Chapter 5 The Dragon Heirs
Eloise
I was going to die.
I knew it since the first time I realized I was in Dragons territory. I had tried my very best to come to terms with it, but I wasn't prepared for the verdict I got.
Drakmor College.
I knew Drakmor was the capital of Varethin but I didn't know they had a college. There was no record of it in any history book.
Judging by the reaction of the people present at my trial, attending Drakmor seems like a fate worse than death.
But at least, I wasn't dragged back to the cell after. They gave me a room and told me to prepare for immediate departure. I didn't know what to prepare for. I've never had to prepare for anything before. I've always had Mae.
My heart stung as I realized this time was different. This time, I didn't have Mae. I didn't have anyone but myself.
I wondered what my family was doing now. Were they searching for me? Or were they relieved that I was finally off their hands?
What if they'd placed me at the border after I fell unconscious? That was the only reasonable explanation for how I got there and barely remember it.
There were so many questions running through my mind that only my family could answer, the most important question being why I haven't shifted despite the fact that my eighteenth birthday had passed, but the chances of seeing them again was close to none. Especially now that I was going to train a power I didn't even know I had.
I tried to stop the panic from creeping in, I didn't want a repeat of what happened the first time I felt it. But unlike the incident on my birthday, I couldn't feel anything inside me. That thing that reared its head that day was just…gone.
No, not gone entirely. Just…sleeping. Waiting. I could still feel it.
I tried to talk to it the way Mae taught me to talk to my Wolf when it finally emerged, by using my mind to summon it. I tried all the methods she taught me but nothing worked. The thing wouldn't respond.
I concluded it was because I hadn't shifted yet and let it be. I wasn't going to think of the alternative, which was that I could never shift.
The door opened and Tina walked in. I sat straight as that pounding sound drew closer. In the few days I've been here, I've realized the pounding sounds came from her boots. But I couldn't figure out why.
“Why do your boots sound like an earthquake?” I asked as she sat on the bed.
She blinked as if my question took her by surprise.
Tina was the only person that had spoken to me aside from the High Lords and the Shadowborn Heir. I didn't feel completely comfortable with her, but I couldn't resist asking the question.
“Uhm…They're called high heeled boots. And they don't sound like earthquakes. The sound is…barely audible.” she shrugged.
I blinked. “Audible?”
She muttered something I didn't hear before she said, “It means you can barely hear it.”
I wanted to tell her that I heard her coming miles away because of her footwear, but I banished the thought. I gave her a small nod instead.
“Lord Byron asked me to help you prepare. I packed this for you. It has everything you would need for the beginning of your first year. Everything else we can get when we get there.” she smiled.
“We?” The word sounded strange as I said it. I've never had to use the term for anyone other than my sister. But now, I was using it for someone I barely knew. I wondered what else was going to change in this place.
Tina nodded. “I'm a third year student at Drakmor. That's why I was assigned to help you prepare. I'll show you around campus and assist you with settling in.”
I stared at her blankly, barely understanding what she said. Tina gave me a soft smile, her expression was equally soft and strangely comforting.
“You don't have to worry yourself so much. You’ll make lots of friends. And you'll always have me.”
Those words, I understood, but I didn't agree with them. Even if I didn't know much about the dragons and their rules, I knew a werewolf would never fit in.
I would never fit in.
I didn't say any of that to Tina, I simply nodded. She continued talking to me as we made our way out of the room. I had changed out of my old clothes into a gray tunic and pants. My hair was packed so tightly that I feared it might rip out of my scalp. But I didn't complain.
We finally stopped walking when we
got to an open space, a terrace, judging by how hard the wind was. But that wasn't what made my heart stop in my chest. It was the three men standing a few feet away, their faces so stern that I almost ran back.
I recognized the one in the middle, the Shadowborn Heir. I've read plenty on Shadowborn Dragons and how they can easily kill you without lifting a finger. If the power of an ordinary Shadowborn was that intense, I didn't want to imagine what their Heir was capable of.
I tore my gaze away from him as chills ran down my spine. My eyes darted between the other two Heirs. I had seen them in the throne room but I hadn't learned what kind they were.
I took a guess and concluded that the golden haired Heir was the Fireborn Heir, and the other was the Waterborn.
I had been so lost in my thoughts that I flinched when Tina elbowed me. My fighting instinct kicked in and I was ready to defend myself, but the look on her face made me pause.
Her head was bowed slightly and she made some gestures with her eyes. I blinked in confusion, not understanding what she was implying. But when I turned to face the Heirs, I understood what she was saying.
“... bowing for royalties is a sign of paying respect in many cultures. Refusing to do so can sometimes be seen as treason…”
Mae's words rang in my head. My eyes widened slightly as the realization dawned on me. But before I could correct my mistake and lower my head, the three of them began walking towards me.
Panic surged in my chest and the urge to run kicked inside me. I didn't know what they were going to do when they got to where I stood, but I didn't want to find out.
I managed to take a single step backwards before someone grabbed my arm, holding me in place. It was the Fireborn Heir. I tried to wiggle out of his hold but it seems impossible. His grip was like iron.
Years of training kicked in and I did what I was taught to do if I ever found myself in this situation. I stopped wiggling, let the Heir believe I had given up on trying to escape. His lips hooked up in a triumphant smile. That's when I made my move.
I sank my teeth into his arm hard. His grip loosened as he stared at the trickle of blood. He didn't seem hurt, just…surprised. I used the element to my advantage and pushed him away with all my strength. He took a single step back but it was enough for me to make my escape.
I didn't know where I would go, I just knew I had to get away and hope they didn't find me. It was a stupid thought considering this was their territory, their home. They would find me no matter where I ran.
I managed to take a few steps before something gripped my ankle tight, making me fall face first into mud. My nose hurt for just a minute before the pain subsided. I was sure it broke.
I tried to stand up but the thing was already pulling me up by my ankle. Something else grabbed my throat, cutting off air from my lungs. My eyes watered and my face itched due to the mud.
I clawed on my throat and tried to release what was choking me, but I only grasped air. The only thing I could see was a streak of black. Shadows.
I didn't know why I thought the Shadowborn Heir would at least be different from the rest. That he would be more like Tina instead of the monsters I've read about. But I guess I was wrong.
I was lifted so high in the air that I couldn't hear anything past the rush of wind, but I still couldn't breath. The hold on my throat tightened so painfully I was sure I was going to die. There was no physical training that would save me when I couldn't even see my attacker.
Suddenly, I was yanked backwards. I braced myself for the impact of the ground but instead, I fell on a…water bed?
My clothes got soaked and stained with mud, but at least I didn't shatter to pieces on impact. I had the Waterborn Heir to thank for that.
I crawled away from the water and began gasping for air. Tina stared at me with an apologetic look but she didn't come forward to help.
The sound of footsteps approaching forced me to lift my head. Fear surged in me as the Shadowborn Heir got closer, his face the picture of death. But I didn't run this time.
“Try to run again and this would look like child's play.” He seethed.
I didn't need another warning before I nodded. He gestured to Tina and she rushed towards me. She helped me up and held me firmly.
My eyes went to the three Heirs who now stood side by side, and I was sure that I was going to die by their hands.
The thought hadn't fully settled in me before Shadows whisked out and everywhere turned black. Again.