by Trevor Darby
“Ah, good, the gang’s all here,” Twee Twyla said, rubbing her hands together as she stepped into the room and made a beeline to her towering computer. She sat in her desk chair and wheeled it around to face us, her short legs dangling almost playfully from the edge of the chair like a child's. But her face was all adult, lined with concern and deadly serious. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'll start by showing you a picture one of my sources sent to me last night."
She spun around and clicked a window open. A picture that looked like the cover for a fantasy novel appeared on her screen, and we all leaned in to get a better look.
“Is that...” Maps said, cutting off with an audible gulp. The screen was filled with a massive cobalt blue dragon. A dragon so large that, from the angle of the photo, completely eclipsed the sun.
“Yup,” Twee Twyla said with a curt nod. “It sure is, girlie.”
“What? What is it?” Taz asked, his voice cracking as he squinted at the screen and then let out a gasp. “Holy cow!”
“How can Taz see it?” Maps asked, “and I didn’t know cameras picked up on magically disguised stuff in the Human Realm.”
“Anyone who isn’t magic or trained to see magical creatures would just see it as a massive cloud. I had a client friend of mine take the picture with a magic-tek lens that sees through the illusion.”
“How did a dragon even get here?" I asked, still in shock. There were only certain magical creatures that could shift between realms, and animals, in general, didn't have that ability. All I could think of was the incredible mystical pressure we'd felt from the dragon in the Magical Realm. It'd be utterly hopeless to try to take that dragon on, and this one seemed even bigger and more powerful. Its wingspan was bigger than the plane we'd taken to Disneyworld a couple years before, only the airplane didn't have razor-sharp teeth and claws...or magic.
"Anytime a being with the ability to move between realms does so, for a very short period afterward, a temporary rift is created between the realms. Theoretically, a magical creature can use that rift to cross over themselves. It rarely happens...I can count on one hand how many times it's been done in the past thousand years. But it seems like it's happened this time. The timing of the weather issues fits in perfectly with your return here. I'm betting he was trailing you when you were all in the Magical Realm to save Raven and then followed you when you came back after getting the Unicorn tear," Twee Twyla said.
"I sensed the power of Dragons in the distance, but I don't think any were nearby when we left...how long does the rift stay open?"
"It depends, sometimes, a powerful magical creature that can sense it from afar can hold it open for as long as a minute or two."
"Why would it come here just to make the weather change?" I asked, confused. It seemed hard to believe that a Dragon had snuck into the Human Realm just to mess with the weather.
"I can't say for sure, but I imagine the poor creature might have followed you all looking for an easy meal and got stuck here," Twee Twyla said.
Poor creature, my butt. I had no problem with beings from the Magical Realm, but it was hard to feel sorry for one that wanted to eat me.
“The weather has been weird lately," Maps added, "it's been raining every day, and it seems like there's really crazy stuff going on in other parts of the world. I didn't notice until we got your message. Then I started tracking weather systems over the past few weeks, and it's pretty clear that there's something strange happening."
“Dragons are among the most powerful magical creatures that exist. I believe that the crazy weather events and natural disasters are because the Human Realm can't handle the amount of magical energy they give off," Twee Twyla said. She turned back to her computer and typed away for a few seconds before turning back, waving a hand at the image of a tornado ripping through a small village somewhere overseas.
“One dragon is enough to create a storm like that in its path?” Taz squeaked, eyes wide.
Twee Twyla tipped her head in a solemn nod. "I calculate that the Human Realm has at most two months before that thing does irreparable damage. Tensions are already starting to rise. According to my sources, several countries are beginning to suspect that other nations are using some kind of new weapon to cause these weather events as a means of warfare or spying. It's only a matter of time before it starts causing infighting between humans. You know, it doesn't take much to set people off on a terrible path. If a catastrophic weather event doesn't destroy us first, I have no doubt humans will find a way to destroy one another. Unless we get this dragon back to the Magical Realm."
We all sat silent for nearly a minute as we digested the bombshell that Twee Twyla had just dropped. The fate of the planet was in our hands again. This time we had to face a freaking Dragon instead of just Professor Uwyn and his bronze golems.
"So, how are we going to stop this thing?" Raven said.
"The plan should be to get Chace in a position where he can return the dragon to the Magical Realm and leave it there," said Twee Twyla. She shook her head grimly, "But, if I'm honest, you guys just don't have the magical power you need to take on a full-grown Dragon yet. I know you managed to evade one in the Magical Realm, but getting away from a Dragon that wants to eat you is one thing. Capturing one? Is a whole other kettle of fish. They don't like to be tethered, touched, grabbed...really anything that might impede their freedom and ability to fly. They will fight to the death to prevent their capture. If you want my advice, I think you should do some serious training in the Magical Realm and come back when you’re stronger,” Twee Twyla said.
"I've been practicing teleporting things that aren't nearby," I said, thinking to the book I'd teleported just the night before. "Could that work?" I asked, hopefully.
She snorted, “Oh, silly boy. I’m not even sure you’d be able to get it back to the Magical Realm if it came up and clasped your hand willingly and held it there for an hour, never mind doing it fast from a distance. Forcing something with that much magic to cross Realms when it doesn’t want to is no easy feat.”
"We have to try," I said stubbornly. "We can slow down the passage of time in the Magical Realm, but it wouldn't stop completely. We can't just sit around while that dragon destroys people's homes, causes nations to war, and screws up our whole planet. Even if we did do it your way, who’s to say we won’t get stuck in the Magical Realm like last time? All it’d take is a powerful Sorceror on the dragon's side, and we might come back to the Human Realm in the middle of World War III."
Taz grabbed my shoulder, nodding. “Chace can pull it off. I have faith.”
"But not brains, apparently," Twee Twyla said with a snort. "Either one of you. Don't you get it? You won't be able to stop the dragon at all if you go in now and get yourself killed. You just aren't experienced enough," Twee Twyla said, looking exasperated.
“She’s right,” Raven said, finally breaking her silence. “Chace and I should go to my Master and train with him in the Magical Realm for a while before we try facing the Dragon.”
I tried not to let my pure joy at the thought show or cloud my judgment. Did I want time alone to work with Raven and hopefully fix what was broken between us? Definitely. But the fate of the world came first.
“I like that idea as a backup plan, but I want to at least try to get him back the Magical Realm first. If the dragon is as strong as it looks from a distance, I’ll zap myself out of there and go straight to plan B. But I’ve been working really hard and getting stronger. At the very least, this will give us some good intel on how strong the creature is and what we can expect if we do have to exit, regroup, and come back to fight it again.”
“Whatever I can do to pitch in,” Maps said, “I’m with you. Not that I’ll be much help against that thing.”
“You don’t have to, Maps. I know it seems nuts...”
“You go, I go. We’re the Myth Squad.”
Taz nodded and shot me thumbs up. “You go, I go.” With that, he turned to Raven, one eyebrow
raised in challenge.
Raven met my eyes for the first time in weeks and held my gaze for a long time before nodding. “Yup. I’m in. Just make sure you get us out of there fast if things go downhill.”
Part of me had hoped they'd let me do it alone. I hated having any of them in danger. But if the dragon continued on this path, my friends would be in just as grave danger...along with the rest of the world as we knew it. We had to try. We owed it to our families—an image of my mom, Pop, and little brother Max floated into my mind, and I shoved it aside—and we owed it to the human race and all the creatures on earth.
“Every time something has seemed impossible for us in the past, we’ve pulled it off. This time should be no different,” I said, looking around, hopefully sounding more confident than I felt. “We can do this.”
"Riiiight...mmkay, so good luck with it then," Twee Twyla said, turning back to her computer, clearly annoyed. "Come back to me later if any of you are still alive. The dragon is in the Sahara desert, according to my most recent reports."
“Why don’t you ever come with us if you think we aren’t experienced enough?” Taz demanded, cocking his hands on his hips and staring at her.
She wheeled around in her chair again, eyeing him incredulously. “You really expect me to risk my life in a hopeless battle with a Dragon? Even if the dragon does cause war or catastrophic weather, I’ll survive like I always do. If I go with you guys...I'm a dead duck." She seemed almost ashamed as she finished the last part.
“Will you come if we train in the Magical Realm and come back instead?” Maps asked.
“No, I’m not going to take part in any of it. I’ve managed to live thousands of years precisely because I don’t get involved with crap like this.”
“This is just how she is, don’t bother. She only cares about self-preservation. She’d never stick her neck out for someone else. Not when it really counts,” Raven said, almost spitting the words out. Her words were so harsh that I felt the sting even though they were directed at Twee Twyla.
“That’s not true,” I interjected softly, “you didn’t see her when you were stuck in the Magical Realm, Raven. She helped us so much.”
“She will help from the safety of her castle on high,” Raven shot back.
“I help when I think there’s a chance of success.”
Maps put her arm out, tears forming in her eyes as she cut Raven off from replying. "How can you do that, Twee? Can you really call it life if all you're doing is just surviving? At some point, everyone has to take a stand for something."
“I don’t need life lessons from a child,” Twee Twyla said testily.
“You’re not this heartless, I know you’re not,” Maps said pleadingly.
“We need you,” I said, “join the Myth Squad, Twee. Help us make the world a better place.”
Twee Twyla looked like she was softening some as she rolled her eyes. "Twee Twyla, to you. And I told you, I have to keep doing what got me this far."
“I think you’re just scared,” Raven said, voice even harsher than before. “Scared to fail just like you failed all those creatures in the Magical Realm that you were trying to save by getting banished.
Twee Twyla flinched, and I knew Raven's words had struck home. She had told me in the past that Twee Twyla had been banned from the Magical Realm, but I had no idea about the specifics. I made a mental note to ask Raven more about that later if she was still talking to me.
Twee Twyla locked eyes with Raven for a long moment, looking defeated and a little hurt before nodding slowly. "Fine. If that's what you want, I'll join your little squad...for now," she said, "but I'm not sure how much use I'll be against a Dragon. Fae are typically born with supportive magic, and I'm a shielding specialist. I have very little attack power, so don't expect much."
“Thank you, Twee Twyla,” Taz said, a grateful grin spreading across his face, “I’m sure you’ll be lots of help for us.” Maps nodded in agreement, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks.
“I-I’m, um, sorry about bringing that up,” Raven said quietly, clearly feeling a little guilty. It was hard for me to blame her much when it’d been so effective at convincing her.
“Forget it,” Twee Twyla said, waving her off as if it wasn’t a big deal, “but now that I’m part of the Myth Squad, there’s something I have to do, and you might not like it...” she said, putting her hand out.
Raven leaped into a fighting stance as Twee Twyla shot a ball of energy straight at Maps' face.
Chapter 3
“Just as I suspected,” Twee Twyla said, nodding sagely and shaking Raven off her.
“What the heck?” Taz said, stepping forward, fists raised in a rather silly looking fighting stance.
“Chill, Taz,” I said, pulling him back as I eyed Twee Twyla, "she's not hurt." Maps was pulling her arm away from her eyes. She looked a little shaken, but I was right. She was completely unharmed by the magical blast. The way the ball of energy had fizzled on contact reminded me of when the Troll had resisted my attack.
Awesome.
"I was testing a theory of mine, and it turns out I was right,” Twee Twyla said with a cackle as Maps gaped at her. “About nine times out of ten, Fae are born with shielding magic similar to mine. It turns out Maps is a rare Fae whose magic is based around vitality and healing instead. Her magic resistance is much higher than any of ours. It's an extraordinary gift. I’ve seen masters of it regenerate entire limbs,” Twee Twyla said excitedly. "It's considered a highly coveted power in the Magical Realm. Fae like her are talented at transferring their energy to others so they can heal their allies and even recharge their magical energy if they run out."
“So what about the other one time out of ten?” Taz squeaked. “What if you were wrong?” He added, yanking his shoulder free from my grip and stepping towards Twee Twyla, eyes blazing with anger.
I had to admit, I was kind of moved by his show of loyalty and bravery. Without his earring, Taz was essentially a sitting duck if Twee Twyla decided to blast him the way he had Maps.
Twee Twyla just rolled her eyes, though. “I didn’t use enough magic to decapitate her or anything. Maybe she’d have ended up with a droopy lip or something. No biggie.”
Taz opened his mouth to say more, but Maps cut him off, clearly shaken but excited by the news she’d been given. “Tell me more about my power. How do I learn to use it? Am I weaker than other Fae because I’m part human?”
Twee Twyla nodded slowly. “You’ll need to train hard to better control your powers, but I’ll be able to help you along the way. Your power won’t be diluted as much as you think, it just depends on how much magical talent you were born with. We will learn that together over time as you progress. Right now, because you don't have enough control to manifest much power, you will seem pretty weak.”
“So, what're we going to do?" Raven said, "are we still going to try facing the Dragon, or are we waiting for Maps to learn more about her powers so she can help?”
“Let’s still try. Even if I have to teleport us away to escape, we'll at least have a better idea of what we're up against." I just couldn't justify letting the Dragon do any more damage if we could help it, even if it meant going in with an untrained teammate.
“Aye, aye,” Maps said, snapping off a salute.
Raven nodded slowly, but Taz was staring at his feet. He looked almost as dejected as the time he’d spilled one of Zorby’s famous shakes last summer before he’d even gotten a sip of it. He was rubbing his ear self-consciously in the spot his earring had been before his mom confiscated it, and I knew he was feeling left out.
“So, what's our plan?" Raven asked. "We should come up with something more concrete that'll make sure everyone stays safe while giving Chace the best possible chance to teleport the Dragon to the Magical Realm."
“I can handle the safety measures for Maps, Taz, and I as long as you and Chace can keep the Dragon from getting too close to us,” Twee Twyla said. “My shields should be abl
e to block a bit of its breath, but they'll be useless if it tries to claw at us or uses a more powerful magical attack."
"I'll be the bait," Raven said, silencing my protests with a sharp look. "If I can get the Dragon to focus on me, Chace can teleport up to it and try moving it to the Magical Realm. Twee Twyla can help us a bit with shielding, and I'm sure she can teach Maps to use her power well enough to help a bit if someone gets hurt." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Taz can uh... shoot at it with his arrows and try to keep it off of us...or something?” She clearly hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings and shot him a guilty wince as she realized how it sounded.
“Should I even bother coming?” Taz said, still looking at his feet. "Everyone else has something to add, and I think I'd just get in the way without my earring...”
“We need you, Taz. You’re still a great shot, and besides, you’re my right-hand guy. The heart of the group. We couldn’t do it without you,” I said, knowing my words sounded hollow but unable to think of anything else to add.
“A 12-year old with no special abilities against a Dragon he can’t even see in real life. Sounds like I’ll be a lot of help,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Maybe I can help a bit on that last front,” Twee Twyla said, rummaging through the overflowing drawer under her computer, showering the floor with random trinkets. “Aha, here they are,” she said, pulling out a regular-looking pair of sunglasses and putting them out to Taz.
“I’m not really a sunglasses kind of guy,” he said, looking confused. “They make my cheeks look even rounder, so I think I’ll pass.”
“They have special magic-tek lenses that will let you see magic and magical creatures,” she said with exaggerated patience. She bent over to pick up the trinkets she’d dropped before shoving them into the comically over-filled drawer.
“For real?” he asked, mouth open, “awesome.”
I held back a laugh as he slid them onto his face. Looking silly was a small price to pay for being able to see what we were up against.
