Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Elora’s POV It took us around twenty minutes to find the fabric warehouse. As soon as I stepped in, I found children from the ages of five all the way to teens. They were all underweight, not clothed for the weather but yet had managed to make beds out of leftover cuts of fabric. They showed the resourcefulness you needed to be able to survive in this city, the same street smarts I was forced to endure growing up here. You made do with what you had or could make yourself. It hit home a little with me. Silas however looked shocked, like he never really paid attention to what the people of this city were suffering. As soon as he stepped into the warehouse behind me, they all took off running for their lives.

“Wait, wait please don’t run. He won’t hurt you,” I started calling out, but they still hid. A couple of the teens grabbed the smaller kids and took off, all except one which as I approached was only about three and definitely the youngest. I picked her up and placed her on my hip. She was freezing cold even with the makeshift blanket wrapped around her and had a terrible cough.

“Please don’t let him eat my sister,” a little boy with the same dark hair as the girl, called out rushing into the warehouse. The little girl held her arms out for him, scared of us so I passed her to him.

He went to run off when I grabbed his arm, making him stop. “We want to help,” I tell him. The boy looked toward Silas.

“We don’t need any help, especially from the Dragon King,” he said. I will give him one thing: he was brave to say those words in front of him. Silas wasn’t a forgiving person, but I was shocked by his reaction, he turned around and walked out. Leaving me here with them.

“Silas,” I yelled to him, but he ignored me and kept walking. Should I chase after him? I didn’t know what to do. He just left me here. The kids started coming out once he was gone and I could feel Silas anger through the bond. I waited but after half an hour he hadn’t returned. I tried to do what I could to help make them a little more comfortable.

“You’re the Fae?” One girl walked up to me and said. She had black curly hair and pale skin, around the age of twelve. I nodded not really knowing what to say.

“So, you can save us?” she said, making me confused.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I tell her, and she looks confused.

“You have magic?” she asks.

“Yes, but I don’t know how to use it yet” she nods in understanding.

“So, you’re going to rid the Kingdom of the Dragon Kings?” she asks, her words shocking me.

“No, they are my mates,”

“So, you’re one of them?” she asks, stepping away from me.

“No, I just want to help,” I tell her, reaching my hand out to her wondering what stories they had been told. I knew humans had their own stories and legends, but did they really think I was granted magic to kill the dragon kings?

A group of kids were trying to light a fire with a flint. Walking over I could tell they were wary of me but they didn’t run off.

“Let me try,” I tell them, and a boy hands me the flint. I get it to light the kindle, but it goes out almost instantly. I try again when suddenly all the kids take off running, making me look up and I see Dragus, Matitus and Silas as well as Marian come in. All of them carrying boxes and bags. Matitus walks over and blows, and I can instantly feel the temperature change, the logs catching alight. I turn and see Silas do the same with a barrel and Dragus to an old fire pit the kids had rustled up.

Marian rushes over to me with five big black bags. Placing them at my feet before turning and looking at all the petrified kids and screaming out to them.

She places her fingers in mouth whistling loudly, so loud I had to place my hands over my ears with my heightened hearing. Matitus rubbing his ear too.

“Right, all of you listen up. They mean no harm. They wanted to help but seeing as you won’t come to the castle, we brought some things to you” Suddenly I saw the cooks walking in with the cleaning trolleys and could smell hot soup and they had loaves of bread and plastic bowls. The kids all looking out from their hiding places hungrily.

“We brought food, blankets, and clothes. Now don’t be afraid come over and stop being stupid if they wanted to kill you, they would have already” Marian yells. The kids were all staring at her. Once the first one comes forward and the others see he lived, the rest slowly make their way over to us.

The Dragon kings coming over to me and staying away not wanting to scare them. The little girl I held earlier walked over shyly, looking up at them. I know just the look of them was intimidating, but I could see her curiosity and she reminded me a lot of her brother with her bravery. He walked over to her, placing a beanie on her head from one of the bags Marian had.

Silas walks over grabbing the bag. The little girl only had an oversized jumper on and dirty socks. Silas rummaged through the bag before pulling out a onesie that was a little two big but would fit her, if I rolled the sleeves and some socks and mittens.

“Where did you get this stuff?” I asked curious.

“I flew to the next city over, Lycan territory” he said, handing me the stuff for her. I pull the jumper off her revealing dirty singlet and knickers. Helping her into the onesie she then sat down and Matitus put her socks on. Her brother was eyeing him and so did she, as she looked up at him. Her dark ringlets falling in her eyes. Matitus smiled at her and she smiled back. The cook brought a bowl of soup over for her and I placed her next to her brother closer to the fire pit so she would stay warm while he helped her hold her spoon.

“What are we going to do with them?” I ask Silas.

“They are too scared to come back with us, but I will speak to some people and see if we can fix a place up for them, get some people to look over them and organise food and clothing to be dropped off.

“They need medicine,” I tell him, and he nods, “I will see what I can get from somewhere, I doubt they would accept our blood even if we offered it to them” he tells me. I nod in agreement, these kids were petrified of them and wanted nothing to do with them.

“I know a pharmacist who can make medicine, he just needs herbs,” I tell him, and Silas looks over at me furrowing his eyebrows. Dragus doing the same. Once the kids were settled Marian told them people would be back tomorrow to bring more food, the cooks left a few drums of water and loaves of bread until someone could come in the morning.

Walking out of the warehouse, I detoured going in the opposite direction of the castle. “Where are you going Lora?” Matitus asked.

“To see if Victor survived the winter so far”

“Victor, who’s victor?”

“Someone that can help them,” I tell them, walking toward the old derelict store. The shudders were down as it was getting late in the afternoon. I bang on the shutters.

“Closed for the night” I hear Victor’s voice sing out from inside.

“Victor it’s me, Elora”

“Elora?” he says, and I see him open the peephole on the roller shutter. He then rolls it up.

“How is your grandmother dear?” he says, opening the door, before freezing and stepping back about to close the door.

“Victor they won’t hurt you, I just need your help” Victor opens the door allowing me to enter but steps further into the shop warily and I could hear his heart rate increase.

“How’s your grandmother dear,” he says but I could hear the shakiness in his voice at three dragons being in his store.

“She died Vick,” Victor stumbled back, and I grabbed his arm to steady him before he sat down behind the register.

“I always loved her, you know, such a lovely lady. Did the medicine not help?” he asked and I shook my head.

“No, she killed herself,” I tell him, swallowing down the lump that formed in my throat. He nodded in understanding suicide wasn’t a big deal here, a lot of people saw it as an out even though that’s not why grandma did it.

Victor runs his hands through his greying hair. “So, what do you need?”

“Medicine, cough medicine, antibiotics.” Victor shakes his head.

“I have none. I have been cleaned out and haven’t had the funds to buy more from underground or find any herbs. Everything is frozen”

I take off my mother’s necklace and hand it to him.