Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (15 page)

Danny found that Chris, Alonso, Matt, and
Doug's expressions mimicked his own, their mouths agape, their eyes
focused on Tyramear.

"Are you boys coming?" Sabrina asked,
stopping in the middle of the path.

Danny nodded and fell in beside her as she
turned and continued up the sandy embankment. Chris and the others
followed behind, muttering questions and comments about what they
had just witnessed.

"Are you that strong?" Danny asked, directing
his question at Sabrina.

"If you are asking me whether I am as strong
as my father, the answer is no," said Sabrina with a soft smile.
"He is a pureblood Dragonic and I am only a half-blood. But I am
stronger than you," she finished, her smile widening.

Danny faked a smile and looked up into the
night sky. "Oh," he said simply. Danny had been infatuated with
Sabrina since the first time he'd seen her. She was smart, pretty,
and apparently quite strong, mentally as well as physically.
Currently, they were friends, nothing more, despite his desires,
Danny couldn't summon the courage to change that fact. Consumed by
his inner turmoil, Danny followed silently.

Mick led them up a sandy path between two
towering sand dunes. On the other side, the trail widened as a pair
of motion detection lights hummed to life, illuminating a two-story
house in the distance. The home rested on a series of thick, sturdy
stilts, a precaution against the threat of hurricanes and tropical
storms. Parked beneath the house and between the beams supporting
it was a rugged four-by-four truck with large, knobby tires.

Two more lights activated as the party made
their way down the sandy path.

"You can put that in the usual place," said
Mick, pointing toward a rundown shack just large enough for the
wooden harness.

Tyramear hauled the saddle over to the
structure, turned, and said, "Now would be a good time to get your
things."

Sabrina walked over to the harness and
unlocked the panel in the rear. Digging through the contents, she
pulled her bag out and slung it over her shoulder.

Danny found his own backpack and moved to the
side as Chris, Matt, Alonso and Doug did the same. Finished, they
all stepped clear and watched Tyramear push the heavy saddle into
the shelter with ease.

Tyramear closed the double doors and walked
past the five boys, ignoring their amazed gawks; the boys followed
him. Tyramear found Mick, along with Sabrina, standing at the
bottom of a series of steps that led up and into the house.

"Welcome to my humble home," said Mick after
everyone had gathered around him. "Come, make yourselves
comfortable," he encouraged, as he climbed the stairs.

Danny and the others followed behind,
ascending the steep stairs. Mick opened the heavy wooden door and
stepped through. He gave them the grand tour; the house contained
four bedrooms, one for Mick, two dedicated for guests, one each for
Sabrina and her father; the fourth contained an assortment of
hastily-fashioned cots and blankets. Mick made it clear that Danny
and his four friends would be sharing that room. There were two
full bathrooms, a spacious kitchen and a family room, complete with
an assortment of board games.

Once the tour was finished, Mick bid everyone
goodnight and vanished into his room. Sabrina and Tyramear did the
same.

Left alone in the dead of night, excitement
still fresh in their minds, the five boys made their way to their
room.

"I call the cot in the back," Alonso said as
he entered the room and threw his bag on the makeshift bed.

Content to sleep anywhere, the other boys
plopped down randomly. Sleep was the furthest thing from their
minds.

"So, Danny, do you have a thing for Sabrina
or what?" Alonso asked.

"What!"

"It's pretty obvious, man," said Chris,
stretching out on his cot.

Embarrassed, Danny's face flushed as he
sprawled out backward and placed his head in his hands. "What of
it?" he said, getting defensive.

"Take it easy. I was just wondering which
side of her you liked more, the Human side or the Dragonic," joked
Alonso. "You ever think about which is actually her true form? I
can't imagine kissing a dragon."

"Eeew, epic dragon breath," said Matt with a
giggle.

Matt's mirth gave way to rambunctious
laughter as Doug, Alonso, and Chris joined in the merriment. After
a few seconds, even Danny began to laugh.

"I think both of her forms are beautiful,"
Danny blurted, which caused the amusement to grow tenfold.

"Have you told her how you feel, man?" Chris
asked, once the laughter died down.

"No."

"…Why not?" Doug asked.

"I'm too embarrassed, too scared," admitted
Danny. "What if she laughs at me to my face?"

"What if she feels the same way about you?"
Chris said. "Sometimes the gains outweigh the risks, man," he
added, before Danny could respond.

"Yeah," was all Danny could say. "Plus, her
father kind of scares me. He is a full-blooded Dragonic. You saw
him today."

"Yeah, even though it happened right before
my eyes, I still can't believe what I saw," said Doug, shoving his
bag beneath his cot. "Is this really happening to us?"

"We just flew a thousand miles through the
air on the back of a huge silver dragon," said Matt, taking his
glasses off, polishing the lenses with the sleeve of his shirt.

"This is the best vacation ever," said
Alonso.

"This is no vacation, guys," said Chris, his
voice turning stern. "We made this journey to become Knights of the
Light. We've seen some amazing things, but don't lose focus, if
this is real, then so is the threat of the Shadows."

"Chris is right," said Danny. "I've seen two
Shadows already, and they're as real as you and me. We must be
prepared. Believe me, I'm as excited about all of this as you guys
are, but we can't let that distract us from the real purpose here.
We must become knights, and I am beginning to think that it won't
be as easy as I originally thought."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked.

"Do you think they'll just give us each a
Bonded? The Shadows are malicious killers, skilled in combat. Even
with a magical dagger, I'm pretty sure I'd be useless against one."
To further his point, Danny pulled the dragon-hilted dagger from
his bag and unsheathed it, bathing the room in a soft white light.
"I watched Sabrina defeat a Shadow on her own, but she had to
change into her dragon form to do it."

"You're right," said Sabrina.

All five boys looked up in utter
surprise.

"How long have you been standing there?"
Danny asked.

"…Long enough," said Sabrina with a sly
smile.

Danny's face turned a deep shade of red, he
looked down.

However, Sabrina's smile disappeared as she
continued. "It takes hard work and dedication to become a Knight of
the Light. I assure you, the threat of the Shadows is real, and all
of you will need to be as focused as you can be to take on the
trials ahead of you. You will all need your strength for what is
coming, so I bid you goodnight." She closed the door and left, her
light footsteps echoed down the hall as she made her way back to
her own room.

"It seems your secret is out now, genius,"
whispered Alonso, snickering.

"Shut up!" Danny said in the same hushed
voice. He threw his pillow at the black-haired boy, catching him
full in the face. Danny felt humiliated but at the same time he
felt somewhat relieved. Sabrina hadn't laughed at him or denied her
own feelings for him. Perhaps, there was a chance.

Alonso turned and tossed the pillow back as
hard as he could. Distracted by his thoughts, the pillow struck
Danny dead in the face. Picking up the pillow, Danny hauled back
and was about to return the favor.

"Cut it out, you two," said Chris. "Sabrina
was right. We should get some rest."

Alonso glared at Danny one last time before
flopping down onto his cot and facing toward the wall.

An excited, uncomfortable silence settled
over them. Questioning what was to come to themselves, but
exhausted from the events of the day, all five boys changed into
their sleepwear and fell fast asleep.

back to top

anny woke up to the familiar aroma of frying
bacon. Prying his eyes halfway open, he noticed that he was the
third one up; Doug and Matt still slumbered in their cots; Chris
and Alonso lingered wide-eyed and lazy in their make shift beds.
Stretching, letting out a soft yawn, Danny changed out of the
clothes he'd slept in and slipped on his sneakers. "Morning," he
said as he exited the room.

Entering the kitchen, he found Mick fast at
work, preparing a hearty breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, French
toast and muffins. Danny's eyes gravitated to the jade-hilted blade
strapped across Mick's back.

"Good morning," said Mick, without
turning.

Danny was sure that he had not made a sound
but even while concentrating on his cooking, Mick had sensed his
presence. "Good morning," said Danny with a yawn.

"You are just in time to help out," said Mick
in the midst of turning and revealing a wide smile. "Come and stir
the eggs, lad."

With nothing else to do, feeling obligated,
Danny stepped forward. The eggs rested in a large pot, steaming
from the open flame beneath them. Untrained in the art of cooking,
but content to help, Danny gripped the handle of a long wooden
spoon and began to stir.

"So, how do you know Tyramear?" Danny felt
somewhat self-conscious, the kitchen was too quiet for him.

"He was a professor during my time at the
Academy of Illumination. He taught techniques, now taught by Sir
Syndil, you will soon become well-acquainted with him."

"I've already met him."

"…Really?"

"Yes, he administered the trials of my
acceptance test for the Academy."

"Peculiar," said Mick, he stopped what he was
doing, his eyes peered beyond the window, focusing on something far
away. He stroked his pointed goatee.

"What did I say… is there something
wrong?"

"No, lad, it's just that Sir Syndil Sartak
Tribolari doesn't usually leave the Academy, not unless he takes a
particular interest in something."

"Is that so?" Danny inquired, becoming quite
interested in this particular conversation and where it was
going.

"Well, you see, Sir Syndil has always been
quite interested in the Eye, as well as the Shadows. He has studied
both for some time. In addition to being one of the greatest
swordmasters of all time, he is one of the leading experts on the
Shadows."

"Do you mean the Eye of Darkness?"

"The very one," said Mick, a little
surprised. "You're rather knowledgeable for a novice squire."

"Tyramear told me."

"I see," said Mick, once again looking
distant. "But, still, I wonder what caught the swordmaster's
attention so much that he would venture beyond the borders of White
Rock."

Danny began to wonder about the real reason
for Syndil’s visit as well. He recalled that Sabrina had seemed
quite surprised when she'd learned that Alonso had the gift of
sight, was amazed outright when Chris had proved to have the
ability as well, and completely floored when Matt and Doug had
presented with the same capability. Could that have been the reason
for his visit?

Still, Syndil had seemed quite interested in
the incident with Steven Rooney and his talent for predicting
Steven’s movements, a feat that he hadn't been able to replicate.
Danny decided that perhaps he should share this information with
Mick. However, Syndil had said that he shouldn't talk about it with
anyone else.

Before Danny could make up his mind, Mick
broke his concentration and said, "You're going to want to stir
that again."

Danny looked down. The eggs were beginning to
darken, clumping together at the bottom.

"They will burn if you do not stir them,
Danny," Mick smiled.

Danny returned the smile and whipped the
wooden spoon in the pot with a quickened pace, causing the clump of
eggs to break apart as they melded into the fluffy form with which
he was familiar.

"Something smells good," said Alonso as he
entered the kitchen, followed by Chris, Doug, and Matt.

"Have a seat, boys," said Mick, as he
motioned toward a large oval table in the corner, complete with
eight wooden chairs. "Thank you, Danny, you did a most excellent
job with the eggs. Go and join your friends."

Danny found a seat next to Chris, still
caught up in the mystery of his thoughts.

Moments later, Tyramear and Sabrina appeared,
just in time to help Mick place breakfast upon the table. Once Mick
took his place at the head of the table, they began eating.