Young Guardian Trilogy, Lady Adellandra Dratianos [epub e ink reader txt] 📗

eyes. “I don’t believe it. He’s turned against me – against us – helping Sabrina!”
"Great." Derrick groaned sarcastically. "Just what we need. Romeo-creep and Juliet-whore."
"What are we going to do?" Luna sobbed. "I don't want my sister to die!"
"We have no other choice than to seek the guidance of the Ancient Mystic Sisters." Katherine replied.
"They'll know what to do." Derrick comforted Luna as they joined hands, closing their eyes.

Before Derrick could ring the bell, Lord Guardian himself opened the door and waved them inside. "Welcome." He replied, waving his cloak behind him. "You need our assistance?"
Luna nodded, telling Lord Guardian and the Sisters of her twin's demise.
"Do you not remember the main rule of this world, Sister Luna?" Enchantra smiled.
"Which one?" Derrick asked.
"Sabrina lost her powers simply because she forgot she had them." Challandra explained. "The five of you have a power that even Sabrina and Grand Psycho cannot handle. The power of teamwork and the love for a very special young woman."
"Together," Enchantra continued, "you have more power than all Orthos and Sabrina’s Dominionite Warriors combined."
"Still, what's the rule we're forgetting?" Mark asked, confused.
"We can do anything in the Dream Realm, if we learn to grasp the magic!" Luna revised happily. "Guys, I have a plan to defeat Sabrina and rescue Ariana at the same time!"
"Do tell, Grand Magus." Enchantra replied with a grin.
"I do believe you're going to like this." Luna said, rubbing her hands and outlining her own scheme.

II

While they were in the Dream Realm, conspiring against Sabrina and Grand Psycho, the deadly duo woke up in the Outer Realm in Ariana’s and Mark's bodies.
"Phase One." Sabrina whispered, changing her appearance back to a black ensemble. "Being in an Earthbound’s body is simply wonderful, is it not, G.P.? The best part is; I get my powers back."
She placed her palm up and conjured a black orb, showing him.
"I am afraid the only power Mark has is his overactive imagination." Grand Psycho told her, and smiled. "Least we forget his raging teenage hormones!"
Sabrina nodded, closing her hand to extinguish the orb. "My favorite!" They kissed, and each felt a zing pass between them.
They left the house, Sabrina touring him about Hill View. Sabrina spotted Caroline hanging out with her friends at the mall.
"Caroline!" Sabrina called, pulling her lover by the arm.
"Sabrina, a pleasure." Caroline replied, turning to her friends. "Ladies, this is my sister Sabrina and my adopted brother Mark."
"I do not mean to interrupt Lady Caroline, but you are madly mistaken." Grand Psycho replied, and was about to reveal his real name when Sabrina nudged him in the ribs. He quickly cleared his throat and made something up. "I am his much cooler twin cousin, Gregory Paul."
"Caroline Parker." Caroline held out her hand for him to kiss.
He took it and kissed her ringed fingers gently. "It is a pleasure to meet such a gorgeous and fiendish young specimen of rudeness." He quickly looked to Sabrina and kissed her lips. "Second only to my dear Sabrina, of course."
"Why, thank you Gregory." Caroline replied, uncertain she liked being second in any man's book.
"Call me G.P." Grand Psycho told her.
"May we talk to you, alone?" Sabrina asked, giving her friends a dirty look. Caroline followed them to a single table. "We have a preposition for you."
"Yes?" Caroline replied, half-interested.
"I know you hate Ariana, simply because she is such a goody-goody." Sabrina started.
"So? What about it?" Caroline replied sarcastically, more intrigued as Sabrina outlined Grand Psycho's and her plan.
"Well, did you wish to join us in the destruction of Ariana Sister?" Sabrina asked.
"Do I ever!" Caroline grinned. "When do we start?"
"We already have." Grand Psycho told her, smiling.

Chapter Twenty-Nine
The End: The Rescue

It was finally time for the Dream Realm Crusaders: Aluna Sister, Derrick Reading, Mark Grey, Aaron Schmidt and their Companion friends Katherine Hawk and Wolf Stargazer to put their escape plan into action.

After finding out exactly where in the Dominion’s Dark Tower she was, Crag let them through with no questions. The gremlin wished them luck and the Crusaders were on their way. With Katherine’s help, they quickly and quietly reached the door to the underground dungeons.
Luna pointed to herself, changing her image identical to her twin. "I hope this works." She replied, unsure.
Derrick kissed her on the lips. "It will, I promise. Now go, before someone sees you."
Luna nodded and opened the door.
"Who's there?" Ariana's scared voice asked into the darkness.
Luna snapped her fingers and held a small flashlight. "Don't worry, Ariana. I'll get you out of here." She whispered.
"Luna! Behind you!"
Luna turned and gasped, dropping the flashlight.
"What do we have here?" Damian' voice asked with a sneer. "Another Young Guardian?" He signaled and two guards rushed to hold her in place.
"Let her go, you creep!" The twins shouted together.
Damian was confused. Who was who?

II

Meanwhile, Derrick and the other Crusaders searched for Sabrina and her accomplice, Grand Psycho.
“It is no use," Katherine replied sadly. "We may never find my cousins this way."
"She's right." Derrick replied. "Let's split up. We'll be able to cover more ground that way."
"Aye." Wolf replied. "I will go with Kat and we will meet at the Garden entrance afterward."
What Katherine failed to tell them was that Sabrina and Grand Psycho were already in their world, causing havoc. She feared the worst.
Derrick, Mark and Aaron ran into a vicious Dominionite Merchant, Damian.
"Who are you?" Damian asked. "Competition?"
"What would we have to compete for?" Mark asked, ready for anything.
"Ah, for the love of the beautiful Young Guardian." Damian replied, barely looking at them.
The boys were furious, especially Derrick.
"Where are you keeping her?" Derrick commanded angrily.
"Not to worry gentlemen. I am keeping her, well, safe." Damian laughed wickedly. “For now.”
"Let her go, Dominionite creep!" Aaron screamed.
Derrick was scared when he saw Aaron’s eyes turn from brown to green. What was going on with him? The Pendant around his neck pulsed; touching it gave him courage.
"I think not, Mortals." Damian replied. "Not until you prove yourself worthy of such a demand."
They didn't know what to say or do, until Mark surprised them with a reply.
"To make us worthy of anything having to do with you would be the death of us!"
"What a noble reply, Earthbound." Damian sneered with a smile. "What makes you think I would be one to escort you personally?" He paused dramatically. "We will have a fiendish little treasure-hunt, with the lovely Young Guardian as your prize. If you win, and find her, I will set her free."
"If we lose?" Mark was afraid to ask.
"We won't lose!" Aaron cried, angry he would even think such a thing.
"If we do, then what?"
"She will be my bride and will stay here with me forever." Damian cackled loudly then disappeared. He left a single piece of paper behind.
Derrick picked it up with a sigh, scared not only for himself and the other guys, but mostly for the safety of his love Ariana Moon Sister.

Katherine purred, crying softly. She was lost in such a dark, lonesome place. Katherine didn't know where to go. In all her years living in Dark Tower, she'd never gone this far. She didn't even remember how she found Ariana the first time.
"Do not cry, please Katherine." Wolf whispered, holding her close and nuzzling her ears. "I am here for you."
"Aye, Wolf, I know." Katherine said, drying her tears. "No one is there for Ariana, I am afraid."
"I am sure she will be okay." Wolf confirmed.
"After we rescue her, and she returns home to the Outer Realm where she belongs." Katherine cried.
"Calm down, please?" Wolf replied. "Only then will we be able to think clearly, and find her." She didn't say anything, looking away. "Please?" Wolf asked again, turning her head to meet her eyes.
Katherine looked into his. With the little light that shone, she could see he was serious. She nodded. "Aye Wolf."
"Good," Wolf replied. He proceeded by giving her a passionate kiss. "I love you, Katherine Hawk."
"Honest?" She whispered.
"Honest," Wolf confirmed, kissing the tip of her nose. Nearby, there was a lantern hanging on the cavern walls. He grabbed it. "This should make the long journey a bit easier."
Katherine smiled and the couple was on their way to help a dear friend.

III

Meanwhile, Ariana and Luna were both trapped in the same cage, unable to use their powers to escape.
"I'm sorry I got you into this mess." Ariana replied sadly.
"I got myself into this." Luna replied. "All I wanted to do was be the heroine. I wanted to show you I could be as brave and courageous as you.”
“You are, Luna.” Ariana said. “Now, tell me the truth.”
Luna stared at her for a moment, only half-wondering how she knew. “I missed having my twin with me again. I was lonely without you, and knew you were lonely without me, too." The girls hugged. "I love you, sister. I don't want to lose you."
"You won’t lose me." Ariana replied. "Truth is; I wouldn't know who I was without you."
"It’s my fault you're here!" Luna cried. "All because I wasn't allowed to tell you about your real family."
"Why not?" Ariana asked, surprised. They told everything to each other before parting last year.
"I couldn't. Lord Guardian told me not to.” Luna told her, calming down. “He said you needed the experience."
Ariana looked away and sighed. "Typical of him, I guess."
Luna saw the saddened look on her face, so she tried to console her. "All that matters now is that we're together."
At that moment, Ariana looked up into her twin’s eyes. "That's it!"
"What?"
"We may not be able to use our powers separately, but maybe, just maybe, we can do it together?" She brightened.
"Great idea!" Luna congratulated her. "It's worth a try!" She grabbed the hand of her twin. "On the count of three."
"One...two..." They chanted together.
When the girls reached three, a brilliant fluorescent glow came from both outstretched palms. Slowly, the twins’ combined powers were able to melt the bars enough for an opening. Making sure they didn't touch the cage, they escaped unharmed.
"We did it!" Ariana exclaimed.
"Before returning, we should meet up with the others." Luna told her.
"Who else was with you?"
"Aaron, Katherine, Wolf, Mark, and Derrick." Luna said. "Trouble is, we split up, searching for you. Kat with Wolf and the boys on separate teams. I thought I was brave enough to come alone."
"You were brave, Luna! More than you know." Ariana told her. "Let's go, before Damian comes back."

Derrick read aloud the note Damian left behind:

"The maiden lies within your reach,
"If you decide to look.
"All it takes is an open mind,
"Like with the pages of a book.
"Look between the lines and find,
"A treasure of a different kind
"Be whisked to the dark;
"Find the light,
"Beauty will soon be in your sight."


"What does it mean?" Mark asked, scratching his head.
Before they had a chance to say a word, they were whisked away, appearing in the same place Katherine and Wolf had been.
"Now, to find the light." Derrick mumbled, looking around.
"Do you know what your doing?" Aaron asked.
"Yes, I do." Derrick replied, pushing up his glasses. He found a lantern. "I'm a trained Detective at the System, remember?"
"Sorry." Aaron responded.
"Follow me." Derrick replied.
"I have a question." Mark replied,