“Are you done yet?” Elysian asked. “I’ve managed to shut up these talkative rocks for the time being.”
“You’ll have to tell me the secret to that,” I called back, “considering they’d caused me a lot of trouble last time I saw them.”
Elysian blew a ring of smoke toward me. “Even stones will melt under fire,” he told me, and I almost gulped. He sounded as though he was seething, and impatiently so.
Elysian had always egged me toward battle, but he always seemed content to combat me with conversation as we headed toward the physical battle. He never threatened me physically, so this was the first time I really realized just how scary he could be.
I was beginning to realize just how badly things could go wrong when people made bad decisions.
“Let’s go,” Raiya said as she glanced up at me.
I nodded and shifted, still keeping my arm around her shoulder as we walked toward the Rabbit Hole.
“Finally!” Elysian cried, before he jumped into the swirling wormhole. He disappeared less than a split second later.
“It’s quiet now that he’s gone,” I said as I looked around for one long, quick moment. I didn’t know how long it would be before I saw it again, and I wanted to remember it. Aleia’s star was no less majestic than Alora’s, but while Alora had all the crystalline beauty of the night sky, Aleia’s star had a vibrancy that made every shade and color seem more bright and more full of life.
“You know,” I said, “the ‘Rabbit Hole’ is kind of a weird name for this place.”
My comment managed to elicit a small smile from Raiya. “It’s from Alice in Wonderland,” she explained.
“You sure seem to know a lot of people who like books,” I said. “I must be the exception to that rule.”
“I like books,” Raiya told me. “Aleia named the portal to Earth the ‘Rabbit Hole’ for me.”
“That was a crazy book,” I said, recalling how I “read” it in junior high. “I’m not sure why you liked it.”
“Life can be crazy,” Raiya said, “just as it can be painful and beautiful and frightening. But you can still see truth behind it all, a star constant against the night sky, while all the universe swirls around it.”
I eyed her quizzically. “And you read that book before you fell?”
Raiya laughed. “You’re a fallen Star living on Earth, too. Don’t you wonder about the others? Don’t you think we’ve met other humans, too, before we fell?”
No.
I knew there were other Stars on Earth. I just didn’t think about it that much. So far, none of them had really bothered me. Or tried to reach out and help us.
That alone gave me grounds for refusing to care about them, I decided.
I tightened my grip on her, before I drew her against me.
Tenderly, lovingly, and achingly slowly, I kissed her. The moment was quicker than most, but the sentiment was as fiery and soothing as it had always been.
When I leaned back and saw her eyes glaze over in quiet passion, I grinned. “There’s only one fallen Star I’m worried about right now,” I told her. “But we have other things to worry about. Let’s go home.”
“I am home now,” Raiya said. She glanced around, and I could see her looking over the realm around us. I wanted to comfort her, to assure her that she would be back one day, that we both would be, but before I could, her eyes met mine again and she whispered, “You are my home.”
Her voice was solemn and steady against the whirl of worlds around us, marking a moment in time when time had stopped, where we could be bound forever inside of its current.
I wasn’t strong enough to say anything back. I felt my heart reach out in response before my arms reached out for her.
Before she could stop me, I picked her up—no easy feat, considering the extra awkwardness of her wings and armor. But regardless of the obstacles, I cradled her against me as I jumped into Memory’s whirlpool, feeling nothing but the rush of emotion as we swirled down toward Earth.
☼19☼
Battle for Power
It seemed to take less time for me to blink than it did to get back to Earth. Weariness of the world sank into me as I felt myself land on the earth; it was almost like trying to squeeze into a pair of clothes that no longer fit.
I blinked again and saw it was still raining, even though time had stopped, and the rain was paused in its falling. I was on back, my wings sheltering me from the cold, wet ground, while Raiya was beside me, watching over me, the same as before. “Where are we?” I asked, my voice sounding like a scream against the relative silence.
Elysian’s face appeared over my face at once, his staunch glare aimed at me. “We’re at the marina again,” he said. “Just the same as before, when St. Brendan picked us up before.”
“Wow, you need to calm down,” I said.
“I’ve been waiting for over ten minutes! You just got here a minute ago.”
“Space-time travel is trickier to deal with than you think,” I said. “You’re bigger than me, and, I assume, able to deal with more of the pressure, since you’re a dragon and not a human.”
When he only snorted smoke in my direction, I knew I’d scored a point. “Ha!”
“Come on, Humdinger,” Raiya said. “There’s no point in teasing Elysian. Especially since you’re still not as adept at handling your power as I am at mine.”
I caught sight of her smirk and felt a rush of pleasure. She was back. We were back.
Elysian must’ve caught it too, because he turned to her. “We left your grandfather at Rachel’s,” he said, and that’s where we should start—”
Pain lanced through my wrist as my mark burned.
“Ouch! Ugh, that hurts,” I nearly shouted, grabbing my wrist in pain.
“Oh, great,” Elysian muttered. “Asteropy’s come out to play.”
“I’ll bet anything that she’s doing this intentionally.” I gritted my teeth against the grinding pain.
“She would,” Raiya said, taking my wrist and sending some of her healing comfort up my arm. (It didn’t work that well, but it was nice of her to think of me, so I didn’t say anything.) “She’s technically under Draco’s command now, too, remember? Orpheus is gone, but the chain of command still matters.”
“We’d better split up,” I said. “Elysian, head out to find Asteropy. It’s probably better if you’re not involved in fighting Draco at first anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elysian huffed.
“You’re emotionally compromised,” I said. “It’s as simple as that.”
“That’s nothing!” Elysian countered. His tail pointed over to Raiya. “Remember all the times that you were too overcome by your own emotional problems to work with her? You were way worse than I am,” he insisted.
“Well, it’s not like we’re going to let him run free,” I said. “Raiya and I will go and seal him away. And then we’ll finish off Asteropy, and then everything will be over.”
“That’s true,” Raiya said, her voice full of quiet awe. “Once Draco and Asteropy are sealed, we’ll be finished with our mission. We would just have to return them to Alora.”
“We’ll worry about that when it’s over,” Elysian declared. “Let’s move out.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him this determined,” I said, watching him stomp away, prepping for takeoff.
“He’s worried about Draco,” Raiya reminded me. “We should follow his lead on this. After all, Draco is his brother. Out of all of us, he’s the one who would know best what we are up against.”
“I suppose you’re right—” I broke off in sudden realization.
Brother …
I nearly fell over. “I forgot about Adam.”
“What about Adam?” Raiya asked.
Before I could tell her that I left Adam in the care of Mary and her possessed grandfather, a sonic boom sounded throughout the night.
The world under our feet groaned, calling out for peace and
crying out for rest as Time’s power resumed once more.
“Whoa,” I yelled, trying and failing to keep my balance; momentarily, I saw that Raiya had jumped up, using her wings to hover above the ground. Admiration and envy simultaneously hit me. That was a smart move.
She met my gaze as I dusted my knees off. “That was harder than the last one,” I muttered angrily.
“That’s because of that,” Raiya said, pointing toward the city skyline.
I felt my heart sink as I looked up. A smoky trail of a fireball, freshly sprouted from the sky, poured out from the heart of the night and settled into the city.
“Another meteorite,” I noted. “Great. Draco’s skin is here, I guess.”
Elysian reared. “We need to make sure Draco doesn’t get his skin,” he said. “If he does, he’ll be impossible to beat.”
“We’ll have to deal with Asteropy later,” I said. “I’m going to go and get Adam. Elysian, you go and stop Draco’s skin from finding him. Raiya and I will go and get Adam and her grandpa.”
Elysian snorted a stream of fire as he flew off, while I spread my wings, their flames roaring with a deadly fire as I took flight. Raiya appeared beside me less than a second later, her bow pulled out and ready to go. She followed me close, allowing me to take the lead; it was a nice feeling, but it meant the world to me that she was there right behind me.
We arrived at Rachel’s within moments. As we landed, I could hear sirens going off, the echoes of trial and trouble resounding through the streets.
People, now in motion, were stunned to see Starry Knight and me as we burst through the door of Rachel’s Café.
“Wingdinger.”
I nearly fell over in relief when I saw Mary, sitting quietly at the bar. “Mary,” I said. Ignoring the strange glances from the other people, I headed over toward her.
When I was close enough, I lowered my voice so only she could hear. “Where’s my brother?” I asked.
“He’s upstairs in Raiya’s room,” she told me. “He was tired, so I put him down to bed a while ago.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank goodness,” I muttered.
Mary glanced over my shoulder and looked at Raiya. A kind smile came over her face. “I’ll go and wake him up for you. Be right back.”
Raiya came up beside me as Mary headed up the stairs. “So that’s Mary?”
“Yeah. She’s going to get Adam for us.”
“Did she say where Grandpa is?”
“No—”
As if on a cue, a small explosion rocked through the second floor of the building. Raiya and I were flung to the floor as others were shaken. Above me, wood splintered, glass shattered, and over the cries of the concerned guests in the café, I could hear two distinct voices screaming coming from outside.
Adam! Mary!
I rapped my head against the barstool above as I tried to stand up. “Ow!”
“Come on,” Raiya said as she grabbed me, hauling me up and hurrying out the now-cracked café entrance.
Pushing past my momentary pain, I hurried after her.
We did not need to hurry. When we came outside, I saw that Adam and Mary lying on the ground in the middle of the street.
“Adam,” I called, hurrying over. I picked him up. “Are you alright?” I asked.
He was conscious and alert, even if he seemed scared. I forgot I was still my superhero self, but after a moment of careful studying, he glanced up at me. “Hammy,” he murmured, before sticking his head into the heart of my chest.
Raiya came up behind me. “Let me see him,” she said, her hands already glowing with her power.
“I’ve got him,” I told her. “Go ahead and take care of him while I hold him.”
She gave me a proud smile, and I was confused at it. But as her power sank into Adam’s skin, I figured she was just happy that I was more appreciative of my brother. And she most likely had the right of it, too, as much as it chagrined me to admit it. Since learning of her connection to him, and how I owed her my brother’s life as well as my own, I did feel more like I was truly a part of his life.
“Is Mary okay?” I asked.
Raiya turned around, no doubt, when I heard her gasp. “Grandpa!”
I turned to see Grandpa Odd was also lying down on the street, not too far away from Mary and Adam. His frail form shook, and his hand pressed against his heart as he breathed in short breaths.
“Grandpa!” Raiya called out to him again, rushing over to his side. She knelt down next to him. “Let me help!”
Raiya tenderly took hold of her grandfather’s wrist as he continued to wriggle around. For a moment, I softened, and I thought about how good of a doctor she would make if we were ever going to get out of our superhero gig.
“Mary,” I said, turning my attention to her while I still held onto Adam. “What happened?”
Mary’s eyes opened at her name. “He nearly killed us,” she said with a gasp as she shot up into a sitting position.
“Who?”
“Him!” She pointed toward Grandpa Odd. “I thought everything was okay, I didn’t realize … ”
As Mary rambled on, clearly upset, I turned to see Raiya still at work. I was about to ask Mary what she meant when I saw it. As she called up her power again, I saw an aura of darkness leak out from Grandpa Odd.
“Raiya,” I called. “Watch out! It’s—”
The aura lashed out, unleashed from Grandpa Odd’s body. His eyes burned from their kindly, twinkle-filled eyes to the sharp red I’d seen before, in Mikey’s memory.
Raiya weathered the blow as his power rushed at her. I pulled Mary and Adam to the side, providing cover for them.
As the surge decreased, I turned to Mary. “Can you take Adam for me?”
She nodded, her eyes full of surprise and wariness. I didn’t wait for her to tell me to be careful. I dumped Adam into her arms, and headed off to help Raiya.
“Grandpa!” she cried.
I came up beside her. “Subdue him,” I said. “Get him tied down, something. See if your arrows can hold him. Then I can take care of his heart.”
Raiya nodded, but I could tell she was shaking.
This is not going to be easy.
Draco’s eyes gleamed. “Lady Astraiya,” he rumbled. “We officially meet at last.”
It was odd—no pun intended—to watch as Grandpa Odd’s body contorted to fit the fullness of Draco’s personality. He moved stiffly, his legs and arms rigid with a possessed quality; a black cloak—one I recognized from seeing it in the shadows before—suddenly appeared and surrounded his body.
Raiya’s tension melted as she pulled out her bow. I bet anything that it was helpful to see Draco, rather than the face of her grandfather, staring back at her.
“Get out of my grandfather,” she ordered. “He’s of no use to you. Let him go, or we’ll make you!”
Draco laughed, cruelly and crudely. “I’d love to see you attempt it,” he said. But as he marched toward us, he stumbled.
“I need … more power,” he muttered, frustrated.
Raiya ran up beside him, her bowstring taut. “Hold still,” she commanded, before releasing her arrow.
It missed his body, but it bound him to the ground by his robe. I felt the familiar hum of its staying power as I reached for Draco.
“Good job,” I told Raiya. “Use a few more while I see if I can break him free.”
“Alright,” she said. “But be careful. He’s clever.”
“You know I’m right here, right?” Draco muttered. There was a charismatic grin on his face. “Oh, Wingdinger, the mighty, please, do your best to save this wretched old man from his folly.”
I frowned at him, and (for once) refrained from snapping back at him.
I grabbed his arm, pushed his cloak back, and then used my power to transport the two of us into the world of his heart.
*☼*
It came as a shock to me that he had a heart at all, to be honest. When I felt the rush of my pow
er leading me through to the other side of himself, I was nothing less than surprised.
I think I was even more than surprised.
Especially when I only came up on Draco, standing in the middle of vast, empty land. There were little stars all around, or at least that’s what I thought they were at first. When I looked closer at one, it was more of a memory bubble, like the one Aleia had running through the River of Life.
Draco said nothing to me while I observed, gently poking some of the bubbles, making sure they wouldn’t explode or something like that.
After being reasonably satisfied they weren’t booby traps, I turned to face him, meeting him eye for eye. “Where is he?” I asked.
“Where is who?” Draco asked. He was still cloaked, but I was close enough to see his skin had scaled over, while his eyes remained large, narrowed, and red with malice.
“Where is Grandpa Odd?” I asked. “I’ve come to set him free.”
“If only you could,” Draco lamented, scorn dripping through every syllable. “He doesn’t exist.”
“What did you do to him?” Knowing how upset Raiya would be, I felt my power simmer inside me.
He laughed again. “He never existed.”
“Of course he did, you liar!”
Draco began circling me, something that I hated, but I let him do in order to keep him close to me. I knew he was crafty, and I would need to strike quickly.
Recalling Elektra’s intent, I also knew I had to defend myself at a second’s notice.
“Do you know how interminably long life is when you’re an immortal?” he asked. “Waiting, and waiting, and waiting. It gets old.”
I was still confused. Which, in all fairness, was to be expected. I was inside of Grandpa Odd’s heart, a man who seemed to know more about everything I would consider largely outdated and obscure. Nothing was supposed to make much sense in here.
But the idea that Grandpa Odd was an illusion, a role in a play with no other actors and the world as its audience … well, that just seemed too out there.