| Phase 26 � Young Master!� Bart turned. � Yeah, Sig?� � Today, during the battle against Ramsus, Kris used that attack that you said she had when she�d been on Drive, right?� � . . . Uh-huh. Do you know what they are?� � They�re Aerods, like what Elly had done a few moments before, but they�re not the same. Kris� were from the planet. She can somehow call them directly from the ground. They�re called Gaian Aerods and they�re very powerful. They could probably destroy Solaris.� � Cool.� � Yes, but now Kris is in danger.� Bart bristled protectively. � From who?� � Solaris. They will most likely send someone to kill her. With her power of being able to call the Gaian Aerods without Drive, she is now a serious threat to them. They will send their best assassin to kill her.� � I won�t let them---� � Here.� Sigurd handed him a small, lightweight gun. � It has a tranquilizer in it, just in case I miss them.� � Why can�t I just kill them?� � Because we can question them and possibly find out Solaris� plans.� Bart debated it, then nodded. � All right.� *>*<* � So . . .� He frowned. � Could you go through the names again, please? I�m not sure I caught them all.� I repeated the names and he nodded. � Then what about Sig�s and Citan�s and mine?� I thought. � Levex is �Guardian�s Guardian�. Talic is �Keen Observer�. And Matik here is �Unique Imperial�.� He watched his dragon, curled up in the chair beside Devon, sleep. � Why are their names so complicated?� � Because that�s the way they are.� He humphed. � I wish I�d caught the names of the two I lost.� � Lost?� � Yeah. This blue one ran to the Etone I was telling you about and the brown one ran off to the kid�s dad.� � Oh.� The door to Bart�s room opened and Sig poked his head in. � I don�t suppose either of you have even bothered to check the time?� Bart pulled the cuff of his glove forward and glanced at his watch. Looking at Sig, he smiled sheepishly and said, � . . . Um . . . Oops?� � Lights out,� Sig ordered with a frown. � Now. Or you�re both going to miss breakfast tomorrow.� Bart saluted stiffly. � Yes sir, Sergeant!� Sig moved so quickly I almost didn�t catch it. He stepped into the room, lifted his left hand--which had a slingshot in it--and his right--which held an odd squishy thing. He fired the thing at Bart, who jumped and gasped reflexively as freezing water splashed all over him. The whole event took about ten seconds to happen. � Don�t say that again,� Sig warned as he left the room. Bart sat completely still, breathing heavily at the chillness of the water. I retrieved a towel and had him take off his jacket and shirt. I briefly rubbed at his hair to dry it, then wrapped the towel around his shoulders. � . . . I�m gonna kill him . . .� � Bart, calm down. He did have a legitimate reason to do it. If you hadn�t provoked him like that, he never would�ve done it.� � Yeah, but it�s cold!� � I think that was the point.� � My pants are soaked too.� � Sorry. Can�t do anything about that.� I turned my back and went to the chair, petting the sleeping dragons while he changed. Bart, now dressed in his nighttime clothing (a pair of white shorts and socks), draped his pants over the back of the chair. � Sig�s mind is a cruel monster. How does he come up with that stuff? I mean . . . water balloons?� I shrugged negligently. � Beats me. But look at it this way: it�s not dangerous, yet very effective. A perfect combination.� I went to the bed which had, luckily, escaped getting wet and laid down. Bart laid with me. � Well I�m going to get him tomorrow. I�ll think of something, I know.� He reached over to the small table beside his bed and turned the light off. � G�night, Kris.� � G�night,� I replied with a yawn. It could only have been half an hour after that when I sensed someone who had thoughts of death. For me. I woke and snuggled against Bart to try to hide myself a bit longer to think up a plan. � Kris?� Bart asked sleepily. � You okay?� � Someone wants to kill me,� I whispered. He was instantly awake. � Are they here?� � They�re in the hall.� He hesitated for just a second, then pushed me onto my back and laid on me. � Just hold still. I won�t let them hurt you, I promise.� He tilted his head briefly and listened, then said in a very quiet whisper, � Turn your head to the side. I�m going to put the pillow on you.� I did so and he set the pillow on the side of my head. There was a soft pressure as he rested his head on the pillow. The fingers of his left hand touched my face reassuringly as something behind my head charged with a muted whine. The door slid open. Very quiet footsteps tip-toed across the room to the bed. From the chair there were three individual snarls. The blankets, which Bart had pulled up over his shoulders, were tossed back. The thing behind my head was moved and there was a quick hiss and pop. The person turned and tried to run off, but Bart pulled himself up without even causing me the slightest discomfort and lunged at them. There was a thud as the door opened again and the lights came on. A fourth snarl joined in the mass of lavender, black, and red, adding gray. Sig bolted in and quickly removed the handgun, dagger, and crossbow gauntlet from the woman pinned on the floor. Bart held her until she finally gave in and slept. � When is that stuff supposed to activate?� � It takes a moment to circulate through the blood,� Sig answered. � How long will it last?� � Several hours, at least.� The dragons finally stopped fighting. Devon�s tail was wrapped around the lavender one�s front legs and head, Matik�s was wrapped around the lavender one�s back legs and tail, and Levex laid his front end on the lavender one�s side, holding it down completely. His tail wrapped around its muzzle to keep it from biting. Sig picked the woman up and carried her from the room. The dragons tagged along, holding their tails high to keep the lavender one from bouncing on the floor. Bart retrieved me and we went down to the �Prisoner�s Hall� to the first room and put the woman inside on the bed. � Kris, could you make sure she doesn�t have anything else she could use to get away or kill someone?� I obeyed, but as I was backing up, the woman leapt to her feet and closed her hands around my neck. Sig and Bart came to rescue me, but a deadly calmness settled over me and I dropped my head slightly, narrowing my eyes at the woman. She suddenly rose into the air and slammed back into the wall. Bart caught me as I began to fall and cradled me gently. � Kris, that was awesome! How�d you do that?� I rolled my eyes. � How should I know? It just happened.� Sig was checking the woman. � If she wasn�t out before, she is now.� � Can I kill her?� Bart asked, disturbingly eager. � No!� Sig snapped. � We have to question her first!� Bart made a disgruntled noise. The dragons freed the lavender one in a corner and stood in a semicircle so she couldn�t escape. She hissed and growled, curled defensively in her corner to protect herself. Sig looked to that corner. � Zavi, here.� Levex closely escorted her to the bed and hopped up with her, sitting at right angels to her, ready to spring and pin her down. What? Zavi demanded rudely. � Why are you two here?� That�s classified. Certainly not information for you turncoats. � Tell me!� Sig roared. Zavi ducked low, her tail touching her belly. We were sent to kill the Lamb that threatens our home. � Why? Who said she would use her strength against you?� . . . No one. Sig muttered a few curses under his breath, then stood and went for the door. � I�ll be back tomorrow, Zavi. Both of you better be more forthcoming with the information I want.� Levex hopped down from the bed and followed him out. Bart frowned thoughtfully once the door was shut. � Boy, was he ever short-tempered.� I yawned. � He has his reasons.� We left and Bart punched in a code, locking the door so it couldn�t be opened unless a counter-code was put in. Returning to the room, Matik and Devon resumed their sleep on the chair and Bart and I had hardly turned the light out and pulled the blankets up over ourselves before we were asleep. *>*<* Sigurd ate his breakfast slowly and thoughtfully, watching as Levex madly inhaled his breakfast from where the dragon crouched on the table. It would only be another fifteen minutes before the alarm went off in Bart�s room and woke at least Kris. But out of the two, she was the one who needed the sleep, considering what she had done last night to the assassin. Well, he could always go cut the alarm and wake Bart up himself. He finished his meal and stood slowly, then went to the kitchen. � Have you started on the young master�s breakfast yet?� � His and Krista�s,� answered the cook. � Could you box them for me? There was a . . . disturbance last night and it kept them up late.� � Sure. Want the dragons� food too?� � Why not? They�ll tear up the box to get the food if I don�t give them their own meal.� Sigurd waited just outside the doorway and took the box when it was handed to him. � Thanks.� He went down to Bart�s room and opened the door. Hello, Lord Sigurd! the black and red balls of fluff chirped from the chair. � Shh,� he scolded softly. � Don�t wake them. Do you want breakfast?� Yes! He went to the chair and set one of the bowls down in front of each dragon. They ate as if they hadn�t eaten in years and Sigurd watched them for a while, amazed that such small creatures could consume so much in such a short time. He moved in the direction of the bed and for a moment he thought Kris was already up. But upon getting closer and pulling the covers back slightly, he found her nestled happily against Bart. The scene was priceless. He briefly wondered if Kris would wake up if he woke Bart and decided that she would. So he set the food on the floor (every other space was taken) and looked at the alarm clock, turning it away from the bed so he could see it. The alarm was going to go off in another minute. He switched it off and paused at the door. �You�ve found her again and admitted some of your feelings for her. But will that be enough to keep her by your side, Brother? What will you do once you�re King?� With a heavy sigh at his own negatively-predicted outcome, Sigurd shook his head and left. *>*<* The alarm never went off as far as I know. However, it always wakes me up, no matter how little sleep I get, so something must have happened to it. But upon looking over Bart�s shoulder and seeing it sitting there still, I was confused. Then a heavenly smell reached my nose and I looked down at the floor, where a soft yet stiff-sided, heat-retaining, ten-by-ten-by-three zipped package sat by the bed. Breakfast. I carefully climbed over Bart and opened the container. The first tray held scrambled eggs mixed with cheese and sausage, six strips of bacon, two pieces of buttered and jellied toast, and two small containers that held fresh orange juice and milk. The second tray had two fried eggs with the yolks popped so they�d cook all the way, six strips of bacon, two pieces of buttered and jellied toast, and two more containers of orange juice and milk. Mm . . . Looks so good . . . <--Phase 25 Phase 27--> |