Macster - The Last Dragon

Virginia reacted instinctively, lifting a hand to block her face and ward away those baleful eyes. As her hand waved across the glass, the image vanished, leaving the mirror quiescent.

Slowly she recovered her equilibrium, breathing more normally as she leaned against Wolf, shuddering from the experience. When she was able to look around the alcove again, she discovered Rupert had pulled the curtain across the doorway into the bedroom, giving them privacy and some meager protection. Turning back, he interlaced his fingers as if demonstrating macrame. "Oh, what a heinous plot! And it will work, I assure you. Especially now, so soon after the Queen's attempt...no one will suspect a thing. We must find a way to defeat the Ice Queen's magic!"

Wolf, who was squeezing Virginia's hand reassuringly, inclined his head toward the final mirror. "It will only be a matter of time before her demons find us, my love. If there is any talisman that can aid us, it seems only this mirror can give us hope of finding it."

Virginia wanted to deny the validity of his words, but even had there been time for another option, she was afraid she had no choice. So, nerving herself, she stepped up to the silver frame, took a deep breath, and said, "Mirror, speak to me! I am your mistress's daughter, I demand you tell me what I seek to know!"

The diamond-shaped expanse of glass rippled, and then shapes and colors began to swirl hypnotically behind its surface. Shapes and colors and nothing else. Then, suddenly, a face formed in the mercury-like liquid, startling her. It was male, with narrow, close-set eyes, high arrogant cheekbones, a wide, bulbous nose, and thick fleshy lips. It was a sly face, a cruel face, an untrustworthy face. It made Virginia's flesh crawl.

"Daughter of my mistress," the mirror murmured in a dry, emotionless tone, its lips shaping to the words like ripples in water. "How fortunate that at last we meet. And you have chosen wisely to approach me...for I am a Seeking mirror."

The room began to grow hazy and dark before her eyes, and she put a hand to her forehead weakly. "I...see. And what can you seek for me?"

"Anything, milady." The mirror sounded quite smug. "I can track down any individual, any place, any object. I can seek out the will of a person and make it your own. I can seek out knowledge and divine secrets concealed from you, and place them in your possession. With me, you can rule the world."

Dusty, sibilant, rising and falling in cadent rhythm, the mirror's voice echoed in her mind...insistent, persuasive, enthralling. A wave of lassitude washed over her, and a small smile formed as she felt the beginning rush of power at all these possibilities laid before her. "Such modesty...in that case, I wish to know: how may I defeat the Ice Queen? What magic can break her spells?"

The Seeking mirror pursed its lips, and the colors darted faster within its liquid before it smiled knowingly. "Magic indeed does the Witch of Winter possess, enchantments great and power vast, but know this well: for all her arrogance and certainty of success, the ice from out her wand remains but ice at last."

Beside Virginia, sounding as if he spoke from a long way off, came Wolf's irritated voice. "Enough with the riddles already! Just tell us what we need to know."

A petulant expression appeared on the mirror's face, but it complied. "The answer you seek lies in the elements of life. What is ice's bane, its foe and adversary, from the beginning of days?"

Rupert muttered behind Virginia. "Fire, of course. But no ordinary fire will melt her spell!"

"Exactly so." The mirror's eyes bored into Virginia's. "One fire alone holds the key. The fire of dragons."

Virginia inhaled sharply, fear flooding her heart instinctively. Dragons? Only one of those vicious, dangerous beasts could save the Nine Kingdoms? Her mind raced as her voice failed her. Rupert too remained stunned, but Wolf managed to snarl and scratch furiously at his temple. "Impossible! All the dragons are extinct, everyone knows that!"

"Do they indeed?" The Seeking mirror took on a haughty demeanor. "It is true many have died, and the species may no longer roam the lands. But with the power of my sight, I have rent the veil of history's shroud, and can declare: at least one dragon remains alive. If any can help you in your quest, it is he."

Despite the fearsome prospect of confronting a dragon, hope surged in Virginia. Magic to fight magic. And from all the fairy tales she had ever read, dragons had always been described as invincible, incredibly strong, more powerful than any but the greatest of wizards. Hurriedly she clutched the mirror's silver frame, ignoring the sudden rush of almost electrical energy crackling in her fingers. "Where? Where is he?"

A deep, contented chuckle broke the silence. "How like your mother you are, milady..." Before she could fully wrap her mind around this horrible claim, or make her demand again, the mirror continued. "Within the boundaries of an enchanted realm he lies, imprisoned by magic and his own heart. Within the Sixth Kingdom, he dwells."

Exclamations of protest burst at once from both Rupert and Wolf, but Virginia had no idea why this was an undesired answer, and in any case she was now beyond such petty complaints. The mirror's swirling magic called to her, stronger than the addiction of the Troll King's magic shoes, stronger than anything she had ever felt before. And the mirror seemed to sense the growing bond between them, for its expression turned contented and pleased.

"But, milady, such matters should be far beyond your concerns. What need have you of the help of others? The power of magic is yours, as it was your mother's. I can teach it to you, guide you in its paths, so that you may defeat the Ice Queen yourself. So many possibilities lie before you, so many secrets are yours to claim and grasp, so many fears are yours to exploit. You have yet to fully embrace your destiny, but my vision sees all, and knows where your potential lies. Join me. Together we can accomplish what your mother could not. We shall be partners, and nothing shall stand in our way. The Nine Kingdoms shall be ours to rule and control, as was foreordained..." [picture]

Virginia's eyes were so heavy, very nearly closed, her will sapped, her mind dulled by the whispered words. She could feel the magic surging in her hands, and even more intoxicating was the rising power deep within her heart and soul, uncurling and flaring like a flame being fueled and stoked with rich logs of pine, blazing ever higher. It all sounded so wondrous...glory and power, respect and prestige...things she had desired all her life, things denied her by a worthless, empty existence. And she was wise, she was caring, she could properly rule the Kingdoms the way her mother could not...

She opened her mouth to assent, her fingers clutching tighter--and abruptly she felt herself jerked away by unseen hands, and as the contact between her and the metallic frame broke, it was like being struck across the face. She gasped for air, as if breaching the surface of a winter lake, and stepped back involuntarily, confused and somehow overwhelmed with loss as the magic withdrew. The hands tugged her back, but all she could focus on was the Seeking mirror, its face contorted with rage and longing as it tumbled back from her...falling in slow motion toward the floor...

"Virginia! Virginia!" It was Wolf's voice, and his hands upon her shoulders, wrenching her away and whirling her around to face him. He shook her firmly, eyes bulging in fear and intense worry, and she could hear him whimper softly.

"Wolf...Wolf...?" Her own voice sounded distant, but as the endless seconds passed, she could feel herself returning from wherever she had been, and with it came a sense of revulsion and horror that made her shudder uncontrollably. She collapsed in his arms, the sheer magnitude of what she had just come close to doing washing over her. "What...what did I do? How could I have listened...?"

"Could someone, perchance, help me?" Rupert's strangled voice snatched her attention, and she turned to see the lord struggling on the floor, supporting the massive frame of the mirror where it had tipped over when Wolf had pulled it and Virginia apart.

Wolf hastened to his side, but even as he helped the courtier lift the mirror upright again, he muttered under his breath. "Why didn't you just let it fall?"

"I didn't want seven years' bad luck, that's why!" Rupert snapped indignantly. "Besides, it could still be useful, and Wendell alone should decide its fate."

Virginia was only half-listening. The mirror was placid now, quiet and colorless, its glass unmarred. Only a faint silvery sheen attested to its magic, but she could still feel the power it had held over her, the siren's call that had nearly chained her will and made her its slave. She stared down at her hands as if they belonged to someone else, even as she recognized the frightening similarity she bore to her mother in that moment. The temptation...the need to be important and respected...and that unknown power. They had all nearly consumed her...

She began to weep softly, and Wolf was back at her side in an instant. "Are you all right, my love? I tried to tear you away sooner, I hope I was not too late! Oh, if something has happened to our cub I will never forgive myself..." He began to gnash his teeth and tear at his hair.

"N-no...no, I'm all right..." She swallowed hard. "The baby's fine, you saved me, Wolf..." Virginia embraced him tightly again, kissing his cheek and rubbing her hands along the small of his back. She could feel the tension begin to ease from his body, and with it she lost her own trepidation and felt safe again. His arms always made her feel safe. He was her haven, her protector, her lover, her friend...the other half of her soul.

She was just on the point of kissing him when a sudden crash made her flinch and turn hurriedly to face the hallway. Somewhere beyond the room, a door had been smashed to pieces!

"The demons come!" Rupert cried, eyes darting frantically around the alcove as if he expected them to emerge from the very walls. "You must escape now, Lady Virginia, if you are to have any chance at success!"

He was propelling her into the bedroom before she could protest, but Wolf's objections were not so silent. "Don't handle Virginia like that, she's in a very delicate condition! And we can't rush off on a quest now. Certainly not to the Sixth Kingdom!"

Rupert looked as if he wanted to punch Wolf, but somehow managed to regain control, which Virginia thought was a good choice on his part. "Stop dithering, there's no time for that! Do you wish your love to be captured by the Ice Queen? Help me with these drapes, they're the only way out now." The lord hurried to the vast canopied bed and began tugging at the crimson bedcurtains.

Galvanized into action, Wolf rushed to join him, ripping the silk from the rings and aiding in tearing it to shreds. Together he and Rupert began tying the strips together to form a long, crude rope. Virginia watched in stunned bemusement, knowing on one level what they were doing but on another level, not knowing at all. Another crash resounded in the hallway outside the bedroom, then another, each closer than the last. The searchers were drawing nearer.

Finally the rope was finished, and the two men dragged it back into the alcove, where Wolf pushed open the mullioned doors of the balcony and stepped out into the warm sunlight. He turned to Rupert as the lord joined him. "This is impossible and you know it, Rupe'. We cannot possibly go to the Sixth Kingdom, there are too many dangers there and along the way--"

Rupert interrupted him by twisting a ring from his finger and thrusting it into his hand. "Nevermind that! Here, take my signet ring. It should give you all the help you need if you face any interference in your journey."

Virginia, whose mind had been careening between hazy confusion and desperate hope, finally latched onto what Rupert was saying and clutched his arm. "Wait, what about you?"

The gentle man stared at her for a moment, clearly still frightened, but he clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Someone must stay behind and divert the Ice Queen. I would only be a hindrance to you, but here I can pretend to be the one who used the mirror. Perhaps I can even act as a spy in the enemy camp. If not...then I will be freed with the others when you return." Squaring his shoulders bravely, he quickly turned and tied the end of the rope tightly around the balustrade, squeezed Virginia's wrist, and darted back into the bedroom, drawing the curtain across the alcove once more.

She gazed after him, then exchanged a glance with Wolf. Perhaps she had been wrong about Rupert.

As the two stood on the balcony, they heard the splintering of the door into the bedroom, the roars of monstrous beasts, and the shrill cries of the lord. Biting her lip, she grabbed Wolf's arm. "Go, Wolf, now!"

He looked as if he were about to argue with her; from the overprotective gleam in his eyes, it appeared he wished to bear her in his arms and carry her down the rope himself to keep her from harm, but that was of course impossible. She understood his concern, and was no more sanguine than he about her climbing the sheer face of the palace wall when eight months pregnant, but there was no other way out.

Virginia shoved him against the railing, and finally Wolf complied, clambering over the smooth marble and beginning a rapid but agile rappelling from one ledge to another down the ornate, elaborately carved facade of the castle. As quickly as she dared, Virginia followed, trying to ignore the clamminess of her palms, the dizziness of her head, and the queasiness of her stomach.

She glanced down only once. Although the distance was not great (they were only halfway up the palace), and there was a gently sloping roof a story up from the ground to land upon, Virginia still averted her eyes after only a moment. Silently she prayed for herself and her unborn child as she gripped the cloth, suddenly all too aware of its slickness.

Rupert had sacrificed himself for them, and now everyone was counting on her and Wolf to find the magic to wield that would save them all. But, assuming they made it safely to the ground and away from the palace, there was only one problem.

She had not the slightest idea how she would find the dragon and convince him to help, let alone succeed in time.