Bubbles

Chapter 34

Kula was expecting to go completely mindless. To lose control. What she was not expecting was how good it felt. It was like she was suddenly dipped in warmth. The world had a golden tint. She smiled a little. It was beautiful. Why had she been so scared?

She barely even noticed herself moving forward. She was lost in the warm, happy numbness. It was like she was floating away from her body. As the dragon reached his claw towards her – she felt like that should bother her, but it really didn't – she glanced towards the cage with her friends. She smiled at them – and froze.

Nalia was crying into Brendan's arms, letting his shirt muffle her screams. He, too, was crying softly. Why were they crying? Right, because she was going to die. Why did that bother them? Why didn't it bother her?

She felt a hard bolt of pain directly in her heart. She looked up, but the dragon was still smiling down at her. Prolonging this. Enjoying this. That didn't quite sit right with her. Neither did the sound of Nalia's sobs.

But if Skajager didn't attack her, then what was that pain? She didn't like it, but something inside her told her to listen to it. She forced herself to look at Brendan and Nalia. Brendan seemed to be trying to engage the dragon, asking it questions. She loved him for that. He was protecting her. But... she wasn't worried. Why wasn't she worried? Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.

She dragged her eyes towards Nalia. Her heart almost broke (But her heart couldn't break? She was happy!). Nalia had collapsed to the floor, screaming out tears. The brave, beautiful girl Kula loved was so desperately sad. Kula wished she could go out to her, wished she could save her, but she couldn't. And that drove her crazy, because she loved her. And she loved Brendan, too.

She felt a tingle in her fingertips, but she ignored it. Brendan and Skajager were still talking. She was alive, for now. She needed to sort out what was wrong.

The warmth intensified slightly – not uncomfortably so, just... thicker, in a way. Like fabric instead of honey. Something slipped across her skin, warm and soft and light. She looked at Nalia, heart hurting. She loved her so, so much. Why was she crying? Death wouldn't be so bad. Kula was just going to be killed by Skajager. No harm in that. Skajager was powerful, good, all-knowing-

The golden tint abruptly disappeared. She blinked at the stark blue-grey of the world around her before realizing that she was in control of herself again. What happened?

She looked to Nalia, eyes on the floor, still crying her heart out. She hadn't noticed anything. But Brendan had. His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. He seemed to glance at her from her feet to her head, confusion etched into his face. What was wrong with her? Kula glanced down. She was surrounded by a golden, transparent suit, almost like a second skin over her clothes. It didn't feel like anything, and it didn't press her clothing to her body. Instead, it seemed to outline her form. What was it?

It took Kula a moment to get it. She silently thanked Nalia, Brendan, and her not-human half.

The bubbles had surrounded her, blocking out the magic. Her love for Brendan and Nalia had caused the bubbles to appear and spread across her body. She glowed slightly now, even though she couldn't see it unless she looked at herself. She was alive. The dragon no longer had control over her. She could've sobbed in relief, but she didn't have time. Her friends were in a cage. The dragon was still VERY capable of killing her, because while the skin protected her from magic, it did nothing against claws. Maybe if she could get something around Skajager's claws, it'd help... but she couldn't. She didn't have the energy.

Think, she commanded herself. What would Nalia do? What about Brendan? Attack the dragon from behind while him was distracted, of course. Brendan was doing an excellent job of keeping him busy. She had to draw her blades and attack. She wasn't any good at fighting, but she had to try. She had to, because she needed to succeed and to succeed she needed to become her friends. The thought bothered her a little.

When was the last time she considered what Kula would do? She focused on that. Kula wasn't a warrior. She was a protector. She would have to sneak around the dragon through the bushes and free her friends. Be careful. She allowed herself a little smile. She wasn't Nalia. Wasn't Brendan. But maybe, right now, Kula could be enough.

She began to back up, discovering with delight that she could move. She crept into the safety of the trees. Slowly, Kula walked behind the cave and considered. She wasn't going to get all the way to the lever, pull the lever, and run back without Skajager catching her, so she decided that trying to avoid detection was pointless and stupid. Instead, she would aim for speed. She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and charged.

If she died then, Kula would have died happy. The look of confusion, shock, and slight admiration on Skajager's reptilian face was absolutely priceless. It was the non-verbal equivalent of 'wait- what- how on Earth' and she loved it. She ran to the lever and pulled it with all her might. It was a little easier to pull than she anticipated, and she almost smacked herself in the face as it went up, but it was open. Nalia looked up, and her eyes lit up.

"Kula?" She breathed. "What happened? Are you okay? How did you escape?"

"You did it, Lia," Kula said. "You, too, Brendan." She hugged Nalia fiercely. "Don't cry. I'm a lot more resilient than I look."

Nalia laughed. "I have no doubt." She kissed her.

Brendan coughed. "Um, guys? I love mushy romantic stuff as much as the next guy..."

"No, you don't" quipped Nalia.

"...but there's a pretty big dragon that could kill us with one touch, and he might not be able to possess Kula, but he can certainly possess both of us. Can we... ya know, get out of hearing range?"

"That," Kula declared, "sounds like a fantastic idea."

Skajager cleared his throat. "You all know I can still hear you?"

Kula opened her mouth, but Brendan and Nalia were way ahead of her, clamping their hands over their ears and running. Kula followed, panting and wheezing a little. Running was not her thing.