Ancient Mystic's War of the Realms Saga by Lady Adellandra Dratianos (year 7 reading list .TXT) 📖

Dweller-kin abilities."
"Is that so?" Lord Bane supplied. He spotted his son Dominick listening in at the doorway. "Dominick, find Damian. Tell him about Young Guardian."
Dominick grinned. "Aye, Father."
With that, he left. Bane turned back to Balor. "The only ones around here who know about the Ancient Mystics, especially that particular one, are Damian, Shenara, Albrath and Gloriana. Seems they have been dealing with her and what they call ‘Crusaders’ for years."
“The only one I care about is that Youngling, Young Guardian.” Balor could only grin. "I want her destroyed."
"To destroy that woman is not for the fainthearted." Damian's voice remarked. Dominick was with him. "We have tried numerous times, Father and I, but it seems impossible."
"Nothing is impossible." Balor said. "Not for a Stalker."
"Please, Stalker." Damian huffed, laughing. "Your great leader is now destroyed by his own son and my cousin the Young Guardian. I watched him disintegrate in front of my own eyes. Do not tell me nothing is impossible."
"You give up too easily, Youngling."
Damian was mad at that statement and faced Balor. "Who are you calling a Youngling? I am not one of your Stalker or Dweller-kin. I have done things in the past that would make even your head spin."
"To me, a man of many centuries, you are still a Youngling." Balor responded with a tight grin. He wasn't about to let Damian faze him one bit. "But, that is neither here nor there. I am here to speak of Young Guardian and how to get rid of her, now that she bears Dweller-kin powers."
Damian was wide-eyed. "She has those? No wonder! How?"
"The Countess gave her a taste early in life." Balor replied. "Now it seems those powers are awakened and she knows how to use them."
Damian frowned. "Is that so?" He paced, and then looked at Dominick. "Go find Shenara."
Dominick growled. "I am not your slave, Damian."
Damian's eyes turned red and fire emanated in his very aura. "Just do it!"
Dominick sighed. "Very well." He mock-saluted and was on his way.
Balor was interested. "What do you have in mind?"
"My plan." Damian supplied. He looked at Bane. "It's time, Bane. Time to confuse those pathetic creep-Crusaders with their own nightmares."
Even Balor grinned at that one. "Tell me how I can help."
"Soon enough, Stalker." Damian said. "You will have her soon enough."


BOOK II:
Once Upon a Nightmare

Part One:
Damian's Deeds

Prologue:
The Stuff of Nightmares

Young Guardian patrolled, as usual, but there was something different about the Realm of Dreams. Something that brought chills up and down her spine. It didn't sit well with her Ancient Mystic's Empathy.
She decided to find the other Crusaders and ask if they felt the same thing. The first was Shadow and Grand Magus, deep within the Feline Forest.
“I sense it, too, and I don't like it one bit.” Grand Magus supplied.
“It's like something hung about after the War was over.” Shadow supplied.
“Not a good something, I'll tell you that.” Young Guardian announced. “Let's find the Protector and get the Sphere back to O'Dell.”
“I thought he was with you?” Grand Magus asked.
Young Guardian shook her head. “Hasn't been since I woke, though I have no idea why. I can't find him, and I don't dare use Empathy to sense him.”
“Why not?” Shadow asked. “You use it otherwise, why not on him?”
Young Guardian shrugged, shaking her head. “It's hard to explain.”
“Want me to try?” Grand Magus asked her twin.
Young Guardian blinked. “What about your fear of Empathy?”
Grand Magus grinned. “I've learned my lessons, sister dearest. I don't fear it anymore than you fear the Dark Magic.”
“That's good.” Young Guardian grinned back. She shared a look with Shadow. “What are you waiting for?”
Grand Magus closed her silver-blue eyes and sent her empathic sensors around the Realm of Dreams. Her sister and own Earthly Protector just watched patiently, waiting. In a few moments, she reopened her eyes and frowned.
“What is it?” Young Guardian asked. “Where is he?”
“Getting answers from the Countess about you.”
“What's he doing in the Dragon Nations without an escort?” Shadow asked. He sighed. “He's going to get himself killed, or worse, Turned.”
“Turned?” Young Guardian supplied. “Not on my watch, he's not.”
In a flash of light, she was gone to the Dragon Nations, her original queries about the 'Something' forgotten.

II

Aaron awoke to find himself in a strange place. He was shackled to a wall by his wrists, his ankles tightly shackled together. He tried to move, but couldn't. Aaron, known as the Unicorn, called in his mind for anyone to sense him, but only received silence in return. He couldn't even sense the other Musketeers or his Bondmate Airmed.
“Do you like your new accommodations, Unicorn-man?” He heard a female voice croon.
He looked up and saw a woman with white hair, white eyes and kiss-of-death lips. She wore a black-laced corset with a flowing black leather skirt that didn't leave much to the imagination.
“Albrath.” He croaked, wrestling with his shackled wrists.
“That's right, Unicorn.” Albrath, Dark Lady of the Unknown sneered. “My sister gave up once she saw your silly mate rescue you, but not me. I never give up.”
The Unicorn's eyes shifted to green and he growled in anger. “Let me go!”
“Not so fast.” Albrath crooned, gently scraping a fingernail against his cheek.
Without warning, fangs exploded from his mouth and he hissed, snapping.
“OOH!” Albrath snatched her finger away and giggled. “I see she has Turned you. Very nice, indeed.”
“Leave her out of this and let me go, Albrath!” The Unicorn cried in a voice unlike his own.
Albrath shook her head and smiled. “No, I do not believe I will.” She supplied. “I was told to keep you here and that I shall do.”
In a smoky gray cloud, Albrath wriggled her fingers and disappeared, leaving him hanging there.
Airmed, dearest, can you hear me? He tried telepathically sending the message to his Bondmate, pushing an empathic sense of himself being in danger along with it. Young Guardian? Amethyst? Anyone?
He had felt something within him stir from Albrath's touch. He wanted, no needed her blood. There was an extra beat to his heart as he thought of how he had sensed the rhythm of the life's fluid pulsating through her system and empty heart. He wanted a taste of it, and that thought didn't sit well with him.
What's going on with me? Aaron thought to himself. Why do I have the sudden need for blood?
He touched his top teeth with his tongue and indeed felt another pair of incisors peeking out. What the hell? Fangs? I have fangs?
He moaned and looked down to his neck. The Dream Locket and necklace Young Guardian gave him years ago were gone.
No wonder I can't sense them, or they sense me! He cried in his mind. Wait a minute. I never needed charms to connect with the Musketeers before.
He looked at his shackled right hand, which had a slight scar from the wrist to the middle of his lower arm. The Unicorn smiled.
Time to get a message through using the Blood-Pact.

III

In the Outer Realm, Sierra Gregory, also known as Airmed Starchaser, Rose with the night. She sensed something wasn't quite right with her Bondmate and looked over to his side of the bed.
He was gone!
Airmed tried to sense him but he wasn't even in her mind.
How strange? She thought to herself. I thought we had a telepathic link to each other, thanks to the binding? I wonder what's going on?
“I'll tell you what's going on.” She heard a female voice peep up from the doorway. When she looked up, she saw Aimee standing there with her eyes glowing green and her right arm pulsating. Aimee continued. “He's stuck in his physical form in the Unknown.”
“Huh?” Airmed asked. “How did you know?”
Aimee showed Airmed her right arm. It indeed was pulsating. “The Blood-Pact scar that each of the Musketeers have, thanks to Ariana. He used it to send the empathic message to me. That's how I know.”
“I knew that much, I just meant, how did you know what I was thinking?”
Aimee grinned. “Telepathy, same as Aaron.”
Airmed nodded. “So what do we do now?”
“He's your Bondmate, Airmed.” Aimee supplied. “He's also your Ancient Mystic to Protect. Do your job as his Earthly Protector to rescue him from danger.”
Airmed gulped. Aimee usually called her by her given name of Sierra.
“It's up to you to free his mind and body from the depths of the Unknown, before his mind is lost to all forever.” Aimee said softly, then walked out of the room.
Question was, where in the Unknown was he being kept, and who was keeping him hostage? Why would they want him anyway?
Airmed sighed and Called the Dream Chant, taking her physical body to the Dragon Nations, to see if the Countess had any answers.

IV

Luna paced her living room, worried. Her son Logan watched in interest, wondering what was on his mother's mind.
“Lu, will you stop pacing?” Shane asked her. “You're making me dizzy.”
“I can't help it.” Luna supplied. “I've got a lot of penned up energy that I have to disperse.”
“Then by all means, ground yourself.” Shane supplied. “Hasn't Red Shawl taught you anything? Hell, you should know better than to keep extra energies you're not using.”
That made Luna stop in her tracks. Shane could see something different about her eyes right away. It was as if the penned-up energy was unnatural.
Since her eyes weren't looking anywhere but to space, which reminded him of when someone with telepathy was “Listening” to another in their minds, Shane took his Pendant-Locket in his hands and stared at her.
He could See the red aura around her, and remembered where it came from. Firestorm, the Dweller-kin who Turned her shortly after the War of the Realms. She was now Firestorm's blood-Sister.
“Luna.” He tried, releasing the Locket-Pendant.
She held her hand up, silencing him. They stood in their spots for a moment, until Luna spoke up. “There.”
Shane looked to where her eyes were focused, but saw and sensed nothing. “What?”
“Oh, Emerald showed me a quick way to get rid of extra energy, that's all.” Luna grinned.
“I knew the Dwellers had something to do with it.” Shane supplied. “I can sense them all over you.”
“Well, I am blood-bound to Firestorm. What did you expect?” Luna asked. She held him and he kissed her. “Things are going to change for us, drastically.” She told him softly, laying her head on his chest. “Soon.”
A wave of love passed through him, and any worries over the Dweller-kin and his Blood-binding were pulled to the back of his mind. He'd worry about it later.
He was just wondering what was on her mind now, and what made her say that so softly. “What did you See, Sweets?”
Luna looked up at him and grinned, hugging him tighter. “See?”
“What made you say that things were going to change for us?”
Luna shrugged. “Oh, not a Vision, per se.” She supplied. “More of a Feeling.”
“A Feeling?” Shane asked her, confused. “As in the Empathy?”
Being she has only recently learned to trust in her Empathy, he wasn't used to her speaking of “Feeling” something. She always “Saw” things, and those were based on Clairvoyant Visions or her power of Premonition. Neither was always accurate.
“I don't know how to explain it, Shane.” Luna started. She sat and held Logan in her lap. The baby laid his head on her shoulder and