Chapter Six
Kiara didn’t sleep much that night. She paced, practiced simple spells and waited for the day to break. She’d decided she would go to him first thing in the morning to check on him. And this time she wouldn’t leave until he talked to her.
She peeked out her window for the hundredth time and checked her phone. At 7 a.m. she climbed out of her window and ran to his house. She knocked softly, then slid the window open. It was unlocked now.
He was sleeping, but even in the dim light of the early morning she could see he didn’t look good. His skin had a greenish cast. She put her hand on his shoulder and whispered his name. She had to shake him a bit and speak louder than a whisper to finally rouse him. He groaned and turned on his side, then peeled his eyes open slowly.
“Kiki?” He’d only called her that once, and she kind of liked the nickname. But now it sounded more like he just couldn’t get anything else out.
“What’s wrong with you? What hurts?”
“Everything.” He moaned again and rolled onto his back. “Achey, throat hurts, head hurts. I might puke.”
Kiara found his trash can and moved it closer to him. She took out the bottle of juice she’d brought. It had the truth herbs mixed into it. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”
He sat up and drank it. “What is it? Do you know how to make some kind of healing potion?”
“No, that’s very advanced magic. Some day. You just drank a truth herb.”
“Why?”
“I need to know what you saw last night in the woods.”
“Oh.” He sat up and leaned against the wall. “I saw you. As a dragon. Recognized the necklace. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kiara’s stomach plunged. He had seen. This illness would kill him. And it was all her fault. Tears rushed to her eyes. “Spence, you don’t understand. I’m sworn to secrecy. And this illness, the reason you’re sick right now is because of me. Because you saw me. There’s a powerful dragon magic curse at work. It kills anyone who discovers its secret, whether I tell them or they find out by accident.”
His eyes widened. “You’re saying I’m going to die?”
She shook her head. “I’ll figure something out. I’ll find a way to save you.”
“Kiara,” he whispered. “I don’t want to die a virgin.”
Good ole’ truth herb. She almost laughed, but nothing about this was funny. “I know.” She kissed his cheek. “Me neither, but there’s no time. Right now I have to go. I have to find someone and see if he can help me.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, but he pulled away.
“I don’t want you to get sick, too.”
She put a hand to his cheek. “You’re not actually sick, you’re cursed, and that’s not contagious. But whatever you do, do not tell anyone. Anyone you tell will be cursed too, and will die.” They resumed their kiss, passionate but restrained by his pain. If she couldn’t save him, she would make sure that neither of them died virgins. Definitely.
“I will come back as soon as I know something. You hang in there and don’t die too soon, okay?” Her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes again. “Give me some time to figure out how to save you.”
“I’ll try.” He had tears in his eyes, too, when he kissed her again. “I love you. I’m so glad you told me that last night. I almost chased after you, but I started to feel really sick.”
“It’s okay. You will live. Or I’ll die trying to save you.” She kissed him one more time, then jumped out of his window and dashed into the forest at lightning speed.
She changed quickly and leaped into the air, then flew immediately to the dragon haven. She landed hard and called out, “Sindri!”
His response came almost like a whisper in her mind. “I am coming.”
She watched the sky and saw him fly into view moments later, large and shining green. He landed in front of her and tucked his enormous wings behind his back.
“Hello, Kiara.”
“Sindri, hi. I need your help.”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, I felt the magic activate. You have told someone our secret?”
“No, he found out by accident. He’s a wizard too and he bypassed my detection spell. I would never ever tell him, and now he’s really sick, and he’s going to die, and I don’t know what to do.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “I can’t lose him. I love him. Please, is there a way to save him? Anything?”
“Yes, you can save him.”
Kiara felt all four of her knees weaken in relief. “How?”
“Simply take off your ring in his presence. The secret will be wiped from his mind and you will die in his place.”
“No, Sindri, please. There has to be another way.”
“I did not create this magic. It is as old as dragons.”
“No, I know. But he’s not just human, he’s a wizard. Can’t you give him the power to shift as well? He has strong magic.”
“The power could be granted if he has magic—”
“How?”
He gave her a frustrated look and she kept her mouth closed. “For you it was your sacrifice of freeing me. You took a risk, not knowing the reason I was cast in stone, and you were lucky that I was not a malicious dragon. He has made no such sacrifice, so a sacrifice must be made.”
“Okay…” Kiara almost held her breath, waiting.
“In the light of the moon, you will cast a spell. It’s not the most difficult spell, and in your dragon form I have no doubt you would be able to perform it.”
“What’s the spell?”
“I will tell you, but you should know it’s the elements required that are the sacrifice.”
She knew of spells that required things like hair or even body parts. Some required intangibles like time or memories or happiness. To receive something like the power to shift into a dragon it would likely be something drastic.
“It requires the blood of a virgin.”
“Like, how much blood?” They’d just had the conversation about both of them being virgins. Easily accessible blood right there in her own body.
“All of it. The empty vessel of the virgin is also required.”
“So I need to kill a virgin and have the blood and the body?”
Sindri nodded and explained the rest of the spell. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“I wish you luck, young one.” Sindri lowered his head then flew off.
Kiara had a few herbs and things to gather for the sacrifice spell and a few other general herbs she liked to keep on hand. She also made a visit to the cave. She and Spence had spent a lot of money recently going out and doing fun things. If he survived she wanted to be able to do something awesome to celebrate. She selected a handful of coins, something easy to carry, and flew back to the woods.