Nice, long chapter ahead. :) I hope I don't lose any of you.
Chapter 2: Reunion
Kendra was on pins and needles. She had a feeling she was in for a shouting match with Julie, and she couldn't help but feel like she deserved it. Ever since they'd graduated with their bachelor's degrees, Kendra had pretty much maintained radio silence with Julie. The two hadn't had a real conversation in several years.
It wasn't for lack of trying on Julie's part – at first she called and texted often. Kendra had been invited to birthday parties, get-togethers with other former classmates, and even Julie's second graduation when she obtained her master's degree. Kendra had made up reasons for why to not go to these things at first, but then she simply stopped responding at all. Eventually Julie stopped trying to get ahold of her.
In Kendra's defense, what was she supposed to do? Say, "Sorry Julie, I can't go to your dinner party because I'm part of a group called the Knights of the Dawn, we're working on relocating a colony of little woodland elves this weekend, and I'm the translator and probably the only one they will trust"? "Sorry I can't make it to your barbeque because I'm getting married that day and no you're not invited because there's no way you could not find out about magical creatures if you did come"?
Kendra had thought it would be best to sever ties with Julie. It had been one of the most emotionally difficult choices of her life – after living together for four years, they'd been best friends if not honorary sisters long before the end.
At any rate, Kendra expected a show down with Julie. She was 99% sure there would either be hysterical tears or screaming coming from her friend in reaction to reuniting – especially under these particular circumstances. In an effort to avoid causing a scene in public, Seth and Marla had gone to pick Julie up from the airport, leaving Kendra behind. It wasn't too long of a drive, so she didn't have very long to wait before their car pulled up in front of her Grandparents Sorenson's home. After consulting with her family, they'd all decided that bringing Julie there instead of Bracken and Kendra's house would be for the best. There was much more space, plus this way everyone could be debriefed simultaneously which would waste less time than having to repeat everything again.
Her heart fluttered when she saw Julie exit the car through one of the windows in the family room. They hadn't seen each other since graduation and a feeling of regret overwhelmed her. She should've made a better effort to stay in touch. She should've at least made it clear to Julie that she still cared and thought of her often. She'd missed having a best girl friend for so long. Her relationship with Vanessa just wasn't the same.
Bracken appeared beside Kendra and kissed her cheek. I'll bet she's missed you, too, his voice stated quietly in her mind as he did so.
"What if she hates me?" Kendra whispered.
"I don't think she will," he answered, matching her volume.
The front door, about 10 feet to their left, opened from the outside and her Grandparents Sorenson greeted Julie graciously at the opening. "It's good to see you again," Grandma Sorenson said. "I'm sorry it has to be under these circumstances though." She gave Julie a quick hug and ushered the young woman inside the house.
"Welcome to our home," Grandpa Sorenson said. "Kayla has briefly explained what you've told her, and we've gathered a group together to try and help us figure everything out. I hope you don't feel overwhelmed."
"I just want my dad back," she said. "He's more important than my comfort. I'm… a little surprised that so many people actually believe me."
"We've seen our fair share of odd things," Stan responded.
"If you need anything while you're here, just ask," Grandma Sorenson insisted.
Kendra steeled herself for the unknown and decided it was time to reunite with her estranged friend. She left her post at the window and approached Julie quickly.
The two women paused in front of each other. Julie's eyes filled with tears and then she embraced Kendra desperately. "I don't know what's going on or why we ever fell out of touch," she began, "but I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too," Kendra said, emotion evident in her voice. "Much, much more than you know."
Julie then pulled back and hit Kendra – hard – in her upper arm. Kendra recoiled and Julie stated, "That's for being stupid and not talking to me. I've been so mad at you!" Her face reflected her frustration, her eyes still filled with tears that were threatening to spill. "It's like you suddenly just died or something – you fell off the face of the planet! I called, I texted, I emailed and you never responded! You were my best friend… You were practically my sister! What is wrong with you!?"
"I'm sorry," Kendra immediately apologized. "You're right. You're absolutely, one-hundred percent right and I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, well so am I," she said bitterly. "But right now my dad is in trouble and we need to figure that out. How on earth are you involved with this?"
"We're not really sure yet," Kendra answered.
"Come into the dining room and we'll try to piece things together," Stan said, gesturing down the short hallway. Seth and Marla brushed past Julie and made their way to the dining room. Bracken grasped Kendra's hand and they brought up the rear of the group, heading into the same room after Julie and Ruth.
Warren, Vanessa and Grandpa Larsen were already seated at the table. The two men stood up when everyone else entered. Vanessa remained seated, her right hand resting on her very swollen abdomen, but she waved the other one in a simple greeting.
After quick introductions, everyone took a seat around the table and Grandma Larsen brought out mugs of hot cocoa to everyone except Vanessa, who couldn't bring herself to drink much besides herbal tea these days. She already had a cup of something warm and minty scented in front of her.
"Julie," Stan began the conversation, "Can you tell us exactly what happened again? Start from the beginning. What took you to Buenos Aires in the first place?"
She fiddled with the handle of her mug, but didn't drink any of its contents. "I just recently earned my Ph.D. in astrophysics," she said. "My dad took me on a trip to one of his favorite places in the world to celebrate. It was the end of tourist season, and not far outside of the city are some pretty good places to set up telescopes for stargazing. He was going to take me on a tour of observatories throughout South America. We flew to Buenos Aires first just to do some touristy things and were planning on leaving for La Plata the next day. We were only two days into our trip.
"The sky was very clear last night and, while we hadn't initially planned on stargazing that particular evening, my dad insisted since it was a great opportunity. Summer here is winter there. It's June so while it's getting warm here, it's cooling off down over there. We grabbed our coats and wore thick sweaters, and took my compact telescope with us. It was a cool night, but not overly cold – our coats were for back-up if we needed them. We drove maybe 20 minutes outside the city when my dad pulled over and we set up a makeshift camp for a few hours. We didn't see any other people around us, although we had a good view of the city in the distance. I set up the telescope and started looking for star clusters."
She absentmindedly took a sip of cocoa and paused before continuing her story. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she relived what happened next. "I suddenly felt really cold – like frost was covering my skin. I turned away from the telescope and put on my heavy coat. Before I could zip it up, I felt… paralyzed. It was like my whole body froze and I couldn't move anything. I couldn't think clearly, either; everything was muddled.
"Then there were female voices. Several of them, speaking in unison and… they seemed to be yelling at me while not at the same time. I don't know… does that make sense?"
Kendra looked across the table at Seth, who returned his sister's gaze and nodded his head. They were both clearly thinking the same thing. Magical fear. As far as the voices went, Kendra wasn't exactly sure, but the situation sounded familiar to her.
"Anyway… I don't really remember what was said at first, because my brain wasn't able to process anything." She shuddered. "After a short while, my skull felt like it was being ripped open. I couldn't scream. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but I couldn't move. All of these memories were forced into the forefront of my mind, it was too much to try and make sense of – I couldn't focus on anything, all I could feel was pain. I wanted to die." Another shiver rippled through her body. "I saw my entire life in front of me, everything that has ever happened to me. Then the woman – or women or whoever was talking – made some comment about how boring my life was, when everything suddenly stopped and all I could see was an image of Kayla in my mind. She seemed surprised that I knew you," she said, looking at Kendra. "She sounded like she'd been thrown off guard, like her plans were changing. Then she told me that if I ever wanted to see my dad again, I'd bring you to her. A picture of a mountain was imprinted in my brain and then I must have passed out. When I woke up, dad was nowhere in sight. My telescope and our notebooks and everything were flung all over the place. I couldn't stop shaking, my head ached, I felt weak and I threw up a couple of times before I was able to pull myself together enough to drive to the airport. My backpack with my passport, wallet and extra notebooks was still in the car from earlier in the day. I called Kayla once I parked at the airport. I slept most of the way here, but my brain still feels rattled."
Silence reigned in the dining room for a moment before Grandpa Sorenson asked, "Well, everyone? What are your thoughts?"
"Magical fear," Seth said instantly. "That's what paralyzed her." Everyone else muttered their agreement.
"What about the memories, though?" Warren asked.
Bracken steepled his fingers and paused before speaking. "I can explain that," he said quietly. All attention turned toward him as he took a breath and began again. "Some of the more powerful magical beings have the ability to invade the minds of others. They can take whatever information they want by force."
"I'm not surprised," Warren said flatly.
"That does fit," Grandpa Larsen agreed. "I've heard of it before."
"Me too," Stan chimed in. "What kinds of creatures are we talking about here, Bracken? Maybe we can narrow it down."
"It sounds like a dark side power," Seth said. "Do you think I have that ability?"
Bracken paused briefly, then began to speak. "There's a wide array, although it's not something every being can do so that does narrow it down a little. And no, it's not exclusive to just the dark entities. Off the top of my head… Jinn, some of the more powerful demons, beings in the banshee family, true vampires – not blixes… lamassu, some sphinxes, wizards, dragons and… unicorns."
"Unicorns?" Seth asked with interest.
Bracken nodded his head in response. "I've done it very few times, and never with malicious intent. The experience can be very painful for the one whose mind is being invaded, as Julie has described. A polite being with this ability would never use it unless under extreme circumstances; a ruthless being can potentially kill the subject if they delve too deeply, too quickly. It is extremely invasive and particularly terrible."
While everyone else was talking, Kendra watched Julie. The other woman's expression was one of shocked confusion and her mouth dropped open when she heard Bracken declare his unicorn status.
"Hold on," Julie interrupted. "What are you all talking about? Jinn? Unicorns?"
"I know it sounds crazy to you now, but these creatures are real-" Warren began before Julie cut him off.
"I'm a scientist. You got that, right? Ph.D. in astrophysics?"
"Yes, but what we're saying-"
"But what!?" she retorted, obviously frustrated. "My dad was taken from me, and you… you're talking about fairy tales!?" She then turned her attention to Kendra. "What about you? Talk to me! Say something!" she yelled. She was clearly upset and her tone of voice left Kendra feeling hurt.
"We're just trying to help," Vanessa chimed in.
"Come with me for a minute," Seth said suddenly, standing up and gesturing toward Julie. "Let's take a quick walk." Before Julie could protest, Seth insisted, "Your father is missing. Nothing can change that right now, and screaming at each other will get us nowhere."
"He's right," Stan stated. "We all need to remain calm so we can discuss the situation rationally."
Julie took one last look at the mug of cocoa in front of her, then pushed it aside and stood up. Her expression showed that she felt resigned to the situation. Seth walked toward the sliding glass door that led to the back yard, but Julie didn't immediately follow.
"Come on," Seth said. "We'll spend a few minutes outside, then we'll come back inside for Round 2."
Julie shook her head. "No," she said. "Coming here was obviously a mistake. I've lost a lot of time already; I can't waste any more." She started to move back toward the living room instead.
"Wait, Julie –" Seth began, but Kendra jumped out of her chair and beat him to her friend's side.
"Stop," she pleaded quietly. "Julie, please. Stop."
Julie ceased walking forward and looked sideways at Kendra. "So, she does speak," she said flatly.
Kendra paused for a moment as a look of realization washed over her face before she set it aside. "Look… I'm asking you to trust me. I know I've been a lousy friend over the past several years, but please… just trust me one more time, for the next two minutes."
"Two minutes?" Julie reiterated questioningly.
Kendra nodded her head. "That's it," she affirmed, then placed her hand on Julie's back and led her to the sliding glass door which Seth opened upon seeing the two approach him. Kendra walked through the door first, then Julie and Seth followed her. Everyone else stood up and while Bracken and Marla made their way outside, the rest of the group decided to simply gather around the open doorway and watch the scene unfold.
"Nice flowers," Julie muttered, not paying full enough attention to her surroundings. "Your time is ticking."
Kendra smiled weakly at Julie, then said something her friend didn't understand. Almost immediately, what initially appeared to be several of the largest, most vibrant butterflies she'd ever seen flew toward Kendra. Upon closer inspection, Julie gasped and said, "What the…?"
"Beautiful, aren't they?" asked Seth.
"Oh my… oh my gosh," Julie emphasized. "Fairies… is this some kind of elaborate joke?"
Kendra shook her head. "All those magical creatures you've read about – minotaurs, satyrs, brownies, naiads – they're all real," she stated.
"But this – this defies the laws of science; i-i-it doesn't make sense –"
"And yet you're seeing it," Seth finished her sentence.
"Look, Julie," Kendra began, "There is so much I need to tell you about. So much about me. About my family. So much that I have wanted to share with you." She paused briefly as she watched Julie examine the fairies before they flew off to tend to some of the plants in the garden. "Even my real name."
"Real name?" Julie asked, snapping to attention instead of continuously gawking at the fairies. "What?"
"Kayla McPherson is my alias," Kendra explained. "My real name is Kendra Sorenson. I'm from Rochester originally."
Julie's mouth opened and closed a few times as she was trying to form coherent sentences to say. Eventually she settled for a simple, "Why…?"
"It's a long story, one which I fully intend to tell you once we've figured out a game plan regarding your dad," Kendra said. "For now… I was kidnapped as a teenager and replaced with a very convincing doppelganger to disguise the fact that I was missing. My doppelganger killed herself. Look it up online – 'Kendra Sorenson, Rochester' – you'll see a picture of me along with my obituary. It would have raised a lot of difficult questions if, several years after her death, Kendra Sorenson suddenly showed up as a university student. I had to assume a false identity so I could reintegrate with the rest of the world."
Julie stared blankly at Kendra for a few seconds before she started looking around at the fairies again. "I don't even know you, do I?" she asked.
"You do," Kendra insisted. "I'm the same ice cream-loving, energetic bookworm with questionable musical preferences who lived with you for four years. It's just that now, I get to share a whole other part of my life with you." Julie did not look appeased, but decided not to discuss it further at that exact moment in time. Seth, sensing the end of that particular conversation, suggested they head inside to continue their discussion with everyone else. The women eyed each other, Kendra's gaze full of pleading hope and Julie's full of cautious distrust, but they followed Seth's lead and headed back inside.
Once they were all seated back around the table, Kendra resumed the talk.
"I think it's a dragon that took Julie's dad," she announced, surprising mostly everyone.
"What makes you think that?" Stan asked, his brow furrowed as he paid close attention to her words.
"The way that Julie described everything – the paralyzing fear, the voices she heard – it sounds like a dragon that Seth and I faced off with at Wyrmroost more than a decade ago."
"Nafia," Seth said, a tone of realization entering his voice. His face then took on a puzzled expression. "What would she be doing outside of Wyrmroost, though? Or do you think it's a different dragon?"
"I don't know," Kendra stated. "It's just a guess. Julie actually made me connect those particular dots. 'So, she does speak.' Nafia had said something similar to me once."
"We haven't really met many dragons, have we?" Seth asked. "At least not that we've spoken with."
"How can we be certain that it was in fact a dragon, though?" Warren asked. "It's not like we've got a way to re-analyze what happened to her. Plus, she didn't mention seeing the attacker."
"Ahem," Vanessa cleared her throat, nudged Warren and looked pointedly at Bracken who had pursed his lips as though he was trying to figure out how to broach this particular topic of conversation. Needless to say, her signals wound up attracting the attention of the everyone around the table and pretty soon Bracken was the center of attention.
A tinge of pink seeped into his cheeks as he realized everyone was staring at him. He looked at Julie and said, "I have the ability to analyze the thoughts and memories of other people."
She looked at him as though she thought he was crazy.
"What I mean, is… would you mind if I took a glance at your memories from that night? It might help us pinpoint who your assailant was."
Now she looked at him with a horrified expression.
"Let you… what?" she asked, completely taken aback. "My mind was basically raped last night and you want me to go through that again? Do you have any idea how horrible that was?"
"I won't hurt you," Bracken adamantly insisted. "I would never hurt you."
"He's telling the truth," Kendra said. "He's careful, and it's quick. No pain."
Julie wasn't about to take Kendra's word for it. "My thoughts are my own, and I don't want someone else fishing through my brain for information. No thank you."
Kendra turned to Bracken. "Maybe a demonstration would help. Can you read mine first?"
"What?" he asked, not fully following the situation.
"Or Seth. We both met Nafia. Look at our memories from that day, and then if Julie consents, compare them to her experience. You can tell us whether we're talking dragons or if we're barking up the wrong tree to begin with."
"Would that help ease your worries?" Bracken asked Julie. She leaned her head to the side, but did not commit to an answer either way.
"Alright," he said, lightly gripping Kendra's proffered hands. She closed her eyes and he said in a calm voice, "Think about that day at Wyrmroost. Picture your experience with the dragons."
After maybe a minute, Bracken released Kendra's hands and she opened her eyes. "I didn't realize the two of you combined make a dragon tamer," Bracken said as he pointed to both Seth and Kendra. "Interesting."
"We didn't tell you that?" Seth asked. "That's one of the coolest things about us."
"That's all you got from that memory?" Kendra asked quizzically.
"No, no," he said. "I saw it all, starting with you falling in the pool of water and ending with Navarog convincing Nafia to fly away. You're right – Julie's account sounds eerily familiar to your own experience."
"Nafia is the only powerful being I think I might have possibly angered, outside of the demons in Zzyzx," Kendra stated. "She just… fits. She knows my face. She might even know my name; I'm not sure."
Julie was greatly interested in their conversation, however she was hopelessly lost. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said. "Wyrmroost? Nafia? Navarog?"
"I promise to tell you everything," Kendra said. "We can stay up all night talking if you want to. Can you please let Bracken take a look at the events of last night so we can confirm we are indeed talking about a dragon that took your father? Maybe even the same one?"
"No pain?" she asked.
"None," Kendra confirmed.
Julie reluctantly inclined her head in a nod, and Bracken stood up and walked around the table to where she sat. He knelt in front of her and held out his hands, waiting for her to place hers in his.
"This'll help my dad, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Bracken confirmed.
"Are you going to look through all of my memories, or can you choose specific ones to review?"
"I won't look at anything outside of what happened last night," he promised. "I will let you guide me."
Her face betrayed her confusion. "I'll guide you? How do I do that?"
"I'll talk you through it," he explained. "It'll make sense once it's over."
She slowly placed her hands in his.
"Close your eyes," Bracken said. She complied. "Think about last night. Start with when you set up your telescope. What were you looking for?"
She felt… odd. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, but more of an opening one. She could definitely tell that there was another presence in her brain. As the memory of last night flashed to the forefront of her mind, it was kind of like she was watching the scene from afar while someone pressed pause, fast forward and rewind a few times at various points. Soon enough, the memory started to fade and she felt Bracken release her hands. As she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her with concern. "No pain, right?" he asked.
"None," she answered. "Thank you."
"Good," he said. He stood and faced the table. "Julie never saw her attacker. It could be that because her eyes weren't opened, her human brain simply couldn't come up with a logical conclusion as to what it was seeing and so the assailant appeared as invisible instead of as a pile of rocks or whatnot. Or it could be that her assailant was behind her, and so not within her field of vision. At any rate, from what I could tell, the voices and speech patterns matched exactly the dragon from Kendra's memories."
"So it was Nafia?" Seth asked.
"It's possible that I'm wrong, but not probable given the evidence," Bracken answered.
"Great. A dragon," Ruth said. "Why did it have to be a dragon?"
"At least we can count on it being one," Stan said. "We can be better prepared to face it."
"We?" Hank asked. He'd remained mostly silent until this point. "Stan, look at yourself. Look at me. We're not kids anymore. If what this young lady here said is correct, which I'm banking that it is, we will have to climb a mountain before facing off with a dragon. I'm not a tamer. Are you?"
"I'm not going to send my grandchildren into a dragon's nest without help," Stan said. "I'm no spring chicken, but I'm not useless either."
"No one said you were useless," Ruth stated. "But you have to admit, none of us old timers here are able to do most of the things we used to do in our youth. Mountain climbing included."
"What do you propose we do then?" Stan asked, sitting back and folding his arms. Bracken reclaimed his seat next to Kendra.
"We form a party," Seth said. "Like when we went to Wyrmroost. Except this time, I'm invited."
"I don't suppose I have a reason to keep you behind this time," Stan murmured. "You are an adult, after all."
"Especially since I'm the other half of Kendra's tamer," Seth responded. "Kendra has to go, obviously, since she's the one Nafia demanded for."
Kendra clenched her hand a few times as nervousness coursed through her body. Bracken placed his hand on her knee.
"I'm going," he announced. No one argued with him.
"Agad gave Tanu a little dragonsbane when we went to Wyrmroost," Seth said. "He might still have it."
"Call Tanu," Stan said to Ruth. She nodded and left the room to do just that.
"Trask and Mara were able to speak in the presence of Camarat," Warren chimed in. "They could be helpful."
"Mara has gone off the grid," Grandma Larsen said. "She's unreachable at the moment."
"Trask then," Warren insisted. "He's worth a shot."
"We'll reach out. What about you, Warren?"
Warren looked at Vanessa hesitantly, then down at her swollen belly. He clearly felt torn. His second child was due to arrive in only two weeks. On the other hand, he was a valuable asset on a mission and his presence would likely only help guarantee their success.
"How about we let you two talk it over and regroup in the morning?" Stan asked.
"That'd be great," Vanessa answered.
"Well, we have people to call and preparations to make," Stan summarized, standing up. "I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow. It's about dinner time, and I'm sure that Julie especially could use a rest."
Everyone else agreed and stood up, most making an exit toward either the back yard or the living room. Vanessa shuffled slowly toward the playroom upstairs where Jack had been keeping himself occupied with toys and books during their meeting. Soon, it was just Bracken, Kendra and Julie left in the dining room. Kendra approached Julie.
"Are you okay?" she asked sincerely.
Julie shook her head. "I'm worried about my dad. If what I've seen about dragons in the movies is true…" she planted her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'd do without him. I mean it's not like we've historically been incredibly close or anything, but… I want him alive and safe." She then muttered under her breath, "How can this all be real? How are dragons real? How is any of this real?"
"I'm sorry this happened to you," Kendra stated.
Julie shrugged her shoulders and, seemingly brushing off their previous conversation, changed topics. "Enough about me for now. Tell me the real story of how you two met. Kayla – I mean, Kendra – told me you found each other during what I'm assuming was a bogus high school graduation gift of travel to Europe."
"It's a long story –" Kendra began, sensing Julie's need to switch topics, but was cut off by Bracken.
"We met in a prison in Turkey," he blurted out. "She yelled at me."
"-or we could just dive right on in with that," Kendra finished, then turned to her husband. "I did not yell at you."
"You did! I was just trying to be friendly and you yelled at me." He was smiling at her, obviously teasing her.
"I didn't yell," Kendra emphasized. "I was frustrated."
"'Look, Bracken, you need to go back to spy school,'" Bracken quoted, mimicking Kendra's higher-pitched voice and failing. "'This is actually worse than feeling lonely!'"
"Oh yeah?" she retorted. "'You're so… brilliant,'" she said, similarly mimicking his voice and also failing in her efforts.
"I was trying to give you a compliment," he said bashfully.
"I know that now," she said, placing her hand on top of his folded ones. "In hindsight, that conversation was pretty funny. At the time though, there was too much going on. I thought you were being sarcastic."
Julie's face was screwed up in confusion as she witnessed their exchange. "Uh… yeah, that's all going to take some explaining," she said.
Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers! The next chapter should be up before too long. I hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts!
