The Apprentice's Journey

Rythians return

The smoke spreads out across the ground outside. It begins to take shape. I get closer to the window. What is it? Two eyes open from in the smoke as it takes the form of a dragon. It makes this terrifying sound. This shrieking. Not like a dragons battle cry but the sound of pain. I recognise the scream immediately. It's Duncan.

This isn't like the illusion either. Like the times I thought I heard him before. No. This is genuinely Duncan's voice, his pain, coming through the mouth of the dragon and then it collapses to the ground. The smoke begins to disappear revealing something in the mist. Rythian is standing there, staring in. I know it's probably just a copy that he has created with his magic, yet that doesn't make him any less dangerous.

He puts his hand up to the window and produces this light in his hand.

"No." I say quietly to myself.

The glass begins to melt away.

"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I scream.

I run back towards the door and begin to bang on it with my fists as hard as I can.

"HELP! ANYONE! PLEASE, HELP ME!" I turn back and see he is nearly through. I can't hear anything outside the door. I turn around and face him. I'm crying. I slide down to sit on the floor and lean back against the door. I close my eyes and breathe in and out slowly. I want to relax and enjoy my last seconds on earth.

Then the door opens, I fall back into the corridor. Somebody grabs my hand and pulls me up and soon I am running in the darkness. Nearly blind, lost and confused. I look up at my saviours face. I can just make out their twisted smile. Their brown hair. I haven't seen them around before.

"It's because I'm not from here."

"What?" I stop and turn to them, their long blue coat falls close to the ground.

"Ssshhh." He says. He lets go of my hand and flys away into the darkness.

I walk a couple of steps backwards in the darkness and bump into something.

"Oh, bloody hell."

I turn around.

"Hannah!"

"Kim! Guys, she's here."

As I look around, I can just about make out the silhouette of Simon in the chair and Hannah standing over him. Sips and Lewis come running back around the corner.

"What happened???? How did you escape?????" Sips asked. "When we went round to your room to get you, you were gone."

"I don't know how I escaped. Some guy came and let me out and then...well...he...ummm....flew away." I answer. I look up as my eyes adjust to the darkness and Lewis and Sips exchange glances.

"Long coat?" Lewis asks.

"Yep."

"Brown hair?" Sips says.

"Yeah."

"We know who it was."

"And..."

"Kim it isn't important." Sips sighs.

While we stand there, exchanging looks, a testificate runs up and taps Lewis on the shoulder.

"Mr Pink." Lewis says. "What is it?"

"The backup power....it's useless. We can't get it working."

"How long is it going to be down?"

"I don't know......Rythian's got control."

"Ok, thank you."

The testificate wandered off in to the distance. Lewis spun round, in what seemed to be more of a panic than before.