Cassandra Pendragon
The first warmth of a new day carried away our grief and worries and left behind a tranquil companion ship while we allowed the beautiful colours the fresh light cast on the seas below and the clouds above to sooth us. As an old poet I had been quite fond of in my previous life had written: the morning steals upon the night, melting the darkness from your heart. A bit cheesy but when I took in the red and yellow streaks across the horizon that painted the underside of the looming clouds purple with shades of white, black and grey I thought I understood what he had meant. A new day always brought hope to those that were ready to seize it. Carpe diem and some such.
“How long do you think we’ll still be in the air until we reach the island?” I asked Viyara.
“Not much longer, we should be able to see it pretty soon. We’ve been going for over 5 hours. Why don’t you try to contact Ahri again? Maybe she’s awake. I’ll talk to Erya, she’s been trying to reach me after Pete fell asleep but I blocked her out. Oh, and thank you, again. One of these days I really have to find a way to make it up to you.” I rubbed her scales gently, the best I could with how big her head was.
“There’s no need. Maybe refrain from further massacres in the future? That’d be much appreciated.” She snorted and the cloud of smoke that rose from her snout made me cough.
“I’ll see what I can do. No promises, though. I’m still a dragon, after all, aren’t I? Spontaneous killing sprees are part of our charm, or at least that’s why I’ve heard.” I had to laugh and promptly inhaled another batch of smoke. “Why are you laughing?” She had been completely serious. Charm had probably a different meaning for apex predators than it had for the rest of us.
“Nothing much, I never thought about it that way. But I guess the power to do as you want can be alluring to some, it’s just not my cup of tea, that’s all.” She was surprised.
“So you don’t mind? I expected you to be all on the “every life is sacred track”. At least that was the impression I got from your memories.” I had to think about that for a minute.
“No, not exactly. I think people make their own rules, if murder is part of the game it’ll be stupid to walk around like a goody two shoes. If you join a pirate ship or become a soldier or mercenary you’ll alway throw your life into the balance. Doesn’t mean I’d kill them without provocation but if it happens I won’t cry over spilled milk. I guess the best example would be an army that’s attacking. While most of them are likely pressed into service and innocent in a way, I’d never just bow down to not have to kill them, if that makes any sense. Or, in regards to the pirates you have slain, they made their beds when they joined their captains, even though I expect most of them to be closer to Pete in attitude than ruthless killers. Still sucks if you ask me, but that’s the way this world works. Doesn’t mean I find it attractive, though.” She pondered my words for a while.
“What do you find attractive, then?”
“That’s your question after my monologue? Hmm, let me see. The same as most I’d say, grace, poise, even a little naivety. Inner strength and an indomitable will but mostly passion. Honestly, though, it’s a difficult question. The same thing that attracts me to some could repel me with others. I guess it mostly depends on the circumstances and person, you know, how you get to know someone, what you experienced with them and how it felt. What about you?”
“I can’t really say. Most people I’ve met were either a part of my family or servants. I’ve heard stories, of course, but… you were the first stranger I have truly spent time with and I do like you but I don’t think that’s the same, given what has happened to us. That’s why I asked.” I chuckled softly.
“Viyara, you have to experience some things for yourself, you can’t learn them from others. Who knows, maybe we’ll run across a dragon as pretty as yourself in the future who isn’t dead set on ripping us apart. I’d bet that would answer more of your questions than I ever could. I’m pretty sure that you’re overthinking this a little.” Somehow I had the feeling that she was blushing.
“That’s… that’s not what I meant. Anyways, Erya is calling again. Want to join the conversation?” Was she trying to change the topic? I couldn’t quite interpret what I felt through our connection but Erya’s faint present was definitely swirling around Viyara’s mind so I let it go.
“I’ll do as you said and try to reach Ahri. If something important comes up, will you tell me later?”
“Sure, good luck.” Her thoughts drifted away but I still felt her at the edge of my mind, our connection never truly severed after my promise to her.
I turned my concentration towards the tattoo and gingerly tried to send a sliver of my awareness through. Ahri wasn’t asleep anymore, that much I knew in an instant. Exhaustion, weariness and anger were permeating her mind but as soon as she felt my touch I heard her voice and that alone made me smile. “Cassandra? Are you alright? It’s good to hear your thoughts but I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“Why, what’s happening? I’m fine, we’re close to you, I think. Are you still on the same Island Viyara sent you to?”
“Yes, but we’re not alone. Three ships full of pirates have arrived as well as the dwarfs. We’re in the middle of negotiations, rather violent ones, they have some nasty, pale mages onboard. How long will it take for you to get here?”
“Not long, maybe an hour, maybe a little less, I’d say. How are you holding up? Is there something I can do?”
“Hurry, my love. We could use your help and that of the dragon but the dwarfs are giving them a run for their money, at least for now. Your family is unhurt as far as I know and the kids are mostly fine, a few were injured but nothing too serious. You don’t seem surprised, though. Did you expect an attack?”
“In a way. I’ll tell you all about it when we meet in person. And what about you? Can you even fight?”
“Not as good as I would like, but it’ll suffice. I can use my wings and my swords, that’s enough.”
“If you say so. Please be careful and don’t do anything rash. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.” A jolt of happiness ran through me when I uttered the words but I couldn’t tell if it was coming from her or me.
“I will and I won’t, I’m not going to risk my neck when you’re not there to appropriately admire me. Love you, too.” I struggled to sever the connection, the quick exchange had made me realise just how much I missed her, even though we hadn’t been separated for more than a day. I ached for her company but soon I’d see her again. And may the gods have mercy on everyone that stood between us. With an effort I left the warmth she filled me with behind and focused back on reality.
Judging from the buzzing that filled Viyara’s mind, she and Erya were still conversing. Sighing I stood up and stretched, popping my back. I wasn’t looking forward to telling them we were headed straight for the next conflict. I unclamped my cloak and wrung most of the water from it, the tiny rivulets reflected the morning sun while they ran over Viyara’s scales and turned into streams of liquid diamonds, each drop shining with an inner light against the gold of her body. I admired the scene for a moment and relished in the feeling of cool air, brushing along my body before I donned my cloak again. The damp cloth made me shiver when it slid across my skin and, with a smirk, I wondered when I had gone from canopy beds and dresses to dragon backs and wet rags.
Energetically I reached for Viyara’s mind and joined the conversation just as Erya was saying:
“… asleep or even unconscious. If we don’t wake him, he’ll stay that way, I’d say. Humans are quite fragile, it seems. And he smells, honestly, I don’t know how you can bear having him on your back, filthy as he is. I wouldn’t even want to sit downwind from him. Ah, hello beautiful. Found out anything interesting?”
“Could you not… never mind. I did. Remember what you overheard? That they sent some pirates after the kids and after my family and the dwarfs as well? Three ships have reached the island where they came down, from the looks of it I’d say those are the ones that have been sent after Ahri and the children. The second batch is probably still on its way. At the moment they are fine, the dwarfs have already arrived and they can keep them at bay for now. I fear what will happen if the pirates receive reinforcement, though. Viyara, is there any chance that you could fly faster? Would it help if you didn’t have to carry Erya and me? The sooner we get there the better.”
“Unfortunately, no. My ruff allows me to stay in the air but my movement is mostly magic. A little weight doesn’t change much. Maybe you could fly ahead? Are you faster on your own?” I looked around and tried to gauge our speed without a fixed point to focus on.
“I don’t think so. Not by much anyways and given that I’ve never been to the island we’re heading for I might as well just miss it on my own. My sense of directions isn’t that great. I also don’t want to split up. With our luck we’ll just run into the other pirate ships on our way and I’d much prefer to face them together. Which reminds me, could one of you cast a spell that would alert us to their presence?” It was Erya who answered:
“Nothing that would cover a wider range than what we can see for with our eyes. A ship will be visible for many kilometres in the sky and considering how good your and Viyara’s sight is there’s no way my magic could reach further. We should rely on old fashioned look outs in my opinion.”
“She’s right,” Viyara added. “But I have to wonder, do we even want to encounter them before we reach your friends? Depending on their equipment and the amount of ships we’ll be in real trouble if they decide to shoot at us directly. Wouldn’t it be better to stay out of sight or at least range anyways? If there are one or two ships I won’t mind our chances but if there are more…”
“I think your selling yourself and us, for that matter, short,” Erya interjected with a huff. “I’d be surprised if we had any real trouble dealing with a bunch of pirate ships. The ones who captured you were probably much better prepared and equipped than the group we’ll encounter. They were spontaneously sent out to seize a single ship, after all. No, I’m more worried about them actually uniting, remember, they most likely also have groups of acolytes on board. Depending on how fanatic they are and what they can do, they could become a serious problem if they were together. While you two were behaving like lunatics last night I talked to Pete and from what… ah. He’s stirring awake. Maybe it’d be for the best if he told you himself. Give us a moment and we’ll be right there.” She withdrew her mind and I could here her soft voice and Pete’s deeper replies even over the rushing wind of our passage. I didn’t bother listening in, though, there was something else on my mind.
“Viyara, are you afraid of the pirates?” “Of course not. Why would you even ask?”
“Because… well, after what you did on the “Old Roger” and considering what you said a minute ago about draconic charms I expected you to jump at another chance for battle. I guess I simply didn’t expect you to be the voice of caution and I’m wondering why that is.” A spark of irritation flared across our connection but she stifled it quickly and actually thought about what I had said.
“You’re right, in a way. I don’t fear the fight, actually I’m looking forward to it. As far as I’m concerned they all deserve to burn and I’d be more than willing to provide the necessary flames, at least part of me does. But… I know it’s stupid but I’m afraid that something might happen to you, or even Erya for that matter. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last days it’s that no matter who you are, death always comes for you. I’m afraid of being alone, left behind in a world that obviously doesn’t care for me. I’m not just a dragon and the other part of me wants, no, needs, someone to hold on to. Does that make me a coward?”
“Far from it. That makes you a living being. But there’s only so much you can control. If I had my way, we wouldn’t have to deal with pirates or battles at all, but that’s not going to happen. I have to help my people as much as I can, even though it may cost me my life or the life of someone I cherish. As you said, bad things happen but the risk shouldn’t stop you from doing what you think is right, that would be cowardly. So, unless you intend to turn your back on everyone and everything, I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to that particular fear. As long as you allow others to be part of your life you’ll always be in danger of losing them again, be it in a fight or simply due to bad luck. But for what it’s worth, I think Erya and I are rather difficult to get rid of.”
“So, you’re basically saying suck it up?” I had to laugh at that, she was spot on.
“I’m afraid so. It’s a part of growing up, I guess. Some things you just have to learn how to deal with. Admittedly, I think everybody would be shaken to the core after what you went through. It’ll get easier with time but running from one bloodthirsty adversary to the next can’t be helpful. With a little luck this will be the last conflict for a while, though. We could all do with a little time to get our feet back under us. But for now we still have a bunch of pirates to deal with.”
She was silent for a bit. After she had sorted through what I had said she asked more calmly:
“Could you.. could you tell me who you are? The bond we’re sharing and how it changes me… the way you talk sometimes… I saw some of your memories but they don’t make any sense. You said you’re a kitsune but that can’t be all. Admittedly, you got the tails and looks to prove it but how can you know all this? Why aren’t you struggling the same way I am? What happened in your past that you’re so… wise?” It was my turn to remain silent but because I heard Erya and Pete approaching and I didn’t want to let her question go unanswered I hesitantly told her a small part of the truth:
“This isn’t my first life and I’m only slowly starting to understand who I truly am. A part of me is old, ancient even. I can’t remember most of my previous life but I still carry the lessons I learned with me, at least in part, and that helps a lot. For better or for worse, I’m more than just a kitsune. If you want I’ll talk to Ahri when we reach her, if she agrees I’ll tell you the whole story but since parts of it are hers I won’t do so without her say so. Can you live with that?”
“Thank you, I already imagined something along those lines after what Mephisto said back in the hoard but I want to understand who you are and that’s difficult without knowing where you’re coming from.” I stroked her scales comfortingly just as the sour smell of an unwashed human reached me. Pete and Erya had climbed along Viyara’s back and settled down at the base of her neck, a little too close for my sensitive nose. I felt their minds link to Viyara’s and once again the echos of foreign thoughts reached me through her. Surprisingly it was Pete who spoke up first:
“Thank you all, thank you for freeing me from that hell. Erya told me a little about where we’re headed and I’ll do everything I can to help. It might not mean much, considering one of you is an ancient fey and one a golden dragon, who ate my shipmates, but you have my eternal gratitude.”
“Whom are you calling ancient, whelp?” Erya grumped indignantly.
Cassandra PendragonPete was…fun to talk to. Even though we quickly came to what he knew about the acolytes the round of introductions was still enough to get a sprinkling of his humour. He even took it in stride when Erya renamed him from “Lucky Pete” to “Smelly Pete” and doused him with a jet of conjured water even thigh the rain had washed away most of the filth. He had the necessary distance to what had happened, especially in regards to Viyara “putting away”, his words, not mine, most of the people he knew and the way he talked about his childhood as a street urchin wasn’t bitter, maybe even a little proud. I understood his “the devil may care” attitude and quite enjoyed his quips. “When the going gets tough the tough get going” was his explanation, for example, why he had, “poised and in complete control of his mental state”, stoically asked for help. He was also a treasure trove of information and gave us a brief overview of how the pirates were organised and what we should ex
Surprisingly he didn’t strike which put me into a dilemma. Now I actually had to think about if I wanted to attack him instead of just burning the shit out of him without a moment’s pause. I just wanted to get in unrecognised and, once I had the ring, I hoped I’d be able to smooth out any problems I created along the way. On second thought, that wasn’t much of a plan without even considering that I only had a vague idea about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do afterwards. Alright, a talk it was. We could get back to bashing our heads in quickly enough, anyways.I spread out my wings and came to an abrupt halt, a couple of meters away from him. Chaleb was a big boy, his current incarnation came from one of the technologically advanced, humanoid races. They had meddle with his body in the stereotypical mad scientist with a gruesome laboratory fashion when he had first displayed a part of his heritage. As a knight he had easily pulled through and, as far as I knew, there was st
“I’d usually say someone is trying to frame me for cutting off a demon’s horn but since you’re not already jumping down my throat I assume I have a good alibi.” I leaned forward in my chair and carefully picked up the horn. It was surprisingly heavy and upon closer inspection I realised it wasn’t made of solid gold but had a dark, organic base with golden glyphs drawn over it until it appeared like a piece of metal. Residual energy still lingered within but it was dormant, cut off from its source. The silvery taint at the bottom was slowly spreading through the reservoir of magic in the horn and gradually turned it into something else.No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t clearly make out what was going on. From my point of view the horn was filled with golden energy that had some streaks of black and red running through. A single thread of silvery-blue light curled through the centre and minuscule changes appeared wherever they came into contact. The Gold, Black and Red didn’t trans
“So you’re basically saying I’m the prototype of what she’s turning into? May I remind you that some of the stories surrounding me aren’t lies? I don’t have any aspirations to gain political power and I did and still do work against every immortal that tries to form the multiverse as they see fit. On a related note: I can’t even remember the last time I felt truly hungry and what I sensed from Delilah was… starvation.”“Semantics, I already told you, I think your immunities saved you from the worst parts, you only experience the benefits… like access to a form of energy that bypasses all known defences. Come on, Cassandra, you can’t be that blind…” what had he just called me?“Cassandra! Cassandra, wake up!”Groggily I blinked the sleep from my eyes, still half engaged in my dream I needed a moment to understand why I was staring into a clear, blue sky, a beautiful face with ram like horns merely centimetres from my nose. When everything snapped into place I couldn’t suppress a curse.
Cassandra PendragonA few minutes later I was staring up at one of the flying stones, blood slowly dripping from the corpse behind me, filling the room with the heavy scent of death. Up until now it had been easy. I had chosen the ship to our left and Viyara had levitated me over, still hidden behind Erya’s magic. Once I had been beneath the hull, I had shrugged off the concealment and used my wings to crawl along the thick planks, their weathered surface harsh against my skin. Nobody had been able to see me from above and I had had to be only a little careful to stay out of sight of the neighbouring ships. Every few metres I had gingerly pushed a wing inside the ship and used my second vision until I had found the stone chamber. One lonely pirate had been on watch, struggling to stay awake in the pressing heat. I hadn’t hesitated. A shower of sparks later he had sunk to the ground silently, his heart and lungs pierced by torrents of light, which had brought me to where I was.The roo
Cassandra PendragonErya enjoyed her role as the apparent voice of our group and pranced towards Clovis, a wide smile on her face: “and we graciously accept. If you and your comrades would be so kind as to hand over your weapons. Not that I particularly care but there is a certain etiquette to these matters, isn’t there? Now then,” she waved her hand and the last traces of her magic vanished, returning the ship to its inanimate state. “Why don’t you put them all on a heap right here? And please, don try to hide anything, I’d hate to throw you overboard.” She had them well in hand and the bunch of seasoned cutthroats quietly complied, a varied assortments of sharp utensils clattering to the floor. Erya made them form a line and skipped up and down in front of them giddily. She was having the time of her life ordering them around, especially when Viyara joined the game of let’s-make-the-pirates-miserable and slithered along the railing until she came to a stop behind them. She neatly co
Cassandra PendragonFlying could be awesome. The sinking sun turned the ocean below into a glittering sea of molten gold and reddish reflexions. The warm breeze that carried me along smelled of fresh salt. Cool winds blew along my body and over my tails while I whirled through the sky, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of freedom that coursed through my veins. My wings pushed me along while I rose and fell, following the air currents in an intricate dance that brought me ever closer to Ahri and my family. If there hadn’t been another emergency along with the news of more death that made my haste necessary I would have been happy. As it was I barely spared a glance for the exquisite scenery and silently cursed my companion whose weight was starting to hurt.It hadn’t taken us long to leave the hijacked ship in the caring talons of Viyara. To assure the smooth cooperation of her newest employees she had transformed back into her draconic self and sent a blazing stream of flames over the m
Cassandra Pendragon “It looks almost… peaceful, except for the wrecked ships it could be some kind of holiday camp.” My voice was quiet and the longing I felt for what I had said to be true was strong enough to make it tremble. Ahri’s tails curled around my middle more tightly but she didn’t answer. There was nothing to say. There was no peace for us here, we were refugees on the run and instead of camp equipment and food, the tents most likely contained the dead and one who was fighting for her life. A fight she would win if I had my way. Exhaling deeply I squeezed Ahri’s hand and turned towards the approaching fey. Erya’s iridescent wings reflected the light of the setting sun in colourful sparks and together with her glimmering horns she made for a striking figure in the approaching night. Mysterious and hopefully powerful enough to bring Reia back from the brink. If not, well, I was decently sure that I could get rid of the curse that had infected her wounds but it wouldn’t be pr
Cassandra PendragonHer eight eyes followed me wearily while I rose ever higher into the air, my wings slithering around the statue like the coils of a hunting serpent. I could feel the enchantments and spells the dark granite had been imbued with give way without offering any resistance and slowly the inner working of the statue became visible to my second sight. Most of the magic wasn’t actually in the legs, they had been crafted as conductors and to inflict pain but the truly ingenious parts were hidden in the torso and head, both of them ablaze with the energy that flowed through them. The way I saw it, everything Shassa could offer, from her life force to her soul, could be torn from her and channeled through the legs towards the centre of the statue. What I thought to be the seed would then start to fill with power and once it had accumulated enough, a purified pulse of what I suspected would be transcendent energy, was going to be sent towards the head. An intricate array of e
Cassandra PendragonUnbelievably, the body was still moving, faint twitches and the occasional shudder made it obvious just how much pain she was in. Crap, I could already feel the urge to help her, to free her of her binds without any form or reassurance or gain on my part. Pity was a damned nuisance.“Great, now what?” I mumbled.“Don’t be daft, I know you can cut through spells. Go ahead, you’ve done it before, haven’t you?” “And then? Do I shake you until you wake up?” She rolled her eyes and that was quite the spectacle, like a wave that ran across her face.“Heal me enough to communicate but not more than that or you might come to regret it. You can do that, can you not?”“I hope so, probably… maybe? Uh, won’t there be two versions of me, anyways?”“No, the path you’re trying to reach hasn’t been walked yet, it’s just a dream of the universe in a way. It’ll become reality once you cross over, there won’t be two versions of you but I’m not sure where you’ll end up. You could also
Cassandra PendragonOne might ask why I had said eight legged monster, there hadn’t been much to see after all, images don’t usually linger on the edge of dreams but the longer I communicated with Shassa, the more real everything appeared to me. From exchanged memories lived through between two fluttering thoughts the scene around had developed into the grey of the mind scape, a place I was starting to get familiar with. I had a body and sensory impressions but there was nothing there except for a hazy silhouette, still hidden behind a veil of fuzzy thoughts. With every contact, every exchange she had become clearer until I saw her for the first time and the disembodied memories flowed together to show me whom I was dealing with. Her body was that of a huge spider, bloated and black with red markings in the shape of a reversed cross on her back. Eight bowed, chitinous legs held her upright, each one of them at least 2 metres long with a sharp, deadly claw at its end. Her torso ended
Ahri AreteThe smell wasn’t as bad as one might imagine. The continuous scrambling and scratching was another matter. The noise produced by an army on the rise was horrific, a constant, piercing pressure against my ears that made it impossible to focus on anything but the moving assembly of spare parts and limbs before me.Mordred and I had retreated under the shadow of the statue, Reia alongside Shassa’s withered body between us. Eight stone claws pinned her to the ground and even though the wounds had dried up long ago a distinct metallic odour still lingered around her prone form. Her eyes were closed, shrivelled and blind, eight deep holes on top of her head like windows to an empty room. Reia was still and pale, her mind had fled from the sensations that were racing through their connection, from the pain that had flooded her once the spell had started working. Viyara was hovering in the air, sparks of magic running along her talons and fangs while she surveyed the amassing hord
Ahri AreteHer knees buckled, her wings vanished and she fell. I was barely fast enough to catch her before she hit the ground but with a few frantic wingbeats I managed to sling my arms around her lithe body before she could add another injury to her growing collection. I was still angry, nay, furious and maybe a little shocked but when her soft curves came to rest against my chest and her fluffy tails circled around my middle reflexively I couldn’t help it, my anger melted like snow under the midday sun and I was simply happy to hold her again, dirty and mangled as she was. She wasn’t wounded anymore, as far as I could tell but her skin had a feverish colour and heat radiated off of her as if she was still fighting for her life, spasms making her muscles twitch against me constantly. Her body was liberally coated with the remains of her rampage, but the few untarnished spots showed the same alabaster hue I had come to know so well but now there was distinct sheen of silver to it,
Cassandra PendragonNope, neither sunshine nor rainbows but at least I didn’t find myself in the middle of the ocean. When I had stepped through the portal, a brief moment of vertigo and disorientation had led me into an atrium, for want of a better word. From the corner of my eye, I saw a doorway and the first steps of a wide staircase that vanished into the earth. The walls were bare but polished stone, a reflective surface crisscrossed with lines of shimmering metal, glowing faintly in the dark. Behind me the energy of the portal still hummed reassuringly, my way back was still open. Unfortunately I couldn’t quite concentrate on my surroundings, a still bleeding corpse in the middle of the room commandeered most of my attention.There, practically at the centre of the chamber, laid a chimera, with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent. Black blood oozed from deep gashes in its hide, some clean and narrow, others wide with frayed edges. It looked like the
Cassandra PendragonCould it possibly be meant to connect to someone else rather than something else? I had always wanted to learn how to heal, after all. Mephisto had basically told me that my new body would be formed in the image of what my soul desired, without the rationalisations an active mind would use to ignore the sometimes darker nature of what I might long for. If that was true, it wouldn’t be too far fetched to imagine that I had given myself a way to restore what shouldn’t be lost. Unfortunately I didn’t how I could try it out without a Guinea pig. Right then, every time I wanted to move my energy through the wing, I encountered a resistance, a blockade that wouldn’t allow my powers to pass. It felt like knocking at the door of an empty house, in theory it was supposed to open but someone was needed to turn the key and invite you in. For now, it wouldn’t be more than a fancy streak of colour among the silvery torrents of energy.Much more confident than I had been two min
Cassandra Pendragon“You’re a bloody idiot, that’s what you are. But you got balls, at least metaphorically, I’ll give you that.” “Thanks, by now you’ve repeated yourself enough times as well that my tiny brain can retain the information.” I was long past the initial rush of gratitude I had felt when I had first regained a resemblance of consciousness in a grey world of nothingness. By now I was mainly annoyed and a little worried.Unbelievably my stunt hadn’t been the end. I should’ve been dead, my very personality obliterated in the truest sense of the word, my core clean for another spin of the wheel but… I wasn’t. No thanks to my efforts as Mephisto kept on reminding me. He had saved me, in a way. The unbound energy that had been released in the chamber prior to my temporal displacement had been more than enough to reconstruct his reservoirs and the interwoven sparks of transcendent energy had allowed him to perform a miracle, his words, not mine. He had come to when I had collap
Cassandra PendragonI was somewhere in between. I could still see the circular chamber as an afterimage of sorts while I struggled with the sensations my own body was providing me with. Every muscle and tendon connected to my wings was burning as if it had been dunked in acid and I could feel torrents of blood gush down my back, a warm stream of sticky liquid that formed a dark puddle beneath my feet. I couldn’t remain upright, spasms raced up my legs and along my back and I collapsed face first into my own blood. My wings felt like they were about to be pulled out of their sockets, a much stronger force than I had ever experienced had taken hold of them and was constantly trying to rip me a part. My ingenious manoeuvre had worked, I was in my own time stream and still anchored in the alternate version. Unfortunately that also meant that right now my wings were the only thing connecting two separate streams. In a way I was a stick thrust between two wheels. If the wheels were turning