The Crystal Dragon Series Collection

by Katie Cherry

  Patrick would be proud of her now.

  After shutting the door behind the boy, she quickly heads back to the Projection Room. Lightly touching the square in the middle of the floor, another hologram rises into the air. Patrick smiles at her. “Quick thinking, having me pretend to be Alexander,” he praises. “I knew the boy would be cautious, but I figured that your Charm would win him over.”

  “As did I,” she agrees. “He’s a strong one. I think he felt the magic being worked on him and fought back. Whether consciously or not, he knew what I was doing.”

  Patrick looks thoughtful. “He would be a great ally…”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” she replies, white teeth flashing in the light of the sunset streaming from the window.

  “I trust that you shall,” he says with a small smile in return. “Just remember- don’t feed on him and don’t change him. I need him as a human, not another vampire.”

  Zarafa frowns. “My self-control is better than that.”

  “I know, I know,” he assures, “I can never be too careful, however.”

  “That is how you survived for so long, after all,” she praises, flashing a cunning smile. “It’s always brains over brawn that wins the war.”

  “Speaking of which, my plans for this war have changed,” Patrick announces.

  “What?” she replies, surprised.

  “Crystal Dragon is back.”

  <<>>

  After Zarafa left, Nathan wandered over to the window and peered out. The building is surrounded by trees, and on the horizon, mountains rise into the sky, their sharp tops seeming to slice into the sun as it sets behind them. The clouds near the mountains turn a brilliant purple, orange, and pink. And for a moment… it seemed like they were on fire.

  Nathan steps away from the window, shaking his head to clear it. You’re imagining things again, he scolds himself. Although why I was imagining trees burning around a stone building is the real question… He stops himself before he notes that the building looked just like the evil place where he had rescued Crystal back in Zilferia. Patrick’s castle. He takes a deep breath. I’m just paranoid… probably because of Zarafa. I thought that she was working for Patrick, so now that I was thinking about him, my mind immediately jumped back to when that happened. …Yes, that must be it. Feeling better now that he had come up with a theory to the strange vision, he sits down on the soft bed.

  After a few minutes, he realized that he’s hungry again. He hadn’t really had much for dinner. So he heads to the door with the intent of finding Zarafa so he can get some food. He grabs the door handle, forgetting that it will shock him. But this time, it doesn’t. Deciding to ponder this later, he closes the door behind him and heads up the stairs. When he reaches the kitchen, he finds that she isn’t there. However, he can hear voices down the hall from the room he had just talked to Alexander in. Figuring it’s Zarafa, he heads toward the sound.

  As he gets closer, he hears her say, “It shouldn’t be that hard. Children are so easy to…” her voice suddenly cuts off. Gulping, Nathan backs away. He has a feeling he heard part of a conversation that he shouldn’t have heard. He creeps quickly and quietly back down the stairs. He reaches his room just as Zarafa opens the door. He slips quietly into his room, hoping that she hadn’t seen him.

  <<>>

  “What was that about?” Patrick asks as Zarafa closes the door again.

  “I thought I heard someone.”

  “You mean Nathan? Why didn’t you put the spell back on his door?”

  “I must have forgotten. I’ll do it now,” she says, narrowing her eyes. “There. He won’t be bothering us now.”

  “Good. Now then, you were saying?”

  “I was saying that it shouldn’t be difficult to influence the boy. It’s quite obvious that he has a thing for the Dragon girl. We can use her against him. He will do anything we ask if he thinks that his actions will keep her safe. Although, if he thinks that we have her, he will fight us with all his might.”

  He nods thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s very true. He risked his life a few months back to rescue the girl from me. He knows that I could have killed him or taken him captive as well, but he didn’t falter. …Yes, I do believe that she is the key to using him. I can even shapeshift into her if we need.”

  “Speaking of the girl… what do you plan to do with her? She’s powerless without her Gifts or dragon powers. Plus, you already have Hunter to use against the King and Queen. I just don’t understand why you don’t just kill her. I would if I were you…”

  “Yes, but you are not me. You were also not here to see her fight so vigorously against me. She’s a force to be reckoned with, even without her Gifts. If we had her on our side… we would win control of Zilferia without question.”

  There’s a pause in the conversation as Zarafa mulls over what he told her had happened with Crystal. “…So Hunter is with them now? Posing as a friend?”

  Patrick grins. “Yes. Chet is in my grasp, and Hunter is undercover as him. The girl came almost too quickly, however,” he comments, gazing into the distance. “Had she come but an hour earlier, all may have been lost. Thankfully, my inside source alerted us to their impending mission. Hunter and I had come up with a plan.”

  Zarafa’s face creases in confusion. “Then… he gave her the journal on purpose?”

  He smiles, full of pride. “Yes. The things written in there will convince her to turn herself into me, I am sure of it.”

  “…Why is that?”

  “That is not my real journal. I made that one specifically to get her to come to me willingly.” He grins gleefully. “There’s nothing better than defeating someone’s spirit. Getting to them mentally… You know, for a long while, I considered physical pain to be victory. However, I eventually discovered that there is nothing quite like watching someone go through a mental breakdown. And Crystal seems to be strong on the outside, but really, her emotions are all over the place since she lost her Gifts and dragon part. She will be an easy target,” he says, his grin widening in anticipation.

  <<>>

  Nathan sighs. The door had electrocuted him when he tried to leave again, so now he’s stuck in the room with nothing to do. He glances at his watch. I suppose I could just get some sleep… He then remembers the other things the watch can do. …Or I could contact Thaddeus! It would be nice just to double check that I can trust Zarafa… besides, I’m out of the loop of what’s going on in Zilferia. I haven’t heard anything all summer, but when I left, it sounded like the Dragon Hunters were probably about to wage war. They have the Gift Stealer- which we know works now; the machine that kills dragons; and a ruthless leader. They seemed all set to start laying waste to anything in their path.

  He twists the raised circle around the circumference of the face of the watch. He doesn’t really know how it works, but it should show either Crystal or Thaddeus in a small hologram when he lifts the circle.

  Nothing happens. Hmm. Is it broken? I haven’t really tried to use it since I got home from Zilferia… maybe it doesn’t really work across different realms. He sighs. So much for that idea. I suppose I’ll just go to bed. There’s nothing else I can do today anyway. Tomorrow, however, there will be lots to do.

  Tomorrow, I’ll start helping Zarafa find Rex.

  <<>>

  “You’re sure the boy won’t suspect anything anymore? I made sure to encase his watch with magic so he can’t contact Thaddeus and ask questions, but…”

  Patrick sighs. “He thinks that the King himself just told him to go for it. I seriously doubt he thought that I was anyone other than that buffoon.”

  “True, you were quite convincing,” Zarafa concedes.

  “Plus, it makes perfect sense for Alexander to want to find the boy before I do,” he says. He grins, almost laughing. “He probably would be sending out a search party for him if I wasn’t occupying his time…”

  “You really have him worried, don’t you?” she
comments, laughing herself.

  “Well he should be worried,” Patrick snaps, suddenly serious. “Because although I’m saving him for last, I’m slowly picking away at his villagers, claiming their Gifts for my own. I already have multiple Gifts myself now- as does Hunter. Most of my men now have at least one Gift as well, thanks to the King’s people.”

  “How are you doing against the dragons?”

  “I believe I have already conquered or slain half of them,” he brags with a malicious smirk. “Once they are eradicated, I will direct my men- and the dragons we have under our control- to attack the Sohos. They will not take long to destroy. Then we’ll finish off the mermaids. Finally, I will destroy the Village. Alexander Dragon will beg for his life after seeing my might. And after enjoying that for a while, I will slay him.”

  “And what of Pearl?”

  He looks thoughtful. “She shall either be my Queen, or she will die. …That all depends on her.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Stand United

  “Crystal.” A soft voice behind me causes me to turn from the window I had been anxiously staring out of. Chet is there, leaning against the door frame, eying me with worry. “Crystal, you need to get some rest. Being here isn’t going to change anything for Sierra… plus, you need your sleep. I can keep an eye on her during the night if you need, though,” he adds, walking around Sierra’s bed. He crouches in front of me and takes one of my hands in his, holding it tenderly. A blush creeps onto my cheeks at his nearness.

  “…It’s not just that,” I say, pulling my hand away and turning to gaze back at the forest. “It’s been an hour, and only Ham and Josh are back… I’m worried about the others.”

  He nods and stands. “Well, get some sleep if you can. Don’t worry about the others- I’m sure they’ll be fine. They are very experienced fighters, and they have their Gifts to aid them.” I wince at this, yet another reminder that I no longer have my own and am therefore useless. Chet notices and immediately begins to apologize. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot… I’m so sorry…”

  My head down, I stare at my knees, fighting back tears. I shrug and manage to choke out, “…It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m fine…” I don’t even believe my own words, so I’m a little surprised when it seems like he does.

  “…Alright. But, Crystal, if you’re that worried about the others, I can go and find them myself.” He holds up a hand to stop me as I start to protest. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll go and get them all back for you,” he announces, leaving before I can say anything else. I stare after him, wide-eyed. Great. Now there’s just one more person to worry about.

  <<>>

  Hurrying towards the woods, Hunter, in the disguise of Chet, pulls out his sword. It’s all for show, of course, in case Crystal is watching out a window. His plan is not to kill anyone. Not any of his Dragon Hunters- or Crystal’s friends. He’s out to save them so he can earn her trust. He’s just relieved that Nathan Anderson, the boy who took his sister from Patrick, isn’t around. He wouldn’t trust him, which would only make everything more difficult. Without him here, Hunter could, in the guise of Chet, sneak closer to Crystal’s heart, using his mind ‘reading’ Gift to put specific thoughts in her head… and prevent other ones, such as ones of Nathan. He needed to get her to trust him- that was also part of the reason for the journal. Not only would it aid her in learning to trust him, but Patrick had assured him that the things he had written would show her the truth about their family, as well as the Dragon Hunters, so she would come back to them willingly.

  Hunter, never one to doubt Patrick’s plans, feels quite sure that it will work. He just needed to do his part and earn her trust, sneak into her heart, then slowly feed her the words that Patrick had instructed him to tell her. He smiles. He will be glad when his sister is no longer led blindly along by the lies the Villagers had weaved to ensnare her with. He wants her to know the truth, like he does.

  Patrick had warned him that she would argue and put up a good fight, but no matter what she said and looked like on the outside, the words would pierce her and slowly she would come to recognize them as the truth. He was not to listen to the things that she told him, for they were just lies that were fed to her. She didn’t know that they are lies, and would assure him that they are the truth. But he will not be led astray from his mission to show her the truth and get her on his side.

  He knew how to get her dragon powers back, and he wanted her to have them so she wasn’t so broken. He hadn’t realized just how damaged she was until the mere mention of Gifts had nearly set her to tears. He wanted her to be happy.

  But Patrick had told him explicitly not to tell her what to do to get them back, so he wouldn’t. He sighs heavily as he trundles through the dark forest towards the sounds of battle raging. As soon as she realizes the truth and joins us, I will tell her, he decides. She should be happy. I know that I can give her that happiness… I just have to get her to see things my way. I’m happy, because I’m not clouded with conflicting lies. But there is a lingering sadness and restlessness I sense in her. She needs Patrick and me. We can help her.

  He stops, finding himself standing before a scene of blood and carnage. He frowns. There wasn’t supposed to be this many deaths. He quickly changes back into himself, then rushes into the clearing. Only one person notices him, and before he can even blink, he has a knife buried in his forearm. He winces and glances down at it, then locks eyes with the woman named Susan. She grins wickedly at him, finishes cutting down the man before her, then starts toward him.

  Grimacing, he pulls out the knife, holding it in his other hand. Ignoring the blood pouring out of the wound, he shouts loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. “Dragon Hunters, cease your attack!” The fighting stops as everyone turns to look at him. He tosses back his hood. “Retreat,” he orders, glaring around at his men. They look utterly confused, but they obey and back away from the Villagers. “Go now, and tell Patrick of your failure. I shall be right behind you.”

  The knife woman arches an eyebrow at him. He hears her thoughts with his mind. “You lowlife scum… I don’t know why you did that, but I will kill you regardless… and should I find that you took Crystal again, I will feed your corpse to the wild animals in this forest personally.” She pulls out another knife, the intensity behind her eyes causing his insides to wither. “The King and Queen don’t need to know that I killed their traitorous son, and neither does Crystal. Should anyone find out, I’ll just tell them that it was a creature in the forest…

  Then, out loud, she growls, “Prepare to die, boy,” and throws the knife. He avoids it, but she is already charging at him with a sword, knocking him to the ground. The breath rushes out of his lungs. He gazes up at the woman, who holds the sword to his neck. Narrowing his eyes, he causes a bolt of lightning to strike the ground immediately behind her. She goes flying over his head from the force. Standing, he rushes off into the night after his men, leaving the group that Crystal was so worried about behind him.

  He catches up to one of his men and stops him. “Tell Patrick that it was something I had to do to gain her trust. Everything is still under control.” The man nods, and Hunter changes back into Chet, races past the group with the knife woman, then comes running forward, panting as if he were tired. “Crystal… was worried… about you… where are all the Dragon Hunters?” he asks. He feels a warm glow at his acting skills. None of them suspect a thing.

  The knife woman, Susan, is picking up her sword, which she dropped when she went flying from the lightning burst. “Hunter came and shooed them off. …I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about it. …Wait, what’s that on your right arm?” she suddenly asks suspiciously. “And why do you have my knife?” Her eyes narrow and she takes a menacing step toward him.

  Thinking quickly, he gasps, “Hunter… found me… and stabbed me with it,” he says, holding out the knife handle first for her to take. She snatches it from his hand.

  “…That’s the sa
me spot that I hit him…” she notices.

  He grimaces. “I bet he thought that was real funny then. …Does anybody have something to stop the bleeding?”

  Reed steps up with a piece of his shirt that was cut off during the battle. “Here. One of the Dragon Hunters nearly got me, but ended up with just this instead. It should work until we get to the hospital.”

  “Thanks,” he says, fumbling with it until he managed to tie it around his arm. He tightens the knot with his teeth, then looks back up. “Crystal wanted me to help you guys, but it seems you didn’t need any.”

  Reed nods. “Lucky for us Hunter came when he did. We were just about to drop,” he comments.

  Susan laughs. “Speak for yourself. I was about to finish the rest of them off when he waltzed in here… question is, though, why did he send them away…”

  “Maybe he was scared of you,” Reed laughs. “I would be if I was in his place. I mean, you almost killed him in ten seconds flat!”

  “He would have been dead before he could blink if it weren’t for that weather trick,” she complains, but Hunter can see the pleased glint in her eye. The group then stumbles back to the hospital. As they walk, Hunter makes sure that Reed is between him and Susan. Just in case.

  <<>>

  Chet comes back in the door, followed by the other members of the rescue group. I jump up, relieved, I rush to Chet and hug him tight before suddenly letting go and backing up, blushing a little. “Sorry,” I apologize. “I’m just so glad you’re okay- and the rest of you are too!”

  Chet chuckles. “Well, as much as I would love to claim that it was all because of me, they were actually just fine when I got there. They seemed to have scared the rest of them off… although one of them got me with a knife as he was fleeing,” he winces. I glance down and notice the blood-soaked sleeve of his shirt.

  I gasp. “Oh, my goodness! We need to get that taken care of- now!”