The rising sun struck the rooftops of Sentinel Village, creating shadows that crept slowly across the eastern half of Main Street. Morning had surreptitiously arrived, and Emalynn had slept through the entire night on the hard ballroom floor. She struggled to open her tired eyes and groggily she began to wonder where she was before recalling the events of last night’s tragic festivities. As the memories flooded back into her mind, her face turned bright red with anger. She had been cheated and humiliated along with the rest of the apprentices. “It’s Jacob’s fault! He knew how important this dance was for me, and he ruined it all!” she cried out in a wild fury. Her angry outburst gave her strength to force herself into a wobbly stand. The ballroom was half-empty with many apprentices still curled up sleeping. She staggered out the exit door and looked back giving a sigh, wondering what wonderful times might have been. Her beautiful hairdo had fallen into a disarrayed tousle down over the front of her face. The attractive corsage had no petals left on its battered green stem. Her dress was wrinkled and her lovely ribboned belt dragged behind her over the floor. She stumbled ahead in her weakened condition, swaying side-to-side, until she found she was unable to walk in a straight line.
In the foyer half asleep in his chair, a lonely cameraman had waited patiently through out the night for any potential customers to exit. As Emalynn approached he quickly awoke and stood up with a smile. “Take your picture Miss?” he inquired.
Without a word Emalynn staggered past the gentleman, determined to find Jacob and give him the lecture of his life. She fumbled down the hall, through the entryway, and out the castle’s exit.
Meanwhile back at the boarding house, the Lynex wearing the transformation locket sat by himself at the table in the dinning room, enjoying a most delicious breakfast. Thoughts of the wonderful dance and his noble role in making it the greatest apprentice ball ever happily filled his head, and he looked forward to the day, expecting multitudinous praises and compliments on his incredible feats. “Certainly the prince’s fame will now be spreading throughout the ranks of the sentinels, and by my natural greatness I have made my prince famous,” he proudly bragged within himself. He smiled and then reached up for another helping of scrambled eggs, thinking he should take a stroll around town this morning to test out Jacob’s newfound popularity, when the door to the boarding house creaked open.
“LYNEX OR JACOB, WHOEVER YOU ARE, I WANT A WORD!” screamed Emalynn, stomping into the dinning room. “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? RUINING MY DANCE LIKE THAT!
The Lynex flinched and spilled his spoonful of eggs over the table. Slowly he turned to see Emalynn’s red face glaring at him with her angry beady eyes, watching his every movement like an enraged lioness stalking its prey and readying for an attack.
“WHO ARE YOU ANYWAY!” she finally screamed.
Timidly the Lynex lifted the transformation locket from off his neck, shifting his appearance back to the Lynex.
“WHERE’S JACOB! I WANT A WORD WITH HIM!”
“Uh —— Oh –Jacob,” squeaked the Lynex in a whimper. “He went to the royal palace in the Dark Realm.”
“WHAT!” shrieked Emalynn even louder, looking even more upset. “HE WENT TO THE DARK REALM WITHOUT ME! WHAT’S HE THINKING? HE’LL GET HIMSELF KILLED! THIS TIME YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR JACOB FROST! ARRRG! RUINING MY DANCE AND SNEAKING OFF LIKE THAT TO THE DARK REALM! EEEEHHUURG!” she wailed, and furiously whirling around she stomped up the stairs.
After changing, Emalynn laid on her bed and rested for nearly an hour, trying her best to calm down. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t bring her raging anger under control. Growling like a combatant dog she grabbed her sentinel’s pack and headed down the stairs and out the door, stomping towards Mr. Pitts’ cottage. Feeling incredibly sorry for herself she tried to run to take the edge off, but she was too tired, sore, and hungry. Staying behind from Jacob’s mysterious excursion deepened her concern for his safety, and made her even angrier for being forced out his adventure. Breathing heavily she neared Mr. Pitts’ house and slowed her walk with the last few steps. “Why did he do this to me? What have I ever done to him?” she mumbled to herself, as she stepped onto the front porch and lifted her fist to bang on the door.
After only a few sharp raps, the door opened and Mr. Pitts appeared in front of her with a toothbrush stuck in his mouth. “Emalynn,” he garbled, dripping white foam onto the floor. “Wasn’t that a fun frolicking dance last night! And what about that Jacob, boy oh boy does he have talent!”
She set her sentinel’s pack down and in a sobbing moan she began, “Oh, Mr. Pitts, you don’t know the half of it. Jacob ran off to the royal palace in the Dark Realm,” she faltered, almost too livid to continue, “and we have to try and rescue him—before, before he gets himself killed!”
“When did he leave?” asked Mr. Pitts, slobbering foam down onto the front of his shirt.
“Yesterday some time. I don’t really know exactly. That was the Lynex last night wrecking my dance, not Jacob. Jacob sent him to the dance wearing a transformation locket! ARRRRG! THAT INCONSIDERDERATE NINCOMPOOP!”
“Yesterday! Anything can happen in a day!” exclaimed Mr. Pitts. He stood silent for a moment, as if in deep thought, and then suddenly he yanked the toothbrush out of his mouth and flung it across his living room towards the kitchen sink. “Hmmm,” he moaned, as he began to stroke his chin and cheeks, smearing foam over his face. “This sounds like an adventure is about begin. Righteoo, the book of Galeeky is our ticket to follow him. It’s rare for a sentinel to enter the Book of Galeeky; usually it is just the apprentices that go in for testing. But this time we’ll make an exception. Yes indeedee, a sentinel needs an adventure once in awhile,” he muttered, now rubbing his lathered hands together and showing his foamy teeth with a tittering smile.
“The Book of Galeeky,” questioned Emalynn surprised.
“Yesiree, the Book of Galeeky. Since we don’t have a master’s orb, we have to use the Book of Galeeky to transport ourselves into the Enchanted Realm.”
Mr. Pitts then disappeared into the back of his cottage, and within seconds he returned with his sentinel’s pack in hand.
“Quick, follow me!” he shouted, as he took off running down the street leaving the door to his cottage wide open.
Emalynn grabbed her pack and jumped into a feeble run, feeling the soreness of her body as she forced herself to try and keep up. A glob of white foam splattered on her arm and she disgustingly wiped it off, while dropping back further to avoid more flying dribbles. Mr. Pitts continued dashing down the middle of the street, until turning at a corner to stop in front of the second cottage. As Emalynn reached the cottage’s small front gate, she came to a halt behind Mr. Pitts and gasped for air, watching him forcefully pound on the door with his fist. A loud “CRACK” sounded, and the door abruptly split in two. With a “BANG” the upper half of the door fell inward and landed on the floor. In the doorway a familiar face soon appeared; it was Buckburne Scurvey looking over the top half of his remaining front door.
“Sorry about the door again Buckburne, I can fix it again for you,” apologized Mr. Pitts.
“I know you can, just like you fixed it the last time. I just need a new door, that’s all.”
“I’m off to the Dark Realm to look for Jacob and possibly challenge the Dark King,” said Mr. Pitts with a grin. “Want to come?”
“Of course I do! I wouldn’t miss it!”
“Excellent! After this adventure you may never have to worry about your door, or anything else.”
Buckburne stepped back into his living room and grabbed his sentinel’s pack and his cross bow from off a shelf. “I’m Ready, let’s go!” he said, striding forward and opening up the lower half of his front door. “What’s Jacob doing in the Dark Realm?”
“I don’t know, but somehow I suspect he was lured there by the Dark King.”
“Well that’s no good.”
Mr. Pitts spun his pack off his shoulder and pulled out his orb. Immediately the others placed their hands upon him and he punched the orb’s buttons transporting the group to within a few short steps of castle’s main entrance.
“We had better scarf down some protection wafers before we leave,” said Mr. Pitts, reaching into his sentinels’ pack and drawing out two chocolate wafers. He then handed one to Buckburne and turned toward Emalynn. “For your information Emalynn these mint wafers protect us sentinels from the black rays of dark warriors’ hollow tube weapons.” With a flick of his wrist he then popped the wafer into his mouth and chewed.
“What about me, don’t I get one?” asked Emalynn, looking at Mr. Pitts with a puzzled expression.
“Nooh Emaahmynn,” he hesitated for a moment and his eyes darted towards the castle’s entrance as he swallowed. “This is where we part ways. We’ll be back as soon as we’re able.”
“What do you mean? I’m going with you aren’t I?” she asked grimacing.
“Emalynn, it’s much too dangerous. We’ll be facing the Dark King and even if by some miracle we survive, without Jacob’s orb we may never be able to return back home again.”
“Don’t you worry,” said Buckburne, “I’ll make sure we return safely with Jacob.”
The two brave sentinels then turned and began walking up the steps towards the castle. As Emalynn watched the gallant rescuers march up the steps and through the doorway, heading off to their new perilous adventure, she angrily wiped a tear from her eye and stomped her foot. “A sentinel’s apprentice needs an adventure too!” she exclaimed. “And if I can’t go with your team then I’ll make my own rescue squad! Hobble, and the Lynex will come definitely with me!”