Chapter 59
Tuesday 22nd September, 2020 (Continued)
Star’s POV
“HARPER!” I shrieked as the flames surrounded him.
My father held me back. I kicked and screamed, trying to run towards Harper.
“LET ME GO! HARPER!!” I screamed.
The red dragon closed its jaws, ceasing its fire breathing. The flames dissipated and the smoke cleared. My eyes never left the spot where Harper had been. When the dust settled, my jaw literally dropped. Harper was on one bended knee with his palms stretched upwards and facing the dragon. He was panting. There was not a singed hair on his head. He had somehow deflected the rain of fire. I looked more closely. My father relinquished me. There was a thin transparent semi-circular shaped forcefield of some kind projected over Harper. I only noticed it was there when the light hit it in a certain way. I heard a sigh of relief from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and found the Queen hanging anxiously out the carriage window, her face pale. She looked massively relieved. Perhaps, she liked us more than she let on. Truth be told, I had forgotten she was even there.
Harper’s face had been turned away from the dragon. He straightened and stood, facing the dragon. The red dragon stared at him as if thinking very deeply. He grumbled and walked away, his heavy footsteps shaking the ice and loose snow. The other dragons regarded Harper with interest. Asriel had a smug look on his face as though he had bet his money on Harper and was about to receive the profit.
Harper walked towards the golden dragon. She was magnificent. Her every movement cause the light to glide across her dazzling scales. In fairytales, dragons always guarded caves filled with gold and treasure. This was gold and the dragon combined. She was the treasure and the guardian. She bent her head towards Harper, tilting it to one side, curious about this visitor.C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.
She stretched herself to her full height with Harper standing unflinchingly at her feet. She elongated her neck, stretching her jaws upwards, her snout facing the sky. She roared and a shower of gold spouted from her mouth and cascaded over Harper. I gasped as a few of the gold pieces reaching me. I could tell by the sizzling sound they made as they hit the ice and snow that they were droplets of hot molten gold that hardened as they reached the cold surfaces, becoming little gold pieces. Astounding. I was in awe of her.
“She’s making it rain, get it?” Said Erin.
Rein g*****d exasperatedly at Erin’s corny humour.
“Rain like when someone showers you with money but also because it looked like rain…” began Erin.
“There’s no need to explain it. We understood how poor of a joke it was the first time,” muttered Rein.
The golden dragon sat down and bent its head towards Harper as if bowing before a king. Harper walked towards her and rest his palm on her snout. He went to her side and easily climbed up. The dragon stretched her wings to their full span. The light reflected by her golden wings left all the spectators momentarily blinded. Everyone shielded their eyes for a moment. She reared like a mare and then off she flew with Harper on her back. I cheered and jumped up and down. Asriel chuckled at my reaction. Dad looked a bit shaky but happy nonetheless. He was a bit pale and clammy. It seemed even he had doubted Harper for a second there.
“Drive on,” said the Queen curtly to the carriage driver who held the horses’ reins.
“Wait! One moment,” I said loudly. It came out a lot more commanding than I had meant it to be. The driver obeyed at once. Maybe I was getting the hang of this princess thing.
“Yes?” Said the Queen, raising a perfectly arched brow at me.
“Harper completed your task,” I said.
“Yes, I am aware,” she said.
I huffed. “Right, well, the kingdom is his now, is it not?” I asked.
The ladies-in-waiting gasped at my audacity. This brazen behaviour was unlike me but my twin brother had almost gotten barbecued trying to prove himself to our so-called great-grandmother.
“Yes, he will be the Alpha and King of the Ice Moon Pack when he is ready,” said the Queen.
“When he is ready?” I said incredulously. “He is ready!” I said.
“He is a high school student,” said the Queen, her tone annoyed. “No great grandchild of mine is dropping out of high school. The throne will still be there.”
Was she serious? Suddenly, she was our great-grandmother and wanted us both in school. I didn’t buy it one bit but she certainly couldn’t continue to hold onto the throne not when Harper was clearly bless with Fae and Alpha attributes.
“Drive on,” commanded the Queen again.
I let her go this time, waving the carriage forwards.
I looked at my Dad. He chuckled.
“It’ll be ok. The worst is over,” he said.
I laughed halfheartedly. The worst was over in this regard. I still had a whole curse to deal with, one that I was hiding from all the members of my long-lost family.
Jessie’s POV
I backed away from the bed, putting as much distance between Georgianna and me as I could. She stood and practically glided towards me.
“Jamie!” I called out. “Fox!”
This would require more of a magical remedy. My back hit the wall and Georgianna flew at me.
I woke up, drenched in sweat and panting.
“Jamie! JAMIE!” I yelled.
I was tangled up in the sweat-soaked blankets.
“Shh, Jessie,” cooed Jamie.
I breathed a sigh of relief. She had been sleeping right next to me. We were in a large tent on the zenith of Mount Viper. The interior was quite luxurious. Alpha Quaid had made sure we were comfortable while he and his men saw to the excavation of Alpha Alto. Alpha Quaid was extremely apologetic considering what had happened. We had certainly helped the Quads at our own expense.
“Jamie, Jamie,” I said breathlessly.
She cupped my face in her cool hands.
“What happened, my big bad wolf? Was it a nightmare?” She asked sweetly, using her thumbs to caress my cheeks.
“I don’t feel like much of a big bad wolf right now,” I muttered.
“Tell me what you saw, my Alpha,” said Jamie, kissing my forehead and drawing me close. I pulled her into my arms so that she was straddling me on the cot while I sat up with my head rested in her bosom.
“Jamie,” I murmured into her nightgown. “I dreamt we were now about to leave for the zenith. Fox was there. I went upstairs to get you and you were still in your nightgown so I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well and didn’t want to go. I was talking to you and then, she…she was…she just sort of appeared in your place and she lunged at me,” I said.
I knew Jamie knew who I meant. Her expression was grave.
“She’s taunting us,” said Jamie. “We have to hurry.”
“You mean this couldn’t be just a normal nightmare?” I asked.
Jamie shook her head. “I don’t think so. She’s jealous of us maybe,” said Jamie.
“Why?” I asked.
“Isn’t it obvious, we have exactly the life she wanted. To remain a Coven Mother and still become Luna of her Alpha’s pack. She wanted to be with Alto and be a Witch Luna. That future was stolen from her,” said Jamie.
“But not by us!” I countered.
“I know. The curse is on the Quads’ family but…she…she wants you. I can see why. You are pretty dreamy,” said Jamie, making a feeble joke. “Besides, she hates the Quads because they’re descendants of Oleander, why would she want to take one of them?”
I was quiet.
“Noah…Noah offered to go in your place if it comes down to it,” said Jamie.
I was shocked.
“Noah?” I said, shocked.
Jamie nodded.
“But…if she takes Noah won’t she be interfering directly with Oleander’s line by getting involved with them when she means harm to any girl who gets involved with them. Wouldn’t that be coming full circle like a snake eating its own tail,” I said.
“That’s a good point…that’s an excellent point,” said Jamie, the gears in her mind clearly turning.
Fox burst into our tent.
“Guys! Come quickly!” He exclaimed.
“Fox! Dude, what if we’d been at it?” I said.
He just rushed in unannounced.
“Jessie!” Squealed Jamie indignantly, her cheeks flushing.
“What? There’s a pretty high probability of that with us,” I pointed out.
Jamie swatted me playfully before getting up to follow Fox. Fox led us out of our tent. The mausoleum was beautiful though quite eerie at night. The building was all alone on the zenith of Mount Viper. We went through the tall archway. The high-ceilinged hallway led to a larger room filled with tombs. Werewolves were immortal but they were not indestructible. Alphas were extremely powerful but not invincible. There were deaths in our world though if not killed by something or someone we could live forever. Every Alpha from the Viper Moon Lineage did not rest here. Many lived on. Most of those laid to rest here were actually Lunas. This curse was legit. Alpha Alto’s coffin was so ornate that it reminded me of the sarcophagus of a pharaoh from ancient Egypt. It had been unearthed. Inside the mausoleum each individual plot was covered by marble that had to be cracked open followed by more than six feet of earth to dig through. It was a peculiar way to do things but I understood why. The marble made things difficult for grave robbers. There were also booby traps within the earth that Alpha Quaid’s team knew how to get through safely. They were finally done.
Alpha Quaid himself was doing the honours of opening the coffin door. He gave us a grim smile. He was an older version of the Quads with his green eyes and light ash brown hair. He lifted the heavy lid. It seemed as though the coffin was also made of marble. Jamie, Fox and I edged closer eagerly. My heart plummeted. I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. Jamie gasped. She covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes filled with tears at our predicament. Fox looked at us both, his eyes filled with sympathy. Alpha Quaid looked crestfallen.
“Alpha Jessie…I…I have no idea why…I’ll uh get to the bottom of this,” he mumbled.
I walked away from him, straight out of the mausoleum. Alpha Alto’s coffin was empty and I couldn’t stand to look at it and ponder my grim fate anymore.