“Secure the area!” he shouted.
“All flanks, secure the objective!”
“Move it, Dog Chow! Get a leg out!”
Celesia felt a strong hand grab her by the arm.
The grip was excruciating. “Target acquired!”
“What’s the meaning of this?” Modlyn cried.
The fairies couldn’t answer, all still coughing.
“Objective complete! Reclaim the captives!”
“Package secured, sir! What’re your orders?”
“Return to beta-bronco!” declared the man holding Celesia. He pulled her to another section of the room. It was so dark, she almost tripped over her own feet.
“Move, move, move! Seal the exit, Colby Jack!
“Get the lead out of your boots, Milk Stain!”
Another bang sounded behind Celesia, along with the rumble of a collapsing breezeway. The brisk and brawny men led her up a dark shaft, until she saw the light of dusk. She used this welcoming light to identify the creatures, amazed by the sight of several dwarves. Some of them were dressed completely in black, while others had mismatching gray outfits that helped them blend in with the ground. Their statures were short like the elves, but their shoulders were broad, their muscles bulky.
They soon reached level ground in the middle of a small glen. Patches of snow remained frozen. Melting ice dripped from the branches of thin bluegum trees.
“Are you hurt?” asked the commanding voice of the dwarf, holding her arm with a death lock. He was like a stout old man. “Did them blighters lay a finger on ya?”
Celesia pulled away and rubbed her sore arm. There was sure to be a bruise where the dwarf’s fingers had pressed her skin. “I’m fine, thanks. Who are you?”
The old dwarf saluted. “General Buff Key, at your services!” he said, as more dwarves entered the glen. Some of them were carrying the small cages. “We heard bantering through the walls and devised a plan to save you from fairy imprisonments. They are a cowardly lot. We, on the other hand, wish to go out fighting!”
“Aye!” the dwarves shouted with their fists in the air. Celesia counted. There had to be two-dozen of them.
“I don’t hate them, don’t get me wrong, Princess Celesia,” Buff Key continued. “They’ve been protecting the ruins well, but they’ve forgotten their purposes.”
“Not to be rude or anything,” Hilander said, his head thin enough to slip through the bars of his cage. “Can we be released from these outrageous contraptions?”
Buff Key chuckled. “Bring your axe, Colby Jack!”
One of the dwarfs approached the stallion’s cage and raised a cruel looking axe. Hilander shrieked as the dwarf carried through with his stroke. The axe bounced off the metal with a sharp clank, and the dwarf recoiled with a violent shake.
Hilander’s cage remained untouched.
“Should’a figured,” Buff Key snorted. “Fairy magics. Tough enchantments. Can’t think of an implement of our making that’ll release them from this.”
Flint sighed with a squeaky gurgle. “Your dagger, Celesia. Try prodding the keyhole with it.”
That seemed too simple. Celesia didn’t know if that would work, but she followed the dragon’s instructions, starting with Hilander’s first. The cage vanished as soon as she poked its tiny lock, and the stallion grew back to his usual size. He neighed with joy as Celesia continued with Groth’s lock. The return of his full girth knocked Celesia off her feet. He apologized, and then asked if he could borrow the dagger. He didn’t want to take any chances of her getting squashed, should the same effect happen upon releasing the dragon. Celesia agreed, and breathed a fountain of gratitude as she did so. Flint’s return to normal size launched the ogre into the air.
“Well done!” Flint reached out with his tail to catch Groth with lightning speed. “I couldn’t have handled that any better. My hat goes off to you, if I had one.”
“Welcome back, Master Flint,” Buff Key said. “She’s exactly as you promised she’d be.” The dwarf general bowed low and kissed her hand. She couldn’t tell if his mouth had touched her or not. His beard was much too thick. “We’ve awaited your coming for many years. My grandpap fought to preserve LaVóndia, and I am proud to take up his charges. Attention!” Every dwarf stood stiff as oak beams at his command. “Our mission was a success!” he addressed the dwarves like soldiers. “We have outwitted the fairies by a plan devised in only a few short minutes. We’ve saved the only princess of the land, and her valiant protectors. Fellows, we’re ready when the time come for actions. The Alchemist shall never rise to power. May Celesia live forever!”
“Hazzah!” cried the little army. “Hazzah!”
Celesia sheathed her dagger “You know me?”
Buff Key gave her a cheerful wink. “Master Flint told us all about you, of course. He’s a great friend and a bringer of news from the outsides. All of Dwarfdom would’ve died off without his aid.”
“Really? How did the dragon save your kind?”
“That’s in the past. Continue your quest now.”
“But we failed. They still have the fragment.”
Groth raised a shaky finger. “Uh, Princess?”
She turned to the ogre. “What is it, Groth?”
“Something’s off with your cloak, there.”
She examined her cloak, not sure what to look for, until the gemstone jumped from her chest again. In her anguish and sense of failure, she hadn’t felt the jewel rise up, or pull against her neck. Another fragment was close. From the tunnel came another dwarf with a cloth draped over his hand. He was having trouble holding it. The item flew from his hand, making the dwarf lose his balance and land face-first in the snow. A blue fragment raced for Celesia and collided with the Dragon’s Heart. The fragments merged into one solid, heavier jewel.
Groth scratched his scalp. Dry flakes of bluish skin rained from his fingernails. “Gristle my gizzards. How’d they find that? They had taken it from the room.”
“We knew where the fairies were hiding it,” Colby Jack answered with a deep and humbled voice. “The royal wine cellars, of all places, so we snagged it when we heards you were looking for it. We can hear a lot of their snooty conversations, deep undergrounds.”
The dragon lowered his head to examine the stone. “Do you see? The magic is building. Under your cloak is the best place to keep it hidden. Unwelcomed eyes will not be able to see it there. I thank you, General Buff Key. You may consider your life debt appeased.”
“Poppycock!” Buff Key replied. “There’s no measure of payments that can fulfill our obligations. We’re your soldiers. You may call on us whenevs. You know how to summon us, Master.”
“I do, and I will.” Flint bowed his respects. “Thank you for your aid. I was foolish to be caught by such a simple fairy trick ... Suppose I was preoccupied.” He glanced at Celesia as he turned southward, growling softly. “We better move on, Celesia, Groth, Hilander. I think I know where the other fragments are now.”
“How’d you come to know?” Groth asked.
“I’ll explain as we walk. The farther south we travel before nightfall, the warmer our evening camp will be. It won’t be long before we reach the southern shores.”
Celesia folded her arms. She wanted to stay longer, to learn more about these dwarves, but there was no use in swaying the dragon to change his mind. And the idea of being someplace warm for the night was appealing to her. She gave Buff Key a departing hug, and before she knew it, every dwarf requested the same of her.
Flint didn’t seem annoyed at first, until this carried on for several minutes. The four lone travelers walked together with a heightened sense of accomplishment, and a renewed, valued reverence for their dumb luck.
A wind blew as Celesia touched the stone under her cloak, feeling as though something was watching them.
Chapter 15
Catching the Stowaway
They made camp in the middle of a rocky landscape that night. There was no wood for a fire.
Few bushes and trees grew within these rolling hills. This didn’t hamper Flint or Groth in the least. The ogre gathered up a pile of rocks in the middle of their camp, and the dragon breathed on the stones until they glowed hot.
This improvisation proved surprisingly warm, and was welcomed by everyone. Flint explained where he believed the other fragment locations to be. The ruins of LaVóndia sat in the center of the land, and that’s where the dwarves had given them the third fragment. After finding the second in the Elf forest, and Celesia having uncovered the first in the castle of Bëdoustram, close to where Sarandretta claimed to have found it, only two more places remained. Their best chance was to explore the south and northeast. South happened to be warmer, exactly where they planned to go next.
During their late-evening meal, Flint stayed true in telling Celesia what she wanted to know concerning his affairs with the dwarves. “Long before you were born, during the LaVóndian wars, men from the southlands learned of dwarves in the plains,” he explained. “So they devised methods for capturing them, and using them as slaves and miners to find gold and iron ore for their weapons. If the elves hadn’t forced the dwarves to leave the forest, this never would have happened.
“On the night of a blue moon, I watched from the sky as the last dwarves were caravanned to the shores of Glydatha. I swooped in and subdued these men. This allowed the creatures to return home. They dug deep into the earth, not to be found so easily again.”
“Sounds like something you would do,” Celesia said.
Flint curled up in front of the hot, glowing stones, looking more relaxed and carefree than usual. “Sorry I wasn’t much help with the fairies. My eyes are keen, but the fair folk are small enough to evade me at times.”
Celesia gathered her cloak and dared herself to nestle close to him. He was in a talkative mood tonight. “You did what you could. It was my time to repay you.”
Flint purred. “Why does everyone feel obligated to repay me? I’m more enduring than most creatures, but no one seems willing to accept my help without strings attached, besides your mother.”
Celesia glanced up. “You knew my mother?”
“I’m over a hundred years old. I’ve known many.”
“After all this time, you didn’t say anything?”
Flint shrugged. “I’m not sure what good knowing that information would do for you. What Modlyn said was true. The fairies raised her, and it was Clariön who informed me of the dwarves being captured.”
“Well?” Celesia implored. “Tell me about her.”
The dragon raised a single, patient brow.
“Please?” she said, much more politely.
Flint suppressed a laugh. “I thought I was.” When Celesia glared at him, the dragon cleared his long throat and continued, his smile widening. “There’s not much to tell. Sarandretta introduced me to her when she was living in the forest. Your conduct is more refined than hers, considering she never lived in a castle until she met your father. Clariön helped me save the dwarves, and she openly opposed the plot of the Warmongers in Glydatha. Her life is an interesting story, one that I can’t fully tell you, but I can say she had an adventurous spirit—much like you, in a way. Quite annoying.”
“Do you want me to slug you?” Celesia teased.
“Go ahead. It’ll hurt you more than me.”
They both laughed. Celesia brushed her auburn hair behind her shoulder. Flint’s eyes followed her hand, and lingered on her face, until she glanced up. The dragon turned to the sky when she did so, as if he wanted to escape among the stars. A warm blush surfaced on Celesia’s cheeks as she tightened the cloak around her.
“I don’t know much about my mother, before she met my father. I had no idea she had adventures like me. It’s like I’m beginning to understand who I am.”
“Adventures tend to do that,” Flint said, lighter and more coy than usual. “I’ve never heard of a child who’s inherited their parent’s sense of adventure before.”
Celesia smirked. “And I’ve never heard of a dragon who won’t eat princesses.” Flint swallowed a nervous gulp as he rolled his great, blue eyes. “Can I ask you something about your dealings with the dwarves?”
“What’s your query?”
“Isn’t a blue moon when two full moons rise within a month’s time?”
“Indeed. Where I was raised, a second moon always shines blue instead of white, in the northern skies. The dragons look to it as a sign of hope from exile.” Flint trailed off with a sigh as he stared into the sky again.
“What’re you thinking about?” A loud snore startled her from behind the rock she was sitting on. Groth and Hilander had fallen asleep to Flint’s story, before their conversation began. “They’re so funny sometimes.”
Flint lowered his head. “I feared for you.”
She turned back to the dragon. “Me?”
“I can’t explain. It’s undragon of me.”
Celesia looked him over without blinking. Was this fear because of their friendship, or something deeper? If Flint was human inside, perhaps he wasn’t devoid of what humans could feel, like jealousy. Attraction? Love? This made Celesia blush again, her cheeks reddening at the thought of the dragon, or the prince within, growing fond of her. Maybe her assumption wasn’t true, but she could find out, if she could keep the dragon talking. “I was afraid for you too, Flint. You’re a good friend.”
He nodded. “You’re a good friend, as well.”
An awkward silence filled between them. The night had grown quiet. Celesia crossed her arms, not knowing how she should feel. Flint sighed while he moved his head away, and closed his eyes for a time. The stones had cooled to a soft red. They sat in silence together for what felt like ages, until the stones fully cooled.
Flint’s talons came to rest on her rock, close to her hand. Celesia reached out and placed her hand on his warm claw. He looked at her, as though he welcomed it.
“I feared for you, seeing you in that cage.”
Flint purred. “Yet I knew you’d save us.”
“And I never meant to harm Modlyn.”
The dragon lowered his tail, and wrapped it around the dim stones. “I knew your dagger would protect you from physical blows, but not magical ones. Watching Modlyn’s magic seep from her soul was terrifying. Their accusation of you may not be far from the truth. Alkivar had drained the land’s magic, as you did from Modlyn. I hope you never point that weapon at me.”
She playfully pushed at his claw. “You have no need to worry, unless you try to cast a spell on me.”
The dragon smiled. “Would that be so bad?”
Celesia didn’t know how to respond, and she didn’t have a chance to. A howl disturbed the night, startling her and Flint from their places. It came from Groth’s sleeping spot. The ogre sat up with his hands cupped together. Celesia scampered from her rock and drew her weapon as Flint breathed again on the stones to provide the camp with more light. Hilander—awakened by the commotion—asked what was happening. Their first guess was an invading pack of wolves, until they saw Groth’s cupped hands. They moved involuntarily.
“What do you have, Groth?” Celesia asked.
The ogre winced. “Found a spy under my arm.”
“A spy? Under your arm?” Hilander whinnied.
“I should smash the bugger. He’s biting me!”
“Let go when I tell you,” Flint said, sauntering next to them. He instructed Groth to hold his hands high without releasing the interloper. “Don’t try to escape us. I’m a dragon who can summon fire. If you try to flee or fly, I’ll breathe my flames on you. Release it, Groth.”
Celesia poised to defend herself as Groth removed his top hand. In his palm was a sobbing fairy, curled in a tiny ball. And it wasn’t just any fairy, either. Taika had followed them. Hilander snorted a severe loathing at the creature while Flint examined her, and then smiled.
“I remember you,” Flint purred like a lion. “Modlyn wasn’t kind to you.”
“Don�
�t be fooled, Master Flint,” Groth bellowed. “She was spying on us!”
Flint raised his claw in defense. “Allow her to speak, Grologroth. What brings you here?”
“I’m s-sorry for t-troubling you. I was b-banished from my colony.” Taika’s cries kept her from speaking clearly. “I let the girl into the study without informing the c-chieftess. If I knew you planned to come back, I would’ve t-told them. I am sorry for my actions.”
Groth stared at her. “How would telling them in advance make them treat us any different? We want to stop the Alchemist’s return, but you won’t admit it.”
“We do,” Taika sniffed as her whimpering dwindled. She straightened her skirt as she stood on the ogre’s palm. “The dwarves returned to our weakened chieftess and rebuked her for imprisoning you. If the dwarves have found favor in your quest, who are we to protest?”
“You believed them, but not us?” Celesia asked.
“Do you understand the nature of dwarves?” Flint asked Celesia. “They care not for the affairs of creatures other than their own, unless their survival is at stake. If the dwarves have risked invading the fairies for our benefit, it is a clear picture of our importance.”
Taika blew her nose into a tiny cloth. “Precisely as you have said it!”
“As for the nature of fairies,” Flint continued. “The term banish means asked to leave. It doesn’t matter if the purpose is for noble or vile causes. To leave the colony is an unwanted request to be given or received.”
Taika wiped her eyes dry. “The dragon speaks truth. They told me to follow, and help any way I can.”
“So, we have another ally, then?” Celesia lowered her weapon. “That’s great!”
Groth clenched his teeth. “Still a spy ...”
The fairy jumped into the air with her wings. A trail of sparkles skittered behind her. “Not in the manner you speak, ogre. The fairy folk have agreed that your journey is of great importance. News of your exploits have reached many throughout LaVóndia. Creatures of magic are reuniting after years of separation from each other and humans. They sent me to follow you, to make sure the Dragon’s Heart is safe. I was hoping to watch you undetected, but I mistook the ogre for a rock.”
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