Page 15 of The Healing Dragon (The Red Book #2)

CHAPTER NINE

JANELLE

T he following morning, I woke up earlier than usual. My nightmare was just starting when a hand shook me awake. Jesse didn't say anything and even pretended to sleep as he lay down looking away from me.

Once I am up and ready, I waste no time in looking for Oli.

With renewed energy, I navigate through the house.

Our ancestral home is significantly different from this house.

The Duelo home has been passed down from generation to generation.

Over the years, the structure has seen additions and renovations, but it has always been an impressive building.

I can only imagine my father’s dismay at this home lacking the luxury he has grown accustomed to, regardless of the amount of magic he has put into expanding it.

I find Oli on a ladder changing a light bulb in the middle of my father’s office.

I hate how my father pushes Oli to do things like this. He could easily ask a younger soldier. Ernesto could do it, but he asks Oliver, who is thirty years older. There’s a trail of sweat coming down his forehead, dripping to his chin .

“Isn’t there someone else that can do this?” I ask.

Oli looks down at me and shakes his head.

His focus is on tightening up that light bulb.

Once he’s satisfied with the number of turns, he brings his hands down to the top of the ladder.

He pulls a rag from his back pocket and wipes his face.

A heavy breath huffs out of his chest before he climbs down slowly.

“Oli,” I say, as he reaches the landing. “One day, I will make things right. I will get my magic back and I’ll take you home.”

The smile on his face is sad. “You don’t need to do anything for me.”

“Of course I need to take care of you. I didn’t forget about our deal.”

“What deal?” he asks.

I cannot believe he forgot our deal. Even when I ran away and grabbed onto my freedom, I remembered Oli and our deal every day.

My plan was always to return for him and my mother.

I wanted freedom. I wanted to taste it and know what it felt like, but there was no doubt that running away from who I am was a momentary thing.

There’s no avoiding fate. The Fates have made it known to me.

“I’ll take care of you when you are old like you took care of me when I was little. It was our deal,” I remind him.

He sighs and takes a step closer to me. “Janelle, I only told you that because your little girl's mind couldn’t understand why I was nice to you without reason. Being raised by your father always made you suspicious of people. From a young age, you never believed that anything would come without a cost. The deal was my impromptu solution.”

I don’t let his words choke me up. My heart warms at the explanation. I met Oli very young, and even if I don't recall feeling suspicious of him, I do remember promising one day that I would care for him like he has done for me .

“I’m keeping my promise, Oli,” I say.

He doesn’t argue with me, instead the smile that spreads on his lips is gentle. “That is something to look forward to,” he says.

We hear a group of steps approaching from down the hallway. Oli looks up to the ladder.

“I left my rag on the top.” He points at it. “Can you get it quickly?”

I’m not sure why we’re rushing, but I don’t question him.

I climb up the ladder for the rag. As I reach the top, the footsteps stop at the doorway.

My father and a couple of his new favorite soldiers enter the room.

I look down for Oli, but he is gone. The handle on the bathroom door rotates slowly, alerting me to where he went.

I cleaned that bathroom before, and there was another door that connects it to the hallway.

“There you are,” my father says as he circles the ladder.

I follow him with my eyes while clutching tightly to the wood.

“I wondered how you manage to get so much done in a day.” He watches me closely as I climb down. “I suppose you cannot blame me for wondering. You have never done real work before. Who would’ve thought you have work ethic?”

The irony.

“And you have?” I ask.

The question comes out before I can help it. I don’t flinch away as my father raises his hand on me. He has never hit me before, but the mental torture he has subjected me to is far worse. He stops when someone calls for him.

“Sir,” Oliver calls from the doorway. “Your men are waiting in the dining room for further instructions about tonight.”

“That’s great.” My father turns in his direction. “Would you look at that?” My father points at the changed light bulb. “ Janelle has completed most of her tasks without help once again and it's not even lunch time.”

My father moves quickly to my side and takes my hand in his. “Yet these hands remain unblemished. One would think manual labor leaves its mark.”

It’s only been a few days, but he is already suspicious of me. Then his words dawn on me with the accusation. Everytime I found Oli these past couple of days he had been working hard but also in a rush.

I meet my father’s eyes. “A true Duelo is tougher than that,” I say between clenched teeth.

I might be suicidal. I cannot help but remind my father the royal blood of the family name does not run in his veins. Before he can answer, we hear a loud fight down the hall. A few of the soldiers with him rush out of the room.

“You can’t expect them to stand in one place for too long before fighting like toddlers,” Oli says, shaking his head in disgust.

My father straightens his collar. “This is all we have to work with, I’m afraid.” He moves out of the room quickly after his men.

“You have been completing part of my daily tasks, haven't you?”

The list I was given is already extensive. I can only imagine how many things were in the actual list.

Oli does not deny or confirm my statement. He gives me a gentle smile that is tight at the edges.

“Whatever you are planning, make sure it happens soon. He’s getting dangerously paranoid,” Oli says, then leaves after my father.

I don't say out loud, but my father is paranoid for a good reason. I’m planning his dismay. He’s right to feel danger coming .

There’s a light knock on the door, but no one is standing there. A light touch on my shoulder raises goosebumps up my arm.

“Are you okay?” Jesse asks.

I had no clue he was around, but I’m not surprised. I expected him to find me later in the day or meet me in my room.

“Of course.” I gulp.

I can’t see his face, so I don’t know if he believes me, but after a pause he says, “I will go see what your father tells his men in the meeting. I will meet you later in the room to debrief.”

“That’s fine,” I say and move to fold the ladder. “I want to visit Matias.”

I haven't seen him today, and a part of me wants to confirm with my own eyes that he is still there. Whatever remains of him .

The hallways are quiet with only a handful of guards on duty. The remainder of my father's men are meeting with him, allowing me to make my way down stairs without intrusive eyes.

I notice something is different the moment I reach the bottom of the stairs.

The heaviness in the air is suffocating.

The space isn't filled with the soft murmurs of the prisoners.

Their complete silence scratches at my skin with awareness.

I look around and watch how their gazes are fixed to the opposite side of the cell.

Matias is on the floor. It's not until I take a step closer that I finally see it. His skin is covered in blisters. The burns are running down his arms with a mixture of red and blue marks. There are more wounds on him than unblemished skin. Despite the agony he must be in, he remains unmoving.

This is why he retreats into his own head. It's clear as day. If my father’s attempts to uncap his magic don't kill him, the pain should. But he is alive. He is a fighter.

The rage inside my veins rises. I can feel the impotence and frustration underneath my skin vibrating with the urge to do something.

I look at my shaky hands. “If I do it they will know someone helped him,” I say to myself in a near whisper. “But not doing it will allow his suffering to continue.”

The stakes are much higher now. If I do this it will only be a matter of time before a soldier finds out and my father is notified. Knowledge is power, and no one keeps secrets for free.

I risk jeopardizing the mission, but at what cost? Being a silent ally stops with me taking action.

I cross to Matias with determination. I place my hand over a section of his skin that has the least amount of open wounds. I close my eyes and push all the healing energy I have in me. Even as I feel my reserves empty I know it's not enough.

The damage is too much.

I open my eyes and feel tears track down my cheeks. Even as a child with miniature reserves I always managed to help.

I lay down and mirror Matias on the other side of the cell bars. The majority of his open wounds have healed but I know there is far worse damage deeper in. His eyes are still gone but I speak to him softly anyway. He might not hear me but in case he does I need him to know.

“It's okay to hide Matias.” I wipe down my face with my sleeve. “Hide deep enough that you don't have to feel any of this. Vengeance is coming. You will have it.”

I don't know how long I lay there watching his chest rise and fall. I take that sign as a victory for the night. By the time I reach my bedroom door, Jesse is already inside with the cape off.

His eyes meet mine and without saying a word his arms open for me.

I cross the distance between us in a rush.

I feel once again like the little girl who found peace in these arms. Oliver gave me comfort and support inside the walls of my home.

But even he couldn't give me safety. Jesse gave me something different.

He gave me hope for a future. It might not have belonged to me from the beginning but hope is sometimes enough.

I bury my face in his chest and breathe in. I fill my lungs and count to five looking for my sanity. As always I find it in Jesse.

When I feel my voice is stable again I say, “they did it to him again.”

Jesse’s arms pull me in tighter. “Is he alive?” His voice is full of worry.

I nod. “I don't think he will survive whatever my father did again.”

“Then we need to hurry,” he says into my hair. “We will.”

Knowing we are both on the same page fills me with something. We are running out of time, and now more than ever, we need to find the Red Book and take Matias far away from my father’s clutches.

We will.