I fell toward a stone floor but slowed my descent and landed on my feet. Torches lined the wall, lighting the chamber. In front of me was a stone altar with a group of people wearing metal collars chained to the floor beyond it. A red light glowed from the chains and into the captives. I recognized them as the hoard that Al and I had just been fighting moments before. They knelt before a short staircase that led to a throne. Roses were sculpted into the rock and wove around the back of what was essentially a fancy chair made of bone. Atop it, a creature which appeared to be feminine stood and floated down the steps, which in my opinion completely defeated the purpose of having them.

It had completely black eyes; iris, pupil, and sclera. A black crown that seemed to jut from her skull adorned her head with long black hair that writhed around her. A black gown covered the monster’s unnatural, yellowish-gray skin, the color dead people had. Sunken skin pronounced her cheek and collarbones and her bony hands and feet ended in black claws in place of her finger and toenails.

She landed at the base of the throne and walked quickly around the group as if she were in a hurry. An iron metal collar, chain, and stake appeared coalesced from energy that arose from the ceremonial pedestal. The demon grabbed the binding device and gave an exacerbated sigh.

“The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can capture that ‘mage’ woman.” She said. I quirked an eyebrow at her suspiciously. She approached dragging the chain behind as she walked. She went to clasp the collar around my neck, but I rose a hand and leaned back to stopped her.

“Whoa lady, I have no interest in joining your merry band of prisoners.” I said. Her eyes went wide, unsure of how to react.

“How are you – ” The monster stammered. “Why haven’t you fallen under my spell?” I shrugged. She gestured up and down at me. “How are you even conscious?” I shrugged again. She clenched her jaw and tried to hastily snap the iron band around my neck again. I grabbed the collar and took a step back. She tried to pull it away and I countered with equal force. We played a little game of tug of war, and as you do, I let go. She fell back onto her butt.

It was plain on her face that she couldn’t abide the audacity of my actions. She left the collar on the floor but floated back to her feet. In frustration, she threw her fists down and stomped a foot like a spoiled child. With teeth bared, she swung an arm out and I went flying through the darknessuntil I crashed into a bone cage. The door slammed shut, locking me inside.

I stood, dusted off my business pants, and inspected my surroundings. There was a whole lot of darkness, in the distance. I quirked my mouth speculatively and watched the demon approach my cell with a smug expression.

“Jascia, I presume?” I asked.

“You presume correctly.” She replied.

“Cool, and those people over there?” I inquired, pointing over at the gathering.

“My subjects.” She proclaimed.

“And Cara?” I asked.

“She’s in a prison of her own.” She said, gesturing at my bone cage. “You know, you ask a lot of questions for someone confined in a cell. Alas, since you are resistant to my charms, you’ll have to stay locked away in my mind.” She sighed with a shrug as if it couldn’t be helped. “Now, we are quite done, I’ll be on my – ” Her jaw dropped when I pushed open the cage door and walked out nonchalantly. She tried to muster words to respond, but failed hilariously. “What is – But I – How did you – ”

Saving her from her confusion, I answered. “We’re in a mind palace. This is my jam! Catch ya later, sucka.” I know the slang was a little dated, but it was all I could come up with on short notice. Then I disappeared and reappeared in front of a hospital bed. Cara lay on her side under the covers. I walked around to see her face. Her eyes were closed, and tears wet her pillow.

“Where did you go?” Jascia’s echoing voice sounded from everywhere at once.

Ignoring her, I touched the sleeping teenager’s shoulder and spoke gently. “Cara?”

Her eyes opened sleepily then widened in alarm. “Who are you? What are you doing in my room?” I sighed. I had hoped to be lucky, but of course, it couldn’t be that simple. Although Jascia was in control, this was still Cara’s mindscape and the rules still applied. I had to get permission and her acceptance of my presence within her reality was what allowed me to make an impact to her world.

Grabbing a doctor’s coat out of thin air, as if it were on a coat rack, I donned my disguise and I replied. “I’m your new doctor.” Her apprehension at my presence abated. Reaching into the nothing, a clipboard appeared in my hand. I flipped through pages as if inspecting her chart. “You’ve made great progress.” I nodded. “I believe it’s time for the next phase of your treatment.”

“Next phase?” She asked.

“Yep.” I held my hand out to her as support. “Let’s get you up and walking around.”

“No!” Cara replied hastily. The fearful agitation sent a wave of emotion through the mind space. Alerted by the sensation, Jascia popped into existence, floating at the end of the bed. “I can’t walk! I’m too weak.” Cara said, shying away from my hand. Her voice changed to one of quiet defeat. “I’m dying.”

“That’s right. She’s too weak to walk, Dr. Mage .” Jascia said smugly. “She has to stay in bed.” She frowned sarcastically at me; I frowned in earnest back at her.

“Those other doctors were idiots.” I said, giving Cara a kind smile.

“It’s not going to work.” Jascia intoned with a sing songy voice. She smirked at me then said. “She’s trapped here. This is a prison of her own making.”

I glowered at the monster, then gave Cara another smile. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s something I must take care of.” I walked past Jascia, who followed me into an imaginary hallway. I turned to her conspiratorially.

“What’s your problem?” I whispered in demand.

“Me?!” She fell into my pace by whispering her response.

“You’re making this harder than it needs to be. Just go away.” I replied.

“I’m not- What are you talking about?!” Jascia replied. “You’re trying to kick me out of my home.”

“This isn’t your home!” I shouted quietly then pointed at Cara. “It’s hers, you’re just trespassing.”

“No, it’s not and no I’m not. She’s not using it anymore, so it’s mine now.” Jascia said, turning her head away, pouting, and crossing her arms, once again like a child not getting her way.

“You can’t just call ‘dibs’ on someone’s body. You’re not even supposed to be here. Get out and go back to wherever you creatures come from.” I retorted. She gave me a look of consternation.

“I saw an opportunity and I took it. I’ll never go back to that place, and you can’t force me.” She spat. “Strength reigns; that’s how you survive.”

“Maybe that’s true in your world, but not in ours.” I explained.

“It’s true of any world.” She said. I decided then that I wasn’t going to get anywhere by arguing with her, and while time would be slowed significantly, no matter how strong Al was, with the number of minions out there, she’d get overwhelmed eventually.

“Strength reigns, huh?” I thought aloud. “Fine.”

I palmed the demon’s face and jet across the void surrounding the hospital room. I flew at something akin to mach speed, and her arms flailed wildly behind us. From the darkness, the stone chamber appeared in the distance. We rapidly approached with the bone cage as my target. In front it, I stopped suddenly, and our momentum sent her flying into it. I slammed the door closed, then pressed my palm against the bars. Along its surface, a ripple radiated from my hand. The bone was converted into metal and an impenetrable force field surrounded it.

The demon collected herself and rushed to the bars. She grabbed them and shook as if it would make a difference. Proceeding the action by pounding on them, her actions stop and I felt her try to will them to revert to her control, but nothing happened. “How are you doing this?! Let me out!” She demanded.

“It’s like you said, strength reigns.” I answered with a shrug. “This is my world now.”

I left her to impotently struggle against her prison. I could still hear her protests that escalated into threats as I took a step through space to reappear next to Cara. With a snap of my fingers, Jascia’s desperate pleas disappeared, and all was quiet.

“Sorry about that.” I apologized to Cara. “Another doctor requested my help for a consult. I’m kind of a big deal.” She just looked at me confused. “Anywho – your other doctors were wrong. You’ve gotten much stronger; you’re going to live, and you can walk again.”

“I don’t feel stronger.” She said, averting her eyes.

“That’s because you need to believe.” I reassured with a smile. She gave me a my-life-isn’t-some-kind-of-fairy-tale look, but I did see a hint of humor in her eyes. I held my palm out to her again. “I’m a doctor. Trust me.” She sighed and hesitantly reached for my hand. Then I was torn away from the scene back into reality.

My head swam from the jarring sensation of being ripped out of Cara’s mind. The teenager laid motionless on the floor in front of me. Her leather jacket had a hole burned through it. Shaking away my confusion, my eyebrows shot up in alarm, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her chest rise and fall. She wasn’t dead, just unconscious. The scent of smoke accosted my nose. What had Al done now? I surveyed the scene.

Al was lying face down, with most of her attackers scattered in a circle around her. There were only a couple wide-eyed and confused people leaning against walls. They were also looking around. Charred lines that looked like branches of a tree marred the floor, walls, and ceiling. Several small fires slowly expanded from the marks. The damage was widespread but seemed to originate from one direction. Following the branches, to the trunk, and down toward the root, I couldn’t contain my dismay at what I saw in the doorway.

While flames spread and smoke filled the room, the cause of it all stood atop the broken front door with his palm outstretched. Shawn’s chest heaved, gasping to catch his breath. He laughed weakly in disbelief and dropped to his knees.

“I did it.” He said with a victorious smile, then he collapsed forward from exhaustion.