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  Jollies twirled in the air and curtsied politely. Alex laughed at the enchanting young pixie. “I’m Alex, pleased to meet you.”

  “Are you eating all by yourself?”

  “Yeah, well, I’m sort of new here. I didn’t know who to sit with.”

  Jollies skittered around Alex’s head and asked, “Mind if I join you?” Jollies landed on Alex’s shoulder before she could answer and pulled out a small sandwich. “I haven’t seen a human in the program before. Didn’t think you could ride dragons, to be honest.”

  Alex straightened up. She wasn’t sure if she was comfortable enough for Jollies. “I was told I’m the first one,” Alex explained. “We can ride dragons, but Myrddin told me we have a steeper learning curve.”

  “You got to meet Myrddin? That must be why you’re here. Sounds like you might be a little bit special for a human.”

  “Why? Didn’t you meet him when you were recruited?”

  Jollies stretched out her wings, and one of them tickled Alex’s cheek. “Nope. I don’t think anyone has,” she answered. “But that’s probably because there are lots of pixies in the dragonriders.”

  “I hope you don’t think this is rude, but I didn’t know pixies could ride dragons. Aren’t they a little bit large for you?”

  Jollies jumped to her feet and leapt off of Alex. Alex winced, expecting to be slapped for upsetting the pixie. She remembered what she’d read about them in Peter Pan—only room enough for one emotion.

  But Jollies was beaming.

  Literally.

  She flew close to Alex’s face. “Yeah, you would think, right?” Jollies exclaimed. “Turns out they’ve been breeding a special dragon just for us pixies. Super small, and they’re used for special recon missions. I would die to be part of the Hairballs crew. Oh, I’d friggin’ die to ride with them. They’re so cool, and they’ve been on all sorts of insane missions, and they only accept the best pixie riders.”

  Jollies stopped talking and held her hand over her mouth as she blushed. Her whole body turning bright red. “I’m sorry, sometimes I rant when I get too excited.”

  Alex giggled and waved away Jollies’ worries. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I think it’s pretty cute. So, it’s an all-pixie squad?”

  “Yep, and it’s the only one like it. It’s mostly because we’re so small. I’m pretty sure if you found a way to shrink yourself, you could join. Their motto is ‘Size doesn’t matter, talent does.’ But, I mean, you kinda have to be tiny to get on the dragon, so maybe size does matter. Either way, it’s gonna be me who sets the Dark One’s ass on fire with the fury of my dragon.”

  Alex took a bite of her mashed potatoes. They tasted like home but not as good. As she put down her spoon, she caught the drow staring at her. “What’s up with them?” Alex asked, jerking her head in the direction of the drow and the gnome.

  Jollies looked at the duo, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. “Oh, them.” Jollies sighed. “The drow is Gill Lowborn, and the surname says it all. The gnome is Brath Gimbel. They think they’re tough guys is all. Ask them, and they’ll tell you how they’re going to be the next big heroes of the war.”

  “They seem like dicks.”

  “Ignore them. They’re just stupid kids who like to pick fights.”

  Manny floated over to Alex and said, “I’m going to go grab seconds. You’ll be okay for a little bit?” he asked. “Because of, you know.” He winked a couple of his eyes at her.

  Alex nodded and shooed Manny away. “Yeah, I’ll be okay for a couple of minutes, don’t worry.”

  As Manny walked away, Alex’s eyesight started to fade until it was completely gone. This time, it wasn’t a shock; she was prepared to descend into her personal darkness. It almost felt comfortable, taking a break from the sensory overload.

  Jollies’ voice came from Alex’s right side. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Alex could smell the pixie dust floating off Jollies as she spoke. “Yeah, I’m cool,” Alex replied. “Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know. I just noticed you started staring like you zoned out or something.”

  Alex hadn’t realized she probably would look a little odd if she stopped making eye contact and stared straight ahead, but she wasn’t ashamed of anything. Why not tell Jollies? Alex took a quick, short breath. “Oh, it’s because I’m blind,” Alex explained. “When Manny leaves, I can’t see.”

  Jollies floated to Alex’s other shoulder. “Really? I’ve never heard of a blind dragonrider before,” the pixie exclaimed. “That’s so cool.”

  Alex’s vision came back, and she saw Manny heading toward her. She also saw Gill and Brath stand up and make their way over. Just great, Alex thought.

  Gill pulled up a seat across from Alex, his purple eyes dancing. “Wait a minute,” he said. His voice was far too gruff for a child’s. It sounded like he’d been smoking a pipe his whole life. “Did you just say you’re blind?”

  Alex sat up straight and pushed her tray to the side. “Yeah, I did say I was blind. What of it?”

  Brath scoffed as he burst out laughing. “What the hell are you going to do, then?” he mocked. “You can’t see anything without your seeing-eye Beholder. You planning on hitting the Dark One with your cane?”

  Alex went red and she felt her heart rate increase. She hadn’t expected anyone here to make fun of her for being blind. She almost didn’t know what to say, but she did know she wasn’t going to back down. “I got into the program, didn’t I?” she shot back. “And I did it without being able to see. Think that speaks for itself.”

  Brath cracked his knuckles as he took another step toward Alex. “Looks to me like things are bad enough with the Dark One that we have to start accepting cripples.”

  Alex jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over her food. “Who the hell are you calling a cripple?” she shouted.

  Brath looked like he was going to back down for a second as he cast a glance at Gill, who merely shrugged and looked disinterested after his initial teasing. “I’m calling you a cripple,” Brath reiterated. “You’re probably gonna be the first one to get smoked. You humans are weak and lazy anyway, even when you have both your eyes, which you don’t.”

  Brath took off his jacket and tossed it over Manny, covering all of Manny’s eyes.

  Everything went black. Alex immediately got disoriented and instinctively reached in front of her to grab something. She nearly lost her balance but managed to regain it quickly. She didn’t dare move, though.

  Brath’s nasal voice cut through the darkness. “Exactly,” Brath spat. “What’s to keep me from blackening those smug, useless human eyes?”

  Gill’s voice was the next one Alex heard. “Come on, Brath, cut it out,” he said. “She’s had enough.”

  “I’m just saying, why the hell do we need this dead weight? Just our luck, we’ll end up having to risk our necks for her.”

  Finally, Alex’s vision came rushing back to her. She looked around to see what had happened. Manny was struggling to get the jacket off. His lack of arms wasn’t doing him any favors. Jollies had flown down to him and was trying to help.

  Alex stood there awkwardly. Her heart raced so fast she couldn’t speak. Her eyes jumped from Brath’s condescending face to Gill’s indifferent gaze before she stormed off without saying a word.

  The farther Alex got from Manny, the more her vision deteriorated. She walked closer to the wall as her eyesight faded, and she descended into familiar darkness with her throat tight from anger. Her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists, and she wished she’d punched Brath’s face.

  Chapter Seven

  Alex stumbled down the hallway. She wished she could see the crystal splendor around her, but at the same time, she never wanted to see anything again. Brath’s and Gill’s sneering faces were seared into her memory. She’d heard derision before. Seeing it was a whole new thing.

  Reflexively, Alex reached out to feel what was in front of her. She wished she ha
d her cane so she could have at least some semblance of normalcy. Then she got an idea. In Middang3ard, you could access your inventory through your HUD.

  The inventory provided at the start of the game always had the bare minimum of equipment for each class. Hopefully, the HUD she had in real life wasn’t any different.

  She tapped the nodes on her temples and heard them hum to life. If she’d had Manny nearby, she would have seen the holographic interface that stretched from one temple to the other, covering her eyes. Even though Alex couldn’t see the HUD interface, she thought she would take a gamble.

  “Walking cane,” Alex whispered.

  Alex waited for a few seconds, feeling dumber each second. It was probably asking too much for Myrddin to have planned this far ahead. That thought was dispelled when Alex felt the familiar weight in her hand.

  Alex reached out with her cane and tapped the wall. The slight clack practically echoed in her ear. I don’t need Manny or his stupid eyes, she thought. I don’t need any of them. There’s nothing wrong with me. Idiots. Jerks.

  Alex made her way down the hall, although she had no idea where she was going. It didn’t matter. She just wanted to get as far away from the source of embarrassment as she could, but she knew she couldn’t run, not from this.

  Alex had grown up listening to the snickers of other children. She’d always thought that was why her parents had decided to homeschool her—they assumed she wasn’t strong enough to deal with the other children—but she’d always believed they’d done her a disservice.

  Strength was something Alex had in spades. She’d used her strength in Middang3ard VR for some time. It was a strength the rest of her party and anyone she came across could attest to.

  This was different, though. This stung more than Alex could ever have imagined. Anytime someone poked fun at her before, she could always chalk it up to that person’s ignorance. Not like this.

  Brath was right. What was a blind girl doing trying to ride a dragon?

  What if the magic Myrddin was creating didn’t work? What if she was going to have to go back home with her tail between her legs and always aware she’d come this close to experiencing something amazing but had not been able to grasp it?

  An interesting smell hit Alex’s nose, something she hadn’t run into before, not like the flowers in the garden. This was different. It wasn’t even remotely familiar. Alex figured she might as well check it out. She had no idea where she was anyway.

  She was glad to be back in the dark. Her thoughts were clearer without the light, without everything moving around her, without feeling the need to look at everything. It was weird. She’d never felt like this when she’d been playing VR.

  After Alex logged off VR, she’d always felt a slight sense of relief, along with a tinge of sadness. She had not been sad she couldn’t see anymore. Right now, Alex would give anything to be back home and never see this place again.

  She continued down the hallway and listened to the way the crystals moved around her. She could practically hear them rubbing against each other. As she walked, she wondered what the smell she was chasing could be and gave herself over to the search.

  This wasn’t any different from a game her mother used to play with her when she was a kid. It had been one of her favorite cooking games. Liza would hide a piece of fruit or a vegetable somewhere in the kitchen. Alex would then come into the kitchen and try to sniff it out.

  After a while, the kitchen wasn’t big enough for the game, and they expanded it into the living room. When the living room became too small, they included upstairs. Soon it was the entire house, and after that, outside as well.

  After a few months, Alex could name nearly every spice, every fruit, every ingredient, one by one, just from one whiff. She used to pretend she was the main character from the book Perfume, minus the creepy serial-killer parts of the story.

  She never quite developed a strong enough sense of smell to build entire worlds in her imagination, but she knew she had a gift. It was this gift that was guiding her through the halls of the Wasp’s Nest.

  As Alex walked, she tried to catalog each of the new scents she came across. They weren’t exactly new, though. She’d smelled them since she first arrived. They were the scents of elves or gnomes or the crystal walls. Still, there was one unique aroma that stood out amongst them all, and the source was what she searched for.

  Alex tapped her cane against the wall until she could tell there was a corner. She swung her cane out in front slowly to avoid hitting anyone walking by. The hallway seemed empty enough, so she stepped out and turned the corner.

  A soft voice popped into Alex’s head. There you go. You’re almost there.

  Alex screamed and jumped back as she dropped her cane. “Who’s there?” she asked as she bent over to find her cane.

  Alex knew the difference between someone speaking to her when she wasn’t aware and being alone. This was different. This felt like it was a thought in her head, but it wasn’t her thought.

  Don’t be frightened, child. Just a little farther. Take the left up here.

  Alex felt for her cane and grabbed it. She stood up and tapped until she was closer to the wall. “Why should I trust you? Who are you?” Alex asked as she tried to keep her voice from trembling.

  Do you not have a sense of adventure, Child of Dust?

  This was the second time Alex had been challenged today. The first time had stirred her anger. This time it was irritating. Why was everyone so intent on calling her out as if they had any idea what she was capable of. “What makes you think I don’t?” Alex challenged.

  The voice laughed, a deep, growling, almost warm sound. It’s just that you’ve asked so many questions so far. I’ve rarely seen an adventurer take the time to inquire of everything that is currently happening.

  “I wouldn’t make a very good adventurer if I blindly walked into every trap laid in front of me, would I? I’m pretty sure that would just make me a dead adventurer.”

  The voice laughed again. Whoever was speaking to Alex was obviously amused. Good answer, Dustling, good answer.” The voice chuckled. I can assure you Myrddin has not placed anything in the Wasp’s Nest that would truly wish to harm you. Why would he bring you here, just to cause your death?

  “You got a point there. All right, lead the way.”

  Turn left here and take the hall all the way down. I’ll be waiting for you.

  Alex did as she was told. She could hear the crystals shifting around her, and the unfamiliar smell was getting stronger and stronger. Finally, her cane tapped against a dead end. She pressed her hand to the freakishly warm crystal. “Is this it?” Alex asked.

  The voice came bubbling back up in Alex’s head. Imagine the door opening, the voice instructed. See it opening before you and come visit with me so we may speak in person.

  Alex thought of the door to her room swinging open. There was a dull green sky outside, and she could see her neighborhood.

  The crystal against Alex’s hand started to shift and change, pulling itself back to reveal an empty space. She tapped her cane in front of her to double-check, then stepped into the space.

  The room was filled with the unfamiliar and overwhelming scent. Whatever she had smelled dominated and was hot as well, almost the kind of heat you get from someone breathing too heavily over you.

  The voice was back in Alex’s head. Come closer, Dustling, so I may see you better. Come, sit and talk with me. I wish to know you better.

  Alex tapped across the floor, getting closer to the scent. “Why did you want to meet with me?” she asked.

  There is something different about you. Different than the rest. I wished to see what it is.

  Alex snorted derisively. “Yeah, you could say something’s different.” She sighed. “I don’t think I belong here, not like everyone else.”

  A huff of hot air blasted Alex in the face. The heat in the room must have just been turned on, and the air had a musty scent to it. Who is to say who
belongs in war? the voice asked. War is not a particularly natural state. Perhaps none of us belong here.

  “What do you mean?”

  The Dark One marches on Middang3ard, and we have gathered here, away from our families, children sitting amongst the ancients. But perhaps you are too fragile for this war. Some of us are born of steel, to be molded by the fire. Others are born of glass and crystal, to be marveled at from afar.

  “I’m not a fragile piece of glass.”

  The voice laughed again in Alex’s head. It sounded genuine and caring. Dustling, may I ask a favor of you? the voice inquired. I wish to know you better.

  Alex squirmed uncomfortably. The straightforwardness of her interrogator was slightly disconcerting. “Okay, what do you want to know?” she asked.

  I’d like to read your memories and understand your experiences to gauge how fragile or strong you are. I see so much fragility, yet so much strength.”

  “My memories? How are you going to do that?”

  I have my ways.

  Alex wrung her hands on her cane. “I don’t know how I feel about you mucking around in my mind.”

  The voice laughed uproariously. I am already mucking about, the voice replied. But I do not pry where I am unwanted.

  Alex sighed as she thought it over. This voice was obviously in her head, which meant it was speaking to her telepathically. What would the harm be in letting it see a couple of memories? It wasn’t like she’d led a particularly interesting life. “All right,” Alex said reluctantly. “Go ahead and take a look.”

  There was a long period of silence, the unfamiliar room filling up more and more with the scent. “Oh, yes. So this is the real you,” the voice murmured.

  With those words, Alex felt the world around her slipping away. She had the distinct feeling of falling, and then there was nothing.