The Time Tournament (Order of the Dragon #1)

CHAPTER 5

Elena

Time unknown

I woke up with a splitting headache, like someone had hammered a whole house into my head. Even with my eyes closed, the light was too bright. Did my parents forget to close the blinds in our hotel room again? I couldn’t wait to complain to them at breakfast. But when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a closet-sized bedroom. What had happened? Wait, I assumed everything that happened yesterday was a dream.

I rushed to the window. I was still in the forest. Crap. That meant the lady-I’d-like-to-never-meet-again, aka my kidnapper, was real. She said she was a witch, but a few candle tricks and a tamed raven didn’t prove anything. Though that tornado was no joke. Kansas had nothing on that one. Did tornadoes even happen in Europe? They had to, right? Otherwise, I’d have to believe in the supernatural, and I didn’t have the mental bandwidth for that.

She talked about my sister as if she knew her. And let’s be honest, who really knew her––or me for that matter? We only had Mom, Dad, and a few people who cared about us. Dad’s relatives were long dead, and Mom’s family wouldn’t care less unless she won the lottery. Maybe the kidnapper intended to blackmail my parents. But how much could they get from a car salesman and a kindergarten teacher? We were one wrong step away from bankruptcy. And it already seemed like too much effort for the cloaked kidnapper to bring me here. And that raven appearing on command. Wait. It had to do something with the pendant. Duh. But then why didn’t she kill me once she stole it? What use was I to her?

One thing I knew: I didn’t plan on sticking around to find out. I tried to pry open the tiny window, but it wouldn’t budge. There was no way I could break the glass cleanly. I’d hurt myself and broadcast my escape to the kidnapper and all the predators nearby. I had to risk it and try getting out through the front door. I cracked open the door a smidge to see if she was there, but the place looked deserted. Now was my time to run. I sprinted to the door without bothering to close it behind me and continued my escape the same way I got into this mess. Except I met my first obstacle: I had to crawl through the thorny hole of doom. Forcing my brain not to think of all the other meanings that phrase might imply, I looked around for other escape routes.

The woods surrounding the dreadful cabin looked just as uninviting. The wild animals probably smelled my fear miles away. I ran to the back of the cabin where, surprisingly, I found a path. The biggest risk would be running into the kidnapping witch face-to-face, but I was prepared to take my chances. The winding path never seemed to end. Several times I had to stop to catch my breath as my lungs burned with exhaustion. I vowed to start marathon training as soon as I got back home to avoid this predicament. If I made it back. The thought pushed me harder. All paths lead somewhere. Between the trees, I saw the open sky and ran toward it. Well, all paths did lead somewhere––except this one. I arrived at a cliff with the most terrifyingly beautiful scenery. A sea of green spread across the mountain valley, contrasting with the splashes of warm colors the sunset had painted on its blue canvas. As much as I enjoyed the view, my only move was to get to the other side of the mountain.

But how? Grab onto two birds and take flight? Was this a new show called “How Will She Die?” From deadly predators, deadly witches, or jumping off a cliff with no parachute. So many choices, and so little time to choose. Fine. Somehow the weird witchy lady hadn’t killed me yet, though she did drug me. But I’d take “Has Yet to Kill Me” over “Will Kill You the Moment You Meet” any day.

By the time I made up my mind, night had settled. And then I saw it. The comet with the long tail, just like on the pendant. This had to be Halley’s comet. So the years in the Glinting Book were actually tied to the comet. Every time I read about it online, I just couldn’t believe the two were connected. And somehow, the pendant was involved too. Magic. It had to be magic. The witch wasn’t lying. Why did I have to find out magic was real while stranded on a cliff with no escape? Wait. Did that mean I wasn’t in my own time anymore? Only the witch could answer that. Fine. I’ll go back.

I trudged back reluctantly, like doing the walk of shame. Was I returning to my kidnapper? Or the witch who had all the answers? Either way, it felt like giving up. For so many years, I wanted answers. But now that the sketch was becoming a clear picture, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. I definitely hadn’t signed up for this.

I walked through the still-open door of the cabin and sighed in relief. The witch hadn’t returned yet. But my relief caught in my throat when I came face to face as the kidnapper-turned-friendly witch walked out of the bedroom. With her arms crossed, she snickered and said, “Is your teenage rebellion phase over? Can we get to the serious stuff now?”

“Yes,” I said. “But first, I need to ask—did you kidnap me?”

After an agonizingly long fit of laughter, she wiped a fake tear and said, “You’re one of those cases where the kidnapper would return you to your parents and pay them a ransom for their trouble. ”

“Hey! That’s rude.”

“Trust me, I’m doing you a favor. The sooner you realize this is truly happening, the sooner we can get to preparing you.” She began pouring water into a kettle.

“Prepare me for what?”

She hung the kettle above the already burning fire. “For your quest, of course,” she said, as if I should’ve known that yesterday.

“Could you be more specific?”

“Sit.” She gave me a no-nonsense look.

“Fine.” I did as she said but didn’t hide how much I hated it.

“You can sulk all you want. It’s not me you should be mad at. I’m just a messenger of time. You should be grateful I’m still able to help. Without me, you’d be stuck in this loop forever. Though you’ve failed until now, there’s still a chance.”

“Oh, please, tell me more about all my failures I had no idea existed. It’s riveting.”

“What was that tongue-knotting spell again?” she said, scratching her head.

“Okay, okay. I’ll shut up. Just tell me everything.”

The witch placed two cups on the table and sat across from me just like yesterday.

I glanced at the deep green color of the hot drink in front of me and raised an eyebrow. “Are you planning to drug me today as well?” I raised the cup to my nose and sniffed it. It smelled minty.

She smiled softly. “Yesterday was a necessary measure. Every time you found out about your quest on the first day, it ended tragically. I’ve used the tea several times now, and as you can see, you’re finally ready to listen.”

“Are you saying every time I’ve been here, I died?”

She nodded.

“No fucking way.”

“Language, young lady.” She wagged her finger in warning. “But it’s true. One time, you didn’t even make it to the cabin. Some animal just clawed its way through you when you passed the nymphs’ meadow.”

“What the f––”

Her glare silenced me immediately.

“So you’re saying I’m in a continuous time loop and I’ll be trapped here until I do something about it?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Wait, so the tornado thingy was time travel? And the Glinting Book is connected to Halley’s Comet? There was no way I would’ve had the chance to understand it during my time.” Suddenly, my thoughts overtook me, and I fell silent. Once I pulled myself together, I glanced at the witch and prepared to ask a question.

“We’re in 1378,” she said.

I opened my mouth for the next question.

“My name is Melisandriah, and I’m an elemental witch. Yes, one of a kind. All my kin were decimated in the war.”

With my mouth still open, I raised my finger for the following one.

“Yes and no. Yes, you can help avoid all the bloodshed in the future. No, I don’t know how. My quest is to act as a messenger and serve as a ‘bridge’ in your future quest. Yes, the raven has started the loop again. And there are many of us throughout history who want you to succeed. No, your grandma didn’t know anything about it. Yes, I can make time-traveling spells but only for a short amount of time. No, I can’t send you back to your parents. Yes, you need to stay with me for a while. No, I don’t know for how long. Yes, time travel does intersect with human history. No, it can’t change it as humans love to seal their fate early on and die from their own choices. At least, most of them. Yes, this parallel side of history has to do with magic. And this side of history can be changed. Hence, you are sitting in front of me looking like a wet owl, ready to ask me another question.”

It seemed like this woman cracked open my skull and sucked out all my questions at once.

“Last––”

“Your quest is to stay alive. That’s it. Is there another one hiding in that human brain of yours?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me before I even ask.”

She chuckled. “Hey, I need to entertain myself somehow.”

“I’m glad you find this experience amusing because I sure don’t.” My head buzzed from too much information. “I need some time to process all this. It’s overwhelming. My last, last question though: How will I know if I ended the time loop? ”

“Hmm? You’ve never asked this one before.” Melisandriah cupped her chin. “I assume the Fates will let us know. Obviously, something major has to happen for the loop to break, whether it’s guided by fate or by you.”

“So how will I know the difference?”

“It depends on your choices. Up until now, you’ve taken the same worn-out path and failed every time. To break the loop, your choices have to surprise even you. If you stick to what’s comfortable, fate will take over.” She sipped the last drop of tea and placed the cup on the table. “For now, though, you should take a bath. Or did you think the entire cauldron of boiling water was for tea?”

“Why do I need a bath?”

“After yesterday’s antics in the vines and the leisurely run you had this evening, it’s only to be expected. Stinky humans are prohibited in this house.”

“Who are you calling a stinky human?”

“You, young lady,” she said, throwing me a cloth resembling a towel and a long beige gown. “Now take off those rags.”

“Excuse me, the T-shirt and distressed jean shorts are the defining outfit of my era.” I crossed my arms.

“Maybe, but in my era, you’re naked. So take them off, get into the bath, and put on some decent clothes before someone assumes you’re a harlot.”

“Who’s gonna assume? The wandering raccoon, appalled by my unladylike manners? Or the brown bear, who will appreciate the little effort he’ll need to maul through my body? Apparently, it happened before since we’re in the middle of the fucking forest.”

“What a bad mouth you have.” She tsked. “We might need to wash that as well.” She poured the last bucket of hot water into a wide wooden barrel. “Get inside.”

“Um, no, thank you. That’s scalding water, and I don’t want to become soup anytime soon. We’re still in July, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I’m sure the bear will appreciate it even more.” She smiled, but it made my skin crawl. I never knew when she was joking. “By the time you take those off,” she said, pointing at my clothes with disgust, “the water will cool off.”

Before I could think of something snarky to say, she lit up the entire room with the snap of her fingers. “Fine,” I said. Considering her powers, she might turn all those candles into a wax-wielding army and punish me for badmouthing.

“What about the cloth around your neck?” She pointed at the choker. “Are you ready to take it off?” An unusual question, especially coming from her.

I shook my head.

“That’s fine,” she said.

My eyes widened. She knew. Did she know? Why else would she be so nice about it? What the hell did I tell her before?

“How long are you going to stall? Get in already.” And there was the annoying witch again.

At least she had the decency to turn around while I got into the bath buck naked. And she wasn’t lying, the water was just right. “This feels like something I really needed but didn’t know it.”

“Make sure to wash that scraggly hair of yours and braid it into two Dutch braids.”

“Why do you always have to ruin the moment? And why two braids? You want me to keep up with current raccoon fashion trends?”

“It’s never too late to start lathering your mouth, young lady.”

I submerged half my face and pretended to be a tight-lipped island.

During the long soak in the barrel bathtub, the knots in my back relaxed, and most of the soreness left my body. Melisandriah tied some lavender, rosemary, and chamomile in a bunch and placed it in the bathtub, fooling my brain into believing this was a rustic spa.

Afterward, I didn’t have any fight left in me. Luckily, Melisandriah was too busy sorting some dried weeds to complain and just sent me to sleep. I left the door to the bedroom open so I could keep an eye on Melisandriah. Her presence made me feel somewhat safer. I closed my eyes, eager to finally rest, but a few unruly tears decided to soak up the pillow. “Am I ever going to see my parents and sister again?” I whispered to myself as I quickly wiped them away.

But Melisandriah heard me. “If it makes you feel better, present time goes by much slower than the past. So your parents will realize you’re missing much later. Still, the sooner you accept it, the easier it will be to bear. ”

“Why me? Why was I chosen?” I clutched the blanket until my knuckles turned white.

“After so many fails, I’m not sure either. But the choice isn’t for you or me to make.”