Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (7 page)

"Is it dead?"

Sabrina returned her gaze to him and shook
her scaled head side-to-side, suggesting that the answer was
no.

The fence jingled, drawing Danny's attention,
Sabrina followed his frightful gaze.

The creature pulled itself upright, its thin
claws scraping across the metal fence, like fingernails screeching
against a chalkboard. The sound sent shudders down Danny's
spine.

The creature of shadow stood up, squared its
stance and bounded forward, angling around for another head-on
attack.

In response, Sabrina planted her front claws
deep into the ground and made ready.

Panicking, Danny scanned the ground. He
picked up a palm-sized stone and hefted it in his right hand,
testing the weight. Hauling back, he chucked the rock with all his
might, sending the stone hurtling through the air.

The creature didn't even attempt to dodge it
as it charged forward with an inhuman speed.

Danny's aim remained true, but the stone
passed harmlessly through the creature's head, causing its smoky
skin to ripple where the rock had failed to touch it.

"That's impossible."

The stone sailed through the air, losing its
speed, tumbling across the ground.

Once more, Sabrina squared her shoulders and
twisted her torso, causing her long tail to lash out a second
time.

In response, the creature leapt into the air
in a shallow arc just above Sabrina's swift attack, causing her
tail to come in contact nothing but the wind. The creature twisted
in the air, completing one full rotation before thrashing out as it
fell within striking distance of Sabrina's back. The creature's
long silver claws raked against the pink scales of Sabrina's right
shoulder, shedding a bright display of sparks.

With a roar of anger and anguish, Sabrina
swatted the creature with a wicked backhand, catching it full in
the face. The impact sent the shadow tumbling end over end, across
the ground, skidding to a stop a good twenty feet from where it had
started. Bounding into the air, Sabrina closed the distance in the
blink of an eye. Standing above the creature, she pinned it to the
ground with her front left claw. Her talons sank deep into the
soil, holding the shadow tight. With one final growl, she scraped
her right claw across the creature. Each individual talon left a
distinct line as it tore through the murky flesh.

Torn into six separate pieces, the parts of
the creature began to hiss as they dissolved into a dark mist
before disappearing, carried away by the wind.

"Is it… dead... now?"

Sabrina turned and padded toward him, moving
with a subtle limp.

Danny retreated from her, wary of her
size.

Sabrina answered his question by bobbing her
head up and down.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a
dragon?"

Ignoring the question, Sabrina angled her
long, slender neck around to get a closer look at her right
shoulder. Four precise cuts ran down the base of her arm from
shoulder to elbow.

"Are you okay?" worry evident in his
voice.

Ignoring him, Sabrina licked at the wounds,
her tongue slender and forked like that of a snake.

"Don't ignore me," Danny said, finding some
backbone.

Sabrina angled her head back toward him,
growled softly and snorted forcefully in his face.

Taken aback, Danny stumbled backward and
tripped over a small rock, landing on his rear.

Taking a deep breath, Sabrina closed her eyes
and bowed her head. Her scales began to shimmer, her limbs
shortened, her neck compacted and her tail shriveled up behind her,
disappearing without a trace. Once the transformation was complete,
Sabrina opened her eyes and released her breath.

Danny stared at her in disbelief.

"I wasn't ignoring you." Sabrina walked
toward her book bag, picked it up and put on her shoulder. "I am
unable to talk when I am in that form."

"You're a dragon," Danny said, watching in
wide-eyed amazement as she walked over and plopped down beside
him.

"I am not a dragon," rifling through her
pack, pulling out her phone. "I am a Drake."

"What's the difference?"

Sabrina held up her hand and depressed a
button on the phone, a low-toned beep followed. Holding the phone
to her ear, she kept her hand in the air, silently asking for
continued silence.

"Father, there was another one... yes, he is
with me."

"Is that…"

Before Danny could finish his question,
Sabrina silenced him with a definitive look. "Yes, Father, we are
okay," she said into the phone. "We are still at school, behind the
elementary building in the playground area."

Danny had no choice but to wait, as he tapped
his foot impatiently.

"Okay, my father is coming to pick us
up."

"What's happening? What was that thing? What
are you?" Danny asked in a rush, losing his cool.

"Just calm down."

"Calm down? How can I calm down when…"

"I am a Drake."

Danny took a breath and calmed himself a
little. "…A Drake?"

"A pureblood Dragonic is born from the union
of two pureblood dragons, I am the daughter of a pureblood
Dragonic, my father, and a Human, my mother. Therefore, I am a
Drake and not a dragon. Drake is the name given to those of
half-Dragonic blood."

"So... your last name?"

"…Was chosen by my father. Dragonic society,
unlike Human society, does not use last names. So, he chose the
obvious in order for me to blend in with your race."

"…And that thing you just killed?"

"It's a Shadow," she probed her right
shoulder with her left hand. "…A creature from the darkest void."
When she pulled her hand away from her shoulder, it was slick with
blood.

"You're still hurt!" Danny said, getting up,
kneeling beside her. Tearing off a piece of his shirt, he wrapped
the makeshift bandage around her wounds as best he could. "You mean
a Shadow, like in the game of Knights?" Danny asked, tying the wrap
tightly over her right shoulder, under her armpit.

"Yes," said Sabrina, wincing as Danny knotted
the bandage tight with one final tug.

"Done."

Sabrina turned to inspect his work. "Thank
you," she said with an approving smile.

Danny slumped back down. "So... the cards in
the game are real?"

"Yes. The order of the Light believes that
the card game allows those with the gift of sight to be more
accepting of the knowledge of the Dark."

"Gift of sight?"

"Normal Humans are not able to see Shadows,"
explained Sabrina, looking off into the sunset. "You have the gift,
Danny, or a curse, depending on how you look at it."

"How could this be a curse?"

Sabrina looked down, her eyes growing
distant. After a moment, she spoke. "There is a saying, 'When you
look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.' What you have
seen, Danny, you cannot un-see. You have seen them, and they have
seen you."

"But you killed it, didn't you?"

"What you saw this day and the night before
was merely the puppet of a larger foe."

"What should I do now?"

"Well, that is for you to decide for
yourself, but you can start by helping me up," said Sabrina,
extending her left hand.

Danny stood up and obliged, pulling Sabrina
to her feet.

"Get your book bag, Father will be here soon.
As a knight of the order, he will be able to answer your questions
far better than I ever could."

"Really?" Danny asked. His voice jumped an
octave in his excitement. "What's his name?"

"His name is Tyramear," said Sabrina with a
smile.

back to top

he sun had just crept below the horizon when a
silver car pulled into view. The wind had grown cold; it whistled
with the intent to chill.

Danny followed Sabrina hesitantly as she
walked toward the car. On the opposite side, a tall, slender man
opened the car door and stepped into view.

His hair, long and silvery, draped down the
slope of his neck. He wore a form-fitting, silver pinstriped suit.
Walking around the front of the car, he slung a silver-hilted blade
over his shoulder, sheathed in an ornate scabbard. The hilt formed
a grand dragon, the head and neck making up the pommel and the
wings outstretched to form the hand guards. Holding a piece of
black leather tied around the sheath with his left hand, he allowed
the longsword to rest against his back with the hilt peeking over
his shoulder. His eyes were as blue as the sky.

"Are you okay, my daughter?" he asked,
stopping within touching distance of Sabrina, examining the
bindings on her right shoulder.

"Yes, Father."

Danny had noticed that since their encounter
with the Shadow, Sabrina's carefree playful demeanor had become
more serious and focused. He had the distinct impression that he
was seeing her true personality for the first time.

"I would like to introduce you to Danny
Firoth, Father," as she motioned Danny closer with a flick of her
left hand.

Danny stepped closer to the towering man,
unable to meet his steady gaze.

"Greetings, Danny Firoth," said Sabrina's
father, unaffected by Danny's shyness. "I am Tyramear, Dragonic
Knight of the Light, pureblood of the Dragonic." He presented his
right hand in greeting.

Danny hesitated before reaching out as
Tyramear reached past Danny's hand and grabbed his arm at the
wrist. Unsure of the gesture, Danny did the same and winced from
the strength of the grip.

"You have a strong grip, young Firoth, but we
have much to talk about and little time to dawdle. Come with me,"
releasing his grasp, turning toward the car, he opened the door for
his daughter.

"Wait a minute," Danny said to himself more
than anyone else, while un-slinging the pack from his back and
digging through the contents. He pulled out a slightly worn card.
The picture portrayed a huge, silver-scaled dragon, captured in the
moment of breathing a billowing cloud of blue flame. The caption at
the top of the card read,
Tyramear, Dragonic Knight of the
Light,
in bold black letters. Holding the card up in front of
him, he compared the picture to Sabrina's father, switching his
focus between the two several times.

"This is you," his voice jumping in
pitch.

Sabrina's father stepped forward and took the
card from Danny's outstretched hand. Rubbing the point of his chin,
he examined the card for a few moments. "It's not a bad likeness,
but they got my stature wrong." Handing the card back to Danny and
smiling, he added, "I'm much bigger in real life."

"Are you coming or what?" Sabrina asked.

Yanked out of his daze, Danny nodded, put the
card back in his book bag and walked toward the car. Once inside,
Sabrina's father closed the door behind him. The car was warm and
comforting, a welcome change from the frigid air outside. He
watched as Sabrina's father walked around the front of the car, got
in and secured the silver blade in the backseat beside Danny.

"Here," said Sabrina's father, swiveling in
his seat, extending a silver phone. "You should call your
mother."

"What should I tell her?"

"You can try to tell her the truth or you can
lie," said Tyramear. "Both will be difficult, but it is your
choice."

He turned the ignition, the car to roared to
life.

Phone in hand, Danny slumped back in the seat
and eyed the silver blade resting next to him. Taking a deep
breath, he dialed his mother.

The phone rang twice before his mother picked
up. She sounded worried and angry. Danny explained to her that he'd
stayed after school to study with Sabrina, and that he was going to
her house to study some more. His mother seemed surprised at the
mention of Sabrina, happy that her son had made a new friend,
obviously angry that he had not come home right after school. Danny
implied that his need for knowledge was dire, which wasn't too far
from the truth, given the current circumstances. In the end, she
agreed to let him go as long as he was home on by nine o'clock.

Saying his goodbyes, Danny ended the call,
handed the phone back to Sabrina's father, "Thank you."

Tyramear prompted his daughter to tell the
tale of the attack.

During Sabrina's explanation, Danny's eyes
lingered on the sword. He decided to take a closer look at it.

Looking closer, he noticed fine details,
engraved on the tip of the silver sheath was a winding path of
vines, mesmerizing in their intricate design. The twisting plants
turned to roots as they traveled up the scabbard, becoming the base
of a towering tree with the symbol of Light pictured in the leafy
canopy. The base of the dragon-hilted blade, constructed from some
silver-colored metal, matched up perfectly with the lip of the
sheath.