IT WAS A loud siren that had a strong sense of foreboding connected to it. The sound made me clutch my ears as if they were going to fall off. Becky and Sammy looked at each other with huge eyes. That wasn't a good sign.
We ran out of the room as students descended from the stairs around us.
"What's going on?" Becky asked one of the girls.
"We all need to go to the auditorium," a girl with a red prefect badge on her blazer said, and moved with the crowd.
Becky grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the stairs behind her. It felt like it took forever to reach the lobby, not to mention getting to the auditorium.
Students poured through the doors on both sides. Becky led me to a seat in the back row and plopped me down hard. She looked around, frantic, standing on the tips of her toes. Everybody around us had frantic expressions, and some of the girls even cried.
George spun Becky around, and she started to kiss him like crazy.
"Do you know what's happening?" I asked George, who had his arms still wrapped around Becky.
"It's not good, Elena." He spoke in a fast, tight voice.
A cold shiver ran up my spine as I tried to think about the reasons behind that horrible siren.
"The last time they sounded the alarm was the night the king and queen died," Sammy said.
"What?"
Lucian finally reached us, pulled me from my chair and hugged me tightly. I really hoped it didn't have anything to do with his parents. His heart was pounding as I laid my head against his chest.
"Do you know what's going on?" Becky asked.
I looked up to hear his answer, but he just shook his head. His grave expression didn't suit him. He was the bravest guy I knew. It wasn't a good sign if Lucian was scared too.
The auditorium was almost filled with students, and everyone around us wanted to know the same thing. What the heck was going on?
Master Longwei came in, and I didn't like the look on his face. His eyes looked dark and his lips were pressed together in a thin line. He had a huge crease on his forehead. Everyone started to settle down as he ran up the podium's stairs.
"The King of Lion sword has been stolen." Master Longwei blurted over a microphone. Thick silence saturated the auditorium. Then the room filled with noise, as most of the students started to cry out in panic, yelling questions of how, when, and what now?
"This isn't good." Lucian spoke first and rubbed his face with his free hand.
"How could it be stolen?" Becky asked, fear lacing her tone.
"Silence!" Master Longwei's voice roared and the sound bounced off the walls. "There is no reason to panic yet. Members of the Royal Council are searching for it as we speak. However, we have to keep guard for any sign of danger. Dragonia will be one of the first places they attack if this is war."
"Typical," George uttered.
"Should that news make us feel better?" I asked Lucian as Master Longwei carried on speaking about the plan of action. He just squeezed my hand with a terrified look.
"We will have the groups up in place first thing tomorrow morning," Master Longwei said, and then he called out names I hadn't heard before. Blake and Lucian were the last of the five names, and they were ordered to meet him in his office.
Lucian kissed me goodbye. "I'll tell you what I know, okay?"
I nodded and felt like crying as I watched him disappear through the ocean of students trying to make their way out of the auditorium.
We went to the cafeteria to analyze all of this, finding it difficult to process in all the chaos.
"Who would've stolen it?" I asked harshly, not yet in control of my emotions.
"It could only be one person, Elena." George said. "Goran." He got up to get us each a soda.
"Goran!" I said. "But he's locked up behind Etan."
"It doesn't mean he can't compel someone's mind. He did it before," Becky said.
George came back with four sodas. He handed us each a Coke.
"So the sword is now with him?" I wanted to know, and she lifted her shoulders, not knowing the answer to my question.
Sammy took a big sip of her Coke. "I hope it still exists."
"Exists? You mean he's going to destroy it?" I asked.
She nodded solemnly. Cheng had told me about it during our first History lesson.
"With the sword out of the way, there's no stopping him if he manages to break out of Etan. He'll destroy the wall and Paegeia with it." George took a few gulps from his can, his hand shaking slightly.
My throat tightened as he said the word "destroy" and I struggled to swallow.
"Relax, Elena, they'll find whoever took it," Becky said and squeezed my arm reassuringly.
I waited for Lucian, wishing he would come back. It felt like hours before he plunged onto the pillow next to me.
He gave me a quick kiss on my temple while wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders. "They stole it somewhere between midnight and four a.m. yesterday. The council didn't want to say anything, because they thought they would've retrieved it by now. If they don't find it soon, we're going to be in serious shit. They believe that Goran has found a way to break out of Etan, but won't do it until the sword is destroyed."
"So what, the council's really searching for it?" Becky asked.
"My dad and Arianna's have sent out a small search party."
"We just have to wait?" I was skeptical, just like Becky.
"It's the only thing that we can do, Elena."
"If they destroy that sword, Lucian—"
"Shhh, don't think like that. It won't happen. Master Longwei is with the Viden now to draw up the groups that will guard the school. We'll have to be on watch seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Not that it will take that long, I hope."
"Until it's found? Are they crazy?"
"Don't worry, Elena, you won't be alone."
For some reason that didn't make me feel safe. I wanted a better plan.
"You're safe here, you won't be alone," he said again as if I hadn't heard him the first time.
"Will we be together?"
He shrugged. "We don't know which team we'll be divided into. That decision is left up to the Viden."
I jumped from my pillow. "They're relying on a woman that sucks everything out of her thumb?" It angered me that everyone thought so highly of what she had to say.
"Calm down, Elena." Lucian got up too and gave me another hug. "It's going to be fine. I promise nobody will hurt you."
I sighed heavily. I'd never felt so scared in my entire life, and believe me, I had been through some pretty frightening things with Dad, always running away from place to place.
I struggled to fall asleep that night, tossing and turning before finally dozing off around three a.m.
* * *
A dozen or so white sheets were tacked on the announcement board the following morning. Students stormed to the wall in a wave. All the students of Dragonia would be divided into five groups, with two on a team, and about forty teams in a group, if not more. Lucian's explanation was thorough. There had to be guards at all the main entry points of Dragonia, as well as around the school at all times. It sounded scary thinking that we had to watch for any kind of danger. With my luck, I would end up with someone like Tabitha, who would flee at every sound.
One girl glared at me as she stormed off in the direction of the main building. I didn't pay attention to her until some other girls did the same. Some even started to point in my direction. Oh crap what now?
I was about to ask Lucian if I was imagining things, but he saw it already.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. I'll go find out," he said, and ran to the wall. He came back after fifteen minutes.
"Sammy, you're with Dean and in Lionel's group," he said.
She pulled her mouth in a snarl.
"Becky, you and George are in mine." He didn't say anything about me.
"I'm not in yours?" I asked.
"Calm down. You'll be fine. You're in Blake's group."
"With who, Lucian?"
He looked away.
"Lucian, with who?"
"You're with Blake."
We were all speechless for a few seconds as we digested this new information.
"She's with Blake?" Becky asked.
"I can't be with him in a group!"
"Elena, it's not going to help to protest. The Viden makes the decisions. You're wasting your time if you think Master Longwei is going to listen to you."
"I can't be on guard with Blake!"
"You have no choice. You're safe with him."
"Who's with you?"
"Tabitha," he said through clenched teeth.
"The Snow dragon." I pursed my lips as a picture of the two of them together jumped inside my head.
Lucian chuckled. "Are you jealous?"
"Don't."
"Come here?" He grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer. "Does it help if I told you that I don't even like her?"
It worked and I smiled. "I don't want to be in stupid Blake's group or have him as my guarding partner."
"Well, I don't think it's fair that Tabitha is mine either." He smiled as he pressed his forehead to mine.
"There's something wrong with the Viden, I swear it," I growled.
Master Longwei's voice came through the school's system. We quickly dispersed as he ordered us to go to our rooms and wait for further instructions.
* * *
They declared school was out until further notice. We were all stuck on guard duty until the sword was found.
The ambience around the school changed drastically during the next two days. Lucian's group was first. I was worried sick about him, because they were assigned to guard the main gate during the night. Blake chose the exact same spot when it was our turn on the third night. Lucian explained that Blake was most alert during the night, choosing the best post to guard. As if the enemy was going to attack the main entrance.
I slept most of the day when my turn came up. Lucian came with me. He walked me to the main gate and said goodbye while Master Longwei was talking to Blake, who was already waiting at his post. I hated that spot.
Lucian's watch beeped, and I knew it was nine. I was so not looking forward to this at all. To stay awake for nine hours when you're supposed to be asleep was not cool. Not to mention I had to do it with Blake.
"Just relax. Blake's one of the best dragons in Paegeia, not just Dragonia," Lucian assured me. "And if he transforms, don't freak out."
I'd only seen a Rubicon in the museum, and he was huge. I couldn't imagine what Blake's dragon form looked like for real.
He kissed me as Master Longwei passed. He teased Lucian and me, and I blushed a deep scarlet.
A knot formed in my throat as Lucian winked and let go of my hand. We looked at each other until the door closed. The click of the lock made my heart beat a bit faster, and I sulked to my post where Blake waited.
"Hey," I greeted him.
He didn't say anything, as he stared intently into the night.
I made myself comfortable by a small fire in front of the stone dragons. Cheng had told me in one of his lessons how they would come to life in times of danger. The idea still creeped me out, but at the moment, I didn't care. I felt safer here than on the edge, looking down on the forest and part of Elm.
All sorts of things flew through my mind as I stared into the embers. My biggest concern was what they would do if the sword was destroyed. If its existence could defeat an evil sorcerer like Goran, then that sword was mighty powerful and our only hope of keeping Paegeia peaceful. Skyscrapers burning down and tumbling to the ground, turning Paegeia into ruins, took the sword's place in my mind's eye. The picture wasn't a beautiful one, and I couldn't see myself living in a world like that.
My other concern revolved around Goran's power. Cheng had told me in one of his lectures that his magic was advanced, which made him one of the best sorcerers who had ever lived. What if Becky was right and he knew how to destroy the wall? What would happen then? Humans would know that dragons existed.
That couldn't materialize. Deep down in my heart I was begging for that siren to go off, announcing the sword's safe return.
As I sat there thinking, Blake spoke for the first time. "There's coffee in the flask when you feel tired."
I looked at my watch. It was just after ten. "No thanks, I'm fine." I stared into the night too. A million stars sparkled in the sky above our heads.
"It's the perfect night to watch," he said. "I hope you don't mind me choosing this time."
As if I had a choice.
I lay with my head on my arms. If I didn't know any better, I could've sworn that he tried to make some sort of conversation. I looked at him from underneath my pathetic excuse for eyelashes, and my heart started to beat a little faster. Why did he have to be so beautiful?
"I guess I understand why you chose it." I cleared my throat. "Your senses are most alert at night, right?" I decided to be nice and make the best of the terrible situation.
"Something like that," he mumbled, and smiled. He should smile more. It fell silent, and the stone dragon started to freak me out again. I didn't know if it was just me, but I could swear that I saw them move. "Will they wake?" I asked.
"Who, the stone dragons?" He smiled. "They are not like Grimdoe, and these got no reason to. To be honest, I think it's just an old wives' tale told to get naughty children to go to sleep."
"With the sword missing, they've got all the reason in the world to be awake."
He huffed and shrugged at the same time, as if standing guard or finding the sword wasn't of any importance. He glanced over his shoulder and took a packet out his pocket.
"You smoke!" I said a bit too loud.
"Shhh, Elena," he snapped back, and blew gently over the tip of the cigarette.
I gasped as his breath set it on fire. He took a drag, and the end changed from orange to a burning red coal. He puffed the smoke in my direction. I coughed while fanning the smoke away with my one hand. It smelled disgusting, and I glared at him.
The next few hours were boring. Blake stopped speaking but kept on smoking. I didn't like it, because it made me think about worst-case scenarios. My worries grew as my thoughts kept circling. It was the fourth day, and the sword was still missing. What chance did they have of finding its location? The only excitement I had was around three, as I tried my best to stay awake. My eyes burned painfully, and I felt as if I hadn't slept for two days.
Around six, Master Longwei came with the next shift to relieve us. It was two guys from James's group; at least I thought that was his name. I didn't even say good morning or goodbye, and went straight to my dorm where I crawled into bed.
I slept till about two and went to the cafeteria for lunch. Lucian was waiting for me with a strong cup of coffee. He was so perfect.
"So how was last night?" Concern in his tone made his voice break at the end, and he swallowed hard.
What did he think? That something miraculous would happen, and I would be BFFs with Blake now?
"Nothing much. I now understand the meaning of graveyard shift, and can tell you that I hated every minute of it. It's so boring."
"I know what you mean. You're lucky you don't have a nagging partner that wants to flee at every stupid little sound."
I giggled. "Did they find anything while I was asleep?"
"Nothing yet," he said dully.
I sighed as the image of a flaming city jumped into my mind again.
"Hey, come here?" He pulled me closer and hugged me tightly. "I told you nothing will ever happen to you."
"Lucian, what if—"
He put his index finger over my lips, silencing me. "Don't, Elena. Let me worry about the 'what ifs', okay."
I nodded carefully.
He tried so hard to put me at ease but failed miserably. The sword was the only thing I could think of.
The rest of the week went fast. Around the sixth day, they still had no leads as to where the sword might be hidden. It freaked me out. I didn't like how my mind worked when I was nervous, and one thing constantly dwelled on my mind: the Sacred Cavern.
* * *
"The royal council is never going to find it, Becky," Sammy said in a terrifying tone one morning at breakfast. "They don't even know where to look."
I was glad Lucian had guarded the entrance last night and was still in bed. He didn't like to talk about the 'what ifs'.
The thought of the Sacred Cavern still lingered, but the strange part about it this time was that it didn't scare me anymore. The scary part vanished the minute my foretelling found a way into all this mess.
The Viden did say that I had to make a choice. What if this was that choice? I got a warm fuzzy feeling inside my heart encouraging me, and somehow I knew I was on the right track. This was what she meant. I was sure of it. The only thing that still confused me was the truth part, but something told me it was about my father being a dragon, and that the offspring of a dragon can't be worthy of the Dragonian mark.
Finding the King of Lion sword would prove that, as well as change the Viden's mind about me forever. Not that I wanted anything to do with her anyway. The choice wasn't an easy one to make and I could feel how the corners of my lips twitched slightly as I pondered my choices.
The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. This was my destiny. The only way to find the location of the sword was to go to the Sacred Cavern.