The morning hours passed by with speed, and before Connie knew it she was bundled in Evelyn's car, Col and George beside her. George squirmed, disliking being strapped into his car seat, and kept kicking Connie's knee. Col had his arms folded and was looking out the window, oblivious to Connie's attempts to catch his eye. Connie wished she could connect with him the way she could with the mythical creatures, but without Skylark as a medium he was out of her reach.
She gave up and turned away, watching the fields flash past. The repetitive motion sent her mind wandering. In moments her eyes were closed, and she returned to her mental sanctuary. This time, the sight worried her. The shadow had grown, blotting out the silver sparkles of her ocean like a smothering blanket. Alarmed, she called for Kullervo.
"He cannot be contained," came the disappointing answer. "He spreads like wildfire, sapping strength like the parasite he is."
"Then that's it." Connie straightened her left arm, and her bow flashed into existence.
"Universal, do not do this!"
"I have no choice- if I don't try and stop this thing he'll take over and Lord knows what will happen to me."
She did not wait for Kullervo to respond; an arrow of red light appeared in her fingers, and she drew it, aiming for the heart of the darkness. It was a flame bolt, taken from a fire imp, and would burn out the terrible blemish. Without fear Connie released the drawstring. The arrow streaked into the black mass, engulfed in its form, but Connie then felt a sharp pain. The arrow had hit, but not the creature. Her hands shaking, she put a hand to her side, and felt something warm and moist. Connie's eyes widened, and she raised her hand, now smeared with blood. Her own blood.
"You cannot hurt me!" laughed a new voice, this one unfamiliar. Connie's head darted round, looking for its source. "Soon, you will belong to me. You will forget these meaningless connections."
"What? Who are you!" Connie shouted. "Show yourself!"
"We will meet," the voice was fading, "when the tide is full…"
Connie opened her eyes with a jolt, letting out a shocked gasp. Col broke his gaze from the window and looked at her. Connie was trembling, her face pale and sweaty.
"Connie?" Connie bowed her head, taking several deep breaths to calm down. She did not protest as Col grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. She could not put into words what had happened; could not confirm the devastating blow the shadow had dealt.
She had lost her bond to dragons.
*****
Connie's subdued mood continued throughout the day, even when they had boarded the plane. She wanted to share Jessica's excitement- she was sitting next to her, with Arran having the window seat. His eyes were closed, and he was gripping the armrests as if his life depended on it. Connie wanted to put the poor selkie at ease- air travel was not the best thing for a creature of the sea- but she was so tense herself. She kept playing what had happened in the car over and over again, trying to find an explanation, some way to fathom what had happened.
The black shadow had severed a bond- the one she shared with Argand, with Argot, with Morjik- all of the dragons she had known. She could not- no, did not want to believe it. Yet the bond had been ripped apart, like a thread snapping under too much strain. It was impossible- even Kullervo had been unable to touch her connections to the mythical creatures. This was sacrilege, a blasphemy- but whatever she called it, it had happened. Her link to dragons was gone, and she had no idea if she would ever get it back.
"Not scared of flying as well, are you Connie?" Jessica asked, noting Connie's pallor.
"Maybe a little," Connie lied- she'd been on planes before, but this was a prime excuse to stop unwanted questions later.
"The Universal can keep me company, then," Arran said, appearing in Connie's head, looking very anxious. Connie let him dip into the superficial layers of her mind, savouring every shared thought and feeling. She had always taken her universal powers for granted, never once thinking that there was a power out there that could cut her special connections. She wondered if Argand had felt anything, in the caves where she would be sleeping right now.
Soon after, the plane took off. When Connie's stomach stopped doing somersaults, she feigned sleep, hoping to get to the root of her problem. If she left it alone, the blackness would sever other bonds- including the one she no doubt had for the Leviathan. There was no way anyone would believe her loss. Heck, she barely could. It was insane; how could a universal suddenly lose the ability to communicate with a species? So it was all the more important that she dealt with the shadow before things got out of hand.
Her spiralling thoughts led her back to the island in her mind, where she sat, head resting on her knees. The wound in her side was still there, and it stung, a reminder of her careless blunder. But it was the thought that she had lost her connection to dragons that burned more.
"A terrible loss," uttered Kullervo. Connie sensed that he too had lost a part of his being- her being. "The dragon form has been erased. This creature has a power I have never known. It must be destroyed!"
"Easier said than done," Connie mumbled, glancing up. "But if I destroy it, will my connection come back?"
"I know not," Kullervo hissed.
"We don't even know what it is." Connie buried her head in her arms. "Or how to find out."
"The only way we could," Kullervo remarked, "is to wait until he eliminates all connections but his own."
Connie's neck prickled.
"No!" she blurted. "There must be some other way to find out. He found his way into me. I have to trace the connection back to him." Kullervo did not answer, though Connie still felt his presence. "I have to try." She stood up, and then waded into the ocean. The water was warm, and Connie felt all of Kullervo's forms flow through her, wanting to change her shape. She resisted their playful cajoling, instead heading towards the shadow. As soon as she touched the dark waters, the mischievous aura of her ocean vanished, reduced to nothing. The shadow was devoid of emotion- and its blankness made her shudder.
Connie closed her eyes, taking on the shape of a selkie, and then dived into the depths. Here, she confirmed that the shadow was not superficial; it stretched right down, swallowing up her silver water and replacing it with inky darkness. She weaved through the amorphous mass, seeking out its origin. Her wound gave off a dull ache, which she fought off as she found the shadow tapering, like the end of a chimera's tail. The shadow had a source.
"Seek me out, if you dare!" jeered the darkness, and then it began to move.
Connie raised her shield, cautious for any attack. Yet nothing came- so she let it fall.
"Keep your guard up!" warned Kullervo. Connie sensed his discomfort- the shadow's closeness was hurting him- her. Determined to fight, she dived deeper, following the endless black line.
A mass of black shot out at her, and she cartwheeled in the water, avoiding the blow. Other tentacles of darkness followed, and so Connie swam as fast as she could, weaving around the bubble trails as the tentacles strained to hit her. One got lucky, and found its mark. Connie howled in pain- it had managed to strike her at the point of her arrow wound. Ignoring the discomfort, she swam further, concentrating all her strength on finding the shadow's source.
It was getting harder to maintain her shape as she drew closer to the core of her spirit. She fought urges to revert back to a fifteen-year old girl, thinking of Arran to steady her mind. At last, the shadows began to lighten, and then Connie saw it. The centre of her self, the part of her she had momentarily lost connection to as a unicorn. It shone as a golden orb, radiant and beautiful. But around it coiled a serpent of darkness. its tail joined to the black line. Connie's selkie lips blew bubbles- this was the source!
The serpent turned its head towards her, its green eyes shining like beacons. It had great blue fins and a huge, fan-like tail. Two horns curved out from its head, and reflected the brilliance of her core's light.
"So, the hunter finds her prey!" it mocked, the fins on its back fluttering in amusement. "But can the hunter hit?"
"I'll blast you into nothingness!" Connie snarled, forgetting about the need of her shape. She was going to get rid of it, once and for all. The selkie form vanished, replaced by an armed girl. Connie was taking no chances, though she did not plan to miss her mark. Her bow came to hand, and three bolts- one of ice, from Icefen; one of wind, from Skylark; and one of flame, from Liam's fire imps- were drawn.
"Then return to nothing," the serpent hissed. Connie's eyes flashed, and then she let the drawstring go.
There was a crack, and then a shriek of agony. Connie watched as the serpent writhed, detaching from her spirit core. She had pierced its dark flesh.
"Impossible!" the snake cried. "You are mine…MINE!" It thrashed its coils, trying to gain ground in the water, its fins flapping furiously like a trapped bird. It began to sink. Connie did not look away, wanting to be sure that she had removed her ailment.
Which was just as well, for in a sudden move the serpent righted itself and raced towards her. Connie braced her shield, and this time she felt the creature's rage as it collided with the weapon. Connie was pushed deeper into the waters of her mind. She cursed- she couldn't draw an arrow, her only offensive weapon to hand.
"You will not escape!" screeched the serpent, gripping the shield in its jaws and tugging hard. Connie struggled, but she was tiring. She had spent an awfully long time in her subconscious. There was only one thing for it.
Connie discarded the shield and swam upwards. Her human form was not suited to the waves, however, and she could not become something better in time. The serpent rammed her, sending her careening towards her core, and making it more difficult for her to change.
"Universal, the lance!" called Kullervo. He sounded very weak. "Use his power against him!"
Connie's hands flew; she had not realized that the serpent's mind was just as open as her own. She reached inside the creature, finding a wealth of knowledge- how to summon tsunamis, how to command the whirlpool depths, how to master the raging tides. She chose the tsunami, and at once her lance formed, a long strip of blazing white energy.
"Have a taste of your own medicine!" she cried, before throwing it at the serpent.
The serpent fizzled into nothing, but the bolt carried on, right towards Connie's core.
"NO!" she shrieked, concentrating to deflect the weapon. The lance veered, but not enough. It hit the edge of the orb. Connie screamed- so intense was the pain- and then the waters began to fade from her vision.
"Mine…" whispered a dying voice. "Mine…"
*****
"Connie, Connie, Connie!"
Connie opened her eyes and gasped, as if she had been underwater. Her vision swam- there was a grey blur above her. She blinked, discovering that there were tears in her eyes, and saw Mack standing in the plane aisle, looking very worried.
"Connie, wake up!" he said. Connie felt him shaking her, and her mind swirled. She was unable to think straight.
"Sea snake," she babbled, sounding like a toddler. She shook her head, forcing clarity to come back. "Alright, Mack, I'm awake!"
"Thank God," Mack breathed, giving her an awkward hug. "Jessica was worried- thought you were having a fit or something."
Connie glanced at the companion to selkies, who was holding her hand.
"You were jerking all about," Jessica said, relieved that Connie had woken up. "Arran tried to call you in your head but he said he couldn't find you." To confirm this, Connie felt Arran in her mind, paddling through her ocean.
"Universal, are you alright?" he asked, surfacing on her island as her mental self looked down at him.
"I'm fine," Connie said aloud, wiping her brow, which was coated in sweat. "Probably just had a bad dream."
"Are you sure?" Mack raised an eyebrow. He sighed. "Well, it's a bit late to send you back home, we'll be landing soon. Have a drink, keep your fluids up." He handed her a bottle of water. "And if anything else happens, keep me posted."
"Yes." Connie nodded, accepting the bottle and taking a long swig. Her throat was dry, and welcomed the moisture.
"Don't scare me like that," Jessica said, patting Connie's hand. Connie gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry," she said. She wondered if she would reach a world record in using that word. "Thanks for looking out for me, Jess, Arran."
"Anything for a fellow aviophobic," Arran said, twitching his nose. Jessica laid her hand on his, and Connie felt his fears of flying subside. How comforting, to have your companion by your side in time of need. The thought reminded Connie of Argand, and she forced back tears, wondering if they would ever bond again.
She peered past the selkie and his companion to look out of the window. It was still dark, but she could see wisps of cloud flickering past the wing; there were descending. Soon they would be on Spanish sands, where she would confront the Leviathan. Thoughts of the creature led her back to the encounter inside her self, and she allowed herself a humourless smile. She had cured herself of the shadow, but at what cost? Her spirit was damaged. While she knew she would recover, the time needed for her convalescence was a mystery. She would have to be very, very careful.
"Madam, please fasten your seatbelt," an air steward kindly asked her. "We will be arriving at Cadiz shortly."
Connie complied, wondering what kind of wild ride awaited her below.
