Chapter 8
"Paige," Dean yelled excitedly. In an instant, he was on the bed next to her. She reached out to him with her good hand, running her fingers through his hair.
"There's my handsome prince," she said with more strength than she had shown Zane. He saw how much this pretense for Dean's sake had cost her. Her face paled and her hands shook. Dean didn't seem to notice, being happy to see her awake. "You need a bath." She scrunched up her nose and pulled away from their embrace.
"You're awake! Are you feeling better?" he blurted out, ignoring her bath comment.
"Yes, and I'm a bit hungry. Why don't you and Zane go get some breakfast, then you can bring some back for me."
"What do you want?" Dean asked, his brown eyes dancing with delight.
"Surprise me." She forced a smile for him. There was a depth of tenderness in her eyes that made Zane's stomach clench with a longing he hadn't felt in years. It had been a long time since he'd seen his dear sister. He pushed the thought of Ellie away as Dean's next question brought him back to reality.
"Did Zane tell you we're going to make you a dragon? That will make you well again."
"Yes, Zane told me." There was no apprehension or fear in her voice now.
"It was my idea."
"That's because you're the smart one."
"Yeah, but you're the pretty one."
She held the smile on her face for Dean's sake, but her eyes went blank, as if the complement offended her. "Run along now. Go, get some food." Her voice was hollow, and Zane wondered why she gave the complement such an adverse reaction.
Dean was in much better spirits now that he had spoken to Paige. He skipped ahead of Zane and the guards, only to stop dead in his tracks to look at something that caught his eye. The process was repeated several times before they reached the kitchen. Zane had younger siblings, one close to Dean's age, but they never looked around their castle with fascination and wonder. Everything was new to Dean, and it was clear he'd never been in any dwelling this large. He wanted to venture down this hall or the next, intrigued by the look of a door, a tapestry, or banner. Zane only had to remind him of Paige waiting on food and he would mutter something about exploring later, then he'd walk close to Zane for a few focused seconds.
There was already a bustle of activity in the kitchen. With so many royals still in the castle, the staff had been on high alert. All movement stopped when Dean's small frame came through the door. Talking was silenced by gaping jaws as the youngest Bluescale made his first official appearance.
Every eye in the kitchen turned to the young prince. By now, the whole realm would have heard about the two Bluescale heirs. Dean froze and tried to back out of the room, but Zane stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Everyone, this is Prince Dean of Bluescale," Zane said with all the authority of his royal upbringing rolling through his voice.
"Good morning, My Prince," the kitchen staff said in unison, bowing as Dean's eyes grew to the size of plates.
The head cook, Lucia, stepped forward to introduce herself to Dean. She was a stiff, formal woman. Zane was accustomed to the type. She was obviously proud of her kitchen and her work for the royals. Zane could see that everyone in the kitchen had an assigned area. The environment that was created for efficient, quality work was clearly intimidating to Dean. Zane knew if he hadn't been with the young prince, he would have left the kitchen without any food.
Dean mumbled a quiet hello before looking away, without returning her thin-lipped smile. Zane had never seen a royal cower before their staff in such a way.
"What would you like to eat, sir?" she asked with a formal edge.
"Can we go get Paige?" Dean asked Zane, looking up at him with oddly fearful eyes.
"Paige needs to rest, and she's waiting on you to bring her back something. What is her favorite thing for breakfast?"
"Pancakes and eggs," Dean whispered, not looking at Lucia.
"What are pancakes?" Zane asked.
"Flat cakes that we put butter and syrup on."
"Uh..." Zane scratched his head. "What if we get one of my favorite foods?"
Dean shrugged, then nodded.
Zane put in his request to Lucia before leading Dean over to a table that overlooked the gardens. The same spot where Zane had been waiting for the Bluescales the other night. For some reason, Zane didn't want to take Dean into the main dining room with all the other royals. If he was having a hard time with the staff, he knew that the boisterous royals would be extremely intimidating for Dean.
"Is she mad at me?" Dean asked when they were seated.
"Why would she be?"
"I took food. Grown-ups always get mad when kids take food."
"Well, no one here is allowed to get mad at you for taking food." Dean didn't look like he believed Zane. He knew he couldn't say anything to take away Dean's fears. Only time and experience would remove those.
"Maybe we can get you a room today," Zane proposed, wanting to change the subject.
"I want to stay with Paige. Paige always fought the social workers when they tried to separate us."
"What's a social worker?"
"She's the lady who tells us where we're going to live and who we're going to live with."
"Why would they want to separate you?" Zane exclaimed, confused by the strange goings-on in the other realm.
"Because people don't want to take care of two kids that aren't theirs, and they don't like Paige because they say she's too spoiled, and that she thinks she's better than everyone. They always said we were lucky because they took us in when we had nowhere else to go. But Paige said they only did it for the money."
"How long ago were your parents killed?"
"Two years ago. When Paige turned eighteen, she was going to get us our own place where no one could hurt her or separate us."
"Why eighteen?" Zane wondered how old Paige actually was.
"Because in the Earth realm, she would be an adult, and she'd be able to live alone."
"How many years will it be before she is eighteen?"
"Just a few days now."
"Dean, why would anyone hurt Paige? How did she get the bruises on her stomach and back?"
Dean looked out the window, becoming still, as if a spell had been cast over him, turning him to stone. He scarcely seemed to breathe when he finally whispered, "Owen did it."
"Who's Owen?" Zane leaned forward, whispering too, feeling that if he spoke too loudly, he would scare the boy into silence.
"He's the man we were sent to live with after our parents died."
"Why would he do something like that?"
"To make Paige do something for him."
"Like what?"
"She never told me." He turned back to face Zane with frightened eyes. "She gets really mad if I ask her about it too much." Dean's voice dropped even lower, to the point Zane had to really concentrate in order to hear the boy over the noise of the kitchen. "Sometimes, people are evil. They have a darkness living in them and all they want to do is spread that darkness to everyone else. He wanted Paige to do the same bad things he did."
Zane wasn't sure he should ask Dean any more about Owen and Paige. His little hands were shaking, and he was biting his lip so hard, Zane was worried he would break the skin. He decided to distract Dean by returning to an earlier topic. "Well, there are suites with bedrooms you two can share that would be like having your own place within the castle."
"Does it have a waterway?" Dean asked. Exhaling a deep breath, he was replacing his fear with some of the earlier curiosity and enthusiasm he held on the walk to the kitchen.
"I'm sure it does."
"I'll ask Paige."
"You two are very close," Zane mused. He had several siblings, and none of them looked to him with the level of devotion these two obviously had for each other. His heart ached for Ellie as he remembered how he once looked to her the way Dean looked to Paige. For a time, after they had witnessed the death of their mother, they were inseparable. But she had left him. Would Paige one day leave Dean?
When Lucia brought their food, Dean became still again when she sat their plates on the table, not moving or speaking until she left.
"Well, dig in," Zane encouraged Dean once Lucia was gone.
Zane pondered the things Dean had told him while they ate. The things Dean said were upsetting on multiple levels. First off, Paige was a royal and should have always been treated as such. She should have grown up in this castle, swimming the waterways for fun, not out of fear.
Second, Zane couldn't fathom what Owen would ask Paige to do that she would be beaten for refusing to do. His mind went to Balaan and the horrors that his armies left in their wake. Was living with Owen like living with Balaan?
Would she join in the fight against Balaan willingly? Or would she take the stance as that of a royal, her first priority to keep herself safe. She could keep herself as far from the dangers of the war as possible. None of the other royals would blame her if she did. She could hole up in this castle surrounded by guards, and as long as she showed up to the Alignment, not a single dragon, royal or otherwise, would have a problem with that. Zane wanted more from her—he wanted more from everyone. She was the only one he knew who could speak both Balaan's language and dragon tongue. She would be a great asset to their side. Could he convince her to do the right thing? Would she fight Balaan?
Dean enjoyed his food with the eagerness of a child who had not eaten a decent meal in days. Between bites, he quizzed Zane on random facts he had heard about Ethiolan. Is it true that each Royal dragon had a different color? Is it true that Zane's great-grandfather flew to the farthest of Ethiolan's three moons, Koren? On and on he rattled off questions until Zane was dizzy with dragon trivia.
A dragon flew by, likely one of the guards on patrol, casting a shadow over the window behind Zane. Dean's eyes grew wide and he ran to the window to look out, pressing his nose against the glass. A little higher up, two more dragons could be seen flying around the castle. It was not anything new to Zane, but Dean was fascinated by their movements. He stood for a long time looking out the window, watching the synchronized patrol.
Despite Dean's moment of distress when talking about Owen, as long as no one else approached him, he seemed like a really happy kid as he sat asking Zane about all things dragon. It made Zane think of Paige, and how hard she'd tried to look after her brother to protect him. The amount of personal sacrifice she had put into his safety and well-being, and she was still trying to keep him safe. Her requests this morning to Zane were all about Dean, nothing for herself. No selfish demands from a dramatic queen who was playing up her death scene.
Zane felt Dean's hand on his arm, realizing he hadn't heard his last question. "You look sad. Do you not like the moon of Chiara?"
One of the cooks started singing while he kneaded bread, the song drawing Dean's full attention. It was one of the old folk tunes Zane had listened to all his life, a love song about companions entering their Desma. Dean looked at the old man with sudden sadness. "My mom used to sing that when she brushed Paige's hair. It was really long then, but cut it off."
"Who's Chuck?" Zane asked.
"He works for Owen."
"We should get back to Paige," Zane said to distract Dean, as much as himself. The look in Dean's eyes told Zane he was thinking of something unpleasant.
When they returned, Paige was asleep again. She only woke to give Dean a small smile and tell him again to take a bath.
Zane left Dean in the chair next to Paige's bed so he could talk to Maze. She was in her lab, bent over a star chart. There were several other charts and scrolls haphazardly piled to the side on an adjacent table.
"What's this?" Zane asked, knowing every action in the castle likely revolved around the two Bluescales.
"How long ago did she say her family was killed?"
"Two years ago."
Maze turned away from the table, the trinkets on her robes clattering wildly as if they were a chorus of tiny voices straining to be heard. "This is all my fault," she fumed as she pulled another rolled chart from a pile on the other table.
"What are you talking about?"
She didn't answer for a moment as she ran her fingers over the chart, muttering calculations to herself.
"Maze," Zane hissed, drawing her attention back.
"I told Drake about Bluescales being in hiding. Months ago, I sent him for the ingredients I needed to start the spell. I needed wild jasper from the desert lands in the Yellowbacks' kingdom. With the time difference between our realm and Earth's, it lines up with the time I told..." She trailed off.
"That doesn't matter," Zane scolded. "The queen needs you to focus on curing her." He filled her in on what Paige told him before breakfast, about how she thought there was something wrong with her that went beyond her injuries. Maze frowned at the news.
"I was afraid of that. Her injuries are not so severe that she should be this weak."
"Do you think it will help if we burn off her mortality? If her dragon were released, she would be healed, right?"
"At this point, I think it's our best hope at saving her life." She sighed, looking apprehensive, and Zane gave her a questioning look. "There's a reason this ritual is performed when dragons are so young. She is older, so her body is not as accepting of change. She's grown too used to being in her mortal form."
"What are you saying? It won't work?"
"No, I'm saying this is going to be difficult for her. We need to make sure the ritual is performed without interruption. Otherwise, I'm not sure what could go wrong."
"It would be devastating if the queen were to die just after being retrieved from hiding."
"I know. I'll make the arrangements. We should be able to proceed this evening."
"I'll go inform my father and the other royals of what's going on."
"Dean? Do you want to meet some of the other royals?" Zane asked before he set out on his errand to fill the others in.
"Will they be dragons?"
"No, not this time, but we are going to talk about making you and your sister dragons."
Dean looked at Paige. "Do you think she'll be worried if I'm not here when she wakes up?"
"Maze will be here. She can send a guard if she wakes up."
Dean took a long look at Paige before he walked with Zane back down to the vault where all the royals had met the first night. The royals had been holding daily meetings since the search for Paige and Dean had started. Again, there was a small procession through the corridors as Dean, Zane, and the guards made their way about the castle.