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II

The Incident

"OK, everyone! Listen up," Ms. Habbenstaub called out. The classroom subsided.

Ms. Habbenstaub was a Traverser, one of the dinosaur like race that could, at times, take on the appearance of other races. Surprisingly for a race that resembles monstrous lizards, Traversers do not stand particularly tall, with members of their race rarely exceeding six feet. Physically, their body structure is closer to humans than dinosaurs. The appearance of Traversers closely resemble those of the bipedal dinosaurs, mostly raptors and the large carnivores, such as Allosaurus and the T-Rex. Ms. Habbenstaub was said to resemble a Celeophysis by a disrespectful student. Short, at four foot nine, slender, her small head mounted on a long neck, and possessing a long, thin, flexible tail, she in truth resembled one superficially. Her slender hands had three dexterous fingers and a thumb at the end of her graceful arms. She had a soft, scaly skin that was a dark blue-green color on her back and on top of her head which slowly faded to a pale green on her belly. Today, she wore a pair of flowing black slacks, black high heels, and an off white frilly blouse. A gray trilby sat on top of her bare head. Most Traversers had neither hair nor feathers.

"Make sure you have everything with you when we leave, as the bus will take you home after the trip. Stay in your groups when we get to The Palace, and for heaven's sake, don't wander off. Let me know if you need to use the restrooms. The bus should be here shortly. If anyone has any question let me know, and if anyone needs to use the restroom, now is the time."

"Ms. Habbenstaub," a girl called out. She and her friends where circled around a map of The Palace. Ms. Habbenstaub smiled and walked over to the group.

Alix and Hector were seated over in a corner, but they were talking about swimming rather than the field trip.

"Wish I could swim like you do," Hector said.

"You're strong enough," Alix said. "You could ask Mr. Nyce to teach you."

Hector sighed. "It's not about strength, but bone density. Pa said that we Bympyrs have a good fourth of our body weight tied up in our bones. Its one of the reasons I've never had a broken bone, despite all those spills I took skiing last winter. It's also the reason I sink like a stone in the water."

"That's a shame. You'd love it. The freedom of movement. The-"

Alix's head jerked up, his ears erect. Had he just heard some sort of hiss? Looking around, he could not see anything out of the ordinary, and no one else seemed to have heard it. Hector was giving him a queer look.

"What is it," he asked. "Bruce and his cronies are on the other side of the school in homeroom, if that's what your worried about."

Alix grimaced. "No, it's not that. I thought I heard a-"

There it was again. This time louder. Alix's head snapped around and looked at the corner in the back of the room, closest to the outside wall. Then there was a loud pop, and the sound of something cracking. Now everyone had heard it. Ms. Habbenstaub stood up straight, the smile disappearing from her face. There was another pop, and a small globe of blackish purple light formed in the corner, about five to six feet in the air. Tendrils of light, like electricity, reached out from the globe, tracing along the floor, ceiling, and walls. A buzzing sound began to build to a crescendo. Ms. Habbenstaub's eyes went wide with sudden fear.

"Run, everyone! Get ou-"

Everything seemed to disintegrate in Alix's sight. There was a blinding flash of purple light, and Alix was thrown backwards as the walls, and part of the ceiling, seemed to float away from the building. He hit the wall at the front of the classroom hard. The wind was knocked out of him, and he slumped down on the floor with a groan. Pieces of concrete rained down around him, and something smacked into the left side of his face. For a moment, he blacked out. But while his sight failed him for a moment, his other senses went on working. His nose picked up the iron tang of blood, the earthy smell of powdered concrete, and acrid tang of ozone. For a brief moment, the only thing he could hear was a ceaseless ringing which slowly faded to be replaced by the sounds of screams, crying, and the sliding of rocks. Off in the distance, sirens could be heard, and just under it, close by, was the sound of crackling and popping electricity. Slowly, Alix's eyesight returned to him.

His left eye refused to work; it felt swollen shut and something warm was running down over it. Alix found himself laying in a small hollow, surrounded by a mound of debris made up of concrete, broken pipes, and pieces of desks. To his horror, he noticed blood was also splattered across the room. As he looked around, he noticed bodies scattered around the room and the door to the classroom hung crookedly from its lower hing, leaning slightly into the hall. His head turned slowly towards the corner where the globe had appeared. It was like some force was slowly drawing his eyes to that place. What he found shocked him.

A gaping hole had been blasted through the walls of the classroom and into the next classroom. Alix could see the the grass of the school lawn, and part of one of the swing sets that belonged to the playground that was located towards the back of the school. Dust and small pieces of concrete fell down from the ceiling and clattered against the shattered tiles of the floor. But it was not this that drew Alix's attention, nor caused him to gasp with fright. In the middle of the hole, right where the globe of light had hovered, stood a horse sized dragon., the blackish purple 'electricity' still playing across its scales.

It was long, about twenty feet or so, from snout to tail tip, and covered with large, angular scales the color of a moonless night. The dragon's knobbly, bat like wings flexed reflexively, as if they had been confined for a long time, revealing dark purple membranes between the wing 'fingers.' It stood on four powerful legs with large black, scythe like talons on the feet. On the back of the lower-back leg knees were long, slender spike like spines. The same type of spines ran from the top of its head and all along its back until it terminated close to the tip of the tail. The longest of these spines were located at the back of its head and were the spines terminated at the tail tip. The dragon's head was slender, long, and angular. Large, sharp teeth stuck out of the thin scaled lips at random, and four wavy, ribbed horns stuck out of the top and side of the dragon's skull. For a moment it stood there, and then a long, pink and forked tongue stuck out of the tip of its snout just like a snake, before it retreated back into its snout. Then, it turned its head and looked directly at Alix with small, beady red eyes.

For a long moment, nothing happened, and then the dragon gave Alix a slow, evil smile. The 'electricity' moved out from the dragon across the floor and caressed Alix's body. At first nothing happened, as the energy bolts danced across his body, and then a sharp crippling pain grasped him is a iron grip. It felt as if parts of his muscles were being shifted; his bones being broken; his nerves set on fire. Alix screamed and passed out.

* * * * * *

Alix groaned as he slowly woke. He opened his eyes only to meet darkness. He sniffed and smelt medicine, alcohol and the tang of metal. The beep of instruments, the clatter of trays and gurneys, along with the snap of shoes on hard tiled floors greeted his ears. He felt smooth sheets and the weight of a warm blanket wrapped around him. Beneath his head, a soft pillow shifted as his head moved to pinpoint the sounds. His left hand felt heavy, as if it were tied down, and he felt the pin prick of an IV in it. Slowly, with another groan, he disengaged his right arm from the sheets and reached for his head. Some one intercepted it.

"Easy, squirt. It's going to be alright."

"Jon?" Alix's voice sounded odd. Hoarse and...higher pitched?

"Hey. Yeah, it's me. Your eyes are wrapped up. Doctor Rogers said not to touch them for a little while. You took a nasty knock to the left eye. Left a good size gash. The Doctor said the eye looked undamaged, but we need to be careful."

Alix tried to shift into a sitting position, and felt gentle, but firm, hands push him back down.

"Not so fast, Alix. The Doctor said you couldn't move yet. You got pretty beat up."

"Daddy?" Daddy?! Alix had never called his father Daddy in his entire, short life.

"Yeah, its me kid. Your Mom's here as well."

There was the sound of a chair shifting. "Hi, Alix. We're all here, sweetie." Her voice sounded as if she had been crying. There was a long pause.

"Alix," his father said finally, "there's something we have to tell you."

"What happened," Alix asked, his voice stronger. Again it sounded strange, almost like a girls. Again he shifted, and the sheets that had covered him up to his neck slipped down past his chest. The cool hospital air hit him and Alix reached down for the sheets and blanket. He was a little surprised to find himself naked, and his arm brushed against his chest...which was a little higher than it should have been. He stopped in the middle of reaching for the covers and reached back up to his chest. There, he felt two small, soft mounds that were not supposed to be there. As the realization started to sink in, an almost frantic fear set in, and he reached down between his legs. Alix felt Jon trying to stop him, but it was too late. What should have been there was gone, and what was there should never have been in its place. Alix felt both Jon and his father trying to restrain him as he slowly realized he had become a she. Now scared out of her mind, Alix tried to stand up and run. Henry grabbed her in a fierce hug and held her tight.

"Sh, it OK, Alix. Everything will be alright." Alix felt her father's strong hand stroking her hair, and the soft pat of his tears on her ears. Unable to do anything else, Alix broke down and began to cry hysterically. Her free arm reached up and grasped her father fiercely.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Her cries were so weak with fear that they failed to hide the sound of her mother weeping.

* * * * * *

Doctor Isaac Rogers was about to head into the room when he found a strange Guarden standing in front of him. The human doctor had been looking at his patient's records and test results, and had almost walked into the Guarden before Isaac knew he was there. Isaac gasped in surprise and took a step backwards, almost falling. The Guarden reached out and steadied the doctor before giving a slight bow with the head.

"Forgive me for startling you, Doctor. Might I have a word with you?"

Rogers' brow furrowed slightly. The Guarden looked to be a Black Guarden, save that the fur that ran down from his throat and disappeared into his shirt was not black but a bright flame red. So were the tips of his ears and tail, along with the palms of his hands. The Guarden's eyes had a strange magenta hue to them that almost seemed to glow from within. His black hair was cut in such a fashion that it was indistinguishable from the fur that surrounded it. The Guarden was also dressed a little strangely. He wore a remarkably old fashioned white, high collared dress shirt, over which a blue silk vest fit snugly to his athletic frame. His black trousers were completely spotless, and had not a single crease in them. The Guarden had a pair of polished riding boots on his feet, that looked as if they had once had spurs attached to them. Over all this, he wore a dark blue long coat that almost made him look like a living shadow. And then there was his accent. Where had Rogers heard that accent before?

"I'm sorry, but I have patients to see. If you need to make an appointment, please see the nurse at the reception desk. Now if you'll excuse me..."

The Guarden did not move, but simply placed his arms behind his back.

"I won't take too much of your time, Doctor Rogers. It is about the young lady in this room actually. I would like your cooperation on this matter, rather than having to go through more brutal channels."

Rogers gave him an alarmed look and contemplated calling security. His hand closed around the emergence transmitter in his pocket.

"What is this? What's going on? Who are you?"

Then it hit him. The accent of the stranger was Welsh. That only meant one thing.

"You're from The Palace, aren't you," the Doctor asked.

The stranger gave him a wan smile.

"Yes," he said. "My name is Math Mathonwy."

"The head of the Free Knights?" The Doctor's eyes opened in surprise. The Free Knights were the personal bodyguards of The Sapphire Prince, and at times, acted as his messengers, ambassadors, and when the need required, his enforcers. There were few inside, and outside, the Sapphire Empire that were their equal, and Math Mathonwy had trained over half of them.

"The same. Will you help me, or do I need to pull out the warrant, for I do have one. I do not wish to threaten, but seek your willing cooperation, as I have already stated."

The Doctor swallowed. "What do you need, sir?"

"How many people survived the explosion?"

"One."

Math nodded toward the door. "The girl?"

"Yes."

"What can you tell me?"

"Not much," the Doctor said consulting his notes. "Alixander Cecil Astarte. Age eight. Suffered a concussion from a blow to her head. Left eye damaged, condition uncertain at this time. Multiple blunt force trauma to her body, mostly superficial, likely resulting in bruises that will last a week or two. Foxlings have a remarkable healing ability. Even better than you Guardens at times." Math gave him another shallow smile. The Doctor noticed it. "Uh...and up until three hours ago, she was...ah," he paused, "...ah...she was a...a boy."

Math's eyebrows raised slightly and stared at the Doctor. Then his tail, which had stopped in mid swing, began to swing slowly back and forth again.

"And you are sure of this," Math asked.

"Very much so," the Doctor said. "I helped bring him into this world, and have been the child's physician since."

"Could I get a copy of her...his records?"

The Doctor sighed. "For that I will have to see the warrant, and get the permission of the Hospital Director."

Math nodded. He thought as much. "Of course. I will forward all the necessary forms once they are ready."

"Thank you," Rogers said. "Now, was there anything else or may I see my patient now?"

"Could I speak to her?"

Rogers paused, and looked toward the door. They could both still hear the sobbing from a very young, and confused child.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

Math thought for a moment. "No, I suppose it isn't. One last thing, Doctor. Did you preform a neural scan on the child?"

Rogers half sighed, half groaned and handed Math the data slate in his hands.

"Yes. For all intents and purposes, young Astarte is a girl. Including all the hardware and wiring." He paused for a moment, as if he remembered something. "Please excuse me. Poor choice of words. No pun or insult was intended in that."

Math glanced over the data quickly and then handed it back. "No offense taken, my good Doctor. It was only a slip of the tongue. Though you should be aware that not all Free Knights have implants."

"Of course," Rogers said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. "Please, excuse me. I will have to break this news to the family. If you have anymore questions, or need anything else, please see the nurse at receptions. I'll leave word to cooperate with your investigation."

"Thank you for your time, Doctor." Again, Math gave him the slight bow of the head. He watched the Doctor walk into the room and close the door behind him. There was some murmured conversation, and then the girl started to cry all over again. Math shook his head, and turned to walk down the hall, putting his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Math!"

Math turned to see a black-backed jackal Caernar walking towards him. Built similar to the Guardens, the Caernars resembled jackals, wild dogs and coyotes while the Guardens looked like wolves. They were usually shorter, ranging from five-in-a-half to six feet. This one was five foot ten. Caernars were also slighter, though no less powerful, then Guardens. They relied more on skill then the brute force that most Guardens tended to use. The one in front of Math was built like an Olympic runner. His slender shoulders were held in a ridged military fashion. The fur along his back, and his entire tail, were of a pitch black color, while the rest of his fur was a dark, rust red. The wild, long hair on his head was as black as his back and tail. Two intensely blue eyes stared out from under his hair.

"Atli," Math said in greeting.

Atli Mather was the head of the Paladins, an order of special warriors that dealt with the supernatural. The common citizen referred to them as Mage Knights or Wizard Warriors, though never to their face. Atli was dressed as a typical Paladin of the Hunter Sect, a small inner circle of the Paladins that went after supernatural convicts. He wore a black pull over shirt with white stripes that ran down the sides under the arms. His faded blue jeans were held up with a brown leather belt with a brass buckle that depicted crossed swords over flaming angel wings; the emblem of the Paladins. He wore a pair of scuffed brown leather boots, the blue jeans pulled over the top of them. Around his waist was another belt from which hung a large revolver in a beaten black leather holster, which hung in a cross draw for the right hand style. Along the back of the belt were special loops designed to hold the fifty caliber bullets the revolver used. Over all this was a shabby, worn, brown leather duster.

Math raised one eyebrow. Atli reminded Math of an old fashion gunslinger from those ancient Terran movies. What were they called again? Westerns?

"What, no hat," Math asked, half mockingly.

Atli scowled and rolled his eyes. "Later. Her Ladyship sent me."

Math frowned. "Who's been assigned to The Prince?"

"Conan Mac Morna and Manawyddan."

"Damn, she is taking this seriously."

"Lady Blackfur doesn't want to have what happened to her father to happen to The Prince. Can't say I blame her. If the rumors are true, that is."

Math looked at the floor for a moment, and then looked up at Atli.

"It looks like they are."

Atli blinked. "You mean...he's back?"

"Possibly. If he is, he has withdrawn for now, though why I don't know. He's probably not back to his full strength yet. We should...what is it?"

Math's voice took on a slightly irritated tone. He caught Atli staring at the name plate outside the door.

"Astarte?" Atli looked at Math. "Is it possible?"

Math stared at the name plate as if he had never seen it before. "No, it's not possible..." He thought for a long moment. "Draw up documents and have the Paladins confiscate all information on this incident. I'll have some of my men do some digging into the child's genealogy. No word of this event is to reach the general public. Mind scrub the cops and fire department if you have to. This is now an official investigation under the direct authority of The Palace."

"Right away." Atli turned and walked briskly down the hall.

Math looked back at the room. "That girl may be our savior. We'll have to watch her carefully," he said quietly to no one.