Dragon Magic: Book 3: Prophecy of the Dragons (6 page)

Ben stared at Felix, anticipating the next assault. He didn't have to wait long as sticky black tendrils shot off his master's fingertips straight at his head. Ben didn't think, but let instinct bring his shield up to block the magical ropes, which stuck to the shield's face. He chopped them off, and as he did, whispered a quick spell to capture the magical energy, which he fired back. Felix dodged the counter attack, and flung a much more powerful blast of dark energy, which Ben stopped with a quick defense spell. He then cast out a rapid fire of energy draining bolts, and was about to drop the hammer to win this fight when Felix yelled, "Stop!"

Their small pocket of reality, nothing more than an empty area roughly the size of a tennis court, disappeared, and they found themselves back in Cassie's training room. He looked at Felix, the question of why he stopped on his lips, but when he saw the huge smile on his master's face, he kept quiet.

"Well done, my young Padawan. Well done, indeed." He must have really meant it, as he always used that cheesy Star Wars reference whenever Ben had impressed him. And, truth be told, Ben loved being called a Padawan. In fact, though he'd never breathe a word to anyone but Andi, he secretly planned on calling himself a Jedi when Felix deemed his training complete. She'd get a kick out of it, and no one else would ever know.

"So why'd you stop?"

"You won. I didn't think I needed to get crushed by the big spell you'd built up."

"I wouldn't have hurt you."

"Take a compliment, will you?" Felix's face flashed to serious, but Ben saw the laughter in his eyes, and allowed himself to chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry. Thank you. And don't take this as me being ungrateful, or not taking the compliment, but you were holding back."

"I was, but not by much." Pride flashed across Felix's face. "Someone without power, or who wasn't on top of their game, wouldn't have been able to tell. That proves to me what your greatest strength is. You have the raw power that will allow you to mow through most of your opponents, but, more importantly, you think quickly and clearly on your feet. That gives you a flexibility that's even more powerful than your, well, power. And it makes you that much more dangerous." He scratched his chin and pondered something else. "Wait until Alexandria is by your side. I don't believe I'll even have the strength to spar with you then."

Ben nodded. "I felt that when I rescued her. When is she going to start training with us?" Right now she was with his parents at his house, going over the financial and other things that had been done in her absence. He had a feeling one or more of their friends from the Dragon Council was there, too. What would the rest of the council think about that? Not that he cared. He'd fight tooth and nail for those few friends, those that helped reunite him and Andi. He didn't care one lick about any of the others.

"A day or two. It depends on her. She needs to be ready to focus, so we'll play the timetable by ear."

"There's something else," Ben said. He wasn't sure how to bring it up since he wasn't positive what the problem was, but he knew he could talk openly with Felix. "I think there's something wrong with her."

"How so? I'm assuming you mean more than mourning her parents and having you constantly back in her head."

"See, that's the thing. I'm not sure."

"What is it that's bothering you?" He showed a bit more concern than Ben expected. Maybe he sensed something, too?

"Like yesterday at Max and Nix's when Timothy and Sasha were brought up. She got so angry protecting them. Timothy was nice to me, too, but I thought she was going to go full dragon."

Felix nodded. "Yes, that was a bit odd, but we have no idea what they said to each other during her lockdown. They may very well have been her only friends. Those on your side made sure to keep an eye on her from afar, but not to engage her much. They felt that would work best for the breakout and beyond. I didn't agree, but it was their choice. As far as Timothy and Sasha go, I offer you this advice, which you can choose to listen to or not. Be wary of them. They've done many questionable things in the past, and you saw one firsthand when they left right before Athena and Ares attacked you. I'm not saying they're guilty in that situation or any other time, but that incident was one of many mysterious circumstances surrounding them. Again, this is important, there is no true evidence against them, but you know the old saying: Where there's smoke, there's fire. I don't believe anyone on the council trusts them."

"How did they get onto the council in the first place?"

"How does any member make it on?" Felix asked with a smile. "Politics."

Yeah, that all made sense. Hadn't he had the same opinion of Timothy and Sasha after that first meeting in the hallway of the Stronghold? Of course, Andi had it, too, but she'd certainly changed that tune.

"Anything else about Alexandria?"

"Yeah." He blushed.

"Last night?" Felix asked. To his credit, he kept a straight face. Mostly. A small sliver of a smile tilted up on the necromancer's mouth.

"Yeah. It was, uh, like she still had the chastity spell on. At least in her mind. I thought for sure we were going to have sex, but she couldn't do it. She said because her dad wanted us to wait until we had a normal wedding, we should honor his wishes. She never wanted to before."

"She had a lot of time on her own to think, to decide how to mourn her parents. You were here with your own parents, spending most of your time engaged in magic or school work. From what my powers have picked up from her, there's nothing malicious. Everything you're saying pretty much backs that up. Unless you've sensed something mystical, I wouldn't worry." He winked and nudged Ben with his elbow. "And if you're patient and caring, you'll get what you thought you were getting last night sooner rather than later. If not, you're going to soon realize how fast a human year goes. You're too new to this slow aging thing to know that. Believe me."

Ben had never found out about that aspect of Felix's life. He wasn't a dragon, nor did he have a dragon mate, so he shouldn't have a dragon lifespan. Before he could voice the question, Felix continued.

"Scan her. I'm assuming you've given her small, unassuming scans, but get her permission and do it completely. I'd be shocked if she refuses, but if she does, it doesn't mean anything major is necessarily wrong. It will mean, though, that you need to keep your eyes open."

"Okay," Ben said. Something else jumped into his mind, and he took the chance to ask. "On another subject, remember a couple of days ago when I asked of resurrection?"

"Yeah. I'm not senile yet."

"My mistake. You being ancient and all."

Felix opened his mouth to issue a retort, but instead laughed. "I was about to say I'm not much older than your parents thanks to the difference of dragon and human years, but then I remembered you probably think they're ancient."

"Well, they are." He did his best to keep a straight face.

Felix shook his head. "I'm guessing your question is when. The answer to that is soon. Let's get Alexandria caught up a bit first, and then we'll worry about it. Okay?"

"That sounds good, but my main question is about what it is. I mean, what do I have to do to get the spell? I take it it's more than training like with all the other spells?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I wasn't allowed to take the trial, and those who do are discouraged from talking about it."

"Wait, you weren't powerful enough to take the trial? That doesn't sound right."

"Actually, I was given the choice of keeping my dragon lifespan or gaining the power of resurrection. I made my choice, and I stand by it."

Ben frowned. "You can't have both? Where does that leave me? You keep saying I'm going to take the trial."

"And you will. Or at least gain audience with the Ancient One. Our circumstances are different."

"Why? What are your circumstances? How come you have a dragon lifespan?"

Before Felix answered, Ben sensed Andi approaching the door. He'd felt her come home a minute ago, and figured she'd head here first. This talk with Felix would have to wait. When the door opened, she smiled and asked, "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Not at all, Alexandria," Felix said. "We'd finished for the morning."

"Good. Heidi and Trent have lunch ready over there. We were going to call, but I missed Ben." She looked at him. "I missed you."

It was funny how she could still give him a fluttery stomach with just a few words and a smile. "I missed you, too."

"Why don't I head over now, and you two follow in a few minutes." Ben could hear the laughter in Felix's voice as he said it. "But don't take too long."

"We won't," Ben said, and Andi echoed it.

Once Felix had gone, she was in his arms, and their lips met. Ben could stay right like this for the rest of the day, but he remembered his conversation with Felix. When he pulled away, confusion flashed off her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Right now?" she said. "I wasn't done kissing you."

"I'm not done, either, but I want to know if I can scan you."

"Scan me? Why?"

"It's…I mean…Can I?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. Is this about last night?" She kept her tone light, but he felt the nerves coming from her.

"No. I mean, not really. I want to be sure of something."

"Go ahead." She blushed and gave him a shy smile. "I'm going to block a few things, but only things you don't need to see until we're married."

"That's fine." He had a feeling if she blocked anything malicious, he wouldn't be able to tell what it was, but he'd know she was hiding something important. "Don't worry. I'm not going to linger on anything. I want to make sure the Dragon Council didn't send you home with something you don't know about."

She thought about that for a second, and then nodded. "Whenever you're ready."             

He pushed his mind inside her spirit, her soul, and rooted around. He saw her as a baby, a toddler, a pre-teen, now, and every age in between. As promised, he didn't stop and explore her innermost thoughts and feelings, only paused everywhere long enough to make sure there was nothing wrong. He found her locked doors, and could sense nothing threatening behind them. Most likely they were images of her naked body and naughty fantasies starring him. As much as he wished he could peek behind, he was thrilled he didn't sense her hiding any evil. That wasn't to say there wasn't something there, but she wasn't the one responsible for hiding it. He couldn't pinpoint it, though, and truth be told, maybe he was imagining whatever it was anyway. After a few more digs, in fact, he was pretty sure there was nothing wrong.

He emerged, and she gave him a questioning look. What could he say? Maybe their three months apart had rattled his brain more than he realized. He answered her the best way he could, with a big hug and kiss, both of which she happily returned.

Fillmore sat next to the bed in the small bedroom of Timothy and Sasha's vast countryside mansion. It had been his home for more centuries than he cared admit. Or wished were necessary. Not that the mansion could be considered home, just the room. Neither Timothy nor Sasha would ever let him think anything different. He was surprised at times that they let him see this much as home.

He couldn't complain too much. They did, after all, keep Mila alive. He sighed and laid his head on her shoulder. Could she feel it? He doubted there was a number high enough to count the times that question ran through his mind. Tears welled in his eyes. Even after all this time, seeing her like this, sitting next to her but being so far away, hurt as much now as day one. Maybe not that sharp, fresh, shooting pain, but a dull ache that made life almost not worth living. If Timothy and Sasha hadn't promised that someday they'd be powerful enough to bring her back, he'd have ended it all long ago.

The door opened, and Sasha walked in, an envelope in her hand. That meant one thing: They had a task for him. They expected it of him in exchange for keeping Mila, and by extension, him, alive. They said jump, and his answer had to be "How high?"

"We need you to deliver this to Alexandria. She's expecting it, even if she's not aware of the fact."

He nodded and brushed a strand of Mila's hair off her forehead. "Yes, ma'am. May I have five more minutes?"

Sasha flashed that smile that he'd come to both detest and fear. "You should know by now I'm not heartless. Take fifteen. I'll come back in sixteen, and if you're still here, we'll end our arrangement. Deal?"

"Yes." He put his head back down on Mila's shoulder and heard Sasha drop the envelope on the table by the door and leave. He took a deep breath and channeled the detestable character the dragon world hated, the one he wore so no one would check on him, see how he lived, see Mila.

Five minutes later, he kissed her cheek, stood, and plastered his smarmy smile, one he'd perfected in the mirror, on his face. He turned towards the door and zeroed in on the envelope. "Oh, Alexandria, I bet you've missed me."

*****

Andi puttered around the house, her house, her and Ben's house, wondering what came next. Magic training, she supposed, which was cool. All her fears of him not needing her went away when he confided how much more powerful she made him. He was her Dragon Guard, but she seemed to be the same for him when it came to magic. So what was that? Was she his Magic Guard? That sounded silly, but she had to admit she kind of liked it.

Heidi and Trent – though it sounded like it was mostly Trent – with the help of some members of the Dragon Council, did a great job in fixing everything up financially and legally from Mom and Dad's deaths. She and Ben were set up for life. When this Dragon Guard business first started, back when she and Ben had been partially bound, he asked her if they were going to be rich. She answered that they would live plenty comfortable without having to work a day in their lives. Really, though, she hadn't had any sort of idea of the scope of their wealth. She envisioned Mom and Dad being around for a long time, so she only factored in the investments they had set up in her name. After going over all of their things, now her and Ben's, this morning, her head was still spinning. Living comfortably was an understatement, though she planned on following their advice and not flaunting anything. Well, maybe some shiny jewelry every now and then wouldn't hurt. She glanced down at her engagement ring and smiled. That one would always be her favorite. At least until she got a wedding ring.

The doorbell rang. Who was that? Neither Trent nor Heidi would bother ringing it, instead opening it themselves with a call of "knock-knock" as they came in. Maybe it was Max or Nix, or someone else from the council. Actually, it was good timing. She had too much going on in her mind about finances, legality, and, well, Mom and Dad, to want to be alone much longer. She could go bug Ben and Felix, but it'd be better to give them the rest of the day, or however long their training session would last. She'd be with them tomorrow, when Ben got done with school, so she didn't want to crash it early.

She glanced through the peephole, and her blood ran cold. Fillmore. What did he want? Not to offer his condolences, that was for sure. He was such a jerk he might even be there to gloat and dance on their graves. No, even he couldn't be that heartless. Could he? Honestly, she didn't know anything more about him than seemingly everyone in the dragon community hated him. She didn't even know if he had a mate. He had to, right? Wasn't that a part of being a dragon? She thought about looking it up in her brain's encyclopedia, but when the doorbell rang again, she decided she could do that later.

Fillmore gave her a nod when she pulled the door open, followed by a slight grin. "Looking ravishing, Alexandria." She rolled her eyes, and moved to close the door when he stepped forward and blocked it. "Hold on, I have something for you." He held up an envelope with her name on it. "Supposedly you're expecting this."

Andi frowned and took it from him. "Yes, I am." Though she hadn't realized it until this instant. What was it, anyway? Not that she'd open it in front of him.

His creepy leer disappeared from his face, and he said, "Your parents and I rarely saw eye to eye, but their passing does honestly sadden me. And thank you and Benjamin for righting the wrongs that were done to dreams. I have no idea what they were doing to…"

"To whom?"

He shook his head. Was he fighting back tears? Before she could find out, he looked back up at her with his creeper-face fully intact. "Never you mind." He stepped back onto the front porch. "Remember, my offer still stands. If you ever want to spend a few hours with a real man rather than your boy of a mate, you need just ask."

Andi groaned and slammed the door shut in his face. His laughter trailed away as he headed down the front walk. She looked back out the peephole, but he was already gone. Was all of his yuckiness an act? Had she seen his real self? She sighed, shook her head, and then didn't give it another thought as she opened the envelope.