Evie spent her evening, trying to talk with her dragon. More often than not, they were sitting quietly in the world beyond the Corridor, watching the light move across the sky. When Evie returned to reality, she felt oddly rested and the morning sun peeking through the heavily curtained windows. She made her way to the garden patio in anticipation of breakfast.
The world was still quiet, a light mist hovered the ground and she could hear the quiet song of birds as they began to wake up. For a moment, she forgot she was underground. The garden was lush and green, heavy with dew which the light played with on the blades of grass. The only reminder was when Evie looked up, there was only rock overhead, the sun filtering through created ventilation shafts.
Sighing, Evie began looking around for the birds she heard. The song was familiar but not quite the same as what she recognized. Slowly, she saw birds taking flight around the garden. Only, they weren't sparrows, robins, or bluebirds, nothing she had seen in her own backyard. They were airy, whimsical beings. The feathers covering their wings and bodies were lighter and translucent as they soared. It appeared they had nothing to help them be carried by the wind and yet, they were. They defied everything Evie knew about the world.
"Marvelous, aren't they?"
Evie turned to find the Queen had joined her. "Good morning, Your Majesty."
"Oh hush! You're practically family already." She watched Evie's gaze return to the birds in the sky and grinned. "They're called 'flittles.' They are mesmerizing."
Silence landed softly over their heads as they both followed the flights of the flittles. Behind them, breakfast was laid out as though by magic and beside them on the table separating the ladies sat two cups, filled with piping hot coffee. Evie prepared hers and took a sip as she continued to watch, almost afraid to break eye contact with the beautiful being. "How can they be?"
"My dear, they, us, this," the Queen gestured around them. "It is all what made the world magical. We took it with us to preserve our way of life and our magic when we went into hiding."
Hiding. Ethelinda had discussed that but when the Queen said it, the word carried weight. Evie rose along with the Queen and moved towards the sitting around the table where breakfast had been laid out. The King had joined them and nodded a greeting to both the ladies. No one spoke over the meal, only considering their food.
As the meal came to a close, Evie felt relieved to step away and be her truer self. Yes, she had lessons to go to but she was happy nevertheless. Evie quickly went back to her room to change into the athletic wear that Marianne had waiting on her bed. Once changed, Marianne, who had been standing patiently just beyond her door, escorted her to the gymnasium within the palace walls.
The gym was dark, Evie's stepps echoing the cavernous room. "Hello?" Hearing nothing but her own voice reverberating against the walls, she slowly spun in a circle, wary that something was right.
Suddenly, there was a rush of air sailing past her. She was too late to grab what it was and it was still too dark to make sense of what she was encountering. Then another. Finally, a hand reached out of thin air and shoved her between her shoulder blades. The force pushed Evie a few steps forward, her sense on high alert. Then, the blow. SMACK!
The lights turned on quickly and Evie was looking up from the floor at Ethelinda. "You must be on high-alert. As Cahill's Fated One, you are the most vulnerable person now."
"Why'd you hit me?"
"Because it was better than the alternative."
"What's the..."
Evie didn't finish her statement as Ethelinda seemed to summon a staff from a corner of the room and began to use it as her weapon of choice. "Concentrate, Evie! Let your dragon help."
Evie crossed her arms in front of her face in a defensive motion, falling short of protection as her forearms were battered. C'mon, dragon, where are you? She was running out of breath and had barely moved, her adrenaline was pumping.
Her heart rate suddenly slowed almost as quickly as Ethelinda began the attack. Around her, she began to see all the micromovements and began to more easily avoid the barrage of blows Ethelinda was pummeling towards her. "Good! You've found it. Let's go."
Ethelinda spun the staff around, stopping in an offensive stance. Falling what Evie could only describe as instinct, she found herself summoning a staff as well. The wood collided with her hand, feeling rough and ready. Ready? The wood is ready? Then Evie recalled what the Queen had said about everything having magic. "Let's go!"
Both women charged at each other, each detecting and countering the next move, deflecting the last. It appeared to be a deadlock match, even in Evie's green state. Ethelinda knew more than she let on, though, reading Evie's body language as her slipping into comfort. She dropped as Evie stepped back for a counter move, swinging her leg and catching Evie's legs, sweeping her off her feet.
"Hey!"
"War isn't fair, battle isn't fair, life isn't fair. You rest, the enemy defends. That's the way of our world." Ethelinda stepped forward as Evie was slowly to come to her feet and caught her behind her neck with two fingers. "With a few meager pressure points, I can teach you to have your opponents begging for mercy or death." She released Evie and created separation as Evie rose to her feet.
Not one to take defeat lightly, Evie came charging for Ethelinda, yelling out. The yell quickly turned into a roar and then two. The walls shook as the ladies ran and roared at each other. Ethelinda's eyes had turned into a fiery brown, borderline red embers, her dragon surging forward. Evie's dragon was attempting to come forward as well, her blue eyes more brilliant than anyone previously had seen. The clash of the two ladies' bodies caused a thundering boom and they were both wrestling on the ground.
"Do you concede?"
"Nuh...uh...no!" Evie screamed the word, forcing the air from her throat where Ethelinda had wrapped her arm skillfully around. Evie found her arms could reach Ethelinda's side and began to land a few punches to her abdomen. "Do you concede?"
"I am a warrior of the Mythics! The only concession is death!" Ethelinda sounded full of rage and ire. Gone was the strong woman Evie had met. Here, in her palace, stood her dragon.
Ethelinda's grip tightened around Evie's neck as the darkness began to close-in. "Eth...Ethl...duh..." Evie fell limp in Ethelinda's grasp, unconscious from their sparring.
***
"Get away from her!"
"Or what? Your little boyfriend will get me?" A bone-chilling cackle cracked through the air, sending shivers down Aoife's spine. The voice that first spoke was not her own.
"I will take you down myself!"
"Foolish choice, girl."
Snarls followed and the wispy outline of Evie crept into Aoife's point of view. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound emerged. Her breathing quickened and yet her heart did not speed up. Confused, she looked around. Realization hit her as the voice from Evie began to cry out.
Aoife opened her eyes, her breathing even and her heart at a rest pace. Her eyes struggled to adjust, the pain rushing back to her body. Biting her lower lip, she attempted to stifle the cry but lost the battle fairly quickly. Aoife screamed into the empty room, the piercing sound finding no escape to the outside and only returning back to her ears, increasing her pain. It was a vicious and continuous cycle. If only I could shift, I could heal.
But the bounds were too tight, she could not move as she needed to in order to shift to her dragon. In human form, Mythics had heightened sense and sometimes their magic carried over to their human forms. All could heal faster but dragons had a quality of speed to their forms. The catch was they had to be in dragon form to access the super healing.
The smell of dried blood hung in the air, mixed with putrid sweat and piss. The blood was Aoife's, evident by the long since dried trail on her arm from when Dr. Mills took what was hers. Gazing around the room, her eyes settled on the other female who had come in, Arual. Initially upset with Ary, Aoife had witnessed the girl trapped until the influence of something. The final injection had sedated her, without another sound since that day.
There were quiet beeps from the machines keeping her hydrated. She had IV lines and heart monitors. Aoife covertly watched as dark shadows came and made quick work of switching out bags of fluids and checking her vitals. And yet, Ary did not move.
Aoife wanted to talk to her, to see what she knew and how she was. Ary was human though so the Corridor was not an option. Even if it were, Aoife didn't know her well enough to find her's. She decided to try another risky move and force her consciousness into the next plane. It was a long shot but Aoife was hungry from companionship, comfort, and closeness.
Wincing as she closed her eyes again, Aoife expelled all the breath from her body and attempted to not breathe in for as long as possible. Just as she finally gave in to her big breath, the surge of oxygen pushed her consciousness into the next plane. Once there, she looked below and saw her physical form breathing gently, head down, eyes still shut. Nodding, she moved toward Ary's body.
Once there, Aoife could see a small form on the same plane as her. The closer she got, the clearer it was to be Ary. "Arual?"
"Oh, thank goodness, Aoife!" The two ladies embraced. "I thought I would never be found."
Aoife forced Ary out of her embrace and arms length apart. "What the hell?"
"Okay, okay, totally fair. But to be fair, I had no clue!"
Aoife inspected her face closely and realized Ary was being honest. Quickly, they pulled back into a hug. Before another word was spoken, the crash of the door caught their attention. It would be impossible for Aoife to return to her body and avoid detection. They laid in silence on the separate plane, silent observers.
Into the room entered Dr. Robert Mills and an undertaker of a man, who Aoife deducted was one of the Cleaners. Dr. Mills appeared to scan the room, surveilling from Ary's near lifeless body on a gurney to Aoife's form slumped over in the chair. That sight delighted Dr. Mills, a sound of glee escaping his lips as he moved jovially over to the chair. He began to kick her limbs, poking her chest with his cane. "Ow!" Aoife rubbed her chest in the alternate plane and looked at Ary who shared a pitying look.
"You went too hard on this one."
"Nuh sir. We did jus enough." The slang slid out of the mouth of the shadow as it slowly crept up behind Dr. Mills. "I ev'n pulled da lads off o' 'er so they didn't get so...handsy."
Dr. Mils shook his head and a small "tsk" sound could be heard. "Now, now. That was not a part of the agreement. I need both these girls in good condition for study."
"Whaddya gonna do?"
"With the DNA from the Prince's Fated One, I have isolated the very coding in the DNA that makes someone a half-breed."
"So wha? She a halfie?"
The dim witted nature of the Cleaner's question wasn't lost on Dr. Mills, who slapped him across the face. "Cease your incessant and stupid questions and maybe you'll learn something!" A faint whimper could be heard after the smack faded into the darkness. "Can't you see, idiot? I have found both the undoing of the Mythic race and the next viral weapon! I can end the lives of all the Mythics or condemn people to lives as Mythics and servitude."
"Wha?"
The ire in Dr. Mills' voice raised. "After we decimate the existing race, we will create a servant caste. Any survivors and terrorists will be forced into serving humans." The words seethed through gritted teeth, his fists clenched.
Dr. Mills picked up a bucket and slowly walked over to the sink. "For now, I need to know more about these discs that the Mythics carry around." The water rushed into the bucket as the squeaky tap turned on. "Take this and wake up the filthy Mythic. Leave the human alone. Find out what you can and report." Dr. Mills left the water running into the bucket in the sink and walked out.
Aoife, realizing what was about to happen, turned to Ary. "Listen, this is critical, you have to talk to Cahill!"
"But the drugs. You heard that guy. I'm helpless."
"Bullshit! I also heard you are stronger than they thought. Fight it, get to Cahill, tell him the Mythics are in danger."
"What about you?"
Aoife noticed fear rising in Ary's eyes. "I am trying to contact him in my way. You may have a chance to escape and to call him. Tell him, 'The flittles fly east.'"
"Flittles?"
"It's a code phrase! Just do it! Find out where we are, find out and tell Cahill! Find..."
The bucket of water was tossed across Aoife's body and her consciousness was gone. Inthe real world, she drew a sharp breath as shock tried to settle into her bones.
"Welcome back, love."
Aoife looked at him, shivering. "D-d-d-do your w-w-w-w-worst!" Her eyes were filled with the fire left in her, as Ary watched from her back seat in her mind.
"Fuckin' gladly, bitch!" A hand raised and slapped her across the face. As fresh blood oozed from the cut, the Cleaner held up a picture of an Access Card to the Cavern of Mythics. "What the 'ell is this?"
***
With a groan, Evie's eyes fluttered open to find herself in the gym, lying on her back. "What happened?"
"I am afraid that I may have caused you to pass out in that headlock. You've been out for a few hours."
"You didn't wake me?!"
Ethelinda shrugged. "What's the point? Your fight wouldn't be any better."
With Ethelinda smiling coyly at Evie, she felt her will grow steely and harden. Her fists balled up in rage and she felt as though smoke would come billowing from her ears at any moment. Suddenly, she rose to her feet and charged for Ethelinda. Catching her off guard, Evie knocked Ethelinda off her feet, landing several punches squarely on her jaw.
Evie stepped back, her chest rising and falling at a fast pace. Ethelinda raised her hand and rubbed her jaw before meeting Evie's eyes. "Perhaps there's hope for you after all." She stood up and Evie immediately moved into a defensive position, one foot stepping back and her fists held in front of her in a protective stance. Ethelinda chuckled and nodded approvingly. "I admire your spirit. You will be an excellent student in the art of battle and war."
Evie relaxed, moving into a neutral position as she watched Ethelinda sit more comfortably, patting the space beside her for Evie to join her. She pulled out a bottle of water and took a drink. She then offered it to Evie, who was now sitting beside her. They sat in silence for a little while, their breath slowing and the sweat drying on their face.
"Is Aoife okay?"
The question felt as though it appeared from thin air, whispered by a ghost. An innocent and loaded question with an even more complicated answer.
"She's tied up, kept in a dark room. She's beaten regularly, taunted. They ask her questions, never ceasing." Evie stopped, her voice shaking in sorrow, fear. "She told me to run, that they are coming."
Ethelinda's head dropped and tears rolled down her cheeks. "That's terrifying."
"It was. I thought...I thought it was a dream. I had a nightmare before almost exactly alike. They called her..."
"What? What did they call Aoife?"
"A shit dragon."
Ethelinda growled. "Damnit, she is the furthest from a shit dragon. Argh, these humans!"
"Just one." Ethelinda's head snapped back in anticipation of the next words: "Dr. Robert Mills."
Ethelinda erupted, an unearthly roar released. It was filled with sorrow, shame, and anger. "I knew it! We must form a search party, an army, something!"
Evie watched as Ethelinda seemed to be scrambling, searching for some way to help, to change the outcome. "You know Aoife."
Previously blinded by her sorrow, Evie's words caught Ethelinda's attention. She calmed herself and sat back down, her knees drawn to her chest and arms wrapped around her knees. Evie crouched beside her, remaining a minor distance. "We were best friends. We were trained during a time of great darkness for the Mythics. Humans openly hunted us for sport. Something about winning damsels in distress?" Ethelinda smiled as she reminisced, shaking her head. "We were a powerful team, Earth and Fire. Elemental dragons you didn't want to mess with. Our magic was surpassed by none and we had many accolades to our name."
Evie grinned as she watched Ethelinda regale her with the story. "I really have admired you both separately. I can only imagine the powerful force you two are together."
Ethelinda nodded and they both settled into a comfortable silence. The sun was rising high in the sky by this time, the time for the midday meal fast approaching. Evie was the first to break. "I have to ask."
"Ask what?"
"During our...battle?"
"Sparring. What we did is called sparring."
"Okay. During our sparring, I saw your human form shift back and your dragon come forward. However, try as I might, my dragon would not completely come forward. Why?"
"You're very observant. That must be why you saw Aoife in your dream." Ethelinda stood to her feet and helped Evie to hers before continuing. "Mythics, as you know, are in various categories. Some abilities or gifts are accessible from birth. Others have to be coaxed out or achieved by reaching a certain age."
"And mine?"
"I believe that yours is linked to being a dormant dragon. You see," Ethelinda paused to wipe her face with a towel, offering a clean on to Evie. They both began walking, cooling off as they went. "Until recently, you had no idea this power, this dragon was inside you. That took Cahill's discovery to help you even begin to connect with your dragon. I would venture to guess that for you to completely shift, you and Cahill will need to be together."
"Well, what can I do in the meantime."
Ethelinda stopped, turning to face Evie, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Meditate and relax. Meet your dragon in the Corridor at every chance you can. This will prepare you for when the time comes to shift. Now come on. I hear lunch is amazing today." The two girls went lightly jogging down the hallway.