Not Your Average Happy Ending (17 page)

Ash

I stared at Kendall in disbelief. She healed a tree branch right in front of me. Just by touching it with her fingers. How was that even possible? She wasn’t magical at all. She was a human. Human’s didn’t heal things with just a touch.

“Maybe…” She trailed off and looked up at the tree branch, confusion written all over her face. “Maybe when you and your dad… I mean, Linkin hit me with both of your magic, it gave me some?”

“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure that’s what made you almost die.” I never wanted to relive that moment again.

She grimaced. “I have no idea then.”

I thought about Dax healing her. How he was still alive, even though he was supposed to be dead. “Dax.”

“What?”

“Dax lost his fairy magic. He said so himself after he healed you.”

“You think it transferred to me?”

I shrugged. I’d never heard of a human getting magic before. “There’s a first time for everything. I’m the perfect example of that.”

“There aren’t a lot of fairy djinns where you come from?” She smiled.

“No,” I said. “You’re looking at the first. I’m a year older than Dax. And I don’t think he counts anymore anyway. He’s all djinn now. Or half.” I frowned. A full djinn was more troublesome than a half. I wondered if he
was
a full now, since his fairy power was nonexistent.

“What does that make me then?” She studied the tree again as if deep in thought. “I’m still human, aren’t I?”

“You know what? I have no idea.” I reached out touching her hand. “You look human. You act human.” A jolt of magic went through her arm and into my fingers. I jumped and yanked my hand away. “That was weird.”

“Perfect,” she muttered. “Another reason for people to think I’m a freak.”

I frowned. “No one thinks you’re a freak, Kendall. I thought you were over all that.”

She shrugged. “Mostly.”

At that moment, her mom peeked her head out the door. “Kendall? Do you and Ash want something to eat?”

“I’m actually starving for once,” she said. “Sure, Mom! We’ll be in in a second.”

We started toward the house and Kendall screamed as Sam appeared right in front of us.

“Don’t do that,” she yelled, slapping his shoulder.

“Sorry,” he said.

He avoided her eyes and looked at me, twisting his hands in front of him. It was like he was nervous about something. His carefree smile was gone as well. Which meant something was wrong. He wouldn’t just show up for no reason.

“What is it, Sam? What’s happened?”

“You need to come back to the Academy.”

I glanced at Kendall, but she was staring at Sam. “What’s wrong?”

“Just come as soon as you can. I can’t explain it. You just have to see it for yourself.”

“I’ll be there soon,” I said. He nodded and disappeared again.

“What was that all about?” Kendall asked.

“I have no idea. But judging by the look on Sam’s face, it isn’t good.”

“Can I come with you?”

I reached out my hand and took hers. “Let’s go eat dinner first. I don’t want your mom not knowing where you are. I’m sure she has to work tonight, right?”

She nodded. “She’s always working.”

“Okay. We’ll leave as soon as she does.”

***

As soon as I set foot on The Academy’s grounds, I knew something was terribly wrong.

It was raining. It never rained in my world.

Huge clouds loomed above us in the darkened sky. The wind blew and thunder shook the ground. This wasn’t normal. I squeezed Kendall’s hand and she gave me a curious look. “Let’s go,” I said.

We entered Night Hall and ran up the stairs to Logan’s office. He was there waiting for me, along with Master Time, my mother, Glade, Sam and Misty.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

My mother’s face was grim. “Linkin. He’s turning everything in our world dark. Some of the fairies wings have gone black, the dryads trees are dying, and sirens are singing songs of death. I don’t know what he’s done to make this happen so fast, but we have to find him. He has to be stopped.”

Logan put a hand on hers. “We’ll find him, Aleeya. Don’t worry.”

“Why is he doing this? I thought he’d have given up by now, since the necklace is gone,” I said.

“It’s me. He’s doing this because of me,” she said. “I know he is. I don’t know what he wants me to do, but the fact that he knows I’m alive and turned you against him has made him go mad.”

“You didn’t turn me against him. I made my own decision about him before I even knew you were alive.”

She sighed. “I know.”

I sat down on a couch across from Logan’s desk and pulled Kendall next to me. “What can we do? How can we stop him?”

“The only way to stop him is to kill his host. The person he’s holding prisoner in his golden chains. If we break those chains, the host will die and Linkin will cease to exist. Djinn’s can’t live without being bound to someone.”

I stood, ready to fight. “Well then, let’s go. Sam and Glade, you’re coming with me. Misty, stay with Kendall.”

Both girls started to protest when Logan spoke. “Aleeya and I will both go. Ash and Glade, we need you as well. Sam, your time keeping abilities and elf magic will come in handy. We should also alert the rest of the Council. Sam, go to your father. Tell him what’s going on. I’ll go speak with Master Time.”

“I’m not sitting this one out. I have almost the same powers as Sam,” Misty said, looking annoyed.

“And I can come along as well,” Kendall said.

“Kendall…” I started.

“If someone gets hurt, I can help.”

I turned her to face me. “You don’t have any idea what your new powers can do. I’m not taking you into something like this.”

“Wait. Powers? What are you talking about, Ash?” Sam asked.

I explained Kendall’s new ability and his mouth dropped open.

“Healing is hard to do. Even for elves. How you managed to get that power from Dax is…weird,” he said.

My mother spoke then. “It is curious. Do you feel any different?”

Kendall nodded. “I feel…stronger.”

“You may be of value. We won’t have any healers among us and if something goes wrong–”

“Mom,” I said, starting to protest.

“She may be able to help. If something happens to one of us, and if she has real healing power like you say, she may be the balance between life and death for any one of us. I say she comes.”

Kendall smiled at me and I avoided her eyes. I would not see her get hurt again. It wasn’t going to happen.

“Come on,” she said. “I’ll stay out of the way and come out only when I’m called.” She frowned. “Like always.”

I clenched my jaw, holding back my temper. “Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But if I say run, you run. Understand?”

She nodded. “Yes, Master.”

I glared at her. I was not in the joking mood.

“Where are we going to find Linkin?” Sam asked.

A thought entered my head then and I really
really
didn’t want to do it, but I was pretty sure we didn’t have a choice. “How do we break someone out of prison?”

Everyone looked at me curiously.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Dax knows where he is. I’m sure of it.”

Kendall

The prison was strange. It wasn’t cold metal bars and torches on the walls. It was in the middle of a forest. A dark feeling crept over me as we stepped down a path. There were doors twisted with branches of every kind on either side of us. I heard something wailing behind one and grabbed Ash’s hand. He pulled me forward and I stuck close to his side.

“This is where Glade works,” Ash said. “He guards the prison.”

I looked around, noticing a few other guys that stood around. I could feel them watching me with a hungry look in their eyes.

“Yes, they’re dragons as well,” Ash said.

“What do they do when someone escapes?”

He chuckled. “If someone is able to escape, which isn’t likely, they’ll turn into their true form and take care of them.”

I gulped. “You mean eat them?” I asked. My voice squeaked and I cleared my throat. Sure I could talk like I was the bravest person ever, but when it came down to it, we both knew I wasn’t.

Ash shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past them. Especially Glade. He can be pretty nasty if you piss him off.”

I shuddered. I liked Glade, but knowing what he was, made me all kinds of nervous. If he ever got hungry I hoped I wouldn’t be around.

Glade led us to one particular door made of black branches, twisted into a strange pattern. It reminded me of plumes of smoke.

He’s in here.

He touched the door and muttered a few words under his breath. It was a harsh sound when he spoke. Like rocks being thrown into a garbage disposal. I resisted the urge to cover my ears.

The dark branches shook and weaved in and out of each other until they revealed an opening as big as a doorway. A cold breeze tousled my hair as I stared into the darkness. I don’t know about anyone else, but I really didn’t want to go inside.

“Um…Kendall? You’re sort of squeezing my hand off,” Ash said.

“Sorry,” I said, relaxing a little.

“You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m right here. And I promise it’s not so bad once you get inside.”

“Okay.”

He led me through the darkness. It felt like we were walking through a bunch of cob webs. I kept trying to pull them off my face, but nothing was there. It was just a heavy mist or something. A few seconds later, it brightened and we entered a room.

It was so bright, I shielded my eyes at first. When my eyes adjusted, I got a good look around. The walls and ceiling looked like they were made out of diamonds. They gave off different colors of the rainbow, like the prisms I used to have hanging in my room. How could this be a prison? It was beautiful.

“You okay?” Ash asked.

“It’s really pretty in here.”

He squeezed my hand. “Don’t get too comfortable.”

I noticed Dax, then. He was near the top of the room, suspended in the air with his arms and legs stretched out. He grinned at Ash as he watched us enter, but said nothing.

Glade moved to touch a diamond or crystal that stuck out further than the rest, but Ash stopped him. “Not yet.”

He nodded and stepped away.

“What can I do for you, brother?” Dax said. His mouth could move, but he seemed frozen other than that.

“I just wanted to see how you’re liking your new home.”

Dax grinned. “Don’t pretend like you’re here for a visit. Ask me what you’ve come for.”

Ash sighed. “Fine. We need to find Linkin.”

“And why do you think I know where he is?”

“I have a feeling. You’ve spent the past year training with him. You know all the places he’s been.”

“You’re right about that.”

“Then where do you think he is?”

“Why should I help you? You put me in here.”

“And I’ve never been more proud of myself,” Ash said. Even though a part of me wanted to go to Master Time to get him released forever. He did save Kendall after all.

Dax rolled his eyes. “What will you do for me?”

Ash hesitated. “I’ll get you an audience with the Council. I’ll…give them a reason to give you your freedom back.”

“You’d do that?”

“The only reason I’ll do it is to get to Linkin. If you help us destroy him and vow to use your magic for good, then I’ll think about it.”

He laughed. “Think about it. Nothing’s ever set in stone, right?”

Ash frowned.

“Okay. I’ll do it. But before you put me in here again to live out the rest of my pathetic life, I have one request.”

“I’m listening,” Ash said.

Ash

“This looks awfully familiar,” Sam muttered as we trudged our way through the trees.

“That’s because we had a date with a banshee here, remember?”

Sam rubbed his shoulder. “How could I forget that?”

“Will you quit whining and hurry up?” Dax said. He threw a glare over his shoulder, but didn’t slow down.

Sam played with the necklace around his neck. “No need to be pushy. I’m just not looking forward to my imminent death. I’ve been through this three times in the last few weeks. I don’t really want to do it again.”

“How about I make it easy and put you out of your misery right now,” Dax said.

I let out a frustrated breath. “Will you two stop it? You’re driving me crazy.” 

Glade made a sound like a growl in his throat.
Are we almost there? Because I’m seriously considering eating all three of you if you don’t stop arguing about everything.

“Go ahead, Glade. At least it’d be quick,” Sam said.

I shot Glade a look and he shook his head.

We reached the same clearing where I’d first seen Linkin. I stopped and looked around, hoping our plan would work.

“You owe me,” Sam said as he took his place beside me.

“Linkin?” I yelled. “We know you’re out there. I need to speak with you.”

“This isn’t going to work,” Sam said. I could tell he was nervous. His voice gave him away.

Dax shot him a glare. “Will you shut up?”

The air grew colder all of a sudden and I saw the familiar tendrils of smoke creeping through the trees.

“He’s coming,” Dax said. “Stay alert. I’m sure he has—friends.”

Lightning flashed through the trees and rain poured from the sky, drenching us in seconds.

“Well, this is awesome,” Sam said, putting his hands up and catching raindrops in his palms. “It’s like those movies when they say how could things possibly gets worse and then it starts raining.”

“Wait,” I said, hearing a humming noise surround us. “Something’s coming.”

That’s no djinn.
Glade stayed in his human form, but I could see his body shaking. He was trying not to turn.

We whirled around and gaped at the funnel cloud floating down from the canopy of trees. “Uh oh,” I said.

Sam’s eyes widened as he saw her face. “Another banshee?”

“Nope! Same one as last time,” I yelled over the sound of her screams.

“Ash Summerland, you’ll pay for what you did to me,” she rasped.

“Hell hath no fury
like a woman scorned
,
” Sam said. “Or whatever the crap that saying is.”

We braced ourselves as Gizelle hit the ground, sending a wave of dark magic at us. I threw up my hands and made a gust of wind catch the wave before it hit us. The force nearly knocked me over, but I somehow managed to stay on my feet. Dax swore as another person landed a few feet away from us.

“Another one,” he yelled. He closed his eyes and the ground shook. I steadied myself as the ground in front of us burst open, spewing rocks and dirt at the banshee. She screamed and launched herself into the sky, shouting something in another language at us.

Another one landed near Glade and he changed into his dragon form. She hit him in the side with a blast of magic, throwing him off balance. She flew through the trees and Glade gave chase.

Sam turned, ready to follow him, but I stopped him. “He can handle himself.”

“Who’s going to handle us?” Sam yelled. “Wait…” He pulled his necklace from around his neck and opened his vile of dust. He poured the contents into his hand and threw it into the air.

Everything around us stopped moving. The wind, the trees, everything. One banshee was frozen only a few feet away, while Gizelle was nowhere to be seen.

“It will only hold for a minute or two,” Sam said. “It blocks magic, so you can’t hit them with anything while the time capsules work. So, I suggest you two get ready for another wave.”

“Thanks, Sam.” I planted my feet and felt power surge through my body. “Ready?” I said, looking at Dax.

He nodded. “Yes.”

The time spell broke and the banshee barely had time to react before I caught her in a torrent of wind. The ground rumbled and opened underneath her. Her eyes widened before I thrust my hands down, making the tornado pull her into the hole. Dax moved the dirt and rocks back over her and I shivered as her haunting wails came to a stop.

“Sweet,” Sam said.

I knew she wouldn’t be trapped down there forever, but it was enough for the time being.

“Ash, behind you,” Dax yelled.

I whirled around, but not fast enough. Gizelle’s claws struck me in the side and the force of it threw me backward through the trees. I landed a couple yards away and groaned as I got shakily to my feet. Pain ripped through me as the poison from her claws seeped into my skin. I moved my hand to my injury and grimaced at the blood oozing out of the wound.

I couldn’t see the clearing anymore, but heard a lot of shouting. As I made my way back, I was surprised to see Dax and Sam high fiving each other with no sign of Gizelle anywhere.

At that moment, the third banshee flew back in the clearing, wailing her song of death. Glade was right behind her. As she looked around and realized she was alone, her face fell. She attempted to fly away, but Glade hit her with a breath of fire. She screamed and tried to put the flames out, but Glade was too quick. He knocked her from the sky, opened his mouth and swallowed her whole.

“That. Was. Awesome,” Sam said.

She tasted funny.
Glade said.

Sam saw me standing at the edge of the clearing and walked over to me. “Dude, you okay?”

“Fine.” I turned so he couldn’t see the extent of my injury.

“You’re bleeding,” he said, motioning toward my hands.

“I told you, I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”

He shot Dax a look, but left it alone. I followed them both deeper into the woods.

Linkin wasn’t anywhere in sight. I had to wonder if Dax had led us into a trap again, but I was pretty sure he didn’t, since nothing else attacked us.

“Where is he?” I asked.

Dax frowned. “The only place I could see him hiding is…” He trailed off.  “The one place we’d never expect him to go.”

A darkness seeped into my bones. Of course he would go there. Everyone I loved was there.

Our eyes met. “The Academy,” we said in unison.