by GARY DARBY
Naturally, he ignores me and bounds over to the cage. He hops on the cage’s top and begins gnawing at the knot with his little teeth working as fast as they can.
The way he’s going at it, you’d think that he was digging into a sweet cake.
I can see what’s going to happen, and it’s not going to go well. Scamper will open the door, the dragons will fly out, and the combined noise of their flapping wings will wake Rupus.
Then, he’ll not only grab me but most likely Scamper, the sprogs, and the sprite dragons, too. I do the only thing I can think of. I snatch Scamper off the cage and head for the boulder.
To my astonishment, the little tub jumps out of my arms and shoots over to the sprites, again. In another place, I might have yelled at him. Instead, I pick up the crate with the spites inside and as quietly as I can, trundle over to the boulder.
Knee-high or so, there’s a small, jagged opening between the rock and the cave’s craggy sidewall. That’s how Scamper and the sprogs managed to sneak into the cave.
I put my shoulder against the massive rounded stone and push with all my might, but it doesn’t budge a bit. I’m not going to be able to push it aside, it’s just too big and cumbersome for me.
I bend over and peer through the hole and for an instant, jerk my head back.
There’s a big golden cats-eye staring back. It’s Golden Wind.
There’s no way we’re going to have a back-and-forth without waking Rupus so I motion that I’m sending Scamper and the sprogs out to her.
The hole was just big enough for Scamper and the sprogs, which means the smaller yellows will be able to get through, but it’s going to be a tight squeeze for the two orange dragons, and no squeeze for me.
There’s absolutely no way I can squish myself through an opening that Scamper can barely get past. I’m going to have to find another way out of here if that’s possible.
It doesn’t take me long to undo the knot on the sprites’ cage. I reach into the crate and pick up the smallest dragon, a yellow. It struggles for a moment in my arms before I’m able to shove it through the opening.
The second dragon out is the other yellow. It’s actually quite docile and doesn’t struggle at all. Maybe it saw what I did with its fellow dragon and realized that I’m helping it to escape.
I reach in to snatch one of the orange dragons and the silly thing scratches and claws at me as if it thinks I’m going to hurt him.
This goes on for a bit, and I’m afraid the noise is going to wake Rupus. I close the cage door and step back. I’ve made up my mind that if they don’t want help, then I’m certainly not going to risk my life for them.
I scoot the four sprogs through the opening and turn to Scamper, but he sees what I’m doing, darts over to the cage’s side, and sticks his head inside.
He goes nose to nose with the orange sprites, and they have what looks to me like a stare-down. This goes on for just a bit, and I’m about to snatch Scamper away and push him through the opening when I hear a sound behind me.
It’s Rupus.
He’s running a finger under his blubbery nose and wiping snot away. He blinks once, twice, puts his snot-covered finger in his mouth, sucks the goo off, then his head falls forward, and he’s asleep again.
I let out a long, silent breath and swallow hard. I wheel around with the intent to grab Scamper and shove him through the hole. My eyes widen at what I see.
While I was watching Rupus, the little ball of fur had somehow pulled the cage’s door open. The two orange dragons are now sitting quietly, almost expectantly as if they’re just waiting for me to pick them up.
Reaching in, I grasp the first orange, who now seems willing enough to let me handle him and push him through the opening. I have no idea what Scamper did, but somehow he convinced the sprites that I wasn’t going to hurt them.
After the second orange goes through the hole, I reach over, pick Scamper up, nuzzle him for a moment, my face to his, then I send him through the gap.
I tip the cage up and set it down in front of the hole so that Scamper can’t come back. I appreciate what he and the sprogs did, but they’ve done what they could, and I don’t want Rupus adding Scamper and baby dragon to his breakfast plate.
Now it’s up to me to find a way out of here and that means heading toward the cave’s darkened end.
As I tiptoe past Rupus, I think to myself that if he wakes up, I’m not going to be able to outrun him, and there’s nowhere to hide in the barren cave.
My only hope is that there’s a way out at the cave’s end. However, if he chases me in there and it’s a blind alley, he’ll catch me as easy as I’ve caught pollywogs barehanded in Draconstead’s spring creek.
Glancing at the snoring troll as I creep past, I almost trip over several long lengths of vines that are scattered about the dusty cave floor. I stare at them, and an idea comes to me.
I really shouldn’t as my first thought should be on escaping but I have some mad left in me and I can’t resist getting back at Rupus.
Hefting the longest and thickest ropelike vine, I pull one end under the troll’s bent legs. I tug on the vine until I’ve got the length I need lying under both warty limbs.
Then, I take the end and gently drape much of the loose vine over his thick, mud-crusted ankles.
Carefully, silently, I do the same thing once more before I take the two loose ends, tie a big square knot, and step back to inspect my work in the dying firelight.
Nodding to myself in satisfaction, I pick up another piece of long vine and drag it a short distance away. I carefully arrange it on the cave floor in long, undulating curves.
Placing the closest end to Rupus, I lift it slightly upward on a slanting rock and pointed straight at him.
With the last of the burning branches from the fire to use as a torch, I tiptoe to the far end of the cave. Thrusting the torch into darkness, I smile.
There is a small craggy tunnel leading away from the cave. Where it goes, I have no idea, what matters to me is that it’s too small for Rupus to shove his bulky body through, even on all fours.
I step back and hold the burning branch up so that I can inspect my work and nod in satisfaction.
Perfect.
I take several deep breaths. Everything is as ready as I can make it. It’s now or never. My plan either works, or it doesn’t.
If it doesn’t—well, I have my little hidey-hole to duck into but if it turns into a dead end, then what do I do?
I’ll cross that mountain range when I get to it.
I need to do this now before Rupus wakes up, or I may never get the chance.
How I dearly want to pay that so-and-so rat rump back because if he actually has eaten other Drachs, well, he deserves more than what I’m able to do at the moment so I’ll just have to be satisfied if my plan works.
I pick up a fist-sized rock, squeeze it tight, draw my arm back, and let it fly.
Bull’s-eye! Or, in this case, troll’s-eye!
The stone hits Rupus right on the end of his bulging snout. He blinks several times and scratches at his nose.
I wave my firebrand back and forth several times, and it bursts into bright flames. The light catches Rupus’ attention, and his eyes come wide open.
“Wha—!” he roars. He pushes himself to his feet and grabs his club.
“Look out, Rupus!” I yell and point at the ground. “Snake!”
He stops, and his eyes grow wide at the sight of my snakelike vine. Jerking his whole body straight up, he slams his head into the craggy rock ceiling.
His bellow of pain fills the cave and he reels from the blow, swaying back and forth.
An instant later, he snaps his eyes open and catches sight of me. The troll’s roar thunders in my ears as he jerks forward. Rupus takes a step, but the rope around his ankles goes tight, and he starts to tumble sideways.
Stumbling backward, just to be on the safe side, I grin in satisfaction as his head cracks against the cave wall. Rupus let
s out a little moan, his beady little eyes roll back in his head and his body slumps into a big, blubbery ball as he hits the floor with a thud.
He’s out cold, with his arms stretched out wide across the dusty floor. I can see a big knot on his head that’s bleeding a sort of purplish-looking blood.
Making a face at him, I mutter, “So much for smart.”
Holding my tiny torch out, I notice that the little flame is fluttering away from me ever so slightly. I stick a finger in my mouth to wet it, taste gritty dirt, and then hold it up.
There’s a coolness on one side of my wet finger and I smile to myself. A tiny breeze is coming from the blackness at the cave’s far end. That can only mean there’s another opening and hopefully a way out.
I stumble toward the curtain of darkness hoping that my little torch will last long enough to show me my escape path. The walls start to narrow, and the ceiling begins to lower even more.
Shaking my head ruefully to myself, I think that if I hadn’t stopped to set my trap for Rupus, it’s obvious that he wouldn’t have been able to squeeze himself into this tight space.
But I just had to have a little pay back for what he did to me and to others. Even if it was only a knot on the head and a splitting headache when he awakes.
Still, I have a tremendous sense of satisfaction that I bested a troll that was at least ten times bigger than I, even if he was a dumb brute.
So, what’s done is done, and I keep going. It’s not long before I have to bend my head over so that it doesn’t rub against the ceiling.
The cave narrows even more until the walls are scraping against my shoulders. My poor flame is flickering lower and lower, and it won’t be long until I’ll be in complete darkness.
The tunnel comes to a sharp point, and I have no choice but to get down on my hands and knees and painfully crawl.
With my dying ember of a torch held at an awkward angle in front of me, I squeeze through a barrel-sized opening, wiggle a little farther in the dust and then I’m able to stand.
Whisking the remnants of my branch from side to side, I try to get one last flickering flame from it, but it’s no use. The last little bit, nothing more than a short stem of charcoal, breaks off and falls to the ground.
I’m in utter darkness, and I’m completely lost.
Just for an instant, I consider going back the way I came and try once more to move the giant boulder, but I know that’s an impossibility.
Besides, I can’t take the chance that Rupus will awaken while I’m trying to muscle the rock out of the way.
No, my only choice is to make my way in total darkness across this cave, carefully feeling each step, and use my wet finger as my guide.
I take a deep breath and slide one boot through the dust and loose rock. I do this several times before I stop at a scraping sound behind me.
Sucking in my breath, I turn. I can’t see a thing in the total darkness, but the scratching noise comes again.
Closer.
I reach down; fumble around until my hand latches onto a suitable rock. At least I’ll have something to throw at my attacker. I back away.
The sound comes again as if dragon talons were scrabbling across hard rock. It’s coming straight at me. Or rather, straight for me.
I slowly back away, afraid that I’m going to trip and fall off an unseen cliff. Either that, or be ripped apart by whatever invisible creature is coming through the tunnel that links the two caves.
The thing is almost through the passage and all I have to defend myself is two fist-sized rocks. Suddenly the scrabbling noise stops.
I hold perfectly still, hoping that maybe the beast is as blind in the darkness as I am. Then I hear a sniffing as if the beast has its nose in the air and is searching for my scent.
Then I hear more scratching on stone and realize that there’s more than one monster, it’s a whole pack!
Rats!
It has to be giant rats, I think. After all, Amil said that this place lends itself to huge things.
In my mind’s eye, I can see their nasty, wicked fangs, their sharp, hooked claws that they’ll use to rip and tear my flesh off my bones. There’s only one thing I can do if I have any hope to escape.
Run.
I whirl around to stumble away, but just as I do, I hear Brrreeep?
I spin back around, and my mouth sags open. “Scamper?” I mutter in an incredulous voice.
I hear little paws running across the gravelly dirt. Then a furry body slams into my leg, and I reach down and scoop Scamper up in my arms.
“What are you doing here?” I demand. “I told you to stay out.”
Gwaayyy, he answers.
“I had to,” I protest, somewhat indignantly. “In case you’ve forgotten there was a hungry troll in that cave, and I couldn’t get out through your little hole.”
I nuzzle his forehead with mine. “You shouldn’t have followed me, but I’m awfully glad to see you.”
I hear more clawing sounds on the cave’s gravel-like floor and mutter, “What?”
There’s a fluttering sound in the air, and suddenly, an orange glow in the shape of a sprite dragon is hovering midair.
Then next to it, another ball of orange lights up, as if two tiny suns just popped up out of nowhere.
I hear the flapping of wings behind me, and I twirl around to find a pale yellow light and then a smaller yellow glimmering, like two enormous lightning bugs, floating just in front of me.
I admit it, my mouth was so wide open at that point that I probably could have swallowed a whole watermelon—well, maybe just half.
“You glow?” I sputter. I’m bathed in orange and yellow light and, what’s more, I can see. I’m not in darkness anymore.
The four sprites come a little closer, and I can’t help but smile at them. “No one will ever believe me that you glow in the dark,” I mumble. “But thank you for sharing your light.”
Dwaaay? Scamper asks.
“By all means,” I mutter as I lset him down.
Straightening, I wet my finger and hold it up. “That way,” I point.
Peering at the four dragons with a broad smile, I say, “I sure hope you stick around, it’d sure be nice to be able to see where we’re going.”
I march off in the direction that I think leads to the exit. To my relief, my personal convoy of sprite dragons flutters around and over me, breaking the darkness with their living light.
As I tread along, I notice that Scamper stays almost right by my side, which for him is odd. Usually, he wants to go off on his own and explore. Not now and I think I understand why. This cavern is enormous. Much, much bigger than Rupus’s cave.
But it’s not just the immensity that’s unnerving. The further we go, the deeper we pace, the more I can feel a dark presence.
There’s something sinister, a shadowy weight that stays just out of the sprites’ light, hovering at the very edge where light and dark meet.
The heaviness seems to press against the glow, pushing the little dragons closer and closer together. “We’ve got to get out of here,” I say in a rush and break into a stumbling run.
I dodge around scattered boulders that litter the cavern floor. My breathing comes faster and faster as I push myself. Scamper and the little sprites stay right with me.
Suddenly, I feel a rush of cool air against my face. The exit! It must be somewhere just ahead.
Hurrying, I slow as a new sound comes to my ears. It’s similar to the fluttering noise that the sprites make, only louder and seems to be coming from high over my head.
I glance around and mutter to my glowing caravan, “Are there more of you in here?”
Then, the largest orange dragon flaps higher in the air as if in answer to my question and I swallow hard at what I see in its light.
Bats.
Hundreds and hundreds of red-eyed leathery-winged bats dart like black arrows under a domelike part of the cave while others cling upside down from the cavern’s ceiling.
&
nbsp; I stand gaping before I hear a whisper that seems to slither from the inky darkness.
Varr Hailsa, Hooper Menvoran.
A foul laugh follows the voice, and it seems to bounce off the cave’s walls as if the stone rejects the foulness and throws it back into the air.
I know that voice all too well. It’s Vay.
Somehow, she’s found me in this dark dungeon of a cave. I hear a whirring sound and glance upward. The bats are flying in a giant circle. More and more winged creatures join in the whirling procession. The circle spreads into an immense, ragged ebony ring while the fluttering grows as loud as an oncoming windstorm.
We try to move away, but the enormous black circle stays directly over us. The bats race faster, becoming a blur and the sound rises as if a raging storm rushes towards us in the darkness.
Then Vay’s sinister voice calls out in words that have no meaning to me, followed by a thunderclap that rolls through the cavern and all at once, the bats rush together into a massive blob of blackness.
From the darkness, a shape takes form, spreads its batlike wings, and centers its blood-red eyes on me.
I throw my hands up in terror and stumble back, knowing that this is no ogre that I’m going to get away from by using trickery.
From this monstrosity, there is no escape.
8
Flapping its enormous wings, the fearsome bat sends gales of wind that spray dust and gravel in a rising whirlwind as the thing lowers itself, scimitar claws outstretched.
Shielding my face and through barely opened fingers, I see the gigantic bat settling toward me, its huge spurs opening and closing as if readying themselves to slice open my scrawny body.
I spin around and spot Scamper. He’s standing on his two hind legs in a defiant pose, lips curled back, and teeth bared as if he’s going to take on the monster all by himself.
“Scamper! Run!”
My shout startles him, but only for a moment, and together we break away from the enormous webbed fiend. Scamper darts over the loose gravel, his little paws churning through the pebbles. He leaves me behind to hobble along as fast as I can, but that suits me, as I want him to find a safe place to hide, away from this winged terror.