Beyond Far Away

- Chapter ten –

"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." (W. Shakespeare)

Asheron

The mountains were absolutely bewitching. The snowy tops glimmered in the sun, half way hidden among the peach-coloured clouds. The lower regions were even more astonishing as the colourful plants growing there created the illusion of a rainbow blanketing the rocks. Every student was taken aback by the vivid landscape and kept quiet as they unpacked. The air was filled with light and clean magic. Conscientia Boarding school funded the trip for nearly two hundred pupils, yet there were only whispers as twelve groups of sixteen marched towards cute vacation cottages.

"I really don't think this is a good idea." Seigmond muttered, dissatisfied with the sleeping arrangements.

"You have nothing to worry about! Ralph is a gentleman and even if he tries something, I can take him. Tell him Mike!" Caitlyn glanced behind her, encouraging the young man to speak."Mike?"

Their group had gathered in a field and Mrs Peppers was announcing who was going to share the cottages. Each house had two separate rooms with the same number of beds in each. Seigmond, Michael and two older boys were in group C, while A group's Cat had gotten two younger girls and a male classmate – Ralph. The girl's boyfriend did not really welcome the decision.

Michael just stood there, deep in thought. His mind was fracturing into tiny fragments. Although the scenery was breath-taking there were way too many things that had the boy's attention. First of all, he was still contemplating the possibility of meeting yet another creature from the dreams. Eudora had aged, but she was alive and real. Not to mention the fact that the demonic feline could interact with him telepathically. Secondly, Michael was overwhelmed by an unfathomable need to see Adriana, no longer just a longing. There was an irritating nagging inside of him that compelled to ensure the young woman's safety. Finally, this place stirred an unusually strong sense of nostalgia. The young Devin had dreamt of the Limbo mountains, which made it difficult not to seek out one place in particular.

"Michael!" Now that was not the voice of someone Michael had expected. Which is why it efficiently returned him to reality.

"Sebastian?"

A few girls - including Caitlyn - gasped, while most boys stared at the hunter in awe and admiration. The demon was a legend, someone known very well and respected even among the youngest generations. Dressed in a simple green shirt and jeans Sebastian walked to his descendant with a mischievous grin on his face. He loved the nearly swooning crowd.

"Hello, kids," The hunter greeted everyone then turned his lavender eyes to the teacher. "Ah, Monique! It is a pleasure to see you again." Mrs Peppers flushed deep red, making Michael cringe unintentionally. "Could I borrow my great-grandson for a second?"

The woman nodded, here face expressing curiosity, while the rest of the group was shocked (that is, except Sebastian and Cat). No one had really been informed that Michael was Sebastian's relative. While they had the same surnames, no one really made the connection. Ignoring the looks – especially from the women – wasn't easy, but the young man managed to follow his ancestor towards one of the training facilities.

"What are you doing here?" The boy questioned once they were out of the friends' hearing range.

"I have an assignment nearby and thought that it was the perfect opportunity to see you. And test a theory of mine." Sebastian had a smirk that made his companion uneasy.

"What theory would that be?"

"You'll see once we get there."

Instead of entering the building, the blond walked past it, towards the parking area.

"It will get dark soon. How long will this take?" This was the vampire's subtle way of saying that he did not wish to continue.

"I took care of everything. You're going to stay with me, now get in the car. " Sebastian's tone wasn't demanding, but rather encouraging as he unlocked the black automobile.

It was a luxurious sports car, similar to Lamborghini Gallardo, yet with a sharper front and a different logo - a curvy H with a bubble. The young Devin whistled.

"If any of my classmates saw this work of art..."

"Yeah, that's why we're leaving now."

Laughing at his great-grandfather's subtle ways and the fact that he was about to get into Harmony 11, Michael made himself comfortable in the passenger's seat.

****

Adriana glanced at the body once more, nibbling at her bottom lip.

"What do we do now?"

Her partner rolled his eyes and continued washing the blood off in a stream. They were at the outskirts of a mountain town, trying to come up with ideas on how to get rid of a corpse. Not a very common situation for hunters. The fact that the skin-walker had taken the form of the town's mayor did not help at all.

"You should burn it," An unknown voice answered.

A man had literally appeared out of thin air, forcing both Adriana and Michael to crouch, defensive. He was an average looking middle-aged male with side swept orange hair, clad in simple clothes.

"My name is Zopyros Ufford." The stranger bowed with a smile that immediately caused the huntress discomfort. "I'm also known as the Limbo wizard? No? Nothing?" His laugh was harmonious. "Well, despite that, I'm here to help you."

Flames engulfed the dead man, startling Adriana even further. It was a live silent fire that did not spread as the heat incinerated the flesh. While it was helpful, the selene couldn't help but wish to escape the magician's presence. She couldn't pin point the exact reason as to why the wizard caused her distress, but she had long ago learned to trust her instincts. Therefore, to the red-head this man was a threat. Certain that it was better to be careful, she put on the look of unadulterated hostility. Michael noticed her change immediately and being the loyal partner that he was began the interrogation. His stance was equally unfriendly.

"Why are you here?"

They were partially covered by a few bushes and trees, but it wasn't enough to hide the fire. As the stench of burning flesh spread towards the homes, people began walking towards the mini barbecue.

"This is neither the time nor the place," The mysterious man responded, noticing the approaching audience. "I will find you when I can. For now, inform the citizens that they are safe." With those words he was gone.

Both hunters gazed at the spot confused. Not every day strange men pop out of nowhere, lit corpses and dissolve into nothing.

"They should make teleportation illegal," Adriana murmured, relaxing visibly.

By the time she gave on wiping off the greasy stain on her cheek, the body had already been turned to a pile of ashes. The hunters had way less to explain to the town's people, but their skin still crawled in wariness.

"I'll speak to Sebastian about it the next time, now, let us deal with the mob." Was the young man's reply.

* * *

"You need to move!" Michael urged, his handsome face splattered with mud and blood.

"I can't, you imbecile! My leg was nearly ripped off, among other things." The huntress was in a much worse shape than his. "Go away and call for backup!"

The two on them were inside a cave, quite similar to the one their first mission had taken them to, yet much bigger. The main difference, though, was that they were facing a dragon. Yes, a beautiful winged serpent that breathed fire. The creatures were so rare that some considered them to be extinct. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"If you haven't noticed we're in a dragon's lair! Leaving you here would mean..."

A loud and angry roar shut the hunter up and announced that the beast had detected their approximate hiding spot. Adriana dug her nails into Michael's shoulders and leaned as close as physically possible, pressing her lips against his ear.

"You need to get out. Now." Her hiss was barely audible, but desperate. "I wish to live and that is the only way."

"I can barely make out the contours of the walls. That thing will kill me as soon as I step out of this hole." Michael turned his face to stare at the woman, feeling her lips brush against his sweaty cheek.

'Don't get distracted.' He told himself.

"It's our only chance." She was in a lot of pain, having lost a great amount of blood and broken a limb.

If there was a way to sway the man, it was by asking for his help. The hunter gave one curt nod and slipped away, his muscles tense. There was a bitter smile on his lips as he made his way towards the exit. Out of all possible scenarios, why did they have to face a dragon when their only purpose was to explore a rumoured complex of tunnels? It was supposed to be their day off and yet, the mountains had a surprise ready for our heroes. The obscure caves had a dangerous creature hidden in the darkness.

"Ah..." Adriana softly moaned as she readjusted her position.

The girl was not an idiot. She knew that even if Michael did make it out of the caves, there was no hope for her to survive long enough to be rescued. Thus, she closed her tired eyes and relaxed. The pain wrapped around her like a thick net, separating the woman from any sense of time. The chill soaked into Adriana's flesh like a parasite, wiggling its way towards the heart. The huntress had suffered a lot of damage - the fierce serpent hurled her against the cave wall with force only an ancient creature could muster. Its scales were those of finest material that could withstand heat and deflect all weapons, teeth - long and rough to crush bones and rip off limbs with little effort. From the wound on Adriana's abdomen, the creature's cranium was half the size of a grown man.

Adriana heard growls and the sound of scraping getting closer and prepared to have a gigantic claw crush her body. She knew that the tiny cranny could offer only so much protection. Coughing up in a fruitless attempt to clear her throat of blood, the huntress prepared to be eradicated. Yet, something very different happened. Just as the dragon's head turned to the direction of the small pocket inside the cave, the red-head felt a presence.

"This is going to hurt." Zopyros muttered with a tint of unpleasantness and that was the only warning Miss Vervloet got.

Her body writhed in pain as each and every molecule that belonged to her physical form was separated by magic and rejoined in a different location. Witches and wizards excluded, very rarely could other beings teleport, due to the negative impact the process would have on them. Being wounded, weak and one of the fae, Adriana had it even worse and the man was taking a great risk. She could have died during the process just from the effect it had on her. Luckily, the huntress survived the journey. The agony was still there, overwhelming and excruciating, however, Adriana was out of the tunnels. Not that she was aware of that. Her sight was blurry and dim, body convulsed periodically and the selene couldn't even feel the warmth of sunshine on her blood coated skin.

Adriana was nowhere near consciousness as her mind could only register fragments of reality. Somebody was shouting, there were people looming over the young woman's thrashing body. Adriana fought the aching, drowsiness and nausea that compelled her to scream, but somehow her shrieks would still escape their confinement. One individual, certainly familiar, ordered a pair of strangers to place the red-head's tattered body on a stretcher. The movement caused a jolt of pain to run through the wounded body and the Adriana let out a whimper, choking on the blood leaking into her mouth from the broken nose.

"You're safe, Miss Vervloet," Zopyros voice reached the tortured mind. "Let go of the suffering, sleep."

His face entered the woman's field of vision and she couldn't help, but feel uncomfortable. There was something very wrong about that man. Alas, she had less than no energy. All noises and sensations dulled as the huntress fell into the darkness, her form still seizing up and trembling.

****

Earth

Adriana opened her bleary eyes, feeling just as terrible as she had had before falling asleep. All of her joints ached, the pounding inside the head not helping at all. When the girl tried to sit up, she realized that the sheets seemed illogically heavier. Nevertheless, it was not enough to stop the red-head from stumbling out of the bed and towards the kitchen. You see, our heroine had the flu.

"Mother?" Adriana rasped out, but only silence answered her small plea for help.

She was all alone in the house with a fever and a runny nose. Making tea took so much effort that it completely discouraged the female from preparing lunch. Grasping the warm cup and a few pills, she made her way back to the bed, fatigued after such a long journey. Once comfortable and underneath the blankets, Adriana gulped the tea and medicine down. The drugs made her drowsy, but before she could snooze off, her phone lighted up, ringing impatiently.

"Hello?" The sore throat did not help the poor child to sound less annoyed by the call.

"Hey! This is Suzy. Thought I could check up on you?" The chatter in the background made it hard to comprehend the girl's words. "Are you sick?"

"Yeah... I've got the flu. Are you at the uni?"

"Of course! How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I am dying..." Adriana moaned into the phone. "I can barely move."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I need to go now, but I'll stop by your place later. Do you want me to bring anything?" The chatter grew fainter.

"You don't need to come. I don't want to infect you!"

"Do you want anything or not?"

"...Dried apricots." Adriana's flushed cheeks grew redder.

"Dried apricots it is then! See ya."

As Suzy hung up, the red-head was still smiling to herself. Suzanne was a very good friend. Even when Adriana told her that Michael was only a childhood friend, she hadn't seen till a few months ago, the girl did not press the subject. There was doubt in her honest eyes, but she respected her friend's wish to keep some things private. The brunette was one of those people you could trust not to dwell into your secrets, but still be there for you when the time came. Pretty much like Michael, Adriana thought.

Ah, Michael. She hadn't seen him in so long. Practising magic was so much fun, but she also wished to simply talk to the boy. He was funny and straightforward.

Adriana missed him.

****

Michael paced in front of the white doors, hands clasped behind his back. All bandaged up and sedated he was still nervous about his partner's health. The teleportation caused her wounds to open even wider and an unpredictable amount of inner damage. While the hunter was of little use in patching up the girl, he considered it to be his duty to stand by Adriana's side. However, the medical staff forbade something like that, drugged him even tried locking him up in another ward. Although Michael did succeed in escaping the capture, he couldn't get into Adriana's room.

'You look pathetic.' Eudora purred, stretched over a leather seat.

Though she had missed all the action, she was there now to make fun of Adriana, once she awoke.

"Well, excuse me. I got beaten by a dragon." Was his sarcastic reply.

'The wench will survive a few scratches. You should be grateful to have stumbled upon a...'

While the feline did nothing wrong, Michael couldn't help but blow up at her. He had so much pent up rage and frustration that the elegant creature had to do little to provoke the vampire.

"If you call her anything but Adriana or Miss Vervloet ever again, I will feed you to that damned dragon. " Voice dangerously low, purple eyes locked with silver ones, he deadpanned.

Before either of them could mutter another word, an elderly lady briskly walked out of the room, where a dozen of people were mending the young woman.

"Mr Devin! You should be in bed, not wandering around like a lost puppy!" She exclaimed.

Michael tried to grasp anything that would inform him of Adriana's condition, but the doors were shut faster than he could glimpse inside.

"How is her condition?"

"Stable. Listen to me, child. We need to get you back to..."

"I will stay here until I see her."

"Oh, for the love of God! Such callowness! Your skin is grey, you need fluids and rest."

"Not before I see her."

The doors opened once more, cold light coming from the white room, and Sebastian stepped out.

"Let him in, Ingrid. He won't budge otherwise."

"But, Mr Devin..."

Not waiting for the final verdict, Michael stepped around his brother and walked towards the only bed surrounded by individuals dressed in white. Zopyros and Sebastian were the only ones that did not wear the staff's get up and stood farther from the patient. The hunter gazed at his friend and flinched. Adriana's skin was chalky white from blood loss, but little of it was left after the dragon had tossed her around the caves. Although those creatures were blind, they had great hearing and could inflict severe damage.

"She has an open fracture, internal bleeding, five broken ribs and a punctured lung." Sebastian explained in a gentle voice, his eyes focused on his brother's grief stricken face. "However, the doctors are sure that she will pull through."

"You need to go and take care of yourself instead," The wizard added, drawing the vampire's attention to himself.

"You." Michael hissed, ignoring the thirst Adriana's blood had ignited within his body. "How did you know where to find us?"

"I came over your house and the demonic feline was kind enough to inform me of your trip to the mountain tunnels."

Zopyros had a blank face, but his words seemed genuine. The vampire nodded in approval and turned back to his partner, wobbling slightly. There was a slight nagging that something wasn't right about Zopyros finding them just like that, but his head was pounding and the man decided to leave conspiracy theories for later.

"Let's go. You need to rest as well." Sebastian urged, his hand stabilizing the young man.

"Why did it attack her?" The vampire replied with a question of his own.

"What do you mean?"

"It went only for Adriana. I got hurt only because I tried to help her. Why did it charge only at her?"

Mr Devin looked at his drugged brother and gently pulled Michael out of the room, thinking of anything to say.

"Maybe Miss Vervloet has a history with the creature."

"Adriana had never seen a dragon before. Neither one of us had."

"Then she was simply unlucky." The demon dismissed the issue.

Which was a mistake, because the dragon was a sign that something much worse was approaching.