by E. J. Krause
The little man barked an evil laugh. "We'll see," he said and disappeared, leaving Ben holding nothing but air.
"Smooth, sweetie," Andi said. "Now let's go. It's about time for lunch."
"That's it?" he said, his anger still bubbling. "That's all you want to say? He threatened not just us, but everyone everywhere. We need to hunt him down and make him pay. I can try to concentrate and figure out where he went."
She hugged him tight and ran her lips on his neck. That and her calm mood wound him down until his anger was gone. He sighed and slumped against her.
"Sorry. I don't like to be threatened."
"I don't, either, but he did us a favor. Now we know a lot more of what we're up against. I'm sure my dad will want to analyze it from every angle when we tell him about it, so why bother worrying now?"
"I guess you're right."
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at a table in the middle of the packed and noisy food court. Ben and Andi ordered burgers and fries, while their moms had chicken Caesar salads. As they ate, they went over what happened in the parking garage. Cassie didn't have much to add. They already knew, after all, that they'd be doing something with dreams, so now they had names to tag on everything.
Talk moved off of the coming task and back to the Christmas celebration and various gifts and fun everyone had had. Earlier in the year, Mom had told Grandma Phillips, a high-school English teacher, all about Ben's new-found love for writing. For his gift this year from Grandma and Grandpa, he got a pile of how-to writing books. He'd spent a good portion of yesterday skimming through each one to see which he wanted to dig into first. He'd settled on a book on writing short stories, which he planned to pour over this afternoon, if he could pry Andi's lips from his after she picked out the rings.
After lunch, they headed out of the mall and towards The Jewelry Emporium across the street. Ben had the gift card in his wallet, and it took all of his willpower to not pull it out and clutch it in his hands. He'd never had so much money in his possession, and even though it was a single gift card, it felt heavy in his pocket. Though if what Andi said was anywhere close to true, he was already rich beyond his wildest imagination. They never really talked finances, but she said she had quite a treasure built up for them, and it was only gaining interest in the various investments she had it in. It was strange knowing that he'd never have to work a day in his life.
Every step closer they got to the jewelry store, the more excited Andi grew, which amped up his mood. As they walked up the path to the front entrance of the modern glass building (though truth be told, Andi was practically bouncing), Cassie leaned over to him.
"Keep a tight grip on her, or she's liable to float to the ceiling."
He let out a laugh, and though Andi shot him a look, she didn't say anything, too caught up in the prospect of seeing all the shiny jewelry. She led them in, gasped, and froze. Ben nudged her over to the side so everyone could enter, and shared a smile with Mom and Cassie.
"You need to get closer to the displays to make a decision, Andi," Cassie said.
His mom grabbed her hand and pulled her to the cases of engagement rings. Ben gulped in a big lung-full of air and followed. Even though they were already basically married, at least in dragon law, this still felt like a big step. Not that he had any doubts or second thoughts — Andi was his always, as he was hers — but wearing rings felt so grown-up.
While Andi and the two moms drooled over all of the gem-encrusted bands, he tried to scope out a simple gold one which wouldn't draw too much attention, but Andi would notice. Not that he cared what anyone else thought, but he was still self-conscious about wearing jewelry. He'd much prefer to wait until the wedding, and then he'd be thrilled to wear one. Anyway, it'd be best to let Andi pick out his ring. She was the one who cared.
He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. As enraptured as she was with the sparkly jewelry, she hardly registered his presence, though her arms did squeeze back. All of the rings looked nice, and she'd be happy with any of them, but he had no clue how she was going to pick one. Before he could offer any opinions, something dark and evil flashed through his mind. He glanced up and saw those same shadowy creatures from Christmas massing on the ceiling. Unlike those, though, these felt genuinely dangerous. Even the sales people and other customers in the store fidgeted like they knew something was wrong, but didn't know what. Mom shivered in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature.
Cassie started to say something, but he shook his head.
"No worries. We got this." He then whispered in Andi's ear. "Concentrate. Like at Grammy and Pop's fish pond. Okay?"
She nodded, and he closed his eyes and worked his mojo, as Dad might say. Andi's energy siphoned his in, and then both of their energies exploded outward. Honestly, he had no real clue how he did it, as his powers basically went on auto-pilot, but, as always, it worked. No one but he, Andi, and the shadow creatures knew anything happened, and they didn't know until they were eradicated. Once the things were gone, the air grew lighter, and he could sense heightened good moods all around.
"Nicely done," Cassie whispered.
"Did something just happen?" Mom asked.
"We'll tell you later," Ben said.
As Andi went back to ring shopping, with Mom and the sales lady now helping, Cassie pulled him aside. "Those weren't Shadow Spies, were they?"
"I don't know. They looked the same, but seemed more powerful than the ones that came at us on Christmas. Everyone in here felt them, even if they couldn't see them."
"No, Shadow Spies don't have anything to do with mortals, and vice versa." She grinned at him. "I'm still shocked at all the power you two can put out. I shouldn't be, since I've seen it all before, but that doesn't make me any less amazed each time. True or not, there's no wonder that there's a prophecy written about you."
He shrugged and grinned back, not sure what to say.
"You should probably go up there," she said. "Keep your bride-to-be out of too much trouble."
"She can have the whole amount. I'm still not comfortable with this."
"I know, sweetie, but you saw how important it was to her. Even with your perfect match, you're still going to find marriage and a life together is all about give and take. And, sorry to say, this is one of those give issues for you."
He wanted to argue this point, but instead sighed. Cassie was right. This meant so much to Andi, and he could get over his self-consciousness to make her happy. He smiled and stepped over to her. She was trying one on, and it was stunning. It had a plethora of gems of every color, and they were all set into the gold band so they wouldn't catch on anything.
"You like it?" she asked him.
He kissed the top of her head. "Yeah. It's beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you."
She smiled and blushed. "Should I get it?"
"Is it your favorite?" He was doing his best to not pay any attention to the sales woman, who was obviously wondering what they were doing when they were so young. What would she think if he told her Andi was actually over seven centuries older than her?
"It is. But what do you find so amusing?"
"Tell you later. So get it."
"Mom?" She held it up for Cassie to get a close look at.
"It's perfect, baby. That should be enough sparkle for you until the wedding."
"Ben, did you see this?" his mom said. She pointed to a thin gold ring that wouldn't be too obtrusive. Yeah, that looked good. The sales lady grabbed his left hand, and measured his ring finger. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to correct her and put up his right hand, but he couldn't quite think straight. The euphoria pouring off of Andi had him light-headed.
Twenty minutes later, they walked out — though he felt like he staggered — with their receipt in hand. They could come back in two days to pick the rings up, since they needed to be sized for each of them. Both moms looked misty-eyed, and Andi again bounced around in excitement. Ben did his best to
act casual, but he guessed he probably had a little extra spring in his step. Though he wanted to spend the rest of the day with his writing books, he no longer cared as much about that as long as he and Andi were alone.
Chapter 9
"Ben, Andi, time for dinner," Trent called from downstairs.
"Coming!" Andi yelled back. She closed the browser on her computer. She smiled down at Ben, who lay next to the bed, engrossed in his writing book. He'd already filled a couple of pages in his new notebook. She'd spent more time watching him than browsing the Internet. She could watch him do anything for hours — Mom told her to get used to it since even after all these centuries, she still did the same thing with Dad — but when he wrote, his sexiness factor went up tenfold. The way he concentrated while creating stories or poems was unlike any look he had doing anything else. It took every ounce of her willpower to not crawl into his lap and devour his mouth. Not that she needed it today as they'd had an intense make-out session as soon as they'd got home from ring shopping.
She shuddered with delight. She had an engagement ring, and it was so pretty. And sparkly. Okay, maybe she didn't have it at the moment, but in two days, when it was resized, she'd be wearing it. Because of the style, she wouldn't have to take it off often, either. And when she transformed into her true form, it would blend in like her clothes, necklace, and earrings did. She also couldn't wait to see what Melissa had to say. Most kids probably wouldn't notice or know the significance, but Melissa would. She might be her friend at school, but her spoiled, childish behavior made these little twists so much fun. Now she'd really throw herself at Ben; what she couldn't have, she would want more than ever. Andi should warn him, but that could wait until their drive to school on the first day back. No need to have him dwell on it.
They'd obviously taken too long because Dad shouted up the stairs this time. "Alexandria! Benjamin! Dinner!" No doubt he figured they were making out. At least he didn't make too much of a big deal out of it anymore.
"Ben," she said, "we should go down before Dad gives himself an aneurism."
He nodded, read for a few seconds more, and then marked his place. Dang, that was hot. She hurried him out before Dad burst in and dragged them down to the table, but Mom must've told him to calm down, as he was already seated when they got down to the dining room.
"I want to hear all about the adventure today," Dad said. "Since you two have been unavailable all afternoon."
"Chill out, Daddy. Ben spent most of that time reading and writing."
"Yeah, and at the beginning, she jumped me."
Both moms snorted laughter while their dads groaned. She couldn't help letting out a giggle, but she still smacked him in the shoulder for throwing her under the bus. Then they sat down while Mom placed lasagna in the middle of the table, and Heidi poured everyone milk.
"So?" Dad said before anyone could dish up a helping of dinner.
"I noticed a strange-looking guy following us, and Ben confirmed he was evil, so we led him outside."
"You noticed him before Ben?" She enjoyed the pleased tone in Dad's voice.
"Yeah, he was totally stalking."
"He said he was from the Nightmare Syndicate," Ben added, "and that his group has the Demon of Dreams held captive."
"They're going to perform some sort of ritual to turn all dreams into nightmares, and if we try to interfere, they'll kill us."
"They can try," Dad said.
"That's what I said," Mom said.
"Besides," Dad said, "it's not like we have a choice. Our pact with Rico compels us to undertake the mission whether we want to or not."
"Ugh," Heidi muttered. "You guys don't know how hard it is to sit here and listen to you talk so nonchalantly about monsters trying to kill you."
Trent nodded his agreement.
"Sorry, Mom," Ben said. "We'll try not to bum you out by talking about the dangers of our lives." He said it sarcastically while smiling, but Andi felt a spark of anger inside of him. She gripped his knee to calm him down, and Mom shot him a look.
"Well, it's true," Heidi said. "I feel so helpless. I'm your mother, and I'm supposed to protect you, but I don't have a prayer of doing anything about any of this."
"And what sort of fatherly advice am I supposed to give?" Trent said. "I can't even begin to understand what my kid can do."
"If it makes you feel any better," Mom said, "they've outgrown our powers, too."
Dad gave her and Ben a stern look, but she could see the smile underneath. "Though I have plenty of advice for both of them."
Everyone had a hearty laugh at that, though Ben merely gave a polite chuckle. She found it amusing how Dad could still intimidate him. At least they got along now.
"Anyway," Andi said, "those shadow creatures came after us again when we were in the jewelry store. I guess the Nightmare Syndicate didn't like what we said to their little toady."
"They were easy enough to get rid of," Ben said. "Like the ones at Christmas."
"But these were different," Mom said. "You felt them, right, Heidi?"
"Yeah, but I didn't see anything. All I felt was a cold crushing heaviness in there."
"Everyone else did, too," Mom said. "When they were gone, everybody was in an instant good mood."
"These were different from the Shadow Spies," Andi said. "They're called Shadow Warriors, and they can attack normal people the same as they can magical ones."
"Really?" Dad said. He closed his eyes for a second, and then nodded. "Yes, those are quite formidable. I've never heard of them before. Another reason to not only secure the Demon of Dreams when the time comes, but to take down the Nightmare Syndicate."
"I wish we knew what Rico has planned for the two of you," Andi said.
Mom shrugged. "If it's something to help with the big rescue mission, it doesn't matter. As we've said before, he always gives us fair deals."
"How come you won't tell me what you had to do for him?" Andi asked. "Is it a big secret or something?"
Mom and Dad shared a look that was too quick for her to read.
"Of course it's no secret," Dad said. "We went on a retrieval mission and had to kill a demon to get it."
"We didn't tell you before because you two needed to concentrate on the task of the time," Mom said. "It was no big deal."
Both quickly went back to their dinners, and though Andi knew they were lying, she didn't call them on it. There was plenty of time to dig later. Maybe they didn't want Heidi and Trent to be any more spooked than they already were. That made sense. They'd tell her sometime when Ben's parents weren't around. With that thought comforting her, she joined everyone else in chowing down on dinner.
*****
Cassie gasped and found herself in Rico's realm. Lee stood next to her. The demon sat at his desk, smiling at them.
"Geez, Rico, a little warning would be nice."
"In my defense, Cassandra, I did tell your daughter and her mate to inform you I'd be calling soon."
"You know what I mean."
The demon chuckled at that and stood. "I'm happy to see you both. I have a task that should pose no problems for the great slayers, Leon and Cassandra."
"Our turn with a pirate necromancer?" Lee asked with a grin.
"No, he's gone for good," Rico said, more terse than he ever spoke to them. "Your little son-in-law saw to that."
Cassie hadn't been quite sure that she believed the kids when they said Rico was afraid of Ben, but now there was no doubt. Whatever he had done to kill the pirate necromancer, he could do to Rico, and Rico didn't like being reminded of it. At least that's what she took from this.
"So what do you have planned for us?" Lee asked.
"A simple but necessary mission. I'm sending you to retrieve the key to open the Realm of Dreams. I'd let you four do this when you start your main mission, but I want to make sure this is the correct key. Plus," Rico said with a wink, "why make that night any harder than it will already be?"
He handed them a shimmeri
ng silver pouch, which Cassie took. She didn't open it, but juggled it in her hands. It felt like it held a key of its own. She gave it to Lee, who also ran it through his fingers before placing it in his pocket.
"There's an identical pouch on one of the guards. Kill all six, switch the two, and speak this incantation." He placed one hand on each of their foreheads, and the magical word popped into their minds. "This will keep the guards' cosmic masters from realizing there's a problem. It will not only give you the ability to enter the Realm of Dreams, but also create a clear path when I deem everything is ready to go. Assuming, of course, it's the correct key, but that's not your concern. Get this one to me and your debt is repaid."
"Sounds good," Cassie said. "Quick heads-up on what we're fighting?"
"Six goons with more brawn than brains. I'm not certain they're bright enough to even know how to use weapons. Don't get overconfident, and it'll be an easy fight. And it's best not to burn them with acid in case that melts the key. Ready?"
She and Lee exchanged glances and nods.
"Ready," Lee said, and Rico snapped his fingers. They found themselves on a dusty path in the middle of a green field that led to an enormous brick wall, easily as tall as the foothills that led to the San Bernardino Mountains. The ruby red sky above proved this was not their home realm. Up ahead, six humanoids, standing roughly eight feet tall, with thick, green-tinted skin, guarded a gem-encrusted gate that ran halfway up the wall. Great, Lee had already taken a shine to that sparkly gate. Ugh, dragons!
"Come on, Lee, snap out of it. I'll let you drool over it for as long as you'd like after we complete our mission."
He shook his head and blinked rapidly a few times. "Sorry, Cassie. I don't know what came over me." She rolled her eyes as he transformed into his natural blue state.
"They haven't seen us yet," she said, pulling out her twin short blades. "With luck we'll put them down two each before they can react."
"Don't get overconfident, Cassandra. Remember, I can't use my acid breath."
"Like I ever let overconfidence get in the way."