“Cadenza.”

The name echoed in his mind, much as the sound of the train rolling along the tracks echoed along the tunnel. The people remained silent for the most part, aside form the snoring of a homeless person with a newspaper over his chest and the murmured cries of a child in its mother’s arms. The Dragons stirred softly in his consciousness, whispering in his ears, their thoughts mixed with the elf’s own.

He lifted the piece of paper from under his coat. The name “Cadenza Madri-something” was bolded up top then smeared into a black cloud after the middle of her last name. Under the name was a crudely drawn picture of a girl with peacock feathers on her head. The drawing cut off around her neck and showed her with a scowl. The text underneath was unreadable, as it was in another language. The translation was unneeded, as the point was still made: this woman was wanted for something, and Taen had to prove her innocence.

The Dragon of Wind, Elrada, settled in Taen’s mind. She is innocent. I can feel it in the wind. The town has been plagued with disappearances, and they chose to blame a gypsy.

And one that was famous, no doubt. Taen had recalled the name from somewhere, but he could not remember. The elf heard it mentioned in a bar, some men mentioning how she had power over light and shadow and had taken on the great fencer Zorlo. Perhaps if he saw her face to face he would recognize her.

The train halted to a stop, and Taen’s head spun around. Outside the window, he could see the station, crowded with coming and going passengers. Taen got up to leave with everyone else, but a commotion arose from the front. A sounds like metal snapping shook the train, and Elrada spoke again, Watch out. I sense something amiss.

His muscles tensed. People all around looked up, but only Taen stood and walked to the front. Looking through the window to the next car, he made out two men in black suits carrying rifles. ****, they’re armed. Taen leaned against the wall to the left of the door, his blades out. Gunshots were heard, igniting all of Taen’s senses at once. The sound of the screams as people fell to the ground, the smell of blood crawling across the floor, the feeling of his heartbeat banging against his chest as if it were trying to break free. Then there was the sight of people in his car scampering to the back of the train, and the taste of lead on his tongue as the fear of bullets made him sick. He hated those things; he could never dodge them, and they hurt too much for him to stand.

The thought of running to the back with the rest crossed his mind, but he shrugged it off immediately. Fleeing would not save them. They were on a track that was one hundred feet above the ground. The only thing that could save them was if the invaders chose not to kill the passengers; or if someone defeated the invaders themselves.

Something banged on the door. A voice shouted something that Taen did not hear, nor care to hear. The door opened, and Taen struck first. He knocked the first to the side with a gust of wind, and then summoned a shield of golden light energy right in front of him. As this was happening, the other two men in the black suits raised their rifles and fired. As the bullets ricocheted off the shield, the elf thrust the barrier forward, knocking the two men back. He then morphed the energy into several spears, and closed them in on the guards. As they were being held in place, Taen knocked their guns away with his feet, and then held one sword straight ahead, pointing to the both of them.

“Any more of you left?” Taen demanded. After neither of them spoke, whether they were knocked unconscious or too scared, the summoner sheathed his swords and started walking to the front of the cars.

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My Alter-Egos