A Fifth Daughter [Book 2: The Dragon Warrior]

Chapter ~ 20

~ Chapter 20: Oh Look... We Survived... Mostly ~

You want to know my least favorite word right now? The word that just makes my blood boil over.

No?

Too bad.

I'll tell you anyways.

Successor.

There are two people with successors right now. One's dead, the other is crazy. And they are – or were – on the same team. While I know I'm Rayn's successor – no matter how unwilling – I do not know who Darcy's is. And it's bugging me like a fly buzzing in my ear.

Darcy didn't stop singing that same "you'll all die soon" tune until I finally knocked her out. She went from peaceful hysteria, to let-me-chew-off-your-faces hysterics. But she's contained and will be on her way to Legend soon, considering Myth fell and Lore is unresponsive. We've assumed the Myth's Dragonmage has either fallen or turned. We're all hoping for the first, even if it does mean more people dead.

Darcy's army continues to come. Nyt and I did a scout over them yesterday and estimate they'll be here by morning.

Due to that knowledge we started evacuating the village, sending them to Lunashield. Eaton and Astrid went with them as escorts and since Darcy gave up her control of all the minds in Red Peak (and everywhere else, too), the Riders of the sleeping dragons outside Red Village are gone with them too. Just Battle Raiders, Grimm prisoners, and the Band of Misfits remain.

"Ready, Smoke?" Nyt asks, knocking on the door. He's not going to give me a break yet. I'm exhausted. I used so much power in the mountain to end that war, to kill Han. The only personal thing I've gotten to do so far is take a shower and now the bed is calling my name, along with annoying Nyt. Right now I prefer the bed.

I yawn and sit on the edge, finally acknowledging him. "What?"

Nyt chuckles and leans against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Before we transport Darcy off, you need to remove her powers."

"I thought you were going with her, to get your dad some help?"

Nyt nods. "I am. But I don't need her convincing the other guards to go against me and release her."

That's understandable. I sigh and stand up. "I better get my nap after this."

"Yeah you better. You've got an army to convince tomorrow."

I wince. Just thinking about using Silvertongue makes me queasy.

I follow Nyt downstairs into the foyer and then to the back hall, past the narrow staircase to the kitchen and down one further back; to the cellar. A Witch is down here, her red hair looking like it is on fire. She's jinxed a veil around Darcy that makes her voice lose some of its deceiving tongue, but not enough to be efficient for long. That's why they need me.

I breathe deeply and enter the veil. It slips around me and closes behind. Darcy has been tied to a chair and slumps forward. A second chair is across from her. She smiles tightly at me, her eyes hazy. They've had to give her medicine for the pain of the burns and it's made her look really pale and dark bags are under her hazel eyes.

I've thought about how to do this. Typically when I steal some of someone's power it's because they're using it. I've never stolen all of an ability before, but I assume it'll use the same principle and my Jade seems pretty good at knowing what needs to happen, so I'll play the hunch and go from there.

I grab the second chair and sit, facing her.

"Try to convince me of something, or to do something." I command, letting slip the Alpha voice so that her foggy mind gets the idea.