Wilson regretted getting up that morning.
A splitting pain erupted through his head. He threw up a wode of blood and whatever he had drank that made him so sick as he struggled to sit up and gain some understanding of what had happened.
It seeped through the floor, dripping onto the dried up sand.
He shifted uneasily onto his side, the pain deep within his chest. His face pressed to the cool wall, the cold helping his headache.
He sat up, a little too quickly for his injuries to take, and blinked through the dark. He was in an actual box covered by a dark tarp.
He wasn't dreaming anymore.
"Alastair?"
Unsure of why he had reached out for the name, he spoke again. He wheezed, a sharp pain in his chest.
"Alastair!" he squinted in the dark, "Where-"
"Aye, shut the hell up!" a sharp voice squawked at him. Wilson's eyes turned to the farthest side of the cage.
"Humans, humans, humans!" squealed the raven.
It's voice shrill, ragged, and sharp, mimicking the sound of a human's voice.
"Alastair!" Wilson cried out again, "Anyone!"
The raven croaked, "I'll scratch out your eyes!"
A new voice, "Keep your voice down."
Wilson stared into the darkness. A few streaks of light filled in through the darkness, illuminating the figure that sat curling into the corners.
"They are going to kill you if you keep yelling," the stranger hummed.
"Emmy?"
"They kill screamers," Emmy stared, terrified, "They will kill you. The ravens will."
Wilson inched closer to her. "What are you going on about?"
"I watched them before blacking out. They came from the building, one was this huge dragon thing!" she sobbed, "They attacked everyone. Every one of our soldiers."
The raven from the Moon Festival he guessed.
"What about Charlotte? Where is she?"
Emmy wiped away the tears on her face, "I don't know; dead probably."
Wilson felt a wode of puke come up again but he swallowed it down.
A trick. But why? Was Alastair with the rebels? Somewhere in his gut Wilson refused to believe that she was. A miss understanding perhaps.
What had he gotten himself into?
The more he thought, the more questions were raised.
"Can you be quiet- Oh, sorry your thoughts are loud," Emmy gushed before falling silent.
Wilson leaned against the bars, head pressing into them. He did a double take, noticing the smallest rip in the tarp over them.
He poked his finger through them, ripping it open a bit wider.
Through the crack in the darkened sheet, Wilson watched the raven gurgle out a laugh.
He also saw a drop, a cavern that slowly sank in sand. It was a dark cave. He didn't recognize the spot. It would have appeared on maps if it was a landmark, right?
"Take them. Alastair demanded it," a first voice whispered, a woman who Wilson didn't recognize.
"What about Alter Ego?" the other suggested.
"All of them. We need tests and contributors," the first one hissed.
There was a sigh.
"For Operation Rune."
"For Operation Rune." The second one confirmed.
Where was Argo? The two made it seem as if he was still alive and well. Was he simply in another cage? Why would they separate them all?
There was a crash, Wilson covering his head to avoid any falling debris, the large talons of a dragon locking around the cage top. Ripping the tarp and filling the dim cage with light.
It hissed uncomfortably before a whip snapped through the air.
Something was yelled in Halfling, Wilson watched as the heavy, wingbeats of the beast suddenly lifted them into the air.
Emmy grabbed onto his dirt ridden clothes and he grabbed onto her's.
The scraping of metal against gravel was left behind, the winged beast soaring into the desert cavern.
The world grew dark, Wilson positive he had fainted as his stomach leapt into his throat. The back of his head hitting the metal bars behind him woke him up.
The pitter-patter of sand particles and streams hit the bottom, Wilson clinging to Emmy before the dragon rose up and into darkness.
There was a shout from above in some language that he didn't recognize. The dragon soaring through the narrow caverns.
The trip was long.
It was also dark, far too dark for Wilson to see through. The tarp that covered their heads didn't help see either.
The sand that passed by was thicker than fog, his eyes shut so he wasn't forced to get sand and dust in his eyes.
The less gentle sways of the dragon, it's body twisting to avoid obstacles. Wilson almost wondered how it managed past the sand winds.
On occasion, it would fly into a cavern, joined by other wing beats with other similar cages.
The screams and wails of tens of other victims echoing around them. The dragon riders merely ignoring them.
The Watch.
They were being taken by the Watch.
Wilson's stomach lurched again. Neither Wilson or Emmy said anything. Wilson, afraid he would get sand caught in his throat, tried to make some sense of the events. He even tried to get a view at Emmy's face.
Through streams of the sun's light that passed through the tunnels and cracks, she was staring wide eyed, muttering far too quickly for Wilson to make anything out of.
She was probably experiencing the same thing her mother had.
She could probably hear everyone's thoughts, he realized quickly. Everyone's scared and petrified thoughts.
At some point another shout rose. Halfling again and their was a sharp turn across the caverns.
Was that running water?
The crags and rocks swept by, the dragon's wings closing into it's body. The dragon spun, turning a sharp corner. The cage banged against the side, the tarp that covered their heads flying off.
Sun filled their tired eyes, the sudden brightness making him grateful that they wouldn't be underground forever. The sound of water poured around them, waterfalls pouring in from other caverns.
Wilson peeked open an eye before flying by the rigid entrance to the city of Allura.
YOU ARE READING
The Magic Of An Alter Ego.
Fantasi|Book 1 of 2| Wilson had his hopes high for his future. Emphesis on had. He'd already made the grades in his local college, studied as much magic as he could despite being unable to truely use it to his advantage, and had his sights on one day join...
