Once upon a Dragon Gift (Once Upon a Dragon Series Book 4)

I tried to connect with Elena through Adolph’s help, but all I could see was darkness.

I could hear her; I couldn’t feel her. Something was wrong. I voiced it.

“Calm down, Blake. Deep breathes. Find your happy place, surround yourself with her love and her kindness.”

I tried to hold on to her; that night of the Vastech kept overpowering my mind, and I let it.

Having an entourage while doing this wasn’t easy either. They were just as disappointed as I was when I failed time after time.

I’d lost the connection and growled my frustration.

“Take a flight, go clear you mind,” Adolph instructed, and I did exactly that.

It ended up with me almost burning down another forest as my fire boiled out of me. I was too damn frustrated. First Garrison and now this.

The ritual became a daily routine. I would almost connect, felt something was wrong, and the panic would set in. Even after I knew that something was way off, it didn’t affect the panic at all. The blow wasn’t lighter. I just wanted to save her, but I struggled because I worried too much.

It always ended with a flight.

On one of these flights, whimpering reached my ears, and I tried to follow it, but it came from all the directions. I growled as I couldn’t pinpoint it, and then a sob left her mouth, and I froze.

It was coming from within me. It was Elena. I darted back to the castle as it was driving me beyond crazy, and I couldn’t do anything. It didn’t stop either. What was Goran doing to her?

I landed, shifted back, and tears blurred my sight.

I yanked open the door of the roof and grabbed a robe, pulled my arms through it and let it fell over my body.

The ache of heartache and that soul-tearing sadness tugged at my heart, and I couldn’t walk any further. I went on my haunches in the hallway and sobbed.

“Blake!” Lu found me and touched my shoulder. “We will find her.”

“Make it stop, please.”

“What?”

“I can’t do a fucking thing, but this, this is torture.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Make what stop?”

“You don’t hear it?”

He shook his head and yelled for the Ancient. Everyone came running as I bawled my eyes out, sobbing like a little kid.

“Son?” King Albert asked.

“She is driving me crazy, but I can’t see her. I can only hear her.”

“You can hear Elena?”

“She is crying; it’s breaking my heart.”

“Adolph!”

“Blake.” Micha went on her haunches next to me.

“He needs to push through,” Adolph directed, running toward us.

I grabbed the king’s legs. “I can’t. I don’t know how.”

The king went on his haunches and hugged me tight. “I wish I could take this from you because it’s breaking my heart seeing your tears. I’m sorry.”

I cried harder in his chest, and finally her cries stopped; the whimpering went away.

“No, no, no, no.”

“You are not ready for this, Blake. Let it go,” Adolph said.

“Hearing her is better than the silence.”

“It’s the Vastech protecting you, son. Let her go. You can try tomorrow again,” Adolph stated.

I looked at Adolph. So did the king.

“What is this?” King Albert asked.

“What we’d been practicing for a long time. For Blake to connect. Tonight it came naturally.”

I finally got what he said. Fatigue seeped through my bones, and I crashed on the carpet as darkness consumed me.

“What is happening to him?” Dad inquired.

“He is doing what all of us want him to do,” Adolph explained. “He is her Dent. I can only imagine what he is going through not being able to do anything.”

“He is not built this way,” Dad said.

“Bob,” the king spoke. “I know he isn’t. But if he can find Elena…”

“He will do it,” Dad finished. “He will still carry on when all of us have given up. I want her back, not just for her own sake, but for my son’s too.”

Their voices drowned out as darkness filled me. I was searching, but there was nothing around me but silence.

I kept yelling her name, but she didn’t answer. It dawned on me. She was deaf. She couldn’t hear me.

I needed to see her, and she needed to see me. I needed to know where she was.

Why doesn’t George see her? Because he can’t, just like Irene can’t.

But he saw me.

My eyes flung open, and I got off the bed. I needed George.

I opened his door and walked in on him and Becky frolicking on the bed.

“Blake,” Becky yelled as George just stared at me.

She took the bed sheet and rushed to the bathroom.

“Seriously, dude?”

“I need your help. My sight doesn’t work.”

“I can’t help you, Blake. He put a damper on the scrying. You know if I could push through that spell, I would. I was dark for an entire fucking day wanting to kill Becky.”

“I know, but I need your help.”

“How?”

“I don’t know; I can’t stand the crying. She is in pain, and I can’t do this anymore. I have to go back to save her.”

“He will never take you back. You are protected with sigils, and the Vastech is one of them. We can’t lose you both, Blake.”

“Then help me, guide me, please.”

“Adolph is the best, and he can’t even succeed; what the fuck am I going to do?”

“Language,” Becky shouted from the bathroom.

“You don’t see anything?” I asked.

“No, nothing. Believe me, Becky lets me try every single time. I only see Garrison.”

I nodded, feeling defeated again. Nothing was going our way as we were surrounded by curses. I should’ve killed Goran that day, and I was so fucking mad that her father had told me to save his life.

“Be patient,” George remarked.

“Sorry that I broke up your happy time.”

“She’ll get over it.”

I walked out of their room and found myself on the castle’s tower roof.

The next few days, I worked with Adolph and ended up with only heartache. It didn’t expand more than that. She was constantly in tears, and nothing was happening. No other voices to point me in a direction. All I could see was darkness.

The Vastech kept kicking in just before I was going to break, and it drained the living crap out of me.

It was like my body wasn’t strong enough, and everyone saw that too.

The knock came at the door one night, and the gang walked in.

“Don’t ask me to stop,” I requested as I read through a book about the Vastech’s magic.

“Blake, your body, soul, and mind are not strong enough.”

“I’m the fucking Rubicon, Lu.”

“Don’t yell at me. I know you are frustrated; we are all fucking frustrated too as you refuse to see the way out while it’s right in front of you.”

“Way out?”

“You can’t do this alone, and we can’t help you. You think that is not frustrating us? We love you, we always will.”

I got what he was saying, but I shook my head.

“It’s all George sees; Garrison. I know you think he didn’t see us, but he did. He told us that day when we broke apart. He saw us becoming Garrison. We didn’t look at you or treat you like shit.”

“It’s stupid to even think that,” Tabitha said, and Lu looked at her.

“Sorry,” she breathed.

“I spoke to the guys about your fear. Being married to Elena is out.”

“I’ve done shit, Lu.”

“I don’t care about the shit you’ve done, Tabitha doesn’t either, and neither does Brian, or Brit, or George and Becky.”

“I thought you were an asshole from day one, and you scared the living crap out of me,” Brit admitted. “So, you’ll live up to that. It’s not so bad.”

I huffed as George and Brian laughed.

“I can’t help you to see, but I can help you as Garrison, Blake,” George explained.

“She is our friend too,” Becky pointed out. “And I know your tears are because of hers, so please, help us help you. Let us find Elena and put a stop to this.”

I stared at Lucian.

“C’mon, bud. We’re not going anywhere. You are stuck with us, no matter what.”

I looked around at all of them. “Okay, fine.”

They all cheered, and it brought a slight curve at the corners of my lips.

“For Elena. It’s the only way we are going to succeed, together,” Lu remarked.

I nodded.

The next morning, Adolph was there.

He gave me the spell again, and I knew George was right. It was the only way that he would be able to help me. It was the only way to help Elena, and I was done just listening to her cries.

Micha operated a drone that recorded everything we were doing.

“Till the end of time, bud,” George said.

I looked at Brian. “Brian is ready. Let’s do this.”

“Brit is ready to,” she said. Everyone laughed.

“I didn’t leave you then, and I’m still here, just not with you,” Tabitha expressed, and Lucian smiled.

“Blood brothers till the end.”

“Same,” George spoke.

“Let’s just do this, please,” Becky pleaded.

“Okay,” I said and concentrated. I spoke the first rule, but nothing happened.

It was so frustrating.

On the third day, I growled out the words, and Brit and Brian gasped.

I opened my eyes, and part of their hands were missing.

“Blake, what did you feel?” Lu asked.

“That it’s enough now,” I answered.

“Want, you need to want it more. Again!” Lu ordered.

I did want it. I wanted to see Elena; I wanted to see where she was hiding. I spoke the words again and closed my eyes.

Brit shrieked and yelped as Brain gasped. An invisible force slammed into me, and I felt stuffed. Like I’d eaten too much at Thanksgiving.

“The second phrase, Blake,” Adolph said. “Micha.”

“I’m getting everything,” she replied.

I grunted as I tried to make space.

I spoke the second phrase that belonged to Lu and Tabitha.

The slam was twenty times worse, and it brought me to my knees.

“That’s it, bud.” George sounded way too excited than he should be.

Adolph went on his haunches with me.

“Where are the others?” King Albert’s voice reached my ears.

“Shh,” Micha demanded.

“The last phrase, Blake. You need him to see her,” Adolph instructed.

“You can do this,” Lu spoke from inside of me.

I heard King Albert’s whispers, asking if I’d succeeded.

“You can do this, Blake,” Lu encouraged.

“You okay?” I asked.

Tabitha laughed. “This is insane.”

“Shhh,” Lu urged.

I needed George.

I got up with the help of Adolph. “Hold on, two more are coming.”

I spoke the last sentence, and George and Becky made me stumble and land on my back.

“Blake,” Dad spoke, but he didn’t come near me.

“We are in,” George said through laughter.

“Fuck, this is weird,” Becky remarked.

“What do you see?” I asked.

“What you see,” Becky replied. “Why are we staring at the ceiling?”

“Garrison fell on his ass,” Brian said, and everyone laughed.

“Okay, let’s get up.” I got up without any effort and for some reason, I was taller.

Dad and everyone stared up at me.

“Garrison,” Adolph said. “Welcome.”

“He knows it’s still us, right?” George asked.

“It’s the first time this is happening, George. I don’t think they know,” Lu responded.

“It’s still us. Why am I bigger?” I lifted my hands.

“They are gigantic,” George said. It was like I had sausages for fingers.

“You are not just bigger, you look different too. How are the others?” Adolph inquired.

“Yapping my head off.”

Adolph chuckled as they all wanted to do different things, but Lu took over, and I hated this.

“As one. We all have to steer this body. We have to work as a team, always,” Lu pointed out.

“Got it,” George replied.

I walked to the silver plates that had a slight reflection and saw us as a blond curly head that was tall and broad.

This was weird.

“No, it’s fucking wicked,” Lu said.

“Language,” Becky yelled.

“Okay, now to see if you can release them, Blake,” Adolph spoke.

“Who says I want to release them?”

All of them protested.

A chuckle escaped my lips. I closed my eyes.

“I got this one, big guy,” George said, and he spoke the spell to release us. Brian and Brit fell on the ground, then Lucian and Tabitha followed, last were George and Becky. He was much better at this than me.

The grownups applauded as fatigue pulled at my eyes.

“Fuck, I’m so drained,” Tabitha said.

“Lang…whatever…” Becky sounded drowsy.

We all burst out laughing. From what it sounded like, it had tapped all our energy.

Today was a great day.

That night we tried again. It became easier, but the tiredness still lingered afterward.

A knock sounded at my door, and Lu entered.From NôvelDrama.Org.

He fell down on my bed and just stared at me.

I knew what this was about. The black market, the fights. I’d killed so many of my own kind as a dragonian. “Don’t ask me, please.”

“About what?”

“You know what.”

“Blake, we saw nothing. It was like an empty vessel and at first, I thought, Blake couldn’t be this empty.”

I chuckled. “What?”

“Then I remembered that sigil on your arm. The Vastech is powerful. It is still protecting you. I know Micha made a joke, but I’m thinking of doing it before we go and face Goran. I would want the Vastech to protect me and Tabitha too.”

“Please just talk to your dad about this first.”

He smiled. “I will. I’m not the only one who is contemplating it.”

“They are going to think I’m a bad influence.”

“They won’t.”

“You can’t just do this because of the spell, Lu. We didn’t. I truly wanted to be with Elena, wanted her forever and ever. Longer even. For infinity.”

“You will. The Vastech is going to break this one, Blake, and then you make sure she tattoos the sigils all over her. Thank heavens it’s not brandings.”

“It’s only because my healing ability works strong with tattoos. It spits the ink out.”

Silence lingered.

“You think we will ever get used to being so tired?”

Lu nodded. “I struggle to keep my eyes open. The reason I’m here, George wants to help you tomorrow. See if he can’t see Elena. He just passed out before he could tell you himself.”

“As Garrison?”

“Yup, so sleep tight. Tomorrow tells me something is going to give. We will see.”

“We better.”

“She still crying?”

“Hasn’t been for a few days now. I’m actually worried.”

“Hey, she is going to be fine. He wouldn’t keep her alive this long for nothing.”

The next morning after they all jumped into me to become Garrison, Adolph guided George and told the rest of us to concentrate on Elena, all the good times we’d had with her. It was the only way to assist George.

Memories of her flooded into my mind. So many good memories. The way she’d laughed with Becky and Tabitha. Sammy was there too. I watched how everyone perceived her; Brian and Brit relived them through our memories as George’s sight took over.

The room in front of us changed, and we found ourselves standing in a room with beams.

“George, where are we?” Lu asked.

“Shh,” I said.

Elena was speaking to someone standing at the gate. It was Goran.

“No, I don’t believe you,” he sneered.

“I don’t care if you believe me. I’ll make sure she will get back to where she belongs, safe to the man that is her father.”

“Elena is speaking like Brian,” Brian said.

“Shhh,” I spoke again, not knowing what this was.

“He didn’t take her hearing?” Tabitha whispered.

Goran spoke a spell.

“Stop with your fucking spells, Goran,” she said his name with so much hatred. The spell was broken? “I’m not one of your puppets you can do with as you please, and I’m not going anywhere, not until she is safe.”

“You are not Kate; stop this, Elena!”

All of us gasped.

“I should’ve killed you the day you came into my room and begged me to tell you why I was so sad. What did Albert do? He couldn’t find you, that is what he did. I almost told you about Elena. You would’ve killed her too, hunted her down like some sort animal because that is what you are. A monster!”

Tears filled Goran’s eyes.

“Your tears mean nothing. Your father was right. He should’ve killed you when you were a little snot nose.”

“Stop!” Goran yelled.

Elena grabbed the beams tighter and pressed her face through them and sneered. “I won’t stop; I’ll never stop. You’ve gone too far, Gordy, too far. You can be glad I’m not alive anymore. No spell will rip me from my daughter either; I’m here to haunt you until the end of time,” she yelled.

He growled and walked away with huge strides.

Elena gasped and coughed.

“Elena,” I yelled, and the room spun and everything twirled. They all pushed out of me, coughing, falling on the floor. We didn’t even speak the spell.

George’s coughs were raspier than usual. My father thrust a bottle of water into my hands as Adolph attended to George.

The water soothed the horrible itch in my throat.

“Remarkable, they share the aftereffects,” Adolph remarked, still helping George regain his balance.

“Blake, what did you see?” the king asked me.

“We saw Elena,” Lucian answered as I still struggled to get rid of the scratchiness.

“Where?”

“Give them time, Albert,” Adolph requested.

He grunted in frustration.

“Was that who I thought it was?” Becky questioned.

I nodded.

“Speak,” King Albert yelled.

“Albert!” Dad said.

“She is possessed,” I explained.

“She is possessed now?” King Albert asked.

“What?” Dad sounded confused.

“By who?” the king demanded.

My gaze found the king’s. For some reason I was so fucking angry at him. “Your wife.”