CHAPTER 46: 46: THE RING

"Thank you. Thank you for reminding me. It’s not true. I don’t believe it; they would never do that.... It was just another attack." He whispered to Chad. There was relief in Drake’s heart. He believed what his friend told him. He knew Chad was right.

As soon as the words were out of Drake’s mouth, the storm ceased. The clouds cleared quickly as if it were a movie played on fast-forward. The rain stopped, the wind became a gentle breeze as the twin suns poked through the fading clouds, warming the clearing once again.

Drake and Chad looked up toward the roof, noticing the swift change in weather. Then at each other. They smiled; The storm was gone, and it had gone the moment he didn’t believe in the vision.

Mike stood up slowly. "I’ll make us some tea." He had heard what was said. He was just as close to Drake as Chad was. Although it was barely a whisper, he still heard it.

Mike went to the small kitchen and prepared the tea, filling the pot and putting it onto the hearth to heat the water. He didn’t believe it either, but it left an emotional scar. If his father came for him, he wouldn’t defend himself. Everything about the situation felt wrong.

He turned to Drake and watched as he desperately tried to calm his own emotions. He had created a scar in him, too. Looking at Chad, he saw the same thing. The three of them would never be the same.

When the water was hot, he carefully pulled it off the fire and made tea. He wished that they had coffee. Chad loved it. It was one of his weaknesses.

They sat around the table in silence, drinking their tea slowly. No one spoke. The silence was deafening. Finally, Drake stood. "We need to remember that nothing in this place is as it seems. We need to always keep our guard up, no matter who we come across. Those we meet might not be what they seem. Not even those we know. For all we know, we could be looking at a doppelganger or an illusion to trick us. We need to remember that there are forces at work that are attempting to stop us from completing this quest. We need to be prepared for anything."

Drake turned and left his friends sitting at the table.

Chad and Mike watched as the bedroom door closed behind him, leaving them in silence.

The two boys stared at their cups. They knew Drake was correct. Neither of them was the paranoid type. In the situation they were in, they had no choice but to act like they were. Every twist and turn of this dimension bombarded them with danger. It was this danger that could prevent them from ever going home. One slip-up, one wrong move, and they would die here. Neither wanted that.

Drinking the last of his tea, Mike stood and collected the empty cups. He and Chad cleaned up in silence before going to bed. They had a long way to go. A long and perilous journey lies ahead of them. They needed to rest and recoup from their day. It was, after all, one of the worst they had ever experienced.

After a good night’s sleep, Drake made breakfast for his companions and let Renn outside to do whatever beasts do. He thought about what happened that night. It made him angry. Someone was still trying to mess with him.

He knew that his friend was right; it was some kind of mental attack. The only proof he had was how the storm stopped as soon as he chose not to believe the vision.

Just as he set the plates on the table, his friends exited the bedroom. As they entered, they looked up at Drake. "Everything okay?" Mike asked cautiously.

Drake smiled. "Yeah," he paused, then added, "I hate mental attacks. Someone is either trying to distract me from this quest or they are trying to pit us against our fathers. We can’t let that happen."

Both boys nodded at Drake, then sat at the table. He had prepared breakfast of meat and eggs. There was surprise on Chad’s face when he found his cup was filled with coffee. Real coffee. His eyes widened, and a huge grin spread across his face.

Before he could say anything, Drake spoke up. "I got up early, so I went through my storage book. I found a case of coffee. I also found a dozen water storage units, the same kind that are in the bathroom. The water storage containers are also all filled.

Chad’s grin grew as he downed his coffee. He smiled as he refilled his cup from the pot that was placed on a cloth to protect the wood of the table. Coffee was Chad’s weakness. He loved it.

As they sat around the table eating, a flash of light burst in the center of the table. I was a burst of bright green light; the color of Drake’s energy magic. When the light cleared, a small box was in its place.

Mike was the first one to touch it. He attempted to open the box, but it wouldn’t open for him. Chad took it out of his hand and tried to open it next, but it didn’t open for him either. Remembering the box back in Draco Town, Chad handed the small box to Drake. Drake took it gingerly out of his hand and opened it easily. Clearly, it was meant for him.

Inside the small box was a ring with an emerald gem in the center. Small runes decorated its thin band. Drake stared at it, trying to figure out if he should trust it and put it on or not trust it, leaving it in its box. The fact that he could open the small box told him that it was safe. It was meant for him. After thinking about it for some time, he left the ring in the box and stored the box in his storage book.

"What is it?" Mike asked.

"It’s a ring, but after what happened last night, I’m not sure I can trust that it’s safe. I know the last box that was given to me that only I could open was safe, but after last night, I’m not sure I want to take chances," Drake explained.

Chad, the constant voice of reason, decided to give his own input. "Can your system tell you if it’s legit or not?"

Pulling the box back out of the book, he set it on the table. "System, identify and explain the ring." He said in his mind, speaking to his system.

{Dimension Master Communication Ring}

{The Dimension Master communication ring has two functions. The ring allows the dimension master heir to communicate with the dimension master and vice versa. The second function protects the wearer from mind attacks and extends its protection to all members of the wearer’s cohort.}

Drake smiled, then quickly put the ring on his finger. His first thought was that his father must have known someone out there was using a powerful mind attack on him, and felt the need to send the ring to protect him and his friends.

His friends were staring at him. They were waiting for him to tell them what he learned. Drake just smiled and drank some of his tea.

"You’re not going to tell us?" Mike asked with a frown.

Drake smiled. "It protects the wearer and its cohort from mind attacks. My father sent it to me...I think."

***

Drake’s father watched the screen as the boys ate their meal. He witnessed the flash of green light appear. He flinched. That was a dimension master energy signature, and it didn’t come from him.

When the light faded, a small box appeared. It was a small ring box with intricately carved runes decorating its edge in a glowing green. He watched Drake open the small box, then study what was inside for a while. Drake did not pull the item out, choosing to keep the contents inside. Closing the small box, he stored it inside his storage book. The dimension master felt relieved seeing him not trust the box’s contents. He didn’t either.

Then Chad said something that he hadn’t paid attention to, due to feelings of relief. He had no idea what was said. His relief was quickly replaced by horror as he witnessed Drake suddenly pull the box back out of his book, open the box, and then put the ring on.

He knew the ring was not from him. He still had his tucked away in his own storage book. There were actually several rings with different functions. He couldn’t see which one he had received. There was only one person who could have sent it, and he was sure it wasn’t to help Drake. In fact, it was sure to be the opposite.