Page 21 of The Healing Dragon (The Red Book #2)

The six-hour journey I had expected turned out to be a fifteen hour walk. Turns out we were all far more sore than we predicted and with me being so tired, I couldn’t keep taking away aches for anyone. Neither of the boys let me try at all.

The edge of the forest finally comes into view and it almost feels like it has come too soon.

I’m not ready to face the walls of the castle I terrorized.

I step into the clearing behind Matias and Calaca.

The creature has made no allowances for being near Matias.

Jesse was right to call it a pet. Even if it is, the creature acts more like a protective knight. Ready to risk it all for its master.

The day has gone by in a blink of an eye.

The night lanterns are on, illuminating the outside walls of the Black Castle.

We are crossing the clearing when I hear voices.

My eyes shut because I know the screams are only in my head.

The smell of burning itches my nose and the stinging in my eyes is not from heat.

It’s all attached to the walls inside this castle.

The images haunted my dreams for weeks before I was able to rest. In the depths of my nightmares, I realized that the trauma haunting me was nothing compared to the one experienced by the people here.

My own personal hell was a walk in the park.

I have no right stressing over the events when they were part of my own doing .

I shake my head to clear it. It must work because, almost immediately, I realize something isn’t right.

I look around and the quiet empty backyard becomes a warning sign.

There has never been a time I have seen this yard empty.

The gardens can be seen from here and the lack of walking bodies feels alarming.

“It’s empty,” I say.

They must know we are here.

Matias stops walking and turns to me. Jesse doesn’t notice that we have stopped. Calaca doesn’t turn but raises its head and looks from side to side. Its eyes narrow at the castle like it’s waiting for something, but nothing happens.

“Alright, we are about to come to the protective shield.” Jesse stops and turns to us. “Brandon has to grant you entrance for it to allow you in.”

The castle’s security was strengthened in response to the attack with this shield. There must be people inside the shield that can see us, but we cannot see them. It’s a tricky show of power. Things this advanced are not common to see.

A group of soldiers riding horses steps out of the shield, inspecting us at a distance. A crowd of onlookers follows them closely. Their faces carry mix emotions, but most of their eyes freeze at the sight of Calaca.

“You idiot,” Roman shouts at the forefront of the crowd. He dismounts a horse dressed in metal gear and runs to his brother. In one swift movement, he takes Jesse into his chest and holds on to him tight. “We were wondering where you were.”

The crowd parts slightly and through the middle Brandon carefully walks forwards, eyeing the rest of us with apprehension. His eyes land on me and search my body for the missing item .

“You have failed.” His lips mouth the words, and I can hear them despite the distance between us.

“Matias.” Bianca breaks from the crowd. Her steps are slow and careful. The apprehension in her face fears hope. From her new angle she asks again, “Is that you, Matias?”

He doesn’t look like the boy who found me in the forest all those weeks ago. The most recent events have not helped his appearance, either. Sleeping under the stars never does.

Before he can answer, her feet hurry until her arms are flapping and her legs cannot run fast enough to meet her strands.

Brandon tries to stop her, but she side steps him expertly.

Her arms are around Matias before Calaca can even react.

The tears in her eyes are testimony of a sibling's love. She only allows him to step an arm’s length away to search his face.

“Where have you been?” She asks him between tears. He doesn’t get the chance to answer before she continues. “I have been looking for you for months. Do you know that?”

“We found him as a prisoner of the rebel group.” Jesse steps away from Roman and hugs Brandon next. “I don’t think they knew his connection to Bianca.”

“You made it to their keep, but don’t have the book with you, which means things did not go well.” Roman crosses his arms and scowls at me. “Care to explain what happened?”

“We fled for our lives when we attempted to steal the book,” I say to them.

I don’t mention my choice to take Matias over the book. I expect Jesse will fill them in on that instead. There’s no remorse for my decision, but its weight is becoming apparent.

“You did not complete your part of the deal,” Brandon says in his King voice.

“Not yet.” I clear my throat. “I still plan to do it if you allow it. ”

Now that we have fled, my father is sure to move locations, but there are a few other places he might be. Best of all, I don’t have to be the one seeking these locations. Calaca should be able to travel through the night and scout the locations at a fraction of the time it would take by foot.

His eyes narrow. “You think you can find them again?”

“I just need time,” I say.

My voice comes off far more confident than I feel. It might also be the exhaustion. Thinking of doing anything other than sleeping right now sounds horrendous.

The King nods his head, digesting all the information.

“You gotta be joking. She can’t stay here,” Alejandra says from the back.

I recognize her instantly as the castle's head guard. She also happens to be a close friend to the Oscuro brothers. I remember her following Brandon around during the tour. The blank stare she once directed my way has now been exchanged for hatred.

An echo of boos travels through the crowd. Their opinion of me is evident.

“Are we to just welcome her as a royal again?” Someone shouts from the crowd.

“If she goes, so do I.”

The words make everyone turn to the side. Matias is standing tall with the dark shadow of the Calaca at his back. The duo is scary from this angle. His sharp cheekbones and eye bags make him look dangerous and deranged.

“The Red Book was used on me multiple times. I can show you what it did, but I can only do it if I stay. I’m not doing that without her.” His arm is limp as he tries to point at me. Matias is on the verge of collapsing any moment now.

“Matias, you don’t understand.” Bianca gives him a sympathetic expression. “While I appreciate Janelle’s help in bringing you home, it’s not as easy as it seems to allow her to stay.”

“It’s you who doesn’t understand,” he snaps.

“None of you understand what I had to endure these past couple of months. None of you understand what the rebel group is even doing. What they did to me changed me and they are only getting started. I was their test subject and only I have answers to your questions.”

“Is that your final stance?” Brandon asks.

“Wait a damn minute.” Bianca rounds on Brandon. This time her back is to Matias standing between him and the King. “He’s not going to be thrown out.”

“He is not,” Brandon says simply and calmly. “Janelle and he may stay as long as both of them cooperate with our plans. The Calaca must remain outside. Too many magical shields have to be lifted to allow their kind inside.”

“Are you welcoming back the daughter of the traitor family?” Alejandra doesn’t back down. “She herself has taken the lives of loved ones. You might not feel the loss like we do.”

“Is our late king not loss enough?” Brandon pushes closer to her space. “You are not the only one who has lost someone. We all did. I’m not allowing the grief to cripple me from fighting to get my people peace. That peace comes when the Red Book is back safely, and the threat is exterminated.”

At the look of utter hatred in Alejandra’s eyes, everyone can tell she is about to object yet again.

“This is not a democracy, soldier. We are all wounded from that night.” He turns to the crowd. “We must do everything in our power to find a solution to our current threat and I can assure you that is not Janelle. She is not even in possession of her magic.”

The majority of the people who are looking at the King nod their head with determination in their eyes. Some in the group avert their eyes, staring at the ground instead. There are only a few who hold my gaze, and their eyes show utter hatred for my existence.

Brandon turns to me, but his words are directed at his people. “Lady Janelle Duelo will not stay in the Black Castle as a royal family member. She will be allowed accommodations with the condition that she earns her keep and continues to work to fulfill her arrangement for the Crown.”

I can feel Jesse’s eyes burning the side of my face. I fear what I will see if I turn and meet his gaze. Does he feel sorry for me like he did back at my father’s house? I cannot take his pity again. Despite his hate for me, he cannot help himself. Or does he fear I will decline the low bargain?

I swallow my pride.

“I accept.”

It’s not like I haven’t cleaned toilets these past couple of days. My words make the King nod and perhaps a sliver of relief leaves his shoulders too.

People dispense soon after at the order of Roman. I could be mistaken, but I think it’s he who calls for Isabel. The small young woman I’ve seen him around with on multiple occasions stands next to him. Brandon approaches them and they all speak in hush voices.

“That was dramatic,” Matias tells me. He turns to Calaca. “I’ll be fine here. Will you be fine there?”

Is he serious?

“If you ever need me, just call for me.” Calaca walks to the forest edge and, as if a shadow in the wind, it fades into the darkness.

“Calaca is a creature of death,” I say to Matias. “Not much can hurt dead creatures. ”

Before Matias can say anything, Bianca and Isabel reach us.

“Matias,” Bianca says in a soft voice. “Let’s go inside and get you looked at by Amy Bee.”

Her demeanor is as if she’s approaching a wounded animal. I don’t blame her, mostly after how he snapped at her, but the tone is annoying.

He looks at me with a pained expression, like I can save him from his fate, but I agree he should visit the clinic. They might not heal what my father did to his magic or the trauma he caused, but they can at least aid exterior injuries.

“I’ll be taking you to your room for the duration of your stay,” Isabel says, distracting me.

Listening to Bianca and Matias feels wrong, so I nod at Isabel and gesture for her to lead the way. We are met with many stares as we cross the yard into the castle. We walk into a long hall, and I recognize my surroundings right away.

I have been here many times throughout the years. The visits I managed to sneak out of my father’s sight always ended here. It always started with late night quiet, yet hurried steps trailed by laughter.

“You will take Roman’s old room,” Isabel says as she opens the door to a suite.

I have been here before. The space has a central shared room with two adjacent doors that lead to bedrooms. The other room belongs to Jesse. I let that detail go and instead try to pay attention to what Isabel is saying.

“This will be your room.” She opens a door and looks at the space inside from the doorway.

“Your job at the castle will be with me at the plant nursery. After the attack,” her eyes downcast as she has to be ashamed of anything that happened that day, “Many job duties in the castle have been vacant. Having an extra pair of hands in there would be a lot of help for me.”

I turn sharply at her words. The job vacancy comment rings in my ears. Her eyes meet mine and my expression must convey my shock at the information.

Isabel takes a step forward. “Oh, no. Not because they died. I mean, many people did. But the man who ran the plant nursery left for his hometown after the attack. Many people don’t feel safe here anymore. Not when whispers of war linger in the wind.”

My father has hurt the castle far more than he even knows. The lingering effects of his attack have caused long-lasting consequences for the King.

“Settle in and rest. We will begin tomorrow in the morning. If you need anything else, you can ask me or Jesse. He is just next door.”

Next door.

I try not to linger on that thought. We will both be here every night. Just a wall away. After years of sneaking into his bedroom at late hours it is ironic that now that we are a door away he wants nothing to do with me.

“You don’t have to be so kind to me, Isabel. I have done horrible things and I don’t deserve your kindness.”

She needs to understand that I mean those words. I don’t need nor want her pity. Her kindness is best saved for someone more deserving of it.

Her bold stare and stone-like expression convey more emotion than I’ve ever seen in her. “I don’t think you’re an evil person. You were forced to do grave things. Now you’ve been given an opportunity to do the right thing. Your next actions define you.”

The punch I feel in my gut is not real. But it feels like it is. Before she closes the door behind her, she stops and looks at me over her shoulder.

“You are safe now, Janelle.”

I stare at the now closed door. The silence in the room feels like a warm blanket on a frosty night. Despite more than one person inside these castle walls probably wanting me dead, I will never be subjected to my father’s cruelty again.

“I believe I am,” I say to the empty room as I take it in.

I’m safe, at least for now.