WARNING: The chapter gets a little violent, but isn't very explicit. If you are extremely sensitive to these topics, please skip the large bold section within the middle of the chapter.
It was a sound that was so familiar and yet so foreign that Syl involuntarily shuddered. A little whimper came from one of the armchairs where she knew Evie was sitting.
"What was that?" came the girl's frantic voice. It was quiet, as if in the hope that the thing outside wouldn't hear her.
The word slipped out of Syl's mouth before she could think. "A mutt." As soon as she said it, however, she realized she didn't know what she had meant. Before she could contemplate the odd phenomenon any further, however, the house shuddered again, although this time it was accompanied by a deafening crack.
There was a yelp. Syl turned her wand tip in the direction of the noise and saw a disgruntled Maddie. Tears were tumbling down her cheeks and her shoulders were shaking. Mal had her arm around the little girl in an attempt to comfort her, but Maddie's fear had been temporarily replaced by confusion. "Something's dripping on me!" she whimpered, patting the top of her head.
Syl didn't have to guess to know that the creature had somehow created a crack in the roof large enough to let some of the torrents of rain into the dry interior.
"What do we do?" Jay asked. Despite the situation, his voice was calm, and Syl was reminded that, as a member of the Tourney team, he was used to acting in stress-inducing situations.
"I'll go out and try to neutralize it," Merlin said calmly. He attempted to stand, using the back of the armchair to steady himself. Before he made it to his feet, however, he collapsed back down with a thump.
Syl jumped to her feet in an attempt to help the man when a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the shadowy room. The accompanying thunder came less than a second later, the deafening noise startling everyone.
Disoriented from both the blinding light and the loud noise, Syl didn't notice that her body had moved until she was unbolting the door and trying to pull it open. Faintly she could hear someone yelling her name, but she didn't notice. Tugging on the door with all of her strength, it slid open, causing a torrent of water to spray at Syl, stinging her eyes. Wincing, the girl slipped through the opening and shut the door behind her.
The first thing that Syl noticed was that it was dark. The second was the sounds of snuffling and growling that were almost covered by the sound of raindrops splattering off of the trees and the house Syl had just exited.
Resolved, Syl tapped the door with her wand. There was a ripple of power and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small liquid-like green material spread over the door and the rest of the house. Hoping that her protection spell would protect the others while preventing them from leaving the house, Syl turned toward the location where she thought the creature was.
Raising her wand high, she flicked it. A large orb rose into the air, the green light it emitted shimmering off of the water falling around it as it illuminated the area around Syl. When the girl was finally able to see what was attacking the house, her eyes widened and a pain that seemed to originate from the back of her skull flared up.
A whimper escaped her lips, but as she stared at the things before her, she was able to ignore the dull throbbing in her head.
At that moment, Syl realized she had greatly miscalculated. There was not one creature that was attacking her and her friends, but many. Almost a half a dozen malformed creatures were lurking before her, snarling but not attacking. As if they were waiting.
The creatures looked like bears, yet at the same time, they didn't even come close to being bears. For one, they were way too large. Each creature seemed to be about the size of half a bus. They had long scars that were half-covered by their matted hair, but the long shiny skin seemed to be oozing something green and so pungent that Syl could smell it through the rain.
Their claws seemed so long they looked almost impractical. From just one glance, Syl knew that, if just one of the creatures were to swipe at her, she would be cut clean in two. Their eyes looked almost blood-shot, with angry red veins covering most of the white of their eyes. The only beautiful thing on them were their irises, which were a beautiful golden color that shimmered faintly in the green light of Sylphrenia's magical orb.
But the most vicious part of these creatures was their fangs. Nearly the size of Sylphrenia's forearm, the fangs were made of iron and seemed to have been implanted in these creature's skulls, replacing their original teeth. The tips of the fangs were too long for the creature's mouth and - if the bleeding gums were any indication - tore up the insides of their mouths.
When looking at them, Syl realized that the word "mutt" was not accurate. It should have been something closer to "abomination." Whatever had happened to these creatures was cruel and twisted.
Taking a deep breath, Syl tucked her wand back into one of her sleeves and held her hands forward, like they were holding a stick. Trying to concentrate while keeping an eye on the creatures snarling ferociously at her, the girl began muttering quietly. It was in the language of the Old Tongue, which Morgan had taught Syl when she had first arrived in Camelot. It was the language of magic, having been derived from an original Avalonian dialect.
A semi-transparent sword began to form in Syl's hands as she chanted. The handle fit perfectly within her palms, and as she channeling magic into her hands, she could feel the leather wrapped around the handle become more and more substantial against her skin.
Without warning, another strike of lightning landed less than a mile away from where Syl was standing. The crack of thunder ricocheted through the air, deafening Syl. Not only had the interruption broken her concentration causing the sword to disappear, but her ringing ears failed to pick up the angry snarls of the mutts as they lunged forward.
Jumping back seconds before her head was swiped clean off, Syl stumbled and fell. Within a moment, one of the mutts was crouching over her body, its jaw wide open as it lunged for her neck.
Being so close to the mutt's mouth, Sylphrenia could smell the odor of rotting meat. It made her head feel woozy. The only thing that saved her was another mutt who, angry that its partner was stealing its prey, batted the other mutt's head with its paw.
A mixture of blood and green pus splattered onto Sylphrenia's skin, but the distraction gave her enough time to form a tight ball with her two fists. Praying there was enough water in her hands from the rain for the spell to work, Syl muttered a few words and thrust her palms up.
For a second, it seemed like everything had frozen. The pattering of the water disappeared, only leaving the snarling of the two fighting mutts and the other four still lunging at Sylphrenia. The silence caused the creatures to pause in their actions and looked around - almost confused.
All of the raindrops had frozen in place, like shimmering diamonds reflecting the light of the green orb still hovering in the air. They were quivering slightly as if the work to keep themselves still was almost enough to break them apart.
No longer interested in the unnatural phenomena, the mutts quickly turned back toward Sylphrenia, growls rumbling from deep within their throats. From behind them came the dying whine of the mutt that had first attacked Syl, its blood tainting the air with its coppery smell.
Despite the monsters raging toward her, a grin had stretched over Sylphrenia's face. Pursing her lips, she let out a high-pitched whistle that cut through the still night air.
The raindrops seemed to shatter, causing tiny shard-like pieces to spray everywhere. The creatures howled as the once-harmless water dug into their skin, ripping it apart. Sylphrenia's smile had grown as she pushed herself onto her feet. Her legs were muddy and her body was soaked, but she went unharmed as the water shards softened as soon as they hit her skin.
The rain had started to fall, but Sylphrenia's sword had finally appeared in her hand. Its silvery surface flickered in the green light as it sent dark shadows of the scrawling illegible script that was carved on the blade just above the handle.
Flicking her arm out to her side so the blade was perpendicular to her body, Sylphrenia turned to the bloody mutts who were pulling themselves off the ground, their dark hair stained red with blood. Without noticing, the girl's hair began to sway gently of its own accord, making Sylphrenia seem ethereal.
When the first mutt finally made it to its feet, Sylphrenia lunged. The air was filled with cries of pain, the ring of metal hitting metal, and roars of fury. As she fought, Sylphrenia became less and less human. She skipped through the air as if she was as light as a feather. She had lost her shoes somewhere during the beginning of the fight and her pointed toes just barely drifted over the blood-soaked mud before her body lifted into the air again.
The girl also moved with a speed faster than should be possible, seeming like a blur of color before she would strike, her blade flashing crimson as it was stained with blood.
Despite Sylphrenia's skill with her blade, the mutts had strength in numbers. Whenever the girl struck down one mutt, two more would appear in its place. Despite their haggard exteriors, they had been whipped into a blood-frenzy, and nothing seemed to stop them. Their multiple injuries did not slow them down. Only three had been killed - and only two kills belonged to Sylphrenia.
She was starting to slow down too. The long fight was taking a toll on her body, and she began to make costly mistakes. When Syl stopped for too long to catch her breath, a mutt caught her from behind. She just barely dodged, but its claws ripped the skin on her shoulder. The girl hissed in pain, knowing that the poison coating its claws was already spreading through her body.
Sylphrenia killed one more mutt before she was bitten. She had delivered the killing blow when one of the other mutts sprang and clenched its jaws onto the flesh around her right hip. The creature's mouth was so long that one side of its fangs penetrated the middle of her thigh and the other just above her belly button.
Pain spiked throughout Sylphrenia's body as she felt the sharpened iron rip through her body. She let out a piercing scream, her voice cracking. Tears leaked out of her eyes and her fingers unconsciously let go of her sword. Out of blurred eyes, she could see it clatter into the mud, its shiny red-stained surface becoming covered with splatters of mud.
And then the mutt lifted its head and Sylphrenia's body came with it. She let out another scream, feeling the teeth cut deeper into her skin. Shaking its head triumphantly, the mutt tossed Syl away from it. She hit the trunk of a tree and could hear the wood splinter as it fell with her. The pain had dulled all of her senses, and she was only able to stare blankly at the sky as she heard snarling in the distance.
Sylphrenia couldn't move, no matter how much she tried. She knew it was only a matter of time before one of the remaining mutts killed the other, and then it would go after her. But no matter how much she tried to pull her body out of the mud in an attempt to fight back, she couldn't. Her fingers could only twitch but she could barely feel them over the blossoms of pain that rippled throughout her body.
There was a cry, and Sylphrenia knew that there was only one mutt left.
It took its time approaching her like it was savoring the fact that its prey was lying broken in front of it, unable to move. When it, at last, stood over Sylphrenia, its head close to hers, it stared down at her. Avoiding its eyes, Syl glanced at its teeth. They were stained golden with her blood. It was licking the golden droplets off of the implanted iron frantically even while it cut its own tongue in the process. There was a triumphant look in its eyes as it stretched its jaw wide.
Sylphrenia wanted to close her eyes but she couldn't. All she could do was look death in its face. She had always thought that all of the things she regretted not getting to do would flash through her mind right before she died, but there was nothing. Only the mutt, with its iron fangs and bloodthirsty eyes, was ingrained in her mind.
There was another flash of lightning, but this time Sylphrenia could not hear the lightning. In fact, she realized she couldn't hear anything at all. The pattering of the rain - though it continued - had gone quiet. The growl of the mutt had disappeared. Even the noise of her labored breathing had dissipated.
The mutt suddenly shuddered, its eyes going wide and its tongue catching on its sharp teeth. With a rattling breath, it toppled onto its side. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see its feet twitching as the life left its body.
Her eyes turning delightedly toward her savior, Sylphrenia froze.
Morgan le Fay was standing before Sylphrenia, a long golden dagger still outstretched from where she had pulled it out of the mutt.
The woman was wearing a beautifully beaded cloak, the hood pulled over her head so Syl could only see the dark curls of her hair and the pale oval of her pointed face. Her eyes, however, were blank and unseeing as she stared fixedly at the dagger.
"Morgan?" Syl croaked, her voice raw.
The woman looked down at Syl unconcernedly, then raised the dagger once again and plunged it down.
Syl must have passed out because she could only remember bits and pieces after that.
A sharp pain in her arm.
Yells as her protection spell broke, allowing her friends to leave the house.
Opening her eyes to see Jay's beautiful brown ones staring down at her concernedly. Her head was laying on his lap, and Merlin was chanting softly at her side.
Maddie sobbing hysterically somewhere that Syl could not see. She wanted to comfort the girl, tell her everything would be all right, but she couldn't move.
Pain, then the soothing feeling of magic, then darkness.
A blinding light caused Syl to open her eyes. Jay was no longer in sight, but she had been moved inside Merlin's house. She seemed to be laying on one of the couches that was positioned at the far wall of Merlin's living room.
Two people were talking in hushed voices, but they must have thought Syl was asleep because they were standing close enough for her to catch bits of their conversation.
"...Avalon..."
"... Morgan... Isle of the Lost..."
"...wipe their memories..."
Confused, Syl tried to see who was talking, but she didn't seem to have complete control over her body. Her head flopped uselessly to the side, giving her a good view of a stack of books stacked haphazardly on a footrest, but no people.
Her movement, however, seemed to have alerted the two people that she was awake. Their conversation stopped abruptly and two shadows appeared over Syl's body.
Using the last amount of energy she had left, Syl rolled her head back to its original position and stared up at the two faces before her.
The first person was a man. He had long, white hair and an equally long and white beard. He seemed to be shirtless, except for the green sash that seemed to be seaweed that was draped over one shoulder. On his head was a golden, spiky crown that resembled an upside-down starfish. Now that he was standing close to Syl, she realized that he smelled exactly like the sea.
Standing next to him was a beautiful woman with dark skin and a full set of golden curls that tumbled down her back. She was dressed in an exquisite old-fashioned red gown that hugged her curves tightly before tumbling over her hips. Around her neck hung a golden chain with one ruby-encrusted rose hanging at the end of it.
Sylphrenia recognized the two immediately. The man was King Triton, the ruler of the seas. He was the father of Ariel and was a powerful magic-user, being rumored to be the son of a god. The woman was the Enchantress who had cured King Adam to become a beast. Despite her dubious background, she was someone of immense power who was known to use her power to reward and punish based on their behavior.
These two were some of the most powerful people in all of Auradon. As the heads of the magical council, they made decisions to ensure the safety of Auradon and the lands inside of it. They were the ones who had advised King Adam to create the Island of the Lost in the first place - and had used their powers to seal off the land so no magic would penetrate it.
"Don't worry, child," the Enchantress said calmly as she pointed the tip of her golden wand against Syl's forehead. The girl tried to struggle, but it was no use. Her body just didn't want to move. "We've healed your wounds and after this, you won't remember anything."
Syl's head suddenly felt incredibly warm as golden light emanated from the tip of the Enchantress's wand. It got hotter and hotter to the point that the girls as uncomfortable, but at the same time, her eyes began to droop. Soon, her eyes closed, and darkness enveloped her.
The sun was in Sylphrenia's eyes as she gripped the steering wheel. The golden light had begun to ebb as they reached the borders of Auradon, causing the trees to cast shadows over the road. Syl could hear Evie, Carlos, and Jane chattering in the back seat, and Jay was stretched out next to her. His eyes were closed and he looked relaxed.
Sylphrenia smiled. It seemed that throughout the trip they had all gotten used to her driving. She took the next turn and pressed down on the gas pedal. It was going to get dark soon and she wanted to return to Auradon Prep when it was still light outside.
A feeling of contentedness welled up inside her. She and her friends had experienced a wonderful and fun winter break. Morgan had been caught lurking around Merlin's cabin and had been sent to the Isle of the Lost by order of the council. Everything was going well.
"You look happy," Jay said softly.
Syl glanced at him. He had sat up and had taken his beanie off, running his hands through his hair.
She smiled. "I'm just happy to be back in Auradon."
"To go back to school?" cut in Evie, her voice incredulous.
Syl shrugged. "I've just... got a feeling. It's going to be a good year."