The Howl of Avooblis Page 15

  “Ha! I have been assisting them for more than a year.” Wendahl gave his hoe a twirl, and magenta sparks shot out.

  Egon flexed his muscles but didn’t reply.

  “Why don’t we eat before talking about the Backer?” Dugan said. “The sausages are ready.”

  “Fine,” Wendahl said.

  “Fine,” Egon said as well.

  The enchanter and warrior sat down, never taking their eyes off one another.

  Dugan served out sausages to everyone. Earl, Elloriana, and Lita, already having eaten in the academy, only ate a small piece of meat each. Dagdron, never one to turn down sausages, dug in with the three cave dwellers.

  “Dagdron, Earl, Elloriana, and Lita, please accompany to my area of the cave,” Wendahl said when the meal was over.

  Dagdron finally looked at his dad for some sort of explanation, but Dugan motioned with his head for him to just go with Wendahl to appease him.

  Wendahl lit the end of his hoe, lighting the way deeper into the cave.

  “This brings back such memories from when we were little first years,” Earl said to Dagdron as they went. The warrior let out a sigh as if longing for younger days. Dagdron and Earl had explored the cave to find a cave lily that Elloriana used to make a reflection potion.

  “It was less than two years ago,” Dagdron said.

  “I know, but it seems much longer.”

  When they neared the end of the cave, bright magenta light was visible in the distance. Wendahl suddenly broke into a hobbling run, leaving the others behind. Earl, Elloriana, and Lita looked at one another, but Dagdron kept moving forward. The rogue was not surprised when Wendahl jumped out at them.

  “Welcome to my abode!” the enchanter said, lifting up his arms.

  Round magenta spheres hung on the walls, lighting up the cave and reflecting off the pool with lilies in the center. On the far side there was also a bed made of magenta light floating in the air.

  “Did you conjure that?” Elloriana asked, pointing to the bed.

  “Yes, I did,” Wendahl said proudly. “I’m a little old to be sleeping on the ground, and it’s nice to have a private place away from that ingrate.”

  “Will you teach me how to do that?”

  “Ha! Old Gwidy might be really good at creating illusions, but I bet in his academy he can’t teach you how to make an actual magical bed.”

  “Will you teach me how to make one?” Elloriana repeated , quickly losing patience.

  “An enchanter doesn’t like to share all his secrets.”

  “You gave the other three magic weapons.” Elloriana gave Wendahl a stiff look.

  “Perhaps for your reward for fulfilling my quest, I will consider it,” Wendahl said.

  “What are you going to give us?” Dagdron asked.

  “Dagdron, seeing your mom again will be reward enough, trust me,” Earl said.

  Dagdron ignored Earl and stared at Wendahl.

  “You can visit me in Coastdale whenever you like,” Wendahl said.

  “I can do that anyway.” Dagdron pulled out his dagger.

  “I’m sure we’ll find some kind of arrangement. For now, we should take advantage of the time we have without Egon trying to control everything.”

  “Why don’t you like Egon?” Earl asked. “He’s an amazing warrior.”

  “Amazing?” Wendahl said with a huff of disbelief. “He would be nothing without me.”

  “Did you enchant his sword?” Earl asked.

  “Yes, and it was the worst mistake I have ever made in my life.”

  “What’s the deal with you two?” Elloriana asked.

  “All that needs to be said is that I was doing grand entrances long before he was striking his ridiculous poses.”

  Earl was about to ask for further details, but Dagdron poked him with his dagger, so he closed his mouth.

  “Where were you?” Dagdron said. “My dad said you left Coastdale in August.”

  “That’s correct. I missed the harvest in order to find out more information for our quest,” Wendahl said. The old enchanter’s face calmed down from his previous annoyance while discussing Egon, and he led the four young adventurers to the other side of the pool, where he sat on his bed.

  “And?” Dagdron said, pointing his dagger at Wendahl.

  “I spent the last couple of months in Lordavia, learning all I could about the magic will we need to fulfill our quest.”

  “Was Rance there?” Dagdron asked.

  “I never saw him, Kas, or Wally,” Wendahl said. “Who knows what they’re up to?”

  “What other magic will we need?” Elloriana asked. “We found Mazannanan’s dwelling, and we’ve faced an earth and air elemental on his treasure quest already.”

  “And we’re going for the next clue this weekend,” Earl added.

  “We better put the treasure quest on hold for the time being,” Wendahl said.

  “Why?” Dagdron asked, poking his dagger a couple of times toward the enchanter.

  “As a precaution, we need to get other items ready before we retrieve Mazannanan’s treasure. With the Backer and others around, it would be unwise to do so before being properly prepared. The good news is, I have come up with a plan.”

  “What items?” Dagdron kept his dagger pointed directly at Wendahl.

  “First, have you four considered what is going to happen when we try to rescue Twyla?” Wendahl paused, but none of the others said anything. “We only want Twyla, but that doesn’t mean she’s the only person or thing that’s going to come out of the arches.”

  “Mazannanan’s going to come out too,” Elloriana said.

  Wendahl nodded his head. “One arch crystal contains Twyla, one Mazannanan. Summoning Avooblis will be dangerous enough, but we need to be ready to banish Avooblis back into the arches before Mazannanan has time to be released. He is the Wizard of Avooblis. His knowledge far surpasses mine or even Gwydion’s and Rance’s. If we can’t control both him and Avooblis all while releasing Twyla, we could be in for some serious problems.”

  Earl, Elloriana, and Lita were speechless. Dagdron maintained his stare on Wendahl, but his dagger hand dipped slightly. They had been focusing on rescuing Dugan’s wife for the past few months without considering all the situations that could go very wrong with what they were attempting.

  “That’s why we need to be prepared first,” Wendahl said. “Whether we face your headmaster or the Backer, timing is everything. And we don’t want Mazannanan’s treasure freed before we’re prepared. The good news is that we can deal easily enough with the necessary preparations. Like I said, I did some research in Lordavia about controlling magical entities, and I have deduced how to make a magical net that I believe will hold even Avooblis. I’ll need your help to gather certain items, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. But, the fact remains, we can talk all we want, but the entire quest hinges on three specific objects we don’t have, and recovering them might be more difficult than anything. So we need to start making plans so that when the time comes, we can even make an attempt at fulfilling our quest. You have realized what three objects we need and what we’ll have to do to get them, right?” Wendahl again looked at the four young adventurers.

  “We have to steal the Arches of Avooblis from the headmaster’s office,” Dagdron said.

  Wendahl, looking exhausted, nodded his head before flopping down on his magical floating bed.

  Chapter 16: Gloozert Goo

  “Let’s hurry and find this stupid thing,” Dagdron said the first weekend of November.

  He and Earl had just slipped out the gate of Bodaburg. They turned to the right, following the stream in the same direction they had taken the previous year when they had gone to catch a moogrout fish.

  “Why can’t you understand Wendahl’s rationale?” Earl asked. “I explained the reasoning to you at the tavern.”

  “I heard,” Dagdron mumbled so Earl could barely hear.

  Dagdron had made the mistake of tellin
g Earl that he didn’t see why they should give up on the treasure quest until all the necessary preparations were ready. Instead of drinking their warm cider in peace and quiet, Earl had talked nonstop about the plans Wendahl had set forth and how an adventurer needed to take all necessary precautions, especially when they were flirting with releasing an evil being on the world.

  “You might not worry as much about being prepared as I do, but trust me, it’s the best way to go,” Earl said as they went.

  Dagdron furrowed his brow at Earl.

  “What?” Earl asked.

  “You don’t prepare. You rush into battles without thinking.”

  “That’s just during fights. If you have to battle someone or something, you might as well just go for it. You know how meticulous I am about planning for our overall quests, though.”

  Dagdron put his hood on and walked faster.

  “And we need to get the gloozert goo before winter comes,” Earl said, matching Dagdron’s speed.

  “Why does it matter?”

  “Gloozerts freeze during the winter and then you can’t pierce their skin. Slow down. Elloriana and Lita have to catch up.” Earl grabbed the back of Dagdron’s cloak.

  “Let’s ditch them.”

  “Wendahl gave the quest to all four of us, and Elloriana has the map anyway.” Earl released Dagdron when he slowed his pace.

  Dagdron picked up rocks to throw into the river as they meandered along the shore. Elloriana and Lita were leaving a little while after the boys in hopes of not attracting attention from the headmaster. They assumed he was suspicious following the visit to the air elemental site and didn’t want him following and uncovering anything else about the tasks Wendahl had set for them.

  When Elloriana and Lita caught up, Elloriana, holding the map, took the lead, guiding them along the stream before heading north, pushing through the trees and bushes toward the base of the peak that sheltered the academy to the east.

  “Wendahl was right,” Elloriana said, stopping on the edge of the clearing they came to. “How did he know exactly where a gloozert would be? They’re extremely rare.”

  “Time in the scenes we saw in the shrine was sped up,” Earl explained. “Wendahl lived in the area for years before leaving it to the headmaster and Rance.”

  “Still, he sure knows a lot,” Elloriana said.

  Dagdron pushed his way past his three companions to get a better look at the creature. The gloozert was shaped like a large, juicy Lordavian peach, but it had black transparent skin, showing its sloshing inner liquid as it bounced peacefully in place. It was as tall as Dagdron and had dark purple eyes.

  “Wendahl said we don’t need to harm it,” Earl said. “We just need to poke a hole in it and gather some of the goo that oozes out, and the gloozert will heal just fine.”

  “Slice it open and be done with it,” Dagdron said, motioning with his dagger for Earl to move toward the creature.

  Earl walked slowly toward the gloozert, keeping his hands open to show he wasn’t a threat. The bouncy creature sloshed its innards more noisily as the warrior approached but didn’t move from its position. Earl drew his sword little by little. Right as the tip of the sword was sliding from the sheath, the gloozert bounced forward, bopping Earl and sending him skidding across the cold ground back to where Dagdron, Elloriana, and Lita were watching.

  “Oh, yeah!” Lita said with a grunt. She drew her sword and charged the gloozert.

  “Lita, remember we don’t want to kill it!” Earl called after her. He groaned as Elloriana helped him to his feet.

  Lita braced her sword in front of her as she neared the creature but, a few moments later, she too was bumping across the ground back to where she had started.

  Dagdron, mumbling under his breath, walked calmly toward the gloozert. He kept his hand at the ready for any opportunity to whip his dagger out and pierce the sloshing creature. The gloozert rolled forward to bop the rogue, but Dagdron dodged out the way. He had his dagger out in seconds, but the gloozert bounced away too quickly. Dagdron repeated this routine a couple of times before backing off a few feet.

  “Can’t you freeze it or something?” Dagdron called to Elloriana.

  “My ice spells aren’t very controlled yet. I don’t want to freeze it too much,” Elloriana said. “It might not thaw with the cool weather.”

  “Then you three better get over here.” Dagdron turned back to the gloozert as Earl, Lita, and Elloriana approached slowly.

  The gloozert obviously didn’t like to be surrounded. It immediately began bouncing back and forth, sometimes higher than the young adventurers’ heads, forcing them to back up or be squashed. The bouncing beast didn’t seem to tire, but they kept it surrounded. Dagdron and Earl moved around so their backs were toward the mountain. Little by little they closed in on the gloozert, dodging each time it tried to bop them. Elloriana and Lita used the same tactic, and soon the gloozert showed confusion about which way to bounce. As the four adventurers sprang forward, the gloozert bounced at the girls, sending them both sliding away.

  In the meantime, Earl and Dagdron continued their rush. Earl grabbed the gloozert in a bear hug, hindering its bounces. Dagdron stabbed with his dagger, plunging a hole in its side. Black goo oozed out, seeping to the ground as the gloozert let out a high-pitched noise. Earl released it, and the creature bounced to the edge of clearing, where it stopped, watching as Earl pulled a jar out and scooped the black goo into it.

  Unsure about what the gloozert would do next, Earl and Dagdron hurried back to where Elloriana and Lita had pulled themselves up off the ground.

  “This goo better come off,” Dagdron said, wiping his dagger on his cloak. “I don’t want it on my sausages.”

  “I’m sure Wendahl can get it off your little dagger for you,” Elloriana said, brushing mud and grass stains from her robe. “But maybe you should worry about getting it off your cloak.”

  Dagdron scowled at her and continued adding goo to his tattered cloak.

  “Let’s go before the Backer shows up,” Earl said. “I wish our weapons would deflect his magic better.”

  The other three needed no additional persuasion, and they headed back to the stream before following the shore toward Bodaburg. When they were nearing the village, a figure rushed out of the bushes, blocking their way. At first, they thought it was the Backer, but, when they saw it was only Byron, they didn’t even bother to draw their swords. Gordon and Landon trotted out of the brush after him.

  “What is that?” Byron said, pointing his sword at the jar Earl was still holding.

  “None of your business is what it is,” Elloriana said.

  “I wasn’t speaking to you,” Byron said. “Give me the jar.”

  “No,” Elloriana said, scowling.

  Byron looked sternly back at her before motioning toward Earl.

  “This is a waste of time,” Dagdron said. He started forward, and Landon and Gordon moved to block his way.

  “No one’s leaving until you give us that jar,” Byron said.

  Dagdron drew his dagger, but Elloriana hurried forward and pulled him back by Earl and Lita.

  “Let go, wench,” Dagdron said. He freed himself and was about attack the three Broodavians when Egon crashed out of the bushes, standing between the two groups.

  “Egon,” Landon and Gordon said when they saw the heralded warrior.

  “Traitor,” Bryon said, glancing angrily at his two lackeys for the emotion they had shown.

  “Go,” Egon said. “I’ll take care of these three.”

  Elloriana swiftly led the others around Bryon, Landon, and Gordon as Egon shielded them from any conflict.

  “Why don’t you fight them?” Dagdron said, scowling at his companions.

  “Because we could beat them so easily,” Elloriana said.

  When Dagdron’s glare deepened, Earl explained further.

  “We know you don’t care,” he said, “but you can’t just go around bashing a Fortigroff. Adventurers aren
’t immune to the laws of the land. We could be summoned to Broodavia and jailed if we hurt him.”

  “And we have to be even more careful now,” Elloriana said. “Byron knows what we’re up to, and if he’s going to be following us, we’re going to have to watch out for him. He’ll send the Backer after us.”

  Dagdron snatched the jar from Earl’s arms and picked up the pace. The others were forced to hurry to keep up as they reached Bodaburg and headed up the slope between the two peaks to the academy. They walked around the school and up to the cave. Dagdron slid the jar under his cloak as they entered, but the fire had died down and no one was there. They continued to the back of the cave, where they saw magenta lights shooting in all directions. Earl and Lita drew their weapons as they hurried forward, but they only found Wendahl by himself, casting spells from his hoe.

  “We got the gloozert goo,” Earl said, pointing to the jar Dagdron pulled out.

  “Oh. Great,” Wendahl said. “Set it down over there.”

  Dagdron put the jar of black goop against the wall. Wendahl went back to his spell casting without saying anything else.

  “Do you know where we can get the silk-spider thread?” Earl asked.

  Wendahl paused his spells again. “We’ll deal with that after the Winter Carnival,” he said.

  “What happened to being prepared as soon as possible?” Dagdron said.

  “We will be,” Wendahl said. “But I just heard that Egon is planning a sword showcase at the festival, and there is no way I’m letting him overshadow my magic show.”

  “Egon’s putting on a showcase?” Earl asked eagerly.

  Wendahl creased his forehead and his spells burst from his farm tool in an even brighter magenta, so Earl didn’t ask for more details.

  Dagdron headed back toward the entrance, so the others followed him.

  “Are we going to try and find the water elemental while Wendahl gets ready for the carnival?” Elloriana asked once they left cave.

  “No,” Dagdron said. “I have a quest during the Winter Carnival.”

  “What, Dagdron?” Earl said. “You haven’t told me anything about a quest.”