Dragon Tear

By Lea Anne Wickizer Huff

Eleven-year-old Jack Carter begins sixth grade at a new school. He’s more intelligent than other kids his age, but his grades are far from perfect. Jack suffers from headaches and strange dreams, but he keeps these things secret, even from his mom. In the dreams, someone calls to him, but Jack doesn’t know who or why.

An extra severe headache lands Jack in the hospital, which is when his life flips upside-down. He wakes wearing a strange necklace and receives a warning that he must escape the hospital immediately. The reality Jack knew has disappeared, replaced with a strange world of magic and dragons.

With no time to adjust, Jack is tasked with restoring the four towers that balance the universe. Using his intelligence and strength, Jack faces incredible obstacles he never could have imagined. Along the way, he discovers who he is and his true purpose, all while saving his home from certain destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Feb 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489733276

Lea Anne Wickizer Huff

Lea Anne Wickizer Huff is a lifelong resident of New Carlisle, Indiana. She began writing stories at a young age and has continued throughout her life. Lea Anne attended Indiana University, South Bend, and is an Army veteran. Lea Anne has four children’s stories out in publication; “Growing”, “Uncle Byron”, “The Fearful Knight”, and “The Mischievous Child”.

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Copyright © 2021 Lea Anne Wickizer Huff.

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author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

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and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3328-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3326-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3327-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021900747

LifeRich Publishing rev. date:   01/14/2021

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to both of my sons, Nick and Jake. I wrote this for you, because you are Jack and I am Elleana. I wrote this for the time I was gone, when you needed me most. I wrote this after having run from God and finding the only thing I missed was both of you.

CONTENTS

Dedication

Foreword

PART 1:   THE TERRITORIES

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

PART 2:   THE CRYSTAL TOWER

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20:   The Crystal Tower

PART 3:   THE STONE TOWER

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33:   The Stone Tower

PART 4:   THE ICE TOWER

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46:   The Ice Tower

PART 5:   THE FIRE TOWER

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53:   The Fire Tower

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

About the Author

FOREWORD

THE TOWER WAS DARK EXCEPT for the dim light from a small candle on a table in the corner. It slightly reflected off of the scales of the resting gold and green dragon. In the center of the tower was a bassinet holding a small boy baby who slept an enchanted sleep.

Suddenly, a dark form entered through the tower window. His shape repelled the soft glow from the candle as he drew a dark sword. The dragon woke and stretched out its wings, taking flight at the dark form. In the same moment, both shrieked a war cry and moved in to battle. Flames erupted from the dragon’s fiery breath as it dodged the sword. It seemed as though the dragon would win, so it failed to judge the sword as it cleanly entered into its heart. After a moment, the dragon realized it was fatally struck and fell to the floor.

A small tear welled up in its eye, knowing it would die and fail to protect its treasure. The tear rolled to the tip of a scale on its face, rested, the fell. The dragon was dead before its tear hit the floor. The tear hardened as it fell, landing with a clink next to its dragon.

The dark form held his sword and moved toward the baby. Swiftly bringing it down, a purple streak lit up the room. There was a peculiar smell in the room, similar the earth after a rain. It was the smell of ozone. The dark form vanished, his sword falling to the floor in a loud clang next to the tear from the dragon.

A small brown mouse came from a crack in the wall. It spotted the shiny dragon’s tear on the floor and ran to grab it. It sat a moment looking at the small stone that was once a tear from a dragon. The stone was smooth, clear and seemed to have a faint gold fleck inside. Soon, the mouse disappeared back into the wall with its new wealth.

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PART 1

THE TERRITORIES

CHAPTER 1

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JACK SMACKED THE SNOOZE BUTTON on his alarm. He pulled the blanket around him tighter as he curled into his pillow and tried to keep sleeping. It was too late to stay asleep. The morning sunlight had already edged through his window and the brightness went through his closed eyelids, telling his mind that it was time to be awake. The cool morning air made him dread the thought of having to get out of his cozy, warm bed. For the moment though, he was content to lie curled in his bed, resting in a half sleep.

Jack could hear his mother out in the kitchen. The sound of the cupboard doors being opened and closed echoed through the house. He would soon smell the coffee brewing that his mother made as soon as she first woke each morning. Jack knew that his mother would not call him to get up until after she finished her first cup of coffee.

Jack lay in bed thinking about his mother, Elleana Carter. She worked two jobs to support both of them. Jack could not help but wish each day that his mom could be home more often and not have to work so hard to support them both. He also knew that his mother was running from something, but he did not know what it was. They moved every six months or so. He knew his mom tried to provide a good home and give Jack everything he needed in spite of having to relocate so often. Jack wished they could stay in one place, put down roots, and call someplace a home.

Jack Carter was eleven years old and just had begun his sixth-grade education at a new school. He was much more intelligent than other kids his age, but his grades were far from perfect. He knew it was due to many things, much being attributed to moving often and his lack of motivation to study. Jack didn’t like doing homework and sought out every excuse possible to avoid the tedious task.

Jack also had been having other problems recently that he was afraid to tell his mom about it. He thought she had enough problems of her own. Jack had begun having headaches and strange dreams. He had another one of his dreams last night. The memories of it lingered in his mind as he lay in his bed. He could feel the headache coming, looming in his immediate future because they always followed the dreams. He had been having the same dream for several weeks, followed by blinding headaches. He could never recall all the details about the dreams when he woke, but had a strange feeling, being tense, and anxious. Jack thought he could remember someone or something calling to him in his dream, but didn’t know who or why. He also had this strange, buzzing in his ears. That didn’t hurt, though. It was more of a tingling. He noticed the tingling first when he was in math class a few weeks ago. He felt it after his dreams and sometimes through the days unexpectedly. Jack decided he would tell his mom about them if it kept happening. It might just be one of those growing pains his mom always talked about.

Without even realizing it, Jack had drifted back off to sleep. He was jarred awake by the sound of the alarm and his mom’s voice from the kitchen. Jack, she called, you’re going to miss the school bus if you stay in that bed any longer. Get up!

Jack threw off his covers quickly, grabbed a handful of clothes off from the floor and bolted for the kitchen. He knew if he thought too much about getting out of bed, he would convince himself to not get up. The kitchen was always warm and he could dress by the oven. Jack did not like being cold and the November air drove him to the warmth of the kitchen.

Jack dressed swiftly and quietly, removed a cup from the rack and filled it with steaming coffee. He looked at his mom from the corner of his eye and waited for her response. He knew one would be coming shortly.

Jack’s mom walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. Good morning, Sunshine. Don’t you know that coffee will stunt your growth? She looked at him and waited for his response. Jack looked at his mom and smiled. He already stood an inch taller than his mom. The school nurse measured him for his school physical last week and he discovered he sprouted a few inches over the summer. Jack was a lean, lanky fine foot, seven inches and hoped he would still grow another foot before stopping. He brushed his dusty blond hair off his forehead and placed his glasses on his nose so he could see his mother more clearly. He looked down a bit into her eyes which were blue pools; mirror images of his own. Jack, you will be well over six-foot-tall someday said his mom.

Jack smiled and shrugged away from his mom. After a moment, he reached in the cupboard, hearing the familiar squeak of the door and removed a box of cereal. Jack busied himself making some breakfast and setting into his place at their small kitchen table. He sat eating and making small talk with his mom over breakfast. He was gazing out of the window and looking at the frost over the endless Iowa fields of their latest home. He was drifting into a daydream when the headache began to take on a more painful sensation. He was nearly finished with his cereal as the familiar tingling in his ears began. As the headache and tingling increased, his mother’s voice began to go farther away and blocked out what she was saying to him.

Jack tried to open his mouth to tell his mom that something was terribly wrong. He couldn’t hear what she was saying. He was suddenly very afraid. Nothing came out of his mouth, not even a wisp of air. The last thing Jack experienced that day was seeing his mother fade out of existence. She became transparent, sparkling into the morning air and then disappearing before his eyes into nothingness. He smelled a smoky, acrid odor as his mom went someplace else.

The world tilted and Jack fell into a void of blackness.

CHAPTER 2

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DETECTIVE FRANK DAWSON SAT ON the hard cushion of the plastic chair with metal legs. He watched the still form stretched out on the hospital bed. Numerous tubes and hoses threaded in and out from several noisy machines then disappeared under the sheet on the bed. Every now and then one of the machines would make a shrieking buzz that would jolt Dawson nearly out of his chair. Most times, they simply made a rhythmic clacking that he had recently grown quite accustomed to hearing. It was during one of these long, soothing moments that Dawson thought he noticed a twitch underneath the sheets.

Dawson had been watching the boy for eight days now. Since arriving at the hospital on the afternoon of the day that Jack was admitted, Dawson had not left the hospital room. His need for food and sleep was so minimal that this was not too difficult of a task. Dawson knew he could easily go another week watching the boy without any need to eat or sleep. Detective Dawson knew he was the only one capable of handling this job because he knew more about the boy than anyone else, except perhaps the boy’s mom. Dawson knew that his unique traits would be the only way the boy could be watched without anything else going wrong. He also knew he could put on any number of disguises to become someone else if he had to do so. He was not always who he appeared to be.

He had been guarding the boy for several months, taking on many disguises to adapt to the many different situations. He had been watching on and off long before the boy collapsed, and was there the morning that everything had happened. Dawson was sent when the boy first began having the strange dreams and headaches. He listened from the corner of the closet as the boy cried out strange words in his sleep. The words would have been an incoherent babble to most others. Dawson knew better. The words that the boy spoke in his sleep caused the blood in Dawson’s veins turn to ice.

Dawson was afraid. He had never really felt fear before, not like this. He had heard the legends and stories since he was a child but had never really believed them to have much truth. Against all he could argue, here was the boy who seemed to add the truth to the legends. The boy could not have otherwise known of the things he yelled out in his sleep. Dawson had been raised in a different land, knew a different language and knew a different life. Dawson knew from the cries of Jack’s dream that the legends were true. The boy would never have this knowledge of the things he dreamed unless he was the true son. That is why Dawson was afraid and why he kept watch over the boy.

Dawson turned his mind back to the boy lying on the bed. The cover on the bed twitched again, this time more noticeably. Dawson sat forward on his chair, gazed into the face of the still boy and waited. Seconds became minutes which in turn seemed like hours. The sun was starting to set outside of the windows as he continued to watch and wait. The boy’s breathing steadily became shallower and more irregular causing the boy to gasp and take a deep breath. His eyes moved rapidly back and forth underneath his closed lids. He was watching a scene unknown to anyone else.

Dawson could only watch and wait. The boy brought his hand up to his face, touched his forehead for a moment before the hand once more fell limp, resting next to the pillow. It was time for Dawson to move.

Dawson stood, towering over the small form on the bed. It would not be long now. He looked out of the window and saw that last rays of the sun, pink and orange bursts beyond the edge of the city. He turned a few dials on the machine next to the bed and pulled a cord from its socket slightly, so that it still appeared to be connected. He had to move now.

Detective Dawson reached into his coat pocket and removed several items. One was a shiny, silver police badge and a second was a plain white Envelope. He placed the badge on top of the Envelope and arranged both neatly on the table next to the hospital bed.

The last item Dawson removed from his pocket was an intricate serpentine silver chain. Attached to the chain was a clear stone with what appeared to be a tiny golden speck in the center. Dawson gently placed the chain around the boy’s neck, easing tubes out of the way so the chain would rest securely against the boy’s skin. As he touched the stone and rested it over the boy’s heart, the stone began to change. Dawson stood trembling as the stone changed to a deep blue and seemed to throb with a life of its own. After a few seconds the stone began to pale, soon returning to its original clear color.

Dawson turned and left the room. He knew he would see the boy again, but for now he had too much to accomplish. The next time he saw the boy, Dawson knew that so much would be different in both of their lives.

Dawson did not wait for the elevator. He took the stairs, jumping sometimes three or four steps at a time. He hit the door and ran out of the hospital, looking for a cab. After what seemed forever, he hailed one and instructed the driver to take him anywhere of out of the city. The cab dropped Dawson at a corner of the highway and side road past an interchange on the edge of the bypass. He paid and scrambled out of the cab.

Daylight was gone as Dawson headed towards the forest in the distance. He began jogging and slowly picked up speed. As Dawson ran to the safety of the trees, he began to shed his clothes. Soon, his clothes were discarded as he ran faster than any man was capable of running. Dawson picked up his speed and ran faster and faster. If anyone were to see him, they would notice a change as he gained speed. Dawson’s arms grew longer and a grayish, brown fur began to cover his body. His mouth grew longer, snout-like with teeth stretching into razor sharp fangs. Dawson vision became acute in the dark as his eyes performed better in the night. His muscles doubled in size. He was now running on four huge, powerful burly legs. The forest grew closer as Dawson prepared to make the link to go to his world. He took on the shape most comfortable to him a nocturnal creature, mostly resembling a wolf. With his change complete, he stretched his legs to full speed at the edge of the trees. A flash of light and Dawson disappeared from this world. All that remained was a lingering smell similar to the smell after a heavy rain, the smell of ozone.

Several miles away, Jack’s eyelids fluttered then opened.

CHAPTER 3

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JACK OPENED HIS EYES TO a dim room that was swimming in and out of focus. He could barely make out the shapes of several objects throughout the room. His eyes were dry and scratchy, as it took several moments to adjust.

Jack opened his mouth to call for his mom, but his throat was too dry. It felt like his tongue had turned to paste and his whole mouth had turned to mush. His mouth was hot and dry. The words he intended to say came out instead as a feeble, airy croak.

He thought that maybe if he could get up, then he would be able to see his mom. His arms felt like lead as he tried to pull himself upright. Something was wrong with his arms.

He could feel prickles on his skin as he tried to move. As Jack brought his hands together, he could feel an odd clamp on his finger and several pieces of tape and tubes on his hands. He pulled the clamp from his finger and flexed his hand.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. An alarm next to his bed began making an awful racket. Jack’s head began to pound in pain from the noise of the alarm. As he tried to bring his hands to cover his ears, he heard a voice and saw a shadow next to his bed. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up, young man, a woman’s soft voice sounded from the moving shadow by his bed.

Jack tried to see who was speaking. His vision was blurry but coming back into focus. He again struggled to say something, but his mouth was too dry.

Here, drink a small sip of this said the woman. She brought a straw up to Jack’s mouth. The cold liquid felt soothing on his hot throat. Not too much. You’ll get sick she said as she pulled the drink away.

Jack saw another shadow approached the bed, white coat, and stethoscope. Things were coming in to focus.

I’m in a hospital? croaked Jack. His voice sounded like it belonged to someone else. Where is my mom?

Hi, I’m Doctor Ember said the man I’ve been watching your case for over a week now. You have been asleep for quite a while. Eight days, now. You were brought into the hospital after you didn’t show-up at school. Your neighbor went to your house to check on you and found you on the floor. She called the ambulance and you were brought here. As for your mom, we have been trying to locate her. Do you have any idea where she is?"

She was getting ready for work. You don’t know where she is? In the hospital? Eight days? I’ve been sleeping eight days...?

Slow down, Jack. Everything will be okay. Please relax, said the woman. My name is Barbara. I am a nurse here at the hospital. I’ve been working with the doctors to take care of you and keeping Detective Dawson posted on your condition.

Who is Detective Dawson? Jack asked.

He is the policeman who has been here by your side since you were admitted. After you were brought to this room, Detective Dawson was placed by your side to watch you, answered Dr. Embers.

Watch me? Did I do something wrong?

Barbara answered No Jack. What Dr. Embers is trying to tell you is that the police wanted to make sure you were safe. Because, well…because we can’t find your mom and everyone is concerned for your safety. That is the only reason. You did nothing wrong.

Dr. Ember paused from fiddling with several of the machines to look at Jack. He approached the bed and removed the stethoscope from around his neck. Cold he said, referring to the stethoscope as he placed it on Jack’s chest and listened. Do you remember anything that happened?

Doctor, snapped Barbara, not now. We have been asked to not question Jack until the police are here.

Where did that Dawson fellow go? asked Dr. Ember.

He probably stepped out for coffee or fresh air, said Barbara. I’m sure Detective Dawson will be back soon enough.

Jack lay in his bed and listened to them talking back and forth about Detective Dawson. Just hearing Dawson’s name brought an image of a large, furry dog, but Jack could not understand why he would think this. As he lay there, Dr. Ember and Barbara continued to speak about Dawson’s faithfulness at Jack’s bedside. They tinkered around with charts and machines, periodically poking him in various places around his body.

After almost an hour it appeared that they were finished poking Jack for awhile. Barbara raised Jack’s head, fluffed his pillows and found a T.V. show for him. She left with a promise to find a light snack for him. Dr. Ember instructed Jack to call for the nurse on the button by his bed if he felt any number of symptoms or if he needed anything. Finally, Dr. Ember left the room, leaving Jack in relative quiet.

Barbara returned briefly to bring a cup of lukewarm soup, soda crackers and a soda. Jack lay on his bed sipping the soda watching T.V. and trying to think of what was happening. Something was tugging at his mind, some memory.

Jack looked out the window as a tear filled his eye. A glint in the corner of the table caught his attention. It was bright and shiny. Jack reached over and picked up the envelope and the heavy metal badge. As Jack’s hand closed around the badge, his mind lit up with vivid pictures: a tall tower, red snowflakes, his mom. Jack felt something hot on his chest and reflexively put his hand to it. He looked down and saw the pulsing blue stone attached to the chain around his neck. Jack felt comforted by the stone. Some thought from the badge also seemed to call up some memory.

Jack looked at the envelope and carefully opened it.

CHAPTER 4

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JACK CAREFULLY OPENED THE ENVELOPE. Inside was a single white piece of paper which he removed and slowly unfolded. Jack slipped on his glasses he found near the envelope and began to read the letter.

Dear Jack:

By the time you read this, I will have left you for now. I am Dawson and have been watching you for your whole life. These past few weeks I have rarely let you out of my sight. I have been charged