Page 45 of The Healing Dragon
I can see the wheels turning in his head. He is already laying out the field and working through the possibilities. The situation is playing as a game of chess in his mind. Although pieces are not always predictable, he can map out the next moves, ready for anything.
“To uncap their magic,” I say and pause before adding, “I am not sure if he truly thinks he can do it or if he is trying to use them to his benefit. He wants them to fight us as his personal army.”
How and if that is even a possibility is something I don’t think anyone in his room knows. I heard the uncertainty in Lord Duelo’s own voice. When he spoke I didn't hear a clear ringing in my ears but I heard something. There was definitely doubt. He wishes to believe what he says, that is for certain.
“Is that true?” Roman looks between Brandon and I. “Does the book cap their magic as well as ours?”
“I don’t know if it even does it for us. They have been trying with Matias,” I say.
“They attempted to uncap his magic?” Brandon freezes in place and looks at me for confirmation. At a nod of my head, his eyes move back to the garden. “Is he?”
I first shake my head but since Brandon isn’t looking in my directions, I follow it with, “No. I don’t think his magic was uncapped, but the book did something to him.”
“What did it do?” Roman asks.
“Matias can awaken the dead, and control them. They don’t lose their magic. He essentially has access to a dead army,” I tell them recalling our exit from the hideout.
“I need to sit down,” Roman says and takes the first chair he finds.
“You watched him do this?” Brandon asks. He is leaning against his desk, and I wonder if he also needs something to lean on. “With your own eyes?”
“He is the reason we are here. Janelle and I were completely outnumbered. Almost without meaning to, he raised dead soldiers and had them fight their own friends for us.”
“He is new to this magic?” My oldest brother asks.
“That’s what it looked like,” I confirm.
“I am not sure if this is good news or bad,” Brandon says.
Brandon’s eyes move to the window and, not finding Bianca on the garden bench, searches for her. A knock at the front door has us all turning towards the sound. After a second, the door opens and Bianca walks inside. The utter relief clear in my brother doesn’t go unnoticed by Roman and me.
Bianca makes a beeline for me. Her arms wrap around me tightly. I have never noticed how thin her arms have gotten. This only makes me realize she has lost a lot of weight in thepast few months. While I was inside my head dealing with my demons, my friend was struggling with her own worries.
“Thank you for bringing him back to me.” Her words are tired yet eternally grateful.
The tears in the rim of her eyes carry the appreciation I truly don’t deserve. After all, I was more than ready to leave him behind.
“Did he tell you what the book did for him?” Brandon asks, breaking the moment between us.
“No, we spoke of other stuff.” She wipes her face and tries to collect herself.
“What else could have possibly been more important than knowing what they actually accomplish?”
“Brandon!” Bianca barks with a lot more energy than she seemed to have a second ago. “He didn’t want to talk about it. It’s too soon. He needs a day. Can you give him at least that much?”
“Do we have it?” he asks her. “Because Jesse witnessed Lord Duelo gain allies in the forest to come and fight the castle again. So far, all we know is that he can rise and control the dead. That is no simple power to control and manipulate. If the book gave him that much, it must have told him how and where to use it.”
“He can do what?” her eyes widened trying to compute what Brandon just said.
“He didn’t tell you anything.” Brandon shakes his head.
“I haven’t seen him in forever. He asked for space to talk about what happened later on. I agreed. We mostly caught up on what he had missed and the attack on the castle.”
“Interesting.” Roman stands up. “I’m going to make sure Isabel is back to our quarters.”
I look at my older brother with surprise. “You two moved in together?” I ask.
Have I been gone for that long? The last time I was here, he was still convincing her to take baby steps. Her attention has been divided on taking on new tasks around the castle. It didn’t seem like he would get his way anytime soon.
