Maev and the Path Not Taken - Version 2

“You have failed me Erylis,” growled King Corliss his deep rumbling voice echoed throughout the throne room. His golden eyes glowed hot with rage. “And now, you have brought dishonor on our name by appearing in my court as a humanoid,” said Corliss in a disapproving tone. 

“Father, if you would just let me explain! I...”, Erylis started but Corliss cut her off with a wave of his hand. 

“I have heard all I need to,” he said and motioned forward with his hand. 

From behind the fine-grained slate throne stepped a black dragon. A thin, triumphant smile revealed sharp dagger-like teeth. 

“Lavantys!”, Erylis gasped. 

“Surprised?”, Lavantys said coolly. “Did you really think that silly little potion of yours could kill a dragon?” 

From the other side of the throne stepped a green dragon. In one of his hands, he held a large burlap bag. 

“Hogarth? It’s, it’s not possible?” sputtered Erylis. 

“Is it? First you failed to prevent the advancement of the CommonWealth forces,” Corliss stated as he rose from his throne and started down the smooth steps towards Erylis. “Then you allowed yourself to be captured further disgracing our people. And as if that were not enough, you resorted to the dark arts of witchery to betray the kingdom!” Golden flames spouted from his nostrils as he spoke. 

“Anker knows the truth!” said Erlys desperately. 

“Ah yes. Your mentor and friend. Lavantys has shared with me how the two of you purposefully held back. your troops from coming to her aid during the battle against the CommonWealth” 

“No!”, Erlys protested. 

“That you had hoped that act of treachery would curry favor with the CommonWealth. That together you would then dispose of me and take the throne for yourselves!” 

Erylis eyes went wide. This wasn’t possible! she thought anxiously. Lavantys has twisted what really happened! 

“How, upon discovering this vile plot you lured them into a trap where you thought you could kill them!” his voice boomed now shaking the ground and ceiling. 

“You cannot believe Lavantys father! She is filling your head with lies!!” 

“How little you think of me that I cannot perceive the difference between honesty and deception,” said Corlis irritably. 

“Ask Anker father! You know him! He is a truthful and honorable dragon!” 

“Oh, my dear but I already have,” Corliss said sourly, and he nodded to Hogarth who kicked the burlap bag. Gasps resonated throughout the chamber as the bloody stump of Anker’s head rolled forward, down the steps before stopping at Erylis’ feet. 

Erylis covered her mouth with her hands. Tears flooded her eyes. 

“You are weak,” Corliss said severely as he took the last few steps to tower over Erylis. Lavantys and Hogarth followed closely behind. “Look as you cower and mourn for Anker’s death. You, like him, are lesser beings meant to crumble and fall to ruin.  

“Father, this isn’t you. Please, I-I beg of you.” 

“Know this; you will not have the throne and your plans have been for naught.” 

“I-I didn’t want this father,” Erylis said in a rather small voice. 

“It’s time,” came a gravelly voice from below. 

Erylis stole her gaze away from her father to look at the bloodied and beaten head of Anker. 

“We have to go,” Anker said to her before he closed his eyes. 

“Anker?” she asked, her voice faint and tiny. “Go where? Where do we have to go?” 

“Do not concern yourself with the dead. He cannot help you now, daughter,” said Corliss bitterly. Then he opened his mouth and in an anguished scream unleashed a blast of golden flame upon her. The brilliant, white-hot light was the last thing she saw before she awoke with a start. In front of her stood Anker, a solemn expression on his humanoid, white bearded face. 

“We’re here,” he said as he pulled on a brown hood covering the few remaining wisps of white hair on his head. 

Erylis shook her head to cast off the lingering feeling of dread and defeat she felt after her dream. 

“Yew alright?” Anker asked over his shoulder as they made their way off the platform, down steps and into the main concourse. Its walls and large transverse arches were made of coursed ashlar travertine, and the floor of terrazzo. At the center was a four-faced opal clock above an information booth. Tall vertical windows on the high walls, extended up from the roofline allowing light and breeze into a space.  

Balconies extended out from the north, west, and east sides, overlooking the main floor. An elliptical barrel-vaulted ceiling some thirty-six meters from the ground with ornamental bronze chandeliers hanging down caused Erylis mouth to gape. She could make out an elaborate mural of golden constellations set against a turquoise backdrop albeit, she noticed with disdain, some of the representations were astronomically inaccurate. 

She shook her head again. Erylis certainly couldn’t recall having ever taken a course in astronomy. And even if she had she no doubt had slept through it, so she knew this had to be another memory from this girl, Maev, swimming and mixing with her own.  

“Yes, just a bad dream,” she said in a vague voice. 

“Right then,” Anker said, not thoroughly convinced. “We need to get a transport. That way, I think,” he said pointing ahead through glass doors.  

Anker pulled her through the swarming mass of bodies as passengers made their way into the stations while others rushed to their transport. Out in front the sheer volume of honking horns, sirens blaring, jackhammers pounding away at a construction site all while getting bumped, jostled and pushed by the people going about their lives made Erylis lightheaded and dizzy. 

How does anyone live like this, she thought in utter disbelief. Compared to the expansive, airy, spaces, fine stone carved castles and buildings of her homeward, Iraxto was a bustling hive of frenzied hornets! 

“Here, we can take this to our destination,” Anker said dragging her along as she stared in awe at the magnificently tall, narrow, gleaming towers of glass that soared upwards all around them. 

Anker handed the driver a paper with the address and sat back. 

“So, whut’s the plan?”, he asked rousing her from her reverie. 

“The plan?” Erylis hadn’t really thought that far ahead. She cursed under her breath. She wasn’t like this. She was thorough, thoughtful and precise. But she knew from Maev’s consciousness that the longer she was in this body the more she would start thinking, acting and behaving like Maev. Erylis groaned inwardly. With little to go on but the scraps of memories in Erylis’ head Anker had reached out to an old contact that was able to hack into several different sovereign government systems. From there they were able to determine where Maev was. It didn’t help that she was attending a boarding school called Morroia deep in the heart of the CommonWealth. But they were able to get fake IDs with preloaded credits and transportation to Iraxto where Maev was. Anker had been with her the entire time, steering her and guiding her. Now came the hard part. He was looking to her as his leader to have a plan. Everything had been moving so quickly since they had embarked on trying to find where Maev was, she hadn’t had time think through what she would do once she was in front of her, 

“Right, whut’re yew gonna do when yew find her? This Maev gurl.” 

“I just assumed if I touched her, we would switch back.” 

“That come from her memories?” he said touching the side of his head. 

Erylis shook her head. 

“Well, I’m sure she’s gonna wanna change back just as much as yew do. I mean, just look at dis place! Everting is too tight, too small, too narrow. How canna a dragon even live here?” 

Erylis looked back out the window of the cab and wondered the same thing. The whole city was magical. With its bright lights, masses of people moving in waves like water flowing in and around the city. There was a curious mix of chaos and yet a semblance of order. She craned her neck back against the head rest and as far up as the eye could see were other layers of traffic moving across, up and down. 

If they could control this sheer pandemonium what hope did her people really have to hold back their assault let alone defeat them? 

After several hours of jerking back and forth, moving up inches just to come to a complete stop the cab veered hard and to the left. They accelerated as they dashed into an underground tunnel with faded yellow lights (not magical candles which made Erylis think it was some other form of magic) before charging now to the right, around a sharp bend that caused Anker and her to slide to the side and smash up against the door before the cab settled back down on its hover bases. 

Now the buildings were much smaller and made of a drab, emotionless brown brick. The sky above, for now she could see it was a glorious soft blue sky with billowy white clouds wandering about aimlessly. They crossed a bridge that ran over turbulent black waters and into bright green and lush countryside.  

They continued down a two-lane road for a couple of hours until the cabbie turned off. There, tucked away in the rolling green pastures and verdant hills, was a village. Dainty cottages with thatched roofs lined the left side of the road and to the right a narrow creek bubbled by. The cab continued down a steep cobbled main street then turned the corner where the black iron bars of the outer fence of the children’s school, Inhar-Garaxt, cast a shadow across the cab.   

The school itself stood high on a hill all but hidden in the foliage of the forest that surrounded it.  Only the tower where the children that lived on-campus could be seen poking just out above the treetops.  After passing the outer gates they drove a long windy drive that was almost three kilometers long. Just before entering the school campus there was a narrow bridge that spanned a deep chasm.  The cabbie slowly pulled up to the guard station on the right as a large caravan of transports road past them in the other direction. He lowered the window in the back seat for Erylis and Anker to speak with the front gate guard.   

A stiff looking young man with a smooth, soft face hidden under a broad brim brown hat dressed in a crisp dark brown jacket and khaki pants with a black cape thrown over his shoulder stepped forward.   

“Your name please?” 

“Maev Caitrín Sekhmet,” Erylis answered. 

“And your reason for entry?” 

“I’m, I’m a student here.” The guard entered the information into a pad, waited then nodded. He took a step back and motioned her forward. On the other side of the bridge was the main entry gate.  On either side of the gate were two narrow turrets topped with brown sloping triangular cone roofs that were attached to the outer walls which rose twelve ominous meters and extended out several hundred yards before ending at large towers.    

For those that were arriving for the first time on campus the site was quite imposing.  The added allure was the mist the seemed to constantly shroud the upper school, Morroia, that was just off in the distance further up almost hidden in the clouds. 

“This is it,” the driver confirmed for them. 

Anker reached into his jacket pocket and handed the man his id. The man took it, swiped it in a black box in the front seat then handed him back the card. 

“If you need a lift back just call me,” the driver said and handed Anker a card. Anker took it and shoved it in his pant pocket. He then quickly opened his door, ran around to the other side and opened it for Erylis who strode out, across the grass and up to the front door. 

“How should we announce ourselves? Is there no one here to do this for us?” Erylis asked Anker. 

“No, I don’t believe that is the custom here. Perhaps if we knock on the door?” Anker offered. 

Erylis started to knock when she heard someone call out Maev’s name. She turned to look to see a tall woman in a long sleeve, cropped length, steel grey fitted twill blazer with matching linen-blend pant and mid-heel black leather booties. Her golden hair was pulled back in a tight bun just above her neck. 

“Maev!” she called out again. 

Erylis looked at her confused as she struggled to search Maev’s memories for the name of the woman. 

“This is where we part” Anker whispered to Erylis.  

“Wait, what? You can’t leave me here!”    

“I canna get into the school. Listen ta me and listen good; yew have a choice here, your majesty. Once yur on the other side of these walls yew’ll be one of them. No one will know any different. We’re a far cry from the Kingdom of Vestroya and there’s no chance your father will ever be able to get to yew here.” 

“What, what are you saying?” Erylis asked confused but in her heart she already knew. 

“Aye, I saw the way yew were gazing at the city. It’s intoxicating. Surreal even. This is where yur meant to be your majesty. Be here. Live this gurls life. Or, find her, change back and then get out. The choice is yurs”  

Erylis looked at Anker with worried eyes.  

“I swore to yur father I’d protect yew. I’m not forsakin’ that oath. I’ll be right here waitin’. Be strong. I know yew’ll make the right decision,” he said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.  

“I’ll be right here,” Anker said with a reassuring smile then he turned and started off in the other direction. 

“Is everything alright, dear? Why I just saw you onto the shuttle to take you to the École et Lettres d'Ingénieurs on your exchange semester. How on Earths did you get here?” 

“I-I wasn’t feeling well so they brought me back,” Erylis stumbled out in explanation. 

“I see. And who was that gentleman that was with you?” 

Erylis looked over her shoulder, but Anker was gone. 

“A friend.” 

“Well, let’s get you inside and looked after. You weren’t expected back for another two semesters, but I suppose you can finish your course work here. No sense in sending you back now.” 

Erlys nodded. She had done it! Maybe Anker was right. She could stay here, live this girl’s life and never have to go back, ever. The once vivid remnants from her dream quickly began to fade as she walked through the gate and into Morroia.  

I’m free, she thought with profound relief.  

******* 

As Anker rounded the corner, he saw a man standing next to an assortment of boxes and luggage. 

“I say good sir,” the man called out to him. Anker glanced behind then back at the man. 

“Yes, you,” he said with a friendly smile. “I was hoping you could assist me. I’m looking for Morroia. The School of Spells & Incantations. My cabbie seems to have thought this was the place,” the man said motioning to a pub behind him, “And just threw me out with all of my belongings.” 

“Well, yur in luck mate. The school is just around the corner here,” Anker said casting a thumb over his shoulder. 

“Oh, excellent! Much obliged!” the man said. He turned, grunted as he lifted the first suitcase, walked two steps and set it down before turning back to pick up one of the many steamer trunks. 

Anker watched him do this several times before finally thinking better of it and offered to help the main. 

“Oh, thank you kind sir! I don’t know how long it would’ve taken me to get these to the school.” 

“No worries t’all. Why do yew have so much baggage anyways? Yew movin’ in?” 

“I guess in a manner of speaking yes, I am. You see, I am to be the new professor in Dragonology. What you see here,” and the man cast a hand dramatically waving at all the trunks and luggage, “is the most in-depth knowledge in all the CommonWealth as it relates to dragons.” 

He then leaned in and said in a somewhat conspiratorial tone. “As I understand it, due to our deteriorating relationship with the dragon Kingdom of Vestroya and their most recent terrorist activity in our borders, the Headmistress wants to ensure that her students are well equipped and prepared. All about knowing your enemy better then they know themselves and such,” the man said with a wink. “I’m not in favor of war, mind you, just sharing my knowledge with the hopes that it inspires a student in some small way.” 

“Yew know professor, I’d love to hear more about it. Why don’t we leave these things here for a moment and I buy you a pint.” 

“Are you sure? There are some rather valuable artifacts in here,” the man said hesitantly. 

“They’ll be fine,” Anker said reassuringly as he wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulder and steered him into the pub. 

“Now, whut’d yew say yur name was again?”