Death of the Mind: A Middang3ard Series (Dragon Approved Book 12) Read online

  Alex had heard of the situation on the gnomish planet. It didn’t seem to be nearly as bad as what Vardis’ people had experienced. With Middang3ard, the Dark One seemed more interested in absorbing and reprogramming the different races of the nine realms. This was the first time Alex had seen the flat-out destruction the Dark One was capable of.

  Further, Alex had not expected the Dark One to be so ruthless. She had assumed there was meaning or desire behind the havoc he wreaked, but having seen streets full of dead people, she wondered if the Dark One was a psychopath with dimensional powers. No rational creature would delight in dealing out that much destruction.

  Another thing Alex remembered was that the notes had included a way to stop the weapon.

  Yet that was an odd memory.

  She couldn’t think of how to turn off the weapon, but much like in the dream, she was certain she would know what to do when the time came.

  That left Alex feeling unprepared and uncomfortable. She didn’t want to trust a vague notion, but there was nothing else she could do. Most of what she’d read she remembered verbatim, even though she didn’t understand the alien language. Why was that part hidden from her?

  Just because no one in Boundless had messaged Alex about anything happening at the base didn’t mean Vardis wasn’t suspicious. She messaged each team member individually, asking if they had seen or spoken with the alien.

  Jollies was the first to reply. She let Alex know she and Vardis had eaten breakfast together, and there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. He was excited to get back to Middang3ard, implement the weapon, and finally get rid of the Dark One.

  Alex carefully phrased her response, making sure not to give the pixie anything to worry about. Then she got dressed and went downstairs.

  Both of Alex’s parents were in the kitchen, working on breakfast together. They looked up when they saw her, their faces grim for a moment before they each forced a smile. “You sleep okay?” Claire asked as Alex took a seat at the kitchen nook.

  Alex shuffled the newspapers that were on the counter. “Yeah, why?”

  “We heard you screaming last night. A lot.”

  George came over and took a seat next to Alex. He hugged her tightly. “You know you can talk to us, right? We know everything you’re going through is kind of a lot. We’re always here for you.”

  Alex caught her father looking at her robotic hand. She covered it with her sweater and took a sip of the orange juice in front of her. “Yeah, I know. There’s not much to talk about. We’re getting closer to destroying the Dark One, and once that’s done, life goes back to normal.”

  “Is it dangerous? What you have to do?”

  Alex thought about telling her parents the truth. Maybe this was the time, or maybe there would never be a time. Just because her parents were somewhat familiar with the workings of Middang3ard due to VR, it didn’t mean they were ready to deal with the rest of her life.

  It hurt that she was hiding something from them, but she knew it was best. The worries that her parents could dream up in their heads were nothing compared to what Alex had to face daily. Best to leave them to their own devices.

  Alex put on her best convincing smile. “Nope. This is the easiest thing I’ll ever do. And before you know it, the war will be over.”

  George sighed with relief as Claire motioned for him to come back to the stove to give her a hand.

  The rest of the morning was the most normal Alex had had for quite some time. She ate and joked with her parents as if there were no war. It felt like she’d never left, and she was starting to wish she didn’t have to.

  When Alex had first gone to Middang3ard, it was to ride a dragon. Sure, she knew there was a war going on and had seen a bit of what it had consisted of, but it wasn’t the draw.

  She couldn’t believe how naïve she’d been only a couple of months ago. She felt like a completely different person now. She had a whole new set of priorities, worrying about her team and the rest of the nine realms. Riding was incidental to fighting.

  When they finished the meal, Alex helped clean up and do the dishes. No one talked much. It was as if the illusion of normalcy was over. Once the dishes were done, Alex was going off to continue fighting a war.

  Afterward, Alex drifted into the living room, trying to memorize each detail. She’d grown up in this house and had only seen it once or twice. She didn’t want to forget how it looked.

  Claire came up behind Alex and wrapped her arms around her daughter. “We love you, and we’re very proud of you.”

  Alex squeezed her mom’s hand and said, “I know. I love you too.”

  George came over and joined the hug. They stood holding each other for some time in silence, each of them no doubt trying to dream up scenarios where Alex came back home to them, unharmed and happy.

  But the rider knew those were only hopes. She would have to make sure they came true. Otherwise, she was going to leave behind two broken parents in the chaos the realms would be in. She felt like she’d be more responsible for that pain than anyone else.

  Chapter Five

  Alex headed for the military base. The coordinates had been loaded onto her dragon anchor, and it wasn’t too far away. She was surprised she’d never heard there was a military base so close to her house, but it made sense.

  Neither of her parents would have cared, and a few months ago, she wouldn’t have either.

  The walk was interesting. Alex had only seen her neighborhood from a car, speeding off to her first mission.

  She’d never walked down the street in a leisurely fashion and looked around. Simple things like that never failed to impress her.

  Much of her life now was insane. She rarely got to stop and appreciate the small miracle of being able to see. For much of her life, she had existed in darkness, but here was a world full of light and beauty. It was something she needed to stop and appreciate more.

  Alex took her time, intentionally ignoring the GPS directions her anchor gave that would have had her walking along main streets. She favored the smaller, more pleasant streets.

  A cottage covered in pink and blue wildflowers like something out of a fairytale was extremely out of place in the suburban landscape.

  An old man was sitting on the porch, playing fetch with his dog. The man was too old to stand to retrieve the ball from his dog, and the dog was too young to care.

  Two young lovers were sitting in a park, enjoying a picnic and speaking quietly to each other.

  When Alex saw those last two, her heart clenched. It had only been a day or two ago that she and Jim had been out on a picnic together. That had ended quickly enough. Since then, she’d hardly had a moment to share a word with him. She knew he understood. He was just as caught up in everything as she was.

  She wanted to be out on a date with Jim right now. To be anywhere with him, doing anything other than the mission on hand. Something about this felt much heavier than anything she’d faced to date. Sitting down in quiet peace next to Jim would have been vastly preferable.

  There would be time for that once the Dark One was defeated. They could go on to their normal lives. But what if there wasn’t a life for Jim and Alex after this? What if they’d only been brought together by the sheer ludicrousness of the war and, when it was over, they had nothing left? There had hardly been time to get to know each other in the past month.

  Or maybe they knew each other better than Alex would admit. They’d been fighting alongside each other for months, in VR and in real life. They’d seen parts of each other that Alex didn’t even know existed within her.

  Alex realized she’d stopped walking and was staring at the couple, who only now noticed her. She looked down at her anchor and continued walking.

  Now that the war could come to an end, Alex entertained what life might be like after the Dark One was taken care of.

  Was she going to go back to being homeschooled?

  She couldn’t think of anything more anticlimactic, but that was
what happened to everyone after a war.

  Once WWII was over, her grandfather had come back to the States and started working at a tire shop.

  Part of Alex felt guilty for resenting this idea already. She didn’t want to go back to living a normal life after experiencing what it was like to be a hero. That felt selfish, but Alex couldn’t ignore it. She’d found out she was a warrior. What would she do after the fight was over?

  Alex remembered the Dark One’s words and promises.

  He had said that he could make her and all of Boundless rulers of this world. And other worlds, too.

  Ruling didn’t appeal to Alex, but the idea of continuing to be somebody who mattered stuck in her mind. She didn’t want to go back to being nobody.

  Yeah, trust the words of a madman, Alex thought.

  She didn’t know why she was letting herself entertain the idea. A bargain with the Dark One would be selling her soul, and she couldn’t really think that was an option after the atrocities she’d seen him commit.

  Yet there was the fear.

  Alex knew she had to destroy the weapon.

  She knew what it was capable of doing to the world, to the nine realms.

  Yet, if she destroyed the weapon, she’d be doing what the Dark One wanted. There had to be a way to destroy him along with the weapon.

  As Alex turned the corner, she realized she was not only thinking in circles but also walking in them. She’d seen Vardis’ notes and sorted through his memories. If the weapon was used, it would be catastrophic. Unfortunately, nothing was ever that easy.

  Alex needed someone to talk this through with, but all of her options seemed terrible. She focused her thoughts toward Chine. Hey, buddy, you there?

  A rush of Chine’s emotions hit Alex as he answered, Dustling, I have been worried about you since the dream. Are you all right?

  She knew Chine cared enough about her to worry, but it still warmed Alex’s heart. It was the same with her parents. Yeah, I’m okay. Still a little shook up about everything that happened. It was a lot to take in.

  Your telepathy has grown so strong. I wouldn’t have thought you were skilled enough to project yourself into Vardis’ dreams, let alone call me into them as well.

  What do you mean, call you into them? I just sent a message.

  An image of Chine smiling the way only dragons could flashed through Alex’s mind. No, you did more than call me. You drew me from my own dreams into a dream space you and Vardis shared. Even among dragons, only our oldest and most skilled are capable of supporting a space with that many dreamers. I still am a little impressed.

  Alex found she was in a park. She must have lost track of where she was going. Instead of setting out again, she walked over to a bench and took a seat. Do you think he knew we were in there? In his dreams?

  Chine took a moment to answer. That is a good question. Generally, no, he shouldn’t have. What you fought within those dreams was not Vardis. It was a projection of his unconscious mind. But that is how it works for dragons and the rest of the sentients in the nine realms. Vardis is from a different dimension, so his mind might work differently than ours.

  Alex realized the park she was sitting in was the same park in which she’d been watching the couple. They were staring at her now. She thought it best to start moving again. Do you know what he’s up to? Vardis?

  He has hidden his thoughts and feelings from me since he arrived at the Nest. I didn’t think it was suspicious at the time because it is a habit all telepaths have when meeting new people, but his defenses are high. I’ve never been certain of where he is or what he is doing.

  Alex checked her GPS again and headed in the direction of the military base. She still had at least another half an hour to walk.

  It dawned her that this was the longest time she’d been alone in a while. It was the longest she’d walked by herself without one of her parents nearby.

  You ever get tired of always being around people? she asked Chine.

  He chuckled, a rich and hearty sound. Why would you ask that?

  I don’t know. I figured you might feel like me sometimes—always having to do things for other people, never getting a moment to yourself. When you do, it’s like you can’t even enjoy it.

  My perspective might be different from yours. Dragons, for most of our lives, are very social. It isn’t until we are older and near the end of our lives that we live in solitude, usually away from the dragon realms, doing everything in our power to keep others from finding where our enclave is. It is those dragons, the elders who choose to spend time all alone, who fill the legends and lore of humans.

  So, you wish you were around more dragons?

  Chine chuckled again, the warmth absent this time and a hint of bitterness taking its place. I have made peace with the sacrifices that must be made until the Dark One is defeated, but yes. Yes, I am often lonely. It is good to be with the dragons from the Boundless, but my family and friends are growing old without me. There are few things that can ease that pain.

  Alex thought about what he had said, taking her time. The dragon was right; it was a different perspective.

  She enjoyed the closeness she was developing with the members of her team. They were as tightly knit as family, and she loved that.

  Alex crossed the street, running to make it before the light changed. She was almost at the base.

  There was a sigh in her mind, followed by Chine’s voice. Dustling, you are going to have to make the most important decision of your life soon.

  Alex stopped and looked at the sun above her. Clouds were starting to gather, blocking the light. You mean, destroying the shard?

  The dragon’s face shone in front of Alex for a second. Only you know what you’ve learned. Those around you—your family, the Boundless, the Nest—will understand your decision, whatever it is. They trust you. Perhaps you should have faith in that trust.

  You know, your wisdom makes it really hard to have teenage angst.

  It is why dragons are partnered with young mortals. We even you out.

  It was good talking to you, Chine. I’ll see you in a bit.

  You as well, Dustling.

  Alex spent the rest of her walk thinking through what he had said. There were a lot of things to take into consideration, but the dragon was right.

  Myrddin and the Nest trusted her.

  She needed to believe in that trust.

  It was kind of funny. There’d been a moment earlier in the day when Alex had been worried about adjusting to not being special anymore. Then, the moment she started talking to the dragon, all she could talk about was the stress of that weight.

  Things seemed to make a little more sense now, even if they weren’t clear, just a cloudy, amorphous blob of emotions. They weren’t bad emotions, and deep down, Alex knew what she had to do: the weapon had to be destroyed. There would be other ways to get rid of the Dark One. Alex didn’t know what they were going to be, but she was certain they’d figure them out.

  The base was no more than a block ahead. Most of the houses were empty. Alex figured that was the only way a top-secret military base could have been plopped down in the middle of her town without anyone noticing it. The whole town was probably a shell. Talk about a coincidence.

  Or was it?

  Alex had never thought about how Myrddin had known to watch her through VR. She’d been playing for years. Just how long had she been a subject of interest to Myrddin and the Nest?

  As Alex let these thoughts play out in her head, she started walking near a convoy of military SUVs. There’s no way all this could have been built just to watch me.

  She heard a loud click like the sound of a door being unlocked very loudly. It came from the convoy. She looked in the direction of the sound, seeing an SUV’s rear hatch open.

  A glowing white orb fell out the back of the SUV. What the hell is that? Alex thought.

  Then the orb brightened and there was a loud screech as it exploded outward.

  T
he last thing Alex saw was the brightness of the light as she felt her body rising into the air.

  Then all was black.

  Chapter Six

  Alex woke up in the med-bay of the military base, nurses all around her. They were treating her wounds and Alex instinctively reached out to push them away. They fell to the floor

  She looked down at her hands, caught off guard by what she had done. Alex had assumed that the telekinesis she’d experienced in Vardis’ dream was limited to dreams.

  Obviously, that assumption was wrong.

  The nurses got back on their feet, undeterred by Alex pushing them away. They got back to work, wielding Nest healing devices.

  Alex’s body was covered in minor cuts and bruises, and the nurses were working hard at treating them. The wounds on her chest and shoulder from the dream had already been attended to.

  Once the nurses stopped bustling about, Alex was able to ask one of them what happened. The nurse explained that the base had been under attack. Multiple bombs on their convoy of supplies had detonated. It was assumed by the upper brass that there was a double agent somewhere in the base who had given away the delivery time.

  Alex bit her tongue and didn’t say anything about Vardis.

  If she was going to talk to someone about this, it was going to be much higher up the chain. Vardis could be dangerous. If that attack had come from him, there was no telling how many people he was willing to put at risk for his goals.

  But Alex already knew how many people Vardis would risk: an entire universe. What were a few measly human soldiers in the grand scheme of his plans?

  As the nurses prepared to leave, one of them leaned over Alex and whispered in her ear, “We took care of your other wounds too. They should heal pretty well. Be safe out there.”

  Alex didn’t know what to say, so she merely nodded and smiled, muttering a quiet thank you. Once the nurses were gone, she sat up, preparing to get out of bed.