by S. E. Smith
Creon Reykill paced back and forth in the living room of his family’s apartment in the palace. Fear knotted his stomach. Outside, it was growing dark, and his youngest daughter still had not returned home. He stopped pacing and turned to his oldest twin daughter.
“Spring, when was the last time you saw Phoenix?” Creon asked.
He kept the worry out of his voice as much as he could. Spring wiped a tear from her cheek, sniffed, and twisted her hands in distress. He walked over to her and gave her a comforting hug.
“Late this morning. We were in the gardens working on a fresh flower bed. She—she said she was going for a flight and would search for some more seeds for my garden,” she said.
They both turned when Carmen strode into the living room. “Stardust is gone, too. Nothing else is missing,” she said in a strained voice.
Creon knelt to be eye-level with his daughter. “Spring, it is important that you remember. Did your sister say where she was going?” Creon gently coaxed.
Spring shook her head. “No,” she replied as she wiped another tear from her cheek.
Carmen walked over and wrapped her arms around her daughter’s thin shoulders. Creon’s heart melted at the sight of his mate and their oldest daughter. They looked so much alike with their blonde hair and delicate features. He covered Carmen’s hand with his own when she looked at him with fear and worry on her face.
“We’ll find her,” he promised.
“There was something else,” Spring suddenly remembered, looking at him with a troubled expression.
Carmen stepped around Spring and stood next to Creon. She still clung to his hand, and they both looked at Spring with the wild, desperate hope of parents with a missing child. Spring was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. The uncertainty on her face tore at him. She was always very protective of Phoenix.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Carmen encouraged.
“For the last few days, Phoenix has been acting different,” she confessed.
Creon frowned. “What do you mean, honey?” he asked.
Spring clasped her hands together and held them to her chest. “She’s been really distracted. I kept asking her what was wrong, but she always said that everything was alright—but, I know that isn’t true. Sometimes… sometimes I can see what she sees, what she does—when I’m not actually there with her,” she admitted, bowing her head.
Carmen’s soft gasp of surprise echoed his own. They had wondered if their twin daughters would have the same type of connection that the fabled Valdier Twin Dragons did. Now they knew.
“What did you see?” Carmen asked.
Tears coursed down Spring’s cheeks. “I heard a voice—begging for help. I didn’t think it was real. It woke me up last night. I thought it was Phoenix. She…. Phoenix was muttering in her sleep. She kept telling whoever it was that she would help them,” Spring said in a barely audible voice.
“Who needs help? Where was this person?” Creon urgently demanded.
Spring shook her head. “I don’t know. The voice was so faint, and I only saw a glimpse of the cave before Phoenix woke up,” she said.
Carmen gently gripped Spring’s arms. “What did the cave look like? Try to remember, honey. Any little detail can help us find your sister,” she encouraged.
Spring closed her eyes. A tiny frown furrowed her dainty brow as she concentrated on the memory. She licked her lips before she spoke in a halting voice.
“It… it’s on an island with lots of rocks. The… the cave is dark… and cold. I saw… there were stairs leading up to a doorway, but… but there was nothing on the other side. It was a doorway to nowhere.”
“What else did you see, Spring?” Creon murmured.
Spring opened her eyes and stared into his. “A river. There was a river, only it wasn’t like any river I’ve ever seen before,” she whispered.
Creon got a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He took a deep breath, lifted his hand and cupped Spring’s cheek while Carmen tenderly stroked her hair.
“What was different about the river?” he asked.
Spring stared at him with wide, confused eyes. “It was made of gold—just like Little Bit, Stardust, and Harvey,” she answered.
“Creon,” Carmen whispered, her own eyes filling with tears.
He shook his head and stood. “Stay with Spring,” he said.
“What are you going to do?” Carmen asked in a tight, emotion-filled voice.
He caressed Carmen’s cheek with one hand and Spring’s with the other. A sense of resolve filled him. He wouldn’t let anything happen to his family.
“I’m going to bring her home,” he promised.
Isle of the Monsters:
Lake of the Sirens
“Asahi, can you take the wheel?” Nali asked nearly an hour into their journey.
“Of course,” he replied.
She stepped aside when he reached for the wheel. Unable to resist the urge, she slid her hand across his lower back when she moved away. Heady pleasure coursed through her at the smoldering look in his eyes.
A movement in the water next to their vessel reminded her of why she wanted Asahi to take over the steering. She crossed the deck to the bow and sat down. Holding onto a thick cleat, she leaned over and looked into the clear water. Dozens of Water Sirens danced in the boat’s wake.
She closed her eyes and listened to what they were saying. The whispered words sounded like a song. Their almost childlike voices were threaded with worry and fear.
“The darkness is coming, Empress.”
“Where did you see it?” she asked.
“It has taken over one of the giant eels at the mouth of the lake. Even as we speak, it moves along the bottom of the lake, heading for the Mystic Mountains,” the sirens responded.
“Warn the changelings,” she instructed.
“They know and have taken refuge. We will try to slow it down,” they replied.
“Be careful. Do not let it near enough to touch you,” she warned.
“We will be careful, Empress,” they promised.
Nali watched the sirens swim away from the bow of the boat and disappear back into deeper water. Haunted by the images of blood and death revealed in the Goddess’s Mirror, she stared at the mountains ahead of them. She was afraid—not for herself, but for her people, for her world, for the many worlds out there that would perish if they failed.
She brushed her hand across her cheek. Looking down at her fingers, she stared at the moisture. Another droplet landed on her palm, and she realized that she was crying.
She took a shuddering breath and curled her fingers into a fist. She looked up in determination at the mountain shrouded in clouds. They would reach it in another couple of hours.
“Return as quickly as you can, Ashure. I need you,” she whispered into the wind.
Isle of the Dragons
Ashure wobbled on the Adze’s back for a moment before he straightened. He pressed his booted feet against its side to keep from sliding off, so of course, the damn thing tried to buck him off again. If he survived this flight, he was going to have a serious talk with Nali about her transportation choice.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he glimpsed the Isle of the Dragons’ jagged mountains ahead. Now, if only he could get this infernal creature to land without trying to kill him. His butt hurt, his back hurt, his head pounded with the same cadence as the rapid beat of the creature’s wings, and his arms ached from holding on so tightly. To top it off, he was covered in salty sea spray because the huge bug was flying too close for comfort above the rolling ocean waves. Also, the constant wind was seriously irritating his skin.
As they neared the cliffs, the Adze suddenly changed direction, climbing in an almost vertical flight path up the cliff’s sheer rock face. Ashure uttered a loud curse, wrapped his arms around the dragonfly’s neck, and held on for dear life. He yanked his right arm back when the flying vampire tried to bite him, making him almost lose his seat—again.
; They crested the top of the cliff and kept flying higher. It wasn’t until the Adze swerved to the left that Ashure realized it was aiming for a balcony near the top of the palace. He gaped in alarm when he noticed Drago’s tall frame standing in the precise spot where the evil vampire-devil dragonfly was heading.
“Mercy, this beast is trying to kill me,” he muttered a second before the dragonfly suddenly stopped in midair, flipped up its backside, and sent him flying.
For a second, Ashure almost wished he had a way to capture the look of stunned disbelief on Drago’s face. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t have had the time even if he wanted to take a photo of the moment. He imagined his own face reflected the same shocked surprise.
“What—?” Drago hissed as the breath was knocked out of him.
Ashure winced as he collided with Drago, and the impact slid them across the floor. In the few moments before Drago recovered his wits, Ashure debated whether he was grateful for this development. On the one hand, being this close to the enraged King of Dragons would probably not be a pleasant thing; but on the other hand, the fearsome dragon-shifter had softened his landing!
“Hi, Carly!” Ashure greeted, flashing her a smile from his perch on top of her mate as they slid past her and through the balcony doors.
“Ashure?” Carly called in disbelief as she followed them into the room.
Drago loudly grunted when he came to a sudden stop. Ashure looked down at Drago and grinned. He was alive!
“Get off of me,” Drago growled.
“Thank you, my friend, thank you for saving me! I could kiss you for that,” Ashure passionately declared, as he patted his chest over his thundering heart.
“I’d have to kill you if you tried. Now move,” Drago retorted.
This time, he was the one who did the grunting when Drago gripped his arms and roughly pushed him aside. Ashure rolled and hit his skull on the bedpost. Sitting up, he rubbed his head and added the spot to his growing list of aches and pains.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Drago demanded, rising to his feet.
Ashure looked up at Drago, his demeanor suddenly grave. “Nali sent me. We need your help,” he said.
The irritated expression on Drago’s face instantly changed to one of concern. He held out his hand. Ashure gripped it, wincing when he was pulled off the ground with a single swift yank.
“What happened?” Drago demanded.
Ashure looked at Carly before returning his attention to Drago. “It’s the last remaining alien still free. It has found a way to destroy all of our worlds. We need the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, and we are running out of time,” he cautioned.
“Then it is a good thing that Orion is already here,” Drago grimly replied.
Thirty minutes later, Ashure stood in the Dragon Palace’s great hall. Drago had departed with a gruff comment that he needed to get something and would return as soon as possible. Ashure turned when he caught the sound of approaching footsteps. A moment later, Orion entered the room alongside Theron, Drago’s Second-in-Command.
“Ashure, Theron said you were here on an urgent matter,” Orion said by way of greeting.
He grimly nodded. “The alien is on the Isle of the Monsters. Nali needs our assistance,” he said.
“When did it appear?” Orion asked.
Ashure pursed his lips before he reluctantly answered. “The morning of my wedding,” he admitted.
Surprise swept across Orion’s face before he concealed it. “Tell me everything,” he said.
Ashure explained everything that he could, including Nali’s reluctance to ask for help and what the Goddess’s Mirror had revealed to them. He was finishing the story when Drago reappeared carrying a large round metal hoop.
He raised an inquiring eyebrow when he noticed cobwebs clinging to the other man’s long black hair. Drago impatiently reached up and brushed them away, then held the hoop out to Theron. Ashure frowned when he caught sight of the etchings on it.
“Is that a…?” he breathed.
Drago gave him a sharp nod. “A Time-Space hoop,” he said.
Ashure looked from the hoop to Drago’s face. “Where did you get one of those? I thought they were destroyed by the ancients a millennium ago,” he said.
“So did I,” Orion muttered.
Drago shrugged. “I found it when I was a boy in the ruins of Arkla, the original stronghold of the dragons,” he said in a nonchalant voice.
“You should have left it there, Drago,” Ashure said.
“I’ve heard they were unpredictable, and that is why the Time Wizards destroyed them. Do you know how to use it?” Orion warily inquired.
“Well enough to not get us killed—I hope,” Drago replied.
Ashure shook his head and held a hand up. “Oh, no. I’m telling you, those things are a lot worse than unpredictable. They were created with dark magic that pulls its power from the twisted recesses of a wizard’s soul. I’ve heard tales of young men using them, only to come out the other side with their manhood shriveled. I’m telling you, a bunch of dried-up old wizards who couldn’t get it up anymore probably created them out of jealousy. I promised Tonya I’d return to her. I want to do that with all my body parts intact and working,” he snapped.
“Don’t be such a wuss,” Drago growled.
Ashure shook his finger at Drago. “I know what that means. I’m married to a human too. I’m not a wuss. I’m cautious—especially when it comes to my ‘man-love.’ Neither of you has anything to worry about. You two already have kids. I don’t. I need to consider all the little pirates Tonya and I might have one day,” he defended, unconsciously dropping his hand to cover his crotch.
“He’s a wuss,” Orion dryly said, looking at Drago.
“It was more fun when you two were trying to kill each other,” Ashure muttered.
Orion snorted and shook his head. “How does it work, Drago?” he asked.
“With a lot of luck and the right spell. All we need to do is get to the Isle of Magic. Marina can help us from there,” Drago replied.
Ashure warily watched as Drago turned over the Time-Space hoop and read the etchings inscribed on it by the ancient Time Wizards. His stomach nervously clenched when the center went from crystalline to solid black.
I think riding a vampire-dragonfly and facing an evil alien may be the least of my worries, he thought a split second before Drago moved in close and dropped the hoop over the three of them.
Chapter 19
Isle of the Monsters
Nali took over the helm. With a quiet command, she ordered the enchanted sail to slow their speed. A heavy fog swirled over the water, and she knew it would stay that way until they reached land. They would complete the rest of the journey at a frustrating crawl.
“What is this?” Asahi asked, standing beside her.
She spun the wheel to the left, and the bow veered a fraction of a second before an enormous boulder came into view. The boat passed within mere inches of the massive rock that would have demolished the vessel if they had hit it head on.
“Furl the sail. The current will take us from here,” she instructed.
He nodded and hurriedly released the rigging holding the sail up. The gentle lapping of water against the hull sounded loud in the thick vapor enclosing them. Once again, Nali marveled at the fact that Ashure had navigated these treacherous waters without dying when he was nothing more than a child.
She nodded to Asahi when he rejoined her. “This is magic. The fog is alive. You’ll see shapes, hear voices, but you must not believe them. The things you perceive as real are not. They are created by spells that will try to pull you from the boat. If you fall into the water, you’ll drown,” she cautioned.
“What is it protecting?” he murmured, gazing around them.
“The Gateway to the Goddess,” she softly replied.
He frowned. “Will the others be able to get through safely?”
She nodded. “Ashure knows what to do.”
“He’s been here before,” he guessed.
“Yes, a long time ago. Trust me, this is not a journey that you forget,” she said, turning the wheel to avoid another enormous boulder.
They had only been in the fog for about twenty minutes, but the harrowing journey already seemed much longer. Asahi had taken to monitoring the sides and using one of the long oars to push away from the rocks.
After turning back to warn Nali of another small boulder ahead, he froze in shock. She was gone!
“Nali?” he called into the fog.
“It’s all your fault!” a man growled at him.
Asahi recoiled at the familiar voice.
“Father?” he said in a hushed whisper, shock evident on his face.
Hinata angrily stepped out of the fog as if he had been behind a curtain. Asahi stiffened in disbelief.
“If you hadn’t been born, I could have left without feeling guilty. I could’ve had a life!” his father shouted.
Asahi shook his head. “Whatever you are, you aren’t real,” he replied in a tense voice.
The angry visage of this father disappeared like a puff of smoke. Asahi took a deep breath of the cool mist. The sudden appearance of his father, even though he knew what he saw wasn’t real, had shaken him.
“Asahi,” his grandfather’s soothing voice came from the mist.
Asahi shook his head and closed his eyes. This wasn’t real. His father and grandfather were dead.
He opened his eyes, startled when an icy hand on his shoulder sent a chill through him. In front of him stood a youthful version of his grandfather. Aiko looked much the same as the day he had reappeared.
“You are not real,” he forced out between gritted teeth.
“Come with me, Asahi,” Aiko replied in a mesmerizing voice. “Your Baba is waiting for us. She misses you.”
Asahi involuntarily leaned toward the ghostly apparition, his mental resistance wavering. Aiko’s hands multiplied, changing from two to four, then six. They gripped his arms, hands, and shoulders, but he stumbled on something when the phantom of his grandfather pulled him forward. That moment of distraction allowed his mind to clear, and he looked down at the obstacle near his feet.
