Chapter 3

After gaping for a moment Aubrey sputtered out the only thing she could. "Atlantis? But it's not real." Her voice had gone all squeaky as she stared at the man in front of her with incredulity whilst suspecting that he did not have the full mental capacity of a human or superhuman, in fact he was obviously not quite right in the head but she chose to keep that to herself as she eyed the man made of muscle.

"I assure young one, Atlantis most definitely exists and you are most definitely in it. Now we do not have time to argue the Elders are waiting. Akan, take her before I sling her over my shoulder like an impetuous child." Aubrey gaped at the man, this was by far the most he had said and she struggled with whether to gape at the fact that his tone had lightened somewhat or that he had basically insulted her. But more importantly, who was Akan? She wondered but she didn't get a chance to think it through because the next moment she heard the sound of what sounded to her, like very large wings beating.

Aubrey started to turn as a swift wind picked up and her hair flurried around her as she tried to face the source of commotion with her shoulders hunched up to her ears whilst her back was ramrod straight. She didn't manage to turn very far before she is jolted upwards as cold hard talon-like claws wrapped around her shoulders, the obsidian blades ripping through the fabric of the t-shirt. Lifting her head, Aubrey let out a gasp that was lost over the sound of the flapping wings as she stared unbelieving at the scaled underside of the large flying beast. She let her eyes trail further upwards where a large long neck travelled up to a dark green snout. Her eyes opened wide as she gaped at the beast as she whispered the name of it, not quite sure how she was feeling about dragons actually existing. She could hardly believe it and she had seen it.

She shook her head before eyes landed upon Tiberius who looked completely different to the man she had got accustomed to him being. Aubrey was startled to see a true genuine smile on the man's face as he grinned up at the beast, his eyes never once straying to her. Instead he winked at the dragon before running towards the edge of the cliff with a laugh that echoed off the rolling hills of trees and seemed to brighten the whole atmosphere before he disappeared over the edge with a giant leap. "Catch me Akan." His deep gravelly called from below as he slipped from view. The dragon grunted much like an indulgent mother whilst Aubrey screamed until her lung felt as if they had been set on fire with their intense burning need for air. She gasped as her eyes frantically moved side to side searched for some sign of him but saw none.

The dragon stayed completely still for a moment, smoke rolling out of its nostrils before it blew out a ring of fire and lurched forwards dragging it's unwilling passenger along with it. Aubrey screeched as the dragon erupted through the flames leaving her looking like she had been up the chimney with her sooty face and smoking hair. She heard the beast snort in amusement before her and the dragon lurched downwards in a sudden free fall, Aubrey still clasped tightly in its claws as it surged after the falling man. Aubrey silently urged the dragon on to save him before he hit the tree line which his body was getting closer and closer to with each second as his body spiralled and flipped through the air.

Akan pulled in her wings and sped towards the tree line so that she picked up speed so that Aubrey, who was still within her claws, was holding tightly onto the scaly appendage with her eyes closed whilst her voice was became hoarse from all of the screaming. The dragon skimmed just past the falling man before she pulled out of the dive with her wings spread wide. Aubrey jolted at the sudden change of speed and direction as Akan levelled out so that Aubrey's feet were only a metre above the tree tops. There was a tell-tale thump as Tiberius landed onto Akan's scaled back before he let out a throaty chuckle and started to speak like he was having a conversation with someone though from what Aubrey could tell she was the only one around.

After a few more minutes of being uncomfortable, Aubrey thought it best to remind them she was still clutched in the dragon's claws. She wouldn't have said anything because he mind was too busy reeling from the day's events but she was getting severely cold in the less than confortable clothes and Akan's claws were digging into flesh before glancing up above her where she could see the edge of a boot between each beat of the dragon's wings.

"Hey!"  She shouted but he obviously didn't hear her over his inane chatting because he didn't even falter in his speech. Aubrey screwed up her streaming eyes against the biting wind before taking a deep breath and shouting as loud as she possibly could. Her body deflating as she expelled the air whilst her shoulders stayed tensed in the uncomfortable grip of the dragon. Aubrey thought she heard a weary sigh as they came towards a huge beautiful blue lake that was glistening softly in the bright light of the two suns. Aubrey gaped at the fact that she had only just realised that there were two suns before screaming once more as she felt the talons loosing on her arms. With the sound of tearing fabric Aubrey plummeted downwards as gravity took hold of her and she dropped several feet into the cool icy water.

Pushing with her arms and legs she managed to get herself up to the surface as her heart pounded in her chest and her lungs squeezed painfully. She took a few frantic breaths of air before she felt herself slipping back under water. I wish I had those swimming lessons now she thought as she tried to claw her way to the surface but her limbs were beginning to ache and become sluggish so it took longer to get up. She burst through the surface to see Tiberius sitting happily aloft his dragon. She met his eyes trying to show her desperation as she choked out garbled words.

Tiberius sat there on Akan trying to figure out what the strange girl was trying to say before he caught a few words before her head ducked under water. He glanced at the surface trying to locate her head before he cussed and quickly removed his weapons belt. He laid them across Akan's back before taking a deep breath and diving in after her. What kind of idiot doesn't know how to swim? He questioned as the blue water encompassed his entire body.

 Peering through the crystalline waters he spotted her pale form drifting calmly with the ebb and flow of the waves. Her arms were floating outwards whilst she remained there laying back in the water like a serene water nymph, her auburn coloured hair looking almost purple in the water as it swayed around her face. What worried Tiberius most is that she was unconscious. Propelling himself through the water with swift and sure movements he reached her fragile form with a few stroke and after wrapping an arms around her waist, he pushed the two of them to the surface, her body a dead weight against him. As their heads broke the surface he instinctively held an arm up just as Akan swooped overhead and he had to clutch on tighter to the lifeless form as they were dragged from the water. He didn't want to think what the Elders would say when they found out he had almost killed one of the new recruits because he knew it would result in punishment for him, and with the Elders it was never good to be punished.

Akan gently placed her cargo onto the nearest bank where Tiberius got attending to Aubrey. He knew she wasn't dead, not yet at least. He would have to act fast if he wanted to save her. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before bringing his mouth down to hers and blowing air into her mouth before pulling back and doing chest compressions. It was times like these he wished he had different abilities. He grunted with each chest compression counting in his head before lowering his mouth and puffing another breath into hers. He repeated a few more times before she convulsed under him and her head turned to the side as she choked up water. Her eyes opened and stared up at him tiredly as her head rolled around slightly. Her blue lips moved for a second before she frowned and choked out a few words that were scratchy but he understood them well enough.

"Are we there yet?" she asked peeking up at her saviour through her wet eye lashes that were dripping water onto her cheeks. He smiled wanly at her before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up into his muscled arms and carried her joltingly over to the dragon who was eyeing them with an expression on her face that Aubrey couldn't comprehend in her muddled state. As Tiberius climbed onto Akan's back once more, he peered down at shivering girl in his arms and shook his head slightly before speaking in that deep gravelly voice of his.

"No, not yet." He said softly before patting Akan on the back so that she beat her wings and rose smoothly into the air whilst he hugged Aubrey close to his chest to keep her warm. "We will be there soon. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the view." He sounded rather wistful to Aubrey as his gaze strayed from her to the scenery around them. Even she could admit that the place was beautiful. She supposed this is what earth would have looked like several hundred years ago, acre upon acre of green, interrupted time to time by a clearing with a small village in the centre of it. It was better than anything she could ever have dreamt of if you had mentioned Atlantis, it was so peaceful.

About half an hour later, Aubrey felt Tiberius shift behind her before he spoke with glee in his voice, so different to the man she first met that it startled her momentarily before what he said hit her. "We're here!"  Tilting her head up, Aubrey set her eyes to the horizon and gasped. This was her new home?