Chapter 18: How I’ve missed you, Brother
Stefan
I have been trapped in the cell for so long, I can barely remember life outside of it. My memories are the only thing keeping my sanity intact.
‘Stefan, can you still feel her?’ My dragon asks.
Yes, I can. I still wish to know how she has survived all these years.
‘He may be a monster, but even he doesn’t hurt children.’
What did he do with her then, Vargon? He wouldn’t have kept her here; it would have been too easy to figure out once she turned 5 and came into her powers.
‘Maybe he found a witch to bind her powers and sent her to another Realm?’
Let’s hope he sent her to someone loving. He already has enough crimes to pay for, I don’t think there is room to add any more offenses.
‘We must stay strong and bide our time, Stefan. He thinks this cage has the power to weaken me. Someone fed him the wrong intel for us.’ Vargon was right, while this cell might work to weaken a normal dragon, he forgot to take into account that my mate was the Fae Queen. Once mated, our powers became shared between us, allowing us to become stronger the stronger our bond became. I still hadn’t figured out where he was hiding her either. Some of the guards were loyal to me still and had been secretly searching for my mate and daughter while I had been locked away. I remember Julius making me watch as he killed and burned Amanda’s body, but our bond never broke. Vargon and I believe that Amanda used her magic to put herself into a protective sleep to stay alive. I just had to find out who took her body and where she’s been hiding all these years. Did she have our daughter with her?
‘We will get out of here, Stefan, and we will return to our mate and our hatchling. This I swear to you. The guards sneaking us food has helped me, and it won’t be long before we can try to escape.’
I know, I know, Vargon. I need them so much it hurts.
‘As do I, human, and we will have them back.’ A loud clanking rings through the hall, and I know someone’s coming. I shrink myself into the corner, pretending to be weak. Another clink rings out, followed by heavy footsteps. They continue to echo down the hall until they stop in front of my cell. I don’t look up, as I don’t recognize the smell coming from this person.
“Well, you’ve seen better days, haven’t you? You haven’t been this nasty since Father made you muck the stables.” The voice laughs, and I fight the urge to look at her. It could be a trap.
“No one knows I’m here, brother. My powers have grown a lot since I last saw you. I made sure no harm befell your guards, and no one can sense or smell me.” She calls softly. I see a faint glow, and my cell door opens slowly. She walks in and stands there, her arms open. I stand and look for a moment before she jumps at me, catching me off guard. I wrap her in my arms and hold her to me.
“I missed you so much, big brother. I don’t have much time, but I need to know where you stand.”
“In front of my throne, where I belong,” I growl, squeezing her in a tighter hug.
“Gods, how are you so strong still?” She wheezes, wriggling in an attempt to get free. I chuckle and set her down.
“Some of the guards have been slipping me something special to keep my strength up. I can’t let that impostor run my kingdom into the ground any longer. I have to find my little girl, Clara. I know she’s out there.” Clara looked down at the mention of my daughter.
“Stefan, you need to be calm when I tell you what's happened while you were locked up, but first we have to get you out of here and somewhere safe. I know somewhere we can go where Julius can’t find us and we can re-group and handle things before we come back and restore the kingdom.” I nod my head, and she grabs my hand.
"You still throw up when you portal hop?" She asks, grinning playfully.
"Only one way to find out. Let's get out of here, Clara, we've got my family to find and a war to win. She grins and pulls me through a portal before I can change say another word. I feel lighter than air for a second before my feet are on solid ground and I'm bent over heaving up the little food I had earlier. Clara squeals and steps away from me, laughing.
"Well, that answers that question." I growl at her and stand up, looking around.
"Where are we, Clara?" The air feels warm and welcoming. A soft window blowing, ruffles at my dirty matted hair, bringing the smell of spring rain and apple pie. Flowers bend softly to the wind all around us, large smoke covered mountains standing tall in the distance. A small, homey cabin is nestled in an apple tree grove with smoke tendrils drifting from the chimney.
"This is where Agatha lives. She's the last know High Priestess from the Dragon Realm. She's been helping for years to perfect my magic and help me as I've needed since everything happened. Come on, let's get you inside. I'm sure you're dying for some real food and for the Gods sake, please take a bath. I love you, big brother, but a month-old battlefield smells better than you." She jokes, plugging her nose as she walks to the cabin. Once inside, I'm shocked at the sheer size of it. On the outside, it looked like a single room cabin, stepping inside reveals the glamour because it's an entire city inside these walls. Clara laughs at my confusion.
"This is a shelter for those that King Julius hunts for. You'll see all sorts of people. I've come across Dragons, Wolves, Vampires and even a couple of shadow dwellers."
"How can shadow dwellers and vampires live peacefully with others?" I ask, take back as I watch people go about their day.
"They don't want to be feared. Things have changed in the last 200 years and some for the better. This is the start of our army, brother. These people want to live in peace as it was before the God's war, and they're willing to fight with you for it. They know of the Prophecy and are excited for the future it promises." Mention of the prophecy reminds me of my daughter.
"Clara, how do we find her? She called her Kara, how do you know that's the name she was given?" Clara looks around and sits on a bench and I follow, dying to hear her answer.
"We have to find Leif; she's with him now. I know she goes by Kara, because for 5 years I raised her as my own. I failed her, Stefan. I don't blame you if you hate me."