The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (12 page)

“Dominick, you never really answered my question
earlier.  How is it that we’re on a spaceship, and I have no knowledge of
arriving here?”

“Space travel can be disorienting.”  At the
dubious glare she shot him, he shrugged.  “All right, maybe there is a more
logical explanation.”  Waving his hand, a door slid open up ahead to their
right, and he turned to her with a smile.  “Something which is best
demonstrated.  Come with me.”

“I really don’t think…”

“Please.  Trust me, Julianna.”

Without further protest, he took her hand gently
and led her inside.

The room was moderately lit and large, but oddly
vacant.  For long moments, they walked about, their footsteps echoing from the
emptiness.

Julianna turned to Dominick with a smile. 
“Mm-hmm,” she said finally.  “Let me guess.  You emptied this room by magic.”

“No,” he laughed.  “This room never existed
before now.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s very true.  We’re the only ones who know
about it.  Even that door wasn’t there until I conjured it.  Its sudden
appearance was only obscured because we weren’t standing directly beside it. 
And before you question this, I ask you to suspend your disbelief, and simply
watch.”

Waving his free hand in a slow arc, flowers
literally bloomed in the empty room.  Not just one type, but an infinite
variety with a rainbow assortment of colors.  Julianna was too stunned to
speak, left gaping at additions to the scene. 
A
corns appeared, sprouting into small trees that in seconds
grew to be full and lush.

As the garden continued to expand, in the center
of the room a small disk of water grew into a very large circular pool, with
stone around the edges to encapsulate it.

After Dominick completed his sweep of the room,
he turned to his wide-eyed companion.  “Julianna, are you all right?”

“Yes,” she replied finally.  “I’m just a bit
overwhelmed.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good.  By the look on your face, I was afraid
you were about to tell me you’re allergic to flowers.”

A laugh burst from her before she thought, and he
joined in.

The sound of birds chirping captured their
attention.  Several were flying around the room, including robins, bluebirds,
and white doves.  Not missing the possible romantic symbolism of the last type,
confirmed by Dominick’s knowing smile, Julianna found herself blushing.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“It’s beyond amazing.”  She took a step closer
towards the pool, but he prevented this gently.

“Wait half a moment longer, my lady.  I have one
more surprise for you.”

Raising his hand forward, a fountain of water
sprang up, extending out to fill the large pool.  As the water cascaded, it
sparkled and shimmered with brilliant colors, unlike anything Julianna had seen
before.  It even began emitting a lulling, musical hum.  At her questioning
look, Dominick nodded, and she took a step closer, reaching a hand towards it
herself.  The flowing water felt completely normal, in spite of its magical
appearance.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Much like you,” he replied.

Feeling her cheeks flush, she turned to her
companion, shaking her head.  “That’s flattering, but how did you do all this?”

“Magic.”

She sighed heavily.  “Dominick, we’re both
adults, and magic doesn’t exist.  So seriously, how did you
really
do this?”

He reached forward to take her hands in his, his
mesmerizing blue eyes locking with hers.  “There’s something you need to accept
first before all else.  I wouldn’t lie to you, Julianna.”

“But magic doesn’t exist on Earth.”

“Ah, but we’re not on
Earth
, are
we?”

“No,” she agreed, though her mind remained
confused.

Squeezing her hands, he smiled warmly.  “The
truth is, magic helped me to find you here.  It was the only way I could see
you again.”

“But you barely know me.”

“Something I’d like to remedy, if you’ll allow
me, my lady.”  Brushing one of her auburn curls from her forehead, his touch
sent a shiver through her.

Feeling her heart race at his closeness, she knew
she should back away, but something within wouldn’t let her.  Tentatively, she
reached up to touch his hand, feeling only gentleness and warmth.  Slowly,
their fingers intertwined, chaste and yet intimate at the same time.

“I barely know you either,” she whispered.

“I can remedy that too,” he replied with a
smile.  “And what better place than a secluded paradise that’s ours?”

Hands still clasped, they leaned closer, seeming
to melt against each other as they kissed.  Each seemed to be seeking what the
other felt, and like the fountain, their kisses expanded, becoming warmer and
deeper.  All the while, the magic of the room surrounded them with its bower of
music and serenity, enhancing every moment they shared.

Slowly, an eternity later, Dominick pulled back,
his forehead still resting against hers with closed eyes as he smiled.

“My dear Julianna,” he murmured, “It’s true I
know more about you than you of me.  And there is so much I want to tell you.”

She echoed his smile.  “I’d like to know.”

“Where to begin?  I…”

A loud
bang
interrupted the
reverie, causing both to turn towards the door.

“Where the hell did this
door come from?” a familiar voice yelled from the other side.  “This isn’t even
on the system’s directory!”  A swift pounding ensued.  “Get this open
immediately!”

At the muffled sound of others approaching
swiftly, Julianna turned to Dominick worriedly.

“Relax, my lady,” he whispered, smiling
confidently as he made a casual gesture towards the room.

Taking far less time than its earlier
transformation, the paradise vanished, instantly replaced by the original empty
ship room.

Abruptly, the door was pried open by two
officers.  Kyron stood in the middle, his expression shocked and angry.

“What are
you
two doing here?” he
demanded.  “I told you to get to your posts!”

Dominick squeezed Julianna’s hand.  “My
apologies.  As I mentioned earlier, my companion is newly transferred to this
ship and unfamiliar with the protocols.  I was merely showing her around the
ship.”

“Under ordinary circumstances maybe, but with the
Rengar threat looming nearby, this is no time for a scenic tour!  Now get back
to your posts before…”

Alarms interrupted, jarring everyone, while
flashing lights filled the corridor.

“Too late,” one of the other officers finished.

Inhaling deeply to control his anger, Kyron eyed
Dominick and Julianna meaningfully.  “We’ll discuss this in my quarters later. 
For now, get to your posts,
both
of you!”  In moments, he’d
rushed from the room, along with the other officers.

“Should we follow them?” she asked.

“Considering we never signed on for this
operation, I think it’s time we found our way out of this nightmare instead,”
Dominick replied.

“For once, I agree with you.”

“There has to be an escape hangar on this ship
somewhere.”  Spying a small wall directory in the hallway, he strode over to
identify the location.  Turning to see a look of worry on Julianna’s face,
Dominick clasped her hand.  “Come on.  We’re getting out of here, together.” 
She squeezed his hand gratefully in return.

The corridor seemed to go on forever. 
Fortunately, the people they passed were too busy racing about to ask further
questions.  There were distant sounds of explosions and gunfire, occasionally
shaking the ship, but the pair maintained their focus on their destination.

As the hangar doors appeared, both breathed a
sigh of relief.  It was short-lived though, for the sound of lasers on the
other side indicated some unwanted company would soon arrive.

“Back the other way,” Dominick said quickly, just
as the doors started to give beneath the laser fire.  They hadn’t gotten far
when the sound of footsteps filled the corridor behind them.

“We’ll never outrun them,” Julianna protested. 
She felt his grip on her hand tighten, looking back as they ran.

Abruptly, everything shifted.

Feeling her stomach lurch, Julianna could only
gasp as she saw the ground pull away.  But more than that; suddenly, she found
her head pressed against the ceiling.  Breathing heavily, both from confusion
and the height, she opened her mouth but no sound came out.  As if prepared for
her startled reaction, a warm hand was there to silence her.

“Hush, sweet angel, until our pursuers are out of
hearing.”

Due to the high ceiling, the Rengar passed beneath
them obliviously.  In moments, the sound of their heavy boots faded.

She managed to turn her head to face a smiling
Dominick, her eyes questioning.  For a moment, he looked like an angel himself.

How?
she questioned with her mind, since she couldn’t speak.

Another magic ability
, he replied silently, removing his hand, while
still holding her closely with his other arm.  “I’m sorry to have startled you,
but we had to move quickly.”

“I understand that,” she got out, shaking her
head.  “But we’re flying.”

“Levitating to be precise.  Flying implies
movement.  However, that’s not a bad idea to get us back to our original
destination.  Hold on, and I’ll take us there.”

Shifting her arms about his neck, she allowed
Dominick to carry them along the ceiling of the corridor, silently but
swiftly.  Julianna had never experienced anything like it, feeling weightless
as they traveled, both nervous but also enchanted at this use of magic. 
Shutting her eyes at the pleasant sensation, all too soon she felt a shift as
Dominick brought them back to the floor.  The hangar doors were destroyed,
leaving a gap wide enough for them to step through.

They’d barely crossed the rubble when the
unwelcome sound of lasers filled the air.

“Get down!” Dominick yelled, pulling Julianna
behind a pile of storage crates.  Huddled together until the blasts ceased, he
looked her over.  “Are you all right?”

“A bit shaken, but…”  She stopped, noticing a
reddening spot on his arm.  “Dominick, you’re hurt!”

“Just a scratch, and it can wait,” he demurred. 
“Right now, we have to focus on getting out of here.”  Scanning the area
carefully, he pointed ahead.

“Escape ships?” she asked hopefully.

“Just what the dreamers ordered,” he agreed,
ignoring her puzzled look as he tried to edge around the crates.  Another
volley of laser fire forced him to retreat back again.  “They’re definitely
going to be a problem.”

“Have you tried flying over them?” a voice
whispered.

Both jumped as they turned to find several men,
including the science officer Landers, crouched behind them.

Dominick shook his head.  “Where did
you
come from, and what are you talking about?”

“Now, now, don’t play innocent.  You were too
busy dodging the Rengar to notice us watching through the doorway to our
laboratory.  A pretty impressive trick, by the way.  Could you show us again
how it’s done?”

He sighed.  “It wouldn’t be of much use here,
since they’re already aware of our presence this time.”

Landers grinned.  “In that case, maybe this calls
for our prototypes.”  As he lifted the gun he’d carried earlier, Dominick
gently pushed it to the side.

“Whoa.  From what Kyron said, that might not be a
good idea.”

“Yes, but we don’t have time to continue
tinkering with them until they’re more effective.  At this rate, the Rengar
will capture the ship, allowing the Warp Zone to pull us in while things are in
chaos.”

Dominick thought quickly.  “Then we’d better get
these prototypes working immediately.  Landers, let me try something.”  As he
reached out, the other man somewhat reluctantly handed the gun to him. 
Scanning it quickly, the gun abruptly sparked, and a blue glow surrounded the
weapon.

“It’s never done
that
before!”

Without replying, Dominick continued to focus on
the weapon, and it seemed to alter slightly in his hands.  “Let’s see if this
does anything.”  As he stepped away from the crates, Julianna reached out an
arm towards him.

“Dominick, wait!”

As the laser fire resumed, he pulled the trigger
on the weapon, emitting a loud blast that knocked him back a few paces, while
sending what looked to be an invisible barrage of energy at their attackers. 
Three Rengar went down, while several others scattered.  Instantly, he re-aimed
and took care of them as well.

As the room was blanketed with silence following
the blasts, those behind him stared open-mouthed.