by E. J. Krause
"Unbelievable," Andi said, throwing up her hands. She stomped to her room in the same manner as her father.
When she was gone, Mrs. Thomas turned to Ben and smiled. "Lee's insistence, of course. I have it set so you can share some kisses without us knowing. But, remember, I still don't want to see it, so be subtle." She gave him a wink. "You two did a much better job of that tonight." She said goodnight and closed his door.
Oh, god, Mrs. Thomas's reaction aside, how could that have gone any worse? He lay there, feeling like he was going to burst into flames from embarrassment. How was he supposes to go downstairs in the morning and face Mr. Thomas? If he didn't hate Ben enough already, now he'd really have it out for him.
Anger and embarrassment flooded through the walls from Andi. A bit of frustration also bubbled under it all, which freaked him out. She wanted him to keep moving his hand up. And if her parents hadn't busted in, he would have. He tried to push that out of his mind so he didn't start hyperventilating.
As if on cue, the back of his neck prickled. He sat up, and the tingles ran down his spine. This was different from anything he'd felt before. With the zombies and the ghost, he couldn't tell what was going on or where they were, other than a general area. But this time he knew he needed to get downstairs to the sliding glass door. Something dangerous was about to happen.
Ben grabbed his sword and shield and hustled down the stairs. He didn't bother keeping quiet, since he'd be glad for any help, but neither did he call out. This warning felt so different, so much more direct, that maybe he was inventing it. He had wanted to think of something else, after all. If he pulled everyone out of bed for a false alarm right after that fiasco, he'd have to leave and never show his face here again.
By the time he hit the bottom step, his shield was strapped on, and he had a firm fighting grip on his sword. This was no hallucination. Evil prickled though his entire body, now not relegated to his neck. Battle lust swarmed his soul. Calling for help no longer occurred to him, though somewhere in the back of his mind he felt Andi taking notice.
Once next to the sliding glass door, Ben flicked on the patio light. Outside stood a monster. It was a mix between a giant bat and a man. Its body was that of a human, but with the membrane of wings beneath each arm. Its face was pure bat, straight out of an Animal Planet special. It had huge ears, beady eyes, and sharp teeth. This was a real vampire. Hollywood, from the olden days until now, had always gotten them wrong.
Ben took a step back, raised his shield, and motioned it towards him. The vampire tilted its head in a way that said, "Okay, I accept your challenge," and exploded through the glass. It smashed into his shield, knocking him onto the floor. He twisted, throwing it off, and braced for another assault. The vampire swiped at his face with sharp claws, which he saw on both hands, as well as its feet. As he parried the attack with the smooth face of his sword, he heard commotion upstairs. The cavalry was on its way, led by Andi and her thoughts of dread that she might lose him. He couldn't have her always worrying about him, so he needed to prove he wasn't a liability. He blocked another swipe by the vampire with his shield, spun, and brought his blade down on its neck, severing its head.
"What's going on?" Mr. Thomas yelled, but Ben couldn't answer. The evil vibrations on his neck incapacitated him for a beat. He managed to shout, "Incoming!" seconds before three more vampires burst through the now destroyed sliding glass door. One flew straight at Andi, one towards her parents, and one towards him.
He smacked the one coming at him with his shield, stunning it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Andi fall backwards. He screamed, "No!" lopped off the head of the vampire at his feet, and leaped in to help her. She transformed her neck and head into a dragon's, but before she could strike, Ben concentrated on his blade, like he did with the ghost, and stabbed it through the heart. It disintegrated, not even leaving behind dust.
Ben and Andi spun to help her parents, but it wasn't necessary. All evil pricklings had stopped, and they found her mother standing over their dismembered vampire. It was a mix between Mr. Thomas's powerful jaws and Mrs. Thomas's deadly short swords. She watched them with a smile of approval on her face.
"Dad?" Andi asked.
"He's fine. He went to get a wooden stake."
Ben nodded and said, "But that and sunlight killing them are about all the movies and books got right."
Surprise flashed off Andi, and her mom's face read the same. "Yeah," Mrs. Thomas said. "Those were the only two ways, but you seemed to have found a new one."
He shrugged and walked over to the one she and Mr. Thomas tore apart. He concentrated again and plunged the blade through its chest. All the scattered parts disappeared. He walked over to the one he'd taken care of before helping Andi and did the same. A slight buzzing, almost undetectable, hit the back of his neck. The first vampire's body clawed its way towards its head, but he destroyed it before it got there. The buzzing stopped.
He turned towards Andi and her mom. "We're safe."
Before either could answer, Mr. Thomas walked in. He looked around the now vampire-free room and nodded at Ben. "Well done. Though a little heads-up would have been nice."
"Jeez, Lee, since when has it been so hard for you to give a compliment?"
Ben started to say it was fine, that it had been the most support Mr. Thomas had ever given him. Before he could, Mr. Thomas said, "He's proven he'll make an excellent guard to Andi."
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
That brought another grunt, but this one followed by an approving nod to Ben, who smiled both at the comment and the joy permeating off Andi.
"And speaking of him being a Dragon Guard, Lee, he's also proven he's going to have some spectacular powers against the undead. Talk about an asset against a necromancer, right?"
Mr. Thomas sighed, which caused Andi to gasp and reach for Ben's arm. Oh no, was this it? He wasn't ready. He was too young to be married, bound. But he also couldn't wait. He almost giggled in a manic, crazy way because the feelings oozing off Andi matched his own so perfectly.
"No, Cassie, we can't."
"What? No, you can't. I …"
Andi's parents both clutched their temples. Their telepathic conversation lasted a few seconds, and then they shook their heads. The looks they gave Ben and Andi proved there would be no bindings tonight. Now that it was decided, Ben wasn't sure if he was happy or not.
"Okay," Mrs. Thomas said. She reached out, grabbed Andi's hand, and pulled her to the kitchen. He thought he heard her say something about a mother-daughter talk.
Mr. Thomas let out a sigh. "I'd better patch up the door."
"Uh, do you want me to help?" Ben didn't know where the question came from, but he figured it would be best asked.
Mr. Thomas gave him a hard look before his expression softened. "No, but thank you, Ben. Not just for the offer, but for getting rid of those things. They could have entered undetected if you didn't sense them."
He nodded. "Yeah, they don't need to be invited in. Those myths aren't true."
"Indeed." Mr. Thomas smiled and slapped his shoulder. "I do like you, Ben, though I'm sure it doesn't show. You'll make a good addition to our family, but not yet."
"We're too young," Ben said.
"Exactly, but that's not all." He glanced over to the kitchen. "I'm sure her mother is filling Andi in on most everything, so you can ask her about it later. I do have a good reason for not binding you tonight, I promise. Nothing personal, okay?"
Ben nodded and looked towards the kitchen. Andi was learning something surprising, but he had no idea what. He wanted to ask more, but he also didn't want to ruin this new-found common ground with Mr. Thomas, who'd already stood to start fixing the sliding glass door.
"Head up to bed, Ben. You might not feel it at the moment, but you're exhausted. You discovered quite a bit of power tonight, and you're not used to using it. You'll need even more tomorrow if we're to succeed."
Ben moved towards the stairs. Would his p
arents be home safe by this time tomorrow? He hoped so. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas would see to it. And Mr. Thomas was right about how tired he was. The second his head hit the pillow, sleep dragged him under.
Chapter 16
During breakfast, Andi acted a bit shy around Ben. It must have had to do with the talk with her mom last night. It didn't bother him; it was cute. Besides, her true feelings for him shone through more clearly than anything else.
Once they finished eating another big meal of pancakes, eggs, and bacon – "I cook other things, too," Mrs. Thomas said about the repeat from yesterday morning, "but everyone enjoyed this so much." – it was time. Ben strapped on his shield and held his sword. Mr. Thomas explained they only needed to concentrate on the spell while he invoked it. Ben's eyes went wide. He still couldn't feel the spell. How could he concentrate on it?
Andi stepped forward. She threw a withering glance at her father and said, "Chill out, Daddy, this is necessary." Mrs. Thomas laughed as Andi engulfed Ben in a hug. He looked to Mr. Thomas with wide eyes, hoping he wouldn't step over and rip his head off. Instead, he got an annoyed but accepting look. Mrs. Thomas winked at Ben and turned her husband away.
"Do you trust me?" Andi whispered in his ear.
"Yes, of course."
She reached up and kissed him. "Good. You saw the place where your parents are. Picture it in your mind. Not just the room they're being held in, but the whole big rock. Keep it in mind when my dad says to, and you'll be fine. Okay?"
"Okay."
She smiled and gave him another kiss, a deeper one.
"Overkill, Alexandria," her mother said. Andi didn't jump away like normal when they'd been caught kissing, but instead slowly peeled herself away and brushed his cheek with her hand. Like at breakfast, good feelings flowed from her, but she also put out a bit of fear and regret. What was that about?
Before he could dwell on it, or ask her point-blank, it was time. "Concentrate," Mr. Thomas said. Ben pictured the demon realm, from the cell his parents inhabited, to the rocky throne the necromancer sat in, to all of the nothing in between. The atmosphere in the room grew thick, and then disappeared altogether. Ben found himself somewhere new, breathing air with a slight sulfur tinge he remembered from a trip to the geysers of Yellowstone Park when he was eight.
This reminded him of his vision. Exactly. They stood on the ground in front of the ledge that held the necromancer's throne. The dirt underfoot felt solid, baked hard by the fire surrounding them. They were far enough away from the edge to not fry, but the heat still brought drops of sweat to his brow. A nearby hole in the dirt showed it went down about six feet before hitting the rock, with the top layer of dirt baked solid. The rest was damp, though not quite mud.
Andi gripped his arm, and they shared a look. Where was the necromancer? He wasn't in his throne, and there was nowhere else to hide. Unless he was in torturing his parents. Ben needed to get them out. After only a minute here himself, he wanted to puke from the awful taste in his mouth.
"Those are the cells, Ben?" Mrs. Thomas asked, pointing to the rocky rooms. When he nodded, she said, "Maybe we can spirit them out of here before Derian notices."
"I'm sure they would appreciate it," a voice from the no longer empty throne said. Ben recognized it at once as that of the necromancer.
"They have nothing to do with this, Derian," Mr. Thomas said. He kept his voice low, but its power still reverberated through the realm. "Let them go."
Ben stepped forward and pointed his sword at the necromancer. "You better not have hurt them." Andi grabbed him and tried to pull him back, but he wouldn't be budged until he knew they were okay.
The necromancer laughed, a sound where humor went to die. Death itself. "I assure you they're fine, boy. A bit uncomfortable, but nothing rest and hydration in your mortal realm won't cure. In fact, you and the daughter are free to liberate them. It seems I have my prize." He licked his lips and stared down at Mr. and Mrs. Thomas.
Mr. Thomas grabbed Ben's shoulders and dragged him back. "Your prize, Derian? We defeated you once, and we'll do so again."
The necromancer leaned back in his throne and let out a belly laugh. His skin stretched against his bones, making him look like nothing but a skin-wrapped skeleton. And maybe that's all he was. Something moved underneath his stretched out skin. Ben couldn't make out any definite shapes. It reminded him of sea creature movies where the beast would brush the surface, letting the audience know it was there without giving up its true appearance.
"You caught me by surprise before, Leon," the necromancer said. "We seem to be on even ground this time, so to speak. Plus, I now control the demon." He held out his hand, and a puff of acidic smoke popped from his palm, revealing a monstrous head. He clutched his hand into a fist, and the demon dissipated.
Ben glanced over at Andi. Her mother whispered something into her ear. She nodded, her eyes wide, and fear, but also determination, gushed off her. She stepped over to Ben and pulled him close so she could whisper.
"If it comes to a fight, you stay behind me and watch our backs. Don't be reckless. When Mom says so, grab me, and I'll fly us to your parents. We'll get them out of here, and my parents will follow. Okay?"
He nodded. In the background, Mr. Thomas and the necromancer postured with more threats. A quick glance around showed nothing else on this huge rock, so how would the necromancer fight all four of them at once?
"And Ben?" Andi said, pulling him into a hug.
"Yeah?"
"Don't do anything stupid, and I won't either. Okay? I love you."
He gasped, getting more of the sulfurous air into his lungs, and fought hard to keep from choking. He knew she loved him, could and had felt it on her, but this was the first time she'd said it. He also couldn't fight the feeling. As scary as it was, he loved her, too. Before he could say it, his whole body shook in the prickling warning of impending evil.
"Watch out," he managed to shout. Mrs. Thomas crouched down in a battle pose, while Andi and Mr. Thomas transformed into their natural dragon forms. The ground crackled and shook like an earthquake, and zombies pushed out of the hardened dirt all around them.
This battle went nothing like the previous ones. During those, Ben felt in control, not really in danger. This was absolute chaos. Too many zombies came at him at once. He swung his shield as much as his sword, keeping the lumbering monsters off-balance and at bay. He didn't knock many out of commission, but Andi and her parents made up for that. The dragons spit out streams of acid that burned the zombies down to nothing, and while they waited for their breath weapon to build back up, their powerful jaws and claws dispatched more. Mrs. Thomas was a blur, a shifting shadow of death. She leaped, twirled, and struck, leaving severed bodies in her wake. Ben did his best to stay out of their way and keep any from sneaking up on Andi.
For the first time, he wished 100 percent that they'd been bound. Power bubbled under the surface, but he couldn't access it. He grit his teeth and fought through the aggravation. It also would have been nice to speak to Andi directly. He yelled a few warnings to watch behind her when he couldn't cut off a zombie, and she understood, but having no idea what her growls meant frustrated him. Mrs. Thomas would relay her important messages via Mr. Thomas, but that wasn't how dragons and their guards fought.
After what seemed like hours but was probably a lot less, Mrs. Thomas yelled for Ben to grab Andi and hold on. They were no closer to defeating the countless zombies, so he realized it was time to rescue his parents. He beheaded two of the nearby undead and sheathed his sword before latching onto her tail. She let loose another blast of acid to clear their way and launched into the air. Ben glanced back; none of the undead chased them. The unholy music of the necromancer's laugh continued in the background. Would he really let them leave?
Andi touched down in front of the rocky cells, and Ben drew his sword. A half-dozen zombies stepped out to greet them, but Ben wouldn't let them stop him from rescuing his mom and dad. He smashed the first with his sh
ield, knocking it back against another, and slashed two other heads off. Urgent energy pulsed off Andi, but he ignored it, instead launching himself in the middle of the four remaining zombies. He gave into the battle lust like he'd never done before. His sword struck true, and his shield parried possible killing blows. Before long, all six zombies lay unmoving at his feet.
Andi used her tail to nudge him out of the way before letting loose a blast of acid that melted the zombie parts into nothing. She morphed back into her human form and threw herself into his arms. "Don't do that! I could have burned them at the very beginning."
He wanted to explain that he couldn't help it, that it just happened, but instead his brain pushed, "I love you," out of his mouth. Whoa, he must really have meant to say it earlier.
She giggled, kissed him, and grabbed his elbow. "Come on. Let's get them out of here."
To their surprise, the solid stone door opened with little pressure. He dashed inside and let out a cry. Mom and Dad were mummies. Not wrapped in linens like ancient Egyptian pharaohs, but dry skin and bones. Only when Dad moved his head and let out a groan did Ben breathe again.
"Grab him," Andi said as she ran over to his mom. "We have to get them home. They'll be fine. Think about your parents' bedroom, and we'll go right there. Ready?"
Ben knelt next to Dad and mimed Andi's actions of wrapping his arms around him. He brought up a clear picture of their room and yelled, "Go!"
Seconds later, he, Andi, and his emaciated parents lay in the middle of the bedroom. "Grab some food and water," Andi said. "I'll get them as comfortable as I can."
Chapter 17
Andi mopped a bit of sweat off Mrs. Phillips's brow. Both she and Mr. Phillips looked much better every half-hour or so. Andi and Ben started slowly, giving them small drinks of water until they didn't look as dry as paper, and then added juice, chicken broth, and finally solid foods. It took almost six hours of slow, constant gorging, but now both appeared human again. Still pale and gaunt, but overall okay. Through it all, they faded in and out of consciousness. Neither said a word, but after the first couple of hours, Andi could see in their eyes that they knew where they were, and at least some of what was going on.
