SUMMER WAS HARD, but never in a million years had I thought the beginning of my third year at Dragonia Academy would be harder.

　　I had a new schedule, one that would instruct new riders on how to connect with their dragons. The only plus side to this was that I was sharing classes with Becky and Sammy again.

　　To make matters worse, I was now being forced, this time by the two ruling kingdoms, to sit with King Helmut and King Caleb to discuss Paegeia’s projects. The royals ran a number of charities, which Queen Margerite loved, and from that money they found ways tohelp the less fortunate or fund projects that would produce enough income to sustain their charity work. But not all of those projects were good. Some of these projects weredodgy, and they were conducted on the other side of the world. So every Wednesday and Thursday after school, I was either taken to Tith or Areeth to sit with them and talk politics.

　　Blake was still missing, for more than two months to be exact, and if not for his love of booze, I would have thought he was lying in a ditch somewhere without a heartbeat.

　　Whenever he consumed too much alcohol, well, it was the only time that he ‘tuned in’ and actually spoke to me inside my head, a conversation that was only meant for us. But it was usually vulgar, dirty, and always below the belt, and far from the truth, as I knew he hated my guts. However, for some reason it was the opposite whenever he was drunk. It was the only time he really wanted me.

　　He was my dent, a bond so strong it made people who had to watch it daily want to puke. Becky, my best friend, shared a dent with her dragon, George, who was a Moon-Bolt. The kind who could see into the future as they aged.

　　I remembered how he’d loathed her those first few weeks after she claimed him. It was before he’d dented. And when he finally went through the process, a process that no onecan explain because the stupid idiot will not reveal it to any living soul, he’d becomeher shadow, a limb without which she couldn’t function, and her soul mate. They drove everyone around them nuts with the way they stared at one another, giggling and cooing sweet words in each other’s ears.

　　It was unnatural, not the real kind of love I’d once shared with Lucian, the Prince of Tith. To me it was a spell under which these dragons were placed. It wasn’t something I treasured the way the rest of Paegeia did.

　　Sammy and Dean, one of Lucian’s best friends, had fallen in love during our second year. When I’d started to show signs that I was close to ascending, we had thought about teaming up, but then Paul, a wyvern, had come into the picture and said he was my dragon. After that, Sammy and Dean made it official and they became a team. They didn’tshare a dent but they were really close.

　　“Elena.” Sir Edward called my name and I cringed. Shit. Not paying attention in these classes was surely going to make me fail all of them.

　　I cleared my throat and stared at him questioningly.

　　“You’re free to go,” he said, and I narrowed my eyes, not knowing where it was I should go.

　　“For heaven’s sake.” Becky spoke softly, but everyone laughed, as the entire class had super hearing abilities. “Master Longwei, the Council.”

　　“Oh.” I started to pull all my stationery and my books together and put them into my backpack, closed the flap, and got up.

　　“Thank you, Sir Edward.”

　　He gave me that look, the one that told me he was seriously concerned about my lack of concentration lately, and nodded.

　　I walked as fast as I could out of the Magical Variances class and ran to the office where Master Longwei was waiting for me.

　　I pulled hard at the oak door. I remembered when it’d felt like a regular door, but my strength was one of the first things that’d left me when Cara died, and also one of the things that I’d never gotten back after I claimed Blake. I missed my strength.

　　Master Longwei was already waiting for me at the dragon statue inside the lobby.

　　There was no time to change into something more adequate to meet the Ancients, but they needed to get used to who I was.

　　Ever since those horrible three weeks of summer learning – no, let me rephrase – forcing everything about Paegeia down my throat, I’d refused to become this dressed-updoll whenever the Ancients or Council wanted a word with me.

　　Master Longwei gave me a slightly raised eyebrow and glanced at his watch.

　　“Yeah, I know. I’m late. Sorry. I forgot about the Ancients.”

　　“Elena, you cannot‒

　　“I know.” I was irritated. I just hated everything about being the princess because I really sucked at it still.

　　THE CARRIAGE FLIGHT felt like five minutes and then we were at Town Hall in Elm, where the Ancients were going to meet with us.

　　Since my dragon refused to dent, we’d had to come up with something to keep our connection at bay in some cases.

　　In the history of Paegeia, no dent had a connection between dragon and rider this strong. Whenever Blake was beaten, as he was still dark and had evil urges, a process that was on hold until he dented, I automatically went through the beatings as well, ending up with slashes as long as the width of my back. We only discovered this a few weeks back when I’d dreamed about Emanuel, King Helmut’s dragon and a really good friend, getting beaten, which then turned into Blake and eventually became my own beating, which nobody could stop. Not even Constance with her magic healing touch.

　　Master Longwei, bless his mind, put two and two together really fast, even if it did sound far-fetched, and phoned Sir Robert to stop beating Blake to a pulp. It took weeks for me to heal and to be honest I think I still had the scars on my back to prove it.

　　This bond was sonot frawsome at this stage.

　　The connection was messed up, but it was one I had to deal with.

　　I didn’t like the beatings, and I hoped that when it happened again, I wouldn’t feel it like the last time and would somehow be able to get to him before his father ended up killing him.

　　This was why we were meeting with the Council. A plan to block our bond and situations like this was their number one priority. A situation that I’d made very clear to Sir Robert could neverhappen again. But he was a dragon and who was I to give him orders, even if I was the princess.

　　“You are awfully quiet today, princess.”

　　“I told you not to call me that, Master Longwei.”

　　He smiled. “It’s what you are, the day you own up to it is the day that you are ready tohandle your responsibility.”

　　I wanted to roll my eyes, but a princess never rolled her eyes. Every time I wanted to do that, Stanley’s voice shrilled inside my head like a horrible alarm.

　　“You are right. Sorry, Master Longwei,” I said.

　　It made him laugh. “Elena, you are still Elena Watkins to me. You never have to pretend, please.”

　　A small chuckle escaped passed my lips too but it turned into a sigh as I stared out the window, upon my world. “It’s all still so confusing.”

　　“Which part?”

　　“Everything.”

　　“Then maybe you should speak to someone, Elena, one who was part of a dent, a long time ago but lost her rider.”

　　I rolled my eyes, even with Stan’s stupid voice shrilling in my head.

　　“I’ll die before I walk one step up that tower again.”

　　“She can help you.”

　　I shook my head. I guess it wasn’t just my dragon who was stubborn. Every time our VidenIrene’s name was mentioned in my presence, I would remember her harsh words the first time she’d given me that horrible foretelling. I guess a first impression was really that strong.

　　She told me that I, King Albert and Queen Catherine’s daughter, didn’t belong. That mymark was just a birth defect, that I would never ascend and I would never fit in. For someone who had the ability to see into the future, she really sucked with me.

　　I would never see her as anyone who I could confide in, even if Blake spoke highly of her.

　　Yes, there was a time when he’d been super sweet to me. A part of me had fallen head overheels for him, but it wasn’t real. He’d only been trying to lure me into doing the mosthorrible thing ever: to kill him when the time came, since my dragon form – since Cara – had changed into a Rubicon herself.

　　In some way, killing him would’ve probably been easier than what he had to do now.

　　Even if Irene’s very first Foretelling had been about us, I would rather free Blake than hear what the Viden had to say ever again..

　　I saw dents as evil, and not the way the rest of this world saw them.

　　Dragons have to do what their Dragonians tell them, no matter how sinister their requests are. Cheng’s father couldn’t break from his rider, who according to Cheng was just as evil as Goran himself.

　　Becky was controlling too, and it was disgusting how George just did whatever she wanted. He loved that part of her with all of his heart.

　　Our love would never be real. Not like the love Lucian and I had shared. We’d fought, we’d laughed, and fought some more. It hadn’t been easy at times, but it had been the real deal.

　　Blake would become like George, and I would know that none of it was real. I would never do that to him, never,and nothing was going to change my mind.

　　We stopped in front of the hall and Master Longwei climbed out first. Flashing lights reflected off his face and into the carriage, and I took a deep breath.

　　Ever since the truth had come out about who I was, everywhere I went the cockroaches with their cameras were there.

　　I hated each of them, because the one time when I had really needed them, the time when I wanted to break free from all the learning how to be something I was not, none of them had ever revealed what I was truly going through. They made it look as if I was having a royal time without my two best friends, whom I’d almost lost in the process.

　　These people with their cameras were only in it for the money, and Stan or one of his gang would throw bags of money at them to not print what was really going on.

　　They would do anything to earn that penny. It was disgusting.

　　I climbed out, and flashing lights blinded me.

　　“Princess, what will you do if there is nothing that can protect you from the Rubicon’s bond?”

　　Yes, that piece of information had been in all the tabloids during the past few weeks. How I’d felt Blake’s beating, every single slash of it.

　　“Mr. Brody,” I answered. “I guess then I will just have to deal with it, like I have always dealt with things, and pray that he will come to his senses.” The last part made a few laugh softly, and I moved through all of them, with guards at our sides.

　　More questions came but I only had time for one and I thought I had answered it well enough.

　　Mr. Brody, or Kevin, was someone I’d met regularly. He was one of the idiots who had been paid off on numerous occasions. He even ran a show on TV called Just Kev, definitely an eye-roll opportunity.

　　He was the last one I should probably answer, but he was also the most demanding, and always said horrible things about me on his show when I didn’t answer at least one of his questions. His famous line was how I didn’t care and didn’t have a heart or the time to address my people’s concerns, and whether I was really a princess worthy of love.

　　All things that weren’t true, but things that would make everyone believe that it was the truth, especially the people of Areeth, Arianna Kingsley’s father’s kingdom.

　　We entered the hall and the Ancients were waiting on huge thrones.

　　My Pappiwas the first face I saw and he had a twinkle in his eye as he winked at me. He smiled and nodded a greeting in my direction.

　　“Good afternoon princess, Master Longwei.”

　　We both took a bow in front of the five thrones and sat on the two seats right in front ofthem.

　　“I hope we haven’t made you wait too long, your Honors,” Master Longwei said and tookhis seat.

　　“Not in the least. We know the princess’s education is of importance now, more than ever.”

　　I hated the way they spoke down to us, especially the speaker: Admirable Duclin.

　　I think he was a dragon too, and it was as if he loathed royalty. Well at one stage I would’ve agreed with him, but we weren’t that bad.

　　My Pappistared at him, but took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if he’d passed his afternoon nap, turned his head and stared at the two of us again.

　　“We have found an old incantation that we have placed on a charm, a bracelet, that the princess should wear at all times. It will protect her from the lashes. It wasn’t an easy spell to come by, but in some cases, it’s necessary to look in darker places.”

　　That piece of knowledge made the hair on my arms and the back of my neck tingle.

　　The Black Market.

　　Pappiclosed his eyes once, lovingly, in my direction to ease my worries with a soft smile.

　　My heart still pounded as it was one of the places I would gladly close down in a second if they gave me the chance to rule this world. They still used dragon parts, parts that kept them alive, as the most valuable potions couldn’t function without them, like the coward potion.

　　A potion my mother had once asked Goran to make her so that she could pretend to be dead and reunite with me.

　　She wrote about that in her journal, something she’d done daily after she’d given me up. If I hadn’t relived the pain she’d gone through giving me up that day, her words ofwhat life was like without me would’ve done it.

　　She’d really wanted me with all of her heart, so much that her relationship with my father turned to dust because he couldn’t find the person who was going to betray them.Theirs was a love I thought could never die.

　　The Ancients still spoke in the background. I hadn’t heard a single word they’d said until a short little fat man with medals sewn on his black suit brought me back to reality when he came running in with a wooden box.

　　He came to a halt in front of me and opened the lid.

　　Inside was a beautiful, round bracelet with a small heart charm dangling from it. There was a dark blue stone in the middle of the heart.

　　The guy with the big belly nodded once, and I stared at him and then at the Ancients.

　　“Princess, you are the only one who can touch it. The spell will begin when it comes into contact with your skin,” my Pappisaid.

　　I reached out with slightly trembling hands as if it was a snake that was going to strikeat any moment.

　　I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and took the bracelet gently.

　　I awkwardly tried to clasp it on, and on the fifth try, with a few annoying sighs coming from the thrones, I finally got the clasp to connect with the link.

　　“The dark stone will turn to a soft blue when the spell is busy protecting you from whatever pain the Rubicon is going through,” Duclin said.

　　My Pappicleared his throat. “You can’t take it off. If you do, the spell will lose itspower and the bracelet will be just that, a bracelet.”

　　I nodded and took a deep breath.

　　“I understand.” I stood up, and Master Longwei followed my lead.

　　“I thank all of you for finding something so rare to protect me from danger.” I smiled. It didn’t sound anything like me. The old Elena would never say anything like this, or accept anything from the Black Market.

　　“Thank you, your Honors, we appreciate this dearly,” Master Longwei added and all of them got up and made their way without a hint of acknowledgement through another door.

　　I felt as if I could breathe again, and we turned around and exited the hall.

　　More questions filled my head, but all I did was dangle my bracelet in the air and tell myself there was a reason the Ancients were called Ancient.

　　Pedro, my Pappi’smost trusted apprentice whom I’d met that horrible night everythingwas stripped from me, waited not far from the carriage and nodded.

　　When I opened the carriage an envelope waited on the soft leather seat.

　　Master Longwei closed the door and I sat down, breaking the wax seal.

　　My dearest Elena.

　　You have no idea how important this bracelet is. It’s the only object that might protect you from this horrible curse that was placed upon you, a curse that will hopefully soon turn into a blessing. Please, I pray that you will never take it off. We trust and pray with all of our hearts that it is going to work, and will never give up finding something that will, if the bracelet does not live up to its task.

　　I beg you not to worry about how we came by it, just trust that the stone and the magic behind it is rare and as old as time itself.

　　But enough of that. Meet me this Saturday at 17 Millherb Road, ask that Moon-Bolt friendof yours, he will find it in no time.

　　Much love and warm thoughts,

　　Pappi.

　　I smiled and felt better about the bracelet dangling from my wrist as I put the letter back into the envelope.

　　It wasn’t the first time my Pappihad snuck off to meet me for some private time with his great, great, great, great, great-grand- daughter.

　　The last time we talked while walking in the park, enjoying an ice cream. Pappiwas a sucker for ice cream. We had both been in disguises and were pleased nobody recognized us, thanks to Lucille.

　　The ride back to the academy felt longer than the first.

　　I was looking forward again to something: discovering if this old spell was going to work.

　　When the carriage stopped the bracelet started to sparkle.

　　I stared at it, as did Master Longwei. Neither of us knew what that meant, as the Ancients said that the stone would turn lighter if it was protecting me in some way, not that it would sparkle.

　　“Does it hurt?” Master Longwei asked, and I shook my head while staring at it as we walked down one of the cobblestone paths, past the huge statue of my dad and plenty of oak trees.

　　“Then I should speak to one of the Ancients and find out what this means.”

　　“Yeah, that sounds like an idea.”

　　We reached the main building in record time as Master Longwei’s strides widened and I had to run-walk to keep up. He pulled at one of the doors as if it weighed nothing and thebracelet sparkled even more.

　　“This is seriously starting to freak me out,” I said softly.

　　“Soon, we’ll have our answer soon,” was all he said as we rushed down the hall toward the dragon that parted the hall and the lobby of the Academy.

　　I was still staring at my bracelet and it was brighter than ever. I could swear that it’d gotten brighter and brighter as we moved down the hall toward the lobby.

　　“What do you think this –” I slammed into Master Longwei who was standing in the entrance of the lobby and hallway.

　　“Master Longwei?” I asked. He stared toward the stairs and my gaze followed.

　　“I guess I know why that bracelet was shining.”

　　Yeah, I knew too, as the reason was standing with his lips against Tabitha’s, kissing her as if there was no tomorrow.