The Last of the Firedrakes (31 page)

“Well, you said that you wanted to learn how to use a weapon,” Rafe said, smiling. “And I think it’s about time you learn how to protect yourself, with and without magic.”

My eyes lit up. “You’re going to teach me?”

Rafe nodded. “I will see you tomorrow. Get some sleep,” he said, getting up and moving towards the window. “And please stay out of trouble, for a few hours at least.”

I smiled and, in a dance of shadows, he was gone.

I sat in my bed and thought about what he’d said. I finally realized that now was the time to enhance my training. Rafe was right. I had taken things too lightly so far. I was enjoying learning to use magic, but I’d never understood what having all this power really meant.

Damien and his friends were just students with limited capabilities. But Morgana, Lucian, the Shadow Guard, and especially the Drakaar were another case altogether. They were all experienced mages and sorcerers, and I would have to learn to do more than cringe under a defensive barrier if I was going to face them.

Ever since I found out who I really was, I had been trying to run from my destiny. But the reality was that, whether I liked it or not, I was the true Queen of Illiador, and I had a responsibility to my people to free them from Morgana’s tyranny. I had to stop running. I had to turn and face my life head on. It wasn’t enough being like everybody else; I had to be the best, and I was going to show everyone what I was truly made of. I was done with being a terrified princess, constantly waiting to be saved. I was going to be a queen, and, like Vivienne said, I had better start behaving like one.

22

Queen in Training

The next morning I got up, dressed early, and went down to Professor Dekela’s room. He had requested to meet me before I started my classes. He was ready and having his morning cup of something steamy and hot, which smelled a lot like coffee.

“Well, Rory, you know why I have asked to see you. Your training is not satisfactory, although it is no fault of yours. I think that you need to be challenged far more. You have shown an extraordinary use of power for someone so young and inexperienced. I must say that I am not completely surprised. After all, you are Azaren’s daughter,” he said softly.

I nodded.

“I want you to cease worrying about the Blackwaters. I will keep an eye on them, and for now I will not expel them from this school. I understand that it is necessary to keep your identity secret. But now it is even more important that you learn all you can, as fast as you can. Your power must be properly directed and controlled. I also think you are ready to learn some more advanced skills, and unfortunately you don’t have the luxury of time like the other students.”

He stopped and leaned forward a little. “You may or may not know, but Morgana and the archmage are readying Illiador for war with Andrysia, and when and if that happens, even Evolon will be under threat.”

“Why? I thought we were safe here. Uncle Gabriel said that you would be able to protect me,” I said.

“Yes, that is true. We are safe for now. But the archmage has always been against me, and he wants me to give him warriors from the school to assist with his campaign. Naturally I said no, and he is obviously not too happy with me. He has given the king an ultimatum: give him an army of warrior mages of Eldoren or he will wage war on us too.”

“Can he do that?” I gasped.

“Lucian has become very powerful. And he is the leader of the mage guild. Even in Eldoren, some are afraid to go against him openly,” said Professor Dekela. He paused and looked me straight in the eye. “I am telling you all this because of who you are, or who we hope you will grow up to be. You must be updated on the politics of the kingdoms, as well as excel in your studies. Therefore, you will have classes with me every day after school. I don’t want anyone getting suspicious, so we will just say I am tutoring you at the behest of your guardian, who feels that you are lagging behind in your studies.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Damien would have a field day. Just the fact that I was getting extra lessons would make everyone presume that I was falling behind in my classes. But I had no choice. And I had made up my mind; I was going to show Damien that I was not afraid of him or anyone else.

“Professor Penelope and Professor Tanko will also give you extra classes in healing and warcraft respectively. One day you may be in a situation where you will not have anyone to protect you, and you will have to defend and heal yourself. Now return to your classes. I will see you in the evening,” said Professor Dekela.

I nodded. “Thank you, Professor,” I said as I rushed away. I was already late for fae studies, and we were going on a small field trip to meet a family of dryads who had moved to the woods just behind the gardens of the school, relocated from Illiador.

I had already met dryads with Kalen in Pixie Bush. Dwelling on that caused me to wonder how he was doing. It had been a long time since I had seen my friend or heard from him, and I hoped he was all right. I reminded myself that I must ask Professor Plumpleberry when she would send for him. I missed Kalen and his incessant chatter.

I missed Snow, too. Uncle Gabriel had taken the Pegasus with him, as his journey was long and tedious, and Snow had offered to take him more speedily to Kelliandria. I even missed Uncle Gabriel. He was strict, but when he was around, I felt safe.

That night after dinner, I lay on my bed, waiting for Vivienne to fall asleep so I could go and meet Rafe. I knew she would disapprove, so I decided it was best not to tell her.

“Aren’t you late to go meet your boyfriend?” said Vivienne tartly, rolling over in her bed to face me. Vivienne was sharper than I gave her credit for.

I was startled. I thought she was asleep. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said.

Vivienne sat up in her bed and tried to light a candle. But her fingers only sparked and went out. “Oof,” she said, throwing her hands in the air and giving up.

“Could you please light the candle?” she said sheepishly.

I laughed—poor Vivienne. She was an amazing person and very intelligent, but unfortunately she didn’t really have much potential for magic.

I pointed my finger at the candle and it lit up. Vivienne was just sitting there on the bed, her arms crossed, glaring at me.

“What’s the problem, Viv?” I said.

“The problem is that you still don’t trust me.”

“Of course I do,” I said quickly. “I’ve told you everything.”

“I saw him last night,” Vivienne said.

“Saw who?” I retorted, but I had a pretty good idea who she meant.

“It’s the Black Wolf, isn’t it?” said Vivienne.

I nodded; it was no use lying anymore. I had to tell her the truth. “You saw him without his mask. Did you recognize him as anyone you knew?” I asked tentatively.

Vivienne shook her head. “No, it was too dark. I couldn’t see his face clearly.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Although I wanted to know who he was, I didn’t want him to get into trouble just because he came to see me.

“You are being very reckless, Rory,” said Vivienne. “You’re meeting him alone, in the dead of night, without even knowing who he really is.”

“I know he has a dangerous reputation,” I said carefully. “But Rafe would never hurt me.”

“So it’s Rafe now, is it?” said Vivienne, raising her eyebrows. She did that so many times that I was surprised they didn’t stay that way.

I smiled and started pulling on my boots. “I’ve got to go. He must be waiting.” I took my brown woolen cloak and opened the door.

“Be careful,” said Vivienne.

“When am I not careful?” I called back, closing the door gently and hurrying to the cellar.

Rafe was waiting for me with the secret door open. I lit my hand and followed him through the passageway.

“I heard that you finally found out what was in the pouch,” Rafe said as we walked through the damp passage. “I don’t know how often I should stress that you need to be wary of the Blackwaters.”

“I wanted to find out what Morgana was planning,” I said. “Isn’t it better that we know now?”

Rafe nodded slightly. “We would have discovered it eventually.”

“But it may have been too late,” I said. “Anyway, it’s done. We know what she’s after. The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

“You,” said Rafe, “are going to do nothing.”

I huffed at his answer but decided to keep quiet for now. I had to concentrate on learning to defend myself; that was my first priority now.

We came out in the study of the abandoned mansion. Rafe took me through the house and out into the garden overlooking the river. It was a beautiful night and soft moonlight lit the water, covering it in a sheet of silver. Rafe pulled out a sleek-looking sword, held it horizontally in both his hands, and presented it to me.

“I had it specially ordered for you,” he said, as I took the sword from his hands. It was light and fast, a perfect sword for a person of my height and build. The hilt was beautifully inlaid with three large rubies, which looked like it would have cost a fortune. “It was forged by the dwarves of ancient Stonegate themselves.”

“Thank you, Rafe. It’s lovely, but I hope you didn’t steal it?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Rafe laughed, and I was relieved that he wasn’t offended or angry that I’d said that.

“No, I didn’t steal it,” he said, taking out his own sword. “You really should have more faith in me, Aurora.”

I blushed. “Sorry, I just presumed, since the jewels on the hilt look very expensive.”

“They are,” Rafe said simply, coming over to me. “Now let me see your grip . . .”

The next month was filled with grueling days with the professors and even more grueling nights with Rafe, learning to be a warrior. Besides learning to fight with a sword, he taught me to use knives in a fight, one in each hand, and I was getting better at throwing them. I hardly slept, but I pushed myself. I had to discover what I was capable of and what my limits were.

On top of my regular classes, which were four a day and an hour each, I also had an hour with Professor Dekela where we discussed politics of the kingdom, etiquette of the court and the royal families. The professor told me about the jealousies and the rivalries between the various noble families, the histories of these families, and their role in the government of the country. We also discussed the mage guild, the royal council consisting of the lords of Eldoren, the council of thirteen in Illiador, their duties, qualifications, who they were, and what families and factions they were loyal to.

He also told me a lot about Morgana and Lucian. “Know your enemy,” said Professor Dekela countless times.

So I had to study Morgana’s life thoroughly. I learned that Morgana was born a few years after my father’s mother, Queen Fiona, died. Driven by grief, the old King of Illiador, my grandfather Ereneth, married again, this time to a woman he barely knew. Her name was Lilith.

“Morgana is the daughter of Lilith?” I asked.

Professor Dekela nodded. “Yes. But Lilith was no ordinary woman. Your grandmother Fiona was gentle and kind, as well as a powerful mage and healer. But Lilith, well, Lilith was not what she seemed at first. Your grandfather was captivated by her beauty and married her without thinking. When Morgana was born, Lilith’s true nature became clear. She plotted and schemed against her own husband and was even partly responsible for the last mage war.”

“No one has mentioned her in my history class,” I said.

“Well, history is not always accurate. Lilith orchestrated the whole thing from behind the scenes, providing information and money to help their cause. If the Black Mages had succeeded in taking Illiador, she would have killed your grandfather and taken the throne for herself. But finally the king realized what she was about and ordered her to be arrested. She flew into a rage and tried to kill your grandfather. It was Azaren who stopped her, and she tried to kill him too. Azaren had no choice but to defend himself and end Lilith’s life.”

Realization dawned, and my eyes widened. “That’s why Morgana hates my father and me so much. My father killed her mother.”

Professor Dekela nodded gravely. “Now, let’s get back to your studies, shall we?”

Three times a week I had extra healing with Penelope, in her private rooms. She taught me higher levels of healing than were usually taught to the novices. Penelope showed me how to heal myself from the inside, to shake off effects of magical strikes. I had already done this unintentionally when Damien and his goons attacked me. But now I knew exactly what I was doing. I learned how much power to use to heal myself without dropping my shield. I also understood about special fae herbs and potions that were Penelope’s particular secret. I absorbed everything like a sponge, and I seemed to have a natural affinity for healing, becoming rather good at it.

Six times a week I had very strenuous lessons with Professor Tanko, who, although formidable in the regular classes, was jovial and friendly in our private lessons. I also found out that he was a very dear friend of my father’s. I wished I could tell him who I really was, but Penelope had warned me that we still didn’t know who to trust. And Aunt Serena was still very angry with me for telling Vivienne as well.

Professor Tanko taught me how to perform and block stun strikes, crush strikes, fire strikes, and lightning strikes. I practiced my basic push strikes until I could control the intensity of my striking power.

Soon I could hit a moving target with my lightning strikes. And after every session, I had a whole host of game in a heap at my feet, which were sent to the kitchens, on Professor Tanko’s orders.

I was becoming stronger, physically and magically as well. Even with the amulet on, my powers were resilient. The professor would also make me run for two hours every day in the woods on the outskirts of the city of Neris to build up my stamina and strength.

“Your powers are strong, Rory,” said Baron Tanko one day, as we were resting after an extremely strenuous lesson. “I can understand now why the mastermage wanted you to have extra lessons. It’s not that you are lagging behind, but in fact you are too strong. And with powers like yours learning to control them is very important.”