Firebolt

Chapter 17

CHENG’S STORY WAS intriguing, although a bit far-fetched. The King of Lionsword was the only weapon that could defeat evil, and Paegeia had plenty of that!

He told me that once flesh-eating plants were devouring people in their sleep. The only way they could kill them was when King Alexander destroyed them with the King of Lion sword. King Louie had used the sword to vanquish a fog that would dissolve whoever entered it. Every supernatural entity, no matter the form, could be defeated by the sword. Cheng had a theory; he believed that the blood of King Albert and his family was special. Not like alien blood or something strange, but that it contained trace amounts of magic, because the sword had been in the possession of Paegeia's true rulers for thousands of years. King William had his arm severed by it, and after the incident, the sword acquired the ability to destroy evil. Whatever the reason for this sword’s magic, I felt safe in the knowledge that there was a weapon like it out there. Cheng also said that Goran was still alive, trapped in Etan, and that he had tried to steal the sword through dark magic. As he explained how Goran had harnessed his dark magic through the blood of wverns and by forcing his own dragon to commit horrifying deeds, my knees trembled and my heart pounded rhythmically in my chest.

Goran wanted to destroy the sword so it wouldn’t pose a threat to his dark sorcery. With the only weapon that could kill him gone, he would become invincible if he ever broke out of Etan. The people of Paegeia believed that if Blake succumbed to his evil, Goran’s magic would be able to control him. This new information scared the living crap out of me. I shivered involuntarily as if icy fingers were tracing patterns on my spine.

If Cheng's theories were right, Lucian was wasting his time and Arianna had really high hopes.

I now understood why Sammy worried about her brother so much. She believed what Cheng did and knew, deep down in her heart, that her brother would never be claimed. Walking back to the room from my meeting with Cheng, I forced myself to think about something else.    

Tomorrow was my first session with Lucian, and the butterflies in my stomach started to do a happy dance. I’d never looked forward to Art of War before, but I hoped he would be able to transform me into a warrior, as he had done with Becky. I did pause, however, as I wondered if he was really the slave driving demon she’d accused him of being.

That night I fell into a dreamless sleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. I guess Cheng's information was too much to dream about, even for the mysterious woman who haunted my dreams every night.

THE NEXT MORNING I felt incredibly well rested. I assumed it had something to do with the mysterious woman not appearing to me. The lady must cause some sort of an emotional drainage while I sleep.

To sum it up in one word, breakfast was uncomfortable. George suddenly started following Becky around, and he even sat at our table. He completely ignored the other guys’ remarks and had a look of admiration on his face whenever Becky spoke. 

Sammy gawked at him, forgetting to eat her breakfast while Becky tried to ignore his unexpected behavior.

My first class of the day was Latin. I didn't understand any of it and every foreign word made me feel like I was going to explode. Leaving one punishing class for another, after Latin I was rewarded with Arithmetic. I didn't have anyone tutoring me in Arithmetic, so I was basically doomed. Even though I was struggling, I was determined not to ask for help; they might end up having Tabitha tutor me, and believe me, dealing with Arianna was more than enough.

                   

MOVING THROUGH ANOTHER less than excellent day, I was relieved that it was lunch until I realized that Becky had another riddle she wanted me to answer. Lucian begged me to give her the answer too, and Sammy simply rolled her eyes while stirring her vegetables.