The Dream Keeper's Dragon

4. It Isn't Safe

"Princess," Aurelie heard a voice rousing her out of sleep. "Princess, please," the voice grew more persistent. She felt a hand on her shoulder, lightly shaking her awake.

Vica, the Sproot's head maid, stood above her. They were under cover of a thick bush, at the side of the garden. Aurelie's head felt cloudy for a second and then a hot flash raced through her along with the memories of the previous evening.

"How long have you been here?" Vica asked.

"I . . ." A lump formed in Aurelie's throat. She lost her wit and words. Vica had never called Aurelie a princess before. In fact, she had never known her real name or title at all. They called her Natali and knew her family to be distant relatives of Mrs. Sproot.

"Come along. It isn't safe, princess. You really shouldn't . . ." Vica paused, pushing away a branch with her hand and looking out through it. "The whole bloody village is looking for you."

"Does anyone else know I'm here?" Aurelie asked. The light coming through the gaps of the leaves was orange. The Sproots would still be in deep slumber. She watched them entertain the King for what felt like hours, before falling asleep, while he was still at the table.

Idiot, she thought. Idiot. Idiot.

"No, it's just me. I saw your feet sticking out of the bushes. We need to get you out of here, and quickly," Vica said, pulling at Aurelie's arm. "They'll be up soon and if they see you . . ." So she knew who Aurelie was and that the Sproots sold them out to the Dragon King. She wasn't sure why Vica was helping her. A large reward waited for her at the Dranoir castle if she were to hand Aurelie over to the King.

Aurelie stood, bending her back to keep herself hidden under the leaves.

"The King has your aunt and—"

"I know."

"Good God, girl, what are you doing here then?"

"I must have fallen asleep."

"That's incredibly careless. One would hope that someone with your history would be smarter. You've got a lot of people relying on you."

"On me?"

Vica widened her eyes. "Yes, of course, have those people taught you nothing?"

"They taught me everything!" Aurelie bared her teeth. Tears welled in her eyes at the mention of her aunt and uncle. How dare she speak about them and question their efforts in her upbringing?

"Yes, I'm sure they told you all about the rebellion." Vica pursed her lips. Sarcasm did not suit her. If anything, the expression she put on, made her narrow, brown eyes look rat-like.

"They had other things to worry about."

Vica struggled out of the bush, and looked around the garden, making sure that they had been in the clear, and then pulled Aurelie out of the bush by her arm.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure. Listen, we don't have much time, alright? There's a witch in Berillian who is allied with a faction of Halbrook rebels. Her name is Marianne Darkem and she is from the same coven as your late mother. If your aunt and uncle did not leave you with a plan, then go to the village and ask for her. She'll help you."

"Berillian?"

Vica starred at her for a moment, it looked as if she were trying to see if Aurelie was being serious about not knowing where Berillian was.

"We did not travel a lot, since, you know, all the guards in the bloody kingdom are looking for us," Aurelie clarified with a zest of her own.

A bell rang upstairs; Vica looked toward the sound. One of the Sproots was awake. The house would explode with life sooner than either of them anticipated. "That's on you, princess. I've done my part. Now, go! Mention my name to the rebel leaders when you find them. God knows I might need their help soon too."