Lynn (Book One of the Lynn Saga)

Chapter Eight

I sat on the floor of the cave, staring at the dragon outside.

Hope talked to herself in a strange way. Finally, after minutes of confusion, I asked, "are you okay?"

Hope looked offended. I guess my tone had been as little rude sounding. "Raven's telepathic." She nodded to the dragon.

My mouth formed a small circle as I realized how stupid I had been. Everyone knew dragons were telepathic.

Midnight walked in with canteens of water. "Got the water and Ivan's got some blackberries we found." Ivan followed her with a straw woven basket full of large berries shiny in the morning light.

Nicole helped Ivan with the berries and I dished out the canteens to everyone. Everyone I already re-met was here in the huge cave. But there were a few unrecognizable creatures: a blonde mermaid lay in a small pool of water in the back of the lake, obviously there for her and another mermaid, who looked a lot like the blonde except her hair was dark with a bit a white to it. There was also a unicorn drinking from the pond and a demon standing in the back corner, her dark hair hanging over her pale face. Based on her shape and looks, she was a Dark Demon, which was like a Dark Elf but has a demonic twist.

Nervously, I stared at the demon girl until she looked up at me and, to my surprise, smiled friendly.

Hope, who now walked into the cave eating blackberries, explained, "Lynn, since you don't remember, I'll remind you. The light haired mermaid is Fauna and the dark haired one is Flora. They're twins." Fauna waved happily, but Flora still hugged her tail as if too scared to speak. Hope turned toward the demon, her expression staying the same, happy and excited. "And that's Char. Don't worry, she's on our side."

Char smiled without showing her teeth, and I was glad. Demon teeth were always either black or red, and I wasn't exactly excited to see passed her lips.

Hope changed the subject. "Anyway, we need to train everyone here how to win this war. We're not letting anyone die!"

Everyone cheered quietly to Hope's pep talk, even though it wasn't very inspiring, it was still sweet.

Fauna counted the number of people and got out a pad and pen, drying it with magic (I assumed she was a Fire Mermaid). She wrote down everyone's name and what weapon they used. When she finished, Fauna called out everyone's name on the paper and checked with them which line they should be in for the battle and what weapons they'd use.

When I heard the mermaid say my name loud and clear, she asked, "bow and arrow?"

I nodded and she told me I'd be in the middle of the first line, obviously. I mean, I was the person Daniel wanted to kill, though I didn't know exactly why.

Fauna finishes calling everyone's name after five minutes or so and dove back into the water, since she had before been sitting on the edge of the deep pool. The only time her twin had moved was when she spoke when her name was called.

Nicole and Ivan drank some water and announced that it was lunch, since they both wore necklaces that could tell them the time, like a watch on your neck. Everyone went outside of the cave around a campfire Den made.

I sat next to Raven and Hope. Since Hope got off topic a lot, I asked Raven if we could speak in private.

"Raven?" I asked. I had never spoken to a telepathic creature before, and so I wasn't sure how I'd receive the message. Would it pop into my brain like words written on paper? Or would I hear it? Would it just make me feel the words? Or would I not even get it? What if there was something wrong with my brain so that I couldn't read it?!

Before I could even begin to get panicky, I both heard Raven speak, but she hadn't even moved her mouth. I was a little nervous still, but it seemed to pass by me like a wave in the ocean. It was like she was talking to me, I could hear her voice. It was cute sounding and friendly, like I had been best friends with her all my life.

"Yeah?" she asked, raising one her wings and breathing out some ice that froze a tree, preparing for the battle soon to come.

I sighed. "Why does Daniel want to kill me and why will no one tell me?!" I whispered angrily, looking around to make sure no one heard me. Hope was balancing a blackberry on her nose and seemed to have caught everyone's attention, even Flora's.

I turned back to Raven, who almost seemed to sigh out cold air. "Back before you were born, your mom and dad were an Elf and Demon, which has never happened before. When they had you, you basically defined Dark Elf. Since your parents' magic was so powerful, your blood became the most magical in the world. If Daniel had your blood, he'd take it and put it in his magic, becoming the most powerful person in the world." She grabbed by back by her wing and whispered so quiet I could barely hear, "but what he doesn't know is that taking someone else's blood is very complicated. You can't just kill the person and drink some, you must collect every drop of their blood and add it to every drop of yours."

I interrupted, "but won't you die if you take out all of your blood?"

Raven answered, "you only die if you weren't meant to take the blood."

Nervously, I stammered, "but what'll happen to me if he takes my blood and succeeds?"

Raven replied in a funny tone, "you'll die."

I asked again, "sorry I have so many questions! But what happens to me if he takes my blood but dies? Do I live?"

Raven smiled, her shiny white teeth the color of clouds on a sunny day. "You get his blood and live with his magic and stuff."

Hope suddenly shrieked in a laughing kind of way. "No! My blackberry!" she exclaimed as the berry fell into a bush when Midnight picked it up from her face and threw it, chuckling to herself.

Raven looked to Hope, probably said something to her since she was silent for seconds, and flew away.

Hope told me that she was going to travel to Dragon Rock, a place in the far north where almost all of the ice dragons lived. She was going to recruit as many dragons as possible.

Ivan said quietly, "Let's go get more food," and led Nicole and Calvin to the forest, the two Elves riding their horses.

Meanwhile, the two Mermaids dove down to the bottom of the lake, returning with tuna. I was confused until they explained that they created the pond to connect to the ocean.

That night, I kept tossing and turning. I had three horrible nightmares.

The first was the beginning of the battle, Daniel giving out a strange battle cry and leading his Demon army towards us. My army was composed of me and Hope, who was too busy balancing blackberries on her nose to even notice anything going on. The sky was dark red, the color of blood. All I could feel was pain as Daniel killed me brutally, skinning and drowning me in my blood. Right before I died and moved onto the next dream, I saw him drink my blood and grow into a giant demonic monster.

The second dream was about people I had never recognized before. By the time I woke, I didn't remember much of it, just something about this potion and this baby who's mother died and some lady with beautiful hair.

And the third, worst nightmare was so horrible. Daniel had this beautiful woman with red, wet hair hold me down against the cave walls I slept against that night of the dreams. This really creepy Jester with giant white gloved hands was torturing my friends. He giggled manically as he ripped off Hope's tiny limbs. The madman cackled as he pulled out Giselle's teeth. And he shrieked as he skinned Stella.

When I woke up again, I was screaming and noticed all of my friends were around me, staring at me with wide eyes. Even Nicole looked worried.

"W-what is it?!" I asked in a demanding tone.

Raven, who stood behind everyone, carried a small bottle in her large mouth.

That's when she uttered something that made my heart stop.

"Lynn, we found your memory."