"Don't worry about me," Brooke says, and her voice sounds even more dry and cracked than she looks right now. "Any minute now, the Pillar of Fire will realize where you've gone, and her minions will come pouring out of that portal. Get away while you can. I'll only slow you down."
"No!" I refuse her words. "I won't leave you or anyone else. We're all going, and that's that!" Dashing to the top of the nearest dune, I shove off hard from it, kicking a huge divot in the sand, and launching myself fifteen feet into the air. I spread my wings thinking, feeling, and knowing that this time I'll succeed. There is no wind to catch my open wings, except the speed of my passing. I wait but a moment, before giving a very controlled flap.
And plummet into the soft, itchy sand below.
"Dammit," I swear, not caring about my language, as I'm so frustrated. I stand up and start brushing the sand from me. I'd be a lot more comfortable if I had clothes on, I think, but know that learning how to fly is of greater importance.
Wait a minute. . . .
"It's almost as if your wings are too large for your body," Angela says, taking long strides through the sand over to me. I know she's walking and not flying out of respect for what little is left of my pride.
It just might work. . . .
"Have you thought about maybe shrinking them a bit? You could still carry her, if they were just a bit smaller, though it may also slow us down."
Closing my eyes, I picture in my mind what I want, just like Angela had taught me with the clothing, but this time I have something else planned. I mentally step into my image, and hear Angela gasp in terror, as I feel my body shift.
I also feel like a huge weight has settled across my entire body, and I'm physically and mentally drained. Opening my eyes, I look down at the succubus, and see that she's crouched, and ready to attack or flee. I crane my now long neck around and open my snout to speak to her, but my forked tongue doesn't want to cooperate with human speech, and I end up growling something instead.
IT'S ME, I mentally blast at her, LYDEN! My energy levels dip lower, but I still have more than plenty to function.
"But. . . but you're a. . . d-dragon!" she stutters.
I nod my head, and walk on four legs over to where Brooke is now laying unconscious. As gently as I can, I try to pick her up in my sharp teeth, but I'm too worried about hurting the assassin further.
"You want her on your back," Angela says, her mind finally catching on to what I intend. With her help, Brooke is soon situated in a depression on my back, which fits the redhead perfectly.
WHICH WAY? I ask, and Angela takes to the air, moving to what I feel is north. My sense of direction is drastically increased, and for some reason I feel more balanced with my wings as I take off running. As soon as I'm comfortable in this new body, I start to take running leaps between dunes, eventually using my wings to glide from one tip to the next. By the time we reach the sea, I'm not yet truly flying, but I'm gliding with ease.
In mid-leap I concentrate on my vocal cords and tongue, so that I can talk normally. The drain on my system is thankfully minimal.
"What laws did TanaVesta claim you broke?" I ask as soon as I land.
Angela looks at me for a moment, before answering. "There are many laws concerning you humans, and the rest of us. After the pillars made our realm, there was great fear that some of your kind would find a way to us, and continue to slaughter us. It became illegal to bring a human across. She tried to claim that I'd broken that law with you."
"But you didn't know I was different until after you brought me to your field," I protest.
"Actually, I had an idea that you weren't entirely human. Remember how you could see me when no one else could?" I had to agree that she was right.
"What other laws do I need to look out for?" I ask. The last thing I want to do is get more enemies after me.
"Concerning humans?" She waits for me to land from another gliding leap before answering. "We can't marry or create offspring with humans. Succubae are heavily watched on that law, but we can choose when to mate, and when to just have sex. Also, it's very heavily frowned upon for two different species to have offspring. There's no telling what the outcome might be. Some of the worst disasters in both our worlds came from the mixing of species." I realize that this means I can never truly be with either Angela or Brooke.
"How are generators made?" The look she gives me lets me know that my question didn't come out as smooth as I'd tried to make it.
"That's a heavily guarded secret, and only two of the pillars know: Light and Dark." Some emotion apparently registers on my draconian features, for she adds, "I'm sorry Lyden. I don't know how you came to be."
Angela leads the rest of the way in silence, staying aloft, and either she goes slowly for me, or I'm a lot faster in this form, but it only takes us about two hours to reach the Mediterranean.
The sight of so much water brings back terrors of drowning, from when I was a kid. My legs lock up, and my heart pounds to see that much water in one place. I know Angela is yelling at me to get Brooke to the water, but I can't move. Doesn't she realize that if I get close to that, it'll rise up and take what it lost so many years ago? I can't go near it!
The waves lapping against the sandy shore seem to be calling to me. "Come here, swish. Come join us, swoosh. Become one with us, shwash."
"Lyden, she will die if you don't get her to the water." Angela's frantic tone pulls me from the trance that the sea had placed on me, and my vision is swallowed in the succubus's swirling pupils.
"Die?" I ask confused. "I don't want to die."
Her slap against my scaly face finally breaks the last vestiges of my self-induced terror, and I know what must be done.
I have to carry her into the water, my mortal foe. I don't know if she just has to touch it, or be submerged, but with my current size, I'm going to have to travel further than knee deep to get her there.
I don't know if I can do this. I can still hear the whispers from the waves. I'm so tired. I feel like I've run a hundred miles, when I've really run a lot more than that. A bone deep weariness starts to seep into my joints, and I think how comfortable the sand would feel to lie upon. Just lie down, and take a week long nap. Doesn't that sound delightful?
The amount of willpower it takes to take the first step with my right foreleg is probably enough to move mountains, but it barely moves me. Thankfully, once in motion, my movements become easier, until all four of my legs are moving in their proper rhythm.
The relatively cool water touching my front talons almost makes me stop, but I know that once I do, I'll never get moving again.
My rear legs splash as they enter the water, and my overheated chest is suddenly chilled by a wave passing beneath me. Sensing no movement or even life from Brooke, I keep moving. Am I too late? Did I hesitate too long, and kill her in my procrastination?
NO! I have to believe that she'll be okay. She saved my life when I was a kid, and risked her life to rescue me from TanaVesta's clutches. Now it's finally time to return those favors.
A cold, bone deep chill sets into me as my wings sink below the surface, and I have to stretch my serpentine neck to keep my head above the water. "Just a couple more steps," I tell myself out loud, letting my voice be my own encouragement. Where is Lisa when I really need a cheerleader? "A couple more steps, and she'll be in the water."
The weight on my back suddenly shifts, and I have to carefully turn my almost submerged head to see what's happening. Angela is flying just above me, and has one of Brooke's hands in hers, as she tugs the still unconscious woman from me.
There is a slight shimmer under the water as her legs slip from my body, but I can't tell what is happening. Hopefully it means she's recovering.
The cold is really sinking in, and I know that if I don't get out of the water soon, it truly will claim me for good. I begin the ponderous task of turning my bulk around, and find that I'm breathing heavily from the effort. I'm tempted to change back into my human form, but I don't think I have the energy for it, and besides, this far out, I'd drown for sure.
The beach looks so inviting. Like a great place to take a nap, snuggled into the sand, head turned and tucked under my wing, and oblivious to the world.
"Lyden, what are you doing?" the winged succubus demands, and I realize that I've already begun to lie down while still in the water. The sound of the lapping waves still chants to me. Rest. Sleep. Lay down your burdens.
Angela still has Brooke's wrists in her hands, and drags her over to the beach, while I ponderously resume my trek. The waves help push me towards the shore, then become traitorous as they recede back into the sea. Every step seems to become more difficult, as my talon-tipped claws feel like lead weights.
Only thirty feet to go, I think. How did I get here? Twenty feet. Why am I here? Fifteen feet. Why am I so cold? I was so warm, not that long ago. Ten feet. So tired. So exhausted. When was the last time I slept?
Yes, a nap sounds so good right now. Just lie down, listen to the water, and close my eyes. . . . What is that annoying sound? Why won't it let me rest? Doesn't it know how tired I am?
"Lyden, you're coldblooded right now! You're almost out of the water. Just a couple more steps!"
Coldblooded? I can't be coldblooded, I'm a human. Right? Something doesn't feel right, and I stand back up, following the advice of the sensible voice.
"That's it, Lyden. One step after another. Keep going. You're doing great. Just take a couple more steps and you're out."
"I-I can't," I mumble, the exhaustion becoming too much for me. Collapsing to the ground, I finally get my sleep.