"When a certain student decides not to disappear to go off and play... not too bad," answered Dewin with a disgruntled look. "We were supposed to have a belching class this morning but he skipped out somewhere. I have been looking up some more information for his studies in my crystal ball for when he returns. He will wish he had attended the class instead of going off to play by the time I get done." It was when looking up from the crystal ball that the wizard noticed that his three visitors all looked a little more than just concerned about the absence of the Wish Dragon. "What's going on?" asked Dewin. "Is there something I should know about?" The Baron started out and then Hewy jumped in to explained their concerns about Hungry's safety. "Yes," said Hewy, "the Troll King has been asking a lot of questions about Dragons and that he was hearing about a Dragon tablet. We're concerned about what the Troll King might do if he could capture Hungry."
"Recently I was looking over some old scrolls, preparing for a lesson with Hungry, when I found a reference to a Dragon Transformation ritual. It was just a small note scribbled on the margin that I just took as a pondering note, but now it makes some sense." The others did not interrupt the wizard, so he continued his ponderings. "It mentioned a disaster with the Dragons. Something about how a Wish Dragon was undergoing the transformation when a bird interrupted the ceremony. From the sounds of the note, things did not go well for the Wish Dragon. That is all I know about it as sadly what happened wasn't written." The three visitors concernedly glanced at each other and made a decision. "We need to find Hungry now to make sure he is safe and well hidden from the Troll King until we have the tablet," said the Baron to the others. Even the wizard nodded his head in agreement since it was now not just finding a truant student, but possibly the future of the realms.
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Nowhere did there appear to be a regular chair or seat to sit down on while he and Fiddlefaddle waited for Hewy and the Rock band he was jamming with to finish. After another quick glance of the room, he noticed Fiddlefaddle waving to him and pointing at a log that was up against a wall. "At least I will be able to sit down on something not pointy," decided the Baron and started towards his faithful BAT man. Meanwhile, Fiddlefaddle was brushing the lose bark off of the log and setting a cloth over it so the Baron would have a place to sit without sticking to the sap leaking from the tree. It was then that he realized that the log (being about 3 feet around) had not been cut down but had been broken in half like it had been smashed with something heavy. "A fist maybe," thought Fiddlefaddle! If he was worried about what kind of place they were in before, he was even more so now... "Sir, I have prepared a place for you here," he told the Baron. "What would you like to drink while we wait for Hewy?" Thinking that this was turning into a new adventure, the Baron decided to go with the flow. "Whatever their special is today would be fine."
Now Fiddlefaddle was not going to ask about the extra because he really did not want to know what it might be, but went ahead and ordered one for the Baron. As he was taking it back to him, Fiddlefaddle noticed that the Baron was now talking to Hewy who had finished his last practice set and was now taking a break. "I know where some of the Borrowers live but they are a secluded group and usually live away from each other instead of in a community. Borrowers like to work alone when they can. They normally don't like to be too close to neighbors because either a fight happens because they 'borrowed' something or the neighbor did," he heard Hewy tell the Baron. "But Hewy, we must find this Borrower because it has a Dragon tablet that may change our entire realm if it gets into the wrong hands," whispered the Baron as he leaned into the troll, hoping that no else was listening in. "Or Troll's hands you mean. This must be what the Troll King Druzzy is wanting," replied Hewy. "Lately he has been trying to get me to bring Hungry to him and he keeps asking me about any information or old songs about Dragons that I might know about. The last time he summoned me to his audience room, he said that as a musician I must know how to read music, but could I also read Dragon? It made no sense to me at the time, but now it does. He must really want that tablet." "I don't think it would be a good thing, Sir, if he gets it," interrupted Fiddlefaddle. "Sorry sir, your drink..." holding out the tray to the Baron. As the Baron's thoughts were on the problem he and Hewy were discussing, he grabbed the handle of the drink and started to take a sip... but before he could, Hewy's hand covered the top of the tankard and pulled it from his grasp. "Is this today's special?" he asked Fiddlefaddle. "Yes, it is what the Baron requested," he replied. "Unless you want us to carry you out of here, I would not drink that. The special ingredient is a large shot of aged Dragon's Brew and even that is strong enough to put a troll asleep under a tavern table let alone under a bridge," Hewy told the Baron. Deciding that Hewy's warning was good enough for him, the Baron decided to forget about the drink and continue the discussion. "If Druzzy is interested in Hungry, then we should warn him or maybe consider hiding him deeper in the forest."
"Fiddlefaddle, next time you order the special, maybe you should get some ice (lots of ice) to water it down a little bit?" the Baron told his BAT man as they followed Hewy to the tavern door and into the street. As Fiddlefaddle followed the Baron out of the door, he made some notes in a little journal that he carried for information just like this.
As Arnie was thinking of the things she could do to the Wysp if it was tricking her again, others in the Realms were also making plans...
After a short pause, Awena continued in a low voice, "I believe that Fae could may be you as you were the one who was able to open the enchanted book when no others could." "I feel that you are wrong, but tell me more about this prophecy," answered the Dowager. "There are so many other Fae involved in this mess with the Dragon tablet that you must be wrong." So, as Awena and Griselda discuss the prophecy, others were also busy...
"I still think that checking with Drat (the Troll King's top minion) might be more beneficial," he continued. "Come on you scaredy-cat! If we talk to any the Troll King's minions or the Gooblin King's, then they will know what we are doing. Now, just follow my lead," said the Baron as he walked into the Troll bar right past the sign that read "Aged Goat's Milk Today's Special - 100 Proof" as they looked for Hewy...
"No, I don't know. As far as I have found, nobody even knows what they looked like for sure," answered the Sleeping Sister. "There are no sketches in any of the scrolls and no descriptions. For the power of the magic they had, we can only assume that they could probably also change shapes and may be with us still."
Soon they were sipping tea and slowly Griselda was beginning to come to terms with this discovery. "I felt betrayed by them not telling us, but now that I think more about it," she told the Sister, "I guess that it was never my place to know. It's just hard to fathom that Dragons were at one time just another being in the Realms and not the powerful creatures they became..." After a long pause, and when Griselda did not continue, Awena decided it was best to tell her old friend of her concerns. "Griselda, I believe that the finding of the tablet by the Borrowers and your discovery of this book were meant to be. Somehow they are tied together and you are going to be a major player in the game." What the Sleeping Sister did not say but was in her thoughts was, "and I hope you have the strength for it."
As Fiddlefaddle started to leave the room, the Baron remembered how exciting it was to head out on an adventure. He called out to his BAT man with a sparkle in his eyes. "If either of us find out where to locate them, you and I will be heading out on the road once again just like old times!"
Startled as a jolt of lighting went through his arm, he dropped the book to the floor and jumped back. The book acted like it had heard the question, opened and flipped through several pages, finally stopping partway through the book. "Be careful son," warned the Dowager when they realized that the book was finished moving and not going to close, the Baron started to pick it up from the floor. He slowly placed it on a reading table near the bookshelf it had come from keeping his hands from the front of the book incase it decided to close like teeth chomping together. Awena stepped up to the book and saw the page it had opened to, smiled and then stepped back, motioning for the others to read the page. "I think there is your answer." If you would like to read the story with Griselda and the Baron...
click here or on the book below.
"It is no matter. From your description we probably have a copy of it here in our library," smiled Awena.
"Come, I will take you to the library." Rising smoothly from the cushion, Awena and the Dowager started towards the door. "Hummm... Don't worry about me," grumbled under his breath the Baron as he struggled to rise from the floor. He wasn't going to let two "old ladies" beat him to the door. Soon they stood before an ornately decorated entranceway with no door. "Aren't you worried about someone getting in here with all of these books and scrolls," asked the Baron thinking about how even Atian had a lock on his door. Awena just smiled and said that "they are well protected". What that meant, the Baron did not know, but after thinking about the power the Sisters had, decided it was probably better if he didn't.
Finally the Sister stopped in front of a large bookshelf and asked the Dowager if anything looked familiar. "We try to copy everything exactly the same from other books to include the cover and binding," she explained. "Anything look familiar?" Slowly Griselda pulled back a portion of her sleeve, revealing her dragon tattoo and started to approach the bookshelves. All at once, a book started to glow! "It looks like we found it," the Baron grinned as he pulled the book from the shelf. As the Baron turned to the others he realized that Awena was no longer smiling. Catching his mother's eye, he gestured toward the Sister and then Griselda saw it too. "Is there something wrong?" she asked her friend. "What is it?"
"What are Nyte Shades and what connection do they have to the Dragons?"
"Not very big," thought the Baron as his mother started to lift her hand to knock on the door. But before she could knock the door opened and there stood one of the Sisters. "Awena awaits you in her chambers." Unsurprised, the Dowager nodded her head in thanks and the both of them followed the Sister through a series of hallways until they arrived at an ornate set of doors. "The place doesn't look this big from the outside," the Baron muttered, only to receive a look of reproach from the Dowager. "Do I need to leave you on the doorstep?" she asked him in a frosty voice. Realizing he had best just keep quiet and listen with his mouth closed he gestured for her to lead the way.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." the Baron said as he bowed. " I am Belvedere Allowishes Theodore Steffon, but you may call me Baron since I am one," he told the Sister removing his hat, "Or by my nickname BATS." Smiling, Awena introduced herself and proceeded to give Griselda a brief hug. "It has been way too long," she told the Sister, "but as usual, sadly my coming here is not just a friendly visit." As the smile left Awena's face and by the look on Griselda, Awena knew that another big event was on the horizon. "Come, sit with me and we will get reacquainted and then you can tell me what troubles you," she told both of them. Trying not to be noticeable, the Baron quickly glanced around for a chair as he did not relish the idea of sitting on the floor for any long period of time. Ignoring him, Griselda lowered herself gracefully to a pillow and waited for the others to join her. Groaning silently to himself, "I think I have just gone down a rabbit hole here!" and not as gracefully as his mother, the Baron sat on an adjacent pillow. "I hope I can get up when this is all over. My knees aren't what they used to be," he continued thinking to himself.
As Arnie was heading to the hole by the old oak she had fallen into when she found the Dragon tablet, she was totally unaware that at that moment she was the most popular being in all of the realms. Everyone (and every thing) was looking for the Borrower with the Dragon tablet.
Even C.O.G. (Cooperation of Organized Grunts) had called a special meeting to see if anyone knew where a Borrower could be found. It was all very frustrating and not just a few tempers were short...
And across the Realm, two more of the searchers were on a mission of their own. "Tell me again why you think the Sleeping Sisters will help us? I mean, they usually don't get involved in any of the events of the realms. Why this one?" asked the Baron as he and his mother, the Dowager Griselda, were walking to the Sleeping Sisters house. "Also, I would like to know how you know where they live. Hewey, Efem, and the others had to be lead there by a bird."
Stopping in her tracks, the Dowager turned to face her son. "They don't do that," she growled at him with irritation in her voice. "The Sleeping Sisters have been guardians of the realms as long as I can remember and they know of many secrets and prophecies which they study and explore to keep all of us safe. Now, if you would be quiet for a while as I think on how to approach them, it would be appreciated!" Getting a nod from her son who decided it was best not to say another word for a while, they both started back down the trail. While on another hillside overlooking the waterfall, something was watching Arnie as she stepped through the water and started exploring around the pool. "How dare someone come into my garden," it thought. "Something must be done about this..."
For little did it know or care that at that moment it was the only one who knew where the Borrower was ~ even though it didn't know it was a Borrower. It just knew someone was in it's garden!
“I don’t really know,” she answered. “I really wasn’t sure we would even find a book when we went to Atian’s library. But, I guess I could say it found us,” she realized as she thought back to how her tattoo and the book both started glowing when she reached out her hand to pick it up. Glancing at the book as she set her cup of tea on the table, she decided they might as well start trying to decipher it since the book appeared to be written in ancient Dragon. "It was going to be a long night reading through such a thick tome," the Dowager thought as she stood and started towards the book. She whispered to herself her son’s question, “What am I looking for?” "Long, long time ago..." At her question the image of the Dragon on the cover began to swirl and a green light appeared as the book opened by itself and quickly flitted through several pages to a stop! Slowly words began to appear before the startled pair! As this was all happening the Baron had shot to his feet to protect his mother and now stood besides her with the open book resting on the table. The Dowager quickly started fanning herself as to not faint as the Baron stood there stupefied. Griselda looked at her son and said "I think we are going to need some help. I better contact the Sleeping Sisters!"
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GreetingsWelcome to my blog. This is where I will reveal the magic of my Fae and their stories and share with you some of the success and pitfalls through the journey of doll making, sculpting, and other crafts that all come back to my dolls in many ways. Archives
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