CHAPTER ONE

ADELE’s POV.

“You can not do this!!” My mother yells as she drags my backpack which makes me halt, the floor screeching underneath me.

I turn around to look at her and tears well up in her eyes.

“This is my calling, mum” I tell her, “the boarders need more people to guard it”

“You are a woman and you have no business with the borders, Adele” Mother says and my shoulders sag. This is the same thing she has been saying since father died eight years ago and she hasn’t made my life any easier.

Being born in Drakeworth sure came with its perks as I can wield small magics and also be very good with my daggers but that’s all. Mum never allowed me out of the walls where I can get the opportunity to learn other things. I am probably the last on the list of the failures of Drakeworth and now that I have decided to take my life in my hands, she still wants to stop me.

“I am twenty and five years old and you have never allowed me outside the walls of Drakeworth, what exactly are you so scared of anyways? Everyone is volunteering to go to the borders and you..,” my voice trails off, frustration clearly written on my face.

“It seems you have forgotten that your father died outside these walls”

“It was his time to die”

“It wasn’t his time” she yells, “those dragons killed him, the very ones that you will encounter outside these walls”

“Then let me” I am no longer arguing with her, “I won’t stay inside these walls while I know there is so much more for me outside. I have to leave and maybe who knows, I will be able to learn a little magic added to what I know. I can’t be here just because you are scared that I am going to get killed mother”

“Adele…

“I have made up my mind mother”

With that I turn around to leave but she halts me again.

“If you take a step out of this house, consider me dead to you”

“You have Bryer to take care of you” Bryer is my elder sister, “so yes, let’s do that”

I storm out of the room to meet Bastian leaning against the wall, his gaze softens as soon as he sees me.

Bastain and I practically grew up together as friends, you can call him my best friend.

We both made the decision to go to the boarders together and I am glad he is already all parked up. I will hate for mother to come on out and try to talk us out of it.

“Ready?” He asks me.

“Yes” I nod, glancing at the door, “mum will be fine, she has Bryer”

“Yeah” he also glances at the door, “the others are waiting by the gate, we should hurry up”

With one last look at the house, I adjust my backpack on my back before we both make our way.

I know mum will be fine and even if I come back a year or two later, she will be find. I have never been her favorite anyways, she loved my elder sister more and I was forced to become an adult when all I wanted was to just be a child. Only dad has been the one who looked out for me and I was devastated when he died. He was so full of life, I couldn't eat for a whole week. Even the king had to come to our house and show his respect, that made me realize how important father was to the kingdom. He was always between the borders and the palace, working hard and making sure everything was fine. Even if I didn’t know exactly what he does, I knew he was very hardworking and I looked up to him. He was one of the strongest people I know and the story of him being killed by dragons never went down with me. From ancient history, Drakeswoth has been guarded by dragons, witches, beasts of the night and Odin, the god of war and everything surrounding Drakesworth and not to mention the soldiers, the ones who keep the borders of Drakeworth safe from enemy attack and infiltrations. So I am certain the dragons never killed dad, something else did and that’s what I am going to find out when I successfully get conscripted into the soldier's group.

“Here” Bastian’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts and I raise my head to meet his gaze, he is holding out a dagger to me,

“Are you giving me another dagger?” I ask him.

“That’s better than the sword trapped to your back, “you and I know you are not good with swords”

“Well, I am going to learn”

“Learn while still holding the dagger” he flashes me a smile and I collect it.

“Thank you” I say while sheathing it near my left thigh

Looking back at him, I can’t help but wonder where that young teenage boy who always hid in his mother’s shade in the market went.

This man beside me looks nothing like him, this Bastian is so tall, well built with his muscles standing out impeccably. He has a small scar under his left eye and I remember how he got that scar, it was because of me. He was always looking out for me and I really appreciate that. Now he looks like a soldier, a damn good one if you ask me and boy can he wield magic. His father was a thaumaturge and he learnt from the best.

“I am sure you will be accepted as soon as they see you” I tell him, “you look the part”

“Well, you have a bigger chance,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

His eyes travel over me and I see how his gaze softens again, he cares for me and I am aware of that.

“Well, you look badass in that leather pants and that corseted top, they will know you mean business”

I laugh despite the gnawing feeling in my stomach.

“Well, I saved up for this, you think my hair will give me away though?” I ask, worry settling on my face. I have had naturally red and curly hair since I was born and it has always been the one to give me away every single time.

“Your hair has got nothing on you” he says, “you will be just fine”

“Hmm”

I turn away from me and we continue on our way, almost near the gates. Once outside those gates, I know my life will change drastically and I am well prepared for it. I am not going to go back and let mother have her way again.

Five more people are waiting by the gates, three male and two females. I know two of them but the others, I know nothing of.

“Adele” Bastian calls out to me, “this is Carolina” he points to one of the unknown ladies, “and this is Agatha and this is Lance”

“Nice to meet you” I tell them, a small smile on my face.

“Nice to meet you too” Agatha says, she looks and sounds friendly while the other two look like they have seen hell and back.

“Are we all ready?” Bastian inquires, “if we go out of this gates, no one is turning back”

“Of course” Greta, one of the girls whom I know chips in, “I am all ready for the adventure”

I can’t help but smile at her, one of the badass sword fighters I know.

“Okay”

We all watch as Bastian walks towards the guards and hands them a pass, the one which we obtained from the security unit at the palace. They love when youths try to get themselves killed at the borders.

He speaks to them for a while and I see one of them open the gates and in no time, the seven of us file out of the gates of Drakeworth.

A gust of wind passes through my face and I fill my lungs with fresh air. Since I was born, this was the second time I am coming out of the gates of Drakesworth.

“Fuck!!” Someone says beside me and I turn my head, a dragon is staring down at us and boy, it does not look friendly.

“He’s not going to kill us right?”

“Of course not” Bastian responds, “dragons don’t kill us”

“Well? It killed high chief MacAlister” Carolina chips in and my head swerve towards her direction.

“Everyone knows your father, Adele” she shrugs but I ignore her.

“We should move” Lance advises, “we should reach the border before nightfall”

With one last look at the dragon who seems like he or she is looking at me, we start to move towards our new fates.