Page 5 of Hex and the Dragon
"You pull us out," Ivy agreed, though she noticed how difficult it was to focus on Nico's words when the Chronicle was offering her whispered promises of ancient secrets and forbidden knowledge.
The ice-cold presence inside her pulsed with satisfaction, and she realized that the fragment was happy with their decision to work together. It wanted them to study it, wanted them to delve deeper into its nature and its capabilities.
Which meant that research might be exactly the wrong approach.
"The entity crisis," Dorian said suddenly. "It left people vulnerable, didn't it? Made them more susceptible to supernatural influence."
"Trauma does that," Leo confirmed. "Breaks down psychological barriers, makes people desperate for anything that promises relief from pain."
"Perfect recruitment conditions for something offering beautiful dreams," Aerin added with growing alarm. "How many people in town are already being influenced?"
The Chronicle's pages turned, revealing a list of names that made Ivy's blood run cold. Half the residents of Mistwhisper Falls were listed, along with detailed notes about their vulnerabilities and the specific dreams the fragment was using to seduce them.
"It's not just studying us," she said quietly. "It's studying everyone. Learning what they want, what they fear, what they'd sacrifice to have their perfect world."
"And we're the keys to giving it to them," Dorian said grimly. "Once it figures out how to use our abilities..."
"It won't need to convince people to choose the beautiful lie," Ivy finished. "It can just rewrite reality so the lie becomes truth."
The Chronicle's final entry appeared at the bottom of the page, written in script that seemed to burn with cold fire:
The lesson begins tomorrow. Class is now in session.
As the words faded, Ivy felt the fragment's presence settle more deeply into her mind, no longer a foreign intrusion but something that felt almost like a second self. Beside her, Dorian's hands had clenched into fists, and she could see the struggle in his amber eyes as he fought against whatever the Chronicle was offering him.
They were bound now, partners in a dance with something that wanted to remake the world in its own image. And despite every rational thought screaming that they were walking into a trap, neither of them could deny the growing pull of the fragment's whispered promises.
The real question was could they resist long enough to find a way to destroy it, or whether they'd become willing participants in the Chronicle's grand design for perfection.
Time, it seemed, would tell.
THREE
IVY
Dawn broke gray and muted over Mistwhisper Falls, filtered through a layer of fog that seemed thicker than usual. Ivy arrived at the library before sunrise, her breath visible in the crisp air as she unlocked the front door with hands that trembled only slightly. She'd barely slept, her dreams filled with whispered promises and glimpses of vast libraries that contained every secret the world had ever hidden.
The Chronicle waited for her on her desk exactly where they'd left it, its scaled cover gleaming with inner light despite the early hour. Ivy approached it cautiously, noting how the presence grew stronger with proximity. The fragment was patient, she realized. It didn't need to rush or pressure. Time was on its side.
"You're early." Dorian's voice came from the archive room doorway, rough with exhaustion but alert. He looked like he'd slept about as well as she had, his dark hair disheveled and shadows under his amber eyes. But he was here, which meant the pull of their bond was strong enough to override any desire he might have had to stay away.
"Couldn't sleep," Ivy admitted, settling into her desk chair and pulling on her protective gloves. "The whispers were too loud."
"Same." Dorian moved into the room with that predatory grace she was beginning to recognize, claiming the chair beside her desk. "What did it show you?"
"Knowledge," she said simply. "Every answer I've ever wanted, every mystery solved. What about you?"
His jaw tightened. "Control. Perfect mastery over my dragon, the ability to protect without destroying." He gestured toward the Chronicle. "I'm betting those visions weren't random."
"Nothing about this is random," Ivy agreed, opening the Chronicle to its first page. The parchment was no longer blank—text had appeared overnight in flowing script that seemed to shift between languages as she watched. "It's studying us. Learning what motivates us."
The text on the first page was written in what looked like ancient draconic, the symbols flowing across the parchment like living fire. Ivy had studied enough magical languages to recognize the script, but reading it was another matter entirely.
"Can you translate this?" she asked Dorian, angling the book so he could see the page clearly.
His eyes fixated on the text, and she watched understanding dawn across his features. "It's a genealogy," he said slowly. "Dragon bloodlines stretching back thousands of years." He leaned closer, his shoulder brushing against hers as he traced one particular line with his finger. "This one here... Drakmor the Eternal. Guardian of the Western Reaches, Keeper of the Sacred Flames."
"Drakmor," Ivy repeated, making careful notes in her research journal. "The name the Chronicle mentioned yesterday?"
