The Viden's tower was easy to find. It was the tower that reminded me of Rapunzel’s. A stench hit me straight in the face when I opened the door. It smelled like a cat or some small rodent had died in there, was covered in burnt hair, and then left in the sun. So all in all, it was disgusting, and I could feel my eyes water as I began my ascent. I stumbled a couple of times, as I climbed the million steps rising in a spiral in front of me. When I finally reached the top I took a deep breath, gathered my courage and balled my hand into a fist to knock on the door.
“Come in, Elena,” she said, before I had a chance to knock. For the love of blueberries could she read my mind!
How did she know I was here?
I opened the door slowly. A lovely flowery smell filled my head. It felt as if I was inhaling a bouquet of lilies, daisies, and roses. The smell was overpowering after the stench of the staircase. I reached out a hand and grasped the doorpost to steady myself. I saw a gorgeous woman, young, perhaps in her late twenties, with long dark hair and golden skin, standing before me at the only window. Her eyes were bright blue, like George's and she appeared to be glowing in the light emanating from the window. I felt like I could look into her eyes forever.
A long robe covered her petite figure. It was hard to imagine that she was three hundred years old. “Good morning, Elena.” She threw me a smile that disappeared as fast as it had arrived. Lucian hadn't been joking about that good mood.
Wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans, I could feel my heart pounding under her gaze. The Viden gave me a look, which made my skin crawl. I rubbed my arms vigorously trying to drive away the goose pimples that had formed.
I slumped onto a puffy pillow she'd indicated to with a short wave of her hand and stared at a crystal ball that was in the middle of the mahogany table before me.
Seriously, a crystal ball? It made me want to giggle, but then I remembered her foul mood and bit hard on the inside of my mouth, hoping that it would stop me from laughing out loud.
Moving from the window, she walked over to a small kitchen tucked into a corner of the room. I listened as water poured from the faucet and the sound of china clinking. When she turned around, she was carrying a small silver tray with two tea cups and a large teapot, which she placed next to the crystal ball. Steam emerged from the spout, forming twisted, misty patterns above the crystal ball.
“I need some Chamomile, hope you won't mind sharing a cup. It's the only thing that calms my nerves.” She spoke softly, and began to pour the first cup.
“No thank you,” I said, trying to be polite.
“Drink something!” In a flash, her entire demeanor changed, anger marring her flawless beauty.
“Okay, that will be nice,” I said. I didn’t want her anger to emerge again. As the seconds ticked by, it seemed like it took an eternity to fill the small cups with the steaming liquid.
She got up from the table and returned with a round plate filled with bite-sized chocolate chip cookies. Even with all her scurrying around, the ambience of the room didn't change.
“Want a cookie?” She held out the plate towards me. I took one, scared that she might feel offended, as she had been when I declined the tea.
“So, Elena, how do you find things here in Paegeia?” she asked, and settled back into her chair.
“Nothing like I expected.” I spoke honestly. I did not want to upset her again.
“Mmm, I believe that your father was a dragon?” She had changed the subject to one thing I didn't want to talk about.
“Yes” “Did you know your mother?”
I shook my head.
“So you were raised only by him?”I couldn’t tell if she was asking a question or insulting me.
Unsure, I simply nodded.
“I see,” she said in a pretentious tone. “Why did she leave you? Didn't she love you?”
“I don't know why she left. I was very small, and my dad never spoke about her."
“I see. I suppose you must feel guilty for the death of your father then.”
My heart stopped. She had struck a nerve and she knew it. It was the one thing I'd feared the most.
She huffed when I didn't answer her. “I have no time for weakness or self-pity. In my honest opinion, I think Master Longwei is wasting his time with you. In fact he's wasting both of our time.” She gave me a fake smile that made me want to bash her in the head with the stupid crystal ball. "You see, your father was a dragon. Dragon offspring cannot become Dragonians. You might not appreciate my opinion, but believe me when I tell you this─ you will never ascend.” Her cruel words stung in more ways than one. She made me feel as if I didn't belong, and I could feel tears form in my eyes. “You've got something on your mind?”
I was scared, but one thing Herbert Watkins taught me was to stand up for myself when no one would. “I don't agree with some of the things you are saying.”
“Is it not true? Not knowing your mother leaves a big gap right here.” She tapped the area where her heart should've been. “It is going to keep you away from the things you truly want, because you will always be searching for her.”
I sighed. I hated to admit it, but there was some truth in what she said. Not knowing my mother was one of my greatest challenges. Every time I wanted to achieve something greater,I couldn’t help but think about my mother. It caused an inner struggle preventing me from truly reaching my goals in life. I always wondered what she would think or what she would have wanted. “It doesn't matter, my dad raised me well,” I said in defense.
“Fine, whatever. You can leave; I don't feel anything coming from you anyway. Another thing that shows me you are not important.”
My eyes started to sting again. I couldn't cry, not in front of this evil woman. I got up from the stupid pillow and stomped to the door.
“Oh, and another thing, you don't need to come back again. I only spend my time on students that are of value.”
That really ticked me off, I wanted to say something, but the truth was that I had always felt a bit unimportant. So instead, I yanked the door open to make my exit.
“A day will come and a day will go,” she said, startling me. Her voice sounded like ten people speaking in unison. “A choice you will have to make, otherwise, the truth will never be known.” Her eyes were a crystal white color, almost silver. She was still in her human form, and her hair blew wildly around her face as if she was in the path of a strong wind. Just as suddenly, she stopped, and shook her head fast, and cleared her throat as if something was stuck, like the cookie. My heart beat wildly.
When she looked up at me, her eyes were bright blue again. "I thought I told you to leave," she snapped.
Turning, I ran as fast as I could. What the hell just happened?
Chapter Eleven
The Viden's words were imprinted on my mind, and the worst part was that I didn't understand any of it. What choice must I make? What truth would be revealed? I sighed, wondering if she even meant any of it for me. Our conversation, however, made me furious.
I went straight to my room. The more I thought about our meeting, the more I wanted to strangle her! Who did she think she was saying something like that? I was glad that I didn't have to see her again. She must have her hands full with all her“important” students. Good riddance.
Around one o'clock, Becky and Sammy found me, still in our room.
“Oh, here you are.”Sammy’s smile vanished when she saw the look on my face. “Oh crap, what did she say?”