Page 71 of His Greatest Treasure

“She has not left the castle.”

Blaze’s hand was shaking and I clutched it tighter, trying to tell him how brave I thought he was being by talking to my father.

“She found me outside. I can show you where she laid the spells at your borders and I can show you the door she used to get in and out. You can check the spells for yourself. She snuck out.”

My father didn’t believe him and I didn’t know what to say to make him.

Blaze just carried on. He sounded so sure that my father had to believe him, surely.

“The spells over your castle have been tampered with. That is a fact. Either the hag got out and found me outside, or I got in and she found me inside. Either way, your defences have been breached.”

Behind me, there was a murmur. It was so quiet that I couldn’t make out the words, nor which of my clan had made the noise, but there was definitely a sound. An agreement. They didn’t like the idea of our defences being breached.

That left us vulnerable.

Blaze looked straight at my father.

“Let me show you where the hag laid her spells. You can see for yourself. And you can see that I burned them away, protecting your territory, Lord Somerville.”

“Why would you protect my territory?”

Blaze’s fingers squeezed mine back.

“Because I am inside it, and those protections keep me safe, as well as your clan. I have… grown fond of your clan, Lord Somerville. I offer you my services in protecting them.”

He eyed Blaze for a long time and the dragon inside me began to vibrate with nerves, sure it would be needed to surge up and protect our- our friend.

Just when I thought I would go mad with the tension of waiting, my father nodded.

“Very well. I shall inspect the castle doors. You will stay here.”

With that, he swept across the grand hall and out of the double doors.

I just stared after him, not sure what had happened. I looked to my mother for an explanation, but she was crying silently.

“Mother? What happened? What’s wrong?”

She whispered, “It’s happening again.”

Aunt Silvia was standing beside her with her arms around her, and she shook her head. “No, Regina, it’s not. Alfie is different. And we are not under attack. He will learn to control his power and build our defences, that is all.”

Mother cried harder.

I’d never seen her cry. Her face scrunched up and became red and blotchy. I felt way out of my depth as I stood there, not able to help at all.

Behind me, the door opened with a slow creak and I glanced over. Standing framed in the doorway was Great Aunt Evangeline, looking pale and weak. She was leaning heavily on her stick and had one hand against the doorframe to support her.

Uncle George hurried over to her but nobody else moved. He slid his arm under hers and lifted so she could lean on him. He kept his face practically blank, but I could see his worry for her in the tightness of their bond.

Actually, once I looked, I could see the tension radiating out from every bond around me. Everybody was scared. They could feel the lingering chill of my father’s power and feel him draining theirs, even if they didn’t realise that’s what it was.

Great Aunt Evangeline walked a few steps into the room and her eyes were fixed on me. They were old, old eyes, and the strange new feeling inside me – my dragon – reacted to them in a way I hadn’t before. It felt… seen.

And it saw, too.

It saw Great Aunt Evangeline’s power in a way that I hadn’t before. It saw her bonds shine strong and bright, looking far more alive than she did.

“I knew it,” she said. Her voice was quavery, not as strong as it had been just a few days ago. She hadn’t recovered yet. She looked happy, though. There was an excitement alight in her eyes as she looked at me. “I felt it. I had to see for myself. You’ve shifted.”

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