BOOK 2 - Chapter 3

" It is a magic born from the union of Witches, Dragons, and Elementals," the voice continued. " A rare and powerful gift, forged through the mingling of bloodlines over countless generations."

I stared at the text, my mind racing. Witches, Dragons, and Elementals? Could I truly be descended from such a lineage? It seemed impossible. Yet, the magic inside me—FrostFire—was a testament to this ancient union. My blood was the culmination of centuries of magic and power intertwined. That would explain how I passed through Dravonia’s barrier. How I had fire and ice as my magic.

The voice pressed on, drawing me deeper into the book’s knowledge.

" Long ago, the Enchantress who placed the curse upon Dravonia designed it to be unbreakable, ensuring that only one descended from her bloodline could undo what she had wrought. Her magic, her will, were embedded in the curse, and she sought to make it eternal. But even in her darkest hour, she allowed a single sliver of hope."

My pulse quickened as I continued reading, the words resonating in the core of my being.

   " Only one who shares her blood, who wields the same magic—FrostFire—can shatter the chains that bind Dravonia. But there is a cost, and a test. The one who attempts to break the curse must possess pure intentions. If they are driven by greed, vengeance, or any darkness in their heart, they will fail."

A chill spread down my spine, settling in the pit of my stomach. Pure intentions. I wasn’t sure what that meant for me. Did I have what it took to break the curse? My desire to free the people of Dravonia was genuine, but what about the anger I still held toward Kyrell for all the pain and suffering he had caused? Was that enough to taint my intentions?

The voice in the diary grew more solemn, its words sharpening.

" If one with impure intentions attempts to break the curse, they will be marked. A symbol, like those of the cursed ones, will appear upon their forehead, branding them for eternity. They will be drawn into the barrier surrounding Dravonia, forever bound to its lands, living out their days as one of the cursed, never to leave."

I could almost feel the weight of the curse, the suffocating pull of the barrier that surrounded Dravonia, imprisoning its people within. A mark that branded them, stripping them of their freedom. If I failed—if my heart wasn’t pure—I would share their fate. I’d be trapped there; bound by the same curse I was trying to break.

The thought alone made me shiver. I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white as I wrestled with the enormity of it all. Everything—the lives of those trapped in Dravonia, my freedom, perhaps even my own soul—depended on whether I was worthy.

I lifted my eyes from the book and looked around the room. Kaden stood nearby, watching me with concern etched across his face. Deon, Cassandra, and Mike were equally attentive, their expressions a mixture of confusion and wariness. They didn’t know what I had just learned. They couldn’t feel the weight of this responsibility pressing down on me like I did.

    Kaden took a step forward, his voice gentle. " Meara, what did it say?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat. How could I explain this to them? The enormity of what had just been revealed to me felt too large to put into words, but I had to try.

  " It says..." I hesitated, gathering my thoughts. " The curse on Dravonia can only be broken by someone who wields FrostFire magic. Someone... like me." Their eyes widened at my words. " But that’s not all," I continued. " The curse was designed by an Enchantress—someone powerful, from long ago. Only her descendant can break it, and that descendant has to have FrostFire magic. But there’s a test—a condition."

  " What kind of condition?" Cassandra asked, her voice edged with curiosity.

   " If the person who tries to break the curse has impure intentions—if their heart isn’t pure—they’ll fail. And if they fail..." I swallowed, forcing myself to say the rest.

" They’ll be marked, just like the people of Dravonia. They’ll be trapped inside the barrier, cursed to live out their days there."

For a moment, no one spoke. The room fell into a tense silence as my words hung in the air like a heavy fog. The realization of the stakes settled over all of us.

Cassandra was the first to break the silence. " That’s... a lot of pressure," she said, her voice unusually soft. "Are you sure about this, Meara? About going through with it?"

  I met her gaze, feeling the weight of her question. Was I sure? No. How could anyone be sure about something like?

*****

The tension between us had been growing all evening, thickening the air in the sleeping chamber like a storm waiting to break. Kaden sat across from me, his arms crossed, jaw tight, and eyes darkened with frustration. I could feel the heat radiating off him—literally. His anger made the temperature in the room rise by degrees. But I wasn’t going to back down. Not this time.

“ You’re not doing it,” Kaden said, his voice low and controlled, but there was an edge to it that felt like a threat. “ I won’t allow it.”

“ You won’t allow it?” I repeated, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. My pulse quickened, and I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to steady myself. “ You don’t get to make that choice for me, Kaden.”

His eyes flashed dangerously. “ You don’t understand what you’re walking into, Meara. Dravonia is cursed—everyone in that place is either broken or beyond saving. You’ve read the book yourself. If your intentions aren’t pure enough, you’ll be trapped there forever. Do you really think I’m going to stand by and watch you throw yourself into that?”

I felt a pain in my chest at his words, but I refused to let them sway me. “ It’s not just about the curse or what might happen to me. It’s about the people in Dravonia, the ones who didn’t choose to be trapped there, like Claire. I promised her, Kaden. I promised her I’d help. I can’t walk away from that.”

Kaden ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling sharply. “ Promises don’t mean anything if you’re dead or cursed, Meara. What good will you be to Claire or anyone else if you’re stuck behind that barrier, marked like the rest of them?”

His words struck deep, but I wouldn’t let him see how much they affected me. I wouldn’t let him sway me from the path I had chosen. I stood, pacing the length of the room, trying to find a way to make him understand.

“ You’re acting like I haven’t thought about this,” I said, my voice growing sharper. “ Like I haven’t considered the risks. But what else am I supposed to do? Just leave them to suffer? People like Claire, people who were born into this curse, they’re trapped, Kaden. Trapped, like I was.”

“ That’s exactly why you should know better than to go back,” he snapped, standing up and crossing the room toward me. “ You escaped, Meara. You’re free. You’re not cursed. Why would you risk going back there? Do you really think Hezron will just let you waltz into his kingdom and break the curse without consequences?”

Hezron’s name sent a cold shiver down my spine, but I straightened my back, refusing to let fear stop me. “ It’s not about Kyrell. It’s about doing what’s right.”

“ What’s right?” Kaden repeated, his voice rising.

“ What’s right is you staying alive. What’s right is not giving Hezron the satisfaction of trapping you like he did with all the others.”

He was inches from me now, his body rigid with tension, his hands balled into fists at his sides. His energy was overwhelming, swirling with heat and anger. But my own anger flared to life, matching his intensity. He didn’t understand. How could he? He wasn’t the one who had been trapped in Dravonia. He hadn’t seen the fear in Claire’s eyes or felt the desperation of the people there.

  “ You don’t get it, do you?” I said, my voice shaking with emotion. “ You weren’t there. You didn’t see what I saw. You weren’t locked in that cursed place, Kaden. I was. I was.”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. His silence only fueled the fire in me.

“ You don’t know what it’s like,” I continued, my voice growing louder, “ to be at the mercy of Kyrell and his people. To be powerless. To watch innocent people suffer while you can do nothing. Claire... Claire is just a girl. She doesn’t deserve this. None of them do. I can’t just stand by and do nothing while they rot behind that barrier.”

Kaden took a step back, his expression darkening even more. “ You think I don’t know what it’s like to feel powerless? To watch people suffer? Do you think I don’t carry the weight of every life that’s been lost of my own people, of this curse? I’ve lived with that burden for years, Meara. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you sacrifice yourself.”