Chapter 15: Return of Jack de Lames-Part 2
Jake couldn't believe his eyes, standing right there before him was the legendary witch-hunter himself, and the person who had been haunting his dreams as of late, Jack de Lames.
"Je suis retourné...après une éternité loin de vous tout, Jack de Lames est de retour!" Jack said in his dark booming voice.
"What did he say?" Jake asked.
" 'I have returned…after an eternity away from you all, Jack de Lames is back!'…of course I could be paraphrasing." Michael told him.
Aiden walked up to Jack keeping his head hung low to avoid eye-contact, "Master…your followers are here to follow you once more."
As Jake saw the robed terror come forward he swore he could feel his blood starting to form ice-crystals.
Jack stopped right near the edge of the platform and looked at his followers, then his eyes stopped on Jake, Michael, and then Damien. "Qui sont ces imbéciles qui refusent de se mettre à genoux avant leur maître divin?" Jack asked Aiden.
"The two in front of you call themselves the 'American Dragon'…the one further to the back is an ex-follower of yours named Damien Knight."
Just then Jack raised his left hand and immediately Jake and Michael felt something that felt like an ordinary gust of wind, though when they looked down they saw that they had been returned to their human forms.
"Well blow me down, Jake Long and Michael Knight…" Aiden said, then he looked at Jake and said, "When I saw you and my godchild at the park that night Jake I knew it was more than a coincidence."
"You were there?" Jake asked.
"Who did you think saved you from the Huntsmaster?" Aiden asked in response.
"Give me back my sister!" Michael demanded.
Aiden looked at Jack, Jack gave him a nod and shortly after Christian was released from her restraints…she ran over to Michael crying and hugged him.
"Where's Rose?" Jake asked.
"Rose is no longer a concern to you." Aiden told him.
"I'm not leaving here without her!" Jake told them.
"I wouldn't do that…for you see, you're in the Lions' Den now." Aiden pointed out, Jake and Michael looked around and saw that he was right, crimson cloaks all around him. "This doesn't look good Jake." Michael told him nervously.
"Oh yeah, well at least this couldn't get any worse." Jake told him.
Just as they were about to advance on both of them Jack raised his hand in an order to stop, "These two are mine."
"But master…we just got you back, wouldn't you wish to wait until you were at full power—?" Aiden started asking, but he never got to finish his thought. "I have strength enough…for these children."
"Hey…no one calls the Am Drag Trio 'children' and gets away with it!" Michael snapped.
"Am Drag Trio?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, the American Dragon and T.A.D…together the three of us make the Am Drag Trio." Michael explained.
"How touching…but as you'll find out little hero, it'll take more than the three of you to stop me." Jack taunted.
"We'll see about that…DRAGON UP!"
"Are you up for it Christian?" Michael asked.
"I have the strength to take on this red robed nightmare." She told him, pulling out her medallion.
"That's my girl…CHILL OUT!" Michael commanded as he and Christian transformed, Aiden backed away slightly…but Jack didn't even flinch, "Face it Jack de Loser…we have you out-numbered." Jake told him.
Jack drew his swords and said, "That may be true…but where you have me out-numbered, I have you out-skilled!"
Suddenly he jumped down from the platform and came right at Michael, Michael barely escaped the swords. Jake shot a few fire balls at Jack, but he managed to deflect a couple of them and slice through the last one. Jake then saw Jack thrust his hand forward and felt something invisible hurl him across the room, "Whose next?" Jack asked mockingly.
"So you made quick work of Jake…big whoop, let's see how you handle Team T.A.D!" Michael pointed out.
Michael started with bringing an assault of icicles down on Jack, but Jack just easily rolled out of the way of it and sent a lightening bolt at Michael, which he barely dodged. Michael then looked at Christian and she knew what he was thinking, she immediately shot an ice beam at Jack which met its target and froze Jack to the spot. At first Christian and Michael believed they had done it, but just then Jack's eyes reopened and looked at them as he broke free of his frozen prison.
"Was that supposed to stop me?" Jack asked mockingly.
"What does it take to beat this guy?" Michael thought to himself.
Just then Jack released a wave of energy from his blade, knocking both of them away from him and towards Jake.
Jack then walked over to both of them, "Don't feel bad children…I didn't really expect you to be able to stop me, in-fact I doubt anyone can. Right now I have bigger fish to fry than you…but just to make sure you don't get in my way again…" Jack said, raising his sword to deliver the finishing blow, but fortunately his sword was blocked by another, the one belonging to Damien Knight.
"I won't allow you to hurt my children or Jake!" Damien roared.
"And who's going to stop me, you?" Jack asked, breaking contact with Damien's sword.
Damien didn't answer instead he and Jack entered a sword fight, Michael and Christian couldn't believe how skilled their father was with a sword and magic, but somehow between the two of them Jack did seem to be getting the better of Damien, ending in another Force push from Jack and threw Damien across the warehouse and into the main doors hard.
Jack then looked at Jake, Michael, and Christian who were getting back up, "This is hardly worth my time…I have places to go, and a sword to lay claim to."
Just then Gramps and Tem came through the ceiling, "I don't believe it…they couldn't stop them." Tem said in disbelief as he stared down upon Jack.
"What's this…more dragons, is this the Council's first ditch effort to prevent me from getting the Sword?" Jack asked, sounding as if he was getting bored.
"You'll never get at the Sword Jack!" Tem told him.
"Do you two have any idea what you are protecting?" Jack asked.
"The Council gave us an idea yes…but we won't allow you to get it!" Gramps told him.
Gramps then looked down and saw Jake and the others, "Tem…get my grandson and the others out of here…I'll attempt to stop Jack de Lames from ever leaving here."
"Very well…good luck." Tem said as he cast a teleportation spell on himself, Jake, Michael, Christian, and Damien, but Damien dodged it before it could get to him. Gramps looked at Damien, "I'm not letting you take him on alone!"
Jake and the others were teleported outside of the warehouse, they could hear the sounds of Gramps and Damien fighting Jack de Lames, and it sounded like they were giving it their all. About 10 minutes later everything fell silent around them, the large doors of the warehouse opened, all the inside was ablaze…a lone figure coming through the blaze. Jake stared in horror as Jack de Lames stepped out of the flames, dragging Gramps and Damien behind him, they both looked absolutely life-less from where Jake was standing. "This cannot be happening…Gramps couldn't beat him, he defeated the Dark Dragon and not even that experience was enough!" Jake thought to himself, "This guy isn't human!"
Jack then let go of them both and looked at his surroundings, Aiden and another crimson cloaked figure came up behind him, along with 'Braces'. "This is not my native Orleans…for if it is, it has surely changed a great deal." Jack told them.
"Uh, we're not in France anymore master…this is New York City." Aiden told him.
"New York?" Jack asked inquisitively.
"Yes, much has happened since you last walked this earth…we'll have time to bring you up to date…" the smaller figure told him in a voice Jake swore was familiar. Jack looked at Jake and the others, "Don't think this is over…tell your precious Council that I will be coming for them soon enough, and before long I will make this world burn!"
After they were gone, Tem put his fingers to the side of Gramps' neck, and Damien's, "I'm getting a pulse…it's weak though, Jake…you go home, tell your Mother about what happened, Michael…you take Christian home, try not to frighten your brother."
"What are you going to do?" Jake asked.
"I'm going to stay with your Grandfather and Damien…" Tem told them, he then held his hand open, "Medallion!" suddenly a medallion appeared in Tem's hand, "See you soon." Was all Tem said before he disappeared along with Gramps and Damien.
"Where did they go?" Jake asked.
"Stress less Jake, he just teleported them…they're in good hands." Michael told him.