The Beast Beneath the Ice
"Have I ever told you the story of Gemini?"
The ice churned and water gushed from the hole the beast had left behind. I was frozen in shock, my heart pounding so loud in my ears I almost couldn't hear the shrieking of the dragons. Chest tight and sweat dripping down my spine, I yanked the black robe off and ran for the hole.
Snape was yelling something from behind me, but I couldn't hear him as I dived into the water. Only once I was beneath the ice did I remember the bubble head charm, but I dare not resurface to cast it.
"It's one of my favorites."
The cold shocked my system and forced what air I did have out of my lungs, but despite what my body was telling me, I swam deeper. The abyss stretched on endlessly below me and I saw nothing but darkness. My chest burned with the lack of air as I wiggled my fingers and cast fairy lights down into the depths.
The bottom was closer than I thought, only a few dozen meters down, white sand that reflected the blue from the fairy lights. I swam towards it, looking for the thing that took the small red dragon, but there was nothing but white sand and black waters. And then the sand moved.
"It's sad story, but also a hopeful one. About brothers, twins Casus and Pollux who loved each other unconditionally. They were born of the same woman on the same day, but one was the son of her husband, the King of Sparta, and the other the son of Zeus."
It shifted in a burst of movement and only when I saw a massive row of teeth gleaming from the fairy lights did I realize that this wasn't the bottom at all. A great eye opened, and the mouth followed.
Pain bloomed along my back and I was yanked out of the water. I hit the ice hard, coughing up what felt like the whole damn ocean as Freya shrieked and cried, digging her talons into my back as she tried to pull me further from the water. The ice cracked from beneath us and I finally got me feet under me to run.
"The twins grew up together. They were young, handsome, and adventurous. They went on many journeys. Castor, son of Tyndarus, was a great horseman, they say no one could ride a horse as he. And Pollux, son of Zeus, had strength that was unmatched."
The ice shelf burst apart behind me and I lost my footing. A loud roar came from above as I clawed at the shifting ice, breaking my nails upon the unforgiving ground. I reached for the dragon bone knife in my boot to dig it in for purchase, but before I could get a grip on the hilt the ground broke apart, fire bloomed around me, and I slid back into the water. I choked as it rushed into my lungs and I was forced deep into the below.
The fairy lights were still active, twinkling in the dark depths, and I could see the shape of the thing that was in the water. A massive snakelike body stretched so far into the darkness it looked as if it went on forever.
Another body followed mine into the water and I could see Selene streaking towards the sea serpent as it submerged itself once more. She reared her silver head back to breath fire, but it died before it left her throat. Dragons couldn't breathe fire under the water.
"They were alike in many ways, but Castor was mortal…and Pollux was not."
The sea serpent turned its focus to Selene. I screamed with what little air I had left and snapped my wand into my hand and cast the first spell I could think of. The red expelliarmus hit the serpent below the eye, but it did little more than blink. Selene took advantage of the distraction and snapped her wings to propel herself away. She avoided the gaping maw by mere inches.
I fought to cast another spell but was forced instead to the surface as my lungs seized and pulled water into them. My head broke through and I coughed with each breath as I tried to grab a stable piece of ice to pull myself to safety. With every second that passed that I remained in the water, I felt my fear grow, aware that there was a predator somewhere behind me that I couldn't see.
"They fought in the war for Helen of Troy, who was their sister. They went on the quest for the Golden Fleece. They sailed to the ends of the world and fought terrible and fantastic beasts."
"Hari!" Severus screamed, streaking past me with purple-blue flames bursting from his throat. The water churned behind me and nearly dragged me back under as the serpent let out a deafening shriek.
A sharp toothed mouth latched onto my left forearm and pulled me further from the water. Roan bit hard and deep, but Snape's wrist guard held, and I only felt the pressure. Neve was on Roan's other side, shrieking and screaming with his blue wings extended as I heard a loud boom resonate from where the serpent was.
The ice cracked more, and I shoved the two dragons back and away to safety, screaming at them to take flight, and I scrambled over the unstable ground as quickly as I could. I couldn't stand and I couldn't move fast enough to keep them safe.
A shadow loomed over me, and it was only Snape's furious cry and the feeling of sudden terror I felt bloom from him that made me launch myself to the side. I barely avoided the beasts head as it dove back under.
"A lifetime they spent together, and Castor being mortal, finally succumbed to a mortal death."
I turned back to the churning water as I finally got to stable ground. Freya and Loki were circling high where the water was most active. Neve, Roan, and Hera were still on the ground, tails twitching, and noses pointed as the leaned down close to the ice, trying to track the beast beneath it.
Ophelia and Guinevere were cowering on top of the sled, the remaining twin hiding beneath. The ice lifted near the whale bones but didn't fully break and I saw Romulus dive towards it, pulling up short when nothing burst through. Solar flew just behind, circling the bones and crying a confused warble that Romulus answered with an angry shriek.
I couldn't see Selene, and feared she was still in the water with that thing, but I had no more time to think on it as the ice rose and fell again several times before it burst apart right where a low flying Freya hovered. The great mouth opened, and teeth closed around her back leg. It started to pull her down like it had the twin, but a high pitch whistle came from above as Severus dove like an arrow from the sky, purple flames licking his maw and a great explosion bloomed from the side of the serpents head.
It reared back, thrashing its head to the side and retreated back into the water. Freya fell, her body limp and unmoving, crashing into the water after the creature. I called for her, running across the unstable ice and summoning her out of the water.
The spell fought me, dragons naturally immune to most magics, but I got her close enough to the surface to pull her out and back towards the sled. Her leg was missing, her tail gone, and she was gushing blood from both wounds.
The ice cracked in splintering lines as the serpent breached near the sled.
"Distraught, Pollux threw himself at his father's feet and begged Zeus for help. He had never been without his brother and couldn't imagine living the rest of his immortal life alone."
"Ophelia!" I cried as the black dragon launched itself at the serpent's face. Guinevere and the twin that might have been Pollux but just as likely could have been Castor, joined her charge and I hugged Freya close to my chest with one hand while I shot spells off with the other.
They did little more than distract the sea serpent as it snapped and snarled at the three dragons blasting fire at its face.
"Go for the eyes!" I screamed as the high pitch whistle returned and Severus streaked past me faster than even my firebolt had ever traveled. A ball of purple and blue flame burst from him and collided with the serpent's neck with another great boom. The blowback from the explosion nearly knocked me off my feet and back into the water.
The serpent swung its head around, mouth large enough to swallow a whale whole and snapped it closed around the twin and Ophelia. Guinevere cried in panic and fury and Loki dove for its eyes as another explosion knocked the serpent back but not down.
I cast cutting hexes and severing charms, explosion jinxes, freezing and boiling spells, and anything else I could think of…but like the dragons, it seemed resistant to my magic.
Severus got a good hit in near the eye just as I cast a blinding light above its head and the serpent opened its mouth to shriek. Ophelia and the twin tumbled out. They hit the ground and didn't get back up.
"Zeus looked upon his son and thought of what he could do. Castor was already dead, and if Pollux wanted to join him, they could spend eternity in the afterlife together. They would never be separated again."
I struggled to pull Freya behind me to get to the two prone dragons. I refused to leave her, afraid that it would leave her open for attack again, and I slipped upon her blood and the ice with each step.
Snape snapped his wings open and ascended with powerful down strokes as quickly as he could, rolled his head back, flipped upside down and dove again and again. The whistling was in tandem with every dive, and an explosion followed soon after. His dive looked just how a peregrine falcon did when stooping, the whistling sound was probably from the wind pressure caused by the cupped shape of his wings.
Snape's dramatic flight pattern and explosive fire distracted the serpent enough to keep it away from the other dragons, and keep its attention off of me and the vulnerable whelps on the ground.
Neve landed near the two prone dragons and stood over them, roaring in fury when the serpent came to close. I dragged Freya closer and set her down near her siblings as I brought my wand back up to bear.
"But Zeus didn't want to sentence his son to death, and instead he reached for Castor and plucked him out of the River Styx."
We weren't going to win. Despite Severus' effort and the continued attempts of the other dragons, the serpent remained mostly undamaged. The only thing we could do was cause enough aggravation that the sea serpent would decide to find food elsewhere.
"Diffindo!" I cast with a violent slash of my wand, aiming for the exposed throat. The spell hit, but the serpent didn't even seem to notice the attack. In fact, its scales looked to be just as unharmed. "Bombarda!"
Nothing seemed to be working, and I grunted a token protest as the red twin regained consciousness and tried to rejoin the battle. I kept him grounded with a hand on his tail, but I didn't think he had enough energy left to stand, let alone to fly.
I blinded it with another spell just when it looked about to get a hold of Romulus and the serpent shrieked, its call making my ears ring. The beast twisted its head, eyes blinking and mouth snapping before it retreated once more beneath the ice.
The dragons circled above, crying to each other as they watched the waters slowly start to settle. Loki swooped down close before darting away, as if tempting the beast to surface once more. His angry cries rang loud over the sudden silence.
Snape landed upon the sled, eyes narrowed, and fins erect. He was hissing lowly, head swaying side to side, but this threat display looked different from any other I had seen from him. This one looked real.
"Zeus cradled Castor, the twin of his son but not his child, and heard Pollux's plea. Instead of killing his son, Zeus made Castor immortal."
"Get them back to the sled!" Snape shouted and I struggled under Freya's limp weight without putting my wand away. I dare not holster my only defense. "Quickly, before it comes back!"
I slipped on her blood and struggled to get her on the sled. My grip slid from the wetness on her scales, but I dug my fingers around any joint I could reach. My fingertips ached where my nails had broken off.
I tried to assist with magic and screamed in frustration when the feather light and levitation charms slithered off of her. My back strained and arms shook, but eventually I got her positioned fully on the sled.
Rushing back, I nearly fell on top of the twin when I lost my footing on the ice. His bright red scales were coated in dark red blood and I noticed deep cuts down the side of his face and neck. One of his horns had been broken off at the base.
He was smaller than Freya by nearly half, but I had more difficulty getting him back to the sled. He was awake and struggling, trying to crawl towards the water and crying feebly. I pulled him to my chest and winced as he dug his talons into my exposed stomach and fought my grip.
My top was in tatters, nearly ripped clean off, covered in diluted blood, and sticking to my cold skin. Ice was starting to form in my hair, and I could feel my body shutting down from the cold. I fought it, waving my hand and casting a wandless heating charm. I was so cold I couldn't even feel if it settled over me.
"Faster Hari!" Snape called as I shoved the red next to Freya, trying not to see the gaping wound and missing limbs on the grey dragon. "It's coming back!"
I turned and saw the ice crack and press up from beneath. The beast was moving just below the surface, and though it was still dozens of meters out, it was closing the distance quickly.
"Zeus took Castor and Pollux and cast them into the heavens, side by side in a constellation."
I holstered my wand and grabbed for Ophelia as the airborne dragons shrieked and dove for the breaking ice, trying to tempt the beast to surface before it reached us. My hands slipped on her wet hide and I was forced to holster my wand to get a grip on her tail. I dragged her back to the sled, cursing the entire way.
We needed to get off the ice shelf as quickly as possible.
The beast didn't take the bait, and Neve had just launched themselves into the sky when the ice separated, and the serpent surged up. Its great mouth was opened wide as more of its body surfaced. Neve ascended, wings beating frantically as they tried to get above the creature.
"Neve!" I screamed, releasing Ophelia to grab once more for my wand, but it was too late. The mouth closed around Neve with a loud snap, and the serpent tossed its head to the side before it dove underneath.
"Go, Hari!" Severus screamed as he threw himself from the sled and ascended to get a better view.
"Neve!" I screamed again, rushing towards the broken ice where the beast had submerged itself.
"Get back to the sled!" Snape called as I prepared myself to dive back into the water though I know it was too little too late. "Don't you dare! Hari! Don't you fucking dare!"
His angry shrieking was drowned out by the water as I cast a bubble head charm and dove. The darkness was impossible to see through, and I was just about to cast the fairy light charm when I felt the water move from behind. I saw the teeth closing around me before I had the chance to bring my wand up.
"That constellation is named Gemini, and the stars Castor and Pollux are forever tied together, traveling the heavens for all eternity."
Snape's terror surged through me even as I felt the crushing weight of the beast's throat as it tried to swallow. I pulled the dragon bone knife from my boot and stabbed it into the nearest bit of tissue I could reach. It stabbed deep in the lower jaw, wedged in the gums between two of the back teeth.
The beast shrieked, opening its mouth wide and water flooded inside. I would have drowned if the bubble head charm failed. It held, and so did the blade.
I fought the rushing pull, praying I dug the blade deep enough to not get swallowed, and raised my wand. "Bombarda Maxima!" I screamed, aiming for the roof of its mouth. It shrieked again, shaking its head side to side.
I cast again and again, like I had back in the arena, ignoring the pain to my lower legs as the muscles of the beasts throat contracted, and the agony in my shoulder and hand as the pressure and force of the thrashing tried to throw me loose. At one point it must have resurfaced, because when it opened its mouth, I was nearly blinded by the bright sky.
"Bombarda Maxima! Expulso!" I cast and cast, pushing as much magic as I could into each spell, feeling the wand become hot and vibrate in my grip. I kept casting even after the beast gave a great shuddering thud and stopped moving. Only once I was certain it was dead did I finally let my grip on the knife go.
"It's a good story, sad too. They get to spend the rest of eternity together…but the separation, realizing that Pollux might have to live the rest of his immortal life without his twin…they are two that became one. No more adventures for them, but they forever get to travel the sky together."
I lay there for a long moment, trying to catch my breath but prompted to move by the crushing pressure of the beast's throat and Snape's dread that was pounding into me like an anvil with each second that passed. I tried to pry its mouth open with a levitation spell and then a featherlight when that didn't work.
In the end, it was a combination of the spells that allowed me to wiggle between its massive teeth and I spilled out onto the ice. The bubble head charm broke and I took great heaping breaths of fresh air while the other dragons began to land.
"Two that became one. That's kinda beautiful too…don't you think?"
"It is a beautiful story," Severus replied, his nose warm on the small of my back. He was perched on my hips, over the blanket that was doing little to cover my nudity. I had gotten over the embarrassment of being naked around Snape a long time ago…but this was the first time he had gotten over his.
I was lying face down on the floor of the tent, naked except for the blanket over my bottom, holding my wand over my shoulder and pointing it at the wounds on my back. Snape was gently guiding the tip of my wand to each wound with his thumb claws while I cast the necessary healing spells. The bruises on my legs from the crushing pressure of the serpent's throat were slowly fading, but Freya had done a number on my back with her talons when she had pulled me out of the water.
"I wish it was true," I mumbled into the fur beneath my face as Severus crawled up my bare spine to move my hair away from upper back. My wand followed the gentle pressure of his guidance and I cast again, wincing at the sensation of my skin knitting back together. "Then they could be together forever."
Severus paused, and I knew that he was looking at the remaining twin. The small red dragon was sleeping deeply, the fabric that used to be my tank top torn into strips – soaked in the healing salve I had looted from Snape's dead body – covered most of the left side of his face and neck.
"They will be," Severus replied, guiding my wand to a particularly deep wound near my shoulder blade. "One day."
"Do you believe in the afterlife?" I asked, voice muffled as I shifted to hide my face in the crook of my elbow.
"How could I not," he hummed softly, laying his small form over my healed but tender skin. The heat he put off helped to ease some of the ache. "After what you told me when you went to that…what did you call it?"
"Place of transition," I replied, dropping the black wand into the furs near my head. My wand, the brown holly and phoenix feather…was broken. The wood splintered in shards but the feather was left intact. It probably occurred when I had overpowered my last few spells. I didn't know exactly when it happened, I only remembered later when Severus had to help dig the wood splinters out of my bleeding palm.
I had wrapped the shards and feather in a piece of dragon hide and tucked it away in the book bag for safe keeping. Severus didn't know much about wand making, but he did say that if we could find a good replacement wood, we might be able to repair the damage.
"If Death offered you a choice, clearly there has to be something after you die," he reasoned, scratching the side of his jaw down my spine and then settling his head near the base of my neck.
I could feel each exhale on my exposed skin, and though it raised goosebumps, I didn't tell him to move. I needed the physical contact…and I think he did too.
After the sea serpent was slain, Severus had launched himself at my chest with enough force to wind me and for a moment I had thought I was still under attack. He dug his talons into what was left of my tank top, body trembling and spitting words of derision as he tried to crawl into me…or at least that was what it felt like.
"I suppose," I replied softly, feeling my eyes get heavy. "Do you know which one survived?" I asked after a long moment of silence.
Severus shifted a little and I felt his tail drape across my lower back and tickle my side with each twitch. "No," he sighed, a low rumble emanating from his chest. The tone was too deep for me to hear, but I could imagine the sound it would make with each pulsating rumble that vibrated along my skin. "Not even I could tell them apart."
"I suppose it doesn't matter," I sighed, rubbing my nose against the soft seal fur. "They were always apart of Gemini, the constellation. They still are, even if one is in the sky awaiting the other."
I could feel Severus lift his head, probably too look at the twin once more, before it settled once more along my back. I felt his back legs kick out, his toe claws scratching lightly in bare skin, as he settled fully. "I suppose Gemini is as good a name as any," he finally replied, his words slow and heavy.
He must have been just as tired as I, if not more. When the wolves attacked, he was able to get one good blast of fire off before his energy had completely left him…he had gotten several dozen blasts off against the sea serpent. It surprised me that he was still conscious.
My own eyes blinked heavy and slow, getting heavier with each breath. They settled on the dark form of Ophelia. Her right wing was wrapped tight and twitching in pain with every breath she took. She would never fly again…half her wing bitten clean off. I wondered what a dragon was if it could no longer fly.
Tears started to form in my eyes once more, but they didn't spill. I didn't have enough energy to cry anymore.
It took us nearly until dawn to get back to our main camp. By the time the tent came into site, the sun was starting to rise far off in the distance, and I knew we had been too slow. Freya was dead, from blood loss probably. She might have been dead when I first put her on the sled…she might have died the moment her body hit the water.
Three died, but we only buried one. Neve and the twin that might have been Castor if life followed myth, were deep in the dead serpent's belly. I had tried ripping the stomach open, but no spell would penetrate its hide. I then attempted to go through the mouth, but after several long minutes of casting spells through heavy tears, Snape finally managed to pull me away.
I knew he was right; I knew that they were dead, but it was a hard thing to accept. Eventually, when my magic reserves were nearly depleted and Severus bid me to return to camp to treat the injured, did I finally scream in outrage and gave up hope.
Selene was still missing, and though I wanted to search for her, I couldn't bring myself to go back into the water. Not after what had just happened. And Snape was right, the injured needed to be treated, and all of our healing potions were back at camp.
I was going to leave at first light tomorrow, once my magic had recovered enough to cast without feeling winded. I needed to find Selene, I needed to see the dead serpent to ease my troubled mind…I only had to find a way to convince Severus to stay behind with the dragon whelps. I dare not bring them with me, and I dare not leave them alone…especially after what had just happened.
Guinevere was twined tightly around Hera and Roan, her bright red scales contrasting beautifully with Roan's pale gold and Hera's brown with spotted green patterning. Romulus and Solar were occupying my cot, huddled underneath my light grey wolf pelt. I was tempted to oust them from my bed to get some sleep but didn't feel like moving from my spot on the floor.
Instead I twisted my legs and shuffled my toes until I was able to work the seal pelt further around my lower half. Snape was warm enough that I didn't need to bother any further, and I felt myself start to relax for the first time since the attack.
Even Loki had decided to honor us with his presence. His bronze form had taken up residence right at the entrance of the tent. I had spelled the doorway closed and cast heavy warding around the camp, but his vigilance still eased some of my anxiety.
I fell asleep underneath Severus' comforting weight and the heat of eight other dragons in close quarters. Eight, when there should have been twelve.
