Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons (14 page)

"There's so many of them," Andi said, glancing around the room. "How are we going to burn them all before they reattach themselves?"

Melissa followed her gaze to all of the fallen zombies. The body of one of the first dispatched already began to twitch towards its head. Her eyes rolled back into her skull, and Ben thought she'd pass out, but instead she let out an ear-piercing scream.

"Shut her up before one of the neighbors calls the police," Ben said. "I'm going to try something." It had worked with the vampires, so maybe it would get rid of zombies, too.

He positioned his sword above one and concentrated. Andi had somehow gotten Melissa to stop, so that helped. He plunged the sword down, and the zombie's rotting flesh melted away around the blade until it was just a pool of putrid bile. That, too evaporated, and the carpet wasn't even damp. The detached head also disappeared.

"Cool," Andi said, "but it's going to take you forever to get them all."

"Better than dragging each one outside and starting a bonfire."

"True. But Melissa could help."

Melissa's eyes went wide. "What? No! Ewww." She started crying again, but at least this time at a much lower volume.

As Andi comforted Melissa and implored that she'd been kidding, something on one of the zombies caught Ben's attention. He'd sliced its neck clean through, and where the blade had touched, the flesh melted like when he concentrated, though at a much slower rate. So far there was just a dime-sized puddle below, but given enough time, it'd melt all the way. And when he did concentrate on the blade, he wouldn't need to keep it in each zombie very long at all to accelerate the melting process.

"Andi, check this out."

Melissa tried to cling to her, to keep from being left alone on the couch, but Andi gently nudged her way free. When she saw, she smiled. "I'm guessing you weren't using your undead killing mojo when you did this?"

He shook his head.

"Imagine how well it will work when we're fully bound." She then gasped.

"What?"

"You really are going to be powerful."

"Yeah, I guess." He frowned, thinking about the prophecy she'd mentioned. What if it was true? What if he wouldn't handle the power well and did turn evil?

She gave him a hug and kissed his neck. "You won't turn evil. I won't allow it."

"But what if you can't stop me? What if I turn you evil, too?" He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Wait, how do you keep doing that? Can you read my mind already?"

"Like I needed any special powers to know what you were thinking." She jabbed her thumb back towards the couch. "I bet Melissa even picked up on it."

As if on cue, Melissa cleared her throat. "Guys, maybe you should pay attention to the creepy monsters. More of them are starting to move." Though her voice sounded normal, there was a hint of hysterics underneath.

They looked around and saw she was right, but they weren't in any danger yet. No need to waste time, though. Ben concentrated on the sword and stabbed zombies as he walked through the living room and hallway. The rotted bodies melted as quick as the first one, even though he didn't keep the blade in place. After a few minutes, the house looked as if there'd never been a zombie attack. No pins and needles also meant they were safe from any others for the time being. Melissa jumped up, her face pale and eyes wide, and pointed at them.

"You guys are … are …"

Oh no, what was she going to say? Visions of this story running through the rumor mill at school entered his mind. And it would be worse than that. She'd post it all over the Internet. Had she seen Andi with her dragon neck and head? Though he doubted anyone would believe her, he guessed that the dragon world would frown on her story circulating in any form.

"… zombie hunters."

Andi nodded and sat Melissa back down on the couch, while Ben let out a relieved sigh. "Sorry you had to be here for that. They wanted revenge for the last nest we took out."

Melissa nodded vigorously. "Now that it's over, it was actually pretty cool. Sorry I freaked out. When they came at me, I …"

"No worries," Andi said, patting her shoulder. "If we weren't zombie hunters, I'm sure we would have freaked out, too." She looked up at Ben and winked. He fought hard to keep a straight face.

Melissa leaped off the couch and bounded towards Ben, practically tackling him in a bear-hug. "Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry about all the rumors I started. I swear I'll fix everything."

The blood drained out of his face as he looked over her shoulder to Andi. He hadn't wanted Melissa to hug him, so she couldn't be mad, right? Instead he found her hiding a smile behind her hand and doing her best not to burst out in laughter.

"And now I see why you had to choose her over me. I understand you need to keep the world safe. Don't worry. Always keep our special time together close to your heart, and you'll be fine." She planted a wet kiss on his cheek. Now Andi was biting her fingers and having a hard time breathing. He rolled his eyes at her.

He gave Melissa a few stiff pats on her back and said, "Uh, yeah, you were a good girlfriend."

She beamed at him and kissed his cheek again, lingering a bit this time. Andi had to look away to save herself from laughing out loud. Seconds later, though, when Melissa turned around with a smug look, Andi sat on the couch with a perfectly neutral expression on her face. She was beet-red, but Melissa didn't notice.

"You realize you can't tell anyone about us or the zombies, right?" Andi said. Ben couldn't believe how smooth she kept her voice.

"Of course not," Melissa said. "Who'd believe me anyway?"

Ben let out a sigh. That was a load off his mind. Then the question he should have wondered right from the start popped into his mind. "Why are you here?"

It was Melissa's turn to blush. "I don't know. I guess I figured you guys were sneaking away to have sex, and I wanted to get it on video. You know, to pass it around school. Sorry about that. I didn't know the truth."

"You didn't get the zombies on camera, did you?" Andi asked.

"You can't show it to anyone," Ben added. "You promised."

She sighed, slumped her shoulders, and pointed towards the kitchen door. Her phone lay shattered in a million pieces. "I got scared and threw it at one of them. The stupid meanie caught it and crushed it. Then he tossed it over there. I'll probably have to wait until tomorrow before Daddy will buy me a new one." She brightened up. "Unless I catch him before dinner. Maybe he'll take me to Phone Town City tonight." She squealed and zipped towards the door, shouting she'd fix everything at school as soon as she had her new phone. And just like that, she was gone.

Andi couldn't hold it in any longer. She rolled off the couch and collapsed on the floor, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Ben merely chuckled and shook his head. That whole scene was perfect Melissa. How had he dealt with her for so long last school year? He knelt down and gathered Andi in his arms.

In between giggles and gasps for air, she asked, "What's this for?"

"I think you can figure it out."

"And remember it. Because if you tick me off royal, I'll make her think she has a chance with you." She managed to say it with a straight face, and then lost it again. He sighed, kissed her forehead and walked out of the room to call home, though a voice in the back of his mind told him they were done with zombie attacks for the day.

They decided going to bed before 10 o'clock would look fishy. Ben didn't want to alert Mom and Dad of what they'd planned. Since they'd be fulfilling Rico's task in their dreams, there was nothing his parents could do, but why cause them needless worry? It felt strange spending a nice evening at home, not anticipating a huge argument to erupt. Strange, but awesome.

The four passed the night watching television, though none paid much attention. Mom and Dad cuddled up on the couch, talking and enjoying being a happy couple again, while Ben and Andi sat on the floor, him leaning on the recliner, her leaning on him. His parents didn't seem to mind their seating arrangement, but when either he or Andi planted a kiss on the other's cheek or neck, they were told to knock it off. It soon became a game to see how many they could get away with.

Earlier, Ben had placed his sword and shield under the covers of his bed in hopes that if he held it when he fell asleep, they'd appear with him in the dream. Other than that, they didn't have a plan. With no idea what kinds of guardians awaited them, all they could do was play it by ear and hope everything worked out.

Ten finally arrived, and both made a show of giving big yawns. As they started up the stairs, Mom's voice called out, "I'll be checking on you both throughout the night. Stay in your own beds, please."

"Sure thing," he said. "No need to worry." At least about that, he amended in his head.

"We'll be good," Andi said.

"How can we not trust those two little balls of hormones?" Dad said in a mock whisper, and then waved. "Good night, kids."

Ben groaned but managed a good night back, while Andi giggled as she called down her good night.

As they reached the hallway at the top of the stairs, Ben said, "So we just say the incantation before we get into bed, and we'll be there when we fall asleep? What happens if one of us gets insomnia?" He hoped she'd call him silly, and his heart sank when she didn't.

"I don't know. We'll have to trust everything will work out. Don't cut yourself on the sword while you try to sleep, either." No laugh after that gave the butterflies in his stomach butterflies.

"I won't." He hoped.

"Then I guess that's all there is to it. See you on the other side."

He nodded and stepped over to her, softly placing a kiss on her lips. He'd been so nervous about kissing her for so long, and now it felt second nature. He liked second nature.

Before they got too hot and heavy, Mom cleared her throat. "That's what I figured was going on. Okay, fun's over. March to bed. Both of you."

They shared one more look, and then went to meet whatever adventure lay ahead.

*****

Ben found himself in a large room, about the size of the school gym when the bleachers were pushed back. His sword and shield lay comfortably in his hands, and Andi stood beside him. Weird. Not two seconds before he lay in bed murmuring the strange incantation. Good thing they'd gone to bed with their jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts on; it would have looked silly if they were here in their pajamas. 

There was nothing much of note in the room, and no sign of the four guardians who kept watch on the key of dreams, whatever that was. Ben half-expected it to be a fluffy pillow. That sure keyed his dreams. The alarm was easy enough to spot, as it looked like one of those pull-down fire alarms that were all over campus, the kind that got pulled as a joke at least once a school year. It hung on the wall to their right.

"Where are the guardians?" he asked. It was nice to have a minute to get oriented, but not knowing what they were up against made his palms sweat.

"Look." Andi pointed to the corner to their left. Four human-shaped beings sat around a table. The air glimmered around them, like some sort of fog, and obscured everything but their shapes. It looked like they were playing some sort of card game. Jeez, was poker popular even in the demon realms?

"We must have been sent with a glamour," Andi said.

"A what?"

"A glamour. It's keeping us mostly invisible, but it looks like it did the same for them."

"Should we attack them before they see us? They have to be the four guardians the note told us to kill."

Andi hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, let's get them." She grew into her dragon form, but before they could advance, the glamour wore off and the guardians spotted them.

As Ben had seen through the strange fog, they were human-shaped, but that's where the similarities ended. Three of the four were identical. They stood maybe seven feet tall, had green-tinted skin, and nasty-looking claws. Their faces reminded him of nothing he had ever seen outside of video games. Their mouths took up most of their faces, going right across the middle as if bisecting a circle. As they approached, each opened those mouths, displaying a gaping maw lined with large teeth he certainly wanted no part of.

As impressive as those three were, there was no mistaking the fourth as the leader. It stood well over ten feet tall, dwarfing even its large companions. The only difference between it and the others, despite the size, was that its head was completely bald, where as the others had green stringy, seaweed-like hair that ran to their shoulders. The three proved scary, but the leader was downright nightmare-inducing.

Ben and Andi stayed put and met the charge. The first rammed his shield, forcing him back. He twisted and knocked the monster off balance, and slashed at the second guardian, who parried the blow with its claws. It swiped at his head, but he managed to duck, and rammed his shoulder into the beast's chest, pushing it back.

Andi struck the huge leader with her powerful hind legs, sending it sprawling. She sprayed the third smaller guardian with a shower of acid. It screamed out in an incomprehensible language and melted on the spot. Without missing a beat, she zipped in and intercepted Ben's two guardians. He glanced to the leader, who pulled itself to its feet and stumbled towards the alarm.

Oh no. He couldn't let the monster reach it. That was their main task: Don't let the guardians pull the alarm. Ben sprinted, intent on cutting it off. Though the big guy had a head start, it hadn't caught its balance, and Ben gained ground. After a few steps, he knew he wasn't going to win this race, but instead of panicking, he refused to give up. Without thinking, leaving it all up to his new-found skills, Ben leaped forward, his sword leading the way. The leader screamed as Ben pinned its hand to the wall. Smoking green blood dripped down. The leader swung his other hand around and caught Ben flush on the cheek, knocking him backwards. Before the monster could turn back around and pull the alarm, Andi swooped in and smashed her full weight against it. The monster's hand ripped out of the pinned sword, throwing more disgusting green blood everywhere. It fell, stunned. Ben leaped up, tore his sword from the wall, and in the same motion, brought it down into the leader's chest. It gave a loud gurgle as it died. Ben looked to the center of the room and saw the other two guardians, the ones that hadn't been burnt up by Andi's acid breath, lying dead.

Andi returned to her human form and tackled Ben with a hug. "You were magnificent."

"Not half as good as you. You got three and a big assist on the fourth."

"Yeah, but I let the big guy get away. If it hadn't been for your quick thinking, he'd have sounded the alarm."

Ben kissed her, mostly to stop her dwelling on the battle. "We won, that's all that matters. Besides, when we can talk telepathically, things like that won't happen."

Her face brightened. "You're right." She kissed him back and hugged him tighter. "Now let's find the key to dreams, whatever that is."

They walked the perimeter of the large room. Nothing seemed out of place at first glance, but maybe a closer inspection would show something they missed. The wall around the alarm was smooth with no hidden cracks. The alarm box itself might open, revealing the key, but they didn't want to chance setting it off. It would be their final option.

The guardians' table in the corner was their best bet, especially since it was the only other object in the room. Andi knocked on it, but it sounded solid. Ben examined the cards. There was a fantasy creature in the middle of each – fairies, trolls, mermaids, and plenty of others – and a number in the upper right corner. The creature would occasionally move and change the number. For example, the fairies would cast a spell on it, and the ogres would smack it with their clubs.

"I wonder what game you play with these. Looks neat."

Andi shrugged and said, "Pretty cool, but let's find what we're looking for." She examined each leg of the table and ran her hand underneath, while Ben stacked the cards in a single pile and examined the top of the table. He found no breaks or openings.

A buzzing sensation filled his mind and ran down his neck. It wasn't like his built-in undead sensor, but it was telling him something nevertheless. Once it reached the middle of his shoulder blades, it pushed forward out of his chest. A small white ball of pure light, about the size of a golf ball, floated down under the table and hung midway between the ground and the tabletop, directly in the center.

"Wow, do you see that?"

She shook her head. "What are you looking at?"

How could she not see it? It was so bright. "I think it's showing us where the key to dreams is."

"Where is it?" She tried lining her sight up with his, but confusion poured from her.

"Right under the table." He reached out and tried to grab the ball of light, but his hand ran right through it. So where was it? "Maybe if we move the table." He grabbed one end and pointed Andi to the other side. "Let's try sliding it out away from the wall."

She frowned, but complied. The table didn't want to move at first, but something snapped underneath, and it came out as if on a track. A small podium rose out of the ground. On top of it sat an old fashioned brass key. Once the podium stopped rising, the key sat bathed in the small ball of light, which dimmed out.

Andi stared at him, her eyes narrowed, and her mouth hanging slightly open.

"The key to dreams is an actual key," he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. How did you do that?"

He picked up the key and saw it lay on an envelope. "Look. It says to open it now."

Andi didn't look at the envelope. "Ben, seriously, how did you know where it was?" A tiny bit of fear flashed from her.

"I don't know. It just happened. Why are you upset?"

She shook her head. "I'm probably just being stupid."

"But?"

She looked up at him, and he wasn't sure she was going to answer. Finally, she sighed and said, "You shouldn't be able to do this stuff yet. Mom explained to me what she guessed your abilities would be with our minor binding, and you're already surpassing that. Not just finding the key, but melting the zombies, and things like that."

What was she talking about? He reached out to grab her hand, and she flinched away. They both gasped, and tears flooded her eyes. She jumped into his arms and cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ben. I didn't mean to."

Why was she so scared that he had more powers than he was supposed to? Wasn't that a good thing? And then it came to him.

"It's the prophecy, right? The one Max and his wife talked about? And Rico?"

Andi nodded, trying to control her breathing.

"We'll get through it." He kissed the top of her head. "You're too nice to let me go evil."

She wiped her eyes. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it." He ran a finger across her cheek to catch a renegade tear. "Besides, the prophesy never said I'd go evil, right?"

She gazed deep into his eyes for a few seconds, and then nodded. "You're right. You'll stay good. I love you."

"I love you, too." He strained a bit to say it, not because he didn't mean it with all his heart, but because his mouth wasn't used to saying such momentous words.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds before Andi broke the contact and looked down at the envelope. "I guess we should find out what it says."