Young Guardian Trilogy by Lady Adellandra Dratianos (read aloud .txt) 📕

not afraid of you anymore.”
“Mere banter won’t stop us from destroying you.” Luna said.
Sabrina’s eyes glowed, and a sneer was on her lips as she shook her head. “I do not think so.”
She waved an arm as she froze Luna and Shane once again.
Phase one, complete. Ariana thought. Now, it’s up to me.
“You think you’re powerful with the Crystals, don’t you?” Ariana taunted.
“Dare you speak to me like that?” Sabrina cried, now in Ariana’s face.
Ariana decided to continue. “Reality check, Sabrina darling. I happen to know the crystals are unstable unless recharged at Lava Falls.”
“How?” Sabrina was dumbfounded.
“Easy. All great power needs limits for stability.” Ariana shrugged her off.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Ariana could feel her Sisterhood ring and Dream Locket growing hot with Ancient Mystic powers. She could also see Sabrina’s eyes red with anger.
“Enough!” Sabrina scared her with the cry.
She stepped away from Ariana’s face to raise her arms to the sky. A brilliant flash of lightening flickered in the night sky. The energy from it was drawn to Sabrina’s fingers.
Ariana feared the worst as she watched Sabrina’s eyes glow white now. The lightening energy was in her system, ready to explode at any moment. She heard three gasps from beside her, turning to see Derrick, Aaron, and Mark racing to her side.
Derrick and Aaron each took one of her hands, and Mark stood in front of her. All three boys protected her from anything the Dominionite Maiden had in store.
Ariana gulped, trying to be brave. Derrick squeezed her hand and she caught both his and Aaron’s eyes.
“Choose who will be the next do die, Young Guardian!” There was a sadistic laugh from Sabrina’s lips as she screamed the command.
Ariana gasped, looking at each of them as the boys drew closer to her sides.

II

Enchantra and O’Dell stood watching over them from the Palace. O’Dell stood staring at the Mirror, nervous.
“Sabrina will win, I know it!” O’Dell cried, without looking away. “She has Young Guardian in a spell with no way out.”
“O’Dell, please.” Enchantra replied softly. She hugged him. “I assure you, our Ariana knows what she is doing. Have faith in her.”
“How can I have faith when this is happening?” O’Dell looked at her, finally. “I saw it in my sphere – I will die in the hands of my brother.”
“The Crusade is not over, yet, my Lord.” Enchantra smiled.
“Mother?” Dixilynne Ryan called from the other room. She raced to her mother’s side, anxious. “I fear for them.”
“As do I.” O’Dell supplied. He gestured to the Mirror’s image. “See for yourself.”
What Dixilynne saw didn’t make her happy. Her granddaughter – whom she’d raised from a young child – was in danger. Shadow Morehouse may have finally been with her, but they were still in trouble.
Dixilynne looked to her niece – Shannon.
Oh, Shannon, she thought. Even you’ve been defeated by her.
Nick was still sobbing beside her niece; reminded of long-ago during the original Crusade.
That’s when her gaze went to the gargoyle creature alongside her cousin Sabrina. “What of Uncle Max?” She asked her parents.
Enchantra held her tongue, not wanting to give away a sacred trust, yet. “I assure you, my daughter; Max has our best interests at heart.”
Dixie’s gaze went back to the Mirror. She may have had faith in her Crusaders and family, but that didn’t take away the dread she had deep inside. 
Chapter Fifty-Nine:
Heart and Soul

Ariana didn’t know what to do. What happened to all the courage she’d had against Sabrina over the years? Had it all been taken away when the trio of young gentlemen in her life were forced to die because of her?
“Time is running out, you must choose.” Sabrina replied. She headed over to the guys. “Shall it be Young Aaron, who made you a mother too soon, forcing you to give up the Enchanted Child, Kelina Erin?”
Aaron jumped to attack, but Sabrina waved a hand to freeze him. He could do nothing but stare in fear when Sabrina touched his cheek with her cold fingernail. He couldn’t even speak with his mouth. Where was the courageous Musketeer with Unicorn Magic? Why couldn’t he fight back with it?
Sabrina slid over to Mark, who scowled at the sight. He, too, was frozen with a mere stare from the Maiden.
“Or shall it be Young Mark? Wonderful specimen, I might add. The one who took advantage of you in your crises.” Sabrina snuck a glance at Ariana when she kissed Mark on the lips. “He loved you only for the fact you look so much like his dead sister, Bonnie Marie.”
Ariana gasped, wide-eyed. How did she know? She thought incredulously.
“You are impressed.” Sabrina smiled at this. She sauntered over to Derrick.
“No, not Derrick,” Ariana whispered, a tear finding its way to her eyelid.
My Love, my Earthly Protector, and my imaginary Romeo before my friend . . . So many things will go to waste if he dies. Ariana thought to herself sadly. What should I do?
All she could do was watch in horror as her Earthly Protector boyfriend was taunted. Ariana watched his eyes as they followed Sabrina. They were hard, determined.
“Let’s see . . .” Sabrina stroked his cheek, but Derrick didn’t respond. “What do you say to someone who is so, ugh, perfect?” She thought for a minute, looking into his eyes as Ariana stared.
Please, don’t let her see the truth about him . . . Lord Guardian, help him, please. Ariana begged with a tear in her eye, running down her cheek.
One of her guys would have to die.
Why couldn’t it have been me? She began to think silently. In her mind, she brightened up. That’s what I’ll do!
“I’m willing to go in any of their places.” Ariana called to Sabrina, who just stared at her, amazed.
“I knew you would come around.” Sabrina snickered. They were face to face now, and Ariana was shaking. “And you say you would gladly die for these – males?”
Ariana nodded her head. “Yes, I would.”
“Why would you die for them?” Sabrina was in shock. “For a few Earthbound boys?”
“I happen to love them all – in different ways.” Ariana replied.
“How noble.” Sabrina was getting bored. “Tell me, who will die with you?”
Ariana didn’t know what to say. She did love them all in different ways, but what did that matter to Sabrina if she died as well? Ariana only hoped for an answer.
Please, my Love, find the hidden Magic in the Pendant. Ariana thought to Derrick, looking at him with tears in her eyes.
“Neither of us.” Derrick’s voice came back to him. He grasped his Protector’s Pendant with one hand and aimed a hex of his own energy at Sabrina’s forehead with the other. That energy was his love for her, and she knew it.
Ariana was excited, but not enough. She had to rescue Aaron – loving Aaron – from Sabrina’s spell, not to mention her good friend-brother Mark.
As Sabrina was entangled in a power struggle with Derrick, Ariana stood with her arms to her sides, palms up.

“Guardian O’Dell,
“Grant them the power,
“Help them survive,
“This mortal hour,”

The short, easy chant had been in her mind since she made it up, and O’Dell always knew to come when she called it.
She chanted repeatedly under her breath, and in no time, all of her Crusader friends, including Mark and Aaron, were unfrozen and back to normal. Shannon and Nick were still gone, but Ariana knew it was the best for him.
Ariana was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Luna and Shane came up behind her, faces asking so many questions she had the answers to.
She never got the chance.
“I have had just about enough of you and your power hogging, Young Guardian!” Sabrina shouted at her.
Luna, Shane, and Derrick held on to Ariana for dear life. Derrick took her hand while her twin stood beside her.
“It is my turn to make some moves!” Sabrina called. “Caroline! Destroy Young Mark! That will teach them not to mess with the Dominionite Maiden!”
Mark was the only one frozen by the stare of Sabrina.
Caroline’s red eyes showed the remaining Crusaders and Companions she was deeply under Sabrina’s spell.
“No!” Ariana tried to scream. “Don’t do it, Caroline! You don’t know what your doing!”
Caroline was silent, but her eyes glowed as the Dominionite Crystal segment around neck glowed the same color of red. Her arms slowly pointed at Mark, who was frozen.
Ancient Mystic Magic, let him see...Ariana chanted in her mind, staring at the necklace she gave him. Find the courage to be freed.
She saw Mark’s own necklace glow red, in hatred for the Maiden. Fortunately, Sabrina did not.
Caroline fired, missing him by inches. Mark had jumped out of the way in time.
“So, you think your magic is powerful enough against me?” Sabrina was laughing now, her image glowing white as she hovered over them. She turned to Caroline. “Destroy him – now!”
Mark wasn’t able to move this time as Caroline’s beam of red magic hit him in the heart.
Ariana rushed to his side. “No!”
The other Crusaders couldn’t move, trapped in time.
“You killed him Caroline!” Ariana screamed, tears running down her cheeks as she held his soon to be lifeless body. She pet his hair, taking his hands in her own. “You killed your own brother! How does that make you feel?”
Ariana stood against Sabrina, Caroline, and her own Oracle Children.
Hoping it would work, she used her Ancient Mystic Magic to try and free them from Sabrina’s powerful spell.
Ariana closed her eyes, put one hand to her head, and the other palm toward the group.
Sabrina is an evil being from the Dream Realm’s Dominion, She tried to convince them in her mind. She had all of you under a spell, hoping to destroy me. See it in your hearts to realize the truth.
Whatever she made you do; I forgive you.
The final statement made them shake out of their dazes.
Tart, the pretty blond, finally realized what was going on, and ran to Ariana with open arms.
“Oh, Ariana!” Tart whispered in her ear as they hugged. “I’m sorry!”
Sabrina was mad, but stayed silent as she let Ariana embrace the little girl.
“You didn’t have a choice. Sabrina had you under her spell.” Ariana assured her. The other Oracle Children hugged her as well.
“I knew all along,” Tart replied. “When she came and got us, she grabbed the bracelet, turning into an evil charm.”
Ariana had tears in her eyes, and remembered why.
She pulled away from her Children to tend to Mark.
“I’m sorry, Mark. I’m really sorry.” Caroline was standing over him, crying. “I didn’t mean to do it, really.” She was whispering to him.
Ariana hugged her.
“You were under Sabrina’s spell, Caroline.” Ariana whispered, and her adopted sister looked up at her. “You couldn’t help yourself.”
Ariana turned to Sabrina. “Are you happy now, Sabrina?” She screamed. “You’ve killed Mark, and made me feel helpless!”
Sabrina cackled. “I have not yet begun to fight, I assure you.”
She grasped Maximaniac’s hand, using the combined power of the two crystal segments and the lightening energy to create a cage around the Crusaders and herself.
They were in trouble, big time. The Young Guardian of the Dream Realm could do nothing but stand aside and let herself be controlled by Sabrina’s power.
Quickly as she had come, Sabrina retreated, taking Maximaniac and the remaining Crusaders with her. “Let the games begin!” Sabrina’s