I looked away at first, but there was no mistaking the dagger the hideous evil creature held in his clawed hand. It was definitely the same dagger, the one Morgana used to kill my mother in my dream.
“This is it,” I said incredulously. “How did you know? This is the same dagger.”
“I thought so.” Uncle Gabriel closed the book and sat down in the chair. Aunt Serena and Penelope sat down too. They looked disconcerted; Aunt Serena would not even look at the picture in the book.
The doors opened, and Rafe walked in. “What’s this about? Is Aurora okay?”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m here in the room. You could ask me yourself.”
Rafe didn’t so much as blink an eye and looked straight at me. “Well, if you didn’t run around the kingdom trying to get yourself killed all the time, then I wouldn’t have to keep asking how you are, would I?” he snapped.
I huffed at his answer and could not think of a suitable retort. Even if Vivienne were right and he was concerned about me, why hadn’t he come to see me? I was still angry with him. One minute he’d say he couldn’t stay away from me, and then he wouldn’t see me for days. His moods were too confusing, and it was playing havoc with my emotions.
“Now, now, Aurora,” said Aunt Serena. “I am sure the prince meant no harm in asking about your health, my dear.”
Rafe threw me a dark look. He did look a bit disheveled and not himself, but I was still upset that he hadn’t come to see me even for a few minutes. Especially after he called me “my love” at the ruins. Did he say that to all the girls? Was that the way he got them to fall madly in love with him, only to move on to the next one? So I huffed childishly again and looked down at my lap.
“Sit down, Rafe,” said Uncle Gabriel. “This is important.”
Rafe abruptly became serious and sat down immediately. “What is this about?”
“This,” said Uncle Gabriel slowly, “is about the Dagger of Dragath.”
My eyes widened. “The same demon lord Dragath who ruled these lands before Auraken Firedrake?”
Uncle Gabriel wasn’t smiling. “The very same,”
Rafe leaned forward in his chair. “And what does the Dagger of Dragath have to do with Aurora and us?”
Uncle Gabriel told Rafe, Serena, and Penelope about my dream.
Rafe’s eyebrows rose in astonishment. “And you think Morgana used the Dagger of Dragath on Elayna?”
“Precisely,” said Uncle Gabriel, smiling now. Why was he smiling?
“But that would mean . . .” said Penelope, flicking a glance at me.
“That Queen Elayna is still very much alive,” Rafe finished, turning his head to look straight into my eyes.
I was stunned; I didn’t know what to say. My mother was alive! How was this even possible?
“How?” My voice was a small, hopeful whisper. “Didn’t you say that there are weapons that are capable of killing an immortal High Fae?”
“Yes,” said Uncle Gabriel, nodding, “but the Dagger of Dragath is not one of them. The legends say that the Dagger was specifically crafted by the demon lord Dragath himself to trap, not kill, the High Fae.”
“What do you mean?” Magic in Avalonia was so complicated.
“Before Auraken Firedrake defeated Dragath and trapped him in his magical prison, Dragath used that Dagger to trap countless fae-warriors within it,” said Uncle Gabriel in disgust. “That was how he controlled them and their magic.”
I stared at Uncle Gabriel. “Are you saying that my mother is trapped in that Dagger?”
“That is exactly what I am proposing,” said Uncle Gabriel. “That is why Morgana wants to open the Book of Abraxas. It all makes sense now.”
“How does this make sense?” I asked, completely lost.
Rafe turned toward me. “Morgana’s plan is even more devious and elaborate than we had thought possible.” He got up from his chair. “If Morgana has the Dagger of Dragath and has Elayna and other High Fae trapped inside it, she may be able to use the Dagger’s powers to release Dragath from his magical prison.”
My eyes widened. “But Morgana trapped my mother almost fifteen years ago—why didn’t she release Dragath then?”
“Because she has been waiting to get her hands on the Book of Abraxas,” Uncle Gabriel answered. “That is why she wants the keys to open it. Only then will Morgana finally be able to control Dragath. If she released him without possessing the secrets to controlling him, Dragath would destroy the world along with her.”
My mind had gone into overdrive, assimilating all this new information. My mother was alive, trapped and alone for over a decade. I had to find her. She had given up her life to save me, and now I must try to save her. Also, if I retrieved the Dagger, then Morgana could not use it to release Dragath. I had to do this for my parents, for their kingdom. Whatever it took, whatever the cost, I would find a way.
“If my mother is alive, I will find her,” I announced to the room, my voice breaking slightly. “We cannot let Morgana use the Dagger to release Dragath.” I had absolutely no idea how I was going to accomplish that, but I was going to give it my best shot.
Uncle Gabriel shook his head tiredly. “She will not release him until she has the book and all four keys. Without the Book of Abraxas, the magic of the Dagger will not work as it should, and she will never gain control over Dragath. We still have time, but we must make sure she never gets her hands on those three remaining keys. That’s why we will take one of the keys with us when we go to Elfi. It will be safe with Izadora.”
“But what about my mother?” I asked, perturbed that no one was concerned about releasing her. “We need to go to Illiador and take back the Dagger first.”
“No, Aurora, you cannot go running off unprepared
