AUTHORS' NOTE: We just wanna say thanks to everyone who reviewed our story thus far. You guys rock! Here's the next chap for your enjoyment.

Chapter Six: The Last Warrior

Melissa didn't like the look Sean was giving her. He hadn't moved at all, and his eyes were locked onto hers, glaring deep into her soul, it seemed. This look frightened her.

"Judging by the way you spoke, I do not believe this was a recent discovery."

"It wasn't." She admitted. "In fact…I've known him my whole life."

"That so?" The calmness of his voice confused Melissa.

"Are…are you mad?"

Sean took a deep, thinking breath. "I trust you will give me a good reason as to why you kept this hidden from me."

"Alright…well…here's the story. First of all, I'm a twin."

"Are you now?" Sean replied calmly.

"Fraternal, not identical. My twin is male. We kind of had that link that everyone says twins have. We were really close."

"Were?" Sean caught on.

"Well, we still are, I guess."

"Something happened." Sean concluded.

"Yeah. Just a week after we turned ten, our parents announced that they were getting a divorce. My mom is a lawyer, so she did very well in court. She was able to deny any visitation rights. However, he did get to take my brother with him…" She looked down, reminiscing on painful memories. "It was almost like he knew…"

"Who knew what?"

"Like I said, we'd just turned ten, and we always got each other something. Well, my brother kind of surprised me this year. He'd bought these two necklaces. One was for me and the other he kept for himself." He held up the Dragoon Spirit. "This was the necklace he gave me." She fiddled with it in her fingers and it shone slightly. "He…when he gave me mine, it glowed. I was fascinated. He said his glowed too and they shone brighter when they were closer, then he proved it. He told me that we could use the necklaces as a sort of connection. If we kept them, we'd always be close, no matter how far apart we really were…or something like that."

"And then next week, your parents said they were divorcing, and it was too coincidental."

"Yeah. You catch on quick."

"It's who I am." He said without emotion. "So your father took your brother with him with no visitation rights to you."

"Uh-huh. That being said, I couldn't ever see Mike…my brother."

"But doesn't your mother have any visitation rights?"

"Dad refused. He was able to get his lawyer to deny visitation rights as well." She bit her lip. "They did all of this without even caring how we felt. So, then, it became illegal for Mike and I to see each other. However, I do still see him sometimes. You see, we still wanted to see each other, no matter what the law said. Mom would probably burst into flame if she saw Mike, but Dad doesn't care. He likes seeing me. That being said, I sometimes sneak over, but I can't do it too often, for fear of discovery."

"I see." Sean said.

"And that's the story."

"But why did you keep this from me?"

"Well, as you've probably gathered, my brother was…Mike is…"

"Close; dear to you."

"Yes, exactly. And…if anything were to happen to him…I don't know what I'd do."

"Then it'll be your job to make sure nothing happens, won't it?"

Melissa thought about it, and then nodded. "I guess so…but it's not like he really needs much defending."

"What do you…wait, is this the same brother that taught you how to fight?"

"Yep."

"Good. He'll be a valuable asset to our team."

"I think so too, but…I can't help fearing for him."

"Learn not to fear." Sean instructed. "Fear is the first step to downfall in out lives. I learned that early on and taught myself to become fearless. I had the dragon's help, of course. Dragons are born without fear, so perhaps yours can help you."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, I have one more question: what changed your mind?"

"Come again?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to tell me?"

She looked down. "My dragon. I spoke to her in a sort of dream. I can't really explain it…"

"You don't have to." Sean assured. "It happens to me all the time."

"Oh, well anyway, the dragon's been with me through the whole ordeal, so she knew about Mike. She told me I should get him to join. I asked why, I mean, didn't we have enough power? She said 'First off, no. The last Dragon possesses some traits we other dragons do not. But it's not just about power. Each human has different traits, some that few others have. It's the combination of traits and skills, as well as power, that make us victorious'."

"It's very true." Sean said with a nod. There was a brief silence before Sean spoke again. "So, you know where he is?"

"Yeah, he lives in the neighboring town. It's a little ways away."

Sean looked at his watch. "Quarter past seven. He'd still be up, right?"

"Of course…wait, you're thinking we should get him now!"

"Why not?"

"Well, I…uh…I didn't…"

"That's what I thought. Melissa, we're going to need EVERYONE'S help and you know it. The sooner he knows the better."

"Right, but…right." She submitted.

"And for another thing, I'm not going with you."

"You're not!"

"Nope. He's your brother, so he'll listen to you, you already know the stories to tell, and you know how to awaken a spirit. You don't need my help. Now go on."

"But…it takes a long time to get there and I don't have a vehicle!"

"Fly."

"Fly! But people will see!"

Sean sighed. "Melissa, what Dragoon are you?"

"The, uh, Dark Dragoon."

"And what would you say the current atmosphere is?"

"…Dark?"

"Exactly. This is your territory, Melissa. Use it. With your dark powers, nobody will see you against the night sky." He turned away. "I'll inform everyone. You go."

Melissa was hesitant and Sean saw it.

"We need him, Melissa. You're our best shot for reaching out to him."

Melissa looked down. "I know…"

"Don't fear." He said again. "Use it."

Melissa nodded, transformed, and flew away.

"So what about you, Brad?" Brittany asked anxiously.

Brad looked up from the fire. "What about me?"

"We don't really know anything about you. I mean, most of us were friends, but we all knew each other pretty good, at least. We know I'm the hyper one, Christie's the innocent one, Rob's the perverted stalker, Melissa's the kick-butt-don't, take-no-smack-from-no-one, touch-me-and-I'll-break-your-arm type, and Ben is…Ben, what are you?"

Ben gave her a look. "I wasn't aware I had a label."

"Well…okay, Ben is just Ben, nothing special."

Ben rolled his eyes.

"But none of us really know you. What's your story?" She folded her hands together and leaned her chin on them. Christie rolled her eyes. This was Brit's secret ploy to get closer to Brad, though the boy had no idea.

"Uh," Brad said, "Well…I don't know."

"Aw, c'mon!" Brittany egged on. "Spill it!"

"There's nothing to spill! My life isn't very interesting, really. It's just average."

"Nothing exciting?" Brittany asked, disappointed.

"Sorry, no." He lay back on his back, putting his arms behind his head. "My life is really boring." There was a silence. "Maybe…maybe that's why I decided to join."

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask." Christie said. "Why did you join so quickly when Sean asked?"

"I don't fully know, but…maybe my feelings kinda acted on their own, you know. Maybe I was just trying to escape the dullness of my life and dive into a more exciting one."

"Perhaps." Christie said. "It looks like we're all going to have a more exciting life from now on, huh?"

Everyone agreed.

"But," Brad continued. "It still puzzles me as to why the dragon chose me. I mean, I'm nothing special."

"He'll probably tell you." Ben said.

"Yeah." Robert chipped in. "You guys haven't experienced it, but you will tonight, I'm sure. The dragons talk to you in a sort of dream. They take your conscious mind to their world while your body sleeps. It's really cool."

"They can talk?" Brittany asked.

"Of course." Robert said, acting like he knew what he was talking about. "Their spirits, aren't they? So they still have that consciousness!"

Ben had to chuckle. "They'll explain everything to you."

"What about you two?" Christie asked. "You guys were found before us, right?"

"Only by a day."

"Yeah, so you've been there and all. What are the dragons like?"

"Oh, they're all different." Ben explained.

"So they told you why they chose you two?"

"Yep."

"What were their reasons?" Brad asked.

"Mine," Robert said, "Basically told me I had the potential-and ability-to kick serious butt. All I had to do was work on what I want to really kill." They laughed.

"And you, Ben?" Christie asked.

"I don't quite get what he said. He told me I had something that reminded him of his last bearer, though neither of us knows what."

"That's it?"

"All I can remember."

"Sounds cool." Brad said.

"It is." Rob assured. That was the point when Sean walked back into the group.

"Where's Melissa?" Christie asked.

"Off to find the eighth Dragoon."

"What!"

"As it turns out," He explained as he sat, "the last Dragoon is her twin brother."

"She has a twin brother?" Brittany caught.

"Apparently. Hopefully, she can convince him to join us."

Melissa streaked across the sky, covered in a veil of darkness.

"This is so cool." She whispered to herself. Looking down on the city, she could see how big it really was, stretching from the forest to the suburbs on the other side. However, she wasn't to stop in this town, and flying made it go by very quickly. That was the great thing about flying: no traffic. You could take up the whole sky and nobody cared. Wings were easier to manage than planes, so she could fly out of any danger in the blink of an eye.

The wind rustled her long black hair, which blended in with the black sky. There weren't many stars out tonight because of the larger part of the city. Streetlights and office lights shone far too brightly for the stars to get any radiance in.

Melissa pondered this for a while, and then increased her altitude. The city grew smaller and the lights grew dimmer, but a cloud also hindered her vision. Melissa flew straight up, pushing through the puffy nothingness and emerged in a puff of smoke above it all. Melissa could only stare. Up here, above the clouds, it looked as though you could just reach out and grab the stars and take them with you.

"Wow." She whispered. Her own voice sounded so alien in this place. The moon was about halfway full, a little more. It would be another week or so before it was full, then she would come back, high above the city streets and into the glorious nature of the night. Even without the full moon, Melissa wished she could stay here forever, basking in the splendor. Unfortunately, time was of the essence. She had to find her brother, quickly. So, regrettably, Melissa turned and dove back down through the cloud, soon able to see the human city that ruined the atmosphere of her dream.

Her home town was soon behind her and she had crossed into foreign territory. Of course, it was hard to tell. Where did one town end and another begin? There were no borders between them, no big black lines that separated people. She didn't know what divided them when she walked, and now, she was really confused. Who was to say where a place ended or began? They were all part of the same land mass, weren't they?

But in any case, the sky didn't belong to anyone, so she Melissa didn't care where she was. She liked being carefree like this, just zooming this way and that, doing as she pleased. Melissa began thinking she'd like being a Dragoon.

Melissa kept a sharp eye on the ground. Her eyes were unusually keen in this darkness. She later learned that it was the dragon's eyes, not hers, that could see so well. And she would only improve. It wasn't too long before she found the house. Lights were still on. Good. Melissa swooped down, careful to stay in the darkness and hid behind a small bunch of trees. There, she changed back.

"Boring." She muttered. She went to the side door, the one she always took. The door was open, but the screen door was shut. Melissa had noticed a lot of laughter from inside, as well as several cars. Now, looking through the glass, she saw a couple of people at the end of the table with cards in one hand and beers in the other. Some smoked. She didn't see her dad, however, so she knocked. The guys she saw looked over, but couldn't see her in the darkness too well.

"I think that's her!" One guy said, whom Melissa didn't see.

"Answer it, man!" Another said. The man at the end of the table put his cards and beer down, got up and walked to the door. As he neared, he suddenly stopped, and then slowly kept walking. He looked at her through the glass and could only stare.

"Aren't you a little young?"

"Excuse me?" Melissa asked.

The man looked back and hollered, "Hey, Matt! Next time you call for a stripper, ask for an age!"

"EXCUSE ME!" Melissa blasted.

"What!" Matt called back. He came into view and walked over. Matt was a big man in height and belly-size. He had thick arms and legs to support his wide frame and thin black hair. He also had a bit of a beard growing. He stopped the same place the other man had and smiled. "That's not a stripper, you idiot! That's my daughter!"

"Yeah, that's something every little girl wants to hear her father say." Melissa said, sarcastically.

"Let her in already!" Matt ordered. The man did so.

"Eh, sorry, Miss." He said. "I thought the place had made a mistake or something. I mean, you looked like you had the body to-"

"Not helping, Tom!" Matt stopped him.

"Sorry. I hope you take it as a compliment, young lady. I mean, if you were eighteen, I'd-"

"TOM!"

"I'll be good." And he left. Melissa was wide-eyed by now.

"Don't listen to him." Matt said. "He's already drunk. Anyway, how's my little girl?" He gave her a hug with his thick arms that squeezed the breath out of her.

"Can't…breathe…"

"Eh? Oh! Sorry." He let her go. "What brings you here so late?"

"What? Can't a girl stop by at any random time and say hi?"

He laughed a deep belly-laugh. "Well, we're in the middle of a poker game right now. I'd let you join, but we tend to get pretty hammered and you're not 21 yet, but if you want, Mike's got himself cooped up in his room."

"I'll see if I can pry him out."

"Alright. Good to see you again, Melissa."

"You too, Dad." She walked out of the kitchen and around the small house, quickly finding Mike's room. She slowly, but surely opened twisted the knob and eased open the door. The room was very dark. The only light was that from the open door and Mike's laptop.

Mike was a writer…sort of. He just wrote a few short stories on his computer, but didn't go anywhere real big. Melissa crept in, as not to disturb him and looked at the screen. It was blank. Mike was sitting with his chin in his hand, staring at the white screen, racking his brain for an idea. He sat there for a little while, contemplating quitting. Finally, Mike slowly closed the laptop…and slammed his head against it three times. Melissa cringed as he lifted his head back up and stared at the wall.

"Hm," He said. "Figure is light-footed; doesn't press too hard on the floor, telling me they are a lightweight. Quite possibly a female." He took a whiff. "Ah, lovely. The smell of sweat, sign of work. And not a hint of perfume to cover it." He turned around in his chair. "Then again, you never were the type who wore that stuff." He gave a smile.

"No, I wasn't. That'd give me away too easily." She sat on the bed, right in front of him.

"On the contrary." Mike said, "The fact that you don't wear perfume sets you apart from almost every other girl in the world."

"You're saying I should wear some?"

"Nah, I'd just memorize the scent." They both laughed, and then embraced.

Michael Edwards kept his father's name after the divorce. Their mother changed her name back to O'Riley and made Melissa do the same. Mike was a big guy, but not in the same way as his father. Mike had a large frame and had developed the muscle to cover it. He wasn't a huge muscleman, but they were prominent. Thick, dirty blonde hair covered his head and he had gray eyes.

If you set them together and didn't know them, you could've never guessed that they were twins. They had nothing in common, physically, but their personalities were pretty similar.

"So what are you doing here so late?" Mike asked her.

"Oh, I was just around."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, good to see ya."

"Good to see you with your head still intact."

"Huh?"

She pointed to the laptop.

"Oh, yeah."

"Not doing so well?"

"I can't think of any ideas!"

"You do know that banging your head actually causes ideas to pop out of your head, right?"

"…That would explain a lot."

She laughed. "So what've you been up to?"

"Nothing new, I'm afraid. Just doing my part to make things work."

Melissa understood. After the divorce, her dad pretty much lost it and fell into a drinking habit after a while. He'd gone into a slump, physically and financially. Mike had to take care of a lot of things, including finding random small jobs to make a few bucks. His laptop was the most expensive piece of equipment in the house except the TV, both of which had been sold at major discounts from various people who wanted to get rid of the devices. Melissa was disgraced at her father's disposition, but she couldn't change him. Mike did very well for what he did anyway, but she always wished more for her brother.

"Well," Mike continued, "What about you? What are you up to?"

"Oh…lots of stuff."

"That's all you're going to tell me? C'mon, be more specific. What's new?"

"Well, there's a new guy in town."

"New guy, eh? What's he like?"

"I'm learning about him. He has a pretty troubled past, but he does very well for himself. He's always so serious. I've seen him smile probably twice."

"You like him?"

"What!"

"Just curious."

"Well…he's a looker, I'll give him that, but he's not my type…way too uptight."

"Does he like you?"

"Uh…I haven't thought about it. Well, he was impressed with my fighting skills, but I don't think he likes anyone. He's not a relationship kind of guy. He journeys alone."

"Journeys?"

"Long story."

"Huh. Well, what else?"

"Well, I kinda made a couple new friends."

"Kinda?"

"Most all of us knew of each other and now we're all getting to know each other better. Right now, I'm closest to a couple girls, Christie and Brittany."

"Girls, eh?" Mike asked. "Did you tell them about your irresistibly hot brother?"

She gave him a light kick in the shin and shook her head. "Nah. Brittany likes this guy named Brad and another guy, Ben, has his sights on Christie."

"Ah, whatever."

"We've all sorta formed a group now, Brittany, Christie, Ben, Brad, Sean-the new guy, Robert, and me."

"Robert? Isn't he that guy who stalks you?"

"Yeah, but if he makes a move, he gets clobbered."

"It sounds like you've been busy." Mike observed.

"You have no idea." Melissa said.

Just then, Mike's door opened and their dad stepped in. "Hey, Mike." He said, "We're outta snacks and the boys are too hammered to drive. You mind?"

"Not at all." He and Melissa got up and left the room.

Everybody was significantly more drunk the second time around. Tom turned around and looked at Mike.

"Dude…" He hiccupped. "Your sister is hot!" The guys all laughed.

Melissa wanted to break his arm, but Mike quickly escorted her out of the house. Mike didn't drive. He walked. Melissa tagged along, having nothing better to do. As they walked, Mike pulled something out of his pocket: his Dragoon Spirit. Melissa quickly covered up its light, to stop it from shining too bright, but Mike's shone all the same. He looked back at her.

"Still got that thing, eh?"

"Yeah." She sighed, suddenly remembering why she was there. "Wouldn't let it go."

Mike smiled and kept walking. "Did you figure out why they shine like that?"

Melissa was hesitant. "They, uh, react to one another."

"Well, yeah, I know, but…" He let it drop. "Forget it." They continued walking, just talking about whatever. Melissa kept trying to find a good way to explain to her brother about the spirits, but nothing worked. Then, one came.

"Oh! Hey!" Mike suddenly said. "I've been meaning to ask you about something."

"What is it?"

"I saw something on the news. Apparently, some sort of monster thing attacked your town."

"Oh…yeah."

"And there were these two…things that fought it off and killed it, then flew away. Did you see it?"

"Not really."

"Oh, bummer. I wonder what those things were."

Melissa suddenly stopped at a corner. "What if I told you I knew them?"

"I'd call you a dirty rotten liar. Why?"

"Because I know them."

"You're a dirty rotten liar."

"I'm serious, Mike."

"Melissa, what do you mean you know them?"

"I mean…look, do you know any place we can talk in private?"

"Um…I know a few dark alleys."

"Well…I guess it'll have to do. We need to get to the deepest, darkest alley possible where NOBODY will disturb us."

"You got it." Mike led her into an alley not too far away. The alley went back much further than it looked and connected with other alleys in a giant network of confusion…unless you knew exactly where you were going. Finally, Mike hopped over some high bricks that were once part of a wall and went to the side, where the bricks stood higher and no one could see them, then went down to the darkest corner before finally stopping.

"Okay." He said.

"Wow." Melissa said. "Secretive."

"What you asked for. So what's up? How do you know those…flying things that beat that monster?"

"First of all, they're called Dragoons and I know…because I'm one of them."

"Really?" Mike asked, unconvinced.

"I'll prove it." Melissa said. Her Dragoon spirit glowed, but the darkness of it wasn't very visible in the darkness around. In the faint light there was, Mike saw Melissa's outline change a little, like something was growing on her. Then…some things shot out of her back and unfurled. They were wings! "Okay." Melissa said.

"Uh…I…can't…quite see you."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. My powers let me kinda blend in with the darkness." She stepped out of the shadows and let him see her. Mike's eyes shot open at what she had become.

"What...what did you do!"

"I tapped into the power of the dragon and became a Dragoon, a dragon knight."

"Dragon knight! What are you talking about?"

Melissa sighed, not wanting to go into the full story again. "These necklaces are the spirits of dragons long dead, okay? Mine has awakened, but yours is still sort of asleep. I'll awaken yours and show you more."

She held up the blade that had appeared in her hand and pointed it at his spirit. "Awaken…spirit of the…uh…" Melissa's face went blank. "Aw, man!"

"Wh-what?"

"I don't know what dragon yours is!"

"I…have a dragon?"

"The spirit of one. I told you!"

"Yeah, but…how can that be? I thought dragons didn't exist!"

"They do. It was a surprise to us all."

"All?"

"Remember that new group my friends and I formed? We're all Dragoons. Sean's our leader. He's the one who told me to come get you."

"Get me!"

And so, Melissa went into the story. She told Mike everything she knew about the dragons and Dragoons. She spoke of the wonder and she spoke of the danger. She spoke of the ups and the downs. She spoke of the power and she spoke of the responsibility.

"So let me get this straight." Mike said. "I'm supposed to be some divine warrior that's supposed to fight off the evil forces threatening to destroy mankind."

"Yeah."

"I've played this game. Someone always dies."

"Well…maybe."

Mike shook his head. "It won't be me."

"No one's saying you're going to die, Mike."

"But I can't take that risk."

"What? So you're not going to come?"

"No, I'm not."

"Mike! We need your help!"

"I'm sure. You guys already have seven, right? You'll find a way."

"No we won't! We need all eight!"

Mike took off his Dragoon Spirit and held it out to her. "Then find someone else, because I'm not going."

Melissa was a little hurt by this. "You'd give that necklace away though you know what it means?"

Mike thought again and put it on. "I can't, Melissa."

"Why not! Because you're afraid of dying! Because you're afraid of responsibility!"

"I have a responsibility already and that's keeping our father going!"

"What are you talking about!"

"You've seen him, Melissa! He's a wreck! The only reason he's alive is because of us! If we die…" He trailed off, not wanting to think of it. "I can't risk that. You've already made your choice, apparently, but I'm not gonna let our father down, okay?"

Melissa looked down. "But you'd let your sister down?"

Mike took a deep breath and looked down.

"Mike…" Melissa walked over to him. "When you gave me that necklace, you said it represented a lot. You said we'd always think of each other when we wore them, and that we'd always be together no matter how far apart. You said that the glowing represented our bond, and it does, Mike. It represents our bond as Dragoons."

Mike didn't look up.

"You also said…if I ever needed you, you'd be there."

He looked up at her as she put her hands on his shoulders.

"I need you now."

Mike didn't know what to think. Who would he abandon, his sister or his father?

"Melissa…that was over six years ago."

"And you owe me a lot." She countered, pinning him. "By doing this, you're protecting dad."

Mike finally caved. "Alright, alright."

Melissa smiled and embraced him.

"Man, what's dad gonna think when I tell him this?"

"Oh, uh, he can't know?"

"Why not?"

"It's better that the humans live their lives as they should and not worry about the matters of Dragoons…or…something like that, I can't quite remember. But anyway, no one can know but us."

"Okay…so, what now?"

Mike was able to convince his dad he was spending the night at his friend's. Seeing as his father was rather drunk by that time, Mike didn't even have to tell him which friend, so he was out in an instant. He couldn't fly yet, so he drove with Melissa as far out to the campsite as he could and stopped a dirt-and-grass "road" that came to a dead end at the woods.

"Boy, this hideout is perfect!" Mike said, fighting with thorn bushes. "Nobody can get to it!"

"That's the point!" Melissa said, maneuvering through the mess.

It was very dark, so Mike had to rely on Melissa to guide him, who could see through her Dragoon spirit. Soon, Mike saw a faint yellow light that grew brighter and brighter until he saw a fire through a gap in the trees. The siblings stepped through and looked at everyone and they looked back at them.

"Hey, guys!" Melissa said cheerfully.

"This him?" Sean asked, standing.

"Yeah. Everyone, this is my twin brother, Mike." He gave a nervous wave and they waved back.

Sean walked over and looked him over. "Melissa tells me you taught her how to fight."

"I did." Mike assured.

"She fights pretty well, and you're probably better. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"I taught myself."

"Oh?"

"Living where I do, you have to learn how to defend yourself."

Sean rubbed his chin. "I don't think you entirely taught yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"I believe your Dragoon Spirit had something to do with it."

Mike thought about it. "Maybe. I don't know for sure."

"In any case, you haven't seen your powers yet, have you?"

"No, how did you know?"

Sean looked at Melissa. "Because I forgot to tell her what your Dragon was!" He looked back at Mike and drew his sword, pointing it at him. "Awaken…Spirit of the Golden Dragoon."

Mike's spirit began glowing.

"Oh, uh, Mike?" Melissa quickly spoke up.

"Eh!" He exclaimed as the power began surging.

"The dragon has to break you in the first time, so…this is gonna hurt."

"WHAT! AH!" He fell to a knee as the intense strength of the dragon flowed through his entire body, and then exploding out of it. The ground suddenly shook violently and the Dragoons lost their footing-all except Sean, who had expected such an occurrence. Soon, the shaking slowed to a stop and Mike was reborn as a Dragoon.

His armor was similar to the guys' dragoons, but it had some differences. First off, all of his armor was golden-colored and his armor was much thicker and tougher than the other Dragoons' was. Mike looked at himself in awe.

"Whoa…whoa…kinda bulky, but…whoa."

"Indeed." Sean said. "Your dragon is a master of strength and defense…of course, when it comes to magic, you're all but helpless. Anyway, you still need a weapon." Sean's spirit glowed, causing Mike's to glow. His weapon was an axe…a very, very big axe. The blade alone was half his size.

"Uh…how am I carrying this!"

"I told you," Sean said, "Yours is a dragon of great strength. But put it down before you change back."

Mike did and the dragon released him of its powers.

"Now try picking it up."

Mike did and about pulled his arms out of their sockets. He looked at the axe and tried again, pulling harder.

"C'mon." He grunted, giving it another tug. It began lifting a couple of inches off the ground. "Nnnnngggghhh…aw man! Hrrrtttttt…..dah! HURRRRRRRRRRNNNNNGGGGG…………….." He finally collapsed onto his rear, getting a laugh out of everyone, except Sean. "Oh, sure!" Mike said. "Laaaauugh! I think I pulled something!"

Everyone laughed harder. Even Sean had to smile a little. That was the most reaction they'd seen from him yet. "Yeah," Brittany said. "He can stay!"

Mike smiled, embarrassed.

"Alright, then." Sean said. "We have our army."

AUTHORS' NOTE: So all eight Dragoons are back together, but the adventure is only beginning. More to come, stay tuned and please review!