“We’d better get some candy to attract the wisps while we’re here,” Earl said when they were out of Chesna’s shop.
“You have plenty,” Dagdron said.
“My parents didn’t send me any Lordavian candy this year.”
“You have plenty,” Dagdron repeated.
Back in the academy, they went to the fifth floor. Wendahl rushed out to greet them, making the blade of his hoe glow and sticking it through the magical barrier. Dagdron placed the flask on it, and the enchanter pulled it back through. He held the flask in his hands as he mumbled an incantation and performed a ritual with his hoe. The flagon glowed momentarily, and then Wendahl sent the flask to the boys on the blade of the hoe again. As soon as his hoe was free, Wendahl retreated back down the hallway before Dagdron and Earl could ask him anything else.
Arriving in their bedroom, Dagdron rifled under Earl’s bed and pulled out multiple bags of candy.
“You decide what candy the wisps will like best,” he said, tossing the bags on the bed.
On the night of the full moon, Dagdron and Earl snuck out of their bedroom. Dagdron crept quietly, wishing Earl’s squish-clinks would stop. Dagdron paused in the shadows to scope out the warriors who had still been guarding the second floor landing. They had discussed trying to talk their way past as a first resort but, if the headmaster had ordered them to prevent students from leaving, then they figured they might have to fight. Before they had to make a decision, a dim magenta glowed from the landing, and the two guards slumped to the floor, snoring.
Dagdron darted forward with Earl on his heels, but no one else was there.
“Where did he go?” Earl said. “That was Wendahl’s magic.”
Dagdron motioned to Earl and they hurried down, taking two or three steps at a time. The guards in the entrance hall were sleeping soundly as well, so Dagdron and Earl made their way outside, where they found Elloriana and Lita by the gate, but they weren’t alone. Grizzard was talking with them.
“He saw Byron, Landon, and Gordon meeting with Mercer in Bodaburg,” Elloriana explained.
“It’s the truth, sonny, old Grizzard saw the secret meeting. I brought my old bones up here as fast as they could move.”
“How did they get past the guards?” Earl asked, looking at Dagdron. The rogue was pensive, but then shrugged his shoulders.
“We have to find out what they’re up to,” Elloriana said, ignoring Earl’s question.
“Tomorrow,” Dagdron said. “We have to get the dust on the full moon.”
“This could be our only chance to find out what Byron is up to,” Elloriana persisted. “The old rogue says they were discussing the arrival of a new important document. What if they move the chest? We’ll still have time to get the dust after.”
“Did they head to the cave?” Dagdron asked.
“My gold would bet you can beat them, sonny,” Grizzard said. “They were still chatting away when old Grizzard left.”
“Fine, we’ll go to the cave,” Dagdron said. “But hurry.”
“Run, young ones, run,” Grizzard said, cackling and waving them off.
Dagdron, grumbling to himself, led the group at a jog. Earl and Lita had no trouble keeping up as they ran through the forest, but Elloriana struggled with the terrain, tripping over rocks and roots in the dark. Dagdron, Earl, and Lita arrived at the entrance to the cave without delay, and Dagdron listened carefully into the darkness until Elloriana caught up, gasping heavily.
“Be quiet, wench” Dagdron said, scowling at her. He held his breath and focused again on the sounds in the cave. “I don’t think they’re here.”
They took a slow pace into the darkness until they came to the chest. Dagdron set right to picking the lock, quickly examining the contents, but nothing new had been added. He closed the trunk, replaced the padlock, and then directed the others farther into the cave. Dagdron found a boulder for Earl and Lita to hide behind, and he and Elloriana crouched behind a natural column.
Elloriana’s breath slowly stabilized as they waited, the only other noise was Earl and Lita occasionally shifting their position. Dagdron remained motionless, his sole focus on listening for approaching footsteps. When Earl was becoming restless, Dagdron finally caught the first hint of footfalls. He shushed Earl and flattened himself completely against the wall.
Earl and Lita stayed hidden, but Dagdron and Elloriana watched as the torchlight approached. When the light reached the chest, they were able to see Byron, Gordon, and Landon. Byron unlocked the trunk and placed a piece of parchment inside. Then, he turned to Landon and Gordon, taking the rectangular object they held between them, and placing it gently in the trunk, before closing and locking it after.
“Are you sure the other kingdoms will let us get away with this?” Gordon asked, his voice carrying in the cave. Landon nodded, wondering the same question.
“They won’t have a choice,” Byron said, smiling.
“But how is all of this possible in just a year’s time?” Landon asked.
“Because our primary backer is powerful enough to accomplish this and more within the coming year,” Byron said.
“Who’s that powerful?” Gordon asked.
Byron shook his head. “That must remain a secret. But you will be well-rewarded for your assistance.”
Landon and Gordon, somewhat confused, nodded their heads until Byron motioned for them to follow as he led the way out with the torch in his hand.
Dagdron hurried across the cave as soon as he saw Earl and Lita stirring. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, signaling for them to stay still, and then snuck off into the darkness, watching until the torchlight was a tiny blip in the distance.
“Okay,” Dagdron said, and Earl and Lita’s movements suddenly echoed along the cave.
“What were they doing?” Earl asked. “My legs were so jumpy.”
“Nothing,” Dagdron said. “Sounds carry in a cave. We had to wait for them to be far away.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re right,” Earl said, lifting his knees in the air to stretch.
Elloriana rushed to the chest, casting an open spell. The tiny ball flew into the lock, clicking it open, and she pushed the lid up. First, she pulled out the painting of the castle on the hill, and then the folded parchment that Byron had just added to the collection. She cast a flame out of her hand so they could examine it. The parchment was a set of blueprints.
“Is this supposed to be the plans of Lordavia?” Elloriana said. “Because Byron was swindled if that’s what he thought he was getting.”
“No, it’s not Lordavia.” Earl, his face distressed, pointed to the center of the blueprints where the design of the castle was resting on the top of a hillside. “It’s Central Crossing.”
“What?” Elloriana said.
“The painting isn’t just a painting. The seeds, the products, the information on Lordavia’s commerce,” Earl explained, pointing to the items in the chest and then taking the painting from Elloriana and holding it up. “They’re planning on building an entirely new kingdom. It makes sense why Byron was secretly gathering all these things from the Solloughbys. It will cripple the economy of Lordavia.”
“But no one’s allowed to build anything at Central Crossing,” Elloriana said. “We would be able to stop it.”
“Not if they have enough influential people on board,” Earl said. “That’s what all the meetings with Mayor Rigo, Mercer, and the other wealthy men of Bodaburg were for. With their connections and combined riches, they might have enough support to get away with it.”
“That’s why Byron kept asking you if you wanted to live outside of Lordavia,” Dagdron said. “This castle is for you and him.”
An expression of disgust crossed Elloriana’s face, but she didn’t reply to Dagdron’s comment. “But this sort of kingdom would take years to build. Bryon said it could be built in a year’s time.”
“Who could be that powerful of a backer?” Lita asked.
Elloriana and Ear
l shook their heads.
“I have dust to get,” Dagdron said, ready to leave immediately.
Elloriana nodded, staring at the blueprints as she lowered them toward the chest. She folded them back up, took the painting from Earl to replace, and then relocked the trunk.
Dagdron, feeling like they had wasted too much time, led the group at a slow jog back through the forest, around the academy, and down the pathway to Bodaburg. Then, they headed in the direction Wendahl had told them where a swampy section of the forest lay, a ways past the witch in the woods’s house. They slowed to a walk once Gretta’s house was behind them, and Earl, Lita, and Elloriana began talking to each other about who Byron’s powerful ally could be.
The forest floor became soggier, so Dagdron picked out the path more carefully. In the distance, he saw hovering glowing balls of blue, pink, yellow, and green. He headed in their direction until he caught the slightest of movements of a tall figure up ahead on the side of the trail. Dagdron whipped around to hush the other three, and led them off the trail. They didn’t get far before Dagdron halted them. A section of bog lay in front of them and, imagining Earl’s boots sloshing through the marsh, Dagdron paused to consider their options.
“What’s going on?” Earl asked, pushing his way next to Dagdron.
“Someone else is here,” Dagdron said.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.” Dagdron turned away to think without Earl disturbing him. “You guys are going to have to stay here,” he said after a few minutes. “We can’t make any noise at all.”
“I’ll go with you,” Elloriana said. “Earl and Lita can stay here as back up.”
“Good idea,” Earl said. “You shouldn’t go up there alone, Dagdron.”
“One sound and I’ll slice you, wench,” Dagdron said.
Dagdron headed off at once, clinging to tree trunks and branches as he stepped along the narrow edge next to the quagmire. He didn’t look back a single time, figuring if he made it to the wisps before Elloriana, he could get the dust and head back without having to worry about her. Surprisingly, only a few seconds after he reached the edge of the clearing, Elloriana joined him. There was a scattering of grassy clumps throughout the swampy area where the Will o’ Wisps were floating here and there, sometimes zooming a short distance before decelerating again. The wisps were grouped together in fours with one of each color forming part of each circle.
Dagdron slipped the flask out of his cloak. Earl had crushed up four or five red hard candies and poured them into the flask. As Dagdron decided on which of the dry areas he could jump to with the most ease, he saw the tall figure move again to his left.
“Wendahl!” a voice yelled from the other side of the clearing.
Dagdron and Elloriana watched as Headmaster Gwauldron appeared across the bog, skirting the edge. Wendahl, the figure Dagdron had seen first, moved to the right in order to maintain the distance between him and the headmaster, passing the spot where Dagdron and Elloriana were hiding.
“Where are my students?” Headmaster Gwauldron yelled.
“Why would I know?” Wendahl called back.
“I checked their room. Dagdron and Earl were not there. And, besides myself, there is only one person in the academy that can put someone to sleep as well as you did those guards, so I know they didn’t escape without your help.”
“Enchantress Higgins probably did it,” Wendahl said. “I bet she’s good at serenity spells.”
“Do not trifle with me, Wendahl!”
“Gwidy, I don’t know where they are,” Wendahl said, rethinking his withdrawal and walking back toward the headmaster. They met past the trail where Wendahl had been lurking.
“Why did you think they would be here? What do they need Will o’ Wisp dust for?”
Dagdron, seeing this as his opportunity, held the flask in his right hand and crawled out from behind the trees. He had assumed he would have to get closer but, with the flask opening extended outward, the closest group of Will o’ Wisps zoomed toward him, whooshing into the flask. Dagdron, throwing off his surprise, shook the bottle, causing the blue, pink, yellow, and green wisps to quiver.
Headmaster Gwauldron and Wendahl had noticed the anxious dash of the wisps, and yelled out as they saw Dagdron, kneeling as he shook the jar. Dagdron watched intently as each shake filled the flask with more colorful dust. As soon as the candy pieces were covered, the four Will o’ Wisps zoomed out of the flask. Dagdron plunged it back into the robe as Elloriana joined him in running toward the trail. The headmaster and Wendahl were rushing toward them, but another figure jumped out of the trees where Wendahl had been.
“Dagdron, stop,” Dugan yelled, but Dagdron and Elloriana sprinted past him.
Earl and Lita were waiting where they had left them, and emerged to run with them back to the academy. Dagdron had no doubt that they could outrun the headmaster and Wendahl, but he knew his father had kept in shape going up and down to the village in Cliffmount over the years. To make sure of their escape, Dagdron picked up the pace, remembering the endless runs Scar had taken him on the previous year. Earl and Lita, breathing heavily, were able to match his pace, but Elloriana fell behind.
When they came to the west-side wall of Bodaburg, Dagdron chanced a glance, expecting to see his dad having passed Elloriana. But she was all alone, using her long legs to increase her stride and catch up with the others. There was still no sign of the three adults when they hit the trail up to the academy.
Dagdron was gasping for breath along with the other three when they reached the front gate to the academy. They raced inside, jumping over the still sleeping guards in the entrance hall, and rushed to the classroom tower. Earl stumbled on the way down the stairs, but Lita grabbed him, keeping him on his feet. Dagdron reached the wall to the shrine first, yanking the tapestry from the wall and putting the orb in the arch indentation. Earl, Elloriana, and Lita took the moment to try and catch their breath but, as soon as the wall opened, they were running down the stairs, the door closing behind them.
Lightning flashed in the left stone archway and, as soon as the blue light filled the arch, the Wizard of Avooblis burst out with a hungry look in his eyes.
“Add the dust to the potion,” Mazannanan commanded as soon as he saw the sparkling flask in Dagdron’s hand.
Dagdron, without hesitating, poured the Will o’ Wisp powder into the bowl. The black concoction flashed as the blue, yellow, pink, and green dust mixed in of its own accord.
“Now place the sphere in the bowl,” the wizard said.
Each of the young adventurers, including Dagdron, looked at the ancient man with a bewildered expression.
“How do you know about it?” Dagdron asked.
“Put the sphere in the bowl,” Mazannanan repeated.
Dagdron pulled the orb from his cloak, where he had replaced it as they came down the stairs. Earl, Elloriana, and Lita watched nervously as Dagdron hesitated, but then the rogue dropped the sphere in the flashing black goop.
“Now add your own blood and pronounce the incantation.” Mazannanan lifted his hands and the pages of the ancient tome flipped, this time stopping and lying open.
“Dagdron, no!” Earl exclaimed.
“I will show you the beginning of your life. The beginning of your journey with Avooblis.”
“Please don’t do it, Dagdron,” Elloriana said. “The potion’s too dark.”
Dagdron slipped his dagger into his hand and pulled the sleeve of his cloak back, exposing his arm. He angled his arm over the potion, clutching his dagger firmly.
There was a sudden crash and, somehow, the door to the shrine slid open with a bang. Dugan, Wendahl, and Headmaster Gwauldron appeared on the platform at the top of the stairs, their eyes going straight to Dagdron, standing at the altar with his dagger raised.
“Dagdron, stop!” Dugan yelled.
Dagdron gave a quick glance to his father, then gave his arm a swift, short slice with his dagger. The cut opened and the blood ran
down his arm, dripping into the bowl on the altar below. As he did so, he read the passage from the open book.
“Oh, Avooblis, hear my plea. I create this gem to summon thee closer to me.”
Chapter 26: Coincidence in Coastdale
Everyone watched as the potion on the altar fizzled, shooting smoke into the air. Dugan, Wendahl, and Headmaster Gwauldron hurried down the stairs. Mazannanan, his mouth twisted in a gleeful smile, moved to the other side of the altar. The sizzling sound of the potion abated and, when the smoke dissipated completely, shocked gasps filled the room. The liquid had entirely evaporated, but in the bowl stood a sparkling blue crystal arch.
“Yes, yes,” Mazannanan said. “I’ve been waiting years upon years for the third Arch of Avooblis to be created. You have fulfilled your quest, have your reward.”
The wizard’s gaze fell on Dagdron as he lifted his arms. The pages of the tome flipped with the sound of a rushing wind. Lightning bolts struck in the two additional stone arches, the wizard’s servant lady appearing in the right one.
Everyone’s limbs froze as the arch behind the Wizard of Avooblis came to life, moving at a normal speed. The same woman from the right arch appeared, but her loose, bright yellow dress was unsoiled. She was walking through a crop garden, hand-in-hand with a younger version of Dagdron’s dad.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a blast of blue light. Dugan was knocked to the ground as two arch crystals appeared, followed by Rance, Kas, Wally, and Headmaster Gwauldron. The arches were shooting lightning out of their openings, and when bolts from both arches came in contact, Wally and the headmaster were blasted away from the circle, leaving Rance, Kas, and the woman. As the lightning bolts continued to connect, black smoke began to billow from both arches. Before the smoke could take a recognizable shape, a clawed, hand-like form shot forward, enveloped the woman, and sucked her into the right arch. The crystal shot toward the row of houses across from the crop field, crashing through a window.
The Shrine of Avooblis Page 25
