Bea and Reggie, whose proper names are Bellatrix and Rigel, are an older, married dragon couple who live nearby. Unlike most mated dragons, these two choose to live near each other, which makes Reggie somewhat of an outcast in the male dragon community. Their male friends also struggle to understand Reggie’s preference to fish rather than garden.
The couple spends their winters in the archipelago, which was once Florida because Reggie loves the fishing, and Bea despises cold weather. They had returned home as the Lachian army was setting up camp and preparing for battle. Neither of them like their Septumcolan neighbors, so they eagerly offered to assist in the fight after Saiph explained all the commotion in their back yards.
The girls thanked Reggie and Bea for the rescue, and Bea instructed them to hurry back to the training cave. But first, she suggested that everyone should clean up, rest, and nosh on something to eat before embarking on such a long journey. The others decided to leave as quickly as possible instead. Bea relented and offered to stay behind with Reggie to slow the unicorns as they would certainly follow them to the valley.
“Besides,” she added, “we haven’t even unpacked from Florida yet. Reggie insisted that we jump right into the fight without even dusting the sand out of our feathers. We’ll fly down to see you once our caves have been cleaned and set up. And you should come to visit us at any time. Don’t be strangers. You’re all family, you know!”
Nariana and Versera mounted Nari and Sera and clutched the two, final talismans in their arms. They were about to fly back to the training valley where their adventure had started nearly a year ago with two of the last pieces of the puzzle.
Chapter 29
Blame the Lettuce
April 17, Earth
I opened my eyes and stared at my bedroom ceiling. My depression was crushing. The Prophecy would not be fulfilled, Earth would continue to its imminent destruction, and it was all my fault. How could Staven’s mother have been so petty and selfish to destroy the Crown of Helios rather than to lose it? And, why couldn’t I have been just a little faster to prevent her?
I pulled my covers over my head and cried for a while. I reached out from under the blankets to get a tissue for my runny nose and froze. Someone else was in my room crying. I quickly sat up and saw my sister, Chloe, huddled in the doorway.
“What’s the matter, sis?” I asked as I waved her toward my bed.
Chloe leaped onto my bed and wrapped her arms around me. This behavior was completely unlike her, and now I was getting scared. What was going on?
Chloe sniffled and whimpered, “Something’s wrong, and I’m scared, Marius.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew she was right when I saw the time was after eight o’clock on a school day, and no one was screaming at us. The only noise I heard downstairs was the television and Dad swearing at his phone. Dad should have been at work, and Mom should have been chastising him for his foul language. Moreover, he rarely let us turn on the television in the morning unless there was a crisis.
I strained to hear the television. Then, I gasped when I heard the announcer say, “Again, everyone in the tri-state area is advised to stay in their houses until further notice. Please limit your telephone use so that channels are available for emergency responders. For those of you just joining us, there were over three thousand unexplained deaths in the Greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky areas last night. And the numbers are expected to rise. Medical experts are at a loss at what could cause so many people to die in their sleep and are racing to determine whether this is a contagious disease.”
I was suddenly dizzy, nauseous, and cold. I thought I was going to faint. No disease killed those people – they were casualties from a war from their dreams that they didn’t even know they were fighting! Larsa warned me that nearly everyone on Mearth is linked to someone here, but there was no way to know who they are. None of these people were conjoined, which meant that people die in both places, whether they know they are linked or not. Then I realized I hadn’t heard Mom at all. There should at least be the sound of clinking dishes coming from the kitchen.
“Mom!” I yelled as I raced downstairs in a panic. I nearly knocked Dad over in my rush to find her. She had to be all right. She couldn’t be one of the casualties. She just couldn’t.
Dad grabbed me and told us that Mom wasn’t home, but that she was all right. Something terrible had happened last night, and she had gone over to Uncle Tony and Aunt Liz’s house this morning. He saw me gulp and explained that Mom’s brother, Uncle Tony, had died in his sleep last night.
Chloe began wailing, and Dad picked her up to comfort her. I dropped into a kitchen chair and numbly stared at the television. They had a map up with black dots scattered all over it. Most deaths were centered around Cincinnati, with some as far north as Middletown and sporadic clusters throughout Kentucky. To my eyes, the groupings looked like a map of Septumcolis and a handful of Lachian towns. All those people had died here and on Mearth, and for what? My last memories from Mearth included seeing the Crown of Helios destroyed and the Lachian army about to be crushed. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I had failed everyone, and now our failure wasn’t theoretical. Real people had died.
I knew I had to talk to the others, but all I could get was an “All circuits are currently busy,” message from the phone. Dad said that he hadn’t been able to make a call all morning and that he couldn’t even send text messages. We felt completely isolated. None of us knew what to do other than to sit and watch the non-stop coverage of “Health Crisis in Cincinnati.”
Ten minutes later, we all nearly jumped out of our skins when the phone rang. Dad almost dropped it in his haste to answer. He was hoping that it was Mom reporting in, and a perplexed expression washed over his face as he handed it to me. It was Dr. Price with one question: “Do you know what is going on?”
I answered that I did, and she stopped me before I could say anything else. She was sending people to bring all the heroes to the hospital. I reminded her to bring Ms. Datta and Mr. Narwani and asked if Dad and Chloe could come along. Dr. Price agreed and added Malik and Ethan to her list. Tyler was already with her at the hospital. She instructed us to be ready to leave as soon as possible and to dress nicely. I didn’t get a chance to ask why before she hung up.
There was a loud bang on the door less than five minutes later with a terrified policeman nervously shifting from foot to foot outside when Dad opened the door. The officer told us to follow him to his cruiser, but Chloe still hadn’t come downstairs, and I hadn’t put on my shoes. The officer insisted that we needed to leave now in a panicked tone, which sounded like our house was on fire, and Dad ran upstairs. I slipped on my shoes but only got one tied before Dad returned carrying Chole, who was still in her pajamas. He dropped her clothes as he struggled to manage his thrashing daughter and told me to grab them and a pair of shoes for her.
We followed the policeman out to his car and slid into the back. Chloe calmed down a bit once we were inside, and the officer turned on the siren and sped off at high speed. None of us had ever been in a police car before and being crammed into a beat-up back seat and staring through a cage at a panicked policeman racing through the streets with a shotgun mounted next to him quieted us all down. Chloe grumbled and squirmed to change into her clothes, but I wasn’t able to tie my shoe. The ride was too bumpy, and we were far too cramped.
The officer escorted us to an expansive conference room on the top floor of the hospital. Nobody asked who we were or checked for IDs. They just pointed in the direction where we should go and stared at us as they tried to figure out who we were and why we were so important. Shon’s and Raquel’s families were already there, as were Tyler and Dr. Price, of course. Dr. Price thanked us for coming and asked whether we wanted something to eat or drink, but I didn’t think any of us could have eaten anything if we tried. She then told Dad that Mom had been contacted and was on her way.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone else was there, and a
stern-looking man briskly entered the room. He sighed when he saw all the families inside and instructed Dr. Price to arrange a place for them to wait. He wanted this to be a closed meeting. Well, Dad and the other parents were not about to let that happen, and the man finally relented. They compromised by moving our brothers and sisters to another room. Dr. Price assured everyone that they would be supervised with games, activities, and food, and the parents begrudgingly agreed. I think my sister was ready to be out of this stuffy room by then anyway. She was still pissed at Dad for bringing a mismatched outfit and at Mom for leaving this morning. She was grumpy, and the promise of donuts and hanging with other kids probably sounded better than sitting in a boring meeting.
We were instructed to move into the room next door, which looked like a courtroom. It had a row of tables with chairs behind them at one end and another row of tables with chairs on the other side facing them. Additional rows of chairs arranged like theater filled the rest of the room. A group of five, serious-looking people were sitting at the tables at the far end of the room. Dr. Price and the seven of us travelers were told to sit at the tables facing them. Everyone else was instructed to find places in the audience.
The stern-looking guy stood up, cleared his throat with a cough, and started the meeting.
“Good morning, everyone. My name is Doctor Lars Johannsen. I am the Chief Medical Officer for this facility, and I would like to thank all of you for coming on this most tragic morning for our city.”
He motioned to the woman on his left and added, “You probably recognize Governor Billington. She has traveled from Columbus to personally ensure that we quickly determine the cause of this tragedy and get this crisis under control. We are also joined by doctors Patil, Mills, and Livingstone from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. Doctor Patil is their Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases.”
Governor Billington stood and thanked Dr. Johannsen for the use of his facility. She smiled and assured everyone that this wasn’t a hearing, despite its appearances. No one here was in trouble or accused of anything, and the governor was extremely grateful for our assistance. She then bowed her head and asked everyone for a moment of silence for all the people who had perished last night.
I had never really met a politician in person before and was genuinely impressed. She had all the persuasive skills of a unicorn without the magical thought control. She had calmed a room of anxious people in a matter of minutes with a warm smile, a handful of well-chosen words, and a simple act of respect.
Governor Billington took her seat and motioned for the rest of us to sit down as well. Her smile faded a bit as she stressed that everything discussed in this room would be confidential. Her words were firm and commanding, but her tone and body language still conveyed warmth and genuine caring. Her medical colleagues were here to determine the cause of last night’s tragedy and to ensure that it was over. Her role was to calm her panicked constituents and to guide the area’s grieving families in a positive direction. She could not do that if anyone in this room spread rumors, partial truths, or comments not aligned with the outcome of this meeting. Governor Billington then requested that anyone uncomfortable with these terms leave now.
No one moved, and Dr. Johannsen, the Chief Medical Officer, began the inquiry. He explained how Dr. Price had taken an interest in the Cincinnati Childhood Curse, where handfuls of local children had been inexplicably dying in their sleep for generations. He asked her to please describe the curse and what she had discovered.
Dr. Price stood up but looked as nervous as I felt. Governor Billington noticed her discomfort as well. She assured Dr. Price that they were considering all possibilities. There would be no repercussions to her reputation, no matter how outlandish her suggestions might be. Dr. Price didn’t seem to believe her entirely but saw no alternative other than to tell her story.
Dr. Price explained the curse and her investigation. Then she talked about the four kids who had awakened from their comas just a few months before and looked at us. She explained how we seemed to have an answer to what had occurred and how she had been unable to disprove it nor to determine a more plausible alternative. She believed that we had all experienced a shared dream and that somehow the four, comatose children had become trapped in it for several years. She added that she also believed it was possible to die from this dream and that many more people might be involved. Dr. Price theorized that something terrible had happened in this shared experience last night, which caused the city’s widespread loss of life.
Dr. Johannsen raised his eyebrow and asked if Dr. Price truly believed that dreams and ESP were the causes for last night’s deaths. He wondered, even if this far-fetched idea was possible, what could thousands of people have dreamed overnight to have such an unprecedented impact on the entire region. Dr. Price admitted that she did not know but that she thought we might be able to provide some insight. My stomach clenched as everyone turned to look at us, and I saw I wasn’t the only one nervous. Mr. Narwani and Ms. Datta looked ill as they expressionlessly sat at the far end of the table. Shon and Raquel were nervously fidgeting next to them. And, Nancy and Veronica were uncontrollably weeping.
I am not good at public speaking, but everyone seemed to be staring at me, so I scooched back my chair and stood up to talk. I looked at the floor while trying to form my words and groaned as I noticed my untied shoe. I finally gave up trying to organize my thoughts and started telling the story about Mearth. I talked about heroes and explained The Prophecy. I told everyone about how Mearth was Earth thousands of years in the future. I summarized our adventures over the past year. I explained how Earth visitors slipped into comas when their Mearth hosts did not have enough magical energy to get them back and how they died at the same time as their Mearth hosts. I added that I didn’t know until this morning that people died even when they weren’t conjoined and that I didn’t realize how many people here on Earth connect to Mearth hosts.
I paused after ten minutes of non-stop talking and was ready to be laughed out of the room. My friends looked extremely grateful that I was talking instead of them, though, and the expert panel was surprisingly silent. Dr. Patil, the Deputy Director, just asked, “And what happened last night?”
I gulped and explained that our last dream was about the battle of Septumcolis. It was a bloody fight between two massive armies, and thousands of people had been injured or killed. I reiterated that we had no idea that innocent people would die here as well.
Nancy wailed, “I killed dozens of people last night. I had to. We were trying to fulfill the stupid prophecy, and they were trying to kill us. I had to fight back, or they would’ve killed me. I am sorry. I am so very sorry. I can’t believe they are dead. I thought it was all a dream.”
Her parents put their arms around their daughter and glared at the panel. They had no idea what was going on but were furious with the toll it was taking on their child. Veronica’s mother was doing the same thing. Veronica had fled from the table and was sobbing in her arms as well. The girl just kept repeating, “I killed them. I killed them all. They’re really dead! I’m a monster,” as she swayed back and forth.
I quickly sat down. Nancy and Veronica’s outburst had hit me like a fist. I had been focused on stealing the talisman and didn’t think that Stavius had killed anyone, but I’m not sure. What if I had? What if those troops I blasted weren’t just stunned? What if they were dead? I had no idea who they were on Earth. I could’ve even killed Uncle Tony!
The panelists seemed unmoved by this and asked Mr. Narwani and Ms. Datta what their roles were in all this. Our teachers explained how they also dreamed of Mearth and assured them that everything I had said was true. Then, the panelists did something completely unexpected. They didn’t scoff at my story. They didn’t try to understand the wild tale I had just told. Dr. Patil simply asked whether we defeated the seven families and had fulfilled The Prophecy.
I felt weak as I remembered my failure. I was going to have to stand in front
of everyone I cared about to explain how all these people had died for nothing. I couldn’t do it. I just sat there and couldn’t say anything. Nancy, however, jumped up and shouted, “Yes, we won the battle. The unicorns came and saved us at the end, and if they had arrived sooner, none of these people would have needed to die!”
Dr. Mills exclaimed, “Wait, the unicorns are free? This is disastrous!”
I sat there stunned as Nancy glared at me as if this was all my fault, but something else gnawed at my mind and wouldn’t go away. Why were these doctors not treating us like a bunch of lunatics? Why was this woman so worried about the unicorns? I had barely mentioned them. And, how did they know about the seven families? I know I had not used that term at all in my story!
I jumped up and shouted, “You believe us! You know this is all true because you’ve been to Mearth! You’re evil Mearth Agents who are trying to stop us from fulfilling The Prophecy! Well, it won’t work! The seven families are destroyed, the talismans are gone, and there is nothing you can do about it!”
OK, now everyone was looking at me like I was a lunatic. Well, everyone except Ethan, Tyler, and Malik, who were in complete agreement. I was looking for a way out of the room but didn’t see any escape. Besides, where would I run? The Mearth Agents already knew my identity. I wouldn’t have believed that today could’ve gotten any worse. I was doomed.
Governor Billington stood up to declare a short recess. She added the meeting would be limited to the panel and the seven dreamers when it resumed. Well, our parents were not going to agree to that, and neither were we. Several parents rushed to the front table, and I thought there was going to be a fight before the governor raised her hands and said, “Very well. Everyone may stay, but let’s take a five-minute break to calm down.”
The crowd backed off, and people started to head for the door when I heard Mr. Narwani’s voice tell people to wait. I was kind of surprised because he is usually the first one to welcome a chance to go to the bathroom, but he was standing at the end of the table, refusing to move.
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