Jocelyn shook her head, as though coming out of a daze, and glared at Anne. “I’ll do no such thing. Lord Greystone has every right to impose whatever penalties he sees fit. And keep in mind, any rule breaking or bad behavior on your part will show on your final evaluation.”
Anne gasped. “We’re still being graded?”
Jocelyn raised an eyebrow. “You’re always being graded.”
Anne was taken aback by Jocelyn’s sudden change in demeanor. The bolt from the knight’s staff must have rattled her. This wasn’t like Jocelyn at all.
“As soon as the palace is secure, I’m sending you to the dungeons,” said Greystone. “Until then, you three will remain in the library under guard.” With a swish of his black cape, Lord Greystone turned and walked away. The committee members followed.
Jocelyn turned to go with them, but Anne grasped her hand. “Please, Jocelyn, you have to help us.”
Jocelyn pulled away. “My proper title is Professor Daisywheel, thank you very much. And you can help yourselves by doing as Lord Greystone says and staying out of trouble.” She walked away without another word. Anne was flabbergasted. How could so much have gone wrong in so short a time? Her trip to the capital was definitely not turning out as she had expected.
Hiro slumped against a nearby bookshelf. “I really need to think about switching academies.”
“What’s the actual quest?” asked Nana.
“What?” said Anne.
Nana nodded in Jeffery’s direction. “The quest riddle. It might at least help to know what exactly it is we’re dealing with.”
Jeffery saluted. “No problem.” He hopped onto the edge of a nearby bookshelf and sang out in a rather sorrowful tune:
Forge anew the blade of fifteen fingers,
Anoint it with a true heir’s final breath,
Kill not the queen of dragons on her throne,
But let wonder bring the harbinger of death.
Jeffery’s last note echoed mournfully throughout the library.
“‘The blade of…’ what?” said Anne. “‘Anoint it with an heir’s…’ what?”
“What’s a harbinger?” asked Penelope.
“It’s like a herald,” said Hiro.
“Who’s Harold?” asked Penelope.
“Not Harold. A herald.”
“You mean like any random guy named Harold?”
“No,” said Hiro. “I mean a herald as in a messenger.”
“Oh,” said Penelope, nodding. “So it’s ‘Let wonder bring the messenger of death’?”
“Exactly.”
“And the messenger’s name is Harold.”
Hiro placed a hand over his eyes and shook his head.
“Wait a minute,” said Anne. “It says not to kill the queen. What kind of Dragon Slayer quest tells you not to kill a dragon?”
“Technically, it only says not to kill her on her throne,” said Hiro. “That could just mean don’t kill her while she’s seated.”
“That would be very specific,” said Anne. “Maybe ‘on her throne’ simply means ‘during her reign.’”
“But if you don’t kill her during her reign, then she isn’t the queen anymore,” said Penelope.
“That is curious,” said Nana. “I’m also intrigued by the last line. There’s a saying among dragons: May the wonders of life carry you to its closing. It means, ‘May you live a long and enjoyable life.’”
“That makes even less sense,” said Penelope.
“Jeffery, how much time is there to complete the quest?” asked Anne. They had only been given four days to complete their first quest, and Anne had done so with only seconds to spare.
Jeffery cocked his head to one side. “Hmmm, that’s weird. There doesn’t seem to be any deadline.”
“An open-ended quest?” said Hiro. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that.”
“And what level is it?” asked Anne.
Jeffery paused again, as though he were listening to a distant voice that only he could hear. “As far as I can tell, Level One. And there are no consequences listed for not completing it, either.”
“Unless you count war with the dragons,” said Hiro. “Also, I’ve never heard of a Dragon Slayer quest that’s less than Level Eight.”
“Jeffery, are you sure?” asked Anne.
“Well, if there’s more information than that, this medallion isn’t saying,” said Jeffery. He hopped onto the gauntlet and gave the medallion a swift kick.
Anne examined the medallion again. “What does it all mean?”
“My best guess is that this quest was designed to allow the dragon queen to live out her life,” said Nana. “Basically, it’s a quest that kills her by means of natural causes.”
“Why would anyone need a quest for that?” said Anne.
“Because as long as the queen is the object of one quest, she can’t become the object of another. It effectively prevents any other Dragon Slayer quest from taking effect, thereby protecting her. It’s quite ingenious, really.”
“But then why does it mention a sword?” asked Penelope. “What’s the point of reforging a sword that isn’t needed?”
“It’s standard,” said Jeffery. “Every Dragon Slayer quest requires that a famous weapon be found or remade.”
“But that means the queen should be safe then, right?” said Anne. “All we need to do is tell her. She wouldn’t go to war over a quest like this, would she?”
“In theory, she shouldn’t,” Nana said. “Unless, of course, either your thief or the Copper Knights are the designated Official Antagonist. It’s the job of the antagonist to work against the hero of the quest, so if your task really is to keep the queen alive, theirs would be to make you fail.”
“Jeffery, who’s the Official Antagonist?”
Jeffery shook his head. “Sorry, the medallion isn’t saying anything anymore. It’s blocking me from accessing any of the specific quest information. All I get is an error message saying this quest has been classified. Probably because Dragon Slayer quests are illegal.”
A sense of foreboding swept over Anne. Here she was again, thrown into a quest not of her choosing, facing who knew what obstacles.
“What now?” asked Hiro.
Anne looked at the medallion. “Someone has to stop that thief and those Copper Knights.”
“So what do we do?” asked Penelope.
Anne fought the panic rising in her chest, knowing what had to be done but wishing more than anything there was someone else around who could do it. Finally, however, she steeled herself and accepted the inevitable.
“The only thing we can do,” she said with determination. “We go on the quest.”
THE ADVENTURER’S GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL ESCAPES OFFERS THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL TIPS:
4) If you’re trying to escape from a well-guarded facility, sometimes it helps to create a distraction. (Side note: Fire is distracting.)
5) If the well-guarded facility in question is already on high alert, you might require more unconventional means. Try using magick.
6) Tunnels are death traps. Consider yourself warned.
Flight from the Capital
Go on the quest?” exclaimed Hiro. “But we’d be breaking the lockdown. They might imprison us for life!”
Anne placed a hand on Hiro’s shoulder. “I won’t deny the risks, but if those knights are determined to kill the queen, then we don’t have a choice. Besides, it’s not like this is the first time we’ve done something dangerous.”
Hiro groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
Penelope rubbed her hands together. “I’m loving it already. So what now? Do we distract the guards? Make a run for it?”
“First, we need a plan,” said Anne. “Since no one else seems inclined to send a warning, that part is up to us. Nana, what’s the best way to gain an audience with the dragon queen?”
“Not be on a Dragon Slayer quest,” said Nana.
Anne crossed her arms. “I’m being serious.”
“A gift?”
“Traditionally, when humans want to meet with the dragon queen, they give her a famous weapon. The idea being that before approaching her, they must first weaken themselves in some way. In return, each member of the party can ask her one question, and she’ll give you a true answer.”
“She can answer any question?” asked Anne.
“Yes. Every dragon monarch possesses an ability called Sight of the Seer. It grants them the power to give an accurate answer to any question, but it only works once for each person.”
Anne’s first thoughts were to ask the queen about her origins, about the true meaning of Project A.N.V.I.L. Would she really get the chance?
“Where are we supposed to find a famous weapon?” asked Hiro. “It’s not like they’re just lying around.”
Anne shook herself out of her daydreaming. “The blade of fifteen fingers,” she said, recalling the first line of the quest riddle. “Jeffery said every Dragon Slayer quest had a famous weapon, right?”
“Fantastic,” said Penelope.
Nana nodded. “I expect that will suffice. Find that weapon, and not only do you have something to present to the queen, you prevent the thief and the Copper Knights from acquiring it and using it against her. You’d kill two birds with one stone.”
“I heard that,” said Jeffery.
“I intended for you to,” said Nana.
“Once we locate the weapon, can you take us to the queen?” asked Anne.
Nana shook her head. “As much as I’d like to help, I’m not permitted to participate in a Dragon Slayer quest, for what should be obvious reasons. In any case, it will be too risky for you to travel around in the open. Once you’ve figured out where to go, head down to the mines and take the western tunnel to the end of the line. There’s a dock. I’ll find Copperhelm and tell him to commandeer an airship and meet you there. I can at least do that much.”
“Are you sure he’ll be able to get one?” asked Anne.
Nana snorted. “At the rate he’s taking command of things, he probably has ten airships at his disposal by now.”
Anne wrapped her arms around Nana in a big hug. “Thanks for everything.”
Nana grunted. “Don’t start getting sentimental on me.”
Anne stepped back, and the dragon launched herself into the air and soared out through the circular hole in the wall. As Anne watched her fly off, some of the weight lifted from her chest. They were still in a pile of trouble, no question, but at least now they had a plan.
“So how exactly are we supposed to find out anything about this weapon?” said Penelope.
Anne gestured to the rows of bookshelves surrounding them.
Penelope blushed. “Oh, right.”
“I can help, too,” said Jeffery. “Just let me nibble on a few juicy volumes.” Jeffery absorbed the knowledge of any book he ate, and it was a constant battle to keep him from devouring anything with writing on it.
Anne shook a finger at him. “No sampling the royal library.”
“But they have so many!” said Jeffery. “They’re hardly going to miss one or two. Or ten. Or a thousand.” He batted his eyes.
“The first line of the riddle mentions the blade, so we should probably start there,” said Hiro. “The section on swords is directly above us.”
He led them up the spiral staircase to the third level and located the section in question. Hiro pulled two large books off the shelf, sat on the floor, and began leafing through both of them at the same time.
“How does he do that?” said Penelope, shaking her head.
Anne selected a book for herself and handed another one to Penelope. Anne’s happened to be mostly pictures, and she scanned the pages quickly. Halfway through the book, though, she noticed something troubling.
“I’m confused,” said Anne. “There’s a whole section here on blades that are fifteen fingers long.”
Penelope looked over Anne’s shoulder. “Blades are measured by fingers. Fifteen is pretty standard.”
Hiro looked up from his books. “How do you know that?”
“From my training with Captain Copperhelm,” said Penelope. “A blade of twelve to fifteen fingers is a typical length for short swords. A blade of thirty-five to forty-three fingers is standard for a long sword.”
Hiro looked back down at the books in front of him. “But if they’re that common, there’s no way of knowing which one the riddle is referring to.”
Anne flipped back to her book’s table of contents. “If swords are measured by fingers, then how come my book also has chapters on one-handed and two-handed swords?”
“That’s another way they can be classified, although it’s much less common,” said Penelope. “It’s a reference to the length of the hilt instead of the blade, but it basically amounts to the same thing. Five fingers would equal one hand.”
“So fifteen fingers would be three hands, correct?” said Anne.
Penelope laughed. “Sure, but there’s no such thing as a three-handed sword.”
“We won’t know unless we look,” said Anne.
They settled down to reading again, slowly making their way along the shelf. They read books on swords, books on sword making, and even books on sword swallowing. After several hours of searching, though, they came up empty-handed. They had gone through every book that even remotely had to do with swords, but none of them contained any information whatsoever about a three-handed weapon. It was now late afternoon, and Anne’s stomach growled.
Penelope stretched out on the floor. “I told you so,” she said. “Three-handed swords just aren’t a thing.”
Anne kept flipping pages in the book she was holding. “But it has to be. It’s our only clue.”
“Well, unless one of these books suddenly leaps off the shelf and miraculously opens to a page we missed about a three-handed sword, I’d say we’re out of luck.”
A big grin spread across Anne’s face. “You’re right. That’s exactly what we need.” She reached into the inner pocket of her cloak and brought out a thin red book with a gash in the middle of the cover that had been stitched together.
Penelope sat up. “You brought the guide?”
“I always carry it with me.”
Anne had discovered The Adventurer’s Guide in the Saint Lupin’s library. It was a magickal book that provided adventurers with clues to their quests at just the right time. Unfortunately, during their first quest, the guide had been pierced by a sword and damaged. Anne had tried her best to repair it, but she had not been entirely successful.
“Is it working?” asked Hiro.
Anne looked at the cover. It currently read: The Adventurous Guild for Cooked Broccoli.
“Um, I’m not quite sure.”
She gave the book a shake, and the title changed to The Adventurer’s Guide to Famous Weapons of the Hierarchy.
“That’s more like it.”
Anne flipped open to the first page. “Listen to this,” she said excitedly, and then read aloud: “The Three-Handed Sword of the Guardian is one of the most powerful artifacts left from the Old World. Forged by a bladesmith known as the Abbot of Swords, it is the only weapon capable of killing a dragon monarch.” Anne set the book down and beamed. “That has to be the weapon referred to in the riddle.”
“Does it say anything about where to find it?” asked Penelope.
Anne scanned the page. “No.”
“That’s not entirely true,” said Hiro. “It says the sword was forged by an abbot. That’s the title given to someone who’s the head of a monastery. If we can figure out which monastery, that would at least give us a place to start looking.”
Anne closed the guide and slipped it back into her pocket. “That’s enough to get us started. Captain Coppe
rhelm is probably at the dock by now, so we should head to the mines.”
They descended the stairs to the main floor and crept to the end of the aisle. They peeked around the corner toward the main entrance. Two guards were on duty.
“How are we supposed to get past them?” asked Hiro in a worried tone.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this,” said Penelope, and before either Anne or Hiro could stop her, she stepped out from the end of the aisle and walked over to the guards. Anne and Hiro followed.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” asked the first guard.
“We’re leaving,” said Penelope.
The guards looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“Says who?” said the second guard.
“Says Security Regulation 111 Subsection A. By my calculations, you’ve been standing here for over three hours. That means you’re required to take a three-hour break to match.”
Both guards suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
“We already had our break,” said the first guard. “A while ago.”
Penelope crossed her arms. “And you used your full allocation of time?”
The second guard hung her head. “No. We got bored of doing nothing and decided to come back on duty.”
Penelope shook her head. “Disgraceful. I never saw two more useful, non-inattentive guards in my whole life. Maybe someone should talk to your commanding officer about the proper misuse of your time.”
“Please,” said the first guard. “We promise. This is our first offense. I don’t know what came over us. Normally, I love to slack off and get paid for it. I once even won the Sleepy Soldier of the Month certificate.”
The other guard nodded vigorously.
Penelope stroked her chin. “Well, we might be willing to overlook your lapse of a lapse, just this once. But we’d need to see some pretty serious loafing about.”
The two guards looked relieved. “Oh, we’ll get right on it, miss. We can goof off right now. I have some dice in my pocket.”
“And we can walk out of here?” said Penelope.
The Adventurer's Guide to Dragons (and Why They Keep Biting Me) Page 5