The Stone of Cuore

by Stephen I. Carmer

The Dragon’s Treasure

  Platov was now hidden in another chamber. Digging in a corner filled with glowing stones. A swirling milky white mist was trapped inside the stones. Platov was searching for one stone that would fit his needs. Most of the stones were cracked and jagged along the edges and few had any true magic. Needing a flattened round rock without any cracks, broken edges, or indentations, the work of sorting through them in the dark was tedious. Keeping his nose and ears carefully tuned to the cavern behind him, Platov dug his way through the pile. Triumphantly, he pulled out a shard of milky white stone. Then taking another piece he cleaned up the edges by tapping away until it was shaped with six equal sides. Sparks flew from the stones while a nasty ghost known as Renato lingered nearby watching curiously.

  “Escaping is foolish,” Renato gloated.

  Platov ignored the ghost’s taunting and kept at the work. Once it looked right, Platov held it out and imagined it being a worthy stone. Needing it to be a certain color with a murkiness, he tried several enchantments. First the stone resembled gold, but too shiny. Then it resembled silver, but too dull. He tried something else while Renato mocked him mercilessly. Then he held up a dark green stone that looked convincingly like something valuable, but the wrong color. Frustrated with the tedious effort, Platov finally made it resemble the stone the orb had shown him. Murky, multicolored, six-sided, polished to a fine iridescent luster, it appeared quite valuable. A mysterious cloud swirled around inside taking on many shapes. For a final touch, Platov gave the stone a magical power certain to captivate the interest of a greedy dragon.

  With keen eyes, dragons can spot a fake easily, but Platov had an idea. Carefully sniffing the next passageway for anything lurking, he made his way up through the winding tunnels. Coming dangerously close to the dragon’s lair, he could feel the heat of Scorch’s fiery breath and smell his foul sulfur stench. Shimming up into another passageway, Platov crawled through a tunnel that was directly over the dragon’s lair. A cool breeze of fresh air filled the passageway as this was a way out of the labyrinth that Platov already knew about. If he could just leave this way, he would, except that the wicked wizard Wraith would find him. Besides the window that opened onto the world was very far up the sheer cliff of a high mountain.

  Poking his head through the narrow window, the moonlight faintly illuminated the lair. Far below was a thick forest filled with snarling wolves. Conjuring a spider, he set it to its task of making a nice long thread from which to dangle the prize. Then lowering the stone, he dangled it directly in front of the dragon’s lair. Swinging the glowing stone back and forth he waited for Scorch to become captivated by the offering.

  “I smell you!” Scorch roared. A nasty plume of fire blasted from his lair lighting up the side of the cliffs with a red glow. The air was fouled with sulfur smelling smoke, but Platov held onto the spider’s thread and moved the magical stone back and forth enticingly. Flames erupted again further lighting up the moonlit night. Then the dragon’s head poked out. Platov dangled the stone just out of its reach.

  “Who are you?” Scorch demanded to know.

  “Platov,” he replied.

  Then the dragon’s lavender eyes were watching the magically colored quartz stone shimmering in the moonlight. With another blast of fire, the dragon snorted and belched.

  “I will trade you,” Platov offered.

  “For what?” The dragon snorted. It turned its head searching to capture Platov with its hypnotic eyes.

  “For a smaller stone, just the same,” Platov bargained.

  “You would trade for a smaller stone?” Scorch snorted with laughter.

  “Yes,” Platov replied. “This big valuable stone with magic trapped inside for a smaller stone.”

  “I could just devour you and take the stone!” The dragon scoffed.

  “No,” Platov said. “You would not want to do that.”

  “Why not?” Scorch asked unpleasantly.

  “Because…” Platov had to think it through. “Because then you will not get the big magic stone that I am offering. It will vanish!”

  “So I give you a small stone and you give me a big stone,” the dragon was considering. A puff of smoke drifted up and Platov was trying hard not to choke on the foul smell.

  “Yes,” Platov said. “It is filled with magic. Look at how the clouds swirl inside.”

  The dragon laughed rancorously and then with its right claw, reached out and tried to snatch the stone away. Just as quickly, Platov’s spider reeled in the long thread and the stone was just out of the dragon’s reach.

  “You are trying to trick me,” Platov said.

  The dragon roared with rage and spewed forth fire.

  “A trade,” Platov said. “I give you the big, valuable gemstone for the small one that you have in your lair. It is not worth nearly as much.”

  The dragon snorted again and then its head was gone. Platov could hear Scorch turning over his pile of jewels and gold. Then with a roar from inside the lair, the dragon came back. Snorting fire and fouling the air with his breath, he laid the labradorite stone at the edge of his lair. Then he glared at Platov with his lavender eyes. The magic stone dangling just out his reach while the moonlight caught the swirling mist inside. The dragon was mesmerized with greed.

  “Do we have a trade?” Platov asked.

  “A trade,” the dragon snorted. Unseen by Scorch, the spider tied up the small stone and just as the dragon caught the big stone with its claw, the small magic stone went sailing out of his reach. Platov caught the stone as the spider reeled it in.

  Scorch laughed rancorously believing he had gotten the better part of the bargain. But the magic that enchanted the stone would soon fade and Scorch would see that he had nothing more than an old piece of worthless quartz. Platov had to make his escape fast!

  As he held the small magic stone in his hand, Platov felt the immense power trapped inside. Momentarily dazed, Platov held the labradorite stone against the moonlight taking note of the inner cloud. Then tugged on by his spider, he leapt through the window and rushed away before the dragon found he had been cheated. Running fast, he dashed down the passageways.

  “You have the stone?” The orb asked quite startled that Platov had succeeded.

  “I traded the dragon for another,” Platov replied.

  “Brilliant,” the orb laughed.

  “I will take you with me,” Platov reached down and picked up the orb.

  Just then the sound of Scorch bellowing loudly filled the labyrinth as he discovered that he had been cheated. Platov rushed off in the other direction certain that Scorch would be coming for him. There was only one other way out of the labyrinth and Platov hurried in that direction.

  Scorch was furious and as Platov ran hard, he could hear the dragon’s angry words. A whiff of foul sulfur dragon’s breath filled the dark passageways. Gripping the stone in one hand and the orb in the other, Platov dodged across a cavern into another tunnel.

  “Take the first tunnel you come to,” the orb advised.

  Platov scattered up the passageway while Scorch’s angry hissing was gaining on him. Turning into the first passage he came to, Platov could smell a worm.

  “Thirteen steps, turn right!” The orb advised. Platov did not have time to question the instructions. Instead, he counted out thirteen quick steps and turned to face a solid wall of rock.

  “Use your stone!” The orb commanded.

  Platov could smell a worm coming from one direction and Scorch making his way through the cavern in the other direction.

  “How?” Platov asked.

  “Open the door,” the orb shouted.

  “Open the door,” Platov repeated without understanding. But at the same moment the stone glowed and the wall in front of him melted away. A gust of cold, outside air hit him in the face. Without another word spoken, Platov leapt out the hole. How far down he fell, he could not imagine. But then landing in a large bough of a sticky pine tree he held on as the branch cracke
d and broke. Crashing down into the tree, Platov found himself face down in a thick layer of pine needles. But before he could gather himself up, he saw Scorch coming out of the same hole that Platov had escaped from. The sky lit up with fire as Scorch vented his rage.

  “Where are you?” Scorch demanded to know. “I can smell you.” A blast of fire ignited the tops of the trees over Platov’s head.

  Gaining his feet, Platov ran, jumping over tree roots and boulders. The forest lit up with red flames. Overhead, he could hear Scorch’s wings flapping in the wind. Hissing angrily, the dragon was determined to hunt Platov down and roast him up for dinner.

  “You have an enemy now,” the orb said as Platov hid behind a large boulder. The fiery dragon breath was farther away as Scorch was looking elsewhere.

  “An enemy I do not need,” Platov said. He watched the fire in the sky closely and seeing that Scorch was moving away, Platov stumbled away from the boulder and ran as fast as he could. How far he ran, he did not know. Scorch was far behind him, but to either side of him he could hear the howling of wolves. Over his head, birds scattered with loud warning screeches. Holding his stone in one hand and the orb against his chest in the other, Platov kept on running. Then at once he broke out of the forest and found himself on a road. Stopping now and listening to the sounds of wolves behind him, the birds around him, and the other strange sounds of the forest, he considered which direction to take.

  “Go south,” the orb instructed.

  “Which way is south?” Platov asked. He turned and faced the dark road in one direction. Ahead was a deep forest that clung to the sides of the road.

  “The other direction,” the orb replied.

  Platov turned around and then not wasting another moment, he tore off heading into the gloomy darkness.

  Daylight broke and Platov kept on, but he was becoming quite tired as he had been running for hours. New sounds of the forest were around him. Loud birds sang their songs. The howling wolves were gone and throughout the dark night, Platov had not seen a dragon above the trees. Finally exhausted, Platov dashed behind a large boulder just off the side of the road and sat down on the ground. Gasping for air and wondering where he was, Platov stared at the tangled trees all around him.

  “A daring escape,” the orb congratulated.

  “Now what?” Platov asked.

  “You will continue on,” the orb advised. “Wraith will be looking for you.”

  “What about Scorch?” Platov asked.

  “Scorch will always be your enemy,” the orb advised. “He will be searching for you forever and if he ever finds you, he will devour you.”

  “I stole his stone,” Platov sighed feeling a tad guilty. “I have two enemies then.”

  “Yes, in fact, you have earned two enemies,” the orb replied. “Wraith will be looking for you as soon as he learns that you have escaped. He will be angry too as you took me with you. He will want us both back. You he will feed to Scorch. As for me, he will put me back into the cave where you found me.”

  “He is not going to find us,” Platov said. Then having caught his breath he slipped out from behind the boulder.

  Walking along, Platov listened to the forest around him. The sun was growing bright on the morning horizon and a warm wind was rustling the branches of the trees. A bird flew down, landed on a branch and watched as Platov walked by.

  “What is your name?” Platov asked the orb.

  “I am called the Sage of Cent Fois,” the orb replied.

  “What do I call you?” Platov asked as the name seemed rather long.

  “Sage will be okay,” the orb replied.

  “Sage,” Platov repeated and then walked along quietly for a long spell.

  “Why were you kept in the cavern?” Platov asked.

  “Evil wizards believe that they can force me to their will,” Sage replied.

  “What do you do?” Platov asked.

  “Nothing that would be any use to the likes of you or any other wizard,” Sage replied.

  “Do you see the future?” Platov asked. “Because if you saw the future, then you could help me.”

  “The future,” Sage chuckled. “I can see the future, but what I see is of no value to you.”

  “But you know things,” Platov reasoned.

  “I know things,” Sage replied.

  “Then you will tell me things?” Platov asked.

  “I will tell you what you need to know,” Sage promised.

  “We will be friends,” Platov said.

  “Friends we are,” Sage replied. “Keep on walking and soon you will come to a village. You will have to work for a meal or go hungry.”

  “I am hungry,” Platov said. He continued on walking and as the sun was high overhead, the trees were beginning to thin. Marching along, he reached the end of the forest. A dry brown land lay ahead while overhead in the distant sky, large thunderheads were building up. Without the shade of the forest, Platov felt the heat of the early afternoon. At the insistence of Sage, Platov marched on following the trail, but as of yet no sign of the promised village lay ahead.

  “Can you fish?” Sage asked.

  “I do not know,” Platov replied.

  “There is a river ahead,” Sage said. “You can catch a fish and make yourself a fine dinner. Then you could rest until tomorrow.”

  “What if Wraith finds me?” Platov asked.

  “That is what you need your new stone for,” Sage chuckled. “You will use it against him.”

  “I do not know how,” Platov confided.

  Chapter 4: The Stars and the Moon