

Semaj

Amari A

Copyright 2015 Amari A

Smashwords Edition

**This book contains a dramatic teen dragon, parents who just don't understand, and a best friend who becomes a maniac for a short period of time**

Dear You (Yeah You) Who's Reading This,

Thank you for finding me interesting enough that you decided to read about me. I like to think of myself as just a normal dragon but, truth is, I'm a princess. It's not something I'm proud of but, you know,, I've learned to live with it. Here are some things to know before you turn the next page.

1. This story is told from my perspective because, well, it's my life and no one can tell it better than I can.

2. Everything, and I mean everything, you thought you knew about dragons is not true. You probably have a dragon living next door to you and you don't even know it.

3. Things get a little intense for a while, so if you don't like drama you have definitely picked up the wrong book.

4. If you believe in happily ever after, then, once again, you have picked up the wrong book. This is reality and reality sucks! Sorry to have to tell you that, but it helps to be blunt.

I really am grateful that you decided to give my story a shot because there are so many other things that you could probably be doing right now, like tweeting, taking a selfies, or going out with your friends, but you've decided to let me entertain you for a while. This is only the beginning of my story and it gets crazier from here. I'm on a quest to save the dragon world and find myself in this crazy world of dragons where everything is not as it seems and no one is ever who you think they are, where your friends become your biggest enemies and your biggest enemies become your friends. Let's just say life is crazy. Hope you enjoy the book.

Semaj, Dragon Princess

### Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Dear Reader

About the Author

# Prologue

"Your wife has given birth to a beautiful baby girl and she was also born with the mark on her lower back," says Saralynn.

"Wow!" exclaims Gregor. "So our daughter will indeed be the one that legend speaks about? I can't believe that it's actually true."

"Yes, she will lead the new generation into a better place. She will be a very strong leader. Very powerful. Very headstrong, too. She won't be easily pushed around."

"I know. I am honored that it is my daughter who will do so, and stubbornness runs in the family," he says with a laugh.

"Yes, but when she is a teenager you know that she will have to be prepared to fight great danger. The legend says sixteen, but we know that the age is what's always off about the predictions. They sometimes come sooner and sometimes appear later on in their lives, but for sure she is the chosen one."

He nods his head. "I know this and I will make sure that she is fully prepared."

She nods her head. "Enjoy your baby girl. I will be leaving now so take good care of her and her mother."

He watches as she walks out of the castle and looks down at his daughter, whom he's holding in his hands. "You are going to be a great one, my child."

"What are we going to call her?" asks Ginneveave.

"Semaj. Our baby girl's name is going to be Semaj."

"I love the name Semaj. Such a pretty name for our beautiful baby girl."

"And she's so peaceful. Maybe she'll be like this her whole life."

Ginneveave laughs. "One can only wish. You know how temperamental little girls can be."

He smiles. "Ah, yes. I've seen some of the ones in the kingdom. They can be quite a handful, but I doubt that our little girl will give us that much trouble."

# Chapter 1

14 1/2years later....

"I'm telling you, I think that my parents have it in for me," I say as me and my best friend Brenden walk through the forest. We weren't supposed to be best friends, being that I'm a princess and he's regular, but my mom allowed it to happen, saying that it would keep me level headed. See, in the dragon world, royals hang out with other royals and regular dragons that lived in the village were to never mingle with the royal kids – ever. But I wasn't one for rules and plus, all the royal kids from the other kingdoms were too stuck up for my taste. I didn't like any of them.

"You always think that your parents have it out for you. What else is new?" he says with a laugh.

"That's because they always do. But it's worse lately. They're always whispering or talking low and when I come into the room they get quiet and just stare at me."

"All parents do that."

"Yeah, the ones who've been planning to kill their kids over the years."

"They aren't trying to kill you."

"Not yet. They have to plan it first so that they can get away with it."

"Why though?"

"Not sure," I say as I jump over a log. I love being in the woods. It's where I've always felt I've belonged. Ever since I was a little girl I would come in the forest and sit in it for hours. Often times I would drag Brenden along and so far that has never changed. Whatever I did, he did and that's how it was going to stay. We were best friends forever and nothing was going to get in between us. The forest was one of the best things about the dragon world. There were regular animals in it like rabbits, birds, and snakes, but other things roamed in it as well. What those other things are, I don't know because I've never seen them before and I don't want to start this story off by lying to you.

"Well, I really don't think that your parents are going to kill you. They love you," he says as he throws a rock at a tree.

I look over at him and smile. He had grown up a lot from the skinny little dragon kid he used to be. He used to have buck teeth and long skinny arms and legs that seemed weird to his body. Now he was this handsome hunk that all the girls in the kingdom wanted, with muscles for days. But I still viewed him as the buck tooth kid he was so many years ago. Seeing him as a hunk was just, well, it was weird. "You're right, but I still don't like the fact that they are hiding something from me. I mean, they tell me everything else. Especially stuff that I'm not exactly fond of hearing. So why bother to hide something from me now?"

He laughs. "Maybe they'll tell you when they're ready."

"Maybe. But I doubt it."

"Or, you know, they could be planning your fifteenth birthday party. You will be fifteen in a week."

I stopped walking. He was completely right. How could I forget my own birthday? Maybe I was catching teenage Alzheimer's if there was such a thing. And I'm sure it was because I thought of it. "I forgot all about my birthday. But you're right. They've been trying to surprise me for the past couple of years and so far it has never worked out for them."

"How could you forget your own birthday? You are usually in full countdown mode by now."

"I've been dealing with high school. It's not easy you know. Full of nothing but crazy people."

"So you've told me," he says with a smirk.

That's because it's horrible!" I exclaim. "I don't know what my parents were thinking sending me to that place. I've been tempted to set two girls on fire just this month."

"Well, we're here," he says.

I look at the clearing and smile. Brenden and I have had the same hiding spot ever since we were kids. It was a beautiful clearing in the middle of the forest, in the shape of a circle. Flowers grew around the edges and two logs were in the center. It was so serene. We both came here to clear our minds from our problems. It's as if, when we are here, nothing else in the world matters.

"You know, I think that it's gotten more beautiful since the last time we were here," I say as I sit down on the log that was designated as mine.

"Yeah, you may be right," he says as he sits on the other log.

I look up at the sky as the sun beams down on my face. This is why I loved being in the dragon realm. It was so much more peaceful than life in the city. There was no hustle and bustle and nobody here was in a rush. Life was just pretty simple for the most part. I did my dragon training here and visited my dad and Brenden, but for the most part I was a newly city girl. I never caught a cab because they acted like they never saw me waving my hand or someone always stole it from me. I was even worse with the bus because I was almost always late, but it was starting to grow on me. There I blended in because there was nothing truly special about me to them. I was just another teenage girl to the world because no one knew my secret of being a dragon princess. I preferred to keep it that way, too, because they would probably lock me up in some facility and try to study me.

"So how has your dragon training been going?" asks Brenden as he throws another rock at a tree.

"It's been going pretty good. It's been more intense lately, though. Plus they've amped up my study on legends and myths," I say as I cross my legs. "I don't know why because I'm pretty sure all that stuff is useless. Not like I'm ever going to need it."

"Legends and myths? Really? Why would they do that?" he asks curiously.

"You know I'm a princess. We literally have to know everything about everything, even if it isn't true," I say as I glance over at him.

"I'm glad I'm not a royal. My studies don't involve dealing with legends and myths. More like defense and attack," he says as he shakes his head.

"Yeah, be lucky you're not because it's a lot of work and you know I'm not fan of having to work too hard at something," I say with a sigh.

"Oh trust me I'm glad to just be a commoner. My life is simple and I like it that way."

"You're more than just a commoner. You're my best friend," I say as I nudge him.

"And you are mine. It's getting late. I think it's time that we should be getting back," he says.

I look up at the sky and see that the sun is setting. It makes the sky beautiful shades of oranges, reds, and yellows. I never paid sunsets much attention, but this one was one of the most beautiful I'd ever seen. "You're right. Plus, I'm going back home tonight. School life, you know."

He stands up off of his log and helps me up off of mine. "You say school is like dragon training right?"

I nod my head. "Yes, except for with more hateful teachers and crazy students who are so caught up in one another that it's sad."

He laughs. "That doesn't sound pleasant."

"That's because it isn't. I hate it. Homework. Classwork. Tests. Quizzes on stuff they never even teach us in class in the first place or that it's in the book that they know no kid alive is ever going to read. Only three more years of torture left and I'm out of there."

"Three years?"

"Yeah that's when I'll graduate high school. If I make it out alive," I say as we walk back through the forest.

"So it's over faster than dragon training?"

"Yeah, it is."

"I like the sound of it already."

I laugh. "Yeah, because you don't have to deal with it. I'm telling you it's not as easy as it seems."

He looks at me and smiles. "Yeah, well, at least you don't have to deal with being here all of the time. Nothing ever happens. Just the same ole' same ole."

"Yeah, I know. There's no war or nothing. Everyone just seems peaceful and content."

"That's because your dad is a great king."

I roll my eyes. "So I've been told."

We step out of the forest and back into the village. People are closing down their shops and are going in for the night. Our village, Salavania, was fairly small. Only about one-hundred fifty dragon families lived there and my dad knew them each by name. Whereas I would only recognize faces. I wasn't the Queen yet, though. I had other things on my mind. Besides, I had years to learn them. I walk Brenden to his house and he smiles.

"See you this weekend, right?" he asks.

"Yeah, after a long torturous week in high school," I say with a laugh.

"Be safe."

"I always am."

I watch as he walks into his house and shuts the door. I walk toward the castle to meet my dad so that he could take me back to the other realm. He said that it was important that I learned to live in every realm. I saw it as he just really didn't want his daughter hanging around or that he had another secret family. But I knew that was due to all of the reality TV and man hating movies I watch when I'm home because I have no social life. I walk into the castle and into the throne room where I knew my dad was.

The throne room is the most beautiful room in the castle. It's filled with gold, jewels, armor, and swords. Dragons like shiny stuff, that's why whenever we're depicted in movies we're always around shiny gold. It's one of the few things movies get right about us. That other stuff is flat out wrong. We don't generally guard princesses in towers and will only attack a human, or anyone, for that matter if they pose a threat. As far as I know, no one I know has killed a human, but it wasn't the type of thing you readily admitted.

I walk closer to the throne and my dad is sitting there in his dragon form. He is a beautiful blue dragon with silver scales on his stomach. I am a pink dragon, the only one born in our village, and I have gold scales that run down the middle of my back and along my stomach. They say that it's a sign of greatness to have gold scales, but I didn't see anything so great about me. At least not yet. He smiles as I get close to him and I can't help but smile back.

"So, are you ready to go home?" he asks.

"No, but it's not like I really have a choice," I say as I sit on the carpet.

"You know that it's important for you to know what it's like to live in all realms. It's part of your dragon training."

"I know, dad. You've told me that over and over again."

He laughs. "Well you know how I like to remind you."

I roll my eyes. "Believe me, I know."

"Well go gather your stuff together while I transform and put myself into some regular clothes."

"Okay dad. And don't take forever, because you know how mom is."

He laughs. "You're right about that, sweetie."

I walk out of the throne room and into the room that was mine. My room was decorated with jewels and a mural of me as a dragon was painted onto the wall. I love being in this room because it made me feel important. Plus, it is three times the size of my room in the city. I grab my book bag and some clothes I brought with me and head out of the room. I walk back into the throne room and my dad is standing there smiling. I smile back at him. My dad was an okay looking guy. I wasn't just saying that because I mostly resembled him, either. He had dark skin, light brown hair eyes, perfect teeth, and an angular nose. I was lighter than him but we had the same nose and chin.

"Are you ready to go, princess?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you don't sound too excited."

"I'm not. I really wish that I could just stay here, but I know that I can't."

"You would be correct. But one day you won't have to leave here. You can just stay."

"I know dad. I know."

"Well, come on, sweetheart. Your mother and I need to talk to you about some things anyway."

I look up at him, but I don't say anything. Anytime your parents come at you with the 'we need to talk to you' talk, it usually means one thing: Disaster. And I handled disaster the way that I handled everything else. Horribly. Tonight is going to be a long night. I can just feel it in my bones.

# Chapter 2

I follow my dad to the edge of Salavania. He conjures a portal and we walk through it. Only royal dragons in line for the throne could conjure portals, no other dragon can. So my dad and I were the only two in the whole kingdom who could do it. It was banned for dragons in the village to do it because of some war that happened thousands of years ago where a dragon opened a portal and wreaked havoc on a lot of the other realms, putting all of the other dragons at risk. We step out of the portal and walk into a voodoo store. The owner and my dad have some kind of relationship where we can come and go as we please. No one thinks anything of it when we just appear out of nowhere. After all, strange stuff happens in there all of the time.

"Welcome back, Gregor," says Madame Netta. She's an old black woman with long gray hair and multiple moles on her face. She kind of reminded me of an old cartoon character. Acted like one to.

"How are you today, Netta?" he asks.

"I'm living, so I'm okay. How long are you going to be around?"

"A few days."

That raises my suspicion even more. My dad never stayed in the city for more than a night. He likes to be in the dragon kingdom as much as possible in case anything happens. So I just know that this is going to be an epic disaster. I can't believe my parents are about to ruin my life by announcing their divorce! It's the only thing that I can think of and it's really starting to mess with me. The nerve of them! It could possibly be something else, but with the way that my mind was pinging, I was sure that it was divorce.

"How are you today Miss Semaj?" asks Madame Netta.

"About as good as I can be," I say.

"Well that's good, you two have a nice night," she says as she walks towards the back of the store.

My dad nudges me towards the door and I go. The night air is dry and there are at least a thousand people on the street. I feel my dad's hand on my shoulder and continue to walk through the crowd. We get to our apartment building and I press the button for the fifth floor. We step on and some boring elevator music starts to play. I look over at my dad who looks as calm as can be. Like he's totally not about to ruin my life.

The doors to the elevator open and my dad and I step off. Our apartment is right across from the elevator, so I get my key out and open the door. We're immediately greeted by the smell of apple pie. That was the ultimate kiss of death. My mom always made apple pie whenever she delivers bad news. We have to move again, want some apple pie? Grandma's dead, want some apple pie? Doctor says you have to get your tonsils out, want some apple pie? I throw my bag down on the chair and my mom comes out of the kitchen with an apron and apple pie slices in her hand.

"Okay! Just go ahead and say it! You and dad are getting a divorce. That's what the whispering has been about and that's why you've made pie isn't it?" I yell, getting frustrated that they were playing games with me like I was some little kid when I wasn't.

My mom and dad look at each other and smile. "We're not getting a divorce," says my dad.

"Okay, so if you're not getting a divorce then what's all the whispering been about?" I ask.

"Sweetheart, do you want some pie?" asks mom.

"No mom I don't want any pie! I want to know what's going on!" I yell.

"Have a seat, sweetheart," says my dad.

I take a seat and my parents sit across from me. "So what's going on? Did someone die again?"

"Well, do you know how you're always studying legends?" asks my dad.

"Yes, I've been studying a lot, though, so which ones?" I ask.

"Do you know the legend about the 100th king having his daughter be the chosen one to lead the dragons into a new era?"

"Yes, it was actually the first one I read, but it doesn't say much other than she has to defeat great evils and lead the younger dragons into a new era."

"Well...you, Semaj, are the chosen one."

Clearly my parents have lost their minds. I couldn't get picked first in a game of dodge ball and I was some kind of chosen one? Ha! Yeah, they definitely went off the deep end with that thought. "Clearly you're mistaken, dad, because there is no way that I can be responsible for saving the dragon world. So I know this has to be some kind of sick joke to keep me from whatever it is you really want to tell me."

"Well it's true, sweetheart."

"Dad I'm clumsy. I over sleep. I don't know how to catch a cab and frankly, I think that they should teach classes for that. I barely understand high school and you want me to protect the dragon world? I barely even get this world and I spend too much time in other realms to be able to protect anything or anybody in that world."

"Yes, sweetie. We fully expect you to protect the dragon world despite all of the things you've just said."

Yep my parents had lost it. "But we haven't faced an evil in hundreds of years. The dragon world is really as safe as it can possibly be right now with you as king."

"Yes, but I, along with some of the other older dragons, have been noticing strange things and feel a presence that just isn't right. Something is coming and you need to be prepared for whatever it is. Your time to shine is coming up and you need to make me proud and not let our world down."

"So you don't know what it is but you want to send your fourteen year old daughter after it? How smart is that?"

"You'll be fifteen soon and yes. You've been doing your dragon training and you've lived in almost all of the other realms. You're prepared. You can handle yourself well under pressure. I know that you're going to make me proud."

I sigh. "So, when do I have to go on this whole save the world mission? I mean I need time to prepare myself mentally for this disaster."

"In two weeks," he replies.

"Two weeks!" I exclaim.

"Yes, we feel that it is best for you to start the journey into the world in two weeks. Hopefully you will discover what's going on and be able to defeat it so that the land will once again be peaceful."

"Is someone going with me or will I just be winging it alone?"

He nods his head. "Yes, you get to take one other dragon with you. And before you ask, yes, you do get to choose"

"Well I'm taking Brenden," I say. There was no way no other dragon besides him was going on this mission with me.

He sighs. "How did I know that was coming?"

"He's my best friend. He won't let anything happen to me. He has always protected me," I say as I plead with him.

He looks at me, then my mom, and then back at me. "Fine, you two will start intense training the day after your birthday. I'm warning you, though, it is nothing like basic dragon training. The lessons are much harder."

I look at him in disbelief. "You mean to tell me what we're doing doesn't get classified as intense training?"

"No, that's very basic training. These lessons will test every one of your abilities. You will learn how to defend yourself and how to attack. They are no cake walk and you need to master them."

I look at him and then back at my mom. I just knew they had plans to take me out one day and maybe today was that day. "So I take the intense training and then what?"

"You'll see, sweetheart. You'll see."

I roll my eyes and look at the ceiling. Parents, they never tell you anything you want to know but will tell you everything you don't want to know. Whoever invented them did so with the intent to torture kids everywhere. They were only useful when we couldn't do things on our own and even then we have to beg in order for them to do that. They just made my life way more complicated than it needed to be.

# Chapter 3

I lay in my bed and think about what my parents just told me. How could I be the chosen one? I just knew that this was some kind of sick joke and any minute they were going to tell me just that. But the more I think on it, the more I realize that it's probably true. My dad was the 100th king and I was his first born daughter. In fact, I was his only child. This meant that he shouldn't want to send me into danger! He should want to protect me at all costs! What kind of dad was he to send his only heir to the throne into danger? I'll tell you what kind...not a good kind. That's for sure.

I look at my wall and there are nothing but pictures of me and my mom or Brenden and me. I didn't have any friends because we moved around so much and my dad was always on king duty, so there was really none of me with him. I look at all of the books that explain legends and all of the heroes. They all seemed brave and that they didn't take anything from anybody. Could I be like them? Could I push aside my insecurities and be the heroine that my dad needed me to be? Dragons were supposed to be fearless and, as a princess, I was supposed to be a great leader one day. But I was so engrossed in my own issues that I never really gave anything about the kingdom much thought.

I sigh and begin to pack my clothes. I also pack my knife, some of the snacks I kept hidden in my room, a hat, and the legend book. I pull on my black t-shirt, black sweat pants, and my black boots. There was no need to wait two weeks for something that could be done right now. I grab my backpack and peek out of the room and it seems as if my parents are still asleep. I walk into the kitchen and grab the pen and pad off of the fridge to write my parents a note so they wouldn't worry too much. I sit at the table and think about what to say.

Mom and Dad. I've gone off to be the heroine that everyone needs me to be. If things are already happening, then I don't think that I can just sit around and let things keep happening. I am a princess and eventually I have to learn to stand up for my kingdom and I think that time is now. I know you may not agree, but this is something that I must do and I know that I can do it. So many heroes got their start young and I don't have to be any different. I love you, mom and dad, and I promise to take care of myself. Semaj.

I place the note on the fridge and I walk out of the door and down the street to the park. The voodoo store is closed, so I know that I will have to pull up a portal there. I conjure one up in a secluded part of the park so I don't draw attention to myself and step through it and I'm back in my natural habitat. I start to walk towards Brenden's house because there is no way in the world I'm going on this journey without him. And his house is a short distance from where the portal took me to. I walk to the side of his house his window is on and I throw a rock. A short while later his window opens and he looks down at me.

"You do know that normal dragons sleep every once in a while don't you?" he asks.

"Yeah, well, I'm not normal. Come down here," I say as I place my backpack down on the ground.

He climbs to the window sill and jumps down. I roll my eyes because I know I know that he's showing off and we really didn't have time for that right now.

"What's with the backpack?" he asks.

"I ran away because I'm going to save the dragon world," I say.

He raises his brow. "From what?"

"I don't know yet, but apparently I'm the chosen one."

"But we haven't been under attack in hundreds of years."

"I know, but apparently strange things have been going on and it's linked to whatever I'm supposed to do. So I need to get a jump on things."

"What exactly are you supposed to do?"

"Save the world! Keep up Brenden!" I yell at him getting frustrated. He was acting like he just didn't get it when I was laying it out for him plain as day. Although I had to admit I really didn't know what I was doing either, but, I mean, how hard could it be to spot something weird?

"So how exactly are you going to save the world?" he asks.

"I don't know, but I do know that I need your help."

"So you want me to run away to?"

"Duh! Dragon runaway gang!"

He burst out laughing. "Okay, I'll come with you but we are definitely not calling ourselves that."

I roll my eyes. He was such a hater. "Fine. Whatever. Just come on."

"Hold on. I have to pack a few things." He changes his hands into claws and climbs back into the window as I pick my backpack back up. After a few moments, a backpack lands beside me and Brenden follows.

"What are you trying to do? Kill me?" I yell at him.

A confused expression crosses his face. "How?"

"Attack of the flying backpack!"

"My bad."

"Okay, now come on. I'm technically missing so I know my dad probably will be sending the dragons from the palace to come find me pretty soon and I want to at least accomplish something on this mission."

"Okay so where are we going to go?"

"To our secret spot. They won't find us there. At least I'm hoping they won't but since they've never found us out there before. I'm pretty sure we're covered."

"Alright come on."

We head into the forest and make it to our spot in record time. I lay a blanket down on the ground and take a drink of bottled water and grab some chips. Brenden just lies down on the ground and stares at the sky.

"You do know that if we stay out here you're going to have to learn how to survive off of the land."

"And you're trying to say I can't?"

"I was just saying."

"Mm hmm."

"So you have no idea what's going on and what we're supposed to be looking for?"

"No, all my dad said was that strange things have been happening."

"Well...that is true," says Brenden.

I raise my brow. "Okay, so what's been going on?"

"Dragons have been all of a sudden been getting stuck in their dragon form. Like they can be walking on the streets and then they're their full dragon."

"Wow! I haven't seen anything like that going on."

"Your dad cleans it up pretty fast. He has guards take them back to the castle. I don't understand why we can't be in our dragon form full-time anyway."

"He says that it's because that if people stumble across a place that they know dragons roam they will want to capture us and things like that. History and movies doesn't give us a good track record you know."

"Yeah I know. We're either destroying towns, killing knights, guarding princesses in castles, or something else crazy."

"Yep, it's crazy, but that is the perception that people have of us."

"So do we have a plan on figuring out what we're going to do?"

I shake my head. "Nope we'll figure it out in the morning. I'm tired."

He laughs. "Good night, Semaj."

"Good night Brenden."

# Chapter 4

I woke up to the sun beating down on me. I raise my hand to cover my eyes and look over to see Brenden still asleep. And to top it off he was snoring at the top of his lungs. I grab my almost empty bottle and throw it at him. He moves a little, but he doesn't awaken. I roll my eyes as I open my backpack to pull out the book of legends. I flip to the pages on the part that focuses on me and I still really don't find out much. I look over at Brenden and he looks weird. His skin is becoming scaly, like he's turning into his dragon form. I shake him and his eyes open and they look different as well.

"What's going on with you?" I ask.

He blinks twice and his eyes go back to normal, but his skin stays scaly. "I don't know."

"You're changing into your dragon form."

"I can see that but I don't know why."

"Maybe we can find some answers today. Whatever it is it has to stem from the woods. It's the only place you can pull something off without being noticed. And no one ever really comes out here except for us."

"You're right. Maybe we should check by the river. That's what everyone's connected to because we all drink from it."

"I don't," I say.

"That's because you drink bottled water. Which I hope that you know you're going to have to give up."

I roll my eyes. "I know."

"Well let's head to the river."

"Okay."

I pack my book back up and pick-up my almost empty water bottle and place it in my backpack. I didn't want to leave a trail where someone could easily find us. We head through the woods with the sun beating down even harder on us. The trees start to get thicker and it becomes harder to push through but then we get to denser trees and I begin to hear water flowing. I was about to step out when a glimpse of color catches my eye. I stop and crouch down and Brenden does the same. There's a man dressed in a black cloak with a golden dragon is standing beside him. The dragon is mumbling something to the man as he pours something into the water.

I look over at Brenden who looks over at me. _What the heck is going on?_ I thought to myself. I look back towards the river and see that the dragon is staring in our direction. Can he see us? I wonder to myself. The dragon floats over towards us and I duck down even further.

"Who goes there?" asks the dragon.

We don't say anything and just remain quiet.

"If you don't say anything, I will light these trees on fire!" he bellows.

I look over at Brenden and he nods his head. He stands up from behind our hidden bush and I continue to peek. There was no need in both of us getting caught and since I was the princess it only made sense that he would give himself up.

"There is another one back there. A girl. Show yourself!"

I sigh. What kind of heroine gets caught on their first mission? The dumbest one in history. And how did this dragon even know I was back here? That particular bush is thick. He must have x-ray vision or something. I stand up and come face to face with the golden dragon.

"You don't look surprised to see a dragon, so is it safe to assume that you two are dragons as well?" he asks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I say. I mean we were in the dragon world apparently this dragon wasn't the sharpest one on the block. The chances of bumping into an actual human were slim to none.

"So I'm taking that as a yes," he says.

He circles around me and begins to sniff me. "You are of royal descent. I can smell it in your blood."

"Who? Me? No, I'm just your average teen dragon."

His eyes turn fiery red. "You dare try to play me like a fool?"

I decide that my sarcasm and wittiness' wasn't going to get me out of this. So maybe scared teen girl who was about to pee her pants would. "Yes, I am the princess but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Really overrated, if you ask me."

"So you're the daughter of Gregor. You're the chosen one?"

"I wouldn't say chosen one. More like born into something I have no control over."

He circles me again and then he starts to laugh. I become slightly offended. I mean sure I didn't look intimidating but that didn't mean that I wasn't deadly. Okay, I wasn't deadly either but he didn't know that.

"So you're the puny dragon that's supposed to lead dragons into the new generation? You don't even look as if you could lead yourself anywhere."

I roll my eyes. This guy was just plain rude. Where did he get off talking to me like that? "Okay, so now that you're done insulting me, can you tell me exactly who you are and what you're doing?"

"I am Dom. One of the first dragons to be born. And I'm restoring order to the dragon world. We weren't meant to walk around as humans. We were meant to be in our magnificent dragon forms."

"But my dad said it's safer this way."

"Your dad is a weak king and should be ashamed of himself."

I look at this dragon as if he's lost his mind. Who was he to talk about my dad? The only person who talked about him was me and that, of course, was behind his back and most definitely out of earshot. "Because of my dad we have never been under attack! No danger has ever come to us. So he is far from a weak king."

"You were out of danger until now and you are the dragons' only hope. Which means that the dragons are in far more danger than I thought."

Great. An old dragon who was more sarcastic than me. This day was off to a great start. "Look if you know so much, old, wise dragon, then why don't you tell me what's going on, because no one tells me anything."

He looks at me and then looks to Brenden. "Alright you two, have a seat. This might take a while."

Great, an old dude with a long story. Just what I need in my life.

# Chapter 5

Dom rests his body on the ground, but his head remains standing up. "About a thousand years ago, a dragon was born named Velshkar. He was always a troubled dragon. Getting into trouble. Setting cities on fire. He's actually the cause of all of the dragon stories. Well, one day he messed with the wrong person. A fairy godmother to be exact."

"Wait, those are real?" I ask, interrupting him.

"Yes. Very much real. Now, he crossed the wrong fairy and got himself cursed. He would be trapped in a cave until the chosen one was born to defeat him. And now that you have come of age he has been released and is on his way back here."

"So, an angry dragon that has been trapped since forever is now on his way back here and I have to defeat him?" I ask. This story was far more interesting than the one I read myself.

He nods his head. "Yes, but your kingdom is weak and so are you. Not being in your dragon form full-time, you will be at a strong disadvantage. Velshkar comes from a time where dragons didn't have to hide who they really were and could roam freely. What you all do now is a disgrace and he will have the advantage over you."

"I have taken dragon training. I'm not as weak as I look."

"And you still will be no match for him. Since I do not want to see what we've worked so hard to maintain get destroyed, I will train the both of you."

"I'm supposed to be saving the world. Not training."

"But how can you save the world without proper training?"

He had a point there. Touché, old dude, touché. "Okay, Dom. But I don't have a lot of time. There's this crazy dragon on the loose."

Brenden laughs and Dom rolls his eyes. "Young dragons. Don't know what to say about 'em these days."

"You can say that we're awesome," I say with a wink.

Dom gives me a serious look and I cut it out. This dude needed a sense of humor if he was going to be around me. I couldn't have anyone hanging around me being a Debbie downer.

# Chapter 6

"So what's the first step in your dragon training?" I ask.

"In order to do dragon training you must be in your dragon forms," he says with a sigh.

I close my eyes and call to my inner dragon and transform. When I open my eyes I'm in my full dragon form and so is Brenden. Brenden is a beautiful orange dragon with some blue scales scattered along his back. His dragon form was twice the size of mine, but it didn't matter. Dom looks at us and nods his head.

"A pink dragon. That's rare. You may be more special than I first believed. What's the longest you've ever been in your dragon form?"

"Not long. About six hours."

He looks over at the guy who was pouring the potion or something in the water and motions for him to come over. "I will have you drink the potion later and it will help you stay in your dragon form for forty-eight hours."

"What about Brenden? He was already turning into his dragon in his sleep," I say.

"Well, it may last a little longer on him, in which case we will just give you more of it. It's important to be in your dragon form; it's when you're most powerful. In your human form is when you're most vulnerable."

I nod my head but I still wasn't sure on drinking a potion. "Okay, so what's the first lesson?"

"What do you think is a dragon's greatest asset?"

"Fire breathing," I say.

"Being able to fly," says Brenden.

"No, you're ability to sense and feel other dragons. Can you do that?" he asks.

I shake my head no and so does Brenden.

"What do you know?" he asks.

"How to fly and breathe fire," I say. Great! Now this guy is giving pop quizzes. For all of this I could've stayed in the human realm and suffered through high school.

"Typical," he says. "When you're in combat, you don't want to talk to give away your location so it's important that you be able to sense one another and then speak through the mind. You, orange dragon, go into the woods."

Brenden goes into the woods until we can't see him anymore.

"Okay how close are you and orange dragon boy?" he asks.

"His name is Brenden and he's my best friend," I say.

"Okay well, close your eyes and focus on just him," he says.

I close my eyes and focus on Brenden. I think about his smile and the shape of his dragon and soon I can sense him and mentally see him in front of me.

"Can you hear me?" I say with my mind.

"Yes. Wow, this is pretty cool!" he says.

"I know, right? No need for a cell phone when you got this."

"What?"

I forgot Brenden didn't know what a cell phone was. And he was lucky they were nothing but pests and a slick way for parents to keep tabs on you. "Nothing."

"So what else can you do with this vision?"

"No idea."

"Open your eyes," says Dom.

I open my eyes and I can't see Brenden but I can still sense him and hear his thoughts.

"So how was that for a first lesson?" he asks.

"It was okay. It was no disappearing act or anything like that," I say.

He laughs. "You have a very sharp tongue princess."

"Yeah, that's what they tell me," I say.

"Tell the orange dragon to come back."

I send a message to Brenden with my mind and he comes back and stands beside me. I smirk and Dom looks between the both of us and shake his head.

"Do you two know any defensive training?"

"I took a karate class once. I'm pretty much a threat in my human form," I say knowing it was a lie. I took one karate class a year ago, when I was young and childish, and quit after one class. The teacher had really bad breath and liked to be too close to my face. I told him to pop some breath mints, chew some gum, and keep it moving. The class thought it was hilarious. Him, not so much.

"Well, you need to be a threat in a dragon form," says Dom. "Do you know how to dodge fire or attacks?"

"No, no one has ever ever threw fire at me and I've been pretty good at avoiding it," I say.

"I know how to dodge fireballs pretty good," says Brenden.

I turn to look at him. "Since when did you become dragon ninja?"

"It was a part of my dragon training."

"Uh huh, so why haven't I learned it?"

"I don't know."

"Well, since you know how to dodge them, let's see what you can do," says Dom.

"Brenden stands a short distance away from Dom and faces him. Dom leans his head back and throws a fireball towards Brenden. He ducks it. He throws another and Brenden dodges that one. He throws them over and over and Brenden dodges each one. I had to admit I was a little impressed, but mostly jealous. How did he know how to do this and I didn't? Dom nods his head at Brenden and he comes back to stand by me.

"Your turn, princess," he says.

I look at him as if he's crazy. "You are not throwing fireballs at me."

"It's part of your dragon training," he says.

"No," I say defiantly. I wasn't about to be bullied into an near death experience. Was he out of his mind?

He leans back and throws a fireball at me and I duck. He throws another and I dodge it. "Look, you're not just going to keep throwing fireballs at me!" I yell getting frustrated.

He throws another fireball and I get really frustrated and it turns on him. My eyes widen and Brenden looks at me in disbelief.

"How'd you do that?" he asks sending me a message to my mind.

"I have no idea," I say. "But it's totally awesome."

"I look at Dom who is staring at me in amazement as well. He flies towards me and circles me. "How'd you do that?" he asks.

"I really don't know. It just sort of happened," I say.

"Transform back to human form."

"Uh okay but I'll do it in the woods. You're a creepy old dragon and seeing me well...anyway I'm going in the woods." I pick my backpack and clothes up in my mouth and go into the woods. I merge back into my human form and put some clothes on. I put my backpack back on and walk back towards the guys. Brenden was back in his human form and was dressed and Dom was still in dragon form and that creepy guy was still standing beside him.

"Okay, allow me to address the elephant in the forest. Who is the creepy guy holding the jar who doesn't talk?"

"Oh Bilal? He's my servant. He only speaks when spoken to," he says.

"Okay. That's not weird at all," I say.

"You two need to drink this potion," he says.

I eye him suspiciously. I knew enough from fairy tales not to eat or drink anything from a stranger in the woods. "Nope. I'm good. Not even thirsty."

"This will help you stay in dragon form," he says, visibly frustrated.

"Yeah, but I don't really have a problem staying in my dragon form," I say.

"Yeah, me either," says Brenden.

A frustrated look crosses Dom's face and he looks as if he's about to explode, but then it passes. "Okay, fine."

I look up at the sky and I can see that the sun is beginning to set and I know Brenden and I need to get back to our secret spot. "Look, it's been nice and all but we really have to get going."

"Fine, but meet me here bright and early to continue your training," he says.

"Yeah, okay, see ya tomorrow," I say as I turn to walk away. Something was up with this guy, I just didn't know what it was. But I definitely was going to figure it out.

# Chapter 7

I lay back on the blanket and eat a bag of cookies. "So what do you think of Dom?"

Brenden shrugs his shoulders. "I mean, I don't really know. But have you ever heard of elder dragons?"

I nod my head. "Yes, my dad spoke of them before, but they're all supposed to be dead."

"I thought so too. What about the legend he spoke about?"

"I've heard about it but don't know too much. I'll have to check the book," I say as I pop another cookie into my mouth.

"So why don't you just check the book then?" he asks as he lights a fire in front of us.

"I really don't feel like checking right now. I'm tired. I just want to relax and then sleep."

"Well, you'll need to check it later if that's who you need to defeat."

I roll my eyes. "Yes dad, anything else?"

"Yes, what do you think was really in that potion?"

"I don't know, but I didn't trust it or the creepy guy holding it. I don't have a problem staying in my dragon form so I know that there had to be more to it than that."

"Yeah, I think so to. I actually think it may weaken you or something, because when I woke up it was hard for me to resist the transformation and then I couldn't pull it all the way back in."

"I wonder how long you were affected by it. Did the water taste funny?"

He shakes his head no. "It just tastes like water."

"So, whatever it is it either dilutes in water or it has no taste at all."

"Yep. Pretty much."

"So we have no idea what it can do to you once in full dragon mode?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "No, shortly after a dragon goes full-size, your dad takes them back to the castle. No one has come back yet."

I start to form a plan in my head, but I don't think he will go for it or like it that much. "Brenden, I need you to do something."

"And what's that?" he asks suspiciously.

"I need you to drink the potion."

He stares at me in disbelief. "Why do I have to drink it? Why can't you drink it?"

"Because it already affected you, so it'll kick in sooner."

"What if it kills me?"

"I don't think it's going to kill you. He's not trying to wipe out the dragons, he's trying to do something else."

"And you don't know what and you want to put myself at risk?"

I nod my head. "Yeah, pretty much."

He sighs. "I swear, sometimes you are...words just can't describe what I feel right now."

I smirk. "Come on. It'll help us get closer to saving the world and you can be back home in your comfy house sooner."

"Okay, well, just know if I die, I'm haunting you forever."

I laugh. "Good, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Mm hm, now get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be an even longer day."

I curl up under my covers and close my eyes, but I couldn't help but feel like something or someone was watching me. I look around and don't see or hear anything but it still feels weird. Maybe I was just on edge from earlier. I mean, I was attacked by giant fireballs. I fall asleep thinking about how awesome I was in training. I really can't wait to see what else I can do.

# Chapter 8

We arrive back at the river in our dragon forms so that we didn't have to hear Dom's mouth. Dom is already there and so is his creepy servant. The sun isn't as bright outside yet, but it's still pretty hot outside.

"I see that you two have actually come prepared for dragon training," he says.

"Yes, but before we start Brenden wants to drink your potion thing. He was trying to change this morning and it was a little difficult for him," I say. It wasn't exactly the truth. When we woke up Brenden was already in his dragon form and was shocked, but what Dom didn't know didn't hurt him.

Dom looks from Brenden to me and whispers something to his servant. His servant walks over to Brenden and motions for him to come closer. Soon as he does he pours the potion into his mouth and walks away. I look at Brenden and he seems to be okay.

"So, what are you training us in today?" I ask.

"Still training you in defense. You have to be prepared for anything," he says.

"Are you going to be throwing fireballs again? Because nobody really has time for that."

"Maybe later, but not right now. Have you been taught to defend yourself while in flight?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I haven't learned anything in defensive training."

"Okay, well, you'll go first today," he says. "Fly up in the air."

I glance at Brenden one more time to make sure that he's okay and he is. I flap my wings and fly high into the air. I've never felt more free than I do in that very moment. Dom flies up in the air and looks at me with a smirk.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

I nod my head. I'm not really, but it's not like I'm going to tell him that. He flies a short distance away from me and I prepare myself for him to throw a fireball, but as I look at him he does nothing but sit there and stare at me. I open my mouth to say something but he flies over and whips his tail at me. I duck and fly upwards and he lunges at me. I snap back at him but I miss. He throws a fireball at me and I dodge it in the nick of time. I see him coming towards me in full-force and try to think of what I should do. Before I could think of anything, he bounces backwards. He stumbles in the air a little and stares at me. I smirk because I had somehow put a force field around myself that he couldn't penetrate. He threw two fireballs at me and they bounce off of me and go towards the sky. I fly towards him and whip my tail and it lands on his face. He cries out in pain as he flies higher in the air.

He looks upset and I can feel his frustration radiating off of him. He opens his mouth and I can see this huge fireball come towards me and I focus on it. Then it bursts. I feel drained, so I fly back to the ground.

"You did great!" exclaimed Brenden.

I smile. "Thanks, I did kick some old dragon butt, didn't I?"

Dom flies down and lands directly in front of me. "How many powers do you have?"

"I don't know. They only seem to show when I'm in danger," I say.

"It's interesting because no dragon has ever possessed the powers that you do," he says.

"Maybe it's because I'm this alleged "chosen one"," I say.

He nods his head. "Could be," he yawns. "You've tired me out quickly today, young dragon princess. I must take my rest. See you tomorrow."

I watch as he and creepy dude walk into the woods. I look over at Brenden who looks just as shocked as me. We had done a lot more moving yesterday and he didn't tire out. I have the urge to follow him, but since the first time we tried to sneak up on him didn't go to well, I decide against it. There was still just something about him that wasn't sitting well with me and since he let us go early it was time that I looked back into that legend to see exactly what I was dealing with.

I motion for Brenden to follow me back to our camp site. We would be moving it tonight because I knew that my dad's guards were probably getting close and I didn't want to be dragged back before I could complete my mission. We make it back to camp in record time because of our forms and I hurry and shift back and throw on some clothes. I go into my backpack and dig out the book of legends. I flip to the story that Dom told me and I read it over. The more I read, the wider my eyes get. The story is the same, but he left out a lot of key information. I felt my face paling as I look up at Brenden.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I turn the book around so that he can see what I had. There, in the middle of the page, was a picture of Dom. Only he wasn't really Dom, he was really Velshkar, the dragon that I had to defeat.

# Chapter 9

"So wait a minute! The dragon in the woods is really the dragon that you have to defeat?" he asks, just as confused as I am.

I nod my head.

"But why would he train you to defeat him? It doesn't make sense."

I hold up my hand to silence him as I continue to read. "According to this book the fairy that cursed him would give the dragon chosen to defeat him powers no dragon has ever possessed before. It says they will slowly start to show themselves whenever she comes to harm. It also states that after Velshkar, a greater evil will rise and that the land will be tested like never before."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why he's training you to defeat him or why he was pouring a potion into the river."

"I think that he has been training me to see exactly what kind of powers I possess and to see if what the legend says proves true. As for the potion, I think it's about power. It says that he wanted to be king and started a rebellion. So, maybe if he turned enough of you into your dragon forms, he could overthrow my dad. Either way, I think that we should move camp, because this guy is bad news."

"That's the smartest thing you've said since we've been out here."

I roll my eyes and pack up our stuff since he's still in his dragon form. He places his head down and I climb up his back. We walk through the forest trying to find a place that's far from our secret spot but just as safe. I needed to avoid being found by my dad's guards a little longer so that I can figure out what's going on in the woods. After an hour of walking, we come across a cave and I hop off Brenden's back while he goes to check it out. He comes back out a short while later and nods his head. I walk into the cave and am immediately greeted with a musty smell. "Ew, this place stinks!" I exclaim.

"Well, it's getting dark and do you really have any other options with an evil dragon running around?"

I sigh. "No."

"I'm going to get some wood so that I can start a fire. Maybe you should stay in your dragon form for protection, since we can now put a face with your crazy dragon."

"Maybe you're right. I'll do it when you go out for wood."

He nods his head and heads out of the cave. I close my eyes and turn back into my dragon. I allow my dragon eyes to adjust to the cave and begin to wonder around. There's nothing special about the cave. It really looks like any other cave. Small, damp, dark, and wet. I was about to turn around and head back to the front when writing near the back catches my eye. I look at it closely and I see my name along with the list of my uncovered powers and my weaknesses. Which were according to this list: smart mouthed, doesn't listen, and naïve. I was slightly offended, but I knew what was written was true. I also knew that we had to get the heck out of this cave because there was only one person who could've written that list and he was the person we were avoiding. I rush out of the cave and try to sense Brenden but I can't. I turn around to head into the woods only to be face to face with him when I turn around.

"How come I couldn't sense you?" I ask him but he doesn't say anything. I look closely at him and I see that his eyes are now red and his breathing is heavy. I take a couple of steps back because whatever is going on can't be good.

# Chapter 10

I look closely at Brenden and I can see that his whole posture is on the defensive. He looks as if he's ready to kill me and at this stage in my life, I'm not quite ready to die.

"Brenden! Brenden! What's wrong with you?" I yell out.

He still doesn't say anything, just walks back and forth as if he's plotting an attack. All of a sudden, he flies into the air and throws a huge fireball at me. I move out of the way just in time.

"Are you crazy?" I yell at him. "You know there are rules against trying to kill your best friend!"

He ignores me and throws another fireball my way. I dodge it and fly into the air. He lunges towards me but I swat him with my tail and he flies backwards. He recovers quickly and lunges towards me again but my shield comes up and he flies backwards again. I lunge towards him and land a strike across his face. He flies higher into the sky and I see a giant fireball coming towards me. I swing at it with my tail and it flies back and slams into Brenden and he hits the ground in a thud.

My eyes widen and I fly down to him. He's now in his human form, but he's badly bruised and it looks as if his arm is broken. I switch back into my human form and lean my head down on his chest. He's breathing but it's very shallow. I feel tears welling up inside of my eyes because he is my best friend and I'm the reason he's lying on the ground holding on for dear life. I hear a noise in the woods and I turn my head to see Velshkar and his creepy servant walking towards me.

"Very impressive princess. I didn't think that you would have it in you to attack your best friend," he says as he walks closer to me.

I feel my anger rising but I try to contain it. "You did this to Brenden? Why?"

"I needed to see if you were a worthy opponent."

"But how did.." then my mind clicks. "You were able to control him because of the potion he drank."

He nods his head. "Nothing gets by you, does it? Pretty soon, the effects will start to take control on the dragon kingdom and no matter what amount of power you have, you won't be able to stop me."

I was about to open my mouth to say something when there was another rustle in the woods and my dad and his guards come out. He looks from me to Velshkar and then back to me.

"King Gregor, your kingdom is about to come crashing down," says Velshkar. The creepy guy claps his hands together and they disappear in a cloud of smoke.

I roll my eyes. That exit was as old as he was. My dad rushes over to me and pulls me into a hug.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, sweetie, but what were you thinking?" he asks.

"I was thinking that I could save the world, but that's not important. Brenden is hurt and he needs help," I say.

"What happened? We saw you two in the sky and then we saw him fall to the ground."

"He was under some spell from a potion that he drank and it made him attack me. When I blocked one of his fireballs it sailed into him and caused him to crash to the ground."

My dad motions for the guards to come over and they carefully pick Brenden up. He stirs a little bit and mumbles that he's sorry.

"It's okay, you can get an I'm sorry I tried to kill you card later," I say.

A smirk crosses his face and the guards carry him off towards the castle. I look at my dad, who doesn't look too pleased.

"After we get back to the castle and discuss everything that happened while you were out here, I just want you to know that you're grounded. But I'm so glad that you're okay," he says. "Now put some clothes on and come on."

I go into the cave and grab my clothes. I had to be the first heroine in history to get grounded after almost saving the world. Parents were so ungrateful. I grab my bags and follow my dad to face whatever punishment was ahead.

# Chapter 11

" _Semaj! Semaj! I will be coming for you soon. When you least expect, it I will take everything from you. Your family. Your friends. You will lose everything."_

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. This was the second night in a row that I had this dream and I wasn't a fan of it. I used to dream...well, about nothing really. I would go back to those days in a heartbeat, though. At least then I wouldn't be waking up in cold sweats, because princesses don't sweat. Today was the day before my fifteenth birthday and I was still grounded and my best friend was still in the hospital. I get out of bed and pull on some clothes. I'm going to see Brenden in the medical ward to make sure that he's okay. I slide on some shoes and begin the long walk over. In the hallway, I pass paintings of all the other great kings we've had, including a painting of my dad. I usually stop to look at them, but today I just continue walking. I've seen them a thousand times already and knew every story behind them.

I push the doors open to the medical ward and see one medical aide sitting off in the corner. She smiles at me as I walk to Brenden's bed. I look down at him and see that the burns he had on his chest have healed up nicely. As dragons, with rest, we tend to heal faster than most creatures. I sit on the edge of the bed and he turns to look at me and smiles.

"So, I see you came here early today," he says.

"Yeah, well, it's not like I could sleep with the nightmares and all," I say.

"Nightmares?" he asks with a raised brow.

"Yeah, but there's no need for you to worry about it. You need your rest."

"I know and I'm really sorry about attacking you. I was trying to fight it, but that potion overpowered me."

"Don't worry about it Brenden. You're forgiven. I know that it wasn't your fault."

"I know, but I still needed to say sorry."

I smile. "Okay, Brenden. Well, get some rest. I know you'll need it."

He smiles. "What are you doing for your birthday tomorrow?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Nothing. I'm still grounded after our little adventure."

"Your dad isn't holding back huh?"

"Who you telling?"

"Lock down?"

"Full lock down. Nothing is going on. No life zone."

He laughs and then winces a little. "So, are you in dragon world full-time now? I didn't get the gossip about you going home."

"Yes, I've been here since the incident. No more human realm. Not that I'm complaining, because it means no more high school."

"I know you're happy."

"More than you know, but I really have to get going. No need to be in more trouble than I already am. I'll visit you again after dragon training."

"Okay. Don't go off on any adventures without me."

"You know that I won't," I kiss him on the cheek and head out of the medical unit. I close the door and as soon as I turn around, I bump into my dad. He looks down at me and smiles, which is something he hasn't done towards me in the past two days.

"Good morning, Semaj. How's Brenden doing?" he asks.

"He's doing better," I say.

"Come, talk with me a bit," he says as he places his arm around my shoulders.

"Uh, sure, okay," I say.

He leads me towards the study. He hasn't really spoken to me since he grounded me. Just pulled me out of high school and said that I was to start intense dragon training. He opens the door to the study and I see his advisor Simon sitting in a chair. I know this can only mean two things. They are either going to lecture me extensively about something or pump me for information about Velshkar. They never really talked to me about him and I had already been home for two days. My dad took the seat in the middle and motioned for me to take the seat beside him.

"So, Semaj, since you will be fifteen tomorrow, you will be starting your intense dragon training," says my dad.

"I kind of already know that," I say.

My dad shoots me a stern look and I remain quiet. "Simon here is going to teach you."

I look at Simon, but don't say anything. As long as I've known him, which has been my whole life, I've never seen him smile. He always looks so serious and, from what all of the other dragons have said, he's the toughest teacher of all. This meant no taking it easy on me because I was a princess.

"Okay," I say, trying to hide my resentment and a serious eye roll.

"Okay. And sweetie, I think that it's time that you tell us what happened in the forest so that we know what we're up against," he says.

Simon leans in closer and so does my dad and it makes me nervous, but I know that I have to get it out for the sake of the kingdom. "Well, as you know, Brenden and I went off to save the kingdom. He said that whatever was affecting the dragons was probably coming from the river because everyone drinks from that. So we went there and ran into a golden dragon and a creepy dude pouring stuff into the water. Then he gave us some quick lessons in defense. Gave Brenden a potion that almost killed me and then you came. Oh and yeah the potion is supposed to turn the dragons against you so you might want to put a ban on river water." It was the condensed version of the story, but I hit every point.

Simon and my dad stare at me and don't say anything for a while and it starts to make me uncomfortable. I mean I know that they're old and possibly hard of hearing, but geez! Say something already.

"What do you mean he gave you self-defense training?" Asks Simon.

"He taught us how to defend ourselves. Somewhat, anyway. I'm pretty sure that he was doing it to unlock my powers," I say.

"What powers?" asks my dad.

"Well, apparently I can deflect fireballs with my mind and can pull up a protective shield. Oh and Brenden and I can communicate with each other through our minds," I say.

My dad and Simon once again stare at me in disbelief and I roll my eyes. I was so over them staring at me like I was the last piece of food on earth and they wanted to eat me.

"So, you have powers?" asks Simon.

"Yes, but they only come out when I'm threatened," I say.

He nods his head. "I can teach you how to control them in dragon training."

"Okay," I say.

"Now, what about this potion in the water?" asks my dad.

"Well it's supposed to make dragons stay in their dragon form so that he can control them and turn them against you," I say.

"And you're sure about this?"

"Did I not say that Brenden tried to kill me because he drank it? Of course I'm sure."

He nods his head and looks over at Simon. "Thanks, sweetheart, you can go back to your room now. Simon and I have a few things to handle. And no dragon training today. You're clear until you start with Simon after your birthday."

"Okay dad," I say as I stand to leave.

"Have a good day, sweetheart," he says.

"You too, dad," I say as I leave out of the room.

# Chapter 12

I head back to my room and lie down on my bed. I didn't really have much to do in the kingdom with Brenden in the hospital. He was the only person in the entire kingdom who didn't treat me like a princess and I liked it that way. I put on some actual clothes outside of my 'around the castle' clothes and head back out of my room. Since I was given a little freedom, I decide to walk through the castle. It's been a while since I roamed through it and maybe I could discover something new. I walk down the hall and into one of the rooms where the guards meet up. No one is inside, so I decide to look around. There are maps all over the wall but there are no weapons. When dragons battled each other, they fought in dragon form so there was no need for weapons.

Someone clears their throat behind me and I turn and come face to face with one of the cutest boys I've ever seen. He has tanned skin, blue eyes, and a small jagged scar on his cheek that gave him a hot, bad boy look.

"I know that you're not a guard so what are you doing in here?" he asks me curiously.

"Well, since I'm grounded and stuck in the castle until I'm needed to save the world, I decided to look around. I'm sure that it's not a crime," I say.

A look of surprise crosses his face. "You're Princess Semaj?"

Yes, but please just call me Semaj. I don't go for all the flair like my dad does."

He nods his head. "Okay, well, I'm Onyx. I'm a new guard here. I was added after your little adventure."

"I call it my quest to save the world."

He laughs. "And how did that work out for you?"

I smirk. "Can't say that it worked out great. My best friend is in the hospital for tagging along with me."

"Yeah I heard about it. Your dad filled me in."

"Speaking of my dad, aren't you a little young to be a castle guard?"

He shifts a little. "Well...I'm not exactly a castle guard."

I raise my brow. "Okay, then exactly what kind of guard are you?"

"I was brought on to specifically guard you."

It was my turn to be confused. Did he really just say that he was supposed to guard me? "Wait! So what are you, a glorified babysitter? You can't be much older than me."

"I'm actually two years older than you and he brought me on because he thinks that it will take someone young to keep up with you."

"You can call me Princess Semaj then," I say as I roll my eyes. I can't believe this. My dad has officially lost his mind.

"So we're going to keep this formal, huh?" he asks.

"So what exactly do you do? Follow me around or something?"

"I protect you."

"So I'm taking that as a yes to the following me around."

He laughs, but I just stare at him. Funny how ugly he became since I found out he's here to babysit me. I open my mouth to say something else, but my dad and Simon walk into the room. They look from me to Onyx and then back at me.

"So, I see that you've met your new guard," says my dad.

"When did I have an old guard?" I ask him.

He clears his throat which is his tell sign that he's aggravated. "You're going to have a guard to make sure that you don't slip away again."

"I'm not a little kid dad. Tomorrow I will be fifteen and practically a woman," I say.

"I know, but until I'm comfortable with you being on your own, you will have a guard," he says.

"So basically I'm being guarded until I'm fifty," I say.

Onyx chuckles and my dad shoots him a death stare. I smirk and Simon gives me a look that tells me to cut it out.

"Well, you both just need to get used to each other because you'll be spending a lot of time together. He's going to be like your shadow. You won't be disappearing again," he says.

"I would do the whole you're ruining my life speech but since that's what you'll be expecting from me, I'm going to take a nap. If my shadow wants to join me he's more than welcome to," I say.

"He won't join you, but he will be outside of your door," he says.

I roll my eyes and walk out of the room. I storm down the hall into my room and lie down on my bed. I can't believe that my dad had put a babysitter on me. What'd he think I was? Five? I close my eyes and just let the sleep come over me.

" _Semaj! Semaj! It won't be long,"_ says the voice.

" _Won't be long for what?"_ I ask.

" _Won't be long until I know everything about you and defeat you."_

" _Velshkar? What are you doing in my mind?"_

" _Are you sure that it's Velshkar that you're talking to?"_

" _So is there another creepy dragon out there who wants me dead as well?"_

" _You have many enemies young dragon. You will soon see that."_

" _Yeah, well, that's life isn't it? If nobody hated me, I would be a nobody."_

" _Cocky little dragon aren't you? It will do you some good to do some research outside of your books to better prepare you for what's to come."_

" _Okay and why are you giving me advice?"_

" _Let's just say I'd hate to see you fail."_

My eyes shoot open. What kind of evil dragon warns someone or gives hints on how to defeat them? Also, what kind of dragon invades people's sleep? Rude ones, that's who. My stomach grumbles and I realize that I skipped breakfast to deal with a babysitter I didn't need. I open my drawer and pull out my secret stash of cookies and begin to eat them. I wasn't supposed to bring anything into the dragon realm that wasn't supposed to be there but what my dad didn't know wouldn't hurt him. I finish off my bag of cookies and stick the bag in between my mattresses. I open my door and Onyx is standing outside.

"Really? You've really been out here the whole time?" I ask him.

"This is my job," he says.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. I'm going back over to the medical ward, so you can stalk me over there," I say as I begin my walk down the hall.

"You know, I'm not actually stalking you. I'm just doing what your dad asked of me," he says.

I sigh. "Yeah I get it. It's just annoying, that's all. I mean, how would you feel if someone was constantly watching you and in your space."

"I guess I would feel like you. But I promise you, Princess Semaj, that I'm going to try and not be a pain to you."

"It's not that you'd be a pain to me. It's my dad. I don't think that he'll ever see me as anything than a kid."

"Maybe it's more about protecting you than treating you like a kid. You did run off for a few days."

"I left a note."

"You could've gotten killed. Imagine yourself in your dad's shoes and then maybe you'll understand why he's doing what he's doing."

"So the babysitter gives advice?"

He laughs. "I like to help out a little."

I stop and look at him. "Well, thanks. You seem like you get it. The only person I've met like that is Brenden. He doesn't treat me like a princess. He's my friend. My only friend."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Yeah, well, it's true."

"You aren't friends with any of the other dragon princes or princesses?"

I shrug my shoulders. "No, they seem to be into the whole royal lifestyle and I'm not. I just want to be normal, you know? But I have come to learn that I'm anything but normal. People think that because I'm a princess that I'm stuck up or something, but I'm really not."

"Well from the short period of time that I've known you you don't seem stuck up at all."

"Where are you from? I mean you don't sound as if you're from this kingdom and you didn't know who I was. Everyone in this kingdom knows who I am."

He smiles. "Actually, no, I'm not from this kingdom. I'm from Stocksan. The most boring kingdom on earth."

"I've been there before. It doesn't seem so bad."

"Yeah, but nothing ever happens there."

"Nothing ever happens here either, you know."

"Oh I wouldn't say that. I heard this kingdom has a Princess who likes to run off on adventures and things of that nature."

I smile. "Yeah we do have that and an overbearing dad."

He laughs. "We all have that."

We get in front of the medical ward and stop. I enjoy talking to him and kind of don't want to go in and disturb Brenden. I did already check on him once and I can always check on him later. Maybe it was time to take that crazy voice's advice and quit digging in books and see if I can find out things from the people around me. "Do you want to sit down and talk somewhere?"

A surprised look crosses his face. "I thought that you said that you wanted to see you friend."

"I saw him earlier and will come back to see him later. So babysitter, are you allowed to sit and talk with me or are you just meant to watch me?"

"I'm just supposed to be around you at all times, so we can talk."

"Cool. I know just the spot."

He raises his brow. "It has to be on castle grounds."

I laugh. "Don't worry about it. It's on castle grounds."

# Chapter 13

I lead Onyx through the back of the castle door and down a long path to where the gardens are. There are all different types of bushes and flowers planted there, thanks to my mom, and it's beautiful. I mostly came here by myself, but since I couldn't leave castle grounds it was a good place to talk to Onyx. There was a stone bench and a small pond in the middle that made it seem even more serene. I take a seat on the bench and he sits beside me. My heart starts to quicken a little, but I brush it off to not being around a handsome guy on a regular basis.

"So, Onyx, if we're going to have to be around each other all the time, I think that it's only fair that I get to know you and possibly pick your brain," I say.

He laughs. "Okay, go ahead. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Okay, so you left your kingdom and your friends to come babysit me?"

"I didn't really have any friends. I'm kind of a loner. People in that kingdom were just stuck in their ways and I needed a new way of life."

"So a guy like you has absolutely no friends?"

"I had one friend but I lost him."

"How? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's okay. About a year ago, in our last year of dragon training, we were learning how to split away from our human form and something went wrong. Everything happened so fast that I don't even really know what happened. There was a bright light with some eyes staring at us and it slammed us both into the wall hard. I ended up with this scar on my face but he ultimately lost his life. It was hard on me and, well, I have just been wanting to get away."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Must've been hard for you."

"Harder than you can imagine. I told him everything and he was there for me throughout anything and then, well, he was gone."

I take in what he said and then something in my mind clicks. "Did you say that you were practicing splitting away from your human form?"

"Yes, you'll learn it in intense dragon training."

I shake my head. "Not here. My dad doesn't want us away from our human form for any period of time."

"It's a cool skill to learn. You will always be in your dragon form, but you will also be able to control your human form. You're still as one, but it's different."

"I never even knew that you could split away from your human form. Like, does it have to follow you everywhere?"

"Yes, it does. It's the only way that you'll be able to control it. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking of something that's all. What will happen if someone destroys your human form once it splits from you?"

"You will become significantly weaker. It's literally a part of you, so getting to that will make you more vulnerable."

"Hmm, well that's good to know."

"Why do I have a feeling that you just used me to help you do something?"

"I can't say that you have or haven't because I don't even know if this particular dragon has even split from his human form. But if he has, then it will be a good thing to know when I go up against him again."

"Up against who?"

I sigh. "When I went on my quest to save the dragon world, I ran into this golden dragon and a weird guy in the forest. But the guy never spoke, just followed the golden dragon around like a puppy. He said that the guy was his servant, so I really didn't think much of it, you know?"

"Did you say golden dragon?" he asks.

"Yes, why?" I ask him curiously.

"Just before I came here, there was this golden dragon that came to the kingdom with a creepy old guy dressed in old clothes. The dragon didn't speak to anyone but the guy who makes all of the healing potions and things like that and then he just disappeared. I wonder if it's the same dragon."

"Has to be. I mean, how many golden dragons can be walking around with a weird guy following them?"

"Well what do you know about him?"

"Other than that he was cursed and he now wants to kill me, I don't know much about him."

"Did you study legends and things like that yet?"

"Yes, but I have a feeling what I'm looking for I'm going to have to discover outside of the books."

"Maybe you're right about that. So, I told you something about me, now tell me about you."

"Are you trying to change the subject?"

"Yeah. Can't be business all the time. Plus, I would like to know a little more about the princess I'm supposed to be guarding."

"Well there's not much to know. I mean, I'm a loner. I'm kind of clumsy. I'm destined to save my kingdom from all evil and bring it into a new era. I'm very sarcastic and I have lived in almost every realm there is to get knowledge of other worlds."

"Sounds pretty cool. You seem like my type of Princess."

"What was your princess like?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't really know. I assume she was the royal type because she lived for showing off. You just seem more humble."

"Well, thanks, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, princess."

"You can call me Semaj."

"So I'm back on first name basis?"

"Yeah, you don't seem like you'll be a pain like all of the other guards."

He laughs. "Well that's good to know because I don't plan on being a pain."

I smile at him. "Well, that's good to know. Very good to know."

"Well, we might want to get back in the castle before they think that I let you go rogue."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble your first official day on the job."

"Yeah, it would kind of suck."

We stand up and walk back towards the castle. We walk through the back door and see Simon sitting at a table eating what looks like a goat sandwich and stop in our tracks.

"You didn't leave the castle grounds did you Semaj?" he asks.

"No, we were in the gardens. Had to get to know the guy who's going to be around me all the time," I say.

He nods his head. "Very well."

We walk past him and head back up the stairs to where my room is and the medical ward.

"What's the deal with that guy, Simon? He gives me the creeps," says Onyx

I laugh. "He's always like that, but he's harmless. Just void of any emotion, my dad says."

"And he doesn't find that suspicious?"

"I guess not. Before I go back to my room, I want to stop in and visit my friend."

"Okay, no problem. I'll be standing outside the door waiting for you."

"Okay, thanks," I say as I push open the doors to the medical ward. I look over to where Brenden's bed is and see a girl I have never seen before talking with him. I clear my throat and they both turn and look at me. "Sooo, who is this?"

Brenden looks as if he has just seen a ghost and the girl has a smug look on her face that I wish that I can slap off. "My name is Soria. I'm Brenden's girlfriend," she says.

I look at him and he looks away. I can't believe it! He has a girlfriend and didn't tell me? It's not like I cared or anything, but we were best friends and we were supposed to tell each other everything. I feel so betrayed. "So, Brenden why haven't you told me that you have a girlfriend? We're friends. Best friends. You're supposed to tell me these types of things."

"He wasn't sure if you could handle it," says Soria.

"Uh excuse me, but I was talking to Brenden not you," I say still looking at Brenden who has yet to turn and look at me.

"Well I was just letting you know what he said," she says.

"Well I'm pretty sure he can tell me himself, considering that he has a mouth and can talk," I say fighting back my frustration. I didn't know who this girl thought she was but she was messing with the wrong princess.

"You know you're very rude," she says as she rolls her eyes.

"So I've been told," I say. "So Brenden are you going to say anything or are you just going to sit there like a log?"

I stare at him for a few more moments and he still doesn't say anything. I shake my head and storm out of the medical ward. I couldn't believe this. Not only did he have a girlfriend but one that likes to talk for him, which was the worst kind to have. Onyx looks at me and I just shake my head and start to walk back to my room.

"So did something happen to your friend? Is that why you stormed out there?" he asks.

"No, he's okay. He just has a girlfriend that I knew nothing about," I say frustrated.

"Oh did you want to be his girlfriend? Is that why you're so mad?" he asks.

I stop and look at him. "No! He's my best friend. I tell him everything and I thought that he did the same. I'm mad because he didn't feel the need to tell me what was going on in his life. I mean, what does that say about our friendship?" I start walking back to my room, even more frustrated.

"Well, you know, guys are bad at revealing stuff to girls, maybe he didn't do it intentionally. What'd he say to you?"

"He didn't say anything. Just laid there and said nothing but his little girlfriend said a lot."

"One of those girlfriends, huh?"

"Yep. I wanted to slap the smile off of her face."

"Jealous?"

"Annoyed."

We walk the rest of the way to my room in silence and when we get there I just nod my head at Onyx and go in. I lie across my bed and start to think about Brenden and why he felt that he couldn't tell me about this part of his life. Were we not as good a friends as I thought? Was the friendship one-sided and he really didn't want to be my friend at all? This is just all too much for me to bear and it sucks. I want to go back into that medical ward and demand him to talk to me but I don't think it will make much difference. Besides, I really don't want to see him right now, anyway. Not until I figure out if he wants to be my friend for real or not. There is a soft knock on my door and then the door pushes open. My mom walks in and a smile crosses my face. I haven't seen her since I left home and she is just who I need to see right now.

"Hi sweetheart! I'm glad to see that you are okay," she says with a smile.

"Yeah, well, it depends on what you define as okay," I say.

"Dad being tough on you?"

"That, but there's other things going on as well."

"Does it have anything to do with that handsome boy standing outside of your door?" she asks as she sits on the edge of my bed.

"No, he actually seems kind of normal. Other than the fact that he's babysitting me for dad. It's actually Brenden," I say.

"How's he doing?"

"He's doing okay. He's healing fine and everything, but he has a girlfriend."

"Oh sweetie, did you have a crush on him and that's why it's bothering you?"

"It's not that! Why does everyone keep asking me that? It's just that he didn't tell me. We're supposed to be best friends. This means that we have to tell each other everything, but he felt the need to hide this from me."

"Did he say why he hid it from you?"

"No, he didn't say anything which only made it worse. I mean I went to go see him and there she was. Just sitting there fussing over him and then when I came in it was if he had seen a ghost. He knows that I come see him twice a day so he had to know it was possible I would bump into his girlfriend."

"I hate to tell you this sweetheart, but boys are dumb. It's just a case of nature. He probably thought that he could hide his girlfriend a lot longer than he actually did that way he didn't have to tell you."

"So I shouldn't be offended?"

"No, you should be very offended you just shouldn't hold it against him. He's a guy."

I sigh. "I guess."

"I take it that you're still going to hold it against him then," she says.

"And you would be correct. He's supposed to be my friend, mom. You wouldn't understand unless you actually knew the extent of how close we actually are. Him hiding this just makes me question everything."

"Okay, sweetheart. I can't tell you what to do. Oh, you're going to be fifteen tomorrow. Are you excited?"

"I would be if I wasn't grounded and actually got to do something."

"I'll talk to your dad about loosening the reins on you a little for your birthday. Maybe we can do something together."

"Maybe. Are you back in the dragon realm for good too, mom?"

"Yes sweetie, we all are going to be here full-time so that you can get the training you need and so that we will be a full family unit again."

I smile. "Good."

"Well, I'll leave you alone now. I'm going to find your dad. The kingdom is buzzing about him putting a ban on river water. You know what that's about?"

I nod my head. "Yeah, it's poisoned."

"Poisoned?"

"Yes, you might want to talk to dad about it though. I'm not really in the mood to rehash the details."

She nods her head and walks out of the room. I get off of my bed and sit on the seat by my window. I look own at the kingdom and everyone looks so small. Like little ants. They all seem to have a purpose and are doing something. I, on the other hand, am stuck in my room with a backstabbing friend and a guard who was more interesting to me than he should be.

" _Semaj can you hear me?"_ asks a voice that I immediately recognize as Brenden's.

" _What do you want? We're not in battle so I don't appreciate you invading my mind,"_ I say to him.

" _Look, about Soria, I wanted to tell you but..."_

" _If you wanted to tell me you would've told me Brenden, so save that for someone else."_

" _Are you mad at me?"_

" _I'm beyond mad at you. We're supposed to be best friends but apparently only one of us was willing to open up about everything that goes on with us."_

" _Just because we're best friends doesn't mean that I have to tell you everything, Semaj._

" _You're right, you don't have to tell me anything at all because I know that I'm not."_

" _Semaj."_

" _Bye Brenden."_

I push him out of my mind and end the connection with hopes that we wouldn't be able to reconnect again. I have no idea why this is bothering me so much but because it is, I felt that it is best for me to keep my distance away from Brenden before I say something to him that I will regret later. I look back out of the window and see that it's getting dark in the kingdom which meant that I needed to head down to the dinner hall to eat with my family. It was sure to be interesting since me, my mom, and dad haven't eaten a meal together since I was really small.

# Chapter 14

I walk out of my room and Onyx quickly follows behind me. We don't say anything to each other. I guess he's still letting me keep to myself after the situation with Brenden from earlier today, which is a good thing because I really am not up for conversation. I open the door to the hall and my mom and dad are already seated.

"Hi Semaj," says my dad.

"Hey dad," I say as I take a seat.

"How was your day?" he asks.

"It was okay."

"How are you and Onyx getting along?"

"We're getting along fine. He isn't as bad as I thought he would be."

He smiles. "Well that's good to know because he will be around for a while."

"Okay," I say.

Some of the servants come into the hall and they place plates in front of us. There is chicken, carrots and peas, bread, and berries. I eat a little bit, but I mostly pick at my food because I'm not really hungry. I feel eyes on me and look up and see my mom and dad looking at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Is something wrong with you?" asks my dad.

"No, everything is fine," I say.

"I know when something is bothering you, Semaj. Talk to me," he says.

"Its personal, dad. And I really don't want to talk about it right now," I say as I take a bite of my chicken. It's cooked perfectly but I can't really enjoy it how I want to with all of the emotions running through me.

"So I've decided to lift your punishment for your birthday but as soon as your birthday is over, you're back to being grounded," he says.

"Okay," I say. It's not like it matters if I am grounded or not there is still nothing really to do without my friend. As much as I love my mom, I really don't want to spend the whole day with her.

"I thought you would be more excited than that," he says.

"I am, dad. I just have a lot on my mind. How was your day?" I ask him, changing the subject.

"Well, it was trying. I had to put a ban on drinking river water after what you told me. And some of the dragons aren't too happy about that. And some more dragons are stuck in their dragon forms, so we think that he may still be putting the poison in the water."

"He could be. But I doubt it. I think that it just has delayed effects on the dragons because it was going in the water which diluted it. I think you may have a real problem really soon according to what he says."

"You may be right, which is why you will be starting your intense dragon training soon. You will need to be fully prepared and all of the guards are doing extra training as well to help you in battle if need be."

"Okay," I say. I look over at Onyx who is smiling at me from behind my dad and I get an idea. "Dad, can I take Onyx with me into the village tomorrow?"

He looks at me and places his fork down. "And why is that?"

"Well, you said I'm not grounded tomorrow and since stuff is still happening in the village I would like to see what it is. Since Onyx is my guard and that's the only way that you will fully trust me to leave this castle in the first place, he might as well go with me."

He stares at me for a minute and picks his fork back up. "Very well, just be back here in time for your birthday dinner."

I smile. "Okay dad, I will."

He smiles back at me. "There's that smile I like to see."

"So, can I be excused now? I'm not really hungry and I just really want to turn in for the night," I say.

"Okay, but remember you only have one day to wander around the village because after that you will need to start your intense dragon training," he says.

"Okay dad. Good night. I love you," I say as I stand to leave.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he says.

"I love you too, mom. Glad that you're back here with us," I say.

"I love you, Semaj. And things will get better, sweetie, just watch and see," she says.

A confused look passes over my dad's face and I can tell that he wants to know what's going on, so I rush out of the hall. Onyx walks out behind me and we walk in silence for a while before he finally breaks the silence.

"So are you sure that you want me tagging along with you when you go into the village tomorrow?" he asks.

"Yes, I need someone with me for when everyone starts gawking at me because I'm the princess," I say.

"Don't care for the attention, do you?" he asks.

"Try to avoid it as much as I can," I say.

"I would too. So, what are you going to do, snoop around?" he asks.

"I wouldn't exactly say snoop around. More like detailed research. I've never really walked around the village, you know. I've always just gone to Brenden's house and then to our spot in the forest."

"So you don't really know much about your kingdom huh?"

"No, not really."

"That's not good for a princess. You have to know your kingdom and the people in it. It's your greatest asset."

"So I'm told. I'll just keep that in mind for when we go tomorrow."

"And what time do you want to head down there?"

"After breakfast."

"Okay," he says as he nods his head.

"Okay," I say with a smile. We stop outside of my room and just stare at each other for a while. "Well, uh, I guess this is good night."

"Good night, Semaj," he says with a smile.

I smile back at him and walk into my room. I slip on my pajamas and stare at the ceiling. Perhaps my glorified babysitter wasn't so bad after all. I close my eyes and I can feel sleep descending on me. At first there is darkness, but then I see the kingdom. All the dragons are in their dragon forms and are coming towards the castle with Velshkar leading the way. My dad, the guards, Onyx, and I are all standing outside of the castle prepared to battle against the attack.

" _This is what's soon to happen Princess. You need to prepare yourself fully for this battle. It won't be an easy one,"_ says the voice.

" _Why do you keep trying to help me?"_ I ask.

" _Because Velshkar isn't your only enemy, but he's your first. In order to fully understand what you will be up against, you need to defeat him."_

" _But he's older and knows more about me than I know about myself."_

" _You will have to just learn more about yourself, then, because you will be in great danger soon."_

" _Who are you?"_

" _Right now, who I am isn't important. What's important is winning this battle."_

" _And what happens if I lose the battle to Velshkar?"_

" _Your kingdom will fall to despair and will go under fast."_

" _Sooo...in other words."_

" _You need to win. When your birthday comes tomorrow your time will almost be up so you need to start paying attention to all of your surroundings. Be careful, though. Evil is always lurking around the corner."_

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_

I open my eyes and sit up in the bed. I look out of the window and see that the sun is rising. That voice was getting on my nerves with all of its cryptic messages. I don't know who he is or what he wants, yet he is always trying to help me and I don't understand why. Today is officially my fifteenth birthday and I am excited to be able to go out into the village with Onyx. I hop out of my bed and open the door and he's there sitting in a chair, fast asleep.

"You know you could get into a lot of trouble for sleeping on the job," I say.

He jumps out of his sleep and looks at me. "You aren't going to tell on me are you?"

I laugh. "Naw, not my style."

"Happy Birthday, Semaj!" he says with a smile.

"Thanks," I smile back at him.

"Well, are you ready to get this day started?"

"Of course. I was born ready."

# Chapter 15

I walk into my room and grab some clothes. I don't want to look too flashy. I actually want to blend in a little bit so as not to draw too much attention to myself. I pull on a pair of sneakers and walk back out of my room. Onyx smiles at me and nods his head.

"Nice. I can see that you're definitely not going for the 'I'm a princess look at me' look," he says.

"Are you trying to say that I look ugly?" I ask him curiously.

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that you look approachable like this," he says, back pedaling.

"Okay, thanks. Because I wasn't sure where you were going with that."

"You're a very beautiful princess, by the way."

I blush. "Uh, thanks. I think we better get some breakfast now so that we can head out into the village."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," he says with a smile.

We head down the hallway and down the stairs and back into the dinner hall to eat breakfast. All types of food are already laid out and my mom is sitting at the table with a smile on her face.

"Happy birthday, baby," she says as she comes over and gives me a hug.

"Thank you, mom. Where's dad?" I ask.

"Uh, there was an emergency but he will be joining us for your birthday dinner," she says.

"Thanks mom. Uh, can Onyx eat breakfast here with us instead of in there with the other guards?" I ask, flashing her my biggest smile.

"Of course he can, sweetheart. It's your birthday and since he's in charge of your protection I would want him to have some stuff to keep his strength up."

"Thanks mom, you're the greatest."

"I try to be," she says with a smile.

Onyx looks from me to my mom and takes a seat beside me. We fill up on flat cakes with dragon berries in them, eggs, and dragon milk. Dragon milk is kind of like human breast milk. It's really sweet and we drink it with almost every meal to keep up our strength. Along with the dragon berries. They were staples in every dragon's diet from the royals down to the dragons in the village. We finish up our breakfast and the servants come and clear off the table.

"Well, mom, we're going to head out now," I say as I stand up from the table.

"Did you go see Brenden this morning?" asks my mom.

I shake my head. "No, and I'm not going to see him at all today. Today is all about me and I don't want to focus on him."

"Okay, sweetie. You're right. Have fun in the village and please be safe," she says.

"Don't worry ma'am. I will be keeping a close eye on her," says Onyx.

"Okay. I trust you, young man," she says.

"And I won't let you down, ma'am. I promise," he says.

I look back and forth between my mom and Onyx and it's like they have some unspoken truce going on with each other. I clear my throat and Onyx looks at me and smiles.

"Ready to go, Princess?" he asks.

I smile because I know that he's only doing that for my mom. "Yes, let's go."

I wave good-bye to my mom and Onyx and I head out of the castle doors. It will be about a ten minute walk to get all the way to the village, but since I've done it plenty of times it is no problem for me. The air has a slight chill in it, but for the most part it's pretty nice outside. The sun isn't fully in the sky yet and there's not a lot going on. Some of the guards are marching along the roads and they nod their acknowledgments to me and keep it moving. It feels like I haven't been outside forever, so I take in all of my surroundings and enjoy the moment because who knows when my dad will let me back out of the castle. I look up at the sky and it's filled with pinks and blues and some birds flying across, enjoying their days. I wish that I could be in my dragon form and fly freely, but I really didn't feel like getting on my dad's bad side again so soon.

"So, why are you so quiet over there?" asks Onyx.

"Just excited to finally be getting back out of the castle, you know. I was really tired of being cooped up in there. I was going castle crazy," I say.

"You were only in there, like, four days."

"Four days is a long time when you're used to being able to wander and do whatever it is you want."

"I guess you're right about that. So what is the first thing that you want to do when we get to the village?"

"I don't know. I just want to check it out, really. See if there are any conversations about the strange things that have been happening or to see if we can actually see something strange happening."

"So we're playing spies?"

"More or less, yeah."

"So you want to spend your birthday spying on the people in the village?"

"Hey, I never said that I was normal."

He laughs. "You're right about that, but we're at least going to do one fun thing for your fifteenth birthday."

"Okay and what is that?" I ask curiously.

"It's a surprise," he says.

"Is it a good surprise?"

"Yes, it's a good surprise. I think you'll really enjoy it."

"Keep in mind you've only known me one day."

"Yeah, but I think that I know you just enough to know that you'll like it."

"Okay, if you think that I'll like it then I'll give it a shot."

He smiles at me. "That's good."

We make it to the edge of the trail and come out in the beginning of the village. There aren't that many people out yet, just the few who owned shops, we begin our walk through the village and immediately, I become self-conscious. I can feel people's eyes on me and I can tell that they recognize me as the princess. How was I ever going to get any information if people instantly recognized me? I didn't like that fact at all. Maybe I should've thought of a better way to disguise myself, but there wasn't much that I could do about that now.

"Are you okay?" asks Onyx.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just have a feeling that people won't talk around me because I'm the Princess, you know," I say.

"Or maybe that's the reason they will talk to you," he says. "You're the direct line to your dad. If they think that you can help them, they will open up."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

I nod my head as we continue walking. We walk and get to the middle of the village which is where all of the major activity happens. It is where most of the shops are and where most of the dragons live. There are a lot more people in the middle of the town than at the beginning or the end, near the forest. There is a group of adult dragons standing around talking to each other and drinking dragon milk as if they didn't have a care in the world. People were huddling around them so Onyx and I decide to do the same so that we could blend in and see exactly what they are saying that is so interesting to the crowd.

"King Gregor has gone too far with his river water ban. What are we supposed to drink? How are we supposed to water our crops?" says one of the dragons.

"Yes, my kids play in that river almost every day and now they can't even go near it. It's not like the water is going to poison us," says another dragon.

"I think that it has something to do with the dragons changing. I don't think that has to do with the water, though. I just think that our dragons are getting tired of being suppressed and want out," says another dragon.

There are mumblings from the crowd. Some agreeing with what the dragons were saying and some of them disagreeing with what was being said. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around and see a villager I've never seen before, but that didn't mean much. I wouldn't recognize most of the dragons in my kingdom, anyway. He looks at me oddly and then a slow smile spreads across his face.

"Princess Semaj," he says as he bows down.

Onyx looks over at me in confusion and the rest of the crowd quiets. I hear whispers from the dragons and was upset that this guy blew my cover when I was doing so well at blending in.

"Uh, you can stand," I say to the dragon who has bowed before me.

He stands and smiles at me. "It's just an honor to meet you, Princess Semaj. You rarely ever come into the village."

"Yeah, well, you know, it's my birthday, so I decided to check-out the place that I will one day rule over, you know," I say with a weak smile.

"Today is your birthday?" asks the dragon.

"Yes, I turn fifteen today," I say.

"Please wait here. I have something to give you," he says as he rushes off.

I look at Onyx and he shrugs his shoulders. The rest of the crowd is being quiet, watching the interaction that me and this other dragon are having. The dragon comes back and he has a basket filled with fruit and milk and breads and places it down on the ground.

"For you, Princess Semaj," he says.

"You didn't have to do this. It's not necessary," I say with a smile.

"No, please take it. Its gift to you from me and my family," he says.

I pick the basket up and hand it over to Onyx. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. What's your name sir?"

"My name is Jamo," he says.

"Well Jamo, thank you for being so nice to me," I say with a smile.

I turn and look back at the crowd and I can see the dragons who were talking earlier about my dad staring at me. The one in the middle who seems to have a strong dislike for my dad walks through the crowd and stops in front of me.

"Princess Semaj, you must understand that we, in the village do not dislike your father. We just don't understand some of his choices," says the dragon.

I smile. "No need to apologize. I don't understand his decisions all the time either, but they're always made in the best interest of the kingdom."

"So do you know why he put a ban on the river water?" asks one of the dragons in the crowd.

I look at Onyx and he just looks at me. Some help he is. "I know the reason, but I think my dad should be the one who tells you."

"No offense, Princess Semaj but your dad doesn't ever really tell us anything except what to do," says another dragon in the crowd.

I think to myself of what will be the right thing to do. They did have a right to know that they were being poisoned, but perhaps the reason my dad didn't tell them was so they wouldn't panic. I am really struggling with this, but decide that it's best that they know what's going on. I would want to know if I were them. I take a deep breath to calm myself before I just let it all go. "My dad put a ban on the river water because it has been poisoned."

"Poisoned!" echoed voices from the crowd.

"Are you sure?" asks one of the dragons from the back of the crowd.

I nod my head. "A couple of days ago, Brenden and I went into the forest and saw this dragon pouring some stuff in the water. And then he gave Brenden the potion straight to help him stay in his dragon form full time, but then some bad stuff happened and that's why he's in the medical ward at the castle."

"So, if it's poisoned why haven't we gotten sick?" asks a dragon.

"It's not meant to make you sick. Just make you stay in your dragon form full-time," I say.

"Is that a bad thing?" asks one of the dragons.

"I don't know. Look, I already said too much, but just know that he's doing this to keep you safe," I say.

They all nod their heads in agreement.

"So, I have a question for you all," I say changing the subject.

"What is it Princess Semaj?" asks the dragon who was talking the most trash about my dad.

"What is there to do in the village for fun? The castle is boring and since it's my birthday and all, I was looking to get into something," I say with a smile.

The guy standing in front of me smiles. "Well, Princess Semaj, today is your lucky day. Today is the annual dragon berry festival."

"Okay and what do you do there?"

"You can play all types of games and eat all types of food. It begins in an hour if you want to stick around for it."

I nod my head. "I sure would. And by the way, what's your name?"

He smiles. "My name is Micah,"

"Well Micah, thanks for making my day. I'll be back in an hour to check out this carnival."

"No problem, Princess Semaj. And thank you for giving us some clarity about what's going on in our backyards."

I smile at him and turn to Onyx, who has a big smile on his face. I wave to the dragons and begin our walk back through the village.

"You know, you really are something," says Onyx.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I ask.

"It's definitely a good thing. You're going to make a great leader someday," he says.

"You think so? I always have doubt about that. I mean, I'm not like my dad. I don't believe in keeping stuff from anyone if it could potentially harm them, you know. I believe in treating everyone the same way, but he doesn't. And neither did any of the other kings before him."

"Maybe that's why you're the one chosen to lead the kingdom into a new era. Because you think differently than everyone else."

"You know, that's the first time that anything about being this whole chosen one has made any sense."

"Why do you say that?"

"For many reasons. Mainly because I'm a clumsy, fifteen year old girl."

"You're not so bad. But I do want to show you my surprise before we go to the festival."

"Okay and you're sure that I'll like it?"

"I am pretty sure that you will like your surprise."

"Okay, well, let's get to it," I say.

He smiles and grabs my hand. I feel my whole arm start to tingle from his touch, but I ignore it. I can never get involved with a guard. Or anyone for that matter. My dad would have a heart attack. Besides, it was best that I remain single until I got rid of all of the evil stuff in the kingdom and then maybe I could date. Maybe. Onyx leads me towards this old looking house. It looks like it is going to fall apart at any minute and I start to question Onyx's surprise.

"Are you trying to kill me or something? You do know that everyone in the castle knows that I'm with you, right?" I say.

He laughs. "I'm not trying to kill you. I'm actually trying to help you out."

"How?" I ask him suspiciously.

"Just come into the house with me."

"I don't know..."

"You trust me don't you?"

"I've only known you for a day and a half sooo..."

He sighs. "I'm not going to do anything to harm you. Like you said, everyone in the castle knows that you're with me and so does everyone in the village for that matter. I really am just trying to help you."

I sigh. I don't get a bad vibe from off of him like I did when I met Velshkar. So maybe he really isn't a threat to me. "Okay, but as soon as stuff starts to get weird, I'm leaving."

He nods his head. "Okay."

He pushes the door open to the house and the inside surprisingly looks better than the outside. There are nice hardwood floors and wood furniture scattered all over the place. There is big pile of wood neatly stacked in a corner beside a brick fireplace. Whoever lived here took a lot of pride on the inside of the house. They just didn't care too much for outward appearances.

"So, who lives here?" I ask him.

"You'll see in a minute. Have a seat," he says.

I take a seat on the chair beside him and then shortly after I see an old guy come from the back. His hair is gray and his skin is pale, like he hasn't seen sun in quite some time. He looks at Onyx and me and smiles.

"Princess Semaj, nice to finally meet you," he says.

That voice. I know that voice. "Nice to meet you, too. Have we met before?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Can't say that we have."

"That's weird, because I feel like I know you from somewhere," I say.

"You do, Princess Semaj. But we have never properly met," he says.

I look at him closely and then back to Onyx, who quickly looks away. Something is going on here and I don't like it one bit. I focus on the old guy's voice and then it dawns on me why his voice sounds so familiar. "You're the rude dragon from my dreams!" I exclaim.

"I wouldn't say rude..."

"Then what do you call invading a Princess's sleep then?"

"I call it helping her to survive."

"So were you also the voice threatening me? I've been hearing two voices in my head and I was starting to think that I've been going crazy."

"No, I haven't been threatening you princess. Only been giving you warnings as to what's to come."

"But how could you possibly know what's to come?"

"I have a special gift. I can see things that are to come in the future. It's why I've been warning you. I'm trying to prepare you for the worst."

I turn to look at Onyx. "And how do you know this guy?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't really know him. He actually approached me when your dad was looking for you when you disappeared and told me where your dad could find you and to hurry. I went and told your dad and he took the guards and found you. And that's really how I became your guard."

"How do you know that he's not evil?"

"I asked a couple of the guards about him and they say that he's harmless."

"Mm hm," I say and I turn to look at the guy. "So what's your name?"

"My name is Maylo," he says.

"And you think that you can help me with this Velshkar situation?" I ask him.

He nods his head. "Not everything can be found in a book Princess."

"You've told me that already. So what must I do and know in order to defeat Velshkar?"

Maylo walks closer to and stops a short distance away. He looks into my eyes and I can tell whatever he's got to say is going to be deep. "Velshkar is a very dangerous dragon. He has destroyed cities far and wide. When he was banished and cursed by a fairy godmother a thousand years ago and the kingdom found peace. Everything went back to normal. Or as normal as could be. But since dragons now had a bad reputation because of what he did to humans. We started our own world and walk around in human form so as to avoid being attacked. It took a while to perfect it because most dragons got restless and didn't want to hide what they were, which is how the three dragon kingdoms came about. But it's also the reason King Gregor has the most powerful kingdom by far, because if anyone ever stumbled upon it, no one will think anything of us. Anyways, the only way Velshkar could be released is when the first daughter of the 100th king got close to her coming of age and you became of age today, Semaj, which means all of your hidden powers are about to come to light. Velshkar was trying to get you to unleash them all in the forest but because you weren't of age, they weren't going to all show themselves."

"So I have more powers?" I ask curiously.

"Yes, you have many more and they will reveal themselves as time goes on."

"Okay so what about this creepy dude that follows Velshkar around? He said that he was his servant, but when Onyx brought up splitting from your human form, I think that it's his human form that's following him around."

"And you would be correct, except that there's something different about his human. When Velshkar split from his human, he pulled most of his dragon power away from him, which means that he can't be far from his human form at all."

"So the key to destroying him is destroying his human form?"

"Yes, he can't survive without it. Whereas most dragons would be weak without their human, he will die without his."

"Well that should be easy enough right?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid not. Velshkar's human form is not to be underestimated. He is very powerful."

"Great so a powerful dragon and human. Just what a young dragon wants to hear."

"If you do your dragon training, you will be just fine. But I must warn you. You don't have a lot of time. Velshkar is growing impatient with having your father as king and is about to put his plan into motion."

"The one that I saw in my dreams?"

He nods his head. "Yes, you need to be on high alert and pay attention to everyone around you."

"So you want me to be even more suspicious than I already am?"

"I call it being cautious and you can never be too cautious."

"You're right about that. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Yes, once you defeat Velshkar, you will face a different kind of evil. Velshkar is being used as a pawn to see your true capabilities as a Princess dragon. No one expects much from you because you're a girl and you're young, but you will go on to do some great things if you stay focused."

"So this greater evil. When will I come across that?"

"No need to worry yourself about that right now. Right now you need to focus on Velshkar."

I nod my head. "Okay, well can you at least tell me how much time I have to prepare for his attack?"

He looks at the ground and then looks back up at me. "I would just enjoy your birthday Princess because after this, it's no more fun and games."

With that, my heart sunk. As much as I want to believe that this guy was lying, I have a feeling that he wasn't. I wish that I could press the reset button on my whole life but unfortunately I can't. I have to deal with this whether I like it or not. And I really didn't like it at all. I was about to become a heroine and I really didn't want to be one. But my kingdom needs me and I wasn't going to let them down, no matter what. But right now it was time for some fun. If it is my last chance to have any, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

# Chapter 16

I look at Onyx and his expression is blank. I can tell that he's still absorbing the information, just as well as I am. I look at Maylo and he goes to the back of his house where he came from. I guess he has said all that he plans to say to the both of us and wants a break. I stand up to leave out of the house and Onyx does the same. We walk out of the door and I take a bite of the bread that's in that basket that Jamo gave me and it's surprisingly sweet.

"So, got kind of intense in there, huh?" asks Onyx.

"I guess, but I mean, it was weird to put a face to the voice that's been invading my dreams. I really thought I was crazy," I say as I take another bite of the bread.

"I didn't know that he was invading your dreams. All I know is that he said that he could help you and I believed him. And turns out he did give you some really good advice."

"Yeah, he did, but I still wish this was all over and that we could go back to being the peaceful kingdom with no evil chasing after us and stuff like that."

"Can't be easy all the time, can it?"

"No, it can't, but that doesn't mean that a girl can't dream."

"So do you want to go back to the castle? I'm sorry if I put a damper on your birthday but I didn't want you to go into any battle blindsided."

"You didn't ruin my birthday. That guy actually gave me some pretty solid advice. And I definitely do not want to go back to the castle. We are going to the dragon berry festival."

He laughs. "Well, let's get to it."

He takes my hand again and we head back towards the village. When we get back to the middle, it looks completely different. There are decorations everywhere. There are purple and gold flags up with dragon berries on them. There are a lot of booths set up with different foods and games on them and there are little dragon kids running around and older ones talking in packs.

"Wow! I've never seen a festival like this before," I say as I look around, taking it all in.

"You've never been to one of your kingdom's festivals?" he asks.

"No, I was always off in other realms or stuck in the castle. I only met Brenden by chance on one of the occasions my mom came down here."

"Well then, let's get you to your first festival. What do you want to do first?"

"Let's try out the games," I say as I pull him over to a table.

He laughs and follows behind me. We spend the afternoon at the festival playing games, eating lots of dragon berry goodies, and interacting with the other dragons. They all seem really sweet and for a minute I forgot that I was actually their princess. I see the sun is getting low and I realize that it's time for Onyx and I to leave.

"Well, I guess we better be headed back to the castle," I say.

"You don't sound too happy about that," he says.

"Well I'm not. There, it's nothing business. Here, it just seems so....so natural and fun."

"Yeah, but you have a duty to uphold and so do I."

"I know. I know. Let's get going because you know we have to get to my birthday dinner with my parents."

"I know," he says.

We say goodbye to the dragons that we became friendly with at the festival and begin our walk back to the castle. I can tell that by the time we get back up the trail it will probably be almost dark and that I will have to rush into the hall to be on time for dinner.

"Thanks for today," I say to Onyx as we walk up the trail.

"It's no problem. I mean, it was all your idea. I'm just glad that you decided to have your babysitter tag along with you," he says with a laugh.

"I know. But really, you seem like you wouldn't spoil my fun, so I guess it wasn't a bad decision. Plus, I had fun with you."

"I had a lot of fun with you to. You're not so bad for a princess."

"And you're not so bad for a babysitter."

We walk the rest of the way in silence. I think about all the fun that we had today and a small smile spreads across my face. We make it back to the castle and the guards open the door for us. We immediately head towards the hall and push open the doors. My parents are sitting at the table, along with Brenden. I see a cake in the middle and all types of other goodies spread out across the table.

"Happy birthday, baby," says my dad as he comes over and gives me a hug.

"Thanks dad, but, uh, why is Brenden here?" I ask.

A confused expression crosses my dad's face and he looks over at my mom who looks away. I can tell that she didn't pass on the memo that I wasn't talking to Brenden to my dad. "He's your best friend, sweetie. I thought that you would want him here."

"Well you thought wrong," I say "And he knows why I wouldn't want him here so I don't know why he agreed."

Brenden stands from the table and walks towards me. "Semaj, look, can we please just talk?"

"Uh, no. You had your chance to talk to me and you chose not to, so now I'm choosing not to speak to you. You can go back to the medical ward because I don't want you here."

Brenden looks at me and then walks away. I feel the urge to chase after him, but I don't. I just stay standing there. My dad looks awkwardly at me and I decide to break the silence. "Dad, can Onyx take Brenden's place?"

He looks at Onyx and then at me. "Uh, sure, sweetheart. Anything for you."

I sit at the table and Onyx takes the seat beside me.

"So, how was your day sweetheart?" asks my mom.

"I actually had a lot of fun. There was a dragon berry festival in the village today and we went to it. I've never been to it before and it was very interesting. I got to play games and eat a lot of food with dragon berries in it. It was great."

"I forgot all about the dragon berry festival. Your dad and I used to go with each other all the time when we were younger. It's actually where we first met."

"Really? I never knew that."

My dad nods his head. "Yes, I had entered a dragon berry pie eating contest and when it was over, she caught my attention. But when I tried to talk to her I actually got sick and hurled by her feet."

"Ew, that's gross dad. And mom you still talked to him?" I ask.

She laughs. "Yes, sweetie. He looked so pitiful that I just couldn't turn him down. And I'm glad I didn't because he's a wonderful husband and we have the most beautiful daughter."

I smile. "Well, it was indeed a lot of fun. It was nice to get to know some of the dragons in the village."

"Yes, it's always wise to get to know the ones you will one day rule over," says my dad.

"I guess, dad," I say as I bite into a cookie.

"So Onyx, did she give you any trouble while you were out in the kingdom?" he asks.

Onyx shakes his head. "No sir. She was actually well-behaved. We had a lot of fun together. She even kicked my butt in quite a few of the games."

I laugh. "Really? I think he was holding back because he didn't want to kick my butt on my birthday."

"Well, it's good to know that you two are getting along," he says. "Semaj, you do know that your punishment starts again tomorrow right?"

I sigh. "Yes, dad. I know that I go back on lockdown tomorrow. You don't have to keep reminding me."

"I was just..." he starts to say.

"You were just trying to ruin my birthday. You act like I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I make one mistake, but granted, that one mistake has helped stop the kingdom from getting poisoned anymore. I don't understand how you want me to be the chosen one and do what needs to be done when I'm cooped up in this castle or have my head in books somewhere. None of that stuff even helped me when I came across Velshkar. Neither did any of the stuff I learned in basic dragon training. I was basically defenseless because of you," I shake my head as I stand up from the table. "I'm not a little kid anymore, dad. I know more than you think I know. I'm going to bed. Tell Simon I'll see him bright and early for my intense dragon training."

I walk out of the hall and run up the stairs to my room. Leave it to my dad to be the one to rain on my parade. I just didn't get him sometimes. It's as if he wants me to feel bad all of the time. He scolds me and then reminds me of the same thing over and over, like I'm the one who actually has the problem. He does. Nothing matters to him. No matter what I do, he will never be satisfied and I guess that it's something that I will just have to deal with.

# Chapter 17

I lie across my bad, reliving my birthday dinner with my dad. I almost thought that everything was going to be normal and fine until he brought up me being on punishment again tomorrow. Like hello, you couldn't save that til tomorrow? Not when I'm telling you how awesome my day was. My dad lives to annoy me. It's why I always prefer talking to my mom about my problems because he just doesn't get it and he probably never will. Maybe it is a dad thing, but whatever the case, I just wish that it could change.

I stare at the ceiling, looking at the stars and the moons that were painted on it. When I was young I loved to stay outside and stare at the stars, so my dad had someone paint them on my ceiling. To this day, it still calms me whenever I'm upset. Today it looks a little different though. Like the stars are arranged on it differently. I stand up on my bed to get a closer look and immediately I'm stunned. Some of the stars have indeed been rearranged but it's odd because it's paint that's on my ceiling. For it to move will be impossible. I stand back to read the message and my eyes get wide.

_I can get you anywhere..._ it reads. I jump down from my bed and rush into the hallway and see Onyx standing by my door.

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

"Yes, I need you to come look at my ceiling and check something out. I need to know that I'm not losing my mind," I say.

He rushes into my room and we both stand on my bed. I point to the place where the message is and he looks at me with wide eyes.

"Did that just get put up there?" he asks.

"Yes, it wasn't up there last night. I stare at my ceiling every night before I fall asleep and every morning when I wake up. I would've noticed this," I say.

"I need to get your dad and some of the other guards," he says but then he stops. "You need to come with me because who knows what else is in your room that we don't know about."

I nod my head and follow him out of my room. We rush down the hallway to the guards' room and see that it's empty. It was odd because it's usually filled with guards late at night. It's where they relaxed after they spent all day guarding the castle. We leave and go up the stairs to my parents chambers and in there we found my mom and dad. When they see Onyx and me they jump out of bed.

"Is something wrong?" asks my dad.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" asks my mom.

I shake my head. "No, we found something really weird in my room and need you to come check it out."

"Okay," they say in unison as they jump out of bed.

We lead them back to my room and I point to my ceiling. My mom and dad turn to us and give us a look that I've never seen on their faces before. It seems like panic but they quickly cover it up and try to look calm.

"How long has this been up there?" asks my dad.

"It had to go up there when we were out. It wasn't up there last night or when I woke up this morning," I say.

"And you're sure about this?" asks my dad.

"Of course I'm sure, I look at this every day. It wasn't up there until I came back tonight," I say.

My dad looks at me and his expression softens. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know you would know. It's just that I don't understand how this could've happened. We've doubled the guards since you disappeared so if anyone was lurking up here, they should've been spotted."

"Where are the guards anyway? We went into the guard room first but no one was in there," I say.

"They are actually on patrol. With everything that's going on, we didn't want to take any chances with the castle, but now I see that we're going to have to tighten up patrol even more," he says.

My mom comes over towards me and hugs me. "Are you sure that you're okay, sweetie?"

"Yes, I think so, mom. It just freaks me out that someone was in my room and no one noticed it," I say.

"Well you're not going to sleep in here tonight," says my dad.

"Okay, I kind of figured that, but where am I going to sleep?" I ask.

"I think you should sleep on our floor in one of the extra rooms," says my mom.

"Okay, well I'll pack some stuff up and pick a room," I say.

"You want us to stay here while you pack?" asks my mom.

"No, I think Onyx and I can handle it. If we're not up in ten minutes then come back down and check on us," I say.

"Well, I'm going to get some more guards and we're going to do a sweep of your entire room to make sure that nothing else is in here," says my dad.

"Okay, dad," I say.

He and my mom walk out of the room and I start to pack a bag to take upstairs to my parents' level. I grab my secret snack stash and a couple of outfits and throw them in a sack. I look over at Onyx and he's looking over my room. I guess he's trying to see if he sees anything else before my dad comes back.

"Okay, I'm done packing. It's time to head upstairs before my mom comes down. Don't want to scare her," I say.

He looks at me and nods his head. He picks up my sack for me and we head up the stairs to my parents floor. I pick the first room that's on the floor because it's the only one that's not as flashy and old looking as the rest of them. I open the door and turn on the lights. The room is still as beautiful as I remember it. Everything in it was white from the carpet to the walls to the beds. I love the look because it's so clean. Onyx places my sack down on the floor and looks the room over.

"Nice," he says.

"Yeah this is the one that I will feel the most comfortable in," I say.

"I wouldn't be comfortable in here. I would think that I would spill something and mess it all up," he says.

"I have done that before but someone always cleans it up," I say. "Let's go let my mom know that we've made it up here and then I'm going to try and get some sleep. I've never looked forward to dragon training so much before."

He laughs and we walk down the hall to my parents' room. I open the door and my mom is pacing the floor back and forth wringing her hands together. I clear my throat and she turns to us and smiles. I walk over to her and give her a hug.

"You can stop pacing now. I made it up here safe," I say still holding on to her.

"Which room are you in?" she asks.

"I'm in the white room at the end of the hallway."

"Okay. I should've known you would pick that one. Sweet dreams, sweetheart. I think I'm going to stay up until your father comes back."

"Okay, mom. Well, good night," I say.

"Good night, Semaj," she says.

I walk out of the room with Onyx right behind me, as usual. I open the doors to the white room and wave good night to Onyx before I close them. I climb in the bed and look at the ceiling to make sure no weird message was up there as well. When I see that there isn't, I close my eyes and allow sleep to overtake me because it was much needed.

# Chapter 18

" _It won't be long before I destroy you, princess. You think by talking to that old dragon that you can defeat me but it won't be as simple as you think. I am going to take everything from you and then I'm going to watch you suffer. This is a fight you're never going to win."_

" _You know the more you say that the more it makes me want to defeat you. If you think coming in my sleep and making idle threats or leaving strange messages on my ceilings is going to scare me then you've clearly underestimated the type of dragon that I am."_

" _I haven't underestimated you. You, my little dragon, have underestimated me. But just know that you will never...ever defeat me."_

" _So you say."_

" _This is what I know, princess. I will be seeing you very soon. My army is almost complete and we will be storming the castle when you least expect it."_

" _Bring it on."_

" _Cocky still, I see."_

" _Confident is what I like to refer to it as."_

" _We shall see how confident you are when we're in battle. I won't come to you again Princess."_

I open my eyes and look out of the window to see that the sun is barely up yet. I hate to be disturbed in my sleep, but somehow I am getting used to it more and more. Velshkar was getting more confident with each day, which could only mean that he already had some dragons under his control. If he is going to go into hiding, I am going to need to either try to back track into his mind to see when his attack will be or see if Onyx and I can sneak into the forest and see if we can find his hideout. I will have to ask Simon about the mind thing in dragon training when I get there later. I want to talk to Onyx so I open the door. As usual, he's standing there.

"Good Morning," he says.

"So you're not asleep on the job today, I see," I say with a smirk.

"Nope, I'm up and very alert. How'd you sleep?"

"I was interrupted as usual."

"Maylo?"

"No, Velshkar."

His face turns serious. "What'd he want?"

"He wanted to tell me that he would be attacking soon and that I will lose," I say.

"You know that he's just trying to scare you right?" he says.

"I know and it's not working. I'm not worried about him at all."

"That's good, but why aren't you worried. He is a very dangerous dragon."

"I'm not worried because I think that he's the one who's afraid of me. That's why he keeps coming into my dreams, giving me these little clues and trying to scare me. He's trying to psyche me out. Make me so nervous that I won't want to battle him."

He smiles. "Well, you may be right about that. I never looked at it that way."

I nod my head. "Yeah my guess is that he's very nervous and in battle he's going to do something to slip up. I'm going to look for that opportunity to destroy his human, therefore destroying him."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I hope so, because right now it's the only one that I have. I'm going to grab some breakfast and then I'm going to head to the training room to meet Simon."

"Okay."

We walk down the stairs to the dinner hall and they already have food laid out. My mom and dad aren't down yet but I don't want to wait for them. I need to get to dragon training as soon as possible so that I can figure out most of my abilities and see if Simon knows how to back pedal into a dragon's mind. I sit at the table and pour me a glass of dragon's milk and eat two dragon berry muffins with it. I then get up from the table and head out of the room with Onyx right on my heels. We head down into the dungeon area where part of it has been converted to do dragon training. I open the door to the training room and immediately turn into my pink dragon. I look at Onyx and he's amazed.

"So, you're a pink dragon?" he asks.

I nod my head. "What color is your dragon?"

"Light blue and silver."

The door opens and in comes Simon, who immediately goes into his dragon form as well. Simon's dragon is brown and orange and is very huge. His wings are double the size of mine. He looks at Onyx and he steps out of the room, leaving me alone with Simon.

"Princess Semaj, as you know, this is your first day of intense dragon training. Everything you've learned in basic dragon training will help you with the skills you will learn here," he says as he looks at me.

I nod my head and he continues on.

"In intense dragon training, you will learn how to defend yourself against your opponent and how to attack. And because you have special abilities I will also teach you how to control them and use them to your benefit rather just letting them work on pure emotion. Do you have any questions so far?"

"Uh yes, I was wondering in this training will you teach me how to go into a dragon's mind and read his thoughts or send him a message of some sort?"

A confused expression crosses his face. "Why would you ask that?"

"I was just wondering that's all," I say.

"Princess Semaj, I've known you your whole life. If you were just wondering, there's a reason behind it," he says.

"Okay, fine, but if I tell you, then you can't tell my dad."

He nods his head.

"Okay, well, Velshkar keeps coming to me in my sleep, making threats and I just want to be able to go into his mind undetected and see what he's up to. According to him, we don't have much time and I want to see if it's true or if he's bluffing."

"He's more than likely telling the truth, which means that our lessons are going to run long. I can teach you to go into his mind, but I will teach you that after I teach you some lessons in defense. Got it?"

I nod my head.

"Okay, so the first thing I want to see is you put up your shield. I'm going to throw a fireball at you and I want you to put your shield up to protect yourself. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

He walks a few steps back and throws a fireball at me. Immediately my shield goes up and sends it flying into the wall.

"Okay, that was impressive," he says.

"Thanks. I know how to work my shield, though, Simon. I need to know how to attack. I think I pretty much got the defense down."

"Are you sure that you don't want to brush up on your defensive skills? They all come in handy at some point in time."

"I think my shield pretty much has me covered."

"And what about when you're too distracted to get your shield up? Then what?"

"I move out of the way."

I see a smirk spread across his lips then quickly disappear. "Okay, well then, I guess I should teach you how to throw a fireball."

I smile. "Okay cool, because I've been dying to learn how."

He walks over beside me. "Okay what I want you to do is shape your mouth like an O, take a quick breath, and then blow."

I do what he says but when I blow out, fire comes out but it's not in a ball. It's in stream and doesn't go anywhere. "Aw, man. I thought I had it."

"You're not going to be perfect your first time. Try again, but this time take a deeper breath and blow out."

I do as he says again and this time a ball does come out, but it's small and it wouldn't do anyone any harm. "I don't see how you all do this," I say getting frustrated.

"From training, Princess. You have to practice these things in order to get them right. You're not just going to pick up on everything right away, so don't think that you will."

"Okay. I guess you're right."

"Now, keep trying."

On my next try, I make a fireball a little bigger but it was still nothing to brag about. The try after that I make one that bounces off of the wall and nearly hits Simon in the head. Then finally I make one the right size and throw it perfectly. "Yes! I did it!" I exclaim.

"Good job," he says. He walks to the back of the training room and begins to place targets round the room. I see a total of ten before he comes back and stands beside me. "I want you to throw a fireball at each one of these targets and don't stop until you hit each one of them."

"Are you sure that I'm ready for this? I mean I just learned how to throw one."

"This is intense dragon training, Princess Semaj. We don't wait for you to master a skill here. Once you learn it, we build on it."

I nod my head. I hit the first target my first try but it takes me three tries to hit the second one, five tries to hit the third one, and two tries to hit the fourth one. When I get to the fifth one, I find my stride again and begin hitting each one on the first try again. Once all of those targets are hit, Simon pulls out a machine that has moving targets going from side to side. I look at him and roll my eyes but he just stands there and watches me. This wooden machine has five moving targets on it and it takes me about twenty five tries to hit each one of them.

"You did surprisingly well, Princess. It usually takes other dragons a lot longer to hit the targets," he says.

"Well that makes me feel a lot better, because I thought that I was doing badly."

"No, you're doing well."

"Okay, thanks. So what's next?"

"Next you need to know how to deflect fireballs."

"I kind of already know how to do that. That's why Brenden is in the medical unit."

"How'd you deflect it?"

"I swung my tail at it and it hit him in the chest."

He nods his head. "Nice move. So, tell me, what did Velshkar teach you in the forest?"

"He taught us how to dodge fireballs and basically communicate to each other through the mind."

"So if you know how to get into someone's mind, why don't you just use that skill to get into Velshkar's?"

"Because I want to go in undetected. I don't want him to know that I'm in his head. The only reason I know he's in my mind is because every time he's in there, he speaks to me."

"Well, I may not be able to teach you how to go in undetected because in order to get into someone's mind undetected, they would have to be sleeping. And you don't know when Velshkar goes to sleep."

I sigh. "Well, so much for that plan."

"All you have to do is take in dragon training and just hope for the best. I know that you can handle yourself, Princess Semaj. I have great faith in you."

I look at Simon in disbelief. "Uh thanks. I never even thought that you liked me, you know."

"Why would you think that I didn't like you?"

"I don't know. You always look so serious and I just assumed that you didn't like me or anybody else for that matter."

"No, it's just the way that I am. I don't mean anything by it."

"Yeah, that's what my dad always said."

"Yeah, trust me. I have nothing against you or anyone else. I just don't like to show emotion."

I nod my head. "So, is this session over or am I going to be learning something else today?"

He shakes his head. "No, this particular session is over but be here again bright and early tomorrow."

"Okay, I will."

"And be safe,Princess Semaj. We need you ready just in case a battle is to happen soon."

"Don't worry. I'm going to be extra careful."

He nods his head and heads off towards the back of the training room. I pull my dragon back in and go back into my human form. I pull on my clothes and open the door to see Onyx standing there. I thought he would have left with how long my training ran, but he was still there.

"So how was your session?" he asks.

"It was intense, but I survived. You up for something?" I ask him.

"And what's that?"

"You have to follow me."

"I don't know if I like that."

"Well, you might. Come on."

# Chapter 19

I lead Onyx back out to the garden and we sit on the bench. He looks at me waiting for me to say something and I look back at him. I lean forward and I kiss him gently on the lips before I quickly pull back. He looks at me and a smile spreads across his face.

"So you brought me out here so that you could have your way with me?" he asks with a smile.

"No, uh I have no idea where that came from," I say as I start to blush.

"Mm hmm, well if it helps I've wanted to kiss you since I first met you."

"Okay, so when we first met you said that you were two years older than me but now I'm fifteen is it safe to assume that you're sixteen?"

"You would be correct."

"So, uh, how come you don't have a girlfriend?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Most girls are, I don't know, too into themselves, if you know what I mean."

I laugh. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

"So why no boyfriend for you?"

"Because my dad would flip."

"I could see that. You're his little girl."

"Yeah, I guess. But honestly, I didn't bring you out here to kiss you. It just sort of happened."

"Trust me, I'm really not complaining. But what did you want to talk to me about?"

"This upcoming battle...are you going to stick around? I mean, like, I know you don't have to, but are you going to help me when I have to go against Velshkar?"

"Yes, I've got your back, princess. Always. You don't have to ever worry about that."

I feel heat rising in my cheeks and I want to lean in and kiss him again but I fight the urge. "Well, we might want to go in. You know I'm on a short leash around here."

We stand up from the bench and are about to go in when he gently grabs my arm and pulls me towards him. We look into each other's eyes and then our lips meet. I wrap my arms around his neck and he wraps his arms around my waist and we kiss passionately. I feel me losing myself in him and I pull away and look into his eyes. He smiles at me and I smile back and look at the ground.

"That was, uh, that was pretty awesome," I say.

"Yeah, well, you weren't too bad yourself," he says as we start to walk towards the house.

"So what does this mean? I mean you are guarding me and if we start to date there is no way my dad is going to keep you around," I say.

"Well, I guess that we'll just have to keep it a secret," he says.

"I like that," I say with a smile.

"You know, Semaj? I've been thinking about something else," he says.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Well I've been thinking about what happened between you and your friend and maybe just maybe you are being a little too hard on him. I mean, us guys aren't like girls, we do stupid stuff."

I sigh. "I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"Probably because it's true. I think that you should talk to him and hear him out. It would be wrong to throw away your friendship over something that's so small."

"I guess I can talk to him. But if his excuse sucks, just know that I'm going to stay mad at him."

"Trust me, I believe you."

I smile at him as we head up the stairs towards the medical unit. I take a look at Onyx and he urges me to go ahead. I take a deep breath and open the doors. I look over to where Brenden was staying and see him packing up his stuff. I walk over and tap him on the shoulder. He spins around and looks at me in shock.

"Hey," I say softly.

"Hey," he says.

"Sooo, I've decided to talk to you about the you having a girlfriend situation," I say.

He sits down on the bed and rubs his hand across his face. "I don't even know where to begin."

I sit beside him. "Oh, I don't know, how about how you met? When it happened? Why didn't I know? You know stuff like that."

He laughs. "You're still you, I see."

"Of course, what were you expecting?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, so go ahead and tell me. How'd you meet her?"

"Well I met her when I started intense dragon training. She was in the same class as me."

"Okay and..."

"And she couldn't get the hang of the throwing fireballs so I helped her. And then we started to hang out outside of training and she was really cool. Then, next thing I knew, she was my girlfriend. I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I just didn't know how to break the news to you."

"How about, Semaj, I have a girlfriend."

"It's not that simple."

"And why not?"

"Because around that time I thought that I had feelings for you, too."

"As in romantic feelings?"

"Yeah and well now I realize that I don't. I really care about Soria. She's a sweet dragon."

"Well, I don't like her, but if she's important to you then I can tolerate her. But don't expect me to hang around long."

He laughs. "Okay. So what has been going on with you?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Nothing much. Started intense dragon training today. Went to the dragon berry festival yesterday."

"Really? Who'd you go with?"

"My guard Onyx. We actually had a pretty good time."

"I bet so, the dragon berry festival is a pretty fun festival."

"So, I see that you're packing are you cleared to go home?"

"Yep. Finally get to go back in my own bed," he says as he stands up.

I stand up and give him a hug. "Well, I'll come see you soon. I'll come in a few days, though. Give you and Soria a chance to spend some time together."

"So, in other words, you'll be there when you're off lockdown," he says with a laugh.

I laugh also. "Yeah, you know me well."

We walk out and into the hall and Onyx is standing there. He looks from Brenden to me and smiles.

"Hi, I'm Onyx," he says.

"I'm Brenden," he says as he sticks his hand out.

They shake hands and then size each other up a little. I find it amusing because it seems as if they are each trying to mark their territory.

"I see that you and Semaj have made up," he says.

"Yes, we can't stay mad at each other too long, but I have to get home. Don't let her give you a hard time," he says with a smirk.

"I won't," he says.

Brenden gives me a hug goodbye and then walks down the stairs. I watch after him until he's out of sight and then I look over at Onyx. "Best advice ever."

"So I'm taking it went well."

"And you will be correct. But I'm going to be calling it a night. I have an early day tomorrow."

"Okay well let's get you up to your room, then."

"Yes sir," I say with a laugh.

# Chapter 20

Simon lunges at me and I fly up higher in the air to get away from him but he nips me slightly on the shoulder. I look at him to try and determine his next move but he lunges towards me again and this time I swing my tail at him but he jumps and avoids it. I feel myself getting frustrated and I lunge towards him with the intent of locking onto his shoulder but he moves and I hit the ground. He lands down on the ground beside me and looks at me.

"You can't allow your frustration to allow you to make mistakes. You have to keep your emotions in control if you want to be able to fully defend yourself while in flight," he says.

I look at him and nod my head. He was teaching me how to defend myself with my shield down because he said because my powers were so new that they could sometimes be unreliable. "Okay, I get it. When I get mad, don't make dumb moves."

"Yes, something like that."

He flies back into the air and I do the same. I watch him to check for his first move and I can see that he's going to lunge for my right shoulder and I move to the left. It throws him off balance and I use that to my advantage by swinging my tail at him. It hits him in the back and he jumps back. He lunges towards my left side and I fly up in the air and he misses me. He then starts to fly fast towards me with his head down. The last time I saw this move, I used my shield but I knew that I couldn't this time so I fly towards him and stick my leg out and kick him in his face. He lands on the ground and I fly down and stand beside him.

"You did well," he says as he gets up off of the ground.

I smile. "You really think so?"

He nods his head. "Yes, as long as you keep your emotions in check, you will be a worthy opponent for anyone in battle."

"Thanks," I say. "So you really think that I might have a chance against Velshkar?"

"With a few more sessions, yes. But even now, in the early stages, I can see the potential in you. You are going to be a great warrior, Princess Semaj. You catch onto things fast and you have the help of your powers, but like I said, you must not fully depend on them because right now they will be very unreliable. You have to nurture them and once you, do you will be able to use them whenever you want."

I nod my head. "Okay."

"Well I think I've taught you enough for today, you can leave," he says as he heads to the back of the training room again.

I switch back to my human form and pull my clothes on. I open the door and, as usual, Onyx is standing right there. "Hey you!" I say.

"Hey," he says as a smile spreads across his face. "Do you want to go out to the gardens?"

"Yes, but I want to change my clothes first. So I need to go up to my room first," I say.

We take the stairs up to my parents' floor and I immediately get a vibe that something is wrong. I push open the door to my room and I see a figure on the ground with blood leaking on the floor. Onyx pushes me back and rushes towards it and I follow behind him. I look on the ground and see my mom lying on the floor, lifeless. I drop to my knees and yell out in grief.

"Who could do this? Aren't the guards supposed to keep us safe?" I ask as I touch my mom's lifeless face.

I hear footsteps behind me and a scream that I recognize as my father's

"Ginneveave!" he yells out "How did this happen?"

"We don't know sir we just got in here and found her," says Onyx.

I feel the tears rushing down my face. This was my mom. They killed my mom. She was the nicest person in the world and now she was gone. Taken away from me and my dad.

" _I said that I would take everything from you...this is only the beginning,"_ says the voice.

Everyone begins to look around the room and I see this time that it's not just in my mind.

"Who was that?" asks my dad.

"That was Velshkar, dad, and he's finally going to get what he deserves," I say as I rush out of the room.

I hear footsteps behind me but I don't turn around to see who's they are. Everyone in the castle is heading upstairs to see what the commotion is that they aren't worried about me at the moment. I push the castle doors open and transform into my dragon. I concentrate on Velshkar to see if I can sense him and I feel him on the side of the forest. I know that this may very well be a setup, but it's a risk that I'm willing to take. He just killed my mom and it was time that I repay the favor to him.

"Semaj!"

I turn around and see a light blue and silver dragon and immediately I know its Onyx.

"I said that I'll have your back no matter what, so let's go do this," he says.

I nod my head and start to fly towards the back of the forest. I don't know what awaits me there but I do know that I'm not just going to sit around while everyone close to me gets picked off one by one. He thought that he had me right where he wanted me, but little did he know that I had a few tricks of my own up my sleeve.

# Chapter 21

I fly towards where I sense Velshkar and land. I look over and see that Onyx is keeping up with me just fine. I land in an area of the forest that looks like it has seen better days. The trees look dead and there is nothing but rocks and brown dirt all over the place. My senses start tingling behind me and I turn and see Velshkar coming out of the forest along with his creepy human self and a few other dragons.

"Well, Princess Semaj, I see that you've played directly into my hand," he says. "I knew that I could get you to come to me. All I had to do was kill someone close to you. I thought about doing that best friend of yours in, but I decided to hurt your dad too, while I was at it."

"You may think that you have me where you want me but I hardly think that you do," I say, trying to keep my emotions in check like Simon taught me.

"Well I disagree. You're out here with only one measly dragon to help you while I have a whole army to address my every need," he says.

"So I'm supposed to be scared that you need an entire army to take on one little dragon princess," I say baiting him.

"I can take you on myself," he says as he steps closer to me.

"I don't think that you can. I think that's why you hide in my dreams because you knew that once we got face to face your reign of terror would be over."

"You don't scare me Princess."

"Yes I do. I scare you so much that you can't sleep at night."

I see the frustration building inside of him, but I still need him to try to attack me. I feel Onyx take a protective step towards me but I really don't need him for this one. I know exactly what I'm doing. I got the idea from Simon when he said that my powers were tied into my emotions.

"I can guarantee you, Princess, I sleep just fine at night."

"I bet you don't. I bet you toss and turn just thinking, is this the day that Semaj is going to destroy me."

"You'll never destroy me, Princess! I will be the one to destroy you! Matter of fact, in order to prove it, I'll take out your little friend right now," he says.

He flies up into the air and lunges towards Onyx, but as soon as he does I pull all the anger and hurt I can from within me and shoot a fireball at his human form, disintegrating it. He immediately drops to the ground and I walk over to him. "Like I said, you never had me where you wanted me. You may have killed my mom, but I'm the one who got to kill you."

He smirks. "You may think that you have done something, but Princess I'm only the tip of the iceberg," he says before he disappears.

The dragons that were under his spell slowly come out of their trance and start to look around confused. I feel Onyx behind me again and he looks at me sympathetically. "Are you okay?" he asks.

I shake my head.

The dragons that were under the spell start to fly away, leaving Onyx and me in the forest alone. He wraps one of his wings around me and I start to cry, letting everything inside of me out. My mom was everything to me. She's the one who reeled my dad in when he was on one of his rampages and she was the one who helped me understand him when he got into his moods now it was just me and my dad and he didn't understand me at all. I pull away from Onyx and look at him.

"I think that we better head back to the castle now," I say.

He nods his head. "I think so, too."

Soon as the words come out of his mouth a heavy wind starts to blow around us and a deep voice booms around us. _"You may think that you're in the clear, chosen one, but there is much more to come and we won't be as easily defeated as Velshkar was."_ The wind dies down and the voice goes away.

"I just can't catch a break," I say as I start to fly back to the castle.

Onyx and I make it back to the castle in record time and see my dad, Simon, and Brenden standing outside of the castle doors. We land and my dad looks as if he's completely broken.

"Did you defeat him?" asks Brenden.

"Yes," I say.

"So it's over?" asks Simon.

I look at Onyx and then back at them. "No, there's something else out there and I'm not even sure what it is. But I can tell you that it's a lot stronger than Velshkar was."

They each look at me in disbelief and I look down at the ground. The job of a heroine was never done, but this was one job that I really wish that I could give back. I didn't want this job in the first place. It got my mom killed, but I would make sure that no one else around me got killed and I mean it. Whatever was out there was going to regret the day it came across Semaj.

## Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for reading Semaj's story. As you can see, she is not your average princess. She has issues just like the rest of us in the world except her issues try to kill her on more than one occasion. There are five more books left in the series and they each get a lot longer so be on the lookout for them. It only gets crazier from here. And if you've enjoyed Semaj's story or hated it, please feel free to leave a review online and share your thoughts. Reviews are gold to authors and help us improve each and every story that we write. Thanks for the support. I love to hear from each and every one of you, so please feel free to send an email to the email address at the end of the book to either me or Semaj because I'm sure that she would also love to hear from you.

Amari A

## Coming Summer

## 2015

## Semaj and the Den of Deception

### About the Author

Amari A is a paranormal writer who resides in South Carolina. You can find her dancing around her room with headphones on, singing loudly to every song that comes on the radio whether she knows the words or not, or having conversations with the voices in her head. She loves writing about dragons, shifters, and anything out of the ordinary. Probably because she herself is anything but ordinary. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to drop her a line anytime.

Twitter: @amarinormal

@semajdragon

Email: amariwrites@gmail.com

