by Sarah Reeves
“Do you think they’re going to believe that? They’re smart kids, Adrien. And barely kids anymore either. They’re eventually going to figure out that we lied to them, if they don’t do so immediately. And what if the Unseen is capable of doing something with the ashes? I don’t know anything about what he’s got planned for them, but I can guarantee that it won’t be good. Sooner or later, we’ll find out, though. What then?”
“We deal with it.” The pacing footsteps changed direction, heading towards the stairs. Alex and Oliver hurried back to Alex’s room, shutting the door as quietly as possible. Alex was shaking.
“What the hell could that monster want with Hannah’s ashes?” She asked. “What could he possibly hope to accomplish? She’s dead.”
“What I want to know is why this is going to be kept from us,” said Oliver. “You’d think they would keep us informed, no matter what it does to our thought process. If anything it would help us to know, so that we can be more vigilant.”
Alex sat on the bed. “Should we confront them?”
“No. I want to do some more investigating, first. You’re also leaving in…” he checked his watch. “Roughly five hours.”
“That’s right,” Alex rubbed her hands over her face. “What the hell happened to us, Oliver? Three months ago I was drooling in Statistics class. Now, Hannah is… and I can turn into a dragon, and you’re having to go into hiding with my family, who may die anyway… I’m just waiting to wake up from this and hear the bell ring to let us go from school.”
“It is weird to wake up one day knowing how the world works and not knowing that in a matter of hours, you’re proved completely wrong. But look on the bright side. Now you can do flaming shots without having to blow them out first.”
Alex gave an exhausted laugh. “True. Thank you for that, it was the silver lining I needed.”
Oliver stood, holding his arms out to Alex, who stepped into them gratefully. He squeezed her tightly for a moment. “You know everything is going to be okay, right?” Alex looked up at him in disbelief. “It will. I’m not saying it won’t take a while, but eventually it will be okay. You just have to tough it out till then.” She nodded, and Oliver released her. “Is there anything else you need to do to get ready?”
“No. I just have to get through Hannah’s funeral, and then I have to say goodbye to everyone else.” Saying those things made Alex’s throat get tight, but she gave Oliver what she hoped passed for a smile. She didn’t want to say goodbye to anyone. She would rather wake up from this perpetual nightmare.
“You’ll get through this, Alex. You know you will. Just remember you have people that you can talk to, if you need it.” With that, Oliver left her room, closing the door softly behind him. Alex watched the door for a few seconds, then turned to sit on her bed again. She began to think about the journey to the fire realm that was going to start later in the morning. What does that realm even look like? Would everything be on fire? Would there be dragons flying rampant everywhere? Would it be archaic, like the medieval times? Where would there even be access to the other realms? Alex wondered too if she would be able to see those other realms, or just be restricted to the realm of fire. That thought brought her to what Adrien had said, about the fact that in theory, Alex would be able to wield multiple elements, and Shift into multiple creatures. How did someone go about doing that, if it hadn’t been done before? She shook her head slightly, feeling it start to ache. There were too many questions still, and there didn’t seem to be enough information to answer all of them. I just gotta figure it out on my own, I suppose.
Bringing her hands up, Alex placed them on her thighs, palms facing the ceiling. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was her power, next to her heart, and Alex immersed herself in it. Inside, she was surrounded by flame, but she kept going until she reached the center of the inferno. Alex looked around, concentrating on finding something different. She found it.
There were other cores, situated in what looked like a ring in the center of her main power. Hmmmm. Each was a different color, different texture. They were tiny too, but Alex chose to reach out and touch the clear, undulating sphere. Let’s try water, she thought. However, when she touched it, nothing happened. Her hand passed right through it, and Alex got the distinct feeling that there was something preventing her from accessing that part of herself. Frustrated, she tried it again, but to no avail. “Okay,” she muttered, “Let’s try the others.” After all, what was the point in having other powers if you couldn’t have access to them?
Despite that line of thinking, none of the other powers yielded to her, either. Alex’s hand passed through each of the seats in her mind, through the ball of light, the stone, and the nearly invisible air. The only one that yielded any kind of result was the darkness. When she tried to touch it, she felt a small jolt down her arm. She opened her eyes, but nothing had happened on the corporeal side of things.
“Well shit,” she said. “That was disappointing.”
“What’s disappointing?” Adrien poked her head in with a questioning expression on her face.
“Nothing,” Alex said quickly. “Something is broken.” Understatement.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Not as hysterical, which I suppose is as good as it’s going to get right now,” answered Alex. She stood. “Is it time?”
“Yes. Everyone is gathered out front; we buried Hannah already, underneath the willow tree.” No, you didn’t, Alex thought angrily, but she nodded and went with Adrien outside, where Teagan, her mother, and Oliver already were. She came up on Oliver’s right. He put his arm around her, but didn’t take his eyes off the mound of dirt in front of them. At the head of the mound, there was a picture of the three of them; Alex assumed that the picture had been taken from Oliver’s phone.
The funeral was short. Alex couldn’t bring herself to speak, but Oliver said some words, as did Jennifer. Teagan cried along with her mother, but Alex couldn’t do that, either. Not when she knew that the dirt only covered more dirt, and that Hannah’s remains were stolen. There was no way for Alex to be able to say goodbye, not really. All she could think about was what could be happening to Hannah right now. Images from her dream rose in her mind, and she shuddered, forcefully pushing it from her thoughts. She wouldn’t think about that. Instead, she tried to focus on what came next. Her things were packed and ready to go.
When the funeral was over, Jennifer led Teagan back into the house, still crying. Alex wondered if it was guilt or grief that caused Jennifer’s tears. Maybe it was both. Alex thought she should confront her, but she knew nothing would come of it. Jennifer would shut down, get defensive. Besides, she didn’t have any clue what happened to Hannah’s remains any more than Alex did, so there wasn’t much point.
“Alex, go get your things,” Adrien was now standing next to her student. “We’re leaving in half an hour.”
Alex nodded. The reality of her situation was starting to hit her, hard. It was likely she wouldn’t see her home for a long time, if ever again. The thought both terrified her and delighted her. She’d never even been outside of the country before, and now she was going to a completely different realm? Her new life continued to bewilder her. So far, she had no clue if it was a good thing. She went to gather her things, and came downstairs to find Oliver, Teagan and Jennifer in the living room. Teagan was still crying. Jennifer had stopped, but her chin quivered when she caught sight of Alex.
“Mom, it’s okay,” said Alex automatically. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not, I promise,” said Jennifer. “I just wish you didn’t have to go.”
“I know. I have to, though.” Alex squeezed her mother tightly before letting go. “I need to do what I can to keep you and Teagan safe.”
“I’ll keep them safe,” said Oliver, coming up to stand next to Jennifer. He put his hand on Teagan’s shoulder. “You know I will.”
“Thank you.” Alex met Oliver’s eyes and saw determination
there, and a protectiveness she’d only seen a few times before. Memories of Oliver chasing off bullies in middle school hallways flashed in her mind, made her smile slightly. “Thanks, Oliver.” She knelt, pulled Teagan to her. “And you, little one.” She squeezed hard and heard a small laugh come from her baby sister. “I know you’ve heard this before, but I need you to be brave for me. Okay?” She felt Teagan nod. “Good. Can you look at me?”
Teagan raised her head, still wrapped in Alex’s embrace. “When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know sweetie. I don’t know.” Alex used her thumb to wipe the tears from Teagan’s face. “But I know that when I do, it’ll be like I never left. And I’ll have all kinds of new tricks to show you. Okay?” The little girl nodded again. “Okay.” Alex caught sight of Adrien out of the corner of her eye. “I gotta go now. I’ll talk to you guys when I can, okay?” She stood, and turned to Oliver. Before she could blink, she was pulled into a tight hug.
“You’re coming back.” He didn’t say it like a question, or as a way of convincing himself. He said it like he’d already seen it happen, and he knew that she would be okay. He pulled back and gave her one of his confident smiles. “Don’t worry.”
“You know I will,” answered Alex with an answering smile.
“There’s no need. You’ll be back.”
“We need to leave, Alex.” Adrien motioned out the door when Alex turned around. “The longer we wait, the more danger we’re all in.”
Alex nodded. “You get them somewhere safe,” she said to Oliver. “Keep them safe for me.” Then she walked out the door with Adrien. “How are we going to get to the fire realm?” she asked, glancing sideways at her mentor.
“We’re going to fly to where the portals are. It’s not an extremely long way from here, but it is a decent flight.”
“Where is it?” They were walking down the driveway, past the willow where Hannah’s gravesite was.
“In what the humans call the Grand Canyon. It’s very deep in the canyon, in a mass of underground tunnels. The room where the six portals are is a room that humans haven’t been into. Their lights haven’t been able to penetrate it, and it smells to them like snakes, or some kind of chemical.”
“And we’re going in there? Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing that gets people killed in horror movies?”
“Yes, we’re going in there. That’s where the accesses are to the realms, and the only way we’ll be able to get to where we need to go.”
“We can’t just, like, conjure a portal right here?”
“No. Portals require secrecy, we can’t have a human trying to wander into one of the realms. They would see something they shouldn’t, or they would die. Either way, manifesting a portal in the open could end up with terrible consequences.” The duo was nearly at the end of the driveway. “We’ll fly from here.”
“Two questions first.” Alex crossed her arms. “One, why didn’t we just take off from the front yard? And two, You do realize that so far, I’ve proven that I’m not very good at flying, so why not just take a plane out there?”
“I thought it best not to let your sister see you leave her, at least not in plain sight. And for us, it’s faster to fly on our own, regardless of your ability. Undari and pressurized cabins don’t mix, and we need to be healthy once we get to where we need to go.”
“How long will it take us to get there?”
“Roughly four hours.” Adrien distanced herself from Alex a good twenty feet.
Alex nodded, and when Adrien started to Shift, so did she. Soon there were two dragons, one smaller than the other, standing next to each other in the driveway.
When we take off, I’m going to bend light around us so that we’re essentially invisible. Until we’re high enough in the air, at least. Adrien’s voice slid through Alex’s mind.
I’m most likely going to screw this up by accidentally falling out of the sky, I hope you know that, Alex replied. Adrien only shook her head, bright golden-green eyes rolling up to look at the sky. She spread her wings (they were huge now), and took off from the ground. Alex followed suit, although much less gracefully.
Together they rose into the sky, and Alex found that the sight of the ground dropping away was equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. They ascended farther and farther, until everything around them was a collection of multicolored patches. Alex couldn’t even see her grandmother’s house anymore, and she felt a pang thinking of her family and Oliver, and where they would go next.
Alex looked up again just in time to see Adrien level out, using her head and neck to guide the rest of her body until she was rising at an angle that was nearly parallel to the earth. She copied her mentor, and as a result missed the small flash of power a few miles from her grandmother’s house. Instead, her thoughts were focused on the journey ahead. Alex and Adrien disappeared into the clouds, unaware that the Unseen was hatching his sinister plan just minutes from the young dragon’s family.
Chapter Ten
The Unseen didn’t see them leave, but he felt it. Triumph coursed through his being. He had them fooled. The imbeciles believed their little friend was dead, gone. Just as he had intended.
“What are you going to do to me?” The shaky but defiant voice came from the girl he had taken. She sat against a tree, her wrists and ankles swollen and red from the bindings wrapped there. Her eyes shone with fear, but her chin jutted out stubbornly as she looked at her captor. He turned to her and loomed close. He was still only smoke, but she shrunk back slightly.
I will make you mine, he replied. The girl flinched when his voice slithered through her mind. You will be my perfect vessel.
“You won’t do anything to me. I won’t let you.” Despite her forceful words, her lips trembled. “Even if you do, Alex will beat you. You can’t win.”
Can’t I? The Unseen was amused by the girl. You know as well as I do, your little friend won’t be able to hurt you. Not even if you’re no longer you.
The girl didn’t answer, instead staring straight ahead. Satisfied, the Unseen turned to the stone the girl had stolen. It had been so easy to compel her to take it, to bring it to him. The stone glowed faintly, as if in anticipation.
The Unseen began to chant, and smoke rose from the rock. The glow got brighter, brighter, and began to change. It grew darker, the orange and red morphing until it was mottled green, black and purple. It looked like a rotten piece of flesh, and out of the corner of his vision, the Unseen saw the girl turn quickly to the side, retching as the energy from the stone affected her.
When it was done, the Unseen turned to the girl. He couldn’t smile, but if he were able, it would have stretched grotesquely across his face.
Now for the fun part, he said. The girl’s face blanched as he got closer, and she began to scream.
The morning gave way to mid afternoon as the two dragons sped west. Alex found it difficult to keep up with her mentor’s velocity, so she ended up slightly behind Adrien as they passed what Alex believed to be the halfway point. It was incredible to her that they were as high as planes (they had come uncomfortably close to a couple of them), and they were able to breathe normally. The clouds surrounded them, fluffy and playful, making the whole journey feel like a dream. Of course, the burning in her muscles attested to the fact that it most definitely was not a dream. The earth fell away from them, the curvature just enough to make Alex feel a little light headed from the knowledge of how far above the ground they were.
How much longer are we going to be flying? She asked. The first time she’d spoken while in the air, Adrien had to tell her that it wasn’t necessary to shout, so she checked herself this time.
Just a little longer, came the reply. We’re going to be starting our descent soon. Alex laughed to herself at how Adrien sounded like an airline pilot.
Is there anything I need to know before we get to the realms? Like, how to address royalty, or even how to tell who is who? I don’t want to get us captured and sent to jail becaus
e I greeted a noble like I would Oliver.
Everything there is pretty straightforward. Adrien was silent for a moment. The rarest creatures are the ones considered royalty. The phoenixes are the ones within the Fire Realm that are the monarchs. We most likely will not encounter them, but if we do, you’re to curtsy or bow, and address them as Your Highness, or Your Majesty. Don’t use slang, don’t joke with them, laugh only when appropriate, and for the love of all that is holy, do not use profanity. In our culture, profanity is not only frowned upon, it’s highly offensive to royalty. The lower classes may not care as much about using it, but it is absolutely not allowed when speaking to the upper class.
Got it. No cursing whatsoever. So where do you and I fall on the social ladder?
I am one of the lower level nobles in the realm. Dragons aren’t common, but they’re also not extremely rare. You, however, are a different story. Something that we will have to be careful about is not letting everyone know exactly what you are. You’re the rarest creature in the entire Undari race, being that your powers have no equal. Because of that, there are many nobles that will see you as a threat to their own power and level of influence. It is critical that we don’t broadcast you or your abilities. In fact, we should probably just not tell anyone, since information spreads quickly.
And of course, gossip is also very offensive, Alex thought dryly.
Gossip is dangerous. Adrien sounded impatient. And don’t poke fun at this. I know here on earth it’s different. Most everyone uses profanity, you have a different caste system, and your hierarchy is based off of who has the most money. Not there. In the realms, riches aren’t what decides how much influence you have. No matter how much money you have, you’re no different than anyone else. Men and women are paid the same. Everyone has access to the same resources, the same medical care. It is equal across the board.
So the rarity of your Shifted form is what determines how popular you are with the royal family? That seems a little weird.
