Sasha woke up, her head pounded. Everything was blurry. She didn’t know where she was, and by the faint sound in the room, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know either.

“Please let there be some water”, she grunted and sat up.

It was still dark in the room, no light was coming in. The room was now dead silent and she searched for her knife. It must be here somewhere close.

“Sasha!”

A voice, belonging to overly joyful Ivy, broke the silence and Sasha let her head fall back to the pillow again. Of course, she should have known, her all-knowing, superb sister who had touch nothing but water. She had Isaak dragging her all the way to the horse, then riding all night to get away from the king's guards.

“Now I remember. We went back home. Please say Isaak isn’t here as well.”

“I’m going”, Isaak said, “going to make you two some really nice breakfast. A big bottle of water, freshly boiled eggs?”

Sasha sighed.

“Before you pull up the curtains sister, could you please help me out here?”

“I really shouldn’t heal you. You deserve the pain.”

“Yeah, and you really shouldn’t have shagged Isaak when we shared room”, Sasha countered. “Besides, I hate you.”

“Ok”, Ivy said, actually blushing. “Guess I owe it to you.”

The hand on her forehead was slender and hot. Ivy poured mana on her, and it soothed Sasha. She shouldn’t have gotten that drunk. She blamed it on Denise.

“Have you told Isaak?” Ivy asked.

Isaak was not popular as it was, but this last move probably put him in the center of the spotlight. She preferred when he kept low-key. Some well-chosen words from Ivy would do it.

“About his favorite princesses?”

“Yeah.”

Ivy sighed. She went to the window and pulled up the curtains. The sunlight flowed into the room, making the dust dance in the air like butterflies. Ivy had a robe carelessly hanging around her, covering less than it showed.

“We ought to tell him. He is going for royal.”

“Please Sasha”, Ivy turned around, her blue eyes pleading, “just not yet. He will bailout. It was tuff enough to tell him Ella wasn’t killed. I had some explaining to do, to smoothen that one out.”

“I think you take him for less than he is. He will not bail.” Sasha told her, but she nodded. What was between her sister and Isaak was none of her business. And besides, Ella was close, and keeping that from Isaak had never sat right with her. “I got the impression Isaak knows Elias better than he shows off. Know anything about that?”

Ivy tapped her finger at the bedpost.

“He let him live. I guess that counts for something.”

“Killing the prince wouldn’t be a smart move”, Sasha snorted. “Isaak isn’t stupid.”

“Are you sure?” Ivy countered. “Well, I guess we can ask him.”

Sasha laughed. Ivy smiled at her and then she started to laugh as well. They had known Isaak since they were children. Some could say no one knew him as good as the witch sisters.

“I think a truth spell will do better.”

“Too bad that devil took my magic away”, Sasha sighed. “Can you do something about it?”

“Already tried”, Ivy confessed. “Elias has locked it somehow. I’m taken a shot in the dark here and say that you got some dark magic from the queen as well as you laid passed out.”

“That’s what’s locking it then,” Sasha muttered some oats. “That bastard attacked a passed-out woman.”

“Later”, Ivy said and nodded towards the hallway.

“Breakfast girls”, Isaak entered the room. He placed a full tray of bread, fruit, and juice on the bed. It was the same worn-out tray that her mother had served their breakfast at all their birthdays for as far as Sasha could remember. She felt a pang in her heart, nostalgia making her eyes wet.

“I´m sorry Isaak”, Sasha said. “I could not risk talking about Ella.”

“I would have done the same kitten in your circumstances. But have some trust in me next time, will you?” he said and ruffled her head.

Denise came in just after Isaak. She rushed forward and then ended up in a comfortable pile just beside Ivy in the bed. They were now four of them in Sasha´s bed.

“You don’t want anything to eat?” Ivy asked Denise.

“We dragons don’t need to eat that often.”

“I would have brought you food had you just had the grace to wait”, Sasha said. Denise had spoiled the fun. “How come I never saw you the first time I entered the world of the dragons?”

“I am older than the queen. I don’t have to follow her orders.” Denise moved up from Ivy's side. She closed in on Sasha, putting her head against her arm, almost as if she was petting Sasha, striking her head back and forth, softly pushing at her. “That said, I care for you just as much as the queen. Which is why..”

“Why did you kill him?”

“Why? I know what is hindering you from utilizing all your power”, the dragon snorted. “You got something belonging to a misses Evelina. Someone you happen to know?”

Sasha shuddered. Involuntary she moved backward, shock in her eyes. She looked carefully at the dragon, trying to read something out of her without success. She looked at Ivy for support, but she just shook her head.

“I could cut her tongue off”, Isaak offered.

“What about Evelina?” Sasha whispered ignoring Isaak. The damn dragon didn’t answer her question, but she couldn’t help, she still swallowed her bait.

“The queen took something from her years ago. You got that power inside of you now, and I think I know how to give it back. So you could start brewing some real nice potions.”

Denise turned around, her tongue vibrating in the air, a low sizzling sound, the slit of her eyes focused on Isaak.

Sasha nodded. She hadn’t seen Evelina in months, but if there was any chance that she could give something back to her, she would do anything to do that. Finally, she could pay her a visit with something else than guilt buried in her chest.

“The king and the book will have to wait. Tell me how to help Evelina. I actually might forget you for spoiling my fun with Aiden.”

The dragon tilted her head, snatching a grape from her hand.

“I will show. Ivy and Isaak have to stay here until we come back.”

“I will not let you two leave without me”, Isaak interrupted.

Denise moved her head towards Isaak. The tongue circled in the air.

“Dearest, I will say I never asked.”

To Isaak's defense, you had to take into account he had never before fought a thousand of years old dragon. Denise cut the process short with him. His sword never left his side before she had squeezed him until he fainted. Sasha took note. She was going to flee, certainly not fight the dragon.

At the moment she needed the dragon though. They were leaving her mother and sister behind to soothe Isaak’s bruised ego. When the forest became denser Sasha knew they were soon breaking through. The cornfields behind the spruce would be harvest by now, and if she would have stayed with her mother she would have helped out in the village. Back bent over the golden corns, wandering day long in the fields on the border between the city and the bewitched forest. She always looked out for picking some fleabane as well.

“So, we are running from the city just to return”, Sasha mused. “Why did you decided to make our company?”

Denise circled around Sasha, finally deciding to sit on her shoulder, a pink butterfly in the size of a falcon. Deadlier than anything Sasha had ever met before.

“We have not had a worthy queen for some while. I will ensure that you live, and that you stay worthy”, Denise said. “Tell me, Evelina, are you old friends?”

“We were as one, made a lot of pranks in our teenage.”

“What happened?”

“She laid down the sword and started as an apprentice at a bakery.” Sasha hurried forward, not wanting to slow down the speed. If she allowed herself to dwell in memories, she would bailout. “I perfected the sword mastery in her absence. Had the best teacher there are.”

“Isaak?”

“Good guess.”

The forest ended just there and Sasha looked out from the last of the spruce, and there, just in front of her, she saw the fleabane. The farmers harvest the corn, but they forgot the best of it. Sasha bent and picked some of the white flowers. Denise left her shoulder, circling in the air in front of Sasha.

“Picking flowers?” the dragon looked at Sasha, intrigued when she opened a purse and stuffed the plants inside.

“Never knows when you have to get rid of a scumbag.”

“Put some of that in the pub and Esmeralda would be out of business”, Denise said.

“Well, as it happens I help her out once in a while. Mixing some of this with the stalk of roses usually does the trick.”

The dragon landed on her shoulder again. Her claws gently pierced through the fabric.

“Watch out, your hands will get dirty.”

“Never claimed to be an angel”, Sasha said and wielded her knife close to her chin aiming for Denise’s feathers.

The dragon swirled away, her wings fluttering like a hummingbird, her breath pouring fire.

“So the baby has courage. I prefer to break the strong.”

Denise laughed. Sasha squared her shoulders and stared at her.

“Don’t try to push me. I may look small, but I have endurance. I never forget.”

“No. You don’t”, Denise said, “which is why we will visit Evelina.”