BOOK 3 - Myth Ch. 06

"Iqiohr's body died. The magic will find another." Norrix put an arm around Myth and guided her down the steps. "But you are strygoi. Mages have always feared strygoi because strygoi magic is more powerful. You can break the chains."

They finished descending the steps and Myth set Fable on her feet, crouching in front of her. Gripping the collar around her daughter's neck with both hands, Myth ignored the buzz of Mage magic on her skin. Still unsure how to use strygoi magic, she simply willed the collar, manacles, and chains gone. With a flash of silver, the metal crumbled to dust.

Searching for the magic that had rendered her baby mute, Myth found a white scorpion, it's stinger embedded in Fable's throat. This she killed with her bare hands, taking the loathsome creature into one fist and squeezing it into nothing. Fable made a choking sound, but that was it. "You're free, Fable. The spell on you is broken now. You can talk if you want to, little one. Will you talk to me?"

Fable put a hand over her mouth and shook her head.

Myth hugged her daughter close. Tears filed her eye, but she smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to be quiet anymore. When you're ready you can talk, okay?"

Fable lowered her hand and nodded.

Norrix knelt in front of them. "You're free now. You can leave this place. Please come to Port Storm with me. There are some witches there who would love to meet you. My friend Zeke has horses, and there's a big garden. We even have an Ahuizotl my friends Stryx and Ember rescued. Port Storm would be a good place to learn about being strygoi, and if you don't want to stay there I'll take you wherever you want to go. Anywhere in this world, and anywhere in any of the other worlds I know about. What do you think?"

Myth let her strygoi side go. "It's up to you, little one." Her daughter wasn't speaking, not even telepathically. Maybe Fable had been too traumatized by what Myth had done when she'd accepted the strygoi magic. Norrix hadn't let Fable see anything, but she had heard everything. She hadn't had a choice, though.

No. Myth stopped that line of thought. She'd chosen it, and would deal with the fallout. "Do you want to go to a new place, see some new things? We can make our own stories now."

Fable nodded.

<><><><><>

NORRIX

"Mr. N!" Clio hugged him. "Did you find your amor, beauty, consort—"

"Draga." Norris filled in the word for D. "She is my Draga. Yes, Clio. Thanks to you. This is Myth and Fable."

"This is your angel, baby, child, daughter..." Clio trailed off, blinked at Fable and leaned close to Norrix. "Exactly how long were you gone this time? Sometimes it's hard to keep track here, but I didn't think it was that long."

Norrix laughed. "It's only been a day."

Clio plucked a key from under the counter and moved to crouch in front of Fable. "Hello, little one. It's nice to meet you." She offered Fable the key. "If you ever want to visit us here in Ashana, you just need to use this key."

"She's a little young to be flying a jet to get here."

"I didn't give her a room key. That's a pass key." She lowered voice. "It opens into a safe room in the vault. It uses a much smaller portal and activates certain defenses. Zax likes our younger visitors to have special access."

"Is she around?"

"In the stables. There's been something of a revolt."

"When isn't there a revolt in the stables?" Norrix laughed. "She's far more lenient with the animals than she is with the rest of us."

Clio lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

"I can't fly us home quite yet. The sun is still out. Would you like to meet some of the animals here?"

Fable nodded.

Norrix carried her on his hip, curled his free arm around Myth and escorted them to the elevator. A family. He'd long ago given up hope of having one, other than the vampires and Selene.

He pushed the button for the stables and the doors closed, immediately sliding open to reveal an outdoor expanse. Stables were a misnomer, really. Zax wouldn't lock animals in stalls, each one had a habitat. None of them were restrained. Eagles perched in trees, eight reindeer had a snowy meadow, dragons lolled in piles of treasure, crocodiles basked near ponds, huge holes in the ground led to burrows. A barn loomed ahead of them for creatures that preferred an indoor climate.

Zax stood next to Santa, who wasn't looking so jolly. Face flushed, arms gesticulating, he yelled and pushed past her, big black boots stomping towards the stables. She let him go until a sound that was a cross between a neigh and a growl rumbled from inside the building. Darting in front of Santa, she pushed him to the ground and turned back to face the stable in time to catch the full brunt of a gout of flames as it engulfed her head to toe.

Kasuku, Hugin and Munin perched on a tree branch. Odin's enormous ravens hopped up and down on their perch in excitement, wings half outstretched as they cawed encouragement for misbehavior.

Myth gasped in horror and Fable clapped her hands over her mouth. Norrix laughed and they turned disbelieving gazes towards him. "Don't worry. It'd take a lot more than a bad-tempered, fire-breathing horse to cause her any harm. They pull Ares' chariot. Or they did. Since he's semi-retired his son Cupid uses the chariot occasionally, but the horses stay here.""

When the flames disappeared Zax stood unscathed. "We've talked about you setting people on fire before. It's not polite." She glanced back and saw them. "Look, we have visitors and you just terrified a little girl."

A massive red horse peered out, a small A massive red horse peered out, a small reindeer stood between his forelegs, the tops of her antlers barely reaching the horse's chest.

"We need to get home. We've got a lot to do. It's December!" Santa said. "She can have the rest of the year off, but I need her for the next two weeks."

Zax grinned. "Even I can't fight love. You'll have to take the horse too."

<><><><><>

IQIOHR

The Scorpion Mage, freed from a body when its heart was torn out, sought a new host. Multiple consciousnesses of past Mages argued about what to do. The longer the magic remained unanchored the weaker it would become. If it became too weak one of the other Mages would find and absorb it. The Scorpion Mage would be no more, taken and used like a pathetic witch to bolster another's power. That was no fate for him.

There were no worthy options left in Aztlan. Those demon women tore through Iqiohr's men, destroying any chance of using one of those bodies. They were all missing hearts now. The magic could resurrect a dead man once, but without a heart the body wouldn't live long enough to be of any use.

The magic hovered over Aztlan, watching as the city was lost. All the consciousnesses watched one woman in particular — the one glowing silver. A strygoi. The daughter could be strygoi too.

They were supposed to be impossible, the blood lines exterminated a thousand years ago in a massacre so bloody even some mages had been against it, arguing for subjugation instead. But silver witches were a threat, resistant to being siphoned off like other types of magic and against Mage spells, so they had been killed. No more threat.

The Scorpion Mage had fed on silver magic, coerced into being given to him by a mother via threats to a daughter. It was exquisite, and he'd craved it like a drug. It increased his power exponentially and had no restrictions as to the type of spell it could fuel. He'd drained that witch too quickly. When the daughter was old enough, he'd bred it, hoping for more silver witches. The silver magic had faded away over time, but the tradition of keeping an Esne for breeding had been maintained, all in hopes silver magic would be reborn.

Until now, it hadn't.

Iqiohr's consciousness replayed memories of the strygoi obeying because of threats to the small one. Always so weak, mother witches. If he could find a powerful enough acolyte he could use these silver witches against each other, once the demons had been dealt with.

The Mage magic left Aztlan, flowing north. The Eel Mage lived in the north. It was too cold and wet there for the Scorpion Mage's taste, but they had traded witches and creatures before. The Scorpion Mage had traded one of the dogs to the Eel Mage once, and remembered the mage's strong acolytes.

There was one the Scorpion Mage had tried to steal away as his own. Ruthless, young, almost ready to forge a Mage-Maker blade, and already white-haired. But the boy had been foolish, wanting to stay with his brother. Maybe now he would appreciate what the Scorpion Mage could offer him.

The Eel Mage's island was empty when the Scorpion Mage flowed over it. The drowned, boneless bodies of minions littered the ground. His pet at work. How had the Eel Mage lost control, and where was his pet now?

Cold winds buffeted the Scorpion Mage. He hated this place, but he'd used too much energy to get here to range much farther. He needed to find a body soon and regain his strength.

Flowing east towards the city, the Scorpion Mage cast a wide net, searching for the best possibility. There, in the mountains to the east of the city. There was hope of a worthy acolyte. The Scorpion Mage flew with purpose now, zeroing in on the small wooden cabin in the forest. Two men, and to his delight, one of them the very same acolyte he wanted for his own.

The Scorpion Mage streamed under the door, using the last of his power to coalesce in the form of a white scorpion in front of the man he'd chosen. Lashing out with his tail, the Scorpion Mage struck, sinking his stinger deep into the white haired man.

Mage magic had to be taken, it couldn't be given, so the Scorpion Mage was proud when the man pulled his Mage-Maker blade and sank it into his scorpion body in return. Mage magic poured into his new body. The Scorpion Mage relished the new form, bigger and more muscled than his last.

All the consciousnesses battled for dominance over the new body.

When it was done, Dmitri, the new Scorpion Mage, rose to his feet.

<><><><><>

MYTH

The moon bathed the area around the clifftop mansion in bright light, but the roof of the house remained in shadow.

"Why is your house in the dark when everything else is lit up?" Myth asked. "Is that a vampire thing?"

"No," Norrix replied, his gaze riveted on the house as he steered the car up the driveway. "I've never seen it like this before."

Fable's eyes lit up and she bounced in her seat as she pointed.

The shadow on the house moved. A long neck lifted up, a head turned to face them.

Grinning, Fable clapped her hands in excitement when the shadow continued to unfold itself from the roof to reveal a dragon sitting on its haunches, watching them approach. Enormous wings snapped out to its sides and it reared back, head tilting to the sky in a silent roar.

Norrix stopped the car. "Where did they get a dragon in the three days I was gone?"

Fable unbuckled her seat belt and crawled into the front seat, pressing her face and hands to the windshield as she watched the beast. After a moment she scrambled over Myth's lap, her small hands grabbing for the handle. She got the door open before Myth could stop her, tumbled out of the car and darted up the driveway.

"Fuck!" Myth's hands were all thumbs as she tried to unfasten her seat belt. Her heart was in her throat. "I have not lived through everything they did to me in Aztlan to keep her safe only to have her eaten by a dragon!"

Norrix clicked the button for her, and the seat belt whipped back.

Myth lunged out of the car, her longer legs somehow not able to catch Fable's shorter stride. "I thought I only had to worry about vampires!" She tossed the words over her shoulder at Norrix.

"I didn't know we had a dragon! I would have said something!"

Gathering itself, the dragon launched off the roof to circle in the air.

Jumping up as high as she could, Fable stretched her arms above her head.

"Come back here! You are not allowed to fly off with dragons that live on top of vampire houses!" Myth tried to grab her daughter. Dragons were supposed to be storybook creatures, not something she actually had to worry about.

Fable scowled and dodged, arms reaching for the dragon flying overhead.

The door opened and Ember, armed with her sword, and Viktoria rushed outside, followed by Stryx and Jael.

"What's all the shouting about?" Ember asked.

"There seems to be a dragon in residence." Norrix sounded calm. There was a dragon on his house and he was calm!

"It's all right," Viktoria laughed. "The dragon is made of my shadow magic and Ember's light magic. It can't hurt anyone."

The dragon swooped low, right over Fable. Its stomach slid over her daughter's outstretched fingers. "That thing isn't acting like a shadow." Adrenaline pumped through her and she put on a burst of speed, reaching Fable as the dragon's tail slipped through her small fingers.

Fable tried to run after the dragon, but Myth caught her arm and pulled her up short. "Please don't scare me like that."

Heaving a sigh Fable tried to shake her mother's grip off. When she couldn't, she turned her face up to watch the dragon. "Once..." Fable's voice was weak and faded out. She rubbed her throat and coughed.

Myth's eyes went wide and filled with tears. She pressed a finger over Fable's lips. "Honey, I love that you feel safe enough to talk here, but wait—"

"Let her talk," Norrix grinned. "No one here will ever force her to be silent."

Myth shook her head. "No, you don't understand. When she—"

Fable cleared her throat, pushed her mother's hand aside, and scrunched her face in concentration. "Once... once upon a time, the dragon was real!"

"Oh...Can she do that?" Norrix didn't sound sure of himself now.

"That's why I didn't want her to say anything yet. It's always been small things before, but whenever she starts a sentence with 'once upon a time' something happens. It's why Iqiohr spelled her mute. He couldn't control her when she could speak."

The dragon swooped low, and this time when it flapped its wings, the gusts of wind generated forced them all take a step back. It went vertical in front of them and landed hard on its hind legs. Its claws tore into the driveway, tearing up chunks of pavement as it folded its wings and settled its bulk to the ground. The dragon lowered its head to rest at Fable's feet.

Fable threw her arms as far as she could around the beast's neck. It curled one foreleg around her.

The little girl cocked her head to one side. "But my name is Fable." She paused as if listening, and said, "Okay, you can call me that if you want to."

"Who are you talking to?" Myth asked.

"The silver magic. I told Sora my name is Fable, but I don't mind if she wants to call me 'cel mic' instead."

Silver flashed in the dragon's eyes.

"Bring them here, Sora," Fable looked around. "I can't see them."

The polar bear, the crow, and the snake emerged from shadows around the house and pond to circle around the little girl and the dragon.

"There are more of them?" Myth shouted at Norrix.

"That's all of them," Viktoria said. "Except for the cat and the owl, but they're inside with Selene and Musette."

Myth threw up her hands.

It's okay Sora. Cel mic will be protected. The voice, so childish and playful in it's timbre before sounded like fate speaking now.

Okay. Help me protect her.

"Once upon a time you were all real too," Fable opened her arms wide, "but you have to be smaller."

One by one, the shadow animals grew solid, then shrank to a foot high. Each of them had silver eyes. Fable gathered them in her arms, cuddling and cooing.

Myth's heartbeat slowed. Her world was going to be this kind of weird now. Norrix tangled his fingers with hers. She could deal with this kind of weird.

Some strygoi magic is in each shadow and Fable can take them wherever she goes. They are real and if she gets scared she can make them big. She will never be unprotected again, Sora.

"Well," Jael murmured. "I guess Ciaran can stop worrying about the homeowner's insurance covering dragons on the roof."

Norrix chuckled. "That sounds like Ciaran." He pulled her forwards. "Myth, this is Viktoria and Jael. You know Ember and Stryx."

Jael sheathed his black swords on his back.

Ember crouched in front of Fable. "You can call me Auntie Em if you want, unless there's a tornado. We were just with Selene and my sister. Would you like to met them? Selene is excited to meet you."

Fable nodded.

"I met your sister, Musette," Myth said.

"She told me about your meeting." Ember held out a hand. "I had no idea she could do that. Come on. We'll poof to the tower and let the boys catch up."

Myth accepted Ember's hand. Viktoria gathered the shadow animals and Fable, and with a silver flash they reappeared in a round tower room.

Fable ran across the room and rounded the corner of the couch, trailed by her shadow animals. A sense of relief and amazement washed over Myth. Her little girl was so brave and resilient. She skidded to a stop when she saw the golden-haired woman lying there, her head on a pillow in Selene's lap.

"She's like a beautiful sleeping princess," Fable whispered. "Did she eat a poisoned apple?"

"No, cel mic, but Musette's magic was poisoned." Selene brushed some hair from Musette's face. "We're trying to find a way to make her magic better so she can wake up."

Fable squished herself in next to Selene. Ember and Viktoria sat in chairs close by. Myth sat next to Fable. A sudden rush of strygoi magic took her breath away and she put a hand to her chest.

Selene placed a gentle hand in her shoulder. "The magic becomes stronger the more of us who share it, especially when we're gathered in one place. It can be a bit overwhelming at first."

"Hello new strygoi and little strygoi. I'm Idris." He sat down on the couch across from them. "I was coming to put Musette to bed."

"Doesn't he know he has to kiss the sleeping princess to wake her up?" Fable whispered. "All the stories say that."

"I wish it was that easy," Idris said. "I would have woken her up a long time ago."

Fable cleared her throat. "Once upon a time Auntie Musette will wake up when Uncle Idris kisses her."

Selene smiled. "Well, go on. Kiss the girl."

Idris knelt in front of Selene and pressed his lips to Musette's forehead.

"That's not how a prince kisses a princess to wake her up." Fable informed him.

Myth flushed, but had to agree with Fable's assessment. That was definitely not how Norrix had showed her how princes kissed their princesses, much less how vampires kissed their Dragas.

Idris sighed. "Now I'm getting kissing advice from a child." He pressed his lips to Musette's.

When Musette didn't stir, Fable frowned. "You're not kissing her right. Do you know how to kiss her?"

Ember snorted. "Yeah, Idris. Maybe you're a bad kisser and that's why you can't wake your princess up. Poor Musette. Stuck with a bad-kisser forever."

A laugh Myth recognized echoed around the room.

Idris pushed himself up from the floor and sat on the other sofa. "I am not a bad kisser."

"Don't sulk. Here is your Draga." Selene's tower changed, the room expanding to hold an overlay of a second dining room where a second Musette sat at a table.

She stood, put her ice cream in the freezer and joined them, flitting from person to person for hugs, then sitting next to Idris. "Don't worry, vampire-mine." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "We can practice kissing until you get it right."

"Where are we?" Myth asked.

"This is Draga space," Selene explained. "Each strygoi can create it when needed. As your magic gets stronger you'll be able to use it to bring your vampire to you."

"I can see why Norrix thought this would be the best place to learn about being a strygoi."