The Crystal Dragon Series Collection

by Katie Cherry

  I close my eyes, trying to forget myself, my predicament, but mostly Nathan. Ignoring myself is surprisingly easy, but forgetting Nathan… as hard as I try, he just won’t disappear from my heart. He’s as much a part of me as my family is, maybe more so. There’s just no forgetting him. I sob and feel my heart break at the thought of never seeing him again. A single tear slides down my cheek.

  ﴾﴿﴾﴿﴾﴿

  I wonder how she’s feeling right now… Nathan ponders, suddenly feeling guilty. Since the fake Crystal thought he was gone, the real one must believe that as well. She probably feels betrayed… abandoned. I’m sorry, he cries out with his mind, knowing she can’t hear him but trying regardless. It’s the only way… if you could know, then I would have told you, I promise! But don’t worry, our plan seems to be working… so far, at least.

  He peers around at the forest, trying to find the line of wilted trees he saw in Crystal’s memories. He sighs. There’s still no sign of it, and it’s starting to get dark. Looking ahead again, he notices the Dragon Hunter stop. They slowly creep closer, staying as silent as possible. They aren’t quite close enough to catch her words, but it doesn’t matter. He knows she just asked for the spells to be lowered so she could walk through. They are getting closer and closer to their goal.

  Nathan’s heart pounds in anxiety and impatience. He can’t wait to see the real Crystal again.

  ﴾﴿﴾﴿﴾﴿

  When Patrick finally reenters the room, he wears a smug smile. Triumph radiates from him. I shrink back, feeling a rock of fear form in my gut, waves of pain throbbing dully through my body. I stand, trying to ignore the crippling terror.

  “Well? What now? …I passed that test, didn’t I?”

  “I believe so, but we… need it to be… tested. Yes, tested. And who better than you?” he sneers, grabbing my arm yet again to drag me out of the room. He waves for Chet and George to stay. The looks of concern shadowing their faces don’t help to ease my fear.

  He takes me down some stairs into a dark room. I squint, trying to see. When my eyes adjust, all I see is the machine with a chair in front of it. A suction cup has been added to the tube sticking out in the front, and the smaller one on the side has a crystal tube similar to a test tube one would find in a Chemist’s lab attached to it. Patrick pushes me toward the machine, but when I see the restraints on the chair, my sense of danger shoots even higher. Panicking, I whirl around and try to charge past Patrick, but he catches my arm in a shockingly firm grip.

  I scream for help even though I know that no one who hears me will be able- or willing- to help. Patrick then hollers at the Dragon Hunters in the room for assistance, and two more men run up and grab both of my arms in their iron grip. I wriggle around, but I can’t break loose. I scream again, frustrated. I kick one in the leg and his hand disappears from my arm. I spin and kick the other in the chin, snapping his head back, but I am soon overwhelmed as four more guys pile on me and haul me to the chair. Now the only thing I can do is bite, so I swivel my head around and clench my jaw around some dude’s arm. He yelps and releases me, but it’s not enough. I manage to bite another hand before someone hits me in the head with something hard. I slump as my brain clouds. I can’t seem to react as they strap me into the chair, trapped watching my own demise.

  I look up at Patrick, hyperventilating with panic. “What is this?” I scream desperately. “What are you going to do to me?!”

  He’s breathing hard, as are the eight other guys standing around me. “We are going to make you an example,” Patrick grunts. “After this, you will not be a martyr, as you would if we were to kill you.” Fear completely overwhelms me at this, and I couldn’t hide it if I tried. I have an idea of what he means to do. He grins at me, and the glint in his eyes reveals just how much of a maniac he is. A dangerous, intelligent psychopath who now holds my life in his hands.

  “Prepare to lose your Gifts, Princess,” he laughs, putting the suction cup on my forehead. He then starts toward the lever to start the machine. I fight to escape the restraints, but it’s too little too late. With a mighty yell, he pulls the lever down. My body instantly stiffens and my eyes roll back into my head.

  Pain rushes through my body, feeling a lot like when the mermaid King tortured me, but this… is like the torture has been taken from a general sense to a much more focused and intense one. I feel like my nails are being pulled out slowly and my whole body is being stabbed my burning needles that pierce deeper and deeper. My back arches in pain and an unearthly scream erupts from my throat. It’s only ended by me losing my voice. I feel four distinct tugs on my heart before I pass out from the pain.

  <<>>

  “What was that?” Sierra gasps, fear causing her voice to tremble. Nathan can’t find it in him to reply, so Thaddeus tells her instead.

  “That… was someone in pain. So much pain that it cannot be measured nor fathomed.”

  “…Crystal,” Nathan chokes out, his heart heavy, each beat burning with pain. “No…” He drops to his knees in the grass. They were too late. Tears leak out from beneath his clenched eyelids. He buries his face in his hands and sobs, not caring that his friends can hear. Thaddeus kneels in front of him and puts his hands on his shoulders. He turns away, refusing to be comforted. He had failed her. His best friend… his teammate.

  “Nathan. Nathan, it’s okay!”

  “No it’s not!” he yells. “He’s killing her! I just know it! And you don’t even care!”

  “No, he’s not,” Thaddeus assures, his voice so calm it just irritates Nathan. “He couldn’t do that without starting a riot. He wants to subdue our spirits, not inflame them. He won’t kill her. He may hurt her, but he wouldn’t dare kill her, much as he might like to. She has too many powerful friends.”

  He shakes his head, but Thaddeus’s words somehow find their way through the barrier around his heart. There may still be hope. He stands shakily and glares at him. “Then we will save her,” he states. Thaddeus nods, even though it wasn’t a question.

  It was a promise.

  They march on and meet the porcupine-tiger. It growls at the group, but Nathan growls back, so much hurt and rage in his voice that the creature backs off. The other four look at him, fear and amazement in their eyes, but he doesn’t care. He races toward the door leading inside with Lloyd following close on his heels. It’s unlocked. The Dragon Hunter they were following had no idea they were coming and didn’t bother to lock the door behind her. He grins, but it’s the twisted smile of an insane man. And maybe that’s what he is now, but it doesn’t bother him. As he runs, he follows the path Crystal memorized and ends up standing in front of two Dragon Hunters, panting. They both look at him, fear and surprise in their eyes.

  “Let me through,” Nathan growls. They nod and unlock the door, then step aside. He walks forward and slams open the door. The unconscious figure of his best friend is sprawled on the bed, her now bleached blond hair forming a halo around her head. Admiration and sorrow almost overwhelms him when he notes the state she’s in. Her face is clenched in pain, tears still fresh on her cheeks. He carefully picks her up and heads to the door. The two Dragon Hunters watch him, wide-eyed. The younger one then runs to catch up to him. He pulls off his hood, revealing a freckled face. “Chet,” Nathan recognizes.

  “Crystal said I could come along.” Nathan nods, remembering this. “She… she also wanted to take Vlad with us,” he continues, edging away from Nathan, clearly afraid. He glances worriedly at Lloyd, who stands at Nathan’s back as the others catch up. He’s far beyond caring.

  “Fine,” he grunts. “Go and get him- fast! Or we’ll leave you behind.” The boy nods and races off. Nathan sits down on a chair near Crystal’s cell with her on his lap. He gazes at her face, and a few more tears are released from his eyes as he sees her pain. Her eyes wander beneath her eyelids like she’s having a nightmare. He gently brushes the bleached hair off of her face. Her skin is hot to the touch, and her face is damp with sweat. He looks over
at the other Dragon Hunter- George, he thinks. “What…” his voice breaks. He swallows, then tries again. “What did they do to her?” he pleads. George averts his eyes and stares hard at the ground.

  “Patrick, he… he tricked her. And then… they took away her Gifts. She fought admirably, but… it wasn’t enough." Nathan stares at the wall, unable to breathe for a moment. He… he… that monster… His hands clench involuntarily in anger. Fury builds in him and he punches the wall, fighting down a scream of fury. George, Ham, Sierra, Lloyd, and Thaddeus back away. Hot tears stream down Nathan’s face. Crystal’s Gifts were a part of her. How… how could they take that away? How would that not kill her?

  “She’s very strong,” Chet says. Nathan looks up and sees him with Vlad’s arm around his shoulders. He stares at the boy, not comprehending what he said. “It would take a lot more than that machine or even Patrick to kill her.” He nods, feeling his anger cool slightly. He can now control the flame of range, but he knows that it will never die. He would get revenge for what Patrick had done.

  Lifting Crystal back into his arms, he stands and heads back out of the door leading outside. His friends follow behind him, keeping their distance. After they pass the porcupine-tiger again and reach the borderline, a cackle of surprise and wicked joy drifts through the air. Nathan shivers as he realizes just how much of a maniac this Patrick guy is. Fear causes his skin to crawl, and it doesn’t fade as they cross the border and the laughter disappears.

  As they head back to the Village, Lloyd lays a friendly hand on his shoulder and offers to help him carry Crystal, but he backs off after Nathan barks at him that this is his burden, and he is happy to shoulder it. Lloyd nods and falls back behind him. The cool night air does nothing to cool the anger, and fear that causes his skin to prickle. In this manner, they return to the Village, triumphant and with their friend back.

  Still, he has a feeling this isn’t over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alexander and Pearl

  The first thing I notice when I come to is a gentle pressure on my right hand. I open my eyes. Nathan is sitting next to me, asleep. I look down at my hand and find his in mine. A slight smile lifts my lips. I don’t know why I’m in the hospital again, but… Wait, didn’t… Everything comes rushing back to me and I suddenly can’t breathe. A monitor next to me starts beeping like crazy as my other hand goes to my chest, alarmed at the tightness beneath it. Nathan wakes up and starts to pull his hand away, but I clutch it desperately, needing his support. He nods to me, understanding sparkling in his sad eyes.

  Nurses and doctors rush into the room. One of them sticks a pre-prepared needle into my arm and I can breathe again, but slowly and shallowly. The monitor stops wailing and the room falls silent. I pant, struggling to regain my breath. Normally if this happened to me, I would be crying through an anxiety attack, but I’m strangely numb.

  The doctor who helped me explains. “I’m sorry, but if you experience fear or any other emotion too strongly, then… your body becomes over-stressed and shuts down.” I nod. That explains it. My breathing is still shallow, so I can’t ask a question, but Nathan reads my mind and asks for me.

  “Why is her breathing still restricted?”

  She grimaces. “There’s only so much we can do when her heart has been weakened so drastically… but shallow breathing is better than not breathing at all.” We nod in grim agreement. “The serum I injected won’t last long. It will only hold your emotions in check for another hour. So I suggest you two talk now, but try to avoid causing a panic attack, alright? The serum only works so well,” she says to Nathan.

  “Of course,” he agrees.

  “…And you should probably leave within the hour as well.”

  “What- no!” he exclaims. I shake my head at the doctor, agreeing with Nathan. I need him here with me. “What if those Dragon Hunters come back?” he continues. “What if she has a nightmare or something?”

  The doctor shakes her head. “I’m sorry. We all want what’s best for Crystal, and you being here will not help. We can guard her ourselves. She will be safe here,” she promises.

  I decide I need to say something, but I can’t find the words. Talking seems to be a struggle at the moment as well. I watch, eyes wide, as the doctor and Nathan stare at each other, a battle of wills raging in their eyes. Finally, Nathan sighs and nods. He slips his hand from mine and stands. I finally manage to croak out one word, “Stay…” The doctor and Nathan both look at me, surprised. The doctor tries to assure me that it’s for the best. I shake my head vigorously. I thought I had lost Nathan forever. There’s no way I’m letting him walk away from me right now. Her eyes widen and she sighs.

  “Very well. Whatever you want, Princess. Just… be careful. Your kingdom needs you.” I nod and all the doctors and nurses leave, filing out until only Nathan remains with me. I can’t ask him any questions or tell him what happened to me, but he can still tell me what happened on his end. Last I heard, he was gone, headed back to First Earth!

  Nathan sits back down in the chair next to me with a heavy sigh. He looks exhausted. Unable to comfort him with words, I grab his hand and hold it gently between the two of mine. He looks over at me, surprised, then smiles. I stare at his face, the face that I had missed so much in the month I was with Patrick, and smile back.

  He then tells me everything that happened since the night I had been snatched, how he noticed that ‘I’ had been acting differently, how Gale told him to help through a dream, and Thaddeus’s plan and how they went through with it. I shiver when he tells me about Patrick laughing when he rescued me and how Thaddeus assumes that it was because of two things; that they were too late to save me- with my Gifts intact, at least- and the fact that he took the Gifts to spread the word of his power, and what better way to do that than to have me pulled out of the fire- Giftless? When I indicate my hair color, he says the hypothesis is the magic being drawn from me to fuel the Gift Stealer bleached my hair as well.

  As he talks, I close my eyes and focus on his voice- the voice that I thought I would never hear again, except in my dreams and memories. I take a deep breath and try not to dwell on the past so my heart won’t give out again from the stress of emotions. “When we got back from rescuing you, we discovered that the fake Vlad had disappeared. We don’t know where he got to, but Vlad’s fine with it. He says he’s not much of one for revenge anyway and good riddance to the spy. He also went around to everyone apologizing for all the grief his ‘replacement’ had caused. It’s weird to think of Vlad as a nice guy now. Anyways, as nice as it is to have him back, it’s much better that you’re back as well,” he adds. “Nothing felt right while you were gone.”

  After he’s finished, I smile and quickly fall asleep, exhausted. His hand is still in mine when I spiral back into the dark oblivion of sleep.

  I’m in the hospital for a few weeks before I can both talk and stand upright on my own. It’s another week before I can go anywhere past the bathroom, and yet another month before the doctors say I can go. Nathan was by my side every moment during those months, supporting me, encouraging me… even crying for me. He never does it when he thinks I’m watching, but I hear him almost every night before I fall asleep, and soft tears of sympathy linger on his cheeks each morning.

  Waiting got harder for me. All I could do was lay in bed. Lloyd, Ham, and Sierra came by every day to tell me stories before eventually, one by one, they all went home to their own realms and families. Vlad came by after the doctors cleared him and thanked me, as did Chet. Nora eventually got better and tried to help me with my boredom as well, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to be out there myself, to feel the wind in my hair, to laugh and to dance and to play… the simple things were the hardest to part from, it seemed.

  Finally, the doctors say that I can go- just ‘be careful.’ I walk outside without Nathan’s help for the first time in months and finally feel the light and warmth from the sun on my skin, warming my heart and lightening my heavy, clumsy
footsteps. A cold breeze plays with my hair and I laugh as it dances around my face. I pick a flower and inhale its bittersweet aroma. I feel the grass tickling the bottom of my feet, and I laugh again, pure joy and pleasure bubbling up from deep within me.

  I spend the entire day outside despite the cold. I find lizards, climb trees, revel in talking, laughing, singing, and dancing. I even stay there for a while after the sun goes down. I sit on a grassy hill, exhausted, as the sun sinks below the mountains, turning the clouds pink and orange. Nathan sits beside me with Greg curled in his lap and Nora perches on my shoulder. We watch silently as the sun’s last rays of light leave the land, plunging us into a cold world of darkness.

  The air around us loses its meager warmth almost instantly. I shiver and watch as a leaf falls slowly from the tree above us. Winter seemed to be taking its hold on the land. I suddenly realize that means I’ve been gone for over half a year, since I was taken at the end of spring. I turn to Nathan. “I need to go home,” I abruptly declare. He looks at me with surprise, then nods.

  “Of course. But we might want to ask the doctors if that’s okay first.” I crinkle my nose and frown.

  “I guess. I’m just so sick of being in the hospital! I never want to set foot in there again!” He smiles and laughs.

  “I understand. I’ll talk to them for you tomorrow. Okay?” I nod, grateful.

  He helps me to my feet and we head home, back to our little house. I’m surprised at how much I’ve missed it. Then again, it’s much better than the hospital’s bleak white walls and demanding doctors- and anywhere that’s in Patrick’s clutches.

  I gratefully climb into bed and fall asleep. In my dream, I go home and find Kiki a year older. She doesn’t know who I am. My parents see me and scream and run away, thinking that I should be dead. I sit down and cry because they don’t know me. I try to find the King and Queen, but they tell me that I couldn’t possibly be their daughter and send me away. I go to the mermaids, but they try to kill me, and their King is dead. I go to Gale, but he tries to eat me. Everyone hates me because of my weakness and inability to stop Patrick. Zilferia is covered in flames, and everyone except the Dragon Hunters is dead. I fall to my knees and wait for death to claim me as well.