Jacob could feel the warmth from the rising sun on his face as he strolled with Emalynn through the cool morning mist towards the Frosty Mug Tavern. They carried their sentinel’s packs on their backs, ready for their first big adventure. The tavern’s door was propped open with a stool, and as they arrived they both peeked into the doorway. The empty building seemed so different and quiet without customers. Hobble sat at the short end of the counter with trays of food spread out in front of him. Sliced ham, sausages, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, along with several unfamiliar dwarf victuals were prepared and waiting. Jacob could feel his stomach starting to growl, they had left much too early to enjoy Mum’s delicious breakfast and he found himself hoping that Hobble would share a portion of his large breakfast with them.
“Good eh morning,” greeted Hobble, seeing them enter. “Before we start our travels, help yerself ta eh tasty breakfast.”
“Oh how nice,” complimented Emalynn. “It all smells so good.”
“Golly thanks,” said Jacob, eager to dig in, “I’m starving.”
They each quickly grabbed a plate and began scooping up hearty portions of victuals. With their plates fully loaded to overflowing portions, they then sat down on short stools next to Hobble and started in on their delicious chow.
Hurriedly Jacob spooned several savory bites into his mouth, and then mumbled with cheeks puffed out, “Thif tathes goo.”
Emalynn replied, having just jammed a spoonful into her mouth, “Euyaahh, tiz goofed.”
From the back kitchen Mrs. Oubladew scurried out with a basket full of fresh hot buttered bread rolls. “Oh, Hobble,” scolded Mrs. Oubladew, “ye didn’t pour them any juice. Good eh morning,” she greeted, looking up the apprentices.
With full mouths they nodded back.
Placing the breakfast rolls in front of them, she reached under the counter and pulled out two small juice glasses.
“This may be yer last good meal fur some time,” said Hobble. “So eat yer fill.”
A glint of foreboding doom suddenly flashed into Jacob’s mind, and he began to grasp that there might not be food in the Enchanted Realm. “What if we have to skip a meal?” he worried, grappling with the frightening possibility. It took him only a moment to realize that with his orb he could always come back for a quick sandwich.
Mrs. Oubladew placed a glass of brown silky juice in front of him, and with a look of concern she gently said, “Perhaps eh little apple lemon juice twill ease yer nervous stomach.”
Jacob looked up from his meal wondering how she was able to recognize his uneasiness; he didn’t think that his worrying about food had showed.
“I’m sure yee twill return alive,” she continued to say with a smile, “Hobble twill protect ye twell enough.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he replied hesitantly, not quite sure what she meant by her implication of real danger. With his orb and money clip he felt safe enough.
It wasn’t long before he was scooping up his last bite from off his plate, and now feeling satisfied with a full stomach, he sat idly by watching the others conclude their meal. He knew that they shouldn’t delay their rescue any longer, Mr. Pitts was waiting for them, but he found it hard to move. The heavy dwarf meal was weighing him down, and his condition brought to mind a bloated cow that once got hunkered down in a deep gully, he and Uncle Clair spent hours trying to coax it out. Not wanting to be associated with such an image, he drew a deep breath and forced himself to rise.
“UNCK….TIS TIME!” called Hobble, seeing Jacob stand.
As Emalynn began wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin, Mr. Oubladew shot out from the kitchen. Cordially he bowed to the apprentices and then presented a broad welcoming smile.
Hobble grunted, “We be off now Unck.”
Mr. Oubladew quickly ducked behind the counter and arose, holding out a polished shinny double-sided axe with a brown leather scabbard. He inserted the axe into the scabbard, and nodded at Hobble. “Before ye go take mine en’ place of yer old blade, yer’s tis not fit fur this measure of danger.” Mr. Oubladew then stood up on his tiptoes and reached out over the short counter, handing the axe to Hobble. “May it serve ye well,” he added.
Hobble nodded back giving a grateful grunt. He then bent over and picked up his old tarnished axe from off the floor, placing it on top of the counter. With a quick over the shoulder flick he mounted the new blade on his back, while Jacob smartly knelt down and began searching through his sentinel’s pack for his orb and address book.
Without warning Hobble took a step backward and Emalynn screamed, “BEHIND YOU HOBBLE!”
At the exact moment Jacob pulled out his orb and orb address book, Hobble’s fat foot caught on the edge of Jacob’s open pack. A loud groan echoed through the empty tavern and Jacob glanced up to see Hobble falling towards him. Automatically he dropped both is his orb and address book onto the floor, and raised his hands to brace for the sudden impact.
“Humph!” rumbled Hobble, falling on top of Jacob.
Nimbly Jacob wrapped his arms around the short dwarf’s stomach catching the breakneck fall. The force of the collision toppled them both backwards and Hobble involuntarily fell onto Jacob’s lap.
“Jacob,” giggled Emalynn, “you look like your cuddling Hobble.”
Red in the face Hobble jumped to his feet while Jacob slowly stood, and in a moment of discomforting silence they both stared at one another, until at last Hobble curtly grumbled, “Tis not right ta eh cuddle eh dwarf!”
“It was an accident honest! I didn’t know you were backing up,” replied Jacob; mortified that anyone would ever think he had purposely done such a thing.
“I know you like to cuddle Jacob, I saw you yesterday smiling and cuddling Mum, and it looked to me like you had planned this out too so you could also cuddle Hobble,” said Emalynn nosing in with another tease. She grinned back at Jacob and picked up his orb and address book.
“Of course not!” he snapped, crossly yanking his gear out of her hands. Slighted, and extremely angry at Emalynn for disgracing him in front of everyone, he jerked up his pack and slung a strap over his shoulder. Not wanting to linger around any longer in his embarrassed condition, he opened his address book and hotly ran his thumb along the side of the frayed pages, shuffling through the unfamiliar listings until he at last found the address to Dragons’ Lair. Hobble and Emalynn stepped up behind him and each placed their hands on his shoulder. He struggled to hold the orb with one hand, while clumsily grasping the open address book with the other. The book quivered as he read the coordinates and unevenly jabbed at the buttons with his little finger, hoping that he wouldn’t make a mistake.
Mr. Oubladew poured a mug of Celser Whiff and drank it down. “There,” he said, “now that should give all three of ye eh popper send-off.”
Instantly there was a flash as the rescue team vanished from the tavern, reappearing with a “BING-BANG-BOOM” somewhere in the Enchanted Realm. Jacob would have laughed at Mr. Oubladew’s parting joke, but their grim new surroundings completely took his breath away. Everything around them now was completely desolate and dreary, no clouds, no wind, no morning sun, and a sky that was as dark as winter nightfall. The area was totally devoid of any life, and an eerie silence prevailed, spawning feelings of loneliness that he had not expected. Never before had he imagined that there could ever be such a world without life. It was all terribly wrong and out of place from everything that he knew was right and decent.
“Ahhg, I feel thee dark matter. It consumes thee light enn’ destroys all livin’,” complained Hobble immediately.
Jacob could feel it too; it was like a dark mist of depression hanging over them. The once green foliage that had surrounded the area was now a bleak terrain, barren and blackish brown from decay. The surrounding deadness made it evident that the same could happen to them if they were left exposed for any length of time to caustic dark matter.
“You mean there’s no life in this dimension?” asked Emalynn.
“No life tas we call it,” replied Hobble. “All thee Dark King’s followers twere eh transformed ento dark realm beings, enn’ now cluster together en shadow cities that tar bestrewed throughout this realm.”
Hobble scanned the area and then lifted his axe off his back. This way,” he said, motioning by waving his axe overhead.
The stocky dwarf stretched out his short legs in brisk long strides, while Jacob and Emalynn effortlessly kept pace. They ascended over a small rise peering down at what was almost certain a once beautiful lake, but now filthy and overgrown with algae the smell of the putrid water nipped at their noses, reminding Jacob of the time he had once stepped on a rotten egg in their chicken coup. He crossed his fingers for good luck and covered his nose with his free hand, hoping that they had arrived at Dragon’s Lair.
“Are we here?” he asked nervously, “Did I get the transiting right?”
“Aye, it tis Dragon’s Lair alright. Thee lake tis very deep, enn’ me memories of it tar of much life,” said Hobble, appearing saddened over the now deplorable condition. “Thee dragons twere eh powerful swimmers enn’ they prized thee abundant fish, diving deep ento thee waters ta eh feed, but thee lake tis now dead, twhich does not set well fur us finding eh dragon.”
“Without any dragons we won’t be able to locate Mr. Pitts,” said Jacob, disheartened. “There has to be dragons somewhere.”
“I agree with Jacob, we can’t quit without looking first,” said Emalynn stubbornly.
“Enn’ we shan’t quit! We search till we find eh dragon!” exclaimed Hobble, shaking his axe in the air.
They walked around the edges of the foul lake for what seemed to be a good mile, until at last coming to a huge cavern that opened up the side of the mountain, bordering up against the blackened shores.
“This tis it, this tis twhere they lived,” announced Hobble. “We dwarfs know caves, so I shall enter en’ first twhile ye both wait here by thee water. Once I prove it tis safe, I shall signal fur ye ta eh coome.”
Hobble then climbed up a stony embankment and bravely stepped into the enormous black hole. Nervously the apprentices waited, quietly staring up at the mysterious entrance while the time passed as quickly as an uphill snail’s race, and when it had seemed to be reaching early afternoon, Hobble at last reappeared at the mouth of the mammoth cavern, motioning with his axe for them to come. Carefully stepping on and off annoying melon-sized stones, they rose up and down ascending the incline. Upon reaching the base of the cavern, they followed Hobble inside and instantly Jacob felt the pressing despair from the dark matter withdrawing. “Somehow the earth blocks it out,” he thought, as they pressed deeper into the cave’s murky darkness. In the dense blackness Hobble’s outline soon melted away. To keep his bearings straight Jacob found himself straining his eyes ahead of themselves, attempting to make out any of Hobble’s movement. Slowly but surely as he continued forward, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness and he was able to scarcely see and follow Hobble’s vague form. He groped towards him hoping to catch up, when suddenly his foot hung up on an unseen stone and he stumbled forward, surprisingly bumping into something soft.
“Watch it Jacob, I’m here,” complained Emalynn. “That’s the second time you’ve bumped into me!”
“Sorry, I didn’t see ya,” he replied, wondering how she had managed to get in front of him.
All at once the cavern burst open with light and before them Hobble appeared like a shining angel. Over his head he held a fat stick with a bright flame burning on its tip.
“Eh dwarf torch,” he said with a smile, “I knew our journey twould eh call fur this. How else can one enter eh Dragons’ Lair twithout light from a dwarf torch.”
The torch furnished enough light to brighten the entire grotto, from the wide gaping corners to the tall roof, a clear view of their surroundings was now open before them. Further ahead Jacob could see the cave extending deeper into the mountain, winding away from the torch’s light like a long dark snake.
“This way,” cried Hobble, motioning with his axe for them to follow. “We shall search fur eh chamber near underwater caves ta thee lake. There we twill moost likely find thee dragons.”
Together they descended down into the shadowy tunnel, climbing over and around huge boulders and stepping down troublesome slopes. Hobble now easily out paced them, as Jacob and Emalynn struggled to squeeze their bigger frames through the narrow cracks and corridors. They continued on their grueling descent for several hours, until at last the cave leveled off, opening into a vast cavern chock-full of shimmering crystals that lined the walls and glistened back from the light of Hobble’s bright torch. Gaping at the spectacle the apprentices loitered in, slowly stepping through the cavern to enjoy the flickering rainbows reflecting over the walls.
“Oh how pretty!” exclaimed Emalynn.
“I could look at this for hours,” agreed Jacob, holding up his hand to a reflecting rainbow as it traced glowing colors over his finger tips.
Unexpectedly Hobble came to a stop and blankly stared ahead. Slowly he turned towards them showing a hopeless frown. “I’m afraid thee cave tis sealed,” he said, shaking his head.
Jacob looked ahead to the far side of the chamber and saw a rusty metal door inset inside a stone cavity. “But can’t we just bust it open?” he asked, not wanting to give up.
“We brought no explosives twith us, but we twill return fur them enn’ come again.”
“YOU SHALL NOT!” boomed a voice, echoing through the chamber. “LEAVE NOW OR BE FOREVER CURSED!”
“Who said that?” questioned Emalynn, frantically searching the cavern with darting glances. “Show yourself!”
“NO, NOW GET OUT OF HERE!”
Swiftly Emalynn picked up a stone and flung it towards the unknown voice.
“OUCH!” came a high-pitched yelp.
A blinding blue light flashed through the cavern and a small tailed monkey suddenly appeared out of nowhere rubbing his knee.
Emalynn let out a loud shriek and the monkey leapt backwards startled by her scream, while Hobble in defense drew his axe. The creature quickly regained its composure and awkwardly advanced stopping just short of their group.
“WATCH IT WITH THOSE ROCKS WILL YOU! YOU HIT ME!” he angrily cried.
The primate was shorter than Hobble and wore black shoes, blue pants with a tail sticking out, suspenders, and a red shirt, carrying a large black pack strapped to his lower back.
For a short moment Hobble stared at the creature and then calmly said, “Doon’t be afraid, it tis not dangerous, tis only just eh bothersome lynex.”
“I’M NOT ONLY JUST A LYNEX, AND I AM NOT BOTHERSOME!” cried the monkey. Angrily he threw one foot forward and waved his fist in the air. “I AM ‘THE ROYAL LYNEX!’ THE ONLY LYNEX WORTHY ENOUGH TO HAVE EVER SERVED THE ROYAL FAMILY! I AM THE GREATEST LYNEX THAT HAS EVER LIVED!”
“Humph!” replied Hobble, ignoring the creature.
The monkey proudly held out his chest and began to babble on, “But instead of addressing me by my name, ‘the most honored Lord Zamper Kinniwinny,’ you have my permission to call me the ‘Lynex’ for short. I have official position of high standing, more than all others you know, and so you have no other choice now but to do as I command.” He paused for a moment as if expecting a flattering reply, and then continued, “Since you have no compliments for me, you may leave now and never come back.”
Hobble remained silent, ignoring the creature.
“I SAID YOU MAY LEAVE!” shouted the Lynex, echoing a high pitched shriek through the chamber.
Irritably Hobble glared back at the Lynex. “Tell me why ye are here or I twill be forced ta eh use me axe. I twould think ye twould not twant ta eh feel this blade,” threatened Hobble, as he violently shook the sharp blade of his axe in front of the Lynex’s face.
“IFYOU HURT ME WITH THAT, YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO THOSE THAT ARE MUCH MORE FIERCER AND STRONGER!” screamed the trembling Lynex, spraying small globs of spit from his mouth.
“Do you mean the dragons?” interrupted Jacob.
The Lynex glared up at Jacob and then screamed, “LEAVE!”
Hobble rolled his eyes as if he was dealing with a spoiled child, and then demanded as he pointed his axe, “Tar thee dragons beyond that door?”
“YOU WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF MY LEPRECHAUNEOUS FIDDLE THEN!” hollered the incensed Lynex. Hurriedly he scampered to far end of the chamber and unlatched the flap of his pack. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small bow and fiddle. “I MEAN IT WHEN I SAY YOU HAD BETTER LEAVE OR ELSE BE CURSED!”
“Pay no attention ta thee monkey,” grumbled Hobble.
The Lynex in response glared back at them and lifted his fiddle to his chin, placing his bow on the strings. A sweet soft melody echoed through the chamber, and before Jacob realized what was happening the Lynex had broken into a fast paced fiddle tune that immediately grabbed at his insides. He looked down at his feet and was shocked to see his shoes tapping on the hard rock floor. Unable to stop himself, he struggled to gain control but his legs began stomping a wild dance. The more he resisted the stronger the fiddle’s enchantment pulled at his feet, numbing his mind with blissful music. Merrily he began skipping around Emalynn in a rhythmic step, while Emalynn with her hands on her hips began kicking up her heels, performing a superb jig.
“Now you know what happens if you don’t obey me,” cried the Lynex. “All who know my greatness tremble and fear the power of my fabulous fiddle!”
Suddenly the Lynex’s bow flipped from his hand flying past Jacob’s shoulder. The chamber fell deafly quiet, and the Lynex dropped open his mouth in shock. Next to the Lynex’s side stood Hobble balancing on one foot with his fingers in his ears. His other leg was stretching upwards with his foot held inches from the Lynex’s nose.
“Yer foolish game tas coome ta naught. Yer lucky I eh kicked yer bow in place of yer teeth. Enn’ if ye eh try anything else again, ye twill feel me axe fur true!” exclaimed Hobble.
Coherent reasoning rushed back into Jacob’s mind, and within moments he realized just how foolish he had looked. He could feel his face turning bright red with embarrassment.
“Dottled monkey,” complained Hobble, stepping over and picking up the bow with a “grumph.”
“Thank you for saving us Hobble, it was absolutely horrible,” said Emalynn, angrily staring back at the Lynex.
“Yeah, thanks Hobble,” added Jacob, as Hobble placed the bow in his pack. “I didn’t like dancing with Emalynn either.”
Emalynn threw up her chin acting slighted. “I didn’t mean it that way Jacob! I meant the spell was awful, not dancing with you,” she shrieked.
The Lynex folded his arms screaming, “YOU WILL NOT PASS! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE!”
“Why is that?” asked Emalynn irately, “What are you’re trying to hide from us? Do you know where the dragons are?”
“The dragons are dead, and if you try and pass me I will use my magical talisman to turn invisible again and sneak up behind you and smash boulders on your heads!”
“Humph!” grunted Hobble. “Bring it on Lynex, enn’ I twill slice yer hands off twith me axe! Nuthun’ twill stop us from finding thee dragons!”
“Ha! You are more foolish than you look, the dragons will eat you alive! Only a great one can handle dragons, and the royal family that I so graciously served were the only great ones and they’re all gone! So there!”
“There are dragons here then!” cried Emalynn. “I knew it! And since we have a member of the royal family with us now, you have no choice but to let us in and show us the dragons!”
“POPPYCOCK! YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL GIRL! THERE ARE NO GREAT ONES LEFT!” slobbered the Lynex as he shouted.
“If you were really a servant of the royal family once than you would recognize the prince of the realm,” said Emalynn throwing her chin up, and rudely shoving Jacob forward.
With eyes wide the Lynex stared up at Jacob, and slowly his lips began to tremble as they stretched into a tight smile.
“MY PRINCE!” he shouted. “MY PRINCE IS ALIVE! I WILL BE HONERED ONCE AGAIN AS THE ONLY LYNEX GOOD ENOUGH TO SERVE THE ROYAL FAMILY!” He darted forward wrapping his arms around Jacob’s waist, and began to bawl. “YOU WERE DEAD AND NOW YOU ARE ALIVE AGAIN, WHUUH HUUU HUYEE, MY PRINCE, MY PRINCE, I WILL SERVE YOU AND STICK TO YOU LIKE GLUE! WHUUH HOO HOO, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, AND YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RID YOURSELF OF ME! WHUUH HUU HUU HOOEY, ONLY I CAN DO THIS BECAUSE OF MY GREATNESS…”
Jacob attempted to push the Lynex away, but he was unable to remove his vice like grip. “Somebody please help me!” he protested.
“WHUUH HOOO, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, WHUUH HOOO, I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU…”
“That tis a lynex fur you, neber needed but always there ta eh bother!” exclaimed Hobble.
“Oh Jacob! Let him have his cry, he thought you were dead all these years!” said Emalynn, showing her compassionate side.
“That’s easy enough for you to say, he’s not squeezing the breath out of you!”
WHUUH HOO HOO, I AM THE ONLY LYNEX THAT CAN SERVE YOU BECAUSE OF MY GREATNESS…”
“If you are really my servant, than you will let go of me and tell us where the dragons are,” shouted Jacob in desperation.
“MASTER PRINCE! I CAN BE YOUR SERVANT! OH THIS LYNEX WILL BE THE GREATEST SERVANT EVER!” cried the Lynex, releasing his grip and wiping his tears away with both hands. “I will tell you where the dragons are! I will, I will! And I will be great for it! Yes, before the great King Frost died he asked me to stay here and watch over the dragons while they hibernate, and as only the greatest Lynex that ever lived can, I remained in this dark realm fulfilling my duty as a great servant should. After the dragons lost their food supply they went into hibernation, a dragon can sleep for a thousand years when required.”
Quick as cave bat the Lynex turned and scampered to the rusty metal door where he stood and pointed at the lock, “There, there behind this door is the stairwell down to the dragons. But master Prince you are too young to talk with dragons, and if you go down there the dragons will eat you alive without a second thought.”
The pit of Jacob’s stomach suddenly tightened, he knew that the Lynex was telling the truth; but he couldn’t just leave Mr. Pitts to die, he had to give it his best try no matter how dangerous it was. Hesitantly, he replied, “Okay I understand, but now open the door.”
“But only a skilled great one can control a dragon, and you are just a boy,” again refuted the Lynex. “If you wake a dragon it will be your last breath and then where will I be again without my prince? I will not do this for you! No matter how hard you beat me, I have to protect the prince, I will not do it!”
“But I’m a great one! Its’ in my blood and I know I can do this! So open the door! I can talk to dragons!”
Both Hobble and Emalynn remained silent, while the Lynex stared back at Jacob with a heavy frown that seemed to be magnified by deep wrinkled ridges set in the corner of his eyes. Slowly his weighty expression began to change, as if he were mentally deliberating the matter. It took a full minute before his face returned back to normal.
“So you are, so you are, you must be great like me,” he agreed, nodding his head. “With that kind of confidence you must be an early bloomer, and I have seen that once before with yer eldest uncle. Since it is in your blood, you must be the same.” Reaching into his pack the Lynex removed a metal key ring that held an abundant collection of brass, silver, and gold skeleton keys. Appearing anxious, he shuffled through his collection with quivering fingertips, ferreting out a silver key. With a trembling hand he passed off the keys to Jacob. “Now the dragon with the white spot on its tail is the one that you will want to wake and speak with, any other dragons will eat you alive.”
Even though Jacob had got what he wanted, the chance to meet and talk to dragons, he wasn’t accustomed to lying for things and at the moment he was finding guilt to be a miserable companion. He knew that the Lynex was right; he wasn’t a great one yet, least ways not like he had them all believing. From the very beginning his concern for Mr. Pitts’ safe return had egged him on in their dangerous quest, and now in order to keep his game afoot he found himself instantly fibbing at the slightest obstacle, and he didn’t like what he was feeling. And on top of all that, after seeing the Lynex’s troubled reaction, he immediately knew that he was getting himself tangled up in a real hornet’s nest. If the Lynex was right and dragons really were deadly, than unless he could figure out just how to talk to them, and do it quickly, he would most likely be ending the day as toasted dragon victuals.
Nervously he stared at the keys and handed them off to Hobble. In response, Hobble returned a short grunt, passing the dwarf torch back to Jacob. Without hesitation Hobble removed his pack and axe and stepped forward. Then using both of his hands he shoved the key into the rust-clogged shaft. “Old lock,” he grumbled, as he turned the key with his thick strong dwarf fingers. The catch of the lock clicked making a solid, “crack,” and Hobble pushed on the door. “Tas I thought, tis rusted shut,” he complained shaking his head and stepping backwards. With a sudden loud bellowing “ARRRRGH,” he leapt forward and flew through the air, pounding the flat of his heels against the door. The door skidded open and violently he fell onto the flat of his back with a solid thud. Before them a dark and dusty staircase spiraled down into a deep black pit.