Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons
Read Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons Online
Authors: E. J. Krause
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Paranormal & Urban, #Sword & Sorcery, #Teen & Young Adult
Dragon Guard
Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragon
By E.J. Krause
Copyright © 2013 Eric J. Krause
Copyright © 2015 E.J. Krause
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
NOTE:
Dragon Guard was originally published by Hunt Press under the name Eric J. Krause. This could be considered a second edition. A few minor changes have been made to the text from that version, but nothing concerning plot or structure has been changed.
Ben Phillips dragged his feet and hated the heft of his backpack. Not that it was heavy, but it reminded him that his math homework wasn't in there. He'd planned to do it last night, but made the mistake of turning on his Xbox before cracking the books. Neither Mom nor Dad would walk in on him, so his only enemy was willpower, which he thought he could beat. He kept getting in better and better battle groups, and before he knew it, it was after eleven. Even with their constant bickering, Mom and Dad would notice him still up that late on a school night. Probably.
Okay, so maybe playing video games instead of doing homework wasn't that rare of an occurrence. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't for Mr. Simms’s class. The math teacher notoriously yelled at students who didn't finish their assignments. Ben was pretty good about getting math homework done as he'd been on the receiving end of the browbeating before, and it wasn't fun. Since today was Monday, it would be worse. Sure, he had all weekend to finish, but he also had other classes. Why didn't teachers get this?
Something buzzed on the back of his neck. It was a prickly feeling, like when he woke his foot up after it fell asleep, that feeling of a thousand tiny needles sticking him. His hand flew up there, but nothing sat on his neck. He looked around and found himself in front of that house that sold a few weeks back. He still hadn't seen who moved in. Whoever it was, they certainly didn't come out very often.
Come to think of it, the whole neighborhood was quiet this morning. Usually there were people leaving for work, walking their dogs, or out to get their morning paper. But this morning? Nothing.
The prickly sensation hit harder, moving up his head and down his back. Movement caught his eye at the sidewalk by the property boundary. He let out a yell and stepped back. His foot fell on the edge of the grass and sidewalk, and he tumbled onto his butt. Instead of pushing back up, he turned and scurried on all fours up the lawn towards the porch. There was no way he saw what he thought he did.
Ben bolted up to the front door and spun to look, sure his imagination had gotten the best of him. It was a holdover in his mind from the zombie mode in Warfare Zone, the first-person shooter he'd been playing last night. Instead of an empty lawn, though, there were two people lumbering towards him. No, not people, not really. They were walking corpses, zombies. Had to be. Their skin was a pale mixture of blue and green, and open sores littered every bit of exposed surface. Their tattered dress shirts and pants wore stains of dirt and who knew what else. Both of their jaws moved up and down as if they were trying to speak. Or, more likely, ready to chew up anything that got in their way.
If he ran quick enough, he could skirt past them. These looked to be the classic slow-moving zombies, not the super fast ones from some of the more recent horror flicks. But weren't they, regardless of speed, relentless? If they were after him, they wouldn't give up, no matter where he ran, until they caught him.
Hysterical giggles threatened to overwhelm him. Here he was, trying to sort this out as if it were science, not fiction. Then again, there were two creatures he could only think of as zombies stumbling towards him. How much more real could this get?
He turned to knock on the door but stopped himself. What right did he have to bring trouble to these nice people? Assuming they were nice, anyway. Maybe he'd be in worse shape if he got their attention. The zombies might be the lesser of two evils. And what if they were in league with the zombies? Not that he believed that, but all kinds of horrible scenarios ran though his mind. Before he made a decision, the door opened and a big hand grabbed his upper arm and dragged him inside.
"Should have run, boy. They weren't after you."
Ben turned and looked at the man. He was huge, standing at least six and a half feet tall and built like a truck, as Ben's dad liked to say. He had short dark hair and a thick mustache, but the thing that stood out most, which both scared and comforted him, was the man's piercing dark blue eyes. It was as if they saw right through Ben's skull and directly into his soul.
Ben gave a start and looked away. A woman also stood there, probably the guy's wife. The two appeared to be in their mid-30s, about the same age as his parents. She stood much shorter than the hulking man, at around five and a half feet tall, and she was quite pretty. It helped that her eyes were plain green, not so noticeable as her husband's. Her hair was a stylish short blonde, dropping down just below her jaw line. He knew it was stylish because it looked similar to how his mom often appeared after a trip to the salon, and she always kept up on the latest trends.
"No need to scare him, Lee," the woman said. "I'm sure he's already freaked out enough."
The man, Lee, let go of Ben, who backed away. Would his shoulders have bruises from the grip? He looked at the adults. "What's going on?"
"Nothing to concern yourself with, sweetie," the woman said. "Why don't you head into the kitchen for a minute? There are some granola bars on the counter if you're hungry. I'll drive you to school in a few moments so you're not late. I assume you go to Valley Citrus?"
He nodded and headed down the entry hall. He didn't know these people, so why should he trust them? For some reason, though, he did. The floor plan wasn't much different from his own house and others in the neighborhood. The entryway opened into a living room, and a door to the left led to the kitchen. Were all the houses in the area just copies of each other?
He could tell these people hadn't been here very long. The living room had a half-finished feel to it. The furniture and television and other big stuff were set up, but the walls were bare, and there were a few boxes in the corner with family photos and other decorations peeking out. Everything had a new smell that he figured was from carpet cleaners. He remembered the scent from when Grandma Phillips passed a couple of years back. His parents, along with his aunts and uncles, cleaned her house top to bottom in order to sell it.
The kitchen held more clutter. Dishes, cooking utensils, and other things lay in a few of the open boxes. If he poked through the cupboards, pantry, and refrigerator, he knew he wouldn't find much. No breakfast odor lingered. The granola bars were indeed on the counter, but even if he hadn't already eaten, he wouldn't have the appetite for one now.
The front door thudded open, and Ben couldn't stand it. He had to see what was going on. He snuck into the living room and peeked around the corner to the entry hall. The two zombies stumbled in through the open door, and the man, Lee, moved too fast for Ben to see. The first zombie fell, decapitated. The woman leapt at the second, two swords in her hands. A few quick swipes and it dropped headless next to the first on the tile floor. Lee slammed the door shut and the lady headed back towards Ben, who retreated to the kitchen.
"Don't see that sort of stuff everyday, do you?" the woman said as she walked in.
Did she know he'd been watching, or had she meant zombies in general? His "No," wasn't a lie either way.
"Sorry you had to get mixed up in that. Let me get you to school. I wouldn't want you to be late on top of everything else."
Ben nodded, not trusting his voice enough to mutter an "Okay," and followed her though a side door in the kitchen which led to the garage. School wasn't too far away, just a couple more blocks. Normally he'd have turned down a ride, but today he didn't want to risk running into any more zombies. Or worse, if there was such a thing.
A sporty red four-door and a big blue SUV sat parked in the garage. She unlocked the four-door, and he climbed in the passenger seat. As she backed out, she started talking as if nothing weird had happened.
"As you can tell by the mess, we just moved in. Today's our daughter's first day of school. She'd usually be leaving by the time you showed up, but she wanted to get there early to get a lay of the land, so to speak. We picked up her schedule on Friday, but didn't have a chance to explore. What grade are you in?"
"Tenth."
"Wonderful! A sophomore. So is my daughter, Alexandria. And I'm sorry, sweetie, I forgot to ask your name."
"Ben. Ben Phillips."
"Nice to meet you, Ben, though I wish it could be under better circumstances. I'm Cassandra Thomas, and you met my husband, Leon. Maybe you'll meet Andi later today."
"Yeah." He couldn't think of anything to add to that.
Like most mornings, there was a huge line getting into the parking lot, so he had Cassandra, Mrs. Thomas he should call her, stop across the street. Before he got out, she put a hand on his arm.
"Ben, it might be best for all involved if you chose not to mention what you saw this morning."
Somehow he managed to smile. "I don't think anyone would believe me anyway."
"Yeah, I kind of doubt it," she said with a chuckle. "If you see Andi, don't be afraid to go up to her and say hi. I'm sure she could use a friend today. You'll know her when you see her. She looks quite a bit like me except for her eyes and her hair color. Those she got from her father."
Ben said he would and thanked her for the ride. She gave a wave as she drove off. He sighed and headed for the crosswalk. At least all of that had taken his mind off his unfinished math homework.
"So you played all night instead of doing homework for Simms's class?" Randy said, laughing.
"Man," Jay said. "Even if you found perfect groups, it couldn't make up for the wrath of Old Man Simms."
"I didn't mean to," Ben said. "Every group I joined couldn't lose. I kept saying I was going to get to my homework, but all of the sudden it was after eleven."
"You should have seen it," Vince said. "Simms was in fine form. Especially since Ben was the only one who didn't finish."
His three friends laughed while Ben polished off the bag of potato chips he brought for a snack. "Glad you guys are enjoying this. It was a pretty crappy morning." He sighed. And they didn't know the half of it. In a way, he didn't mind the tongue lashing Old Man Simms gave him. It felt normal.
Jay punched Ben's arm. "Melissa says hi, by the way."
"When are you going to ask her out again?" Randy said. "She's going to keep bugging us until you do."
Ben was about to say something about finding the right time when she caught his eye. Not Melissa, but the new girl, Mrs. Thomas's daughter. What was her name? Angie? Annie? Andi? Yes, Andi. As Mrs. Thomas said, there was no doubt who her parents were. She had long dark hair, the color of her father's, the petite, athletic frame and good looks of her mother, and …
She looked up at him, and her bright blue eyes pierced through him, like her father's. But unlike his stare, which brought intimidation, hers filled him with a sense of peace and happiness. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. She smiled, and he tried to smile back, hoped he did. He didn't dare look down because he was afraid he'd find himself floating a few inches off the ground.
His buddies burst out laughing.
"What?" he said, breaking eye contact. When he glanced back, she was already on her way in the opposite direction.
"Nothing," Vince said. "It was just perfect timing. We're talking about Melissa, and you're making eyes at the new girl."
"Yeah," Randy said. "That chick's pretty hot. You should've introduced yourself, Benny."
"I don't know …"
"Sure, like he did with Melissa last year," Jay said. "Oh, wait, that never happened. She had to force him to ask her out."
Randy took a turn punching him in the arm. Like Jay's punch, it didn't hurt. Luckily, Ben's friends were all built the same as him, more for video games than physical activity. "For a guy with no game, you sure are a chick magnet."
"Whatever."
Before he had to endure any more, the bell rang, ending break and signaling the start of third period. The guys all said bye and headed for class. Ben hurried to Language Arts, hopeful this would be the one he shared with Andi Thomas.
*****
Ben walked from his normal lunch spot to fifth period PE, a smile on his lips. His friends had resumed their teasing from break, but it had been good-natured, so he didn't mind. Besides, each got a turn in getting picked on about a girl, so it was all fair. He supposed he liked Melissa well enough, and they'd probably go out again, as soon as she pushed the topic enough for him to ask her. But there was something about the new girl. He'd never felt this way about Melissa, and he hadn't even talked to Andi Thomas yet. She'd been in his thoughts nonstop since break. He'd hardly even thought about the zombies.
Whoa!
He stopped in his tracks. What was stranger? The fact that he'd seen what he assumed were real zombies, or that a few hours later it hardly phased him? Shouldn't something like that consume his thoughts? Give him walking nightmares? But it didn't bother him at all.
He looked to his left and saw Andi by herself at a drinking fountain. It was the perfect opportunity. With the distraction of everyone heading to class, no one would notice him talking to her. Her mom did tell him to say hi, right?
Who was he kidding? He couldn't do that. What would he say? Yes, he'd dated Melissa last year, but the guys were right. If she hadn't initiated it all, basically insisted, they'd have never gone out. And they'd been flirting on and off since elementary school. How would he start something with a girl he didn't even know?
She finished her drink and turned towards him. He should go, continue on to the locker room for PE, but his feet wouldn't move. What was it about this girl? He needed to at least look somewhere else so she didn't think he was some creepy stalker.
Too late. Her eyes caught his, and she smiled, ducked her head, and looked up again.
C'mon, do it!
There would never be a better opportunity. He'd faced zombies that morning. This whole day had to be a dream anyway, right? Go up to her. Say hi.
His legs obeyed even as him mind screamed, "No!" What was he doing? He couldn't think of anything to say. Wasn't his first remark supposed to be witty or funny or something? This could only end with him looking dumb.
Thankfully, or maybe unfortunately, she didn't run away. Her smile brightened and her cheeks blushed, but she held eye contact.
"Hi," he said when he was close enough. "My name's Ben." Somehow his voice came out comprehensible.
"Hi, I'm Andi. Well, Alexandria, but I go by Andi."
"Cool. First day, huh?"
What? Lead with that? Stupid-stupid-stupid.
"Yeah. Seems like a good school. People have been great so far."
"Nice. Where are you off to next?"
Better.
"Algebra with Mr. Simms. Do you have him?"
"Yeah. First period. Always do your homework, and you'll be fine."
"You can pretty much say that for any class, though, right?" she said with a laugh.
"He gets mean when you don't do it. Way more than other teachers. I'm still stinging from this morning."
"I bet it motivates you to finish your assignments for the rest of the week." A half-smile lingered on her lips.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"So there you go." She gave him a playful nudge on the arm, and a spark shot between them. Not like a static electricity shock, but something deeper, something he couldn't explain. She felt it, too, because her eyes went wide.
"Can I eat lunch with you tomorrow?" he asked, the question coming out all at once. "I mean, unless you already have someone to sit with. Or something." He had no clue where that came from, but it sounded way too lame for her to accept.
"Yeah, that sounds great."
Wait, had he heard her right? She said yes? Yeah, she did. "Meet me here and we'll pick a spot." Did she notice he had a hard time getting it out without hyperventilating?
Her slight smile said yes, but instead of commenting, she said, "Sounds good. I'll be here."
"Awesome."
"We better get to class. You already skipped homework today, so you don't want to get a tardy, too."
"I'll be fine. I have PE. But you shouldn't be late to Simms's class. I'll see you tomorrow, if not later today."
"Sounds great. Thanks for everything."
She smiled, waved, and headed towards the math building. He watched for a second, and then turned towards the locker rooms. As he did, he gave a start. Across the way stood Melissa, dressed head to toe in her signature pink, staring at him with a big frown on her face. He contemplated waving, but that might make things worse. Instead he ducked his head and pretended he hadn't seen her. It wouldn't work, but at least it would keep him out of a confrontation for the moment. As he walked into the locker room, it came to him that he didn't care if he smoothed things over with Melissa. There was something special about Andi Thomas.
