“Don’t worry about them,” Wendahl said. “Fuzzfiests look vicious, but they’re really not that bad.”
“Did you say fuzzfiests?” Earl said.
“Why, yes I did.” Wendahl glanced at Dagdron, because the rogue was staring right at him as he drew his dagger.
“There are no plants sprouting yet,” Dagdron said.
“There could be,” Wendahl said. “And I really am missing my farm.”
“What?” Elloriana and Lita said together, but Earl was finally catching on.
“Wendahl was just helping us find a fuzzfiest,” Earl explained to the girls.
“I told you it wasn’t a quest,” Dagdron said. He climbed up the piled snow, getting closer to the wall. As he approached, a few dark brown furry creatures the size of a melon peered out of holes in the wall. They were mainly just fur, even their four short legs were concealed by their hair, but once they opened their mouths, they appeared to be all teeth. Dagdron reached out his hand and the creatures snarled at him feistily.
“How do we get its fur?” Earl asked when Dagdron jumped back down and the fuzzfiests withdrew into their holes.
“I assume you just capture one and give it a haircut,” Wendahl said as if it was obvious.
“I bet they’re small enough that I could fetch one,” Elloriana said. “Earl and Lita, you could climb up so they stick out of the holes, and Dagdron can wait here to get the fur with his dagger.”
“The wench is back in charge,” Dagdron said, but Earl and Lita nodded and climbed up the pile of snow.
As soon as the fuzzfiests burst out, Elloriana cast the spell. The glowing ring had no problem fetching the creature, but Elloriana, seeing the snarling teeth coming straight at her, jumped out of the way before the spell reached her. The fuzzfiest dropped on the snow, where it yapped ferociously. Dagdron, seeing no other option, darted at the furry creature, but it slipped away. Wendahl used his hoe to herd it back in Dagdron’s direction, and the rogue was able to pounce on it with both hands.
“Come hold it,” Dagdron said.
Elloriana hurried over, nervously taking hold of the fuzzfiest, as Dagdron took his dagger in hand. Earl and Lita rushed over as well, Earl taking out a bag he had taken from the shrine. Mazannanan hadn’t told them how much fur he needed, so Dagdron gave the creature a very thin cut hairstyle, cramming each handful into the bag. When Dagdron was done, Elloriana released the creature, and it scurried back to its hole as if shamed because of its naked body.
“Poor little guy,” Elloriana said. “He was actually really cute when his mouth was shut.”
“Fuzzfiests grow their fur extremely fast,” Wendahl reassured her. “He’ll be snarling just fine in a few days.”
Dagdron cinched the bag closed and threw it at Earl.
“Sorry about the quest,” Wendahl said. “Perhaps when it’s a little warmer.”
“Get your own flowers,” Dagdron said.
“However I get them, I assure you they’ll bloom better than anyone else’s,” Wendahl said, not taking offense from Dagdron. “We’d best hurry back to the academy before Gwidy notices we’re gone. Don’t mention any of this to him.”
“Why not?” Earl asked.
“Because he ordered me to stay away from you guys.”
Earl looked concerned along with Elloriana and Lita.
“Don’t worry. He’ll get over it.” Wendahl made a prodding motion with his hoe, signaling for the young adventurers to start the way back to the academy.
Chapter 21: Thaw Transaction
The same night after capturing the fuzzfiest, Dagdron and Earl met Elloriana and Lita at the door to the shrine. As soon as they were walking down the stairs, the lightning struck in the left stone arch, and Mazannanan walked out impatiently.
“Finally,” he said, motioning petulantly for Dagdron to show him the bag. “Ooh, you shaved the whole body. We’ll have leftovers.” He pointed to the altar where the other jars and items were, and Dagdron tossed the bag there.
“I will continue the story as promised,” the wizard said without further ado.
Dagdron hurriedly took his cloak off as the other three got in position with their pillows behind. The wizard raised his arms, the tome on the altar came to life, and the other two stone arches struck lightning. The wizard’s bedraggled servant appeared in the right arch, and the middle arch took them back to the scene where they had left off.
Headmaster Gwauldron, Rance, Wendahl, and the warrior who had helped them distract the spumasaur, rushed down the stairs to investigate what the source of the blue light was. As the warrior used his strength to remove boulders by himself, tossing them across the room, the headmaster and Rance cast fetch spells to remove the crumbled rocks together. Wendahl, standing back to avoid the flying rubble, watched as one of the boulders the warrior threw, crashed against the wall, shifting the rocks at the base of the middle stone arch. The others in the chamber hadn’t noticed, but Wendahl approached the blue light that had been revealed. He picked up a blue orb, holding it so the others couldn’t see before slipping it into his robe’s pocket.
Back in the center of the room, the altar had been uncovered, and the headmaster, Rance, and warrior were looking with interest at the two crystal arches, to the left and right of an ancient book. Rance darted his hands out to grab the book, while the headmaster picked up both arches. Rance’s face took on a painful expression and he pulled his burned hands back from the book.
In the meantime, Wendahl had returned to the altar and gently touched the book. The pages began flipping wildly, before lying open. The others in the chamber crowded in to see.
Emotion filled the three faces of the enchanters as they pointed at the book, and began to study and discuss the words written there. Before they got too involved, the warrior interrupted them, giving a sign of farewell before striking a pose and flexing his many muscles.
The headmaster shook the warrior’s hand, and then Wendahl stepped forward. He took the warrior’s hand and magenta sparks flashed around their hands, so the warrior squeezed harder until Wendahl pulled his hand away. The warrior struck another quick pose and climbed the stairs, giving one final wave back at Wendahl before leaving the chamber.
The picture in the middle arch picked up speed. They watched as scenes of the headmaster, Rance, and Wendahl studying the tome of Avooblis, sharing lively discussions, and carrying out magical experiments on the two arch crystals whipped by.
When time slowed again, the headmaster, Rance, and Wendahl were in their usual spots, standing around the altar with the two arch crystals set up how they had first found them. The ancient book lay open, and the three enchanters were leaning over, reading it.
Wendahl stepped back, shaking his head. Rance, upset, pointed at him as he mouthed angry words. The headmaster intervened, talking calmly to both of them. Wendahl stood silently as Rance folded his arms sullenly. Finally, Wendahl nodded his head with an unsure expression.
The headmaster and Rance anxiously got into position around the altar. Wendahl reluctantly moved to the other side with his back toward the middle stone archway. All three enchanters raised their hands and spoke magical words. Lightning bolts crashed under the crystal arches on the table, and the enchanters appeared to speak more forcefully. The lightning began shooting across the altar and, when the bolts from each arch made contact, the book slammed shut and a violent wind filled the chamber, lifting the crumbled rocks that were still scattered across the room. Rance jumped backward, away from the altar, as boulders swirled around the room. The headmaster, on the left side, ducked to the ground and rescued the arch crystals from the altar. Wendahl lunged for the ancient book, but no matter how hard he tugged, he couldn’t pull it from the altar. In crouched positions, the enchanters rushed to the stairs and raced up and out of the opening.
Once at a safe distance, they turned to watch in amazement as the section of mountainside in front of them shook, reshaping the ruins. When the trembling stopped, the landscape appe
ared normal, save the doorway which was now in the mountainside. The enchanters sprinted forward through the door and down a set of gray-stoned stairs. A landing had now been built with three corridors splitting off. They rushed to the right, arriving at the end wall where an arched indentation was engraved with “Avooblis” written along the rounded top. They instantly tried to force the door open with magical spell after magical spell, but to no avail. When the image on the wall disappeared, the headmaster and Wendahl, exhausted, backed away a few feet, but Rance, desperate, continued casting spells at the hidden door. The headmaster took the two arch crystals out of his robe and looked down out them with curious frustration.
Then all went black.
When Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita awoke, Mazannanan was hovering nearby, peering down at them. His gaze was so unsettling that they immediately got up and cautiously moved toward the stairway.
“As soon as the thaw arrives, bring me the bones of a moogrout fish,” the wizard said.
They nodded and hurried up the stairs.
“Is it just me or is Mazannanan getting creepier?” Elloriana asked when they reached the rogue landing of the classroom tower.
“It’s not just you,” Earl said. “He comes out of the archway now when we’re not there. I think he’s getting more powerful.”
“Is he more corporeal now?” Elloriana asked.
“I’ll put my sword through him next time to see,” Lita said.
“The good news is we have until the thaw to get over it,” Earl said.
“We’ll have to research what a moogrout fish is,” Elloriana said.
“Don’t bother,” Dagdron finally said. “I’m asking Wendahl.”
“Okay, what is he up to?” Elloriana asked. “Is he with the headmaster or not?”
“He didn’t appear to go along willingly with the headmaster and Rance from what we saw last night,” Earl said.
The other three looked at Dagdron to see what he thought.
“My dad said he’s on our side,” Dagdron said.
“You believe what your dad says all of sudden?” Elloriana said.
“I think he’s faking the headmaster out,” Earl said. “But that doesn’t mean he’s not faking us out too. Even though his magic is awesome.”
“As long as he helps us, who cares?” Dagdron said, starting up the stairs.
Later that day, Dagdron and Earl went to the fifth floor of the boys’ tower. As they walked down the corridor to Wendahl’s room, the enchanter suddenly burst out of his room, hoe in hand, and rushed toward them. At first, Dagdron and Earl assumed he was trying to give them a grand greeting, but Wendahl stopped a few feet before he reached them, raising his hands in warning.
“Don’t come any farther,” Wendahl said. “Gwidy placed a detection spell so he would know if I had any visitors. So I placed one farther down so I could warn any visitors before that.”
“Why is he suspicious of you?” Dagdron said. “Because you took the orb from the shrine without him knowing it?”
“Shh!” Wendahl said, putting his finger urgently to his lips. “Don’t talk about that in the academy.”
“We need to know where to find a moogrout fish,” Dagdron said, taking a step forward.
“Stop!” Wendahl said. “I’ll draw you a map.”
Dagdron moved back by Earl, and Wendahl, using his hoe, drew a magenta map in the air. Dagdron and Earl picked out the lopsided academy easy enough, but the map slowly dissipated, making the trail impossible to grasp completely. The enchanter tried two more times until he saw how impatient Dagdron was getting.
“Use words,” Dagdron said, his hand going to his dagger.
Wendahl stretched out his neck and head to whisper. “Take a left at Bodaburg until you reach the river. Follow the river until you reach the waterfall. Moogrout fish will be in that pool. They’re hard to catch because they’re bottom dwellers, sucking the gunk down below.” After finishing, Wendahl waved his hand, motioning for Dagdron and Earl to leave quickly.
“Why did you hide the orb from the headmaster?” Dagdron asked.
Wendahl’s face suddenly turned nervous. “The headmaster’s coming!” he said. “Quick, you have to leave the fifth floor. Let me know when you catch the moogrout fish.”
Earl and Dagdron, unsure of what the headmaster would do to them, turned tail and hurried back to the staircase.
“Is Headmaster Gwauldron keeping Wendahl prisoner?” Earl asked when they were heading down the tower.
“As long as he helps us, who cares?” Dagdron said.
Waiting for the thaw to come was more difficult than Dagdron expected. While he still didn’t pace around the room like Earl, Dagdron’s longing for Cliffmount arrived along with March. He couldn’t deny he was interested in uncovering the information Mazannanan was giving them, but deep down, he still wished for his solitary life in Cliffmount. Focusing on the Arches of Avooblis had helped him not to think about it, but with only three months left at the academy, time suddenly seemed to move much slower.
His rogue classes continued to get more intense. The silent teacher had taken a page out of Scar’s book and built a gauntlet. Only this one was much more dangerous with twice as many traps, and they had to go through it in the dark with the teacher coming after them throwing daggers. The teacher changed the course each day, too, so the rogues could never memorize a pattern and were forced to react instinctively.
Every couple of days, Dagdron and Earl had been walking down past Bodaburg to check if the river had broken through the ice yet, and to patrol in the village for any sign of Grady. They never saw the Lordavian, but they could tell the spring thaw was on its way.
In the middle of March, the first supply caravan made it through the mountain pass, bringing many letters from home along with it, which increased the entire energy of the Adventurers’ Academy and its students. When Dagdron returned to his bedroom that afternoon, Earl was bouncing around excitedly as he read a parchment from his parents.
“My parents bought a house right next to Tropical Plaza, and they still have gems left over to last them for years. My mom’s planning on showcasing her roses during the summer,” Earl exclaimed as soon as Dagdron entered. “Here, they sent a note for you too.”
Dagdron skimmed it and then tossed it on the floor.
“Dagdron!” Earl said. “My mom was apologizing to you for being so judgmental. I think that’s very nice of her. Both she and my dad are more grateful to you than words can express for giving us those amethysts.”
“They’ll get over it,” Dagdron said.
Earl picked up the note and gently slid it under Dagdron’s bed for safekeeping.
That night, Earl’s positive spring attitude still hadn’t diminished, and he was humming loudly in his bed. Dagdron, restless, decided to head out to his tree, ignoring Earl when he asked where he was going. Partway down the corridor, Dagdron heard a door creak open, so he flattened himself against the wall in the shadows. He watched as the dark figures of Landon and Gordon tried to exit their room quietly, but their unintentional warrior loudness allowed Dagdron to sneak back to his bedroom.
“Landon and Gordon are on the move,” Dagdron said to Earl.
“Oh my heck!” Earl, filled with energy, jumped out of bed, and put his boots and sword on. “Thanks for telling me.”
Dagdron led Earl at a normal walk down to the entrance hall. They spotted Landon and Gordon on the trail down to the village, and started sneaking so as not to attract their attention.
Squish-clink, squish-clink.
Earl’s boots squished even louder in the mud of the trail, but Dagdron, hearing Landon and Gordon’s sloshing up ahead, didn’t worry about it. Dagdron, seeing a figure waiting at the gate, led Earl off the path and amongst the trees. They moved as far forward as they could in the time it took the other two warriors to reach the gate, and then they crouched behind a tree. The figure that had been waiting lit a torch.
“I knew it,” Earl said. “It’s
Grady.”
The Solloughby boy laid out a small stack of parchments, angling the torchlight on them so that Landon and Gordon could see. When Gordon nodded his assent, Landon reached in his pocket and laid out his hand, a bunch of gems sparkling in the light. Gordon grabbed the parchments as Grady took the gems, then both parties went their separate ways.
Dagdron and Earl remained crouching as Landon and Gordon came back in their direction, grumbling.
“Can’t we go to the cave tomorrow?” Gordon said. “It was so nice not going there during the winter.”
“Byron said this is probably our last errand,” Landon said. “We get to keep the rest of the gems.”
“I know, but who cares about all the Lordavian trinkets? No one’s going to buy them anyway.”
Earl tensed up as the two warriors got too far away to hear anything else.
“What do you think they mean?” Earl asked.
“We’ll find out,” Dagdron said, pointing his dagger for Earl to start back up the slope.
They stayed at a safe distance until they saw Landon and Gordon head off to the west of the academy. Dagdron kept watch at the gate while Earl went to grab a torch from their bedroom, then they followed the upper path they had taken to the cave the previous time.
Dagdron, wanting to confirm when Landon and Gordon passed them, listened carefully in the darkness, but it was easy to tell when the two warriors were on their way back because they made so much noise. Compared to them, Dagdron thought, Earl was relatively quiet even with his squeaking boots.
“Earl, I think your sneaking skills are getting better,” Dagdron said.
“Oh, Dagdron, you don’t know how much that means for me to hear. That is the highest praise you or any other rogue could ever give me.”
Dagdron, wondering why he had mentioned it, picked up the pace and they made it to the cave swiftly. They jumped from the ledge, unworried about leaving footprints this time. Earl lit their torch and they returned to the chest. Dagdron picked the padlock, and they found the stacks of parchments that Landon and Gordon had left there minutes before.
The Shrine of Avooblis Page 21
