The Howl of Avooblis Read online

  Dagdron didn’t reply. He climbed up on a nearby rough rock and watched as Elloriana approached the box. She placed her hands an inch above it and cast a trigger spell in order to remove Mazannanan’s protection. The box glowed blue, so Elloriana cast an open spell. As soon as the spell hit the box, the lid flew open, sending out a blast of blue light. Dagdron watched as Elloriana was flung backward, crashing into Earl and Lita. The enchantress screamed and groaned as she fell to the ground. Earl lost his balance and joined her, but Lita held her ground and helped the other two get back up.

  In the meantime, Dagdron had jumped from his rock and rushed to the box, where the lid was waiting open. He snatched out the rolled-up scroll and pocketed it.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Dagdron said.

  “You’re welcome,” Elloriana said.

  “Quiet, wench,” Dagdron said.

  They exited the cave at a much quicker pace than they had entered. Darkness had fallen, but Egon, scanning the mountainside, was still at his post.

  “Any sign of the Backer?” Earl asked.

  Egon shook his head. “What did you face?” he asked. “I heard the racket and felt the trembles.”

  “An earth elemental,” Earl said excitedly, and Lita nodded in vigorous agreement.

  A look of amazement crossed Egon’s face, and Earl launched into a descriptive telling of their battle.

  “Old Gwidy sure has one concept right,” Egon said, nodding with approval about how the young adventurers had handled the rock monster. “The combined power of warriors, magic users, and rogues is what keeps darkness and evil at bay. And that’s what the Adventurers’ Academy truly stands for.”

  Egon motioned to the others, and they began the descent of the mountain. Earl, still full of emotion, kept rehashing details of the encounter with the earth elemental. Each time, Egon repeated his approval of how they had handled the creature, and Earl and Lita beamed.

  The old warrior left them on the final slope before the academy. He gave a solid handshake to Earl and Lita, followed by a dainty shake with Elloriana. He nodded to Dagdron but didn’t bother extending his hand.

  “You know where I’m staying,” Egon said. “Watch out for the Backer, and let me know if you find any trace of him.”

  Still covered with sweat and dirt from their battle, Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita entered through the back door of the academy, hoping to slip up to their bedrooms without being noticed. The entrance hall was quiet—until Byron, Landon, and Gordon stepped from behind the statues of the enchanter, rogue, and warrior in the middle of the chamber.

  “Where have you been?” Byron said accusatorily, leading Landon and Gordon across the hall.

  “We’ve been training like real adventurers should,” Elloriana said before Earl could say anything or Dagdron could pull out his dagger.

  “You’re all filthy. You would bring shame on the Adventurer’s Academy if anyone saw you,” Byron said, smirking. “Not that anyone would believe you’re really adventurers anyway.”

  “Not everyone comes to the academy just to have their family name recognized,” Elloriana said. “Some of us want to help the land.”

  “You’re one to talk,” Byron said. “Where did you go to train exactly?”

  “None of your concern,” Elloriana said.

  “Perhaps the headmaster will be interested to know what you’ve been up to,” Byron said, scowling at the enchantress.

  “I think I would be.” Headmaster Gwauldron walked slowly from the boys’ tower entrance to the statues. “I’ll handle it from here. Byron, Landon, and Gordon, please return to your chambers.”

  Byron gave one last smirk before heading off with Landon and Gordon on his tail.

  “Did you find the Backer?” Headmaster Gwauldron asked when the three warriors were out of earshot. He looked Earl, Lita, and Elloriana up and down, taking in their grimy appearance.

  “We think so,” Elloriana said. “But he got away.”

  “Did he attack you?” the headmaster asked. “You’ve obviously been in some sort of altercation.”

  “No.” Elloriana shook her head, and pictured the cave Byron had been keeping his mystery chest in the last year. “We thought he might’ve gone in a cave to the west, but we didn’t find him. There were a few goblins we fought off. They threw dirt on us after we disarmed them of their maces.”

  “He’s stayed near the school, then,” the headmaster said pensively.

  “He had his hood and robe on, and in the darkness even Dagdron couldn’t get a good look at him.” Elloriana spoke straightforwardly, gaining traction with her made-up story.

  Headmaster Gwauldron finally looked at Dagdron. The rogue kept his face expressionless.

  “You best get back to you rooms. You still have classes in the morning,” the headmaster said.

  Dagdron took off immediately. Earl said goodbye to the girls before following him. Up in their room, Dagdron unrolled the scroll while Earl cleaned himself up.

  “Elloriana and Lita are going to be upset if we read that without them,” Earl said.

  Dagdron ignored the comment as he read the scroll. Earl, too curious to be patient and chivalrous, moved to Dagdron’s bed to read out loud.

  “The trial of earth, solid and concrete,

  But unbreakable persistence grants the next feat.

  The ensuing phase will require all one’s breath,

  For without what lies south there could be but death.”

  “Oh my,” Earl said.

  Dagdron flung the scroll at him and took off his cloak to use as his pillow.

  Earl repeated the next clue of Mazannanan’s treasure quest a few times as he finished getting ready for bed. But, when he finally lay down, he hummed heartily with a tune that Dagdron could only assume was accompanying Earl’s heroic reliving of their battle with the earth elemental.

  Chapter 14: Wind Whirled

  “I still think Byron knows what we’re up to,” Elloriana said the second week of October. She was with Earl and Lita in their usual hangout beneath the quest tree.

  “But how much does he know is the question,” Earl said.

  “Who cares?” Dagdron said from up in the tree. He was still hidden by the leaves, but some of them had taken on the hint of yellow and orange as autumn hit full swing.

  “Assuming he, Landon, and Gordon saw that the spumasaur wasn’t there, I bet they went in Mazannanan’s house and realized we had been in there,” Elloriana said, ignoring Dagdron.

  “Who cares?” Dagdron repeated.

  “You better care,” Elloriana said. “I admit I want to be part of the quest for experience and to help Wendahl get over his regret, but we’re trying to rescue your mom, so you’re the one who should care.”

  “It’s not my mom,” Dagdron said.

  “That’s it, Dagdron! I’ve had enough of that talk.” Earl drew his sword and, with surprisingly great coordination, he ran forward, placing one foot on the trunk of the quest tree, and jumped upward. He hung on the lowest branch and, still holding his sword in his right hand, hefted himself up into the tree.

  “Get out of my tree,” Dagdron said, not moving from his lounging position.

  Earl maneuvered through the branches until he was within reach of Dagdron.

  “Stop saying she’s not your mom right now!” Earl said, pointing his sword at Dagdron. “Your mom is trapped in the arch and we’re going to free her and you’re going to have an extremely touching and heartfelt reunion with her.”

  Dagdron, keeping his face expressionless, stared at Earl.

  “It’s going to be touching and heartfelt,” Earl repeated.

  “There’s not going to be any reunion if you don’t let us search for the next clue,” Dagdron said.

  “We’re going this weekend,” Earl said. “We decided to do fake searches in the forest to lull Byron into a false sense of security.”

  “You decided that. Not me.” Dagdron resumed his dagger tossing. “I still think you and L
ita should take them out.”

  “While I know me and Lita could take Byron, Landon, and Gordon with ease, we need to beware the Backer as well.”

  “Stupid magic,” Dagdron said.

  “When we rescue your mom, you’ll feel a lot better about magic,” Earl said.

  Dagdron caught his dagger and pointed it at Earl.

  “Get out of my tree,” he seethed.

  Earl moved away from Dagdron’s dagger and began lowering himself from the tree.

  “Touching and heartfelt,” he said before hurriedly dropping to the ground.

  On the second Saturday of October, Dagdron and Earl went about their normal Bodaburg routine of visiting the stands and shops, visiting Grizzard in his alley, and eating in the tavern. Elloriana and Lita, in hopes of not attracting Byron’s attention, were spending their time apart from the boys.

  When the trip to the village was nearing its end, Dagdron and Earl slipped down a side street, taking a roundabout way to the cemetery. On the short street before the gate, they glanced at Mercer’s luxurious house, standing out among the shacks that surrounded it. As they passed, the door opened and Mercer stepped out. The young rogue and warrior were responsible for ruining Mercer’s reputation, and he still held a grudge against them. He ran his hand down his thin black mustache and goatee as he glared at the two boys. Dagdron ignored the merchant, but Earl glanced at him warily.

  Dagdron and Earl wandered through the graveyard until Elloriana and Lita showed up. Dagdron, Earl, and Lita climbed over the back wall while Elloriana used a levitation spell. They walked along the wall until they were directly south of the academy, which had been built over the ruins of Mazannanan’s shrine.

  They spread out and moved southward, searching the ground and trees as they went. Elloriana cast an occasional detect magic spell, but the incantations never homed in on anything specific. Earl and Lita hacked just about everything with their swords so that they could examine the area more clearly. Dagdron, feeling sure the sword bearers were going to destroy any arch engraving, decided it was up to him if they were going to spot Mazannanan’s symbol, so he walked ahead of the others. He made the decision just in time, as he spotted an arch shape at the base of one of the trees they passed. If Earl and Lita had been in front of him, Dagdron thought, they would have slashed the bark right off.

  “Cast your spell,” Dagdron said, pointing his dagger at trunk of the tree.

  Earl, Lita, and Elloriana gathered around.

  “Are you sure?” Earl said, squinting his eyes. “It just looks like a discoloration on the bark. Lots of trees have those.”

  “Mazannanan wouldn’t have wanted it to be blue and sparkly,” Elloriana said. “He only wanted someone on his treasure quest to find it.”

  “Cast your spell, wench,” Dagdron said.

  Elloriana glowered at the rogue but then lifted her hands and cast a detect magic spell. The four young adventurers watched as the arch shape sparkled blue. Dagdron quickly set out to scour the surrounding area. Elloriana followed him, while Earl and Lita returned to hacking the vegetation, searching for any opening around the tree.

  “Why do you have to be like that?” Elloriana asked as Dagdron crouched, gazing across the ground for any sign of abnormality in the terrain.

  “What are you talking about?” Dagdron said.

  “Why do you have to be rude all the time?” Elloriana said. “You could just ask nicely for me to cast my spell.”

  “I did ask nicely.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Elloriana said incredulously.

  “See. You talk more than Earl,” Dagdron said, finally turning his head toward the enchantress. “We found an arch symbol. We didn’t need to stand there discussing whether Mazannanan put it there or not. All we needed to do was cast the spell and be done.”

  “That’s so sweet. You’re anxious to rescue your mom,” Elloriana said. She chuckled as Dagdron whipped out his dagger and brandished it toward her. “I know, I know, it’s your dad’s wife.”

  Dagdron got back to searching, and Elloriana followed him, casting an occasional spell to indicate any magical opening in the area.

  “You know that you’re not the only one Earl talks to, right?” Elloriana said after a couple of minutes.

  “Why are you talking to me?” Dagdron said.

  “I’m just trying to figure you out a little more. Earl has told me and Lita all about your travels during the summer and all your conversations in the tavern. He claims deep down, you really like the three of us.”

  “I don’t like any of you,” Dagdron said.

  “I traveled north with you this summer, too. I noticed how happy you were walking the countryside, stealing from farms, and sleeping under the stars. You really are a great adventurer. For a rogue,” Elloriana added after a moment’s pause.

  “You and Earl talk too much,” Dagdron said. He turned around and headed back to the tree with the symbol. The tree was extremely tall, so Dagdron got a running start, placing one foot on the trunk and jumping as high as he could. He barely caught the lowest branch, but from there he climbed into the tree with ease. He found a quiet place to sit, free from Elloriana. The only sounds were the chopping of Earl’s and Lita’s swords.

  Dagdron scanned the forest with his bird’s-eye view, looking for any additional arch symbol. Earl and Lita eventually came back to the tree, joining Elloriana in gawking upward at Dagdron.

  “Hey, will you please cast a detect magic spell?” Dagdron called down. “With your richy wench hands.”

  For a slight moment, Earl’s face beamed at Dagdron’s politeness, but the expression was quickly extinguished. Elloriana lifted her hands and cast two blast-bolts up at Dagdron, but then she cast another detect magic spell.

  Dagdron scanned the forest as the arch on the tree sparkled. From his position, he caught sight of another blue sparkle not far away.

  The rogue scurried down the tree in no time and, without saying anything, led the other three through the forest. In the spot Dagdron had seen the glow, there was a large rock. He pushed and prodded the boulder before signaling to Earl and Lita. The warrior and lady warrior combined their strength, but even they couldn’t budge the rock. Elloriana, clearing her throat and flipping her hair, waved the other three aside. She cast an open spell. The small blue ball darted from her hands, hit the boulder, and split the rock in the center. A gust of air blew from the crack but then died out abruptly.

  “Wow, Dagdron,” Earl said. “Your rogue skills never cease to amaze me.”

  “I’m the one who cast the open spell,” Elloriana said. “Thank goodness for magic.”

  “Mazannanan sealed it with magic because he knew only a magic user would be dumb enough to search for his treasure,” Dagdron said, and then he slipped into the crevice in the boulder before Elloriana could reply.

  Earl and Lita had difficulty wedging themselves through the crack, but Elloriana squeezed through easily enough, and they slid down a short tunnel, carrying dirt with them, until stopping where the passageway widened.

  “Can we scope out the cave this time and come up with a plan before yelling the old wizard’s name?” Elloriana asked as Earl and Lita each lit a torch.

  “Of course,” Earl said, but Elloriana was looking directly at Dagdron when the flames burst to life.

  Dagdron didn’t say anything, and they continued creeping down the tunnel. The passage eventually led into a chamber with tree roots sticking down through the dirt ceiling. As they entered, blue writing appeared in the air and an eerie voice spoke.

  “Who am I?”

  The letters swirled around before forming into the phrase again.

  Earl and Lita shifted the torches to see around the chamber, but Dagdron stared at Elloriana, waiting for her to give permission to say the wizard’s name.

  “Fine, just say it,” Elloriana said.

  “Mazannanan,” Dagdron said.

  The blue letters disappeared as a violent wind shot up from the ground in the
center of the chamber. Earl and Lita’s torches were blown out, but eerie, magical blue flames appeared on the walls, though the fires flickered fiercely from the air current. The airstream twisted madly in the middle of the room as it took on a recognizable shape. The body was the twisting funnel of a whirlwind. With a thundering whoosh, billowy arms extended from the body, and then a frightening head with searing blue eyes rounded out at the top.

  “An air elemental,” Earl yelled over the sound of the wind.

  Before the young adventurers could take any action, the air elemental lifted a hand and a powerful gust wind blew backward, slamming them against the wall.

  Earl and Lita, grunting, forced themselves back to their feet, and, as was their tendency, they drew their swords, lowered their heads, and pushed forward against the wind, ready for a straight-out attack. In spite of their bold effort, as soon as they were within reach of the immense arms of the wind monster, it reached out, grabbed Earl with its right hand and Lita with his left, and sucked them inside of its body.

  Dagdron and Elloriana watched as Earl and Lita were twisted furiously by the elemental before being expelled and shooting across the cavern, where they crashed against the wall behind the magical creature. Earl and Lita groaned as they dazedly got to their feet.

  Elloriana, taking more initiative, decided to start casting spells. She fired flame balls and blast-bolts at the air elemental, but each one was blown off course, hitting the wall.

  “Nice magic,” Dagdron said.

  Elloriana scowled at him but continued casting a range of spells, testing if any could withstand the winds of the elemental.

  Dagdron examined the chamber as Earl and Lita charged the air elemental again. Coming from behind, the warrior and lady warrior were still met with the same result. They went for another spin in the whirlwind before being discharged forcefully once more. Dagdron noticed that the winds had abated slightly when the elemental had taken the weight of Earl and Lita inside. He picked up a dirt clod and threw it at the air elemental. The clod was sucked up but had no visible effect on the wind monster.