Chapter 8
From Above
Cadarn shook his head, trying to stay awake. For the first time, his mother’s lasagna gave him such bad heartburn it kept him up all night. He knew he shouldn't have had thirds, but Haylwen didn't even touch hers. How could he be sleepy anyway, he loved computer lab! Grumbling to himself, he knew it was because he was catching up on a paper instead of being able to play games. Imagine, he thought, playing video games, and calling it school? How awesome was that! Maybe a little break would help, something productive, like email.
Keeping his paper open, he found two emails that weren't junk. One from Uncle Chuck, and one from CJ. Cadarn grinned as he thought, Wait until CJ hears about this school!
Cadarn typed quickly, giving CJ the update from the move. CJ was cool. He knew the hacks to every video game and other things, and would totally love this school. He was enviably tough, too, and helped with his uncle's animal experiments. Cadarn, on the other hand, still felt the tears remembering when Nibbles died. Cadarn hadn’t seen CJ in forever, not counting the pictures they shared, but they kept in touch. Cadarn never really broke the rules about not telling anyone where they moved, since email didn’t count.
CJ was such a great friend that Cadarn didn't miss in-real-life friends. Sometimes it felt a little strange, being such a social outcast compared to CJ. If they were in the same school, would they still hang out? Cadarn smiled, nodding to himself. CJ never seemed to care about what anyone else thought of him. If CJ were here, the only thing he would groan about was there being so few pretty girls at this school. Then again, Cadarn thought, CJ would probably have the prettiest girl on his arm in a few minutes, no matter how tough the competition.
Cadarn sent the email and started typing a thank-you note to his uncle for the computer, which felt really unfair considering his father had immediately confiscated it. He didn't know what to say. His eyelids drooped as he fantasized about asking Chuck to sneak him another computer. And a cell phone, while he was at it.
The door to the computer lab opening made him reflexively look up. His tired eyes slid back down to his computer screen. Then they leaped back up, pushing his jaw down in their excitement to stare at who had come in. She had to be the prettiest girl in school, maybe anywhere. With long, sunshine-blond hair, a perfect body dressed in a bright red shirt, maroon belt, and yellow pants, she was eye-grabbing. She just stood there looking around. Before he could even close his mouth, she caught him staring. Their eyes met and she smiled.
Cadarn felt his face heat as he slammed his eyes back to the computer. He started hitting keys as fast as he could, typing randomly to make it seem like he was working intently. When he dared look back up, she was gone.
The scent of sharp vanilla hit him a moment before he heard, “Are you really going to send that?” The angel was standing right behind him, reading the email to his uncle over his shoulder.
“Uh, yeah, it's, um, a joke between us,” he replied.
“Wow, he must be a pretty cool uncle,” she said. Cadarn glanced up to see her smirking at him. “Well, send it off.”
Cadarn typed a quick ending line and hit send. Chuck was pretty cool. Cadarn would explain it later and probably get a “good for you” back.
“Ok, now that you're done with that, would you like to play a game?”
“Me? I mean, uh, what game?” Cadarn glanced at his computer and then back.
“A new game. Not on there. You know computer lab time can be used for games, but did you know why?”
Cadarn shook his head.
“The video game company that sponsors the school uses us for beta testing their new games and equipment. I work with, I mean, my mother works with the guy who owns the video game company.”
Well, Cadarn thought, that explains what a girl like you is doing in a school like this.
“So, there's a totally new game I want to try and I need a second player. You're new enough to where you don't know my tricks. Besides,” she said, smiling, “you're the least geeky looking guy in this place.”
Cadarn's chest filled but his brain started running away. “Well, I really need to finish this paper,” he started.
“Aw, come on,” she said, smiling and leaning forward slightly. “You'll like it, I promise.”
Thoughts spinning, Cadarn looked at the computer for a moment. What would CJ do? Go with her, of course. Cadarn got his attempt at a CJ-type joke in his mind. Ok, I guess you are prettier than my paper.
Before he said it, he looked back into her now impatient face. The words died as her flashing eyes locked on his. “Follow me,” she said.
Something in Cadarn's brain tried to resist, but couldn't, as if he was behind a wall, trying to fight someone moving his body on the other side. He felt himself stand and follow the girl as she walked to a small door at the back of the room. Her hand rested on the doorknob for a moment, then another as she looked over each shoulder. She opened the door and went in quickly, and Cadarn felt himself walk a small half-circle as she turned to close the door right behind them.
The room was medium-sized, with plain white walls. The only furniture was a table against the far wall, holding an array of deep black boxes ranging in size from computer towers to shoe boxes. In the middle of the white linoleum floor stood two pair of hip-high boots, a few paces apart from each other. They were the same perfect black as the boxes and were split down the back.
Something about the sharp contrast of the black on white let Cadarn reach past the walls. He struggled and managed to say, “Wait, where are the monitors?”
The girl looked him in the eye again, and Cadarn felt himself sliding back behind the wall. Ready for it this time, he fought back with all he had, despite knowing that wasn't very much.
Surprisingly, the girl nodded and said, “That's better. Or something we can work with, at least.” She walked over to the table and grabbed things out of boxes. “My name is Solbright, by the way,” she said as she set the arm full of things down by the boots in the middle of the room, coming back to Cadarn with a pair of boxy sunglasses in one hand.
“Cadarn,” he said easily. He could still feel the walls, but for now he didn't have to fight to control his body on the other side.
“Here is your monitor, Cadarn,” she said, deftly slipping the glasses on his face. They fit well, much more wrap-around than they first appeared. They didn't block any light, despite looking completely dark from the outside. Cadarn peered past Solbright at the table to get a better look, and started as the table leaped at him.
“You are quick,” Solbright laughed. “Figured out the zoom right away.” She put her hand on his back and pushed him to the middle of the room. Cadarn, off-balance in more than one way, felt himself flush and having to walk to keep from falling. From the things by the boots, Solbright picked up what turned out to be a pair of ridiculously long black gloves. She stepped close to Cadarn and somehow slipped one on in a smooth motion. The glove went all the way past his bicep, and seemed to tighten after a moment. Solbright smiled, and slipped the other one on him before he could flinch.
Laughing a low chuckle, she put her arm around his waist and guided him to step into a pair of boots. Cadarn was distracted by the heat of her arm that spread over his entire back. He stepped into the boots, and Solbright knelt to tighten them. Realizing where she was going to have to reach to finish putting them on, Cadarn choked out, “I'll take it from here, thanks.”
Solbright chuckled again, and went to put her own things on. By the time Cadarn finished with his second boot, she was all set. With her completely black arms, legs, and glasses, she looked even more otherworldly, but perhaps not angelic. “Ready?” she said. He nodded, and everything started to shimmer.
He watched, his eyebrows rising to the heavens, as her boots shrunk and changed into calf-high lace-ups. The rest of her clothes shrunk too, leaving only a one-piece garment like a red leather bathing suit. Tight everywhere, it was much too small for her now over-sized
chest. Solbright struck a pose and Cadarn yanked his eyes to her face as she said slyly, “Cool, huh?”
The way her eyes moved over him made him look at himself. His face flushed as he saw he was wearing only a well-filled pair of shorts. Enormously muscled legs dropped into his own shorter boots, and he had to bend to see his six-pack abs over his bulging chest. He raised one arm and stared at the muscles that jumped and flexed as he moved his arm.
“I told you that you would like it,” Solbright said. Cadarn looked back at her lounging against a tree, his eyes finally realized their surroundings. They stood at the edge of a forest, looking out toward the rising face of a cliff. A large cave opened into the cliff, with an area of dry earth, sand, and rock between it and the forest.
“A dragon lives in that cave. We need to sneak in and find the magic Ring of Fire in her nest before she returns,” Solbright said.”
Cadarn nodded.
She reached up just as a longbow appeared in front of her. Cadarn looked around. What would I get, a bow too? No, I'll get a sword, one of those giant broadswords. At that thought, a sword appeared in front of Cadarn, just hovering there. He marveled that it was just as he imagined. Without thinking, as if he had done it a thousand times, he reached up and grasped the handle. Amazing gloves, he thought. His hands actually felt like he was holding something. He slashed with it, remembering an old barbarian movie.
Solbright was watching him, eyebrows raised, and Cadarn shrugged. She smiled, and led them out to the very edge of the forest. He could see the dragon's cave clearly, the sun shining partly into the opening. The cliff face glinted in spots, shadowed in others, up to its edge, a dark line against the blue sky. Solbright stepped close. “How about giving me a kiss for luck? I promise I'll give you something back.”
Before Cadarn could answer, a deep male voice from above had them both whirl to face it. “You have no idea what you are getting into, boy.” Standing on a branch above their heads was a tall, broad-shouldered figure in a suit of shiny armor. Small plates overlapped, having him look almost reptile-like. His head was covered in sleek silver, like a metal motorcycle helmet, the eye shield dark and impenetrable.
“Your guide lies,” he said, raising his long, slender sword, “and will send you into a trap.” He jumped down, landing in a deep crouch with only a whisper of metal on metal. He took a step toward them, sword still held steady. “Step away, boy.”
“Who are you?” Cadarn asked, catching a glimpse of Solbright. She knew the figure, that was obvious, but she still peered intently into the dark eye-shield.
“You can call me George,” the man said. “I'm just a wandering Rogue. Now step away.” His helmet shifted slightly, toward Solbright. “And you—you should know by now you cannot get into my mind. You depend too much on magic! I'm not much of a magic user, but my mental shield is well-practiced,” he said, twisting his sword slightly. “Besides, I like using these crude and messy methods.” He took a step toward Solbright.
Before George could take another step, a speck appeared in the sky, growing rapidly. It swelled until a dragon appeared, as big as a limousine, landing in a swirling wind that had Cadarn cover his eyes to keep the dust out. He felt the thump of the landing in his feet and just stared.
The dragon's scales sparkled red and gold in the sun as its wings folded neatly against its sleek body. George snarled and ran toward it, grunting, and throwing something back at Solbright. The dragon roared. Fire shot from its mouth, but George leaped over it. Cadarn dove to the right, out of the way.
Solbright! Cadarn felt a momentary rush and jumped back to where she was last standing. She was gone, obliterated by the fire! It's just a game, he thought. He rushed out of the forest.
George and the dragon slashed at each other, claw and sword. Flames caught George's leg as he jumped out of the way, but he seemed unaffected. Cadarn slowed, watching the dragon back slowly to the cave mouth, preventing George from cutting around its side.
George jumped between the dragon's front and back legs, staying close enough to make hitting him with its tail or fire difficult and risk hitting itself. After one jump too close, he had to leap onto the dragon's back to avoid a swipe from its claws. He was knocked off by its wing, and had to do a back flip to land on his feet, then jump back again to avoid its slashing tail. He turned the jump sideways, scoring a slice along the dragon's front leg.
Cadarn realized the dragon wasn't shooting fire anymore. Was it out of fire? George blocked the next swipe of the tail with his sword. No blast of fire followed. The tail came back and George met it with a sword chop. The sword and tail met with a shuddering clang, and the dragon screamed as it lost several scales and gained a bloody cut in exchange.
The dragon backed up toward the cave, limping on its injured foot. Cadarn saw fear on its face, and the thought that it had an egg in the cave popped in his mind. She must be a mother dragon, he thought. Solbright did call it a “she.” Cadarn just looked for a moment, appreciating the details of the scales around its deep orange eyes, the tall horns that swept back protecting her ears. She was amazing, beautiful even. Just protecting her nest.
He rushed forward, knocking George aside in a shoulder tackle. Cadarn crumpled into a ball to the side. Wow, that hurt!
George bounced up, unhurt. “You stupid kid, you have no idea what kind of creatures these are!”
“It's just a game,” he said, climbing slowly to his feet, standing between George and the dragon, finally getting his sword up. The way it came out, he wasn't sure if that was to convince him to keep playing, or that George had no reason to kill this dragon.
George took a few steps back, glancing over his shoulder. Cadarn looked, and saw Solbright standing at the edge of the forest, peering at them.
George saw her and cursed. He chopped at Cadarn, knocking his sword aside and out of his hands easily. “If you aren't with us, you're nothing!” he shouted, swinging at Cadarn's head. Cadarn jumped back as Solbright screamed, “No!” He landed and rolled, reaching up with both hands to take the glasses off. His hands felt only face, and he realized he hadn't noticed the glasses for some time. Solbright raised her hands and fire poured out from them, but Cadarn saw George was only slowed slightly by the attack.
Cadarn realized he was directly under the dragon's legs. He looked up. “I'm sorry,” he said as she showed her teeth. Then, Cadarn did what he always did in the face of an irate mother. He closed his eyes and went to the safe place in his mind to wait until it was over, sliding easily past the walls he could still sense were there. Before he closed his eyes, though, he heard Solbright yell, “Don't hurt him, just get him out of here!” Then his eyes were closed. He tingled all over, feather touches tickling in his mind.
His whole body twitched, and his eyes popped open. He looked at the computer in front of him, its screen black, having gone to sleep. Sitting upright, he blinked a few times, details flying away quicker than he could think, left with just the sense of the dream that awoke him. He looked up as the door to the computer lab opened and a gorgeous blond girl walked in.
“Solbright,” Cadarn whispered. Wait, how did he know her name? Well, duh, the prettiest girl in school, maybe anywhere, he must have heard people talking about her. She walked in and straight toward Cadarn. He couldn't help staring as she came closer. Her mouth gave him a small smile, but he saw something incomprehensible in her eyes. Or maybe he imagined it, as she walked right by him to sit at a computer station a few seats behind him. Yeah, he definitely imagined the smile.
Cadarn worked on his paper until the bell rang. An irrational hope had him dawdling, but Solbright swept past him and gone without even a sideways glance. Cadarn packed his stuff slowly, and was the last person to leave. In fact, the janitor came in to empty trash cans as he finished up. As he slung his bag over his shoulder, Cadarn caught a glimpse of a small door in the back of the room he had never noticed before. He took a few steps toward it.
The janitor walked past him and opened the do
or, taking out an industrial floor sweeper. Cadarn stopped, shook his head, then turned and walked out of the lab. He didn't notice the janitor watching him leave, or that the janitor's orange eyes burned with curiosity. He was long gone when the janitor whispered, “Oh, for sure, we must get you first!”