Cassandra Pendragon
The dragoness' expression was quite the marvel to look at, oscillating between confusion and contentment like a badly tuned radio. Unfortunately I couldn't savour the sight for long. A faint hum made me flinch and when I looked around, cold, slightly smelly water drenched me to the bone. The sprinklers had activated and from one second to the next my hair was plastered to my face. I had to swipe my dripping tresses away to even see Viyara's sparkling eyes.
"Figures," I grumbled and gingerly pulled my feet from the wet, heavy earth. "Guess that's our cue." She tilted her head to the side as my wings disappeared. The witches had come closer, but they kept a respectful distance. I turned away, still smiling. Before I managed to take more than a few steps, though, warm, slender fingers wrapped around my hand and pulled me back.
"Believe me," the dragoness began in a pressed whisper, "the last thing I want now is to make you second guess yourself, but are you sure planting the seedling here is the best idea?"
"Even if it wasn't, it's a tad too late now," I chuckled. "I can hardly call it off after the old man has spent several millions to buy the top floors."
"Huh?"
"Why do you think Aurelia even managed to keep the lid on the mess we made earlier? Simple, really. You don't rat out your boss and as of half an hour ago the top five floors, including the garden, are owned by a private investment group or some such. To be honest I didn't understand half of it, but bottom line this place is ours. So…"
"When did you even find the time…?"
"She didn't," Anna interjected. The girls had manned up and finally approached us. "But my grandfather and I did. Which technically makes me your landlord, come to think of it."
I nodded along. "Sure thing. In that case, should I send the bill for all those lessons digitally or put it in the mail?" With a puzzled look I asked: "what do you think the normal rate for an immortal teaching magic nowadays is? A hundred thousand a pop? Over seven years that's…"
"It was a joke," the witch immediately gave in. "Do you have a legal name we can transfer the deed…"
"No need. But I will, in a few hours. Dunno what it's going to be, though. Considering Jane's character probably something bubbly."
"Chastity," Nancy -hopefully- joked, "or maybe Blossom. Which reminds me… what is your name? Still going by Lucifer? Seems androgynous enough." I rolled my eyes.
"It's not, actually. If you had payed a lick of attention in the Latin classes I forced you take, you would have known. Lucia or Lucyfera are the female forms."
"Once a teacher," the blonde muttered in reply. "Could you just give a straight answer for once?"
"Funny you should say that. I know this demon, who… fine. Cassandra. Cassandra Pendragon." It didn't take long for the proverbial penny to drop.
"Pendragon," Cecilia, the half cherub, asked, "as in…" and there I went, sighing again.
"As in the knights of the round table. You're going to have a field day once you hear the name of my brothers."
"Brothers," Mary continued with widening eyes. "You're called Cassandra? And your sister's name is Reia?"
"Half sister, but yes."
"What are they going on about," Viyara asked telepathically. She hadn't picked up English, yet.
"Legends. Myths. Our names. Cassandra and Reia are pretty famous in Greek mythology and my brothers are probably even better known."
"That doesn't make any sense. Cassandra is already a translation, isn't it?"
"In a way. The name sounds similar enough in our mother tongue, but its origins are identical to local legends. Come to think of it, our mythology, that is my race's mythology, is a strange mixture of Earth's oldest fantasies. Which makes sense, considering Ahri, or rather Aurora and I, played a crucial role in the Pendragon's history and I've always loved telling stories. Might just be my fault. Unfortunately I can't be sure. I don't exactly have a time line when it comes to my past. I just know what happened, not necessarily when or in which order. Considering how fast I'm able to move I'm not even sure if there'd be a point to a chronology."
"So… there's actually not much to it?"
"Usually I'd agree, but considering how meticulously my life has been planned out up until know, there might as well be a message there. But I don't see it. Never have." I blinked to clear my head and focus back on the present. Nancy was still talking, but I had missed a few words:
"…coincidence. It must be the gate, right?" Yeah… not quite, but I wasn't too eager to paint them a more accurate picture. It didn't matter either way, so I simply shrugged and headed towards the centre of the rooftop. They fell in line behind me and truth be told, having eight beautiful women follow me like ducklings felt much more gratifying than it probably should have.
With a self satisfied smirk I made my way past potted ginseng plants and blossoming Goldenrain Trees. Their sweet, almost ethereal smell provided a beautiful contrast to the heavy, grounded scent of wet earth and the cleverly positioned Yulan magnolias added a few specks of pure white to the yellow and green canvas. If they had allowed a few birds to populate the living sanctuary amidst cold metal and grey concrete, it would have felt like home.
When the low murmurs about mud on designer shoes and ruined scarfs became loud enough to hear properly I finally replied: "Possibly. Maybe we'll know when we start to understand that thing. Where's… ah." A metallic ding sounded from the moss covered cement arch that hid the staircase and elevators from view. A few seconds later Aurelia and Reia appeared, each carrying an unconscious phoenix in its human form.
On a side note: you might be asking yourself: why's the Madame unconscious? Shouldn't she have been desperate to help her daughter at all cost? And you would have been right. If she hadn't been an entirely different woman. Remember what I said about a phoenix reincarnating? Yeah… the feathered gal had forgotten all about her previous life and her current personality was… challenging. Better to keep it simple for now. And much more quiet.
I cocked an eyebrow and asked: "who's keeping an eye on our guests downstairs? Viyara's control is strong, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone close by."
"Gramps," Anna replied from behind me. "Trust me, should someone wake up and make trouble, they'll soon wish they hadn't. He's… distraught about how we've been treated recently. After the gate opened the council turned to us and when we couldn't close it they turned on us. My grandfather isn't one to take a hit like that lightly." I shook my head.
"Neither would I. You've never explained how the bird fits in, though. What has she done? Judging from the few sentences I've heard from her she definitely wasn't of much help."
"That's the understatement of the century," the witch snorted. "I think it was her. Scared people are easy to manipulate and I guess our knowledge posed the biggest obstacle to her rise. She went with flow and stoked the flames the gate's appearance had ignited. Can't have been hard."
"Meaning?"
"She's a phoenix, a mythical creature. Her magic is far stronger than ours. The seven of us might be able to overcome her together, but on our own… anyways, I've told you she was the first one through, right? We felt her when she arrived. All of us. Not that it mattered. A fireball above the Himalayans is hard to miss." Inadvertently I started stroking the stamp on my arm. The Himalayans… had she attacked the monastery? Possible, but unlikely. The monks had been slaughtered, not burned. Maybe something else had followed close on her tail.
I stifled the rising anger in my chest and asked: "I guess every half decent wizard came running as soon as they heard. You were the first to get there?" Cecilia answered me:
"Not quite. America is still halfway across the world. The Chinese were the first on scene."
"Who, exactly?" When I heard them chuckle I looked over my shoulder which prompted Nancy to explain:
"I can show them to you. They're downstairs, piled up against the walls. Does it matter?"
"Not really. I'm just curious. Then what? She told you she'd help close the gate? In exchange for what?"
"Blood. Even her power isn't enough to force something this powerful shut. That's why the council was assembled. We wanted to exhaust our own resources, but the others… you've heard that part, haven't you?"
"Indeed I have. How were they going to collect the sacrifices? You'd have needed hundreds…"
Anna sighed regretfully before she replied: "there are plenty of people no one would miss. Russian gulags, Chinese camps, American prisons… we're well connected. It wouldn't have been difficult. I'm not proud of it, but cruelty aside, it wasn't a half bad plan. And it wouldn't have been the first time we made use of those… resources as well."
"Don't I know it." I massaged my temples before I added quietly: "on one hand I'm quite proud of what you've done, on the other… what were you thinking? Did you mean to become martyrs? Your… colleagues were almost eager to bleed you dry instead."
"One, one of them and he's always been an ass. But I guess he won't be a problem anymore. Incidentally… are you going to take it out on Ebenezer's family?"
"What do you take me for? I won't even be here when they wake up. No, dealing with the lot downstairs is your problem. Hang them up to dry or let them go, I don't care either way."
Our chat came to an end when we caught up to Reia. "How are they holding up," I asked and jerked my head towards the two unconscious birds.
"Lamia's burning up," my sister immediately replied, "we have to hurry. Back to the pond?" I nodded.
"If everything works out you'll be home in a minute. I've asked Ahri to inform Sarai. She'll be waiting for you. So will Mephisto. As soon as you're through they'll take you to the cavern."
"Aren't you coming," she wanted to know. Again she was trying to keep her tone neutral, but I knew her well enough by now to hear everything she didn't say.
I placed my hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear: "if I can, I will. It's just… when that seed activates it's going to punch a hole through space. Think for a moment. I've translated enough for you to know what's going on. You know some magic. What do you expect to happen?" She frowned, but I didn't have to wait long for an answer. She had already gotten there herself. She turned away, the blazing lights of Shanghai's skyline shimmering in her eyes when she stared into the distance.
"The gate. Chances are it's going to open. Am I wrong?"
"Unfortunately not. And when it does I might not be able to follow you. Trust me, I'll make sure you get through unscathed. As soon as the seedling blooms Greta will appear. You'll take her hand, grab Lamia and you won't look back. Have I made myself clear?" She turned back to me, a spark of defiance smouldering in her eyes, but after a moment she nodded.
"I promise. Satisfied?"
"Well then, let's get to it." I switched back to English and added: "stand back. It won't take long, but the pressure will be intense." To my surprise no one argued and a second later I found myself alone on a patch of furrowed soil where a few minutes ago a large tree had grown. Before a dragoness had pulled it out by its roots. Now it was lying a few steps to the side with tiny rivulets of murky water running down its coarse bark. If I ever got the chance I'd try planting it somewhere else, maybe even on another world.
I clenched my jaws and crouched to gently place the cherry seedling on the ground. Then I tentatively reached for the thin membrane that kept the power I had fed to it back on Gaya from erupting. With a twist of my awareness I tore right through the delicate construct and a flash of silver light illuminated the entire rooftop. I held my breath, praying that I hadn't messed up and that my magic would simply saturate the plant instead of spreading, but luckily that part worked out without a hitch. The smell of ozone welled up, tiny roots burrowed their way deep into the verdant earth, buds were sprouting along its branches and with an almost human sigh the first leaves unfolded. A moment later the sweet smell of cherries lightened the suffocating stench of unleashed magic as my power thundered against the laws of nature.
A resounding crack, like a pane of glass breaking, made my companions flinch and the witches eyes immediately darted to the dome, but it wasn't the building that had given in. From far away the sensations of home called to me, but I couldn't help. I couldn't use my magic here without risking much more than I was willing to. All I could do was wait. Wait and watch as the tree slowly dug its way deeper into the earth and deeper into the adamant border that divided one place from the other.
"Just a little further," I breathed and clenched my fists. My wings materialised and without thinking I spread them wide, turned them into a glaring, scintillating wall between my friends and my power. The pressure spiked, the water from the sprinklers turned into fog then steam, the closest plants shivered as their life force was pulled from them, a shrieking whistle pulsed again my ears and then it began. The first blossom opened and Greta's presence began to manifest in the rooftop garden.
"Now," I shouted, my wings groping blindly for my sister and the two phoenixes. The heat of the sun suddenly burned my cheeks as Aurelia unfurled her wings. Like a beam of light she shot past me, Viyara hot on her heels. Mid flight the dragoness transformed, her nimble, lithe body turned into coils of unyielding strength and her alluring face became a mask of adamant scales and deadly fangs. For the fraction of a second I couldn't understand until I saw where they were headed.
Right above the tree a fissure had appeared, tiny, grey and pulsing, but with each beat it expanded, it grew until it was taller than me. Streams of grey nothingness poured from the gap like the tentacles of some long forgotten monster and with a violent hiss it tore open completely, just as Greta's faced appeared on the dark trunk of the cherry tree. Her eyes widened and arms made of wood materialised. She reached for Reia frantically and with a shove I propelled my sister and the two girls towards her waiting embrace. Then I turned my gaze upon the rippling gate and my expression hardened. "I am not a mortal mage," I snarled and rose into the air.