by E. J. Krause
"He's below deck. I wonder if he knows we're after the map? You don't think he'd destroy it to keep us from getting it, do you?"
"I don't know. Does he even know we're here?"
With all of the hatred in addition to the evil flowing from below, there was no doubt about that. "Yes, that's why I'm worried. Once I hijacked his crew, you would have thought he'd come up to fight."
"Should we go down to him?"
"Speak of the devil." Ben felt the necromantic captain now moving up deck. "He's on his way. Be ready."
She hovered above, ready to strike, while he gripped his sword and shield tight. He thought back to Derian, the demon-infused necromancer that he and Andi had defeated last year. Derian had been a powerful wizard who long ago killed both sets of Andi's grandparents, prompting Cassie and Lee to banish him to a demon realm, where unbeknownst to anyone, he integrated himself into the demon, taking over its power. Derian's presence had been intimidating, but this captain was every bit as dangerous. While Derian had been a powerful sorcerer, he'd grown into his necromantic powers. He'd relied on his considerable strength of will to assert his power, while this pirate captain was a pure necromancer through-and-through. He wouldn't play around with them, but would go for the kill right away.
The door leading down to the captain's private chambers burst off its hinges. Without waiting, Andi let loose her acid, but it dispersed before reaching him. He stepped out of the doorway, and Ben sucked in a deep breath.
While the captain was a flesh and blood being, he looked much closer to one of his former skeleton crewmembers than a living person. His skin hugged his frame tight, showing off the bones all through his body. His eyes glowed red and his teeth were filed into sharp points. His hair, jet black, hung down in his face in reedy strands. Gaudy rings, probably effective weapons in their own right, adorned every bony knuckle, and a sword hung on his belt. The grace with which he moved proved he enjoyed wielding it every bit as much as his death magic. Long daggers stuck out of each boot, showing he was ready for anything and everything.
"I don't like this, Ben."
"Should we attack together, or try to flank him?" he asked.
"I don't know. Don't you have any mojo you can cast on him?"
"Not off the top of my head. Be careful."
The necromancer stood staring at them, flashing his skeletal grin, and waiting for them to make the first move. Ben gave him his wish and yelled for Andi to attack. They charged, and the captain raised a hand towards Andi, shooting a bolt of energy. A red bubble engulfed her, and she hung in midair.
"You okay?" he asked, but she didn't respond. He tried again, but still nothing. He could see she was alive, but couldn't communicate with her. Even her emotions felt muted. She was scared, but that was all he got, and even that was vague.
The captain drew his sword and slowly, deliberately, stepped towards Ben. Both waved their blades in front of each other as if warming up the steel. Ben needed to end this as quick as he could to rescue Andi from her force bubble prison. He lunged, but his attack was parried by the captain, and then he swung his shield as a weapon. As calm as could be, the captain side-stepped the attack and stood ready for another volley. He seemed to grow stronger by the second.
Of course! Though Ben didn't think he could cast such a spell, he knew what it was. It siphoned life from the captive, Andi in this case, and fed the necromancer. The ultimate parasitic spell. If he didn't get her out of there soon, it would draw all of her life out, killing her, and by proxy, him.
Ben moved more deliberately this time, letting his master swordsmanship take over. Even almost a year and a half later, he still couldn't believe how good the Dragon Guard powers had made him with the blade. It was like he'd practiced diligently his entire life. He struck hard and fast, and though the captain blocked every thrust, every slash, Ben could feel he was better with the blade than the captain. Even with the energy leaching from Andi into him, the captain could not best him in a straight sword duel. Magic would play into this sooner rather than later, and he hoped he was up to the challenge.
Ben pressed the attack, ready to end this before the pirate captain could dip into his necromantic bag of tricks. He again couldn't puncture the captain's defense, but was getting closer. He pushed forward, and two things struck Ben at once. One, if he feinted right and slipped left, the captain would leave a fatal gap in his defense. And two, if he did that and killed the captain, Andi would also die.
Chapter 5
Lee couldn't place where he was. It seemed to be the towering peaks of the Rockies or Alps, the foggy moors of the British Isles, and the deep and spacious desert canyons of the American Southwest all rolled into one. Such a place couldn't exist, and yet here he was, flying above it. Before he had time to fully analyze the situation, a blue streak shot past him. Alexandria?
He sped off after her, desperate to find if she knew what was going on. He pushed himself to his limit and still couldn't gain any ground. No, this couldn't be her. Had another dragon abducted him while he slept and brought him here, wherever this was? The last thing he remembered was lying down next to Cassie for bed on Christmas Eve.
Of course. This was a dream. He even felt Cassie next to him if he bore down hard enough. But this all felt so real, more real than any dream he could remember. He guessed that blue streak was Andi, and this was all about him feeling like he was losing her, which was silly. When the marriage happened, she and Ben would live near them, if not still in the same house, which was what he and Cassie wanted. Even though fate had stolen at least 150 years of her childhood, she'd always be his little girl. On the other hand, fate had also given him and Cassie Ben, as well as Trent and Heidi, so he couldn't complain.
The dragon ahead stopped, and she was definitely Andi. He approached to find out what was going on. This was a dream, but he knew well enough that dreams often told truths the subconscious mind hadn't yet shared. Even if not, pure curiosity made him need to know.
He flew close enough to say hi, but before he got the words out, she let loose a burst of acid. He almost didn't dodge in time, as surprised as he was.
"Alexandria, what are you doing?"
She zipped towards him, maneuvered into an attack position, but dodged out of his reach when he slipped into a defensive posture. She hovered above him.
"Your time is over, Father," she said.
Father? She'd never been that formal with him. It was always Dad or Daddy. This looked and sounded like his daughter, but wasn't.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, it's me, Father. But I've seen the truth of everything."
Truth of everything? What did she mean? Before he could ask what in the world she was talking about, she lashed out at him, quicker than he'd ever seen her move. Only his own lightning fast reflexes kept her from sinking teeth into him.
"Alexandria, what is the meaning of this?" His dragon roar was able to convey his anger and confusion much better than his human voice box ever would.
She circled him like a vulture. "You don't get it, do you? Your time is over. I don't need you anymore. The only thing you can do now is get in the way, so I'm going to dispose of you."
This time he didn't wait for her to strike. He couldn't hurt his little girl, so he took off towards the huge mountain range in the distance. As he jetted towards it, he passed over more dusty canyons, foggy moors, and both sparse and thick forests. This had to be the strangest dream he'd ever had. What was next? Flying over a city and having an army fire cannon shots at him?
Andi kept pace behind, though she wasn't pushing herself near as hard as she could have. Impossible. He'd always been able to outpace her without trying, and right now he couldn't fly any faster. If he could make it to the peaks, he'd outmaneuver her, but if she was worried about that, she wouldn't let him get there. Bah! He was over-thinking everything. No matter what, he still had a thousand years of experience on her, and that would get him out of this without either of them getting hurt.
&nbs
p; She did let him get to the mountains, and he found it full of nooks, crannies, and crevices to hide in. Andi saw it, too.
"I'll count to ten, Father, while you find a hiding spot," she roared.
He zipped in and out of trees, over and under rock formations, and above the highest peaks, but she kept perfect pace, obviously enjoying this game. But it was no game for him. He saw how it would eventually play out, either with his, and therefore Cassie's, death, or hers and Ben's.
And speaking of Ben, was he behind this? Had the boy turned evil after all and dragged his precious daughter in after him? It had to be the case. Though the boy didn't seem any less moody than any other teenager, both Cassie and Andi confided in him that Ben had to fight hard all the time to not let his temper get the better of him, and the battle was getting harder and harder. When it became too hard for him to control, was that when the evil would overtake him and prove that direction of the prophecy to be the path?
Andi kept right on his tail, but didn't make a move to take him out. He flew around another peak and spied a cave a few hundred feet down. Without understanding why or how, he knew it was the mouth to a gigantic series of caverns, perfect to get lost in, which was better than having to fight his own daughter. She let out a shrill burst of laughter when she saw his destination. This was all a game to her.
Lee screamed into the mouth of the cave and found whatever voice had told him to go here had lied. The cave was nothing but a small indentation in the mountain, and he smashed into the solid back wall and crumpled to the stone floor. Andi flew in and landed next to him, triumph blaring off of every scale. Had she somehow been that voice? No. She couldn't. She didn't have that sort of power. Did she?
"I never would have guessed my father would have fallen for such a pathetic trick. It really is time to put you down."
He couldn't move, could only look up at her.
"Andi, please," he weakly bleated out.
She raised her head and opened her mouth, flashing her impressive set of razor-sharp teeth. Now she looked more like a poised cobra than a dragon. The last thing Lee noticed was the grey mist seeping off of her.
*****
Cassie strolled around the dojo, admiring the various weapons hanging on the walls. She'd been to many different dojos over her thousand-odd years as Lee's Dragon Guard, but couldn't remember any quite like this. It felt both vast and intimate, something to do with the shimmering walls and floor, which seemed to vibrate the area without doing so in a dizzying manner. Maybe the hanging weapons tempered the effect. It had more to do with this being a dream, something she realized right away, no matter how life-like it felt. Plus, Lee was right next to her, and he wasn't here in the dojo.
What was the meaning of it? In her experience, dreams that felt so real always had purpose. She had no idea if it had to do with being a part of a mythical creature, or if it was her subconscious mind's way of shouting at her, forcing her to pay attention. So far it hadn't given her a clue.
"Hello, Cassandra."
She whirled around and found herself face to face with Ben, but it wasn't quite him. He looked older, if not in appearance, than in the way he held himself, the way his voice inflected. This was a man — a boy, he was still a boy — who had grown not only into his role as Andi's Dragon Guard, but whatever the prophecy had built for him.
"Hey, Ben. What's up with calling me Cassandra? We're family, you know that. You call me Cassie now. Or Mom if you want. We've been over this." She'd tried to get him to call her Mom after the binding, but he said it felt too weird when they were training. She couldn't begrudge him that, as she sort of agreed. Not that it bothered her, but she could see his point of view.
"Cassandra, Cassandra, Cassandra. Family we may be, but that doesn't mean you're not still in my way. I have a true purpose to fulfill, and do you honestly believe Alexandria will follow me wholeheartedly with you and Leon filling her head with lies?"
"Lies? What lies, Ben? And why do you feel it necessary to fulfill the prophecy like this, the evil way you seem to be leaning? It also suggests you rule over everything with a feather touch. That's the better way to go."
"And you ask what lies. What sort of life would that be? Everyone would see a bleeding heart and try to take advantage of us. With an iron fist, we won't need to put up with such nonsense."
"Don't go down this path, Ben. It'll only lead to death for both of you. You don't want Andi to die. I know that. You only want what's best for her. Evil isn't it. Don't you see that? Your powers were born to fight evil."
He laughed, and her blood ran cold. She could hear a bit of Derian in him. "I'll only ask once, Cassandra. Will you join us?"
"You know we can't. If you pull Andi down that path, neither Lee nor I can follow."
"I know." He walked over to the wall and pulled down a sword and shield. He admired both for a few seconds, making her think that was all he was doing, but when he strapped the shield to his arm, she tensed. "That's why we've come to kill you."
She looked around for Andi. Cassie could talk sense into her daughter, even if she couldn't Ben. There was no reason for this nonsense to continue. She also hoped Lee was there; she still felt him beside her.
He laughed at her again, a sound that chilled her to the bone. "You don't think we'd be foolish enough to let you two fight together, do you? Alexandria will dispose of your mate in another plane of existence."
Once Ben began swinging his sword to gauge its weight, she took the chance to lunge towards the wall and grab the first thing she could get her hands on. With her ability to turn anything she held into a dangerous weapon, it didn't matter what she nabbed. The heavy battle axe she found would do nicely.
They circled each other, and she didn't like the energy pouring off of him. She knew what it felt like to face him, as they'd sparred often enough this past year and a half, but he never felt this dangerous. This wasn't a training session; she couldn't kill him, but she did have to incapacitate him as quick as she could. He was more than a match for her in a straight-up fight, and his powers were a real wild card. Sometimes he could bend them to his will, but more often they manifested when he needed them, but didn't know how to access them consciously. And, of course, that was assuming this Ben didn't have a handle on them altogether.
Cassie leapt at him, bringing the axe down hard. It wouldn't get through his defenses, and he proved her right by deflecting the axe head aside. He pushed his shield at her, but she leapt back and stood poised to either attack or defend.
"We both know we can do this all day, Cassandra. You have your little bag of tricks, and I have mine. Everything balances out, thrusting us onto even ground." That gray sheen, the glowing gray, as Andi called it, overtook Ben, burning brighter than it did when he'd lost his temper with Nix. It outlined his entire body, and poured heavily from his eyes, giving him an otherworldly, painted appearance.
"You're right," she said. "Neither of us can win, so why don't we put our weapons down and talk about this? You call Andi back, let me get Lee here, and we'll have a nice chat. No animosity on either side. We'll get through this, Ben, you'll see."
An evil grin spread across his face. "I said we can do this all day, I didn't say we have to."
He raised his sword, and his gray aura pulsed off of him in a bolt into her. All of her muscles seized up, and she fell backwards onto the forgiving dojo floor. Though she managed to retain control of the axe without cutting herself, she didn't have the strength to wield it.
Ben walked over and placed the tip of his sword against her throat. He didn't say anything, and whatever dark magic he shot into her wouldn't allow speech. He gazed up, as if listening for a distant sound, smiled, and whispered.
"That's my girl." He looked down at her and put all of his weight behind his blade.
*****
Cassie and Lee both shot awake and gave simultaneous sighs when they realized they were both okay. Shaken, but okay.
"Did you fight Andi?" she asked, gripping his hand.
He nodded. "She killed me. Forced me into a solid stone wall and ripped my throat out. Or would have, had I not woken up. Did Ben come for you?"
"Yeah. And I didn't stand much of a chance. Was this something showing us the future or our subconscious minds working on overdrive? It wouldn't be the first time we shared similar dreams."
"It was a warning, nothing more. We need to keep them focused on the correct path. Yes, it could come to that, but we know them. They're good kids. They'll listen to us, listen to reason, and stay on the path of good, not evil."
She put her head into his chest and nodded. He was right. They needed to keep an open dialogue with them, like she did tonight with Ben before bedtime. Plus, he adored Andi, and she'd never turn to the dark side of things. Therefore, she'd never allow him to turn evil. Cassie let out a deep breath and nuzzled Lee's chest.
"It's after midnight," he said. "Merry Christmas."
She reached her head up and nibbled his lower lip. "You know, there's only one thing I want from you this year."
He chuckled, and leaned down to kiss her.
*****
Trent opened his eyes and did a double take. Where in the world was this? He'd never seen such opulence. It was a large amphitheater-type room, with marble everywhere, decorated with gold and every color gem under the rainbow. On the stage, which was the focal-point of the room with hundreds of comfortable, theater-style seats facing it, were a couple dozen or so cushioned chairs, each arranged so whoever sat in them could be easily seen and heard by everyone else, both on stage and in the audience. It reminded him of a place ancient Greeks or Romans would have held meetings.
"Where are we?"
He jumped and spun to find Heidi behind him. When had she gotten here?
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine. I thought I was alone. You're a figment of my imagination, right? A part of my dream?"
She kissed his cheek. "Don't confuse me. This is my dream, so you're the imaginary one."
He looked around again, taken aback by how bright, clean, and shiny everything was, and shook his head. "No, no, hate to disagree with you, sweetie, but this is definitely my dream."
