Once Upon a Dragon Soul (Once Upon a Dragon Series Book 3)

King Albert squeezed my shoulder as we walked toward the office’s door. I still didn’t like the look he kept on giving me. It was as if he was waiting for something.

I opened the door and found Elena waiting outside. The grating on my scales returned as she deliberately ignored what I’d asked her.

She pushed past me to her father. “Dad?”

The king was all too happy to see her and wrapped a fatherly arm around her. He planted his lips on her temple. “Calm down, sweet pea. Stay close to Blake at all times. He won’t let anything happen to you. I will find the sword.”

She nodded, and he winked as he walked with Dad to the entrance.

I stared at Elena and finally her gaze met mine.

“What?”

I lifted my shoulders. “Why aren’t you in class?”

“Cause I wanted to see my father. You are not my dad, Blake, he is.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening my eyes again. “I don’t want to fight, believe me, yesterday was enough. Let’s go.”

As we walked to class, I relayed what her father had told me. How he had a fleet looking for the sword and that there would be guards here at Dragonia Academy for extra protection.

“You think it’s Goran?”

“It’s always Goran.”

“Shouldn’t we be on lockdown or something, or I don’t know, help to look for the sword?”

“It’s what your father thought was best.”

“What the hell does he want with the sword if he can’t use it?”

I didn’t answer her this time. My information again didn’t soothe her curiosity, which also grated a bit more. With the sword missing, I was on edge, and patience wasn’t one of my strongest virtues.

We walked into class and started our day.

I waited that night for everyone to go to sleep before I left for Top View Mountain.

The sky was slightly cloudy today, and the wind was colder. The mountain came into my view fast.

I landed and changed back, but didn’t put a thread of clothes on my body as I ran to the tree. It stood gigantically with its thick tree branches touching the sky. It was the tree in my dream.

As I neared, my gaze landed on the pile of rocks stacked high against the bottom of the trunk.

My core filled immediately with alert as I stood against the tree, closing my eyes and tuned my hearing in a bit more.

The howl of the wind and the scattering of the nocturnal animals reached my ears. There wasn’t a sound of a footstep or a heartbeat. I was alone. Why did they leave it here? Who was supposed to come and get it?

Stop, Blake, just get the damn sword and leave.

I didn’t like this one bit, but a part of me was happy that my sight was so strong, so vivid and true, just like my tracking ability and all the others.

I crouched down and started taking off the rocks. It was weird as I remembered putting these on with my hands. The sharp edges of the rocks scraping against my palms didn’t feel foreign at all.

My hand reached out for the next rock and as I lifted it, the moon’s rays that glistened through the treetops sparkled off the hilt of the sword. The rest was covered with a parchment.

I pulled it out and looked around one last time. There still wasn’t a sign of anyone but me and the inhibitors of this patch of forest here.

It was time to go back to the academy and tell someone about my Moon-Bolt sight waking up.

Flying back felt faster than when I flew to the mountain. There wasn’t a lot of time to process the question that was on my mind. A question for which I didn’t possess the answer.

I went to my room when I landed and buried the sword underneath my clothes inside the dresser. I’d go to my aunt in the morning and speak to her about all of this.

Sleep refused to come, and I didn’t feel like sneaking out tonight, either. I felt off, wrong, like my affection for Elena was busy dying out or something. Mia was right. It wasn’t normal, which brought me back to her father and what he’d asked me that day when I’d woken up. I knew for a fact that Goran didn’t speak to me, but I couldn’t help to wonder.

I finally drifted away and the next morning went for breakfast first and then to sneak to my aunt with the sword. I couldn’t tell Elena about this. She would have too many questions again, and I was afraid that her non-stop asking would put me on edge once more. I really hated fighting with her.

She was sitting with my sister and Becky at a table.

“Elena got the riddle this morning?” Sammy shrieked as I neared, and I chuckled as I bent down and kissed Elena on top of her head.

“Congrats. I hope you asked for junk food.”

“You know me so well.”

I was still snickering as I walked over to the buffet area. She sounded more like herself today, too.

In enchantments, I excused myself. Lied and said I needed to go to the bathroom. I rushed up to my room, grabbed the sword, and headed in the infirmary’s direction.

When I entered, there was no sign of any sick students. All the beds were vacant.

“Constance,” I yelled.

“Office.”

I rushed down the hall and found her behind her desk.

She smiled and got up from her chair. “Shouldn’t you be in class, and I thought King Albert told you not to leave Elena’s side?”

“She has a lot of protection when I’m not close.”

Constance’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at me.

“I have something.”

“What?”

I put the sword on the table, and she stared at it for a few seconds, more than I wanted her to stare. “What is it?”

I nudged my head for her to look, and she opened the parchment. She stepped back as the hilt showed her which sword it was. “Blake, where did—”

“I saw it.” I sat down in the chair. “I think it’s my sight, but it’s not the same as the other Moon-Bolt’s sight.”

“Your sight?”

“I see it as clear as daylight, just important parts though, as I didn’t see whoever stole it trashed the place.”

She smiled. “You saw where they had taken it?”

I nodded. “It was there, and it’s like confirmation of what was happening to me.”

She reached over her desk, and her hand touched my face. “Your sight?”

“It’s different though.”

“You said that before, but then again, you are the only one of your kind. We had no intel on the Rubicon before you, Blake. Who was it?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see who was behind this. It’s like I saw it from their point of view. It’s not the first time either.”

“You had a similar experience like this before?”

I nodded.

“When?” The furrowed eyebrows were back.

“The night they broke Goran out. I dreamt about it, but the dream was different. It felt like me breaking Elena out of the castle and everyone that fled were the people I knew. You, Mom, Dad, the king. It wasn’t Goran and wyverns.”

“We need to phone King Albert and tell him the good news.” She reached out for her Cammy.

I touched her hand.

The hard lines on her face softened as her lips curved into a smile. “Blake, it’s part of you. He would be happy that your sight has woken up.”

I retreated my hand as she spoke the king’s name.

His hologram appeared after a few seconds.

“I was wondering when you were going to check up on me.”

My eyebrow raised slightly at how flirty his tone sounded.

“It’s not why I’m calling. You need to come to the academy. There is something important I need to show you.” She put the phone down before he could reply.

“Are you checking up on him?” I teased.

“Stop it. You sound like your mother now.”

“Mom?” The laughter was vibrating through that sentence. It was usually my dad that teased around King Albert.

My aunt’s cheeks reddened as I cooed. “You’re going to be the next queen?”

“Blake, stop it.”

“It would be so weird. My aunt becoming my stepmother-in-law.”

“Which will make Elena your step-cousin, so no.”

I laughed, not thinking about that one at all.

The academy door opened and through the window I saw Master Longwei walking out of the academy, with the king and Dad behind him.

“Constance?” King Albert’s voice sounded from the door like mine had earlier.

“Office.”

He walked in and paused as his gaze landed on the sword sprawled on top of her table. “Where?”

My aunt’s eyes flickered to me, and I looked down.

“Blake?” King Albert and Dad said at the same time.

I looked at them both. “I dreamt about it. I saw where they buried it, and I went last night and found the sword.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Dad asked.

“I wasn’t sure if it was my sight.”

“That is not all,” Constance said. “He dreamt about Goran, too.”

“Breaking out of jail?” the king asked.

I nodded and rubbed my face. “But it wasn’t Goran that I dreamt about. It was you and my father and Elena, and it was the castle in Etan. I thought it was a coincidence, but the last dream was about the sword. I didn’t see who it was, though, just the important things.”

“His sight is nothing like a Moon-Bolt’s sight, Al. It’s completely different,” my father said. Master Longwei just stood by the wall, not saying a single word.

King Albert nodded. “Meaning Elena would experience some of it soon, too.”

“You think?” I asked.

“She is your rider, Blake. It’s actually her abilities. I need to speak to her.”

“She hasn’t had dreams like this, she would’ve told me,” I stopped him.

“I’m her father. You are not the only one that has needs when it comes to my daughter.”

Dad’s lips curved as I nodded.

I heard Master Longwei telling him that he would call her, and the headmaster disappeared.

“Tell me about this dream.”

I told him everything that I remembered, and afterward he just stared at the sword.

“Meaning you see it as it happens. It’s not about the future.” His eyebrows furrowed.

“It could be his gift waking up and it would expand,” Dad said. “We knew with Blake we had to think out of the box, Al.”

His lips curved, but it didn’t reach his eyes. There was still that frown pulling his eyebrows together. “Did you tell Elena?”

I sighed but didn’t answer.

“I told you it’s not good to keep secrets.”

“I will. She just has a lot on her plate…please?”

He nodded.

“Tell her what?” Dad and Constance wanted to know.

“Oh, the two of you are so nosy,” King Albert said, eliciting laughter from me and retaliation from my dad and aunt.

“He is my nephew and if there is something going on with him—”

“Exactly,” Dad said, which, by their tones didn’t sound the way the king had meant it.

“What are you saying, my king?” I interrupted, and both of them looked at me.

“He is powerful, Blake. I know what I saw. That you can’t remember it shook me to my core.”

“What are you talking about, Al?” Dad was more adamant this time.

He put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m not saying that it isn’t your gift waking up, but I’m not letting what I saw go, either. You need to tell Elena.”

I huffed. “You think I did it?”

Constance gasped.

“Not for one minute. The question is, do you think you did this?”

I sighed, and I shook my head.

“I’m grateful for what you have done for me, Blake. I’ll always be grateful, but I want you to monitor your sight. If it changes, tell someone, please.”

“Dad?” Elena’s voice came from the door and her footsteps rushed to the office.

She paused when she saw me and realized that I’d lied to her to go to the bathroom. Her gaze then fluttered to the sword on the table.

“It’s found. We can all relax now,” the king said.

“Thank heavens.” She was in her father’s arms as I contemplated what he had said.

Was it me, meaning it was me that had freed Goran too? I tried to remember that day. Goran didn’t speak to me.

“What?” Elena asked, and I looked up. She was looking at me with awe. “Sight?” She crouched in front of me.

“I think so. You have weird dreams lately?”

“No,” she looked at her father, “I’m going to dream about the future too?”

“You might, now that Blake has his,” her father answered. “I don’t want you to fear it if it happens.”

She nodded and got up. “That’s it?”

He wrapped his arm around her and planted a kiss on her head. “That is it. Go back to class. You have loads to learn with your dragon.”

“Okay.”

She waited for me and grabbed my hand when we walked out of the infirmary. It felt nice, and the buzzing put me a little at ease.

“Your sight is busy awakening?”

“It’s not as awesome as you think. It’s scaring me half to death, to be honest.” I took a huge breath and brushed my fingers through my hair.

“Is it the reason you were on edge the other day?”

“I think so.” It could be. My mind wandered back, trying to remember that day that I found the king. The king begged me as I held Goran against the wall. I got distracted realizing what condition the king was in, and Goran used an ability and pushed me away from him. I connected hard with the wall. It didn’t sound right. Why was I out for almost two weeks and after that, an entire month? The tiredness that seeped through to my soul… Was it connected to my sight waking up, or was it connected to what had happened that day I’d met Goran?

“Blake?” Elena spoke, and I shook out of my thoughts. She squinted at me. “Are you okay?”

I smiled. “I’m fine, sorry. Just zoned out a bit.”

“What is going on in that mind of yours?”

“Nothing important.” I kissed her on her temple as I opened the door and walked toward the cafeteria.