Giving Up the Stone

MADDIE

~Here we go again.~

I stepped onto the campus of Xander University. It had seemed like ages since I’d last visited of my own free will. But in reality, it was only a couple of days.

The university grounds were as beautiful as ever. The lawns were green and manicured, while the ivy on the buildings glistened with a fresh coat of morning dew.

But the beauty was just a facade. Within these buildings were some of the most dedicated young dragon slayers anyone could hope to teach.

I continued walking and tried to swallow my apprehension. But the crimson I saw soaking the grass nearby wasn’t helping to calm my nerves.

~What in the…~

I stood on the sidewalk for a moment in complete awe. It looked like a massacre had taken place, but most students were going about their day as usual.

The only variation was to give the bloody swamp a wide berth.

My gaze found the old chapel at the epicenter of this weirdness. Apparently, Freesia’s Rock was still spewing blood; it had gotten much worse since my last visit.

Suddenly, a dark and ominous energy overtook me.

Every student I passed stopped to stare. They knew my face and what I stood for. Hell, a picture of me was probably posted on a dartboard at the student union.

My stupid backpack wasn’t helping ~one bit!~

I’d run from these little hellions while they tried to skewer me with knives and smash me with books. Obviously I’d prevailed, but that didn't make me any less angry.

If that curse was ever broken, I’d want revenge as much as Loch and Hael would.

I made my way to a towering building made of grey stone. Once inside, I took the stairs up to the fourth floor and stopped in front of two massive mahogany doors.

~Xander’s office.~

I half expected to see Nautica blocking the entrance. Xander’s right-hand bitch annoyed me almost as much as his boss. After all, the little shit had nearly shot me…

It took me a moment to realize that the entire floor seemed to be empty.

I knocked on the large doors.

“Come in,” Xander’s voice called.

As I entered, I was met with a blast of icy air. It felt good after trudging through the heat outside.

But the significance wasn’t lost on me. The room was as cold and unwelcoming as the person who inhabited it.

Xander was standing at his window, staring out at the campus. The sun’s rays outlined his figure in gold.

I almost laughed at how angelic the demon looked.

“Welcome, Madeline,” my father said without turning around. “Please, have a seat.”

“It’s Maddie,” I corrected. “And I’m just fine standing.”

Xander turned around and looked at me through his wire spectacles.

“Ah, yes. I forget how independent you are,” he said with a half-grin.

“I’ve never forgotten how cold and calculating you can be,” I replied.

The grin was instantly wiped from his face. He cleared his throat and moved to his desk, taking a seat in an oversized chair.

“Let’s get down to business,” he said. “I assume there’s only one reason you came back.”

I nodded my head and unzipped the backpack, reaching inside a hidden compartment. I felt the magical pulse of the Dragonstone on my skin.

For a moment, I didn't want to hand it over.

There was something about its odd warmth that bid me to keep it close…to never let scum like Xander anywhere near it.

My father’s gaze was hard and laser-focused.

I shifted in place.

Being in the old bastard’s company had passed the uncomfortable part. Now it was downright excruciating.

He held out his hand, annoyed at my hesitance. My fingers left the stone in the backpack.

I would give it to him, but he had to give me what I wanted first.

I plopped down in the seat across from him and flashed my sweetest smile.

“Before you get this beautiful stone,” I said, “I want some answers.”

Xander leaned back in his chair and touched the tips of his fingers together. I could practically see the cogs turning in his fucked-up mind.

“Do you even have the stone?” he asked sharply.

I felt the warm gem once again in my fingers and lifted it into view. The expression on his face instantly changed.

The gem’s milky white hue lit the lenses of his glasses, giving him a crazed appearance.

I let the Dragonstone mesmerize the old man for a few extra seconds before stuffing it back into my bag.

His face returned to normal.

It’s not like he couldn’t just snap his fingers and have a slew of dragon slayers descend on me. But that move wasn’t in his best interest.

I’d already agreed to steal the stone from my mates and bring it here to Xander University. There was no way off this campus unless Xander allowed it.

“Where should I start?” he asked.

I gathered my courage and leaned forward.

“At the beginning,” I said.

Xander nodded his head as he spread out his palms on the desk.

“It’s been a very long time since I’ve talked with ~anyone~ about her,” he admitted.

“Well, there’s no time like the present.”

“Indeed,” he replied. “And I suppose I owe you as much.”

~Owe me as much…~

He gave me up to an orphanage and then tried to murder me…he owed me a whole hell of a lot more than that!

“In the beginning, it was perfect,” he began. “I had everything one could ever want: a wonderful son, the love of my adoring wife, and a budding university filled with bright students.”

My hands balled into fists. If everything was so perfect…then what the hell happened?

“But when your mother became pregnant with you, things began to change,” he said.

I couldn’t ignore the sadness in his voice. It wasn’t often that a megalomaniac like Xander actually opened up about his feelings.

But there was an edge to his words that didn’t go unnoticed either.

“Of course, blame it all on the orphan,” I said, annoyed.

“It was her dream to raise a little girl,” he said. “And I was overjoyed to see your mother so happy. But then the visions began to plague me.”

~Visions?~

It seemed like everyone was plagued by dreams and premonitions in this city. Must be something in the water…

“What visions did you have?” I asked.

“Ones concerning Freesia,” he answered.

My breath was choked from my lungs. First it was Freesia’s Song, and now my father was having visions of her!

These ~had~ to be signs that I was her second coming!

“I dreamed of the cursed rock, oozing blood. I dreamed of dragons descending from the sky. And most of all, I dreamed of Freesia creating the curse with her baby’s blood.”

I shivered in my seat. It wasn't from the cold air, but from Xander’s steely voice.

“You have to understand how these visions plagued me,” he said. “Stealing my sleep and haunting my every waking hour.”

“We’ve all been haunted by nightmares,” I said. “How were these any different?”

Xander smiled cruelly.

“Because they weren’t simply nightmares,” he answered. “I believed they were premonitions of the second coming of Freesia.”

I gasped at his words. Xander noticed my reaction.

“I tried too hard to force her second coming into existence. One night, when the visions were worse than usual, I visited the rock and extracted a sample of the blood…Freesia’s blood…”

My body was frozen with anticipation. I ~needed~ to hear what had happened to my mother.

“With a needle and syringe, I injected Freesia’s blood into Serena’s womb,” he said.

I gasped. I knew my father was a crazy fuck, but this took it to completely new levels.

If he could do such a thing to his own wife…he was capable of ~anything.~

But then my thoughts shifted to the syringe filled with blood…

~I~ was the baby in her womb.

“That would mean that…” I stammered, unable to finish my sentence.

“You have Freesia’s blood running through your veins,” he answered. “In fact, Freesia’s Rock last bled on the day that you were born.”

I was in complete shock. Had Storm been right about me the entire time? With everything Xander was saying, it seemed like I was the real second coming.

“But it was a mistake,” Xander said coldly. “The blood made your mother sick. Over time, it drove her unbelievably mad. By the time Serena was in labor, it was too late.”

Xander’s head dropped down as he looked back on his dark memories.

“Your mother died giving birth to you. A ~cursed child~.”

~Cursed child?~

“But you’re the reason for my curse!” I yelled.

“Yes, which is why I gave you to the orphanage. I hoped to get you out of our lives for good.”

~Ours…meaning he and Mason…~

I felt another flush of anger race through my body.

“But when you resurfaced, it frightened me. You were a failed experiment. I thought it was only right to end what I created,” he said.

“Father of the fucking year,” I snapped.

He nodded his head in sad agreement.

“It was an act of uncertainty. But I realize now that you are stronger than I could have ever imagined,” he replied. “Your mother would be proud of you.”

I stood up from the chair so quickly that it toppled over. I pulled out the stone and slammed it on his desk. A deal was a deal, even with the devil himself.

As Xander’s attention was distracted by the golden glow, I made my exit.

He didn’t even try to stop me.

I rushed down the stairs and out into the humid heat of the day.

What did it all really mean?

If I was just a failed experiment, how could I be the actual second coming of Freesia?

Could it really be…

~Zayda?!~