Potlendh

by David J. Wallis

  Cassandra appeared crestfallen. “I can’t breathe fire,” she told the Queen sadly.

  “You will learn,” the Queen commanded.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m telling you it’s impossible. I can’t do it!” the Dragon insisted.

  The Queen suddenly stretched out her winged arm, mesmerizing the Group who now stood frozen, immobile, and unable to move although they were aware of what was happening around them. To her Bats, she commanded: “Seize them!”

  At once, two of the very tall Bats rushed forward and seized the children. Then, with a great beating of their wings, the two Bats lifted the twins high up into the air. They flew to the very top of the cavern, where they hung the children by their feet, attaching some kind of rope or thread to leave them dangling upside down.

  “No magic, Unicorn,” the Queen warned. Her mouth opened wide, revealing two long canines. The other Bats also revealed their long fangs.

  “I have never before drunk the blood of a Unicorn or a Dragon, for that matter,” the Queen said ominously. “Interfere, and we feast on you. More importantly, the children will never see sunlight again.”

  “This is all wrong,” Uniqua responded quietly and calmly. Inside, however, she was seething. But there was nothing she could do.

  Monty stepped closer to her, and she could feel his hot breath on her neck, his fangs ready to strike her neck.

  “What do you want Cassandra to do?” Uniqua asked.

  “Fly up to the children. In their midst hangs the last shard. Free it from its prison with your hot breath.”

  “May I ask why this shard is so important to you?” the Unicorn asked a second question.

  “Have I not explained? Without it, the Crystal of Life is unwhole,” the Queen answered, her fangs retreating back into her mouth. “Unwhole, wives for the Dwarves cannot be made. The Lord of Power became jealous of our powers of creation and sought to end our creativity. Long have we languished in diminutive capacity and schemed to assume our former powers. Thus, you benefit from our generosity, and we retrieve honor and glory lost.”

  “She means that without the shard,” Prince Bot translated, “she cannot make wives for the Dwarves, and we cannot leave Dark City. I believe she is saying that many of the peoples who live on this Island were created by the Crystal of Life.”

  “Hmmm,” Uniqua thought about this. “It helps explain a lot.”

  “Honored Queen,” Cassandra spoke up. “My Father could fly up there and do what you want. Let me go back and bring him here.”

  “No. You will accomplish the terms of our will or die here.”

  “I can’t do it!” the Dragon wailed.

  “Then the children die.” The Queen’s answer was terribly cold.

  A noise behind the Group, coming from the river, temporarily interrupted the confrontation. The ten Dwarves, dripping wet, emerged from the water and marched towards the remaining members of the Group.

  Striding up to Uniqua, Number one accused her: “You have broken your promise. You lied to us. Such is your kind who trespass onto the Lord of Power’s Islet.”

  “We are still working out the details,” Uniqua countered. “We have given our word, and we will abide by it.”

  Number One turned to the Queen. “Kill them, Your Majesty. You who have given us life, please hearken to our call for justice.”

  While Cassandra was in a quandary—she wanted to act, to fly, to tear the Queen apart between her jaws, yet the very thought of flying scared her into inaction, but who else was there who could save the children—she was beginning to change. At first, she was increasing her size very slowly. The more she thought about the fate of the children, the angrier she was becoming. Something deep inside her chest was beginning to get very warm—then hot.

  Cassandra needed no translation to know that they were all in grave danger. It was at that moment when she transformed completely. How she made the transformation she did not know. Why she changed she also did not know. Yet, the change was instantaneous, and it was momentous.

  In the blink of an eye, Cassandra was no longer chicken-sized. She became a full-fledged Dragon of immense size. Her tail flicked back and forth involuntarily, sweeping the Dwarves, Monty, and the other members of the Group off their feet. A fearful roar issued from her lungs, knocking the Queen and her guards back. A thin stream of flame shot over their heads, causing the Bats to duck instinctively.

  Huge leathery wings unfolded from Cassandra’s sides, and with one mighty down stroke, the Dragon rose magnificently into the air. Anyone standing or who had risen to their feet, the downdraft of wind knocked them down again. She flew swiftly up to the darkest and highest reaches of the Cavern. Gently, she reached out with her foreclaws and grabbed the unconscious children and released them from their bonds.

  Between the two children’s feet, affixed to the ceiling of the cavern, a glob that looked like a hornets’ nest encapsulated the crystal shard. The Dragon shot a blast of fire at this glob, which immediately dissolved. The crystal shard then fell from its prison, only to be deftly caught in Cassandra’s open mouth.

  Returning to the floor of the cavern, she gently laid the children down. Then she contemptuously spat the shard at the Queen’s feet.

  As quickly as Cassandra had transformed into a mighty Dragon, she returned to her diminutive size again. She blinked at her companions, who looked at her in astonishment, and then at the still unconscious children. “What happened?” she asked Uniqua.

  “Amazing!” was all Uniqua could breathe.

  “At last!” the Bat Queen exclaimed, holding up the crystal shard with exultation. “You have done well Dragon.”

  “What did I do?” Cassandra asked dumbfounded.

  “Everything,” Uniqua told her friend, still not understanding what had just happened. It was all so fast, unexpected. She could not explain it yet.

  “Bring the Crystal of Life,” the Queen commanded.

  Within moments, four Bats carrying a crystal globe, the size similar to those giant atlas globes you see in large libraries, flew down from the cavern city and alighted before the Queen. A hole could be seen on the surface of the globe, and into this hole the Queen inserted the shard.

  At once, the globe emitted an intense white light. Then it sang, not a popular song you might be familiar with. But its song did convey happiness, power, and the essence of creation.

  “Now you shall see the power of the Crystal of Life,” the Queen told the Group triumphantly.

  The twins began to stir and eventually sit up.

  “The children are well. Of this ordeal, they will remember nothing,” the Queen assured Uniqua who immediately ran over to check on them.

  “Now, we go to the Wall of Creation,” the Queen commanded.

  The cavern was definitely huge, much broader, higher, and deeper than anyone can imagine. This Wall of Creation the Queen spoke of sat at the very rear of the cavern. So, it was not a short walk, especially with the twins still rather groggy. Tiny picked each of them up, one in each arm, and carried them.

  When all had reached the Wall, which stretched out in either direction, the ends disappearing into the darkness, it had been curiously scarred and pitted. The children were reminded when the cook on the oceanographic platform used to make cookies. She would take cookie cutters already preformed into various shapes and press them into the cookie dough. The Wall appeared to have had preformed cookie cutters pressed into it, too. And, the Group could recognize several shapes that resembled many of the inhabitants of the Island. The most recent impressions were, of course, the Dwarves.

  The Queen took the globe from the attendants. Either she was very strong or the globe light, but she managed it expertly.

  “Behold!” she cried. “Wives for the Dwarves!”

  A single laser-like light shot out from the Crystal. It cut into the Wall, creating feminine Dwarve shapes next to each of the ten impressions that had formed the ten Dwarves. When the cutting had concluded, the Crystal emitted a b
linding flash of light that bathed the newly formed figures. When the cavern became dark again, ten female Dwarves stepped away from the Wall.

  Instinctively, each of the females approached one of the ten Dwarves and took their places beside them.

  “I have fashioned a mate for each of you,” the Queen explained. “Twain you were; one you will become.”

  Number One beamed. “We, who serve at your pleasure, extend our thanks. Without your permission, we take our leave.” He and the Dwarves, male and female, turned to go.

  “What about us?” Tiny blurted, still holding the children.

  “Our bargain is complete,” Number One informed him. “We have brought you to this cavern. You have given us wives. We are done.”

  “So much for contracts,” Carl muttered wearily. “Next time, I want to read the fine print.”

  The Bat Queen smiled. “There are many ways to transport from one part of the Island to another. The Portals are but one only. Follow us.”

  She led them to the far left side of the cavern, another long walk. This time, the twins decided to walk. When they finally arrived at this new destination, a plain stone door had been cut into the wall.

  “Behold the Door to Everywhere,” the Queen announced. “Enter, and you will seek your destination.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  THE WALL OF CENTAURS

  We have all been in a lighted room when, for no reason at all, the lights suddenly go off, like because of a power interruption? It is really dark, huh? And, it can also be kind of scary at first.

  Also, when we first come inside on a really hot day into a really chilly room cooled by an air-conditioner is, sometimes, the abrupt drop in temperature can instantly cause goose pimples to appear on our skin. But it is so refreshing! We feel hot and sweaty, but then the instant cool air refreshes us, and we feel re-energized.

  On the dark side, such an abrupt change can be quite a shock. No one likes to be shocked. Some people grab at their chests for a reason: it goes back to the idea that shock can stop the heart. And, that cannot be good, right?

  Sudden changes, such as a sudden dropping or raising of temperature, or being plunged into darkness, or bathed in brilliant light: these changes happen too fast. The body and mind just do not like sudden changes. They like to adapt slowly and get used to the change.

  Likewise, when the Group passed through the doorway in the Dark City cavern and appeared on the far edge of the Great Wall’s roadway, the change was so abrupt, it took some time for each of them to adjust to their new surroundings. Except, maybe, for Prince Bot.

  The cavern had been shrouded in darkness. Now, the Group stood under a blazing sun. Few clouds filled the sky. The cavern had been fairly cool, albeit a bit stuffy. Under the bright sky, the Group felt very warm, although a fresh breeze tousled them gently every now and then. The cavern had felt confining, like a classroom or when you have to stay in your room for some reason. Now, they were outdoors, and with it came a feeling of absolute freedom.

  While our friends caught their breaths and took stock of their surroundings, they found themselves standing at the start of the Great Wall of Centaurs, which was actually both a wall and a road. When the twins described the wall, I am reminded a lot of the Great Wall of China. If you have never seen a picture of this man-made wonder, you might want to stop reading for a moment and check out the Internet. The Great Wall of China is like a long serpent undulating up and down hills and valleys, curving right and left as it tried to seal the ancient Chinese empire from northern invaders. The Great Wall of the Centaurs traveled from the western coast of the Islet to the Mountain of Power in a slightly curving line. The Chinese Wall is broad in some places, narrow in others. The Centaurs’ Wall was as broad as a four-lane super highway. Both walls were made of brick and stone. Other than that, there were no other similarities.

  The Great Wall of China was thought to keep out or regulated the entry of “bad guys.” Who the bad guys were was determined by the Chinese court. Unfortunately, this Chinese Wall did not stop invaders from finally conquering China hundreds of years ago.

  The Centaurs’ Wall did not protect from invaders, however. On either side of the wall were deep chasms. A chasm is more than just a deep, long hole in the Earth. Imagine you are a very tiny person standing on top of a layered cake. Someone has already cut a slice of the cake out. As you look down the empty space, you might feel vertigo, that dizzy feeling where you start to lose your sense of balance. When I visited the Grand Canyon, I wanted to run away. The floor of the Canyon was so far away. I felt like I was going to fall over the edge and fall down into it forever.

  No, the Centaurs’ Wall was a direct passage to the Mountain of Power. It had been designed to take visitors straight to the Lord of Power himself. Once you were on that wall and the road, there was no turning back. You could not go left, and you could not go right. Only one obstacle stood in the way: the Centaurs.

  There stood a hundred Centaurs, like statues, on the road, fifty to each side, in a long line stretching towards the gates set in the Mountain far away. Centaurs are supposed to be half-man and half-horse creatures. Their bodies were like horses. But where the neck should be, the chest of a huge muscular man appeared. Their heads and faces were huge, narrow, and long. Beards grew down from their pointed chins and rested on their hairy breasts. Long manes of hair fell down upon their hairy backs, too. If you could look into their eyes, they appeared angry. Their mouths were curled down in a sneer of disapproval. Even as statues, they exuded a feeling of fear among the Group.

  Not only were their visages fearful, but also the weapons they carried. In our mythology, Centaurs were thought to be fearsome warriors. Historians believe that the myth of Centaurs began when people first saw or fought with soldiers riding horses. For example, the Mongols fought from the backs of their horses, and they were really ferocious in battle. They probably added a lot to the idea that Centaurs are cruel and ruthless.

  As the Group cautiously walked past the first Centaurs, they noted that the color of the horse half was the same: a chestnut brown. The armor each human half wore was also the same: deep, dark red. Their weapons were the same: a long spear held in their right hands and a long sword sheathed at their sides.

  Since the first Centaurs did not move—not even their eyes—the Group began to lose their apprehension. They began to think that these giant (to them) creatures posed no threat, except, maybe, to cause the most timid of visitors to turn back from the Lord of Power’s castle.

  Alas, however, as soon as the Group had reached the middle of the two lines of Centaurs, the “statues” came alive. It was like the sound of continuous thunder as hooves beat the stone roadway. Karen screamed. Carl yelled. Tiny tried to grab the children to protect them. The Bunnies surrounded Cassandra and took up defensive stances. Uniqua lowered her horn. Only Prince Bot seemed to be unaffected.

  A hundred lances pointed in the Group’s direction, ready to pierce anyone who gave resistance. Behind each spear was a look of hatred. The Centaurs were ready to kill and felt no emotion about doing just that.

  “Who are you, and why do you dare to trespass on this Wall?” one of the Centaurs finally spoke.

  Uniqua slowly straightened her body and looked up at the speaker.

  “We seek an audience with the Lord of Power,” she answered. Her voice was controlled, but inside she was shaking. (Being surprised like this can do that. Inside our brains, we have a protective mechanism, which scientists call the “fight or flight” response. If we get scared, we either want to fight or run away. It takes real nerves and self-control to meet danger with a level head.)

  “Show us your pass!” the Centaur demanded.

  “We have none,” Uniqua responded.

  “Then, you have broken the Law!” the Centaur thundered triumphantly. “Didn’t you know that the penalty for breaking the Law is death?”

  “No,” Uniqua murmured quietly, “but—”

  “Ignorance of the Law is n
o excuse!” the Centaur cut her off. To his companions he ordered: “Bind them and take them to jail.”

  Now, you might think our brave Bunnies would start fighting at this point. I mean, they did fight all those Dwarfs in the F.O.B. But one must think of the situation before one thinks only of fighting. It is a question of valor here, not to mention timing. Oh, the Bunnies were not afraid of the Centaurs, even if they were huge adversaries. But the Bunnies knew that they could not protect everyone in the Group at the same time. With so many spears pointed at the Group, someone was going to get hurt—probably killed.

  So, the Group surrendered. While they still lived, there might be another way of getting out of this predicament without having to fight. And, if they did have to fight later, they might be able to fight from a better advantage. This is called “picking your battles,” meaning, know when to fight, where to fight, what to fight, and how to fight.

  Once again, our beloved Group members were prisoners. They were roughly bound with thick cords of leather. Gentleness and mercy apparently were not part of the Centaurs’ makeup. Then they were forced-marched to the end of the roadway. There they saw the huge metal gates, the color of steel, of the Lord of Power’s castle and a low, long building of stone just off to the right of the gates.

  “Well, we made it—finally,” Carl said under his breath.

  “To have come so far,” Karen lamented. “So far and so close. And yet, so far away.”

  “No talking!” a Centaur beside them demanded.

  Yes, they were “this close” to their final destination. One by one, each member was thrust into the low building. Their bonds were cut so they could move about easier within the building, but there was no place to go. And, it was pitch black inside. Once inside the building and the single door snapped shut and locked, there were no windows to look out or any lamps to cut through the darkness.

  Prince Bot again provided illumination. His diodes did not offer much, just a few candles’ worth of light. Dejected, the Group sat down on the stone floor and huddled together for comfort.