"Mirell," Ailil singsonged, "We're baaaack,"

"And we have a surprise!" Aydra added, "It's a man!"

He followed the mermaids' gaze to a tree and watched as a flutter of wings enveloped a giant oak. Thousands of tiny, colorful and brightly lit gossamer wings sailed along the air currents before moving aside. The bark along the tree moved, shimmered and took the shape of a woman. A gorgeous woman. Of course, Sylar thought, all the women here would have to be beautiful. I guess that's what happens when you go through a dry spell and then your only outlet is the occasional prostitute. You dream about women that look like they belong in a Victoria's Secret ad.

She wore a gown that seemed to be made of sunlight. It swayed and moved of its own accord, giving her hourglass figure an air of sensuality. Her pale skin glowed like moonlight and glittered with some sort of light, shimmery powder. Her ears came to sharp points on both sides of her head and were adorned with tiny, delicate shells.

Sylar found his gaze wondering to her full, perky breasts and tiny waist before he angrily shook his head of such thoughts. Desire was a weakness. A weakness he could never afford. The woman didn't so much as walk over to the edge of the pond so much as she glided. She came to a graceful stop and sighed.

"It is a man," she clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, the parties we will have! Tell everyone. We will dress him in our finest and he will entertain us with stories of the mainland."

Sylar grinned evilly, "Lady, I'm not going to do anything that doesn't involve me getting off this damn island."

Her smile dimmed a bit before becoming brighter and if he didn't imagine it, cruel. "Of course you'll do as I say, you silly man! You wouldn't want to end up in a bad way. Now would you?," she batted her eyelashes prettily even as her pleasant tone belied a steely edge.

"Is that a threat?" Sylar felt his head begin to pound with anger. Dreams didn't talk back to you. They didn't force you to do things you didn't want to. And dreams certainly weren't psycho porn star wannabes that gave orders to a man who had multiple abilities. It all didn't make sense.

"Oh no," she replied as if she were aghast at even the thought, "I don't make threats. I simply do what must be done. That is what queens do. Threats are so messy and time consuming. No. I've never been one to bother with those."

Aydra pulled Sylar close and whispered fervently into his ear, "I know you are a man, but you shouldn't be crazed to boot! You don't deny the Queen of Meadows. Don't be fooled by the visage. She can be a cruel mistress."

Aydra loosened her hold on Sylar and he pulled his arm out of her grip. "I don't take orders from anyone."

"I have more important things to do than to entertain you. I'm outta here," Sylar said and Mirell smiled indulgently, before pushing her dark hair behind her ears and kneeling.

"Such a difficult little human. So difficult indeed," she tsked and swept a sensuous hand across Sylar's bare chest. "Your bodies are so delicate, and the energies you create are so vibrant. They're complex like lullabies. But so, very, very exquisite."

She began waving her hands in front of Sylars face, her fingers moving as if they were dancing across piano keys. Then she seemed to be pulling onto thin air, as if she were pulling something from him. He tensed at first, then as moments went by and he felt nothing, he rolled his eyes. "I assume there's a point to this little exercise?" he commented.

She smiled sweetly as her fingers gracefully flew through the air. Then he saw it, a black, dark smoky tendril that began to wind itself around her fingers and slide down her pale arms. "Oh," she cooed, "Your energy is dark, so black, so hungry…,"

The ribbon of blackness began to slide between her luscious lips and then she suckled for a moment, her eyes rolling back in pleasure. "Mmmmm……So delicious."

Then she cruelly bit off a chunk and Sylar bucked. His insides felt as if they were on fire. The pain shot through him in degrees and in moments he was nothing but pain. And yet, she kept eating, kept devouring. She laughed and he fell back into the water. Water rushed into his lungs and unlike before he felt no rush of invincibility, just the cold awareness of death. The pain he was feeling was so incredible, he almost wished for it all to end, to feel nothing. He was in so much pain he was hardly aware that he was no longer in the water, but lying in the soft meadow.

All he knew was that each heartbeat was another moment of fiery, achy, hurting pain. He screamed as the pain intensified even more and he couldn't believe he was still alive, still able to feel pain at this magnitude. He could hear the queen's laughter and her soft moans of pleasure as she consumed his life force. She leaned over him and grasped his head, willing more of himself into her. Sylar could feel his eyes burning, and blood running from his eyes and ears. He continued screaming. He screamed until his throat was raw and dry. But she took even that away from him. He tried to scream and found that his mouth would not open and he was unable to produce sound.

"Such a noisy little thing you are," she said and bit off another chunk of his force.

He suffered in silence. Time was of no consequence as each moment blended into the next.

"Enough!," Aydra screamed, " Please. If you kill him, what of our entertainment? What of the great party ahead? My queen, he is but a backwards human. They are by their very nature stubborn creatures that refuse to see reason. Please let him be. I will teach him to be obedient to our ways."

The queen smiled and licked her lips. "Oh Aydra. You are quite right. He can't help that he comes from such a backwards race. But he is your responsibility."

Sylar sat up slowly and grimaced. Mirell chucked him lightly beneath his chin and giggled. "You'd best be on good behavior, human. I've been known to lose my temper."

Mirell hopped gaily to her feet as pin-points of light floated about her. Sylar shook his head, trying to clear the fuzz from within it.

The lights intensified and Sylar could now see that the lights were more than just floating orbs. They were humans with wings. Small humans with wings. One brushed across his face and he swatted violently. It flew back to a safe distance and he could see a tiny fist being shaken in anger. Sylar sighed. Fairies. Of course there were fairies. He then remembered seeing one of them before. Yes, he had. He had thought nothing of it then. He had just assumed he'd been mistaken. Yeah, he had been mistaken alright. He rolled his eyes. He hated this place.

Mirell was walking quickly through the grasses, her dressing swishing this way and that and she turned, a smirk upon her face. "Darling Aydra. Dress him for tonight. I will have my fun with him yet."

Aydra nodded and the Mirell turned, her body shimmering at the edges, then disappearing in a burst of light.

"You have angered Mirell," Ailil shrilled. "She will feed us to the crekin and they will crack our bones upon the stones!"

"I have done no such thing. And the crekin are but a legend Ailil. A tale told to naughty children. Nothing more. Besides, she is not angry. After feeding from him, I think she is quite pleased. She was quite delighted, I believe."

"Well," Ailil replied, fear etched across her pretty face, "I hope you're right. She has quite the temper. One never knows what to expect from her."

Aydra snorted. "Oh, you're one to talk. She will never do harm to you. You're her daughter after all."

"Don't say that," Ailil whined, "I am the daughter of Mardigan, not that—that—that crazy meadowlands spirit!,"

"Oh Ailil stuff it! Your father couldn't keep his fins to himself if he tried. Mardigan claimed you because she could not bear a daughter and Mirell allowed it. And surprisingly, I think that crazy hoot loves you. It's me she'd feed to the shadows. Not you. So stop your whining, you ninny,"

Ailil's eyes filled with tears. "My father is an honorable king. He would never betray mother."

Aydra rolled her eyes. "Oh dear, here we go--,"

"During the war against demon kind he fought bravely against them, trident in hand," Ailil and Aydra said in unison.

Aydra interrupted Ailil's diatribe with a nasty laugh and said, "It's any wonder he had time to defend a whole territory; considering he was sleeping with half the defense, the entire council and half the legion of sorcery and even some of the Orgs."

"He wouldn't, he wouldn't do such—such terrible things," Ailil wailed, her beautiful blue eyes glistening with tears.

"Ailil," Aydra clucked and shook her head sadly, "Do not idolize your father, it will only lead to pain."

Ailil began crying, softly at first, then in great heaving sobs. "You're so mean. You're so mean! What have I ever done to you!"

Aydra reached out to touch Ailil "It's for your own good--,"

"Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" Ailil dipped beneath the water and with a splash of her golden fin, she was gone.

"You have terrible people skills," Sylar intoned as he stood, then noticed he was no longer naked, but dressed in his clothes once more. He approached the lake's edge.

For a moment Aydra's perfect composure was marred by sadness before she quickly subdued it. "I believe you are not an authority on these matters, human, seeing as you have no friends."

Sylar's face darkened. "How do you know I don't have any friends?"

"With your obvious charm and wit," she laughed, "Perhaps you do. Perhaps they are worried and are now, coming for you,"

Sylar turned away, his lips tightening into a thin line.

"Am I right? You have no friends, no tribe to mourn for you, to fight for you?"

Sylar remained silent and she chuckled. "It is as I thought. You have no one. You'd do well to be nice. I'm the only one that can help you here."

Sylar studied her a moment. "I don't need your help. I'm getting off this island."

"There is no way off this island. Unless mistress wishes it to be so."

"Mistress? Who is this mistress?,"

Aydra shook her head and stared into the distance unanswering.

Sylar crept closer, anger marring his features. "Tell me," he said between clenched teeth, "Who is this mistress you're talking about?"

"It is none of your concern human. I can see that you've suffered no ill effects from Mirell's ministrations. I will prepare you for tonight's festivities."

"You will tell me who this mistress is and you will take me to her," he said and lunged for her and as quickly as she was there, she was not.

Sylar looked about in confusion. The water remained undisturbed and there was nothing but waves of gentle grasses waving in the soft breeze.

"Human," he heard and he turned.

Aydra was standing behind him upon two perfectly and beautifully formed brown legs. Her long black hair flew errantly in the breeze and hid most of her nakedness.

"How did you--,"

Aydra sighed impatiently. "So many questions about things you should not be concerned. Know that I cannot be hurt easily human."

Sylar stared at her in shock, a creeping feeling of helplessness began to overtake him and he shoved it to the back of his mind.

"We will prepare for tonight. You will please Mirell greatly," Aydra grinned, "And I will be rewarded."