Heart:
"Where am I?" I asked while looking up at the towering city around me.
It was hard to tell honestly. In many ways it looked like home, but the buildings looked oddly cobbled together. The streets were familiar and weren't at the same time. As I started walking along I glanced down at my small hands with growing concern and curiosity.
My foot splashed in a puddle and I glanced down to see my rippling reflection. Staring back was a very thin eight year old with big blue eyes. I seemed to have lost the ribbon that normally held my burgundy hair into a braid that ran down along my back. This left the mass of wavy strands in several wild tangles. My feet were bare as they met with the cold, wet ground. The shirt I wore was quite loose on my thin frame, the light pink cotton hanging from my shoulders. My ankle length white skirt was tied as much as possible to keep it from falling from my hips.
"Where is everyone?" I wondered without really knowing who everyone was.
My answer was a deep chuckling emerging from behind me, causing my hair to stand on end and a chill to run down my spine, "Did you miss me little one?"
Turning on my heel, I looked up to see a tall elderly man with leathery tanned skin and white hair atop his head and adorning his face. He wore a crimson cloak over-top blue robes. His spindly fingers reached out to me as he took a step nearer.
"Why are you here?!" I exclaimed while stepping back quickly.
"My dear child, please do not run away. I understand why you have concerns, though rest assured, I have seen the error of my ways, and wish to amend them," he told me rather calmly.
However, I stayed back from him as he took steps closer to me. The windows of buildings watched us with varied intrigue. The wizened man attempted again, "I can show you the right way, little one. From one being of magic to another, I can help you."
"No! You take magic!" I snapped, trying to keep my knees from shaking.
"Now, now, as I said, I've learned this isn't the way to wield true magic. So let me help you mold yours instead," he offered while taking a few more steps.
I shook my head just before darting down a side street.
"Come back child!" he pleaded after me.
I continued to run, not daring to look back. Nor did I stop until my legs burned, and I could barely keep going. By then, I had no idea where I was, other than nearing a playground I stepped over to while catching my breath. Walking over it I realized it was quite deserted, even the buildings seemed to be turned away from it. Hopefully this meant I could hide for a while until I could think of where to go. For home just didn't seem like an option.
?:
"I didn't take anythin'!" I pleaded as my feet pounded along the harsh, damp street.
My heart raced in my chest, my palms sweating, and lungs aching to catch some breath again. Yet I didn't dare slow down. I knew it was better to keep going and not get caught. Not if I didn't want to be dragged away. My age wouldn't matter this time. So I continued hurrying down the rain soaked roads and alleys as fast as my thin legs would carry me.
Behind me, I could hear shouting for me to be found at once. Whatever was missing seemed quite important as an elderly man lead the search. Though the longer this went on, the more it sounded like it was just important I be put away somewhere, anywhere! Where I wouldn't even have the chance to take anything again.
"I'm sorry...!" I choked out from my burning throat, knowing if I went home it wouldn't be any better, "Mom...!"
Then again, where was home? I'd been running so long that I hadn't realized how different everything was. Some of the buildings looked about right, but many others just didn't match. The heart of Puck World almost looked to be haphazardly thrown in with another city in style, and people I realized. Some were ducks, and others lacked feathers and beaks.
Darting over a chain link fence, I slid under a lifeless playground set. Then I quickly took refuge in the wooden towers designed to look like parts of a castle. Despite being in my preteens, my slim frame made it rather easy to tuck myself away. Then I held my breath until I realized that it was silent around me now. After several more minutes of making sure the coast was clear, I stood up and looked over the playground. I soon found that I didn't even recognize the play place I'd found some salvation in. Nearby was an outside ice rink that looked a bit more familiar, but still appeared slightly off in size and location.
My gray feathered hands gripped the sides of the wooden rail, and I would catch a play mirror within one the tower across from me. A pair of clever brown eyes stared back at me. I'd tried to keep my feathers smoothly swept up, thinking they looked better that way. A tuffed of hair was trying to grow out into a short ponytail. My black jeans were torn at the right knee and left thigh. My burgundy high collar shirt was torn at the sleeve, and staining from a fresh trickle of blood from the top of the fence I'd just jumped over.
"Wh-where am I?" I wondered aloud before I realized I wasn't entirely alone.
At this I froze at first, as across the way from me was a girl sitting on the swing set. She was slowly drifting back and forth as she sat there, singing quietly to herself. Dressed in a soft pink linen dress with a slight scooped neckline and belled sleeves. Her long burgundy hair was pulled back into a ponytail set high on the back of her head, allowing the very long strands to cascade down her back a bit. Her skirts reached down to her ankles, allowing her bare feet to graze the dirt under the swing seat.
Eventually her voice would grow a little stronger, almost as though she were trying to make herself feel braver for whatever reason. This, I realized rather quickly, was drawing me over to her. She couldn't have been much older than 8 or so. For as I approached her, I found just how small and thin her frame was.
Before I could say anything, she heard me misstep as it became apparent how sore my legs were. I stumbled forward a bit, catching myself with my hands before my face hit the ground. Embarrassed fury flooded my feathered cheeks as I looked up at her. She'd jumped a bit, her tiny hands gripping the chain link of the swing. Then she attemtped to leap to her feet.
I say attempted, for in her rush, some of the girl's wavy hair was ensnared by the metal links. This forced her to stay put in a growing panic, "No! Please! I-!"
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay!" I insisted while scrambling to my feet and putting my hands where she could see them in the air, "I'm not gonna hurt ya!"
She had little choice, however, than to let me approach her. As I did, I chose my steps carefully so not to frighten her further. Her knuckles were white from holding onto the swing so tightly, her whole frame trembling.
I stepped around the swing to examine the chain and her entangled hair. I brushed a hand over her's and instructed, "Let me see?"
She lowered her hand near her head on the side it was caught on, allowing me to get a better look.
"Ah," I nodded before slipping my slender fingers through the links to begin unweaving the strands of burgundy from the iron chain, "It's not too bad. Just don't move a moment, okay?"
She didn't even nodd her head, only giving a, "O-kay...?"
Being sure not to tug too hard, or break any of the threads, I managed to loosen her hair until it slipped free, "There ya are."
Realizing I had not attempted to harm her in any way, the young girl looked up at me with widened eyes of sapphire.
"Th-Thank you," she said shakily.
She then glanced at my arm, or rather the torn sleeve, "You're hurt!"
This time I jumped a little, trying to back away as she leapt to her feet to catch me by the hand, "You'll make it worse if you don't take care of it!"
"So I've been told," I shrugged to little avail to get free of her hands now grasping mine.
She then pulled away only to tare off a piece of the long over skirt of her dress, ripping it into a long strip of fabric. With it, she tugged on my hand to ask me to sit for her to reach my upper arm a bit better. I was reluctant to do this, as I could just about hear my pursuers catching up with me.
I didn't really hear them, but I was certain they'd find me soon enough.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I..." how could I answer what I didn't really know?
"Someone was chasin' me..." I finally admitted.
"You too?!" she exclaimed.
My eyes widened to hear this, but even more so when she managed to tug on my hand with enough strength in both hands to pull me along. Together we ducked into the make believe castle, and she pushed me into sitting down behind one of the wooden tower walls. She crouched down herself and began tending to the cut on my shoulder. She ripped another bit of cloth from her skirt to clean the blood away, and then proceeded to dress the wound. When I tried to slip away, she held my hand and requested, "Please, let me help you too?"
I found that I couldn't say no.
So I stayed put and let her finish. Though the reddness under the feathers of my cheeks didn't cool from the embarrasment I felt.
"Thanks," I said when she'd tied the bandage in place, a bit impressed by how much care she'd put into it for her age.
"I'm sorta used to it..." she replied, catching my surprised tone, "I've had my share of scrapes and bruises to nurse..."
"I see?"
I was also surprised at how quiet it had remained. From how things had been before I'd ducked into the park, I would have thought someone might have come searching it by now.
"Who was chasin' ya?" I asked her, remembering what she'd said a bit ago.
"Hi-His name is Asteroth," she replied, sounding almost afraid to even say his name, "He's a sorceror that steals magic. He was trying to tell me he wanted to help me...but I don't believe him..."
"Why would he be after ya? Do you have magic to steal?" I inquired, growing increasingly curious.
"I...I'm not supposed to use it...he and other things might find me...I was told to be careful when I practice with it because of that," she tried to explain.
"What kind of magic?" I questioned with a surprising bit of eagerness stirring in me.
She looked up at me a bit startled by my reaction, as though no one had in this way before. In fact, the girl began to shy away, pulling her hands close to her chest.
"What's wrong?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
"They'll find me if I use it," she warned, her voice growing shakier with each sentence that followed, "and people will get hurt or taken away! I don't want that to happen again!"
"Is that why you're by yourself?" I asked.
She nodded her head quietly in confirmation. As a bit of mist clouded her eyes, she would wipe them with the palms of her hands. With a sniffle or two, she tried to say, "I don't want to be..."
"Then don't be," I said as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
She looked up at me in confusion. However, my eagerness remained as I assured her, "I'll stay with ya, if ya want me to?"
"You can't! You'll be taken away!" she exclaimed with fearful eyes.
"No, I won't! No one's been able to catch me yet! So if you stay with me, I can make sure they don't hurt you again!" I insisted with a bit of pride warming my chest.
Then I realized as I watched her still keeping her arms folded against her, "My name is Duke, by the way. What's yours?"
She looked unsure if she should answer at first, but gave in shyly, "It-It's Heart."
"That's really pretty," I remarked, encouraging her to blush a little.
I gave a smile in hopes it would help, "Trust me, okay? I won't let anythin' happen to ya."
"It's not you I don't trust," she said, unknowingly striking my core with the sincereity of her tone.
"Please, Heart?" I requested, unable to reign in my own excitement over the sheer possibility of seeing real magic.
She looked at me, still unsure, and then her hands. Taking a deep breath, she at last flexed them out from the balled up fists they were pulled into. As she did, I would see the soft sparks of lightning dancing around her fingertips. They hopped up along her wrists, illuminating the little tower we were hiding in still. However, I was too fascinated by the sight before me to register that this could be a problem. For as she continued, I would see small crystals emerging in her breath, and shiny blue scales growing up along her wrists and down her hands. Some of the clear gems would begin peeking out along her skin, painlessly growing from what I could tell.
"That's amazing!" I exclaimed, causing her to jump to the point of drawing it all back within her.
"What are you?" I asked.
When she attempted to shy away, I rephrased my words, "No, I mean...what gave you your magic? Are you a fairy or somethin'?"
"Oh...I...I'm a dragon, I get my magic from that," she replied.
I refrained with some effort not to ask whether dragons were evil like in the stories I'd grown up hearing. The answer seemed to be sitting right in front of me. I glanced at my bandaged arm to reaffirm this, and a smile crept over my beak as I did.
"You're not scared?" she asked.
"Why would I be?" I inquired.
"People don't like dragons!" she insisted, "They say I'm a monster because I'm one of them!"
"I don't think ya are. I think you're shy, but still a very nice friend," I replied without a second thought, "You helped me, didn't you?"
She nodded her head.
"An' your magic is really cool. Ya shouldn't hide it like that," I added, "It could help people too!"
"It-It can?"
I nodded my head, encouraging her, "An' if ya want to practice, I'll keep ya safe so no one comes to hurt ya or take ya away!"
"What about you?" she asked.
"Well..." I took a breath, thinking about why I'd been chased after myself, "Maybe I could do somethin' to help a friend...for once...?"
She tilted her head curiously, somehow drawing out from me, "I'm usually gettin' into trouble...an' causin' problems for my mom 'cause of it...but...maybe...if I make a good friend...an' keep ya safe...I can prove I'm good...even if I don't always show it...?"
I waited for her to ask what sort of trouble I was usually getting into. That, or I half expected her to run off. Yet she did neither of these things. Instead, she did get up, but rather than turning away, she threw her frail arms around my neck and shoulders. Her words hit my core hard, "You are good! I know you are!"
"That's sweet of ya to say..." I tried to mask my startled voice with a smooth tone I'd picked up on the streets.
"You're my friend," she insisted before I could try and admit anything more, "and...we can stay together, like you said?"
Was she afraid that I would suddenly change my mind? Looking to her as she pulled away, I assured her, "Of course, we can."
She wiped her eyes from the mist welling in them upon hearing this from me. It was now that I realized how intriquet the embroidery of her dress was, with deep burgundy thread detailing it with cherry blossoms.
"So where did you get the dress? I'm sorry you used it to bandage me up," I inquired with regret to see the tears in it.
"Oh...papa said I should wear them sometimes...so I don't forget..."
"Forget what?"
She shyed away once more, tugging at my curiosity, "Heart?"
Finding some shaky pride stirring in her, she looked to me and replied earnestly, "I...I'm a princess...my papa said so...and that I shouldn't forget it..."
"Really?" I asked.
"That's what he said," she shrugged sheepishly.
"Is he nearby?" I asked.
She shook her head, "I don't even know where I am...some of it looks like home, but doesn't at the same time?"
"I know what ya mean," I said while looking up at some of the buildings.
Suddenly, we would both jump to hear footsteps drawing nearer. From what we could pick up, there were several sets hitting the ground quickly as they approached. I peeked over the wall rather easily, while Heart had to stand on the tips of her toes. Though I found myself placing a hand over her head incase I needed to push her back down to hide her.
Fortunately, this didn't seem to be needed, as we found five young ducks all running into the park. First were a white feathered duck with a younger brother, it seemed, pulled along. The two hurried in from the left near the slide. From the right came two girls, one blonde, and the other a redhead, running passed the merry-go-round. Lastly from down the center and towards a set of monkey bars, was a rather tall and sturdy young duck with the start of a black topknot on his grey feathered head.
The five of them slid to a stop, kicking up some of the mulch as they did. They collectively tried to catch their breath, two of them grasping at their knees, two falling back onto the ground, and the last one holding onto the base of the playset he was close to.
"Are they running too?" Heart asked.
"Only one way to find out," I said as I slipped out from the pretend castle tower.
"Duke!" Heart attempted while hurrying after me.
I paused to let her catch up, holding her hand as she quickly grabbed mine.
"Who are they?" the youngest of the five questioned when he looked up to see Heart and I approaching them.
He was a peach feathered duck with long blonde hair allowed to be long and free. His blue eyes carried mischief and intrigue at the same time as he looked us over, "Are you guys running from that guy too?"
"Wait?! What guy?! We had one chasing us too?!" the redheaded girl exclaimed, "Was he a creepy old guy wearing some sort of blue dress and red bathrobe?"
"Something like that, yeah!" the white feathered duck said in shared shock with the others.
Hearing this, Heart gripped my hand very tightly. A wimper escaped her lips as she said, "He...he might be coming here! He saw my magic! He's going to take you and them away!"
"Heart, calm down! Remember what I said?" I tried to calm her down, hearing the near panic in her voice.
When she looked to me, I reassured her, "We're gonna stay together."
"Who are you guys?" the blonde girl duck then inquired.
"I'm Duke, an' this is Heart," I replied cheerfully, feeling a familiar air about them as we walked up.
"I'm Tanya," she replied in a slight nasaly voice from what I could gather was caused by allergies.
"My name's Check," the tall young duck with the topknot offered, "A-Are you guys being chased by that guy too?"
I nodded my head, not letting go of Heart's hand, "I think so?"
"How is that possible?" the white feathered duck now pondered aloud, "We came from different directions!"
"Heart says he has some kind of magic," I mentioned, "Maybe he can make himself seem to appear in multiple places?"
"Magic? Like a wizard?!" the younger duck beside him asked with wide blue eyes.
Heart nodded, "H-His name is...is Asteroth. He can steal magic and use it..."
"Why is he chasing all of us?" the redheaded girl questioned.
"I don't know," I admitted, "but maybe we can figure this out together?"
"What do you mean, we're just kids?" the white feathered duck pointed out nervously.
"Have ya seen any adults other than that creep around?" I realized myself, "Since coming near here?"
"Now that you mention it, we haven't," he said in shared surprise.
"You think it's like in the storybooks with witches and kids?! We wandered too close and now have to escape, or he'll eat us, or something?!" the youngest blurted out, causing Heart to wrap my arm in a vice-like grip with her arms.
"This is crazy!" the redhead shouted, "We're not in some fairy tale!"
"Well, what other choice do we have?" I pointed out, "Either we wait here until he finds us, or we find out how to stop him?"
"If we go to him, he'll-!"
"No, he won't, Heart!" I insisted quickly, "I won't let 'em!"
"You're really scared, aren't you?" Tanya realized as Heart nodded her head.
It was now that the white feathered duck looked over Heart, tilting his head slightly, "What are you?"
His tone was gentle enough, and I could tell he was just curious. Heart, however, tried to hide behind me. She would peek out though as I said, "She's my friend. Asteroth is trying to find her so he can steal her magic."
"That's awful!" Tanya exclaimed.
"So did we just get trapped in this weird place with her?" the redhead asked.
"Maybe?" I shrugged, "Either way, I think we have to work together so we can get home."
Why did this sound so familiar? Even Heart, who clearly wasn't from our world, seemed to share in this sensation as she stepped out from behind me. Though she did not dare let go of my hand.
The redhead sighed as she finally offered, "My name's Mallory."
"I'm Nosedive!" the youngest duck of the group blurted out, and then looked up at the white feathered duck beside him, "And this is Wildwing!"
"It-It's nice to meet all of you," Heart said with a shy smile breaking through her unease.
"Do you really have magic?" Nosedive asked.
Heart nodded her head.
"Can we see?" Mallory requested, "Otherwise, how do we know you're telling the truth?"
I looked around, feeling this was obvious due to circumstance. However, I was just as curious to see if Heart would show it again. Looking to her, I gave a nod in hopes to encouragement, "You shouldn't be afraid of it."
"Duke...I don't want to scare them away..." she protested.
"You won't scare us!" Nosedive insisted.
"I-I'd like to see!" Check chimed in with soft encouragement.
With this, Heart took another deep breath, and then began to do the same as she had earlier. She let go of my hand to show the display of electricity and crystals beginning to dance and form on her. Her scales shimmered against the light bursting softly around her wrists.
"Wow! How are you doing that?!" Tanya exclaimed, "I mean...I know it's magic, but how do you have this?"
"She's a dragon," I replied before she could shy away.
"Wait, aren't dragons monsters?" Mallory questioned sharply.
"No! We're not!" Heart pleaded quickly.
"Heart's not a monster!" I said firmly.
Seeing Heart's panic stricken eyes, Check stepped forward and offered, "Maybe it's like what my master says? To trust our teammates, and that anyone has the potential to be one. That no one is as good, or evil, as one may think?"
"Yeah, I know plenty of ducks that can be jerks!" Tanya laughed.
Heart wasn't pulled from her fears just yet. Knowing this, I took her by the hand again. As I did, Nosedive threw his arms around her, exclaiming, "We'll help keep you safe from that creep, won't we bro?"
He looked to Wildwing with eyes filled with determination and hope, "We get to be heroes, just like in my comic books!"
"Nosedive, this isn't a game! We're all just kids! What can we do?" Wildwing asked.
"What choice do we have?" I repeated.
"How do we stop a wizard?" Tanya asked.
"Well...according to the fairy-tales, don't magic casters have spellbooks? Maybe if we found that, we could find a way home?" Check suggested, "Or find a way to stop his evil magic?"
"He'll have traps and monsters to stop us from getting anywhere close to him!" Wildwing insisted, "We don't have any way to fight!"
"Well, we do have her magic," Mallory pointed out while gestutring to Heart.
"Besides, the idea is to not get caught!" I pushed, "I can get us in, or swipe his book!"
"You mean, like a thief?" the redhead questioned, "It's bad to steal stuff!"
"It's also bad to hurt kids!" I parried back, but clearly not liking the word that bit into my core.
"Hey, don't fight!" Heart pleaded while stepping between us.
"Heart's right, this isn't helping!" Nosedive backed her up, "We don't have a lot to fight back with. If he's a bad guy then what does it matter if we steal his book? It's better than that creep trying to cast a spell on us with it!"
"Where do we even go?" Tanya asked.
We all looked around, trying to find a path of some sort to guide us. The buildings surrounding our hidden away park seemed to have grown around us like trees in a grove. Shielding us somehow. Then the older brother would speak up as he looked to the right, "What's that?"
The rest of us turned to see a path opening up as he pointed down it's way. Down along it's road, a little bit a ways in the distance, was a rocky maw that made up the gates of a fortress. Ebony thorns and spikes protuded from around it, forming an armored encasing the twisted palace within them.
"Was that before?" Nosedive asked.
"Who knows, but it's all we've got to go off of," Wildwing sighed, "And like it or not, we have to find a way home, don't we? I wish Canard was here...he'd know what to do."
It was then that Tanya walked over to the white feathered duck and patted his shoulder, "It'll be okay. You kept your kid brother safe, didn't you? And now we know where to go!"
"So we're all going on this...whatever this is?" Mallory questioned, "Shouldn't some of us hide with Heart?"
"It might be safer...?" Wildwing noted, "Dive could stay with you...?"
"What if we can't get back?" I mentioned, "If we're all together, we have a better chance of getting away once we have what we need. If we have to come all the way back here, we might not be able to."
"If I go, he might find us!" she exclaimed.
"He might find us either way," Check mentioned, "Besides, we might need your magic to help us with this. Isn't that what you have it for?"
"Yeah, use it to stand up for yourself!" Tanya agreed.
"We can do this if we stick together," I assured while squeezing her hand a little, "An' it'll be fun!"
She looked up at me with wide blue eyes. In reply, I just smiled while holding onto her hand. I felt her fingers tighten their grip, lacing them with mine. At last she took a deep breath, and said, "I...I want to go! I don't want to hide! I want to stay with my friends...?"
Heart would reach out her free hand towards the group again, her sapphire eyes glistening with hope she didn't seem to know she had left.
"Yeah!" Nosedive exclaimed while quickly hugging her again, "I wanna be friends!"
Even Wildwing couldn't help but smile as he watched them. His own eyes carried a warmth that I think threw him off guard, but he pushed through and said, "Alright, Dive, you win."
"To the tower then?" Check ventured with his hands clenching into fists, "To get home and protect each other from this evil wizard!"
"That seems to be the plan!" Mallory laughed, no longer masking her own eagerness now that things were settled.
"Who's gonna lead the way?" she then asked.
We all found ourselves looking to Wildwing.
"Me?!" he exclaimed.
"Well, you seem to be on the lookout anyway, and you're protective," Tanya said thoughtfully, as though she were trying to reason out the answer.
"Isn't Duke older?" he asked while glancing at my slightly taller frame.
While I was indeed the older of the group there, being a preteen among them; I couldn't help but want to back up Tanya in her statement, "Somethin' tells me you're the right one for the job, Wing. I'll give support though!"
Nosedive caught me holding Heart's hand still and said, "Besides, he's in charge of hiding Heart if we really need to!"
I gave a firm nod at this statement.
"Don't worry, bro! We're all going to help!" Nosedive insisted while starting to push his brother forward a bit.
With a reluctant sigh, Wildwing stepped towards the now open path. Looking ahead, he realized, "Even if this is a trap..we've gotta check it out, don't we? We really don't have any other options...So then...let's go teach that creep a lesson!"
"Yeah! Let's kick that wizard's tail!" Nosedive exclaimed while finally putting his hand over Heart's as she attempted once more.
"I think you're confusing wizards with lizards, kid!" Mallory laughed while giving in and putting her hand in the middle with theirs.
"We...we can do this!" Tanya nodded while joining in.
"To keep each other safe, and find a way home!" Check agreed with his strong hand over theirs.
"To keep Heart's magic from his greedy hands!" I promised while putting my free hand in the center.
"To protect all of you with or without magic!" Heart swore while already having her hand at the bottom of ours.
"No matter what it takes!" Wildwing declared while finishing off the pile with his own, now steady hand at the top.
With this, a warm glow wrapped around the group of us, admittedly startling us a little. Yet it faded before we could dare pull our hands back, but didn't anyway I realized.
"What was that?" Mallory asked when it was gone and we had let go.
"I...I don't know?" Heart said, despite clearly feeling something in her chest as she placed her hand over her heart now.
I knew this, and the others did, for we all followed in this motion.
Wildwing then nodded and stated, "It was a promise! One made here in this safe place, and so maybe, it will carry us through all of this somehow?"
"Only one way to find out?" Grin ventured.
So we headed forth. Wildwing took the lead, with Tanya and Mallory following right behind him. Then Nosedive and I fell in step with Heart between us. Grin covered the back of the group. Together we started out along the twisting path before us. If we heard the shouting from before, we would pause to hide as best as we could.
It was at one of these points, that we heard something very different in the closing in distance. A growling emerging in and out from space itself. I listened through my racing heartbeat to try and pick up the steps of four strong paws placed upon the ground, and then vanish.
I was crouched down with Heart behind some trash cans in an alley. During this, I'd been facing her and the wall I'd pinned her against in an attempt to hide her with my own body. She was clinging to me as I tucked her head under my chin to shield her.
The others were all doing their best to hide as well. Nosedive and Wildwing had been able to climb the fire escape a litte. Tanya and Grin hopped behind the dumpster. Mallory hid in a large crate left beside it.
Then we all heard it this time. The purring growl of a mighty cat growing louder. Peering through the slim window between two trash bins, I would see it's thick black furred frame prowling slowly. It sniffed the air, and I held my breath in hopes the trash would mask our scent. For not only was this thing massive compared to any of us, even Check; but it's form was quite strange. For while looking like a panther, which was threatening enough with it's razor like claws, it's lashing whip of a tail, and dagger long fangs; but upon it's back were two long tendrils ending in padds tipped with spikey protrusions. Heart trembled as she looked to see it too. Her grip on my shirt tightened with rising panic as she tried not to wimper in my arms.
Realizing quickly that this could cause her to give us away if her magic reacted, I slipped a hand to her back, rubbing it gently. This seemed to help as she clung to me for protection and comfort.
After a few stretched out moments, we watched as it gave a growl of a grunt, and then leapt into thin air! Then it was silent, other than our racing heartbeats.
When we were sure the coast was clear, we emerged from our hiding places with lingering caution.
"What was that thing?" Mallory asked.
"I...I don't know," Heart admitted while maintaining a death grip on my hand.
"Well, whatever it was, it's gone for now," Wildwing assured her when he noticed her shaking still.
"It makes sense he'd send out some sort of monster to find us," I mentioned, "We'll jus' be extra careful."
"We can't even fight that thing, can we?" Tanya asked, "But maybe we could try and trap it?"
"Not with it going in and out of thin air like that!" Nosedive exclaimed.
"Then we'll air on the side of caution," Wildwing noted while taking the lead again, "For now, we need to keep going!"
The street itself, though having it's twists and turns to navigate through, seemed devoid of the wizard we had all run from.
"Do you think he knows we're coming?" Tanya asked.
"He is the one that brought us here," Mallory retorted.
"Well, just because he's invitin' us in, doesn't mean we have to use the front door to get in," I mentioned with a slight smirk curving my beak.
I could see a few of them wanting to ask what I had in mind, but didn't just yet. Heart, in particular, seemed intrigued by my choice of words. I gave a chuckle, "We'll play his game, but with our rules!"
"What's the plan then?" Check asked while we neared the fortress.
"Well, we're looking for a spell-book, aren't we?" Wildwing pondered aloud, "So we need someone to sneak in and grab it."
"I can do that," I assured, "He won't even see I'm there."
"Aren't you watching Heart?" Nosedive asked.
"I'll go with him!" Heart blurted out, even surprising himself it seemed.
"If Asteroth finds you, he'll catch you!" Mallory reminded her.
"I don't want Duke to go alone! Besides, me going to his castle is dangerous either way! I may as well try and help!" she pushed back, sounding much older than eight for a moment, "I don't want him to hurt any of you!"
Looking to her as we walked and discussed this, I mentioned, "She is really small, she could easily hide with me if we're together."
"What do you think Wildwing?" Tanya asked nervously.
Wildwing would give another sigh, "I think I can't argue with her...not on this. Just, please be careful. Duke, don't let that guy grab her."
I gave a nod, and my word, "Of course!"
"What about the rest of us?" Mallory asked.
"Well, we could run distraction while also looking around," Wildwing suggested, "The book will probably be up in the main tower, if he has something like that."
"We are going off of nothing, aren't we?" Tanya realized.
"Not exactly," I said, "We know if it's bein' guarded with all that stuff, an' that thing, then he's protectin' somethin' important."
"How do you know this stuff?" Nosedive questioned.
I shrugged, "...I jus' kinda do...?"
This didn't seem to sway Mallory much. However, Heart's eyes remained sincere when she said, "I trust you."
"Where did that come from?" Wildwing asked.
Heart shrugged, but said firmly, "I just felt he needed to hear it...? He's my friend."
I did, and I think the look on my face admitted that for me. For she then gave me a hug.
Soon after this, we were at the gates of this wicked fortress. It's opening was like twisted jaws welcoming us into it's growling throat. We went ahead and slipped through the spiked vines trying to bar our way, an easy feat with us being kids. Even Grin had little trouble with this, though he did break a few branches along his way.
Now we were at right side of the fortress and looking up. Almost immediately I spotted an open window a bit of a ways up.
"I guess we're climbing up?" Tanya asked.
"At least we are," I mentioned.
"Maybe the rest of us should distract him by taking the front door?" Wildwing suggested.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Nosedive questioned.
"All of this is dangerous," Mallory pointed out.
"We'll get his attention while you guys make a break for the book," Wildwing stated, "Once you find it, do what you can to get us home!"
I looked to Heart, "Are you ready?"
She gave a shy, but clear nod, "I..I am!"
With that we began our climb, while the others sprinted up around to the front of the demented castle. Yet as started up along the spike armored walls, using those protrusions to grasp onto, I would hear the rips and tears as fabric was caught. I looked down to see Heart trying to kick herself free as the hooked surface of the fortress tried to hold her in place by the dress she wore. I decended a little to reach her and offer a hand out. Her trying to grasp it and get free nearly cost her to fall, forcing her to grasp for the ledge just in reach of her.
"Easy, Heart, I won't let ya fall," I assured as I ventured a hand to her shoulder to steady her.
She swallowed the ball of fear that had leapt to her throat. Then she glanced down while keeping a hand on that ledge, and reached the other to those skirts wrapping around her legs. With a bit of effort, the fabric began to tear away, leaving just enough in shreds to cover down to her knees. Without any remorse, she let the rest of it fall back to the ground below. I seemed to feel more regret for it than she did. Nonetheless, she was free now, and was able to finish climbing up to the window with me. With me hopping over the windowsill first, I quickly grabbed her outreached hand and pulled her up alongside me, "I've got ya!"
Why did saying these things seem so familiar to me? Shaking the sensation off for now, I then began leading us through the quite dark halls we'd found ourselves within. Just outside the windows, we could hear the others calling up to the wizard to try and get his attention.
We weren't sure if it was a good thing or not when we both heard him abruptly laughing from a nearby corridor, "It seems I have some young visitors. How splendid, indeed. The perfect bait to lure in what I seek!"
Placing a finger to my beak, I would signal to Heart to stay silent as we crept up to the doorway. Peeking inside, we would find the wicked mage as he looked into the cauldron at the center of the room. He snickered while the others called out to him still, their voices echoing from the iron held bubbling brew. Heart about gasped in fear, or would have, had I not quickly had the sense to stifle it with my hand as I pulled her close to me. We then watched closely as the wizened sorceror turned to look over just what we were seeking. An open book, with it's tatter edged pages being flipped, "What shall I do with them? What will bring me the key to the door I seek?"
Then for a moment, his voice that had been a bit deeper, and almost ancient in quality, became more cackling and high pitched, "My master will be pleased!"
He cleared his throat to retrieve the previous voice, "Let's have some real fun, shall we?"
Heart and I exchanged bewildered looks at hearing this, but said nothing just yet. We needed to plan this out carefully, so not to get her caught. Though we had to act quickly in order to protect our new friends.
"Yes, perhaps a spell or two to draw her out? I could summon more monsters, the displacer beast is still on it's hunt at the moment. Perhaps put them under a deep sleep to lure her inside? Bring about their worst nightmares maybe? There's so many to choose from!"
I could feel Heart trying to pull free as he snickered to himself over the supposed fates of the others. It took all my strength to hold her from breaking loose. However, even this was short lived as that energy in her began to spark around her. As it did, I couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp as one of those bolts struck my hands still holding her.
"What was that?" Asteroth asked while turning towards the doorway.
Instinct overshadowed pain as I grabbed Heart again and yanked her away from the door. As we heard him approaching the door, we were already around the corner of the hallway. Heart had managed to quiet her magic briefly when she'd seen me hurt from it, but it was very brief indeed. Panic seemed to make it worse as more electricity would continue to dance.
"Hmm...whatever it was," we heard the mage snap his fingers, "My pet will seek it out. While I tend to my young trespassers."
With another snap, we heard as he vanished. We knew this as we then heard him outside, his deeper voice greeting loudly, "So, you've come to try and vanquish me, little champions?"
"That was easier than we thought it would be!" Mallory laughed, "This game is already done!"
"A game, you say? How intriguingly childish?" he scoffed.
"Your evil is...is doomed!" Check declared after finding a bit more confidence behind his timid nature.
"You think so, do you?" Asteroth chortled, his tone turning quite dark as he finished, "Five little ducks went out to play, and none of them will go waddling back!"
"No!" Heart gasped as she flew to the nearest window to try and see what had happened.
Down below, we would find our five friends trying to elude the bolts of arcane magic being cast down upon them. So far they'd managed to do this, with Mallory shoving Tanya out of harm's way at one point. Grin yanked Nosedive out of the path of another crimson ray. Then Wildwing, seeing a rather large bolt flying towards the group in an attempt to stop them all where they stood, would brush his foot over something upon the ground. Without having much time to think, he picked up what seemed to be just a stick at first. Looking up, and darting over to the four, he tried to deflect the dark magic, not knowing what would happen!
"Wildwing!" Heart and the others cried out in horror.
In that instant, as the wicked bolt struck, a burst of light ignited upon impact. This source of power nearly blinded all of us trying to see what had happened. Blinking tears out of my own eyes, I would find the young white drake now holding up a shield of radiant ice, defending the others from the magic that had nearly befell them.
"Woah! That's amazing!" Nosedive exclaimed.
Not having much time to absorb what had just occured, Wildwing went to try and deflect more of the magic raining down on them. As one raced towards Tanya, we watched with held breath as she slid to the floor, her hands running through the dirt, and then looked to find several bolts about to plummet down over her. With her looking up, something in her hands would begin to glow, some of the dirt she'd gathered in them. Forming into spheres at her fingertips, she then lobbed one up as it collided with one of them. As it did, a clouded blast would shield her from it's dark power, and force the others to disapte.
"Let me try something!" Mallory said eagerly as she looked around for anything that might help.
Not finding much in way of debris, the red headed duck would focus on her feet for a moment. Looking at her shoes, they would begin to glow. As the bright essence faded, she would find boots in place of her sporty sneakers, and with them were wheels to dart away with as she evaded another blast. With another one trying to block her off, she would twist in her movement to give it a hearty kick, the boots then deflecting the magic to strike the Earth instead.
"How are they doing this?" Heart asked from beside me.
"Maybe it's from that promise we made?" I mentioned as we watched Grin trying to focus on his balled up hands.
For such a strongly built kid, he seemed nervous when it came to fighting back. He looked willing and unwilling all at once. In fact, he nearly backed up as another blast of magic was sent flying towards him, the wizard above them giving a mocking tone, "You think your magic is a match for that of Asteroth! This was just a warm up!"
Check looked up with widened, uneasy eyes focused on the mage. The elder mage snickered, "Poor little duckling, so very afraid? Why don't I really give you something to be fearful of?! A dash of true nightmare!"
With that, he let out a ray of crimson light that flooded downward to overwhelm Check. Just as it did, the gray feathered drake would notice Nosedive trying to reach him, thus being caught in the wave with him, "Check! Look out!"
"Little friend!" Check cried out in alarm as he rushed over to wrap his arms around the little blonde drake.
With this, another light would burst forth, this time around the taller duckling, eminating from his arms. When we looked, we would find he now wore bracers over his forearms, the energy of which would force back that of the sorceror's with ease.
"What is this?!" Asteroth demanded, "What gave you such powers?!"
We noticed his voice cracking to the higher pitched one he'd had a bit ago.
"We will not let your evil prevail, Asteroth!" Check shouted boldly now, not paying much attention to what he wore now.
Seeing Nosedive safe was all that seemed to be noticed by the strong young drake.
"Yeah! Even if you don't have a tail to kick, we're going to stop you from whatever you're trying to do!" Nosedive yelled with just as much determination filling his voice.
"Is that so, little duck?" Asteroth scoffed, gathering his tone into a low growl that turned into a snicker, "It seems I under estimated all of you, but no more! It's time I added to the decor around here anyway!"
It took blind faith to pry myself from watching the fight when I remembered, "We have to get that book!"
Quickly, I grabbed Heart's hand and started leading her back to the chamber we'd found. Not bothering to wonder how we'd been able to locate it so quickly, we made out way back down the hall. At least...we started to.
Until we abruptly came to a pause, a chill running up my spine when I heard it again.
I'd been so caught up watching and worrying over the others, that I'd failed to pay attention to the first part of Asteroth's command, now echoing in my head, "My pet will seek it out!"
Heart and I remained frozen when we looked down that long, dark hallway. The door to the room was at the midway point, and open still. Yet we both knew this wasn't the quick dash it should have been. We'd been so worried about the others, we'd been pulled away from what we were supposed to have been doing. Now we were face to face with the very beast we'd barely eluded before. Only this time...it was staring right back at us, the gold of it's eyes gleaming with hunger and the thrill of it's kill in it's sights.
"Duke..." Heart murmurred from beside me, her smaller frame trying not to tremble.
"I won't let it hurt ya," I assured, only to see her look more afraid from these words.
"What..what do we do?" Heart asked, her magic beginning to spark from rising panic.
When I tried to reach for her hand, she pulled it away to keep from shocking me again. Yet this sudden motion was all it needed. With a distorted yowling, the beast bounded towards us. In the seconds I had to react, I quickly pushed Heart out of harm's way just as the massive panther like monster knocked me to the floor. It's screeching roar flooded my ears as it's open maw snarled with drool dripping on my face. Still I tried to push it off of me, but to no avail.
"Duke!" I heard Heart cry.
"Heart! Get the spell book! Get everyone home! Hurry!" I ordered while evading it's jaws from clamping down on my throat, just barely.
Heart:
Despite hearing this, I watched my friend struggle to get free with widened, horror filled eyes. He kicked and hit, but the fierce cat wouldn't budge. Just one bite would rip the drake apart if the otherworldly panther could get a hold of him.
"Heart, run!" Duke yelled out as he evaded the gnashing fangs once more.
Yet I was already moving, but not towards the room. My skinny legs carried me swiftly as I leapt up and grabbed for one of the tendrils lashing out from the cat's shoulder blades. Managing to grab one, I quickly pulled on it with electricity sparking around me. This made it difficult for it to knock me off with the other padded spike tentacle, allowing me send a decent shock of electricity charging from me and into it when it missed hitting me, "Let him go!"
The beast screamed in a wicked growl as it tried to turn and paw at me with it's massive paw now. I held on tight to the tail like appendage, ignoring Duke as he yelled out, "Heart! Stop!"
I refused to let go still, only listening enough through the yowling cries of the beast to hear Duke scrambling away from under it. There was no time to relax as it thrashed the tendril I clung to with a wicked fury. Until finally my grip began to weaken, and I was tossed into the unforgiving stone wall of the hallway. As my shoulder collided with the harsh, cold surface, I crumbled to the floor wimpering in pain. Yet I didn't have time to try and get up, as it quickly used it's other tendril to wrap me up with it's spiked pad of a third paw. The barbs jabbed into my arms as it held me up with a low growl dripping through it's maw.
Crying out, I would try and look through a blurring vision where Duke was. I was too scared to process what this would mean, to notice the portal through thin air the creature was now summoning up to bring me to it's eager master. I just wanted to know, "Duke, where are you?! Guys?!"
Duke:
When Heart had gotten me free, I'd known there was nothing I had to be able to fight back. So I'd quickly looked into room nearby, trying to find anything that might help us. A shield, a spear, anything to strike it with to try and save her.
Outside the window, I would hear the others yelling out. I only vaguely realized it was no longer in tones of triumph, but those of fear. Yet I couldn't run and check, as I would hear Heart calling out for us as well. Among it all, I heard that wicked cat and it's master. Both pleased in their tone. Hearing her so afraid though, is what caused my core to shake as it did. Some part of me realized she wasn't calling out for me to help her...but to know I'd gotten away.
This drove me to keep looking, even ignoring the book as I searched those shelves and walls for anything to strike with. Then, at the last moment, I caught the feint gleam of battered steal as I glanced up at one of the higher up mounts on the wall. It's blade was chipped and gashed into, the hilt rusted and covered in dust. The stubborn flickering of light on the star at it's base caught my attention as I had yelled out in frustration, "I have to save her!"
Not knowing what else to do, I quickly scrambled up that shelf, and grabbed that hilt. It was surprisingly light despite my young frame wielding it. As soon as I grasped the almost brittle handle, I leapt back down and ran for the door. I didn't even notice it's soft glow growing brighter as I hurried back to Heart as she cried out, "Duke! Guys!"
"I'm right here!" I yelled out while trying to swing the blade at the beast, attempting to catch it's tail.
Yet just as the sword slashed through the air, the beast phased out of where it stood. Using the portal it had made, it lunged through with her dragged with it! All I could do was chase after it, not knowing I was making a doorway of my own to do so. Either way, I was now standing at the mouth of the fortress among the others. Looking ahead, I would see the strange panther holding up Heart to it's master. Asteroth, who had been leviating high above everyone, began his gradual decent towards her with a snickering in his throat, "Well done, my pet! With her, we can open the doorway!"
"No! I won't use my magic like that!" Heart shouted.
"Is that so?" Asteroth questioned, unphased by her bold declaration, "Unless you want your friends to remain as they are, I suggest you change your tune."
I had already come to realize what he was cackling over. For as I looked around now, I would see four of our friends frozen in place. Each of them maintained a brave expression in their eyes, even when encased in stone. Wildwing, Mallory, Tanya, and Check...all...wait...I looked around in bewilderment. However, Heart was already crying out in horror at the sight before us, "What did you do?!"
"They are going to be the examples of what happens when you go against Asteroth! And this one will join them if you don't cooperate! Now open the door!" the mage ordered, his voice cracking again.
Heart looked to see me standing right in the middle of our stoned friends. Despite the uncertainty I felt creeping up my spine, I yelled out, "Let her go!"
"You think you can stand up to me?" the mage bellowed with laughter, "I think this one will be my favorite garden statue!"
"No! Duke, run!" Heart pleaded, "Get the book-!"
Her wishes were cut short when Asteroth cast his hand over her, and a red glow wrapped around her. With this, he was able to make her float from the beast's tendril, until she was hovering before him. She struggled against this, her own magic sparking with a fight to get free. Seeing this, the wizard warned with a scoff in his voice, "That's enough of that, unless you'd rather the displacer beast rip the boy apart!"
He snapped his fingers, and the large monster cat would turn it's hungry sights on me once again. As it paced and growled, I would stand my shaky ground. I knew I couldn't win against this thing, not as the kid I was...but I couldn't run away either. Heart had had so much faith in me, how could I have failed her like this? How could I run away, knowing she and the others needed me?
"Duke!" Heart screamed as the displacer beast roared and lunged at me.
In those precious seconds, I leapt to my left, sliding to a quick stop. Then I turned on my heel to face it, awkwardly bumping the tip of the glowing sword against Check's bracer on his wrist. As it grazed him, the light grew much brighter, wrapping around him quickly. Instantly, I heard my friend yell, "We're not afraid of you!" as though he were still in the moment of when he'd been frozen.
Looking to me quickly with widened eyes, he asked, "Duke? What happened? Where's Heart?"
He then saw the others, and gasped, "Our friends!"
I had little time to put this all together, as the massive panther-like being was already turning around and facing us. It's growl was low, but clearly heard by both of us. At this, Check punched his fist into his other palm, "I've always liked animals, and they've always liked me! You're just a big cat looking to be fed!"
At this, the displacer beast let out a roar as Check braced for the impact. He held out his hands, digging his heels into the ground as he did. Instantly the bracers shifted into gauntlets as the giant black cat lunged into him. He slid back a little from it's mass clashing into his, but he did not give in. His armored hands clasped onto it's maw and shoulder to keep it from chomping down on him, or lunging past him.
"Calm down! Together we can find your inner kitten!" Check growled back at it with surprising composure considering he was face to face with this thing.
Heart's scream would tear me away from this, as Asteroth held her floating in place. Her small frame trembled as he sent a surge of dark magic into her, "Open the gateway, little dragon! Only then, will this fortress have it's true master once again!"
"What?" I stammered while trying to figure out how to reach them.
While scanning the area, I would finally notice something, or rather someone, hiding behind his brother's statue. He was gathering something into a pile, stacking the small glowing orbs. He now held one as he looked over his shoulder, up at Asteroth. His eyes would meet with mine briefly, before he yelled out, lobbing one at the mage, "Catch!"
It flew through the air, striking the mage's hand, or rather through I quickly saw, that was commanding Heart, and struck his head. With the magic interrupted, Heart would begin to plummet immediately.
"Heart! I'm comin'!" I called out as I hurried over.
I had just enough time to drop the sword beside me as I reached out my arms and caught Heart. Realizing she'd been too afraid to even scream as she fell, I held her close while she clung to me, "I-I've got ya! It's okay, Heart!"
"Duke?!" she exclaimed as she registered she hadn't hit the ground.
Before I could react, Heart threw her arms around me, "I was so scared!"
I hugged her tight a moment, reassuring her, "I told ya, I'd stay with ya!"
"Our friends, they're-!"
"We'll get them back! We're not gonna be taken away from ya!" I promised while setting her down and picking up the sword.
Again it began to glow as I faced the seething, sneering sorceror still floating above us, "You'll pay for this disrespect! Open the gateway before I rend them all apart myself!"
"No!" Heart yelled out, "I want to use my magic to help others! To protect my friends! To keep monsters like you from taking away the ones I love! I won't let it happen AGAIN!"
Heart's magic began to dance and strike around her, but with more direction. Despite how close I was to her, it didn't catch me in it's fury this time. It were as though I were shielded from it somehow. As was Nosedive as he came running up beside us.
With an enraged growl, the warlock thrust his hand out towards his pet, "Displacer beast, it's time for your meal! Rend these little upstarts limb from limb!"
Before it could whip it's head from Check's grasp, the beast found itself being grappled when it tried to move. The strong little drake grabbed onto it's neck quickly, dragging it to the floor to keep it from lunging at us.
"Do as I say, or are these puny ducklings too much for you, you foolish cat?!" Asteroth snarled, his voice cracking again.
It was only now, when I looked up at the mage, that I began to realize something. As had Nosedive standing to my left, and Heart at my right. His form...was translucent. Except for where his head was. It were as though most of him faded like a ghost. With the bursts of magic flying around him, it had been difficult for us to see. Yet now as he was just floating there, Nosedive shouted out, "It's like a projection!"
"Nosedive, keep him distracted while I help the others!" I quickly ordered, getting an idea.
"Got it!" Nosedive assured as he slid closer to her while I slipped over to Tanya first.
"You're nothing but a cheap magician behind a curtain! You might have a trick or two up your sleeves, but that's all it is!" the drake shouted up at the supposed wizard.
Asteroth's voice began to warp further into a wicked, high pitched tone, not unlike that of a goblin, "I'll show you a trick! I should have turned you all into hatchlings from the start!"
"Nosedive!" Heart cried as the magic bolt was hurtled towards them, with her throwing her arms around him to make herself into a shield.
However, they would both quickly find that the spell wasn't going to strike them. For as they looked up, the two of them would see Wildwing again holding up his shield, "Back off of my family, creep!"
Standing in armor similar to that of a night, our appointed leader glared up at the charlatain of a mage. At either side stood Mallory and Tanya, both clearly ready to back him up. While I was carefully prying Heart's rigid frame from Nosedive, making her see that they, and our friends, were safe.
"How dare you?! Dragonling, open the gateway at once, or the displacer beast will-!"
We then heard a sudden shriek of a roar as we turned to see Check ripping something off of the beast's back. Some manner of archaic crest with claw like grips that had torn some of it's thick ebony fur clear off it's back, was now held in our friend's hand. With it catching it's now rapid breaths, our friend was allowed to pull his other arm free from it's neck and pat it's now bald patch on it's back, "There now, I have a feeling you won't have to listen to his commands any longer, friend."
It would snarl at first, before calming it's growl. We all stood and watched as it then lowered it's still fierce form so Check could hop off of it. Then it's snarling grew louder as it set it's gleaming eyes upward, with almost delight shimmering in their gold depths. Out of instinct, I held the broken up sword out with my other arm shielding Heart still beside me. Yet I would find there was little need for this.
It's growls almost sounded like a distorted chuckle as it's frame began to come in and out of the space it was in. Then our gaze would follow that of the displacer beast, up at the mage now losing it's already fading form.
All of us wielding our chosen weapons, each of them glowing brightly, would not be what shook this joke of a wizard to his much smaller core. Though it did cause him to yell out, his voice broken from irritated wrath, "Open the gateway, dragon! NOW!"
"Ya won't tell her what to do!" I snapped, as the sword in my hand grew blindingly brilliant, with only that one slash needed to reveal him for what he really was.
As the light collided with the wizened visage, we would find in his place a tiny, horned creature floating in it's place. We would also now see the sword in my hand returned to the glory it once knew as I held it firmly in my hand. With this, our memories began to return rapidly.
"It's Asteroth's humunculous!" Nosedive exclaimed as it remained huddled there in mid air.
Glancing down at us, he sneered, "You horrid ducks! Asteroth will return from the realm of darkness, and plunge this world into it! Just you wait! I will bring him back with that dragon's magic one way or another!"
"I wouldn't count on that," Check would give a light chuckle as he patted the monstrous feline's back, "I believe someone wishes to have a word with you? Something about being unfed perhaps?"
Even from far away, we would all see his eyes widen in sheer horror as the cat vanished at this statement. Before we could react, the displacer beast was lunging out with it's powerful claws from a portal beside him.
He dodged at first, begging and pleading in his high pitched cry, "N-No! Please! I'll feed you! I...I don't taste very good! I'm barely bite size-!"
With one last pounce into another portal, he was swept away, his screams of horror immediately cut off once it closed behind it's tail.
As the calm returned around us, so did that park as the fortress began to erode away. It were almost as sudden as a shifting nightmare finally coming to a close, we realized. Looking around, we would find the buildings that looked like home, and didn't now making more sense.
"It's like Puck World and the other Anaheim had merged," Mallory said as they began to pull apart and fade away.
By now, Asteroth's conjured up castle was gone, and we were standing in the center of that protected playground. A modern and yet storybook esque place for the group of us to find one another, even through this winding nightmare.
"So...was this all a dream? Or did that creep really turn us all into kids?" Tanya asked.
"Perhaps a space that's like a dream? A pocket space created by a spell?" Check ventured.
"It would have to be drawn from our minds to know some of this," Wildwing mentioned as we realized Grin had never told us his name was Check before now.
"I remember catching that creep when he stole the book from our display case, we were checking on B.R.A.W.N., when he darted into the room and grabbed it," Mallory recalled.
"That's right!" Nosedive chimed in, "He said something about needing us alive to get what he wanted, but having to make sure we wouldn't be a problem?"
The blonde drake then laughed, "Joke's on him, I was way less restrained as a duckling!"
"You're restrained?" Mallory nudged his arm with a slight wink and a laugh.
"The prank war is on now!" Nosedive promised, "Especially with Halloween coming up!"
"So he was trying to get Heart to open the gateway with her magic," I noted while looking to her standing beside me.
We were all still in our much younger forms. Though we had a feeling this wouldn't last much longer, along with the illusions that came with it. I couldn't help but give a slight grimace as I looked to see my reflection in one of the play mirrors inside the wooden tower once more. Heart, seeing this, took me by the hand. Her warm touch drew out a breath of relief as I laced my fingers with hers. Then I smiled while glancing over her, "An' this cute little kid became the lady I know now?"
Like clockwork, Heart was blushing. Though she recovered her composure quickly and said, "It was nice to see what all of you looked like as kids, even if it was a spell. I got to see glimpses of what all of you would grow into."
I froze, my feathers puffing slightly from the nervousness I felt with that statement. Until, that is, I saw the warmth in those sapphires waiting for me, assuring me without words. With this, my smile returned.
"So what now?" Tanya asked, "Are we stuck here?"
As this was said, it would seem that reality around us was beginning to crack. Crystal walls we couldn't see, were chipping away, and the ground itself started to break away. We huddled together out of protective instinct as the rumblings of these walls came crashing down around us.
Until...it was quiet. All we heard was the breathing of one another, and the familiar humming of Drake One's Screen as we looked up to see it. At our feet, were the shards of clear and rose quartz dissipating into dust, and then grounded into nothing. Before we even asked, I would turn to see Heart stumbling into me, as I quickly caught her. As I lifted her half awake form into my arms, I would look to see everyone as I knew them now.
"Heart's beginning to learn more of her defensive magic it seems," Grin stated proudly as the poor woman couldn't help but fight to stay awake.
"S-Sorry guys..." she attempted, "I couldn't deflect the full spell..."
"Hey, you provided a safe space for us to fight back together. That's hardly something to apologize for!" Wildwing assured while rustling her hair a moment, "Just rest up now, okay?"
"Don't have...much...choice..." she admitted while nearly asleep in my arms already.
"I've got ya," I promised while kissing her forehead.
Her only response in this tired state to this, was resting her hand over my heart, clutching the front of my shirt as she did. Then I would hear her breathing shifting into that of one sound asleep.
"Poor sis," Nosedive chuckled lightly, "It's still a lot for her to learn and maintain."
"It was probably a lot on her mentally as well..." I realized as I recalled some of our conversations in that space, "Asteroth knows who Heart was back then, an' can mess with her memories because of it. Even that little imp could probably conjur up stuff Heart doesn't feel connected to anymore."
"Like what?" Mallory asked.
I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but felt it was for the better to mention, "I'm not sure if it was just from the dream aspect, or a false memory...but Heart mentioned somethin' about a father figure, an' him callin' her a princess?"
Wildwing and Nosedive's eyes widened, as did Grin's. Mallory sort of shrugged, while Tanya seemed more focused on looking for something. Though she did mention, "That is a lot to bombard her with."
"Well, a lot of dad's call their little girls princesses. I know Heart's from a realm of magic and royalty like Borg, but it's hard to think of our Heart wearing any sort of crown. I mean," Mallory couldn't help but chuckle, "You saw what she did to that dress. I'd bet she'd do it again if we were in trouble and she had to get to us quick."
"Still, I'm not sure we should bring it up jus' yet unless she does...I don't want to overwhelm her while she's learnin' all of this," I mentioned.
They all seemed to nod in agreement to this. Then Tanya would say in a bit of alarm, "I thought I remembered right! That creep flew out of here with the book! He got away before he cast that spell on us! So the book is probably somewhere in Anaheim!"
"Is there any way to detect it?" Wildwing asked.
"I hadn't had time to study if it gave off any sort of energy with everything going on. Magic is a whole new frontier for all of us," Tanya sighed.
"Well, we'll just have to keep a lookout for it then," Nosedive said with a slight shrug, "It should be fine as long as no one uses it. I mean, it looks like an ancient text book, who would want that anyway? It'll probably turn up at some thrift shop and we'll pick it up once it does!"
"Why aren't you more worried?" Wildwing asked.
"Frankly because Heart has the right idea at the moment," Nosedive stretched and yawned as he pointed out his sister sleeping soundly in my arms still, "This was a weird chapter! I had to grow up all over again!"
"So what exactly did Heart even do?" Mallory asked.
"Well, her crystal magic acts like a shield, and it cleanses toxins like dark magic out of systems. Encasing us like that probably protected us enough to stay connected and find a way to fight back. He still transported us in a space that wasn't here, for I don't think that beast would just be conjured up by any of us, and he wouldn't have been that afraid of it if it were just a dream. Once his spell was broken, Heart's magic brought us back here in this safe space, the one connected to the park we must have all made with our child-like mines," Grin explained.
"It must have been a lot of magic to use, not to mention her storm magic," Mallory noted.
"Especially when all of her magic isn't even there...we still don't know if her wings will ever come back," Wildwing realized.
I couldn't help, but brush my hand along her back, tracing the scars I knew were there before firmly planting my grasp against her in support.
"Who knows? As long as we're all connected...it seems she, and the rest of us, are capable of some amazing feats. So her wings may not be lost forever," Grin stated with some hope growing in his voice.
"Perhaps you're right," Wildwing said with some pride in his tone as he looked over us, "Either way, I'm proud of everyone here. Not just for this one, but for all we've been going through together. No matter how strange everything gets, we're still here."
As we took this in, I glanced around the room and the remaining shardsat our feet, showing reflections of the young ducks we all once were, and Heart as well. Before those traces vanished, leaving the roots that remained the same, and grew more and more entangled with one another.
"In spite of everythin'," I chuckled, "We've grown into quite the team, haven't we?"
Nosedive gave a bit of a groan at my very intended pun, only encouraging us to share a laugh.