either attack or defend.
"We both know we can do this all day, Cassandra. You have your little bag of tricks, and I have mine. Everything balances out, thrusting us onto even ground." That gray sheen, the glowing gray, as Andi called it, overtook Ben, burning brighter than it did when he'd lost his temper with Nix. It outlined his entire body, and poured heavily from his eyes, giving him an otherworldly, painted appearance.
"You're right," she said. "Neither of us can win, so why don't we put our weapons down and talk about this? You call Andi back, let me get Lee here, and we'll have a nice chat. No animosity on either side. We'll get through this, Ben, you'll see."
An evil grin spread across his face. "I said we can do this all day, I didn't say we have to."
He raised his sword, and his gray aura pulsed off of him in a bolt into her. All of her muscles seized up, and she fell backwards onto the forgiving dojo floor. Though she managed to retain control of the axe without cutting herself, she didn't have the strength to wield it.
Ben walked over and placed the tip of his sword against her throat. He didn't say anything, and whatever dark magic he shot into her wouldn't allow speech. He gazed up, as if listening for a distant sound, smiled, and whispered.
"That's my girl." He looked down at her and put all of his weight behind his blade.
*****
Cassie and Lee both shot awake and gave simultaneous sighs when they realized they were both okay. Shaken, but okay.
"Did you fight Andi?" she asked, gripping his hand.
He nodded. "She killed me. Forced me into a solid stone wall and ripped my throat out. Or would have, had I not woken up. Did Ben come for you?"
"Yeah. And I didn't stand much of a chance. Was this something showing us the future or our subconscious minds working on overdrive? It wouldn't be the first time we shared similar dreams."
"It was a warning, nothing more. We need to keep them focused on the correct path. Yes, it could come to that, but we know them. They're good kids. They'll listen to us, listen to reason, and stay on the path of good, not evil."
She put her head into his chest and nodded. He was right. They needed to keep an open dialogue with them, like she did tonight with Ben before bedtime. Plus, he adored Andi, and she'd never turn to the dark side of things. Therefore, she'd never allow him to turn evil. Cassie let out a deep breath and nuzzled Lee's chest.
"It's after midnight," he said. "Merry Christmas."
She reached her head up and nibbled his lower lip. "You know, there's only one thing I want from you this year."
He chuckled, and leaned down to kiss her.
*****
Trent opened his eyes and did a double take. Where in the world was this? He'd never seen such opulence. It was a large amphitheater-type room, with marble everywhere, decorated with gold and every color gem under the rainbow. On the stage, which was the focal-point of the room with hundreds of comfortable, theater-style seats facing it, were a couple dozen or so cushioned chairs, each arranged so whoever sat in them could be easily seen and heard by everyone else, both on stage and in the audience. It reminded him of a place ancient Greeks or Romans would have held meetings.
"Where are we?"
He jumped and spun to find Heidi behind him. When had she gotten here?
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine. I thought I was alone. You're a figment of my imagination, right? A part of my dream?"
She kissed his cheek. "Don't confuse me. This is my dream, so you're the imaginary one."
He looked around again, taken aback by how bright, clean, and shiny everything was, and shook his head. "No, no, hate to disagree with you, sweetie, but this is definitely my dream."
She opened her mouth to argue, but closed it just as quick, furrowing her brow in concentration. Even in dreams, he loved that they could have disagreements without every little utterance becoming a declaration of war. They'd only been angry at each other once
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