I could sense fear among the townsfolk as I flew towards the castle, they had seen my dragon many times but not like this. Not this big. I flew long towards the town, children and the mothers didn't know whether to run or to cheer. I could sense the distress in their decision making. I flew past the village, shaking homes as I did, to the other side of the castle where the warriors were trained. I looked down to see large heat signatures, groups of warriors training. It gladden my beast and I let out a roar of approval. I flew low and fast by the warriors as the beat their shields with swords in a thundering anthem. The appreciation made my inner beast pleased. As I flew higher to the top of the castle, I noticed the dome opening slowly to allow me to land. I circled twice before I was satisfied with enough space to do so. My large body slowed down, my strong taloned feet stretched out to aid my landing. A few powerful beats of my wings and I landed, I stretched out my large wings and let out a large roar once again, shuttering the doors on the flight deck.
As I begun to shift my dragon formed shifted easily into my own, there was no pain or discomfort this time. As I shifted though, a golden mist sheltered me as prying eyes watched in curiously to see how a dragon body shifts back to a women's. This was new, but good, I had longed for something to shelter me from prying eyes. After the shift was complete, I was gladdened to find that my clothes were still neatly on my body with my battle axes still attached to my back. Another new trait which I was happy about. As I started walking towards the flight deck, a man from the inventions team can racing towards me.
"My Grace! Its your brothers! Come! Quickly!" He shouted in a freight, I instantly begun running. Guilt washed over my body as I had forgotten they two were infested by the liquid, they were dying. I followed the man, pushing through people who stood in my way. As we entered through a large set of double doors and into the medical room, my heart dropped at the sight. Keon, Koba and even Rokii were all faded of life and sickly. Ivarr had also been brought home and was ill. I wondered how long I was gone for. Everyone in the room laid eyes on me, searching for answers or a way to save my kin.
"We need glass tubes, something to put a liquid in!" I shouted as I ran to Koba first, we were all equal. But Koba, Ivarr and Rokii were not as strong as Keon and myself. As I observed his body, my mind ticked over how I was meant to save them.
"All Father guide me." I whispered as I waited for a glass tube to be handed to me. As if time paused momentarily, I felt a presence approach.
"Your senses have increased and you have connected with Anacalongon. I am proud. But you now need to save your companions." Said the voice, the voice of Odin. His hooded figure stood beside me as I looked at Koba.
"Healing hands is a technique that you thought only Koba and Ivarr possessed. But that is not true. You posses that and so much more. Focus." He said. Healing hands was an ability gifted to the twins by Freyja, an ability to heal others wounds. I rubbed my hands together and placed them over Koba's slowing heart. I placed all of my focus into the liquid, get the liquid out I repeated to myself as I closed my eyes. A loud gasp made my eyes flick open. I watched as a purple liquid drew from Koba's body and up towards my hands. It worked! I smiled in disbelief, it worked! The man who brought the glass tube held it under my hands and I trinkled the purple liquid into the jar. After the last drop from Koba's blood was drawn, I could see colour return to his pale body. I was beyond happy, I turned to thank the All Father, but he was no longer by my side.
"My Grace, the others need urgent help as well." The man said, I looked at Koba who was now breathing steady with a fastening heart beat. He was going to be just fine I thought as I turned my attention to Rokii.
After the purple liquid was drawn from my companions and they begun to slowly awaken from their death like comas, I pulled the young man aside.
"What is your name?" I asked the man as I wiped my hands clean of liquid.
"I'm Tobias, your Grace." He said with a slight bow.
"What do you do here?"
"I'm just a cleaner your Grace, attending to the needs of the doctors." He said looking at his feet.
"Tobias what you did today was an act of courage and bravery. You were the first to consult me, to assist me and to collect the liquid. You are going to become a doctor here, you are talented, I will not see that wasted." I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder. His jaw dropped and his eyes turned glassy.
"Th... Thank you my Grace." He said.
"Now I need you and this team to see that these get destroyed and whatever more you have. Burn it, throw it in the ocean. Just see that they are destroyed, can you do that?" I asked, Tobias nodded as he went through and started collecting the tubes of purple liquid.
"Good to see you alive in one piece." Keon said as he limped towards me, his body was recovering but needed some rest.
"Yes, Keon. I'm still kicking." I smiled.
"I had never seen such a sight, Vili and I thought you were dead when we reached the sanctuary. But then out of now where the Bi-frost came down, and Thor with it!" He said, his eyes full of excitement.
"Thor you say?" I asked with a smile, I didn't remember anything prior to my speech and speaking with the Earl.
"Aye, I think I would know my creator when I see him!" He yelled, shortly after he stumbled like a drunk man.
"Go back and rest, after you have all healed you need to seal the connections with your dragons. It needs to be done soon." I said as I walked Keon back to the bed.
"I thought we had already done that?" He asked as he sat down. I shook my head.
"No, the liquid we were injected with slowed the connection process and stopped it from fully completing. To be awakened, we were also injected with a chemical that blocked our senses. Hence why everything was delayed." I said, Keon nodded slowly absorbing the information.
"Did you get any information when you were in Asgard?" Keon asked.
"No, only more power for us." I winked, Keon's face light up once again.
"I need to go! I need to fly now!" He said as he tried to get back up.
"Not yet." I laughed pushing him back down.
"Rest for another hour, then fly." I said, Keon nodded in agreement. I stood up and looked at my other companions who were being attended, my eyes fell onto Rokii who was still fast asleep. At least Rokii is ruled out this time, he was injected with the same liquid, I said to myself. As I started walking towards the exit, a new strange smell hit my senses. The sense of a new person? I knew the scent of every person here, they all had unique smells. However it was all blocked from the chemical when we first awakened. As I turned to head back towards the exit, Vili stood in front of me. His black leather amour glistened, his fur cape made his massive frame look bigger, his battle axe swung over his back, the hair onto of his head messy and his blue eyes fixed on me in shock. Once I caught my breath again, the new scent hit me stronger than ever. Vili? He was the new smell? He always smelt of ale and musk, now he smelt of fresh rain and grass. My mouth started to water and bolts of electric stirred in places of me I have never felt before.
"By the Gods, I have never been happier to see someone in all my life." Vili said as he marched towards me embracing me in a bear like hug. My face on his chest, absorbing his scent. I wanted to roll in it, drink it, eat it. The smell was over powering my mind almost. This was the longest embrace we had ever shared.
"What happened? Keon and I placed you by the sanctuary, shortly after the Bi-frost came, Thor along with it." Vili said breaking our embrace.
"I was taken to Asgard, no magic here could have fixed the problem. The purple liquid we were injected by, it was a poison. One not from this world." I said, I watched Vili's face turn sour.
"Somebody had tried to kill you all?" He whispered, I nodded slowly, remembering that the wrong ears could be anywhere near by.
"By the Gods I will run a rampage through whoever that is!" He said loudly drawing attention to us, I placed my hand of his clenched fist to calm him.
"Not now, we are still trying to find the traitor. Whoever it is, has a large bounty on their head." I said. Vili nodded, he was aware of the cost of betrayal here.
"Where do we start?" He asked as we looked at the companions, who were all starting to sit up and speak.
"First, we all need to reconnect with our dragons. I have already done so, they need to follow. Shortly after we all need to connect. Speaking telepathically will be much easier in the coming battle will be much easier. Secondly, I will begin updating everything we have here. The technology is old and will be easily out won against our new enemy. Thirdly, I will back track and find traces of who founded this formula and where they got it." I said, Vili nodded.
"A fine plan. I almost didn't believe it was Anacalongon I saw flying around the castle earlier. It has grown." Vili said with a nudge.
"Like your fat head." I nudged back. Vili dropped his jaw and pretended to look hurt by my words.
"The bigger the target, the more bodies I get to send to the void." He laughed.
After an hour of waiting, my companions had regained the strength to stand and walk once again. They seemed more lively than when we first awakened.
"We need to connect with our dragons, you each need to go and shift now." I said as we made our way to the flight deck, they each walked outside and one by one begun the process of shifting. Keon's great red dragon has the first, shortly followed by Koba and Ivarr's grey dragons, then Rokki's dark green dragon. One by one they took flight, zooming around the castle and ocean. I watched them happily, seeing them all strong and healthy once again. As I watched them, my mind had a sudden thought.
"Vili, where is Sigi?" I asked, looking up at him. He froze momentarily.
"I have not seen her for some time." He said, looking down upon me. "Why?"
My mind begun to tick, I begun to walk inside. Resulting in me running towards the invention room.
"Freya wait!" Vili called from behind me. As we reached the invention room I burst through the doors, searching everywhere for red hair.
"My Grace, is everything alright?" Asked a lady.
"Sigi, where is Sigi?" I asked frantically. The lady seemed shocked and puzzled.
"She said she was going to visit family in the North, why?" She said quickly. I walked away, placing my hands onto my temples, kneeling down to take a breath. Vili crouched beside me.
"Freydis?" He asked softly.
"Sigi doesn't have any family." I said, looking into Vili's eyes.