Sasha was sitting down in the dragon nest, surrounded by ghostly figures. She was holding a hand with one of them or at least that was what the wet feeling and the droplets at her hand indicated.

“So Sasha, tell me.”

“I have plotted to get rid of the king for a long while”, Sasha started. The ghost nodded, encouraging her to continue “The kingdom would be better off without him, without any of them.”

She felt flustered. “I don’t want to be royal, but someone has to stop them.”

“We know”, the ghost confirmed. “We are not unaware of the happenings.”

“Then you know Ivy would be a better ruler.”

“We have nothing against Ivy, or you. You want to punish the queen and the king, don’t you?”

“Yes”, Sasha confirmed.

“You do know they are your parents?”

Sasha nodded. The ghost squeezed her hands tighter, although she just felt a brief flickering.

“I know, and I want them both gone, but I have come to the understanding that the king has not had a fair choice. The queen took his heart years ago, and it has made him twist. He ain’t human any longer, he is a monster, a lunatic.”

“It has made both of them monsters”, the ghost nodded. “But she more than him. She has had a choice.”

His soft voice was suddenly harsh, filled with a vengeance before he shook his head. “It's a mean thing, that’s why it needs to be protected. To never again end up in the hands of humans.”

“I agree”, Sasha said. “I would like to break its force, I want to give the king his heart back, and I want you to erase all of his memories, give him a fresh start. If he messes up with that one.” She shook her slender shoulders.

“I would kill him”, the dragon queen interrupted. “I could easily kill that man, I feel nothing for him.”

The ghosts all nodded.

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“If he screws up, he's all yours. What about the queen?”

“I would like to collect another favor for her”, Sasha said. “I want to give her fair punishment. Wipe out the memory of the king, and give the queen what she deserves. Whatever that is.”

“Very well”, the ghosts lend closer, their transparent faces suddenly gleaming with a smile that gave Sasha a cold shiver. “Give the queen to us. Just give her to us.”

“You would give her what she deserves?” Sasha.

The ghost holding her hand got a softer feature, a small smile at his lips and he chuckled.

“We have practiced child, let us take care of it.”

Sasha nodded. She didn’t need to know. They had gotten Aaliyah to come around. They should know.

“I am not sure if we are strong enough to go to war with them. We believe Elias has told the queen, and she is holding him in the tower. The plan is to rescue him, regroup and get help from Greg.”

The ghost nodded, this time looking like he tasted the surrounding air before he answered.

“He has told her, and she is holding him in the tower”, the ghost confirmed.

“You know?”

“We know”, the ghost said, looking at his friends. “I know stuff.

“And”, he prompted. “You have something more to share don’t you.”

Sasha sighed. She let go of his hands for a short while and closed her eyes. They have approved of her plan, and so far it was a piece of the case. What came next was what made it complex.

“I planned to kill the king and to do so I had Greg to alter this orb.”

Sasha produced a perfectly black orb, crackling with purple lights from inside. It was beautiful, the arcs lashing out in the surroundings, the air sizzling with energy.

“A masterpiece”, the ghost said and backed away. “Please put it aside.”

“It’s a piece of Elias. I kind of betrayed him, promising to give him this back.” She sighed, transferring the orb inside again. “I know what to do, but if I do, I will not be strong enough to force the queen to give the king's heart back.”

“I see”, the ghost nodded. “I understand the problem.”

All of them started to whisper among themselves, ending up engulfing the dragon queen in their transparent bodies. Then they circled back, sitting down again.

“This is what you will do”, the ghost said, taking her hands and looking her directly in her eyes. “You will help Elias leave the tower, and then you will leave, immediately and go and clean up that orb girl.”

“It feels selfish”, Sasha whispered.

“Then, when what needs to be done is done”, the ghost continued, patting her hands but ignoring her comment. “Then you will go to Greg and meet up with the rest of the team waiting for you. All of you will together confront the queen.”

“What if she is too strong?”

“You asked me of a grounded decision, didn’t you?”

“Yes”, Sasha agreed. “I am sorry, I have already decided to do whatever you ask of me.”

The ghost smiled, raising as the rest of his friends did the same.

“Then princess, you have our blessing. Don’t misjudge me, it will not be easy, and it will cost you, but if you want”, the ghosts started to fade away, “you can't lose.”

Sasha felt the knot in her stomach disappearing. She turned around looking at Isaak, smiling.

“Come on brother, let's go and save that friend of yours.”