"Will I be in any danger in the cave?" Alana said.
"No. You are the guest of Lady Moon. She's the ruler of the mountain until Lord Moon comes home with my parents. But that might not be for a while."
"I'm not scared of anything," Alana said. She reached over and put her hand around Star's left wing and said, "I have you to protect me."
"And I have you to protect me," he said with a smile. "Come on, let's go inside."
Chapter 4: The Quest for Fafnir's Horn
Alana followed Star through a series of tunnels that wound down through the mountain, taking them deeper and deeper beneath the entrance of the cave. Each path zig-zagged in different directions and passed dozens of other tunnels and Star constantly changed direction, passing by three in a row just to pick one and turn left, pick another, then turn right, then walk a long distance and turn back. It was so confusing she wondered if he really knew where he was going. "Where do all those other tunnels lead?" Alana said.
"Nowhere," Star shrugged. "They were built in case any humans ever tried to find us. Unless you know the exact path, you'll be lost forever."
"Lost…forever?" Alana whispered. She felt cool air blowing against her face from all the dark entrances they passed, and shuddered.
Star put his wing gently against her arm to guide her and said, "I won't let you out of my sight, don't worry. You'll always be within my reach."
Alana nodded and thanked him and from then on made sure that she could feel him, especially as it was quickly growing too dark for her to see anything. She had never been in such complete darkness before, and soon, she could not even see her hand when she held it up in front of her face. Star led her down a long path that seemed to circle around itself, taking them down what seemed like a very steep spiral staircase.
"Watch your step," Star said.
The wind was blowing harder now, and Alana reached out to put her hand against one of the walls but felt nothing. There was no wall. "Where are we?" she whispered.
"Keep a good hold on my wing," Star said. "I won't let you fall."
"Fall?" Alana said nervously. "Fall on what? What is this?"
"I guess a human's eyes aren't able to see as well as a dragon's," Star whispered. "That's probably for the best."
Alana felt the stairs getting smaller and more slippery under her feet as loose stones and dirt seemed to be spilling over the sides of the steps but not hitting anything below. It was getting harder to walk and she had both of her arms wrapped around Star's wing, trying to keep her balance. "This is a lot easier when you can just fly down," Star grunted.
She could finally make out some sort of light far below and realized it was a large fire at the bottom of what must be an enormous cavern. The fire was unlike anything she'd ever seen, for the flames were bright blue.
Alana looked up and realized they had not been coming down a spiral staircase at all. Instead, it was a large stalactite dangling from the roof of the cavern that someone had carved a narrow series of steps into. They had now come to the last step at the pointed tip of the stalactite and were dangling dangerously over the cavern. Alana looked down and swallowed and said, "Now what?"
Star wrapped his wing around her and said, "Now's the easy part. We just have to jump."
"What?" Alana said. "Are you crazy?"
"Climb on!" Star shouted. "We can't stay here much longer!"
Alana clutched him around the neck with both hands and swung her legs up onto his back, holding onto him with all her might just as Star's feet began to slide. The path gave way beneath them and then they were tumbling through the air, falling fast. Wind whistled in Alana's ears and she gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes as she squeezed Star, doing everything she could to not scream because she knew he would not let anything happen to her.
Star's wings shot out into the air and they slowed down, turning in circles like a hawk gliding over a field as they lowered and Alana finally opened her eyes once more and breathed.
There were hundreds of tiny dragons surrounding the blue fire and all of them were looking up at them. Even Lady Moon was there, but her imperial eyes were focused strictly on Alana.
Star's wings fluttered softly as they landed and he bent down so Alana could slide off of his back. Her legs shook as she stood in front of the fire. She sighed with relief, glad to be back on the ground.
"Come, humanling," Lady Moon said. "Come and sit by the sacred fire of Sky Dragon Mountain that burns so long as one of us remains here to protect it."
All of the dragons that could fit formed a ring around the fire and the others stood clustered in bunches behind them. Star and Alana were brought to the front where they could see Lady Moon and she could see them. When Lady Moon looked out over the group, silencing all present, her large eyes sparkled with the fire's unusual light. "This sacred tale is known to dragonkind all over the world," she said. "There are many variations of it, but this is how it was told to me by the Royal Empress of the Fifth Sea, and I will take her word over any other dragon alive."
All of the dragons stared up at Lady Moon as she spoke and Alana found herself inching forward too, trying to get closer to better hear her every word.
"In ancient times, when dragons still breathed fire, there lived a hero named Fafnir," Lady Moon continued. "Fafnir was a Snow Dragon in the land of Vulsung, during a time when dragons and men still knew one another, but were smart enough to keep their distance. Fafnir had made peace with the kingdoms around him, agreeing never to bother their villages so long as the men swore an oath to never disturb the dragon or his treasure. For you see, Fafnir had looked long and hard into the future and seen a vision of a time when humans would gain great and terrible weapons. Weapons that could destroy all of the world and both humankind and dragonkind alike." Lady Moon looked down gravely, making sure they were all paying attention.
"In those days," she said, "dwarf hammers still rang deep in the mines and the elves' magic still echoed throughout the forests. On occasion, one of these races would accidentally craft a weapon or talisman of unusual power. Fafnir made it his duty to take these items and hide them in his lair, keeping them out of harm's way for fear that someone might use them for wickedness. Fafnir, in his wisdom, had buried all of these objects under heavy piles of gold coins, knowing that any human who found such treasure would never bother looking any further. But one day, a greedy human thief decided to kill the dragon and steal Fafnir's gold for himself."
Some of the dragons sitting around Alana gasped in fright at the story's dark turn, and Alana herself felt slightly upset, feeling somehow guilty for the actions of the human thief and worried that some of the dragons might hold her responsible.
Lady Moon continued, "This thief crept up on noble Fafnir as he lowered his head to drink from a cool stream, and struck the dragon with an enchanted sword. The thief watched the dragon fall and left him there to die, only so that he could raid Fafnir's treasure and steal a few pockets worth of useless gold."
"Humans," one of the tiny dragons sitting behind Alana muttered angrily, but Star turned around and glared at him with such warning that not another word was spoken by that dragon or any others.
"It's all right," Alana whispered. "That was a terrible thing for the thief to do."
"But you would never do that," Star grumbled.
"That is the story as it is always told," Lady Moon said. "In caves all across the world, in every language spoken, from parent to child, and so on. It is such a famous story, it is said that even the humans tell their own versions of it. Of course, in their tale the dragon is the evil-doer and the thief is a hero, if you can imagine such a thing."
The dragons around her laughed bitterly and Lady Moon smiled, but then her eyes narrowed and she suddenly grew serious again. "Except that is not the end of the story. Not quite. What the thief did not know was that Fafnir was not dead. He was merely wounded and though he knew his end was at hand, he still had strength enough to force himself into the air and fly back to his cave. The thief w
as long gone, but the dragon's plan had worked perfectly. A large amount of gold had been taken, but that was it. Nothing of any importance had been discovered. So, with the last ounce of his strength, Fafnir dug deep into the ground to find his most sacred possession. A magical item of such amazing ability that it was too dangerous to risk ever falling into the wrong hands."
"What was it?" some of the young dragons whispered, even as Alana said the same thing.
Lady Moon waved her claw over the flames and they magically responded, twisting and turning as they rose into the air, beginning to take shape. They spun and flipped and formed into something that looked like a long, curved horn. Like something someone would use to blow into and make a loud noise, Alana thought. Lady Moon looked up at the image of the horn and announced, "The Horn of Fafnir! It is said that in the hour of greatest need, when all of existence is threatened, the horn will be sounded and the Last Black Dragon will be summoned forth. Only then will we be able to defeat the Evil One."
"The Evil One?" someone next to Alana said, but was instantly shushed.
"Fafnir knew that without this horn, there was no hope for the future," Lady Moon said. The flaming horn spun around again and popped, leaving behind a sparkling dust that fell back into the fire. Lady Moon said, "So, in order to save us all, the brave Fafnir summoned all of his last remaining strength and flew far away to hide the horn from anyone who might want to steal it."
"He hid it?" one of the dragons whispered. "Where is it now?"
"Where did he put it?" someone else said.
Lady Moon's eyes grew sad as she closed them and said, "That is the question all dragonkind has pondered for many centuries. That is the reason your parents and my dear husband have left us here, to go in search of Fafnir's Horn. For, you see, many of the oldest, wisest dragons feel certain that the time of darkness is now upon us, and the Evil One is coming."
None of the dragons moved or spoke as Lady Moon got up and slowly walked away from the fire. Alana saw that many of the tiny dragons had their heads down, including Star. She knew that he must be thinking of his parents, proud that they were doing something so important, but secretly wishing someone else could do it for them and they would be home instead. She knew this because it was the same way she felt about her father, every day.
She put her hand on Star's head and stroked his smooth, warm skin. "Are you okay?" she said.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I knew bits and pieces of the story before, but never heard it all at once like that. I always wondered why they both had to leave. I guess I know now."
"Humanling," Lady Moon called out from beyond the fire, looking over her shoulder at Alana.
"Yes, ma'am?" Alana said.
"Come here," the dragon said, and as Alana and Star both got up, Lady Moon said, "Come alone."
Star stopped walking just past the fire, keeping back far enough to be respectful of Lady Moon's order, but close enough to see Alana and let her know he was nearby. Lady Moon lowered herself to the ground and crossed her arms as she looked down at Alana, her back and neck very straight and tall, looking very much like a proper lady should. Alana stood up straight as well, doing all of the things her mother had ever told her. She even grabbed the sides of her pants and bent her knees slightly in a small curtsy and said, "Yes, Lady Moon?"
"What did you think of the tale of Fafnir and our search for his Horn?"
Alana thought about the question for a moment and then said, "Well, to be honest, I thought that the dragons should ask the humans to help them look. We might not be able to fly or breathe fire or see as well as you can in the dark, but we can do a lot of other stuff. We could help."
Lady Moon smiled softly and said, "Poor, innocent child. Do you know what the wisest of the wise dragons say?"
"No, Lady Moon," Alana said. "What do they say?"
"They say that humans are the Evil Ones, and the Horn must be found to save all of existence from all of you." Lady Moon turned her head and walked away then, leaving Alana standing by the fire, dumbstruck. Tears filled Alana's eyes, like someone had accused her of something she hadn't done, or blamed her for something she had no control over. She felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment and she tried wiping them with her palms, but it was useless. Luckily, Star came up beside her and pulled her close to his side with his wing, hugging her tight.
"Don't listen to that stuff, it's not true," he said. "Come on, I'll take you home."
Chapter 5: Captured!
The moment James finished his homework he went to look for his sister, except she wasn't in the playroom, or the living room, or the bathroom, even. He walked halfway up the stairs to the second floor and shouted, "Mom, have you seen Alana? I can't find her."
Mrs. O'Neil poked her head out of her bedroom and said, "Did you look outside."
"Not yet," he said. "I'm going to go hang out with her."
"I'll be making dinner in a few hours, so try not to get too dirty," Mrs. O'Neil said.
But James was already racing back down the steps. He went through the kitchen and stopped at the sight of Mister Six, crouched in front of the sliding glass doors and staring outside with great interest.
"Dumb cat," James muttered. He tried looking through the glass pane for his sister but she was not on the trampoline or the sliding board or even running through the field behind the shed. They weren't supposed to go into the woods by themselves, but James had done it many times looking for frogs or rabbits or perfectly-sized sticks. He opened the door and Mister Six shot through his legs at full-speed, taking off after some bird or rabbit other small creature he had seen and decided to chase. Nobody ever worried about the cat when he vanished into the forest. Cats enjoyed being by themselves more than anything, whether they were hunting in the woods or prowling around the house in the middle of the night. It was only on rare occasions that they decided they wanted to be petted, and then there was little you could do to keep them away.
"Alana?" James called out. "Where are you?"
There was no response. He went down the steps, scratching his head as he looked up and down for any sign of his little sister. He snapped his fingers and grinned suddenly. He knew exactly where she was. She was hiding behind the shed, waiting to scare him.
James crept along the far edge of the yard, moving silently past the swing set. It was hard work to get through the bushes on that side, but Alana would never suspect him coming up behind her. Her scream of surprise would be epic.
Something dark flashed in the distance and he saw it was Mister Six racing like a shot into the forest. He ignored it and wrapped his fingers around the corner of the shed and braced himself, getting ready to spring and yell as loud as he could to wring every last ounce of surprise out of his sister that he could manage. On one, he said to himself, two…
"Ahhhh-Chooooo!" someone's sneeze echoed from within the woods, not too far away from their back yard.
"Be quiet, you imbecile!" Prospero cried. "The dragon and the girl might be hiding nearby! He has to bring her back here sometime."
Herman said, "Duh, something's making me sneeze, boss…ah, ah."
"Don't do it."
"Ah-Choooooooo!"
James peeked behind the shed and saw that Alana was not there. He bent as low as he could in the tall grass and snuck across the field toward the first large tree he saw. He could make out both of the men now, crouched down behind the bushes and they were staring at the back of his house. What had they said? James wondered. Something about a little girl, that much was certain. And something else too, but he must have heard them wrong.
James tiptoed across the soft dirt quickly, trying to get even closer to the men. To him, the sorcerer looked like he was wearing some sort of dirty robe, and the smaller, doughnut-shaped man was dressed in the worst clothes James had ever seen. They looked as if someone had cut a potato sack apart and turned it into an ugly, ill-fitting shirt and pants. Herman even had a frayed rope tied around his massive gut to keep the loose pants from falli
ng to his ankles. Herman began sniffling again and clenched his eyes shut, concentrating furiously to keep from unleashing another sneeze, and Prospero grumbled, "By the Four Winds, if you make another sound, I will turn you into a screech owl!"
"Okay, boss, I understand, no more sneezes− Aaaaah-Chooo!" Herman wiped his dripping nose and smeared it across his shirt and said, "There must be a cat nearby."
James looked around and saw the slinky form of Mister Six not too far away from where the two men were hiding, but the cat was not chasing any bird or stalking any mouse. Instead, it was bent in a low crouch, staring at the two men, watching their every move.
"Honestly, Herman. The dragon will not come within a thousand feet of this blasted place with all your sniffling and wheezing," the sorcerer said. "Once I have that little dragon in my clutches, I'll turn him into enough ingredients to create a hundred potions of transformation and use half of them on you!"
"I'm sorry, boss. Don't change me into anything."
"As long as you don't mess up anything else, however unlikely that is, I will consider it. Once the dragon returns, you will throw the net at him without delay, do you understand?"
"Yes, boss. Anything you say."
James could not believe his ears. Surely they were playing some sort of make-believe game, but if so, it was the most convincing pretending James had ever seen. The fat one certainly seemed scared of the older one, and the older one certainly seemed like he was serious about waiting for a dragon. And even if they were just playing a game, why were they sneaking around his back yard, James wondered? And hadn't they mentioned something about a little girl? A little girl he felt quite sure was Alana, whom he could not presently find?
James decided the best thing to do was to confront the men directly and, at the very least, find out what they knew about his sister. If they ran off, he thought he could probably catch the fat one. James was almost as tall as him, even if he was not nearly as wide and even if he had no idea what he'd do with the fat one once he caught him.
Tiny Dragons 1: The Sky Dragons Page 3