The Shrine of Avooblis

by Charles Streams

  “Possibly. Headmaster Gwauldron will probably support us against Mercer, but if he’s forced to take sides between Lordavia and Broodavia, I don’t think he’ll get involved.”

  “Let’s think about it while we’re searching for a lanziria spore,” Dagdron said.

  “We will tomorrow, Dagdron. I promise,” Earl said. “I’m exhausted. I need one more night to recover from this nightmare.”

  Another night of thrashing wasn’t going to make Earl any less tired, Dagdron thought when he lay down on the floor of their bedroom later that night. Earl was already in bed, humming a dreary tune. Shortly after, Earl’s tossing and turning resonated as his bed shook and he hit the wall.

  “We’ll take your roses with us to the muck pit, Mom,” Earl mumbled.

  Before he could hear more dialogue from Earl’s nightmare, Dagdron darted out of the room, putting on his cloak as he escaped to his tree. The autumn night chilled him, but he found a spot in the branches where he could scrunch up his body to stay warm. Dagdron, to test his night vision, observed the darkness around him, picking out the shapes of rocks and plants on the mountainside behind the academy. In spite of how often he felt being at the academy was a waste of time, Dagdron thought the silent rogue teacher’s lessons had increased his rogue skills, particularly his ability to dodge daggers and to see and maneuver in the darkness.

  Dagdron was distracted from his night vision practice by a magenta light. He watched as Wendahl, swinging his glowing hoe above his head, paraded up the mountainside. Dagdron jumped out of the tree and climbed the black fence surrounding the academy. Staying at a discreet distance, Dagdron snuck stealthily behind the enchanter.

  Tracking the path turned out to be simple. The magical hoe led the way in an obvious manner. The surprise was that Dagdron soon realized Wendahl was headed to the cave his father had stayed in the previous winter. His dad must have showed up again, Dagdron assumed. Once he saw the magenta light disappear, Dagdron crept to the mouth of the cave. He listened quietly, recognizing his father’s voice along with the sound of the crackling fire.

  “What are you doing here?” Dugan asked.

  “I hadn’t seen you for years so, when I noticed that you’d moved into this cave, I came for a visit,” Wendahl replied.

  “Why’d you come to Bodaburg?”

  “Retirement was getting a little too boring, and Coastdale farmers were getting a little too suspicious.”

  “How did he end up in Coastdale?”

  “It was the headmaster’s doing. He gave him the book and anonymously left the note about the arches with the magic shop owner here in Bodaburg. Dagdron showed it to me.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Just the basics.”

  “You shouldn’t have told him anything.”

  “What? You want the headmaster or Rance to talk to him? They both showed up in Coastdale this summer, just so you know. Gwydion felt out the locals, but Rance was a little more aggressive.”

  “I only wanted him to have the life of his choosing. That’s why I took him to Cliffmount. I didn’t want him involved in all of this.”

  “You probably should stop talking about it then,” Wendahl said dramatically. “Your son followed me up here and is listening to us.”

  Dagdron, seeing no use in hiding further, walked into the cave. Wendahl had one arm extended as if he had cast a spell to make Dagdron appear. Dugan stood and smiled as his son approached the fire. He put his arm around Dagdron, giving him a one arm hug, but Dagdron didn’t reciprocate any affection.

  “Phew,” Wendahl said, placing his left hand over his chest. “For a second I didn’t think you had followed me. I know you rogues move silently, but I didn’t hear you at all. I saw you in the back of the academy before I headed up the mountain, so I tried to lure you with my trusty hoe.”

  “Dagdron—” Dugan began, but Dagdron cut him off.

  “I don’t need you or anyone else to tell me about the Arches of Avooblis. I need to talk to you about something else.”

  “Okay,” Dugan said, looking toward the fire.

  “Is Jinxy alive?” Dagdron asked.

  Dugan nodded his head. “He was distraught over his baubles, but the commotion attracted more attention, and Rance, Kas, and Wally fled before they could injure either of us seriously.”

  Dagdron was silent for a few minutes, and then he glanced at Wendahl. “Is he on our side?”

  “He is.” Dugan gave a short nod.

  Wendahl twirled his hoe, letting off magenta-colored sparks. Dagdron quickly looked back at his father, and the enchanter looked somewhat disappointed.

  “Earl’s in trouble,” Dagdron said. He explained everything to his father about the messages from Lordavia and how Mercer was working with the Solloughbys to get the Valorington’s nobility revoked. “We thought the headmaster would take care of Mercer, but if the Fortigroffs get involved, I don’t know if he will take sides. And Elloriana is such a big richy wench that she won’t help.”

  “I’ll try to sneak into Mercer’s house,” Dugan said. “Maybe I can get the forged note back.”

  “Can you get past the concealment?”

  “What’s that?” Wendahl said. “A concealment? I like the sound of that.”

  “Yes, Mercer’s house looks like a shack,” Dagdron explained.

  “We’ll take care of it,” Dugan said. “You work with Earl on his explanations. Help him keep them short, so he doesn’t ramble.”

  “Why don’t Lordavia and Broodavia get along?” Dagdron asked next.

  Dugan looked toward Wendahl and the enchanter answered.

  “The two cities have their differences, and the Loftloomburgs and Fortigroffs have often been at odds,” he said.

  “What differences?”

  “Broodavia tends to need Lordavia more,” Wendahl explained. “Lordavia’s ground is much more fertile and tropical, while Broodavia’s rocky terrain doesn’t allow for as many fruits and vegetables to grow. Lordavia uses stone from Broodavia to build and repair walls and buildings, as well as gems from the Broodavian mines for riches and decorations, but, for the most part, Lordavia is self-sufficient. You don’t have to rebuild often. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind more of the gems, but those don’t get used up as quickly as food.”

  “Could Broodavia be planning to conquer Lordavia?”

  “Broodavia couldn’t overpower them easily, and the other cities and villages would combine against any attacker. Your headmaster might have his faults, but he would use his sway to stop any war.”

  “Why?” Dugan asked, noticing Dagdron was going to let the subject drop.

  “Byron has been acting strange. Elloriana’s trying to track him, but we don’t have any real information.”

  “What do you mean?” Wendahl asked.

  “Byron stole seeds from Lordavia this summer. He meets with the mayor. He’s been following me and Earl.”

  “Perhaps I’ll keep an eye on him as well,” Wendahl said.

  “I better get back to the academy,” Dagdron said. “Earl will freak out if he sees that I’m gone.”

  Dugan lunged forward, giving his son a pat on the back before Dagdron left the cave without another word.

  Earl calmed down when Dagdron shared the conversation he had had with his dad and Wendahl. Dagdron, still not completely sure what to make of Wendahl, didn’t want to get Earl’s hopes up too much, but told him that he thought the enchanter and his father could get into Mercer’s house.

  Regardless of how many threatening glares or insults Dagdron gave her, Elloriana was mum on the subject, set in her stance that the good of Lordavia was more important than anything else, even protecting Earl. In an effort to take the focus off of the situation, she had speedily researched the lanziria plants.

  “They’re big plants,” Elloriana told Dagdron, Earl, and Lita. “They’re rare because they grow on stone instead of soil. The spores are so powerful that they burn natural ground and then are unable to get the nut
rients. On stone, the spore can burrow in to create a firm hold for the roots.”

  “Any idea where we can find them?” Earl asked.

  “As a matter of fact, yes,” Elloriana said, proud of herself. “I told Enchantress Higgins that my parents were interested in exploring the plant life around Bodaburg. She gave me a list of safe places, and told me to stay away from one area, where particularly dangerous plants grow. I bet that’s where we’ll find the lanzirias.”

  “Great job, Princess,” Earl said.

  “We’ll see when we get there, wench,” Dagdron said.

  Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita headed toward Bodaburg, turning left when they reached the village wall, heading down the slope and past the old training grounds. Arriving at the general area Enchanter Higgins had shown Elloriana was easy, but they had to wander around until they found the exact location.

  A natural formation of gray rock rose up in a forest clearing they found. Six or seven lanziria plants had claimed territory on outcroppings where the original spores had burrowed in. The bases of the plants were strong green fronds, clutching to the stone beneath. The bodies of the plants were red bulbs, resting on the fronds, rounded at the base. Each side of the top hung outward, creating a mouth in the middle.

  “I’ll get the spore,” Earl said, drawing his sword. “I need some adventure to cheer me up.”

  Lita nodded with approval as Elloriana took out a book. Dagdron just watched.

  Earl approached briskly, his sword in his right hand. He placed his left hand on an outcropping to lift himself up where he would be at the height of one of the lanziria flowers. As soon he was on his feet, the nearest flower bent toward him and shot a vegetation tongue at him, knocking him back to the ground. Before Earl had time to react, each of the flowers shot out their tongues, clamoring to grab the victim. One wrapped around Earl’s feet, while two more clutched an arm, and a fourth around his head, just as Earl let out a cry for help.

  Lita and Dagdron rushed forward in an instant. The lady warrior hacked ferociously at the plant tongues, while Dagdron used his dagger to free Earl’s face. The lanziria flowers retracted their runners under the attack. Dagdron pulled the severed vegetation tongues off Earl, as the young warrior gasped for breath. Lita grabbed Earl’s arm and rushed him away from the rock face with Dagdron right behind.

  “Um,” Elloriana said. “The book suggests waiting until after dark when the lanzirias are in a mellower state. During the day they shoot out their tongues aggressively. That’s how they collect nutrients”

  “Thanks a lot, wench,” Dagdron said. He moved away from the other three, finding a place to sit down.

  “I’m sorry,” Elloriana said. “We’ve all been under a lot of stress lately, so I was rushed in finding out the location. I didn’t read every detail about the plants, but it also says to be careful because, if you break one of the spores, it emits a vapor that can put you into a coma.”

  Dagdron didn’t reply as he busied himself throwing his dagger in the air and catching it.

  “Thanks for saving me, guys,” Earl said, stretching his arms happily. “I rushed in a little too fast, but it was still amazing.”

  “We’re going to miss dinner,” Dagdron said.

  “You don’t go to dinner half the time,” Elloriana said.

  “Earl brings me food.”

  “You say he’s my slave, but he’s really yours!”

  “No, I’ve never asked him to bring me food.”

  Elloriana scoffed and went to the other side of the clearing to read more about magical plants.

  Dagdron went back to playing with his dagger, and Earl and Lita took out their swords, taking turns hammering down on each other’s weapons, seeing if they would withstand the blows.

  Every once in a while, the lanzirias shot their runners out, groping the ground to search for food. One bird dove through the clearing, and all the flowers attacked. The bird made a valiant swoop, but ended up being pulled back into one of the plants in a whoosh of feathers.

  When darkness crept in, Elloriana rejoined Earl and Lita, observing the plants to see if they were mellowing out. But the surprise came from behind them. Dagdron, who was still sitting on the ground, in no rush to be attacked by flowers, was suddenly bathed in blue light. The rogue nimbly jumped to his feet, pulling out the blue sphere. Once it was cupped in his hands, the orb shined a pathway, leading out of the clearing.

  “Dagdron, what’s going on?” Earl asked.

  Dagdron didn’t reply and followed the blue trail. The others, confused, tailed him into the forest. The orb directed them where no path traveled, and they were forced to squeeze between trees and scrape through bushes. Dagdron pushed through without a noise, but Earl and Lita chopped the bushes with their swords, and Elloriana, annoyed each time she was snagged, scoffed breathily.

  Still a short distance ahead of the others, Dagdron identified the destination when he saw blue twinkles up ahead. He tucked the orb back in his pocket and turned around to hush the others. He got there just in time to stop Earl from hacking a branch that was blocking their way.

  “Go under it,” Dagdron said quietly.

  “It’s too low,” Earl said.

  “Then go over it.”

  “Don’t you think I would’ve done that if I thought that would be easy?” Earl sheathed his sword, put both hands on the branch, and heaved himself over. His boots clipped the branch and, if Dagdron hadn’t been there to catch him, he would have fallen on his face.

  Lita used the same method, but Elloriana finally just dropped to her knees and crawled under the branch. Dagdron motioned for them to keep quiet again, and led them toward the blue lights in the distance.

  They huddled behind a group of trees with a view toward the clearing, where Headmaster Gwauldron was standing with his arms outstretched. The two Arches of Avooblis in his possession were on the ground facing each other, sparkling brightly in the night and illuminating the face and white hair of the headmaster, who was chanting unintelligibly.

  “Oh my goodness,” Earl said. “The headmaster again.”

  “What’s he doing?” Elloriana asked.

  “He’s trying to locate the third arch crystal,” Earl said.

  “How do you know?” Elloriana said.

  “Because we’ve been paying attention to other things besides Byron,” Dagdron said.

  As Dagdron considered sneaking forward for an even better view, three rings of light flew into the clearing. Headmaster Gwauldron, stopping his chanting, stooped down to cover the arches. The three fetch spells hit his shoulder, but had no effect on him. The headmaster stood back to his full height, the arch crystals now nowhere in sight. Rance, Kas, and Wally entered the clearing, casting spells at the headmaster. In spite of being three against one, the headmaster had no trouble holding his ground. He ducked and dodged each of the flame, blast-bolt, and lightning spells the other three enchanters cast at him, while retaliating with his own variety of orange, blue, green, and purple spells. While Kas and Wally each had to wait for their magic to recharge, Rance and the headmaster’s spells came without hesitation. Headmaster Gwauldron was still able to overpower the three enchanters, and they retreated from the clearing. The headmaster, seeing them disappear amongst the trees, strode out of the clearing and into the forest in the opposite direction.

  “Wow,” Earl said.

  “I know,” Elloriana said. “That was incredible.”

  “What?” Dagdron said.

  “Didn’t you notice how fast Headmaster Gwauldron was casting his spells?” Earl asked.

  “Of course,” Dagdron said. “Who cares?”

  “Please tell me you know more about magic than that,” Elloriana said. “The most powerful enchanters need very little time to recharge. As we saw, Headmaster Gwauldron didn’t need recharge time. Rance was pretty quick too, but those other two creeps had to wait in between spells.”

  “Maybe Rance, Kas, and Wally are just slow,” Dagdron said. “The headmaste
r didn’t look that fast to me.”

  “Are you kidding?” Earl said.

  “He is,” Elloriana said.

  “Stop joking, Dagdron. That was amazing,” Earl said. “I bet we’re the first students of the Adventurers’ Academy to see the headmaster cast spells full out like that.”

  “I have to be able to cast spells like that someday,” Elloriana said.

  Dagdron, tired of the praise-the-headmaster session, left the others behind, returning to the lanziria clearing. Earl, Lita, and Elloriana followed noisily, still discussing the display of magic they had just witnessed.

  Dagdron’s three companions were amazed again when they saw the plants. The flowers were now glowing, giving their bodies a light red transparent look. Red sparkling balls were flying in between the flowers as they tossed their spores to one another.

  Dagdron, ready get back to the academy, hurried forward to catch one of the spores. Earl and Lita, not wanting Dagdron to have all the fun, followed on his heels. Dagdron climbed up the rock face, steadying himself on an outcropping where he could judge the speed and intervals of the spores. Earl and Lita couldn’t find a better place to go up, so they joined Dagdron on his ledge, crowding him against the wall.

  As Dagdron looked for a different shelf to jump to, Earl and Lita elbowed each other as they fought for position to catch one of the spores. Seeing no better location, Dagdron huddled against the wall, watching his companions. Earl lunged out his arm, popping one of the spores in the air. The seed dropped into his hands, but Earl bobbled it before securing it.

  “Earl, give me the spore,” Dagdron said.

  As Earl turned to comply, a mighty yell filled the clearing and startled him. He bobbled the spore again as Kemp sprinted into the clearing, knocking Elloriana to the ground. He paused in the dim pink light from the flowers, scowling at Dagdron and Earl. His arms dangled at his side, a spear in each hand. He boomed another war cry before rushing toward the rock face.

  Earl was still trying to get the seed under control and accidentally hit it away from the wall. Seeing no other option, Dagdron jumped after the spore, stretching his arms out. The spore was just out of his reach and he bumped it farther away from him. As he landed, somersaulting on the ground to soften his fall, he saw Elloriana extend her hand and cast a fetch spell. The glowing circle grabbed the seed inches before it hit the ground, and returned it to the enchantress.