The Fall of Eden

Chapter Three- Dragon Enthusiast

    Micah trudged ahead in the darkness, Errivian following her every move with golden anger swirling in his eyes, this was evidently the last thing he had wanted to do today. She couldn't really blame him, it wasn't high on her list either. They had been walking for near an hour now, and she had made a few circles around the tree house to wait for the opportune chance to ditch him. He had been so busy mumbling to himself about his duties that he hadn't even noticed the tree they had now passed three times. The rain had grown worse, water was rushing down the hillside behind them. Looking for any chance to escape the elevated tiers of the forest. 

    Micah rolled her eyes, so much for him comparing himself to the gods, he couldn't even handle a walk through the forest, let alone any real danger the world threw at him. If she had to listen to another rant about Finithe being a suck up to the High Warlock she was going deliver herself to the council and beg them for a quick death. Finally she cleared her throat letting him catch up to her slightly before she turned to face him.

"We're almost there, but I need to use the ladies tree if you get what I mean..." Micah said, it wasn't exactly a lie her bladder was bursting. Errivian rolled his glimmering eyes at her, making a motion with his wrist as if to shew her into the cover of the trees. 

"Make it quick!" he spat. "I would like to teleport out of this hell hole as soon as possible, plus you're going to be late for a meeting with the Golden Council. I can't wait to see what your punishment will be." Micah didn't react to his quirky attempt at alarming her. She simply nodded and wandered slowly into the trees in front of her. She walked until she could no longer see him behind her, then she began to run. Faster than she had ever even dreamed possible, she had to make it to the tree house before he realized she wasn't coming back. 

As she pushed into a clearing she could see the tattered structure not far ahead of her. She could almost hear Olivandier's voice already, feel his warm hand against her cheek. Feel his lips brush hers. Now that she knew he was really alive not much could stop her from reuniting with him now. Micah launched at the tree and threw her self ungracefully up the rotting steps. Nearly slipping on the wet surface of the tree multiple times. The structure did not look good, it's rough existence made her heart sink. As she reached the top she pulled herself up from the collapsing floor looking around at the shack that had once been her favorite place in the world.

    The colors of the mountains seemed to blur beyond the foggy glass of the bay window. A large transparent sheet took nest in the center of a small wooden wall that was doomed to be otherwise vacant. The frame seemed to shake with the vibration of the storm that was brewing just on the other side. Large chunks of it had already fallen out of place, most likely due to termite damage rather than the passage of too much time. Though it must have been years since it had had any interesting daily visitors.   

    Micah remembered when her father had first built it for her, years before he had become weak with illness. She had helped him cut and haul enough of its thick halved logs that it seemed to be a part of her now, riddled with her blood, sweat and though she denied it most days, her tears. The memories sent a tremor though her that caused bits of her wavy blonde hair to ripple over her light silvery-empty eyes. She caught site of her face in the reflection of the glass pale and uncertain, as she used one of her long slender hands to tuck it nervously back into its place behind her ear. She noticed that her face had began to droop with exhaustion, causing her to look much older than her 19 short years.   

    As she lowered her gaze it fell onto the only piece of furniture in the one roomed shack, a small wooden table bolted to the floor. Where the wood all around her seemed to likely take ill, the table was healthy, sturdy and it even looked reliable. A thick layer of dust settled on it's oak surface but it seemed otherwise untouched by time and weathering. Micah lifted her arm and winced as the cold wood touched her hand. Her mind fluttered to an image of puzzle pieces that had often littered its surface on late nights like this one, when the water had trapped her and...   

    "Oli-" The word came out in a croak, barely audible to even Micah, though the sound was a constant ringing in her ears. She struggled against the knotted feeling that grew in her chest as she crouched down, focusing on the underside of the table. A sigh escaped through her half-parted lips, she had expected to see it but it still sent a rippling shock through her. A small oak box, undoubtedly cut from the same bark as the table, was tucked in a cubby hole in the top of one of the glossy legs. She removed it and flipped it over in her hand. It seemed to be bigger then she remembered, about the size of a deck of cards. 

    There was a deep swirling pattern carved into the smooth wood. The swirls formed an 'O' on the surface, a wave of scrolling vines around it. So defined and intricate she thought she could almost hold the pattern itself in her hand . She couldn't help but think of Oli with his handmade tools, scraping and carving at the box furiously while his emerald gaze flickered between it and her, as if either one would be lost to him if he looked away for even a second. It had looked so much smaller in his big steady hands, he seemed to hold it in a tender manor, like it were a piece of himself he was digging his tools into. She knew now that it sort of was, since it was the only piece of him she really had now.

    Micah remembered he had been rushing, trying to finish as quickly as possible. Yet she was able to admire it as a perfect piece of art, that despite his frantic hacking, deserved a spot in an esteemed artist gallery. Her look quickly turned to confusion when she realized he had meant for it to stay here. This was something she was still struggling to understand, after all hadn't he crafted it for her.   

"Keep it here, keep it safe. Use it only when you need me." were the only instructions he had given her before he dashed out into the darkness of the surrounding woods. She had fought the urge to take it with her anyway, there was no telling when she would have been able to return. His voice echoed like church bells in her ears, there was a dull ache beginning to take root in her head. For a moment Micah thought she might faint, but the feeling faded quickly with the realization that the rain had begun to thud even more heavily against the roof.   

    She took a deep breath to steady herself, there was no time to be consumed by emotion. She peered down the old steps that were nailed to the tree the shack was nestled in. The ground had already been consumed by the water, rain pouring from the branches of the trees in buckets. Boy had she chosen a good night to come back. There was no telling if the charming little treehouse was even going to make it through the night. She slipped the box Oli had left for her into her pocket fighting the urge to open it, there were more pressing matters at hand. Climbing down, she used one of the steps to hoist her onto a nearby branch. In one motion she swung and landed with a splash in a deep puddle of muggy water. The night around her glistened with falling droplets, the shadows seemed to move in the darkness around her and for a moment she felt a little less lonely, not that that was a good thing. One of those shadows could easily be Errivian...

    As Micah began to push her way up the stone path before her she felt as though she were wading through thick water, though the steady flow at her feet barely engulfed her ankles. She looked ahead on the path where she remembered a big log house had once been. As she neared, she noticed that there was nothing but dead grass here now. The roots of trees left exposed and dying as if something had sucked up every ounce of life they had once offered. She shook her head free of its cobweb of memories, what had happened here? A fire she had thought, but there were no visible burns in the earth It was as if someone had just ripped it up from the roots and took it with them. She glanced across the large yard that her and Oli had shared as neighbors, looking for signs of her old childhood friends home, but unlike the tangled clump of roots in front of her there was nothing left where it had once stood, just rolling green turf.

Her face twisted up in a look of disbelief, she found herself wondering, as she often had, if she had made up this part of her childhood.   

    Use it only when you need me. The words poured into Micah’s consciousness as she realized her fingers had a light hold on the box in her pocket. If she had ever needed anyone in her life, it was now. She pulled the box out of her pocket and opened it, making eye contact with the swirling silver liquid that she now knew was Olivandier's blood. A loud crash of thunder entered her thoughts and the vial slipped out of her hands, crashing to the ground. Micah gasped in horror as it smashed against a rock. That had been her only chance to get out of here, and out of Errivian's grasp. Her only chance to summon the one person who she thought could truly save her. The liquid spread in a water puddle on the wet ground like ink and before her eyes a green mist engulfed her surroundings. In the mist she could make out the outline of a young man with long dark swirling hair in front of her. Oli.... IT WAS HIM!

    "Oli! You're alive !" Micah didn't wait for the smokey green mist to dissipate before she launched. Her arms stretching out and wrapping tight around the broad scope of his shoulders. She paused coming to the realization that his shoulders were bare, and by the feel of his cool skin on hers the rest of his body was also bare, she flushed, her face full of heat and stepped away trying to focus on his face so she wouldn't glance down and catch too much of a glimpse. His face was straight and emotionless, but there was a roar of confusion in his eyes, she sighed a little, his eyes were the same bright swirling angry green they had been the last time she'd seen him. She could get lost in them if it weren't for his sudden look of disgust, he pulled back, shrugging loose as he glanced around at their surroundings. Micah noted that he seemed to be looking for someone else, did he not recognize her? 

"Olivand-" she started but his own words stopped her. 

"I don't know who you are, or how you know my brother, but I suggest you tell me where he is so I can kick his ass! If you didn't notice I was a tad bit predisposed! I mean, he didn't even give me a warning. So much for bros before-" he stopped, focusing more intently on her features, his eyes widened with curiosity and she thought for a moment he might remem- Before she could form the thought he was moving, striding across the clearing, his long legs made the distance look small. He had only just disappeared into the trees before a strange glow lit up the clearing, and there he was again. Fully clothed in what looked like leggings made of leaves that had been expertly sewn so tightly together that they formed to muscles in his calves giving his tall slender frame an elegant shape. He didn't come close to her this time, because he didn't want to get tackled by her again most likely... instead watched her carefully from afar.

     "what are you?" His tone was warning but it didn't sound threatening. She dropped her head, the honest answer was she didn't really know. She had hoped he'd known, that he would have answers to all her questions like he always had in the past. As she looked at him though, she could tell he was different.

    "I-I don't know what I am... But I know that you know who I am. It's me Oli, Micah we're..." She paused choosing her words carefully, she didn't want to freak him out. "Friends" the word burned in her throat, though she wondered why she was shocked by its acidic taste. They really were only friends, though he'd kissed her. That just as easily could have been a dream, an image her mind created to soothe the shock of losing everything. 

"You look very familiar, but I-I'm sorry, I don't remember you at all." Micah frowned, her heart on fire with the pain of deceit. He was lying to her, but he appeared so calm as if he believed it was true. She rolled her eyes. 

"Very well, pretend you don't recognize me all you want but you know i know otherwise, you know what I can feel." He laughed at her, shaking his head and clearing his throat with a grimace.

"I see, you're just one of those crazy hybrid chicks Tirran likes to keep on a leash. Where is my dear brother? I believe we have a recent betrayal to discuss. " His words made Micah's eyes swirl with a sudden anger.

"I'm not a pet!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air "If you must know your brother was on his way to Eden, wherever that is, and his light bulb friend is probably conspiring to feed me to a dragon or something. He doesn't know I ran, well scratch that, he probably definitely knows by now...I used the box you gave me. I dropped the vial and you just appeared, he had nothing to do with it, they don't even know you're here." She looked up at him, watching her words sink into his consciousness.

"What is my brother doing with sun children? Are you one of them too? Your hair is too fair for our kind, but your eyes are lacking heritage" though it seemed he was speaking a foreign language, she felt like she had a general idea of what he meant, this was the only thing that really made sense to her in all of this. Though maybe it was just because it was coming from him. she scowled

"So what? You're going to start calling me an inbreed too huh? I don't know what I am, but I know I'm good and Errivian isn't, and I know I want to get away from him as soon as possible. That's why I used it, the box, you gave it to me." She held out her hand and he looked down at it with surprise, then back to her for a moment.

    "You are a very strange girl, but I will play along, if nothing else only for the fact that I did make that." He picked it up, squinting just slightly and nodding as if to confirm his statement. "If you want me to help you, you need to answer my questions, got it?" He dropped the box back into her hand as Micah simply nodded, though she may have thrown in a dramatic eye roll for effect. His glare was harsh but it didn't hurt her as much as the fiery burning in her chest, he was lying to her.  Why would he lie? Why wouldn't he be happy to see her? She looked down at her hand idly fidgeting with the wood of the box, and let his voice overtake her thoughts. She had been so happy to see him, but now she was angry, furious. How dare he lie to her? How do you spend years being someone's everything and not remember their face? How do you forget what it feels like to have that persons lips on yours? Micah shuddered remembering the tender kiss they had shared the last time she saw him, seconds before her entire life changed for good. She had never felt so hurt in her life, the ache in her chest only grew with each passing moment.

"How many are there? And any insight as to why he's with them would be helpful."

"Two, Finithe and Errivian...But Finithe went with your brother through some fancy metallic portal I assume. So it's just Errivian that I am trying to escape. He wants to take me to the golden council for trespassing on sacred land or something along those lines. As far as I know, they came to do a creepy ritual in the woods involving human souls and baby animals." He blinked, she could see his lip curl just a little, but he bit it back, concealing it as best he could from her. She watched as the rain droplets oozed down his perfect features, glinting from the glow of his melty green optics, she could feel herself get entranced by them as she used to.

"We are not mortals you know, it's odd you associate yourself that way, since clearly you are not. How do you fit in to all of this? Other than apparently being my 'friend'" his fingers went up to air quote the word, to highlight the fact that he thought she was lying through her teeth. She swallowed, not sure if she should tell him everything. He did seem very different, but he should know everything already. His lack of acknowledgment was making her ill but she powered through to answer his question. They needed to get out of here, and soon.

"I've been stuck here in the forest for awhile, the fire sparked my curiosity and I... Stumbled upon a cult ceremony that's about all there is to it." He chuckled a little and shook his head. 

"My brother and I will see to it you have shelter in Eden, we just have to get out of this Forest, I think this land belongs to warlocks, meaning there's no telling what's going bump in the night around here. I wonder if they brought a dragon for protection..." He looked slightly intrigued for the first time. Micah's eyes went wide

"I had only been joking...about the dragons you know." She said sheepishly, as he raised an eyebrow. 

"Well warlocks control them, It's actually highly likely they brought them." His words caused her eyes to grow wider. 

"But-so big, scaly, fire breathing demon bird, that's like a real thing then?" Oli smiled so big it reached into the swirling green of his eyes.

"Goodness, don't say that to a dragon unless your looking to end the party. They are quite beautiful fury creatures actually, I have to say not very fond of our kind though." Micah sighed 'our kind' at least if nothing else he was speaking to her as an equal now, even the slight possibility that she might be made her feel a little more at ease. Though the reality of dragons refused to sink in, that was something she needed to see for herself. "However- you may actually be able to fly it out of here if we can find it..." He continued.

Micah started laughing uncontrollably, something she wasn't sure she would ever do again. She must be dreaming, here she was, with her best friend that was lying about knowing who she was after witnessing a cult meeting and now he expected her to fly a dragon. This couldn't be any more unbelievable. Olivandier eyed her suspiciously, as if waiting for her to snap at any moment. Questioning her sanity.

    She didn't blame him, she had been questioning her own. She was almost convinced this really was a dream, any moment now she would wake up from her nap and Liveen would be there licking her face to wake her as she moved about in her sleep. As she collected her thoughts the rain stopped suddenly. She looked up at the sky, the swirling clouds had disappeared as quickly as they had come and the harsh light of the sun gleamed into her eyes. She stopped laughing as tears starting running down her face, earning a confused look from Oli. 

"Listen, don't cry. I'm going to get you out of here then we will figure this out back in the safety of the kingdom." It was the first time she could sense sincerity in his tone. The tightness in her chest loosened and she breathed a sigh of relief at the change in her breathing.

"Can't you just teleport or whatever Goldie Locks did earlier?" Olivandier shook his head, she had earned another small smile, probably due to the nick name she had given Finithe.

"I wish it were that simple. I'm not a warlock, I'm a naturist. My power comes from the energy of the earth around us. I can't just wave my microwave fingers and meander across time and space" He reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek almost instinctively then he backed away quickly realizing what he was doing. "We should start moving, Errivian is a snake, he could literally be anywhere. I doubt he would have waited long to come running after you in the woods. Luckily, we have an edge in the trees." 

    Oli's head snapped up instantly as if hearing something Micah couldn't determine with her own ears. 

"It's too late" he whispered. "He's already here and he brought his-" Oli was cut off by the sound of large wings overhead. Micah followed his gaze to the clouds, and that's when she saw it. The most beautiful sight she had ever beheld with her own eyes. A dragon...