tone. I just stared at him, and even Rhian looked shocked that he had said something like that.

  “Just leave, Idris. You obviously can’t decide which side you want to be on. I don’t care anymore. I really don’t,” I said, when he got out of the car. He gave me an angry look and started walking away.

  “He’s lost and confused, just let him cool down. He’s going to change his mind soon enough when the warlocks magic wears off,” Rhian told me.

  Harvey cleared his throat and then moved past my seat. “Let me know when you want to proceed, and if you do, because we will have to arrange the return. You have my number here.” He handed me a card and climbed out of the car.

  He didn’t say anything else, and I was glad that he left us. The door shut, and the warden moved over to Idris’s seat. On the way back, the traffic was bad, and Avianna kept complaining that she was hungry.

  I was restless and worried that this whole plan was going to fall to pieces, that no one was going to join us. In the end, we got back to Idris’s place two hours later. Avianna was getting on my nerves, so I left her with Rhian. I needed some alone time to cool off and think about what to do next.

  Dealing with a baby dragon wasn’t easy. She was getting too big and too smart for her own good. I walked around the streets. It was slowly getting darker and colder. I knew that I was putting myself at risk. Idris mentioned a few times that the neighbourhood wasn’t safe, but I needed some time to clear my head. Several wardens stared at me; they probably sensed that I was one of them. The temperature started to drop, and, after some time, it started to rain, too.

  I didn’t think Idris was planning to come home today. We had different ideas and we were from two different worlds. I was born in Draconia, and I had to fight for my survival every single day, whereas he had everything handed to him on a silver platter. I felt like he didn’t understand me.

  People on the streets were trying to escape the rain and it seemed that the sky had opened up. Soon enough I was soaked right through, and I felt miserable. Magic circled through me, so I decided to head home.

  I was shivering, and my soul felt exhausted, but I kept telling myself that, in the end, this was going to be worth it.

  “Fran, hey, Fran,” someone shouted. I turned around, wondering if it was an enemy or a friend. Luckily it was Nicolas. He was soaked, too, and the expression on his face told me that something was wrong. I was done with bad news for today.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? What are you doing here?” I asked him. The rain intensified, so I gestured for us to go inside the building on our right.

  “It’s Ally, Fran; she’s gone,” Nicolas said. “Someone must have found out about her.”

  “What are you talking about? Start from the beginning,” I said. He wiped the rain water from his face, and I could see that his eyes were tired, almost bloodshot.

  “She was so happy to see me, and she was asking about you. Everything was fine, but then I went out. She asked me to do some shopping for her. She needed something for the house, and I was gone for a few hours. The traffic was terrible, and I got lost a few times. Anyway, when I came back, the door was wide open. Someone was inside the house, Fran. The room that you were staying in was ransacked. Ally was gone. The Dark Ones must have found her; I could sense their energy. I didn’t stay long and came here straight away.”

  No, no this couldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have let him go back to her. I dragged my hand through my wet hair, telling myself to breathe. We had stayed with her; it was a risk that we were willing to overlook, and now she was gone. My heart was pounding in my chest. This was all my fault. I kept telling myself that she was going to be okay, but Nicolas was right. Someone from the office must have tracked us down.

  “Damn it, what are we going to do now?” I asked him.

  “Idris should know something. If the Dark Ones have her, then we will know what to do,” he said.

  “All right, come on, he should be home soon,” I said, thinking that Idris couldn’t have foreseen everything, but he could still help us. We ran all the way to Idris’s apartment building. I tried to remind myself that none of this was my fault. Maybe Ally wasn’t taken by the Dark Ones, but what was the point of that? She knew a lot, but she was human. Those bastards weren’t supposed to touch them.

  By the time we were inside, I was shaking all over. My head was pounding, too.

  “What’s going on? Why are you two soaked?” Rhian asked, when we barged inside.

  “Is Idris back yet?” I asked, seeing Avianna flying over.

 

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