Starlight (The Dragonian Series Book 5) (50 page)

Blake just stared at Emanual, as if the two of them could read each other’s mind.

I looked at both of them. “What are you hiding?”

Blake looked down at the box, and Emanual looked at me. “You don’t need to know all the details, princess. It’s best that way. You need to concentrate on finding the Saadedine.”

I didn’t like this one bit. “Do you at least know where he is roaming?”

“No, but many of the townsmen said that they’ve heard his weeping sometimes from the Castle.”

“His weeping?” I asked.

“The dungeons,” Blake interrupted me.

“Elementals are like wolves, at night they like to howl at the moon, well, in this case, weep. They call it a dragon’s cry. You don’t want to hear it. It will make any grown man cry with it.”

“And we have to kill it?”

“It’s evil, Elena.” Emanual didn’t like my tone. Like they were my pets that I had to destroy. He wasn’t far off though.

“Which I helped to hatch, Emanual. Have all of you forgotten that? To me it’s not some monster, I will see Tornado, Dusty, Herby and Kirby, not what you guys know it as.”

“You gave it names?” Blake asked.

“They were only babies, beautiful innocent creatures that were betrayed to become this monster. So of course we did.”

“Elena,” Emanual closed his eyes. “They aren’t the same babies anymore. You saw the visions. You know what the Saadedine looks like. If you don’t kill it, or hesitate, you will die.”

I looked at Emanual. It didn’t sound like he knew about the foretelling Blake had. Not many knew. We wanted to keep it that way.

Silence lingered in the air for a few seconds.

“Do you understand what it is I’m saying?”

“Yes, I do. It’s them or us.”

“It, it’s not a ‘them’ anymore. It is a powerful and dangerous monster.”

I nodded and looked at the castle again. “Have any of them seen my dad? Is he still alive?”

“We haven’t gotten proof of life. It is why Helmut sent in the last troops just to find out if your father is still alive. We will know what they find out the day we go in.”

“So we are going in on this tower?” I tapped on the tower next to the one that had been burned almost to the ground. “How many do you have stationed inside, Emanual?”

“A couple. And we can trust them. A distraction will be created to lead as many of Goran’s other men away from the castle. The rest will be given a sleeping drug around tea time,” he said, looking directly at me. I wasn’t stupid, this was war and someone always died in war.

“Is that what you guys call it nowadays?” I referred to death and his lips curved upwards.

“Everyone came through, Blake. The inside men gave us some of Goran’s DNA, and the scientist did the rest. They will give you one of the devices that can track Goran. But we don’t know if it will work inside. The last time we spoke to him, he was saying something big was going on with Goran. Like he was working on something private and was very secretive about it.”

“The last time. You haven’t gotten in touch with him since?”

“He is still alive. He’s just being watched like a hawk. This is Goran we are talking about, so we’ll take precautions. But we have a middle man and he gave us some info, not a lot though.”

Blake and I looked at one another and back to Emanual.

“He told us that your father’s men were stationed in Sovereign about eighteen months ago.”

“Eighteen months ago? It was the last time anyone saw my father?”

“They don’t bring him out at the fests either.”

“Then he could very well be…”

“I know what it looks like, Elena. We need to have faith that your father is still alive.”

They are stationed permanently at Sovereign.

“So my father isn’t with his men?”

“One of the others that came with from the other side said that it happened about eighteen months ago. They were moved from the Castle’s dungeons to the Summer Castle in Sovereign.”

“Summer Castle?”

“It was your mother’s favorite home. She loved Sovereign.”

I always felt so stupid about the little things I didn’t know about my parents. These people were strangers to me. I had to save my father, I just had to.

“Goran won’t split your father and his men. He is trying to break the men through your father. Your father will be in Sovereign.”

“He wouldn’t move King Albert.” Blake had a confused look on his face.

“He would if the Saadedine is getting too strong for him to control.”

“Too strong?” I asked.

“It’s why we think he is in the Dungeons. I told you that I had been in that dungeon a long, long time ago. There are strong enchantments built into those walls. It would take a huge war to break down those walls. Maybe not even. What?”

“Okay, that doesn’t make any sense. If he moved my father away from the Saadedine’s harm…”

Emanual nodded. “A part of him is protecting your father and his men, Elena.”

I shook my head. “You didn’t see them, Emanual. He is torturing them.”

“As harsh as it sounds, it’s just torture. He keeps them alive because eighteen years ago they were the same men he walked around with too. He knows these men, Elena. He knows their families. Deep down inside a part of him still cares.”

“Yeah, now that is something I can relate too.”

“Don’t say that,” I glared at Blake.

“All I’m saying is what Emanual says make perfect sense to me, Elena. He will not kill your father. He will keep him alive to get the ultimate power that comes with finally breaking his men. He can’t do that if your father is dead.”

“Could Paul be right?”

“Goran isn’t here.”

“That’s not what I meant. Could he be right about Goran knowing that we are coming?”

“I don’t know. I kept a hawk’s eye on the first group that came in with me, Elena. But if he is, he has no idea what is coming his way.”

“No,” Blake said. “He doesn’t know. Goran hates that place.” Blake sounded so sure about this. “You didn’t hear the hatred he has for Etan now. He feels like a prisoner. If he knew we were coming, he would find a way to get through with the men, he would’ve been here already and we would’ve known by now.”

Emanual sighed. “You sound like Helmut now.”

“Then you should believe it.”

“Okay, so we are back to square one, but it’s not a bad thing, Elena. Your father will be out of harm’s way when you two go in to kill the Saadedine.”

“Okay, so who is going to free his men?”

“Sir Robert asked for Samantha and Becky to go with him along with a small group of men.”

“Okay,” I said without thinking. They would be out of the danger zone, far from the castle. I knew why he wanted Becky, she was a kickass lightning wielder and George one of the best damn trackers Paegeia had ever seen. Sammy, was an easier choice, he wanted her close to his side. Out of harm’s way.

“We are going to take a different route. By we, I mean Caleb, Helmut and myself with Simon and two of King Caleb’s men.”

“You really trust Simon?”

“He was never with Paul and Nora, said they stopped to give him a lift to the Castle when they went to sign up.

“When?”

“It was two months after Lucian died, Elena.”

“So she was right under our noses the entire time?”

He nodded.

“She was a Night Villain, how did she do that?” Blake wanted to know.

“You saw her too Blake, as a Night Villain.”

“I know, I just want to know how that was possible?”

“The stone she stole from Becky. It’s a very rare stone, Blake. It has many properties. One of them, well Chong said that it helped with guiding the Elementals essence through the Creepers, and it could also be used as a shimmer, a shield, so we would see a Night Villain whenever she transformed into a Hippogriff.”

“She could’ve killed us so many times.”

“She didn’t, because getting caught wasn’t the plan,” Emanual said.

Blake blew out a gush of air.

Emanual carried on. “Everyone has their part to play in freeing Etan. You should only care about the Saadedine.”

We nodded again.

“Have you guys found a way to break through the Creepers?”

“We have, but it needs something.”

“What?”

“Something that is immune to them.”

“Elena’s blood,” Blake answered.

“Not a lot, Blake, but her blood is the key to destroying all of them at once.”

“How?” I wanted to know.

He started telling us about the formula the scientists had been experimenting with for years. It was some sort of enhanced plant killer, but it had never had any luck with the Creepers. They believe if they mixed in my blood, the formula would work.

They would keep it contained in a form and attach it to small bombs, which I had to place in the middle of their core, stationed on either side of the Creepers. The bombs would explode releasing my blood on all the Creepers and they would die. We only needed one part open for the others to get through. They would continue to experiment on how to kill it completely.

I didn’t look forward planting the bombs, but at least I knew Blake would be there with me.

The detonator would be kept in a safe place and it would be set off around midnight. Eighteen years ago it started at midnight, it would end at midnight as well.

It was also a brilliant tactic, throwing Etan completely off from mid-day to immediate darkness.

“All the scientists need is my blood, and they still have a live sample from that time we destroyed the park.” Emanual looked at Blake.

“Okay so how are we getting into the Castle?” Blake asked.

“Trevor and Forest will be waiting for you and I am sending Fred and Raymond with you guys. They will take you to a safe compound to spend the night and early in the morning they will go with you to the Castle. They will stay at your side as long as they can, Blake.”

Blake nodded.

“As long as they can?” I asked. “Meaning till death do us part?”

“See you’ve got something of your father’s too, Elena. He was really good at piecing everything together,” Emanual said.

“They will die for us?”

“Many people will die, Princess. This is no ordinary rescue mission. It’s war all over again. And one that was pre-destined in our stars. Many Moon-Bolts have seen this war with different outcomes. We don’t know for sure what is going to happen and I guess it’s up to the two of you. So many are counting on you to kill this son of a bitch, Elena.”

“Sure, why don’t you add more pressure, Emanual?” I sniped and looked down at the layout of Etan. I could see through the corner of my eyes the smile tugging at Blake’s lips.

“You will get your orders about how to blend in and how to get into the Castle as soon as you enter Etan, Blake.”

“That is it?” I asked as Emanual didn’t say anything after that.

“All you need to know, Princess,” Emanual said. “Besides, one of the scientists are waiting for that precious ingredient, Elena.”

If only it was precious enough to kill that son of a bitch too.

“Need me to hold your hand?”

“I can handle needles, never had a fear of them.” I smiled.

Blake stayed behind as I had to almost run-walk to keep up with Emanual.

“My blood is really the ingredient that will make their formula work?”

“They are positive. They will only take a small tube of blood now, test it and then they will let us know.”

“What if it doesn’t work, Emanual?”

He didn’t answer.

“Answer me.”

“Then you have to let Blake go in alone after the Saadedine and take everyone else safely inside, Princess.”

I just stared at him. “Over my dead body will I leave Blake to fight that thing alone. They better make it work.”

“And they will.”

WE WAITED FOR three hours after the scientist came to draw my blood. The man who did it was short, had glasses on and to my surprise wasn’t a rider or a dragon either. He was as human as they came, just a very smart human in his mid-fifties.

He left on a dragons’ back with my blood clenched safely in his hand.

I hated waiting. I’d never been this nervous in my entire life or this anxious.

It just had to work. It needed to work.
It must work.
I wasn’t going to leave Blake to face that creature alone.

It wasn’t a creature it was…I’d seen how each of them hatched.

It, Elena, it wasn’t them anymore. You need to kill it or it will kill you.

I needed to find a way to separate this monster from those Elemental babies.

“Hey,” Blake got up and stopped me as I paced up and down in his father’s office for the thousandth time.

We were all waiting. Sir Robert was doing some last minute paperwork. Becky and George were looking over his shoulder as he spoke to them.

King Helmut and King Caleb were playing a chess game. Nobody said a word.

Blake rubbed my arms. “It will work, Elena. Besides, you might not need to kill the Saadedine.”

“You are not going after it alone. We had a deal.”

He smiled. “That’s not what I meant, but okay. Got that,” He joked and I smiled. “King Helmut thinks that if or when they kill Goran, his hold might vanish over the Saadedine and it might turn back to being good again.”

I squinted. “Really?”

“There hasn’t been that many Saadedines, so it has never been proven before, but it sounds realistic, don’t you think?”

I pulled my face, it did sort of sound realistic.

“You’re just saying this to make me feel better, aren’t you?”

“I hate it when you are so nervous. Just relax okay. I’m not planning on dying yet. Not when life has turned out to be so sweet.”

I grabbed him around his torso and laid my head on his chest. It still felt weird, not being able to hear his heartbeat.

But I knew it was there, beating inside his chest.

“We will find a way to kill it. We both will be fine. That is a promise.”

“What no more oaths?”

He chuckled.

“My promises are not so weak anymore, Elena. Almost just as strong as my oaths.”

“Okay,” I sighed.

I hated that he wasn’t so sure about this outcome.

He could not be the one that died. He just can’t. I wouldn’t let it happen.

My mouth opened to ask him what King Helmut was hiding from me, but just then the door opened and the dragon that had left with the scientist entered wearing a robe, with the scientist behind him.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared at him.

“Spit it out!” Sir Robert said.

He smiled. “It worked.”

Everyone cheered. I didn’t have to leave Blake to face the Saadedine alone.

My blood had worked.

“Princess, if you will follow me, please.”

“I’ll come with,” Blake said softly and we entered the next room.

He gestured to the chair and I sat down.

I didn’t like the IV much, but it was more about seeing my blood travel through the IV then the needle itself.

I looked at Blake who stationed himself on a small stool and moved it so close to my chair that he was almost sitting on top of me.

I flinched as the needle was stuck inside my arm and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

“It will take about a couple of minutes, Elena. We don’t need that much. Just enough.”

I nodded and give him a small smile and rested my head on the back of the chair.

Blake rested his chin on his hand. His face was inches from mine.

“To think, we finally have something in common.”

“We do?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “Well sort of. They don’t want yours for deadly potions or ones that can fake a death, but yours is a life saver.”

I laughed and sighed.

“That is not nearly enough things we have in common.”

“Opposites attract. Just think how boring it would’ve been if we were alike.”

I couldn’t help but to smile. “Is this your way of trying to keep me distracted?”

“Is it working?”

“A little.” I scrunched up my nose.

“Then good.”

I smiled.

“So I was thinking.”

“About what now?”

He chuckled. “About maybe we should try to get away, just for two days, preferably those two days before all this rescuing and war craft crap.”

“Sounds like a brilliant idea.”

“I would love to spend some time with you, and our friends. Just us.”

I had to admit, the friends part was a bit of a disappointment but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted them there too. It could be the last time we would ever be together. “Yes, it sounds like the best plan you’ve had all week.”

He laughed.

“Do you have any place in mind?”

“I do. There is a beautiful lake cottage not far from here. I can finally take you on a very long overdue bike ride.”

“Me on a bike?”

“You will be safe. I will never let anything happen to you.”

“Fine,” I said. “A long overdue bike ride it is. Are the shifters going to be there too?”

“Oh, a getaway isn’t a getaway without the shifters, but I promise they will be on their best behavior.”

The door opened again and the scientist walked back in.

“That will be enough, thank you, Princess.”

He gently pulled out the needle and dabbed it with a piece of cotton wool.

“Give it here,” Blake said and took my arm. He healed my puncture wound while the scientist just stared at us.

“Handy to have someone like that,” he said. “Us normal folks can only rely on them when we are extremely sick.”

We both laughed.

“Yes, he is extremely handy,” I joked back.

“Thank you again, Princess.”

“You are welcome.”

“Blake,” he said and turned around, walking to the door.

“Oh, don’t go too far, the packages will be ready to be placed real soon. We are going to need your help again.”

“You know where to find me.”

He disappeared and I sighed.

“Sometimes I doubt if we are ever going to be able to just get away.”

“Oh, I am going to demand that,” Blake reassured me. “That is a promise.”

“You’re started to sound like George now with his oaths.”

“Ha-ha,” he said and grabbed my shirt, pulling me closer to his chest.

He kissed me softly. It was a beautiful kiss. I didn’t wanted to end, but like always there was another matter that needed our attention and our special moment was cut short again.

The door opened after a knock and Blake’s grunt, which made me laugh again.

Another face I hadn’t seen in a while entered.

“Ralph,” Blake got up. “What are you doing here?”

They shook hands and Ralph looked at me. “Orders from the Princess,” he said and I saw the packages in his hands.

“It’s ready.”

“Yes,” he smiled. “I hope you will be happy with them.”

“Thank you, Ralph,” I said.

“Just go with it. I know you liked the black, but she didn’t.” He shook his head at Blake and said goodbye.

I put the box on the chair. “Okay, let’s see it,” Blake said, he knew about me changing the suits color.

I opened the lid.

The suit was pure white. “Don’t say it. To me it matters.”

“If it’s white you want, and white that will make you feel more confident, then I will wear whatever the hell you want me to.”

“Thank you,” I said and he grabbed his suit.

It was a real special operation kind of look and the material felt like a wet kind of leather. It was cold and white. Blake wouldn’t be the dark crow he was in my visions anymore. This could be the different outcome Emanual had been referring too. Changing things in the vision to make it different. Throw Destiny off, cheating Death just once more.

I felt his lips kissing my temple.

“We will make it, Elena. I can feel it. I don’t want to die, and you won’t either.”

“That sounds better than that stupid promise.”

He laughed.

“My promises aren’t stupid. I mean every single one of them.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and just hugged me tight.

I never wanted him to let go.

THE NEXT FEW days we were on planting bomb duty. The packages arrived the next day after the scientist came to draw my blood. At first it didn’t look anything like a bomb. The red formula was carried in small round orbs, and there was a very small square block attached to it. It sort of reminded me of a futuristic Christmas ornament.

“This is the bomb. It will be operated from the lab. At oh-one hundred hours it will start counting down, leaving you with one hour to get as far away from the Creepers as possible. At oh-one hundred and fifteen hours the red light will beep twice and one by one they will explode, releasing the formula with Elena’s blood and the shifters and others will be able to get through, bringing an end to everything.”

It sounded so easy.

“So you are sure that it’s safe?”

“Yes.”

“How do we attach these to the roots?”

“With this,” he opens a box with a million clamps inside. He took out one and the orb automatically connected, like a magnet, to the clasp. The entire thing looked like a spider with plenty of legs. “They will feel something, Blake. They have nerve sensors that will feel the prick which will release a numbing drug and then they will go back to sleep.”

He showed us that we should just press lightly into a root and the clasp mechanism would do the rest, worming itself into the root deeper.

They were definitely going to feel it.

Once they detonated the bombs, which would be controlled from the lab, the bombs will explode and it would release the formula on the Creepers’ roots. They will die.

The rest of the army, with the shifters, will then be able to get into Etan, and there was no way Goran and his Wyverns will stand a chance. Not against all of these men and brave creatures.

“Just do me a favor please,” the scientist asked.

“Shoot.”

“I’ve heard rumors that in the core that pink and purple flowers grow there, you think you can get me as much as you can?”

Blake nodded without asking any questions.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” Blake held out his hand and the scientist shook it.

It was the last time we saw him.

Today was the day. Blake entered with me with the bag of small bombs we had to attach.