A Dawn of Strength Read online

  We’re fooling ourselves.

  They’re gone.

  Once the humans had evacuated the mountains and settled their families back into their homes—which, thanks to the Vale’s distance from the beach, hadn’t suffered damage—everyone who could fit into the courtyard in front of the Sanctuary gathered there.

  Rose had made Derek and I aware of the fact that we still weren’t on stable terms with the dragons, but none of us could think of them right now. Thankfully, they were understanding. Rose organized some refreshments and offered them seating within the Black Heights where they agreed to wait a while before we gave them reception.

  Mona still hadn’t come to, so for now she remained safely tucked into Corrine’s bed.

  I was grateful to see that Corrine had arranged for candles for everyone. The ceremony would have felt too bare without them, considering we had no coffins to bury. We stood in silence, the firelight glimmering in our glassy eyes, just allowing ourselves to feel the grief.

  After half an hour or so, Corrine cleared her throat. “Would, um, anyone like to say a few words?”

  Yuri stepped forward first. His eyelids red, he moved into the center of the courtyard and stood on the ridge of the fountain. His gaze was cast downward as he began to speak in a choked voice.

  “I… This, uh, will be brief.” He paused, swallowing hard. “My brother… Eli Vincent Lazaroff. No doubt most of you will remember him as the nerdy brainiac of the island.” His lips curved in a fond smile. “You’ll remember him for his logic and cool-headedness even in the most chaotic of times. For saving our backsides on too many occasions to recall.” He turned his head skyward, fixing his eyes on the stars. “But me? I’ll remember my brother for the side of him that most people didn’t have the privilege of witnessing. Behind the veil of his shyness, his seriousness, his introversion, was a sly sense of humor. A heart of laughter—” Yuri’s voice broke. His jaw tensed as he wiped tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “It’s too soon.”

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Corrine said, tears brimming in her own eyes. “Maybe we can gather round for a proper memorial service in a few days or so—”

  Yuri winced. “Let me just try to… say a few words for my wife.” He fixed his eyes on the candle he was holding. “Claudia Jemima Lazaroff,” he said slowly, as though he were relishing every syllable of her name. “My beautiful, crazy, loving wife. If there was one thing I could always count on her for, it was to find some way to drive me insane. Yet with her constant banter, teasing insults, wild demands, exotic requests… God knows, I wouldn’t have changed that woman for the world. And if she was still standing before me now—” Yuri paused as his voice caught in his throat again. “Claudia, if you were standing before me now, I would get down on my knees. And I would beg you to forgive me for delaying so long. And I would tell you yes. A hundred times yes.”

  At that, Yuri broke down. Falling to his knees, he dropped his head into his hands.

  I guessed that most people here wouldn’t have understood what Yuri had meant by his last few sentences. But I understood. My father had told me how hard Claudia had been working to convince Yuri that she was responsible enough to have a baby of her own. I buried my head against Derek’s chest, a fresh flood of tears soaking his shirt.

  Although my chest felt so constricted I could barely breathe, it was time for me to honor my father. Drying my tears, I walked unsteadily toward the fountain and stood where Yuri had been.

  “Aiden Claremont,” I began, biting my lip to prevent it from trembling. “My father—”

  Before I could utter another word, a rough voice boomed across the courtyard. “What are you people doing?”

  I whirled around to see Brett and Bella standing at the corner of the crowds. Both had looks of confusion on their faces.

  “Shh, Brett!” Rose hissed, a look of fury on her face.

  “But Princess Rose—”

  “You’re interrupting my grandfather’s eulogy!”

  “What is it, Brett?” I called.

  “I found them.”

  Hundreds of jaws dropped to the floor.

  “What?” a chorus of us shot back at once.

  “I found them. Those missing people.”

  “Where?” I stammered, barely daring to believe my ears.

  “In my and Arabella’s caves. And some of the other caves nearby.”

  I rushed over to him in a flash and gripped his shoulders, shaking him.

  “Wha—what are you talking about? You’ve had hours and hours to search those few caves. How can you be telling us this only now?”

  The two ogres exchanged guilty glances. Bella prodded a chubby finger at Brett. “Well, we were heading toward the caves when he said he was hungry. So we stopped and built a fire. Found something to roast.” She paused, biting her fat lower lip. “Then afterward, he”—she pointed again at Brett, as though he were some kind of object—“said he was tired. So we had a nap… but we really didn’t mean to sleep so long, Queen Sofia—”

  I’d had enough of listening to Bella’s excuses, and so had everyone else, as we all abandoned the courtyard and raced toward the caves.

  My heart fluttered as we neared them. I kept expecting that somehow this was some cruel prank on the part of the ogres. But as we climbed over the rocks and looked toward the entrances, my fears were unfounded. There, lying on the floor of the caves—still paralyzed but all clearly conscious—were our missing people.

  Chapter 37: Sofia

  We all piled inside and hurried first toward our loved ones. I found my father toward the back of Bella’s cave. His face was frozen, so he couldn’t reveal the emotions I knew he was feeling, but I could see it in his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his cheeks and forehead. Derek arrived next to me a few moments later, carrying Rose on his back. She leapt off and also embraced her grandfather.

  “We’re going to get you out of here, Dad,” I said, squeezing his shoulder.

  My mind was still crowded with questions about how they could have all possibly gotten here when I’d witnessed with my own eyes the blaze in the area they’d been lying in. But those questions didn’t matter right now.

  I looked over my shoulder and beckoned to Corrine and Ibrahim. They came hurrying over. “How do we release them from this spell?” I asked.

  Ibrahim furrowed his thick brows. “I don’t have a ready answer, I’m afraid. I tried back on the beach, actually, when the battle was still going on. This is a tough spell. We’re all going to need time to crack it.”

  “Then please hurry and start,” I said.

  While all the witches gathered together in a circle and began to converse, I caught Derek’s hand and together we began to do a headcount. After visiting all the caves that housed people, all our closest companions appeared to be there, but we were saddened that we were still missing some warriors. Although these could have been casualties of the battle with the witches before the dragons had arrived. We would hold a ceremony in honor of them after we’d managed to crack the black witches’ spell.

  We returned to the witches after about an hour to see if they’d made any progress.

  “Well?” Derek asked.

  Corrine looked nervously at her husband. “We’re no further forward. I have a feeling that we’re going to need Mona’s help on this,” she said.

  “Then focus on fixing Mona first,” Derek replied.

  “That’s what I was going to suggest,” Ibrahim said.

  “You’re going back to the Sanctuary?” Kiev’s voice came from behind us.

  Ibrahim nodded.

  “Then I’ll catch a ride.”

  Kiev, Derek and I vanished with the witches to the Sanctuary where Mona was resting, while Rose said she wanted to stay behind in the caves with Caleb. We gathered around the bed. The witch was still showing no signs of waking up.

  “I’ll try to put together a stronger potion this time. Less root juice,” Corrine muttered as she walked o
ut of the bedroom.

  While waiting for her to return, I voiced the question I knew was running through all of our heads. Since all the captives were paralyzed and unable to talk yet, we were still in the dark about it.

  “How could those people be in the cave?” I asked nobody in particular. “I was in the area. I saw that blaze. And they can’t even move…”

  There was a silence as everyone pondered my words.

  “I can only assume it was the black witches protecting their captives,” Ibrahim said. “As we discovered, it’s not just humans they’re interested in. They must have swooped down in the nick of time before the flames swallowed them and vanished them all to the caves, away from the fire.”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Derek said, nodding.

  “I guess they were expecting to defeat the dragons and return for the vamps and werewolves later once they’d conquered the mountains,” I said.

  Corrine reentered the room with a steaming goblet of red potion. She set it down on the bedside table and propped Mona further up against the pillows before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She reached for the goblet, then looked at Kiev.

  “Kiev, I need your help,” she said.

  Kiev was by her side within a second.

  “Kiss your woman,” Corrine said, as though it were the most normal request in the world.

  Kiev frowned. “Kiss her?”

  “Is that too much to ask?” Corrine snapped.

  Kiev wisely shut up and did as Corrine requested. He lowered his head to Mona and pressed his lips against hers in a chaste peck before raising his head again and looking toward Corrine.

  “Seriously?” Corrine raised her eyebrows. “What was that?”

  Kiev shrugged. “I was just trying to keep things decent.”

  The witch smirked. “Oh, please. Nobody thinks you’re decent, Kiev. Just kiss her.”

  Kiev returned a grin before dipping down and claiming Mona’s lips fully.

  “You see, dear,” Corrine said, bending over and watching Kiev’s kiss closely, “there is a method to my madness. Try to ease open her lips. They’re locked shut again. I used my fingers before, but a kiss will work better… Ah, there we are.”

  She gripped Kiev’s shoulder and pulled him away. Sure enough, Mona’s lips had parted. Corrine grabbed the goblet and tipped the liquid into Mona’s mouth.

  “She can’t swallow,” Kiev said. “Won’t she just choke?”

  “Hush,” was all the reply Kiev received.

  Truth be told, I found myself wondering the same thing as Kiev, but I dared not question the witch. She knew what she was doing.

  Corrine stopped pouring once her mouth was full, and gently pushed her jaw closed. Then she pinched Mona’s nostrils together, blocking her breathing completely.

  “Can you fetch a bucket, honey?” she called over her shoulder to Ibrahim.

  He vanished and reappeared holding a metal bucket. He placed it on the bed next to Corrine. She positioned it beneath Mona’s mouth.

  “If I did better with the potion this time, she’ll hopefully come around any moment now,” she said.

  Considering Mona couldn’t breathe, I certainly hoped so. We all let out a sigh of relief as Mona’s eyes shot open and she opened her mouth, coughing out all the red liquid—most of which Corrine managed to catch with the bucket. Once she’d finished coughing, she looked around at us blearily.

  “What—Where am I?” she mumbled.

  Kiev held her hand and squeezed it gently. “Darling, you’re in The Shade. In Corrine and Ibrahim’s bedroom.”

  She groaned, reaching for her stomach. Kiev’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

  Mona swung her legs off the bed and staggered to her feet. She doubled over and a rush of vomit splattered onto Corrine’s silk rug.

  Corrine hurried to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You’re going be okay, honey,” she said, rubbing Mona’s back even as she winced at the sight of her rug. “It’s just a side effect of the potion we gave you. Sometimes it can make you upchuck.”

  Mona shuddered as she finished vomiting and stood up straight, wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve. “Wha—Where’s Rhys? The black witches?”

  “They’re all gone,” Kiev said, guiding her back to the bed and reseating her.

  She clutched her head. “Ugh. I feel so dizzy.”

  “Then lie down,” Kiev said. He eased her back against the pillows as Corrine handed her a glass of water. “When you’re ready, tell us what you remember.”

  After swallowing the glass, she let out a sigh. “Rhys,” she began. “He was the last thing I remember. We were having a duel. He was winning… by far. We ended up in a tree. He strapped me there. That’s the last thing I remember. Everything went black after that.”

  “Do you have any idea how you ended up in the rowing boat in the middle of the lake?” I asked.

  “The lake?” She frowned. “That’s where you found me?”

  “That’s where your dear fiancé found you,” Corrine replied, gesturing toward Kiev.

  “I have no idea,” Mona said, rubbing her forehead.

  “Well, that is bizarre,” Derek muttered.

  I was curious to discuss it further, but we had more pressing matters at hand.

  “Um, Mona,” I said. “As much as I’m sure you just want to rest right now, we really need your help. The black witches paralyzed our army—we need you to help us break their spell. Ibrahim, Corrine, all our witches, they’ve been trying but—”

  “Yes,” Mona said. She sat up from the pillows and, using Kiev’s shoulder as support, pulled herself into standing position. “I’ll see what I can do.” She looked gingerly down at her torn clothes, covered in dirt and vomit. “I’d just like to, er, change.”

  “And feel free to use the bathroom. There are fresh towels on the rack,” Corrine said, walking over to her wardrobe and pulling out a pair of pants and a shirt. She handed them to Mona before we all left the room, leaving Kiev and Mona some privacy.

  We were only waiting five minutes in the corridor outside before the couple emerged.

  “Okay,” Mona said, an anxious look on her face. “Let’s do this.”

  Chapter 38: Sofia

  I was a bag of nerves as we stood outside the caves, watching Mona as she moved from person to person. She hadn’t wanted us hanging over her, so we all watched from a distance as she worked whatever magic she was trying to work.

  After half an hour passed and not a single person had stirred, I was beginning to lose hope.

  “What if she can’t get rid of the spell?” I whispered.

  I was addressing Derek, but it was Rose who answered as she stood behind me next to Caleb.

  “Mom,” she said, sliding her hand into mine and squeezing it, “never fear what-ifs.”

  She exchanged a glance with Caleb, who beamed down at her. I was grateful for this unexpected comfort coming from my daughter. I smiled at her and kissed her cheek, holding her hand closer to me.

  “You’re right, my darling,” I said, “I shouldn’t fear them.”

  And she was right.

  After an hour, Mona finally cracked the spell. Cheers erupted from the crowds outside the caves who’d gathered to watch as the first captive—Saira, the werewolf—sat up and staggered to her feet. Mona worked much faster after that. Soon, everyone was either standing or sitting upright in the caves. Only then did Mona nod toward our direction and give us permission to enter the caves.

  We all rushed inside in a stampede.

  “Dad!” I squealed like a little girl as I caught sight of my father and flung myself into his arms.

  He chuckled and kissed my head. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”

  “Great, now you’re back.”

  “Grandpa!”

  I stepped back to give Rose a turn to embrace him.

  “Hello, Gramps,” Derek said, drawing him in for a man-hug.

 
“Don’t get too cheeky, Novak,” Aiden said, feigning a glare at Derek. “You’ll be a Gramps before you know it.” He glanced briefly at Rose and Caleb, who was standing by her side. Rose’s cheeks turned red as she looked down at her feet.

  The five of us began moving around the caves, greeting all our newly awakened warriors.

  “Yuri!” Claudia’s shriek pierced my eardrums.

  Yuri was a blur as he shot toward Claudia. Locking his lips with hers, he gripped her waist and propped her up against the cave wall, bringing her to his level.

  “Claudia,” he breathed in between kisses. “Baby, I need to ask you something.”

  “Hm?” Her eyes still closed, she was lost in her husband’s embrace.

  He lowered her down to the floor and, holding her hand, lowered to his knees. Claudia’s eyes widened, her flushed lips parting.

  “Mrs. Lazaroff,” Yuri began, his eyes fixed on hers. “Will you have a baby with me?”

  Claudia looked like she was about to hyperventilate. Her breathing came fast and uneven as her mouth opened and closed. “I-Is this a joke?”

  Yuri shook his head, his eyes glistening with tears.

  Claudia broke down crying. Speechless, she nodded and gave her husband a watery smile before he enveloped her in his arms again.

  Aiden slapped Yuri on the back. “Nicely done, my man. Nicely done… About time, too.”

  Yuri’s dimples showed as he grinned from ear to ear.

  When Claudia finally stopped shaking, she looked up at Yuri with a teasing gleam in her eyes. “So, Lazaroff… now I know the secret to getting what I want from you. I should make you believe I’m dead more often.”

  Yuri’s smile faded, his jaw tensing just at the thought. “No. Please, don’t.”

  “Then you’d better kiss me again before I start getting ideas,” she whispered.

  Yuri clutched the sides of her head and crushed his lips against hers. She jumped up against him, wrapping her legs around his waist and making him stagger back. They were so consumed in each other as Yuri carried her toward the cave’s exit, they bumped into several vampires and werewolves along the way. Leaping down from the rocks outside and disappearing from our view, they headed straight for a bedroom somewhere, I supposed… if they made it that far.