Florence

  "Rai…us?" Raius! Raius! Raius! My head clamors like a bell, the name reverberating in my skull, and my heart lurches. Bondmate? What!

  I sit up.

  I…sit up? I'm alive? No—no! I'm back in the Hellscape!

  Agony erupts from my heart, shooting tendrils of throbbing pain throughout my body. I can't be back here! I refuse to be a prisoner—

  Be at ease, Young One.

  "Aurora?" I whisper, and she unfurls her wings above me—I am resting between them on her back. Then, I look past them, and gasp! "Where are we?"

  This is nothing like the Hellscape. Here, it is as dim as dusk, with twinkling stars all around. Infinite, yet it feels as if we were contained. There are shimmering ribbons made of stardust slowly undulating through the sky on their own. Against the deep indigo—the greens, silvers, lavenders, and more—every color is part of this sparkling, moving masterpiece.

  This is the ?thermind, Young One. Where the memories of all Dragonkind gather after death.

  It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

  Instantly, the grip of agony releases, replaced by an awe so profound, my chest aches.

  But just as soon as I feel that ache, there's a deep pull in my middle, and something…no, someone, growls soft and low in the back of my mind. Almost like a caress, sending shivers down my spine. Instantly, I feel calm. Safe.

  Floh-rrrrrence….the voice groans, a deep bass that could rival the rumbling of earth. I shiver again.

  "Who—?" I ask, looking all around for the source of such a powerful voice. Aurora shifts as I wiggle atop her back. Who could own such a presence? And why would he speak my name in such an intimate way?

  Raius.

  Raius. That name again—and, what was it—bondmate? "Bond…mate? What is that? Why—"

  All will be explained in due time, Young One. For now, trust that this is the right path. Raius is my most Precious One, my broodling, and the last of Dragonkind. The Young One must protect the Precious One—

  There is no more time, mother. Already, they come for her. I will find you, Floh-rrrence, in the realm above. Keep your mind open to me…my mate.

  I am too stunned for words, but it seems there is no need for me to say anything else.

  Aurora lets me slide off her back and guides me back to the "door" to the Hellscape.

  Floh-rrrence: remember. Please.

  I wish there was a way to see him, to know more about this supposed "mate" of mine, but I know that's not the way the ?ther works. Now that I've seen it, I remember reading about it at the Academy, during my secret research. It is a hivemind for the dragons, both living and long gone. They are all connected. To be invited into the ?ther is an honor unlike any other. Aurora used it for years to bring me comfort in the Hellscape, and now my "mate" will apparently use it to communicate with me outside of here?

  How could I be worthy of this?

  "Lady Florence!" A muffled shout that sends soundwaves through the ?thermind, just like ripples on water, comes from beyond the border. It's likely Russo or Felix, coming to the rescue. "Come, quickly!"

  His voice echoes strangely. Just as I turn, Aurora stops me.

  Young One, she says, and dips her head to press a kiss to the top of mine once more.

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  Farewell.

  ?????

  Felix

  “What’s she saying?” Prince Andrelandros grumbles. The prince is clearly agitated. “Raius…is her 'mate?' What does that mean? Who is this 'Raius'? How could he possibly be so crude, the bastard.”

  Felix stood silently, his face ashen. “Your Highness, do…do you have your holy sword, by chance?”

  “Yes,” he said, his voice low. "Always."

  He held out his hand, his fingers ready, and whispered a word—a brilliant light filled the room as a sword appeared in his grasp. A sword unlike any other.

  Felix knew that Prince Andrelandros was the master of Lalai, one of the few legendary swords in the Royal Family's possession, but to see the sword up close, at the mercy of someone like him…

  Felix shook his head. He was in no place to judge His Highness's character, nor who Lalai chose as her master.

  “You, Y-Your Highness, must serve as my anchor, or else…” he swallowed, “I might not find my way back. She is…she has gone quite far this time.”

  "Explain what you mean," the prince said, staring at Felix with deadly focus.

  Felix took a deep breath.

  "This isn't the first time Lady Florence has gone into the Hellscape," he replied. "Last time, it was your father who ordered my brother and me to retrieve her. But, Russo is not here to act as my anchor, so—"

  "So?"

  "Th-the sword should work. Lady Florence's conscience is…somewhere else right now." Why did the prince have to be so terrifying!

  "So, if we forcibly woke her—" the prince replied, arms crossed, his chest.

  "She would not respond. You cannot wake her from this. I must retrieve her from the Hellscape first."

  Prince Andrelandros and Lord Trevor Rowanward, who had not left the room, shared a look. Both of their brows were deeply furrowed, and Felix was just about to ask why the two of them were so concerned when the Prince conceded to the plan.

  "Go," he ordered, jutting his chin toward Lady Florence's bed. "Bring her back."

  Felix licked his lips, a question ready to fly off his tongue, but he nodded instead.

  What happens if I can't?

  Next to the bed, he knelt. His Highness stood next to him, holding the sword. Felix gripped the sword's handle and gently grasped Lady Florence's hand.

  He took several deep breaths, sent a silent plea to his brother, then jumped into the abyss.

  This time, the Hellscape Lady Florence occupied was much quieter. Almost…calm. If he had the time, Felix would have investigated this phenomenon, but there was none. He had to find her.

  He followed her faint trace through the Hellscape, trudging through the rough, roadless terrain, until he came upon a border. A door, so to speak, between the Hellscape and one of the many pathways connected to it.

  A door, he soon discovered, that he could not open.

  "Lady Florence!" he called, sensing her beyond. "Lady Florence! You must come to me!"

  He raised his hands and conjured his holy light, but no matter what he tried, he could not breach the barrier. His soul was strained with the effort, and he knew the thin thread tethering him to the realm of the living, the realm of consciousness, would break.

  Suddenly, the spectral fog, crinkling with little electrical sparks, swirled and divided. Felix could see Lady Florence far in the distance, a brilliant presence in the ashy din.

  "Lady Florence!" he cried, not even sure she could hear him in this form. "Come, quickly!"

  Without his brother, his trek into the Hellscape wasn't nearly as strong or lengthy as it could have been, and he was losing his grasp. If he was going to pull Lady Florence out, he needed to do it soon, or they'd both be stranded!

  She drifted closer, seeming to sparkle in the stray, crackling firelight and lightning, until she reached the barrier. Would he even be able to pull her through?

  A hissing sound began to fill his ears as he raised his hand to meet hers.

  No, he thought, no! He could feel himself begin to fade. Just as the blinding white began to sear his vision, he felt the tug of Lady Florence's hand.

  With no moment to spare, Felix latched on with strength he didn't know he had and dragged them both back.

  But…had they made it in time?

  The hissing in his ears had given way to a muffled cacophony, and his eyes could not yet tolerate the light in the room. It was a warm trickling from his nose that made him open them. Blood, he realized, seeing a smear of red on his blurry hand.

  They were back.

  They'd made it! Next to him, Lady Florence stirred, mumbling softly, but not yet awake.

  But...they'd made it back!

  He turned, only to see the prince scowling at both of them.

  ?thermind sounds pretty, right?! Imagine a galactic paradise condensed into a giant cavern, perpetually dusk with subtle glimmers of color floating slowly through the sky...and don't forget the "stars"! Are they sentient? Perhaps.

  ??kb