"We have discovered that a Nyte Shade, one of Queen Ffion's ancestors, gave her magic to a dragon and that is how Dragon's became magical." Now it was Nutmegg and Allspice's turn to be surprised as this was not known to them. "That might explain why Siate' came back and why Aralt was here," Nutmegg murmured to Allspice.
"I am glad that you all are here," Griselda realized. "For it must mean something. We certainly would have never gone down this path without what Allspice and Nutmegg had told us. Apparently there is something in this realm that affects the Dragon's magic making it more stable. What that something may be is still an assumption. But if the stone in the cage was not taken by the Dragon's when they left, then that could be a good reason why some of their mis-enchantments happen elsewhere as anything else. What we have to do is figure a way to find out more about the mis-enchantment issue. It might just be the key to both why the Dragons have returned and how to stop Aralt and Siate' from whatever their plan could be."
When he was finished, Allspice turned to the rest of the group and started to relay about Lil' Boots overhearing a conversation and how he rushed over to warn everyone about what Aralt was told to do. Finding out that Aralt was planning on abducting someone and take them back to Siate' for questioning did not make the others very happy. "Thank you for the warning Lil' Boots and welcome back from the World of Whispers," King Dulbbe told him. "When this situation is over with the Dragons, we will do everything we can to help get you back to your home." Lil' Boots was so surprised that as he stood there blushing all he could say was "Ahhh, shucks. Twasn't nothing. Glad to help."
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Again, Lil' Boots could not answer. The whole problem started with Allspice making some comment about losing an hour now that it was spring time. "Maybe that's it!" thought Nutmegg as he remembered that Allspice had also said something about 'springing forward an hour'. "I got it," Nutmegg told Lil' Boots. "Spring took it!" It took a while before Lil' Boots answered because he tried and tried to see how Spring could just take an hour but none of his thoughts added up. "I don't see how Spring can just take an hour," he told Nutmegg. " I mean, why would it only take an hour when it could take a whole day? Spring already takes away the snow and starts turning some of the plants green, so why only take an hour?" Nutmegg, being the detective he liked to think of himself as being, decided that this mystery must have an answer somewhere. "We need to question others to see what they know," he told Lil' Boots as he started off to see if they could find someone else who may know the answer to the missing hour.
The frog took one long hop and landed just in front of them. "Hi. My name is Tad. How can I help? By the way, that's a nice compass. My friend Acorn has one just like it," said the frog. "Thanks," answered Lil' Boots. "We have a question and are wondering if you can help us. Just the other day we were told that everyone here lost an hour of time and we were wondering how that happens. Is it a one-time thing or does something like it happen often here in this realm?" Of all the things really hysterical, one of them is watching a frog laugh! Especially if they are trying not to because their eyes bulge out a little bit more... When he was able to, Tad finally caught a short breathe and told them about how the realm had a way of saving daylight to use later. "Some call it daylite savuns," Tad told them when he was finished with how the hour was not really taken, just sprung forward from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. "It's like magic that only happens from spring until winter so we can have more light in the evening instead of while we are asleep in the morning. We frogs know all about it. We call it 'springing forward'."
"As a Borrower, I would never had been invited into such a grand place like this," she knew. "As a Finder, the others actually want me around." It was a good feeling but with that feeling came a responsibility. Now others relied on her and asked her opinions and thoughts. "That is better and I like this feeling of being needed," she finally decided as her attention returned to what the others were talking about. "... and then Nutmegg told us that he would try to bring his leader, named Allspice, here to meet with you," Dree finished telling the Dowager and Baron. "That would be very good," Griselda answered. "Hopefully King Dulbbe and Queen Ffion will arrive before they do." Nodding his head, the Baron agreed with his mother. "Maybe this will give us another advantage over the Dragons," he said. "With Dree's Oracle and the help from SPICE, we might just be able to outmaneuver Siate' and her herald."
The others were looking over the Oracle and discussing what questions to ask it and what more could they learn from the Moon Dragon who created it. "I feel that we don't have much time before Siate' and Aralt do whatever they are planning," Dree told the others, "So I think we need to decide what questions to ask the Oracle otherwise we might end wasting a lot of time. As much as I would like to know my kin's past, we need to focus on what is happening now." The others agreed and as they continued their discussion, Fiddlefaddle entered the tea room with King Dulbbe and Queen Ffion. Shortly they were brought up to date on what was found in the Gooblin King's treasures and the meeting with Nutmegg. As Fiddlefaddle was refreshing the tea, the other guests arrived and were shown into the tea room.
"I am not sure I understand what might cause mis-enchantments as we did not have that problem when the Wish Dragon's were here before. We just had to watch how literal they could be was our problem with the Wish Dragons," the Dowager said. "If someone asked for a gold mine, they might find themselves in the middle of a mountain somewhere surrounded by gold but not able to return with it. What is a mis-enchantment?" she asked. "That is a good question, madam. Let me see if I can explain," answered Allspice. "With a mis-enchantment, a wish granted by the Wish Dragon may be successful but sometimes others in the area of where the wish was granted just up and disappear. We just recently recovered one of these victims who described the place he was transported to as the World of Whispers. Apparently it is a white glistening world that time does not hold. As Lil' Boots was there for a long time and never had to sleep or eat. Those trapped there could be heard but only as a whisper on the wind. We don't know why there are mis-enchantments, but we have found a way to bring them back. Sometimes when they return they are changed in some way but after visiting one of our Fae healers, they usually return to how they were before."
After the silence that followed the explanation, it was Drat and Dree who started laughing first. Soon the laughter was infectious and everyone was snickering. "Imagine, a burping Dragon," laughed Drat. "Now I know what to get you to drink the next time you start those bad knock, knock jokes," the rat said to Dree. When the laughter was contained, Dree spoke. "I think it is time to ask the Oracle our questions and now I think I know what to ask it," he said as he started to open the bag that held the magical trinket.
After all, why would a fairy need boots in the first place as we fly where ever we need to go. With these big boots I actually had to visit Dewin, the wizard, for him to cast a spell on them to stay on my feet when I did my take offs for flying. Before Dewin casted the spell he said he could see these were magical boots. I told him that the Silly Cat had said that too. The cat said, "Be careful for what you wish for as these boots are made to take you on adventures grander than you can imagine." Being a fairy that does sound kinda of exciting which is one reason why I accepted the boots.
Then he felt the tingle again. But this time before Lil' Boots had time to react he was surrounded in a glittery green glow - then he Poofed again!
The creature said "I am Nutmegg and I am here to help you. The World of Whispers is where those caught up in the Dragons' wishes go. That is where you have been." "But where am I now? This isn't my home," cried Lil' Boots. Nutmegg smiled and told him about how a Wish Dragon granting a wish had caught him through a mis-enchantment and flung him to the World of Whispers where those inside that mystical place could be heard but only like a small whisper on the wind. "The problem is that we could not see or find you and it took a Wish Dragon to bring you back," said Nutmegg. "You are now in the Realm of Wymsy and we will do all that we can to help you get to your home. But first, did you see others where you were and possibly my pet rock?"
"If we don't get at least one mis-enchanted return, then we are going to have to find something with a little more kick that makes these Dragons belch," he continued. Thinking about what that might be just made Allspice smile. "What indeed could we feed a Dragon to make him really burp and yet keep down the flames?" he asked Nutmegg but knew that he would not really get a useful answer. It was one of those discussions that always became more fanciful the more they passed it back and forth. "I was thinking of something the 'Outies' call Rootbeer. Supposedly it gives you lots of gas but I can't ever seem to find anyone who knows what roots to use."
"Let's see. After Aralt left, I decided to check out the area where Aralt said he first had met the Dragon named Dree. He had mentioned it was at the caves by the water. Since many of the caves here are by a stream or some small amount of water, that wasn't really helpful so I decided to choose what was the biggest body of water and start from there. Also my choice was a little bit based on if there were anyone else living nearby the caves. After meeting a couple of talkative Wysps who bragged about some of their 'good' deeds, I found that the Dragon was living in the caves near this small lake. These caves are also tucked back beneath a place they call the Baron's Mansion. I decided to check it out and spent a while searching through the caves. It is a good spot to hide as there are many tunnels leading to other locations and was hard to find where the young Dragon lived." Since Allspice did not ask any questions, Nutmegg continued. "Finally, I heard some talking and managed to follow the voices until I came across a large opening. There were a couple of privacy screens, a few piles of pillows, and a couple of large stacks of books. Sitting on the pillows was a large white rat and the Dragon I had been looking for. The Dragon and rat were talking about some meeting they needed to get back to. Apparently they were taking a break and now needed to go back to this Baron's Mansion to talk with some oracle." "That's terrific!" exclaimed Allspice. "Now we know where he is if needed before Aralt and Siate' find him. The question is, what do we do now?"
"Well boss, I kinda told them all about SPICE and the problems with Wish Dragons' wishes going bad. This seemed to bother the young Dragon a lot but I don't know why... Otherwise it seems they want to meet with you at the Baron's Mansion if you will come so they can talk with you. Whatcha think? Should we go?" asked Nutmegg. When Allspice told Nutmegg to do his detective work on the young Dragon, this was not what he had expected, but sometimes it is the unexpected that works out better than the plan... "Why not. Help me dampen the brewing fires and roll this barrel of Ambrosia over to the store room. Then you can take me to the Baron's Mansion and we will find out what they know. Maybe we will find the answer to how to take away a Wish Dragons ability to make wishes," Allspice answered as he started putting away his cooking utensils.
"Had possibly Siate' and the other Dragons chosen another Herald to replace me since I did not leave with them on their exodus?" Aralt thought. "I need to listen to more of what they are saying," he decided before exposing himself to them.
Apparently the Ambrosia was the key, but in the time that he tried to overhear their conversation, he could not figure out how it worked. When finally the Herald thought he had learned what he could, he quietly snuck back to the entrance of the cave and then turned around and started making as much noise as he could by calling out loudly if there was anyone home. That brought the two bakers outside and to him where he figured he had the advantage and could watch both of them easier. "Can I assist you?" asked the short heavy baker. "I am Allspice and this is my friend, Nutmegg." "I am looking for a young Dragon with the name of Dree. Have you seen him or maybe know where he is?" asked Aralt. Allspice and Nutmegg just stood and stared at Aralt saying nothing until the Herald realized that he had not introduced himself. "I am Aralt," was all he said as he did not want them to know about his relationship with the Dragons. What Aralt did not know was that Allspice had already seen him with Siate' and had already told Nutmegg.
When Aralt was out of site, Nutmegg turned to Allspice. "Now we know where this 'Dree' lives. I think I need to go check it out," Nutmegg said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Are you good here to continue without me for a while?" Allspice nodded and laughed. He could always tell when "the detective bug" had hit Nutmegg. "Go. I will be fine," Allspice answered as he laughed again and headed back into the cave to start another batch of Ambrosia.
Finally, as his feet were sore from all of the walking (which he was still not used to doing as he was used to being carted around in a carriage and treated with honor... What Had This World Come To!!), the Herald decided to take a seat on a large, flat rock in front of a cave. As he massaged his tired feet, he thought he heard some distant music. "I wonder what the occasion is," he pondered as he turned his head in different directions to see if he could figure out where the music was coming from. It didn't take long before he realized that the music was coming from the cave and it sounded like there might be more than one player. "If it isn't the young Dragon, then maybe they will know where to find him," Aralt decided as he entered the cave. Upon entering the dark entrance, the Herald waved his hand and a magical glowing light appeared. "This should work," Aralt murmured as he followed the sound to the source of the music using the light to show his way. As he approached and the music became louder he thought that he could see the path without stumbling. Not wanting the players to see him he banished the light and slowly proceeded down the cave. Hoping for answers and not wanting to scare away the musicians, Aralt slowly peered around a large rock to see who was there.
"This is just getting stranger and stranger," muttered Aralt quietly so the others would not hear him. As the Herald hid behind the rock and watched them, soon the music stopped playing and the one cooking clapped his hands and shouted "Ambrosia!" Startled, Aralt jumped back from the rock, but luckily the others did not see him as their attention was on the green glowing liquid.
"I have been thinking about what you told me, Allspice, and though the Ambrosia doesn't stop the Dragon's wishing power, do we really want to take away a Wish Dragon's ability to grant wishes?" asked Nutmegg. Hearing that made Aralt freeze. "What's this?" he thought. He then tried to block out all the other sounds in the cave so he would not miss this revealing conversation. Nutmegg continued. "If their ability to grant wishes was taken away from them, then would we be able to restore those Fae lost due to mis-enchantments? Also, I don't think there is a way to take away their power especially since they are immune to any magical spells and devices that we know of." "That is what I thought at first, but if Siate' is worried about that young Dragon who said he is no longer a Wish Dragon, then there must be something behind it," answered Allspice. "I agree, there is something of a mystery here," replied Nutmegg, "and you know that I love a good mystery who-dun-it."
"Sometimes feelings conflict with logic," he told himself as he repeated his 'knit one, purl two' mantra to keep his anger in check. By the time that Allspice saw Nutmegg and approached, Nutmegg had his temper in check and realized that he actually was a little glad to see the leader of SPICE. "How was your trip?" Allspice asked as he helped Nutmegg with his baggage. After the usual banter about delays and overcrowding, they both started their walk to the caves where the SPICE kitchens were being set up. "I wanted to meet you when you arrived so I can also bring you up to speed on what is going on in this realm and an update on the Wish Dragon activity," said Allspice.
Allspice laughed and told him, "If I knew the answer to that, we might be going home especially if I thought they were going to stay here and quit causing mischief with those mis-enchantments. As SPIs, that is probably the first thing we need to find out." While Nutmegg was mulling over that answer, Allspice continued. "This land is overall the Realm of Wymsy which also includes the Shadows' Realm and several other outer lands. There is a mix of Fae and the mundanes that the Fae call 'Outies' for the 'Outies' do not possess magic. They, for the most part, live together peacefully and work together. The usual prejudices don't seem to be too prevalent, just the irritation of some of the usual nature of different races. For example, almost everyone gets grouchy over the Pyksee and Wysp antics for practical jokes." This slightly surprised the Hobb-goblyn who was used to others not accepting his race. "May this won't be such a bad assignment after all," Nutmegg thought.
Afterwards I heard Aralt and Siate' discussing one of the remarks made at that meeting with the young Dragon. It had to do with taking away a Wish Dragon's wishing ability." As Nutmegg silently was thinking about what he had heard up to that point, the last line of Allspice's update threw all of those thoughts out of his head! "Take away a Wish Dragon's ability to grant wishes? Can that be done?" Nutmegg asked before he realized that if Allspice knew, they would have already done it to stop the Wish Dragons from casting more mis-enchantments. "That's something we need to think about and figure out how we are going to find out more about this young Dragon. I have found out he goes by the name of 'Dree'," Allspice said as they arrived to the caves where they would finish setting up their kitchen and temporary homes in this Realm of Wymsy.
He had heard through the Mushroom Line about a Dragon in this new realm where he was traveling to that liked to collect jokes. Nutmegg memorized a few so he wouldn't forget them. Like, 'What did the yarn say to the needle? - You got me in stitches!' or one of his favorites, 'What do you call a detective who knits? - Sherlock Woolmes'. For yes, Nutmegg was also a great reader of who-dun-it books by the Outies... well, actually anything he could get his hands on to read but he enjoyed who-dun-its the most. Breath in - slowly breath out - while all the time repeating "Knit one, Purl two" in his head to keep calm since he had missed his last connection. When he finally was calm, Nutmegg walked over to the newly posted schedule hanging on the wall of the subterrain slugway. The next travel slug should be showing up any minute now so he could get on his way to meet up with Allspice. Double checking one more time, "Yep, my hat is on. My handwarmers are doing their job of keeping my knitting fingers nimble and though I am not excited about taking on this new job, it is what I have to do," Nutmegg reminded himself.
For he knew that all Dragons weren't necessarily evil but the Wish Dragons were a huge problem to affected everyone which is why he signed up to be a SPICE (Stewards Preventing Imperfectly Casted Enchantments) agent.
As Arnie and the others followed the Gooblin King to his treasure room, others in the Realms were busy following their own plans…
Meanwhile, The Baron waited for his mother, the Dowager Griselda, to finish listening to the Flutterby’s message from Queen Ffion before asking her if she wanted more tea. Before he could speak, she picked up her empty teacup and told her son as he filled her cup and that she had a message for him.
“That means that not only Siate’ has arrived, but the other Dragons must be hiding somewhere in the realm. Why don’t they show themselves?” This was the same question Griselda was pondering… And deep within the cave, Aralt knew not to say anything when Siate’ was in a snit as she was now.
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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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