Page 32

Thirty-Two

ELSPETH

I walked through the winding road of Thistlegrove. Businesses lined either side of the dirt road, all of them with moss-covered roofs that added a whimsical element to the town that I didn’t often see in places we visited. There was something so charming about Thistlegrove.

The sun shone bright today, and there was no breeze, so even though it was chilly, I didn’t need a shawl like normal. I lifted my face, letting the sun warm it as I mulled over Helena’s words yesterday.

What she’d said about Draven was terrible. I couldn’t imagine not doing what was best for my sisters, no matter the cost. Everything I did was with my sisters and mama in mind. Maybe Draven was every bit that arrogant, horrible man I’d originally thought him to be. It didn’t matter that he had given me the most intense orgasm of my life. It didn’t matter that when I was with him, the entire world, my problems, my secrets, drifted away. It didn’t matter that some small part of me wanted to trust him, thought that I could trust him. If what Helena said was true—and I had no reason to believe it wasn’t—then I couldn’t see him again. I couldn’t let myself get lost in him like I had before.

I passed a shop with all sorts of mystical creatures inside. I’d heard of this place. Arcane Creatures Emporium. An older gentleman stood inside as birds with horns on their heads landed on his outstretched arms. My gaze drifted to the top of the tall shelves, where three miniature dragons rested. They looked a lot like Edgar, and I wondered if those were his siblings who hadn’t been adopted yet.

My sisters would love a pet dragon. I could just imagine adopting one, the tiny creature flitting around our cottage.

I paused. Except it wasn’t our cottage. And this wasn’t our home. It was a temporary place for us to reside. I shook my head and turned, continuing my way down the road until I came to a bridge that led across the rushing Lor River.

Adelaide had a new recipe idea she wanted to try out, and she’d asked me to visit Greta’s Greenhouse on the other side of town to get some new seeds. Thanks to Mama’s spells and Adelaide’s tending, the garden in our backyard was flourishing.

I walked across the bridge where a cottage sat, and I gasped. A greenhouse lay behind it in a sprawling field of golden flowers that glowed like the sun and were almost as tall as me.

I ran my fingers over the soft petals. The translucent greenhouse gave view to hundreds of different types of plants and flowers. Now I knew why Adelaide liked coming here. It was beautiful.

In the distance, I caught a flash of thick black hair as it disappeared into the flowers. I stood on my tiptoes and arched my neck, getting another glimpse of the black hair.

Georgie. It was her; I was sure of it.

I thought about Helena’s words. About Draven’s. He’d told me his sister was rebellious. I wondered if he knew she was out here.

We were at the town limits. The fields spread out and led to hills in the distance and a network of caves that I’d heard townspeople talk about—mainly that the caves were dangerous because of the creatures that dwelled inside and the risk of cave-ins. I shuddered at the thought of being trapped in the dark.

Georgie appeared again, and it became clear that was exactly where she was headed. I sighed. I should stay out of it. I’d just decided I wouldn’t have anything to do with Draven anymore.

But. .. if that were my sister, I’d want someone to keep her safe. I groaned. The seeds could wait .

I crept through the fields and past the greenhouse, following Georgie all the way to the caves. I thought about calling after her but worried she might run or I might spook her. If I cornered her in the cave, hopefully I could talk some sense into her and get her to come back with me.

“What are you doing here?” a voice said from next to me, and I jumped.

My heart hammered in my chest as I looked over at Edgar. He peered at me with those wide orange eyes, his head cocked and scaled ears perked.

“Edgar, you scared me,” I said.

“You scared me!” He pointed a talon at me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m just trying to keep Georgie safe. She shouldn’t be sneaking into these caves.” I tugged at my brown hair. “And isn’t she supposed to be in school right now?”

Edgar sighed. “She doesn’t like school. She’s been skipping classes quite frequently.”

“Does Draven know?” I asked.

Edgar shook his head. “The teachers are all too scared of him to say anything.”

I smiled at that.

“She won’t listen to me, but she at least tolerates my presence ever since I saved her from falling into the river.”

“What?” I yelled, then ducked when Georgie whipped around. I crouched to the ground and whispered, “What?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Edgar said. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her. She likes you, you know.”

I laughed. “Why?”

“Because you get under her brother’s skin.”

That made me laugh again. Of course that was why she liked me. “Well, I’ll do my best.”

Georgie disappeared inside one of the caves, covered by the grassy green of the hills. Big boulders punctuated them, and I imagined one of them rolling down and blocking a cave entrance.

I stood and strode into the cave after Georgie, darkness enveloping me. Ahead, a flickering light blazed to life, and I realized Georgie was holding a torch .

“Are you coming or not?” Georgie called behind her, and I realized she was talking to Edgar.

“I think Edgar is staying out of the caves,” I said.

She whipped around, gaze narrowing in on me. “Did my brother send you after me?”

I raised my hands. “I come in peace. And no. I’m assuming he has no idea you’re here.”

I walked toward her, and thankfully, she didn’t turn and run.

“What are you doing? This is dangerous.”

She rolled her eyes. “You clearly have been talking to Edgar or my brother. They both think everything is too dangerous for me.”

She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout that reminded me so much of Auggie.

“So my brother didn’t send you?” she asked again, and I could’ve sworn I detected a hint of disappointment in her voice. “He’s not with you, is he?” She looked around me, arching her neck.

I studied her, a growing feeling in my gut that I knew what was going on here.

“No,” I said. “Afraid not.”

Her gaze snapped to me, green eyes flashing. “Well, I’m not leaving. You can go back to him and tell on me if you want.”

This was going to be more difficult than I thought. “How about you show me why you’re here instead?”

A sudden smile brightened the young girl’s face. “Follow me.” With that she turned and ventured deeper into the cave.

In the distance, water trickled. I shivered, goosebumps prickling along my skin. Without the warm sun, it was cold. Georgie wore a fur-lined cloak, but I was definitely underdressed for a trip into a cave.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, the winding path rocky and uneven. I stumbled a few times, trying to stay close to Georgie and her light so I didn’t fall and crack my head on one of these rocks.

“My brother used to be more adventurous,” Georgie said suddenly. “I hardly saw him growing up. He was always going out on all these expeditions.”

I thought about Helena’s words, how Georgie had been close with her, how Draven tore them apart because he was jealous. But it didn’t sound like Georgie was upset. It sounded like she admired her brother .

“I always thought he was the bravest person I knew.”

I wondered what Draven did before he owned the tavern. It was clear that he was powerful. Powerful witches tended to work with Witch Superior. But I couldn’t imagine someone leaving a position with Witch Superior. Those were coveted roles that brought about wealth, status, and a good life for a witch.

“So what changed?” I asked, sensing Georgie needed to talk about this. Now wasn’t the time to pepper her with questions about her brother. Besides, it felt a little bit like a betrayal to Draven to use his sister to dig for information about him.

“I still think he’s the bravest person I know,” Georgie said, this time her voice sad. “But he hates me, so the feeling isn’t mutual.”

Before I could tell her that her brother didn’t hate her, we came upon four eggs, all of them as big as my torso. Blue spots dotted the eggs, and I gasped.

“Georgie, are those . . .”

“Dragon eggs,” she said, excited.

I stilled. “We’re in a dragon’s lair?”

“Isn’t it so cool?”

I gripped her arm. “Georgie, we have to leave.”

“Relax.” She set down her torch. “The mother is out foraging for food. It’s safe.”

Georgie’s definition of safe and my definition of safe differed greatly.

“So what are we doing here, exactly?”

Georgie flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. “We’re casting a spell.”

“But witches under the age of eighteen aren’t allowed to cast spells without adult supervision.”

“Good thing you’re an adult.” She sent me a smile that was full of mischief.

I groaned, knowing I couldn’t reveal that I was an adult witch who couldn’t practice magic. Whose magic didn’t work.

“Georgie . . .” I started.

“I learned this spell from Draven.” She crouched down. “Well, he doesn’t know I learned it from him. It’s from one of his spell books. A protection spell. ”

Clearly there would be no talking Georgie off this path. Resigned, I crouched next to her. “Why do the eggs need a protection spell?”

Georgie nodded her head back toward the entrance of the cave, no longer visible with how deep we’d ventured. “Did you know Edgar and his siblings were taken from their nest when they were still in their eggs? A witch just stumbled upon them and decided to kidnap them.”

I hadn’t known that, hadn’t even thought about it. How awful.

“The witch spelled the dragons to be able to talk, then realized she didn’t want them anymore. So she surrendered them to Arcane Creatures Emporium, where they’ve spent their entire lives. Mr. Thorne does his best to return creatures to the wild, but some of them can’t go back.”

“Like talking dragons,” I guessed, my heart breaking.

“Exactly,” Georgie said, holding out her hands. “So I’m going to cast a protection spell to keep these eggs safe from poachers looking to steal one and make money off it. Anyone who comes near these eggs will suddenly develop a mysterious rash that will only go away once they leave the cave.”

I laughed. That was clever.

Georgie didn’t have a wand. She must’ve inherited the same great powers as her brother, able to cast a spell without any kind of conduit.

She closed her eyes and murmured the words. A golden glow erupted from her hands, forming a net that rested over the eggs.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the golden net dissipated, the spell now cast.

A low growl rumbled through the cave, and we both stilled.

“So the mother might be back sooner than I expected,” Georgie whispered.

I picked up the torch with a trembling hand, the firelight revealing the head of a dragon that was three times the size of my body, her nose right next to Georgie and me, her lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth as big as my arm.

“Get behind me,” I said, and Georgie didn’t argue, scrambling behind me. “Let’s stand slowly and back away.”

My heart pounded so loud I was sure the dragon could hear it.

“Wait,” a voice yelled, and Edgar raced past us, putting his body between us and the dragon .

The dragon paused, cocking her head like she wasn’t sure what she was seeing.

“It’s okay,” Edgar said. He pointed a talon at the eggs. “They were just here to help. To protect your eggs.”

The dragon didn’t move, her teeth still bared. She stared at Edgar for a long minute before kneeling down and bowing her head.

I sagged in relief, and Georgie let out a whimper.

Edgar turned. “Go. Now. She’s letting us leave.”

With that, we turned and fled, not daring to look back.