The Dragon's Keep

Chapter 24

Evie spent her evening, trying to talk with her dragon. More often than not, they were sitting quietly in the world beyond the Corridor, watching the light move across the sky. When Evie returned to reality, she felt oddly rested and the morning sun peeking through the heavily curtained windows. She made her way to the garden patio in anticipation of breakfast.

The world was still quiet, a light mist hovered the ground and she could hear the quiet song of birds as they began to wake up. For a moment, she forgot she was underground. The garden was lush and green, heavy with dew which the light played with on the blades of grass. The only reminder was when Evie looked up, there was only rock overhead, the sun filtering through created ventilation shafts.

Sighing, Evie began looking around for the birds she heard. The song was familiar but not quite the same as what she recognized. Slowly, she saw birds taking flight around the garden. Only, they weren't sparrows, robins, or bluebirds, nothing she had seen in her own backyard. They were airy, whimsical beings. The feathers covering their wings and bodies were lighter and translucent as they soared. It appeared they had nothing to help them be carried by the wind and yet, they were. They defied everything Evie knew about the world.

"Marvelous, aren't they?"

Evie turned to find the Queen had joined her. "Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Oh hush! You're practically family already." She watched Evie's gaze return to the birds in the sky and grinned. "They're called 'flittles.' They are mesmerizing."

Silence landed softly over their heads as they both followed the flights of the flittles. Behind them, breakfast was laid out as though by magic and beside them on the table separating the ladies sat two cups, filled with piping hot coffee. Evie prepared hers and took a sip as she continued to watch, almost afraid to break eye contact with the beautiful being. "How can they be?"

"My dear, they, us, this," the Queen gestured around them. "It is all what made the world magical. We took it with us to preserve our way of life and our magic when we went into hiding."

Hiding. Ethelinda had discussed that but when the Queen said it, the word carried weight. Evie rose along with the Queen and moved towards the sitting around the table where breakfast had been laid out. The King had joined them and nodded a greeting to both the ladies. No one spoke over the meal, only considering their food.

As the meal came to a close, Evie felt relieved to step away and be her truer self. Yes, she had lessons to go to but she was happy nevertheless. Evie quickly went back to her room to change into the athletic wear that Marianne had waiting on her bed. Once changed, Marianne, who had been standing patiently just beyond her door, escorted her to the gymnasium within the palace walls.

The gym was dark, Evie's stepps echoing the cavernous room. "Hello?" Hearing nothing but her own voice reverberating against the walls, she slowly spun in a circle, wary that something was right.

Suddenly, there was a rush of air sailing past her. She was too late to grab what it was and it was still too dark to make sense of what she was encountering. Then another. Finally, a hand reached out of thin air and shoved her between her shoulder blades. The force pushed Evie a few steps forward, her sense on high alert. Then, the blow. SMACK!

The lights turned on quickly and Evie was looking up from the floor at Ethelinda. "You must be on high-alert. As Cahill's Fated One, you are the most vulnerable person now."

"Why'd you hit me?"

"Because it was better than the alternative."

"What's the..."

Evie didn't finish her statement as Ethelinda seemed to summon a staff from a corner of the room and began to use it as her weapon of choice. "Concentrate, Evie! Let your dragon help."