WingWard

Monday

As if Mondays weren't bad enough, word leaked out that two human militants had disappeared just like the others. The humans in the class were on the verge of panic. The idea that the strongest of them could disappear so easily was bound to send people into paranoia, and if not, the notion would make them uneasy at least.

After my encounter with the dragon-eyed kid, and the threat to eat me, I'd already been uneasy, paranoid, and anxious. But the worried looks, quick breathing and constant whispering coming from the human students in the hall wasn't helping. However, most of the dragons without Counterparts didn't seem too bothered– after all, only humans were disappearing. Which is realistic: it's kind of hard to kidnap, or let alone kill a dragon.

Levarg was lumbering down the hall towards me, with a pile of spell books stacked between his folded wings. Library Period had ended, and Levarg had obviously spent his time in the Arcane Tower. He wore a grim expression on his lizard-like face, and his eyes were slightly glazed over, as if he was looking at the world through some distant mirror.

When he reached me he stood still, like the grey statue he so resembled.

"Levarg, are you okay?" I asked; dragons don't usually get depressed easily, and even if they do, they're very good at hiding it.

"I've been thinking," said Levarg, his eyes trailing off to the floor, still in a dreamlike daze. "What if the dragon-eyed kid we met at the markets is causing, or at least helping to cause the disappearances?"

I stayed silent. I didn't know what to say. The possibility seemed completely ludicrous, yet familiar.

His eyes managed to break free from staring at the floor. Instead, his green-brown eyes focused on mine, in a serious manner. "Think about it," he hissed. "A boy in a black cloak gives a cannibalism threat, with concealment spell on it, to a lovely innocent girl and not-so-menacing dragon. And, the threat states that it's to be given to King Dean and Mortsyks," he paused, thinking over his words as dragons do. "What if the concealed message was a threat about the disappearances?"

It would make sense, almost perfect sense, if it wasn't for the fact that a six year old delivered the threat. But that didn't matter, I'd finally found something to make Monday less miserable. We needed to tell someone. People's lives could possibly depend on it.

"We need to do something!" I exclaimed, in a half-excited panic.

"Why the hell do you think I look so down? They won't believe us, nobody will believe us," he growled softly. "A dragon-eyed kid, using a teleportation spell, at his age, sounds like the main act for a make-believe circus! They won't take us seriously."

"Then we'll find proof!" I didn't think I realised what I was saying, but I guess it was too late. Curiosity had taken over.

"How?" He asked, with a slightly aggressive hiss.

"We'll find the dragon-eyed kid, we'll make him talk, hope he doesn't teleport away, and then, take him to Mortsyks and the King." I said.

Levarg stared at me with a rather cold, disappointed look.

"That is the worst idea I've ever heard - 'hope he doesn't teleport away' is that really the best you've got?" He spat out, lighting up a little as he said it.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" I retorted.

"Not yet, but I'll get one eventually!" He said, with an undermining look that could only be achieved by a creature of his species.

"Well, come on." I said, turning around and walking down the hall.

"Wait!" He called, bounding after me, the books on his back leaping with every stride. "We're going to leave school, just like that?" He stuttered.

"Do you really want to listen to a teacher explaining the origins of a dragon's third lung?" I asked bluntly, continuing to walk.

"Yes." He said without hesitation.

"Well, I don't. Now come on, we've got a dragon-eyed kid to find." I said, exhausted but still enthusiastic.

"And exactly how are we going to to do that?" asked Levarg.

"We go to where all the kidnappings have been presumed to happen." I snapped unintentionally.

"Oh no." He groaned.

"The Unusually Dark Alleys." I continued without showing a sign of doubt.

=*=

It was still the dismal shade of greyish-black in the alleys today, but something was different. Tseaf could hear echoes of his and Esurc's foot steps – as foot steps always seemed to echo no matter where you were in WingWard, and Tseaf had a number of hypotheses to explain why – but right then, the echoes were doubled over, which didn't make sense.  Tsaef had only ever heard footsteps echo once.

There was someone else here, someone walking in time with them. They either hadn't counted on the echoes, or perhaps they didn't notice, such pitiful morons, thought Tsaef, enchanted by his own sleuthing brilliance yet weary of the notion. But then, there was a new feeling chucked into the mix. Fear? No, concern...

Because if they knew about him and Esurc, they could have also known about... him.

And suddenly he had a stroke of twisted genius. This potential problem was about to be solved, regardless...

=*=

This was a stupid plan.

'Let's go into a scary dark alley to look for creepy kids with dragon-eyes!' Said me in my moment of pathetic enthusiasm. The alleys were as dark as night during the day; it didn't make sense. You could clearly see the sky in all its blue brilliance and sometimes the sun, yet you couldn't see your own feet. How could a place with no roof be so dark in daylight?

Earlier Levarg said he had heard something, or someone up ahead, and every few steps he put out his wings to stop me. And as we continued walking in the darkness, we both remained perfectly silent.

Levarg stopped again, and listened for soft, stepping echoes in the silence. They didn't come. Not that I would hear them anyway though, I'm not a dragon, but I don't think he could hear any either, since he didn't move a muscle.

When Levarg pushed me forward with his wing, I took it as I sign to keep walking with him.

Except I could no longer feel scales at my side, and no wings came to stop me. Was he even there anymore? A few familiar, panicky emotions started creeping up my spine with cold needle-like claws, making the dark seem endless and more foreboding than before. He couldn't have abandoned me, could he? I ventured further with shaky steps and frantic glances into the dark that were utterly pointless and only left me disorientated.

Then I walked into a hard, cold wall and fell over. I think I heard laughing. Creepy, childish laughing. I hoped it was Levarg, but he doesn't laugh like that.

From the corner of my eye I saw a golden glimmer. After a moment it vanished, followed by more insane laughter.

"Normally, people come down here with some source of light." Said a mocking voice in the dark. "It is literally called The Unusually Dark Alley."

"Who said that?" I asked, wishing I had a weapon of some sort, instead of relying on my cowardly dragon to protect me. The voice had a good point, though. Light would have been nice to have in this weird alley– I didn't bring any 'cause I didn't think it was going to be so freaking dark.

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," it said from somewhere beside me. "But then again," it sounded closer now, "I'm probably going to have to kill you anyway."

Cold metal pressed gently against my neck, sending shivers up my spine and into my very bones.

"So how about you tell me why you're following my brother and I," he whispered softly into my ear...