The Crystal Dragon Series Collection

by Katie Cherry

  “I do,” he replies, fire burning behind his eyes. “It means she’s not safe. And I’m going to do something about that.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Not Exactly According to Plan

  Hunter wakes alone. He sighs with relief. Good. Now no one will get in my way… He cautiously slides his legs out of the bed, feeling the cold stone floor underneath his feet as he makes his way around the bed. He casts his eyes around the room and catches sight of just what he’s looking for- a mirror. The full-sized mirror, rimmed in gold patterns, reclines against the wall by the dressing room. Hunter stumbles over to it, casting in his mind for the spell that Patrick told him just the day before.

  “Llacym deehkc irtap,” he murmurs, leaning against the wall. After a few seconds, his reflection swirls and changes.

  “Hunter! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon,” Patrick says, smoothing his cloak. “What’s wrong?”

  “Crystal got the Trident,” he coughs. “I bet she’s with the fish right now… I’m sorry, I tried to beat her to it, but I just…”

  “It’s alright,” Patrick assures him. “…But what happened to you? You seem worse than when you used the Eye, and this spell isn’t nearly that taxing.” Hunter quickly tells him of the Abonsam. “Ah… this is good,” he broods.

  “Um… how is that good?” Hunter questions.

  “Because Abonsam gather together in ‘family’ groups. They are never alone- unless they are trapped, like the one that you met. When they are together, they normally raid houses, cause ‘misfortune,’ the like.”

  “And this helps us how…?”

  “Since one of them was inside of you, you have the power to summon and control it. And since they travel in packs, the others should follow, particularly since I sense that this particular Abonsam is the leader of his pack.”

  “And what would I do with a group of Abonsam?”

  “They can turn invisible, intangible… completely undetected. They are the perfect spies… or thieves, or whatever it is we decide to use them for.”

  “Oh.” He could see the use for that.

  “So, how is our little Princess doing? How broken is she?”

  Hunter sighs. “Not much at all. The diary doesn’t seem to be fazing her much beyond distaste. …Are you sure I grabbed the right one?”

  “Of course,” he scoffs. “What do you take me for, a fool? I made sure to put the fake on the shelf, just like I told you.”

  Hunter freezes. “…The shelf?”

  “Yes,” he sighs exasperatedly.

  “…But I got that from the left table…”

  Patrick’s face goes from cocky to dismayed to furious in the blink of an eye. “YOU DID WHAT?!”

  He gulps. “Um… so I suppose that wasn’t-”

  “THAT WAS MY ACTUAL JOURNAL, YOU FOOL!”

  Hunter hastily backpedals. “Um, but this can easily be fixed, right? I mean, if you can find the fake and then send it to me, I could switch them…”

  Patrick’s rage cools somewhat at the prospect. “True… for your sake, I sure hope this works. I will contact you with instructions after I hide it near you. And for Dravyn’s sake, boy, don’t mess it up again!” With that, Hunter’s ‘reflection’ swirls and looks like him again. He sags against the wall, his meager store of energy spent. Great. Could our plans get any more screwed up??

  <<>>

  “Hmm,” the Mermaid King contemplates, staring at me over his plate of uneaten squid. “You tell quite a tale, Crystal Dragon. I have never heard anything of the like in all my years under the sea.”

  “But you can help me, right?” I plead, desperation clear in my voice. “Um… now that you have your Trident back,” I continue, trying to relax a little.

  He gingerly strokes the glowing gold weapon as it lies on his lap. “Yes… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try. Although I cannot guarantee that you will get your Gifts back,” he warns as he pushes back his chair.

  I stand and face him, turning away from my own uneaten food. “I am aware… but it is a risk well worth taking,” I assure him, taking a deep breath to calm my jittery nerves.

  “Yes… I agree,” he says, sighing as he levels the Trident at me. “Are you ready?”

  “Ready to get my Gifts back? Definitely. Ready to lose my last hope? …This just better work,” I reply with a slight smile.

  He chuckles in return. “I hope it does as well… not only for you, but for the sake of all of Zilferia,” he reminds me seriously.

  “Yes… for all of Zilferia,” I gulp.

  The King pauses before taking a deep breath and beginning his chant. “Heal. Fix all that is hurt, return all that is lost. Return control to whom it belongs… Heal, fix all that is hurt, return all that is lost, return control to whom it belongs…” he repeats as the Trident glows brighter.

  At first I don’t feel anything, but after a few seconds, I black out. I can no longer see anything, although I feel like I am still fully aware and conscious. I cast my eyes about, searching for something- anything- and finally catch sight of what looks like a chain of pools in the soft light. Where they should be connected, a stone wall stands strong, keeping the waters separated. The stagnant water seems dull and lifeless in each indistinct pool. Stooping, I begin pulling rocks from the first wall. I only remove about half of it before I feel a tugging, like someone is trying to pull me back. I fight and remove another stone before suddenly the scene swirls away, replaced by the King standing before me, looking tired and lowering his Trident.

  “Well?” he inquires. “Did it work?”

  I pause, searching within myself. I don’t feel very different. “I don’t think so,” I sigh.

  The King returns to his seat wearily. “I am sorry, Dragongirl. I do wish there was something more I could do to help you… perhaps your own people will know what to do now,” he suggests.

  I stand and wipe away a tear that had leaked out of my eye- as futile as that is while being underwater- and face the King. “It is doubtful that they can help either… this was my best chance,” I sob.

  “Then perhaps you will find a way to find your Gifts once more yourself.”

  I sigh. “Maybe. Although-” I’m interrupted by a loud conch shell blowing. “What was that?” I ask, quickly turning back to the King.

  He groans and drops his head wearily into his hand. “That is our signal to warn my people… that the next Dragon Hunter attack has begun.” He swims up to me and peers down into my teary eyes. “You must go.”

  “Wait!” I stall. “You will help us, right? Zilferia can protect itself from the Dragon Hunters, but only if it unites! Only if we try and believe can we accomplish what seems to be impossible! I know we can do it! Please, you must join us! I will not stand by and watch you be eradicated!”

  The King chuckles. “My, you are insistent. Very well.” He plucks a scale from his tail and hands it to me. I admire the palm-sized object in the underwater light. Although mostly green, it shimmers in the light with all the colors of the rainbow. “Hold this tightly and request for it to take you to me, and it will do so. Or you can request to see me, and my image will appear in the scale and we can speak that way, if you wish. However, it only works once, and can only transport one. I may also speak to you through it the same way that you would use it to speak to me.” He bows to me. I watch, unsure of what to do. “Good luck saving Zilferia, Princess. I await your command.”

  “Oh, I’m not a war general or anything!” I hurriedly assure him, laughing a little.

  “Aren’t you, though?” he smiles. “You gathered these three, very diverse groups together. Who else do you think we would all follow into battle? Like it or not, you are now our leader.” He pauses at the look on my face. “Hey, you can do it. You have it in you, whether you believe you do or not. You will prove it to everyone- especially yourself- when the time comes. Trust me, you will,” he assures me, cupping my face in his smooth hands and putting his forehead gently on mine. “You will
. I trust that you can lead us all to victory.” He then steps back as the alarm sounds once more. “However, for now you must go back to your own people. Farewell, Crystal Dragon… our Savior. Until next time,” he winks before lowering the Trident to point at me. “Transport,” he instructs it. My eyes cling desperately onto his as they become the last thing I see. Finally, they too disappear.

  <<>>

  Patrick rages and storms through his castle, leaving a wake of trembling followers and broken objects in his wake. He rants to himself as his long strides hurdle him down the hallways. “That miserable boy… what an imbecile! Can’t even tell the two journals apart… even as the girl started to read it! Hunter must prevent her from reading too much, or else his cover could be blown! Worse, she would never voluntarily return to me... and Zilferia would regain the hope she’s been attempting to re-instill! I would lose this war! And that is not an option!” He suddenly stops in front of a door. “I will fix this,” he mutters as he bends down, removing a key from a tiny hole in the wall beside the door. “Dravyn need never know about this. I can certainly fix everything before Dexter comes to check up on me…” He unlocks the door with a quick flick of his wrist. Withdrawing the key, he turns and tosses it to the Dragon Hunter Guard behind him before turning and entering the room.

  He quickly heads to the bookshelves where Hunter was supposed to ‘find’ his fake journal. He withdraws the thin book, his hand shaking. He was right. Crystal had his actual journal. He breathes out angrily. The boy could have ruined everything. Perhaps it was time to replace him as his right-hand man. Bryce would do nicely, working hand-in-hand with Zarafa. He had already proven that he could get along with her, and that was more than could be said of most of his men. Plus, he already had his insignia. All that remains is to tell him of his decision to reinstate him.

  He whirls back to the door, fake journal in hand. Time to fix this mess.

  <<>>

  I blink as my parents’ castle swims into view before me and stumble a little as I’m released from the spell. Clutching the mermaid scale to my chest, I walk up to the door and knock. Three, then eight, and finally, one knock to tell those inside that I am not a Dragon Hunter. The door is hurriedly unlocked, and the next thing I know, I’m enveloped in a bear hug from Alexander. He lifts me into the air and Pearl closes the door behind me.

  “Um, hi, dad,” I wheeze into his chest. He sets me down, then kneels in front of me.

  “Oh, what are we going to do with you?” he sighs, smiling.

  “What he means is, we’re glad you’re back and that you’re safe,” Pearl laughs, coming up to hug me as well.

  “I went to see the mermaids…” I start.

  “We know,” Alexander sighs as Thaddeus and Nora come up behind him.

  I rush on before he can stop me or lecture me. “I returned their Trident, and they agreed to help us in the war,” I inform them, holding out the scale for them to see. “He said that we can contact each other with this.”

  Alexander takes it carefully in his large hands. “This is Kaifeng’s scale,” he murmurs. “How did you get it?”

  “…He gave it to me,” I say, taking the scale back.

  Nora lands on Pearl’s shoulder and cocks her head at me. “So what exactly happened down there? …Did your plan work?”

  “No… I’ll tell you about it in a minute,” I respond as the cook, Matilda, hurries up.

  “Oh, you poor thing!” she gushes. “You must be exhausted! To bed with you!” she orders, shooing me out of the room. “I shall bring you dinner. You just stay in bed and recover from your escapades! …Oh,” she gasps, turning to Pearl. “I’m sorry, your majesty… she can do anything you desire, of course… I- I didn’t mean…”

  Pearl smiles kindly at the cook. “It’s fine, Matilda, I was about to have her do the same thing.” She turns to me. “Do as she says, dear. We’ll talk later. Oh, and don’t think about running off again,” she adds as she walks away. “I’m going to have a guard- who isn’t Chet- stay by your door. …Possibly even two of them.”

  “What?!” I gasp in outrage. “So you’re just going to lock me in my room? Keep me prisoner?”

  “No, it’s for your own safety,” Alexander reassures, looking sad. “We can’t have you continuing to risk your life so recklessly.” He then turns and follows my mother as she walks away from me without a backward glance. Seething, I turn to head back to my room with Nora following me. I may be kept here for a while, but during that time I can at least do something productive.

  I can read Patrick’s journal.

  <<>>

  Hunter wakes on the floor by the mirror. Groaning, he hauls himself to his feet. Just as he’s about to get back into bed, there’s a sound from the mirror behind him. Turning, he sees Patrick standing there once more. “Hunter,” he quickly says. “I have the fake journal, and I’m sending it to you as we speak.” There’s a sound outside of Hunter’s door. He quickly turns back to Patrick.

  “Don’t send it right here. Someone’s about to come in. Send it… just send it later. I’ll contact you. Now go! Hurry!”

  “Very well. I shall be waiting,” he says as his image fades away, just as the door to Hunter’s room opens.

  “Chet, darling, what are you doing out of bed?!” A worried Queen inquires as she hustles into the room and leads him back to the bed. “You aren’t strong enough to be out and about yet.”

  Hunter contains an irritated sigh as she tucks him back under the covers. “But what about Crystal?”

  “Oh, she’s fine, dear,” she assures with a smile. “She came back about an hour ago.”

  “But what if she tries to leave again?”

  “She won’t… I’m having her room guarded.” She sighs. “It’s for the best, I’m afraid.”

  “Oh, yes, I do agree with you,” he says as she places another pillow behind his head. “She is acting kind of outrageously lately. It’s best to keep her contained. Who knows when the Dragon Hunters will strike, after all,” he says. Thank Dravyn, she’s finally being contained… now hopefully she won’t be doing so much damage to our operations. …Regardless, I should encourage Patrick to speed up the rate of destruction among the Dragons… even if that means marching straight into their stronghold. I do know where it is now, anyway. Besides, I control a large chunk of what’s left of the dragons. With that kind of force, we should be able to finish off the rest that are not being controlled… and from there, we shall easily destroy the Sohos.

  The Queen frowns, looking quite saddened. “Yes, I’m afraid so… I absolutely cannot have my daughter wandering around- let alone without any protection! She’ll see that I’m right soon enough…” she stands slowly. “Just ring this bell here if you need anything,” she offers, gesturing to the small copper bell on the bedside table.

  “Alright. Thank you… Pearl,” he says. She smiles sadly at him as she leaves. As soon as she does, he jumps out of the bed and returns to the mirror. “Llacym deehkc irtap,” he mutters.

  “Ah, good. I was beginning to worry,” A flustered Patrick says as soon as he swirls into focus in the mirror. “Now then, I’m sending the journal over.”

  “Just put it on the bed or something,” Hunter groans.

  “What’s your problem?” Patrick asks. “I’ve never seen you this down before.”

  “It’s nothing. …Well, it’s everything. And on top of it all, Crystal is locked in her room.”

  “Oh dear… she’s not…”

  “She probably is,” he sighs.

  “Curse that child!” Patrick rants, clenching the book in his hands until his knuckles turn white. “Hunter, you must switch this, as soon as you can! There’s no time to waste!”

  “What do I do with the other journal?” Hunter asks as Patrick narrows his eyes at the book in his hands.

  “Just place it where you retrieve this one,” he says as it disappears from his hands. “Then contact me and tell me that it’s ready and I will ta
ke it back.”

  “Yes sir,” He says, backing away from the mirror and quickly walking over to the bed. He picks up the journal. It’s thinner than the real one, but is similar enough that Crystal will hopefully not notice he switched them out. He stuffs the small book into his back pocket and walks cautiously to the door. He quietly opens it and peers out. No one is in sight. He quickly ascends the stairs to Crystal’s section of the palace and comes face-to-face with Susan Parker and Reed Agee. He barely contains a groan. Of course it had to be these two guarding Crystal.

  “Can I… talk to Crystal, please?” he asks politely.

  “No,” Susan tartly replies, looking bored.

  Reed sighs. “Sorry Chet, but the Princess isn’t being allowed many visitors at the moment.”

  Well, this is frustrating. “Yes, the Queen told me about her… quarantine… and I think I can help.”

  “Oh? Can you? What makes you think you can prevent her headstrong ways? It’s not that easy, you know,” Susan murmurs, leaning in close to him.

  “Susan…”

  “Back off,” she shoots back before Reed can continue. “Let me interrogate the boy.” He sighs and relents. “Now then… where were we?” she murmurs.

  “I was about to tell you how I can help Crystal’s urge to continually place herself in danger,” Hunter calmly replies while simultaneously blocking her mental ray from entering into places he didn’t want it to go. He lets her see Crystal’s seeming infatuation with him, but not much else.

  After a few seconds, she leans back. “Very well. Just know that I will have to report this to the Queen,” she warns.

  “Of course,” he says, turning the handle of the door and entering Crystal’s large bedroom. She’s lying on her stomach on her plush bed, surrounded by pillows as she reads the book in front of her. Her head darts up when he enters, and something strange seems to pass over her. But as fast as it came, it’s gone.

  “Chet!” she cries, racing over to embrace him. “I heard what happened to you.”