Chapter Eighteen

 Eridanus Réalta

Eridanus’s head throbbed. She could feel Shadowwalker in her mind, twisting through the nooks and crannies of her brain.

There. Go there. Mount Naga.

NO! she wanted to scream. But Shadowwalker wasn’t having it.

GO. YOU ARE MINE. GO NOW.

Her headache. She knew somehow that if she tried hard enough, she could resist Shadowwalker’s pull, but it was so hard! It was like pulling yourself up over the edge of a cliff with only one arm, the knowledge that if you slipped, your wings would give and you would tumble hundreds of feet to the ground below.

Something tingled in the back of her mind. 

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD, SHADOWWALKER!” Eridanus screamed aloud, clutching her head and diving.

I’m not Shadowwalker! 

Eridanus, who had just landed, screamed in terror and surprise.

Be careful, don’t hurt yourself!

Eridanus was hopping around the meadow, smashing her head against the ground and feeling quite insane.

“WHO ARE YOU?” Eridanus shouted, wiping a drop of blood off her eyebrow from a sharp rock.

Oh yes. I’m Perdita.

“Are you serious?” Eridanus half-laughed, recognizing the word lost in the old language.

Quiet. Rather unfortunate, that. But that's all I can remember.

“What do you mean?” Eridanus asked, confused now. “How can you only remember your name? Especially that name?”

I… guess I don’t know. But you are right that my name is awful.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

How am I in your head?

“Exactly.”

Eridanus’ head spun. To put these events in perspective, so far today she had gone face-to-face with the evilest, most villainous creep of the millennia, been moderately kidnaped, discovered that her tarnaite was General Sintev’s daughter, been brainwashed, and to top it off there was a random dragon with amnesia inhabiting her head. 

“AAAAAAAAARGH!” Eridanus yelled for no general reason, although it did feel good to scream. She did it again. It did feel good. Like, OH HEY SHADOWWALKER YOU SUCK!, but not saying it.

She let out one more scream.

Are you finished now?

“Oops. Sorry. Who are you actually, now? Because either you can tell me everything, or you can get out of my head. I don’t need two dragons in my head.”

Um.

“What, you don’t remember? Maybe you’re shockingly TEN dragons rolled into one mind?”

No, it’s that I got Shadowwalker, whoever that was, out of your head for you. He’s got a shocking headache right about now, I’d say. I’m rather proud of that.

“Wow,” Eridanus enunciated. Her head did feel so much lighter, calmer, and less tangled. “Thanks, then.”

I’m also not a dragon.

༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ ༘ 

That was an interesting conversation, made no easier by Perdita’s odd, fancy way of speaking and awkward mind accent. After a few minutes, she got the facts, though.

Perdita was a human, but a weird sort of human called wyrm-blessed, where a long time ago, one of their ancestors had stolen a dragon’s life force. A dying dragon on the verge of passing over is no trivial thing, for dragons can live for an indefinite amount of time. A human might have even killed the dragon to get the life force.

But now, Perdita had the ability to read minds and transmit messages. She was fireproof and was stronger than average, had a longer lifespan, and sometimes, she could read the future. Apparently, what kind of dragon had died decided your powers. Eridanus had read a book about this stuff long ago but because of the trauma that she had recently, it was kind of hard to remember some things.

Full disclosure: Eridanus could also read the future. She just chose not to. It was hard, it was draining, and it wasn’t always accurate, because you could say one wrong thing and everything changed. So she closed that eye a long time ago and didn’t want to reopen it.

Perdita’s weird voice filled her head again, echoing like a cry in a cavern. Strangely, it was clearer now, and although Eridanus hadn’t realized it, Perdita’s voice had been quiet and fuzzy. Now, it was clear, it was as if Perdita was speaking from a foot away from her.

I think you’re close to me. I’ve never heard anyone so clearly for years and years, since I was free.

“Free?”

Oops. I don’t think I was supposed to say that.

Perdita’s voice was clearer than ever. Eridanus looked at her legs and discovered that she was walking.

She frowned but didn’t stop. Turning a corner, she discovered that she was facing a large stairway, tunnel-like in appearance, that dug straight into a river that flowed with wild vigor.

Perdita’s voice was pounding in her head now, loud and clear. 

I hear you! You’re  very close! Please, please come down! I haven’t seen another human in years!

“I’m not human, though. I’m a dragon.” Eridanus said, confused.

Honestly, I guess I don’t mind. I’d rather see something than go another day alone. I’d go insane.

“Too late,” Eridanus muttered and marched down the stairs before she could change her mind.

It was weird in every way, from the too-tight walls slick with algae to the squishy echoes distorting her hearing. Whenever she came to a turn, she followed Perdita’s voice, trotting wherever it was loudest.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, she came to three doorways. From each door, an eerie blue glow shone out. Eridanus averted her eyes and listened for Perdita’s voice, hoping it wouldn’t come from the doors. 

Of course, it did, though. Carefully listening to Perdita’s mental calls and notations, she turned to the left door. Inside There was a large cocoon of liquid pulsating around the body of a young human, like slime or goo. Eridanus’ heart pounded. This was not right – a violation of nature. Magic was right. This was not any magic she’d ever seen or ever would see again.

She wanted to turn and leave, run away as fast as she could. But she owed Perdita, for tugging Shadowwalker out of her head.

So she stumbled forward and stabbed her talon into the cocoon. It broke like an egg yolk, the liquid oozing out slowly. The young human came with it, and as the slime seeped out of the membrane, she slipped slowly into a crumpled heap on the ground.

Perdita turned her head upwards and opened soft brown eyes for the first time in years.

“Eep!” she squeaked and scrambled around in the blue slime. “Holy cats, you’re a big dragon!”

Eridanus decided not to mention that typically most dragons were twice her size. “Thanks, I guess. You’re Perdita?”

“Yeah. Thanks for getting me out of there,” she responded, then paused. “Do you know how to get back out of the tomb now?”

“Tomb?” Eridanus asked, eyes widening. Before she could answer, the girl's knees buckled.

“Eridanus,” Perdita’s voice rumbled.  “My name is Seren Iâ, and I need you to listen to me. I know that-” 

“Wait, like Seren Iâ, the Soul of Mount Naga?” Eridanus yelped. “I always wondered if I’d ever meet you. But wait, you’re supposed to be asleep. Wait. Waaaaait, did Sundancer wake you? Can I talk to her? Can I get your autograph? Where are we? What did you do to get here? Why are you possessing Perdita? Can you show–”

“Yes, no, yes, a human river tomb two miles south of Mount Naga, I’m magic, I had to talk to you and this was the only option.” Seren Iâ reeled off. Eridanus looked ecstatic, mostly about the autograph.

“All you need to know is that Sundancer knows you have Shadowwalker inside you, and she wants me to tell you that you have to pretend that Shadowwalker is still inside your head. I bet you anything Shadowwalker is trying right now to shove his way back into your head. I will help you with that part.”

Eridanus’s head spun. “I’m NOT letting Shadowwalker back in my brain!”

Seren Iâ frowned. “Of course, dragonet. That is non negotiable. I’m just saying that I will help you with… er… letting Shadowwalker– You know what, just trust me, I got this.”

Eridanus frowned. “Fine, then,” she snapped. “Do what you have to do.” 

Seren Iâ smiled a toothy smile and reached toward Eridanus. A feeling niggled in the very back of her brain, warning her that something was happening. And it did.

Eridanus’s eyes fluttered closed, and when they opened, she was lying on the ground like a boneless sea slug. She scrambled up, feeling awkward and wondering why.

Then she happened to look down and she yelped like a dog.

“I’M A HUMAN! YOU TURNED ME INTO A HUMAN!” she shrieked gleefully. “I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THAT!” 

Seren Iâ looked slightly overwhelmed. “No, actually, you’re more like a wyrm-blessed mixed with a wizard, and it will only last for a few days,” she explained with her front claw up in a ‘slow down’ gesture. Eridanus looked triply delighted.

“Can I do magic?” she asked excitedly, bouncing on newly-humanoid feet. It was a strange feeling, actually, but it was cool, too. Imagine, for a moment, that you have lived your whole life on four legs, and you can take to the air whenever you like. Then squish your brain into a two-legged, wingless, four-foot-eight-inch-tall bing, and you’ll have the right idea.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Eri asked questioningly. “I mean of course it isn’t, Shadowwalker hates humans and wizards, do you think he knows what a wyrm-blessed person is? Hold on, I'm getting side tracked. Do you think you could make a portal to get me back to the castle?”

“Yes, child. You will need to talk with your mother about what to do. I will create a mirror for you to speak to her momentarily, and then we will go to the castle. Actually, no, you and your wyrm-blessed friend will go to the castle, I can’t do this much longer.” 

Seren Iâ traced a circle in the air with her finger, which looked strange. 

“Should something be happening?” Eridanus asked, throwing some snark into her voice. Seren Iâ shook her hand and made the motion again, but nothing happened.

“Well, it was supposed to make a magic mirror for you to talk to your mother,” Seren Iâ said, flustered. Eridanus fought back a snicker, she probably shouldn’t laugh at her only connection to her mother.

Seren Iâ frowned. “Perhaps the magic in this tomb is interfering with my magic. It did let me transform you, though, so I don’t see why this is different… oh… oops, now I know…”

Eridanus crinkled her snout. “What?”

Seren Iâ stumbled. “Whoa, what happened?” she asked confusedly.

“You… were going to show me a magic mirror, right?” Eridanus prompted.

Seren Iâ frowned. “No, actually, we’re getting out of this tomb, right?” 

Oh, Seren Iâ’s gone. It’s Perdita now, Eridanus realized. “Oh, of course. Do you know how to get out of here, then?”

Perdita squinted at Eridanus. “Shouldn’t you be a dragon?” she asked perplexedly. “Normally yes, but a magic dragon transformed me into a human,” Eridanus said matter-of-factly. Perdita giggled. “I’m just going to roll with that,” she decided with a smile. 

Eridanus tipped her head. Perdita just…accepted it. That was weird. She’d almost been fishing for a reaction, but the wyrm-blessed had accepted her strangeness like a joke. 

According to the wyrm-blessed’s reactions and attitude, Perdita had either seen so much craziness that she paid it no mind when it did happen, or she was completely kooky.