Dragon Hunter

Chapter 32: Updating the Plan

Kaisea managed to wait until they were through the access point and walking towards the transport hub before she slipped her hand into his to get Cooper's undivided attention.

"Okay, Cooper," she said when he looked over at her, brow lifted in question. "What the hell just happened back there?!?"

"It would appear I have a new enemy," Cooper grimly reported as his attention turned back to the path leading them into the hub and the quick ports beyond.

"Because having the entire Scale Empire of Fire wanting you dead isn't enough?" Kaisea quickly replied.

"Apparently not," Cooper said in return. "Did you know the ether was inhabited by sentient races?"

"You ... those giant insect things are from the ether??" Kaisea gasped and Cooper grimaced.

"I'm going to take that as a no. It is. And a bunch of the species living there resent the elves drilling holes through it for their portals. So they've taken it upon themselves to try and kill me so the Empire is ultimately victorious against the elves and wipes them out."

"No elves would mean nothing to stop them from reclaiming the parts of the ether we supposedly took from them," Kaisea pushed aside her astonishment and disbelief to grimly conclude.

"Correct."

Then Kaisea frowned.

"And those other elves? Are they from the ether as well? Because I've never seen their like in my own travels, and from our reports of the other elvish races living in the Garden."

"And you won't." Cooper paused there as they reached the transport hub and began to work their way through the crowds. Only when they had managed to get themselves some space did he continue.

"They are from the other side of the mirror, is how they put it," the human said in continuation. Which elicited a look of confusion for the noriquien woman.

"That doesn't make any sense. The other side of the mirror? What mirror?"

Cooper was silent as he thought about how to explain what that meant for a moment.

"In my universe, science, the study and application of physical laws to explain how everything works, is more important than magic," he began. "And science tells us that everything we could see out in space was only half of what there actually was."

"O-kay," Kaisea said, her expression equal parts confusion and consideration. "I think I understand what you're talking about. Most Noriquien live underground, so the concept of space isn't one we readily grasp. But I'm educated enough to understand the principle."

"Fair enough," Cooper replied. "As their leader Ellis explained it to me, that other side, the dark side of the mirror as it were, can't see us either. But there's a whole other universe over there, hidden within the universe that we see. And that universe has dragons and elves, just like this one does."

"So." Kaisea's expression became more thoughtful as she worked through what Cooper had tried to explain. "Those elves, what did the were-forms call them? Dokkersvelfa?"

"Sounds about right," Cooper confirmed.

"These Dokkersvelfa are from the other side of the universe? The dark side we can't see?"

"Also correct."

"But we just did see them ..." Kaisea's thoughtful expression deepened. "So, somehow the Ahkanet is a space where they are visible. I'm guessing because the ether touches them both."

"A fair conclusion," Cooper indicated, impressed that she had put it together that quickly, not being informed about space and all.

"And they're on our side."