A.N. I have the next chapter ready and it will be up Christmas morning ;)
I dug through the fridge, nudging aside random cans while trying to be quiet as possible. It was three in the morning and the night
mares had not been kind. I knew if I cared to look in the mirror I would see the usual pale face. The nightmares had left me thirsty, but the water and milk in the fridge made me want to puke. Instead I pulled out a small bottle of blood that Mr. Tiny had made up last night. I only took a few swallows every day, and I really didn't need any now but it was the only thing I could think of keeping down at the moment. I almost dropped the bottle when another wave of tremors ran through me. I sat at the table and managed to unscrew the lid before taking a long drink. Harkat was lasting longer then me this time and I watched him sleep on the couch rather enviously. When I closed my eyes flashes of falling metal collars and bloody knives danced in front of me; finally settling on Harrison's face which always leered at me while wearing a necklace of blue feathers.
"Nightmare?"
I jumped and looked up. Mr. Tiny was sitting across from me at the table, lightly drumming his fingers on the table. I hadn't heard him enter and wondered if he had even walked. "Yes," I said and held the bottle tighter.
Mr. Tiny leaned back in the chair and it creaked loudly. "You should not allow Harrison to rule your dreams." His fingers kept drumming infuriatingly. "Dreams are for discovery not terror."
"It may be easy for you, but most people can't disregard torture," I said crossly.
"He tortured you?" Mr. Tiny said and his fingers ceased moving. "The collar was not the entirety of what he did?"
I glared sourly at Mr. Tiny. "You mean being electrified until you can't move or scream isn't enough?" I pushed my chair back from the table and leaned across toward Mr. Tiny. "He cut me open again and again. He let me heal every time, always careful not to leave scars. The worst he did I will never, ever tell you!" I dug my nails into the table until they bent and barely regained enough control to sit back down. Over Mr. Tiny's shoulder I had seen several of the many trinkets he kept on shelves start to shake.
Mr. Tiny's fingers started to move again but this time so slowly they didn't make a sound. He was staring at me so hard I guessed he wanted to dig around inside my head, but was restraining himself from trying. "They knew what you were capable of," he said as more of a statement.
"Yes," I said grimly. "But Harrison didn't take everything into consideration." I scratched a nail along a line in the table and shrugged. "I don't know how they knew what I could…do though. And I still don't know how they keep finding us."
Mr. Tiny ran an eye up and down my neck and then got up from the table. "Tilt your head," he ordered. When I didn't immediately move he grabbed a fistful of my hair and none too gently pulled my head sideways. He ran his finger along the part of my neck that the collar had been on and aha'd. "There it is," he murmured. With the same hand he clamped it over my mouth and sliced into my neck with the other.
I let out a shout muffled into nothing by Mr. Tiny's palm and bit down on his fingers until he pulled away. The stinging pain vanished and I clapped a hand to my neck, rubbing away traces of blood. "What the hell?" I exclaimed.
Mr. Tiny held up a small metal object between his forefinger and thumb. "A tracker," he explained. "Crude but effective." He set the tracker on the table and nudged it toward me.
I had no wish to keep the thing so I did the next logical move. I brought my hand down flat on the tracker. When it still remained intact I growled and dropped it on the floor, grinding my heel into it until nothing but metal dust remained. I finally flopped back into the chair, breathing hard and sweating from the anger I had brought down upon it. My fists were clenched under the table and once again a few of Mr. Tiny's precious objects were vibrating. "You have no idea what it was like," I muttered. "So don't even try to pretend you understand." I pointed an accusing finger at Mr. Tiny. "I don't even know why I am staying with you. For all I know you could turn out just like Harrison and slap a collar on me too."
Mr. Tiny rolled his eyes. "I have no intention of harming either of you. Would I have put up with all of your shenanigans otherwise?" He wove his fingers together and met my gaze squarely. "I am hoping you have unleashed the extent of your troubles."
"Not even close," I said.
"Then tell me about them. There is nothing I have not seen nor done in my lifetime." Mr. Tiny's lips quirked upward. "And that has been quite a long time."
I squinted suspiciously at Mr. Tiny and shook my head. "I'm not ready," I said. Someday, yes I would reveal magic, but not my wings. "I don't know if I ever will be."
"Well we have time ahead of us," Mr. Tiny said and rolled his watch between his fingers; I hadn't seen him pull it out of his pocket. "Nothing will surprise me." He stood up and pushed his chair back into the table. "Now I do believe we are long overdue for sampling Las Vegas in all its glory." He nodded to Harkat and smiled in a creepy, but almost fond way. "Get some food and we shall go out. Leave your dear friend to sleep."
"It's three-thirty in the morning," I said.
"All the best things happen at night, do they not?" Mr. Tiny said.
I grabbed a soda and some toast and followed Mr. Tiny outside. The night air was chilly, but not too bad. Buildings rose above us, surrounding the moon that was almost full. Under the illusion my dragon eyes swept the streets, searching for any signs of Harrison or other supernatural creatures; and my broken wings fluttered slightly. I had a matter of days; maybe a week before revealing magic would become a matter of sanity. Merging with the dragon had not lessened my need for the magic to be balanced out by Mr. Tiny in the slightest and every morning I subconsciously fought the illusions a little more, seeking to break free and run rampant. It was only fed by my nightly fear. I took the lead and walked down an alley, using a fire escape to start climbing to the roof of a building. When I was near the top I looked down and my toes curled around the metal edge; I had neglected to put on shoes. The idea that I could fall and die, but should be able to fly made me angry.
"You don't fear falling? Good." Mr. Tiny stood directly behind me for a moment, uncomfortably close before he maunevered past and continued up the fire escape.
I followed and stood on the edge of the roof. Here the buildings were so close together that I could jump from rooftop to rooftop if I wished. "Why are we here?" I asked.
"I enjoy the moon," Mr. Tiny said and sat on the edge of the roof so his legs dangled out into open space.
I had an itch to leap out across the rooftops but I stayed put, staring at the top of Mr. Tiny's head. "The moon?" I said. "Why?" Mr. Tiny didn't answer so I crouched on the ledge, ready to jump away if I needed too and peered around at his face. Still no answer was forthcoming so I stared at the moon too. I imagined flying high into the sky, looking down at the city and its maze of streets and lights. I would be able to find Harrison easily and pull him high into the sky, then drop and catch him feet from impact. I would play with him like that over and over until I tired of it and let him crack onto the sidewalk.
"The one who captured you will die," Mr. Tiny announced out of the blue.
I stared sideways at him. "I thought you wanted to study him?"
"Yes."
"Then why-?"
"I have my own reasons, now quiet," Mr. Tiny said and waved his hand. It passed right by my face and then a necklace appeared in his hands It was a curled piece of metal, and tiny runes decorated the entire thing; the chain was gold, but only the metal part glowed crimson. "You and Harkat will wear these when you go to the show," he said. "The Twins have a way of bending people's minds and this will protect your dear sanity." He slipped it over my head and a pressure behind my eyelids made me want to rip it off, but before my hands reached the chain the pressure stopped completely. Mr. Tiny looked satisfied and I tucked the metal underneath my shirt. The metal was cold and even when I reached under my shirt to cup the necklace and warm it up it stayed stubbornly icy.
"Er, thanks," I said uncertainly. I could see Mr. Tiny wearing a chain just like the one I wore, so I highly doubted all the necklace did was keep our heads protected. Mr. Tiny certainly wouldn't need help with that.
"Come," Mr. Tiny said without acknowledging my thanks. "It is time we head back." He made for the fire escape and had both feet on the first step before I spoke up.
"Want me to show you another way down?" I asked.
Mr. Tiny frowned. "The fire escape is perfectly sufficient," he said.
"Yeah," I shrugged. "But my way is much more fun." I had stayed crouched on the ledge the entire time and now I stood up, and walked off the ledge backwards into the air. As I fell I latched onto the first windowsill, stopping my fall until I dropped from floor to floor easily. When I looked up Mr. Tiny was staring down at me with a blank expression on his face. He pulled back and I shrugged, continuing down until I touched the sidewalk. The lingering idea that Mr. Tiny looked worried stayed at the back of my head until we got back to the tent. Right away I pushed past Harkat and shook him awake, ignoring the flailing limbs. I grabbed onto him and pulled the Little Person into a rib crushing hug, trying to stop the tremors I could feel coursing through him.
"That's it," Mr. Tiny announced.
"What?" I asked over Harkats shoulder, more then a little annoyed. "Are we too much of a bother?"
"No," Mr. Tiny snapped before his temper cooled. "You two should be suffering from far greater side effects then nightmares. If everything you told me is true and the extent of your tortures was that high you both shouldn't be carrying on with this much ease."
"Nightmares aren't exactly what I would call easy," I growled.
Mr. Tiny shook his head. "You misunderstand me. There should be fear besides the nightmares. I may not have fear, but I understand it enough to know that you both should have a lot more then you do. You Shadow should never have agreed to come with me so easily; another strange man should have sent you running the other direction. Neither of you show aversion to touch or anything else. I believe you are repressing the memories."
"If we were doing that there wouldn't be nightmares," I said fiercely and settled Harkat back onto the couch.
"That's because you aren't doing a very good job. You slip the moment your mind relaxes," Mr. Tiny explained. "The only way to completely heal your minds is to stop and work through human emotions." He leveled me with his gaze and I almost pressed back into the couch cushions. "Are you really thinking about what happened and dealing with it like you should be doing?"
"Yes," I lied.
"No," Mr. Tiny said resignedly. "You aren't. Now that I understand what is going on I know what will happen. If you both don't stop and deal with it, the nightmares will continue to increase in violence until you physically harm yourselves while asleep. The lack of sleep will only get worse until neither of you can function. Then the memories will not be contained and you will be overwhelmed while wild from sleep deprivation." He sounded almost sorrowful. "By then you may go completely insane."
"What do you suggest then?" Harkat spoke up, sounding sarcastic. Dark circles under his eyes gave away just how tired he was. "Do we all sit in a circle and share our pain while holding hands?" His eyes narrowed. "I don't know about you Shadow, but I am not in the mood for story time."
"Neither am I," I said. While I missed full nights of restful sleep, I was not going to open up to Mr. Tiny at the present time. Not until I fully gathered enough information to figure out his reaction to magic.
"We will deal with this in a couple days," Mr. Tiny decided. "When we are at a more peaceful place." He stared at both of us in turn, making sure we understood the weight of his next words. "But we will be working this out." He added with a faintly annoyed expression. "I tire of hearing screams in the night."
My fists clenched and I exchanged a bitter look with Harkat. "I'm so sorry we are such a nuisance!" I spat. "We shall just pack our bags and leave then, shall we?" I helped Harkat up and we both faced Mr. Tiny, staring him down with fury. I had no more tolerance for Mr. Tiny and it was hard to remember why I was sticking around in the first place. The side long glances when we did something unsatisfactory, the frowns and eye twitches when we spoke above a whisper was enough to drive anyone nuts. Sure he wasn't beating us up anymore, but that was all. "I'm sorry that we have emotions and can't shrug off what happened to us so easily! I'm sorry that we are too loud, and don't perform under your standards every second of the day! And I am even sorrier that I ever came with you after escaping Harrison!" I reached under my shirt and yanked off the necklace which was burning hot and threw it at Mr. Tiny; it bounced off his chest and landed in his lap. "We aren't puppets you can manipulate!"
"You cannot leave," Mr. Tiny said flatly and his fingertips glowed. He didn't look that mad, not yet but he seemed to building up to righteous anger.
I waved my hands in the air. "What are you going to do? Slap us in chains? Maybe put a collar on me for good measure?" I turned around and stalked toward the door. A hand closed on my shoulder and I turned around, whipping a knife out of my jacket to press it under Mr. Tiny's chin. A drop of blood appeared on the very tip of the blade and I dug it a little deeper, glaring deep into Mr. Tiny's eyes. The man never flinched, which only fueled my fury. "Why do you keep us around if our every movement is frustrating?" I questioned angrily. When Mr. Tiny opened his mouth I cut him off swiftly. "You'd better think long and hard about what you say, or I will leave and you will never see me again!"
"Where would you go?" Mr. Tiny asked swiftly.
I twisted the knife, gripping the hilt of the weapon so hard my knuckles turned white. "Anywhere," I said. The dragon was sprawled out on my back, writhing in frustration along with me. Harkat was off to the side, watching the exchange with keen eyes. It appeared he was ready to run with me if things went bad.
Mr. Tiny inched a little closer, tilting his head to the side so the knife slid closer to his jugular. With one hand he reached out and patted my shoulder, ignoring the tiny flinch I gave and held up the necklace I'd thrown at him. "I don't offer protection to many. Both of you will be under my guard for as long as you live." Then, with a movement faster I could follow he knocked the weapon out of my hand, spun me around and pinned me to his chest, ignoring my attempts to kick him in the crotch. His strength was overwhelming and I knew without a doubt he could have crushed my ribs without exerting himself at all. My feet pummeled his legs hard enough to snap bone but Mr. Tiny didn't even blink.
"Let him go!" Harkat bellowed and rushed at Mr. Tiny.
Mr. Tiny snapped his fingers and Harkat froze, only his eyes moving back and forth wildly. He dragged me away from the frozen Little Person a few feet before I managed to slip an arm free.
I slammed my forearm back into Mr. Tiny's nose and his head snapped back, but his grip did not waver. He started to pull me out of the tent and I hooked a leg around the entrance to the tent, yanking us both to a stop. My muscles burned as Mr. Tiny slowly increased the force he was using to pull me away, until I felt like my leg would break in half. My knee gave way and the sudden release of pressure made Mr. Tiny stagger backwards; I went limp in his arms, head flopping down on top of the arm wrapped around my chest. This tactic had worked on Evanna before, and I could only hope it did now. I was rewarded with Mr. Tiny loosening his grip, staring down at me and I burst back into life, using his momentary lapse to wriggle out from under his arm, whip around and claw his face before bolting toward Harkat. I touched the Little Person on the arm and he came back to life; together we ran for the door and I grabbed my pack on the way out, dodging right past Mr. Tiny who was touching his bloodied face and out onto the street. While I did want to leave, this was part of the plan to see just how tolerant Mr. Tiny would be toward us in the long run. We were halfway up the street when I looked back and gulped. Mr. Tiny was standing on the sidewalk, watching us run with narrowed eyes. He took one step forward just as we rounded a corner.
"Faster," Harkat wheezed.
"Let me carry you," I gasped back. "I can run faster then you." The Little Person nodded and I scooped him up, pausing until his arms wrapped around my neck, holding my pack in place and then I ran. My bare feet dug into the sidewalk, carrying us along on the brink of flitting speed. I wanted to go even faster, but I couldn't, not when Mr. Tiny was following. The pack banged into my ribs with each step, and I was glad I had taken precautions. I had two bottles of blood inside, along with a bit of cash.
"He could have caught us already," Harkat said in my ear and clutched my back when I nearly careened into a pole, knocking aside several people.
"I know," I said. "He is probably playing with us." Then another thought hit me. "Did he take out your tracker?" I yelped.
"Tracker?" Harkat asked.
I groaned mentally. "This morning he found a tracker in my neck. I'm guessing you have one too. But I suppose we got in an argument too quickly." I gradually slowed and then stopped on a busy intersection, staring down the cars as they zipped past. "We are idiots," I mumbled. "Harrison was probably waiting for us to get separated."
"Go, go!" Harkat said and pounded on my shoulders. He sounded panicky and I saw what was causing his fear half a second later. Black cars with tinted windows were starting to mix in with the taxi's and all of them slowed just a bit when they passed us.
I shrugged Harkat off. "We need to get it out," I said.
Harkat tilted his head and screwed up his face. "Do it quickly," he said. "Then we can run for the highway and loose both them and Mr. Tiny."
I placed my hands on Harkats neck and thumbed over his skin, trying to find the telltale bump. After a minute of struggling I found it right under his chin; it wasn't as deep as mine which was good. I sliced into his neck and wiped away the blood once, only taking a second to flick out the tracker onto the ground. Harkat clapped a hand over his neck to stop the bleeding and stamped the tracker into the sidewalk. "Alright?" I asked and Harkat nodded. I hefted him back onto my shoulders and took off again, heading for the closest highway. The black cards went back and forth, but they seemed a little less organized then before. "We have the advantage this time," I said to Harkat. "We aren't freezing to death."
"And you have full use of your extra abilities," Harkat chuckled.
"I can't use them in front of Mr. Tiny," I reminded Harkat.
"And as I constantly remind you, how would he not know about them already?" Harkat questioned. "With all his power and knowledge it seems impossible."
"Why would he let us go then?" I countered.
"Why does Mr. Tiny do anything?" Harkat shot back.
"He is probably going to stick us in an impracticable situation that would certainly lead us to death and then save us. After that we will be suitably grateful and let him take us back," I said and dodged another pole that came out of nowhere.
Harkat snorted loudly. "That does sound like him. But I still think he knows."
"Well I'm going to take the chance that he doesn't," I said. The next street was thick with taxis and I disregarded the don't walk symbol flashing on the crosswalk and plunged headfirst into traffic. Taxis honked and I leapt over hoods, leaving handprint after handprint on the windows. I only stopped when I saw a black car pushing taxis out of the way, barreling toward us with a gun sticking out of the passenger side window. Then just beyond the car Mr. Tiny stepped out of a side street and stared at the black car. His fingers glowed and all four tires on the car blew out. I took off again, feeling his eyes rest heavily on my back until we went out of his field of view. Harkat got off my back and we ran at a slower pace. Non humans were watching our progress with bright eyes, and I could see a few of them urging us on, but always shrink back into the shadows when another black car zipped by.
"They are too afraid," Harkat yelled.
"If we get them to fight, Harrison's men don't stand a chance. Do you know how many werewolf packs are watching us now?"
"It's a bad idea," Harkat said.
I bared my fangs. "Mr. Tiny thinks our time with Harrison is going to turn us into sniveling pups. I for one would like to prove otherwise."
Harkat hesitated and then nodded.
I looked back at the black cars and a tendril of fear curled inside my stomach but I shoved it aside and stepped out into the street. Taxis swerved around us, but the black cars kept coming. And coming. Harkat stood beside me, back rigid. I could hear his harsh breathing, loud in the dead silence that had come over the street. When the cars were feet from us I jumped straight in the air, coming down onto the hood of one car. Harkat had leapt sideways and was chasing down another. I smashed the windshield and reached inside the car, knocking out the driver and snatching the gun in less then a second. Any fear I had previously felt was swept away in a wave of bloodlust. I snarled and leapt off the hood, ramming into the side of the car so hard it flipped onto its side and ground against the pavement. Another car hit the fallen one and spun in a wild circle, smashing off a pole and finally onto the sidewalk. A few werewolves gaped at us and I challenged them with my eyes, urging them to come and fight. One stepped forward but the other yanked him back into an alley.
"Shadow," a cool, brisk voice said pleasantly. "Its time to end the games, yes?" It wasn't Harrison but two of the nurses that had "tended" to Harkat and I at the hospital. In their hands they clutched cattle prods.
My feet froze to the street and I swallowed hard. My muscles had clamped up and I couldn't breathe, couldn't move to tell Harkat to run. Spots danced in front of my eyes and all I could see were the prods sparking as they came closer and closer. Out from behind one nurse back came the collar and then I was on my knees, head hanging down.
"You see Shadow, Harrison did break you," the nurses said in unison. "Look at you on your knees." They laughed and spark of anger filled me before vanishing.
Now I could see Harkat backed up against the car I had tipped over, his eyes wide with horror as another pair of nurses approached him. I twitched toward him, but couldn't get my legs to work. "No," I muttered. "No."
"Yes," crowed the nurses together. "Oh yes Shadow! You are coming back with us!" The collar clinked against the prods and their faces leered at me in triumph.
I swayed, trying to stay upright; I would not give them the delight of watching me faint. Under the illusions my wings were tucked as close to my back as I could get them and the dragon shivered on my chest, too scared to even move. Just like me. Shamed I lowered my head again and withdrew from the world, shutting down as quickly as I could to get away from the pain that was sure to hit in seconds. The collar hovered above my head and lowered toward my neck inch by inch until all I could see was the circle of metal with the cursed needle inside. One blow, one use of magic and both nurses and the dreaded collar would be destroyed, but I could not make my hands nor magic answer.
"A broken little dragon you are," a nurse purred in my ear. "Such a pity. Harrison expected much more fight out of you then this. But he underestimated his own skills I suppose." Then their voices faded away as I withdrew into myself completely, my eyes fluttering shut. But before I could completely go away another voice shattered the almost quiet, a voice so angry that entire armies would have turned around and fled. It was so loud that the onlookers clamped hands over the ears and the nurses winced, but it merely washed over me like a refreshing wave.
"STAY AWAY FROM THEM!" The voice howled and every window shattered, the ground shook and the nurses tormenting both Harkat and I were vaporized in a shockwave of crimson light, leaving the prods and collar to hover in the air before clattering to the ground.
The collar hit my knees and rolled off. I flinched once; eyes locked onto it before a hand closed around the metal and lifted it up. The fingers glowed pale red, almost pink and I waited for them to latch the collar around my throat. But the metal started to melt instead, dripping onto the street where it sank into the concrete and vanished. When the last bit of metal was gone the hand wiped itself clean and tipped my head back, forcing my eyes to meet Mr. Tiny's. I flinched again, but blinked and shuddered, my muscles finally responding to my commands. I slumped backwards and brought my knees up to my chest, hugging them.
"Don't move," Mr. Tiny said and went to Harkat.
I had no intention of disobeying Mr. Tiny and watched dully as he stepped over debris to get to Harkat, crouching down next to him. Harkat curved away from him before nodding at whatever the magician said and grabbed onto his sleeve, following close as Mr. Tiny walked back over to me and lowered himself down. "I'm sorry," I said with a hoarse voice.
"I was in the wrong," Mr. Tiny said, shattering any notions I had about what I expected him to say. "I am not used to having others accompany me," Mr. Tiny explained, keeping his voice calm. "I do forget things that humans and vampires need. Taking you both with me was a snap decision."
'Sure it was,' I thought sarcastically. "Uhuh,' I mumbled and jumped when Mr. Tiny patted me on the head.
"Now I will endeavor to take both your needs into consideration and halt unhelpful remarks if you two cease the charade that neither of you aren't affected by what happened," Mr. Tiny sounded stern but again the hint of something like concern in his voice made my stomach clench.
"Alright," I said cautiously. I wanted to believe with all my heart that Mr. Tiny truly cared and it wasn't just a clever manipulation, that somewhere the man I had come to care about still existed, but it was probably a futile hope.
"Ok," Harkat said.
"Now, let us go back to the tent and calm down," Mr. Tiny said and helped us upright. "We cannot miss the show tonight." He looked between us and again there was a flicker of worry, there and gone so fast I almost thought it wasn't truly there. "But I will work on solutions to your nightmares later tonight and in the morning." He snapped his fingers and the world blurred before we appeared back in the tent.
We stood outside the theater, Harkat standing as close to Mr. Tiny as he could and me almost directly behind him, holding onto a piece of his suit jacket. Both Harkat and I were still jumpy, but nowhere near as bad. Mr. Tiny had shoved food and drink (and blood in my case) onto us until we were both so full we couldn't protest much when he brought out heaps of board games I hadn't even seen in his tent before. Most of them were so complicated it distracted us from our fear and as the hours passed we calmed down to almost normalcy. When it was time to leave it took a bit of coaxing to hold onto him so he could spin us to a street next to the theater. I had the metal necklace back around my neck and its weight was comforting; the string was so long it occasionally brushed against the dragon. Harkat had a ring instead of a necklace and I had noted that there were far fewer runes engraved into his protection then mine.
"We have seats next to each other," Mr. Tiny said as we moved up in the line. "The Twins while nothing compared to me, are dangerous and may attempt to twist your minds if they figure out you are non humans." He pursed his lips and we shuffled forward a little more. "Previously I had intended to study them, but depending on how far gone they are killing them may be the only way." He paused to hand the attendant our tickets and resumed talking as we entered the cool theater. "The Twins are not naturals. Their magic comes from whatever cursed object they have acquired."
"Naturals?" I asked.
"There are two types of magicians," Mr. Tiny explained, shooting a keen look my way. "One type is like the Twins, drawing magic off an object. That usage comes with a heavy price of insanity. The other type is a natural, one who was born with magic or someone who awakens it later in life. Naturals are very, very rare." He rolled up his sleeve and I saw the tip of a red scaled tail before the sleeve came back down. "All naturals have a dragon adorning their skin, and the color usually reveals what element they are attuned to."
"You are fire then," I said.
"Indeed," Mr. Tiny said. "And you are very lucky to even catch a glimpse of the dragon. Most naturals are very protective of their dragon and rightly so. Until they reach an old age and are strong enough to protect it completely they can be violent towards anyone trying to make them show it off, even other naturals." He rubbed his arm. "The older the natural the stronger they are."
I resisted the urge to join in and touch the dragon that was half on my side, wrapped in a strange formation around my torso. "Oh," I said. "Are you the only one? Natural I mean."
"No, there is one other," Mr. Tiny said. "A female named Evanna."
I slyly sniffed the air as Mr. Tiny spoke and was pleased to find he wasn't lying. He didn't know about me yet. "Will we ever meet her?" I asked curiously. I was wondering if Mr. Tiny would ever take us to her. Evanna would probably see straight through me and see the illusions however. Mr. Tiny seemed to never look for things he thought weren't there.
"Perhaps," Mr. Tiny said enigmatically.
The line moved even further and finally we were being shown to our seats. They were surprisingly good; only three rows back from the stage and directly in the middle. The seats were comfortable, but had a strange tendency to lean back suddenly so I kept jerking upright. We had a few minutes until the show was supposed to start so I engaged Harkat in a hushed conversation that lasted until something that looked like smoke rose up from several rows of seats, including ours. The smoke poured out until the entire theater was covered in a grey haze. From the direction of the stage flashing lights of all colors moved around, forming odd shapes and then vanishing, only to reappear in a different spot. It was rather dizzying and I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus on anything up there. Harkat was having the same issue, but he was shielding his eyes to peer around the theater.
"Illusion," a voice purred and it sounded so close to my ear that I jumped and turned. But there was nothing there but another equally startled person. "It dazzles the mind and fools the senses." Now that I was listening harder I could tell that the voice was actually two people, speaking in perfect unison. "Join us as we bend reality around a select few and bring dreams to life." The Twins were speaking like I had at Harrisons, putting magic in their voices to weave a spell of compliancy around us. If it hadn't been for the necklace, I would already have been locked under it. "Now we need two volunteers," the Twins continued. "A brave man and woman." From the crowd two hands waved and without orders the husband and wife stood up and walked up the isle past us. They looked completely blank and their steps were robotic, jerking slightly when they met a bump in the carpeted floor. When the pair reached the stage the smoke was blown away and I could finally see the Twins. The boy was dressed in a smart blue suit with a bowtie; his teeth were pearly white and exposed in a beaming childish smile. The girl had a green dress that flowed around her like water, and a pair of dance shoes. She wore an equally pleasant smile and the crowd ahhed around us. The Twins didn't look more then ten years old and in spite of everything, I doubted they were such a threat.
"Wonderful," the little girl giggled and clapped her hands. "Just wonderful! Step over here please on these two squares right here." She maneuvered the volunteers onto two carpet squares and turned to her twin brother, tapping her shoes on the ground. Her mannerisms were stuck between that of a young child and a middle aged woman, which was disturbing. Her eyes roamed the crowd, settling on people she obviously found interesting. Whenever her gaze threatened to go to our part of the crowd I lowered my eyes to my lap, pretending to be fiddling with a cell phone.
The brother rubbed his hands together and I blinked. A flash of black light enveloped his hands for a moment and then vanished into his sleeves. "What do you want most in the world?" He asked the couple, who were holding hands. For a moment he looked positively feral as he stared at the volunteers. He tapped his ear and the couple bent down to reach his tiny ear, whispering something into it. The boy paused momentarily and then the black light returned again, sliding up his hands like disgusting mud. Even untrained as I was I could feel the magic from where I sat and it felt dirty and plain wrong. "Sister do you want to do the honors or shall I?"
"You go right ahead," the other twin said politely. She flicked her brother on the nose. "I get to do the next round though!"
The brother stepped up to the volunteers and placed his hands close to their chests. The black light sank into their bodies and I had to grip the edges of my seat to stop0 myself from going up there and snatching the humans away. The air at the feet of the husband and wife shimmered and I gasped involuntarily. Three kids were sitting at their feet, looking up at the volunteers with giant smiles.
The woman put a hand to her mouth and tears shimmered in her eyes. "How did you know?" She asked. Her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked at the twins furiously. Neither of them seemed to appreciate the magic that had just happened.
"That is a cruel thing to do!" He shouted. "We can't have children!"
Both Twins looked apologetically at the floor and shook their heads. "We can't control what appears. I am so sorry."
The volunteers left the stage and were escorted out by attendants. The Twins looked surprised but they quickly reorganized themselves and walked up to the very edge of the stage. "We need one volunteer this time. A male, no older then forty." The girl studied the audience and her eyes rested on me like ten tons of brick.
My hand shot up of its own accord and my feet moved, carrying me past Harkat and Mr. Tiny, out onto the isle and up to the stage. Whatever magic had me only halted when I stood in front of the Twins, in front of everyone. I sent a look toward Mr. Tiny and he nodded; I could see one thumb glowing threateningly in the confines of his front pocket. Reassured I turned back to the Twins and they nudged me toward the carpet square. The girl approached me and placed a hand on my chest, looking deep into my eyes until I swayed.
"What do you want Darren Shan?" she asked smoothly. Her voice was impossible to resist and I leaned into it.
"To fly," I said longingly. "My wings."
The girl stiffened and then smiled winningly. Her hand glowed black and then a weight on my back made me look back. I knew it wasn't them, they were too shiny but seeing even a mockery of them was painful. A pair of feathered blue wings fluttered gently, spread out in front of the crowd, who gasped as one. I found I could even flex them myself and I did, sweeping them down and up like I would take off. They didn't have the power to hold me up, but I reveled in the feeling while it lasted.
The girl came up behind me, talking to my back so no one else could read her lips. "Darren Shan, we can give you everything. Come with us and those wings will be permanent. You will fly to the sun and back. That fat man you came with will not give you what you truly need."
I turned around and watched the girl hold out her hand, steadily walking backward. I shifted a step or two forward, reaching out a hand of my own to place in hers. But right before our palms touched a bright red light blinded me and I snapped my eyes shut. I felt the wings vanish and I let out a tiny sound of disappointment but I backpedaled from the Twins who were both facing me now and they looked a far cry different from the little, likeable children. Their faces were twisting into ugly, monstrous versions of themselves. The black magic was covering their entire bodies in a black smog; just as their eyes burned molten red I jumped off the stage, nearly falling onto the first row of seats. People were screaming and running toward the doors and I was trapped behind them as chairs jumped off the ground, flying toward the fleeing crowd. Chair legs hit people in the back at high speed and I couldn't see Harkat or Mr. Tiny as more people swelled up behind me, pushing me toward the doors that were refusing to open.
"DARREN SHAN!" The Twins howled in harmony and blasted aside another section of chairs, their eyes flitting over the humans.
I took the chance and looked back. Both of them were clutching what looked like small stones in their fists; I immediately started pushing back through the crowd. Those stones had to be the cursed objects giving them power. "I'm right here! Come and get me!" I shouted back.
The Twins whirled around and the black magic spread out from under their feet, stretching toward me like fingers. When the magic touched the crowd person after person fell clutching their chests in agony. But it when it reached me, the blackness stretching up my feet I stared resolutely at the Twins and did not react.
Every bit of magic I had was shielding me from the dark. If it wormed past my shields, my heart would burst. "Keep trying by all means," I said peevishly. I could see Mr. Tiny stalking behind the Twins, his face twisted with fury. In instant later I lowered my shields as his magic flowed over me. Then I charged the Twins, slamming into the boy at bone breaking speed. He cried out and we spun through the air, both fighting for control of the pebble. Our fingers scrabbled on its smooth surface and then it fell, skittering across the ground and under a pile of chairs. I lunged for it and closed my hand around the stone. The dark magic flowed on my hands, listening to see if I wanted it. For a moment I was tempted and then I wrenched my gaze away to stare at the male Twin.
He was on his knees, clutching his throat. "You can't…do…this…" he rasped. Behind him his sister was in a similar situation as Mr. Tiny held her stone above her head.
I hesitated then brought down the stone on the closest chair at the same time Mr. Tiny blew on the sister's stone. Both broke apart into a cloud of dust and the Twins screamed together. Their screams grew louder and louder until I clapped my hands over my ears. Mr. Tiny grabbed Harkat who had raised a chair above the pairs head and dragged him toward me, then clasped me around the middle and spun us away. We landed in a giant heap in the tent, breathing hard and I rolled off Mr. Tiny and Harkat. "What's going to happen to them?" I asked right away.
"Both will probably die from being ripped away from the magic," Mr. Tiny answered.
"They were just kids!" Harkat exploded.
"No. They used to be, but the moment they picked up those stones they were forever ruined," Mr. Tiny said.
I sighed heavily and brushed stone dust off my clothing. "What's done is done," I said softly.
Mr. Tiny nodded and moved into the kitchen where he poured a large glass of water and drained it. "Now, I do believe I promised to work on your nightmares. Stay awake if you want, or try to sleep it does not matter. I will see you later." He left for his room.
"I'm staying awake," I said right away.
"Me too," Harkat agreed and sat on the couch, flipping on the television.
I joined Harkat and he turned up the volume a few notches before turning to me. I had a moment of unexplainable worry before Harkat spoke, his words coming out so fast I almost couldn't understand him.
"Will you tell me about your magic?" Harkat begged, using the hum of the television to mask his words. "You are a natural, since you are nothing like those kids. I want to know so I can help you."
I dug my fingers into the soft couch and stared hard at Harkat, trying to sniff out if he had any doubts, or was being forced by Mr. Tiny at all. I saw nothing in him but his genuine want to help. "Fine," I said warily. "But don't expect me to show you my dragon."
Harkat grinned and leaned closer. "Of course I won't," he said pleased.
I smiled and opened my mouth, preparing to unload every bit of information I had, settling in for a long night.
R&R please!
