by Ivory Autumn
Chapter Twenty-Two
Where Dragon Firefies Live
“Wake up,” Andrew called to his sleeping friends, ripping their blankets from them. “The sun’s rising. Today we start for Danspire.”
“I see no sun,” Talic groaned, cracking his eyelids.
“That's because you're eyes are closed!”
“I’d rather not,” Talic complained covering his head with a blanket.
"He said," Monday repeated, looming over Talic, "Get up. We are heading to Danspire."
"Where?" Talic asked, looking just as surprised as Freddie. They both sat up, startled.
"Where's Rhapsody," Freddie wondered.
"He had to leave suddenly," Monday said, casting Andrew a knowing glance. "But he'll be back."
“Yes," Andrew assured them. "He said as much. He said we are to help Monday remember who he is. To him find identity. So we're going to Danspire."
"But..." Talic protested.
Freddie shoved Talic. "Oh get up, if Andrew says we're going to Danspire, we're going to Danspire."
Gogindy bounced up and down, his long whiskers, bouncing with him. "This is all so exciting. Just think of it, I will be the first Twisker in over a hundred years to actually leave the den, and travel where no Twisker has traveled before, into the great city Danspire. I can't believe that I'm actually going to Danspire!"
"At least he's happy," Talic said, casting the whiskered creature a sour frown. "Rhapsody's gone, and I want to know why."
"You don't have to know why," Monday retorted, looking like a warrior resolute in every sense of the word.
"What?" Talic scoffed, "Andrew, can't you speak for yourself? The truth?"
"The truth..." Andrew breathed. "Yes, you need to know the truth. Rhapsody left because of me. I did exactly what he told me not to do, and used my gifts. The moonlight makes the smell stronger. The Barnacles are near, and so to protect me, he's trying to divert my scent to keep them away from me."
"But what about Rhapsody?" Talic asked. "Isn't he an elf?"
"Yes," Andrew said. "He is. And if something does happen to him. It's my fault."
"But nothing will happen to him," Ivory assured them. "He's much too clever."
"I agree with Ivory," Gogindy chimed, delving into a pack he brought filled with Spogrum fruit. "Girls, after all, know much more about these things." He paused and sniffed one of the transparent fruits as if it was overripe. "They have a sense. Just as my nose does. You should listen to Ivory's subconscious nose. It can perceive things we, males can never hope to understand."
"Yeah," Ivory agreed. "Gogindy is right. You should listen to me a more often."
"Listen to a girl?" Talic scoffed. "That'd be the day. She's done nothing but get lost this whole trip."
Gogindy dangled one of his own whiskers in Talic's face. "Ah, but she found me! And I am a valuable asset you could not do without. King Dandywheel seems to think the whole fate of this journey may hang on a single Twisker whisker."
"I hope not," Talic said, brushing the whisker away from his face. "Around here, whiskers don't have much use."
"You have no idea what you are talking about, you impudent boy," Gogindy said, rummaging in his knapsack again. "I ought to feed you some Twisker Zolic, and then you'd be un-impudized. But for now, you all should have a quick breakfast first, I brought enough Spoegrum fruit to feed an army. And you should not skip breakfast. After all, it is the most important meal of the day."
After eating the zippy tasting fruit, took their horses and headed northward towards Danspire. Ivory, and Gogindy rode behind Monday on his horse. Andrew, Talic, and Freddie all rode on the other horse.
They traveled a through shaded meadows, through green valleys, and over desolate mountains, arriving at the borders of a formidable canyon filled with towering gray rocks, and scraggly trees with gnarly branches that snagged their clothes as they brushed past them.
“Horrible, horrible, nasty, snaggly snags!” Gogindy cried, shaking his fists at the gnarly shrubbery. His long whiskers sticking from his ears got snagged on one of the branches, almost yanking him from the horse, but Ivory reached out and caught him before he fell.
“They want to kill me!” Gogindy screeched. “Andrew should really do something about those dry woodies, and get rid of all your bad bark.”
“Do you think their bark is worse than their bite?” Freddie wondered, amused with his own joke.
“You joke, now,” Gogindy retorted, “but, I tell you, there's something not right about these wicked trees and mountains. My ears are tingling, and they’ve never lied to me yet. They always know when trouble is brewing.”
“Your ears are tingling," Talic said, "because they keep getting snagged in those branches."
"No," Gogindy cried. "Their tingling because they know..."
"What?"
"Something. I don't know. They hear things I can't." Gogindy rubbed his fingers gently along the jagged ridges of his ears, smiling.
"That makes no sense," Talic retorted.
Gogindy ignored Talic, and stared off into the distance as if he saw something they did not. "You know, my ears are something of a legend. They were handed down to me from generation to generation. I feel so lucky to have gotten them. I thought my brother would be the one to get them. But I was chosen. I possess the phenomenon of ear-tingle-trinobie. It's, a seventh sense only the very worthy receive.”
“Did you just hear him, Freddie?” Talic asked, "His ears were handed down to him from generation to generation? They must be very old. I wonder if that's where I got my long mole hair. Perhaps my great, great, aunt, had one in the exact same spot.” He held out his arm for all to see. “See, this mole hair is especially long. I'll bet it has special powers too, maybe even as powerful as Gogindy's ears!”
“Perhaps,” Gogindy offered, “if it grew a bit more, you could use it for fishing line.”
Talic frowned and covered the long hair with his hand. “It’s not that long, sheesh!”
"No. Not that long?" Gogindy mused. “Okay---if not fishing line, you could always use it to floss with.”
Talic glowered at Gogindy, "Perhaps I could use it to sew your mouth shut!”
“Hey,” Freddie said, jabbing Talic behind him in the saddle, “you were the one bragging on your grand mole hair. Gogindy was just finding some practical uses for it.”
"Yeah," Andrew agreed, reaching out to give the mole hair a tug. "Maybe we could use it to..."
“That does it!” Talic cried, jerking the horse to an abrupt stop. "Get off, both of you!"
"No." Freddie protested.
"Then, I'll make you!" He let out an angry cry, and shoved Freddie so hard that it knocked both Andrew and Freddie from the horse.
Talic sat from his lofty position and laughed as they stared up at him in surprise. “I think you two will be spending a lot of time down there if you don’t agree to be nice to my mole hair.”
"And you call Gogindy touchy about his whiskers, sheesh," Freddie growled.
“Fine then, have it your way,” Talic clucked to his horse, and took off at a trot, only to cry out as something hard hit him in the back, nearly knocking him from his horse.
“Hey!” he cried, turning his horse back round, and pointing an accusing finger at Andrew and Freddie. “Did you just throw a rock at me?"
Andrew looked at Freddie, puzzled. “What's he talking about?"
"I don't know."
"Monday," Freddie called, "You guys chuck a rock at Talic?"
"No," Gogindy called. "But I know what did."
"What?" Talic asked.
"The rocks threw themselves at you for being so stupid! That's what!"
"You make zero sense."
"I know. But it's true. The rocks don't like you, and neither do I."
"Enough, all of you!" Monday shouted. “I promised Rhapsody that I would protect you all. But you are all making it very difficult. If you are ever to be the true warr
iors, you must learn to ignore the small rocks thrown at you. There is to be no more of this foolishness. Understand? Come, get back on your horse. We have more ground to cover before it gets dark.”
"What do you know of being a warrior?" Talic asked, scowling as Freddie and Andrew got on the horse beside him.
"I know a lot more than you think."
"You do? Enlighten us. I seem to remember you not knowing anything about yourself. If you are such a warrior, why haven't I seen you use your sword yet."
"A true warrior doesn't always have to show his sword in order to defeat his enemies."
"What does he show instead? What will you cut down your enemies with when you are surrounded by spears?"
"The truth," Monday said. "It's a lot sharper than you think."
"How sharp?"
"Ask someone to be honest with you, ask them if they see any flaw in your armor, and then you will see just how sharp the truth is---how much pain it can inflict, how much good it could do, if you listened. Use it first, and you may never have to use a sword again. Go ahead, ask your friends now some truth about yourself you didn't know. I'm sure you will be enlightened."
Talic gulped, and grew silent. No one said a word. Somehow this wordless long moment was enough to bring everyone back to the moment. No one wanted to hear anyone speak of their flaws. Each knew them perfectly to have them voiced out loud. They pushed through the narrow canyon, letting Monday lead them. For not knowing much, he seemed to know a lot.
Crumbly gray rocks rose up on all sides of them, stacked on each other, performing impossible balancing acts, like they’d been placed there from the fingers of a clumsy giant. In the center of the canyon, their horses became very uneasy. They would press on for a few moments, only to abruptly stop.
“Come on you beast!” Talic urged his horse. “There's nothing wrong. Getty up.”
“You call your horse a beast,” Gogindy scoffed, “yet he’s the one doing all the work. How can you be so sure that there is nothing wrong? The horse has more common sense than you do. Maybe his ears are tingling like mine. Maybe he knows something you don't.”
“Like what?" Talic balked.
“Hush!” Monday commanded, slowly dismounting his horse. He turned his gaze to the canyon, searching the rocks like an eagle searching not for prey, but for predators.
Monday jumped back as a shower of rocks shifted and fell down the canyon, sending up a cloud of dust as the stones clattered to the ground.
Their horses reared up and, whinnied, pulling against their ropes, as more stones shifted and fell. Freddie fell of his horse for a second time, pulling both Andrew and Talic off with him.
Frightened, they stood in a circle, afraid of what lurked in the canyon.
"What's out there?" Ivory wondered. edit
Monday looked around anxiously. The crumbly rocks on the mountains were ominous and threatening. In the rocks could be seen bubbly looking holes, skeleton faces frowning down at them like carved faces of the ancients.
“Huh, that's funny," Gogindy said, pointing to a rock in front of them. “I just saw that little rock over there jump.”
Freddie stepped up to the rock Gogindy had pointed out. It sat inert, dusty, very ordinary and rock-like. He drew his foot back and attempted to kick it. But, before he could, the little rock moved slowly to the side, like a slow turtle in a shell, then settled back on the ground.
“What the?” Freddie exclaimed, making a move to pick up the rock, but the rock bounced up in the air, like a frog, settling down on the ground near Talic.
“Weird," Talic said. “I've never seen anything like it.”
Gogindy picked up the rock and inspected the it. “How very, very, very, curious.”
“What is it?” Ivory asked. “Here, let me see it!”
Before Ivory could take the rock, Gogindy let out a yelp, threw the rock down and hid behind Ivory’s skirt. “Oh, St.Twisker help us! The rock’s got froghoppers underneath, long wiggly, wriggly legs. It’s alive---the horrible little bouncy rock. Kill it, before it bounces away on its hideous crawlers.”
Freddie reached to pick the rock up, but it flew up, hit him in the nose, and bounded out of his grasp. “Why you little pebble!” Freddie cried, running after the fleeing rock. He ran fast and threw himself on top of the rock before it could bounce away. “Ah, ha! I've got you!”
“Good, good,” Gogindy hollered, jumping up and down excitedly. “Now, pull off its big, long leggies and throw it down a dark hole!”
Freddie looked underneath the rock, and smiled at what he saw. Sure enough, underneath it were hard, chalky gray, legs like frog legs attached to it. He touched the gray legs, and they squirmed, and wriggled.
“That’s gross,” Ivory said, peering over Freddie's shoulder. “What sort of thing is it."
"It's a Pophopper rock," Gogindy said. "I told you the rocks were throwing themselves at Talic because they didn't like them. And I was right!" Gogindy twitched his whiskers, held his hands over his nose, and let out a loud sneeze that nearly knocked him on his back. “Excuse me. I must be allergic to something. I think I'm allergic to rocks. Especially dusty ones.”
“Allergic to rocks?" Talic scoffed. "You’ve got so much hair, you're probably just allergic to yourself."
“N-n-n-o-t p-p-o-s-s-s-i-i-i-ble!” Gogindy sneezed again. The sneeze echoed through the mountain like the great clap of thunder. The earth rumbled, and in that same moment, the ground became alive with jumping hopping pebbles.
“Gosh!” Freddie exclaimed. “The ground looks like popcorn!”
“But,” Gogindy wailed, “I’m sure that the rocks don't taste like popcorn. More likely, they'd knock your teefs out if you tried to eat them.”
The ground pulsed up and down, like a sudden hailstorm, raining down, not chunks of ice, but rocks and pebbles of every size, shape and color, bouncing, hopping, moving, wriggling, rolling. Nowhere was safe.
"Ouch!” Gogindy screeched as a rock hit him in the stomach. “The world’s coming to an end, an end. Oh, oh, ouch, OUCH!”
"You really did it this time, Gogindy," Talic growled, as a rock hit his eye.
"It's not my fault I'm allergic to rocks!" Gogindy yowled back, yanking his tail away from a large rock that had settled on it.
The horses began to cry out and rear up as the rocks pelted them from every side. "Shield yourselves!” Monday cried, holding tightly to the reins of both horses.
Talic ran to his horse’s saddlebag, bringing out an old cooking pot. He whacked an oncoming rock with it, and then placed the pot over his head for protection. “I’m no heretic," his voice echoed from the pot. "I shouldn’t be stoned!”
“They’re everywhere!” Ivory screeched, kicking the nasty rocks away from her. “Ooow!”
“Save yourselves!" Gogindy cried, darting this way and that. "The evil rock crawlies, crawly rock-hopper, pophopper rockers!”
The travelers were unable to continue forward. Andrew, and his friends took shelter amides a sheltered alcove, afraid of what might happen if they moved to briskly, or made any sound above a whisper.
Finally, as the shadows lengthened, and the sun began to go down, everything became very still and all the rocks ceased hopping.
"It's safe," Freddie whispered, scanning the ground for any sign of moment. "They've stopped."
"Really!" Gogindy cried, "that's WONDERFUL!" His voice echoed through the canyon so loudly that all the rocks began to scatter like a flock of birds.
Rocks surged and hopped, and skipped, just as dangerously as they did before.
"Great," Andrew groaned, pushing himself into the alcove to keep from being hit. "Now we'll have to wait all night for them to settle down again."
He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep, but stray pebbles, and rocks hit him in the side of the head. Others landed on his belly, knocking the wind from his lungs. Other rocks, pebbles, mostly, snuggled next to him, crawling next to his body for warmth, and wrig
gling up his pants.
“Worse then bedbugs,” Freddie growled, lifting one off his stomach and setting it gently back down on the ground.
“Yeah,” Andrew moaned, rubbing his eye. “At least bedbugs can't give you a bruises all over your body and a black eye. Talic's got a real shiner.”
"You do too," Freddie said. "Guess we all do."
“Once,” Gogindy said, holding up a finger, “a bedbug did in fact give me a black eye.”
"I'd like to give you a black eye, right now, for being so stupid," Talic mused, "that is, if you didn't already have too. If it wasn't for you, we'd already be out of this canyon by now."
Gogindy twitched his whiskers, and glared at Talic. “You are not only impudent, but rude, very, very rude. Ivory is the only nice one out of all you ruffians.” Gogindy scooted up to Ivory, and stood by her feet, dutifully shooing the rocks away, only to have more return.
Monday stood with the horses at the foot of the alcove, watching the world in quiet solemnity, as if he was looking far out into the darkness, not for hidden dangers, but for his own identity.
Andrew rolled over on his belly, with his arms tucked under his chin, studying the ground in the moonlight. The ground looked alive with the rocks pulsing and moving with no aim in life except to never linger anywhere. Without warning, a rock struck him in the side of the head, so hard that it caused his head to tingle, and his vision to blur.
“Ohhh!” he growled, sitting up and throwing the beastly little rock away. “Talic, you’re going to have to share that pot you've got covering your head. You've had it all day. It's time to share.”
Talic let out a low muffled laugh as he lay with the cooking pot over his face. “No way! Two heads won’t fit in here at once. And there is no way I’m going to let you borrow it. My brains are more valuable than yours.”
“Says who?" Andrew retorted, envying Talic’s helmet of protection.
"Says, the pot! It was my idea. My smart brains thought of it first so, I should get to use it!"
"Silence," Monday called to them, "if we're ever going to get out of here, you need to learn to start using your ears more, and your mouths less."
Everyone immediately went silent. Monday was right. The more they talked, the worse the rocks hopped. Just to save themselves from pain, no one spoke. Gradually, hour by hour, the rocks stopped hopping, and shuffling.
Then Freddie started snoring.
At his sound, the rocks began pulsing once again. So they had to complete the painful possess all over again. Just to be on the safe side, Gogindy stayed up, and tickled Freddie's nose with his whiskers, making sure Freddie never fell sleep very soundly so as to keep him from snoring. Gogindy sat in front of Freddie, dangling a whisker in front of Freddie's nose, looking bored. His stomach growled. And his eyes watered from lack of sleep. He looked over to a rock that had snuggled itself in-between the crease of Andrew's upper arm. It was a plump rock, with long juicy-looking legs. Gogindy's mouth watered. Unable to contain himself any longer, he reached out and picked up the sleepy little rock. Its legs were tucked underneath it like it didn't wish to be disturbed at all.
"What?" Gogindy asked, pulling one of its legs out and sizing up his meal. "Are you sleepy, poor, little rock? Hey, don't wriggle so. I'm very hungry. And right now, I'm ready for stone soup, or stone legs, roasted rocks, shish kabob rocks, anything."
He snickered at the thought, then lifted the rock to his mouth and tried biting its legs. Even though the rock’s legs were hard, Gogindy bit down firmly, sinking his sharp teeth into its rocky flesh, until he gnawed it away from the rock. He laughed, holding the rigging leg between his fingers, then gulped it down, and burped. “Yum, yum! Not bad, not bad at all. Tastes a bit chalky.” His stomach burbled. He burped again. Much louder than before. "Ug, this is going to take forever to digest." Gogindy grimaced and patted his stomach. He could feel it moving around in his tummy, hoping up and down, jumbling his insides. Disgusted, he tossed the one-legged rock away in annoyance. The ground shook as the rock hit the ground, in an earth shattering tremor. Rocks, and pebbles churned, and skipped, flying through the air, propelled through the darkness with their springy legs.
The boulders above them, shielding them from the rocks groaned, groaned and shifted sprinkling a spray of rocks, and dust onto them.
Awoken by the noise, Talic peered from underneath the pot, his eyes growing wide at the sound of the crumbling rocks ricocheting away from his helmet. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He pointed towards the side of the canyon wall, illuminated by the moonlight, where a mass of rocks broke away from a huge crumbly boulder, in a cloud of dust. The great rock shifted, away from the mountain, rolling down it and hitting the ground with a loud boom.
There was another loud thump and the earth rumbled again as another boulder broke away from the mountain. The pebbles that had given the travelers so much grief hopped away as if in fear, and an unsettling quiet hushed over the canyon.
"Strange," Gogindy sniffed. "I wonder how that happened?"
All eyes turned to Gogindy. He sat on his haunches, looking very guilty.
Gogindy twitched his nose, looking very uncomfortable. "What?"
“What did you just do?" Ivory asked, stifling a cough.
More rocks and lose earth rained down on them from above, as the another boulder shifted, and pushed away from the side of the mountain.
"He's brought the whole mountain on top of us!" Monday snapped. "Hurry, all of you, get out of here before we are crushed!"
They emerged out of the alcove, just as the boulder above them broke away and hit the ground, with an earth shattering thud.
“Run!” Gogindy cried, as more boulders broke away from the mountain, with a cracking, popping sound, hitting the earth with huge thuds, as if a giant was plucking them from the mountain and chucking the rocks at them. “RUN!”
Monday helped them onto their terrified horses, and they all took off through the crumbling canyon at a mad pace. Huge boulders crashed down in front of them and behind. It was as if the very mountains wanted to bury them and crush them. The canyon echoed with and shook with the tremors of falling thundering rocks.
Andrew's horse reared up, just as a boulder landed in front of them blocking their way. He turned, and guided the horse around it, just as another boulder hit the ground where they had just been. Rocks tipped and fell over one another like well-placed dominos, as if the mountains themselves were imploding.
"Follow me!" Monday called, pausing long enough to make sure Andrew's horse was following his. "We're at the edge of the canyon, just a little farther! Stay close."
“We’re not going to make it out of here!” Talic cried. “We’re all going to die!”
“No, we’re not going to die!” Andrew shouted, urging the horse forward, after Monday's horse, through the narrow canyon opening
The rocks above the opening of the canyon started to crumble and shower them with hard pebbles.
“Yes…we…are!” Talic wailed.
“Faster, Flags, faster!” Andrew called to his horse. The horse lowered its head, as if it understood what Andrew meant, and galloped with all its might, zipping through the narrow opening of the canyon, just as a huge boulder crashed over the opening, filling the gap completely.
They stopped and stared at the blocked canyon pass, not believing they had actually made it out alive.
“That was close,” Talic gasped, slipping from the horse, and falling to the ground. "I really thought..."
"You thought wrong," Andrew said, folding his arms and casting Monday a look of trust and relief. "Monday's the one who got us out of there."
Monday shook his head. "No, the horses did."
Gogindy let out a huge gust of air and laughed. “Ha, ha. Never in my life have I almost been smashed by rocks that wanted to deliberately crush me! I will never look at an inert object the same way again. NEVER! I will never eat a rock again either. My stomach feels like
a cauldron. Nope. No rock leg stew for me again."
"What?" Talic exclaimed. "You ate one?"
Gogindy nodded. "Yeah. It didn't taste half bad either. It just felt like a rock in my stomach when I swallowed it. Must have made those old momma boulders mad. It just goes to show you that rocks have feelings too.”
"Only hard ones," Andrew said, casting Gogindy a frown.
"You're really something," Talic said. "Gogindy nearly gets us killed, and everybody's real cool about it. I say, we leave the dandelion here before he gets us into worse trouble. I see now why they wanted so badly to get rid of him."
"Rid of me? What did you just say?" Gogindy purred in anger. "Just when you can't seem to get any more Talic-like, you turn more Me-Tallic like, and say something harder, and meaner and stone colder than any stone. Beware, boy, if you keep on saying such nasty, rude things, your hard-hearted tongue may turn to stone and slip from your mouth."
"Well," Talic shrugged, "somebody's got to speak the truth. And if speaking the truth is going to turn me to stone, then you'll soon be rid of me as well."
"We're not getting rid of anyone," Monday said. "If you're all okay, we should keep going. The moon is bright enough to travel by."
Gogindy crinkled up his nose and coughed. “Ugg, does any of you smell that?"
"Smell what?" Talic sneered. "Your foul-dandelion breath?"
Gogindy frowned at Talic and growled. “Naturally, you’d be the first to accuse me of creating a fowl stink."
“Don’t take it too harshly, Gogindy,” Andrew consoled. “Talic’s been father to some pretty bad smells in his time.”
Gogindy straightened his whiskers, and cast Talic a smug look. "I wasn’t accusing anyone of creating a bad smell. I just thought it smelled like someone had been smoking. Hark, do you not smell it too? Lift your snouts, and see if you smell it as well."
Monday turned and faced the wind, breathing in deeply. "I don't smell anything."
"Gogindy," Talic accused, "do you have a nasty habit you're not telling us about?"
Gogindy's eyes flamed. “What? Me smoke? Hardly. It’s not like I’ve had a whole lot of time to smoke. Besides, it’s not healthy. It makes all our whiskers fall out. It’s not a pretty sight. I suppose less people would smoke if all their clothes fell off while doing it.”
"Actually," Talic said, "that would be very amusing."
“No, it would be very disturbing.” Gogindy wrinkled his nose and sniffed as a smoke-laden breeze brushed past him. “Pew there it is again, that strange burnty smell in the air. Oh my! Look. Over there. There’s something burning.”
They looked to where Gogindy pointed. The land below the canyon was marshy, and choked with puzzle grass and cattails. Not far off they could see an oily black river, oozing under a rickety bridge, with steamy smoke rising over the water.
The smoke was thick, and hazy. Every once in a while, a brilliant flash would light up behind it like lightening, reflecting in the water.
“What are those misty flashes behind the smoke?” Andrew wondered.
Gogindy stared at the swirling smoke. "There are many reasons the Twiskers never venture forth from the den. I think that is one of the reasons. A brave Twisker warrior told our clan of a place near our home that was once a safe haven. A place where the Twiskers used to fish, and frolic. However, he told us that our place of refuge had turned into a place of fire, and extreme danger, changed by the heat and hatred of men. Of all the things our people fear the most, it is fire. For our whiskers can ignite very easily, and we can be burnt to little crackery crisps. The warrior named the place Night-Light Pass. A place where dragon fireflies live above the river, eating the fish, guarding the bridge so none can pass. I did not believe this until now. The Fallen has been very crafty in keeping all peoples from venturing too far from their homes."
“Dragon fireflies,” Talic gulped. “Is there no other way to get around the bridge?"
Gogindy shook his head. “No. If this is the place I'm thinking it is, there is no other place to cross. Swimming is out of the question, for the water here is now cursed. Those who fall into it, will be turned into limestone.”
“Stone?” Freddie murmured. “I’ve already had my fill of rocks today.”
Monday stared at the ominous river, the glow from the smoke and fire gleamed in his eyes, as if igniting the courage inside him, and mirroring it to those who looked at him. “Come," he said, "let us to it and cross. If we keep close together, we will be alright.” He drew his sword hidden under his belt, and clucked to his horse.
"Come, boys, follow behind me. I promised I'd protect you. And I will."
They all slowly followed behind Monday until they found themselves standing before the bridge, where an old sign was nailed to a wooden post that read: Beware of the Dragon Firefly.
“Fire,” Gogindy shivered, looking around him fearfully at the glowing sparks and embers sifting through the thick smoke.
The bridge looked old, too old. It was burnt in many places and most of its planks looked rotten, and ready to crumble. It creaked loudly when they started across it. The bridge leaned uncomfortably to the right as if its beams had sunk unevenly into the river. Through the smoke, they could see faint glimpses of the dragon fireflies flitting through the smoke, darting over the water. Their bellies gave off an orange glow as if a fire was smoldering deep within their chest. They were as big as hawks, with rubbery, jagged see-through wings. Their eyes were yellow, and tough scales covered their entire body like knight’s armor. Many of the creatures dipped down below, skimming the surface of the water, breathing flames on it, until white, stone-like fish would splash from the water, only to be quickly snatched up and eaten.
Andrew's horse let out ear-piercing whinny, and reared up as a dragon firefly darted down, and breathed out sparks and ashes over them. Andrew, Freddie and Talic, fell from their horse and rolled onto the bridge, shielding their faces from the smoke and fire. Monday's horse flared its nostrils, and backed against the railing of the bridge, screaming in terror, as a dragon firefly screeched, and belted out flames into the air around them, and then looped around again to make a second pass.
A perturbed dragon firefly lowered its head, and glided towards Talic, its yellow eyes gazing at him with smoldering wrath. Just as it opened its mouth to sizzle Talic's head in flames, an arrow whizzed through the air, and struck the fiery beast in the mouth, smothering its fire before it began.
Ivory's hands trembled as she drew back her bowstring, and aimed an arrow at another dragon firefly coming at her. The creature belched a river of churning fire, and smoke into the air as it raced towards her. Sparks twirled in the air around them, like glowing rubies and orange diamonds. The sparks were hot and she could feel the heat singe her arms and turn her cheeks red.
She held her breath, and exhaled as she let the arrow loose. The arrow shot into the air with a sharp twang, shooting into its open mouth, piercing its throat. It let out a shriek of pain, belching sparks into the air, careening downward. A trail of thick black smoke followed the falling creature as it crashed onto the bridge, jerking and writhing, spitting sparks, and smoke as it died.
“Hurrah!” Gogindy exclaimed, kicking the repulsive creature off the bridge. It sank into the river, slowly turning into stone, causing the water to bubble and boil around it.
Ivory looked at the bubbling water in revulsion and turned away. “Ugh.”
“Take that, and THAT, you stupid fire belchers,” Gogindy shrieked, reaching into his pack, and chucking rocks at a dragon firefly that was minding his own business, busy catching fish. The rock hit it in the belly, knocking the fish from its mouth. The dragon firefly struggled to stay balanced, belching a huge cloud of smoke. When it had regain its equilibrium, it eyed Gogindy with vengeance. It let out a deafening cry, calling the other dragon fireflies to its aid. Hundreds of the dragon fireflies returned its terrible screams, soaring towards the intruders with vengeance, blowing fire and smoke ove
r the bridge.
“Save me, save me, oh save, save, save me!” Gogindy howled, covering his head with his hands.
"Watch out!" Monday called, appearing through the smoke, just in time to shield Gogindy with his own body as the creature breathed a stream of fire over them.
Ignoring his burning cape, Monday quickly stood, and lifted his sword, as the beast came at them again, slicing the dragon's head off in one clean swipe. An explosion sparks fell from its dismembered throat and pelted the bridge in simmering coals.
"You're on fire!" Gogindy gasped, gingerly patting out Monday's simmering clothes. “You saved me, you know!” He hugged Monday's feet and wrapped his three tails around them in a hug.
Several more Dragon Fireflies glided down, blowing an even stream of flames over the entire bridge, setting it ablaze. The dry, old wood combusted into a raging inferno, as if the bridge had had been doused in oil. The ancient boards started to pop and crackle as the flames ate away at them.
“Run you fool!” Monday commanded, pushing Gogindy away from him. "The bridge is burning! RUN!"
The Dragon Fireflies wove in and out through the mist and smoke, calling to one another in loud, earsplitting, “Meeeawwws,” fanning the flames with their powerful wings.
"Monday?" Andrew's voice called out through the suffocating smoke and fire. He stood on the middle of the bridge just as Monday and Gogindy ran into him, knocking him against the bridge railing. He gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs, and he felt himself teeter over the side of the bridge towards the dangerous water.
"I've got you!" Monday called, gripping Andrew's hand and pulling him back up before he fell.
"Thanks!" Andrew breathed, stifling a cough.
"Oh you're lucky!" Gogindy cried. "You were this far from being turned into stone."
"Where are the others?" Monday asked. "Are they safe?"
Andrew nodded. "They're all on the other side. I was just coming back for you."
"You should have stayed with them," Monday said, grabbing Andrew and pulling him forward. "Let's get out of here. The bridge isn't going to hold out for long."
A gust of wind simmering with heat surged over them as another dragon firefly spewed fire over them. Monday ducked, trying to cover Andrew and Gogindy. But Andrew broke away from his grasp, and stood amides the flames and smoke, his muscles tensing. He felt a surge of excitement pulse though him as he grasped his sword. In it he felt the truth inside it surge through him. The strength of Monday's heart, and that of even Gogindy's was his to wield. Here the truth stood, brilliant, strong, unbending, casting even the flames in shadows. He had never quite felt the power held in the sword until now. How the truth shone, and transformed how he saw everything, even himself. The oncoming dragon firefly lowered its head in challenge, and swooped down to greet Andrew. But Andrew was not afraid, because he knew the truth.
Swoosh, clack!
Andrew's sword met with the beast's belly, slitting it wide open. Fiery coals rained down on Andrew, but he stood strong, undaunted by the heat and smoke. The sword made him feel lightheaded, and so full of truth, that he didn't feel the fire burning his skin.
"Andrew!" Monday shouted. "What are you doing? Run!"
A loud popping sound awoke Andrew from his trance as the bridge moaned under their weight, and its burning boards began to snap and fall into the river, turning to stone the second they hit the water.
Andrew put away his sword, and ran after Monday, with the burning bridge giving way behind them. A loud hiss of steam and smoke filled the air as the flaming wooden beams touched the water and sank. Just as they reached safety, the front part of the bridge broke and disappeared into the water, sinking very literally like a 'rock' into the simmering water.
"I don't think we're ever coming back that this way," Gogindy said, as the rest of the bridge collapsed completely, disappearing beneath the water, turning into stone.
