walking away, I had to resist the urge to run back and beg them to come with me. I was scared. terrified, actually. but, instead, I walked boldly towards the back of the lot. descending the stairs, I started to feel like I was being watched. I reached the bottom of the stairs and followed the tunnel at the bottom. it turned and doubled back on itself so many times I couldn't have told you what direction I was facing anymore. finally, I came to a dead end. I was harshly reminded of when we were first looking for Valgoth. is this a good idea? I asked him.
it's never a good idea to disturb a Shadin dragon. but you were right. if it is one of the good ones, we must try to acquire their help.
Did you know any Shadin before?
yes...
he didn't elaborate and I didn't ask him to. we might share a form, but that didn't mean I wouldn't let him keep his own secrets. following an instinct, I put my hand on the stone. "I know you're in there, Dragon of the Old Days. I want to speak with you. I mean you no harm. let me in. please?" I yelped as I felt the floor drop from under my feet and suddenly I was back in the cavern where I first encountered the Shadin. the darkness condensed in front of me,becoming darker and thicker until it pushed outward again and a woman stood before me. she was gorgeous, and looked human. aside from the way her wavy brown hair slowly blew back and forth behind her like she was under water, she had beautiful,grey-blue eyes and features that would rival a model. "welcome back, Mary Watchers."she spoke with an echo that made it sound like many were speaking at once. "it has been long since a being dared visit me twice. the last one to do so is also here."
"What is your name?"I asked.
"I am Shada."
"Shada,I wish your help against Helgoth and his army."
"I fear you have wasted your time, dear girl."she said. "for I despise both brothers equally and will not help you."
"then,don't help Valgoth. help me. my family is in danger, Helgoth threatens to take my father and if he does, I fear the end of th eworld is closer than any of us realize."
"How do you suppose I help protect your father? I am not a bodyguard."
"I'm not asking you to be."my voice was wavering, and I struggled to get it under control. "but you can help prevent his capture."
"why should I?"
"Why wouldn't you?"I retorted. "this isn't about Valgoth and Helgoth. I'm not asking this of you to help us in the war, I'm asking you to help me save my family."
Shada's face darkens. "family?"she whispers in a disbelieving tone."How dare you talk to me about family. I lost everything! my husband, my daughter! all because of the very monster that you host!"her voice had gotten louder and she was screaming at me. I stared at her, but not because of her rage. something she'd said stuck in my mind. husband,daughter. I looked more closely and started to see familiar features. a small, straight nose, her eyes were more gray than brown but the shape was very similar to... "what were their names?"
Shock covered her face. "what?"
"the names of your husband and daughter."
"why?"
"because,I think... just tell me their names, please?"
"my husband was Felorian. my daughter..."she swallowed. "My daughter's name was Hellenaria."
I'd suspected, but it still came as a bit of a shock. "Shada, I understand what it feels like to lose your family. but... if I had to guess, I'd say you never buried them."
"I couldn't. there were no bodies."
"then,don't you think it's possible that they're still alive?"I pressed.
her mouth opened and closed, she seemed at a loss for words. "Maybe,I— I don't know, why?"
"because my mother is called Ellen,and I've never heard her called by anything longer than 'Helen' but... her father, my grandfather, is Felorian."
"My..."she choked. "you... how...?"
"I have no idea, but Mom's up there, so, will you at least come with me to see her? see if she really is your daughter?"
"Of course. here, take my hand."I complied and the ground dropped out from under me again. when I blinked, I found myself above ground again, at the center of the empty concrete lot... empty? "something's wrong."I said out loud. then I heard a whistling sound. "Shada, Down!"I grabbed her arm as i fell into a crouch. something exploded in front of us, sending us both flying backwards. Shada rolled up to a crouch. "get up."she said, pulling me to my feet. "keep a hold of my hand. do not let go."I nodded and looked down at my feet to make sure I was standing still- the world started to tilt around me and, suddenly, I was looking at myself. a mangled,burnt...dead vision of myself. I stared for I didn't know how long. that could have really been me, I realized. and I suddenly saw how young I was. how unusual it was for a girl my age to be hunting dragons and risking my life- no, more like daring someone or something to end it. I didn't have time to dwell on this as Shada dragged me away from the scene and into the trees behind the house. Shada let go of my hand and slowed. "alright. we're— Mary?"I only heard her because,as soon as she let go of my hand, I was snatched into the bushes. I thrashed and screeched until a voice hissed in my ear, "Calm down."
I froze and he let go of his grip on my mouth. "Dad? what—"I scrambled out of his grip and stood up in time to see Mom drawing her longbow back to full draw and aiming it at Shada. "Mom, no!"I ran in front of Shada. "Mom, this is the Shadin. this is Shada,she saved my life."I moved aside and Mom lowers her bow a bit,letting the string lax a little bit. "Mother?"
"Hellenaria."Shada says,her voice amazed. "you're alive."
"Mother?"she repeats, just as incredulous as the first time. "what—"
"Family reunion later, please. we've got bigger problems right now."I snapped. "where are the others?"
"Hope and the rest took the vehicles. they're going to meet us in town."Dad said, because Mom still seemed dumbstruck.
"Good.can we go now?"I swept my hand in the direction of Tulsa.
Mom nodded and we ran. whoever was trying to kill us was still following us when Mom pulled us off the path and through some overgrown bushes and things. I nearly tripped several times. and then we were at the road and the cars. I saw Dylan get out of the driver's seat of my Charger. he started to say something, but I just gave him a quick,hurried kiss and said, "Get in!"before getting in, myself.he ran to the passenger side. looking over my shoulder, I saw Cassidee and Kio in the back seat. I spared them a quick nod before shoving the car into drive and flooring the gas. the car swerved in place and the tires squealed before it shot down the road. my phone rang and I fumbled to put it on speaker. "yeah?"
"head north."Dad's voice crackled over the phone.
"Why?"
"just do it."he snapped.
"Okay,okay. geez."
"the next right."I turned in a chorus of screeching tires.
"what now?"
"keep going until you reach the highway."
"where are we going?"
"A safe place."he replied cryptically.
"that's helpful."I snapped sarcastically.
"Look,I can't tell you. you'll know it when you see it."
I looked in my rearview and I saw Dad's 67' mustang right behind us. we were getting a lot of honks and swerves from the cars around us. the reason for our high-speed chase was in the skies above us. "Holy crap, is that a--"
"Yes!"Dad cut me off. "and if it catches us, we're dead. so, just drive!"
I growled and switched lanes without warning. I heard a siren, but the police were the least of my worries right now. I swear my car was probably the devil to the Tulsa County Police. as many times as I'vesped down the highway to escape a raging dragon? yeah. I'm just lucky they can't read my license plate.
"next exit."Dad's voice made me jump. I'd forgotten he was on the line. I saw the 'exit only' lane and swerved into it, braking a little as we got to the narrow off-ramp. it was an empty stretch of road. Dad had me turn left and head down the narrow, empty road. I sped a little more again now until Dad told me to look for the driveway. I almost missed it, it was so overgrown. I turned onto it.we'd lost the pursuer by now, so I slowed down considerably. tree branches heavy with leaves brushed the top of my car. I winced at the scraping sound. "if this scrapes up the paint on my car, you're paying for it."
"don't I always?"Dad asked wryly.
"yes,because it's always your fault."I told him.
for the first time in a while, he laughed. "Keep going straight,it'll be up ahead. I think you're going to like this one."
we emerged from the tree tunnel and my jaw dropped. up ahead was a castle. no kidding. a real, bona fide, pristine castle- or palace, I don't know. it looked too well fortified to be a palace, but it was beauitful. like, post transformation at the end of Beauty and theBeast beautiful.
and,yes, I was a total disney nut as a kid.
we pulled up to the cobblestone driveway that surrounded a fountain andI parked. everyone got out just as the door opened. If I expected a creepy old man or-I admit- an enchanted object, I was disappointed.the man who stepped out was undeniably old, but not because he was wrinkled or gray haired.
he just... felt old.
I don't know if that makes sense. but he seemed like he had seen a lot.to most people, I suppose he'd look like a man in his thirties. but the way he carried himself was more like an experienced warrior.which made more sense to me when he beamed welcomingly at Dad."Fiernon!"he greeted warmly. I tensed. only Helgoth and his people called Dad Fiernon. Dad smiled back, which was rare enough.but when he embraced the man, I was completely shocked. "Andryl!"he responded. when he turned to us with a hand on Andryl's shoulder, he saw my defensive posture. "relax,Mary. Andryl is a friend."I forced myself to relax and nodded.Dad nodded in return. "now, Andryl, this is my Hunter team. my wife, Ellen,"Mom gave Dad a strange look, but shook hands with Andryl. "my oldest daughter, Mary, my younger, Hope. this is Cassidee, Kio, Dylan, Mark, his brother Matt, my niece, Maya, and you know Mick."
"of course." Andryl shook our hands as we were introduced.
I noticed that somebody was missing. And then she got out. Shada seemed braced for something. Andryl's warm smile faded and his expression turned stony. "Shada. You dare return here?"she nodded stiffly. Dad put a hand on Andryl's shoulder. "she saved my daughter's life today."he told Andryl solemnly. Andryl nodded once. "very well. Come in, then, all of you."
we followed him inside and, in the foyer, I turned on the spot and whistled, impressed. "quite a setup you've got here, Andryl."
he looked at me with an amused smirk. "I sell horses."
"what?"
"My income. horses. Nothing sordid, if that's what you were expecting."
"I wasn't--"
"it's alright."he started to walk again. "I understand how you might think something of the kind, considering your father's past. However,I never knew him as Helgoth's son. I call him Fiernon because that is his given name, and the name he was first introduced to me as."
"How did you get... introduced to Dad, then?"I asked.
Andryl turned on his heel in front of a door and smiled faintly at me. "Itrapped him in human form and stole his powers."with that, heturned and pushed open the door. A long table was covered in foods and I heard a thunderous noise. I looked over at a blushing Hope who ducked her head. Andryl laughed and said, "I take it you are hungry. This is Samona's way of saying welcome. She must think highly of all of you. If that was not the case, the table would be empty."he winked. "come, sit, all of you."
after an awkward few minutes of silence as we ate, I said, "So, Andryl,what kind of horses do you have?"
he eyed me. "let me guess, you have a horse of your own. I'd say...quarter horse?"
"Morgan, actually. Maya's family breeds them. She's just a baby right now."
"ah.Well, as a matter of fact, I don't actually breed them. And when I say sell, it's actually a payment in exchange for their contractual services. Pegasi are loyal mounts, but they are very familial creatures. i do have the regular horses, of course. very valuable ones, too. "
I choked, stuck on one thing. "Pegasi?"my inner five year old girl jumped with joy."you have... pegasi? As in, winged horses?"
"yes.They're quite a popular mount for..."he met eyes with Dad, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. "well, never mind. Perhaps after lunch I can take you to the pastures?"
"I'd love that, thank you."
"Could I come along?"Hope asked.
Andryl smiled at her. "anyone who wants to tag along is more than welcome.The young ones should be starting their flying lessons today. And Seberi is a magnificent sight to watch fly."
"Seberi?"
"he's the teacher."
"ah. Of course."
"I think I'd like to go along."Dylan said quietly. I beamed at him and Andryl nodded. "of course. You're all welcome to join us."he said, spreading his arms to include the whole table. Maya nodded eagerly, Mark and Matt tried to look disinterested as they shrugged,but I knew they wanted to come. Mick smiled, but shook his head. "I actually think I'm going to stay here, thank you, Andryl."
"I will have to pass, as well."Dad said.
"oh,come on."Mom said. "these are Pegasi! How often are we going toget to see that? Mom,"she looked at Shada. "come on, you have to come."
"I don't think so, sweetheart."she replied quietly. She glanced at Andryl then away. "I don't think I'm particularly welcome here."
"Old Shadows fade to light in this house, Shada. You are more than welcome to come."Andryl said gently.
Shada looked up at him, surprised, and nodded. "I would like that."
"good. Then, it's settled."
after lunch, Andryl led all of us except Mick and Ryder to the back door and opened it. We walked up a hill and, at the crest, Andryl stepped to one side so we could see. I gasped. A meadow spread as far as the eye could see, full of lush grass, tall trees, and flowers being grazed on by-
atfirst they looked like horses with thick blankets on their backs. Andthen something moved in one of the trees and I looked to see a gorgeous white horse spread it's wings and leap from the branch. I gasped. The wings were huge and gleamed in the sunlight. I stared at the creature as it flew. It gleamed like ivory in the sunlight. He flew right past me and I could see the muscles in his defined shoulders, chest, neck, and hindquarters. His head turned slightly as he flew past and his eyes held a strong intelligence that stunned me.The pegasus soared high above us and then glided towards the hill. Andryl gasped and shouted for us to back up. We did, and just in time. The pegasus that had held me entranced landed in front of me.He stared right at me and stomped a hoof, whinnying. Andryl nodded."Mary, he's calling to you. He wishes you to step towards him."
"you can understand him?"
"reasonably well."
"he's not going to hurt me, is he?"the creature was enormous. I know I sounded like a child, but I was seriously nervous!
"No,he will not hurt you."Andryl assured me.
So,I stepped forward. The Pegasus Stallion watched me and made a movement with his head to one side, like he was saying, "Come closer". I'd faced down hundreds of dragons and never flinched, I'd gotten bucked off a horse more times than I could count and, every time, just gotten up and yelled and swatted at the stubborn animal.but this creature was more than a horse. He radiated power and it made me tremble. I stopped right in front of him and he lowered his head to sniff me. I'd never felt smaller, more scared, or more excited in my entire life. Then the Angelic horse nickered and turned his side to me, lowering his wing like a ramp. I looked uncertainly back at Andryl. "he wishes you to get on his back."
"I'm not sure I want to..."
"He pays you a great honor and compliment, Mary, Do not dare insult him.He will not allow any harm to befall you."
still scared, I nodded and carefully climbed up the wing. I was afraid I'd hurt him, but the wing was quite solid. Not at all what I expected.When I settled on his back, right behind his withers, he turned his head and nickered at me. I wrapped my hands in his mane and nodded to my watchful mount. He huffed and turned his head back to face front.And then his wings lifted and he started walking, then trotting, then loping. He got faster and faster as he neared the edge of the crest of the hill we were on until, with one strong down stroke of his wings, we were in the air. I screamed as I felt weightless for a moment, sure we were going to fall. I closed my eyes tightly until I heard the steady beat of wings. I opened my eyes and caught my breath as I saw the view below me. "Wow."
"I am glad you like it."said a deep voice.
I stared at my mount, no doubt in my mind who had spoken. "you speak english?"
"I speak to your mind, Little Huntress. You hear english."
"what's your name?"I asked, after processing what he'd just said.
"they call me Paryn."he replied.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Paryn."
"and I, you, Little Huntress."he tucked his head and looked back at meas he flew.
I contemplated my next words, and decided to ask,"Can I ask you a question, Paryn?"
"of course."
"is Andryl genuine? I mean... is he as good as he seems?"
"Andryl is a fine being."Paryn said fondly. "Loyal, caring, kind. He has cared for my herd for as long as we have been in this world."
"and how long is that?"I asked, curiously.
"a millennia or so."he replied, casually.
I swallowed my shock."how were you created?"
he made a strange sound that I finally realized was a laugh."no living Pegasi really knows."he said. "Before we came here, we had our own land, a peaceful land where we prospered. And then a hole opened and my herd came here. Had it not been for Andryl, we would have gone extinct here."he spoke reverantly.
"you mean, you were in another world before?"I asked, confused. Another world? A hole?
"of course."he replied, like it was obvious.
"how long have you lived, Paryn?"I asked impulsively.
"long enough to remember the old land."he sighed.
"you must miss your home."
"very much. But I miss my family more."
"your family didn't come with you?"
"we did not live among the Pegasi. Seryl was driven out of her home lands by the Unicorns. And my son... he was too young to know."
I put a hand on Paryn's neck. It ocurred to me that, from what he said,I was apparently not only sitting on the back of and talking to the father of the first ever Alicorn, or Unicorn-Pegasus crossbreed, but,as he was the only pure white pegasus I'd seen, he might very well be the Pegasus.
"I should be taking you back to your people, young one."he said, and glided in a semi-circle to fly back to the hilltop. Dylan approached when he landed. I slipped off beside him and my legs were shaky. Dylan caught me and made sure I had my feet before releasing me. I felt a little thrill as I realized how much of a gentleman my boyfriend was... and how lucky I was. I went to stand in front awaiting Paryn and bowed. "thank you."I said, though it seemed insufficient for the irreplacable experience I'd just had. Paryn lowered his head and extended his leg in a bow of his own and took off again. Andryl approached me, then. "you have been honored beyond measure, Mary."
"Don't I know it."I said, watching after the fading pegasus.
That evening, we started talking about arrangements for going on our way.Andryl said he'd help us with whatever we needed. "I have food and supplies aplenty, and I have a few strong horses who can carry you if you think your vehicles are too conspicuous."he offered. I thoughtabout that. Now that we were actively trying to stay ahead of an enemy, it would probably be a good idea to switch mode of transportation. But I didn't like the thought of leaving my car behind. I loved that car. As if hearing my thoughts, Andryl said, "I can have it sent wherever you have need of it."he assured me.
"okay."I agreed on a breath. "it's probably smarter to do it this way."
he nodded. "you show wisdom."
I raised an eyebrow- one thing to thank my dad for- "I show wisdom by agreeing with you? Wow, no wonder you're friends with my dad."I laughed wryly.
"you show wisdom for recognizing when another's way is best,"his eyes flicked to Ryder. "despite the amount of stubborn in your family."I laughed for real this time. "I can't thank you enough for everything. Seeing the pegasi- and riding one, especially, was--"
"Paryn made the decision to honor you on his own, that was not my doing."
"I know. But, thank you, nonetheless."
"you and your friends will rest safely tonight."he turned to the rest ofthe team. "you are free to retire whenever you like. Any room on the second and third floor is open. Breakfast will be served whenever you rise, and I shall have your horses ready for you whenever you wish to depart."
after thanking Andryl again, I turned to where Dylan was sitting. I saw Hope getting up with a stoney face and wondered at it. Dismissing it for the moment and deciding to enjoy a rare day of peace, I went over and sat beside Dylan. He smiled at me. His arm was across the back ofthe couch. I leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulder,and reached behind me to bring his arm around my shoulder. I think hewas surprised, because he stiffened for a moment before relaxing. My eyes flicked automatically to Ryder.
I lifted my head, trying to figure out if I was really seeing what I thought. Ryder and Ellen- my mom and dad were sitting together on another couch, in a very similar embrace. Mom looked the most content I'd ever seen her and Dad didn't seem to mind, either. I smiled and laid my head back on Dylan's chest as my eyes flickered over the room. Shada and Andryl, surprisingly, were talking quietly in a corner. Kio sat on one of the other various couches scattered throughout the room- Andryl seemed to have very eclectic taste- with Cassidee's head in his lap. At first, I thought she was asleep. Butthen he said something and she reached up and smacked him around the back of the head. Matt, Maya, and Mick were sitting in one corner, talking quietly. I smiled again. Mark and Hope also shared a couch,but they sat at opposite ends. Hope sat sideways, her knees drawn up,looking like she didn't know what to do. Mark watched her with a tender look on his face I recognized because I was sure I wore it when I looked at Dylan. It seemed I was destined to smile that night more than I had in my entire life. Mark adored Hope, and Hope clearly liked Mark. But she was still unsure, and I couldn't blame her. I looked up at Dylan, who smiled down at me. His hair flopped in his eyes and I lifted my hand to brush it back from his captivating eyes.
Geez, I sound like a freaking hopeless romantic, which I'm not. But his eyes were the most superficial thing I loved about him...
that thought made me drop my gaze. I loved him? No, it wasn't a question.It just caught me by surprise. Sure, I called him my boyfriend, but it wasn't like we had a typical relationship... I hadn't thought about it, really. Falling in love, I mean. I had such a crazy...scratch that, I had a freaking suicidal lifestyle, going after dragons kamikaze style at times, being chased by... that thing,almost getting blown to bits. I looked over at my parents. Even though they were literally born enemies, they'd fallen in love. And even after ten years of him thinking she was dead, and her not able to face him for fear of... I wasn't actually sure what she was afraid of, to be honest. But, after all of that, they sat there, cuddling on a couch, and for once in my life, I felt like a normal teenager- a normal human being. I smiled wryly at that thought. I wasn't a humanbeing. I was the granddaughter of Hellfire, and the great-granddaughter of Valor, who was also in my head. I thought about it and grimaced. That technically made my parents cousins,but it didn't at the same time... when it became clear that Helgoth was evil, Valgoth did a blood severance ceremony that ended all...well, blood ties. In other words, they used magic to make it so that their descendants were no longer blood related.
I thought about that for a second. My family had some seriously convoluted history. But they were just that; my family. And I was going to protect them, no matter what.
A/nso, a long chapter full of... basically nothing. At least, it feelslike that to me. anyway, I hoped YOU enjoyed it. what did you think of Mary's self-realization moment when she saw the illusion Shada made of their burnt bodies? there'll be more on that later, I promise. for now, I'll keep writing. Hope's overdue POV