by Aaron Ehasz
Callum suddenly realized he and Ezran hadn’t discussed a plan. They couldn’t talk about the dragon egg directly; they’d have to improvise.
“Well … a friend of ours has a problem,” Callum began. He looked to Ezran to pick up the bluff where he left off.
“Jofus,” Ezran continued.
“Your friend’s name is Jofus?” the doctor asked. He motioned for the boys to sit down at a long table on the other side of the barn.
“It’s a real name,” Ezran said.
“Err … yes. Our friend Jofus has an egg,” Callum continued. “An animal egg. He’s been taking really good care of it. Keeping it warm, and safe … wrapped in blankets …” Then he said the last part really fast. “Except one time he dropped it into an icy lake for several minutes. Anywho.”
“Sorry, what was that?” the doctor asked.
“HE DROPPED IT INTO AN ICY LAKE,” Ezran repeated, slowly and loudly. He narrowed his eyes at Callum.
“Yeah. Jofus dropped it,” Callum said. “It was Joe. Jofus.”
“Right, of course. That sounds bad,” the doctor said, clearly confused.
“Yeah. We’re worried it’s hurt. The egg is colder, and it doesn’t glow like it used to,” Callum said.
“Wait—a glowing egg?” The doctor ran a hand over his head and sighed. “Look, I can tell you have a real problem. I want to help, but I won’t be able to unless you tell me what’s really going on.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I promise you, I’m not going to get you in trouble.”
Callum and Ezran shared a look.
“You can’t tell anyone,” Ezran said.
“I won’t. Okay? But you need to trust me,” the doctor replied.
Callum took a deep breath and nodded, and Ezran slipped his backpack from his shoulders. He pulled back the flap and revealed the dragon egg. The doctor gasped.
“That’s a dragon egg, isn’t it?”
The princes nodded.
The doctor placed his hand gingerly onto the egg, stroking the fragile, precious treasure. “I’ve never seen one before, only pictures in books. But I’ll do what I can.”
Callum and Ezran held their breath as he began to examine the egg. He placed his ear against the dimly glowing shell and listened. He tapped it gently in a few different places and moved his hands over its surface. His brow furrowed and he muttered to himself. Finally, he looked up at the boys.
“Well, I do hear a heartbeat,” he said.
Both boys let out a sigh of relief.
“That’s good, right?” Ezran asked.
“But it’s faint and slow. I’m afraid the egg is dying,” the doctor said. “I don’t know what I can do to save it. I’m so sorry.”
Callum saw tears well up in Ezran’s eyes, and a lump formed in his own throat.
“No. There has to be something you can do,” Ezran said, hugging the egg. “Anything! Please.”
Callum put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Ez, let’s go. We’ll find another way.”
He helped Ezran put the egg into his backpack and then guided him toward the door.
They were halfway out when the doctor said, “Wait.” The princes looked back.
“I’m hesitant to tell you about this, because it might be incredibly dangerous, but a dragon egg is so special it might be worth the risk. There was a miracle that happened a few years ago.”
“A miracle?” Ezran repeated.
“But it happened on the Cursed Caldera,” the doctor said. It looked like he was still considering whether he should tell the boys. Finally, he said, “There’s someone I think you two should meet.”
Soren paced back and forth on the stone bridge that arched over the river, while Claudia sat with her head in her hands as if fighting off a pounding headache. “What are we going to do?” Soren asked. “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”
They had arrived at the Banther Lodge not long ago with a pack of the finest tracking hounds in Katolis. Soren provided one of Callum’s muddy training shirts for scent and directed the dogs on the trail of the princes. The hounds had run like mad toward the river … and then promptly lost the trail.
“Can you just be quiet for a minute? I’m trying to think,” Claudia said. Her brother’s incessant worrying was not helping.
“Every minute we sit here, the step-prince and the crown runt get farther and farther away,” Soren snipped.
Claudia did have one idea. “I know a tracking spell that could locate them,” she said. “But first I need something from the princes.”
“We have this,” Soren said, whipping out Callum’s training shirt.
“Nooo,” Claudia said, smacking her palm on her forehead. “Something more personal than a shirt.”
“You mean like underwear?” Soren asked.
“Ew, gross.” Claudia made a face. “I mean like spit, or toenails.”
Soren huffed. “We don’t have time to search the whole lodge for toenails, Claudia,” he said, throwing up his arms. “We have to figure this out. If I fail, I don’t know what Dad will do to me. And I’m already failing at step one—I mean, never mind.”
“Never mind what?” Claudia asked.
But Soren brushed past Claudia with a look of importance on his face. He walked purposefully toward a tree some twenty yards behind her and pointed to an arrow stuck in the bark.
Claudia followed him—there was a woven plait of silvery hair flapping softly in the wind, pinned by the arrow.
Soren yanked the arrow from the tree and held it up. “You said something like spit or toenails. What about elf hair?”
“Yes, it’s perfect,” Claudia said, caressing the braid. “We’ll find Callum and Ezran wherever we find that vile bloodthirsty elven assassin.”
She examined the silver hair for another moment.
“Cute braid, though!”
Back in the mountain village, the mercenary Tristan strutted down the street jingling the bag of his winnings. This was the most gold he’d had in months. But halfway to the corner, he stopped.
Was he being paranoid, or had he heard something? He glanced over his shoulder, but the street was empty. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of someone behind him. He shoved the gold into his pocket.
“I won this money fair and square,” he shouted into the empty street.
When no one responded, Tristan took a sudden left turn and darted down an alleyway. He ran hard, turning corners and hopping fences. Eventually, he skidded to a stop at a dead end, breathing hard.
Rayla, on the other hand, had barely broken a sweat, and now the mercenary was right where she wanted him. She dropped down from her spot on the roof, landing in front of Tristan.
“I don’t want your money,” Rayla said from beneath her cloak.
“Then what do you want from me?” Tristan asked. The poor thing looked terrified.
Rayla held up her hands in surrender. “I just want your help,” she said. “Seriously, I don’t want to fight you. I just want to borrow your blade to cut this.” She pushed her glove down her arm just far enough to show the white binding digging deep into her wrist, the bruising obvious against her pale skin.
“Oh, you just want to ‘borrow’ it,” Tristan said. “Do you know how valuable this blade is?”
“Fine,” Rayla said. She was getting tired of no one trusting her. “You hold the blade. Just try to cut this ribbon off me.”
“But it’ll burn you,” Tristan said, peering more closely at the binding.
“I don’t care! Just do it—please,” Rayla pleaded.
Tristan shrugged and unsheathed his dagger. Rayla could see the heat radiating off the glowing steel and she winced as the dagger got closer to her arm. But before the blade could even touch the binding, her glove started smoking and went up in flames.
“OWWW!” Rayla yelped. She tore off the glove and stomped on it to put out the fire.
But once the fire was out, Rayla realized her mistake. Tristan was staring
at her in terror. More specifically, he was staring at her four-fingered elf hand in terror.
“You’re one of them,” Tristan said. He took a few steps backward.
Rayla donned her best human impression. “Who me? I’m just a simple human girl who likes the human things. Like bread. And complaining all the time,” she said. She put on her sweetest smile and twirled a lock of her white hair.
“No,” Tristan said. “I know what you are—you’re an elf.” He raised his blade.
Rayla knew the game was up. “Fine, I’m an elf,” she said. Then she grabbed Tristan’s wrist, twisted it behind his back, and disarmed him. He staggered away, weaponless and horrified.
“Calm down, this will only take a second,” Rayla said. She picked up the dagger and brought it as close to the binding as she could bear, then closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and went in for the slice. “ARRGGG!” she cried as blistering heat scorched her skin. Had it worked?
She opened her eyes. The binding was as tight as ever. “No! Nothing can cut this stupid binding!” she said.
Tristan kneeled at Rayla’s outburst and begged for her mercy. “Please, just take the dagger. Don’t hurt me,” he cried.
Rayla sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you. And I’m not going to steal from you either,” she said.
She tossed the dagger to the ground and walked away.
Callum and Ezran knocked on the door of a snow-covered cabin nestled deep in the woods. The animal doctor had told them to find the cabin if they wanted to learn about a mysterious miracle healer.
A young girl opened the door a crack and blinked at the princes with wondering eyes. She was wearing a hat, boots, and a heavy winter coat. Her long black hair hung in a single braid down her back.
Then an animal’s snout pushed through the door and Callum and Ezran found themselves face-to-face with a full-grown wolf—a very big wolf. Sitting down, it was taller than the girl was standing up. The wolf sniffed both princes and then nodded approvingly.
“Hi,” the girl said. “I’m Ellis. And this is my sweetie-wolf, Ava.” Ellis ruffled the fur on Ava’s head. “How can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m Callum and this is Ezran,” Callum said. “The animal doctor sent us to you. He said you would know something about a miracle healer …” He trailed off, realizing that his request might sound a little strange. But Ellis didn’t bat an eye.
“The doctor’s right,” she said. “There was a miracle. I still don’t really understand how it happened. But I do know this—without it, Ava would be dead.”
Callum and Ezran looked at each other. Maybe this little girl was going to help them save the egg after all.
“Why don’t you come in?” Ellis asked. She opened the door and led the princes toward a roaring fireplace in the cabin’s great room. Callum and Ezran warmed themselves by the hearth as Ellis settled into a nearby chair. Ava padded over and Ellis scratched the wolf’s neck. A shiny stone dangled from her collar.
“Please tell us your story,” Ezran said.
Ellis smiled and settled deeper into her chair. It had been a while since anyone had wanted to hear it. “Well, two years ago, I found Ava in the woods. She was just a little cub and the cutest thing I’d ever seen. Somehow, she’d gotten herself caught in a rusty hunter’s trap and her front paw was crushed. She was absolutely terrified.” She stroked Ava’s ears and the wolf let out a contented sigh. “She didn’t want any help at first, but I could tell she had a determined spirit. When she finally let me unlock the trap, I took her to the animal doctor, the one who sent you here.”
Ezran smiled. He liked Ellis already.
“The doctor said her leg was bad—so bad it had to be removed,” Ellis continued. “When the operation was over, I named her Ava and took her home to heal. She was hopping around on three legs in no time.”
Ava wagged her tail. She remembered those days fondly—the gentleness with which Ellis changed her bandages, and the way Ellis snuggled up to her at night, like her own mother used to.
“But Ava wasn’t welcomed by my father,” Ellis went on, a sadness creeping across her face. “He said there was only suffering in her future. He said …” Ellis trailed off. It was hard to say even now. “He wanted to put her down.”
Ezran shuddered. He understood not wanting animals to suffer, but putting an animal down just because they were missing a leg? It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t just.
Ellis regained her composure and continued. “I knew Ava would become strong and healthy if given the chance. I scooped her up and ran. The only safe place would be where no one would follow us, so we started up the Cursed Caldera.”
“What’s the Cursed Caldera?” Callum asked, though he was afraid to hear the answer.
“It’s the mountain where only monsters find their refuge,” Ellis said. “At least, that’s what the legends say, and Ava and I found it to be true.” Ava whimpered but Ellis went on. “A blizzard made it hard to see much in front of us, but strange shapes and terrifying eyes seemed to pop out through the wind and snow. The higher we climbed, the more terrifying creatures lurked in the shadows. We kept going though. We found an ancient tree with a hollow trunk and huddled inside. That’s when she appeared.”
“Who?” Ezran asked. He’d made himself comfortable on the floor and was now stroking Ava’s ears.
“I still don’t know,” Ellis said. “We couldn’t see her face—only her silhouette against the full moon. But she’s the reason Ava is here. She cradled her in her arms, called her beautiful and perfect. And then this white light came from her hands. It was so bright, I had to shield my eyes.” Ellis put an arm up over her face as if blocking the sun, then took it down again. “And when she handed Ava back to me—I couldn’t believe it. Ava’s fourth leg was completely healed. This Moonstone collar had appeared around her neck too.” She reached down and scratched Ava under her collar. The wolf yelped as if to say “The end.”
The princes were speechless but looked at each other with newfound excitement.
“We have to find this miracle healer,” Callum said. “If she can save a cub’s missing paw …”
“Maybe she can save a dragon egg,” Ezran said. Then he clapped his hands over his mouth.
“Wait, a what?” Ellis asked.
“Uhhh,” Callum started. “He said, ‘Maybe she can shave a wagon leg.’ ”
Ellis tried to ask more questions, but the princes had already stood up and put on their cloaks.
“Uh, sorry,” Ezran said. “We have to go.”
“Thank you so much, Ellis,” Callum said as they made their way to the door.
And then it was just Ellis and Ava in the cabin again, the fire crackling in the hearth.
Rayla pulled her hood close around her face while she waited by the fountain for the boys. There was a chill in the air already; it would be another cold night.
“Did you find the knife guy? Did you get his knife?” Ezran suddenly appeared, running up to Rayla with a huge smile on his face. Callum was right behind him.
Rayla held up her wrist. “The bad news is that the Sunforge blade didn’t work,” she said. She breathed deeply for dramatic effect. “The good news is the binding will fall off naturally … when my hand does.”
Callum winced. “Ugh, Rayla, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine,” Rayla said. “Just give me some good news. Tell me something good happened with the egg.”
“Yes and no. Well, no,” Callum stammered. “Not yet, but maybe! So yes? In a way.”
“Okay, that’s averaging out to around a ‘maybe-minus,’ ” Rayla said.
“Yeah, that’s about right,” Callum agreed.
“We learned about a miracle healer,” Ezran said. “Someone who might be able to help the egg. And maybe your hand too!”
Ezran’s enthusiasm was contagious. Rayla felt a glimmer of excitement. “Really?” she asked. “A miracle healer?”
“The only catch is that the healer lives up there,” Callum
said. He pointed to an ominous flat-topped mountain in the distance. “It’s called ‘the Cursed Caldera.’ ”
Rayla hung her head. “Please tell me the mountain’s named that because it was discovered by the great explorer, Sir Phinneas Kirst.”
“Well, no,” Callum started to explain. “It’s apparently infested with horrible monsters—”
“Yeah, no, I know,” Rayla said. It was worth asking.
Suddenly, they heard shouting and clanging heading in their direction. A familiar voice shouted, “There she is!” and Rayla’s eyes widened in fear. Tristan came running from around the corner leading a pack of angry villagers.
“She’s an elf!” Tristan yelled.
Rayla jumped up and covered herself with her cloak. “Oh, right, I forgot about the other bad news,” she said to the princes. “Let’s move!”
She sprinted away from the violent, elf-fearing humans with Ezran and Callum following behind. The crowd chased the gang over bridges, through narrow passages, and all the way to the edge of the village, swords and pitchforks ready to slaughter an enemy.
“Suddenly, the Cursed Caldera doesn’t seem like such a bad option,” Rayla yelled over her shoulder.
And so they fled toward the caldera, where black winds swirled wildly around a volcanic-shaped peak. They ran through snow and mist, barely noticing the darkening sky.
Finally, gasping in the thinning air, the group collapsed at the base of a tree and looked down the mountain for their pursuers. No one was coming; they were entirely alone on the caldera.
“I think we’re safe,” Callum said.
The forest stretched around them in all directions, and the path upward loomed darker than where they had come from. Mysterious sounds echoed all around.
“Guys, this place is pretty creepy,” Ezran said. Bait grunted his assent.
“Safe. Sure,” Rayla said. “So how are we supposed to find this miracle healer? And what’s that?”
She pointed to a rock just above them.
A large, shadowy creature stood looking down on them with glimmering green eyes. The beast pawed at the ground, snarling under its breath. Rayla put one hand on a blade, but then, the last of the fading daylight illuminated the creature.