Dragons Rising: My Mistake Changed My Kingdom {Book One}

Chapter Five: Memory Loss

    "Oh no . . . " Humpback murmured as Gill swam away.
     "What? What's wrong?" I asked, completely oblivious to my father's excited tail splashes. Humpback turned to me with a sick look on his face. Like, really sick. Like he was about to throw up sick.
     "Father knows about our magic." My brother choked out. My gasp was faint but full of emotion. We can't let him know. If what Humpback said is right, and they'll use us . . . but why would they use a one week old dragonet? They have more use with Humpback and -
     My thoughts were stopped abruptly when Humpback put a talon on my shoulder. It was cold. Ice cold. And his grip wasn't as strong as it was yesterday. Something was wrong.
     "Humpback?" I asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"
     "Do I look okay?" He wheezed. I stared at him.
     "What's going on? What's happening?"
     "A while ago, when I was born, some animus dragon enchanted it so that if a dragon that wasn't an animus dragon found out about a secret animus having magic, said animus dragon would . . . they would die."
     "Wait, so why am I not dying?" I asked.
     "You weren't alive when it happened. It only worked for the current animus dragons. Now that animus is dead; her own spell backfired on her."
     "But you were alive."
     "I'm about to go to a better place, Orca. One where there isn't war."
     "You don't have to use baby talk on me. I may look like a dragonet, but I act anything but like a dragonet."
     "We have a week." Humpback said weakly.
     "A week?"
     "A week to find the antidote. There are two steps to healing me."
     "Tell me, brother. Tell me!" I sat eagerly at his feet, waiting for the answer that might save him. But my brother shook his head.
     "You are far too young, Orca. You can't do this on your own."
     "I'm the only one who knows that you have animus magic besides father. That means that it has to be me. Father would never leave mother. I know it. He loves you, but he's afraid of what will happen if he leaves mother unprotected. Please. Let me do it. Tell me how I can help."
     Humpback looked like he was thinking, but that was short lived. He turned to me. "You have to . . . you have to erase father's memory before he tells anyone else. Quickly."
     I stared at him, made up my mind, nodded, and dove into the ocean, swimming after father.
     By now he should be halfway to the Deep Palace. Ugh! I'll never catch up to him . . .
    By myself.
     Stopping, I plucked a small ocean sapphire poking out of the sand. I swam up to the surface where I could enchant it.
     "Enchant this sapphire to allow me to swim faster than King Gill of the SeaWings." I said breathlessly. The sapphire glowed for half a second before returning to normal. And once I throw it away, its magic will be lost forever, even if it is enchanted, picked up again, or anything like that. It will be a normal sapphire once I throw it out of my talon."
     Did it work? I thought, turning around. Well . . . there's only one way to find out. I swam after my father, tail kicking, wings aimed at a current.

     There he is. I thought with triumph a while later. The Deep Palace was in view now, and Gill's swimming was slower and slower, like he was tired from pumping it at full speed the whole time.
      Father! I flashed in Aquatic. Gill looked surprised that I knew that until he remembered that I had animus magic. He must have realized that I could speak Aquatic by now.
      Yes, Orca, my beautiful animus offspring? He asked. I shivered. That sounded so weird.
      Father, you can't tell anyone about this.
     Why not?
     Because . . . you just can't!
     I'm sorry Orca. I have to. It's my duty as king to tell my tribe wonderful news like this.
     I'm sorry, father, of what I have to do. I flashed sadly. Gill tipped his head for a moment before I pinned him harshly to the ground. Despite all this struggling, he couldn't get up.
     You're as strong as a fully grown dragon! He flashed in a panic. What did you enchant?
     I'm not going to tell you, father. And you're not going to remember. I enchanted a few things on the way here. And this stone right here . . . this will make you forget.
     I had one second to glimpse the panic in my father's eyes as I pressed the stone to his heart. It melted into him, becoming part of the SeaWing King himself. And then Gill's eyes rolled into his head. The stone was making him forget everything that mentioned me and animus magic, and Humpback and animus magic.
     Casting one last glance at him, I turned and swam back to my sick brother at the island.