A Dragonlings' Haunted Halloween: Dragonlings of Valdier (9 page)

“I can always shift and fly back,” he
muttered as he turned back to the glowing green ball.

Striding down the main square, his eyes
swept over the signs on the outside of the buildings. House of Tag,
House of Mazes, Web House, the names just went on and on. He had to
admit, he would love to come back and explore what each one
meant.

His gaze swept back to the glowing ball and
he stumbled when he saw that there was a head inside it. A shudder
went through him when he saw it move. There was something eerily
familiar about it. He stopped in horror and amazement when the head
turned and he saw his mate’s delicate face looking back at him.

“Hello, Zoran,” the head said with a smile.
“What can I do for you?”

“Abby?” Zoran choked out as he stepped
closer. He reached a trembling hand out to touch the glass. “Where…
what happened to you? How did you get in there? Where is… Where is
the rest of you?”

Abby’s brown eyes blinked and she tilted her
head as if she was trying to process all of his disjointed
questions. After a few seconds, her head straightened and she began
to speak. It took a moment for him to understand what she was
saying as he was so focused on her face.

“I am the Village Mistress. I am a robotic
replica of Abby Tanner-Reykill, an artist from a distant world
called Earth. Abby enjoys creating unique and wonderful works of
art and has shared her love for it. Abby is currently in the Paint
House. Do you have any other questions?”

“You are not real?” Zoran asked in amazement
as her facial expressions changed just like Abby’s did.

A soft chuckled echoed from the crystal
ball. “No, the real Abby is in the Paint House. Would you like to
go to the Paint House?”

“Yes,” Zoran mumbled with a shake of his
head.

“Follow the lights,” the bodiless Abby said
as she turned.

Zoran watched as small lights lit the ground
and one of the houses began to glow. Nodding his head, he turned
away and followed the arrows. He glanced back over his shoulder to
see the head of his mate again. Her eyes were closed and a serene
smile curved her lips. He swore it looked real.

“This just keeps getting more amazing,” he
whispered as he stepped into the Paint House.

*.*.*

Abby tried to open her eyes as she felt warm
hands caressing her face. They were larger and rougher than Zohar’s
tiny ones. She felt her dragon purr and knew immediately that Zoran
had found them.

Mate care for us,
her dragon murmured
in a sleepy voice.

“Yes,” Abby replied in a voice that was
barely audible. “Zoran will take care of us.”

Abby could feel her body being lifted, then
cradled in strong arms, before she slipped into a deeper sleep. She
could let go and relax now. Zoran would protect them.

*.*.*

Zoran had scanned the room as he entered.
His eyes crinkled in amusement as he watched Zohar and Goldie
sitting in front of the far wall, putting hand and paw prints all
over it. He turned to see where Abby was, knowing instinctively she
wouldn’t be far away.

His eyes softened as he took in her
slumbering form. Dark shadows under her eyes showed that she was
beyond tired. Placing his fingers to his lips when Zohar turned and
saw him, he walked over to where Abby was curled up on the padded
bench. Kneeling on one knee, he tenderly caressed her cheek.

“Yes,” Abby murmured in a voice that was
barely audible. “Zoran will take care of us.”

“I will always take care and protect you,”
he whispered in a soft voice. “You are an incredible mate. I don’t
know what I did to deserve you, but I will always thank the Goddess
for bringing me into your life.”

Rising up, he gently picked her up in his
arms. A satisfied smile brightened his eyes as she snuggled against
him. Turning, he sank down onto the bench so that he could watch
Zohar play. His head fell back against the wall as he thought of
the day he had first woken up in Abby’s mountain home.

She had cared for the wounds on his body,
even though she knew he was not from her world. He bowed his head
to stare at her relaxed features. She looked so delicate, so
fragile, but she had the soul of a warrior.

His fingers trembled ever so slightly when
he thought of the times when he almost lost her, first on Earth,
then on his own world. His eyes connected with Zohar’s when he felt
the tiny hands of their son on his knee.

“Daddy, sleep,” Zohar murmured, yawning.

“Yes, it is time to sleep,” Zoran answered
in a quiet voice. “Let Goldie carry you while I carry Mommy.”

“Mommy, night-night?” Zohar asked, looking
at Abby.

Zoran’s soft chuckle roused Abby for a
moment. “Yes, I think you and I have made Mommy very tired,” he
said as he sent a silent message to Goldie. “Let’s go back
upstairs.” Zohar giggled as golden bands swept out and lifted him
up into a pair of gold claws.

“Play tomorrow,” Zohar demanded as he yawned
and snuggled closer to Goldie. “Paint!”

Zoran rose to his feet and walked out of the
Paint House. He looked up at the glittering ceiling, still finding
it hard to believe that the twinkling lights were not real stars.
Turning, he glanced at Zohar. His tired son had already joined his
mother in sleep.

“You are so much like your mother,” Zoran
murmured, proudly.

Come, my friend,
Zoran whispered to
his dragon.
Let us take our mate and son home.

Soon, a dark green, gold, and red dragon,
followed by a golden one, sped across the cavern. From up above,
Zoran was able to truly appreciate all the work and love that had
gone into creating the magical world below him. He still wasn’t
sure what ‘Halloween’ was, but he did know that it was a special
time to share with his family.

*.*.*

Creon froze as he stood watching the three
figures playing and giggling. A shiver of unease, fear, and anger
raced through him. He knew immediately that the golden figure
holding his daughters’ hands was not a part of Harvey. In fact, it
was not a part of any Symbiot he knew.

“Let them go,” he ordered as he stepped out
from behind a set of mirrors. “Now!”

He watched as the figure of the Goddess
turned. His body stiffened in an effort to keep the trembling
inside him from escaping. He needed to get his daughters away from
here and back to the safety of his living quarters.

“Dada,” Spring cried in delight. She pulled
away from the golden hand and launched her small body at him.

Creon reached out and scooped Spring up into
his arms. Holding her close, his eyes moved to where Phoenix
watched him with sad, troubled eyes. Reaching out his left hand, he
beckoned for her to come to him.

“Phoenix, come to daddy,” Creon ordered in a
hoarse voice.

Phoenix looked up at the figure of the woman
holding her hand before she looked back at Creon. A frown crossed
her face as she studied her father’s tense expression. Creon fought
the urge to shout at her to come to him.

“Dada, good,” Phoenix said, moving closer to
the figure. “Dada, good-good.”

“Phoenix, come to Mommy,” Carmen soft voice
whispered behind Creon. “Please, come to Mommy.”

Creon glanced briefly at Carmen before he
returned his gaze to his youngest daughter. A sigh of relief
escaped him when Phoenix reluctantly released the hand she was
holding and toddled over to Carmen who scooped her up. They both
stood staring at the bemused face of the Goddess who was watching
her.

“Why are you here?” Creon demanded.

The figure tilted her head and smiled in
mischief. The surrounding mirrors no longer reflected her form,
only that of Creon, Carmen and the girls. It was hard to look at
the figure.

“I wanted to play,” Arilla replied in a calm
voice. “I enjoy spending time with your offspring.”

“Why?” Creon asked hoarsely. “What do you
want from them?”

The goddess before him opened her mouth, but
said nothing as another form suddenly appeared next to her. The
first goddess winced and looked contrite as the new one arrived. A
deep sigh escaped the new Goddess.

“Arilla, find your sister,” Aikaterina
ordered in a quiet, but firm voice.

“Yes, Aikaterina,” Arilla mumbled before she
disappeared.

Creon watched as the form moved closer to
him. He wanted to pull away. He wanted to hand Spring to Carmen and
order that she take the girls and run, but his body refused to
cooperate with his mind.

“Creon,” Carmen whispered in a frantic
voice. “I can’t move.”

Small hands cupped her cheek as she spoke.
“It okay, Mommy. Good-good,” Phoenix said.

“Leave my daughters alone,” Creon demanded
in a thick voice “Leave… please, leave Phoenix alone.”

*.*.*

Aikaterina sighed as she stepped closer to
the two protective parents. She sent a wave of dancing sparkles to
Spring who giggled and tried to catch them. This Dragonling was
made of light. She would always brighten the world around her.

Her eyes moved to Phoenix who watched her
with knowing eyes.
This one,
she thought,
this one would
help save the world of another.
Her destiny was already written
among the stars.

“It is not what we want from Phoenix, but
who she is to become,” Aikaterina murmured in a soothing voice.

“What… what do you mean?” Carmen asked in a
trembling voice as she watched powerlessly as Aikaterina reached
out and touched Phoenix’s cheek. “Why? Why her? She is just a
baby.”

“She will not always be so young. She is
meant for something greater than you know,” Aikaterina replied with
a sigh before she shook her head and glided back a few steps. “It
is already written in the stars.”

“What is written?” Creon demanded, shaking
with rage at his inability to protect his family.

“I cannot interfere with what is to come,”
Aikaterina replied in a solemn voice. “Believe in her.”

“Believe what?” Creon asked in a voice
filled with frustration.

“She will rise again,” Aikaterina whispered
as she faded.

Creon turned protectively to shield Carmen
and Phoenix the moment he could move again. Carmen, shaking so
badly she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her, stumbled against
him, shivering.

“What does that mean?” She asked in a low,
trembling voice filled with emotion. “What does ‘She will rise
again’ mean?”

“I Phoenix,” Phoenix replied with a grin. “I
be good-good.”

Uncertainty fought with horror and fear.
Creon stared into Carmen’s worried eyes. Phoenix had called the
Goddess, Good-Good. He knew the meaning of the Phoenix on Carmen’s
world. Did that mean the same thing here?

His eyes swiveled back to Phoenix. He heard
Carmen’s gasp at the same time as his own breath caught in his
throat. Phoenix’s eyes glowed a dark, dark gold, but deep in the
center, where her pupils were, he could swear he saw the images of
swirling galaxies.

“Please,” he whispered as he pulled Carmen
and Phoenix into his arms so that they were closer to Spring and
his body. “Please, she is just a baby.”

Cara snickered as Amber ran back and forth
pushing the button on the water cannons. Jade was in the fort,
firing back. A gasp escaped her when a spray of water hit her.

“Hey, I’m the captain!” Cara called down to
her daughter. “I’m not supposed to get hit.”

“Mommy, pirate!” Jade squealed, pushing the
button again.

Cara tried to dodge the huge ball of water,
but Jade must have hit the button again to send the big shots out.
She hurried over to help Amber, who was pushing the button on her
cannon over and over. It took a moment for Cara to realize there
was more cannons firing, then Jade could have done alone.

“Ahoy, matey!” Cara yelled. “Who be helping
the land lubber?”

Cara’s breath caught in her throat as Trelon
slowly rose up on the top level of the fort. A huge grin lit his
face and fierce determination glittered in his eyes as he stared
back at her. She pulled the patch covering her eye up so that it
rested on her head.

“You found us!” Cara grinned with a happy
smile.

“I plan to capture you, as well,” Trelon
yelled back with a mischievous laugh. “I’ll take you to my dungeon
and have my wicked way with you. Jade, fire!”

Cara squealed and ducked as Jade laid on the
button, this time sending wave after wave of water at them. Amber,
not to be outdone, crawled up on the cannon she was using and sat
on the button.

“I think I need to fix that,” Cara muttered
as warm water poured over her, soaking her to the skin.

She jumped when a pair of boots landed a few
feet from her. Rising up, she drew her fake sword and pointed it at
Trelon. Pushing her red hair out of her eyes, she glared at him
with suspicion.

“You used your dragon to get up here, didn’t
you?” She demanded.

She watched uneasily as Trelon tossed the
soft sword he had found between his hands with the experience of a
warrior who had spent centuries practicing. Twirling it, he held it
out in front of him with a satisfied grin. Her eyes flickered to
Amber, who had shifted into her dragon as Jade landed behind her
dad.

“That’s not fair,” she grumbled.

“A good warrior never fights fair,” Trelon
replied in a husky voice as his eyes took in the soaked white shirt
of Cara’s outfit. The water had made it transparent and the dark
circles of her areolas were clearly visible. “Especially, when he
sees something that he wants.”

Cara glanced down, puzzled by what held
Trelon’s interest. Seeing her shirt plastered to her body and her
nipples hardened by the colder air of the cavern, she scowled. She
felt them harden even more when she looked back into his eyes.

“Never!” She declared defiantly. “I am the
Pirate Cara. I will fight to the end or walk the plank.”