The Andy Smithson Series: Books 1, 2, and 3 (Young Adult Epic Fantasy Bundle) (Andy Smithson Series Boxset): Dragons, Serpents, Unicorns, Pegasus, Pixies, Trolls, Dwarfs, Knights and More!

by L. EE

  “Ouch!”

  Gloating laughter erupted from the rotating sphere as it morphed into the translucent form of Imogenia. Across the campsite everyone heard her taunt, “Foolish, greedy boy! You didn’t really think you could save your mom, did you? Your love for her is your weakness! You surrendered the horn and now the curse can’t be broken.” More laughter followed.

  “What have I done?” Andy exclaimed, disbelieving.

  “Imogenia!” another voice boomed. “What you have done is despicable and not worthy of my daughter. Preying on the love my grandson holds for his mother and exploiting it for your own gain? Revenge has changed you from the caring, loving girl I knew into something lowly and sordid.”

  Everyone in the clearing stood and looked up, their eyes catching sight of two ghostly forms. The King rushed to Andy’s side and hugged him. The officers circled the two of them protectively, weapons drawn. Alden and Hannah darted for the edges of the campsite amid hushed exclamations while Mermin just stood and watched, unmoved by the chaos.

  “Yes, I was a caring, loving girl,” Imogenia continued, “before Kaysan killed me!”

  “And he has been punished sufficiently. Imogenia, my sweet girl, your actions are beneath you. I think you know that.”

  Imogenia didn’t respond.

  “I love you,” the man’s voice continued.

  “If you loved me, you wouldn’t try to break the curse!” Imogenia resisted.

  “Revenge is killing you inside, Imogenia. I worried about this possibility when I first consented to allowing the curse, do you remember? The curse needs to be broken out of love—not only for my former subjects, but for you.”

  Silence reigned across the clearing for several seconds until Imogenia replied, “I can’t, Father,” and disappeared. The second ghost vanished as well.

  “What am I gonna do?” Andy thought aloud, rubbing his wounded hand.

  I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m going after that bird-man, Daisy communicated to Andy’s thoughts. He nodded vacantly as she stalked to an open area of the camp and extended her wings, taking off in the direction the zolt had disappeared.

  Hannah and Alden rejoined the others, and Hannah offered, “For what it’s worth, I think Imogenia’s father made her think even though she’s not quite ready to listen, but it’s a start.”

  “How could I not know?” Andy questioned.

  “Son, your actions came from love. Don’t regret what you did.”

  “But how could I not know it was Imogenia deceiving me the whole time?”

  “Sometimes love blinds us. What we love has power over us and can be exploited by others, but I would rather risk that and know love than know loneliness without love.”

  “But I don’t want my mom to die if I break the curse, just like I don’t want you and Mermin to die.”

  “I understand, Son. There have been times in my life I wanted something so badly, I chose to ignore reason.”

  “So you’re saying I wanted to believe I could save my mom so badly that I believed even what didn’t make sense?”

  “Think about it, Andy. Why would your mother appear to you alone in the form of a rotating sphere?” Father queried.

  “But it sounded like her.”

  “Yes, but why wouldn’t she appear to everyone? And why a sphere?”

  “I don’t know. I never thought about it.”

  “Exactly. Because you wanted to believe, out of love.”

  “But what are we going to do? If Daisy can’t track the bird-guy down and get the unicorn horn back, we can’t break the curse.”

  “Let’s see what happens before we worry about that,” the King suggested.

  “Dwagons have a keen sense of smell,” Mermin interrupted. “She’ll pwobably twack the smelly fowl and make quick work of it.”

  “I hope you’re right, Mermin.” Andy sighed.

  An hour had passed since Daisy’s departure, and everyone sat quietly in the clearing. Only the rhythm of birdsong, the occasional croaking of frogs, and the buzzing of bees disturbed the stillness. This peace contrasted dramatically with the tumult in Andy’s head. No matter what Father says, if we can’t break the curse because of what I did, I’ll never forgive myself! Stupid! Stupid!

  “Are you through beating yourself up?”

  Huh?

  “It’s me. Or have you forgotten?” Andy’s inneru intruded.

  Oh.

  “I chose to keep quiet and let you make your own choices since you didn’t appreciate my interfering earlier. I thought a bit of learning would be good for you.”

  I guess I didn’t do a very good job, did I?

  “Honestly? No, you made a royal mess of things. Part of growing up is learning to take the advice of your inneru. What you put me through—ignoring me, talking back, disrespecting me.” It paused, seemingly working to calm itself. A minute later it resumed, “Well, enough about me, this is about you. I’m not here to hurt you. Do you believe that, Andy?”

  I’ve never thought about it, but yeah, I guess so.

  “My job is to help you live the best life you can. I’m not second-guessing you or out to ruin your fun. When you are king one day, you won’t always know what to do. You’ll need to follow me. Your father consults his inneru all the time.”

  He does? How do you know?

  “Learn to trust me!”

  Andy laughed.

  Hannah, who sat between him and Alden, looked over wearing a quizzical look.

  “I promise I won’t steer you wrong,” his inneru continued. “Deal?”

  Deal. Andy smiled to himself.

  “What’s up?” Hannah asked, drawing Alden’s curiosity.

  “Nothing, just talking to…myself.”

  Father approached. “Any word from Daisy?”

  “She hasn’t said anything to me,” Andy replied. “Let me see if I can contact her.”

  Daisy?

  Can’t talk now! the dragon replied to Andy’s thoughts.

  Andy’s eyes grew large.

  “What’s wrong?” Alden asked as everyone gathered around.

  “She said she can’t talk right now. The way she said it worries me, though. It sounds as if she’s under attack.”

  “She’s much bigger than the bird-guy. She shouldn’t have any problems subduing it,” reasoned Captain Ladilas.

  “I know. That’s what worries me. She didn’t sound like she had things under control.” Andy’s mind started inventing all manner of horrifying possibilities.

  “Remain calm,” his inneru suggested. “You don’t have the facts.”

  Andy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. But I don’t want anything bad to happen to her!

  “Worrying isn’t going to change things,” his inneru suggested.

  Mom has said that before.

  “Yes,” his inneru agreed.

  “What should we do?” Andy asked the group.

  “Sitting around isn’t accomplishing anything,” Captain Ladilas commented. “That dragon of yours has a serious sense of smell. She’ll find us even if we’re moving. I suggest we get going.”

  Everyone but Andy agreed, and the consensus finally won him over.

  They had just started out when Andy heard a familiar voice in his head. Uh, Andy, I need a little help.

  “Stop! Daisy’s talking to me!” Andy reported, causing everyone to halt. They all watched him as he conversed with the dragon, looking for the slightest clue to tell them what was happening.

  What’s wrong?

  I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

  Give me the bad news first.

  I’ve been captured.

  Captured? How is that possible?

  I’m not sure, but I’m under a chain mail net. They’ve done something to the metal. It feels heavy and oppressive, to my very bones. I’ve never felt weak like this before. I can’t escape.

  Where are you?

  I’m halfway between you and Mount Hope, just outside the F
orest of Giants.

  We’ll rescue you, Daisy! Just sit tight. Oh, sorry. Bad choice of words.

  If anything happens to Daisy because of me…

  Before he could finish berating himself, Daisy interrupted again. Would you like to hear the good news?

  Oh, yeah. What’s the good news?

  I got the unicorn horn back.

  You did? Oh, Daisy! You’re the best.

  I’m holding on to it, but I don’t know how long I can last. These vulture-guys will grab it back if— Hold on, there’s a giant coming.

  Andy didn’t wait for Daisy to finish. He’d heard enough. “Daisy’s been captured! We have to save her!”

  As he filled everyone in on his conversation, Mermin scratched his head thoughtfully. “Sounds like the net might be steeped in dark magic,” he speculated. “That’s the only thing that could subdue a dwagon.”

  “Dark magic?” Father questioned.

  Mermin nodded, frowning.

  “What’s that mean? What’ll we do?” Andy insisted.

  “Only what is pure and light can bweak dark magic.”

  “Can’t Methuselah cut Daisy loose?”

  “Perhaps, but Methuselah has seen battle and shed blood. Yours is a blade of justice, Andy, not puwity. I suggest you ask the unicorns to join us. If it’s as I suspect, we won’t be able to wemove the net without them.”

  Jada! Naria! Andy, Alden, and Hannah called together in their minds.

  The trio expressed such urgency, the unicorns answered immediately.

  “What is it, children?” Naria questioned.

  After explaining the situation, the unicorns quickly agreed to meet them near where Daisy indicated.

  Even walking at a brisk pace the trip took nearly all day. Andy periodically called Daisy in his thoughts and his alarm grew, for each time it took her longer to reply and her responses grew increasingly labored.

  The sun cast long rays of foggy light before they neared the dragon late in the afternoon. They approached stealthily, moving invisibly between the thick trees at the edge of the Forest of Giants. Alden, who led alongside Andy, spotted her first and held his fist up, signaling everyone to stop.

  Daisy lay on the ground with a chain mail net completely covering her like a blanket. Two giants stood to one side watching while a dozen vulture-men circled her, periodically poking and prodding with spears. Andy and Alden nodded to each other, immediately recognizing the giants from an earlier encounter with their kin.

  Captain Ladilas and the two sergeants disappeared, quietly scouting the surrounding area.

  Daisy? We’re here, in the trees. How are you? Andy asked.

  Oh, I’ve been better, Daisy brightened. I think they’re going to lift the net near my claws and try to grab the horn soon. They’ve been waiting for the magic to wear me down so I can’t move anymore. I’m so tired, Andy.

  Hang on just a few minutes longer and we’ll get you out of there!

  We have arrived, Jada informed Andy, Alden, and Hannah. Just let us know when you’re ready for us. The trio scanned the surrounding area but didn’t see the unicorns.

  The captain and his soldiers reported back minutes later. “It appears they’ve used the giants to manage the net,” Captain Ladilas began. “It’s not clear whether they are working together or not. We didn’t see any other bird-men outside the camp, but you know how quickly that can change. Once we eliminate the zolt, we’ll deal with the giants based on how they react.”

  The group of eight raced from their hiding place, taking the bird-men by surprise. In moments, all twelve zolt were either knocked out or dead, depending upon the fight they’d put up.

  The giants stood idly by, watching but not reacting to the loss of the bird-folk. When the excitement ended, Captain Ladilas approached one. From a safe distance he asked, “Will you help us remove the net?”

  “Maybe. What’ll you give us if we help?” it replied.

  “What would you like?” The King stepped forward, ready to negotiate.

  “Some nice juicy dragon steaks.” The second giant grunted its hearty approval.

  The trio looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

  “No, we are rescuing our friend, not eating her,” the King declared.

  “Then I guess we’ll have to help ourselves,” the giant replied. “We were promised dragon steaks for our help. I’ve been looking forward to that all day. Not our fault the beast wouldn’t die quickly.”

  At this, the two giants stepped toward Daisy.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Captain Ladilas cautioned, taking a ready position. The King, Mermin, and the two sergeants followed suit, halting the brutes.

  “Come on,” Andy whispered to Hannah and Alden.

  The three strode to the dragon. “We’ll have you out in a minute,” Andy encouraged.

  I…hope…so, she struggled.

  Each of them grabbed a corner of the net. Expecting it to lift easily, they stopped short, unable to pry it from the ground.

  The giants began laughing. “They’ll never get it up, Zank!”

  “Yeah, I can smell the steaks already, Tank!” the other grunted daftly.

  “What’s going on?” Alden questioned.

  “It’s the magic,” Mermin surmised, continuing to hold the carnivores at bay.

  “Jada. Naria,” the children called.

  The two unicorns strode from the trees.

  “Well, I’ll be. Hey look, Tank!”

  “What happened to their horns, Zank? They look stupid without them.”

  The unicorns ignored the hecklers and set to work, each placing a front hoof on opposite sides of the net. They closed their eyes in concentration and the metal began to spark, causing the kids to back away. The net took on a reddish glow as it heated up. Naria and Jada placed their other front hooves on the netting and the sparks began to arc wildly. If this were a celebration, the display would have produced a festive mood. Hannah raced to stamp out several sparks that flew into the nearby grass. Alden and Andy followed suit.

  Daisy, how you doing?

  I’m hot, she replied groggily.

  The scene resembled popcorn popping before Daisy’s restraint vaporized.

  The two giants stared blankly at the spectacle, then started forward again, clearly intent on capturing their dinner before it escaped.

  The officers slashed at the giants’ hairy legs, sending them dancing an off-balance jig and crashing to the ground.

  The dragon began to rouse and within a minute sat up. Wow, thank you for rescuing me! I’ve never felt anything like it. I felt completely weak, drained of all energy. I began to wonder if I’d ever be free.

  Jada and Naria approached, their heads hung low. We’ve not seen dark magic like this before. You saw how the net sparked when we touched it?

  The trio nodded.

  “It weighed a ton!” Alden exclaimed.

  You felt the weight of evil burned deep into the metal, Naria explained.

  It sparked violently because purity repels evil. The two cannot coexist, Jada continued.

  Realization dawned on Andy, and he voiced his thoughts. “This is what it means to fight evil, to fight Abaddon.” He felt sick. How are we ever going to defeat him?

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Saltito

  It took Daisy several minutes to regain her ability to stand and walk. All the while, Alden and Hannah kept watch over her, speaking words of encouragement. Her first wobbly steps she fell over, taking Sergeant Albin with her. She finally stabilized herself with her wings, much like a tightrope walker with a pole, and made it to Andy. She raised a clawed foot, drew Andy’s hand from his side, and handed him the unicorn horn she had so faithfully guarded.

  Daisy! Thank you so much! It cost you a lot.

  It means much to you. I was happy to do it.

  Andy could only nod in reply.

  Hannah and Alden joined Andy and Daisy as Jada and Naria approached.

  The she-unicorn announced,
“It looks like our job here is done. We will take our leave, but our offer still stands. Should you need us, please call.”

  “Thank you so much, both of you,” Hannah replied, stroking Naria’s neck then giving her a hug.

  “Yeah, thank you,” Alden replied. “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

  “Evil is not an adversary to be overthrown on your own. It will take the combined efforts, and sacrifice, of many before peace and justice reign once more,” Jada advised.

  Andy took several rapid breaths, wishing the looming situation could be behind them.

  An hour later, in the growing darkness, a rustling through the trees sparked shouts from the three soldiers, who still held off Tank and Zank’s pursuit of Daisy. Four more giants appeared.

  I think that’s my cue, Daisy interjected, before they try for dragon steaks one more time. Call me if you need me.

  Count on it! Andy replied as she launched.

  “Clear the area!” Captain Ladilas shouted.

  Everyone scurried about the clearing, grabbing possessions. It reminded Andy of cockroaches scattering when someone turns on the lights. The giants, about as sharp as marbles, stood by and watched, unsure what to do.

  Andy held Methuselah up, lighting the way through the foggy darkness. The eight had agreed it would be safer if they ate as they walked, and so Andy munched on crusty bread and cheese as he walked next to his father.

  “You’re rather quiet,” Father assessed between bites.

  Andy’s eyes met the King’s before he replied, “I was thinking about the golden goose delivering the clue and the moral to not be greedy.”

  “Go on,” Father encouraged.

  “And I thought about what King Nithi told us about the Whitehearted Potentate being willing to wipe out all the greedy dwarfs because he was convinced those who loved jewels weren’t truly free.”

  Father nodded. “And?”

  “While I think that guy overdid it, he may have had a point. I think you’re not truly free if you’re greedy toward anything.”

  “I see,” the King replied.

  “I was also thinking about what Jada said.”

  “Which was?”

  “He said a king has to make difficult choices between his personal desires and the welfare of his subjects. He also said every action we take in life is a choice between competing options and reveals what we most value.”