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We sat in silence as my mind tried to absorb the information.
Eventually, I sighed, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. How does knowing this help us?”
“You’ll recognize his human form. You can tell others who are trying to stop him and are looking for a dragon.” I nodded, dazed.
“Do you know what happened after I died?”
“I know many things that happened after you died. Be more specific.”
I wanted to ask what happened to my parents, but I decided against it and instead said, “What happened to Sigurd and Fafnir? Why did they end up back in their graves?”
“I’ll let Sigurd tell you that. It’s his story, after all.”
I shook my head, thinking about the orange-red thread that wrapped around him like a noose. “He’s not well.”
“You will heal him, and he will tell his story. I can tell you that Fafnir, however, planned for this opportunity, and he will take advantage of it. He’ll be gathering his followers and descendants.”
“He had children?” I was aghast knowing that another woman after me married that man and had probably been horribly abused and raped for him to have children.
“The past isn’t important right now. You need to be going.” She stood up and began clearing up the saucers and cups.
“Going where?” I followed her to the kitchen, where she placed them into the sink.
She turned with a fierceness to her gaze that made me fear for her enemies. “It doesn’t do anyone any good if you have a description of a man but no way to show them. You need more. You need to see him, his hideout, and what he is up to before you report on it.”
“Baelen made me promise to stay away from the dragon–Fafnir–Mr. Jenkins,” I stuttered, still trying to wrap my head around it. I shook my head. “I’m not a spy. I’m not going to go to his hideout.”Especially not when I have to look at him. I’m not ready for my realities to collide in such a traumatic way.
“The quicker you find him, the better you can protect yourselves and the powerful magical allies you have.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I considered who she meant.Savida, Daithi, and Alcor!
Nisha must have seen the hesitation and fear in my expression. She crossed the room to me, cupped my face in her hands, and brought me down to meet her eyes. “You are much more powerful, much more capable, and braver than you know. Even in your darkest moments, you trusted yourself, your magic, and made a hard decision. Have faith. You can do this.”
A flood of warmth, of confidence, rushed through me, and I let out a slow breath, pushing all the fear out with it. I straightened, detaching myself from Nisha, and put my shoulders back like I was preparing for war.
In a way, I was.
She paused as if choosing her next words carefully. “Clawdia, I know you don’t want to know the future, but I must warn you. Go alone. If you take anyone else with you, they will die.”
I swallowed thickly. Since I became human, I hadn’t done anything alone. I always had Zaide or Charlie to rely on, and now I was being asked to face the monster who frightened me so much that I had taken my own life without them.
But if this was the only way to help stop him, I would do it. I wouldn’t let myself become his victim again.
"How do I get to him?"
* * *
I wokeup wrapped in the arms of my witch. He was snoring lightly and blowing a strand of my hair back and forth across my face, which I found both annoying and sweet. I wondered how he was, if he had found his family, if he needed me as he faced his past. But I couldn’t know until we were both back here and safe.
Being cocooned in his body heat and feeling so protected made me want to stay there forever and pretend that everything was all right. But I couldn’t bury my head in the sand when the people I loved were in danger.
Carefully and slowly, I crawled out from his arms and placed a gentle kiss on his lips before turning to Zaide, his scars glowing in the darkness and illuminating his sleeping face. I was unable to resist and gave him the same kiss goodbye.
I didn’t want to wake anyone with noise, so I picked up some clothes and walked into the kitchen to make my portal. I channeled my power into my hands and whispered the directions Nisha gave me. With a burst of light, a portal began appearing from a small hole in the floor and grew upward as it drained me of energy and power.
Keep going. I can do this.
I didn’t let up even though I grew more exhausted by the second as the portal widened into a large circle taking up the entire floor space of the kitchen. When the black hole suddenly had a picture, as though someone had turned on the light, my magic stopped, and the portal whirled, waiting for me to go through.
