"YOYO! YOYO!" he screamed, deep within himself.
Binding together a ruptured deltoid with what was left of his mana, the experienced healer slumped back against the wall, depleted and spent. Whatever happened now, he knew he'd play very little part. Mainly because of his age, it would be some time before the living magic within him replenished, and by then events would surely have played out. All he could do was lend a helping hand, guide others with his vast experience, and of course... pray. Not something he'd normally do, but of one thing he was certain, if ever a situation called for a prayer or two, then this was most certainly it. Closing his eyes, drawing a deep breath, it was then that he heard it over the cacophony of everything else going on. Subtle at first, barely even there, quickly it got louder. And that's when he recognised it. FLASH!
Sitting bolt upright, his eyes as wide open as they'd go, the experienced healer returned the call deep inside his head.
"FLASH?"
"I'm outside the shield Yoyo."
"I know youngster... I saw, a hummingbird, deeply impressive."
"There's no time for that now. I have items that will help you and Richie with your magic. You have to get her to open a gap in the shield... NOW!"
No sooner said than done, Yoyo bolted to his feet and bounded over to the young lacrosse playing dragon.
"You have to open up the same gap you did before for Flash!"
"WHAT?" bellowed Richie.
"He wants to give us something. It's important."
Deeply sceptical, and about to tell Yoyo what he could do with his request, it was then that she spotted him in all his hummingbird glory, twisting and turning, diving and gliding, swooping and darting in between all the magic that would have been instant death to a larger form. Immediately she siphoned more power from the dagger, focusing her concentration on maintaining the uniformity of the barrier but with one exception. In almost exactly the same place as she'd let him through, the tiniest of holes once again opened up. This time though, it was a lot more raggedy around the edges, shaped nothing like the uniform circle it had been before.
Not needing to be told twice, and with Yoyo shouting in his ear, he dive bombed the hole on exactly the approach that he needed to be. At the very last instant, he thrust the ring from around his feet, and with a flick of his delicate little neck, flipped the necklace to follow. Allowing himself just enough time to see both items land safely on the other side of the barrier, he watched as the gap closed, before wheeling tightly around and setting off in the direction of his monarch.
With Richie sweating nervously while continuing to power the shield, fully aware of just how much energy was, or in this case wasn't, left within the dagger, Yoyo scurried over to see what Flash had just delivered them. Picking the items up from the white, blast-stained marble floor, he could hardly believe his eyes when he realised exactly what they were. Hurrying back to the young lacrosse player, he approached her from behind, much to her surprise.
"Don't worry my dear, Flash has provided us with a temporary respite. That boy is always full of surprises."
And with that, he placed the necklace gently around Richie's neck and then locked the clasp in place.
The realisation of power struck her by surprise. It was as if she'd been cleansed, reborn almost, with her tiredness and fatigue banished, replaced by a clear head and refreshed muscles. Turning to smile at Yoyo, all the time continuing to power the shield, she watched hungrily as he slipped the laminium ring on one of his big fat fingers, the same power she'd just experienced washing over him. A nod from both was all it took for Yoyo to sprint back over to his injured charges, buoyed now by almost youthful exuberance.
She had it... a scorching hot beam of pure plasma that would melt the flesh from his bones instantly. Perfect! Relinquishing the rage she'd been holding in check, she took one last look at the being she hated most in this world and, pushing the disgust from her mind, conjured up the words in her head, preparing to put every last ounce of her will behind them. As her hatred boiled up through every atom in her body, a change occurred within her physical form, something she'd only experienced twice before. It started as a sensational tingle that massaged her entire scalp. After a few moments the massage turned into a coordinated kind of tugging, which in itself transformed into an all encompassing ecstasy. It had happened once again, and this time she didn't need a mirror to see the results. Tiny sharp-toothed serpents had replaced her long, flowing, brown locks, snapping and hissing, writhing uncontrollably. To her, it was rapture, bliss, pleasure personified. This was her crowning moment as queen, one that both she and the world would never forget.
Dodging flame, electricity, pure unadulterated energy, ice, poison and in one poorly judged case, an ambush by a two headed serpent lying in wait, the hummingbird that embodied all that was Flash poured on as much speed as it dared in an effort to reach the sneaking assassin. Unfortunately the circuitous route he'd had to take in order to avoid all the obstacles and the highly volatile offensive magic had left him approaching from behind the trio of magic wielders. George, the king and Fredric spotted him all at the same time, even though the latter was torn apart by grief, kneeling on the floor, his face flooded with tears. Flash, however, could see exactly what they couldn't: their revenge fuelled assassin about to unleash whatever fresh hell she'd concocted on their very sorry arses, and from the looks of things, he wasn't going to get there in time. Having planned to put himself in between the very real threat and his king, throw up the most powerful shield he could and then attack with all his might, things, he knew, had just gone out of the window. Delicate little wings burning like the most potent form of lava, Flash gave it his all in one last attempt to gain as much speed as possible, before tucking in his feathery appendages and like an aerodynamic dart, he screamed through the air in a reckless attempt to achieve his goal. As his graceful little form parted the air like a bullet from a gun directly above the king's head, the words in his mind began unlocking the interchangeable bonds of his DNA, and as the change started to occur, all the time on the move, his consciousness tried very hard to line up the words to the mantra for his shield, knowing that he'd have almost no time at all to do exactly that.
Batting away a thick tendril of ice that a huge naga had attempted to swat him with, all the while crushing another's windpipe with an oddly worded spell that had suddenly come to him from far off in the past, out of nowhere a tiny blur of colour caught his eye. Readying yet another mantra, one that would throw a wicked electrical net over the threat, neutralising it forever, the presence of a strong arm gripping his calf forced him to re-evaluate. Glancing down, he was surprised to find himself looking straight into the watery eyes of his best friend. Before he could utter even one word, Fredric spoke first.
"Don't! It's Flash."
George nodded, having only just realised himself. Simultaneously, the two of them turned, watching the ex-Crimson Guard fly overhead, wondering what the hell he was doing in a form like that, amongst all this chaos and mayhem. As they followed his flight, the tiniest movement of a brown cloaked figure in the background caught their eye, the nature and scale of the threat becoming utterly obvious instantly, but by then, it was far too late.
All he needed was the last little bit of DNA to lock into place... that's all. But for some reason or other, it seemed to be taking an age. In his original plan, he'd considered changing back into his dragon form, something he now knew was possible, and something that most certainly would have given him an edge. But it was all about time. Changing back into the larger form would have taken a few more moments, moments he no longer had. Willing the process to go faster, he fought off the impatience inside him, concentrating instead on readying the mantra for the shield that he needed to deflect away whatever vile magic the attacker had planned for Fredric, Vasuki and the king.