Dragon Dreams: Book 2: Prophecy of the Dragons (23 page)

Andi buried her face into Ben's chest and murmured, "I don't want it near me," over and over.

Ben ran his fingers through her hair. "Yeah, there was nothing but ill intentions coming from it. The whole place, really. It's back to its joyous self now."

"The clown seemed drawn to that girl because she was alone," Dad said. "If it happens again, we can keep walking to our destination. I doubt it'll come close to us."

"Easy for you to say," Andi said.

"I actually hope one does," Ben said, bringing a groan from Andi.

"Yeah," Mom said. "We can see what color clown blood is."

Andi huffed out a breath. "Will you two knock it off?"

Dad patted the top of her head. "Sorry, Alexandria, but I have to agree with our guards on this one. It would be one way to end the menace."

As they passed into the ride area, it happened again. The clown looked the same as the first except it had a huge frown in place of the smile. Andi pushed her head into Ben's chest, this time not peeking out. She hoped he'd whisper to concentrate on sending the clown away, but he didn't. After what seemed like an eternity, the music stopped, and the jumbled mash-up from various speakers of rock and roll and pop music took back control of the sound waves.

"What happened?" she asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted the answer.

"This time it took a middle-aged man in the midst of a large group," Dad said. "So maybe there is no pattern."

They continued through the ride area, which had every imaginable type of attraction, from things that spun at every speed, to funhouses, to things that flipped riders every which way, to roller coasters that dwarfed anything at Orangeville Acres. Multi-colored lights flashed everywhere, lighting the entire place like it was daytime. She had to admit, even in a haze of fear, these still looked like a ton of fun. The excitement coming from Ben proved he'd like to tackle some, too, if circumstances had been different.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. She expected a joke about the rides, but instead he was all business.

"I need you to be brave. Next time the music sounds, take a step away from us and will it towards you."

She shook her head so much her hair flapped out around her. "You know I can't. No way."

"Andi, you know I would never let anything happen to you, right?" She nodded, and he kissed her forehead. "So trust me. Okay?"

She nodded again. "I do trust you. I love you."

"Good." He let out a deep breath. "Be ready."

"What's going on?" Mom asked.

"You'll see."

The lights dimmed, and "Entry of the Gladiators" again blasted through the atmosphere. She fought every instinct to jump into Ben's arms and instead stepped away and threw "come-hither" vibes. The clown, this one wearing an open-mouthed, surprised expression painted on its face, danced on the merry-go-round. It traipsed around the various plaster circus animals before leaping to the ground. It tiptoed around patrons waiting in line to board The Zipper, and then beelined for Andi. She glanced back at Ben, and he winked at her.

As the clown reached out, she recoiled, but was proud to say she didn't run like she wanted to. She also had to hold back a gag. It smelled of rotten meat, and her stomach turned as she had a feeling its touch would be like a sack of slimy, room-temperature hamburger. Before she had to endure that, Ben thrust his sword through its chest. It squealed an inhuman belch of pain and disappeared. The unholy music died, too, but so did the various rock and pop anthems, leaving the carnival silent. Not even the rides were running.

People didn't get back to the fun, but instead stared at them, looks of incomprehension on their faces. They, too, like the clown, vanished. The lights, first the overhead park lights, and then the multicolored bulbs on the rides, shut off until they stood alone in the carnival in utter darkness.

"This isn't good," Mom said.

"We're safe for the moment," Ben said. His hand dropped to Andi's hip, and it was the only thing keeping her from crying out.

On the nearby roller coaster, one of those that made even the huge Secret of the Whirlybird at Orangeville Acres look puny, the multitude of lights began to blink on until the entire track lit up. The chain that dragged the cars up the first big hill cranked up, and the first train in the station lurched forward. They stood transfixed as its empty cars slowly rose to the apex of the first drop. It roared down the steep decline that was pretty close to a 90-degree plummet, and fired out into various turns and dips. It screamed into a loop and then came towards them before it was to finish with a few more hair-pin turns. The train never made it that far, though. Instead of banking into the turn, it jumped the track straight for them.

They leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crunched by the roller coaster train. It impacted right where they'd been standing, cracking the cement and bouncing into the empty queue of the spinning space ship ride. Andi checked to make sure everyone was okay, and by the way they all leapt up, they were fine. Of course, she didn't have to look at Ben to know he was unhurt.

"Quickly," Dad said, motioning them back to the path towards the Big Top. The roller coaster car vibrated and inched forward, but without the track, there wasn't much it could do.

Every light on each ride illuminated, and the ride engines themselves fired up and began spinning, bouncing, racing, and whatever else their mechanics allowed. Unlike the roller coaster, with its detachable train, most rides couldn't launch an attack, but Andi knew they'd swing or reach out to assault them if they got too close. Though they didn't discuss it, everyone saw this and stuck to the center of the path between the rides. Even though the Big Top loomed large in the distance, it still looked so far away.

As they passed the Merry-Go-Round, the various circus animals broke free from the poles holding them in place. Once they leaped off the spinning floor, their plaster skin blistered, drooped, and otherwise decayed. No longer were they the gentle, fun-loving animals they'd been molded into, but undead moving statues. Mom and Ben drew their swords, while she and Dad morphed into their half-dragon state. She reminded Dad through her roar to not stray too close to the nearby rides, while she did the same with Ben through their mental link. The nearest was to their left, across from the Merry-Go-Round. It was one of those giant spinning swings that rose high into the air and spun the riders out and around. It had generic cartoon characters painted all over it and played piped-in classical music tunes that had been made famous by the old animated shorts. Though it couldn't reach them where they were, it would love to smack them with its flying chairs if they got close enough.

"Your turn to shine, Ben," Mom said.

"They're not zombies, even if they look like it. They're inanimate objects, statues, that have been given some sort of unnatural life. They're not even evil, not really. They want to kill us, but that's because they're following orders."

"So we have to fight them the old-fashioned way?" Mom said. Andi chuckled at the excitement in her voice.

"I'm sure I can come up with something, but, yeah, we may need to get a little dirty."

"Perfect," she said, flipping her short swords around in her hands.

A zebra launched itself at them and Mom and Ben skewered it. Both Andi and Dad let them get in that first blow because they weren't sure how hard the things' skin and flesh were. Their teeth and claws were as strong or stronger than the swords, but since the Dragon Guard bloodlust took over, why not let them test it out first? When the blades sank into rotting flesh instead of plaster or concrete, she and Dad stepped forward to intercept the next attacker, an undersized, too-thin elephant with a leather saddle on its back. It swung its trunk at Andi, and she caught it in her mouth.

"Ugh," she whined at Ben. "Are you sure these aren't zombies? This feels and tastes like zombie flesh to me."

"Like I said, they kind of are, but mostly not. I don't know how to classify them. It's like those carneys at the midway games."

She yanked on the trunk, tearing it from the elephant-thing's face, while Dad slashed its neck with one of his powerful claws. The thing fell dead and turned back into plaster. She glanced over to the fallen zebra Ben and Mom had killed and saw that it had done the same.

Another one approached, this time a giraffe. Because it, like the other animals, had to fit on the carrousel, it looked like a strange version of a real giraffe. Its neck was nowhere near as long as it should be, and even with an undersized body, it still gave a weird impression. Though its neck was too short, it still came in swinging it like a baseball bat. Ben put up his shield and blocked the head, causing it to stagger a bit. Mom followed up by slicing it through its neck with her two swords.

"Why are they only attacking one at a time?" Andi asked as the giraffe turned back to plaster.

"Look at the lion and lioness," Ben said aloud so everyone could hear.

"Yeah," Mom said. "They're directing traffic. How come they're not sending all of them at once?"

"Andi asked the same thing," Ben said. "But I don't want to know the answer. Cassie, Lee, protect us. Andi, come here."

"What are you going to do?" Andi asked. "Zap them all in one shot?"

"Heck if I know. But I can do something. Or, rather, we can."

He embraced her.

"Am I thinking about wanting them all dead?"

"I don't know. Give me a second."

While she waited, Mom and Dad teamed up on an ostrich. It charged them, its beak ready to strike like an axe, but it didn't stand a chance. Dad met its charge, while Mom leaped over him and carved up the ostrich's back. It fell dead and reverted to plaster. Why were they worried about getting them all at once when they were only coming one at a time? It wasn't like any of them proved to be a challenge.

As soon as that thought popped into her mind, the animals' strategy changed. Instead of a single aggressor, all of them slowly moved. Mom and Dad took a step back and looked to check on her and Ben's progress. Neither said anything, but she imagined they had quite the private conversation going. As the animals kept coming, she felt a whoosh of air behind her. The swing ride seemed to be gaining distance on the chains of the swings. Maybe the animals were going to try to push them back so the ride could pick them off. Or maybe she was over-thinking and the animals were simply trying to overwhelm them.

Before she could remind Ben he needed to hurry, he was ready. "Think about plaster. Think about turning them back into plaster."

She closed her eyes and followed his instructions. A wave of energy blasted off of them, and a loud clatter sounded. When she looked, she found all of the animals lying on the ground, statues once more.

"Nicely done, as always," Mom said. "But watch out behind you. That thing's getting close."

Andi took a large step out of the way, but Ben only turned. He stuck both hands out in front of him, and a redish-gold bolt of lightning flew out of his palms and zapped the center of the ride. Immediately all the lights shut off, and it stopped spinning, now lifeless. He nodded and turned back towards them.

"Don't tell me you could do that the entire time," Dad said, back in his human form. She also shifted back.

Ben shrugged. "If I could, I didn't know how."

Dad grunted. "I'm not sure if we should find someone who can help you get a handle on these powers or keep you like this. You're more than powerful enough when the chips are down."

Mom smacked Dad on the shoulder. "I think we'll find someone who can help him meet his full potential. In the meantime, let's keep moving."

Andi bit down on her emotions in hopes Ben wouldn't notice any change in her. It was something she'd been practicing with moderate success, mostly for when she had surprises for him she didn't want him knowing about. What if, when he did learn how to use his powers, he didn't need her anymore? It wasn't a major concern, since their bind meant he'd always need her in other ways, but truth be told, as much as it scared her, she enjoyed sharing this magic with him. She hoped that part didn't change.

They continued down the main thoroughfare of rides, wary of any attacks, but lucked out in that there was nothing they could do. Most carnival rides, no matter how scary they looked, could only move so far. They flipped, spun, and jostled their riders to kingdom come, but all in the confines of a small space. Even if the monstrosities stretched as far as they could, they still couldn't get close enough. Most couldn't even reach out of their own area, let alone into the middle of the path. They kept alert and made it out of the ride area of this huge carnival without further incident. Almost. Until the last ride in that direction: the bumper cars.

Andi didn't view them as an immediate threat. After all, those metal poles needed to stay connected to the electric ceiling, right? When the first one burst out of the enclosure, though, she chastised herself. The structure of the other rides couldn't bend the way they had, the chains of the swings couldn't stretch as far as they did, and the animals on the carousel couldn't come to life. So why should these bumper cars be any different?

She and Dad transformed, but where were they supposed to attack? Maybe the poles, but since they weren't drawing in electricity, that didn't make sense. Maybe if Ben or Mom stabbed the electric box. Otherwise, there were no vulnerable parts. They might as well be fighting little tanks.

"We should probably run," Mom shouted.

"Running sounds good," Ben said aloud. "I have nothing."

The first car zipped at Andi. She launched herself over it and decided to test her theory. She latched onto the antennae and snapped it off, but that didn't even slow it down.

"I thought the same thing," Dad roared. "But they're powered by some sort of mysticism, not electricity. I doubt it has anything to do with their electric parts."

"Running sounds good to me, too, then," she said.

They raced past the bumper cars before the things could work up any sort of strategy. It seemed the cars' top speed was slower than their running speed, though not by much. Add to that the fact that they wouldn't be able to keep up their pace all the way to the Big Top, and that spelled trouble.

The first thing they came to after the ride area was a freak show tent. They dashed in. It wouldn't keep the bumper cars out, but maybe when the cars tore through the canvas and brought the tent down, it would slow them. It was better than trying to dodge attacks on the run. And luck treated them even better, as the bumper cars stayed outside.

Though once she thought about it, she realized the luck might not be good. They were, after all, moving into a freak show in the Realm of Nightmares. But they had no other choice but to continue.

Even the size of the tent wasn't right. They'd moved through the entrance tunnel for a hundred yards or more with still plenty of distance to cover, while the tent she saw when they zipped in was maybe fifty feet square at the most. Yet another strange piece to this horrifying puzzle.

Finally, after what seemed like a mile of walking, they entered the tent proper. No one said anything during the trek, as all, like her, were worried about giving away their position. Though that was ludicrous. Whatever sort of freaks lived in here likely knew where they were the moment they stepped in. She didn't know what to expect. A bearded lady? A dog-faced boy? What sort of freaks would inhabit a nightmare realm? That's what made the empty room that much more surprising.

"Guess it's the staging area, not the living quarters," Mom said.

Andi and her dad transformed back to their human shapes, though they remained vigilant for any sort of danger. She also sensed Ben scanning the room, and by his feelings of confusion, he either didn't find anything, or he found something that didn't add up.

"Very astute," a growling voice said from behind them, where they'd come in. They whirled around and found a man covered in thick fur, with the face of a beast. He looked to Andi like the wolfman from the early days of cinema, with his protruding fangs in a half-muzzle, sharp claws, and strength in every movement. She and Dad went back to their half-dragon forms, while Ben and Mom pointed their swords at it.

The wolfman put his hands up in surrender and flashed a smile. "I mean you no harm. Ask your resident necromancer."

"I'm no necromancer," Ben said, in a voice almost too low to be heard.

"True, not totally, but that's as close a description of your powers as I can get. Still, I'm not wrong in saying you can read my intentions, am I?"

"I sense no evil in you. I don't trust you, but…"

"When do we ever trust strangers? I find the only time I do, it tends to turn around and bite me in the rump."

"Should Dad and I turn back to human?" Andi asked Ben. If this was to be a conversation rather than a fight, she knew Dad would want to be a part of it.

"Yeah. We're not in any immediate danger."

She roared to Dad that it was safe, and transformed. He did the same. The wolfman looked at them with an amused twinkle in his pitch black eyes.

"What?" Dad asked.

"Nothing, nothing," the wolfman said. "I apologize. I should have kept my emotions in better check. I was thinking how you two mighty creatures are relegated to the half-state of dragon. There's a place open in our pantheon of freaks if you'd like." When Dad growled at that, the wolfman again held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm teasing. Please take no offense."

Andi rolled her eyes. "It's only here in these nightmare realms that we can't fully transform. If we could, we'd already be out of here."

"True enough, young dragon, true enough. But you mistake where you are. I won't begin to understand where you've been, but this realm is a member of dreams proper, not of the Realm of Nightmares. The syndicate has no pull here normally. It's your presence that has teamed them with the overlords. But that's not why I've come. I'm hoping, while you're here, you can help us with a problem."