“We are lucky. We are so damn lucky.” Angela is still having words with James, and Nick and Levine are busy talking with each other and going through the data drives with extreme care. Levine uses a small tool to put a shimmering blue hex shield around the metal, presumably to ward against further remote deletion, when he glances back at them. Evan is with James, and giving Drenar that look like this is completely out of control.

“Lucky in what way?” Julia’s cheery tone is dulled several notches, now that it’s just the two of them. It’s the closest to a serious mode that she gets to most of the time.

“That King and Crosomer aren’t utter psychopaths like Valosterla. I want to hate them, but…they’ve got their own angle they’re playing. I just wish I could figure out what they’re trying to say.”

“You know King was lying about your mom. Right?” He's not sure that he was. King was feeding them information deliberately. But what to what end?

“What if he wasn’t?” He turns to face her. Her face has a few bruises and a cut over one eyebrow, but that’s still less impactful than the weariness in her eyes. “What if he’s right? Whatever secret he’s hiding, it has something to do with this.” He taps his mother’s dagger, still resting on his thigh. Even now, he could feel a pulse of power the second his fingers touched the leather grip. “It’s plausible. With your mother all but confirmed as a dragon–who’s gonna murder me when she finds out what we’ve been up to–then I think something big was going down.”

“Drenar. Stop trying to dig up the–” She sighs and grips his shoulder tightly, and her lips shudder. “I know you miss her, Drenar. But this narrative they’re spinning…it’s too much to be believable. Whether he’s lying or not, she’s gone. And no amount of magic can bring her back. Even though I would tear the world apart if there was even a prayer of a chance of doing so for you.”

“There's still one thing left though.” He glances down at the dagger, tapping the hilt with a finger. “Where did she get this thing? I flung the dagger and it came right back to my hand. It pierced King's arcane barriers, and would have shattered his reinforced one. King knows what it is. He might know who she is. Which means, I need to find him and get answers. Even though she's gone…it'll give me some closure.”

“You’d risk life and limb for that?”

“Even if it was just about finding out the truth, yeah.” Julia sighs before rubbing at a bruise on her cheek.

“You know something Drenar? Don’t let it get to your head too much, but…maybe this is the path we are looking for in life. Fighting giant monsters and solving world-shaking mysteries. But saving lives comes first.”

“Always.” She smiles faintly at that, and he wipes away a smudge of soot on her cheek. “You know, the battle-hardened badass look is catching on, think of how much appeal that could be. Just saying.”

“Boy, I know you’re having a bad night when you’re making a pass at me without even a prompt. You’re mighty close to miscalculating there.”

“Yeah, it’s been that kind of day. Maybe I’m crazy, and King is just a giant dickbag who plays mind games with kids. Which means I’m obliged to go find him and beat him up.”

“So what you’re saying is, you’re a glutton for punishment.” She can’t help but laugh a few seconds later. “Alright, we’re both cracked in the head, aren’t we? It’s not like I wasn’t coming along anyway. I just hope you’re wrong Drenar. Because I can’t imagine that world, if King has been telling the truth.”

She taps the side of her nose, then his once for good measure and he furrows his brow. “Yes?”

“He said a couple of funky things, now that I think about it. King said that Angela would be a good recruit. For who? And why did he call you ‘champion’ of all things?”

“Either messing with our head, or our enigma is playing a much bigger chess game than he leads on.” A disconcerting thought crops up. “Could he be working against Val?”

“Why, though?”

“They don't get along. She brute forces her way through everything. He prefers a deft hand. Hell, he wanted to get in and out of Asqualia like ghosts. We gotta find a way in there and meet up with Joey, first and foremost.”

“And Kyle,” she adds. Then she tilts her head at him and grins slyly. “Did you just fall for a girl you just met?”

He looks at her blankly. “Julia, I'm gonna be real with you. There’s a giant murder lizard who's gunning for my gruesome death roaming around. She also has an army of depraved killers who I’m not quite crushing effortlessly yet. Dating and pursuing love is the least of my worries right now.”

“There is always time for love, Doctor Rashalda.”

“Barf. Your badly paraphrased quotes need work,” he groans. “Let’s go see what the damages are with James and Angela. So far they haven’t flung each other through walls yet, so there’s a positive sign.”

“Speaking of, Drenar,” Levine said just as he directed his attention to the two of them, “I have one profane question.”

“I don’t do profane,” Drenar says with a sigh. “But go ahead.”

“How on earth did you all get into this mess?” Levine glances at Nick out of the corner of his eye, who shrugs.

“A magical fox girl told me I was a dragon, and it came true.” He sees Julia try to keep her composure for about a second before she bursts out laughing, and Levine is looking at them with a crinkle of amusement in his face.

“I still wanted to be a Raijin, you dunce. But being an electrically charged dragon is close enough!” She most certainly zaps him on purpose again when she slaps his back to steady herself.

There’s another shirt with burn marks on it, he thinks with a wry smirk. It’s still worth it, though.

“Ah, youth. How I miss it,” Levine sighs contentedly.

“Oh great, don’t let them win you over, too,” Nick grumbles. “Drenar, it’s time. We have to call it in now.”

“You mean the part where we have to explain to parents that we’re dragons, and that we’ve been leaving a burning trail of destruction–incidentally caused by other people?” he asks with dread.

“Yes. That, and the fact that if King were to decide to have a mood change, Valosterla would likely kill every single one of you, your families, and your friends. Oh, and probably small, furry, innocent animals too, just for the hell of it. Call them.”

Julia grimaces when she looks his way. “This isn’t going to be pleasant, is it?”

“Nope.” He’s got his phone out and everyone’s mostly gone silent while he dials Diane’s number. I hate this part. I tried to keep them out of this mess by doing things ourselves, and what a disaster it’s been.

Learn from it. Now don’t mope, Julia and the others are going to have to do the same thing. Alex’s sharp rebuke is as grating as the electronic ringing.

Fine. Let’s get this over with. He hears Diane pick up on the other end, grumbling softly. “Hi Diane, sorry it’s late.”

“Drenar, it’s…quite late, actually. Why are you calling–”

“Diane, something came up. I uh…look, I know you’re dealing with your dad, and this is a bad time–”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Drenar. There is never a bad time to bring things up. I’m guessing that at this late hour, you and Angela got into a fight?” Even with her still half-asleep, she thinks to ask about his well-being.

“Not…exactly,” he replies uneasily. They’d been fighting, but not with each other, ironically–although that could happen too. The reveal in the car to the school–and her feelings for Nick–had been a long time coming, and he was going to have to address that one at some point, too. He takes a deep breath and dives straight into this giant disaster. “Diane, when are you coming home?”

“We were supposed to be arriving Friday. My father’s health improved. We were very lucky. But…why did you need to call so late?”

“Don’t come home. There’s danger.” He hears the resigned sigh in her voice.

“What kind of danger?”

“The kind that I can’t tell you details over the phone. Me, Julia, Evan, and the others are with friends. That is all I can say.” Nick nods approvingly after a second of hesitation.

“You need to tell us. I can’t take your word on just that–”

“Diane…if there is anything that my mom left for you in some final contingency… anything at all… a secret behind a veil of necessity that changed the way you viewed life…then you know why I can’t answer that right now.”

He grips the phone tightly, the raw memory of the hospital still no less painful today than almost six years ago. Dying on a rolling bed, her body broken, her left arm up to her elbow gone. She still had the courage to stay alive and make a promise to him that she’d see him again. Was that a lie now, too? Had she taken the secret of her heritage to her grave, to protect them? “Tell me that you understand.”

There’s nothing but silence for a few seconds. Then, he can hear a soft sob.

“When did you change, Drenar?”

She knew. She knew from the beginning. He forces his eyes shut and turns so Julia can’t see his eyes start to water.

“Friday.” She pauses again, her whole tone has changed.

“Evan, too?”

“Yeah. Before me.”

“I should have known. Are you two safe?”

“For the time being,” he answers grimly. Nick’s house is a fortress dressed up as a residential home, and he feels a lot more secure here than he did anywhere else at the moment. Even his home. “Did you know about Julia, too?”

“We were sworn to silence, Drenar. We had a contingency planned, but…as you said…we can’t have this conversation right now. I need to be there to tell you this in person–”

“No, you can’t come home. That is not something I’m negotiating on. You need to stay safe. One of our friends has been keeping someone friendly on you so that you don’t get jumped by the people we’re up against–”

“Drenar, stop. Stay out of this fight. Your mother wouldn’t have wanted this for you.” He’s been trying to be patient and wait for her to catch up to his viewpoint, but it’s not fast enough for him this time.

“You know, everyone’s been talking about what she wanted for me, or what Julia’s dad would have wanted for her, or that Angela’s and James’ parents really do give a damn about their kids. But so far we’ve been served nothing but disappointment. None of that will change the fact that Mom’s dead and buried, and I didn’t have the first clue about who she really was, Diane.

“You all should have told us from the get-go. I made bad decisions because I didn’t have all the facts in front of me. I almost got my friends killed, and that’s something that’s going to stick with me for a long time.” Julia looks at him warily and Nick is pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“So when I say you guys need to stay safe, I mean that. Please. Do this for me, and when there’s a safe moment, we all have some things to sort out. I do not want you guys hurt as collateral in this mess. That's all I can say on this matter.”

“Drenar…there are reasons you weren’t told. There’s a lockbox we always carry with us, with her final instructions. We were not told all the details specifically so we would not put ourselves at risk.” Even though he can’t see her, he can hear the frustration in her tone. “I have cried, I have wept, I wanted to take that damn box and smash it open to find out what was so important…But I made a promise.” She takes a second and forces back a choked-up voice, likely wiping away an errant tear before she continues.

“I can guess what it says. Your mother was someone… extraordinary. Do not mistake secrecy for uncaring, Drenar. She loved you and Evan, so very much.”

“Diane…was my mom involved in the secret?” Julia asks quietly when Drenar motions the phone to her.

“Yes.”

Julia winces and tightens the grip on the phone to the point he thinks she might turn it into a crumpled pile of scrap, and she takes a sharp breath. “Julia, you’re like a daughter to me, too, and these decisions were not made lightly. I did not know all the details, I knew just enough to know when it was time to seek answers. When it’s safe to do so…we will open the lockbox together. I promise.”

“Drenar, wrap it up. I’m not entirely unconvinced that our adversaries didn’t bug your phones or compromise them,” Levine warns when he draws close. He nods quietly, and the rest have finally gathered.

“Stay safe guys. We’ll be in touch. When you hear from us, I want you to ask me what the last thing my mother said to me was. If you hear the right answer…then you’ll know it’s safe,” Drenar says, even with his voice trembling slightly. “Can you do that?”

“We will. I know you well enough Drenar, so I won’t say goodbye.”

“Alright. Till later.” He ends the call, and now feels like he wants to crush the phone into a crumpled heap of scrap.

“So, that sucked. Drenar, I was harsh earlier,” James says after a few seconds. “They lied to us. For years. I can’t get over that fact! How much they know…this just pisses me off!”

“Yep, mom’s a dragon. Called it,” Julia sighs and leans on Drenar just lightly enough that he notices it. “We should have gone to her from the beginning. We really screwed up.”

“I don’t know if we did, Julia. Crosomer and Jonaleth both were aware of us from the records. So was King. Not getting involved was never an option, they would have forced our hand or we might have found ourselves in an even worse position.” Too many painful notions of betrayal and being left out are at the forefront of his thoughts.

“She didn’t mention anything about our parents, though. Think she left that out?” Angela asks quietly after a few seconds.

“Veil protocol. She might not have known or was never told,” Drenar reasons. “We simply don’t know yet. Now we’re going to ask. Call them. Get them on the line.”

“Well, my mom’s playing phone tag–it went to voicemail,” Julia says sourly.

“Are we really–” Angela gives Drenar an exasperated look when he folds his arms. “Great. So you’re going to make me do this?”

“We don’t have a choice. If Val is any indication, being burnt to ashes and being zapped with lethal levels of dark energy is likely the top layer of the infinite evils they can inflict on us Angela. Call them,” Nick also states.

“And then what? We sit here with our thumb up our ass while the Talons roll up on Asqualia, with people from your organization helping them?” she narrows her eyes. “You are so quick to be protective when you underestimate us at every turn, Nick. Have we been disappointing thus far?”

“Aside from some questionable decisions earlier, no. Given what I just heard from Drenar’s guardian, there is another angle to this. Levine, dig into the Rashalda family. I want to know what they were hiding from their own sons.”

“Nick…stop. You don’t have to.”

Nick looks at Levine, confused by his somber statement. Drenar sees it, too. “I already know who she is…and what she was.”

“You want to run that by me again, Levine? What the hell, how do you already know–” Nick stops when he follows Levines’ gaze. Drenar can hear that soft ringing crystalline chime sound, emanating from the holster on his thigh. Levine’s slow nod to the dagger is enough to get his attention, and he pulls it out slowly, with the crystal chime sound growing louder.

“Levine, you can hear it too, can’t you?” he says softly.

“I’ve heard that crystalline sound ever since you walked into the house, lad. Who else hears it?”

“Me,” Julia says quietly.

“Same. Levine, it’s not an ordinary dagger, so what is it?” Angela asks. He remains silent and looks like a sense of wonder crosses his face. “Levine, what importance could a single magical item possibly hold?”

“It’s a blade fashioned by true legends. I have seen one of these before, many years ago. What I remember above all else, is the sound it would make, a sound of resonance that reminded me of the old metal chimes my mum used to hang outside the house, when I was a small lad.” Levine points to the blade and to Drenar’s growing wonder when he speaks something he never expected. “I know exactly why none of you were told now, based on this alone. I know what great pains your mother went through to keep that secret–to protect herself, and her family.

“That blade was crafted and wielded by a Valkyrie.”