6. A Dragon’s Foreshadowing

6

A DRAGON’S FORESHADOWING

(ROWENA)

“ I found the solution to Riven’s curse the following morning. Since he left the night before, I hadn’t slept a wink or eaten anything.

I had seen the pain in his eyes as he walked out, and I knew I had to do something. Discovering he was a granite stone was easy; the harder task was finding a spell to break the curse.

I searched through over a hundred books in my little library before coming across one titled The Fae, The Moon, and The Witch. To think—I had almost skipped it, assuming it held nothing of value.

On the thirtieth page, I uncovered an ancient text written in old fae:”

‘To those bound by the granite curse, heed this path: Journey to Solavien, the realm of memory, where an ancient key awaits. This key, forged to break the curse, must be placed upon the sacred altar of the fae during the lunar eclipse, when the moon veils the sun. Only those with pure hearts may claim it, for the guardians of Solavien shall test all who seek its power. Proceed with courage, for the way is perilous.’”

I read this repeatedly before squealing excitedly and jumping to my feet. Finally! An answer. Although this isn’t an easy answer, it is better than no answer at all.

Solavien is the city of the elves and is one of the most dangerous places for a witch or fae. Yet, we must go there to retrieve this key and then return to the fae kingdom to put it on the sacred altar. All this must be done before the lunar eclipse in less than two weeks.

As I think about this, I lower myself back onto my chair and wonder if this is an achievable feat. To get to Solavien, we have to pass through the dragon kingdom, the vampire cave, and probably the magical forest, depending on what route we take. If we do this, it will be an extremely dangerous journey, one that may cost us our lives.

A cold shiver runs through me. Is this worth it for me? I understand that Riven is desperate to free himself of the curse, but what’s in it for me? Why do I have to risk my life for a Fae prince whose greatest enemy is a witch?

As my mind churns with doubt, a sudden knock interrupts my thoughts. I frown, snapping my head towards the door. It’s too early for Riven to be here, and he’s the only one who ever visits. I rise slowly, but when the person outside calls my name, I breathe a sigh of relief as I hurry to the door.

“Rowena?”

It’s Riven.

I pull the door open, confused to see him standing outside there. “Riven? Are you alright?”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.” I step away from the door, allowing him entry. There’s usually an air of sadness around him, but it’s more oppressive this time. “Riven, did something happen at home?”

“Nothing that has never happened before,” he smiles. “My father thinks I’m a disgrace. He thinks I’m not worthy to be his son.”

“He’s not worthy to be a father,” I snap. “A real father wouldn’t say that. I wish I could see him right now; I’d punish him for what he said.”

Riven blinks at me, then bursts into laughter. “Rowena, I’m sorry, but my father is really strong.”

“I don’t care,” I frown. “I can take him. You have no idea the powers I possess.”

He stares at me with amused eyes. “Thank you, Rowena,” he says serenely. “I know I’m early, but I needed to leave home, and there was nowhere else I’d rather go.”

He’s staring at me in a way that makes my stomach coil with emotion. I want to hold him, and the urge is so strong, I take several steps back before I do something stupid.

“I found something,” I tell him, reaching for the book.

“What?” There’s a small flicker of hope in his eyes.

“A remedy.”

His eyes flare. “What? What is it, Rowena? Tell me.”

“It’s hard, almost impossible. But?—”

“Just tell me!” He stresses. “I’ll do anything.”

“Here.” I stretch the book to him. “Read the text yourself.”

As he takes the book from me and scans the page, his eyes narrow with concentration.

“Solavien?” he echoes. “Isn’t that the city of elves?”

“It is.”

“Oh.” He runs a hand down his face. “It’s saying we must go there and get a key?”

“Yes. The elves have a spiritual realm they call the realm of memory; that’s where the key is. We are to retrieve the key and use it in the sacred altar of the fae.”

“I know where that is.”

“That’s the least of our worries, Riven.” I shake my head. “To get to Solavien, we must cross the dragon kingdom, the vampire cave, and the magical forest.”

“Go on.”

“I’m sure you know the elves are wary of witches and faes, so when we get to Solavien, it might be a problem. Plus, the realm of memory is guarded by the ancestral spirits of the elves.”

“It’s impossible.” He shakes his head, his eyes losing their light. “We will never be able to get through to Solavien.”

I had initially shared the same thoughts, but seeing Riven’s sadness, I’m suddenly convinced we are meant to do this. There’s something about the sadness in his eyes that I can’t stand. I’m a witch from the Nightshade family, the strongest in the witch coven. Riven is a fae Prince. With our powers combined, we should be able to get the key.

“Riven.” Even though I still have doubts, I put up a confident front. “It’s not impossible.”

He looks up. “What?”

“It’s difficult but not impossible. We can do this.”

His mouth falls open. “Rowena, this is more than a magic spell, you know? This is life and death.”

“There’s something else I haven’t told you, and it’s that we have to get this key and perform the ritual on a lunar eclipse. The next lunar eclipse is in ten days, after which we don’t get another one until six months. If you don’t want to wait six months, we’d better leave now.”

“Now?!” He shrieks.

“Yes.” I walk towards the shelf and grab a pouch that I begin to stuff with important items we’d need on our journey. I can’t believe I’m doing this, and from how he’s staring at me, Riven doesn’t believe it either.

“It'll take us at least four days to reach Solavien. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to return before the lunar eclipse.”

“You’re right.” He walks towards me. “What do I need?”

“Just your sword.” I glance at him. “I have everything else I need right here.”

Riven lifts his cloak, showing me the beautiful fae blade strapped to his waist.

“You always have that whenever you’re here?”

“I have it everywhere I go,” he answers.

”Okay. We need weapons, food, protection amulets, water, healing options, and some basic herbs.”

“What about a map?” He asks.

“I have an amulet that I can configure to lead us straight to Solavien, following only the safest route. It’s one of the artifacts my mom left to me.”

We stare at each other as if realizing the gravity of the situation. “Rowena, why are you doing this?” He asks. “You don’t have to.”

“We’re friends,” I answer. “And it’ll be fun. We’ll be doing it together.”

“We could lose our lives.”

“Not with that sword strapped to your waist.” I push past him. “You should return to the palace to let your parents know you’ll be away for a few days.”

“They don’t need to know,” he answers. “If you’re ready, I am.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

For the next few hours, Riven and I plan our route, marking the safest paths to Solavien while avoiding areas known for magical creatures or congested with rival factions. By late afternoon, we set out into the forest, starting our dangerous quest.

Riven leads the way, his stride confident and precise, arms folded behind him. He’s carrying the heaviest satchel that contains most of their food supplies and water flasks, but he walks lightly like it's no weight at all.

I’m content to follow his lead, and occasionally, I’ll adjust the straps of my smaller satchel around my shoulder, but I don’t complain. Around us, the forest is calm and serene, a contrast to the nature of our quest.

We stay in comfortable silence for the first hour until Riven glances over his shoulders to look at me.

“Are you good back there?”

“Yeah.”

He chuckles and waits for me to catch up with him before reaching for the satchel strapped to my shoulder. “Let me have this.”

“No.” I hold on to it. “You already have the biggest one.”

“I don’t even feel its weight.” He slides the satchel off me. “Just worry about walking.”

“Thank you.” I flex my shoulder, feeling relieved now that the weight is gone. “Have you done a thing like this before?” I walk beside him.

“Fighting curses? No.” He shakes his head. “But if you mean fending off attackers? Yes. Plenty of times.”

“But I bet you’ve never had a powerful witch by your side helping you out.” I nudge him.

“Well, I’ve never had a witch by my side in anything,” he laughs. “As a fae, it’s not usually the norm.”

I chuckle, too, agreeing with him. “We're an unusual pair, aren’t we?”

Riven brushes a stray branch out of our path. “You’re very brave, I’ll give you that,” he says. “Everyone who has ever seen me turn into stone is terrified of me -- even my parents -- but here you are.”

He shakes his head. “Especially on this quest, knowing that every night, you’ll be alone because I will turn to stone… it’s the bravest act I’ve seen anyone do. I’m happy to be your friend, Rowena.”

I don’t respond because I’m unsure what to say. His compliment makes me feel good, but it’s not a feeling I want to hold on to. I constantly have to remind myself that Riven is a fae Prince, and this quest is not an excuse to get close to him.

As the day wears on, the forest starts to shift. Not the topography but the air. It feels like we’ve ventured into a different realm. The serenity is gone, and I can’t hear the chirping of insects or the soft rustling of animals, only an oppressive and eerie silence. Riven notices it a little later, and he stops, reaching out to yank me towards him.

“Can you feel that?” He asks, his gaze darting around the forest. I’m on edge and calmly reach into the small pouch for a protection amulet. It’s been such an uneventful journey that I almost forgot we were in dangerous territories. I’m aware of Riven’s arm around my waist, and his protective stance.

Soon, a thick fog of smoke fills the air, clouding our noses.

“Can you smell that?” Riven whispers in my ear. “Dragon.”

As the words leave his mouth, a massive shadow flies overhead, blocking the dimming evening light illuminating our path. The ground trembles beneath our feet, and we glance up to see a dragon flying overhead, a lone figure perched on it, too high for me to make out their face. The dragon is ginormous, its wingspan extending as far as my eyes can see.

Slowly, it descends, and I rub the amulet in my hand, activating it. Riven pushes me behind him and unsheathes his sword as the dragon lands with a heavy crash, its talons digging into the earth.

I gasp at its magnificence —its body shimmering with iridescent scales, glowing amber eyes, and nose emitting smoke ringlets that smear the air.

A man slides down the dragon’s back, and my eyes widen at his majestic humanoid form. He’s tall, with molten gold scales covering his skin and black serpentine eyes.

“Hello, travelers.” His voice is like a thousand echoes, causing goosebumps over my skin.

Riven points his sword toward him. “Who are you?”

The man smiles. “I could ask you the same, but I already know the answer,” he says, not attempting to approach us. “Prince Riven of the fae.” His gaze lingers on Riven for a second before turning to me. “And you’re the Nightshade outcast.”

I feel a little hurt by his address, but he’s not wrong.

“How do you know who we are?” Riven asks.

“You are now in the Draconic forest,” he says. “Which I guard. The forest spoke to me like a friend and told me you would come.”

Riven and I exchange glances.

“You know who we are,” Riven says. “But who are you?”

“I am Draco,” he says. “The Dragon Prince. Son of Zahira.”

Then, he takes a step forward. “You should not be in our territory,” he says. “But I’ll let you go because I can see you’re on a far more important journey, and this is only the beginning.”

He climbs back onto the dragon. “The curse you seek to break is deeper than you think. If you successfully break it, it will unravel truths that will shake you. Finding the key is only the beginning.”

Before we can ask questions, the dragon lifts into the air, letting out a rumble that shakes the foundation beneath our feet.

“Prince Riven, the stone Prince,” Draco says on a departing note. “As a gesture of friendship, I’ll give you a place to stay the night. The Draconic forest is terrifying at night, and turning into stone leaves you and the witch unprotected.”

“Thank you.” Riven nods. “I will not forget this kindness.”

Draco tilts his head. “Head south from here; you’ll find a fork in the road. Take the left turn; you’ll find a cove. It’s the safest point in the forest. No one will bother you there. Good luck.”

With a great flap of its wings, the dragon lifts into the darkening sky and disappears.

As soon as he’s gone, Riven takes the path leading south. We don’t speak to each other until we reach the cove. As the sky turns completely black, we step inside the cove to lay our heads down for the night. Despite the numerous protection amulets in my possession, I feel safer here.

“Are you good?” Riven asks. “Would you like to eat something?”

“No.”

“Okay. Let’s try to get some rest. According to our map, tomorrow, we will walk into vampire territory. We need to be very alert.”