Arkayna squeezed her eyes shut, but she could feel the energy surrounding her. Every inch of her body was humming with it. Beside her, the egg trembled, about to hatch.
“I’m scared, Arkayna,” Proxima said.
“So am I!” Arkayna screamed, feeling the dark energy surge through her. She kept thinking about the prophecy. Its roars will herald a new dark age, and the realm will be purged by the dragon’s rage.
This was it. This was the beginning of the end.
THIRTEEN
“WHEN THE TWIN stars unite, the spectral beast will take flight!” Necrafa said, repeating lines from the prophecy. She waited for the dragon’s egg to hatch, but after a few minutes the magic fizzled out. Proxima and Arkayna just stayed there, tied to the stone pillars, with the egg in between them.
“What … what happened?” Necrafa asked, staring down at her hands.
Proxima smiled. “It appears the evil lich hit a glitch.”
“Ouch! Dragon buuuurrrrrn,” Arkayna said.
“Watch your tongues!” Tazma hissed. Before Tazma could go on, Necrafa caught her in a web of red magic. The queen’s servant was tied up and helpless. “Please … I don’t know what happened,” Tazma said. “The prophecy said—”
“You will come with me,” Necrafa ordered Tazma. She flew down the tunnel, dragging Tazma behind her. She turned to General Tibion as she left. “You—guard them.”
Arkayna and Proxima watched as Necrafa and Tazma disappeared down the tunnel. More spectres came in to join Tibion. Arkayna struggled to break free of her bonds, but they were too tight. It was starting to feel hopeless.
After a long while, Proxima turned to her. “You were a Mysticon this whole time?”
“I wanted to tell you, I really did,” Arkayna said.
“Well, you should have!” Proxima said.
Arkayna wanted to defend herself. They’d barely had any time together before Proxima was kidnapped. When was she supposed to have explained her secret identity? What was she supposed to say? Yeah, by the way, I’m also the Dragon Mage … and that Princess Arkayna you spent the day with while I was at the orphanage? That was actually Choko. Sorry if he peed on anything.
Suddenly Arkayna realized Proxima was staring at something down the tunnel. Arkayna followed her gaze and saw that Piper and Em were hiding behind some rocks, ready to strike.
Proxima gave Arkayna a look that said, Play along. Then she said, “I trusted you, but you didn’t feel like you could trust me.”
“Give her a break, Proxima,” Zarya said from the floor, where she was still tied up. “It ain’t easy being a Mysticon.”
“Oh, shut it, Mysticon Ranger,” Proxima snapped.
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Arkayna said.
“And this was your plan?” Proxima continued. “Coming to rescue me, thereby putting the whole realm in jeopardy?”
“Meow, cat fight!” Tibion said. “Settle in, boys, this is going to be good.…”
Arkayna couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, it is.”
“Why are you smiling?” Tibion asked. “The only reason … would be if this whole argument was … a distraction!”
Just then one of Em’s magic orbs hit him in the head, knocking him out. Piper rushed in and threw her Energy Hoops at the other spectres. They went flying into the wall. Em cut Zarya free, and Zarya used her arrows to break the bonds that held Proxima and Arkayna. They both fell to the ground.
Arkayna stood up and tried to steady herself. Even though she was free of Necrafa’s magic, she still felt very strange. Energy pulsed through her, and she didn’t feel like she could step away from the stone pillar.
“Are you okay?” Em asked.
“I’ll be fine…” Arkayna said. She turned to Proxima. Zarya had caught her before she hit the ground. “Nice acting, sis.”
“Did I sound believable?” Proxima asked. “I was so nervous.”
“You were worried about your acting?” Zarya leaned against the pillar. “You were captured by Necrafa!”
Zarya went to step forward, but she couldn’t. The green, swirling energy returned, tying her to the stone column. Arkayna was frozen, too. The energy surged through her and up the pillar. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to move.
The rest of the Mysticons were blown back by the sudden force of the dragon’s egg. Arkayna screamed. She couldn’t see or hear anything anymore. The energy was so strong it had completely taken her over.
High above them, the egg trembled. Energy swirled around it. The top of it cracked, and the dragon emerged. The force finally released Zarya and Arkayna. They were thrown forward, off the two pillars, and hit the ground hard.
When Arkayna raised her head, she couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Standing in front of them was a two-headed dragon, three times bigger than they were, breathing green fire out of its mouth.
“The Spectral Dragon!” she said, her eyes wide with fear.
FOURTEEN
THE SPECTRE GUARDS struggled to get up and out of the cave. The Mysticons scattered, running in different directions. Em took off and the dragon followed after her. She only had her Star Sword for protection. “Hey! What did we ever do to you?” she called out to the dragon.
That didn’t stop it. It charged her, so she put up her shield. She ran away as she blocked each of the dragon’s fiery blasts. Then she lured it down a tunnel. She used her shield as a surfboard, skidding around so the dragon’s blasts missed her and destroyed a few of the spectres. After a few minutes, the dragon turned its sights on Piper.
“Snappy little thing, aren’t you?” Piper said as she backed up into Zarya.
“I can fix that.” Zarya pulled back her bowstring, launching two cable arrows at the dragon’s jaws. They wrapped around them, tying the dragon’s mouth shut. It gave the Mysticons just enough time to get away. The heroes took off down the tunnel.
“So if we unleashed the Spectral Dragon…” Zarya said, turning to Arkayna as she ran, “that means…”
“We’re the twins…?” Arkayna said.
“No, no, that doesn’t make any sense,” Proxima said.
“Yeah, maybe we should do the family reunion thing later,” Em muttered. The two-headed dragon had broken out of Zarya’s bonds and was charging toward them. They’d reached a dead end in the tunnel and were completely trapped. Em threw up a forcefield just as the dragon blasted them with fire, but the attack was too strong. The forcefield burst. The Mysticons released their avatars, hoping they’d be powerful enough to stop the dragon, but it defeated them with one burst of flame.
Arkayna spun around, searching for a way out. There was a narrow opening in the rocks just a few feet away. It was too small for the dragon to get inside. She didn’t know where it went, but it was worth a try. The Mysticons followed her in, and within seconds they were falling through a tunnel. They landed with a thud at the mouth of a cave.
“Quick, to the balcony!” Arkayna said, recognizing where they were. The exit couldn’t be far now.
Em ran behind her. “If we can get to the orbs we can—”
“Escape?” Tazma asked, rushing out of another tunnel. Necrafa was right behind her, and her spectres swarmed the air. “Not likely, Mysticons.”
Necrafa’s head spun around, and dark red magic blasted out of her mouth. The Mysticons fought back with all they had, but it was no use. The queen was too powerful.
“Retreat!” Arkayna ordered, turning back toward the tunnel they had come through.
“Do you remember what’s back there?” Piper asked, thinking of the dragon.
Em pulled a magic orb from her pocket. “Here goes nothing!” she said, hurling it toward the opening. It exploded, raining down rocks and dust. But it was no use. The dragon appeared from within the cloud of debris.
“The Spectral Dragon!” Necrafa cried, raising her hands in the air. “The prophecy is fulfilled!”
The Mysticons were surrounded on all sides. Em started to panic. She leaned over, strugg
ling to breathe.
“Someone get the dwarf a paper bag,” Zarya said.
“Oh my goblin! My bag!” Piper said, pulling her portal bag off her back.
Necrafa was too focused on the Spectral Dragon to notice what was happening. She floated toward the dragon, her hands outstretched. “Come to me, my beast,” she said. “Join with me.”
Em opened the bag and stuck her head in, trying to breathe.
“No, don’t breathe into it!” Piper said, yanking it back. She put it on the ground. “Jump into it!”
“Your portal bag! Brilliant!” Arkayna said, noticing what was happening.
“Destroy them, my child!” Necrafa ordered.
One by one the Mysticons jumped into the portal bag. The dragon reared back and let loose a horrible torrent of fire, but the girls were already gone. The Mysticons were rocketed through space, the dragon’s fire close behind them, and then they all shot out across the floor of the Stronghold’s common room. Malvaron and his cyclops friend, Doug, were waiting for them.
“Welcome home,” Malvaron said, tossing the portal bag up in the air.
Arkayna destroyed it with her Dragon Staff so no one could follow them through. She was about to explain what happened when Auntie Yaga let out a low moan. She was still on the table where they’d left her.
“Auntie Yaga! You’re okay!” Malvaron said. His aunt sat up and rubbed her eyes. While the Mysticons were away, Malvaron had worked with Doug to remove the phantom claw Tazma had driven through her heart.
“To be honest, I’ve been better,” Auntie Yaga said, looking a bit confused. She obviously had trouble with her memory. “I’m never ordering lunch from Earth again. What was that? Heartburn?”
Proxima didn’t respond. She kept staring at Arkayna and Zarya. “How is this possible?”
“So … you two are the twins,” Em said.
“You don’t look like twins,” Piper added.
“According to the prophecy, we are,” Arkayna said.
“Well, according to the prophecy … we’re all doomed,” Zarya replied.
“The Spectral Dragon has been released?” Malvaron asked, fear in his voice.
No one had the courage to answer him. Arkayna studied Zarya’s face, which she’d looked at a hundred times before. Was this the truth? Was Zarya her real sister? And now that they knew, would they be able to stop Necrafa together?
FIFTEEN
THE MYSTICONS AND Malvaron stood in front of Nova Terron, Proxima, and Gandobi. They’d come to the Astromancer Academy for answers. Auntie Yaga had been saved, and they’d escaped Necrafa, but Arkayna still had so many questions. Was the story Nova Terron told them a lie? Had he known Zarya was her twin all along? Were she and Proxima related at all?
“This is crazy. How did this even happen?” Arkayna asked.
“First, Proxima is her sister,” Em said, trying to understand. “But now she’s not, because…”
“I am?” Zarya finished.
“Perhaps we can discuss this after we’ve dealt with Necrafa?” Gandobi asked.
“We’re not saving the realm until we get answers,” Arkayna said, pointing her Dragon Staff at Gandobi.
Nova Terron took a deep breath. “Very well. It appears that after I left you in the care of Mrs. Sparklebottom—”
“After you baby-snatched me,” Zarya corrected him.
“Yes,” Nova Terron agreed. “She took my order to protect your identity seriously, and she switched you. She hid this. Even from me. Proxima’s history was a complete fabrication.”
At that, Proxima gasped. Without saying a word, she ran out of the Star Chamber, her eyes welling with tears. Arkayna called after her, but she just ignored Arkayna’s cry.
“I am truly sorry,” Nova Terron continued.
“You tore me from my family,” Zarya said, getting right in his face.
“Hey, hey!” Em jumped between them. “The most important thing is you’re together again.”
She reached down and grabbed Arkayna’s and Zarya’s hands. Then she put them together. As soon as they touched, Arkayna felt energy surge up her arm. They floated up into the air. An orb of green light glowed between them.
“What’s happening?” Arkayna asked. Instinctually, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had a strange vision. She and Zarya were soaring through the night sky. They transformed into their avatars, the Dragon and the Wolf, and then transformed back, stopping right in front of two golden rings. The gold rings were beautiful, but when they reached out to touch them, the rings exploded into nothing more than black smoke. Then Arkayna started falling, her screams echoing in the night.
She hit the ground hard. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was back in the Star Chamber. She and Zarya had fallen out of the air.
“Oh my goblin!” Em screamed. “Are you okay?”
“I think we had a vision…” Zarya said, lifting her head.
“Of two rings floating in the air,” Arkayna added.
“By the stars,” Nova Terron said. “A binary vision.”
“Due to your bond as twins,” Malvaron explained.
“Morpheum Projectus Animus!” Nova Terron said, raising his hands. One of Gandobi’s blank scrolls floated out in front of them. Using his magic, Nova Terron drew the vision from both Arkayna’s and Zarya’s minds. The visions combined on the black scroll to paint a picture.
“A map,” Zarya said, studying it.
“It looks like it leads to Mount Tyrannous,” Malvaron said.
“That’s where we’ll find the rings,” Arkayna said.
“What’s so special about them?” Piper asked.
“You had a vision of them for a reason,” Nova Terron said, holding up his finger. “Fail this quest and you doom the realm.”
Arkayna’s eyes went wide. She stared at her friends as Nova Terron’s words echoed in her ears. Fail this quest and you doom the realm.
She’d never been more scared in her life.
SIXTEEN
ARKAYNA AND ZARYA soared through the air on their griffins. Arkayna knew they didn’t have much time. Soon Necrafa would use the Spectral Dragon to attack the city. Arkayna had told Em and Piper to protect Drake City’s citizens while she and Zarya went to Mount Tyrannous to retrieve the golden rings from their vision. She hoped they’d be back before it was too late.
“This is awesome!” Zarya called through the rain. She held the map in one hand. “Our first quest.”
“We’ve been on a gazillion quests,” Arkayna said.
“Yeah, but this is our first one as sisters,” Zarya said.
“Uh-huh … look … about this sister thing…” Arkayna started.
“We’re here!” Zarya cried. Straight ahead of them, a beautiful, spiraling tower rose up into the sky. A staircase wrapped around the side of it. Zarya hopped off first and Arkayna jumped into her arms.
“Race you to the top, sis!” Zarya ran up the stairs.
“I miss being an only child,” Arkayna muttered under her breath. She ran for what felt like an eternity. The tower went up, higher and higher, and she kept running until her legs hurt. When they finally got to the top, there was a circular platform where they could rest.
“Fifty flights of sheer terror,” Arkayna said, trying not to look over the edge.
“I know. Wasn’t it awesome?” Zarya asked. “Check it out, the rings!”
Sure enough, the two golden rings were hovering in the middle of the platform. “Quick, let’s grab them and go,” Arkayna said.
She walked toward them, eager to get the rings as quickly as possible. But before Arkayna could get close, she tripped a series of protection shields. They rose up from the floor and spun around the rings. There were three different spinning layers, each a half-sphere, layered inside one another. They were all a few feet apart.
“Great,” Arkayna said. “The vision didn’t say anything about razor-sharp protection magic.”
“Don’t worry, sis.” Zarya rubb
ed Arkayna’s head, messing up her tiara. “We got this.”
Zarya ran to the other side of the shields and they both stood there for a few minutes, watching the three layers spin. Since each shield was just half a sphere, there were openings between them as they spun around inside one another. If they got the timing right, they’d be able to cross the shields, one layer at a time.
“Okay, waiting for an opening…” Arkayna said. “On three … two … one … go!”
As soon as the first shield spun open, Arkayna and Zarya darted inside. They stood across from each other, sandwiched between the first two spinning layers.
“Nice job, sis! Only two more to go.” Zarya smiled. Choko landed next to her and chirped his approval.
“Thanks, but, uh … can you ease up on the ‘sis’ thing?” Arkayna let out an uncomfortable laugh.
“What?” Zarya asked.
“Next opening!” Arkayna said, watching the shields again. “And … go!”
They both leapt forward. Now they were right in the center of the spinning shields, just one layer away from the rings.
“You have a problem with me calling you ‘sis’?” Zarya asked as soon as she knew she was safe.
“No, it’s just…” Arkayna struggled to find the right words. How was she supposed to tell Zarya that this was all happening a little too fast? Just yesterday she thought Proxima was her sister. “Go!”
“Wait!” Zarya yelled.
Arkayna jumped first, and Zarya felt she had no choice but to follow. But she was just a second too late moving past the final shield. Its razor-sharp edge nicked her arm. She fell into the center, clutching her elbow in pain.
“Oh my goblin! Let me see your arm,” Arkayna said. “I’m so sorry!”
“I’m fine,” Zarya snapped.
“Look, this isn’t easy, okay?” Arkayna went on. “It’s just … you and I are so different.”
“Forget it,” Zarya said. “I never needed family before, and I don’t need it now. Let’s just grab these stupid—” She saw it the same time Choko did. “Where did the rings go?”
Mysticons--Prophecy of Evil Page 4
