by E. J. Krause
"What's the price?" Ben asked.
"We'd love to have that information, too," Gretchen said.
"Aye," Angus added. "It's not monetary, we can pretty much guarantee that."
Max cleared his throat. "It's come up once before in the recorded history of the council in this realm, and it was well before any of our times. I've found only the one mention of it in an ancient tome in the Grand Library of the Stronghold."
"What did it say?" Andi asked, caught up in the story despite herself.
"The price was redacted, magically so, lost to the ages, never to be recovered." The pain in Max's voice proved how much this loss of potential knowledge, not in this situation, but simply in general, hurt.
"What this all adds up to," Sarah continued, "is that we can't go through the proper channels to expose Timothy and Sasha. We need to cut out the council altogether and get the device ourselves."
"That's fine," Ben said, "but why now? It sounds to me like you've never trusted them."
"You might have noticed they tried to kill you two," Victor said.
"If they were guilty," Andi pointed out. Which they weren't, of course, but she didn't bother to say it aloud.
Victor nodded. "Yes, if." She didn't like his tone, but let it go.
"Don't forget they were responsible for separating you two for three months," Reggie said. "They pretended it was in everyone's best interest, but how can that be the case? A dragon and guard should never be separated, regardless of the situation." Each dragon and guard clutched their mate, Andi and Ben included. She noticed Heidi and Trent even grasped hands.
So what? A mistake was made. They got a little overzealous. That didn't make Timothy and Sasha evil or these dragons and guards good. They even helped her escape, despite not working with these council members.
"So it's almost impossible to get those recording device things," Ben said. "What's the plan?"
"The plan," Angus said, "is to go to whichever realm they're in and snatch 'em."
"We don't know where they are," Sarah said, "but we know someone who can find out."
Rico, Andi thought, while Ben voiced the demon's name aloud.
"Exactly," Gretchen said. "We'll make a deal with him, and you two can make the trek to retrieve the device."
"Assuming, of course, you don't mind," Sarah said. Andi noticed everyone looked at her with slight trepidation.
"Sounds like a plan," she said, and that brought both delight and surprise to the faces of all the dragons and guards. Neither Trent nor Heidi looked overly excited, but they always hated when she and Ben had to go on a dangerous mission. More surprising was Ben's reaction. Dread poured off when she expected him to be oozing excitement.
"There's a problem with that," he said.
The joy in the room dropped. "What is it?" Sarah asked.
"The last time Rico and I were together, the payment for our ticket home was that we'd stay away from him until the prophecy played out."
The dragons and guards all let out deep breaths, and the mood in the room again skyrocketed. Angus let out a big belly laugh and said, "You had us worried, lad."
Ben frowned. "But if we can't be there, how can Rico send us to the appropriate realm?"
She didn't know what he was worried about. Couldn't Ben zip them there like he did with the resurrection realm?
"That's easy," Gretchen said. "If the deal is with us, and you two are our weapons, he won't have a problem with it."
"Assuming, of course, you can be polite for a few minutes," Reggie said, and added a wink.
Andi smiled and rolled her eyes, while Ben muttered, "I can if he can."
This could actually turn out well. She and Ben would retrieve the recording device and get them to Timothy and Sasha instead of these Dragon Council members. By then she might even have Ben seeing the truth.
Everyone stood and got ready to leave. An idea came to Ben, so strong that a light bulb practically appeared over his head. "How come no one has come for us? Andi is technically a fugitive, and I'm the one who busted her out."
"Speeches were given, and everyone came to the same conclusion," Sarah said. "You two were less dangerous out here than in the Stronghold."
"Aye," Angus said. "Marcel tried to rally support to round you two up and lock you in the dungeons. Jonas told him he and Francine were free to go after you by themselves, and if they could get you back, we'd all agree, but both of 'em went deathly pale and declined."
Everyone laughed, even Andi. That weasel of a dragon Marcel was one of the biggest turncoats on the council. Final goodbyes were exchanged.
"Well," Felix said with a grin. "This should prove interesting." She and Ben nodded, while Trent and Heidi let out simultaneous groans.
Chapter 15
Ben got home from school and headed directly for the training room, setting his backpack down in the living room. Felix told him he'd be there in five or ten minutes, and he already knew Andi was inside. She must be reminiscing about her mom, as melancholy emanated from her. When he stepped in, though, he found her fiddling with her ring. Usually happiness flashed off her when she did that. Before he could help himself, he said, "Are you sorry you have that?"
She looked up at him, surprise and shock etched on her face. She leapt up and crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "No. Never. How can you even ask?"
"It's just…" She didn't let him get any more than that out as her lips met his. The kiss started tender, gentle, but quickly amped up to a frantic make-out session, something that had happened a lot less often since she got back compared to before she'd been taken. After a few minutes, one of his hands found its way under her shirt and brushed her stomach. Her moan emboldened him to push higher. Sure, Felix could walk in any moment, but the thrill of potentially being caught egged him on. He brushed Andi's chest right below her bra, and when she didn't offer any resistance, he cupped her right breast over her bra. She moaned a delightful sound into his mouth, which thrilled him. Maybe she'd decided it was time. Not at the moment, obviously, but soon. Maybe right after training. But that happy thought was broken seconds later when, in a burst of emotion – anger, frustration, and sorrow leading the charge – she pushed him away, fell to her knees, and burst into tears. He knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. When he did, though she didn't stop crying, her love for him became her primary emotion. That eased his anxiety somewhat.
"Andi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
She shook her head, sniffed, and wiped some tears away. "No, it's not you, it's me. I don't know what's wrong." Her mind went blank for a split-second. That was new, but she was back before he could worry. "I miss my parents so much. I need to honor my dad by respecting his wishes for the chastity spell, even if it doesn't exist anymore."
"I understand." He kissed the top of her head. "I wish you'd talk to me about it more often. You know I'm here for you, right? I can help you work through this."
"I know." She gave him another kiss, and though it didn't last long, he savored it. She pulled away, but this time it wasn't to get away from him, but to clean herself up. She sniffed a few times and wiped her eyes and cheeks on her sleeves. He offered his shirt, and that got her giggling, which, at the moment, was the best sound in the world.
Once she composed herself, she returned to his arms. "I did find out about their past while I was there. That was the one positive about being stuck in the Stronghold without you. That library is amazing. I'm talking all caps, A-MAZE-ING."
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "What did you find out?"
"They weren't assassins. I'd feared that since I discovered they had a big dragon life before me."
"You never told me that."
"I never told myself, either, not really. I didn't realize I was dreading finding out until I learned it wasn't the case."
"So what did they do?"
"Adventurers, I guess you could call them. If the council needed something, they'd send my paren
ts. They killed a bunch of demons and other evil monsters, but no other dragons or guards. They weren't like Athena and Ares."
"What kind of stuff did the council want them to get?"
"Ancient relics, magical items, and other treasures. I didn't get a chance to dig too deep into the specifics. Plus they got to keep some of that treasure for themselves. Until I sat down with your parents and talked finances, even I didn't realize how much money they actually had. It was super awesome of your parents to take care of everything for me." She reached up and stroked his cheek. "For us."
He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers. "They were delighted to do it." He grimaced at his choice of words. "Not delighted. I mean…Well, you know what I mean."
She giggled, which eased his mind, and said, "Yes, I know what you mean, Mr. Foot-In-Mouth."
He squeezed her tight. "I almost had a heart attack when I saw the numbers, and that was at a point when I couldn't have cared any less about money. You weren't lying when you told me we'd never have to work a day in our lives."
"Yeah. Anyway, when my parents had me, the council gave them a new mission: keep me safe. I didn't see it mentioned in context with the prophecy, but I'm sure that's what it was. I'm guessing a prophecy scholar advised the council. It might even have been Nix."
"With the way she keeps track of us, I wouldn't be surprised. She even said she'd been tracking the prophecy long before you were born."
Andi nodded. "That's why I lived such a sheltered life before I met you. And, I believe, why my dad was so protective of me when you showed up. They kept me safe, so you shouldn't have been there for a few more centuries."
He pushed his hand out in front of them and conjured up a small ball of negative energy, which he then extinguished. "Though we'd have been brought together anyway."
She kissed him on the jaw line. "Yes, thankfully."
He hesitated with his next question, but if he didn't ask, it would bother him all day. "Why were you sad when you were looking at your ring when I walked in?"
"The ring didn't make me sad. I was in here, thinking about my mom, and the ring caught my eye. My thoughts went to how she and Dad wouldn't get to see our human wedding." She gave him a sad smile, but he saw there were no tears behind it, which was good.
Before either could say anything else, Felix knocked and then walked in. "Am I interrupting?" Ben had a feeling his master knew what was going on, and had given them a few extra minutes.
They drew apart. "No, we're all set," he said.
"What's on the agenda today?" Andi asked.
Chapter 16
Trent and Heidi walked hand-in-hand through the neighborhood, enjoying the mild early spring evening. Their ultimate destination was the frozen yogurt shop a few blocks away, but they decided to be ambitious and meander the long way, admiring some of the neighborhood houses as they went. Heidi already used some of these to plan their future house. The Dragon Council had advised them to move after Ben graduated from high school. The kids could then decide if they wanted to continue the cycle Andi had been going through for a century – enter high school as freshmen and leave as seniors before graduation. Though nothing had been discussed yet, Trent would nudge them back to another round of high school. Both looked far too young for college, and they'd need something to occupy their days. They could all worry about that when the time came. Right now there was still danger to deal with. Trent was glad Felix and the members of the Dragon Council were there to guide them. Too bad Lee and Cassie weren't here to do that, but at least the kids weren't on their own. He and Heidi were worthless when it came to the magic and dragon stuff.
Heidi hugged his arm. "You got quiet."
He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Just thinking. And before you ask, it's nothing important. Mundane stuff about the future."
"The future," she said, astonishment in her voice. "Remember when that meant decades, not centuries?"
"You're still selling it short. Think millennia. We've got at least two of them coming, and who knows what science and medicine are going to do in that time. We may end up being immortal."
"I can't even get my head around it now. No way am I going to be able to comprehend that."
"I didn't say I could comprehend it, but that it might happen."
She laughed, and threw her arms around him. They stopped and shared a kiss, which turned into a much bigger one than he anticipated. More like one teenagers shared in public. Like Ben and Andi too often acted. At least before…
He broke off and found Heidi blushing. They both took a quick peek around and laughed again. "I don't think anyone saw," he said.
"Let them look," she said, but instead of following that up with another kiss, they continued on.
As they neared the corner which led to the strip mall and the yogurt shop, he said, "I'm surprised Andi didn't want to tag along, even if Ben couldn't." He had a pile of homework to finish. "Remember when she polished off the family-sized tub before Ben could finish his medium bowl? I'm still not sure if he was more mortified with losing the eating race, or proud because she did it."
"Cassie called it from the beginning, and I think Lee was sad Cassie shamed him out of getting one that size, too."
"Yeah. I told him he'd probably be able to get the rest of Andi's since the container was almost as big as her, but he just gave a sad shake of his head."
They both laughed again, but this time ended with sad sighs.
"It was always the six of us," Cassie said. "The poor dear is still hurting. We saw how Ben was those three months. I'm sure Andi was the same. She didn't have a chance to mourn her parents all that time, so now that she's back with Ben, she can."
"Yeah."
Before he could add anything else, they entered the strip mall, and a tall lady with long, platinum-blonde hair approached. She wore a huge smile, one that spoke "friend," but he couldn't, for the life of him, place her. A quick glance to Heidi proved there was no recollection on her face, either.
"Trent, Heidi, so good to see you," the woman said. When he and Heidi fed her back generic hellos, the woman laughed and apologized. "I forgot we've never formally met. My name is Sasha, and I, along with my mate, Timothy, am a member of the Dragon Council. He's the dragon, and I'm the guard."
"Oh," Trent and Heidi exclaimed as one. "Nice to meet you," they again added in perfect unity. Sasha noticed and smiled at that.
"Are you here on council business?" Heidi asked.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. I was visiting a friend, and saw you two. Total coincidence, but a great one. I'd hoped to meet you someday."
"Excellent," Trent said. "Everyone on the council has been nothing but nice and helpful."
"That's great to hear," Sasha said, though her eyes didn't match her friendly demeanor. She raised her hand, and Trent's world blinked, but he must have imagined that because Sasha hadn't missed a beat. And her eyes again matched her happy tone. He must have had a brain fart.
"It was great meeting you two," Sasha said. "Sorry I have to say hello and run, but I need to get back to Timothy."
"Nice meeting you, too," Heidi said, and he echoed the sentiment.
"That was weird," he said when Sasha had gone.
"Did the world seem to blink for you, too?"
"Yeah." He shook his head. "And something strange happened right before, but for the life of me, I can't remember what."
She nodded. "I have a feeling we need to get used to these types of things from now on. It seems the odd follows magical people. Despite what our friends on the Dragon Council say, that's probably the only problem with Sasha and Timothy."
Trent couldn't help but agree. Sasha had proved too nice to be evil or bad. He shrugged and motioned to the yogurt shop. "Shall we?"
Chapter 17
Ben sat at the planter, the one he and Andi used to sit at when they first met. Not many people ate lunch nearby. Instead, most chose to congregate around either the quad or the cafeteria. Though virtually the entire campus wa
s accessible during lunch, people wanted to see and be seen. Ben and his buddies, who he hadn't talked to, other than in passing or social media, in forever, had been the same way his freshman year. They stayed on the outskirts, but still close enough to the action.
Now he sat by himself, the resurrection spell on his lap. He'd memorized it last night, but there were a few tricky parts he wanted to make sure he had down. He had no worries of having it here, as he magically glued it to his notebook in his backpack when he wasn't using it, and if anyone wanted to try to take it while he was reading it, good luck to them. He had enough subtle magic to seriously mess them up without drawing any suspicion. Though if he got into a fight and was expelled, he wouldn't mind. At least he could hang out with Andi instead of being here. Maybe they could fix this rift between them. Not that she'd admit to there being one.
"I should quit school," he muttered.
"You might as well," a voice next to him said.
He gave a start and found Melissa standing next to him. When had she ever been good at sneaking up on anyone?
"I mean, you used to have friends before Andi, but now that she's gone, you're being a total loner. From what I heard, you're totally smart in your classes, but you're ignoring everyone. Not a good vibe, Benny."
"Why are you talking to me? I told you it could get you hurt."
She gave a dramatic sigh, such a Melissa sigh. "I told you. I'm worried about how antisocial you're being. A ton of people have noticed, and no one thinks it's cool. Well, Trixie McDonald thinks it's kind of hot, but most people think it's weird."
"I do it for the same reason I told you to keep your distance. I'm not safe to be around. I lost Andi, didn't I?" He wished that still wasn't true. He fiddled with his engagement ring. Everything was supposed to be back to normal since the rescue. Well, without Cassie and Lee, it couldn't be normal, but it still should be better than this.
Melissa plopped down next to him on the planter. "You miss her."
He nodded. He wanted his old Alexandria back more than anything. Before he knew what was happening, Melissa hugged him. It shocked him for a second, and then he hugged her back. It didn't feel anything like hugging Andi, and it didn't feel right, but it did feel nice. Melissa had no clue what he was going through, and he didn't have to explain. She knew he felt horrible, and she proved she was a friend by comforting him. At least that was his take on it until she kissed him.
