The Shrine of Avooblis
Page 27
While Earl, Lita, Elloriana practiced intensely for their assessments, Dagdron spent his time in his tree, tossing his dagger in the air and counting down the days until he could return to Cliffmount. He wasn’t the only one thinking about the end of the year, either. Other students began talking about returning home for the summer and gathering their possessions together. Up until then, Dagdron had planned on leaving all the stolen warrior items underneath Earl’s bed, but his roommate brought up the point that they didn’t need any more trouble than they had already been in. Dagdron, though not worried about himself, didn’t want Earl to be accused of anything else, so he agreed to take care of the issue.
One night, when the other adventurers on the second floor had gone to sleep, Dagdron clanked one of Earl’s chests to the middle of the room. Earl woke up, watching bleary eyed as Dagdron piled the possessions from under the bed into the trunk. Earl got up to help and, once the chest was crammed with all the objects, the two boys carried it to the front yard of the academy, and spread the stolen goods on the lawn for the owners to claim at their leisure.
With that taken care of, Dagdron had no other worries and spent all his time lounging in his tree. Earl, Lita, and Elloriana continued their concentrated studies in the back yard. Dagdron hadn’t been to visit his dad again, but his father showed up outside the back of the academy fence one afternoon. Dagdron was planning to stay in the tree, but Earl, filled with a warrior’s adrenaline from practicing so much, scaled the tree with surprising ease and forced Dagdron down.
Earl, keeping an eye on Dagdron, resumed his battle with Lita. Elloriana glanced up but quickly returned to her studies.
“I’m sorry about everything,” Dugan said as soon as Dagdron reached the fence. He kept his eyes locked on his son, waiting for some acknowledgement, but none came. “I miss you in Cliffmount, you know.”
“You’re the one who forced me to come to the academy,” Dagdron said, steeling his expression.
“I lived life wondering when the enchanters were going to show up. I worried every night if you would be left on your own and how you would provide for yourself. I want you to have the academy so that you can take care of yourself no matter what happens.”
“Why didn’t you give the headmaster the arch thirteen years ago?” Dagdron said, raising his voice slightly. “We could’ve been done with the arches.”
“Maybe I should’ve, but back then I saw a chance to give you a future and... I didn’t want to give up the arch crystal because it was my one remaining connection to your mother, even if I couldn’t release her.”
Dagdron met his dad’s gaze, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to go to Broodavia to see if I can find out anything about the new city or secret supporter. I’ll go back to Cliffmount after, and we can spend the summer together.”
Dagdron nodded, and his dad stuck a hand through the fence, squeezing his son’s shoulder. Dagdron watched as his dad put his hood on and left.
Right as Dagdron was about to head back to the tree, a rustling sounded in a bush outside the fence and to the left. Wendahl, in his vibrant magenta robe, jumped out, lifted his hoe in the air, and shot magenta beams into the air.
“I almost scared a rogue,” Wendahl said, applauding himself.
Earl and Lita took a break from fighting and Elloriana from reading, to join Dagdron at the fence. They all noticed the green slime dripping down Wendahl’s cheek.
“I wanted to say goodbye before I headed off,” Wendahl said.
“What is on your cheek?” Elloriana said.
“Gretta tried to kiss me,” Wendahl explained.
“She found you?” Earl said, his mouth dropping open.
“No, I stopped by to apologize to her. I dodged her kiss, so she threw slime at me and then kicked me out of her yard. I thought she would try to chase me, but she didn’t. She seemed mighty anxious to get back in her house. Who knows what she’s doing in there now?”
Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita all stared with disgusted expressions at the goo on Wendahl’s face.
“I’m off, but I wanted to invite you to Coastdale this summer if you get a chance. You didn’t get to properly experience the small village charm last summer,” Wendahl said. “Bring your dagger.” He winked at Dagdron, and then a magenta mist burst from his hoe, disguising the enchanter so he could make his grand getaway. When the mist cleared, Wendahl was already on the side of the academy, heading in the direction of Bodaburg.
Dagdron turned back to the tree, but Earl called him to wait.
“We still haven’t officially tallied our quest from Mazannanan.”
“Fulfilling evil quests counts?” Dagdron said.
“It was not evil,” Earl said, carefully choosing his words. “We allowed him to fulfill his last wish and create the third Arch of Avooblis. He was banished back into his arch, so nothing evil came out of it.”
Dagdron shrugged and used his dagger to record his fourth quest on the trunk. Earl tallied his third, and Lita and Elloriana their second, the enchantress flaming the mark into the bark.
“I really am sorry about your mom,” Earl said, Elloriana and Lita nodding their sympathy.
“It’s not my mom,” Dagdron said. “It’s my dad’s wife.”
“What do you mean?” Elloriana said. “We saw you in Coastdale with your mom and dad. She’s the woman who was in the right arch in the shrine.”
“I don’t remember her,” Dagdron said. “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a mom and never want one. But my dad’s going to try to free his wife from the Arches of Avooblis.”
“He said that?” Earl said incredulously.
“Yes,” Dagdron said.
“He did not,” Elloriana said.
“Stop eavesdropping, wench,” Dagdron said.
“Let me know what he finds out in Broodavia,” Elloriana said.
“He’s not going to Broodavia, wench.”
“I heard what he was saying.”
“Dagdron, why is your dad going to Broodavia?” Earl asked. “And why did Wendahl wink at you after he invited us to Coastdale?”
“I don’t care who said what or what Wendahl was winking at. I’m done with those stupid Arches of Avooblis, and I’m done with any richies in Broodavia who want to build a new castle for themselves.” With that, Dagdron put on his hood and climbed the tree, shielding himself in the leaves.
Dagdron heard Elloriana scoff as she sat down to resume her studies, and heard the clank of Earl and Lita’s sword fighting begin again, but he just threw his dagger up in the air, getting ready to catch it by the blade when it came back down and remembering the black billowy hand that had pulled his dad’s wife into one of the Arches of Avooblis.
* * *
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: A Not-so-Welcome to Cliffmount
Chapter 2: Jinxy’s Bauble Emporium
Chapter 3: Central Crossing
Chapter 4: Wendahl
Chapter 5: The Solloughbys
Chapter 6: Seeds of Betrayal
Chapter 7: The Unexpected Adventurer
Chapter 8: The Quest Tree
Chapter 9: Hidden Impressions
Chapter 10: The Shrine of Avooblis
Chapter 11: Mandrake Root Powder
Chapter 12: Before the Academy
Chapter 13: Spumasaur Spittle
Chapter 14: Ignoble News
Chapter 15: Spore Sport
Chapter 16: Fetching Performance
Chapter 17: Trial of Nobility
Chapter 18: Cross-over Classes
Chapter 19: Cave Hoard
Chapter 20: Fuzzfiest Fur
Chapter 21: Thaw Transaction
Chapter 22: Moogrout Challenge
Chapter 23: Clingy Claws
Chapter 24: The Mixing
Chapter 25: Wispy Race
Chapter 26: Coincidence in Coastdale
Chapter 27: Dagdron’s Dad’s Wife