Boxed Set: Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood: [The 12 book 1st adventure + the series prequel]

by Robert Iannone

  She bent to pick up another boulder, but the suit’s power failed. She shrank back to her normal size and strength.

  “Sorry, Dazzle,” she said into thin air. “I hope that didn’t hurt you.”

  Dazzle of course couldn’t answer. But she did send a little jolt into Egg’s brain . . . just to let her sister know she was still there.

  In that moment, another boulder whizzed over Egg’s head and skidded away. It was way too close for comfort.

  Egg ran for cover behind a large outcropping, took off her backpack and pulled out a rope. She tied one end to a pillar of crystal then without stopping to think, ran right at the remaining monster and between its legs. She circled around the back foot twice before the big dumb thing could figure out what was going on. Then she ran back and tied the other end of the rope to the same crystal.

  She ran forward, jumped up and down to get the creatures attention (like she really needed to do that) and waited.

  The big, ugly thing took one step forward . . . and tripped on the rope.

  He crashed straight down . . . like a giant oak tree that had just been cut by a lumberjack.

  It hit with such force that the thing’s head popped off and rolled away.

  “Sorry,” Egg yelled at it. It wasn’t the monster’s fault that it was a monster. It was Mobius’. At least it wasn’t really alive . . . it was just a big rock after all.

  Egg ran through the cavern, found the little passage way and scampered inside. Downhill was much faster than uphill so she made it through in record time.

  And when she came out, she saw Zeke tying a rope around the coffin, which was now resting on the back of Storm.

  “It is good to see you, Egg of Earth. And you, Princess, are you well?”

  “Hi, Storm,” and Egg did something on impulse. She ran up to the ancient dragon and gave him a big hug. “Thank you for helping.”

  “You are most welcome. But I should thank you . . . for letting an old dragon help his dearest friend one more time. How is the Princess?”

  “She’s okay. But the suit’s totally out of power. I don’t think she can hear you.”

  “Oh,” said the dragon sadly. “Then we shall recharge your suit as quickly as we can.”

  “Storm . . . why do we have to do that? Why can’t we just fly to the Myst Tree and have him put Dazzle back in her body?”

  The old dragon gave that some thought. “Perhaps you are right. Let us take the Princess directly to the Tree. If for some reason he requires the suit to be re-charged, he will tell us.”

  So Zeke climbed up on the dragon’s back, gave his hand to Egg, and pulled her up. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This is too awesome. Let’s do it, Storm.”

  “You are a very animated young man,” said the dragon with real affection.

  And they took to the air, circled once around the Crystal Mountain . . . just like in the dream . . . and flew to Sighing Whorl.

  *****

  They found the fog shrouded valley that was home to the Myst Tree . . . but something was wrong. Very wrong. They circled high above, surveying the scene.

  “Oh my gosh.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s so dark and . . . and . . . you can’t see the Tree.”

  “I can see trees.”

  “No, dummy. Those are just ordinary trees. I’m talking about the Myst Tree. It’s usually right there on that hill . . . glowing. But now it’s gone.”

  “If Mobius has destroyed the Myst Tree . . . then all is lost.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The Tree is the only thing that can bring Dazzle back.”

  “And the Tree is a representative of the Old Ones. If Mobius can destroy it . . . he cannot be defeated.”

  “Who are the old ones?”

  “They are the alien race that created this planet.”

  “Far out.”

  “I will descend so we may get a closer look.”

  And as the dragon swooped lower, they all saw what the problem was . . .

  “What the heck are they?”

  Whatever they were . . . there were thousands and thousands of them flying around like a swarm of angry bees.

  “I have heard of these. They are mechanical sentries created by Mobius. He calls them Fl’eyes . . . short for Flying Eyes. Notice they have similar eyes as a Mo’beye.”

  “Are they dangerous?” asked Zeke.

  “Deadly.”

  “So what do we do now?” asked the boy. At first Egg liked when he said ‘we’. Now it was getting on her nerves. This was her Quest after all. So before Storm could answer, she did.

  “Storm, how do you recharge the suit?”

  “It is a complicated and lengthy process.”

  “How long?”

  “A week, perhaps as long as two or three.”

  “You mean I have to give you the suit for that long?”

  “Of course.”

  Egg didn’t like that idea one bit. Dazzle said she would be safe for as long as the suit was safe. To give it up . . . even to Storm . . . seemed wrong.

  “You may trust me, Egg. I would die before I let anything befall the Princess.”

  She knew that Dazzle trusted the dragon with her life. Heck, they were best friends and none of the Flying Girl stuff would have happened without his help.

  “Okay. But I can’t stay with you till it’s done. Can you take me to the Sisterhood? To Se’rene.”

  “As you wish. And what of you, my young friend?”

  “I guess I’m going with Egg.”

  “Only for a little while. Then I have to get you back home before your mom thinks you’ve been kidnapped.”

  “Rats. I forgot about that.”

  So Storm flew them to the Sisterhood and landed.

  *****

  Egg ran inside while Zeke unfastened the coffin. She didn’t see Bl’azzz or Soo’, so she ran up the stairs to the Princess’ room, rummaged in her clothes until she found something that would fit her and changed outfits.

  She ran back outside and handed the flying suit to Storm.

  “Come to me in one week. I will strive to have the suit ready by then.”

  “Thank you for everything,” and Egg gave him another big hug.

  “Thanks, man. You’re a cool dude.”

  “Ah, my young friend. It has been most enjoyable meeting you. Perhaps our paths will cross again.”

  “Dude, that would be like totally awesome.”

  “Storm, take care of yourself,” added Egg. She wasn’t sure why she had said it, but when she looked at the old dragon, she had gotten goose bumps.

  “I shall do my best.” But something in his voice said differently.

  *****

  They carried the casket into the castle and placed it gently on a table. Then Egg ran into the main room and yelled “Bl’azzz.”

  The dragon came hobbling in from a back room. “EGGGGGGGG” she squawked.

  Egg ran to her friend and threw her arms around her. “Oh my gosh, it’s so great to see you.”

  “Yeah . . . likewise. What are you doing here? What happened at the Crystal Mountain?”

  “I’ll tell you in a second. Where’s Soo’?”

  “Asleep. You want me to wake her?”

  “No. I’ll see her later.”

  “Hrmmmmmp.” Zeke cleared his throat.

  “Oh, sorry. Bl’azzz this is Zeke. Zeke this is Bl’azzz.”

  “Hey, nice to meet you.” Egg translated.

  “Likewise.” The dragon turned to Egg and said, “So, is he cute? You humans all look alike to us dragons.”

  “He’s okay.” Egg had more important things on her mind and didn’t want to talk about Zeke’s good looks (especially with him listening). “I gotta show you something.”

  She walked back to the table and Bl’azzz limped after her.

  “We did it.”

  “Oh my gosh.”

  “Is that li
ke the secret phrase you guys have?”

  The two girls just ignored him.

  “Egg . . . you’re amazing. You have to tell me everything that happened since I left.”

  “I will. But first I have to take Zeke home.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “Not long . . . maybe a couple of minutes. Zeke, take my hand.”

  The boy reached out and Egg touched the stone in her ring . . .

  . . . and they were back In Zeke’s backyard.

  “Thank you. You were great.”

  “That was totally awesome.” Then he remembered the communications crystal in his pocket. “I almost forgot . . . you’re going to need this.”

  She took it then reached up on tippy-toes and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Sweet.”

  “I gotta go.” She was about to press the ring then stopped. “Sorry that you’re going to forget all of this.”

  “Me, too. I’ve got one hour right?”

  “One hour. She blew him a kiss and disappeared.

  Zeke stared at the place where Egg had been standing, then turned and ran into the house, through the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.

  He turned on his computer and started typing as fast as he could.

  Mrs. Z heard the commotion and followed the sound to her son’s room.

  “I thought you were going to do something with Egg?”

  “I did.”

  “How . . . she only left the kitchen a few minutes ago.”

  Zeke looked up at his mother to make sure she wasn’t kidding. “Time warp,” he said.

  “Okay, if you say so. What are you typing?”

  “A story.”

  “Really? About what?”

  “About Flying Girl.”

  “Who?”

  “A girl that can fly and has dragons and sea serpents for friends and fights evil kings with humongous power.”

  “Oh . . . that flying girl.” She smiled at the back of her son, turned and walked out the room.

  Chapter 3 – Tree-Mendous Dreams

  Egg was back at the Sisterhood sitting on the edge of the pool watching Soo’. The serpent was swimming back and forth as if she had lost something and was determined to find it.

  Every once in a while, she would surface and Egg would try to talk to her. “Hi, Soo’, it’s me . . . Egg.”

  “It’s so sad. Why is everything so sad?” But she never waited for an answer . . . she would just dive under the water and continue to swim.

  “I know the answer to her question,” said Bl’azzz.

  “Yeah, me too . . . it’s seeing her like this.”

  Bl’azzz just nodded her agreement.

  “Let me tell you what happened to the others.”

  “Okay. Why don’t we go and sit by the fire?”

  “Let’s not. Maybe Soo’ knows we’re here and it helps her in some way.” It was wishful thinking but it made Egg feel a little better.

  “Sure,” said the F’yre Dragon. “You’re probably right.”

  So Egg gathered her thoughts and began to tell her tale . . .

  “Anyway, after you and Soo’ left, we finally made it out of the Swamp. There was a boat and we got in and began to sail into the AyBee Sea. Then the blue water turned red and rocks began to shoot up out of the water and a big ugly monster thing pushed our boat over to where AyBee was. He made us come into his cave to play some games, and then he wanted my flying suit because Mobius’ head popped out of nowhere and told him to take it. Then Dazzle said AyBee was really her father, but he said he wasn’t. Then he went to grab me but Aeri’elle jumped on him and began to scratch his eyes. So he yelled and squeezed her instead. We tried to help her but he said not to come any closer and that he really loved Dazzle because he really was her father and so we left. We saw Aeri’elle fly away. We thought she was okay but she flew home. In a way that was lucky for her because there was a hole in the ocean and we all fell into it.”

  “Okay, okay, okay,” interrupted Bl’azzz before her friend could continue. “I know you’re upset, but you gotta do a better job of telling the story. Like . . . take a breath every couple of minutes.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “It’s okay, really. But let me ask a couple of questions.”

  “Sure.”

  “AyBee is Dazzle’s father. He’s really King M’earth?”

  “Yes. And you know what . . . J’azzz-min is her mother.”

  “NO WAY. That awful thing was Queen Kat’Alynnia?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Boy, Mobius has got some kind of weird sense of humor.”

  “More like a horrible mean streak.”

  “Hope the Princess didn’t take offense about all the nasty things I said to her mom.”

  “Don’t be silly. In fact . . .,” Egg remembered the hat and ran to her backpack and pulled it out. “This is for you.”

  “What’cha got there?”

  “Don’t you recognize it?”

  Bl’azzz’s eyes lit up. “Not the hat?”

  “Yup . . . the hat. Dazzle made her mom give it up . . . just for you.”

  She walked over and put it on Bl’azzz’s head. The dragon found a mirror and proceeded to admire her new look.

  “I gotta say, it looks a lot better on me that on that stupid cat.” Then she remembered who she was talking about and quickly added, “Oops, sorry.”

  “Dazzle can’t hear you.”

  “Hey . . . of course she can’t hear me. I guess Storm has your flying suit?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s that outfit you’re wearing? It doesn’t fit very well.”

  “I found it in Dazzle’s room.” She hadn’t really noticed what she had put on until now. “I had to put on my Flying Girl belt 'cause it’s a little too big.”

  “Oh my gosh.”

  “What?”

  “I think that’s the outfit Dazzle wore when Z’kkk proposed to her . . . on her sixteenth birthday. Well, except she had a sword.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “When you were sleeping off the effects of the sand serpent, the Princess told us the story. She tried to show us a picture of the outfit but it was really blurry. I’m sure it looked wonderful on the Princess. On you, it looks like baggy pajamas.”

  “Gee thanks,” she answered pretending to be offended . . . until she giggled.

  “When do you get the suit back . . . and the Princess?”

  “A week, maybe two. Will you be able to fly me there?”

  Bl’azzz hesitated only a split-second before she said, “Absolutely. Now, calm down and tell me about the rest . . . especially about K’ssss.”

  And so over the next hour, Egg told her friend the rest of the tale, finishing with the trip to the Myst Tree . . .

  “. . . but the valley was covered with a swarm of Fl’eyes. At least that’s what Storm called them. He said they were deadly. Then he flew me here and took the suit to be recharged. And that’s all of it.”

  “Wow. Somebody should write a book about this.”

  “Who would believe it?”

  “Yeah, good point. So what do we do now? Just wait for the suit?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll have a dream . . .”

  “Can you really understand them? Usually it takes an expert to tell what they really mean.”

  “Sometimes I can. The stuff with the Crystal Mountain and Zeke and the snowmen seemed pretty obvious. But usually I need Dazzle to explain them to me.”

  “Wish I could help. But I’m not that smart.”

  “It’s not about being smart; it’s just a matter of learning how.”

  Bl’azzz smiled at her considerate sister. “I’m really glad to see you. I just wish we could do something for Soo’ . . . and the others.”

  “I know. If only what was could be again.”

  “What did you say?”

  “If only what was could be again.”

  “What does that mean?”
<
br />   “Well, the Tree told me . . .,” then she stopped, lost in thought. “OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH” she screamed.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Bl’azzz in alarm.

  “I had a dream about the Myst Tree. He said those words . . . or something like it. I completely forgot.”

  “But what does it mean?”

  “I’m not one hundred percent certain, but I think he was telling me that if we succeed at the Quest, everything will go back to the way it was before.”

  “Before what?”

  “I think before Mobius messed everything up.”

  “What does that have to do with our Sisters?”

  “I think he was telling me that they . . . and you . . . would be back like you were before the bad stuff happened.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know?”

  They both stopped talking to consider the idea.

  “You have to go to sleep . . . right now.”

  “What?”

  “Egg, go to sleep and dream. We have to know what the Tree was talking about.”

  “You know I don’t always dream.”

  “Well . . . just do it. Lie in bed and keep repeating Myst Tree, Myst Tree, Myst Tree, Myst Tree, Myst Tree, M . . .”

  “Okay, already. I get the idea.”

  “Then stop talking to me, brush your teeth and go to bed.”

  “Aw, Mom, do I have to?” Egg teased.

  “If you don’t, I’ll take away your pet dragon,” said Bl’azzz in the pretend voice of a very serious mother.

  “Not my dragon,” Egg moaned. Then she hugged her sister, yelled goodnight to Soo’ and raced up stairs. She had a date with a Tree . . . she hoped.

  *****

  “Mr. Tree, hey Mr. Tree, I have to talk to you.”

  “Egg of Earth, what do you wish of me?”

  “I came to visit you so you could put Dazzle’s spirit back in her body, but there were those nasty Fl’eyes everywhere.”

  “Surely a few flying pests could not keep you from achieving whatever it is you set your mind to.”

  “But Storm said they were deadly.”

  “You have faced worse dangers in the seven lands.”