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It was a short vine-covered walk to the entrance of the hedges surrounding the Pool of Ranboon.
The two entered the labyrinth. They checked left and right. They looked at each other and shrugged. They decided to try right.
It wasn’t a maze at all. It merely appeared that way from the entrance. A single hedge ran perpendicular to a double-rowed hedge which circled the pool.
Blocking the way to the pool were sets of statues. Each statue looked like moulded ceramic. The images looked like midgets forming a totem pole. Marlin counted three faces on each statue.
Corbon drew his sword.
“Do you think you’ll need that?”
“One never knows.”
They approached the nearest set of statues. Marlin reached out his hand to touch one of them.
The statue shimmered as if enveloped by a white light. A thin, tinny voice came from within it. “What is thy quest?”
“To seek the Holy Grail,” Marlin said without thinking. He laughed. Or at least he started to. All he caught, barely, was a puff of smoke from the statue and a silver streak flashing past his face. “What just happened here?”
Corbon was polishing his blade. “Take the question more seriously, would you? I almost missed one.” He indicated the metal tipped darts lying in halves at Marlin’s feet.
Marlin gaped at the projectiles. “Good thing you really like swords.”
Marlin reached out to touch the statue again. The scene before repeated itself. This time Marlin kept his mouth shut until he could formulate a better answer.
“What is thy quest?”
“I seek the Prism of Permanence.”
The statue disappeared. The three remaining statues hovered over to the pool.
Marlin and Corbon walked up to the pool. It was a large stone encased pool. The water looked like a whirlpool of dark colours.
“Now what?” asked Marlin.
“Maybe you have to touch another statue,” Corbon offered.
Marlin shrugged and touched another statue. It took on the white light effect. The tinny voice rasped, “Why do you seek the Prism of Permanence?”
“To give to King Avarice in return for the Harp of Harkening.”
The statue disappeared. The remaining two approached Marlin.
Marlin touched one of them. “Why do you require the Harp of Harkening?”
“To give to the Tree of Pondish in return for the Key of Obisk.”
The statue disappeared. The last statue started to glow on its own. “Why do you seek the Key of Obisk?”
“To give to the true King Gromwyn of Stadule Castle. An imposter currently rests on his throne.”
The statue didn’t disappear. “A noble quest indeed.”
The top half of the statue dissolved into thin air. It revealed a prism about a foot long.
Marlin gathered the prism and the two headed back to the clearing.
Marlin pulled out another couple of gems and used them to signal to Syngrine.
She flew down and scooped them up. “Did you get what you came for?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Where are my gems?”
“Take me back to your cave and I’ll give them to you.”
Syngrine flew back to her cave.
They met back where they had met originally. On his trip back through the cavern Marlin grabbed the bag of gems which he had secreted behind a pile of rocks. It had been a last minute stash because he had not expected to run into Syngrine so soon.
Syngrine was delighted with her new gems. “Where are you going now, little man whom I know nothing about?”
“You know, I was thinking you might be interested in this somehow. Ultimately I’m trying to get home. In the meantime I’m helping a king expose a false king. One who has assumed his identity. And as far as I can tell, no one around the castle has caught on. So this guy’s good.”
“Why would that interest me?”
“Because a false dragon fried Carast. Aren’t you curious as to where this dragon came from or where it is now? Or why it did what it did?”
“You think this imposter king and fake dragon are connected somehow?”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“Take the prism to King Avarice. Then return here and we’ll all go to Stadule.”
“Right,” he said as a marched out of the cave.
‘Wrong,’ he thought as he walked along the path he had taken up from the little room at the inlet. ‘How am I supposed to get back down without the ship?’
He reached the little room. The door was still swinging freely in the breeze.
He climbed back in and shut the door. The room began to move.
It knocked him out of the chair. Marlin quickly fastened the straps.
The landing was surprisingly smooth. Marlin figured it must have been some sort of water brakes which stopped the room.
The door opened.
Standing just outside the door were Athon, Kyra, and King Avarice.
“Welcome back. Did you get the prism?” The king wanted to know.
“Yes, here it is.” Marlin said holding it up.
“Great,” said the king as he snatched the prism from Marlin and tossed the harp into his lap. “Nice doing business with you.” He slammed the door shut again.
Marlin was about to bang on the door as he shouted, “What about my information?” The movement of the room knocked him into the seat.
“So much for reunions,” Marlin said to himself.
Marlin was a little more prepared for the trip this time.
He didn’t bounce around nearly as much as he had on his first voyage.
He staggered up the hill to Syngrine’s cave.
“Hi honey I’m home,” he bellowed as he entered the cave.
“Got the harp I see,” Syngrine observed.
“Yes, now I need to get to the Tree of Pondish.”
“Why go to the Tree, when the Tree can come to you?” Syngrine rhythmically pounded a paw on the floor of the cave. She repeated the pounding.
Suddenly the earth to the left of the group erupted. Up shot an enormous root.
“Hello Syngrine, Corbon, Marlin.” The voice of the Tree of Pondish was unmistakeable even though it sounded like a bad long distance connection.
“I have the harp,” Marlin stated as he held up the harp.
“Well done,” commented the Tree root. “Here is the Key of Obisk.” A tendril slithered forward to hand Marlin the key. Another branch relived him of the harp.
The root began to withdraw into the earth. “Wait,” Marlin cried out to it. “What do you think about what’s happening in Stadule?”
“What about Carast?” Corbon piped in.
“Oh?” asked the root. “Truly blazing sand in the desert.”
“Good thing the buildings are mainly of stone. Very little to actually burn. Nobody got hurt.” Corbon put forth while polishing his sword.
“But who was the dragon? And who told King Gromwyn to go there in secret? How did the imposter king know Gromwyn was leaving?” Marlin puzzled.
“Why did the imposter take over as king in the first place?” Corbon offered still polishing his sword.
“And here’s another thing: I had to get a prism for King Avarice in order to get the harp for you.” He said addressing the root. “In return for the prism, King Avarice told me he would give me the harp and help me figure out how to return to my world. The information thing hasn’t happened.”
“You made a deal with greed and, as usual, greed came out ahead.”
“Avarice said he’d help me.”
“And you believed him?” Corbon wanted to know.
“I had no reason not to believe him. They certainly have the level of technology necessary to know about interplanetary travel.”
“You might try making another bargain with King Avarice,” suggested the root. “Keep it to a simple trade this time.”
“How am I supposed t
o get back down to the city?”
“The capsule by the inlet. I’ll instruct the sea whips to take you down to the city,” informed the root.
“But what am I supposed to trade for the information?”
“Remember that Avarice likes to possess rare things. His greed extends far beyond gold and gems.”
“Wonderful. So now I have to find something rare.” Marlin tapped his foot while he cupped his chin in his hand. He looked thoughtful.
“Isn’t there already something you should be doing?” inquired the root.
“Holy smokes you’re right!” Marlin exclaimed leaping to his feet. “I have to get the key to Gromwyn.”
“I’ll take you to Stadule,” Syngrine said.
“I don’t have anything else to offer you,” Marlin told her.
“I’m curious about the imposters. Besides, when you’ve lived as long as I have, you look for amusement in every place you can.”
“Agreed,” said the root with a smile in its voice.
“Count me in,” added Corbon. He sheathed his sword. “I want to see the real Gromwyn so I can thank him for wanting to help Carast.”
“Farewell,” said the root as it retreated back into the earth.
“It will be nightfall soon. We should fly to Stadule once it is dark.” Syngrine informed the two men.
“Good idea,” agreed Corbon. “You should keep out of sight until we can find that other dragon.”
Marlins stomach grumbled rather loudly. He placed his hand over it. Looking down at it he said, “I agree with you.”
“It’s my place, let me play hostess.” Syngrine lumbered off into the far reaches of the cavern.
“Lovely,” observed Marlin. “We’ll get dragon snacks. At least I bet they’ll be a good portion. Ha!” He laughed.
Corbon was busy assembling the makings of a fire pit. “You could give me a hand with this you know.”
“Oh yeah. Sorry.” Marlin began picking up kindling. “I was wondering about Kyra and Athon. Two young siblings I met when I first arrived here.”
“The two from Niraba?”
“Yes, that’s them.”
“Last I heard they deserted their inn before the soldiers arrived for manoeuvres.”
“That they did. They eventually lead me to the sunken gold city. That’s where I left them.”
“Was it your choice to leave them?”
“No. Apparently it was theirs.”
“There you have it then.”
They finished building a small rock rimmed fire pit complete with wood ready for igniting. Corbon had even quickly carved a couple of posts. He hammered the posts into the sand on either side of the fire pit.
Syngrine came sauntering back from the rear of the cavern. She was carrying a nine foot long pole in her mouth.
She set the pole down on the posts by the fire pit. The pole was filled from end to end with rabbits.
Syngrine pulled back and let out a small flame to ignite the fire in the fire pit.
Corbon turned the spit.
It didn’t take long for the rabbits to roast. Soon they were all dining. The men each took one rabbit. Syngrine swallowed the rest like someone pulling the cherry off of their drink’s stir stick.
Darkness arrived and covered everything. A quarter moon was set high on the purple/black drapery of the star speckled sky.
When they had had their fill of rabbit Syngrine announced, "It's time to go to the Castle of Stadule.”