Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons (13 page)

"Into the house, Cassandra. You need to stay safe."

Mother grabbed him by the shoulders. "Faith, Leon. The binding made her strong. Help your father. We'll be there momentarily."

He wanted to argue, but the iron glare Mother gave him forced a nod. He stepped to his beloved and gave her a hard kiss before running towards the barn. He was in his true form and in the air after a few strides. The evil wizard stood on the other side, jousting with Father. He'd throw his magical fire and then dissipate into smoke when Father bit at him, only to reappear not far away, and the battle would start anew.

"Blast him when he appears," Father roared.

The wizard's fireballs missed Father, who dove again at him. When he dissipated into smoke, Leon watched for his reemergence. Once the wizard appeared, Leon spewed his entire acid sac. It almost worked. Surprise was evident on the wizard's face, but he still raised his invisible shield. It allowed Father an unimpeded attack, which the wizard only just parried with a bolt of force.

"We're here," Cassandra's voice said into his mind. Such a strange feeling, but much welcomed.

"Be safe," he said.

"I'm fine, love. I've never felt so much power."

He chuckled and dove at the wizard, who again disappeared into smoke. It left a bitter taste, which he ignored and searched for the reappearance.

As he soared above the battlefield, Father roared instructions. "Protect your mother. She'll launch a mental bolt at the wizard, but she'll need time to charge it. I'll distract him."

"Yes, Father." The wizard popped up on the other side of Cassandra and Mother. He landed in between them.

"When I say so, Leon, move," Mother said.

"Tell her I understand," he informed Cassandra, who relayed the message.

Father blasted more acid at the wizard, who again blocked it. Cassandra chose that moment to hurl her knife at the wizard's exposed back. It flew true, but halfway there, it stopped in mid-flight and reversed its course, faster than her throw.

"No," Leon yelled and moved from Mother to Cassandra to block the knife with his thick scales. Instead of striking him, it veered off towards Mother and punctured her chest. She fell back, and on the other side of the wizard, Father tumbled from the sky and thudded hard into the soil. Both were dead before Leon could blink.

Evil laughter spouted from the wizard, and Leon launched himself at him. A fireball erupted from the wizard's hands and exploded in Leon's face.

"Leon, no! Retreat!"

He touched down, pain spreading over his head and down his neck, and leapt to Cassandra. "Jump on my back." When she did, he raced for the horizon. The battle with the wizard would continue when he could see straight. If he remained, he'd be careless in his bid for revenge for his parents, and that would endanger his beloved Cassandra. He wouldn't do that.

*****

They took turns the next few days crying in each other's arms. Cassandra wept for her mother and father, while Leon did the same for his own. Both also bitterly blamed themselves for his parents' demise. Cassandra knew if she hadn't thrown the knife, it wouldn't have happened. Phoebe's power would have overwhelmed the wizard, and they'd have won the day. Leon knew if he'd have stayed on guard of his mother, Cassandra could easily have dealt with the knife. Why had his mind been so clouded that he couldn't see that? Both Mother and Father would be alive if he'd simply performed his duty.

After another meager supper of scrawny roast rabbit, Cassandra lay weeping in his arms. Tears of his own threatened to overtake him, but before they could, strong hands gripped their shoulders and tugged them apart.

"This is getting embarrassing." A gruff older man stood above them, a scowl etched on his face. "It's sad the wizard bested both sets of parents, but it won't be solved by wallowing in self-pity. You're a dragon and his guard. You can seek the type of vengeance mortals only dream about."

"He's too powerful," Cassandra said at the same time Leon asked who he was.

"Let's just say I keep an eye on things here for the Dragon Council. And, yes, he is too powerful for the two of you. That's why I'm going to offer some help."

"You'll help us fight him?" Leon asked.

"Of course not. Your mind gained access to the council's laws the moment you were bound. If you'd stop feeling sorry for yourself and dig into that information, I wouldn't need to tell you that. This is still a family matter, and no other dragon can stick his or her nose into another family's business. But I will tell you how to get to someone who can help."

*****

Leon set down on the outskirts of his family's land. The demon had placed knowledge of the riches that lay buried beneath the root cellar into the wizard's head, sure it would drive him there. He'd also made the wizard think there were magic trinkets among the mundane treasures. Though that wasn't true, the wizard didn't know it, and the demon promised it would get him there alone. They would then sneak up on him and cast the spell, which would send him to a realm from which he could never escape.

The spell etched in Leon's brain felt as if it were pulsing, ready to be let free. Cassandra mentioned hers did the same. Both itched to get to the wizard, their sorrow and pity now buried and replaced by a much healthier need for revenge. The demon, Rico, let slip that Leon and Cassandra had earned the watchful eye of the Dragon Council. This Derian had not yet made a move, but the council feared he would spark a war which might engulf all of humanity. If dragon law allowed it, every council member would be there making sure the wizard was put in his place.

"Anything?" Cassandra asked. Already her voice coming straight into his mind felt natural.

"Nothing yet. Hopefully Rico was right about him returning tonight. I'm done sleeping in ditches and haystacks."

"A bed would be nice," she said with a sigh.

A shimmering ball of energy chose that moment to materialize at the door of the cottage. The wizard looked around, was satisfied he was alone, and entered the house.

Cassandra clutched onto Leon as he flew forward. Would she ever be used to flying? The jump left her stomach back at the edge of the field, but she didn't have time to let it slow her down. She slid off Leon's back, and he transformed into his human shape to fit through the door. They shouldn't need his dragon might if they could surprise the wizard and get the spell off quickly. The demon said it would take less than a second.

They raced back to the root cellar. There wasn't much room down there, and more importantly, nowhere for him to hide. They reached the wizard just as he'd flung the trap door open, and he had only time to look up before they loosed the spell. A silent scream exploded on his face, and he was gone.

Cassandra slumped into Leon. It was over. The price they'd promised the demon was high, but worth it. She felt the pride of vengeance swell in her chest. The same came from her beloved, who smiled and tugged her towards their marital bed.

Andi sat stunned as the vision dissipated. Ben's hand settled on her shoulder. When Mom had brought her into the kitchen that night after the vampire attacks to explain binding even deeper, she'd hinted about Andi's grandparents, and how they were at the heart of Dad's reluctance to bind her and Ben, but she hadn't expanded on it. Whenever she'd asked about her grandparents in the past, all she got was a quick answer that they were dead. Looking back on her childhood now, how could she have taken everything at such face value? If she'd questioned her parents more often, maybe everything wouldn't be a surprise.

"That's why your dad hates me," Ben said, his voice barely above a whisper. Sadness seeped from his every pore. "I remind him how his parents died, since it was when his guard showed up."

She leaped into his arms and hugged him tight. "No, that's not true. He doesn't hate you." And he didn't. It was the situation he hated. She kissed Ben's cheek. "He's just overprotective. I'm sure you'll be exactly the same way if we have a daughter."

"Maybe, but I'll at least try to be civil."

She started to defend her daddy, but pushed it from her mind for the time being. She leaned up and kissed Ben on the lips, but didn't stop there. She shoved her tongue into his mouth, bringing out a grunt of surprise from him. They might have continued for hours had Rico not started laughing.

"Delectable. Simply delectable. Your expressions throughout made it all worth my time, and then I'm rewarded with a show at the end."

Andi had forgotten the demon was there, and wished she could crawl under a rock. Ben would be right there with her.

Rico picked up on their feelings and laughed all the harder. When he finished with the mocking, he said, "I hope you children learned what you needed because it's not often I give something away for free. But enough of that." He pointed to the envelope. "Remember, follow the instructions, but not until tomorrow morning. Open it before then and it will be forever blank, and you'll receive no further help." He snapped his fingers, and they found themselves at the exit of Reach for the Sky. Andi checked her cell phone. They'd been gone only a couple of minutes. She placed the envelope safely in her purse and nudged Ben to call his parents.

*****

Cassie decapitated another vampire while kicking a skeleton in the ribs, displacing its hips from its upper body. After that it was an easy enough task to hack its head from its shoulders. All the while, Lee made quick work of his group of zombies.

"Cassie?" he asked as they waited for the next wave.

"I'm fine," she said, a bit more harsh than she meant. He'd know she was lying. They'd been fighting for days, weeks, years. She had no idea how long, and her body was close to giving out. If her mind didn't first.

Lee gave a grunt, and since his voice didn't flutter into her mind, she took it for what it was. She didn't dare ask how he was holding up, though his constitution in his natural form put hers to shame. He'd be able to keep up the fight long after she dropped. As long as she didn't die, of course.

Derian's maniac laughter filled her ears. "You two have preformed admirably. I didn't expect there to be this much fight in you. Believe it or not, you've managed to defeat every one of my undead minions in this realm. I suppose I could say valiant effort and let you go." He let loose another blast of insane laughter. "Or I could force you to run through the gauntlet again. This time all at once."

The ground shook like an earthquake, and every type of undead monster they'd already bested, from the pale-skinned zombies to the raw-fleshed ghouls to the semi-transparent ghosts, rose out of the soil. Cassie couldn't do it. She fell to her knees and dropped her swords. Lee reverted to his human form and knelt down beside her.

"You win, Derian. Call them off."

"With pleasure." The monsters disappeared, and the world blinked. Cassie and Lee found themselves in one of the small rock rooms where Andi and Ben had rescued the Phillips. Derian flashed an evil grin, and Cassie's blood ran cold. He waved his hand out in front of them, and they flew back to the wall, crashing hard into the solid rock. Though they weren't shackled, neither could move.

"I can't wait to inflict just a portion of the pain you forced me to endure. But first I'll bring in your daughter so you can watch as I ever so slowly, ever so painfully, carve her up in front of you."

Cassie opened her mouth to tell Derian where he could stick his plans to hurt Andi, but a blinding headache, followed by Lee's voice, cut her off. "He may be bluffing about Andi. Don't make him bring her into this out of what he might think is wounded pride."

She nodded and slumped down as best she could, defeated.

*****

Andi stood waiting at the edge of campus, a smile on her face. It was a welcome sight. Today had been like yesterday, except now he received more dirty looks than people ignoring him. He wasn't sure which was worse. Melissa deliberately avoided him a few times. Subtlety wasn't her strength, so he guessed she was letting him stew in this mess.

"I don't have to ask how your day went," Andi said, grabbing his hand when they were close enough.

"Good. I don't want to relive it."

"Will it make you feel better if I tell you you'll have forgotten all about this in a month? Maybe less?"

"Nope. Won't make me feel one bit better."

She giggled, pounced in front of him, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Before he could kiss back, she was at his side, a smug smile plastered on her face.

"More stuff like that'll make me feel better, though."

Her smile grew more pronounced, and he could swear she was strutting. He busted up laughing for the first time today. She snuggled up next to him as they walked.

"Did you find anything out about the envelope?" he asked. They'd opened it together that morning, and it had read, "Find the key to dreams. Four guard it. Defeat them before they can sound the alarm. Once you've acquired it, discover your next path." It also listed an incantation for them to both speak before they went to bed. Andi stayed home to scour the Internet for any clues.

"No, nothing."

"You'd think he'd have given us more."

"I think it's part of his test. Though I wish it could have been rescuing my parents. We would have killed two birds with one stone."

He grunted his agreement, and she stopped and looked at him. "What else is wrong?"

He gave a little jump and stared back at her. Whoa, he'd only just started thinking about it. She was good. "Uh, nothing, not really. Just … I was thinking about a thing Rico said. When he pinned me to the ground."

She rolled her eyes and said, "And I have to get pliers to force it out of your mouth."

"No," he said with an eye roll of his own. "He said if fate hadn't interfered, you wouldn't have looked at me twice."

"As if," she said. "That's not the real problem. The real one is you wouldn't have given me the time of day."

"What? No way. You're totally hot."

"So? You'd have been wrapped around Melissa's little finger, thinking you were a happy little boyfriend, but secretly miserable. It might have even been a secret to you. Besides, I so would have looked at you twice." She blushed. "You're a total hottie."

He laughed and said, "No, I'm not, but thanks for saying it."

She stepped in front of him and kissed him again, this one lingering a bit longer than the earlier peck. "I'm not just saying it. But, seriously, that was bugging you? I don't even think it's true." She paused, and he could sense her choosing her words carefully. "I think fate would have put us together no matter what. For something that doesn't have to do with you being my guard."

They started walking again. Yeah, she was right, but that was too scary to think about. Instead, he said, "Rico said something else."

"What?"

"He said one day I'd be one of the most powerful beings anywhere."

Andi stiffened, and the blood drained from her face.

"Andi?"

"Max and his wife. Yesterday at the pier they mentioned something about a prophecy. It seems it's about you."

"Me? A prophecy? What did it say?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Something about you being either good or evil. Max thought you'd turn out good, but Nix wasn't so sure."

"What? No way. How could I go evil? I'm helping fight evil right now, aren't I?"

"I know, right?" She shrugged her shoulders. "They wouldn't tell me anything. Sorry, I should have said something sooner."

He draped an arm over her shoulders. "No, it's fine. I probably would have brooded over it. Mom and Dad say I have a tendency to do that."

"Yeah, I noticed a couple of days ago. Believe me." She nudged him with her hip, knocking him a bit off balance.

"Hey." He pushed her shoulder, shoving her away. Before she could get too far, he grabbed her hand and yanked her back into his arms. "Cool. Girlfriend yo-yo." He did it a few more times, planting a quick kiss on her each time she flew back to him. Both of them were laughing, nothing existing in the world except for them. Until the buzzing of the undead assaulted the back of Ben's neck.

"Zombies," he said. Without realizing it, they'd wound up right in front of her house.

"Where?" She noticed where they were. "Inside?"

"Yeah." They zipped up the lawn to the front door. "I can't tell how many, so be careful. There's a lot."

She unlocked the door and grabbed the knob. "Go straight to my mom's weapon room. It's our best bet." She glanced up at him before opening it. "But why are they here?"

"No idea. Do you think they're at my house, too?" Mom and Dad had gotten the rest of the week off from work, so both should be home at that moment.

She didn't look at him, but the worry bleeding off gave her away. "I don't know. Let's figure this out first, and then we'll go check."

He started to argue, but stopped himself. She was right. The zombies had to be here for a reason. Maybe his house was their next stop, and if they defeated them, there would be no problems at home.

"Okay, ready? Remember where the weapon room is? And stay behind me until you're armed. I'm sure she has another sword and shield in there."

"Yeah-yeah, fine. Go."

She took a deep breath and shoved the door open. A stench of decay greeted them, but no zombies rushed forward. Or stumbled forward anyway. They dashed through the entry into the living room and turned right towards that hallway. The weapon room was at the end. Before they could get to the hall, Ben stiffened when he felt the familiar prickling on his neck, his sixth sense alerting him to imminent
danger.

"Watch out, Andi," he yelled. The zombies were all around, seemingly climbing out of the walls. He couldn't count how many.

"Stay behind me," she growled. "Fight through them. We'll get there." With that, her neck elongated, and her true head, her dragon head, appeared. She snapped at the closest ones, ripping a few arms and hands off. Fingers brushed Ben, but only his clothes, so he couldn't feel the clammy, dead skin. He pressed into Andi's back as she pushed forward, snapping at any zombie in her way with her powerful jaws.

Halfway down the hall, too many zombies jammed in so they couldn't move. She'd done an excellent job of keeping him safe, but now the sheer numbers made it impossible. She reached down and lifted him by the back of his shirt with her mouth, and flung him down the hall. He hit the back wall and tumbled unceremoniously to the floor. He didn't bother to take stock to see if he'd been injured as he rolled into the weapon room. That movement in itself proved he was fine. He quickly located a sword and shield and rushed to help Andi.

She'd turned her skin completely to blue dragon scales. While it would be too thick for the zombies to hurt her, that didn't look to be their objective. They weren't fighting to injure, but to overwhelm and incapacitate. No doubt the necromancer had sent them to drag her back to that horrible place. And if she wasn't with him, there'd be no way he could use the spell on his own. He couldn't even get to Rico to beg for help, which he wouldn't get anyway.

He shoved his sword into the nearest zombie, and then ripped it out, slicing two others off at the chest. The zombies pushed towards him. He managed to keep the mass of undead bodies at bay with various thrusts and slices, parries and jabs. Andi escaped from her predicament and zipped behind him. With his shield blocking almost every conceivable attack from the front, and the walls at their back covering their flanks, they were free to take pot-shots at the rest of the undead creatures.

A scream echoed through the house. A very human scream that sounded like a girl. He glanced back at Andi, but couldn't read the expression on her dragon face. Her confusion made it clear she didn't know who it was, either.

Though they couldn't converse, Ben remembered she could still understand him. "This time follow close to me." He didn't wait for a response. His shield knocked zombies out of the way, and they made it back to the living room. Melissa lay in a ball in the middle of the room, whimpering unintelligible words while three zombies stared down at her. Ben leapt forward and hacked them all in half, while Andi, back in her fully-human form, helped Melissa to her feet. Ben waded back into the hallway and finished off the rest of the undead.