Perhaps it was my screams that jolted Viola back into her own mind. Whatever it was, before Stoker could do anything further, Viola wrapped her arms around me and we went up and over the wall. Gunshots followed, with Stoker roaring his frustration. A car flashed by, the wind selfishly grabbing at my hair.
"Come on Scar, stay with me," I hadn't realized that I wasn't supporting my own weight. All I could see was the blood that was now spilling from the mess that was my wrist. Upon realizing that I wasn't going to respond to her, Viola sighed and instead heaved me over her shoulder.
She ran across the street but she didn't use her speed. This allowed me to watch the blood drip across the pavement, leaving a trail. My eyes flicked upwards as fire rose into the air. I wondered what exactly was happening. Something terrible surely. Viola placed me on the ground, frowning as she struggled to figure out what to do next. I tapped her cheek with my good hand, "It seems that no matter what I do to try and protect you, it somehow backfires and you end up saving me."
She chuckled softly, "You've been protecting me all my life. It's my turn to protect you."
"You will be protecting her," a gentle purr washed over me, almost like caress, "Not only protecting her, but saving her. The guilt that she will feel when she grows old and leaves you alone. The fear that will be a blanket when you lose control and feed in front of her for the first time. You are saving her, protecting her from the horrors to come."
I blinked, Stoker's voice lulling me into a relaxed stated. Of course in the popular fictions starring vampires, I had seen how they had a strange way of hypnotizing people. I just had never – of course – actually though about it. But the more he spoke, the more I had begun to fall into an unwilling trance. As Viola's expression changed into understanding and hunger, I couldn't summon the fear that should've been there. Her hand involuntarily rose to my hair and eased my head back. Every part of me wanted to resist the movement but instead I went willingly. My neck bore a pulsing vein, Viola's mouth parted to reveal her fangs. My heart gave a single panicked jump. I was going to die. But maybe Stoker was right; maybe she would be saving herself by doing this. I closed my eyes as Viola's breath whispered against my skin.
A jarring bang ripped me from my relaxed state. Viola jerked and in one fluid motion, had me behind her. I peered over her shoulder to see that Stoker was still standing in front of us. But his eyes were void and a bloody hole tore apart his forehead. A few seconds passed and he fell onto the ground. Behind him was Echo, lowering her gun. A smirk carved her features. "I'm enjoying shooting him in the head way too much."
"Let's enjoy it more later," Jin jumped over the wall. Marek flew overhead, heading towards Viola and me. He circled once before floating near the edge of the freeway.
"He's already healing," Viola whispered.
I squeezed her arm, "We'll get away before he's able to function."
"There's a car coming. If we – " Echo began.
"Over here," Marek called out.
"Over where?" Jin asked.
I frowned slightly as I watched him. I looked at Viola then, simply knowing what to say next. "We're going to jump. I'm going to need you to protect me."
"Jump?" Echo's voice was full of surprise. But I wasn't look at her.
Viola winced, "But I almost – "
"I don't care," I interrupted.
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Echo swore while Jin protested, "Wait a second."
"We don't have time," I replied and began to run. Viola kept pace with me, her hand on my lower back. We reached the barrier that seperated the driver's from the drop on the other side. We climbed over it and I could feel Marek's pride within me. I smiled before jumping. I regretted it almost instantly for a moment, feeling fear. I had literally just jumped off a freeway with absolutely no idea what awaited me on the other side. I pushed the fear away. I trusted Marek.
Viola's arms wrapped around me. My breath was stolen by the rapid fall. I closed my eyes, wondering if the way to escape was hitting the road below. In the next second, our descent was abruptly halted. Cradled, we slowly rose back up in the air. The surface beneath was warm and slightly rough. I opened my eyes to find Viola next to me. Echo and Jin not far from us. I sat up, squinting to see...claws.
Fuck.
We had landed on a gigantic paw. A paw that was literally as big as a house. We continued to rise up, until the ground below was nothing but a grid. I expected to be cold or whatever happened to you when you were as high as a plane. But instead the comfortable temperature remained. No one spoke. And then I realized that there was now something coming into view next to us. Massive, incredible scales.
Marek...did a gigantic dragon just save us? I knew the answer though. It was then I realized that Marek wasn't with us. Marek?
Close your eyes and reach out.
I hesitated, as I was unsure of what exactly I would be reaching out to. But I did and was startled that there seemed to be a door in my mind's eye. Slowly, I reached out to open it. I didn't walk through but suddenly I was standing in the middle of a grand ballroom. I looked up at the ceiling to see paintings of the galaxy, almost as if I could touch it if I was tall enough. And by tall enough I mean like thousands of feet tall. It was the stuff of fairy tales. But where was I?
"You are inside my mind," a voice of thunder and wind, the crashing of waves, and yet held the beauty of spring and the warmth of the sun echoed all around me.
"Who are you?" I asked quietly. "Are you Lugh?"
"No. I am different yet the same. I watch but I do not interfere." As amazing as his voice was, I couldn't help my frustration at his lack of an answer. There was a soft, rumbling chuckle that caused the room to brighten slightly. "Child, I am not intentionally trying to be vague as you claim within your thoughts. You wonder if I am a god and I am not. Just a simple dragon that has lived a very long life."
"If you do not interfere, than what are doing with us?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline.
"Simply curiosity," he replied, for though his voice was both feminine and male I just knew.
I cocked my head as I tried to process his answer. "Curiosity?"
"Yes. A girl and a hatched dragon bond? Unheard of. Her sister a druid. Her other sister destined to be a vampire. I'm curious as to where you will go," there was another chuckle. "And if the vampire had gotten his wish, then I wouldn't have been able to see your story unfold."
"Well, thanks." I smiled at the wall, my eyes slowly traveling up to the ceiling. This was a bit awkward due to the fact that I was looking at a wall. But I had no idea where else to look. "What can I call you?"
"Whatever you desire," he replied.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "So, where are you taking us?"
"A place that is safe," he purred within my mind. "At least for now."
"Why does the inside of your mind look like a ballroom from a fantasy?" I couldn't help but ask aloud. I had been curious since I first wandered in. But I had resisted asking due to the fact that he was avoiding nearly every other question that I asked.
"Fairytales," was his only reply but instead of being frustrated by his lack of an answer, I accepted it. Because it was the stuff of fairytales.
"Will I see you again after this?" I whispered, feeling as though I were a child.
"You will always be able to see me. Just as you always have before."
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant when something tickled my memory. Once when I had been with my former (lying, cheating, manipulative) best friend, we had been on a place to Las Vegas. I was watching the clouds pass by when I blinked, wondering if I was going crazy. When I tried to say something to my friend she simply laughed at me. And while that was the clearest memory that shot into my head, more began to surface. Once when I was camping and staring at the stars, I saw something ripple in the sky. Countless other memories of something different or strange in the sky tickled my mind.
I smiled broadly, "I think I know what I will call you now. Sky."
"Hm," warmth flooded through me at his joy, "I like that name."
I opened my eyes to find that we were no longer in the air. Viola was standing on the solid ground, flattening her hair. Jin and Echo were standing a little bit away from her, talking with their heads bowed. Marek was standing next to me, watching me with his head tilted at a curious angle. "How was the conversation with the great dragon?"
"Sky? It was good, how come you weren't there?" I stood slowly, wincing at the cramping of my muscle. I touched my leg before freezing and staring at my wrist. While the sleeve was still covered in blood, there was no broken skin or bone. "Wait, what?"
Marek chuckled, "When a dragon and their rider reach a certain point in their bond, they can speed up the already quickened process of healing. The great dragon helped heighten the process even more. And as far as my not being there, I tried to follow you but could not get through the door. I guess he wanted to talk to you alone. Did you really just call him Sky?"
"I honestly don't understand what he wanted to say to me that you couldn't know," I began to walk towards the ground with Marek walking next to me.
"Perhaps it wasn't something that I couldn't know but something you had to hear on your own," Marek suggested, falling quiet as we neared the others.
Viola smelled the air carefully. I wondered what she was catching. Slowly, I turned to look back that the paw that was rising slowly back into the air. Marek landed back on the ground, his talons clicking. He raised his head and released a soft call. It was neither a roar nor a growl, and somehow without even having to ask, I knew it was a sign of respect. A gust of wind washed over and suddenly an eye was before me. It was richly blue and massive in size. It was rich with wisdom, the kind that only comes with centuries of life. It blinked once and a voice flooded both through Marek and I, "Call on me whenever you need me."
"We will," Marek and I said in unison. I bowed my head slightly. There was a great rumble and slowly the eye raised back into the sky. I watched its ascent and was awed by the majesty of Sky. A small hope lit inside of my chest that with such a powerful friend above me, that perhaps I could save Viola from her curse.
"Scar," I looked over to see Viola frowning, a fang appearing over bottom lip.
I walked over; ignoring the way Echo's eyes followed me. Viola relaxed as I came near her. I resisted the urge to touch her when I came to a halt. "What's wrong?"
"There's something strange about the air here," Viola whispered quietly, a crease appearing between her eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" I sniffed, noting that it smelled like car exhaust and too many people. But if that was that entire Viola smelled than she wouldn't say anything to me. There was something else that I wasn't catching.
"There is a curious heaviness about this place. Like a blanket that is on fire, crackling. It is constantly dancing and moving about, yet it doesn't burn. It's like...the fire is what keeps this city alive." Viola shook her head, "It gives me energy. Do you not feel it?"
I frowned slightly, unsure of what the energy that Viola was referring to. If it really was as powerful as she said, didn't that mean that I should feel it too? But there was nothing, just the stench of the regular city and the biting chill of coming winter. I bit my bottom lip, feeling silly. I shifted my weight to face Echo. Her blue eyes were looking all around when she yelled, "Run!"
My heart slammed into my ribcage with a jolt. I felt the instant weariness tagging along of once more we weren't safe when we were supposed to be. I wanted to scream and shout, maybe even cry that I seriously just wanted to sit the fuck down and take a nap. But there were two things wrong with that whole thing. One, I was supposed to be an adult and temper tantrums were for two-year-olds. Two, even though this whole situation was still difficult to wrap my head around, it was my life. And whining about my issues got me nowhere.
I turned towards Viola to find her already on the ground, her hands wrapped around her throat as she choked. Standing over her was a figure in all black, a cloak thrown over their body along with a hoodie that hung over their face. And as the person shifted their head slightly, there was a mask that I could see covering the bottom portion of their face.
I lunged forward but instantly stopped and ducked sideways, backing up when the figure revealed a sword and nearly sliced my neck. I staggered, staring at the shining metal. Before they could come closer, Marek swooped down with a roar and released a torrent of fire. A hand closed around my upper arm, yanking me away from Marek. I cried out, my hand outstretched but he wasn't able to get to me as the figure that held me tossed me behind them. I rolled on the ground and looked up in time to see Marek falling to the ground, chains slithering across his body with a green hue over them.
There wasn't time to process what was happening though I knew what was going to happen to me a second before it did. My brain and my body just refused to listen to one another. I could only stare dumbly as the figure's hands began to dance in an intricate pattern, and from them the air around them seemed to crackle and turn green. The one hand then became a ball, before opening like a blossoming flower. And then green air washed over me. I struggled against it, not really understanding what I was fighting. A blanket wrapped around me slowly, making me feel like a burrito. My eyes burned and watered at the sudden intrusion of exhaustion. And slowly, I slid towards the ground. I was asleep before my head hit the pavement.