Dragon Dreams: Book 2: Prophecy of the Dragons (18 page)

"What about your powers, Ben?" Andi asked. "It looks like we have a few minutes to breathe. Can you share my energy and banish the monsters?"

"Worth a shot." Nothing in the back of his mind had suggested this, but maybe he could force something out. He'd never really tried creating a powerful, evil-banishing spell without being prompted. He put his hands on Andi's shoulders and concentrated, trying to find the strings of reality that would take care of all the sharks.

Before he could truly begin, Cassie shouted, "Watch out!"

His eyes shot opened as Andi twisted, grabbed him, and dove out of the way. A huge bird, easily half the size of a dragon, swooped down with sharp talons outstretched. It missed Ben by inches and soared back up to circle them from above with a couple of its flock.

The giant birds' feathers were fluffy, molted, he guessed it would be called, and they had featherless pink heads. Both their talons and their beaks looked sharp and strong enough to puncture metal. He supposed that would be tested with his shield.

"They look like vultures," Andi said into his mind, as she was back in her half-dragon form, "but move like hawks. So watch out."

"And don't forget about the sharks."

"How could I?"

Another of the monstrous birds dove at them at supersonic speed. Lee lashed out with his teeth, and though he took a big bite out of it, it returned the favor with a long gash down his neck. The bird, though injured, managed to flap up to its partners.

Cassie winced at Lee's injury, but it didn't last long. Though she would have healed him in time, the wound wouldn't have closed up nearly as quick if Ben wasn't there. She gave him a smile and a wink, while Lee bobbed his dragon head in an appreciative nod.

"I wonder how your powers know to do that," Andi said as there was a brief respite between attacks.

"What do you mean?"

"You patched up my dad almost as quick as you would have me, but if that vulture-hawk thing had landed next to us, it wouldn't have received any of your healing mojo."

"It's an evil demon bird, so I guess my powers know the difference."

"I wonder if we were forced to fight a dragon and guard if your powers would heal them. That didn't come up when we took out the assassins."

"I don't know. Maybe I control it on a subconscious level."

"Could be," Andi said, and though she wanted to pursue the topic further, another vulture-hawk dove down towards them.

Cassie reached out and picked up one of the small rocks scattered around on the bigger stones. She charged it for a second and then threw it at the descending bird. The projectile exploded, knocking the bird off target and sending it bleeding into the sand. Before it could right itself and take off, one of the sharks broke out from under the surface, gripped the bird in its teeth, and dragged it under.

"Lee has a plan," Cassie said. "We stay in a tight group and run as fast as we can towards that last group of rocks. Ben, you tell us when to dodge a shark attack, and we'll all worry about the birds. At least we can see them. And don't forget your shield."

"Do you think they can penetrate it?" he asked her.

"Maybe a normal shield, but not that one. Now get ready; we're out of here on three." She looked at each of them, nodded, and said, "One, two, three."

The four burst off the rocks. Ben kept his mind focused on his powers so he'd know when an attack from above or below would happen. He also thought about Cassie's remark about how his shield wouldn't be compromised. It and his sword had been his for well over a year now, and though he knew they were stronger than regular metal, he didn't know why. He'd never asked Cassie about them. Not long after they'd been bound proper, Andi had confided in him that she hadn't asked many questions about the social lives of dragons, or about her parents' past, which was why most everything that had happened had been as much a surprise to her as it was to him. Though this was on a much lesser scale, he'd done the same with his sword and shield. They had to have a grand story behind them, but he'd never bothered to find out what it was. As soon as they were finished rescuing the Demon of Dreams, he'd have to rectify that.

After about a dozen steps, Ben felt an approaching shark and yelled, "Scatter!" They split apart, and the shark exploded out of the sand between them. Instead of attacking, they moved back into a tightly-packed group and continued on towards the last rocks. This time they made it about a half-dozen steps before one of the vulture-hawks dive-bombed them.

"Keep going," he yelled. "I got this one." As it came closer, he leaped up at it, leading with his shield. He timed it perfectly, and it didn't have time to maneuver out of the way. The impact knocked him back, thumping the breath out of him, but he managed to keep his balance and stay in pace with the group. Though the huge bird had led with its deadly talons, as Cassie predicted, his shield held up fine. The vulture-hawk fell stunned to the sand, but managed to get up and fly before a shark could drag it under.

"You okay?" Andi asked.

"Never better," he answered, glad they were communicating with their minds, as between the impact and the running, he wasn't sure how clearly he'd be able to talk. He'd have to test it sooner rather than later, though, as another shark readied an attack. Luckily, a few feet later, his voice didn't fail him.

"You'd think they'd time their attacks better," Andi said. "I don't know if we could dodge both at once."

"Would you want to be anywhere near one of those sharks' mouths when it blasted out of the sand? I doubt it'd make much of a distinction between prey and friend at the moment of truth."

"Good point."

The next few dive-bombs came at a more controlled pace, as the birds didn't want a piece of his shield, which made for easier dodges. They also continued eluding the sharks with no problem. Though it all seemed too easy, Ben remembered it was only because of his powers. Would Andi, Cassie, and Lee have made it even to the middle rock without him?

Another bird came down with full force. Because he'd been used to the cautious attacks, Ben didn't have a chance to put his shield in the way. As they jumped apart, the vulture-hawk targeted Cassie, and its razor-sharp talons tore down her leg. Lee grabbed her and they kept moving, though at a slower pace. Ben's healing power kicked in, but it would take more than a few seconds to fix. Cassie's injury was deeper, more severe than Lee's earlier cut; she'd be okay soon, but only if she was able to dodge another attack or two. Andi helped by taking her mother by the other side. Ben concentrated again on the sharks, confident the dragons would keep her safe.

He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Shark!" Ben yelled, and Lee pulled Cassie with him, while Andi jumped in the opposite direction. As they continued, now almost to the last set of rocks, one of the vulture-hawks angled down towards them.

"Let go," Cassie said to Lee and Andi. Grasping her short swords a bit tighter, she hobbled along with them. "Keep moving. This thing's mine." With the steel in her voice, Ben knew there'd be a dead bird on the sand in a few seconds. He hoped it didn't get a good lick in on her in the process.

As the bird dove, Cassie fell out of rank. It either saw or smelled the blood — Ben didn't know how that worked with birds, and doubly with huge demon birds — and rocketed straight for her. She stood her ground, and at the last instant, dove to the side while keeping her blades in place. Just like that, it was over. The bird fell in two large lumps, and Cassie trotted back to the group with no further injury. A couple of sand sharks surfaced and grabbed the bloody bird parts, while leaving their group alone for the time being.

They reached the rocks with no further attacks, and as soon as all four stood on top, the birds flew away. He sensed the sharks swim off to wherever they came from. When he relayed the information, everyone else was stumped.

"Could this be a safe haven?" Cassie asked.

"Or something worse is on its way," Lee said. He and Andi were back in their human forms, so everyone could communicate.

"Check the map, Dad. Maybe it has the answer."

He grunted and pulled it out of his pocket. At first, nothing had changed, but after a few seconds, the starting point looked a bit blurry before disappearing entirely. No one said anything, as they puzzled this out. Was the map running out of batteries or magic or whatever? Seconds later, the same happened to the first group of rocks. Blurry and then gone.

"What does it mean?" Lee asked.

Ben hated to be the bearer of bad news, but he saw it first and pointed back the way they'd come. "Uh, guys, remember why we're in this particular setting?"

They followed his finger and gasped. A huge wall of sand crept towards them, now almost to the second outcropping of rocks. Ben hadn't noticed the air other than it was hot and dry. Now that it had calmed to absolutely nothing, though, he realized it must have been circulating somewhat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Cassie trying to calm Lee, just like he felt Andi's heart rate accelerating in her chest. He did his best to stay focused and hope some sort of spell would pop into his mind so he could save them all. As the storm passed the second group of rocks, the dead air jumped to life, and gale-force winds smacked into them, driving them to their knees.

"Duck or run?" Andi asked. Though she screamed it at the top of her lungs, he barely heard her.

"Stay next to the rocks," Cassie yelled. "They should provide cover."

Ben had always seen Lee as the strongest person, or dragon, he'd ever known, so he couldn't believe this was the same man. He stood stock-still as he stared at the oncoming wall of sand. His face was so pale Ben wondered if there was any blood circulating through him at all.

Cassie gripped Lee's arm and shouted over the roar of the wind. "I won't leave you alone. We'll be together."

That got through to him a bit, and though his look didn't change, he at least licked his lips and nodded.

Ben reached for Andi, and she jumped into his arms.

"Duck for a few minutes, and we'll be fine," she said. "Piece of cake." Though she put on a brave face, he, of course, sensed her nervousness underneath. He answered by giving her a quick kiss. This wouldn't be a piece of cake, he knew that, but they would get through it together.

The storm accelerated as it drew closer. They moved to the far side of the rocks. As they did, a strange little creature popped up out of the middle through the cracks. It looked to be a mixture of a small man and a large rodent. It stood about three feet tall, in the body-shape of a man and the face of a rat, and a light coating of fuzzy fur all over. Before anyone could react to the newcomer, it spoke in perfect but squeaky English.

"Come before the storm hits. We'll be safe down below."

The other three looked to Ben, but all he could sense was the impending doom of the storm. He had no clue if that was masking any ill-intentions of the man-rodent, or if it was genuine in its offer, but at this point, he didn't care. Either way, the storm was the main problem.

"Go," he shouted, and followed the man-rodent down its tunnel. The others were close on his heels.

The rocks formed a sliding door that concealed the tunnel, which was why none of them had noticed. Once they were all down, the man-rodent scurried up past them and slid the rocks shut. The violent sandstorm rushed overhead, leaving them unscathed, though still wary, as it ravaged the desert above.

"No need to worry," the man-rodent said. "Our tunnels have withstood countless storms, many more violent than this. Come, follow me. It's almost time for dinner."

"We don't wish to impose," Cassie said. "We can wait here until the storm passes, and then we'll be on our way."

The man-rodent shook its head. "This is the only danger spot, so close to the surface. At least wait it out down below."

They all shared a look and nodded. Ben felt unease, but that was likely still from the storm. The man-rodent scurried down the tunnel, which was wide enough to fit them all comfortably. Gravity didn't work the same down here, seeming to come from every surface area of the tunnel walls. There was no need to use any handholds as they crawled down; no matter which part of the tunnel wall they touched, it felt like the ground. They could move down on different compass points and not fall. Andi and Ben tested this with him crawling down directly opposite her with their backs facing each other. That was neat! Cassie and Lee also found the gravity situation interesting, as they climbed down in zig-zag patterns.

Once they reached the bottom, they found it dropped down into a large cavern. Gravity again rearranged itself, and they down to the ground the way they were used to, with only one up and one down. Lee paused and looked back up the tunnel, but the man-rodent hurried him and the rest of them along.

"Come, come. My family is eager to meet you. We rarely get visitors." Though its face was pure rodent, it smiled in a way that put Ben and the rest of them at ease. They couldn't help but follow.

It was a short trek, no more than a hundred feet, to a bend in the cavern. They turned and were met by dozens more of the man-rodents, both males and females, young and old. Unlike the one who had saved them, none of these wore expressions of comfort. In fact, they were salivating. Ben turned back to their savior, and it, too, now wore a troublesome look.