Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons (15 page)

The slip of parchment inside the envelope read, "Only the key can pacify the savage beast. Speak the word of dreams to continue." Another incantation was listed below. Like the one Rico gave them, Ben had no idea what the strange word was, but its pronunciation formed in his mind.

"Why do you suppose these clues keep mentioning dreams?" Andi asked.

"I don't know. Because we're in a dream?"

"Maybe." She studied the paper. "I wonder if the incantations are dream words."

"You don't know what they mean?"

She shook her head. "What sort of beast is pacified by a key?"

"Maybe it's a weapon," Ben said, examining it. "When the beast appears it turns into a sword or something? Maybe like a Keyblade?"

Andi studied the paper another minute, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we move on and take it as it comes."

She spoke the incantation, and though it sounded so strange in Ben's ears, he knew she pronounced it correctly. The wall rumbled in front of them where the table had rested. First the podium sank back into the floor, and then a doorway-sized chunk of the wall flowed away like melting ice. A long, skinny passageway appeared through the opening. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all constructed out of grey chunks of smooth stone. They couldn't see more than a few feet, as the only light came from the room they were already in.

"Where do you think it goes?" Ben asked.

"To the beast, I guess."

"How are we supposed to fight it if we can't see?" He examined the key again. "Maybe it's a flashlight. You know how some animals freeze when you shine a bright light in their eyes? Maybe that's what we do to the beast." He couldn't see where the light would come out, and there was no way to turn it on, anyway.

"I don't know. Be ready for anything." She sighed. "I wish I could be in my full dragon form, but the passage is too small. I guess a partial transformation will have to do if we run into trouble."

They stepped in, Ben leading the way with his shield held steady in front to protect them. As soon as they were a few feet in, the door closed behind them, but instead of trapping them in complete darkness, the stones glowed with an eerie green light. The passageway ran about as long as a football field. As often as he had to run around the school's field during the mile runs in PE, he should know. It ended with another wall, trapping them in, but a treasure chest sat next to the ending. No doubt that was their goal.

"I bet that's what the beast is guarding," Andi said, leaning forward. "Do you suppose there are coins and jewels in there?"

Ben chuckled at the lust in her voice. "Down girl. There will be plenty of time for treasure later. I'm more worried about the beast."

"Oops. Yeah, sorry."

They shuffled forward, Ben's shield leading the way. Andi had the key ready in case the beast leapt out at them. For the first half of the tunnel, nothing happened. They kept up their careful pace, heads on a swivel, but the beast didn't make an appearance. They also had to be careful not to step on the small stones from the walls and ceiling that littered the ground. It wouldn't do to trip on one and sprain an ankle. At the halfway mark, pins and needles climbed up and down the back of Ben's neck.

"Wait. Something's here."

"The beast?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't think so." He clutched his eyes shut and concentrated. There was something wrong right in front of them, but he couldn't figure out what. "Hey, Andi, pick up one of those rocks and toss it out in front of us."

She gave him a strange look but followed the directions without arguing. Andi grabbed a stone the size of a baseball and threw it a few feet forward. A boom erupted from the floor, and a pit fell open a couple of steps ahead of them. It dropped twenty feet and jagged spikes lined the bottom.

Andi kissed his cheek. "Like I said, you're full of surprises." He was glad her fear at that sentiment had left. But should he be more afraid?

There was about a foot of floor space to walk between the wall and the pit. The warning sensation had left him, so Ben figured as long as they were careful, they'd be safe. Once across, they continued towards the chest.

"This is too easy," he said. "Keep your eyes open for that beast."

"I don't know about easy. If you weren't here, I would have fallen in."

"And if it weren't for you, the guardians would have overwhelmed me."

"So we make a good team."

They continued like before, with Ben and his shield leading the way. Once they reached the chest, butterflies flapped around his stomach. Why hadn't they been attacked yet? Or why weren't there any more traps? "I think I'd rather something come at us." When Andi gave him a funny look, he said, "At least then we wouldn't be waiting for it. The suspense is the worst part."

"Maybe they figure that pit will get most people. The chest probably has a trap built in to get the rest."

Ben concentrated, but didn't feel any sort of warning. "Maybe the beast is the chest. An unlocked treasure chest is pacified, if you think about it. The clue might be saying something as simple as we need to unlock it with the key."

"Seems possible." Andi reached forward, aiming the key at the keyhole. As she got close, the tingling ran up and down his neck. He grabbed her and pulled back.

"It's a trap!"

The chest burst to life and lunged at Andi's outstretched arm. If Ben hadn't warned her, it would have clamped down. They tumbled back and scrambled into a defensive posture as the animated chest hopped around, looking for an opening. The lid top, which was lined with sharp teeth, formed its mouth, and the keyhole was its nose. Two jeweled decorations on top now served as eyes. It didn't grow any legs, but bounced from side to side, more than nimble enough.

Ben used his shield to move into position and struck with his sword. The blade bounced harmlessly off the reinforced wood and iron covering. He swung again, harder this time, and didn't cause a dent.

"I need to stick the key in its nose," Andi said. "You were right. It is the beast."

"I liked my description of the inert chest better."

"At least your suspense is over."

The chest smashed into his shield and knocked him backwards. "Okay, so maybe that wasn't as bad as this."

As Ben kept it at bay as best he could, Andi snuck behind it. He thrust his sword hard into its open mouth, and it clamped down. Andi leapt over the top, jammed the key in, and turned it. The chest went lifeless at once, releasing Ben's sword. He fell back onto the stone floor and caught his breath. His sword didn't have a scratch. What kind of metal was it made out of? He thought for sure he was going to get it back in two or three pieces.

Andi helped him to his feet. "Shall we see what our prize is?"

He fought back a grin at her excitement and nodded. The lid popped open, but this time as a normal treasure chest, not a possessed demon one. Inside lay a small map. It showed a picture of a simple maze, one that could be in an activity book aimed at first graders. Underneath was a group of a dozen arrows, pointing up, down, left, or right.

"What does that mean?" Ben ran through the maze quickly in his head. "The arrows don't match the solution."

"And I don't see any other clue," Andi said.

"Did you check the back?"

She turned the map over and found a short sentence. She mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, "Sure, if you want to be logical about it."

He wanted to poke a little fun at her, but could tell this wasn't the time. Instead, he said, "What's it say?"

"Begin by pushing open the door."

They looked around, but didn't see any door. They checked both sides of the map again for an incantation, but there wasn't any. Andi even ran her hand around the inside of the chest to check for hidden compartments, but came up empty. Ben breathed a lot easier when she pulled her arm back without the chest waking up.

"This is hopeless," he said, leaning against the back wall. As he did, it shifted.

"You found it." She rushed over and pushed. When he realized what was going on, he joined in. Soon the hidden door was propped all the way open.

The passage on the other side looked an awful lot like the one they were already in. Except, like the map showed, it turned to the left not too far in front of them.

And also unlike the corridor they were just in, once they entered the labyrinth, danger prickled constantly on the back of his neck.

Andi didn't like the fear pulsing from Ben. When she asked him about it, he said he couldn't tell where the danger was, that it was like the whole labyrinth was a trap in itself. They'd be fine if they went slow. The tone of his voice said he believed it, but he couldn't hide his true emotions from her.

As they approached the first corner, Ben grunted and stumbled. Andi grabbed him under his arms to steady him, but his entire body shook. "Too much," he said. "Too much buzzing. Danger all around us." His teeth chattered together as he talked, and even with her hanging onto him, he was on the verge of toppling over.

Andi wrapped him in a bear hug and fell backwards against the wall, pulling him with her. "You're concentrating too hard, Ben. Don't try to find everything. Let it come to you."

His shakes continued to the point where she wasn't sure how long she could hold him. "Can't stop. Danger … everywhere."

"You can. I believe in you. Turn it down." His shakes slowed, but didn't stop. She concentrated all her energy on flooding him with the positive emotions of her belief in him, her love of him, and everything else. They slid down the wall so she was sitting with him lying on top of her. She could barely move, but managed to work a hand loose to stroke his hair. She kissed his forehead and whispered encouraging words.

It took a minute, but his shakes subsided, and his ragged breathing returned to normal. She held him tight for another moment, and then he gave a deep breath and rolled off of her. "That was weird," he said. Sweat dripped down his face. "It was like the labyrinth itself was attacking me. The dangerous feelings kept ramping up higher and higher until I couldn't do anything about it. If you weren't here … I don't know. My flesh might have shaken right off my bones."

She did her best to mop off his forehead. "But I was here for you. I'll always be here for you."

He cuddled into her. A wave of love pulsed from him, and the joy of that caused her to give a shudder of her own. Wow, she'd never get tired of that.

"We should get going," she said, though all she wanted was to lie down next to him and snuggle, but that wouldn't get them any closer to finishing Rico's task and rescuing Mom and Dad.

They helped each other up and rounded the first corner, which was two quick lefts for a U-turn, and they were heading back the way they came, though one hallway over. It was slow going, just like before, with Ben and his shield leading the way. Andi checked for anything that might attack while monitoring Ben's emotions. Whatever had ramped his power up to an unbearable level seemed to be gone, but she wanted to nip it in the bud if it came back.

Halfway down this stretch of corridor, Ben stopped. "Something above us. I don't know what."

She looked up but didn't see anything. She nudged him forward, but kept her eyes positioned skyward. After a couple more steps, the ceiling cracked. Andi wrapped her arms around him and jumped forward. A second later, a huge stone crashed down behind them, centered exactly where they'd been. They'd have been squished flat.

"Good reflexes," Ben said, dusting himself off. "We're safe for the moment."

They got to their feet and continued to the right turn ahead. The next hallway stretched as long as the first two put together. There was also an option to turn right about halfway down, but the map showed this led to a dead end. Without the map, would they have chosen that route? And what nasty surprises would they have run into down there?

"I'm getting some buzzing, but it's not danger," Ben said. "Not exactly."

"Just stay focused." Would he know exactly what his warnings meant when they were fully bound, or was this already a product of him being prophesized to have so much power? She shook her head to knock the question from her mind. This wasn't the place. They could worry about such stuff later. Together.

As they approached the turn off, Ben whispered, "Something's going to happen," but he didn't elaborate. She started to ask what, but bright lights flashed, like giant strobes, cutting her off. Ben grunted, and Andi clutched her eyes shut, though it did no good. The lights blinked right through her eyelids.

"I still don't sense any danger," Ben said, his voice raised even though the labyrinth was as quiet as before. Andi understood. The strobe effect was so bright it was like thunderous white noise accompanied it.

"What do we do?" she said, her own voice too loud.

"Keep walking. The map shows we go straight until the end."

She folded her arms around his chest and they shuffled forward together. Was he able to see anything? She didn't open her eyes to find out, instead relying on him to lead the way. After a few more timid steps, a wave of dizziness overtook her, but it passed as quickly as it came. They moved until the flashing lights ceased.

"Oh, thank goodness." She opened her eyes, but everything still had that blinking effect, so it took a few seconds before she could see.

They walked to the end of the corridor and looked down the new passage. According to the map, it should run straight and turn right at the end. And it did, but something was wrong. In the middle of the floor lay the huge boulder that almost crushed them.

"We got turned around," Ben said. "Look at the map. We should have turned right, not left. This is the same rock."

"That makes sense. Did you feel dizzy for a second back there?"

He nodded.

"The floor spun. I didn't feel it move, but …"

"Yeah. That annoying light messed with our heads. What should we do?"

"Once we feel dizzy, we can walk backwards until the light goes out."

"Okay, yeah, good," Ben said.

They moved forward until the powerful strobe started again. Ugh. It even made her teeth hurt. She could swear she felt the light particles bounce off her skin. They continued until the dizzying sensation hit.

"Start backwards," Ben said, again louder than necessary. They took four or five steps back when she rammed square into the wall.

"Ow! What happened?"

"It must spin randomly," Ben said. "Let's go forward again and see how it spins us this time. Sooner or later it should point the right way."

Andi put her hand on his shoulder before he could move. "Remember the map. We can side-step to the left. That should get us there, too, unless we trigger another spin."

"I like your plan better."

They stepped left, and the floor stayed still. They kept moving, straddling the wall, until the strobe light shut off. Though it was hard to see clearly, thanks to the residual light beating around her brain, they were in the correct spot. Ben rewarded her quick thinking with a peck on the cheek. She then moved back into position behind him, letting his shield and instinct guide them.

The next corridor, as the map showed, was another long, straight hallway. Ben tensed and said, "There's something deadly down there. Be alert."

As they walked, Andi checked the ground in front, the ceiling above, and the passage behind in case whatever it was decided to sneak up on them. At not quite the halfway point, Ben tensed. A hissing sound exploded from their left, and he pulled his shield to the side. Something thudded into it, and he pushed her back, where they collapsed in a heap.

"What happened?" she cried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Something told me to move my shield just in time."

They looked down and found an arrow, now snapped in half, lying at their feet. Andi reached down to pick it up when Ben grabbed her wrist. "No, don't." He pointed to the grayish-green liquid bubbling out of the cracked shaft. "I don't know for certain, but I'd guess that's a potent poison."

Andi nodded and backed away. "Are there more?"

"Uh-huh, but I can't tell how many."

She checked his shield. It didn't have a scratch on it. "Let's walk with that pointed to the wall. It seems sturdy enough."

"What if they shoot from the other wall, too? Even if this early warning system in my head says something, there's no way I can swing the shield around in time."

"So we'll walk with it in front. You proved you're fast enough."

"No way. It told me something was coming, but not which way. What if I just guessed right?"

"But if …" She stopped. This was stupid. She was a dragon. She might not have the room to transform into her true body, but she could bring parts of it to her human form. A quick thought changed her soft human skin into hard blue dragon scales.

"Whoa," Ben said. "That's like scary and hot all at once."

"Whatever. You saw me like this before."

"We were in the middle of a fight then, and I didn't have a chance to check you out. Wow."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but was secretly glad he approved. "Let's get out of here before your boy hormones take over."

"Sorry."

She hid a smile at the way he blushed.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. "Will your dragon skin deflect the arrows?"

"I don't know," she said, taking a few steps back. "Hopefully we won't find out." Without another word, she took off running down the corridor. In two steps she was at full speed, and the first arrow shot out and passed behind her. As more arrows came, she tumbled into some flips and spins in case running alone wasn't enough to dodge them. She didn't stop until she landed next to the far wall.

"That was amazing," Ben called from the other end of the hallway. "An Olympic gymnast couldn't have done any better."

"Thanks, but did it work?"

"You tell me. You didn't get hit, did you?"

"Don't be dense, Ben. Are there more arrows?"

His face went blank for a second, and then he said, "No. There's still a little bit of a tingle, but I think that's to not touch the poison."

The busted arrows all leaked the grayish-green guck. "Good, but stay alert as you come over here."

He took her advice, but there was no need to worry. She'd triggered them all. When he reached her, she grabbed him in a hug. He squeezed back and whispered, "Weird."

"What?"

"Nothing. You feel like you, but like you're wearing a suit of armor."

"I guess I sort of am," she said with a shrug.

They studied the map again and saw the labyrinth didn't hold any trickery for awhile, at least in the shape of the maze. Even if they took a wrong turn, they'd discover their mistake after just a few steps. Neither needed to remind the other that the real dangers weren't a part of the maze layout anyway.

A right and a left got them almost to the halfway point. They turned left and a buzzing assaulted their ears. Andi tensed, glad she'd stayed in her scales, and that Ben didn't care she looked strange. Would she have gone back to her more vulnerable flesh if he had been grossed out? Probably.

"I don't know what it is," Ben said, "but it's something bad."

As soon as he said it, a cloud of bugs burst out of the corridor that led to a dead-end. She pulled Ben back into a corner where his shield could best protect them. Maybe the swarm would miss them and fly off somewhere else.

"What are they?" he whispered. "Besides bugs, I mean."

"They look like locusts."

"Are they poisonous?"

"Who knows? The ones back home aren't. But if they're here, they're dangerous."

Ben was silent for a second, and then said, "Don't they eat through crops and stuff real fast? Think these will treat us like crops?"

She gave a shiver. That's exactly what she thought. There were so many that the cloud might as well have been a wall. Even if she thought they had a chance of outrunning the swarm, there was no way they could get past it in the first place. Maybe Ben could do something about it. He'd been full of surprises so far.

"Concentrate," she said. "You might be able to kill or control them or something."

He shook his head. "Not unless they're zombie bugs. And even then I'd just be able to sense them, and there's no need for that. They're right there."

"Just try," she said. "And hurry!" The entire swarm assembled, and new movements came from the middle of the cloud.

"Fine," Ben said. He ducked further beneath his shield, his face relaxed, but she could sense the urgency in him. It didn't seem to have any effect on the bugs. A thick limb, comprised of thousands of individual locusts, grew from the swarm cloud. Then a second one emerged, completing the look of a pair of arms. Two more grew lower, giving the illusion of legs. She waited to see if they'd form a face, but instead it lumbered forward, as if walking. She'd always laughed when she saw swarms of insects do such things in cartoons, but it wasn't funny now. She reminded herself to breathe.

"Ben, hurry," she said, more to herself than to him. The humanoid insect swarm took another couple of steps, now almost in striking distance. She didn't want to know what would happen when that thing hit them. Would the combined weight of so many bugs crush them, or would the arms break apart and start devouring them? Her scales might hold out for a minute or two, but Ben wouldn't last five seconds.

It took another step and raised its buzzing fist. She tensed and got ready to run. With the swarm in this concentrated form, at least they'd be able to zip past. It would give chase, but they wouldn't be sitting ducks.