CHAPTER 28
The day passes by quickly and it’s good actually having things to do other than remain in the castle under lock and key. Silas and Matitus allow me to go help with the children in the afternoon, although they refuse to just let me be on my own, instead following me everywhere I go.
Silas also refuses to allow me my own room again, even though there are plenty of spare rooms throughout the castle.
After dinner and a shower, I lay on the floor in front of the fireplace with a book in hand, yet I am having trouble concentrating on the words.
Instead, I find myself pondering what that human girl had said a few days before about humans believing I was to kill the Dragon Kings and save them.
“What are you thinking about?” asks Silas, leaning over the side of the bed and staring down at me.
I have intentionally kept my walls up, not wanting them to invade my thoughts, yet I keep feeling them probing, trying to get inside my head.
I decide to give up, knowing I won’t get any sleep without asking.
“Something one of the children said to me the other day,” I tell him.
“And what is that?” Silas asks.
“Did you know humans have stories and legends of their own about the Fae with magic—about me?”
Silas seems deep in thought for a second. “I was aware but what did they say?”
“That the Chosen One will rid the world of the Dragon Kings,” I tell him.
He growls softly and I see Matitus sit up behind him. “That’s what you have been thinking about? Do I need to sleep with a towel wrapped around my neck to stop you from cutting it in my sleep?” Matitus asks raising an eyebrow at me.
“No, of course not,” I tell him, appalled at him even thinking I would try to kill someone.
“Then why are you thinking about it?” Silas asks.
“Everything has balance, right? A loophole to take down the other species.”
Silas turns to me, gazing over at me curiously, wondering where I’m going with this. I feel Matitus staring at me, too.
I continue. “Human mortality, Vampires, the sunlight, Werewolves, wolfsbane and Fae are only given one life force, meaning we can die the same way as a human. So, it evens the playing field but what is your weakness? We know Witches it is their magic, use too much it will kill them but what about Dragons?” I wonder, trying to figure out how exactly they are going to restore the balance.
Everything is meant to have a weakness, yet I have never heard of the Dragons having one. Either it means they keep it secret, or they are the superior species. Silas snorts at my question and I can’t believe I never asked.
“What’s so funny?” I ask. Silas doesn’t answer but I am surprised when Dragus does.
“Dragons can only procreate with their mates, their fated mates,” he answers. So that’s why they are a dying species—mates are hard to come by, yet I don’t really see that as a weakness.
“But how do you kill a Dragon?” I ask knowing they are immortal, but surely there has to be a way, otherwise the entire place would be run solely by Dragons. Silas growls and Dragus answers again when Silas remains silent.
“You have to kill their mate.”
“But that makes no sense, Blaire died. Silas killed her yet you are all still alive.”
“Yes, because we never marked her, she rejected us and didn’t bare our marks.”
But that left another question—the girl from the warehouse. Her words about the Chosen Fae killing the Dragons Kings. Do the humans really believe I would kill myself to save them?
“So, we break this curse, and the treaty is restored and the curse on the Dragons is lifted?”
Silas nods. “That’s how it’s supposed to work.
The treaty was broken when Blaire rejected us.
Part of the treaty was that no person can be denied their true mate, so when Blaire rejected us, she broke the treaty.
Which was the start of the war. I never would have been able to kill her unless she broke the treaty.
The treaty was bound by blood, making it impossible for us to kill each other.
When she broke the treaty, I killed her husband as punishment for breaking our bond.
Then Blaire cursed us, and I lost control and killed her which started the war between the Dragons and the Fae because Blaire was next to rule,” Silas says.
“Then how do we break the curse on the Fae?” I ask, wondering how any of this restores the balance because how can the balance be restored if the Fae have no magic?
“We don’t,” Silas says.
“That doesn’t make sense. You said to break the curse on the Fae I have to break the curse on the Dragons.”
“You and Marian are all that is left; no other Fae exist, Elora.”
I have a feeling he is wrong. Surely two people can’t be the only Fae left in existence otherwise what would be the point of trying to break the curse.
“What about Dragon’s then, how many are left?” I ask, curious to know exactly how close to extinction they were.
“You’re looking at them,” Silas growls.
“So, you guys are all that’s left?” He nods, looking down sadly. “How is that possible?”
“Because when Blaire cursed us a lot of the female Dragons who found their mates killed themselves. Didn’t see any reason to live on without being able to carry their children.
Effectively killing off their mates” Matitus growls, and I can feel his anger as if he blamed the female Dragons for their betrayal, blaming them for nearly sending an entire species into extinction.
“What about the male Dragon that didn’t have mates?”
“They took anyone they could and marked them and killed them to end their lives.”
“So why didn’t you do that?” I ask, wondering why they saw any point in existence if they shared the same beliefs.
“Because I trusted the Oracle.”
“Is that why you three took male mates?”
“No, we are true mates just like you are ours,” Silas answers.
I nod thinking it was strange maybe the fates tied them together to stop the eradication of their kind like our ancestors did to the Fae, removing our magic so we blended in and remained hidden, but that left more questions because did that mean the fates knew all along the treaty was going to be broken?
That a war would start? I suppose we will never know those answers and just have to trust blindly that there is a bigger picture, just like humans believe blindly of their own gods.
Hope, that one word so many people cling to, what a dangerous thing to have it either destroys us or makes us.
“What are you thinking about now?”
“You said earlier that Matitus lied, and you had to punish him, what did he lie about?”
Silas looks at Matitus, yet I can sense he forgave him for whatever he did already, and Matitus forgave Silas for what he forced him to endure.
“When I met Blaire, I thought it was the first time any of us had met her. I was wrong, Matitus met her first, he knew of Blaire’s existence and kept it from me to protect her.
He knew she was married and didn’t want to disturb her peace; he knew I wouldn’t care that she was married, and he was worried I would hurt her,” Silas says, laying back down and looking at the ceiling.
“Well turns out he was right I ended up killing her, but it pissed me off when I found out. I felt betrayed by him so he was punished. I wish I could take back what I did but I can’t.”
“And I have forgiven him so just leave it at that,” Matitus answers, effectively dropping the subject.
“We should get some sleep; we have to be up early,” Dragus says.
“Will you please sleep in the bed?” Matitus asks and I shake my head.
I don’t even want to be in the room so they will have to settle for me sleeping on the rug or the lounge, though the rug was more comfortable.
Matitus sighs, hopping up and grabbing a duvet and pillow and tossing it to me.
He then throws another log on the fire and climbs back in bed.