The Chase

41 Evie

I looked at Luca, looked back the page “I’m not evil?” Vi’Ja was quiet, but he had given himself back the annoying rattle that it seemed only I could hear. He wouldn’t quit shaking it, or broadcasting to me how upset he felt right now.

I looked at Luca, he didn’t look at me like I was the monster on the page. “You aren’t a monster Evie. History and books are written by winners, not the losing side.” He was thinking, I could feel his mind working. While his heart was wide open and linked to mine, his thoughts were still his own, mostly. It was so strange to feel so connected to another person, I liked it. Craved more of the connection the more I got. 

I thought on his words, The dragon council had eliminated Pixies, had controlled them. They didn’t want someone like me to be free. Why?

I dove into the next book. Then the next, then the next, they all said the same thing. Control the Pixies, don’t let them be free, don’t trust them. Until the last book. It was small, only a few pages bound under thin, wooden covers. Significantly smaller than all the other books. 

To the New Pixie Priestess, I read on the cover. Auris made a choked sound he tried to cover up. I opened the small thin tomb. 

If our words in this blessed tome reach you, please know that you have proven true.

Our power takes many forms, has many names. Trust your familiar, he is yours, and you are his, together you are the scale and the balance. 

You are exactly who you need to be.

Bring forth a better time.

Suki Leaf Greenspond

High Priestess

I touched the eloquent signature. Saw a glimpse of a woman, with round cheeks and bright smile. Her eyes were tired. She was in a cave, writing into this very book on the stone floor. Only two other people were in the room. Everyone’s clothes looked like they were stained with blood. Suddenly everything felt too hot. A flood of memories that weren’t my own washing into my brain. 

I watched Suki, her and two friends had managed to break free of their collars and had run free. From dragons. Creating, writing and spelling the book I was reading as they ran. Collars falling to the ground as one of the attendants to Suki cradled a barely there bump over her abdomen. The spark of life, destined for the next generation was enough to open a conduit around to the collar. The mother might be bound by a collar, the unborn daughter wasn’t. The plan had only worked as each woman had done awful, degrading things to ensure they too would become pregnant. Needing two unborn daughters for the plan to work. 

The vision ended. My eyes or my vision at least returned in an instant. Everyone was looking at me. I looked down at the thin book I was holding. Their memories, all of them, they were mine now. “This book, it was made for me. But it wasn’t made here.” Everything about it felt wrong. I could feel the world around me, Vi’Ja was there to moderate everything. In Fae, everything could feed his greedy nature. If I wanted too, together we could do almost anything. 

Something wasn’t adding up. I hadn’t had anyone able to chanel magic around when I broke the collar. What had happened with me wasn’t the same. I had had Luca. His face looked tight with worry. “Sorry, how long was I in the memories?” I asked. 

The moment the words left my mouth Luca answered. “Twenty three minutes.” He grabbed my hand. “You’re ok? You seemed calm. You feel like a storm. Your mind works and thinks faster than I thought possible. I’ll spend my life learning to know you as well as I know myself, I just knew that in your heart, whatever was happening, you wanted it to continue…”

Ash interjected, “I was on his side!” Looking at me directly. “I trusted the bond you share with Luca.” she gave a pointed look towards Auris, who currently had one gold and one green eye. 

They shrugged, “We are currently aware of at least one unhinged vampire and the entire dark coven who are after her.” The voice changed. The aura around the handsome dragon shifter changed, “With two known enemies, and countless others who could desire her power. I wanted to be prudent in case they were dream walking or invading her mind some other way.” Unapologetic. As a dragon should be. 

“We all agreed to wait, as long as I confirmed you seemed safe. We were negotiating how long we would wait for your trance to end.” Luca said, I saw him, he wanted to make sure I had the full picture of what I had missed, that Basalt had valid concerns, but the bond had won as most important factor, then my welfare. They were only arguing about how long was safe to leave me in my trance.

I barely knew the dragon shifter who had taken on training future generations of magic users, but he had still cared about my safety. Had cared enough to argue with Ash who he knew much better than me. “The world has not been kind to you, It is amazing you did not turn to the dark. You are a true wonder Evie, people care about you. You have family, you are wanted, and you have more power than anyone else in this room.” Basalt, the dragon was speaking.

I knew everything Basalt said was true. I had what I had always wanted now. Just one terrifying secret left. “I might be pregnant.” I looked at Luca, letting him know I was scared. Not of the pregnancy, that I was shocked to find wasn’t bad news to me. Everything else I had learned wasn’t giving me a very optimistic outlook on my future. 

I wanted our baby to have a bright future no matter what.