Tee straightened, turning as she did to face the entrance of the museum. Captured in the light of a single spot, an intruder stood staring straight into the beam that highlighted him. By the way he ignored her motion, he hadn't seen her yet. A sudden undeniable impulse washed through her like a tide. She stepped forward, her work shoes making a soft yet unmistakable squeak against the hard wood floor.

The man's gaze snapped to her. He looked her up and down, then turned his attention back to the spotlight with a derisive snort. A grin crept across Tee's face. Knowledge of what to do spilled up from the edges of the void. Her reasons for acting, even the memories of her actions, fell back into the void the moment she acted, but it was as if someone had placed a script in her head, complete with dialogue.

"Drake! Hear me, child of dragons, grandchild of kings and khans! Your scheme ends here!"

When she spoke his name, the man with the tattooed face focused once more on her. With every word, he took a half step closer, stopping well out of reach, but close enough that she saw the intricate scrollwork on his face. His hair was cropped down close to his scalp, and from this distance she could see where the tattoos continued past his hairline.

"And who are you to stop me, menial?" He spat the last word from his mouth, shaking his head with disgust as he said it.

For a moment Tee stood there at a loss. The new visitor asked her name, but it was clearly emblazoned on her coverall. He looked subtly different from their usual visitors; perhaps he was unfamiliar with local modes of dress. "I am the custodian of this place."

Drake swaggered another step closer, his gaze flickering across her, looking for any sign of reaction. She made no movement whatsoever; Tama-sensei had drilled useless movement from her long ago. Whispered words in her old teacher's voice tickled her ears, nearly obscuring the intruder's next words.

"The janitor is trying to stop me? Oh, that is rich. Do you know who I am, floor sweeper?"

"You are Drake?"

"I have been called that. But that is not who I am. I am the child of dragons and kings. My grandmothers were given to my grandfathers as gifts, as symbols of their sires’ good intentions. My parents arranged marriage, a symbol of peace between East and West. Like all such stupid mortal notions, that peace ended. I, who should have ruled the world, was sold as a slave. I, who should have led armies, was forced to herd cattle, to harvest crops, to clean things.

"That all ends tonight. I am the world's lickspittle no longer. For centuries I planned. For decades I searched out my art, my armor, my defense against the heavens themselves. Tonight, I will collect the last of it from this pitiful excuse for a museum. Tonight, I am become the doom of nations, the shatterer of worlds, and there you can do nothing to stop me!"

The display behind Tee spoke, its voice toneless and flat. "Mr. Drake, the museum is presently closed. If you would like to arrange a private tour, it must be approved by the Co-Curator, Miss Morgan. She has been alerted to your presence and should be here shortly."

Drake growled his annoyance at the interruption. "Stupid machines and menials keeping me from my task. I will deal with you once I've collected my property. Where is the triptych?"

Tee didn't think the strange man should be in the museum right now, but she couldn't think of a quicker way to get rid of him than giving him what he wanted. "Which triptych do you mean?"

"Stupid mortal slut," Drake muttered. He continued in a clear, loud voice, "The triptych of the goddess. It's painted on three wooden slabs."

Drake's words broke something free of the void. It spun out from the edges of oblivion, racing straight to her mouth before she could think about what she was saying. "Drake, dragon and demon and prince, you may not have the art under my protection. You may not pass."

Her mind went blank again, the void reaching out to claim what she'd just said. The intruder stared at her; disbelief clear on his features. "You really think you can stop me?"

The void pulsed again, and Tee's limbs tingled with power leaking out from it, power that reminded her of someone from her distant, unremembered past. "By Sun and Shade, I, Knight of the Sidhe and custodian of this museum, challenge you to a duel, Drake. If you wish to harm any of my charges, you must best me, or leave and never return."

The air flickered around Drake, as if disturbed by his very presence. He stepped up to her, trying to intimidate Tee into submission. Tee froze, unable to speak. He smirked. "I'm going to break your legs so you can't get away. After that I'm going to collect my armor. Then, I'm coming back here and taking my time killing you."

Lady Morgan's voice terrified Tee when it warbled with her Power. This time was no exception, no matter how glad hearing it made her. "You would offend the Court of Sun and Court of Shade by ignoring a lawful challenge? Fascinating."

Drake's head whipped around like a raptor bird focusing on prey. His mouth dropped open into a predatory grin when he saw The Lady Morgan staring at him. "A Shade elf, too? I will feast well to celebrate my ascension."

"You would offend Sun and Shade. So be it." Lady Morgan's voice shifted, the warbling echoes going flat. Her voice rang directly into Tee’s brain, bypassing her ears entirely. "Oberon. Morrigan. You simply must see this."

The intruder's jaw dropped open as a presence filled the room. Tee's head ached with the pure Power of the being looking in on them. "Who summons me?"

"Mother's favorite daughter summons you, Oberon."

Thunder rolled through the Great Hall, driving Tee to her knees. Drake and the Muse both swayed from the force of Oberon's voice. "Muse? You dare summon me?"

"Your Knight summons you to witness a challenge, Sun King."

Pressure like she'd never experienced pushed down on Tee, forcing her down to the floor. Another impulse flew out from the void; she knew if her face touched the floor, Oberon would never acknowledge her as a Knight. She might win a challenge; she would never win a fight against something as powerful as Drake. He would rip her friends from their home, from their accustomed places, and she would never see them again.

Inch by inch she pushed herself up. The grain of the floor marked itself on her palms. Her knees ground into the wood despite the tough denim of her coverall. Her hands left the floor, the balls of her feet aching as they took her weight. Finally, every joint and muscle aching from the pressure of Oberon's regard, she stood ramrod straight.

The pressure vanished in an instant. A flash of light filled the gallery, and a man stood beside the Lady Morgan, disapproval writ plain on his face. His build was hard to judge, the silk of his suit too well tailored to show anything but a man of average height and weight. His features looked uncannily even, if a bit effeminate. Any semblance of humanity ended at his eyes. They glowed from within, the amber of his irises barely visible.

"I do not know your face, Knight. Are you sure this one is mine, Muse?"

The Lady Morgan's singsong made Tee's bones shiver. "As certain as the sun rising in the morning."

Oberon frowned at that, as if not sure whether she meant 'yes' or not. "So be it. So, Knight. To what have you challenged this," here Oberon glanced at Drake, "dragon?"

Tee waited for the void to spit out another command, but nothing came. The Sun King and the Dragon both shifted impatiently, only The Lady Morgan remaining completely motionless. Desperate, she clutched at the only thing she might be able to best a dragon in. "A contest of humility."

"Oh, please." Drake's words dripped with derision. "Must we allow this farce to continue?"

The dragon in human form flinched from Oberon's glare. "It is an unusual challenge, but I will allow it. I take it you do not accept?"

"Of course not."

"What contest would you choose?"

Drake's response was instant. "Combat."

"I note you do not say 'honorable combat'. Still, it is traditional. Do you accept his challenge, Knight?"

Tee remembered nothing of her past, but by the look on Drake's face, she suspected she would die in the same instant she accepted the challenge. Wondering what would come next, she shook her head hesitantly. "No, Lord Oberon. I do not."

"It appears we are at an impasse, Lord Oberon. Shall you choose for us?"

"No. I will allow the Lady of this place the choice, and her choice will be final. Do you understand?"

Drake grunted his reply, furious at being dictated to, but unwilling to defy the Sun Lord. Tee nodded, not trusting her voice. The Lady Morgan would hold Tee's life in her hands, and that thought terrified her beyond the capacity for speech. She looked over at the museum's Lady, and she had all she could do to keep her jaw closed. Oberon and Drake both fixated on Tee, so they didn't see it when The Lady Morgan winked at her.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"So be it. Lady Morgan?"

"It cannot be strength, and it must not be humility. So let it be speed."

"Speed?" Oberon's voice remained flat, but Tee heard his impatience for the Lady to explain herself.

"Speed. A race through my demesnes. The first to touch each of the museum information center kiosks and return here will be the winner. If my custodian wins, the dragon will leave, never to return to these halls."

Oberon shrugged, "That is an acceptable challenge and forfeit."

"And when I win?" Drake's voice was a harsh and expectant growl.

"You will take what you came for. Do you accept that forfeit, Lady Morgan?"

"What could he be here for that I care about? I accept."

"So be it. What did you come here for, dragon?"

"I came for my Art, I came for this knight, and I came for the daughter of the Morrigan."

Tee couldn't help herself, the words ripped out before she could stop them. "He lies!"

"Really, custodian? What am I here for, then?"

But the memory had gone. She knew he had said something else before the Lady and Lord arrived, but she couldn't remember what. In her despair, she almost didn't notice one final thread of memory snaking its way from the void, creeping along her limbs, folding her knees beneath her. She fell into a crouch before her opponent, and the only reason she avoided weeping was that she could not remember why she wanted to. Her hands moved in tiny patterns of their own accord, the faintest hints of Power snaking through them.

The dragon in the form of a man spat at her, his disdain clear. "Begging will do you no good, wretch. I will take my Art for my armor, I will take your carcass for my meal, and I will take your lady as my dessert. Call the start when you will, Sun Lord."

Lord Oberon sounded as if he wanted to leave the proceedings entirely, but his words were polite. "I leave that honor to our host. Lady?"

"Go."

With The Lady Morgan's whispered word, the last of Tee's memories slipped back into the void, leaving her kneeling before a silk suited figure wondering how she'd gotten there. She knelt in the Great Hall of the museum, her back to the information kiosk. Beyond that, she could only wonder at what she should clean next, since her cart and supplies had gone missing.

Before she could stand, the suited figure before her sprang into motion. He leapt at the kiosk; one arm outstretched. Before he completed a single step, his back foot pulled itself from the floor, and he fell face first into the case of the information center. The case splintered, and Tee looked around for her cleaning supplies; she knew she had some wood polish and glue in the cart.

A stubby oblong shot from the kiosk to land next to Tee's hands. She picked it up without thinking; nothing annoyed Tama like litter on the floor. Before she could look for her cart, a voice she trusted completely without knowing why whispered in her ear.

"Tee! Run to the kiosk in the West Gallery! Hurry!"

She didn't stop to question, or to think about why. She ran. The Lady Morgan's terrifying laughter reached out behind her, spurring her faster than she thought possible. Her long legs stretched beneath her, the sturdy work boots on her feet gripping at the shining wooden floor with each step. The kiosk in the Western Gallery stood on the first floor at the far end, past a hundred yards of small rooms. Each of those rooms was more familiar to Tee than the backs of her own hands. She leapt over small obstacles; like wastebaskets and chairs, swung wide around large ones; like displays.

Behind her echoed a terrible roar. Even as she ran, it caught her up from behind, glass and wood smashing in its wake. "How could you tie my shoelaces together? I'm wearing loafers!"

The kiosk stood in front of her. Before she reached it, stubby oblong, twin to the one in her hands, shot from a hidden recess to land in her outstretched hands.

Laughter as well as urgency colored the voice that reached her ears. "Take this to the kiosk in the East Gallery! Hurry, Tee! Beautiful job on the shoes."

"Thank you."

"Run!"

She leapt once more into a sprint. Roped off rooms slipped by in the semi darkness of the nighttime museum, and she slowed to make sure they were clean. Before she came to a full stop, a terrible crash sounded from behind her. She spun to see what had happened. The voice of the information center sounded through recessed speakers. "Please watch your step, sir. The floors have been waxed recently, and are..."

The speech cut off with an awful screech as the man standing beside the information kiosk reached out one hand. Talons of pure shadow leapt from his fingers and tore the kiosk from the wall. Sparks flew, and for a few moments arcs of Power and electricity outlined a huge, sinuous shape. Before the dragon stopped shivering, before Tee could go to its aid, a voice spoke in her ear again.

"East Gallery Kiosk! Run!"

Tee ran. The fastest way to the East Gallery kiosk from where she stood was through the Balcony Gallery. She sprinted through the round room, her hand reaching out to touch the stems of the bamboo in the center of the room. A living sculpture, each stem carefully shaped as it grew. She slowed to appreciate it; despite the beauty it contained, few visitors seemed to like it.

"Tee! Get the drives to the East Gallery!"

Something tore at her memory, the void within her hungered tonight. She ran, repeating the words "East Gallery Kiosk" over and over with each long stride. Before she made it halfway to the kiosk, a horrible crashing, rending sound came from behind her. She stole a glance over her shoulder as she leapt over a stub wall.

A huge, sinuous form was silhouetted against the remains of the bamboo. Whatever the thing was, it had slid right through the display instead of turning, and now found itself tangled in the display. As she watched, it coiled around and around the bamboo, a shriek of rage building in volume until, with a jerk, it ripped through all the tough stalks, tearing its way free. A face of fangs and fur and scales looked out from the dragon's coils, hatred seething from its eyes. Long talons clawed at the floor, driving it toward her. Before it could build up speed, she turned and ran.

She had to reach the information kiosk. From there she could call security. Micah-sama would know what to do. Behind her the dragon roared once more as it lost its footing and went face first into the hard wood of the floor. She reached the kiosk out of breath, pausing for a moment to lean against the stairway banister beside it. She reached for the screen to activate it, but before she could complete the motion a stubby oblong popped out of a slot below the display.

"Tee! Hurry, take this and get to the Balcony Kiosk!"

Deja vu rolled through her, but not enough to stop her feet from responding to the urgency in the information center's voice. The Balcony Kiosk stood on the upper floor; she ran up the steps, her long legs taking them three at a time. From behind her came a crash, followed by the information center speaking sternly to someone.

"Sir, if you do not stop destroying museum property, I will be forced to take action."

A burst of heat and darkness swept up the stairs behind her. She reached the top of the steps just ahead of it, leaping to the side as black, light-consuming flames shot up the stairs. She had to reach the Balcony Gallery. If only she could remember why. Her hands were full of stubby oblongs. She slipped them into her coverall pocket and ran.

The floor beneath her feet buckled, the smooth, polished wood shuddering as something huge struck the ceiling of the first floor. Despite the glossy polish, the wood didn't let her sturdy work boot slip. The floor in front of her cracked, a huge gap appearing as the support gave way. She leapt over it, her toes barely gaining purchase on the far side of the chasm.

Something had gone wrong in the museum. A fire, or an earthquake, or possibly both. The Lady Morgan needed to know. If Tee could reach the kiosk on the Balcony, she could tell everyone. She just had to find out what had happened. As she pulled herself clear of the chasm, she glanced down. The vision below caused her hands to go slack.

She stared down into a hell of coiling scales and devastated Art. As she watched, the long, serpentine body came into contact with a case of Egyptian jewelry. The glass and wood of the case shattered, fragments flying everywhere. The artwork flew through the room, but every piece that struck the scales of the beast below her stuck fast, becoming another decoration on the dragon's hide.

"Tee! The Balcony!"

The museum itself called to her. This was her home. These works of Art were her friends, her family. She could not let this stand, she had to call for help. On the edge of falling, she twisted, shoved with her legs, and leapt forward toward the doorway to the Balcony Gallery. She collapsed on a still stable piece of floor, her knee screaming in pain.

She had no time for pain. Without Tee to call the alarm, this dragon would steal every one of her friends. Whimpering with each step, she staggered into the Balcony Gallery, collapsing onto the kiosk there.

"Something is attacking the museum! "

The voice from the kiosk remained calm and confident. Just hearing it made Tee's pulse shudder to an entirely new rhythm; deeper, stronger, anticipatory. "I am aware of the intruder, Miss Tee. I need you to take this," a stubby oblong slid out of a slot on the front of the kiosk. Tee grabbed it and stuffed it into a pocket of her coveralls. Strangely, there were multiple similar objects there already. The kiosk made a small buzzing noise to get her attention. "Get that to the kiosk in the basement cafeteria as quickly as you can."

In front of her she saw the upper floor of the West Gallery. It shuddered with impacts from below, the displays shaking with each concussion. She wasn't sure she could keep her feet with such unstable footing. She looked behind and saw the ragged fragments of the East Gallery. Some... thing snaked its way toward her from the East stairwell. There could not go that way. She steeled herself and turned for the West Gallery.

"Not that way."

The quiet voice of the kiosk stopped her instantly. She had no idea why, but she trusted that voice implicitly. "How do I get there?"

"The Balcony. Quickly!"

Tee looked over the balcony. Two stories below, the remains of the living sculpture rocked in the grip of endless serpentine coils. The broken ends of bamboo menaced her, and she froze with one leg halfway over the balcony's Plexiglas shield. The sounds of complicated destruction sounded behind her, and she glanced back at the East Gallery.

"Go! Now!"

She leapt without thinking. As she fell, she contemplated what remained of the living statue's bamboo. Sheared off to form ragged spikes, it had become a constantly shifting tiger trap formed of bamboo and dragon's coils. Time seemed to slow as she watched one particular shaft, the central column of the piece, as it came straight for her face. Just before she struck, the dragon's coils convulsed, warping the whole structure of the living sculpture. The ragged edge of the shaft raked across her cheek, just beneath her eye, sending her tumbling sideways through the rest of the spikes. They each caught at her, ripping little chunks from the denim of her coverall, taking tiny bites from the skin of her arms, her legs, her back.

Then, quite suddenly, the dragon stopped convulsing, and Tee slid free from the base of the living sculpture. She stood on the bottom floor of the museum. She bled from a multitude of scratches, but none of her injuries threatened her life. Now she had to clean up the mess someone had made of the living sculpture; bamboo shards had scattered across the entire floor of the Balcony Gallery.

The voice of the kiosks rang out over the museum's public address system. "The museum extends sincere apologies for any inconvenience, but guests who damage museum property through deliberate action or reckless behavior are subject to preventative action. Tasers are harmless when used on healthy adults. An ambulance can be summoned if you have a heart condition or other exacerbating condition. Miss Tee, please report to the cafeteria kiosk immediately. Miss Tee, please report to the cafeteria kiosk imme..."

The voice of the kiosks cut off with a crash. Still, that voice wouldn't lie. She leapt toward the cafeteria, but her knee buckled beneath her. She landed half in and half out of the cafeteria doors, looking up the hole in the center of the Balcony Gallery. A draconic face, distorted by fury, spat out the remains of the Balcony Kiosk. When it caught sight of Tee lying on the ground, it snarled and struck, arrowing down the three story drop that separated them.

Its coils released the bamboo, which sprang outward in every direction. Most of it sprang between Tee and her attacker, who rammed into it headfirst. His howls echoed through the basement, shattering every bit of glass in sight. Tee had to report this to security. She dragged herself to the cafeteria kiosk, where she pulled herself up hand over hand until she stood staring at the screen. She leaned on the display, trying to catch her breath...