The Dragon Queen's Heir [book one]

16

"GO!" I SAY, PUSHING ON NIKOLAI'S CHEST. "Go!" Already, I can feel the beginnings of a vision wracking my body. My sight darkens until I can barely see Nikolai in front of me, the sound of the roaring dragon muffled until I'm practically deaf. "Get the headmaster! Hurry!"

Nikolai simply stands there, holding me as my legs collapse. "I'm not going to leave you," he says softly, picking me up in a bridal position. "I can't leave you here alone." It sounds like he's talking to himself more than me, but I let him carry me anyway, my vision going in and out as my senses slowly disappear.

I'm inside the school, watching like a spider on the ceiling as a dark-haired girl I recognize as Milay crouches in the corner of a hallway, a stone tightly clenched in her hands. "Come on, work!" she practically screams, shaking her hands. "I didn't go through all this for you to be useless."

Footsteps echo in the hallway louder than they should, a figure appearing in front of Milay. "June, please, don't do this," the figure says softly sliding down on the wall next to Milay. "You know this isn't you. It's the dark magic, telling you to do their bidding so they can get control--"

With a start, I realize the boy is a much younger Oliver, with shaggy brown hair instead of the long braid I've come to know. "I told you, my name is Milay!" she exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. She must regret it a moment later, shrinking into herself as she mutters desperate apologies. "They won't leave me alone," she whimpers as Oliver puts an arm around her shoulder.

"I know," Oliver says softly. "That's why you can't do this. If you do what they say, their hold on your mind will only get tighter, June. Please come back to me. Be the June I fell in love with."

My eyes, if I had any in this vision, would have popped out of their sockets. In love? Oliver was in love with Milay? It explains everything: how sensitive he was to me being just like her, his fierce defense of me in the courtyard, his sudden discomfort when I asked him about her. He's trying to help me so I don't end up like her.

"No, you're wrong," Milay says, pushing herself out of Oliver's arms and standing. "They told me themselves. The voices in my head told me they would go away if I destroyed the school and found the amulet. I need to do this, Oli, for my sanity. Please."

They're both crying now, soft tears sliding down Milay's cheeks while Oliver has to hold back a sob. "They're liars!" he says, his voice echoing down the hallway. "They're big, fat liars that want nothing more for you than for you to be isolated from everyone you care about!"

Milay slowly shakes her head, taking slow steps back from Oliver. "No, that's not true. If they really wanted to hold onto someone's mind and control their actions, why would they pick such a broken girl? Why not someone more powerful? Sara has powers infinitely stronger than mine, but she's living a happy life, free from demons in her head telling her to destroy the school!"

Oliver holds out a hand for Milay to grab, his eyes shining bright with tears. "June, April, I don't care, just come back to me. You don't have to do this. Please." But Milay is already gone, her shadow scampering out of sight of my vision, and Oliver collapses against the wall, sliding down and bringing his knees up to his chest.

A moment later, an explosion rocks the school.

~

My eyes drift open, the smell of cookies filling my nostrils. Though my ears are ringing loud enough to rival the roar of the black dragon, I still catch on to the low murmuring of two voices in the corner of wherever I am. Slowly sitting up, I rub my eyes and find I'm in a dorm not unlike my own. It's not Oliver's--it's far too neat for that--but from the way Nikolai is sitting backwards in a desk chair, I can assume the room is his.

Next to him, Professor Singh stands, talking lowly, eyes filled with concern. The bed creaks when I sit up, and both of them snap their heads towards me. "Ciana!" Nikolai says, quickly standing and rushing to the bed. "Are you okay? After we saw the dragon, you passed out. I had to carry you back to the school, and the whole way, you kept murmuring something about Milay."

Professor Singh appears beside him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let her wake up, Mister Browne." A smile briefly touches his lips. "Don't want her to pass out again after she was out for so long."

"W-What--" I cough, my throat dry. "What happened?"

Nikolai disappears from my sight for a second, reappearing a moment later with a tray of cookies. "I had these delivered for you. Sugar always helps me cheer up when I'm down. Oh, and I suppose you'd need some water or something, too. Here, let me get some."

He disappears again, and I chuckle. "Thank you, Nikolai." Then I turn to the headmaster, my face serious. "I had another one. You know . . ." I say, my eyes sliding over to Nikolai, preparing to bring a glass of water over to me.

Professor Singh nods, his face serious. "I figured as much. We'll discuss this later. When you're feeling better, come by my study and let me know what happened." I nod, and he quickly exits the dorm, leaving me alone with Nikolai, who helps me sip from a glass of water.

"Are you okay?" he asks again, his eyes wide with concern. "Are you hurt?"

I shake my head, my eyes wandering down to the tray of cookies resting on my lap. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken, I guess. That dragon scared me half to death," I say, "literally." Nikolai doesn't laugh, simply watching me take a bite of one of the cookies. "Oh my gosh," I say, the cookie melting on my tongue. "These are so good! Where did you get them?"

Nikolai shrugs. "I asked my servant to run to the kitchen and get a tray of the school's best cookies. I thought it would make you feel better." My face warms and my hearts does a back flip as he sits on the wall by his bed. "You can stay here as long as you want. You were out for a few hours, but there's still a while before dinner."

"Thank you," I say, my eyes already growing heavy. "I appreciate it."

I wrote this chapter in half an hour XD I love tense scenes so much. They're so much more fun to write than normal, everyday stuff. Anyway, what do you think of Oliver's relationship with Milay? Did you see it coming? Let me know in the comments!

~ Amber