Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons (17 page)

Andi threw the first metaphorical punch in the fight as she spit a stream of acid at the beast, which struck its left wing. A howl of pain tore through the air, and the wing disintegrated down to its stalk. Instead of shrinking away, the demon turned towards her and charged. Since it couldn't fly because of its damaged wing, Andi evaded it by hovering high above.

Ben took the opportunity and lunged at the beast, thrusting the tip of his blade into its calf. As he'd feared, the thick skin didn't give, and all he managed to gain was its attention. It looked down, let out a sulfurous scream, and kicked him. Luckily, his shield got in the way, or the thing's sharp toenails might have pierced his chest. As it was, he sailed through the air and landed hard on his back. The breath whooshed from his lungs.

Andi let out a thunderous roar and dove at the demon's head. She smashed into the beast, momentarily knocking it off balance, but before she could do any real damage, it grabbed her and flung her aside. She regained her flying form and torpedoed into its chest, ripping into its flesh and tearing through the tough, leathery skin, drawing out moldy green ichor. The beast again let out that inhuman howl and tried to pull her off. She flipped out of its reach and flew a safe distance away. She looked over to Ben, and he felt her concern, so he pulled himself to his feet and waved.

"Andi!" he yelled. "Knock him down here!"

The demon, drawn by his voice, turned on Ben and advanced. It was so big it wouldn't take long for it to get there. He braced himself and drew back his sword, ready to strike. If he concentrated on the blade, maybe it would slice through the thick skin. It was worth a shot.

Andi readied another blast of acid. It exploded into the demon's back, and as it yelled out again, she blew past it, threw on the brakes, and slammed into its already injured chest. This time it didn't have a chance to catch its balance and tumbled to the dirt. Ben didn't miss his opportunity. He sprinted to its head, concentrated on his sword, and slashed through its thick neck. The blade slid through as if the demon was made of butter. It bucked a few times, and then went still, its life force gone. Ben backed up before any of the gross green blood got onto his shoes.

Andi zipped down to him, transformed as she hit the ground, and was in his arms. "Are you okay? You hit the ground so hard when it kicked you."

"I'm fine. It knocked the wind out of me, but no damage done. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She grinned. "Now that I know you are, that was kind of fun. Daddy told me stories of real dragon fights and drilled me in combat, but that was the first time I've ever let myself go. Even when we fought in the necromancer's realm, I held back so we could get to your parents." She chuckled. "Yeah, that was fun."

Ben kissed her cheek. "You were magnificent."

"Thanks. You, too. I can't wait until we can talk to each other in our heads. I can't wait until we're fully bound."

She launched her lips to his and kissed him hard. Though he kissed back with gusto, butterflies invaded his stomach. With all his thoughts of how powerful he'd be when they were fully bound, he'd forgotten what it meant personally. For so long he'd dreaded the thought of being fully bound to her, but now he mostly welcomed it. That thought was almost as scary as when he wanted no part of it.

As they broke apart, she smiled and rubbed his cheek before stealing another quick kiss. Okay, maybe 150 years like both their parents wanted was a bit too long, but he certainly didn't want it to be tomorrow. Rescuing her parents was priority number one. He glanced over at the gold idol, sure it was what Rico sent them after, and realized they were one step closer to saving them.

*****

The idol blinked them back to Rico's realm as soon as they both touched it. Rico didn't say anything, didn't even look at them, while he examined every square centimeter of the idol. Once he was done, he turned to them and grinned. Ben wasn't sure if he liked the smile or not.

"Impressive. Yes, very impressive. I'd guessed you wouldn't make it back." He eyed Ben a little too close for comfort. "And you, here I thought you were the weak link, but no." He prodded Ben in the chest with his finger. If they didn't need the spell to rescue Andi's parents, he might have knocked the hand away. Rico sensed that and laughed. "That anger in you is what makes the prophecy cloudy."

Andi stiffened next to him. Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "What does the prophecy say? How could Ben possibly turn evil?"

Rico weighed his words before speaking. Ben almost fell over he was leaning in so close to hear every word. "The prophecy encompasses both of you, not just him. It doesn't say specifically which direction will ultimately prevail. That's the cloudy part. Those actions have yet to be determined."

"By us or by fate?"

Rico wagged his finger in front of his face. "Ah-ah-ah. You'll get no more free information from me."

"Please. I … we need to know."

Rico chuckled and waved his hand in front of them. "Save your parents. The spells are in place."

Andi started to argue, but Ben nudged her. "Thank you," he said. Andi's annoyance at him for not pushing the issue was apparent, but he ignored it.

"And thank you," Rico said, again examining the golden idol. "But remember, you now owe me two favors." With that, he snapped his fingers and Ben found himself back home in his own bed. The early morning light shone through the cracks in his blinds. Like before, he couldn't feel the spell, but this time he had faith it was in place.

Cassie fought from screaming out, fought from telling Derian to step away from Lee. That's what he wanted. The best way to get through this was to stay quiet, stay calm. He wanted to see their pain, see their anger, see their desperation. If they didn't give it to him, he'd end this that much sooner. She didn't want to die – no, that was a lie; at this moment she did – but with her and Lee dead, it was more likely Derian would leave Andi alone, and dragons everywhere could band together to stop him.

Pain laced off of Lee. While he bore it well, giving Derian no satisfaction, she had to battle that much harder to stay under control. Derian turned to her with an evil grin etched on his face. She hissed in a deep breath as she saw the burn marks on Lee's chest from the hateful magic.

"Another millennium of this and I may consider us close to even for what you did to me. Of course, I have ways of evening the score a bit quicker."

He reached out and touched Cassie's cheek with his fingertip, searing her skin. She grit her teeth and felt the finger slide all the way through into her mouth. She contemplated biting him, but he'd end up taking it out that much worse on her.

"I love how you two heal just fast enough to keep me from inflicting permanent injuries, but not so quick that I can't see and enjoy my handiwork. If you didn't have that tiny bit of healing magic, you'd be dead right now, and if you had too much, this wouldn't be nearly as satisfying. Of course, I'd keep it up, but it wouldn't be the same." He chuckled. It took all of Cassie's self control not to spit in his face.

He walked back over to Lee and sliced his chest open. He did it without preamble, and it caught her off-guard. She let out a gasp at his pain, and Derian smiled back at her. "Lucky for you two, I don't plan on keeping this up for hundreds of years. I've absorbed about as much of the demon's power as my body can ever dream of possessing. I now must separate my demon and mortal beings. That was one fact I hadn't considered when I took control of the demon. His essence cannot leave this realm, and I can't be the one to sever it. I'd allow one of you to have the honor, but somehow I doubt either of you would lift a finger against me to do it."

Derian put his palm on Lee's upper leg, and a blast of energy popped against him, causing Lee to let out a screech. Cassie couldn't hold back a yell of her own at her mate's pain. No doubt the bone had snapped in half.

"That's the scream I've been waiting for. It'll mend back better than ever. If we're still playing this game, maybe I'll break it again." He turned to Cassie and a bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips into her chest. It burned her, and her breathing labored, no doubt the result of singed lungs.

"We all know where this is going, don't we? As I speak, my minions are out hunting down your precious daughter. Once she's back here, I'll force you to watch me give her this same treatment."

"You won't touch Alexandria," Lee choked out through his haze of pain. Derian whirled around and smacked his face, an explosion of energy erupting at the point of impact.

"It's not your place to talk, Leon. You're here to endure whatever I throw your way. You've earned every inch of beating I give you, Cassandra, and whoever else I choose."

Lee spit out gobs of blood and teeth. Cassie broke down. Between watching him bear the brunt of Derian's torture, to hearing Andi, their beloved Alexandria, was next, and knowing Ben likely would not survive the abduction, she couldn't take any more. Tears spilled down her cheeks to the dusty earth, where they mixed with her blood.

"When I tire of hurting her," Derian continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "I'll transform her into one of my minions. How much power will a zombie dragon wield? Or a vampire dragon? The possibilities will be interesting to ponder. When I've changed her, she'll have the honor of disposing of you two. I haven't yet decided whether to raise you as undead beings or not. I suppose we'll wait and see how your darling daughter turns out."

This time both she and Lee struggled against their unseen shackles to get to the evil necromancer, but they couldn't break free. Derian pushed out his arms, throwing them both violently back against the stone wall. Cassie longed to black out, to lose herself to the sweet nothingness of unconsciousness, but that wasn't to be in this realm.

*****

"We're trusting you both," Mom said.

"We'll be good, Mrs. Phillips," Andi said. "We promise."

"Okay," Mom said, though Ben could tell from her tone of voice she still wasn't sure. She and Dad needed this night out, though, they all knew it. They hadn't been out on a "date" in years.

Dad pulled Ben aside and spoke in a low voice. "I know we haven't had that talk yet, but I'm guessing you pretty much know all that stuff by now."

"What talk?" Oh, wait …
gross!
This wasn't happening right now, was it?

Dad blushed and stammered something about "that talk."
Oh, god, no
. He sensed Andi's silent laughter, but was glad she also felt embarrassed for him. At least she didn't have to hear it, just get the horrible second-hand sensations.

Before Dad could go any further, killing him with embarrassment in the process, he interrupted. "Dad, I swear we're only going to research how to save Andi's parents. Nothing else."

That got Dad to stand up a bit straighter and smile at Mom. "Okay then. I, uh, we just want you two to be careful is all."

Ben groaned inside. "We're fine, I promise. Go, go, go." He nudged first Dad, then Mom, towards the door. "You're going to be late for your dinner and movie."

His parents let themselves be herded out. "We won't be too late," Mom called back.

He and Andi watched until they'd driven away. Only then did Ben let out a loud moan. "Oh, man, that was painful."

Andi giggled. "They're just concerned about you."

"I know, but yuck." He took her hand. "I guess they have cause to be. You know, if …"

"If circumstances were different," she finished. That sobered them both.

"Let me go get my sword and shield, and we can go."

She followed him up the stairs to his room. "I wonder if we can put ourselves right into the cell? Maybe we can grab them and be out in less than a minute."

"That would be cool. Do you think all we need to do is think about the cell while we cast the spell?"

"I don't know, but let's try it."

As soon as Ben grabbed his weapons from the closet, a loud bang rang out from everywhere. The window in his room shattered, along with, from the sound of it, every other window in the house. Various creatures, from zombies to vampires to ghosts and more, pushed in. Ben could hardly move at the sudden onslaught of pins and needles down his back. Andi pulled him out of the room and down the stairs, but by the time they hit the bottom, the undead flooded the house.

Ben swung his sword at those nearest, but no matter how hard they fought, even if Andi transformed into her true form, they'd be overwhelmed in no time. "The spell," he shouted, and she said the strange words. Like last time, Ben concentrated on the necromancer's realm, and in the blink of an eye, he was there. Andi wasn't. She was still back at the bottom of the stairs, unhurt but scared. He imagined just as she'd finished with the important words, the monsters had grabbed her, ruining her concentration.

He was in the same spot they'd arrived at last time. He hadn't had a chance to think about the cell. The mass of zombies was now gone, though the pock-marked dirt all around the area showed signs they'd been here. The throne on the rock was again empty, which was no surprise. No doubt the necromancer was in with Andi's parents. Hopefully they were okay, but he couldn't take them back without Andi. The undead would bring her here, and he wouldn't leave without her. If he beamed both her parents back, she'd be stuck, and he wouldn't allow that. He'd wait for her and find a way to save her and her parents together. Or, if he couldn't do that, he'd choose her. That sounded harsh, but there it was. He'd sacrifice Andi's parents to save her.

He took a deep breath and headed towards the stone cells. Maybe being evil wasn't as far off as he thought.

*****

As soon as the vampire grabbed her, breaking her concentration, she was sure this was it. It'd reach out and suck her blood or hold her there for the others to tear her apart. At least Ben got away, though unless he rescued her parents, it was all for naught. But he wouldn't. He'd do everything in his power to save her. She knew because if she was in his shoes, she'd do exactly the same.

Surprisingly, pain didn't hit. She should have known. The necromancer wanted her, too. As they dragged her to the center of the room, she thought of Ben. He was terrified, though mostly for her, but he was safe. At least for the time being.

Without a big ceremony or spell, she found herself in the stone cell with her parents and the evil necromancer. A cry arose in her throat as she saw them, how awful they looked. How had the fiend kept them alive to do so much damage?

"Andi? Run!" Mom shouted, while Dad looked up with pleading eyes.

Before she could tell them no, that she was here to save them, her whole body went rigid. She tried to move, but not even her fingers or toes would obey. The necromancer stepped in front of her.

"So nice of you to join us, child."

"Stay away from her, you bastard!" Dad yelled.

"Andi, fight it," Mom pleaded.

The necromancer gave a laugh that chilled her to the bone. "But you just got here. You'll miss all the fun." He lifted a hand to her face, and searing pain ran along her cheek. She screamed as her flesh peeled down her face.

*****

Ben made it halfway to the cells when Andi popped in, and he sprinted the rest of the way. Once at the door, he moved to peek in when the pain hit. Her pain. Rage bubbled through him, and he burst in to see Andi standing stiff as a board in the middle of the room, her left cheek covered in blood. The necromancer stood in front of her, an evil smile etched on his face. Ben charged, intent on knocking that grin straight off.

A few steps away, an energy gripped his chest and hurled him face-first into the wall. His nose exploded, spraying blood all over everything. He fell down and slumped against the wall. Andi screamed his name, and somewhere in the back of his mind he heard her parents. He looked around the room, but couldn't see much through his red haze.

The necromancer laughed. "So glad you decided to join us, boy. This is getting deliciously fun. But I have so many decisions to make. Do I continue on the girl while you watch?" Andi screeched as another line of blood scratched across her right cheek. As her parents screamed and protested, the crimson fog lifted from Ben's vision. He gripped his sword and stood, ready to run the evil toad through. "Or do I kill you in front of her? It's a feast of options."

"Or three, I kill you!" Ben lunged forward, but the necromancer threw up his hand, catching Ben in his tracks, unable to breathe.

"No," Andi whimpered. She still couldn't move.

"Fight it, Ben," Mr. Thomas yelled. Ben glanced over and saw for the first time how awful he looked. A quick peek at Mrs. Thomas showed her in the same state. If he died here, it wouldn't be long before Andi looked like that, too. He couldn't let that happen.

Ben thrust his shield up and broke the magic hold on his throat. Air, glorious air, flooded his lungs. He staggered a bit, but managed to step towards the necromancer, who laughed.

"You are more of a treat than I imagined. Killing you will be fun. But first, I'll allow you to say goodbye to your would-be mate." The necromancer waved his hand, and Ben cartwheeled into Andi, who tumbled with him, free of the magic restraints.

"Andi, Ben," Mr. Thomas called. "Mix your blood."

Ben wasn't sure what that meant, but Andi grabbed his head and jammed his broken and still bleeding nose into her torn cheek. Both yelled out from the pain, but it didn't last. Her parents uttered some strange words, and then his world went fuzzy. All that existed was Andi. Previously he could sense agony and fright, but now he felt the adrenaline coursing though her veins, hear her heartbeat, and recognize that her pain centered on both her cheeks. He also felt a tidal wave of love erupting from her, and he knew she felt the same from him.

Ben did what he could to push everything away and focus on the necromancer. Dispose of this monster and his Andi, his Alexandria, would be safe. Ben hefted his sword and shield with more grace than he'd ever before possessed. Power pulsed through him, and fear was a foreign concept.

The necromancer cursed but didn't back down. "You haven't won. In fact, you've prolonged your suffering." He hurled a bolt of black energy, which Ben knocked aside with his shield. Another bolt dissipated on the blade of his sword. Fear, real fear, now shone in the necromancer's eyes.

While this happened, Andi ran to her parents and broke their magical bindings. Ben didn't so much as glance her way, but he saw her free first her father, then her mother, as if he'd been standing right beside her. She helped them hobble to the far side of the room, out of the way of the battle.

Ben swatted away another spell and spun closer to the necromancer, his sword aimed at neck level. "No Ben!" Mr. Thomas yelled, but it was too late. His blade sliced through the necromancer's neck, but it wasn't the euphoric sense of victory he'd hoped. Even as the head tumbled to the dirt, the necromancer laughed. A bright green smoke hissed out of his body.