The little crystal dragon felt heavy in the palm of my hand. The more I stared down at it, the more the horrible feeling in my gut grew. But I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame; putting it down seemed like a crime all on its own.
The necklace wasn't as spectacular as the dragon, so I placed it down on the desk and disregarded it as I ran my finger down the crystal figurine, tracing each and every uniquely created scales.
A knock on the door disrupted my trance. I slid the dragon underneath the jacket I had brought from Earth and called, "come in!"
The door opened, revealing Thomas. He smiled at me and sat down on my bed.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. I was bored."
"So you came to bother me?"
He mock pouted at me. "Bother's a strong word, don't you think?"
I picked up the necklace and joined Thomas. "Any idea what this is?"
Thomas's eyes went wide as he took the necklace from my hand, as gently as if a single touch would break it. "Where did you get this?" he whispered after a while.
"Maria gave it to me."
"She just gave it to you?"
"Umm, yeah."
"Alexander, this is a Divinity Charm."
"Cool," I said simply. "What does that do?"
A smile tugged at Thomas's lips for a second before he launched into explanation. "There's a whole legend that they can summon Divinity herself just by holding it and calling out to her. They're supposed to only work once, so you should save it when you need it the most."
I sucked in a breath. Of course they only work once. "And I'm assuming they're rare?"
Maybe I could use them to find my memories.
"Very rare," Thomas agreed. He paused for a moment, his gaze falling to his hands curled together in his lap. "I—uh, I personally don't believe in the legend myself, but I think you should hold on to it. Maria doesn't just go around giving away things for free."
I allowed myself a smile that quickly disappeared as Thomas brushed his hand against mine accidentally and instantly winced as he did so, taking in a sharp inhale. "What's wrong?" I demanded at his surprised face.
"You're freezing, Alexander!" he exclaimed.
"Oh? Am I?"
"You don't feel it?"
I shook my head in response, suddenly feeling self conscience. I didn't feel any different than I usually did.
Oh.
Well, that's not good.
Thomas held out his hand hesitantly, waiting for me to place my arm in it. I did so, equally as hesitant. A brief second passed before a tingling warmth spread through my body, a relief I didn't know I needed. I closed my eyes and took in a breath, the chilly air around me suddenly becoming more pronounced.
Thomas took his hand away from me slowly and let it fall to his lap. When I opened my eyes to peer up at him, he looked happier.
I'm really happy you aren't angry with me anymore. I didn't voice my thoughts, even though I wanted to.
A book appeared in Thomas's lap. The surprise wasn't as prominent to me anymore; I had gotten mostly used to the unnatural things that happened around me everyday. Thomas picked the book up, examining the cover, and handed it to me.
"I've been looking for explanations as to why you don't remember anything. Spells, potions, whatever I can find," he explained.
I opened the book and flipped through the worn, yellow pages. They crinkled as they moved, stiff and old. There was a bookmark marking a subject of interest. I smiled and looked up at Thomas, picking up the pressed leaf and displaying it for him.
"What?" he demanded. "Leaves can be bookmarks too!"
I set the wrinkled old leaf to the side and perused through the page it had previously marked. Thomas picked it up and twirled it around in his fingers. I could feel his stare beating down on my head as I read the passage once, twice, even a third time.
It was describing what seemed to be a fairly difficult spell that induced a tired state into a person, making them want to fall asleep for even centuries on end. I flipped to the next page, but the information of the spell ended there.
Holding a disappointed sigh, I handed the book back to Thomas. He watched me eagerly, but the expression soon faded when he saw my face. "No?"
"No."
Thomas set the leaf down as he took the book back from me. He flipped through the pages, searching for at least a tiny clue that would help us. His skimming through the book became faster, announcing his anger and impatience. His leg started to drum against the bed rapidly.
"Nothing!" he exclaimed after a few long minutes. "How is that possible?"
I didn't reply.
Thomas sighed, and the book disappeared. He rose to his feet before walking to the door. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" I asked, jumping off the bed and rushing over to the desk to set the necklace down on it before joining him at the doorway.
"Out for a walk. I can't stay cooped up in here for one more second."
I nodded as he led me through the hallways and down the staircases. "Okay, but why can't we just teleport to wherever we're going?"
"I'm not walking to get somewhere, Alex. I'm walking to clear my head." There was a pause, a hint of trepidation lingering in the air. Then, slowly, he said, "you don't have to come if you don't want to."
"No!" I quickly protested. "I do! Please, I really want to go with you!"
The unease disappeared from his stance, replaced by a smile. He opened the door for me manually. There was something a little more intimate and humans with the lack of magic used.
The air outside was warm, but not sticky. There was a soft breeze every now and again that would've been quite refreshing if it weren't for the feelings of the cold that were carried with it.
I don't think I ever want to be cold again.
Thomas's wings stretched out as he accepted the light of the sun, taking it all in. I never noticed how at peace he is while in the forest before, but it was a good look for him. I tried to absorb as much of the scene around him as much as I could as quickly as I could. There was something about it that was just so pure.
But Thomas must have caught me staring at him. He cocked an eyebrow at me. "What?"
"Nothing!" I responded quickly, feeling color rise to my cheeks. I turned away and started for the forest ahead of us, feet kicking up pebbles with an audible crunch.
Thomas fell in place behind me, and we soon found ourselves talking about nothing important.
"You know how I have a thing for birds?" he asked, pulling the thought put of nowhere.
"Yeah," I returned. "You can talk to and understand them. Somehow."
There was a hint of amusement to Thomas's tone as he continued. "Yeah, well, that's part of the job description when you're literally the lord of the sky." He paused for a moment. "You had a similar thing for Venandi."
"And those are?"
"They're like lions, in a way. But cooler. They were the creatures by your statue."
I nodded in a false understanding. "And why do I like them so much?"
There was a moment or two before Thomas answered. "I'm not really sure."
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Okay."
"I can out-okay you if I wanted to so don't even try with me."
Thomas's laugh cut through the natural quietness of the forest, making me beam. I couldn't explain why, but he always made me feel happy when he was in a good mood.
Our walk was pointless as we moved through the undergrowth, wandering aimlessly but not without purpose. It was nice to catch a break every once in a while, and it was even nicer to spend that break with Thomas.
"So, how are you liking Perri—"
His words were drowned out by a deafening roar that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I instinctively grabbed Thomas's hand as the blood rushed to my ears.
Thomas himself looked afraid for a moment. But it was pushed aside as he glanced down at me and smiled. "C'mon," he whispered, voice low.
"Please don't tell me we're going to go find out what that thing was."
"Alright," Thomas murmured, already walking away in the direction the noise had come from, subsequently dragging me along. "I won't."
I trailed close behind Thomas, his hand warm and gentle in mine. His pace was slow and deliberate as he made his way through the brambles, carefully avoiding thorns and branches.
We heard the roar again, followed by men yelling at one another. It became louder and louder until the words they spoke became clear. I swallowed and moved closer to Thomas as he stopped walking.
The trees gave way to an open field, stretching to the horizon like an ocean. There were about a hundred or so men, all dressed in uniform, running about and spewing orders.
In the middle of them was a gigantic creature that towered far above their heads. I bit down on my lip when I realized what it was.
Its black scales glistened like opals in the afternoon's blinding sun. It had red scales on its throat and underbelly that snaked all the way to its tail, which was barbed with spikes. There were claws on the end of each talon, almost as big as the men themselves. When it parted its jaws, a tendril of dense black smoke billowed out of it, filling the air and blocking out the sun like storm clouds.
A massive dragon stood before us.
"Woah," Thomas breathed, speechless. "It's a dragon."
Suddenly, the crystal hidden underneath the cloth in my room suddenly made a lot more sense.
"I've never seen one before," Thomas admitted. When I looked over at him, his eyes were drawn wide in fascination as he stared at the gargantuan creature. He slid the leaves of the bush we had ducked behind to the side and was about to lean forward when I grabbed his hand and pulled him backwards.
"Thomas, look," I hissed in a whisper. "There are hundreds of the Kingsmen out there, and if they don't kill you, then the dragon will rip you to shreds."
Thomas frowned but said nothing else in response as he stared out at the dragon.
"What are they doing?" I whispered.
Thomas looked at me, and I could tell by the confused distress in his eyes that he had no clue. I held my breath as I continued to watch the men prod spears and swords at the dragon. Their weapons were coated with a thick, purple, goopy substance.
"Is that poison?" I asked Thomas sharply.
Thomas went perfectly still at the question.
"Thomas?"
"Yes," he whispered, a terrified tone lingering in his voice. "It is."
"Thomas? What's wrong?"
He shook his head and turned to me, casting me a smile that was so obviously fake. I returned his smile with an unconvinced look, and he quickly dropped his head and turned away from me.
"What are they doing to it?" I asked.
"I don't know. I've never seen something like this before."
"Poor thing."
There was silence for a moment before Thomas murmured, "it's a Tenebrie, Alexander."
"It is?"
Thomas nodded.
I faltered, feeling a little bit more torn. "That's not an excuse to do what they're doing to it, though," I said after a minute.
Thomas nodded again, though he didn't look thoroughly convinced.
The men were able to subdue the dragon. It fell to the ground with a sickening thump, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.
"Is it dead?!"
"I don't think so," Thomas murmured, in awe at the great creature being so easily defeated. "Tenebrie usually turn to dust when killed, so unless they used a method I don't know about, it's still alive."
Without the dragon to fight, the men relaxed and looked around.
"Thomas," I murmured sharply. "We have to go before they find us."
"Maybe I can..."
"Thomas!"
He turned to look at me. When he realized the gravity of the situation, he nodded and grabbed my hand, and we left the men and their dragon far behind us.