Eva's Letter Home

Dearest Mother,
I wish I were writing under better circumstances, but I want you to know that Caelith and I are safe. The task we were given for our graduation is far more dangerous than any we’ve heard of before. We are to retrieve a Dragon’s Heart from Zorythis' lair in the Stormcradle Mountains. Yes, a dragon’s lair. The orb is said to be a powerful source of magic, and the court claims it will be used to bolster the kingdom’s wards. Maybe that’s true. Maybe they just want to see if we survive.
 
Don’t worry, though. We already knew we were going to have to face the dragon. Orren has been saying for months that the dragon’s lair might be the best place to learn more about how to free Lyrielle. Out of all the places we could go, it was the easiest to find. It almost feels like fate, as if we were meant to do this. Caelith is excited—nervous too, but excited. He thinks that if we can talk to the dragon, we might learn more about the fairies or even their language. He’s been trying to learn the old draconic tongue—maybe Zorythis will teach him something, if we’re lucky.
 
But that’s not the worst of it. While we were in Emberbrook, we received a letter from Headmaster Solmere. The King is dead. The Queen—the Duskbane Queen—has taken over. And she’s sent soldiers to Oathwatch. They’re calling it a protective measure, but they’ve taken Professors Thornblade and Vexmere away. The martial professors. The ones who could have organized a resistance. No one is allowed to leave the school.
 
The others are furious. Caelith wants to chase down the soldiers and find the professors himself. Orren keeps muttering about burning the capital to the ground if they hurt any of the children. And the rest of us? We’re scared. Because everyone left someone behind.
 
I can’t imagine what those poor children are going through, trapped there with no way out. It makes me sick to think of it. Caelith is safe with me, and I am grateful for that. But our friends? I can see the fear in their eyes every time they talk about their brothers and sisters.
 
I don’t know what to do, Mother. I don’t know what any of us can do. But I thought you should know the truth—not the official story, but the real one. I need you to be ready. To be prepared. And to stay safe.
 
I love you.
Evangeline