Ancient Mystic's War of the Realms Saga - Lady Adellandra Dratianos (electric book reader TXT) 📗

stood up and went to her. Aimee took the hint and stood, leaving them together.
“That was no dream, Love.” He said softly. He searched her eyes. Surely enough, he could tell she was back to normal. Holding her close, he kissed her passionately.
“Ew! Dad!” The twins echoed. “That’s gross!”
They raced to their mother’s lap.
“Derrick, why don’t you and Aaron get them something to munch on?” Aimee suggested. “I’ll watch over them and the boys.”
He didn’t want to let her go, especially now, but she was right. Ariana and Kelly needed something to boost their energy. They used a lot of Magic against each other. Once he and Aaron were in the kitchen, he asked. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Ariana taught us.” Aaron supplied, reaching in the cupboards for plates and glasses.
“With Gertrude breathing down your backs?”
“No, thank goodness.” Aaron laughed. “She taught us in the attic, when we could get away from the abuse, that is.”
“Did Mrs. Gertrude ever know about her?” Derrick asked. “Magic-wise?”
“Yeah, and I think it drove her batty.” Aaron said. “How could you not know something was up when the bruises from a beating were erased the next day?”
The guys headed back upstairs after fixing a couple of sandwiches and glasses of juice.
“So, what could she tell you?” Aaron asked his sister, watching she and Ariana smiling together.
“Everything, and boy, was it wild.” Aimee said.
“You’re okay now, right?” Derrick asked, sitting down next to her.
Ariana nodded. “I will be. Tell me, where did you put the Crystal?”
He shook his head. “No way. I’m not telling you. I don’t want that to happen again.”
“It’s not, don’t worry.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
Ariana took a deep breath. “Take it back to the Gatekeeper.”
“In the Abyss?”
“That’s the only place the Gatekeeper is.” Ariana supplied sarcastically to Aaron.
“What about your fear of it?” Aimee asked.
“I’m not afraid of it, I’m just uncomfortable there.” She said. “That’s why I’m glad it takes a second to find a Dreamer’s world.”
“I think we should go now.” Aimee replied. “Kids, you don’t mind spending the night, do you?”
The boys and Melody shook their heads.
“Can we watch movies?” Mark asked.
“Yes sir!”
“Can we pop popcorn?” Andrew asked.
“Anything you guys want!” Aimee laughed.
Ariana, Aaron and Derrick laughed.
“You can keep them.” Ariana joked.
“No thanks, I’ve got my own.” Aimee replied. She was being pulled away by the boys. “Okay, you two, let’s go!”
Melody clapped her hands, silently laughing.
Aaron kissed Ariana’s cheek. “Catch you later, Ari.”
“Later, Airhead.”
Aaron shook his head, blushing as he left.
Kelly was sitting up, smiling at them. “I’m so glad you’re back to normal, Momma.”
She gave her mother a kiss and hug. “Can you help me to my bedroom, Daddy Derrick?”
“Go ahead.” Ariana replied, shooing him. “I promise not to move an inch until you get back.”
“In that case...” Derrick smiled, kissing her again. “I shall return.”
When Kelly was in her bedroom, she hugged him.
“Hey, what was that for, kid-o?” Derrick laughed.
“That was a thank you.” Kelly supplied. “Thank you for being my stepfather, thank you for loving my Momma, and thank you for being yourself.”
“Well, you’re welcome, I guess.” He replied. “You did good back there, you know that?”
“I didn’t get your Pendant back.” Kelly said. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay. I’ll have her bring it back for me.” Derrick kissed her forehead. “Finish whatever homework you have left tonight.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Derrick asked. “Is that it? No arguments?”
“I figure you’d had enough negativity for one weekend.” Kelly smiled. She hugged him again. “I love you, Daddy Derrick.”
He grinned. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”
He left her room, going back to his own across the hall. When he opened the door, he saw her waiting for him on their bed. “Now, where were we?”
He went to his wife and took her into his arms, kissing her on the lips.
Nothing more was going to take her away from him again.
Story#1:
The Haunted

Orthos, once the Master of the Dominion and thousands of his followers, wasn’t at all happy.
He stared into his Dark Cauldron, the image making him frown. He called upon the Djinn god, Omri.
“What other pleasures do you wish, Master?” Omri grinned, bowing to him.
“What is this?” Orthos cried, gesturing to the Cauldron’s image.
“Interesting.” Omri supplied, nonchalant. His grin remained.
“How can nothing be interesting?” Orthos cried. “What do you think you are, disobeying me?”
“You were granted your wish, Master.” Omri replied. “My subjects are doing what I tell them.”
“So, you tell your subjects to do nothing, is that it?”
“Calm down, Orthos.” Omri laughed. “Have you ever heard of the Outer Realm saying, ‘the best things come to those who wait’?”
Curious, Orthos narrowed his brows. “Go on,” he growled.
“Your way of dealing with the Ancient Mystics and your brother has failed you more than once.” Omri pointed out. “Now, it is for me to turn a few tricks.”
“Stop talking in riddles, Djinn!” Orthos roared, changing his image to that of a dragon.
Omri stayed calm, as always. “Fine. To the point, you want it? Not a problem.” He faced Orthos’ figure until the Master returned to his human male form. “Your way is to mess with the powers. The way of the Djinn is to mess with the mind, the very source of control over those powers.” Orthos was silenced, and could only stare with yellow eyes. “Is that not why you called upon Us?”
“Whatever you plan on doing, do it.” Orthos remarked. “I grow tired and impatient.”
Omri chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “Time is of the essence.”
“What do the Djinn know or care of time?” Orthos demanded sarcastically.
“Trust in the Djinn.” Omri whispered. “The best is yet to come.”
This time, Orthos grinned.

II

Derrick Reading sat at the desk in the office he and his partner Shane Morehouse shared. He looked at the clock, noting how late he’d stayed, working on a very important case. Shane had gone home hours ago.
His eyes began to blur so he took off his glasses, setting them on the desk in front of him. He rubbed the bridge of his nose to relieve the pain. When that didn’t work, he shook his head. He was tired, but had to go on. They were this close to cracking the case wide open. This close to catching the big boss of the city’s biggest crime organization.
He sighed, replacing his glasses. As he continued to work, a breeze blew through the window. Papers flew to the floor from atop his desk. Before picking them up, he went to the window to close it.
It was already shut.
That’s strange, he thought to himself. Where did the chilling breeze come from?
His trained eyes searched the office. Vents are closed, he noted. Door’s the same. When his eyes hit his desk, he was curious. Papers were neatly stacked on the desk, just as he’d left them.
“What the hell is going on?” He whispered to himself.
He sensed something wrong. A feeling of dread washed over him, rattling his bones. It was worse than anything he’d ever experienced before, and he was a Dream Realm Crusader. He’d seen practically everything in his short twenty-seven years.
Until now.
Now, he stood in the darkened room. The light on his desk burned out.
“Okay, jig’s up.” He called out into the air. “Whoever you are, come on out.”
Silence. Derrick could hear nothing but the soft ticking of the Life-Line watch around his wrist.
“I know this place is a walking joke to some of you, but I don’t find this funny at all.”
Nothing.
His eyes closed, chest tightened, heart and head both pounded as he could feel the darkness creeping up on him. Something wanted to take over his body and mind. Something wanted him dead.
He felt for his Protector’s Pendant, slowing the spinning view of the room by sitting down. It glowed red-hot, an amber light shone from the jewel.
Unable to fight whatever or whoever it was in his mind, he closed himself off, sending a secret message to his wife. He only hoped she’d know what to do.

III

When Damian was excused by his father, he headed to his quarters. He was met by the former Dominionite sisters, Albrath and Shenara. They were waiting for him by his door.
“Why did you not take us home with you?” Shenara asked, facing him.
“I did. You two were too cowardly to show up.” Damian responded.
“Not true. We never made it there.” Albrath responded. “You did not include us, step-brother.”
Damian shrugged, pushing past them into his room. “Then let me send you my deepest apologies, step-sister.” He turned, finding the sisters had followed him inside.
“Liar.” Albrath muttered under her breath as he bowed sarcastically.
Damian stood face-to-face with her. “What was that remark, Dominionite?”
Albrath met his eyes. He meant business. “Nothing, my Lord Merchant.”
Damian looked to Shenara without moving.
“She called you a liar, Damian.” Shenara said softly.
“Traitor.” Albrath sneered at her sister.
“She is no traitor, Albrath, and I am no liar.” Damian supplied. “I called the spell, taking us to the Canine Wood. When I arrived, I assumed you were staying out of sight. I called your names, but you did not show. Therefore, something must have happened between here and there. Correct?”
Albrath relaxed. “I suppose.”
“Is there a way of finding out for sure?” Shenara asked, caressing him.
“Not now, Shenara.” He barked. She stepped back, pouting. “If we had the Crystal, we could find out what happened. As it is, we lost it to Young Guardian.”
Shenara shivered. “That name gives me the chills.”
“Wait. Who’s we?” Albrath supplied.
“Sabrina and myself. Young Guardian and her four sisters, not to mention my cousin Katherine, met us in the Abyss.” Damian explained. “They called some spell when they took it away from me, making it, and us, disappear. Father tells me Sabrina never made it here.”
“How awful!” Shenara said. “We must get the Crystal back.”
“She is your cousin, Damian. What are you going to do about her?”
Shenara nodded after her sister.
Damian only smiled. “Only time will tell.”
Story #2:
A Mind Possessed

Two weeks after she and her sisters fought Sabrina and Damian in the Abyss, Ariana was pleasantly enjoying her quiet evening at home. The kids were in bed, sleeping, everything was shut down for the night, and the house was silent. The only noises she heard while finishing her homework for night school was from the grandfather clock at the top of the stairs. It chimed ten o’clock, usually the time she and her husband would recount their days in bed as they fell asleep.
This time, it was different. The small light at the Study desk showed her reflection in the open window. That’s where she saw her Dream Amulet pulsating. She closed her eyes, thinking of Derrick. A demonic face entered her mind, its yellow eyes glowing. A loud cackle came out of the demon’s mouth, scaring her. It gave her a vision of Derrick, pleading on his knees for the madness to stop.
“Derrick.” Ariana whispered, standing up. “Hold on, my Love. I’m coming.”
“I want to go with you.” She heard her older daughter’s voice speak up from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Kelly in her night-shirt, rubbing her tear-stained eyes. “I couldn’t sleep. I was worried about Daddy Derrick.”
“Honey, I need you here.” Ariana told her, hugging the girl. “I know you need to be sure Derrick’s okay before you go