Page 52 of The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary

His arm trembled, and then shook but it didn’t move. It was outstretched, holding the bottle Virginia had given him. The poison. He was trying to release it, Portia realised. His teeth were gritted and his jaw locked with effort. But he couldn’t. The spell would not allow it.

He was fighting it as hard as he could, but he was losing that fight.

Her heart ached at the thought.

Noah was trapped, ensnared by magic.

She reached out silently, laying her hand on his arm and he recoiled as if burnt. ‘Portia! What are you doing here?’ he gasped, the strain in his voice making him hoarse. Jade trilled softly, jumping to his shoulder and trying desperately to comfort him.

‘Let me see,’ she murmured.

The anger in her had melted away. She pressed her fingers harder against his jacket. His arm was like a steel bar beneath it.

‘I can’t… Portia… Get Jade away from me. I could hurt her. Please…’

‘I know. I heard. And you would never hurt Jade. She knows it too, look at her. Just let me work. I can fix this.’

And she could. She knew how to do this kind of thing in the same way she knew how to breathe. Too many years of Seb accidentally bespelling people, or August losing his temper, or even her own mistakes.

The spell was a nasty one. It clung to him like spiderwebs but she let herself breathe her way through it, peeling it back. Not Virginia’s own magic. As far as Portia knew she wasn’t capable of a spell like this. Her abilities had barely got her into the Academy in the first place, her father’s money doing all the heavy lifting. But a lot of people would do anything for money.

Noah was a case in point.

‘I’m sorry,’ he told her in a rush. ‘I don’t have an excuse. I didn’t know what I was getting into until now. I just thought she wanted to know about Iris and there wasn’t anything to tell her anyway. Not until… not…’

He hadn’t said a word about the elixir, Portia thought as she worked. Nor about what had happened with the magic of the island. All right, perhaps he didn’t believe in that anyway, but he still could have used it to placate Virginia.

He hadn’t given them away. As far as she could tell he hadn’t let anything of the secrets of the Teacup Dragon Sanctuary slip at all.

The last thread of magic binding him snapped, and his hand spasmed, fingers flying open so the bottle dropped. Threads like ragged gossamer still clung to him but it was enough. He was free again. The rest would soon fade.

Portia picked up the bottle. It was Dewsalt, a nasty poison indeed. Not one easily available. Hard to detect, especially in small doses. It would only take the smallest drop to incapacitate a teacup dragon. And only a little more to kill one.

‘I wouldn’t have done it,’ Noah blurted out. His eyes glittered like broken glass as he hugged Jade so very gently. ‘I swear to you. I would have found a way to stop myself. I promise.’

The truth spell had gone as well but that didn’t matter. She believed every word he said. Noah looked ready to break down. Portia slipped the vial into her pocket. She would have to dispose of it later, somewhere safe to do so. If she took it back to the Academy they may even be able to tell who had crafted it. It was evidence.

Then she took both of his hands in hers. Jade nuzzled his ear, rubbed herself against his jaw, cooing so softly at him, as upset as he was. He was trembling wildly, still trying to catch his breath. She didn’t blame him. This was such a violation, tantamount to assault. She was going to make sure Virginia paid for it.

‘It’s all right,’ she told him and was surprised to realise that she meant it. ‘I heard everything, Noah. We both did.’

He looked down at her, the shame in his eyes painful to behold. ‘Everything?’

Portia tried to smile but the heartache wouldn’t let her. ‘Yes. But I also heard you refuse to help her. And I heard all the things you didn’t tell her too. Take a deep breath and let it go, Noah. It’s over. We can go to the authorities.’

‘I would never have – the dragons, Portia, you have to know⁠—’

‘I know.’ She let go of his hands. He was going to be all right and that was all that mattered. Whatever had been building between them had been based on lies, but then it had never been going anywhere anyway.

Portia dragged in a shaky breath and felt her anger erupt inside her.

She turned for the door, ready to track the wretched woman down and expose her. Hang the authorities. She’d denounce her here and now, in front of everyone she valued. Let the world know the kind of monster she was. Jade took off, flying around her, as incensed as Portia.

Noah came after her. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m going to find Virginia Moorland and put an end to this. Right away. Everyone needs to know what she’s done to you, and what she tried to do to the dragons. I’m going to expose her in front of everyone here.’

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