Dare to Believe: Teen & Young Adult Epic Fantasy Bundle (Series Bundle Andy Smithson Bk 4, 5 & 6): Dragons, Serpents, Unicorns, Pegasus, Pixies, Trolls, Dwarfs, Knights and More!

by L. R. W. Lee

  The thought of how close they had come to losing Yara made the group fall silent. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for her country’s good awed them and cast a trance across the group.

  Yawns erupted before long, announcing the conclusion of the gathering. Silence reigned as everyone reached for their bedrolls. With Aray having proven the ring’s protection, Captain Baldric decided to dispense with the watch for one night as a gift to his men. But it meant they were now one bedroll short. Fides compensated, producing two bedrolls, one for himself and the other for Andy.

  “Thanks!” As Andy sat down on his blanket, Fides leaned over and whispered, “New phoenix feathers hold the most power.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “For your quest. You want a feather from the phoenix just after she is reborn. That one in your holster is old and devoid of the strength you will need for the task set before you. Wait for her to offer you one.”

  Andy’s jaw dropped.

  The keeper gave a quick wink, then lay down, drew up a blanket, and closed his eyes.

  Despite his weariness, Andy’s brain kept sleep at bay for some time.

  Bright sunshine streaming through the clear walls of their hideaway woke Andy the next morning. He brushed sleep from his eyes and sat up. Everyone but he and Yara gathered around the fire eating a breakfast of bread, cheese, and fresh fruit.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Hans greeted.

  Hooh-hrooo. Hooh-hrooo.

  “Good morning to you too, Calum,” Andy answered in a monotone.

  He staggered over and plopped down between the healer and Alden. Hannah handed Andy a chunk of warm bread, and he inhaled the tantalizing aroma before taking a huge bite. Ohhh...that’s so good! The smell combined with the nourishment brought Andy fully awake and he joked, “Your mom’s got stiff competition, Alden.”

  A shadow passed by the window in his periphery, and he turned to see Aray shuttle a hefty branch to a tall pile of brush. She carefully wove the addition into the rounded structure.

  “She’s been at it since I woke,” Captain Baldric informed.

  “Judging by the size of that stack, she’s been working all night,” Fulk added. The pile of wood came to at least four feet high and looked to measure double that in width.

  “That’s amazing!” Yara interjected, finger-combing her hair as she joined them.

  “Have some breakfast, princess,” Fides invited. “I dare say it won’t be long now.” His comment hushed all conversations.

  Hannah shared glances with Andy and Alden but said nothing.

  “This is a good thing. She will emerge strong and new in three days. We should celebrate,” the keeper added.

  Hannah refused to look at Yara, and Andy raised an eyebrow, noting the slight.

  Turning his attention back to breakfast, he devoured a block of cheese and a good number of moonberries. Andy had just popped the last bite of bread into his mouth when the ground began to rumble.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Marionettes

  “What’s happening?” Hannah cried, clutching her seat.

  Jagged white streams of light shot toward five of the lintels.

  “Look!” Alden pointed to a dark figure standing near one of the giant stone columns, arms extended.

  “The dark wizard!” Fides exclaimed.

  Andy bounded toward the clear wall for a better look. “We’ve got to stop him before he destroys the ring again.”

  The sky grew dark as the company bolted from the security of their hideaway. A clap of thunder cracked and wind began to swirl, hurling dead grass and stray objects at them. The heaving ground made Andy feel like he was in a bounce house.

  Andy drew an arm up to shield his eyes. The phoenix was no longer constructing her masterpiece. Only her head with its long slender beak was visible above the edge of her fortress.

  A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky followed immediately by a pair of thunderclaps directly above. The grating sounds of shifting lintels accompanied two more streaks of lightning. Energy lit up the dim sky and a peal of thunder barked. Sergeant Fulk charged headlong toward the dark wizard with outstretched sword. The rest of the company stumbled after him as the ground continued seizing.

  Two jagged streams of light flew low over Andy’s head, distracting him. He looked back through squinted eyes and saw Fides had stopped running and now directed energy toward the dark figure.

  Fides’s bolts struck the wizard and it let loose a shrill, ear-splitting squeal. Everyone stopped and covered their ears. The villain returned a volley and the company found themselves caught in the crossfire.

  “Crawl!” Captain Baldric shouted, heading toward a stone sentry.

  Another thunder peal roared overhead and lightning danced across the sky as the group retreated toward safety. Crawling in a dress proved impossible, so Yara sprang up, hoisted her skirt, and ran. She barely avoided zaps from two streaks of white light before finally plunging behind a stone column. The rest of the company piled into her in their haste. A duet of lightning and thunder protested the company’s safe retreat.

  Fides and the dark wizard locked in combat and lit up the ring as if it were midday. Andy peered out and gasped as he saw the red dragon emerge from behind the dark wizard. Abaddon, hunched over, fought to remain upright as he navigated the undulating ground. Six of his seven heads sagged as he dragged his wings and tail, adding eerie scraping sounds to the cacophony of discordant notes.

  What is that? Melodic notes rose above the din, and Hannah’s mouth gaped as she stared wide-eyed at the phoenix’s nest. Andy followed her gaze.

  Aray held her head back and opened her beak wide to the skies as she sang slow, ponderous notes.

  It sounds like death. A shiver scurried up his spine.

  Scrape. Scrape. Scratch. Scrape. Abaddon’s form continued its slow march toward the bird. When the dragon got within ten yards, three sharp cracks of lightning snapped the sky above, followed by a chorus of claps.

  The two wizards seemed oblivious to the tumult. The conjoined arc of their powers swayed and pivoted near the ground, making movement about the area perilous at best and deadly at worst. Fides’s face strained with the effort.

  If Abaddon gets phoenix tears…

  “Andy, don’t do something rash,” his inneru prompted.

  Throwing caution to the wind, he bolted from safety.

  “Andy!” Captain Baldric and Sergeant Terric cried, grabbing for him but missing. As he dashed into the fray, Andy overheard the captain bellow, “Alden!”

  The arc of energy pitched violently and Fides shouted, “Nooo!”

  Andy longed to stop and see what was happening. No. Stay focused. I’m the only one who can intercept Abaddon!

  Methuselah led him along a zigzag path that narrowly escaped the wizards’ game of jump rope. A bolt of lightning cascaded from the sky and struck the ground two feet ahead of him. He sidestepped and continued forward, closing on the dragon, which was now just three feet from the woodpile.

  Where to strike… Andy quickly scanned the myriad of scales. He decided a direct hit to the bandage around one of the beast’s lethargic heads would produce the desired result and raised his blade. Abaddon turned one of his heads toward Andy and held up a hand.

  An eerie piercing wail tore through the ring. What was THAT? The thought scurried through Andy’s brain just before an explosion rocked the woodpile, catapulting him backward. He landed hard on his back, still clutching his sword. The dragon, being heavier, did not falter. Rather, it held its ground at the edge of what was now an inferno.

  “Aray!” Andy shouted.

  Abaddon smiled, turned, and stepped forward. His body danced like heat rising off a hot sidewalk, then his wings disappeared, and finally his tail slithered into the blaze.

  Flames licked at Andy, sending him scuttling backward. A final melodic note rang out from inside the blaze, then everything went quiet: the ground stopped trembling, the swirling wind died, the thunder and
lightning ceased, and the sky regained its morning hue.

  “Aray…” Andy whispered.

  Had the fire no longer burned, he would have thought this was all just a bad dream. But flames licked and crackled.

  What just happened? Abaddon wasn’t after phoenix tears? Then what?

  Andy stared at the now knee-high woodpile.

  “Are you okay, Andy?” Alden questioned, stopping abruptly next to his friend. Yara and Hannah arrived seconds later, bookending the boys.

  Andy retracted his blade and holstered it before replying, “I’m fine.”

  Maniacal laughter sounded from behind them, and the four whirled around to see the dark wizard dusting off his sleeves as he stood. A white-robed form lay unmoving halfway between. Evil raised its arms once more, and a bolt of jagged white light shot from each of its fingers, clawing at the lintels.

  Andy drew Methuselah and dashed toward the adversary. From the corner of his eye he saw several zolt stream onto the field. The officers rallied from behind the stone columns to meet the enemy.

  The dark wizard diverted a bolt at Andy. He instinctively brought Methuselah’s blade up and directed the pulse toward the ground, infuriating the mage. It loosed its grasp from three of the listing lintels and redirected the energy no more than a foot over Andy’s head, causing him to duck.

  Shrieks and howls erupted behind him and he pivoted. His friends lay scattered like toys after an angry child’s tantrum. Alden convulsed as a beam assaulted his chest. Hannah shook violently and yelped as another ray bit at her leg like a frenzied dog. Yara writhed, howling as a bolt zapped her shoulder.

  “Stop!” Andy demanded. The officers continued the fight across the field as he rushed back for his friends. Reaching Alden’s side, he intercepted the wizard’s beam and Alden’s body ceased its jerky movements. He grabbed one of Alden’s feet as the girls continued to yelp and howl. Fumbling to keep his blade upright, he dragged Alden two yards to where Hannah thrashed. Once out of the bite of the beams, they both lay quietly.

  Andy wiped away beads of sweat from his lip, trying to convince himself they were from exertion and not fear. How to get Yara. He knew the instant he left the pair to retrieve her, his friends would again feel the wrath of the dark wizard’s energy, but there seemed to be no other solution.

  Scratch. Scraaaape. The foreboding sounds coaxed Andy’s gaze upward in time to see three crossbeams begin to teeter. They begged for intercession, but Andy refused.

  He raced to where the princess flopped about and found her staring blankly with her mouth stretched in a silent scream. Andy deflected the bolt, stilling her form, and the features he found so captivating relaxed. For a moment he stopped and appreciated.

  “No time, Andy!” his inneru shouted.

  He grabbed an arm and dragged her to where the others were again shaking like marionettes in the hands of a cruel puppeteer.

  Scratch. Scrape. Silence.

  Andy glanced over to see two of the lintels dive from their pedestals, as if announcing their assessment that his priorities were skewed. The ground shook as the columns collapsed, and the dark wizard belted out another chilling laugh. The officers continued fighting not far from the impact zone.

  On its own, each bolt of energy did not require significant effort to deflect, but concentrated, the three cords pressed hard on Methuselah and made Andy’s arm shake. Adding his other hand, he steadied his blade, then surveyed his friends. No one moved.

  Scrape. Scrape. The wizard had directed his energy toward enticing three more lintels to leap.

  “Andy?” Dad’s voice in his head drew out the syllables.

  Ping-ponging his head between his friends and the mage, Andy nodded in determination then took off running toward the agitator. Within seconds the cords that had impaled his friends morphed into a rope that whipped about, a serpent readying a strike. As Andy neared Fides’s still form, the snake struck, launching the keeper ten feet into the air.

  “No!”

  The dark wizard greeted Andy’s protest with more laughter as Fides’s body thudded to the ground. The serpent of energy picked up its toy again and repeated the gesture.

  Andy gritted his teeth as he charged past.

  Seemingly disappointed that Andy refused to watch him play, the conjurer whipped the energy snake around and bit Andy’s leg.

  “Youch!” A wail escaped, and Andy took several run-hops before working through the pain. He was ten yards from his objective, however, when a black cat-man bolted from behind the wizard.

  Mwahaha.

  “Crap!”

  Andy whirled around and headed toward the three precariously perched crossbeams. Running proved difficult while keeping Methuselah between himself and the energy cord, and Andy barely managed. The bellicose bounded after him, preparing to pounce.

  Scrape…

  Andy skidded to a stop at the base of a stone column and pivoted to face his nemesis. The mage’s angry beam proved useful as Andy deflected it toward the cat-man, delaying its assault. But the bellicose was quick and nimbly avoided it.

  Andy backed between the columns, using their bulk to shield him from the wizard’s energy. He assumed a ready position and his pursuer did likewise.

  Scratch…

  Come on! Fall, would ya?

  The cat-man lunged and Andy sidestepped, but the evasive maneuver took him from between the stone sentries and the energy beam stung him once more.

  Scrape…

  Biting back the pain, he thrust Methuselah up to block the dark wizard’s energy, then snuck a glance upward. The lintels teetered, daring gravity to have its way with them, so he again backed between the stone blocks and forced them to take the punishment the evil sorcerer exacted. The move forced the bellicose from between the stone columns.

  Scratch. Scrape. Silence.

  Seconds later, Andy felt a thud as the ground hugged its stone prizes and his nemesis disappeared.

  “You show much spirit, my plaything,” a maniacal voice echoed.

  Andy peeked out from safety and saw the officers continue cutting down zolt. The dark wizard launched Alden, Hannah, and Yara into the air.

  “Oh. No. You. Don’t!” Andy took off running for the mage. Brilliant bolts of energy instantly connected with his blade, stymieing his progress. His enemy now abandoned its quest to topple more crossbeams or toy further with his friends and directed the whole of its power against him.

  “Uuhhh,” Andy grunted. He pressed forward, taking one labored step after another, as if slogging through quicksand. His arms shook with the effort.

  I. Must. Win. The words circled through his brain, strengthening his resolve as he drew nearer.

  Coming to within five feet of his adversary, Andy planted himself. A thread of energy leapt from the cord and found the back of Andy’s leg once more. He winced and bit down on his lip, but quickly refocused. Andy tried a fake to his right, but an energy tongue licked his other leg. He yipped, hopping. He attempted another fake, this time to his left, with the same result. Fury bore fruit and Andy’s surroundings slowed.

  Brilliant, slow-moving threads of energy glided from the dark wizard in graceful arcs. Andy ducked a tentacle that wafted toward him as he bounded forward. Another appendage nearly kissed his arm as he drew Methuselah back, but the blade quickly dispensed with the threat. He jumped, barely missing arms of energy that attempted to snag his foot. The wizard took a step back, but Andy matched. The mage’s chest loomed within reach and Andy thrust his sword, plunging it into his heart. The blade met no resistance as he slashed downward.

  The wizard fell backward in slow motion but called nature to his defense as he did. Angry thunderclaps hurtled sympathetic lightning at Andy. In his warp state, he easily sidestepped the attack, but dark forces refused to be bested and split the ground beneath his feet.

  Andy jumped to solid footing, but the ground split again in a fast-paced game of hopscotch. A whirlwind formed and quickly descended on the body of his adversary. Andy ho
pped and barely found a foothold as it shredded the corpse and scattered the fragments like dandelion seeds.

  Gross! He ducked to avoid contact.

  A final crack sounded as the last vestige of his enemy took flight and the ground abandoned its game. The warm, late-morning sun celebrated the victory as Andy’s world slowed. A white silhouette bleached the ground, marking where his adversary had fallen. He exhaled.

  Thud. Scratch. Scrape. Thud. Scratch. Scrape.

  Andy ducked even as he glanced up to see the two fallen lintels soar back onto their platforms. The ring’s repairing itself!

  “Ohh!” A chorus echoed across the plain as company members paused to marvel and catch their breath amidst a sea of zolt carcasses. Andy hobbled toward where Hannah, Yara, and Alden lay.

  Please be okay. Please be okay.

  As he reached the trio, Alden stretched, then sat up. Hannah yawned and did likewise.

  “I feel like I just woke from a wonderful dream,” Yara said, rubbing her eyes.

  “What?” Andy questioned.

  “Yeah, I haven’t felt this rested in…I can’t remember when,” the princess confirmed.

  “Me too,” Alden added. He stood, then helped Hannah up.

  “Really?”

  The three nodded.

  “Do you have any idea what just happened?”

  Alden glanced between the girls and furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

  Hannah bit her lip and Yara frowned.

  Andy shifted and realized the backs of his legs no longer hurt. “Wow! I think the ring healed my legs.”

  Andy saw Hans emerge from between stone sentries. Hooh-hrooo. Hooh-hrooo, Calum cooed from atop his shoulder. As soon as the healer reached the group, the bird started bouncing.

  “Whoa, Calum, you’ll fall off,” Alden laughed, reaching for his charge. Alden stroked the dove, holding it close.

  “Hey, see if his wing is healed,” Andy encouraged.

  Alden set the bird on the ground and carefully removed the bandages.

  Hooh-hrooo. Hooh-hrooo, Calum chirped, then extended both wings and flapped them briskly, testing their reliability. Seconds later he took flight.