Chapter 13
“How do we do this?” Ariel asked when they got to the hotspot the next night. She was tired and still in theater makeup. She had thrown on sweatpants and a hoodie, feeling overwhelmed by the night already. There were so many carapaces around, forming a circle on a spot of pavement that didn't look that special. She did recognize it as a place that she and Alexander had landed in more than once.
“Do you know how to push your magic?” Alvin asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Although, if you need anything more complicated, you're going to have to explain it to me.”
“That's all,” he said. “Once you pause, you'll feel the magic in the ground. I need you to push your magic back in sync with the rest of us. Once we push that much carapace magic into the ground, it should neutralize it for good.”
“Right,” she said, and then looked around. “Do we have to hold hands?”
Alvin laughed. “It helps to sync our power.”
“Feels culty,” Ariel said, but she complied. However, when everyone starting humming, it made her raise an eyebrow. She assumed it was something about the magic, but it felt like she was about to enter a Disney movie about a witch’s coven. Alvin nudged her and indicated that she should close her eyes.
She did, and it was then that she felt the vortex. She knew how to push her magic, but she felt almost knocked over by the carapaces around her. They were sucking magic out of the ground faster than she was even capable of.
In her head, she could see the path from the dragon kingdom–the dizzy feeling, the shining light. She could almost see landing here, the ground rushing up towards her. She remembered the first time that Alexander took her up. It was from this very spot. She felt like a princess from the moment he took her hand, and it wasn't due to the crown she would eventually get. It was the way he spoke to her. The way he listened. The way he held doors and bowed to her out of respect.
She felt her head swirl, and then suddenly, she felt something she had almost never felt before. A lack of magic.
“That's it,” her father said. “It's closed. It's done.”
“That seems so…simple,” she replied. “If it was this easy, why didn't you do it before?”
“Because we couldn't do it without you,” he answered. “You are the strongest–the link and the key. Now that we have you, we can do anything. And you know what that's like, don't you, achieving your dreams?”
She said nothing to that, feeling like her soul was too bare. So instead, she turned the topic to a question that had been blazing in her mind since last night.
“You said that my mother danced mostly in community theater,” she said. “Did she go on tour?”
“Oh, yes,” he replied. “She toured with the community theater, just like you.”
“What?” Ariel asked, her face contorted. “Community theaters don't tour.”
“Uh....” Alvin paused. “Why not?”
“Because community theaters are unpaid,” Ariel replied. “They don't have connections generally, outside the town that they are in.”
“Oh,” he shrugged. “I must have used the wrong word. She got paid sometimes. She was never famous like you.”
“So, a regional theater?” Ariel asked, and he nodded.
“That's it. My apologies. It's been a while since I had to understand the world you live in.”
“What was her name?” Ariel asked.
“Marina,” he answered. “My beautiful Marina.”
“Marina,” she repeated. “That's not what I expected. But then, none of this is what I expected.”
“How was your show today?” he asked, and she shrugged.
“It was alright. I'm feeling a bit distracted.”
“That's understandable,” he said. “You must be tired. I'll walk you back to your hotel.”
“Oh,” she paused. “That would be nice. I never had my father walk me home.”
“Do you have a home, Ariel?”
“The palace,” she answered, before she realized what she said. “That's the only place where I am consistently. Other than that, it's usually just wherever we tour. Permanent hotels. I used to have an apartment, but I gave it up a while ago.”
“It must be hard,” he said, “to have no home.”
“I never....” She thought it over. “It never bothered me.”
But now that he was talking about it, she realized it did bother her. She didn't miss the apartment that she gave up, but she had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she would probably never see the palace again. It was basically the only home she had known, and she loved how grand it was. It was far grander than she would ever be able to afford on Earth.
“Perhaps you can visit my home someday,” he said. “It's only three hours from here, in the countryside.”
“The countryside?” she said. “I would have expected you to have a condo in the city.”
He chuckled. “But then–”
“Nothing is what I expected,” she finished. “I guess I'm getting predictable with what I say.”
“I'm happy for you to be predictable,” he said. “To learn anything about you. I spent so long, Ariel, wondering about you.”
Once she was back in her hotel room, she found her mind too restless to sleep. She felt the dragon magic below her, but it was weaker than normal. She paused in her texting, listening with her body. She could almost feel Alexander moving around.
There were no deaths today, and she wondered if Peter simply wasn't hungry or whether he was getting better. It concerned her, though, that the magic felt weaker. She could feel both of them, but not as strong as the day before.
Shaking her head, she went back to her phone. They weren't going to be her concern too much longer.
‘Marina Campbell,’ she typed into the phone. She expected to find other photos, or maybe some news articles. Her father had not told her much, even though he said he would.
To her surprise, there was nothing that came up that matched what she was looking for. The pictures that came up in Google were not the pictures of her mother, and none of the articles were about a dancer or a pageant.
She deleted Campbell, and typed in ‘Regina,’ which she thought was her father's last name. But it was completely possible that she got them mixed up.
There was nothing for Marina Regina either.
Confused, she went back to the photographs, thumbing through them until she found the one she was looking for.
There was her mother, looking gorgeous with a pageant queen’s sash on. If Ariel squinted, she could see that it said ‘Miss Victory.’
"What pagent is this?" she asked herself, turning on her phone to see if she could find a magnifier app. The light in the hotel room wasn't the best, but she hunched over, trying to angle it under the hotel lamp.
‘1992,’ she found at last.
It was enough for Google, and she put in the details that she could, looking for a ‘Miss Victory 1992.’ It turned up a thousand different things, but none of them were relevant.
She suddenly felt a surge of magic and sat up straight. Her heart started pounding, and she closed her eyes, trying to focus.
Cole, she identified at last. Cole was here.
Cole was like a little brother to her–mischievous but sweet. His human wife, Ariel realized, probably needed to be here this week. She had lost track of the days through this whole adventure. Enya would have no idea about what was happening. In addition, Ariel knew that Enya had no other choice. Being married to a dragon was pretty much the only way that she could survive. Ariel running downstairs and telling Enya everything about her history would only result in the girl being ridden with guilt.
Still, she didn't want to stay away. This may be the last time that she ever saw Cole, and she wanted to at least lay eyes on him.
She grabbed her purse out of habit and took the stairs one floor down. She had planned to linger in the stairway, to see if they were out in the hall.
Cole's voice echoed as soon as she opened the door.
"The friggin Bloor Street vortex was closed," Cole said. "Closed! Do you know how long it's been since a vortex was closed? God forbid I need to get Enya somewhere fast. That is the closest one to a hospital."
Ariel put her hand over her mouth, leaning against the wall. She hadn't thought of that, even when she was looking up and staring at the bright hospital lights as she had waited for the rest of the shields to arrive.
There was a low mummer of voices, and she strained to hear what was being said. It was harder when they were speaking dragon lore, her brain worked over time.
"Of course he's getting better," Cole said, his voice angry. "His magic is so supressed here. He could get over anything if he has enough time. But you look like road kill. You need to get back."
"I will," Alexander said, and she could hear the hoarseness in his voice. "When he is mentally ready to take the throne."
"Where is she?" Cole asked, and she was tempted to burst through the door.
But then her phone buzzed. She dug it out of her purse, turning on the screen.
We can close another two vortexes at dawn. The sun and the moon align, said the text. Will you meet us?
Her hands trembled as she answered it.
Yes, she said, drifting away from the door. She cast one last gaze into the hallway, looking at Cole. She wished she could give him a hug and say goodbye to him. But if she did that, it would re-establish contact, and it would be difficult all over again. How long before all of them are closed?
Not long, her father said. This city has the most. There are only one or two on other continents. That is perhaps why you keep landing back here.
The dragons need to get out safely, she texted back. They should have the option to leave peacefully.
Promise me you won't contact the dragons, he texted back. You must stay away, or they will poison your mind again. You must make a clean break.
He had been saying this in some form, and she didn't want to lie. She was done lying. Done hiding from people. Done pretending.
I won't, she texted back. She listened one last time to their voices and then closed the door behind her.
But then her phone beeped, and she had to switch screens.
Ariel? said Enya's text. It confirmed that she was back. What's going on?
Ariel bit her lip. She promised that she wouldn't talk to the dragons. But Enya was not a dragon, even if she was dragon princess.
Enya, you have to get out of here, Ariel texted back, trying not to cry. You have to get them all to leave.
What? Enya replied right away. Why?
Just trust me, Ariel said. One last time.
Are you upstairs? Hold on. I'm coming.
No. Ariel knew this was it. She had her purse. She didn't need anything else. Goodbye, Enya.
She didn't go back to her room. She thumped down the stairs, half panting from the exertion. She couldn't see her; she couldn't say goodbye.
Father? she texted. Come and get me. Let's do this now.
No more goodbyes. No more lies. No more deception. She was ready to close them all.