Edited
Trixie sat in the common room, looking around. Most of the people in this place appeared muddled. They did not seem to possess the capability to distinguish right from wrong. The only exceptions were the staff. The friendly Dr. Jayden's aura was brighter than the rest, but she did not shine as much as she could have. Trixie could see this woman was hiding some dark secret.The assistant, on the other hand, was not a kind person. She had an evil heart and looked, to Trixie, like a monster. What was perplexing to Trixie was that she could identify that the doctor's secret revolved around the monstrous secretary. When she was working with patients, she glowed like an angel. She was soft-spoken and beautiful. Yet whenever she got anywhere near Jeonna, the glow would fade, and her face lost all its radiance. She was not grotesque, but she was no longer a pretty woman.Trixie had only been in this place for a short amount of time, but she could already tell she would not have meaningful comm
Alizeh rushed to the car, which was waiting with everyone crowded in the rear. It was long and black and had dark glass separating the passengers from the driver. She had noticed many other cars on the road as they rode over here, but most of them were smaller. As she climbed into the back, a thought occurred to her.“Zeek, don't you think she will notice this gigantic machine following her?”Zeek nodded and answered, “Yes, that is why I am sending the rest of the group back to the hotel. This part of the mission will work best if only you and I are present.”Cade began to protest, but before he could, Alizeh grabbed his hand and spoke. “Let him finish talking. We don’t have much time until the doctor leaves in thirty minutes.”Cade looked angry but did not say a word. Zeek continued like he hadn’t been interrupted. He held up two vials of green liquid and announced, “We will consume this; it will make us invisible to the first person who comes upon us for 24 hours. Therefore, they mu
Trixie was getting ready for bed when Gregor walked in. The man was a sweet, oversized oaf who always brightened her day. He never had much to say, but he constantly had a smile on his face. He looked a little strange at the moment, almost as if he were worried about something, which was completely unheard of. Trixie didn't socialize much, but she loved listening to the other residents talking about how Gregor lived in a world that was all his own, a world of perpetual happiness. Trixie longed to visit that world.She noticed that he looked more grounded in this reality than she had ever seen him before. She saw sadness in his eyes, and pain registered as he limped toward her. He reached out and said, “Come.”She looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong, Gregor?”He just shook his head and moaned, “Follow me, please.”Trixie rose up and grabbed his hand. If something was so important that it brought Gregor back to reality, she could at least investigate and find out what was going on. S
Alizeh and Zeek rode in the back of the cab, heading toward the institution. Alizeh blew out a breath and said, “I still don’t understand why we had to wait ten minutes before we left.”Zeek gave her a stern look and said, “I wanted to hit them with two separate attacks. I sent the part of the group who had the most physical strength first. I want them to be surprised by our presence. I was hoping we would have more people in the magical group, but I understand why Jayden and Dixon chose to go with the first group.”Suddenly, Zeek’s face went blank, and he gripped the seat cushions with both hands. He could hear Genève’s voice and see her face clearly. It was like she was standing right in front of him. He felt an unfamiliar, smug sensation come over him when she asked, “So, Dane, what does this mean for my mission. Will you be able to find him?”Zeek felt his mouth move and heard himself say, “Of course we will be able to find him. I am just going to need a little time to put togethe
Zeek could not believe how easy this was. All their powers seemed to be enhanced. He also noticed that Jeonna’s power seemed weaker than he expected. He was sure that this was their fight to win. As they pulled Jeonna closer, the group stepped toward her, ready to extinguish her as quickly as possible. They were not prepared for two more people to enter the hallway.One of the men looked them up and down, considering his adversaries. It seemed as if he were hunting for the easiest prey. His eyes focused on Gwendolyn, and he said a few incomprehensible words and raised his hands. Before anyone knew what was happening, Gwen fell to the floor, convulsing with foam spewing from her mouth.No one checked on her as all hell burst loose. Jeonna broke free, and Zeek and Alizeh had to tighten their hold. Orion was closest to Jeonna, so he quickened his pace.Cade ran toward the room where Trixie was being held. Jayden and Isabella focused their anger on the two men who had entered the hall. Th
Radof took a step back, blending deeper with the shadows of the night. He held his breath as Dane looked in his direction, then let it out when he realized that he had not been seen. He stood concealed by the shadows until Dane was out of sight, then he began his long journey home.As he walked the path to his underground cave, he went over what he knew about this strange newcomer.He knew that Dane had been summoned by Genève and had had no choice but to come. Radof had been to every watering hole and tavern in town to listen to the townsfolk talk. He had realized long ago these were the best places to pick up the information because wine and spirits loosened the tongue as nothing else could. That was how he had learned Genève’s purpose for Dane. He was here to help her find Zeek.The townsfolk spun great tales about how Dan had gotten himself separated from the rest of the group Genève had summoned, and how he had something up his sleeve, something that pleased the queen immensely.
Orion noticed the others looking around in awe at the immaculate landscape, but he couldn’t enjoy the view. His priority was to find out what kind of shape Gwendolyn was in. He put her down on the grass, which seemed to break the strange spell that the ambiance of the place had on everyone.Alizeh was the first to walk toward them. She reached out and touched her mother’s face, then drew her hand back. Gwendolyn was burning up.Zeek caught her eye and softly said, “One of Asmodeus’s demon minions must have put a spell on her. We need to figure out how to remove it. We will go to the shaman. He will help. I have visited this realm many times before, and he is aware of my plans. He will be expecting us.”As he walked away, he motioned for Orion to follow. Orion scooped Gwendolyn into his arms and caught up to his father. Everyone else trailed behind. They were all amazed by how different this place was than their own homes. There were no shops, no traffic, just beautiful untouched natur
Radof stepped into the small, dreary room and peered around. It pleased him that there were so many people ready to take a stand. Now all he needed to figure out was how to get a message to Orion. As he strode toward the center of the room, a sudden hush swept over the crowd. He looked at all the familiar faces and felt an unexpected surge of pride.We will really do this. Our town will be our own again, he thought to himself.“Thank you all for coming. I know that each one of you is taking a monumental risk in being here, and I praise you for that. We are all here for the same reason, and I can say with confidence that better days will soon come. Before I get started, do any of you have questions or concerns?”A small, middle-aged woman stood up. The grin on her face was so dazzling, the dreary room appeared to brighten. Radof had to look twice because he had known this lady for many years and had never once experienced her smile. Her name was Alana.“I have found my son. He is not
That night Alizeh dreamed of Tom. When they first met, he kindly invited her to bunk with him so he could protect her. He wanted so bad to be a hero, to make up for his sins.Even in her dreams she knew, there was no way a little thievery could detract from the person he really was. Then the dream changed to him laughing and telling her she wasn't right in the head.Next, she cut to him warning her about the Bandits, "if they find us, we will not live through the night."Her voice cut over the scene ",Why didn't you listen."She closed her eyes, inside her dream and when she opened them he was lying there dead, entrails spilled on the ground.She heard her own voice again "Why didn't you listen."Alizeh woke herself up screaming. Balthazar was in front of her staring at her with his mouth hanging open. "It's okay Alizeh, you are safe down here. Shh."She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried silently. She finally pulled herself together. Balthazar was looking at with worried eyes.
Zeek, Geneve, and crew returned to the castle. They were tired and disappointed. Zeek spoke to no one as he hurried to his room. He just wanted to go to bed. They'd completely wasted all day. They were no closer to finding her. They couldn't use Geneve's location spell again for an entire week. They did learn enough to add fuel to the already out of control worry that consumed him like fire and clouded his mind like black smoke clouded a room. When she left the castle her head was already in a dark place. Her state of mind was already cause for concern. He knew Alizeh pretty well, he had no doubt that the boys death hurt her in a profound way. With the darkness tainting her thoughts, he feared the pain would be converted to anger. He was concerned about just how far she'd allow Geneve's rage take things, and if it was now the darkness that was captaining the ship.All of this was his fault. If he would have left her in the woods, thus wouldn't have ever happened. He knew he was b
Alizeh just sat there, with tears rolling down her face, and her mouth hanging open. Of course, I would land in the middle of a dragon’s layer, she thought. She considered using her powers, and killing it, but it occurred to her she had never met a dragon before, and she wasn’t sure she would win, and today was not the day she wanted to die. Plus, there was something about this dragon, he was kind of cute, and she couldn’t help but to like him. “My name is Balthazar. I have been down here alone for a long time, afraid to leave. I always wanted a pet to keep me company. You seem different than the evil ones that live in the town. You smell different too. What’s your name – ooh maybe you don’t have one. Do I get to name you?”Alizeh let a snort through the tears, “I am Alizeh. Why are you scared of the towns people? You are a dragon. Can’t you just go and burn the village down?”“I was on my vision quest to come into my powers, when I felt my mother’s death. Since I was only ten (that’
Geneve stared into the fire while soaking. She tried to leave her mind totally blank. She must have fallen asleep because it did not feel like eight hours when it came to her. She bolted up, forgetting she was undressed, and ran to the first person she saw. It was Trixie. “I found her; we must hurry.”Trixie looked at her and gasped. “We will hurry, dear, but you must get dressed first, I will get the others. They should be ready to go.”Geneve quickly got dressed and met the others outside. They decided Trixie, Cade, Orion, Zeek, and Geneve should go. She was not sure just how many people she would be able to transport back and for the and didn’t want to chance to screw anything up. Okay, everyone holds hands, we are only going to be able to do this once, then we must return here.She concentrated on the place the fire showed her. She felt the chilly night and the sand on her skin. The world started spinning in circles, and everything faded to black. The next thing she remembered was
Alizeh stayed up for five hours. Everything was quiet, as she expected. She woke Tom up when her eyelids started to get heavy. She was sure at this point all would be well. Tom woke up, and still looked exhausted. She felt like her fight earlier took more out of him than it did her.“You know what, never mind, go back to sleep. I have got this. I will stay up for the night, don’t worry about it, for real,” she pleaded. She could not bear it if something happened to him.“Like there’s any dimensions in this universe I would let someone else fight my battle, and then let them guard me all night, without any sleep. Alizeh, I appreciate it, but I need you to go to sleep. I will be fine, I got my pack of cards, and I am going to write Nancy a letter, to remind her how very much I love her.”She reluctantly agreed and laid down next to the fire. She tried to stay awake, but she drifted off after a while. She dreamed of being in a dark world, there was a dragon by her side. Orion and cade we
Zeek was looking in his orb, trying to find a suitable place for Geneve to do her ritual, and getting frustrated because he understood how important it was for her to have the right water source. This wasn’t Anwyn. They didn’t have the convenience of all the power in the universe, harnessed in one beautiful river. They had rivers, but they were in very open spots.“Damn it,” He muttered, “this is taking too much time. We need to find something.”“Well, I am not going to trapes around in the middle of town, sans clothes”, Geneve sighed. There has to be a middle ground. I am willing to help, I will save your prodigy for you, but I will not do it at the expense of my dignity. “Talon had been very quiet since he got there. He understood his place. He didn’t really feel like he belonged, he felt like an outsider, but that is something he has dealt with, his entire life, until he met Geneve. She changed his world for him, and she will never understand the deepness of the connection he feel
Alizeh told Tom to stay back. The last thing she needed was for him to get in the way and get them both killed. She hoped there were a lot of them. She turned her head around the corner and was surprised. There were only four men sitting on their horses, trying to look scary – but coming across as petulant children. Alizeh stepped out in front of the boulder.As they trotted closer and closer, one of the men laughed “We know you’re not alone, we saw you and your little boyfriend, oh my, are we going to have fun with you.”“Oh no whatever will we do, us all alone, with all you bad, bad boys out to get us. I have heard about you. Do you plan on killing us?” Alizeh asked feigning fear.There was one man who stood in front of the rest, He was more aloof, and they all seemed to be listening to cues from him. He pulled his hat down, and drawled, “Well little lady, I am going to give you the time of your life, just before I end your life. Don’t worry, you’ll thank me before it is all said an
Zeek had a rude awaking, it is not every day that the only woman you have ever loved, comes tumbling out of nowhere, with the only man she has ever loved, landing in your bed. He opened his eyes to a sudden jolt and was staring into those fiery green eyes he fell in love with so long ago. Then he heard a thump, and Talon was right behind her.He had heard stories of talon but had never seen him. He never really wanted to. This was the man he could never be. Tall dark and handsome. Zeek was in his late forties, and 3.5 feet tall; he was an elf. Geneve and Talon were faes. Faes only age until their late twenties, and then the aging process slowed considerably. If a fae looks old, they are ancient, and you better mind your manners around them.At first, he thought he was having a nightmare. He closed his eyes and opened them again. They were still there, staring back at him. He closed his eyes again, and all of his hopes were shattered, when Geneve said, “for god’s sake Zeek, we are real,
Alizeh woke up in a better mood than she had experienced in a long time. It was nice to be away from everything. To think, to put things in perspective. It was even nice to have someone to talk to that was not involved in ruining her life. She had decided last night, that she needed to let Cade go. What they had was real. It was everything, but I would never be fair to him that her heart was not his. Part of it would always belong to Orion. She jumped up and gently kicked Tom. He was snoring with his mouth open, which she found funnier than the situation called for. “Wake up fool. We are wasting daylight. Let’s find these bandits you spoke of last night.”Tom shot up, unexpectedly “Hush girl. You know not what you speak of. The day we meet those bandits, will be the last day we live. That is my word, and my word is my bond. “She laughed and said, “You’re a bank robber for Goddess’s sake, your word cannot be your bond.”“Not true,” Tom said earnestly. “I do not lie, I steal. I steal b