The Shrine of Avooblis

by Charles Streams

  “Who enchanted them?” Elloriana added.

  “They’re not enchanted,” Dagdron said. “I’d never let any magic user touch my dagger.”

  “It was Wendahl, wasn’t it?” Elloriana said.

  “No,” Dagdron said.

  “He made us promise not to tell anyone,” Earl finally spouted out, breaking under Lita’s continual glare.

  Lita growled deeply and Elloriana’s expression was filled with awe.

  “If you two ever do anything without us again, I will crush you,” Lita said, clenching both hands into fists as if she was crunching Dagdron and Earl’s windpipes.

  Dagdron, suspecting that Lita was serious about her threat, fought to keep his face blank and walked off.

  “I’m sorry,” Earl said, following after Dagdron. “We don’t plan these things. They just happen to us. Wendahl offered and we couldn’t reject that kind of offer.”

  Lita squeezed her fists again, but she and Elloriana headed to the girl’s tower, and Earl hurried to catch up with Dagdron.

  As Earl opened the door to their bedroom, they were met with blue, yellow, and orange spells flying in their direction. Caught off guard, the jar of jagtaur claws was hit from Dagdron’s hands, shattering on the floor.

  Dagdron and Earl were barely able to draw their weapons as they were burned by the combination of blast-bolts, flame balls, and lightning spells. Once they had their dagger and sword in hand, they were able to at least defend themselves somewhat because of the magical quality Wendahl had given them. The two boys began backing down the hallway as the three enchanters tried to gain an advantage over them. The noise in the corridor had awoken other second-year students and doors started opening. Most of the other adventurers were too stunned to think, but a couple of warriors and rogues joined the battle, attacking the enchanters from behind.

  Rance, Kas, and Wally, realizing they were vastly outnumbered, ran forward with the intent of getting past Dagdron and Earl. Rance and Kas forced their way past, tripping Earl, but Wally, on Dagdron’s side of the hallway, cried out in pain as Dagdron sliced him on the arm with his dagger.

  Dagdron, without helping Earl up, bolted down the hallway back toward their bedroom, swiftly gathering up the jagtaur claws from the ground and stuffing them in his pocket. Earl came after as the corridor burst with more energy as the warriors, enchanters, and rogues alike discussed what they had just witnessed. Silence fell a few minutes later when Headmaster Gwauldron strode down the hallway in his night robe. He listened to what the adventurers said to him as he passed, but pressed forward until he reached Dagdron and Earl.

  Earl, filled with emotion, gave a detailed play-by-play of the events, describing how Rance, Kas, and Wally had been waiting in their bedroom. Earl, realizing he had admitted to being out of their chambers in the middle of the night, stuttered as he told of the battle of sword and dagger versus magical spells.

  “Why were you out of your bedroom?” the headmaster asked.

  “My dad is back in the area and he was injured,” Dagdron said. “We went to visit him.”

  “Was Wendahl with you?”

  “We got him to help my dad.”

  “Why is there glass on the floor?” Headmaster Gwauldron asked. He focused his suspicious gaze on Earl, but Dagdron answered since Earl was tongue-tied.

  “Wally threw it at us,” he said. Wally was the weakest of the three enchanters, so Dagdron hoped the headmaster would buy the explanation.

  “Get back to bed,” the headmaster said. “And tell your father not to interfere with my academy.”

  Headmaster Gwauldron left down the hallway as Dagdron and Earl, the warrior with a gasp of relief, went safely into their bedroom.

  Chapter 24: The Mixing

  As if the Wizard of Avooblis could feel the jagtaur claws in close proximity, the blue sphere summoned Dagdron and Earl to the shrine each night the following week. They didn’t go. After the attack, Headmaster Gwauldron had posted two of the warriors who helped with sword training as sentries on the second floor. Dagdron felt sure the headmaster hadn’t done it to protect him and Earl, but that it was aimed to prevent them from leaving. Either way, even with Dagdron’s increased sneaking skills, the guards were blocking the stairwells, making it impossible to pass by. Elloriana had offered to try to put them to sleep with a spell, but sentries had been placed at the entrance to the girls’ tower as well as at the front door, causing the entrance hall to be difficult to navigate too.

  In the meantime, Earl, threatening physical coercion from himself and Lita, obligated Dagdron to visit his father on three separate occasions after dinner. Dugan was much recovered, though the flesh on his right cheek was still charred. Dagdron, uninterested, sat in the cave up the mountain running his finger along his dagger blade, while his father gave an account of his journey. Earl, on the other hand, listened with fascination, oohing and ahhing as Dugan told how he had followed the three enchanters, intent on making sure they didn’t return to Bodaburg. Rance, Kas, and Wally had spent most of the winter months in Lordavia, recuperating and planning. After the beginning of the year, Rance had left Lordavia. Dugan followed him all the way to Central Crossing but, when Rance continued on toward Broodavia, Dagdron’s dad thought it might be a decoy, so he returned to Lordavia. Unfortunately, Kas and Wally never budged from the house, and Dugan had no idea what errand Rance had set out to accomplish.

  A month later, Rance returned to Lordavia, and Dugan spied on them as much as he could, but never learned anything of merit. When the three enchanters headed back north, he had tried to delay them by setting up traps and obstacles. Unfortunately, the three enchanters found him out after a while, and ganged up on Dugan, injuring him. Dagdron’s father had used all his remaining strength to escape and get to Bodaburg as soon as he could.

  Earl spoke for Dagdron, telling Dugan how school was going and about what they had discovered about Byron and the Solloughbys. Dugan promised he would ponder on the subject, but told them that nothing came directly to mind about what they might be up to.

  By the next weekend, Dagdron and Earl planned to sneak down to the shrine after dinner when there was less chance that anyone would notice their absence. Earl, feeling guilty, insisted on telling Elloriana and Lita about their plans, so, of course, the two girls accompanied them.

  Mazannanan was furious that they had kept him waiting.

  “Let me see the claws,” he said as soon as they were in the shrine. “I surely hope you have not stored them improperly.”

  In spite of the wizard acting dismayed, Dagdron figured he must not be able to tell much about jagtaur claws, because he didn’t seem to know that they had been kept in a jar for however long the witch in the woods had had them her in possession.

  “Show us what happens to the arch crystals,” Dagdron said.

  “Not yet,” Mazannanan said. “You kept me waiting these past seven days, so you must wait a little longer. Many of these items are growing stale, so they must be mixed.”

  The wizard instructed Dagdron to retrieve a stone bowl from the shelves. Elloriana strode alongside him on the way.

  “Dagdron, these items shouldn’t be mixed,” Elloriana said. “They’re dark by themselves. Together their evil properties will increase exponentially.”

  “He can’t touch anything,” Dagdron said. “I’ll take the mixture out of the lab.”

  “Are you sure he can’t touch anything? He makes the pages of the book turn.”

  “Do you want me to push Earl into him?”

  Elloriana scoffed without answering as they headed back to the altar. To prove it to the wench, Dagdron bumped into Earl, pushing him toward the wizard. Earl stumbled and passed right through the old sorcerer.

  “You oaf,” the Wizard of Avooblis scolded, narrowing his eyes at Earl.

  “I’m sorry,” Earl said.

  “Do you want us to mix this stuff or not?” Dagdron interrupted.

  “Yes,” Mazannanan replied, turning his attention to the
altar and instructing Dagdron on the steps to follow.

  Dagdron dumped the mandrake root powder in the bowl and placed the lanziria spore, burrowing it in the powder. He took the container of spumasaur spittle and poured it into the top opening of the spore. The four young adventurers watched nervously as the spittle melted the spore, leaving a dark green liquid to ooze over the mandrake root powder.

  Next, the wizard told Dagdron to layer the fuzzfiest fur over the mixture. Dagdron dumped all the fur in, flattening it out the best he could. Then, he took the bottle of nightshade juice that the mandrake had soaked in and poured it over the fur. The concoction began to bubble noisily as it mixed itself together, taking on a lighter brownish color. As the potion gurgled, the wizard pointed to the moogrout fish powder, and Dagdron poured it in the bowl, causing the mix to foam and fizzle.

  By then, Mazannanan was rubbing his incorporeal hands together with eagerness. When the mixture stopped bubbling and fizzing, he pointed to the jagtaur claws. Dagdron carefully immersed each one in the foul brew. The concoction frothed more with each claw, taking on a black color as dark smoke wafted into the air above the altar. When the smoke cleared, the wizard nodded his head. Before any of the four could take their positions to fall comfortably, the Wizard of Avooblis had his hands in the air and the pages of the tome were turning of their own accord. The right archway filled with blue light and the ragged woman, and then the middle arch took them back to the academy of old.

  Time whizzed by in the academy. Headmaster Gwauldron and Rance were busy teaching magic and running the school. New students arrived and the first graduating adventurers set out on quests to help cities and villages throughout all the land. In the evenings, the headmaster and Rance visited the right corridor in the basement where the shrine wall was, trying all sorts of magical incantations to open the door but to no avail. At other times, they were seen in the headmaster’s office, experimenting with the two Arches of Avooblis in their possession.

  Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita were frozen as they watched years and years pass like this. Different students appeared in the scenes as older students left the academy. But Headmaster Gwauldron and Rance stayed the same, researching and testing different spells on the shrine door and the arch crystals.

  As the headmaster and Rance began to show more age, scenes of the two enchanters arguing became more and more frequent. Then, Rance and two young enchanters, one short and stocky, the other pudgy and of medium height, were shown examining the arches when the headmaster wasn’t present and holding secret meetings together.

  The motion of time in the stone archway slowed as Rance and the young Kas and Wally snuck into the headmaster’s office and performed a ritual, which broke through the protection spell surrounding the two arch crystals. Rance grabbed the arches, and he, Kas, and Wally raced down the boys’ tower. When they reached the door leading out of the academy, Headmaster Gwauldron appeared in the entrance hall and cast spells of all sorts at them. Eluding the spells, Rance, Kas, and Wally rushed outdoors, stopping just outside the gates. Rance placed the arch crystals on the ground, and he, Kas, and Wally formed a circle, joining hands as they chanted together. Headmaster Gwauldron raced out after them. He ran toward them, breaking Kas and Wally’s hand link. There was a blinding lightning flash from both Arches of Avooblis, and then the two crystals and four enchanters were nowhere to be scene.

  Just as the scene was about to jump, the archway blanked. Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita gasped for breath as they regained movement of their limbs without falling to the ground. Dagdron saw the woman disappear in the right arch, and then realized Mazannanan was still standing behind the altar.

  “That wasn’t the end!” Dagdron said. “You pulled us from the scene before it was over.”

  “That was all I desired to share with you,” Mazannanan said, smiling creepily.

  Dagdron lunged forward and grabbed the bowl with the potion.

  “I will show you when you bring the last ingredient I require,” the wizard said.

  “No,” Dagdron said, lifting the bowl, ready to dash it on the ground.

  “You appear in the next history of the arches,” the wizard said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I can sense it’s you at a much younger age.”

  “Don’t listen, Dagdron,” Earl said, rubbing his still dazed face from the trance. “He’s lying.”

  “I speak truth,” Mazannanan said. “A village on the coast. A young couple with a child with dark hair and dark eyes. Bring me the dust from a Will o’ Wisp circle and complete my potion, and I will show you. I promise it is the end of the history of the arches. It will bring us to the present.”

  “Dagdron,” Earl said as he saw his friend lowering the bowl back onto the table.

  “I have always fulfilled what I promised. Perhaps not exactly as you desired, but I have shared what I pledged. I have lived to my word. Gather the dust on the night of the full moon of this month, and then complete the potion the same night. You will have fulfilled my quest and will receive your full reward.”

  Mazannanan, knowing the decision was out of his control, returned to the left archway, disappearing once he passed through, leaving the four young adventurers conscious, but frozen with indecision and fear.

  Chapter 25: Wispy Race

  Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita, for once conscious after their dealings in the shrine, made it back to their rooms for the night. The following morning, Dagdron was up early, and Earl had to get out of bed in a rush to accompany him to the fifth floor. Dagdron, ignoring all magical barriers in the hallway, walked determinedly to Wendahl’s door, just as the enchanter was opening it.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Wendahl said. “Gwidy’s on his way down as we speak.”

  “Where can we get Will o’ Wisp dust?” Dagdron asked, ignoring the warning.

  “Why do you need that?”

  “You’ve known about all the other things we’ve found, and now you’re asking?” Dagdron scowled at the old man, who had a pensive expression on his face.

  “Sorry,” Wendahl said. “It’s so early still that I’m not quite myself yet. If you buy a flask in Bodaburg, then I can enchant it for you. You’ll need it. You’ll also need something very sweet so you attract the wisps instead of them enticing you to your death in a bog.”

  Earl, who hadn’t said anything because he had been yawning, finally showed concern.

  “Come back when you have the flask,” Wendahl said. “But don’t trigger your headmaster’s spell.”

  Dagdron left without saying anything and Earl followed. They came face-to-face with the headmaster on the landing.

  “You’re up early for a weekend,” Headmaster Gwauldron said.

  Dagdron ignored him and started down the stairs.

  “Wendahl saw Dagdron’s dad last night, so we wanted an update,” Earl explained before hurrying after Dagdron.

  After classes that afternoon, Dagdron escaped to his tree, only to find Earl, Elloriana, and Lita waiting for him. He finally understood why Earl hadn’t been trying to convince him to forget about the Will o’ Wisp dust; he had been waiting until the two girls could be there to back him up.

  “Will o’ Wisp dust is a part of light magic,” Elloriana said. “Mixing that with the dark potion would be complete evil.”

  “Wendahl said they drown people in bogs,” Dagdron responded.

  “They don’t drag you down,” Elloriana said defensively. “They’re beautiful and attract the attention of travelers, but it’s not their fault if someone tries to catch them and falls in a bog. That’s just where they live.”

  “I’ve told you all along that you don’t have to come with me,” Dagdron said.

  “Don’t start with that again,” Earl said. “We’re not going to abandon you.”

  “That’s because you don’t want me to have two quests more than you.”

  Earl was about to jump into his it’s-not-a-competition speech, but Dagdron continued before he could. />
  “You heard what Mazannanan said. He knew about Coastdale and said I show up in the next part of the history. The Arches of Avooblis ruined my life by bringing me to this worthless academy, and I at least want to know why.”

  “Don’t act like yours is the only life that was affected,” Elloriana said with a flip of her hair. “Our lives have changed, too. Earl has almost been expelled countless times, I’ve been put in tough situations with my reputation and my parents, and Lita’s life has been in danger numerous times fighting off creatures and Kemp.”

  Earl nodded in agreement. Lita’s face was covered with indignation. Dagdron wasn’t sure if that was aimed at him or because Elloriana had claimed the lady warrior’s life had ever been in danger.

  “I’m sneaking out the night of the full moon,” Dagdron said, scurrying up the tree trunk.

  “We don’t blame you for wanting to know,” Earl called up to him. “But completing that evil potion is too great a risk. Who knows what Mazannanan will be able to do to us if we finish it?”

  “Full moon,” Dagdron repeated before leaning his head back and tossing his dagger in the air.

  With only a week leading up to the full moon, Dagdron and Earl got everything ready to gather the Will o’ Wisp dust. Earl still made the occasional attempt to convince Dagdron to pressure his father to tell him what had happened instead, but Dagdron refused.

  They bought a flask from Chesna’s magic shop in Bodaburg. The shop was easily identifiable because the design of an eyeball hung above the porch, blinking rapidly the closer you got. Chesna was friendly to Dagdron and Earl while they were in the store. Earl was amicable in return but, Dagdron, even having heard Wendahl say Headmaster Gwauldron had left the note about that arches anonymously, was still untrusting of the owner. They paid for the flask and, after Earl’s pleasantries, they left.

  The village had come to life again along with the spring weather. The inhabitants were out and about, and there were a few early travelers found in the inns and streets as well. Dagdron and Earl had still been keeping their eyes open for Grady, but they hadn’t seen any sign of him since the night he had given the documents to Landon and Gordon. Whether he was still hiding out in Bodaburg or had left town, they didn’t know.