by S. E. Smith
Phoenix nodded and smiled. She watched the boys follow the tracks of the ride out of the attic before shifting once again. While she might look like a dragon from a distance, up close she was far different from the other dragonlings. Instead of scales, her body was covered in delicate black feathers. Her wings shimmered, glowing with the power contained inside her.
Phoenix knew deep down that she was different from the others, including her slightly older twin sister. Spring had inherited the scales and eyes of the Valdier, while Phoenix had inherited the very spirit captured within her mother – a spirit that had caught the attention of the Goddess herself.
They loves you, her dragon whispered as they soared upward.
But, what if they become afraids of me one day? Phoenix murmured.
They always loves you, her dragon repeated with a slightly stubborn pout to her voice.
Phoenix wasn’t so sure. She had seen the hint of fear in Zohar’s eyes. How long would it take for Jabir’s enthusiasm or Bálint’s curiosity to also change?
She could feel her throat closing with fear when a sudden wave of warmth engulfed her. She looked wildly around for the familiar source. A wave of excitement surged through her when she saw Aikaterina’s soothing face.
I missed you, Phoenix whispered, flying up into the swirling cloud and into the mirror of space.
“I missed you as well, little one,” Aikaterina responded, reaching out to wrap Phoenix in her arms. “Trust your dragon, Phoenix. She is very wise, even for being so young.”
Phoenix snuggled against Aikaterina and stared out at the swirling worlds around her. This was her playground. She and her sister loved exploring in this world. It was their magical place at night after their parents went to bed.
“Now, tell me what you little ones are up to this time – and are Arilla and Arosa helping you?” Aikaterina asked in a teasing tone even though she already knew the answer.
15
Zohar, Bálint, and Jabir hurried down along the winding corridor to the level below. They could hear the echoes of laughter and the loud voices of Amber and Jade long before they ever caught sight of the two little girls.
“No, Jade, makes him go the other way!” Amber laughed with delight. “You’s making him goes ‘round in circles!”
“I’s trying, but I keep turnings it wrong,” Jade replied.
The three boys stopped at the entrance and peered inside before they carefully entered the long room that made up the ballroom. Each side was decorated with long, floor to ceiling mirrors. These mirrors were different though. Instead of seeing a perfect image of yourself, you saw all different shapes and forms. Elegant chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The tips glowed with a dancing flame that looked real, but wasn’t. Each golden light was covered with a white web, similar to the webs that Spring had shown Zohar earlier.
“What’s that?” Jabir asked in awe when a robot that had to be at least six feet tall walked drunkenly in a circle. “I don’t remembers you tellings us about a giant robot, Zohar.”
“That’s ‘cause I’s never saw no giant robot,” Zohar replied.
“I’s don’t thinks that’s supposed to be here,” Bálint reflected as he watched Jade move her fingers over the small, black box in her hands.
“You’s supposed to makes him grab her,” Amber was saying. “You’s can’t even makes him walk.”
“That’s ‘cause ones of his legs is shorter than the others,” Jade giggled. “I’s think Daddy brokes him when he was trying to catches them.”
“I’s know, but he’s the only one we’s got left,” Amber complained.
“I’s can makes him crawls,” Jade suggested, twisting the stick.
Everyone jumped when the robot suddenly collapsed onto the floor with enough force to make the chandeliers rattle. From where Zohar was standing, he thought it looked like one of the huge robot’s arms was bent as well. He motioned for the other boys to follow him and they cautiously moved forward.
“What’s that, Jade?” Zohar asked as they drew closer.
Jade looked up and grinned. “We’s found ones of our robots thats Daddy and Uncle Kelan didn’t smooshes,” Jade replied.
“But, its gots a broken leg,” Amber said.
“Ands, a bent arm and head,” Jade finished.
“How’d you get it so big?” Bálint asked, walking around the still, metal frame.
“We’s got Mommy’s old cloner. It’s good at making things big if you knows which buttons to push. You just got to keeps going overs whatever you wants bigger a lot with it,” Amber explained.
“I’s thought I heard my daddy says you’s not supposed to plays with nothings but stuffed animals no more,” Jabir said, sliding off of Precious.
“I’s likes your armor, Jabir,” Jade exclaimed with an appreciative glance at the golden armor that covered his small body. “We’s already mades this one, so it don’t counts.”
“Are you’s sure?” Jabir asked with an expression of doubt. “I’s don’t thinks that’s what he meant.”
“We’s needs him to fights the Queen,” Jade retorted stubbornly.
“What else do’s you have?” Zohar asked with a skeptical look at the warped robot.
“We’s gots our buckets of minions!” Amber said proudly.
“Yeah,” Jade said, pointing to the buckets they had moved from the graveyard and lined up along each side of the ballroom.
“Why’s are they all empty?” Jabir asked, pointing to the row of buckets that were turned over with their lids lying next to them.
“Uh-ohs,” the twins whispered in unison.
“We’s gots to finds our minions,” Jade whispered.
“Yeah’s. They likes to gets in trouble,” Amber agreed. “We’s gots to have Symba when we makes them ‘cause they’s gets into everythings.”
The boys looked around with a slightly apprehensive look and backed away. Zohar looked around him, motioning for Goldie to come closer to him. He didn’t know for sure what Jade and Amber had created, but he had a feeling it had to be bad.
“We’s going to go see if Alice needs helps,” he said, motioning to the other two boys to move away.
“We’s mights need Goldie and Bio’s helps,” Jade finally admitted.
“I’s needs Precious,” Jabir stated when she turned to look at his symbiot.
“You can have halfs of them,” Zohar finally said, looking at Goldie with wide, pleading eyes. “You’s better helps.”
Goldie snorted and snickered. Zohar watched as the two symbiots shimmered and divided. He ran his hand across the section that trotted by him, heading toward Symba where he was checking each bucket.
“Let’s goes and find Alice,” he muttered, turning and shifting.
They were almost to the door when they heard Amber squeal and Jade yell at the snarling symbiots.
“Goldie, don’t eats them!” Jade yelled. “You’s gots to puts them in the buckets!”
*.*.*
“Lalalala,” Alice sang while she danced around the oversized kitchen. “I’s makes pies. I’s makes cakes. I’s make sweet things for tummy aches.”
“What’cha doing?” Bálint asked, watching her swirl around in a cloud of colors.
“I’s making booby-traps,” she replied with a giggle.
“What kinds of booby-traps,” Jabir asked, sliding off of Precious again when the symbiot laid down.
“Pretty booby-traps,” she replied with a wave of her hand.
“I’s didn’t knows booby-traps could be pretty,” Jabir mumbled, wondering why she was waving her hands in the air.
“They’s can be’s if I’s wants thems to,” Alice responded with a slight toss of her pigtails.
“Are you’s almost done?” Zohar asked with an inquisitive expression.
“Yes,” Alice replied, dusting her hands off. “I’s thinks I’s done.”
“We’s gots to gets the babies togethers,” Zohar said. “Can you’s do that?”
Alice frow
ned before she nodded. “Yes, but what is I supposed to do with thems?” She asked.
“Keeps them safe,” Zohar instructed.
“But… Where’s do you wants me to takes them?” She asked in confusion.
“Morah likes the nursery,” Bálint suggested. “You’s could takes them backs there. It’s gots toys, too.”
“I’s goings to needs some help,” Alice said, biting her lip. “I’s can’t brings them all at the same times.”
“I’s helps you,” Bálint offered. “Bio and I’s are good helpers, aren’t we, Bio?”
Bio snorted and nodded. Zohar glanced up when the lights flickered. It must mean the Queen was here.
“Goes gets the babies,” Zohar whispered.
“Whats we going to do, Zohar?” Jabir asked in a slightly trembling voice.
Zohar turned and looked at Jabir. “We’s going to the room with the big chair.”
16
“How are the kids doing?” Paul asked, coming to sit down at the table almost an hour later.
He shifted Morah on his lap and placed several colorful stylus crayons and a tablet in front of her. Almost immediately, she started to bring the red one up to her mouth. He calmly raised his hand and guided her small, chubby fingers away from her mouth and toward the tablet in front of her.
“They are having fun playing in the Paint House. We haven’t heard a word out of them,” Creon responded with a grin when Zoran and Mandra both leaned forward to pull the other two colorful stylus crayons away from Morah.
“This babysitting is easier than I thought it would be,” Trelon admitted with relief. “I’ll have to remember to bring the girls down here when Cara goes out. It is much safer than being in our living quarters.”
“I never have trouble with Jabir,” Mandra said as he reached for one of the colorful pens.
“I swear if you two touch her colors, I’ll kick your asses tomorrow,” Paul warned.
“Paul, she might poke herself in the eye,” Mandra muttered even as he reluctantly pulled his hand away.
“Or stick it in her mouth and choke,” Zoran added.
“If she does, I’ll take care of her,” Paul reassured both men. “I know how to raise your sister. Don’t forget I raised Trisha on my own.”
“For which I will forever be in your debt,” Kelan replied quietly.
“I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in this world,” Paul murmured, bowing his head to press a kiss against Morah’s soft, silky, black hair. “… Or the chance to have grandkids, either.”
He glanced toward the window of the Paint House and watched the children for several long moments. He was just about to glance away when a slight flicker in the window caught his attention. Frowning, he studied the kids. Something was wrong. They were doing the exact same thing they had done just a few minutes ago.
His eyes widened when he saw the flicker again and a sense of déjà vu struck him hard when the scene repeated itself once more. It took a second for his brain to register what he was seeing – images of the kids playing, but not the kids. A reluctant smile curved his lips. He wasn’t worry about the children because he knew that the symbiots wouldn’t be far from their sides. But, he knew one thing for certain, they had escaped.
“So, the kids have been behaving?” He asked with amusement. “You haven’t heard a peep out of them?”
“Nope, not for the last hour,” Zoran replied with a grin.
Vox lifted his glass of beer. “As long as Roam has Bálint to play with, he never gets into trouble,” he boasted.
“Is that right?” Paul said, motioning for his symbiot. “And, have any of you actually gone into the Paint House in the last hour to check on them?” He asked, sliding Morah into the golden stroller that Morian’s and his symbiot had transformed into and rising to his feet.
“Goddess, no,” Trelon replied with a shudder. “I’m not about to distract my two.”
“Paul!”
Paul turned when he saw Cree and Calo running toward them. All of the men except for Ha’ven jumped and released a startled snarl when Viper suddenly appeared, as well. Viper’s expression was thunderous.
“What happened?” Vox asked, rising to his feet.
“Leo… He’s gone,” Viper said in a hoarse, wild voice, his gaze locked on his older brother. “He was lying in his crib. I went to get a drink and when I returned, he was gone. Vox… my son….”
Paul could see desperation in Viper’s eyes. His gaze moved back to the Paint House. In the window, the same images danced over and over again. He turned to Calo and Cree as they drew to a stop.
“Hope is gone,” they said together.
“She had just woken up and was playing with her toys. I went to the bathroom and Cree went to get her a bottle. When we returned, she was gone,” Calo stated in a harsh voice.
“What about your symbiots? Surely they would know where she has been taken?” Zoran asked.
“They were gone as well,” Cree admitted. “We have to find her, Zoran, and when we do, we’ll kill whoever took her.”
“Before you start killing anyone, maybe you should find out where all the other kids have gone to, as well,” Paul suggested.
“The others…?” Zoran started to say when they all heard Morah’s delighted giggle.
“Daddy, bye-bye!” Morah cooed.
Paul turned on his heel to see a strange, miniature replica of a forest fairy standing next to his daughter. His eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise. For a moment, he thought he was looking at a miniature replica of Trisha when she had been a little girl with her bow and arrow. A soft curse burst from his lips when the beautiful blue eyes of Alice gazed back at him before she touched the symbiot holding Morah and they all disappeared.
“What the…!” Paul gasped.
“Ha’ven!” The men snarled.
“I didn’t teach her how to do that yet,” Ha’ven barked out in shock.
“Do you think she took the other babies?” Cree asked, turning to look at the other men.
“Well, wherever she went, the other kids are with her,” Creon announced when he and Mandra stepped out of the Paint House.
“How…?” Kelan started to say before he turned to glare at Trelon.
Trelon backed up several inches and raised his hands. “I claim innocence to all knowledge of whatever Amber and Jade have done now. I just had the pleasure of creating them. Everything else comes from their mother,” he swore. “I thought they were in there with all the others,” he added in a defensive tone when they glared even harder at him.
“It’s a video,” Paul stated, running his hands through his hair. “Where do you think they went?”
“Lord Trelon, I think you might want to come to the control center,” a voice announced over the sound system.
“What is it?” Trelon snapped, touching the comlink on his wrist.
“I think the dragonlings are in the castle, my Lord. Something is going on. They are gathered in the Throne room,” Dulce stated.
“The castle…,” Zoran started to say before he grimaced and ran a hand down his face. “Dragon’s Balls!” He muttered.
“What is it?” Paul asked, turning to stare at the expression of resignation and exasperation on Zoran’s face.
“Zohar came to me last night all upset,” he said, gazing at the men. “He had found one of the illustrations that Abby had drawn. I couldn’t understand everything he was saying, but he was pretty upset about a Queen and her minions. He said something about them stealing the babies and someone named Jack and….” His voice faded while he tried to remember the other name Zohar had mentioned.
“Sally,” Creon finished in a soft voice. “Jack and Sally. The Queen has sent her minions from the Land of Halloween to steal the babies.”
“What do you know about this?” Zoran asked.
“It’s the story Carmen has been telling the girls at night,” Creon replied with a shake of his head. “They’ve been begging her to tell the story of
Jack and Sally over and over.”
“Now I understand what Zohar was asking me,” Zoran said, releasing a long sigh.
“What was that?” Paul asked.
Zoran gave the group of men a rueful smile. “He asked if it was a leader's responsibility to protect the others,” he murmured. “When I told him yes, he said that he would do what he could to protect the babies.”
Paul chuckled and shook his head. “Well, all I can say is we’d better get those kids back before our mates return or we’re going to be the ones that need protecting,” he stated, rounding the table and heading toward the castle.
“Bloody cats, Tina is never going to trust me alone with Leo again,” Viper muttered under his breath, following the group.
“Tina? At least all she has is claws. Have you ever seen a furious female dragon? Melina will roast us for losing Hope!” Calo retorted.
17
Trelon heard Cree curse when the door knockers in front of him began to talk. He shrugged and touched the comlink on his wrist. A frown creased his brow when nothing happened.
“Dulce, why is the program running?” Trelon asked in frustration. “Dulce, are you there?”
“What’s wrong?” Zoran asked.
“The Comlink must be down. No one is answering,” Trelon growled. “Dulce, shut down the program.”
“Who dares enter the Queen’s castle?” The left ghoul hanging from the door asked.
“The Twin Dragons dare to enter,” Cree growled.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” The knocker exclaimed, and the huge doors opened.
“I don’t remember programming that into the program,” Trelon muttered.
Both door hangers watched with glee as the men entered. None of the men saw the two golden figures that emerged from the animated faces after the doors closed, if they had, they might have been a little more hesitant to enter. Shut in the darkness, the men turned around in a tight circle when the walls suddenly came alive.
*.*.*
