“You’vebeenkeepingadragon in your dorm room since last Thursday?” Priscilla swiveled her head in my dad’s direction.
John slowly turned from the window overlooking the academy grounds, smoothing his beige sweater.
“It’s the same one from Singapore?” she continued.
“Yes.” I nodded once, still standing behind the guest chairs in John’s office—the same spot I had stood for the last thirty minutes as they informed me of the facts I had already gathered from the grimoire about the dark clan. “It was apparent he wasn’t leaving, so we’ve kept him hidden. Plus, he was helpful against the dark mage in Singapore. It can’t hurt to have him around.”
“It can’t hurt,” she mimicked my words.
“I greatly appreciate your forthcoming and honesty, Selene. However, we wish you would have informed us of this the nightyou had found him.” John went over to his chair, finally sitting and taking a moment, looking as though he was contemplating. “I believe this dragon will increase the safety of our students should there be another attack and outweigh the hysteria in regard to a dragon on the premises.”
Priscilla nodded.
“Selene.” John waved to the chair in front of me and I obliged this time. “You had an ancestor on your mother’s side with a dragon familiar. It was thought to have died when he—your great, great, great-grandfather—died. Your mom had told me about it when we were teenagers.” A longing smile formed on his lips. “She had thought having a dragon as her familiar would be the most incredible thing.”
Aura’s face popped up from her fluff curl on his desk, glowering at him.
“Besides you, of course.” He reached forward, scratching her chin until she settled back down.
Hold up.
“Having a dragon as her familiar—besides Aura?” I nodded at the white fox, who was happily asleep again. “Aura is Mom’s familiar?”
I held my breath until John’s confirmation came with a nod. Tears pricked my eyes. Forget my however-many-great-grandpop having a dragon as a familiar. Aura had been Mom’s. I had never seen her before.
“Why was she with you?”
“Your mom had sent her with me to keep me safe.” John’s smile was sad as he stroked the back of Aura’s neck. “She created her the day after our wedding as a gift to show that though we weren’t soul-bound, we were still bound together. We hadn’t known of Aura’s minor healing capabilities until a later date. It’s an unspoken projected ability of ether magic.”
Tears silently fell, trailing down my cheeks.
“She can heal?” My voice came out quiet.
“To a certain extent, yes. She cannot heal the dead. Her eyes darken as she heals.” John’s gaze seemed distant. “Though they also darken when she is concerned or angry.”
Aura’s eyes had turned black when she rubbed up against Ender after the dark mage attacked him. Had she partly healed him? Maybe it had been more than Nurse Adair’s famous healing elixir. Ender had recovered surprisingly quickly from the attack.
I stared at the little fox. Pain threatened to tear at my chest at the thought of Aura being created by Mom.
“How come you mentioned an ancestor of mine having a dragon as a familiar?” I asked, steering the topic to something a little more comfortable.
“Because I believe the dragon currently in the forest with your sister and Sydney is the same one.” John’s gaze focused, no longer somewhere in the past. “That’s the most probable reason it’s drawn to you. There have been old texts noting it is possible for a familiar to live past its creator, and if so, it may be summoned by someone from the same bloodline. Aura is an oddity. She was made with part of your mother’s soul for me, but she resembles a version of those notations. Familiars can survive after their mage dies, but they typically do not have a high quality of life and often die of heartbreak sooner or later.”
“Summoned?” I had never summoned a familiar. “I would have known if I summoned a dragon.”
“When a person goes through a traumatic experience, their controlled and uncontrolled emotions are amplified, and often their own soul is momentarily disembodied from themselves.” John’s smile was understanding and full of empathy, like the one he had when I first met him in the jungle. Not one of pity.
Had Mom’s death triggered me to summon Chaos?
“If that is the case, why has he only found me now, when it’s been months since Mom’s death?” I asked. “And why didn’t he find Viv? She’s from the same bloodline.”
“Fives Academy’s wards are strong and may have blocked his ability to locate you. It would explain how the dragon was able to find you once you left. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had been waiting near Dominica for your return,” John answered. “As far as finding you, you must’ve been the one who unknowingly summoned him.”
I thought back to when I watched Mom take her last breaths. There had been an outburst of magic, but I hadn’t realized it had come from me. And somehow the little dragon had gotten through the academy wards. Animals were able to pass, but I believe familiars were unable to unless their mage was welcomed.
Mischievous little thing.
The academy was eerily quiet, even for a Sunday evening. The snow and lack of wildlife made the grounds feel hollow. I sat behind the parapet of the west dorm roof, using it to shield some of the wind against my back. The gloves I wore protected my fingers from the chill but didn’t help turn the pages of the dark grimoire.
