Page 25 of The Healing Dragon
“The night of the attack, my father had called for a household meeting.”
When I entered the door of his war room, I stopped to see that only his soldiers were present. It had been months that I wasn’t allowed to attend meetings with his soldiers.
“Seeing all his soldiers there should have been the first sign of trouble. But I didn’t leave. I walked in and sat down.” I recall the way their eyes followed me as I crossed the room. He extended his hand in my direction and asked me to join him. “My soul bond Ray was already sitting at the table with my brothers.”
I look down at my hands and see the same tremor that took over them. My body knew what was about to happen before my mind could catch up. At least that’s what I want myself to believe. That I didn’t know the tea pushed into my hand was odd at the first sip. That despite the sour taste overtaking the normally minty flavor, I had no clue. I was tricked.
Coward.
The truth is that I was very much a coward. Now, looking back, it’s a shameful memory. I should’ve spat it out and fought my way out of there. I might not have known what my father was planning, but the second I figured it out, I should have acted. Staying quiet and compliant didn’t make me a victim, but a silent ally.
By the time I stood up for what I knew was right, it was too late. The damage was too great to make up. There’s nothing I can do to make amends.
“I was given a tea that allows my soul bond to take full control of my magic. I became a passenger of my own mind. He accessed my power without my conscious decision to allow it.” A tear runs down my cheek as the image comes back to the front of my mind. “My mind became fuzzy and the events that transpired played out before me as a dream. They didn’t feel real until I came to my senses. But then I hid.” I hiccup and push down a sob. “In a hallway, my dragon rushed a group of people. My eyes focused enough to watch them be consumed to ashes.”
The smell of burned flesh and wood fills my lungs.The taste in the back of my throat is vile. I made the first choice I regret from that night. My first choice was the wrong choice.
“I chose to hide inside my head. I didn’t try to stop him. It wasn’t fear of him, it was fear of facing what I had allowed.”
The thought of how I ever let it go this far echo in my head. I hear them sometimes even while awake. Their running footsteps as they try to outrun the fire. They never get too far before the footsteps cease all together.
“Then I saw Bianca,” I say.
I look at him to see if her name would get a reaction out of him. I might be seeing things, but I think his eyes twitch.
“She was facing off with Ray. The determination and bravery in her eyes caught my attention. She wasn’t ready to die defending the castle. Her eyes told me she was sure she could win.”
The thoughts that follow flash through my mind at lightning speed while Bianca and Ray move in slow motion.
“I was jealous of her bravery and confidence. Then I realized the only difference between us was her determination to come out on top. I just need to take action. So I did. I killed him.”
My second choice that night is not one I regret.
“You killed your soul bond?” a man across the cell asks with a mixture of shock and disgust.
I am completely unfazed by his expression. Some people are attracted to the idea of a soul bond and idolize it. Ignis is the only city that continues the tradition, and many visit the city hoping to find their soul bond. I abruptly ended the precious connection with a blade. According to traditions and legends, what I did shouldn’t be possible. Being able to harm your soul bond goes against our biology, but while holding the blade in my hand, all I could think of was how free I would be.
I had not noticed that the men in the cells had stoppedwhatever they were doing to listen to my story. They are all staring at me from various places on the cell.
“I freed my soul,” I say.
I get a few shakes of the head and some strange looks.
“Take your time Matias,” I say, reaching inside the cells. I place my hand on his, laying under his head. “But come back. You can’t hide forever. We always have to face the events the Fates have planned for us one day or another.”
Iscrub the last of the toilet bowl with soap and flush the bubbles left behind. I’ve been given the responsibility of cleaning all the bathrooms in the common areas today. That is a total of five bathrooms, all on the first floor of the house. Jesse said I should be thankful I’m not tasked with cleaning all the bathrooms inside the bedrooms. I find it hard to be thankful for anything while I’m still stuck here. Since he went off on his own to investigate the whereabouts of the Red Book, I’m left to do the manual labor alone.
I close the bathroom door behind me and head to the next one. A grunt that can only belong to a big man with a thick mustache makes me redirect my steps. I find Oli in the kitchen, under the sink, with a flashlight. He peeks out from under the sink as I enter the room but quickly turns back to his task at seeing me.
Since scrubbing bathroom bowls doesn’t take much mental work, I had plenty of time to think. Especially about the Red Book, and the cursed book.
“I have to ask you a question.” I move closer, but make sure no one is outside first.
The last thing I need is for my father to get word that I’m curious about anything.
“This is not the best time, Jan.” Oli’s words come out with a grunt as he tries to tighten a pipe under the cabinet. He sits up and rubs his wrist.
“Here,” I say, taking his wrist and pushing healing energy into it. “Did it work?”
