Bored...

Drat and Dree were bored out of their minds...

"I can't take too much more of this," Drat whispered to Dree as they stood away from the Gooblin King and the Borrower.  "How can they talk so much about little things?" Dree asked the Troll King's minion not really expecting an answer.  "We have searched seven treasure rooms already and it sounds like that is just the tip of the things that Hir'aeth has collected over the years.  Being a former Borrower turned Finder - Arnie wants to admire everything.  This search for the book will take forever!" 

It probably was because Arnie being a Borrower where sparkly things caught her attention was why her and the Gooblin King were getting along so well.  After Hir'aeth showed them the first treasure room with Arnie bouncing around with excitement the Gooblin king had started to soften up.  He even actually enjoyed telling the Borrower about how he had retrieved each piece of treasure.  This had gone on for six more rooms of stuff!  

It was as they were leaving to go to treasure vault number eight when Dree heard the whisper.  At first it was as if a breeze had blown past his sensitive ears, caressing them with magic, but since there were no winds in the treasure rooms, Dree decided that it must be something else.  As the others started down the hall to the next room, Dree paused for a minute and turned his head from side to side to see if he could pick up the 'feeling' of where the breeze was coming from.  THERE!

It was coming from treasure room eight's doorway that the Gooblin King had just opened.  Hurrying to catch up to the others, Dree tried to figure out some way to let Drat know that something was in there.​

By the time he was in the treasure room, Arnie and Hir'aeth were already opening a chest and the Gooblin King was pulling out what was inside.  "This one I got when that old troll Druzzy got turned around in a cave somewhere in the Dragon Mountains a long time ago.  I had changed one of the rock signs that had  him going in the wrong direction long enough for me to find this trunk and get it away."  Turning his head and looking at Drat, he continued, "You were with him, Drat, on that hunt.  I made sure that you had found the wrong map so I would have the time to find the treasure first," he snickered as he went back to showing the contents of the trunk off to Arnie.  Drat, peering over the trunk lid, saw the real map had now been placed into the trunk after the treasure had been found.

"This is IT!" thought Dree as Hir'aeth kept pulling things out of the battered looking trunk.  Finally, when a bundled cloth rag came out of the trunk did the Moon Dragon feel the "knowing" that they had found what they were searching for.

Tickling his mind a voice spoke: "Master... You have returned to claim me," Dree heard clearly this time.  "I am yours to command."  At first Dree did not know what to do.  "How am I to get this from the Gooblin King?" he thought.  No sooner did the question pop into his head than just as suddenly an answer was given.  "Tell the Gooblin King that you will owe him a favor.  You are the only one that can hear me," the voice continued in Dree's head.  

"Since he cannot hear me, he will think the trade is well worth it as he is giving you a trinket for a much greater prize.  Tell him that you will help him on his greatest hunt.  It is a search for his secret most desired item that he has never told anyone about.  Just say 'stone' when he asked what do you know about what he desires most," the voice whispered.  As the bundled rag with the item in it was going back into the chest, Dree realized that he needed to act now.

"Ahem.  Great King, are you willing to make a trade for something here in your treasure room that I have found interesting?  Whatever that bauble is that you are putting back into the chest for a Dragon's favor?" asked Dree.

Both Drat and Arnie were now interested more in what Dree was doing than what they had been just looking at.  Dree did not look at either of them but instead kept his gaze on Hir'aeth.  Now a favor from a Dragon was a powerful thing and the Gooblin King knew this, but what could be in this bundled rag that the Dragon would want that badly.

"Let's go back to my throne room and discuss this offer of yours young Dragon.  I am interested to hear your proposal," the Gooblin King said as he put the wrapped treasure into his pocket and closed the lid.  As soon as the trunk was secured, he started out of the treasure room and they all started the trek back to the throne room with the guards following.  "I wonder what is wrapped up in that rag," was the thought running through all four of their minds.