Chapter 58
Tuesday 22nd September, 2020 (Continued)
Harper’s POV
I had to find Star. I needed some twin time. I didn’t want to admit it but I was apprehensive about taming a wild dragon. I wondered what sort of dragons I would find in the wilderness of the Ice Moon Pack lands. Would they all be Ice Dragons? Would they be hostile?
Star! I need to talk to you! I said, mind-linking her rather than searching all over the castle.
Harper! What’s wrong?! Asked Star, immediately worried because of the anxious tone of my voice.
I found out from our dear great-grandmother what my task is to be! I said.
What is it?! Asked Star immediately.
I sighed to myself.
Similar to yours. I have to tame a dragon…but I have to tame a wild one, I said.
Star was silent.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
Any pointers? I asked, laughing halfheartedly.
Don’t be afraid! Dragon taming will come naturally to you. If I can do it, surely you can. We’re twins. Our mother, Hesper, did the same. I know you have it in you and the Queen must hold you in high regard to give you such a task! Said Star, trying to placate me.
Either that or she hopes I’ll get barbecued or in this case I might freeze to death, I muttered.
You’re an Alpha and a Fae! You will be fine! Trust me! Star said.
So when do you have to complete the task? Asked Star anxiously.
I could tell she had something to tell me also but was holding back for some reason.
Literally now! I said.
Star gasped over mind-link.
She ended up meeting me in the courtyard. Our father and Asriel met us there too along with the Queen herself, three of her ladies-in-waiting and six of her royal guards. Two large carriages drawn by snow-white hoses pulled up.
“Where are the Quads?” I asked out of curiosity.
I didn’t necessarily want them here except possibly Eli. I also wasn’t looking forward to Jonah revealing to Star that I’d spilled the beans about the will and Angie’s Mom thieving Star’s inheritance. It had not been my secret to tell but I was so tired of how smug and brazen Jonah was. He was always flaunting Angie. I was not sure why he thought it acceptable to behave in such a manner when he had a mate or why Star actually put up with it.
“They’re…trying to contact their Dad, Alpha Quaid,” said Star.
Again I got the feeling she was withholding or omitting some information.
“I know there’s something strange going on, Star!” I told her. “But I guess we’ll talk about it later.”
Star laughed nervously.
We all got into the two carriages and the horses sprinted off. They were incredibly fast, easily manoeuvring about this difficult icy terrain. They seemed to like the cold.
“Where exactly are we going?” Asked Star.
We were in a carriage with our father, Asriel, Asriel’s earrings and two of the six guards.
“The watering hole,” said Dad.
“What’s that?” Asked Star.
“A hole in the ice on the surface of a nearby river through which wild animals especially dragons drink their water,” explained Dad.
I looked out the carriage window, the chilling wind hitting my face. I gasped when I saw them. There were possibly a dozen or so dragons congregated around the watering hole. Currently, a few were drinking water. Others were lying in the snow nearby. They were all different colours. The carriage stoped. As I got out of it, I marvelled at the various scales of the dragons. There was a coal black dragon with spikes along the ridge of its spine descending all the way from his snout tail. There was a silver dragon whose scales gleamed in the dim daylight and a brilliantly blue dragon with scales so vivid he stood out even from yards and yards away. There was a bright red dragon with astonishingly green eyes. He seemed quite aggressive, snarling for no particular reason. The other dragons had scales of jade green, white, greyish purple, moss green and that pale icy translucent blue that Haven had.
We walked over to them cautiously. The Queen looked at me expectantly through the window of her carriage, She and her ladies-in-waiting remained in the carriage. Her guards stood around it.
“Proceed,” said the Queen.
Don’t overthink your choice! Go with the dragon who seems…the most familiar of them, said Star in my mind.
I nodded to show her I understood. Dad seemed not the least bit anxious. He had so confidence in us, unless it was simply that he didn’t care about us at all. I doubted the latter. He seemed to care. Asriel did not look nervous for me either. He grinned and gave me a thumbs up.
“Go Prince Harper!” Squealed Erin excitedly.
“Try not to mess this up!” Said a disgruntled Rein.
I took a deep breath and walked towards the group of dragons. I surveyed their expressions. They eyed me with curiosity. There was no hostility towards me except from the openly hostile dragon but he seemed to have a problem with everyone. I noticed a dragon standing the furthest away. I was shocked that I had not realised he was there before. She was so difficult to miss and yet I had almost missed her. She was easily the largest dragon there, possibly Haven’s size. She had scales of dazzling gold. I knew instantly that the dragon was female but I was not sure why or how I knew. I almost bumped into the red dragon as I was walking slowly towards the golden dragon, mesmerised by her glistening scales. The red dragon roared at me for infringing upon its space.
“What have I told you about social distancing?!” Berated Rein. “These children don’t listen,” he muttered indignantly.
I still had no idea what Rein was talking about and I was much too focused on the angry red dragon before me to pay Rein any mind. The red dragon stood, reaching its full height, towering over me. He grunted and steam came out of his nostrils. This dragon breathed fire not ice. He opened his massive jaws and rained his fiery wrath down upon me!
Jessie’s POV
Jamie asked Fox to accompany us to the zenith of Mount Viper. I could tell she was a basket of nerves and would need some magical backup so I was glad Fox was coming with us.
“How’ve you been?” Asked Fox.
“I’ve been ok,” I said, shrugging.
Fox regarded me with pity in his eyes. I hated to be pitied. I was an alpha. I was not a victim.
“Let me get Jamie so we can go,” I mumbled more to myself than to Fox.
He nodded, still regarding me with that sympathetic look.
I grumbled to myself as I bounded up the stairs. Our twins were with all four of their grandparents. Jamie and I had decided not to tell my parents about the witch’s mark. We were still contemplating whether or not we should tell Jamie’s parents and her Grandmother Clementine in case there was some witchy guidance they could give us.
“Jamie,” I said softly, entering our bedroom.
She was sitting on the bed in the dark with the curtains drawn. They were blackout curtains thus the room was as dark as if it were nighttime. I was shocked to find Jamie still in her nightgown.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed. “Are you not feeling well?
Did she not want to go anymore? I supposed we could leave Alpha Quaid to unearth the body of Alpha Alto and just meet him and the Quads afterwards to finish this once and for all. I had the utmost confidence and faith in my little witch. I knew she would be able to fix this mess even if she was taking the news of my witch’s mark particularly hard.
“Jamie,” I murmured.
She was facing away from me. I stroked her long dark curls.
“Everything will be ok, my little witch. I’m here. I’m yours. I’m not going anywhere. You know that, don’t you?” I whispered.
“I know that,” said a voice that did not belong to Jamie.
My b***d ran cold and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My breath caught in my throat. The girl sitting on the bed slowly turned towards me. Sheer terror gripped me. Georgianna was sitting there, staring at me with her haunted eyes.