by E. J. Krause
She opened her mouth to argue, but closed it just as quick, furrowing her brow in concentration. Even in dreams, he loved that they could have disagreements without every little utterance becoming a declaration of war. They'd only been angry at each other once since they'd rediscovered their love, and it had been no big deal in the overall scheme of their marriage. They were upset, yet still in love. Plus, making up had been a mind-blowing experience. As much as he liked Ben and Andi sleeping at home in Ben's room at night, there were definite advantages to them staying at the Thomas place.
"You don't suppose this is like when we were captured by that evil guy, the necro-thingy-majancer, do you?"
"Necromancer," he said. Yeah, that's exactly what this was like, except in a much nicer setting.
"Whatever. But this time we didn't get dragged here. We are dreaming, right?"
"Yeah, because this interrupted my dream about what's going to happen when you try on the gift I got you. The one I didn't put under the tree."
She giggled and swatted his shoulder. "Stop. This is serious."
"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. Think about it. We're basically magical beings now, right? Even if it was only our lifespans that were affected. What if occasional things like this are part of the package? Hopefully we'll wake up like normal in the morning. I mean, it's not like this is a horrible place to be. Want to explore? See where we are, what it is?"
"Shh," she said. "Listen. Did you hear that?"
He cocked his head to the side and concentrated. No, he hadn't heard anything. Wait. Did something move on stage?
"Trent, I think this place might be haunted." Heidi's voice wavered on hysterics, but for the moment, she still had control.
"Look." He pointed to the stage. All but two of the chairs filled with men and women in the middle of a heated debate. The sound slowly rose from muffled whispers to loud shouts, like the audio caught up with the visual. Except now that it was all together, this didn't look like a holographic projection, but real people sitting up on the stage.
"There should be no question about this," one of the figures shouted, louder than any of the others. "With Leon and Cassandra gone, the two are more unpredictable than before. Locking them up here is the only sensible solution."
Another rose to back up the first shouter. "Even you two can't argue, Angus and Gretchen. Her parents were their guiding light. With them gone, it's easy enough to guess which way the prophecy will go. And that's without the aid of any prophecy readers."
More shouts of agreement than disagreement rose, and everything quieted when the man sitting in the center chair stood. Trent wasn't sure what was going on, but this was bad. Very bad. A quick glance at Heidi showed she agreed.
"No vote is necessary. They'll be held here at the Stronghold," the man in the middle said. "Our discussion now will move to who shall retrieve them."
And with that, the people on stage faded, both visually and audibly. He turned to Heidi, but couldn't speak. Besides, she'd disappeared, too.
Chapter 6
"I see you've discovered the secret to the spell," the captain croaked. "I wanted you to strike the killing blow. I sense enough power coming from you that the only way I can be sure to put you down for good, is to kill your mate. I'll resurrect from anything you can deliver, but you'll never rise from your dragon's death."
"Once I counter your spell, I'll send you so far down to Hell that you'll never come back."
"Brave words, young Dragon Guard, but you're bluffing. Your only two options are to kill me, which kills you, or to let me kill you, which maybe you can rise from, maybe you can't. Do you know how, boy?"
Ben shoved his anger down and concentrated on dueling with the captain. If he could knock the necromantic pirate unconscious, he'd have time to figure out how to rescue Andi. He needed to smack him with the flat of his blade or with his shield, and he needed to do it fast; he could swear Andi already looked like she was about to drop. Of course, that could be his imagination jumping to the worst possible conclusion. When he first heard the details of becoming her Dragon Guard, the thought of feeling her emotions 24/7 had scared the pants off of him, but now that he could barely feel her at all scared him infinitely more. And he couldn't even begin to think about what the captain was talking about resurrection-wise.
The captain launched an attack of his own, a whirling assault with his two cutlasses, which Ben knocked aside with his shield and his own blade. Before he could strike back, the captain blew out his breath, spewing forth a swarm of gnats which engulfed Ben. They didn't hurt, but swirled around, impeding his vision, forcing him to back away from the fight. Every second he delayed, the weaker Andi grew, and the stronger the captain got.
"You can't beat me, pup. No matter what you do, I'll come out on top."
"You talk a good game, Cap."
The captain laughed and attacked again. Ben parried each strike, and fought back from landing a killing blow when offered. The glimmer in the captain's eyes showed he knew he was leaving himself exposed. He shot a ray of sickly energy at Ben, who blocked it with his shield, his own energy keeping it from bleeding through the metal. If it got past, it would drain his own life force to fuel the captain like what was already happening with Andi.
"You are a strong one, pup, I'll give you that. Too bad the brains don't match, or you'd be a formidable foe indeed."
Anger flared inside Ben for a second, but he bit it back and smiled, impressed with himself that he hadn't lashed out because of his temper, which was what the captain wanted. He glanced up at Andi. She still watched intently, so the draining power of the spell didn't look to have hit her too hard yet. He had to end this before it did.
He leapt at the captain, blocking both cutlasses with his shield and slicing the tip of his blade across the captain's left shoulder. The captain kicked against Ben's shield and flipped out of reach.
"Nice one, pup. But your mate's energy will heal that right up."
The blood flow stopped, and the small wound closed up, good as new. Ben again had to fight against the rage over the fact that Andi's life force had helped the evil pirate. The fact that his powers hadn't suggested a way to counter the prison spell either meant he was on the right track, whatever it was, or it couldn't be countered, though he wouldn't stand for that.
Ben flew at the captain again, his plan this time to bull through the cutlasses with his shield and tackle him. Once inside the swords, he could batter the captain into submission. The necromancer was little more than a skeleton, so overpowering him shouldn't prove too difficult. Before he could carry it out, the captain waved his hand and a dozen of the skeleton crew members reanimated. They'd get in his way if he didn't take care of them first. Besides, they didn't feel nearly as powerful as before. A quick bash of his shield brought all twelve crashing lifeless back to the deck, but they'd served their purpose.
"Keep trying, pup. Nothing you're doing is getting you any closer to rescuing your mate. And, pup, I must tell you how delicious her life force is. But let my blade spill your blood, and she can be free. Until you bleed out, that is."
Ben's entire essence vibrated. That was it. His blood. That would break the prison. He struck out at the captain and let up enough to invite a counterattack, which he let drive him back. The captain kept pushing until they were right underneath Andi. Ben maneuvered his shield to a position to block most any attack and dropped his concentration from the fight enough to cast a spell. His hope was that it would catch the captain off-guard since he hadn't introduced his own magic into the fight yet.
It was nothing but a simple negative energy blast, but it knocked the captain halfway across the deck. He cursed himself for letting Ben surprise him, and then screamed, "No!" when he saw what came next.
Ben dragged the sharp edge of his sword across his own forearm, drawing a ribbon of blood out. He jumped up and smeared it against the underside of Andi's cell. The energized prison disappeared. Right away he felt how weak she'd become, but thanks to
her amazing dragon constitution, she was far from done for. She shot out straight for the pirate captain, teeth ready to rip him to shreds.
"Incapacitate him, Andi, but don't kill him," he told her.
He got a begrudged, "Fine," back.
The captain still reeled from the breaking of his spell, and Andi nabbed him in her jaw with no problem. She shook him around to discombobulate him, and flung him against the side of the wall that led to his private chamber. Blood flowed from a number of puncture wounds in his torso, as well as a pretty big gash in his forehead from the wooden wall. Ben stepped forward and stood over him.
The captain flashed a bloody grin and spat out two teeth. "Take my map. I'll get it back. I know the secrets of resurrection. It's child's play here in my realm. You'll see me again."
Ben grabbed the captain's face, breaking his nose in the process.
"No, we won't." A dark energy built up near his elbow, ran down his forearm, and out of his palm into the captain's bloody mouth and nose. He couldn't scream out, but his eyes showed he knew what Ben was doing. He tried to rip away, but Ben and the death magic held him firm. After a few seconds, the captain went limp, and Ben let go.
"What did you do?" Andi asked, this time aloud as she was back in her human form.
"I disintegrated his soul. He's gone for good."
Mixed emotions ran through her, but acceptance and even happiness won out. She nodded. "Good. He deserved it."
Ben looked at her but didn't say anything. He wasn't sure he agreed, but he hadn't seen any other option. If he allowed the captain to resurrect, they'd always have to look over their shoulders. The captain wasn't one to forgive and forget, and Ben wouldn't endanger his family, especially Andi, when he could end things now.
She felt his inner turmoil and embraced him. "He tried to kill us. He deserved it." Her voice came out insistent, so he had no room to argue.
Ben nodded and hugged her back.
"I do love how you make me feel," she said. "And I don't mean your hugs and kisses. I thought I was going to pass out there for a minute, but now I'm feeling 100 percent. Maybe better."
"You know better than me that you can't feel over 100 percent."
"I can when it involves you, babe."
He chuckled and accepted the deep kiss. One of his Dragon Guard powers was the ability to heal himself and those around him at an accelerated pace. So fast, in fact, that there was barely time to bleed. The cut, or, more appropriately, the lack thereof on his forearm, proved that. He felt like the iconic Marvel Superhero, Wolverine, whose mutant power healed him at breakneck speed. He might not have the cool claws Wolvie sported, but his necromantic powers more than made up for that.
Andi reluctantly pulled away. "We should find that map."
He made a clumsy grab for her. "I almost lost you tonight, so I'm not done holding you."
She gave him a quick kiss, but no more. "And I'm not done with you, either, but it'll have to wait until after." She headed down to the captain's quarters, and he followed close behind.
Riches beyond belief littered the opulent room, from gems and jewels to tapestries and artwork. Energy pulsed out of one of the dozens of treasure chests littering the floor. He nudged Andi to move, but she stood rooted to the ground, staring at the sparkling treasure. He tried again, but she still wouldn't budge. He chuckled.
"Earth to Andi." When that didn't work, the laughter died on his lips. He knew what he had to do, and he wasn't looking forward to it. "Damn." His healing powers wouldn't do anything to dull this pain. He clenched his eyes shut and called out to her with his mind. "Snap out of it, sweetie. The mission, remember?"
She inhaled sharply, and he dropped the connection. They both rubbed their temples, and she gave him a sheepish look. He knew it wasn't her fault, not really. Dragons loved shiny treasure too much. He kissed her forehead and turned his attention back to the room.
"There," he said, pointing at a small chest on the captain's desk. "The map's in there."
"I'll get it," Andi said. Before she could grab it, he gripped her arm.
"Wait. He might have trapped it." Ben concentrated, but didn't feel anything more than the powerful artifact inside. "Okay, go ahead." Hopefully there wasn't some powerful magical mojo hiding beyond his ability to detect.
She opened it with no problems, and pulled out what looked like a gold pocket watch. "Ooh, it's pretty."
"Yeah," he said. "But it doesn't look like a map to me."
"No, but it's what we're here for. Even I can feel that." She moved it towards him. "Grab hold, and we'll get back to Rico."
He reached for it, but paused. "Before we do, can I ask you something?"
She gave him a look that said "Duh."
He smiled at that.
"Could you hear anything while you were trapped?"
"No. Why? Did you say something that would get you in trouble?"
"Of course. You know me. But I was wondering about what the captain said about resurrection."
"He sounded pretty confident he would jump back to life before you zapped him."
"He said I could, too, which was why he wasn't trying to kill me outright. He said the only way he was sure I'd stay dead was if you died first. What do you know about that?"
"How should I know? Your powers always baffle me."
He rolled his eyes. "Your encyclopedic brain, darling."
"Oh yeah." Her cheeks blushed bright. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "Neither dragons nor Dragon Guards resurrect. It's not something ever heard of."
"So it's this other power, this power of the prophecy. That means if I die first and resurrect, you'll come back, too. I mean, I'm guessing, but it stands to reason, right?"
Nervous energy poured off of her. "I don't want to talk about dying anymore tonight. Okay?"
He nodded, kissed her forehead, and touched the pocket watch. In a blink of an eye, they stood in Rico's realm. The demon eyed Ben warily, but smiled when he saw their prize.
"Excellent job." He again looked at Ben. "I see you discovered how to wipe beings from every plane of existence."
"I only did it because it was necessary."
"Of course you did." The demon's eyes filled with hate, but also fear. Before he had a chance to figure out why, Andi broke the brief silence.
"I thought we were there for a map. Why did we bring you back a gold watch?"
"I assure you this is a powerful map. I'd demonstrate it, but I'm afraid it only works in the Realm of Dreams. This will come in quite handy when I send the four of you on your big mission."
"What will we be doing?" Ben asked.
"I can't say for certain yet, but you will be saving dreams for everyone everywhere. Make sure to let Leon and Cassandra know that I'll be requesting their presence before then."
"What will they be doing?" Andi asked.
"Can't say."
Ben tried to step towards Rico, but the spell of their mission held him in place. It didn't rein in his anger, though. "You have no problem sending us into dangerous situations, but you refuse to help by saying what to expect."
Rico stepped back, and this time there was no mistaking the fear in his eyes even though Ben couldn't assault him. "No, you misunderstand me. I don't know what their task will yet be. I know they'll be needed, and like your retrieval of the map, it will only help your grand mission."
Before Ben could respond, he and Andi were back in her bed, both in their pajamas. They stirred enough to realize where they were, and then drifted back into a natural sleep.
Chapter 7
"Quite interesting," Dad said, while Ben's parents stopped eating and looked like they were going to be sick. She and Ben had finished telling them about their adventure retrieving the map for Rico, and everyone hung on every word. Mom had been most impressed that Ben figured out how to work around the necromantic trap. She and Dad, she said, would have been dead meat because she wouldn't have had the patience to not kill the pirate captain when she had the chance
. Andi would be a little orphan.
"Not funny, Mom," Andi said, and Dad agreed. Ben would have, too, but his mouth was stuffed full of cinnamon roll, which their moms had prepared for Christmas breakfast, to go along with the bacon, eggs, and hash browns. Ben's parents were still in too much shock to register an opinion one way or the other.
"Actually, it's not funny after the dreams we had last night," Mom said, while Dad grunted his agreement. Even Trent and Heidi nodded through their shock, which made Andi question if she wanted to hear about what was going on.
"What dreams?" Ben asked. "Did you all have the same ones?"
"Not the same," Dad said, "but close enough. Alexandria chased me into a cave where she dispatched me, while you," he pointed at Ben, "used your sword and magic to put down Cassie. At least we assume so, as we both woke up before the killing blows."
"We think you were working together, as you somehow communicated despite being in different realms."
"But we'd never do that," Andi said.
At the same time Ben protested with, "I'd never attack you."
"We know," Mom said, reaching out and grasping both their hands.
Andi looked at Ben's parents. "Did we kill you, too?"
They shook their heads.
"We were in a fancy auditorium of some sort," Trent said. "A bunch of people on stage were discussing how Cassie and Lee were dead."
"And how Ben and Andi needed to be imprisoned," Heidi finished.
"The Dragon Council," Dad said. "I'm sure of it."
"But are these all strange dreams," Mom asked, "or are they a view of the future?"
"They can't be the future. We'd never hurt you," Andi said, gripping Ben's hand. He nodded beside her.
"Ours felt so real," Heidi said. "And we were there together like when that ugly necro-thingy captured us."
"Necromancer," Ben and Trent corrected at the same time, both off-hand as if they didn't realize they were doing it. Despite the heavy atmosphere in the kitchen, Andi couldn't help but smile.
