by E. J. Krause
"Sasha," Timothy barked.
"I never accused you two of conducting the brainwashing," Jonas said. "But I'm beginning to see a guilty conscience."
"It's not a guilty conscience," Sasha spit out. "The accusation was clear."
"Sasha," Timothy again said, and then they clutched their heads in the headache of a private conversation.
After a few seconds, their pain stopped, and Sasha muttered, "Fine. They can listen to the whelp's parents. They deserve the message."
Mom and Dad moved out of the corner of the room, where he hadn't even noticed them, and walked towards the stage. "Mom, Dad," he called. "Are you all right?" He took a step towards them, but Angus put a hand on his shoulder.
"Look at them, Benjamin. Something's wrong."
Ben did, and Angus was right. They weren't walking, but shambling. This wasn't them, but their possessed shells, and danger, almost more than he'd ever felt, pulsed off them. Felix stepped forward, a spell flickering on his fingertips. He looked Ben dead in the eyes, his message clear: "Do something so I don't have to."
He scanned them, but couldn't get much. Sasha had put them in some sort of trance, and she was using them for…something. Something dangerous, that was all he could tell.
"Ben?" Andi asked.
He nodded and shot a spell to break the curse, but it did nothing. Next he tried a stun spell, hoping that would stop them, but it didn't even slow them down. What else could he do? Why wouldn't Felix tell him?
"Nice try," Sasha said. "Nothing you can do will stop them."
Timothy bowed to the council. "And on that note, we bid you a final farewell." He took Sasha's hand, and they waltzed to the door.
His parents neared the front of the stage, and Felix called out, "Time's running out, Benjamin."
That clicked it in his mind. They had a destructive mystical force inside them, ready to decimate everyone in the room. "Andi, concentrate on a power boost." She didn't ask why, didn't argue, just did it. Their minds clicked, and with the extra power, he put Mom and Dad under an almost impenetrable shield.
"No!" yelled Sasha, and she and Timothy rushed at Ben and Andi. Before they could make it, though, the bomb inside his parents ignited, exploding inside the reinforced barrier. Everyone stopped and stared. Once he saw it was over, he let the spell drop. His parents no longer stood there.
"Maybe it teleported them somewhere," Andi said, her voice small, almost indistinguishable.
He shook his head and watched their souls float out of the room, out of the multiverse, and into the afterlife. His thoughts turned to resurrection, but even he couldn't pull that off when their bodies no longer existed. They'd been disintegrated into dust.
Chapter 35
Ben fell to his knees, and Andi felt the shock overwhelm him. She heard commotion all around and saw Timothy, in his dragon form, and Sasha rushing at them. She transformed and moved to protect Ben in case he couldn't pull himself together, but she needn't have worried. He stood, a blank look on his face, and the gray glow of anger around him like an aura. He stuck out his right hand, and both Timothy and Sasha stopped cold, their eyes bugging out as their life force drained. She thought about stopping him, but this was his decision to make. She'd back him no matter what he ultimately decided to do with them.
Jonas, however, had other ideas. "Benjamin, stop this now. They need to be put on trial, not executed on the spot."
He did, and only Andi could tell how much willpower it took for him not to kill them. Sasha fell to her knees and Timothy to his scaled belly, and the council members moved off the stage to surround them. Andi grabbed Ben's shoulders and pulled him back to give them room to apprehend the two former council members, though, technically, she didn't know if that was official yet.
"Fools," Sasha hissed. "You should have let him kill us."
She raised her hand, and everyone except Andi and Ben flew back to the edges of the room. Ben did something – she couldn't tell what – to keep everyone safe. They all popped to their feet, and the dragons transformed, but before anyone could charge, Sasha erected a wall of force, capturing Andi and Ben in there with her and Timothy. With the anger bleeding off Ben in the visible form of the gray aura, though, maybe Sasha hadn't thought that through well enough; maybe she and Timothy were, in reality, trapped in there with Andi and Ben.
Sasha drew two long daggers, practically short swords, out of hidden scabbards on her back, while Ben hefted his sword and shield. They looked at each other for a few seconds, sizing the other up, and then Ben began the battle by firing a dark bolt of energy at Sasha, which she knocked aside with one of her blades. The brawl erupted.
Sasha shot a missile of energy at Ben, who knocked it away with his shield, while Timothy launched himself at Andi. He was bigger, about the size of Dad, but that didn't intimidate her. She sidestepped his rush and attempted to chomp down on his neck, but he anticipated it and kicked her away. She skidded off the ground, used the magical barrier as leverage, and fired herself back at him.
"Let me know if you need help," Ben said. She could still feel the anger and sorrow seething in him, but she was proud at how well he handled it.
"Same goes for you," she said.
"Don't worry about me." There was the anger. "She's lucky the council wants them alive, or this chick would already be toast."
She didn't know whether to laugh at that or roll her eyes. "Don't get cocky." Yeah, wrong movie franchise, but it worked well enough, as he managed to muster up a snort.
Her attention then went back to Timothy, and she expelled a stream of acid. Timothy had the same thought, and their blasts met in the middle, spraying everywhere. A few drops landed on her, but Ben's built-in Dragon Guard healing factor patched her up before she had much of a chance to even wince at the pain. Timothy fluttered away for a moment, as Sasha's healing powers weren't as strong as Ben's. Ben and Sasha threw up hasty shield spells to keep the drops that rained down from burning them. While this all happened, Andi took a quick peek out to see Felix and the council trying to get through the invisible barrier with no luck.
Once Timothy recovered from his burns, he charged her at a controlled and calculating pace. At the same time, Ben and Sasha's fight moved from a magical duel to one of arms. She wanted to watch, to see how skilled Sasha was with those long daggers, so reminiscent of Mom's weapons of choice, but Timothy required her full attention. He faked plowing into her, but drew up short and raked his claws down her chest when she anchored herself. She let out a howl of pain – and, to be honest, anger at being tricked so easily – and flung her own set of claws at him. He dodged, circled around her, and clamped down on the back of her neck. Before she could register what had happened, a bolt of dark energy singed Timothy, causing him to let go. She backed up and let her wounds heal.
"Careful," Ben said, "but don't worry. This won't take much longer. I'll knock her out, and then it'll be two against one."
She chanced a glance down and watched Ben, hopped up on anger, power through Sasha's attacks, which, though expertly executed, looked clumsy next to his. He smashed into her with his shield, but she conjured up some sort of force field to save herself the full impact. As it was, she tumbled unceremoniously back. Ben methodically pursued.
Andi turned her attention back to Timothy. Her acid sack was almost full, which meant his was, too. Maybe she could keep her distance, let him fire his off, and then close in and spit hers at close range. It was an ideal plan as she knew she could dodge at this distance, but what if he had the same idea? Before she had to worry about it, Sasha screamed. Ben had run his sword through her shoulder. Timothy stopped, but didn't make a move to help his mate.
"It's over, Sasha," Ben said. "One quick jerk to the left, despite my promise to keep you alive, and this goes through your heart. Tell Timothy to land and transform back to human."
She smiled at him, one, for a change, not of pure malice. "I knew you'd best me in the end, but, I have to admit, I didn't think it would be this eas
y. Your young mate, however, never would have come out on top against Timothy." Now the smile did turn into her trademark sneer. "Case in point…"
Timothy lunged at Andi, and she moved to protect her throat. That wasn't his aim, however. He snatched the ring finger of her left claw in his mouth and ripped, tearing the entire digit from her hand. She screamed out in both pain and shock, which diverted Ben's concentration to her. Before he could do anything, Sasha used a spell to draw his engagement ring off his finger and into her open palm. Ben turned back to her and moved to shove the sword into her heart, but before he could, both she and Timothy disappeared.
Andi zipped down to him and transformed. The blood flow on her hand had already stopped, and the pain dissipated. She watched as new skin began to grow over the scab. As Sasha had stolen Ben's ring, so did Timothy take hers when he bit off her finger. At the moment, though, the rings were such a tiny worry. They collapsed into each other's arms, overwhelmed by tears.
Chapter 36
The car ride home from Newport Beach proved hard, but Ben kept himself from falling apart for Andi's sake, as she likewise did for him. Neither said much, but their constant physical contact – her hand on his knee or holding hands, despite the odd feeling of the missing ring finger on her hand – kept him sane. Both reflected on what had happened, though Ben did everything in his power to keep his thoughts on the Timothy and Sasha problem, and not his parents.
After the initial breakdown, they basically succeeded at staying strong in front of the council. Angus and Ingrid had been the first to console them, telling them they should feel free to talk anytime they needed to. After all, Angus reminded him, both he and Ingrid had lost their parents to violence early in their lives together. Other council members offered condolences and thanks to Ben for making the sacrifice. They meant it with all their hearts, even that slimeball Marcel.
The plan was for everyone on the council to fan out and find Timothy and Sasha using whatever means necessary. Some had a guess on where to look and zipped out right away. Felix held back and waited until they were alone before he approached. He gave first Andi, and then Ben, a big hug.
"How are you doing Benjamin? I mean really? Don't be brave with me."
"I'm numb, but I'll be okay until this is over. I have to be, right? I don't want those two sleemos to win."
Andi rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Star Wars insults to the end."
Felix looked him in the eyes for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I think you will be." He looked at Andi and asked, "Alexandria?"
She held up her left hand and said, "As good as I can be without my finger, I guess." She sighed and had to fight back tears. "And my ring."
"Sasha took yours too, didn't she, Benjamin?"
"Yeah. Right after Timothy bit off Andi's."
Felix was silent for a second, and then said, "You two stay vigilant. They'll know where to find you. Hopefully we get to them first, but that's not a guarantee."
"Can't you cast some sort of location spell?" Ben asked. "Something you haven't taught me yet?"
"No. By that I mean, yes, there are such spells, but the preparation will take too long. By the time I'm ready to track them, they'll have already made their move. I do have other tricks up my sleeve, though. I'll be able to sense Sasha's magic if I get close enough. I'll be back with you soon."
"They're doing something with our rings," Andi said. "But what?"
"Yeah," Ben said. "It wasn't coincidence they happened to take both."
"I wish I could tell you, but I don't know," Felix said. "Something dangerous, though. Be careful."
With that, Ben and Andi headed home, while Felix went out to help find Timothy and Sasha. Now, as they pulled into the driveway, he wanted to curl up in the driver's seat and not face any of it. At least they were at Andi's house, their place, and not his parents'. He wasn't sure how he would have handled that. How did Andi do it when she lost Cassie and Lee? He'd have to sometime in the near future, but not yet. He took a deep breath and told himself to worry about that after Timothy and Sasha were dealt with.
"What do you suppose they're doing with our rings?" Andi asked. "They better not be messing with all the shiny sparkles on mine. It was perfect the way it was."
"I don't know," Ben said, trying to keep himself brave. "Felix never taught me anything like that, and I don't think it's a necromantic power. Maybe it's something like alchemy, or maybe it's a spell in whatever discipline Sasha studies. I'm not sure what type of wizard she is, but she's not a necromancer, that much I do know. She might be creating a powerful tracking spell so they always know where we are."
Andi scoffed. "They don't need one of those. As soon as they show their ugly faces, we'll be right up in their business."
Ben grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Darn straight."
He sighed, gathered his wits about him, and hopped out of the truck. Maybe he'd head into the training room for some intense sword action. Even though their life or death fight with Timothy and Sasha hadn't been that long ago, he had energy he needed to burn off in a healthy way. It was that or fall apart into tears on the floor, and sword training sounded more productive.
As soon as they were through the front door, they could tell someone was there. Andi's nerves sizzled, and Ben knew with the slightest provocation, she'd shift at least into a half-dragon. He had his sword and shield ready, and a half-dozen spells in his mind, if not on his lips. He quietly kicked the front door shut and tiptoed towards the kitchen, Andi right on his heals.
Fillmore walked out, about to take a big bite out of a sandwich. When he saw them, his face lit up for a second, but then turned to pure terror. Ben had his sword against Fillmore's neck in an instant, and while Andi didn't bother to transform, she was in position to cause some serious damage if she chose to.
"Please," he managed to babble out. "I came for help."
"Hard to believe when you work for Timothy and Sasha," Andi said.
"I know, I know." Tears came to Fillmore's eyes, both of fear and regret. Ben shouldn't have been able to know that, but he did. A wizard guess, he supposed. "You have to understand, everything I did for them was for my mate. They'd kill her if I didn't comply."
"Your mate?" Andi asked. "How come no one has ever met her? Or even heard about her?"
Fillmore blinked back more tears. "She's in a state of living death."
Ben glanced up at Andi, who shrugged. Yeah, he sounded sincere, but they had no real way of knowing without a bit of magical help. "I'm going to scan you," he said. "If you try to hide anything, or I come up against any obstacles, we're going to assume you're either lying, here to trap us, or both." Of course, even after a scan, Sasha's power could still be in there, but he had to hope his own magic would detect it. It hadn't with Andi, though maybe it did. His magic might have made him uneasy around her without doing so overtly.
"Yes, please," Fillmore said, hope flooding his face. "I won't hide anything. I want away from those two. I liked Trent and Heidi, your parents, I really did. I didn't know they were going to kill them, I swear. Look inside me."
Ben's grip on his sword tightened with the mention of Mom and Dad, but Fillmore's words kept the blade at bay. This was so far removed from the slimy little dragon they'd previously met that he thought this might be the real Fillmore. Only one way to find out.
As he readied to scan him, Andi whispered, "Be careful," and he nodded at her. It was good advice. Maybe Sasha had hid some sort of mental bomb inside Fillmore's mind or soul. Maybe without Fillmore realizing.
Ben's magic entered Fillmore to ferret out any sense of a lie. As promised, he received no closed doors, nor did any foreign magic assault him. As he dug, all evidence pointed to Fillmore speaking the truth. He did want to distance himself from Timothy and Sasha, and he did have a mate lying in a coma, a living death sleep. He even felt bad about the way he talked not just to Andi and Ben, but to almost all of the dragons. His past and the circumstances which brought him there came to Ben
all at once in a jumbled mass, and he pieced them together in a narrative he could follow and show Andi. With that, he was convinced Fillmore was on their side now. He let up from his scan.
"Andi and I need to talk," Ben said. "This won't hurt." Before Fillmore had any chance to reply, Ben ran a sleep spell over him. He slumped over in the unnatural magical slumber.
"I felt your surprise," she said. "Good or bad?"
"Good, I think. He didn't obstruct me at all, and he did seem to hold some detest for Timothy and Sasha. And I saw all about his mate. She really is in a coma of sorts, and has been for a long time. Like, eons. Timothy and Sasha have kept her alive, but either won't or can't wake her up. That's why Fillmore has been serving them. They've threatened to let her, and him, of course, die if he doesn't stay with them, doing their bidding. And that's also why he put on the sleazy act. He didn't want anyone to find any of it out for fear Timothy and Sasha would kill him and his mate."
"That's awful. Even if it's true, though, can we trust him? You couldn't sense Sasha's magic in me."
"No, I couldn't, but I knew something was wrong. This time I can not only tell everything he's saying is true, but something's pointing us to trust him. There's no way we should, but…"
Andi shrugged. "If you're sure it's not Sasha putting that into your head, maybe we should."
"I don't know. I feel that if it was Sasha trying to trick us, I'd be able to tell now." He shook his head. "I think we should help him. We can revive his mate like Timothy and Sasha won't."
"So what's that story? Did they put her in that coma?"
"That's why I put him to sleep. I can show you."
Chapter 37
Andi found herself in a dark area, like a cave. There didn't seem to be much to the place. She couldn't tell if it was made of natural rock, molded stone, or even simple cloth. Ben stood next to her, but he was also right beside her somewhere else.
