“Four Dragons,” I began. “That seemed like the most important message for me to grasp since it repeated over and over in an echo. Even while other messages reached me. Then the voice mentioned a betrayal. ‘Betrayal waits in the shadows’, I think, ‘breaking the heart of all hearts.’”
That made them exchange a loaded glance, though I supposed that was as straightforward as it got.
“Someone close will betray us? Who? And who is the ‘heart of all hearts’?” Kingston asked, seeming deeply troubled.
“Not sure… Evanna?” I offered, hating for that to be my first guess, but they didn’t seem too convinced.
Evanna wasn’t exactly the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. Not that I blamed her after everything she’d been through. So much pain made people build walls that could seem impossible to take down. They became guarded.
“Maybe the ‘heart of all hearts’ doesn’t mean emotion,” Asher added, probably thinking the same thing I had. “Maybe its pointing us to someone who is at the center of everything that has happened.”
Basically, the same.
“The next thing I heard was ‘Let go of the evil inside you to master your power…’”
“There is no evil in you, Braxton,” Kingston declared, leaving no room for discussion. “That must mean something else.” His gaze went to Asher, urging him to confirm his words.
“Of course not!” my new commander assured, like there wasn’t even a doubt in his mind. “I think it could mean something is holding you back. When you described trying to use your magic as a weapon, you said it felt like you were ripping inside. Maybe that something has a hold on your power, and you need to take it back.”
I had to admit that made sense, but what exactly was holding me back?
“We will help you uncover that.”
With the chief’s vow, I nodded.
“The voice did say that only a true Devenish Wizard would defeat Raithian, and that I needed four Dragons.” Pausing, I began to understand. “It’s all connected. My magic is what it all boils down to. My true essence. I won’t do it with a Dragon army alone. I need to find a way to take control of my power and fight him on his own ground, or we will lose this war. I will lose this war.”
Once inside our Hidden Kingdom, we jumped off Crystal’s neck.
Lowering her head, she sought my touch, and I thanked her for helping us. Her eyes glowed gold when our energies briefly connected before she graciously strutted into her cave.
“Are you sure it said you needed four Dragons?” Asher asked as we made our way through the passage towards the castle gates.
“That’s what confuses me. I have Tharion, Venom, and I just got Ardor and Knight back. Plus, now that Star is with Evie, I’m sure she and Luna would fight for us, not to mention, all your Dragons—Spartan, Athina, Spike, Fulgor, and Alkor, and the entire Sky Legion. I can’t entirely discount Vyper and Draco once they finish their hibernation, which Evie said should be soon. So, what did she mean by only four?”
“What if the voice meant four of your rides, not ours,” my commander mused. “You would need to command four on your own to defeat the Warlock King.”
“Perhaps you need to choose the right four,” Kingston proposed, his brow dangerously furrowed as he tried to decipher it all.
For a moment, his words sank into my consciousness. “I suppose that if I had to choose, I would take Tharion, Venom, Knight, and Ardor. Most of them fought with my dad, so they know what to do. Venom has never been in a war, but he’s a protector, and he hates Raithian. I’m sure he’d like a chance to pay him back for what he put him through last time.”
“What about the other two Dragons you called to your father’s side back then?” Asher asked, opening the gate for us to enter the castle.
“Nocte and Storm perished during the Great Battle,” the chief answered for me, an old ache and ire capturing his voice. His hands fisted at his sides, and I had no doubt the memories of those deaths returned to him. “Azazel killed them once Raithian took control of him.”
“They are happy in the Lake of Tranquility,” I offered, hoping to lessen the ache. “I saw Storm the first time I visited my mom.”
The chief’s muscles seemed to relax with my statement. “Did the voice reveal anything else?”
“No,” I lied, because ‘a river of your blood will save us all’ wasn’t that hard to decipher. For Caelisium to finally be free, I had to give my life.
As the truth of that thought settled into my being, I knew it wasn’t even a choice. Defeating the Warlock King came with a steep price, but I was willing to pay it.
Our steps slowed when we reached the courtyard, Evanna sat on a throne over the stone dais, surrounded by our people. Willow remained by her side, the guard flanking them while the market extended behind them. One by one, our men and women went to her, expressing their fears and receiving reassurance from their soon-to-be queen.
It wasn’t lost on me that the reassurance she offered extended from the promise I made to her. I would find a way to protect them all so they could remain in the home they made for themselves, and not have to flee yet again. I needed to fulfill that promise.
Icy vines of determination slithered through my being, their frosty thorns gripping me fiercely. Now that I knew what it would truly take to hand them their freedom, risks no longer seemed like risks. My entire life had led to this moment. It was the only reason I was even born—to become the weapon that would end the Warlock King’s reign of misery.
“I know what I have to do,” I announced, my gaze fixed across the crowd on the woman I loved… The Queen of the People.
“And what is that?” Asher stepped closer, witnessing the coldness growing in my expression.
“I’m going to accept Raithian’s proposal. I’m going to train with him.”
Shock spread over his features while I sent one last sweeping glance at our hidden city and turned on my heels, walking away.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Are you insane?!” Both Kingston and Asher screeched as they rushed after me, climbing the stairs two steps at a time.
Their shock had finally worn off, but my purpose only grew stronger.
“I have never seen anything more clearly,” I answered without looking back, stepping onto the seventh floor to find Imogen and a group of warriors standing behind her, waiting for me.
“Braxton, you could not possibly be serious!” the chief insisted, calling my mentor’s attention as well as the others’.
Quinn, Edward, Charlotte, Louis, Harvey, and Aaron all turned to face us. Imogen had brought them to see me.
Halting my steps, I turned to face him and Asher.
“A true Devenish Wizard, Kingston,” I reminded low enough for the others not to hear. “Not a guy who kind of has powers. Not someone who just started to discover his magic. Only a true Devenish Wizard can defeat Raithian. There is only one way the men in my family became as powerful as the Sky Gods meant them to be. Each king trained their successor… I only have him.”
“You can’t do this, Braxton,” Asher protested.
A heavy sigh sank my chest. “It’s the only way I can, Brother.”