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The men met Syngrine outside the cave as they had before. As before Syngrine snatched them up in her claws and carried them across the countryside to the Castle of Stadule.
Syngrine dropped them off in a little clearing one hundred yards away from the castle walls.
Marlin made his way to the wall-coloured tarp. He and Corbon passed silently into the castle.
They made their way down the back alleys to the little brown door the sibling had taken Marlin to before.
Marlin imitated Athon’s rhythmic wrapping on the door.
“Moccachino,” came the voice again from behind the door.
Leaning into the door, Marlin said, “Marlin.”
The door opened and Gromwyn peered out. “Where are the children?”
“Home.”
“But the island...” Gromwyn began.
“They were saved by their technology.”
“Astonishing!” Gromwyn exclaimed. “Can they then help you get back to your home?”
“Probably. But I need something I can trade with King Avarice in exchange for that help.”
“Avarice lives. I had no idea.” Gromwyn was lost in thought for a moment.
“This is Corbon from Carast. He’s a man who enjoys swords.”
“Corbon the Carver?”
“That’s me, sire.”
“You wouldn’t believe what I had to do to get this key.” Marlin handed the Key of Obisk over to Gromwyn.
“Ah, marvellous.” Gromwyn was delighted. “Follow me.”
Gromwyn closed the door behind him and lead the two men down another narrow passageway. They wound up in a dead end.
Gromwyn examined the wall on the right side of the dead end. “It should be here,” he said. “Six feet high and three feet wide.”
He began to kick at the wall.
“What should be there?” Corbon asked.
“A door. It’s covered over with loose rock and cement.”
“Stand back a moment.” Corbon wielded his blade.
A few quick movements of Corbon’s hands had the debris falling away from the door.
“You are good,” Gromwyn commented.
Corbon laughed. “Here’s another little trick.” He flipped the sword over, grabbing the dull edge of the blade where it met the hilt, and shot the hilt out swiftly so that it hit the key hole. It knocked out a pile of rubble. Then he quickly flipped the handle back into his palm.
Gromwyn inserted the key. The lock was stiff but eventually gave way.
Gromwyn pulled at the door. The other two joined in to help. They managed to get the door open just far enough for them to squeeze through.
They entered a dimly lit passageway.
“This way we can avoid the guards. This will take us to the king’s inner chambers. I shall confront the imposter there.”
They followed the passageway until it connected to a large chamber. They entered the room from behind a large vase filled with ferns.
Lying on the bed was Gromwyn’s twin. He was reading a book.
“It is time for you to leave,” the real Gromwyn commanded.
The one on the bed closed his booked and gave a side long glance to the one who had addressed him.
He flung his legs over the side of the bed and got up. “I was wondering how long it would take you to get here.”
“I am here now. And now you must go.”
“I don’t think so. Remember the dragon that laid waste to Carast?”
“What about it?”
The fake Gromwyn emitted an evil laugh. “It just so happens that I’m him, too.” His shape began to change as he grew ever larger. His body formed scales and sprouted wings and a tail. In an instant he had transformed into the spitting image of Syngrine.
He towered over the men. “Fools. I am Zin-Garr, multidimensional super star.” His voice had changed. He no longer sounded like Gromwyn. “And you aren’t ready for my fame. So here comes my flame.” He let forth a burst of fire from his nostrils.
The men dodged the flames.
Zin-Garr smashed one of the chamber’s windows with his tail. A small branch poked its way into the chamber.
The men hid in various spots around the chamber.
“You cannot hide from me,” the dragon Zin-Garr threatened.
None of them noticed the increasing number of branches coming in through the broken window. Nor did they see the harp borne on those branches.
Zin-Garr smashed some furniture. He burned a few things.
Suddenly he stopped and listened. There was a strange melody playing.
In a flash the dragon was gone. Instead there was a man with short grey hair, dressed in black leather, seated on the throne. He adjusted his sunglasses as he rested his studded boots on an arm of the throne.
“It’s a good thing for you I like music,” he stated.
He jerked a hand toward the branch holding the harp. It shredded into pieces; dropping the harp. Tiny blades could be seen gleaming in the wall beyond where the branch had been.
Zin-Garr got up from the throne and went over to scoop up the harp.
Corbon, baring his sword, blocked Zin-Garr’s path.
“Do you really think you can stop me with that?” Zin-Garr mocked him.
“I figured it was worth a shot,” Corbon replied with a smile.
“You are either highly skilled or just plain cocky.”
“Why don’t you find out?”
Zin-Garr shot flame from his mouth. Corbon dodged.
Corbon thrust at Zin-Garr’s chest. Zin-Garr spun out of the way.
“Luck or skill,” Zin-Garr taunted him. “I still can’t decide.”
Zin-Garr jerked a hand in Corbon’s direction.
With unrivalled speed Corbon’s blade buzzed through Zin-Garr’s projectiles.
Zin-Garr’s jaw dropped. “Skill” was all he managed to get out before Marlin’s fist smashed him into unconsciousness.
Gromwyn quickly called the guards. He made a mental note to ask them why they hadn’t come running when all the commotion was going on.
Corbon and Marlin searched the room and came back with ropes to bind Zin-Garr.
“He’s a dragon,” said Corbon as he bound Zin-Garr’s knees.
“I had noticed that,” Marlin flipped back at him.
“We’re going to need help to keep him locked up.”
“Yes,” Gromwyn joined in. “Perhaps Syngrine would like to meet Zin-Garr.”
“Up close and personal, yes sir,” Marlin added.
Gromwyn addressed the branches. “Will you relay a message to Syngrine?”
The branches replied, “I already have. She’s on her way.”
The guards finally arrived. Gromwyn told them to inform the soldiers and the other guards that no action was to be taken against Syngrine. Then he had them carry Zin-Garr to the castle courtyard.
They all stood in the stillness of the courtyard. A breeze stirred the dust on the cobblestones. A gently beating of wings softly intruded upon their hearing.
Then there was the sound of heels clicking across the cobblestones. A striking redhead came waltzing out of the shadows at the far end of the courtyard.
Her green eyes flared through the darkness and pierced Marlin’s heart.
“Wowwowwow,” he sputtered. “She’s hot.”
Gromwyn snickered, “You don’t know how hot she is.”
Corbon grinned and snickered.
“So that’s the imposter?” she asked in a smouldering, smoky voice.
“Hey wait a minute,” Marlin clued in. “You’re Syngrine!”
“What was your first clue?” Syngrine asked. She flashed her green eyes at Marlin and snorted a little flame.
“Yes, this is the imposter.” Gromwyn said to Syngrine. “He played the parts of you and me.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know yet. But we do know that we cannot keep a dragon here. We won’t be able to stop him if he assumes his dragon
form.”
“So you want me to keep an eye on him. Is that the drill?”
“In a nutshell, yes.”
“Fine. Can do. I want some answers, too.”
Marlin wanted some answers of his own from Syngrine. “If you can transform into a human, why haven’t you done it before?”
“I have. Lots of times. This is just the first time you’ve seen it.”
“Oh. This guy,” he nudged Zin-Garr with his foot, “mentioned something about ‘multidimensional’. Can you travel between different dimensions?”
“Some dragons can. I don’t know if I can or not. I never really thought about it.”
“Because if you can, you’re my ticket home.”
“I hate to disappoint you but I don’t have the first clue about dimension travel. Maybe leather boy here will be able to help.”
“Where are you going to take Zin-Garr?” asked Corbon.
“A little island south west of here.”
“But if he knows dimension travel, and you don’t, how are you going to stop him from escaping?”
“You are presuming that he can travel at will and needs no outside mechanisms,” Gromwyn pointed out.
“Ah, good point,” Marlin conceded.
“Guess you’ll never know,” came a voice from the ground.
Zin-Garr snapped his bonds. He leapt to his feet. “How dare you?!” He spat at them.
“Pipe down, bub,” Syngrine chided him.
“I am Zin-Garr, multidimensional superstar. You should all be begging me to pick up a guitar and play.”
“Get over yourself,” Corbon advised him.
“You shall all die for your mockery.” He threw his shoulders back. Then he lurched his head forward and spewed flames at the group.
Syngrine saw it coming. She blocked the flames with her own.
Zin-Garr was grabbing a deep breath when Corbon used the same trick on Zin-Garr’s stomach that he had used on the keyhole. Zip went the sword. Thud went the hilt into Zin-Garr’s gut. Zin-Garr doubled over and got hit in the head with the hilt as Corbon flipped it back into his hand.
Syngrine got behind Zin-Garr and grabbed his arms. She bent them behind his back.
“You can’t hold on to me forever,” he hissed at her.
“Long enough,” she said giving him a squeeze.
“We need to find some way of containing him,” Gromwyn mused.
“If I had the proper equipment I could probably rig up something that would keep him in place,” Marlin offered.
“What would you need?” asked Gromwyn.
“Things, I’m willing to bet, that I’ll only find in the sunken gold city.”
“You mentioned that you’ve been there before. Can you get back there?”
“I need to get back to the inlet by Syngrine’s cave. The Tree of Pondish said it would help me.”
“Here,” said Syngrine. “You guys hold onto him for a second.” She released Zin-Garr into the hands of the men. Three men struggling on each arm managed to hold him.
While the men were preoccupied Syngrine turned into her dragon form. She grasped Zin-Garr in one of her claws.
“Who’s coming?” she asked.
“I have to go.” Marlin stated. “But I still don’t have anything to trade with King Avarice.”
“Avarice likes rare things,” Gromwyn thought out loud. “Dragons are fairly rare around here.”
“And even rarer at the bottom of the sea,” Corbon chimed in.
“Oh I get it,” Marlin nodded. “Avarice lends me the equipment I need to build a container for Zin-Garr. In exchange Avarice gets to keep Zin-Garr.”
“Right,” said Gromwyn. “Avarice gets a dragon under water and we get rid of an annoying prisoner.”
“What about me?” screamed Zin-Garr. “Don’t I get a say in this?”
“You tried to kill people and take over the castle. No, you don’t get a say.” Syngrine squeezed Zin-Garr.
Zin-Garr gasped. “Listen,” he said. “I’m used to being on display. Performing is my life. If you’re going to add me to someone’s collection you should at least get the most out of me.”
“What are you talking about?” Marlin asked him.
“I owe a lot of money,” Zin-Garr confided. “It isn’t safe for me to do gigs in my own dimension.”
“Gigs? So, you really are a musician?”
“The greatest.”
“A dragon musician. Have I seen everything? I think not.”
“If I had my gear I could prove it to you.”
“So you figured you’d just split to this dimension?”
“Yes. Then I found out that there was already a dragon here. It was the perfect ploy to get the king out of town on a secret mission. Then I could take his place; build my wealth so that I could afford to do whatever I wished.”
“You didn’t hurt anyone in Carast, you know.”
“I thought I burned it to the ground.”
“Nope. You inconvenienced the people a bit , but that’s about all.” Corbon let him know.
“But the village was made of tents!”
“The roofs are painted that way to help reflect the sun. All the buildings are stone. You burned a few awnings.” Corbon informed him.
“Really? Well, it was awfully dark that night. Hard to see anything, really.” Zin-Garr fiddled with his shades.
“Corbon, will you accompany me to the sunken city of gold?”
“I’d love to see that place.”
“Good. King Gromwyn, until we meet again. Syngrine if you’d do your stuff, please.”
Syngrine grasped Marlin and Corbon in her other claw and took off.
“Tell me about dimension travel,” Marlin shouted at Zin-Garr.
“That’s for me to know,” Zin-Garr shouted back.
“Well,” continued Marlin. “You must not be able to do it whenever you want or else you’d have escaped by now.”
“He needs a device. Part of it is on his belt.” It was Syngrine talking. “But the device only opens a doorway between this dimension and his. That’s all he knows.”
Marlin and Zin-Garr were dumbfounded.
Corbon laughed. “Did I forget to tell you? Syngrine is telepathic. Just like you can change your shape. She can read minds.”
“So I know exactly what you were thinking when you saw me walking across the castle courtyard,” Syngrine informed Marlin. Marlin turned a deep crimson.
They landed at the inlet.
Corbon snatched the device from Zin-Garr’s belt before Syngrine took off again.
The two made their way around the inlet to the capsule.
“Here’s hoping the Tree is paying attention,” Marlin wondered.
Roots shot out from the embankment. “I am,” they said.
Corbon checked out the size of the capsule. “That’s going to be a tight fit.”
“Think thin and get in,” urged the roots.