“But Princess Aurora died nearly fifteen years ago,” Vivienne insisted, shaking her head. “It’s not possible. Everyone knows that the Firedrake family was completely wiped out.”
“Well, everyone is wrong. I’m still alive. Somehow my parents managed to save me by sending me to another world. I am Azaren’s daughter, and Morgana is my aunt.”
“So that means,” said Vivienne, thinking, “that you are actually the Queen of Illiador, not Morgana. That’s why you want to find out what she’s up to.”
“Exactly,” I said, happy that I didn’t have to spell it out for her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but you can understand why.”
Vivienne nodded and leaned over to give me a big hug. “Of course I understand. You don’t have to worry, Aurora, you can trust me.”
I smiled. “I think it’s probably better if you still called me Rory.”
Vivienne clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh no! Sorry, sorry.”
I laughed. “It’s okay, Viv. I know it’s a lot to take in, but you’ll get used to it.”
For days, Vivienne and I searched through dozens of scrolls and books in the library for any mention of the Book of Abraxas, but there was none. We didn’t want to ask any of the professors, since dark magic was forbidden in Eldoren.
I continued to work hard at my studies, and before long I could hold a shield against all nonmagical attacks; stones and other flying objects bounced off my shield. Magical attacks were more difficult to defend against, but I was learning fast, and my magic and concentration were slowly getting stronger.
I had warrior skills class almost every day, and my attacks were getting better. I could stun a mouse from a hundred paces, and I even learned how to push someone away from me using only my magic, which was called a push strike.
We also learned how to control the intensity of stun strikes, luckily not on each other, but on targets set up for practice. I found out about other types of magical attacks: fire strikes, crushing strikes, and even lightning strikes. We were still not allowed to use these outside class, as they were too dangerous.
I remembered the magic Oblek used on me when he dragged me to his castle. He had used a crush strike on my neck. Now I finally understood how it was done, and if I ever met Oblek again, he was going to be sorry he’d ever laid eyes on me.
Every other day I had healing lessons, where I learned about different kinds of herbs and plants and their uses and dosage. In Avalonia, the plants were different, so I had a lot of catching up to do.
The most difficult of all healing classes was magical healing. I learned mainly by assisting the university healers with their patients. I was amazed at what some of them could do just by using the powers within them: mending bones, regrowing tendons, even knitting flesh.
Weeks passed, and we still had no idea what the Book of Abraxas was. I finally decided to ask Erien. He always had the highest scores in ancient history, so maybe he could shed some light on this whole situation. That day after classes, I went to see him in his room.
I shut the door behind me. “Erien, I need your help.”
Erien was lying on his bed reading. I pulled up a chair and told him everything that had happened.
“I’ve never heard of the Book of Abraxas,” said Erien, “but it sounds like a grimoire, so it must be one of the forbidden texts. You won’t find anything about it in the school library.”
“But isn’t there some way to find out about this book and what it does?” I leaned forward. “Erien, if Morgana and Lucian are behind this, then we have to find out why she needs the book.”
Erien’s gaze sharpened and he nodded. “There is a way. But we should tell Grandfather about it first. If this has to do with dark magic, then we shouldn’t get involved. We could get expelled from school.”
“But Uncle Gabriel is in some faraway kingdom,” I insisted. “We are not doing anything wrong. When he’s back, we can tell him what we’ve found out.”
Erien gave me a stern look. “Anything that has to do with black magic is wrong.”
“Please, Erien, you know how important this is to me. Morgana ruined my life. I need to know what she’s planning to do next. The only way I am going to survive is if I stay one step ahead of her at all times.”
Erien sat up in his bed and rubbed his palms over his face. “All right, Aurora,” he said finally. “I understand why you want to do this. I will help you, but remember I can’t make any promises. The forbidden texts were lost or destroyed centuries ago. We still may not find anything.”
“I couldn’t find anything in any of the books I looked at.”
Erien shook his head. “You won’t find anything in ordinary books.” He came closer and lowered his voice. “But there is a secret library that lies underneath the school. Most people think it is a myth, but I’ve seen it, and the professors know it exists. Only the mastermage of the academy holds the key.”
My eyes widened. “A secret library. But how do we get in?”
“Leave that to me.” Erien pulled on his black leather boots and cloak. “Meet me outside the library tonight at midnight.”
I nodded. “I’ll be there. Thank you, Erien.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Aurora. We’re family,” Erien said, coming over and giving me a tight hug.
I hugged him back. It was so nice to finally be part of a family that accepted me for who I was.
That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Vivienne and
