by Ken Brosky
I got up, hurrying behind the air conditioner. Briar was waiting, soaked to the bone, both ears flopped over his face.
“You ready, pal?”
He nodded.
“You can’t hide, hero!”
I peered my head around the air conditioner. “Who says I’m hiding?”
Agnim wrinkled his face inquisitively, scrunching up his green skin. “Then … what are you doing back there?”
“I have one more spell!” I called out. Lightning tore across the sky, accompanied by more treble-heavy thunder that sounded distinctly like Agnim’s laughter.
“And what spell is that?”
“Something you can’t match!” I called out, ducking back behind the air conditioner. “Now, Briar! Go!”
Briar hopped out from behind the massive metal box, running quickly toward the door leading back into the building.
Agnim cackled again. “Perfect! I could imagine no better ending to this tale!”
I crawled to the other side of the metal compressor, carefully peering around. It was working! Agnim was changing—not into an owl, but a fox. Just as the Brothers Grimm had written him.
“Yes,” I whispered, watching the robe melt away. Agnim was no ordinary fox—he was bigger, meaner, with thick hind legs and a terrifying long snout. He bounded toward the door leading into the building, crashing through it.
“Good luck, Briar,” I whispered. I drew a new saber into the sheet metal, pulling it away. As I did, there came a ferocious howl from inside the building. I hurried through the broken door, taking the dark steps two at a time. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust once I reached the landing, but the scene was unmistakable.
The fox—Agnim—was caught in my spring trap beside the men’s room door.
“Yes!” I said, kicking aside the other spring trap. Its metal teeth snapped together with a loud clang.
“He missed the first one entirely,” Briar called out. He was near the staircase leading to the lobby, hiding behind an old brass-colored garbage can.
I walked carefully around the fox. It pulled on the spring trap, whose teeth had closed around one of its thick hind legs. Burning blackness was beginning to spread around the wound. The fox snapped at me, making a terrible barking sound that very slowly turned into “No” as Agnim reverted to his humanoid form.
And here I use the word “humanoid” very loosely. He was naked now, frail, his disgusting green skin slowly burning away. The smell of paper filled the air.
“Did you foresee this?” I asked him, squatting just out of reach. I held the tip of the saber in front of his gross pointed nose. “Did your vision show you this?”
Agnim laughed, then coughed. His legs were burned away and now he was clawing toward me, his fingers digging into the theater’s dirty old carpeting. “I … see new things. I see a journey … I see you trapped in a dark cavern … I see the death of your loved ones …”
I drew in a sharp breath.
“One … more surprise … hero.” He laughed, coughing again. “A … present … from the twisted minds of the Brothers Grimm …”
The burning blackness spread faster, creeping up Agnim’s neck. It stopped. He laughed harder, reaching out with one blackened hand and snagging the fabric of my pants.
“No!” I said, reaching under the collar of my shirt. I pulled out the vial of magic liquid, the very same one that had brought Death to Sam Grayle’s office. I pulled the top off and sprinkled the clear liquid onto Agnim’s head. He recoiled, snarling.
“What is this?” he asked, watching his blackened hand slowly return to its healthy green color.
“Tell me how to kill the dragons,” I said. “Tell me or Death comes for you.”
“Death …” his golden eyes widened in horror. “No! Destroy me! Don’t let him take me away! Destroy me now!”
The building began to shake.
“Tell me how to destroy the eggs!” I shouted, raising my saber over my head.
“There is no way!” Agnim shouted frantically. “The dragons will hatch and there is no stopping it! Now destroy me! Destroy me!”
The red curtains to my right spread open, as if a wind had blown them apart. I kicked my feet on the floor, scrambling away from Agnim.
Death appeared over him, clutching the massive scythe in one bony hand. His robe was like Agnim’s, only older and more worn, his skeletal jaw moving from side to side, grinding his rotting teeth together as he contemplated the screaming Corrupted below.
“No!” Agnim shouted as the scythe’s crescent blade came down. “Noooooooooooo!”
They both disappeared.
The red curtains settled back into place.
“Well!” Briar said, putting his trousers back on. He buttoned up his vest. “It would appear that vial of liquid is nothing but bad news. Remind me to never have a taste.”
“We need to destroy those eggs,” I said, tucking the vial necklace back under my collar. “Before …”
There came an inhuman scream from the theater.
Chapter 17
We hurried back down the grand staircase that led to the lobby, taking the steps two at a time. More screams echoed through the empty building, only this time they were distinctly human.
“Oh no,” I said, stepping inside the theater.
All four eggs were cracked open. Two horse-sized dragons stood in front of the stage, gobbling up the assorted human snacks. Eating them whole, the bodies sliding down their long serpentine necks. I felt my stomach lurch at the sight: they weren’t even pinned down anymore … they’d crawled out of their robes and were still refusing to escape, feverishly climbing the stage and trying to reach the golden egg shards.
“Seth! Chase!” I called out, running down the center aisle. I could barely suppress the urge to vomit—the thought of losing either of them now was too much to fathom.
The two dragons grew bigger as they each took one of the minions, swallowing them like a piece of popcorn. They were just like the dragon in my dream: gold scales, long necks, long snouts, emerald eyes and little white beards. Hungry-looking, too, and not the least bit satisfied with just one of the minions. In fact, there were only a few left. All the others were already gone.
But where were the other two?
I ran faster down the aisle.
“Seth! Chase!” I called again.
The two dragons in front of the stage turned to me, roaring.
“Alice, duck!” Briar called out.
I dropped to the floor, landing hard on my right knee as I turned, swinging my saber upward. It cut across the leg of the third dragon that had dive-bombed me from above. It screamed, baring its teeth as its wings flapped quickly to elevate it toward the ceiling. It burned away, sending hot ash floating down like snowflakes.
“Pfoo!” I spat, wiping my eyes with my blistered finger. It stung. It felt like it was on fire. A sharp ache surged through my ribs and knee, too, and just putting weight on my right leg brought tears to my eyes. My mind fought through it, reminding me that I couldn’t worry about pain right now.
Not with two more hungry dragons coming right at me.
“Alice!” Seth called from the emergency exit. He had the door open a crack and was peering through. “We’re safe!”
“What about the other minions?” I called out, giving both dragons the evil eye.
“I freed most of them as the eggs were cracking open … and they all ran toward the eggs instead of away from them!”
“Well, not much we can do about that,” I muttered to the dragons. They cocked their heads.
“What do you want me to do?” Seth asked.
“Get the bow and arrows from your car just in case!” I shouted, stepping back. The two dragons skulked closer, watching me with hungry burning white eyes. “Briar, find the other one!”
“Right … well, there’s a problem with that. There are a number of golden dragon statues lining the ceiling. I can’t be sure which one is real!”
“You’re
a rabbit who eats carrots! Your vision should be great!”
“I’m two hundred years old, consarn it!”
“Just watch my back,” I said, swinging my sword to keep the two dragons at bay. They crawled across the rows of seats, tearing the old seats away with their thick claws. They both snapped at me again and I backed up, bumping into Briar.
“Back!” I ordered. “Back!”
“Right.” Briar’s paws landed on my shoulders. “I apologize for turning my attention away from the ceiling for a moment, but do you see that down there?”
I looked past the frightening dragons, eyeing the base of the stage. The lance! Chase’s lance!
“A carefully designed tip might do just the trick to keep these wily creatures at bay,” Briar said. “That is, if we can get there without dying.”
The dragon to my right stretched out its neck, opening its mouth and exhaling. A little puff of flame warmed the air in front of my face.
“Yes,” I said, “that lance might be a really good idea.”
The dragon to my left tried spewing fire like its sibling, and this time I stepped forward stabbing my saber into its open mouth and piercing its soft tongue. It recoiled, pawing at its face as the burning blackness consumed it. The stench of sulfur filled my nostrils.
From above us came a roar of thunder.
No. Not thunder. A roar.
“Alice,” Briar said nervously, “I do believe I’ve spotted that last dragon.”
The dragon to my right snapped again. I pushed Briar back and ducked out of the way, ready to stab it when it went for me. But instead, to my horror, it turned its attention to Briar, leaping over the next row of seats and extending its neck.
Closing its mouth around Briar’s arm.
“Yeaaagh!” Briar cried out.
“Briar!” I screamed, leaping at the dragon. I had the sudden flashback of the captain being swallowed by the whale. A Corrupted had killed another Corrupted, swallowing the captain whole. That wouldn’t happen to Briar. I wouldn’t let it, no matter what.
“Alice!” he cried out, punching at the dragon’s snout with his free paw. “Don’t put yourself in danger for me!”
The dragon shook him violently. I felt tears well in my eyes as I climbed the seats, jumping from row to row half-blind. When I was close enough to the massive, blurry thing I leapt off the back of the seats, landing squarely on the scaly back of the dragon. I grabbed the jagged scales along the back of its neck and reached around, sure that Briar was already dead, unable to control myself as I used the edge of my saber to slash repeatedly at the dragon’s soft underbelly.
The dragon roared. Its wings flapped violently against me. I rolled off, landing on the sticky aisle carpeting. Black ashes landed on my tears, tickling my cheeks. More hot ashes landed on the back of my neck. “Briar,” I whispered.
There was a grunt. My heart skipped a beat.
“Briar?”
“Hoo-ah,” came the response. Two rabbit ears popped up from behind the seats a few rows up. Briar peered over the top, holding out his arm. “I’m injured! Oh grievous of maladies! I shall require stitches and bed rest and all forms of medicines! I—”
His complaints were drowned out by another roar. He looked up.
“Oh dear.”
I looked up at the ceiling and gasped. The last dragon was perched upside-down, hanging from one of the statues in the corner. His thick, bat-like wings covered him like a cocoon. He’d clearly had his fill of minions, and now he was three times as big as the others.
Slowly, the wings parted. His head slipped through, his massive white eyes glaring down at me. He snorted, sending two little jets of flame spewing out. His white chin hairs caught fire, burning away.
“The lance,” Briar whispered.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “I won’t get there before he can gobble me up.”
“Go!” Briar shouted, hopping up. He waved his paws. “Hello!” he called out. “Hello, I am delicious!”
The dragon’s head swerved toward Briar. I took off running down the aisle, glancing up to make sure the dragon’s attention hadn’t returned to me. But it was clearly transfixed by the idea of topping off its human meal with a little rabbit dessert.
“Hurry, Alice!” Briar called out.
I slid the last five feet, grabbing the cold steel lance and turning, holding it with both hands in front of my body.
And then the dragon’s jaws were right in front of me, closing down on the steel lance, its tongue lolling out between its sharp teeth, lapping at the ashes coating my cheeks. My heart thumped against my rib cage. My head felt light and got even lighter as the dragon’s massive head moved even closer to my face. I could feel its molars biting down on the steel. Its burning hot breath smelled like death itself.
“Seth!” I screamed. “Seth!”
“Yup!” Seth called back. “One arrow on its way!”
The dragon pushed its mouth closer. Drool landed on my forehead. The dragon blinked, its eyelids closing sideways around the glossy white orbs.
I heard a plink! sound.
“OK, the arrow bounced off the scales!” Seth called out. “Crap! What do I do? What to I do?!”
“This!” Briar called out. I looked left in time to see my furry friend sliding down the aisle, ears pulled back. He landed beside me and guided my saber right into the dragon’s belly.
Plink!
The tip of the saber bumped into the dragon’s rock-hard scales. The blade bent, then snapped in half. Briar dropped it, rubbing his sore paw where the magical weapon had burned him.
The dragon let go of the lance and turned its head, glaring at Briar.
“Er … heh, heh!” Briar crawled back a step, whiskers twitching. “Usually I’m quite good at saving the day. You know, the hero’s helper and all.”
The dragon growled a low, guttural growl that vibrated wooden stage beside us. My hand reached out for the broken saber.
“Right. Well, good luck Alice!” Briar kicked at the floor, scurrying behind the second row of seats before the dragon could snap him in two. Its mouth closed around the air right above Briar’s ears, teeth clomping together with a furious smack.
I kicked away and jumped to my feet, and as the massive creature turned back to me I jammed the hilt of the broken saber right into its face, knocking a fair amount of drool from its mouth. It straightened its neck, snapping furiously. I sidestepped, hopping onto the stage and rolling out of the way of immediate danger. My hand landed on a jagged piece of golden egg shell. I grabbed it, hefting its weight in my hand.
The dragon turned to me, its long tail knocking away the first row of seats in the process. It extended its long neck again, opening its mouth and making a low, guttural hissing sound. An intense heat escaped its throat. Its salivary glands caught fire.
I bonked it on the head with the hilt of the saber.
“Your breath stinks!” I shouted. It snapped at me again, and this time I gave it a mouthful of egg shell. I ran across the stage, turned, and jumped onto its scaly back. It roared, flapping its wings in a mad attempt to unseat me. I reached down, grabbing one of the leaf-shaped scales and tearing it away. My broken saber found the soft flesh, digging in and infecting the nearby golden scales with burning blackness.
The dragon roared, flapping its wings violently to rise above the stage. I fell off, landing hard in front of the stage beside the lance.
“Yes!” Chase and Seth called out, then quickly shut the door as the dragon turned toward them in mid-air.
I popped the cap off my pen, using it to cut the tip of the lance into a point. I colored it in, imagining heat. Intense heat emanating from the tip. It glowed a fiery gold that matched the dragon’s scales.
“Now,” I hissed, pointing the lance up at the dragon. “Come get me.”
The dragon, looming above, roared and flapped its wings harder, taking it higher. I kept the lance aimed at him, feeling the muscles in my arms grow sore under the weight. Come down
, I thought, before my arms give out!
The dragon dove down, heedless of the lance. The hot tip melted through its tough underbelly, piercing its heart. It burned away, blanketing me with hot ashes.
Chase and Seth cheered. Briar crossed his arms, nodding approvingly.
“The gold …”
I spun around. There, hiding underneath the seats in the first row, was Brandon, the leather strapper that had been in his mouth now hanging like a necklace around his neck. The only survivor. He was reaching out for the once-golden eggshells, which had already begun to burn black. A tear rolled down his cheek.
“It’s gone,” I told him. “All of it. Everything that was promised to you. Consider this a second chance.”
Chapter 18
The next Wednesday, Rachel returned to school wearing her favorite baggy jeans, chain wallet and pitch-black t-shirt. To say the others on the fencing team were relieved is an understatement. I was relieved, too, mainly because I was just happy to see her wearing her favorite clothes. She needed some extra fencing attention, and Chase was more than happy to provide it, staying late with her for the next few days. We felt good. We felt like we could win a few medals in the tournament.
To make things even more exciting, it appeared the world’s Corrupted were lying low for a little while. No terrifying dreams. No horrible wizards flying around and acting like idiots.
My life wasn’t completely idiot-free, though. Not yet, at least.
The previous Friday, the Washington High football team had won a close game. Joey Harrington celebrated by being even more obnoxious during the week, and the tension overflowed in every class he attended. You could feel the difference in classes that were “Joey-free.” Students were more relaxed. They could be who they were without getting bullied. They didn’t have to worry about drawing attention to themselves.
The Mean Girls were temporarily out of commission. Someone had cracked their web site’s password and deleted all of the pictures. I had a funny feeling Seth and Briar had figured it out, with the help of Chase who’d overheard more than a few passwords spoken in his days of hanging out with the “cool” kids.
