Dragon Dreams: Book 2: Prophecy of the Dragons (24 page)

"If this is part of the Realm of Dreams like you say, then everything should be peachy keen." Dad spit the words out with venom in his voice.

The wolfman didn't lose his half-smile as he replied. "Those words are spoken out of ignorance, Sir Dragon."

Dad grunted, but also gave a nod. "Fine. Tell us what the problem is. I don't know if we'll help, but if it goes along with furthering our goal, we'll consider it.

"Fair enough. Though I think you will. Your necromancer has things to prove to himself, if no one else."

"Wait, what?" Ben said.

The wolfman's smile grew for a second before his expression turned serious. "This is a happy realm. Everyone here wants nothing more than for our numerous guests to enjoy themselves. That goes for us freaks, as well. We may look strange, but we know why and for whom we're here. Our overlords have other ideas. You saw them earlier. They throw a terror into everyone, and then choose a few innocent souls to capture and torture, both physically and mentally. Those poor individuals wake up with emotional scars that may never heal. That pursuit and capture you witnessed earlier wasn't put on by the Nightmare Syndicate for your benefit. It happens every night. Everyone here, from us freaks, to the ones who work the concession stands, want it to end. This should be nothing but a wonderful escape for everyone."

"How can we help?" Ben asked. Andi felt his determination rise. He'd need to do this to prove he wouldn't turn evil. True or not, the wolfman had known this and goaded him into it.

"Offer yourselves to them; let them take you. You four are more than a match for the overlords. After you defeat them, our beloved carnival can return to a world of simple fun for all who dream."

"We're already on a quest to liberate the Demon of Dreams," Dad said. "Will that have the same effect? Will he rid this place of your overlords?"

The wolfman shook his head. "This has been going on in every form our world has ever taken. The demon cares nothing for our little patch of dreams. Only a miniscule number of souls are negatively affected, while most have nothing but a great time. The demon sees no problem. None of us who work and live here agree, but, fair or not, we get no voice."

Andi, Ben, and her parents all shared a look, but no one said anything. Ben would agree in a heartbeat, and she'd be by his side, but he would only do it if the decision was unanimous. Andi could tell Mom and Dad were close, but they still needed one last push. The wolfman must have sensed that, too.

"They'll drag you to the heart of the Big Top. I don't know much about your quest, but I do know you need to go there to leave our realm. I'm sure you'll also need to tangle with our overlords, as I doubt they'll let you leave without a fight. You might as well go right to it instead of having to struggle through the rest of the grounds to get there."

"The clowns will be ready for me," Ben said. "I already killed one."

"Chaos reigns inside their minds. I doubt they even remember one of them has been struck down. And if they do, they'll have no memory that it was you."

"Okay," Ben said.

"Excellent," The wolfman looked at the rest of them. "Everyone?"

"Are you sure, Ben?" Mom asked.

"I still feel the warning bells, but no immediate danger," he said with a shrug. "We have to go there anyway, right?"

The wolfman had them line up in the middle of the tent. He snapped a finger, a move that impressed Andi considering the length of his claws, and a clown appeared behind Ben. It looked identical to the ones out in the midway, this one with a neutral expression painted on its face. It grabbed him by the shoulders, and they both disappeared. Andi screamed as she felt him reemerge in the middle of the Big Top.

"That'll teach him to kill a master," the wolfman said. "You three are next, as soon as they deal with your necromancer."

Andi transformed and leapt at the wolfman, but she bit down on air as he blinked out of the tent. Mom and Dad came up behind her.

"We need to hurry to the Big Top," she said.

Ben found himself in the middle of the Big Top. At least he assumed that's where he was. It dwarfed even the unnaturally large interior of the freak show tent, and in the dim light that permeated the air, he saw the canvas matched the red and yellow he'd seen from a distance.

The clown that brought him here giggled in his ear, and before it could do anything, Ben thrust his sword back into its stomach, causing it to gasp out. In one quick motion, he let go of his sword, spun, and grabbed the hilt. He now faced the clown, and with more power than he'd have been able to manage behind his back, yanked his sword upwards. Blood, guts, brains, and sinew splattered all over the place. As its corpse hit the hard-packed dirt floor, evil exploded inside the Big Top. Dozens and dozens of clowns appeared all around, itching to tear him limb from limb, and snack on his intestines and the rest of his internal organs. With the flick of his wrist, he created a force field that would keep the evil at bay. It wouldn't last long, but it would buy him a moment or two.

Though he knew Andi would track him — she was already on the move — he wanted to make it especially easy for her parents. He knelt down to the body of the dead clown and yanked the evil soul, which had been spinning around in the air above the body, to him. He molded it into a beacon, and it shot up, bursting through the top of the tent. Judging by her emotions, Andi saw it right away.

Now he turned his attention to the multitude of clowns surrounding him. They threw themselves against his barrier, but it held. It was close to cracking, but he had a few seconds to ready himself. The clowns looked identical except for minor features in their faces. They all had either a smile, frown, or some sort of neutral expression, as well as something slight but unique. One had a tear drop on its cheek, another a skull and crossbones on its forehead. He also saw that the clown make-up wasn't grease paint, but their actual skin. More important for this upcoming battle, though, were their teeth and claws, which looked sharp enough to draw blood with a quick nip. Ben gripped his sword and shield and readied himself.

The mystical barrier shattered, and the clowns rushed him. The wolfman had described them as chaotic beings, which the freak, too, must have been, since Ben never sensed his true motive, and in this he hadn't lied. It proved most beneficial, as it kept them from overwhelming him. Instead of using any sort of strategy or teamwork, they got in each other's way. His shield blocked all strikes, and his sword kept the others at bay. Some had the bright idea of teleporting in behind him, but because he was already surrounded, those trying the sneak attack did more harm to the clowns' assault than good, as they hindered the other attacks. Ben's superhuman mastery of his sword and shield kept him safe, but he was so busy on defense that he couldn't strike out on his own. Andi, and presumably her parents, were halfway here. He needed to hold out until they arrived.

As he parried another blow, that voice in the back of his mind told him to thrust out his shield to throw the clowns back. He obeyed, and energy blasted out around him, knocking the clowns nearest him back, which caused a domino effect. Before the mass could recover, one attempted to pop up at his back, but with no other clowns distracting him, Ben had no problem spinning around and swiping its head off in one shot. As soon as the body hit the ground, it stood up and launched itself at the nearest clown. The rest of them had pulled themselves to their feet and prepared to attack, but this action gave them pause. Ben didn't stop. He lunged forward and killed two more, which also rose and joined his side. He hadn't consciously raised these bodies, but he felt it as part of his power. Those strings he had taken control of on the pirate ship didn't exist here. Whatever happened, he wasn't arguing.

Now, with more than just Ben to worry about, the clowns had to rein in their attacks. They could no longer blindly rush him, and those that did were either cut down by his sword, or blindsided by one of the zombies. Each time a new one dropped, it immediately rose and fought on Ben's behalf. It didn't take long for the tides to turn, and Ben soon had nothing to do but watch his zombies tear through the remaining clowns.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt Andi enter the Big Top, and when his zombies eradicated the final clown, not even leaving enough of it to raise, he glanced up to her. She and her parents were watching the scene with a mix of fascination and horror. At least that's what Andi's emotions spelled out.

"Enough," he said, and the zombies all fell lifeless to the ground. The now useless beacon also went dark.

"How did you know to do that?" Lee asked.

Ben shrugged. "Same as always. It just happened. Really, all I did was set the beacon. I knew Andi didn't need it, but I thought the visual would be nice."

She rushed into his arms. "No, I didn't need it, but Mom and Dad appreciated it."

"It did make it easier," Cassie said. "But what about the dead clowns? How did you get them to fight for you?"

"Like I said, I didn't, not really. I mean, I could tell it was my power causing it, but it wasn't my doing, not consciously." For the first time since they'd arrived in this land of dreams and nightmares, his temper began to rise. They knew he didn't have any answers. Things like this happened, so why did they keep insisting he explain? Andi felt his anger, but she didn't say anything, just rubbed his chest, which calmed him enough to swallow any retort he might spew forth in the heat of the moment.

"The Council won't like this display of power," Lee said.

"Screw the Council," Ben said. "I used my powers to battle evil. I made sure good prevailed, not the other way around. So they can mind their own damn business."

He expected Andi to chastise him for losing his temper, but instead she leapt to his defense. "He's proven time and time again that he hates evil. He even risked his life to save the passengers on the train in case they were real people having a dream. So, yeah, if the Council has a problem with Ben, they can go to hell."

"I wasn't defending the Council," Lee said, holding up his hands in surrender, "merely stating what they'll think."

"You two should know by now we're unequivocally on your side," Cassie said. "So let's drop the whole mess and keep going. If Rico is right, we're through with the nightmares. The Demon of Dreams should be on the other side of this final gate."

Lee pulled out the map and they located their exit. Would this be the easy part, or would their first four worlds look like cake walks compared to this? Ben took a deep breath and followed the others through the shimmering doorway.

When they reached the other side, they didn't emerge in the dark forest, but in a dimly-lit, stone-walled dungeon. They stood at the end of a long hallway with sturdy wooden doors lining each side. The Demon of Dreams was here, somewhere close. Not in one of these cells, but up ahead in the dungeon.

"He's around the corner," Lee said, pointing to the end of the hallway.

"So it's not just me with that info in his head, huh?" Ben said.

Cassie patted his shoulder. "Not this time, kid."

"Yeah, I feel him, too," Andi added.

As they passed the first heavy door, Ben looked in the barred peephole and found a small space, maybe two feet squared. Unless whoever was kept in here was exceptionally tiny, there was no way to lie down flat. That would be worse punishment than simply being locked up. He tried to push that thought from his mind and continued down the hallway towards the Demon of Dreams.

The silence in here unnerved Ben more than anything. Though they weren't making an effort to conceal themselves, their footfalls didn't echo down the hall like one would expect. Ben could hardly hear anything, and he was close enough that he aught to hear something from them. He wanted to bring that up, but was sort of afraid to break the silence. The slight apprehension coming from Andi proved he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Once they reached the end of the hallway, he cleared his mind and gripped his sword. Andi clutched his arm, and they shared a smile. He wasn't sure which of them was more nervous. Never had he been happier than right now that Lee and Cassie were with them, as their faces showed nothing but sheer determination. That helped to calm him down.

No one spoke, but the looks they shared proved everyone was ready. They didn't hurry out, simply moved around the corner at their normal pace, and faced the evil, which Ben felt in spades. The Demon of Dreams, looking like his statue, stood in the middle of a warehouse-sized room. A pink bubble of energy surrounded his bulky form, though other than being quite big of body, the demon stood about the height of an average human. Ben had the feeling the demon could be any size he chose. Around him and his bubble stood three figures of approximately the same height, draped in black robes. The only parts of their bodies showing were their hands, which were a gnarled, withered dark gray.

No one said a word. Both groups stared at each other as if trying to will the other to back down. And maybe that's what they were doing. Ben looked inside himself, hoping magical guidance would come, but no such luck. Before he could break the silence and ask if they should charge, all three of the evil robed figures pointed at them. Ben braced himself for some sort of magical attack, while Andi and Lee transformed into their half-dragon forms. The frustration that flashed off her told him that she'd hoped the limitation on her ability was over and she would be able to fully transform. He'd hoped the same.

Instead of a bolt of energy or other such magical attack, a dozen more black-robed figures appeared out of thin air, these ones wielding scimitars in each hand. They moved smoothly, like shadows, and spun their blades with a quickness that proved they were more than human. They were actual beings, not like the Shadow Spies or Warriors they'd faced, so he and Andi wouldn't be able to will them out of existence. Something else might work, though, since they were beings of pure evil. He smashed his sword into his shield, sending out a wave of positive energy that caused the figures to flinch, but did no damage.

"Good try," Cassie said. "But I think we'll have to take them out hand-to-hand."

"Don't do anything stupid," Andi said. "These guys look dangerous."

"They best be saying the same thing," he muttered back.

Without any big posturing, the battle started, with half the dark-robed figures rushing forward, while the rest brought up the rear. Ben met the charge, letting his battle instinct take over. While these warriors were good, he could already tell they were no match for either he or Cassie, and by the looks of it, for Andi and Lee.

However the Nightmare Syndicate had done it, keeping Andi and Lee from fully transforming had been their best move. Two fully transformed dragons would have already won this fight. He wondered if Cassie felt the same frustration from Lee that flashed off Andi, but sort of doubted it. The way they fought, not only now, but in every battle in the Realm of Nightmares, proved they were well-practiced and plenty dangerous. In fact, they took down the first two warriors in no time, one right after the other, the first skewered and sliced by Cassie's blades, and the other chomped in two by Lee's powerful jaw.

Ben's first kill came moments later. While he felt in control of this battle, he couldn't quite pierce through the windmill flurries of the double-scimitar attacks. He tricked one by feinting right and striking left. His blade passed through its chest, dropping it. He noticed, unlike with the clowns, none of these newly-dead rose to help fight. He tried to do it with a conscious thought, but still nothing.

"Maybe it's because you're not as desperate this time," Andi said. "You have us to help."

"Yeah, that's probably it." He chuckled to himself. Even after all this time together, being bound for over a year, sometimes her insight into him when he hadn't voiced anything still caught him by surprise.

Andi put herself on the scoreboard, as she caught one of the whirling dervishes by the robe with her teeth and then took him out with her sharp claws. Cassie and Lee, in another remarkable feat of teamwork, took out two more. Yeah, he and Andi needed to use more of their alone time for training. Not only were Cassie and Lee super effective, but they looked extremely cool doing it.

With the number of dark-robed warriors dwindling, it made the task of fighting them easier. Not that he was complaining, but if this is what they had to do to rescue the Demon of Dreams, it was a bit anti-climactic. He'd been more worried about the clowns. Heck, he'd been more worried about most of their trials.

"Enough," the three dark-robed wizards simultaneously shouted, and the combatants on both sides stopped. Ben's muscles wouldn't move, and though he couldn't look at Andi, he knew hers couldn't either. The warriors vanished. Ben had Cassie in his sightline, and he saw the struggle in her eyes.

This was stupid. The wizards were controlling them with a magical link. He had magic. Why couldn't his powers sever the tie? And just like that, he could move. It surprised the wizards, but also thrilled them.
Uh-oh
. That wasn't good. Before they could do anything, he severed the binds on Andi and her parents.

"Wonderful, child," the three said in one raspy, echoed voice. "We were delighted when we heard you would be among those coming to rescue our prisoner. Your growing powers have been the talk of the multiverse, and it's nice to see the rumors are true. You see, we figured out long ago how to kill the Demon of Dreams, and while that was our original goal, we decided it was short-sighted. Why let chaos reign supreme when we could take direct control? The problem, however, is that even through our considerable mystical strength, we don't have enough to wrest control from him. But with you, the addition of your power, we can accomplish that and more."

Ben thought about jumping them right when they started their spiel, but waited. Now that he'd heard them out, he scoffed. Did they really think he'd help? Andi inched forward, ready to launch herself at them, and he imagined her parents did the same.

"Give me a second, and then we'll attack," he told her.

"Fine," she said, though her tone made it clear she wasn't happy about it. She growled the message to her father.

"Instead," Ben said, "how about this? You three, and whatever lackeys you're hiding, hightail it out of here, leaving the Demon of Dreams with us. I'm sure our paths will cross again, but for now you'll live."

The three turned to each other, and he wondered if they were actually considering his offer. He'd expected them to laugh out loud and start the fight, but they turned back to him and spoke in their same creepy shared voice.

"We refuse your proposal. Ours is the only option. Help us or die."

Ben didn't signal Andi or her parents in any way. He charged, his sword and shield leading the way. They'd follow his lead soon enough, and maybe he'd even save one of the creepozoids for them to play with. Before he knew what was happening, they raised their gnarled hands, and unseen energy hurled him across the dungeon. His own magic didn't have time to save him. Andi screamed his name, but before he could reply, a huge bubble of power, like the one that engulfed the Demon of Dreams, surrounded him. He couldn't speak with Andi, and his powers shut off. Though his magic only seemed to work when necessary, he realized it was always with him. That was easy enough to tell because now he felt empty inside, and that was in addition to losing any feeling from Andi.

His first thought was to cut himself and let his blood drip onto the barrier. That had worked when Andi had been trapped against the necromantic pirate. But, he realized, that wouldn't get the job done here. First off, it would have to be her blood, not his, and second, this was a different spell anyway. Now that he could think about it, he'd sensed that in the split-second before his powers had been ripped from him. Unfortunately, that wrinkle of time hadn't given him the opportunity to analyze the bubble to see how to break it. Andi and her parents would have to figure something out. For now he had to watch and hope.

Andi flew into a rage.