Cassandra Pendragon

“I think I do. I’ve been here before… listen…”

“Lyra, my name is Lyra.” She granted me a bright smile, her eyes sparkling like gems.

“Lyra, I’ve…” I paused, feeling dizzy. By now, I had learned to understand, what my body needed and I was most likely going to go back to sleep, any minute now. Damn it!

“I’ll probably faint, again. You said, you’re in control of your magic and still have some residual power in you?” She nodded and tilted her head to the side curiously. “You’ve been in that gem in Shafeer’s hoard for years on end, right? Could you try and contact one of his descendants?”

“You mean the golden dragon girl, right? I can try, but I’m not that good…” her words trailed off, or rather, my concentration wavered, as black spots started to blur my vision.

“It has to work,” I slurred. “Tell her…” I didn’t get any further. My head fell back against her chest and for a moment, I felt her slender fingers play with my ears, before I was gone.

When I woke again, the red light of the sinking sun pierced the canopy and covered the grove with soft shades of gold. The dress was gone and a roughly fashioned pot simmered over the fire, the scents of the stew within making my mouth water. The elf girl was nowhere to be seen, but close to my bed, a few lines had been scribbled on a patch of earth. The interlacing runes were elegant and I recognised them from my short trip to the elven capital, but I had never learned to read their alphabet. The Emerald Island… that’s what Lyra’s voice had reminded me of. She didn’t look like her and she smelled differently but her cadence was eerily similar to Zara’s. If the two of them were related? Possibly. But I didn’t even know, how long she had been stuck in the gem or when she had been cursed into her snakelike body. It could have been hundreds or even thousands of years ago, which made any connection between them academically interesting, at best.

Shrugging, I got to my feet and when my muscles didn’t protest and my chest felt just fine, I quickly rushed to the fire. Two bowls and spoons had been placed close by and I immediately began shovelling down the hot meal. I felt slightly guilty for not waiting, but the taste of carrots, meat, onions and some fruits I couldn’t recognise, washed the sensation away with the first mouthful. The first bowl was quickly followed by a second and a third and before I knew it, half of the stew was gone. Satisfied, I cleaned the dishes in the stream and scrutinised my reflection in the clear water. I had dark bags under my eyes, but they weren’t quite as prominent as I had expected. My hair was a mess and my tails were matted as well, but at least I was still wearing my clothes. Admittedly, above my heart, a ring of tiny holes indicated where I had hurt myself but aside from that, I looked tired but healthy and surprisingly well dressed.

Steeling myself, I placed the dishes on the ground and reached for my tattoo, prepared to let the magic go, the very moment I’d feel any form of pain. Fortunately, nothing happened, my power rushed through my body, just like it always had. A sly grin tugged on the corners of my mouth and without pausing to consider the wisdom of my actions, I unfurled my wings. Silvery blue torrents of energy crackled behind me and filled the space with dispersing shadows and the scent of ozone. I was whole again, whole and free of the curse. Laughter bubbled up and before I knew it, I was hovering several metres above the ground, relishing in the smooth, velvety sensation, as my energy coursed through my veins, healing me more throughly than sleep alone ever could.

“Ahri,” I shouted jubilantly, diving into the stream of energy, flowing between us, but just as I expected to be embraced by her thoughts, I froze, nothing but a diffuse, undulated darkness reverberating within me. “No, please,” I mumbled, my elation evaporating like mist under a midday sun. Where was she? Why… dread rose in my chest, wrapping itself around my heart like bands of steel. After everything… enough! Think, Cassy, think! Don’t panic, act!

She was alive, that much I knew, otherwise I wouldn’t have felt a connection at all. Was she unconscious, just like my family had been, when they had been taken by the Mask? Maybe. It didn’t matter, either way. She was mine and no one would keep me away from her. Whether it was an injury or something else, I wouldn’t leave her to fend for herself. With a thought, I shot upwards until I was far above the trees, my wings whipping through the air like agitated snakes. Whatever had happened, I would hold her in my arms again, even if Amazeroth himself had warded her off.

A deep thrum filled the sky, lightning ignited all around me as I allowed my energy to circle freely, gathering momentum. The winds picked up and the setting sun vanished behind a blinding flash of light, before I sent an iridescent, pulsing river of power straight through my tattoo. I didn’t summon her, what I was doing was closer to actually grabbing her and yanking her towards me. My fear made me callous and I used more power than I would have otherwise dared, trusting in the transcendent connection between us to keep her safe.

Thunder rumbled and the first explosion was quickly followed by a second, even more powerful one, as the trees below me caught on fire. Silvery sparks filled the air and for a moment, I felt my body, just as well as hers. She was hurt and bound, kept somewhere dark, unable to see the sun. She was shivering violently and each spasm tore deeper wounds into her body, cruel, hooked barbs, used to tie her down, ripping through skin and flesh. As soon as she felt my presence, a tired smile formed on her face and I heard her whisper: “I knew you’d come.”

“Always,” I sent, chokingly, while my energies wrapped her in a scintillating cocoon and sped her away from her prison. Light surged between my outstretched arms, the winds and sparks around me turning into a vortex of magic and from one second to the next, her soft body pressed against mine, the scent of pine trees, flames and blood filling my nose.

I didn’t hesitate, the warm rivulets of crimson liquid, seeping from a myriad of tiny wounds all over her, a constant reminder of how much she had suffered. Even while I shot towards the ground, my precious burden held tightly in my embrace, I gently caressed her body with my wings and began pushing more and more of my energy into her, until I could feel her fluttering, weak heartbeat strengthen. The tears and gashes in her skin closed, colour returned to her pale cheeks and her eyelids fluttered, the iridescent shine behind them everything I had hoped for.

“Hi there,” she mumbled and snuggled deeper into my embrace, her head coming to rest on my shoulder. “I’ve missed you. What took you so long?” Despite the frozen knot of fear, deep in my stomach, which refused to melt, I managed a smile and kissed her cheek.

“I took a couple of wrong turns. Got lost in the past. The usual.” She tried to respond, but her answer was drowned out by a hackling cough. “Shh, don’t talk. Sleep. I’ll take care of you.”

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“I know, but there’s,” she slurred, “so much you…” in the middle of her sentence, her eyes closed and her breathing deepened.

“Nothing is as important as your safety,” I whispered in her ear. “The world will still be there, tomorrow.” She didn’t react, but her tails wrapped themselves tightly around my legs, as if she wasn’t going to let go, ever again. I breathe another kiss against her lips and whispered: “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” I raised my eyes to the raging heavens, where my initial outpour was turning into a fully fledged storm, as the clouds above began absorbing the swaths of power, I had unleashed. “Thank you,” I whispered, as the first raindrops fell and the darkness overhead spread out to meet the thundering gale, already raging in the east. Tonight would see a tempest, the likes of which I couldn’t even remember.

While I was descending, the rain extinguished the fires, but charred trees and deep craters remained, wherever my energies had torn through leafs and branches and struck the ground. Through sheer luck or maybe an unconscious process, the small grove, Lyra had created, had survived, except for a smoking, cleanly cut whole in the canopy. When I squeezed through the opening, I already saw her standing below, her eyes wide.

“Goodness gracious,” she greeted me, before I had even touched down. “What happened, what did you do? I leave you alone for an hour and when I return, you’ve turned into a star and…” she bit her tongue, when she saw the girl in my arms, a look of sincere worry blooming on her face. “Is that her? It has to be. She’s beautiful.” I landed and gently placed Ahri on the bed. The elf followed me, a continuous stream of question spurting from her mouth. “What’s wrong? Why is she looking like she’s with one foot in the grave, already? Can you use my help? I can try healing her, but…” I had to bite back a harsh retort, my anxiousness making me even more short tempered than I usually was. While I brushed back Ahri’s hair and made her comfortable, I replied:

“That’s Ahri, my fiancée. I don’t know what she’s been through or why, but she has been hurt. Gravely. I already took care of her wounds, but she’s exhausted, she needs sleep and time. Something I fear we have very little of, considering what happened to her.” Sighing, I straightened and faced her. “You’ve already done so much for me, but can I ask another favour of you?”

“Of course,” she immediately agreed. “Just name it.” She came closer, her eyes following Ahri’s curves while she added: “she looks a bit like you. Less intimidating, less regal, but cuter and maybe younger, but…” despite myself, I had to smile.

“Don’t let her hear that, she’s far older than me, at least in this body. But yes, in a very round about way, we’re siblings.” She raised an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes.

“We’re not related by blood, not in the slightest… well, maybe we are, but it’s a long story. Trust me, imagining us as sisters like you do now, would be far away from the truth. Anyways, would you watch over her for me? Not for long, but there are a few things I have to do, unless… did you manage to reach Viyara? The dragoness, we talked about.” She shook her head, her blue hair dancing around her like a silky wave.

“I tried, but I couldn’t get a hold of her. She’s either too far away or I’m just too weak. I’m really not that good with telepathy.”

“No matter, I’ll try to do it myself.” She had reached us, now, and had unconsciously placed her hand on my back. It wasn’t a possessive gesture, but still surprisingly intimate.

“Are you really up to it,” she wanted to know. I smirked, my gaze wandering heavenwards.

“Do you even have to ask? I’m not lacking strength, I’m lacking skill.” Shrugging, she lowered her head to the unconscious kitsune and touched her ears, which elicited a frown from me.

“I can see that. Gods, she even feels like you… of course I’ll watch over her. Just… don’t take too long, please. I’m feeling a bit out of my depths,” she admitted helplessly.

“Welcome to my world. You’ll get used to it, much more quickly than you’d like.” I already expected her to stay with us, even though we hadn’t exchanged more than a few words, yet. It might have been my intuition or the simple fact, that she probably had nowhere to go, after being sealed for however long, but I simply didn’t see her leaving, any time soon. She didn’t seem to mind, though, her eyes sparkling at my words.

“I guess I will. Do you need to go somewhere else?” I shook my head.

“I’ll stay right here, but I might not be able to hear you for a while. Should anything happen, pinch me.” She smirked.

“No need to tell me twice. Oh, and Cassandra,” for the first time, she seemed embarrassed, as she lowered her head, “thank you. Thank you for freeing me from a diamond tomb.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m sorry I delayed for so long. I should have…” shaking her head, she interrupted me:

“I wasn’t completely cut off, you know. That’s why I know who you are. Considering what little I’ve seen… can’t you just accept my thanks? It’s not that difficult, honestly.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied with a smile. “One day, you’ll have to tell me, why anyone would want to curse you. You don’t strike me as someone, who makes many enemies.” Her expression darkened, mirroring the sky above.

“You’d be surprised… in my case, being born was enough.” Oh, sister, you have no clue how much I can sympathise. “But my tale isn’t important, right now. It’s far too late, anyways. Do what you can to help your friends, I’ll keep watch over your lover.”

“She’s much more than that,” I mumbled. While I said the words, I began to wonder, why I was even comfortable with leaving Ahri in her care. I didn’t know her, I didn’t even know anything about her, but yet… oh, whatever, if I was going to feel even a hint of discomfort through my tattoo, I’d make sure she wouldn’t get a second chance to screw us over.

With a last kiss for Ahri and a grateful smile for Lyra, I headed to the fire and sat down, cross legged, allowing its warmth to relax my tensed muscles and the wrath of the storm to fade away. I had never initiated a telepathic connection, but I knew I had the power to do so, it was simply a question of finding the right screw to twist, so to speak. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the foggiest idea of where to look. I was convinced, that I’d find a solution, buried somewhere in the heap of memory crystal, but going through them all… I could just as well wait until Ahri was going to wake up, there were so many of them. What had that useless demon been thinking? You want to learn magic? Here’s all the knowledge you might ever need. Good luck finding whatever you’re looking for, but I’ve done my part splendidly. He was probably even expecting a medal, as soon as he was going to return, the self absorbed, arrogant prick. Shit, I was fretting. I might have more than enough reason to, but I wouldn’t be helping anyone, if I couldn’t get my shit together. Exhaling deeply, I forcefully pushed my gnawing worries away and concentrated on the task at hand.

Considering everything I knew, which wasn’t overly much, magical communication usually was restricted to a certain radius around the caster, depending on how strong he actually was. A pre established link, similar to the crystals or my connection to Ahri, circumvented this particular problem, since the magic could be focused on a predefined pathway. I was convinced, I was powerful enough to reach anyone on the planet, regardless of distance, but doing so would be similar to overloading my voice with energy and simply calling out a name. It’d work, but I wasn’t willing to test, how severely Amazeroth’s wards would be damaged in the process.

What I did have, was a spark of my power, resting within Viyara. I already knew, that I could sense it from far away, which meant, a constant stream of information was already flowing between us. Now, I simply had to figure out, how to send an actual thought or an idea through the link.

At first, I toyed with the idea of emulating a message in a bottle. Wrap, whatever I wanted to tell her, up in a cocoon of power and dump it into the stream, fingers crossed. It might even have worked, but unfortunately, there was no cliff or river bank, form where I could throw my message. No, first, I had to figure out, how the link actually worked and then I’d go from there. It was a damned pity that my stay in memory land had severed every spell placed on me, including the connection, Viyara had already established, otherwise I wouldn’t have had to anything, in the first place. As it was, I had to struggle through with barely any expertise and a good amount of luck.