"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.
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"With that, I will now be able to serve him again." Time was not something Oracle felt as the Oracle did not age nor had It become less powerful. Time was only a tool for It to learn more to aid his Moon Dragon master. "There is so much my Master does not know that I shall be able to tell him from during our time apart," realized Oracle. "That must be why he was testing me." Deciding that It's assumptions must be correct since Tun'Gul was the only Moon Dragon. "For he did create me to be aware of challenges and tests in my purpose of gaining knowledge," as the Oracle thought about his Master. The problem with Oracle's assumption was that no matter how much information It collected, It could not reason out that there might exist another Moon Dragon and how that Dragon could come to be... While Oracle waited for It's Master to ask another question, It decided to review the time before they had become separated just in case It was tested again. "It was shortly after when the Dragons decided to leave the Realm and travel to other safer lands," It remembered.
The thought of why they had separated never once entered Oracle's mind for It did not have any emotions to feel the Dragon's lost connect. Emotions were not something that the Moon Dragon had bestowed upon It. Oracle was given pure logic and the ability to remember in detail events that It had observed from It's beginning to now. Oracle could surmise the purpose of everything and could compute what events might lead to what outcomes, but could not read minds of any other than his Master (and only then when allowed). The only conundrum with Oracle was that It was aware of a problem that It could not understand. Maybe that was because It had been out of communication with It's Master for so long or maybe It was malfunctioning. Oracle could not determine which...
"I cannot hear your random thoughts Master unless you focus them towards me like you have just done. But why do you ask these odd questions as you are the one who made me as I am?" the voice answered in the Dragon's head. With this answer, Dree almost stumbled over a tree root. He realized that it was extremely difficult to have this conversation, walk on an uneven trail, and also keep an eye on his two friends ahead of him so they did not think he was "loony-tune" (as the 'Outies' would say) talking to himself. Then the whisper of the smell of bakery ovens invaded his sensitive nose as he quickly formed a plan.
"Sure Dree. Take a seat," said Drat as he pointed to a large boulder, "and we will be back shortly with something to munch on." Soon Arnie and Drat were down the trail and out of the Dragon's sight. Quickly Dree opened the bag and looked inside. "It looks like a large coin," thought Dree as he pulled it from the bag. "Are you there?" asked Dree out loud to the trinket. "I am," the voice replied in Dree's mind. "I think we need to talk," started the Dragon. "I did not make you and I do not know your name."
For several minutes Dree just sat and stared at the trinket before swallowing and asking what he thought was the most important question of the thousand bouncing around in his mind. "Can you tell me more about your master, the Moon Dragon?" "Ah, a test," responded the trinket. "As it has been so long since you have used me, you want to see if I still remember. Very good. You are Tun'Gul, the only Dragon to become a Moon Dragon. You conquered the Ogers (relatives to what the 'Outies' call Ogres who are just as large and smelly as their cousins) when others could not. You are the discoverer of the portals between realms and have created objects that can see through time." After a short pause, the voice said one more thing and then stopped. "You are the Dragon Supreme." Working hard not to direct his thoughts towards the trinket, Dree made a decision as he heard his friends returning. "Thank you," he told the trinket. "As we have not talked in a long time and I feel like I am meeting an old friend after so many changes, I think it is best to reacquaint ourselves. I am now known as Dree. How would you like to be addressed?" "Welcome back Master Dree," the voice answered. "I would like you to continue to call me Oracle." 
"After all, a secret is no longer a secret if everyone knows about it," Dree reminded his friends. "And each of us should be allowed our personal secrets when they hurt no others." Arnie did not have a problem with this as she kept many secrets herself, especially as a 'Borrower' of somebody else's stuff. Drat, on the other hand, being the chief minion for the Troll King, had a few misgivings about keeping secrets from his boss. "Think of this way," Dree had told him, "Once we help the Gooblin King obtain his secret desire, then it won't be a secret anymore and you can tell King Dulbbe all about it." Finally Drat agreed. The real surprise about the secret to Dree was that even though Hir'aeth thought Dree knew all along what it was because of his one word answer, Dree was just as in the dark about what was the secret as his friends. "If whatever is in the bag hadn't told me what to say, we would all probably be sitting in a deep dark dungeon by now," thought Dree. He knew that it would have been a short stay since the Gooblin King didn't keep prisoners for very long. But still sitting in any dank, dark, musty, spider covered cell would not have been fun no matter how long one was in it. "I wonder what is in this bag?" Dree pondered while Arnie and Drat were heavily discussing any ideas they could come up with on how to fulfill Hir'aeth's desire. "I am in the bag Master," came a voice that only Dree could hear. "I have waited long for you to find me. How may I serve you?"
"I understand," the voice replied in the Dragon's head. "I will only hear the thoughts you send when you first speak my name or hold me close as you are doing so now." "But I don't know your name," realized Dree. "I don't even know what you are!" "But Master, you are the one who made me... How could you not know my name?" the voice asked sounding very confused. It was then that the others interrupted Dree's silent conversation with the trinket in the bag. "I was just telling Arnie that I explained to the Gooblin King about the current Dragon issue and their return to the Realm of Wymsy. I am glad he agreed that his desire can wait until we have taken care of that situation. Are you ready to go?" Drat asked Dree. Dree glanced once more at the bag in his claw and decided this was not the best place to continue his 'private' conversation with the trinket. "Yes, we need to tell the others what we have discovered." When Hir'aeth returned to the throne room, Dree approached the king as Gooblin King sat on his throne and requested permission for them to depart.
The Gooblin King Hir’aeth had left his three ‘guests’ in the throne room while he contemplated this surprising offer.
Meanwhile, as Dree was waiting for the King’s answer, Drat and Arnie were still looking at him to try and figure out what he was doing. As soon as the guards looked too bored to care about them, Drat slid up to the Dragon and whispered, “Do you have a plan or are you just winging it?” Dree smiled as Drat said ‘winging it’ as their friendship was at the point that they could make subtle jokes about each other without the other being offended. “Don’t get your tail into a trap” he whispered back as he winked at the rat.
“I have decided,” began the King looking directly at Dree, “but you must tell me how your favor would help me?” The Dragon did not even blink before responding. “I will help you obtain your greatest desire.” That answer did surprise the King and even his guards were taken aback as they rarely saw their king surprised and now it had been twice in one day!
“How…” started the Gooblin King as he backed away from the Dragon to lower himself down in his throne. Looking like all of the air had been knocked out of him, the Gooblin King took a couple of minutes just staring at Dree before he waived all of his personal guards away and told them not to let anyone into the room until he summoned them. Quickly the only ones left were the King and his three guests. “Do you all know my secret desire?” he asked them. Drat and Arnie just looked at Dree to answer. “No, your highness. I have not told them nor anyone else. It is a secret that currently only the two of us share, but their help will be needed in obtaining it. They will have to know what it is if you agree to the trade,” replied Dree. The King was going to trade the Dragon the strange bauble anyway, but now he was not concerned about the consequences of giving it to Dree. “My greatest desire,” mumbled the King to himself as he tossed the object still wrapped in the rag to the Dragon and asked “I have hoped for so long. When can we start?”
Drat and Dree were bored out of their minds...
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!
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.
"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.
"Your Majesty. I have come to help you with your problem of a missing object from your treasure room," Arnie started in a weak voice. The King instantly stood up and pointed a finger at her. "Being a 'Borrower' I assume that you have taken it? What did you take!" As the King was rising from his throne, several of his guards had surrounded Arnie and her friends as they lowered their spears. This was not how Arnie had seen the conversation working out when she had decided her course, but if nothing, a 'Borrower' was steadfast and knew how to adjust to changes. "When a lock jams, you find another way in," was Arnie's motto. Speaking quickly, Arnie continued, "Your Majesty. I have recently heard that you possess a thing of knowledge but are unable to find it since it requires a special being to unlock the key to its discovery. I have brought him to assist you. Did I do wrong?" Few had ever seen the Gooblin King confused and this answer added a few more to that spectacle. "What are you talking about? I know nothing of this. Tell me more," Hir'aeth said to Arnie as he motioned for his guards to move back to their posts. "Tell me what you have heard."
"I have been told that this information could save the entire Realms, to include your Kingdom, and I then knew that I must help in finding it. My companions, Drat as a representative from Dulbbe the Troll King and Dree of the Dragons are here to assist in finding the item," continued Arnie. The Gooblin King sat on his throne and did not say anything for several minutes as Arnie and the others waited patiently to see if they were going to be welcomed or if the spiders in the dungeon were going to get some company. Finally, Hir'aeth spoke.
The thought of being responsible for what you did both bothered her and excited her. "Leaving that beautiful purple feather behind for the book was worth it," she had thought at the time. But now, she was wondering if she would have been better off not knowing any of this. She didn't want her fellow adventurers to know, but she was having doubts of what she was doing here on this quest. "Is just looking at something that is not mine a good enough reason to just 'borrow it'?" she pondered. "I know that Drat and Dree are counting on me, but I just don't know. If I do this, am I still doing something bad though I am being told it is for a good cause? Doesn't that make it still a bad thing?" Her mind kept going around in circles as they grew nearer to their destination. As Drat was telling Dree that he knew of several ways to sneak into the Gooblin King's cavern, Dree glanced over at Arnie and realized that she was deep into her own thoughts. He had noticed that Arnie had been quiet during the trek. "I know she was at first reluctant to agree to help but what could she be thinking about so hard?" Dree thought to himself. It did not take much for Drat to also notice that neither one of his traveling companions were now listening to his plans. He too stopped talking and started to watch Arnie also. Arnie was so caught up in her thoughts that she actually walked right into Dree before realizing they had stopped and were staring at her.
"Yes, we are finding a book and you did say that we were not borrowing it, but at the same time aren't we finding something that belongs to someone else? Especially because we aren't asking them if we can look at it... is that the right thing to do?" In Drat's mind, the answer was instantly 'YES' but Dree's answer to Arnie's question even surprised him. "Arnie, I am still learning myself and I agree that it is not completely right, but it is necessary. It is up to you to decide if it is right for you so we are going to let you decide how we should to this. Do we continue or do we go back and find another way?" A tear came to Arnie's eye. Never had she felt like she had others who would follow her. It was a new sense of responsibility that she had not experienced before and it was because they trusted her. No one trusted a Borrower! "Thank you both. I have been thinking about it much and we must do this... but I think we need to do it a different way than sneaking into the Gooblin King's caverns and sulking around until we find it. I have a different plan." As Drat and Dree waited to hear her plan, Arnie looked at Drat and with a smile and a gleam in her eyes, "Can you get us an audience with the Gooblin King?" 
Neither Drat nor Dree knew it would be the last time they were to see her again. "The Queen is sending me on an important mission that is going to take me into places unknown," Meen realized as she listened to the flutterby message again. "She even told me to pick someone to serve in my place as her chief, but who should I pick that will do as good as a job as I do?" With that thought, Meen continued hopping towards the Shadows' Queen's castle to pack for her journey. Meanwhile, Meen was not the only one packing... "Don't forget the spoon and my favorite shoes," Goodie2shues told her sisters.
"Hurry sisters. My vision told me that we must catch this next transport if we are to be timely. If you don't have time to pack it, we will just have to find another when we get there," Goodiegood told the others. "What about the stuff we have to leave behind? What's going to happen to that?" asked Goodie4u as she finished filling her traveling case. "I have taken care of that. Someone who the door guardian knows well will be in charge of the cottage for us," answered Goodiegood. It was then that the knock sounded at the door and the door opened wide letting in the Borrower. "Hi Arnie. Take a seat and we will be finished shortly. I already poured you a cup of that pumpkin spice tea you like so much," Goodiegood said as she resumed packing. As Arnie sat down, Goodiegood and her sisters started for the door with their traveling bags. "Sorry, we don't have time to chat, replied Goodie2shues. "And we can't tell you why but please consider this cottage your home," Goodie4u told her as they all left. "I can only tell you that what we have to do is important and it is taking us to a unknown place," and closed the door leaving Arnie by herself in the quiet cottage.
"This is a strange place," thought Arnie as she looked at the circular tangle of sticks that was slightly moving (as if breathing) hanging over the entrance door. She then pulled out her favorite keys and locks as she thought of new places to hide her treasures in this cool looking cottage.
Even Griselda had not thought out this possibility of being known. "I don't think I even showed my tattoo yet either", thought Griselda as she brought her hand to her lips in surprise. “Greetings oh mighty one. Yes, it has been a long time and your presence greatly enhances our Realm,” Griselda replied receiving a smile from the Wish Dragon. It was then that Siate’ decided to address the young Dragon standing with the villagers. “And who are you and from which clan are you from?” she asked Dree. After a pause while he thought about his answer, Dree replied. “I am Drai’ochtluan and was of the Wish Dragon clan.” Siate’ waited for further explanation but when Dree did not continue, she thought that maybe Aralt was correct and this young Dragon was a little stupid. “What do you mean ‘was’ of the Wish Dragon clan?” she asked him. “As I was the only Wish Dragon before your arrival, I did not see myself as part of a clan,” he answered. With this answer Aralt smirked. He noticed the look that had appeared on Siate’s face. "Yes. I had already warned her that this Dragon was not the brightest," as he let his lips slightly curl up into a small smile.
“That is true,” Dree solemnly answered with a slight bow. When he did not explain himself further, it was Aralt who asked “Where?” After appearing to be thinking about his answer, finally Dree replied. “I am pretty sure that I said Where could be in the caves south of here.” After another pause he continued, “Yup. Possibly in the caves south of here. You might want to talk to Who as well.” “Who do I talk to?” Aralt asked. “Yes,” answered Dree. “I talk to Who?” again Aralt asked. “That’s right,” agreed Dree. It was then that Drat realized the game the young Dragon was playing. “That’s right,” said Drat as he smirked a smile to Aralt. “You should talk to Who. If you can’t find Who, then I suggest you go to the second cave and ask to see What. If you don’t get an answer from them then you then try the third cave. I Don’t Know Who is at the third cave." At this point Aralt, shaking his head, replied, " If you don't know who is at the third cave why are you sending me there? "No, no," replied Drat. "Why isn't sending you anywhere. I realize that this is all probably very confusing to you as an elder, so I will take you there if you need me to,” smiled Drat to the Herald. Again, feeling his intelligence insulted, Aralt puffed up his head and told the rat to mind his manners and that he would be just fine without his unneeded assistance. “Indeed,” the Herald replied as he marched up to Siate’ and offered to lead her to the other Dragons that must be in the southern caves. As they prepared to begin their quest, something still nagged at the mighty She-Dragon. “I don’t think this young Dragon is quite as stupid as Aralt thinks he is…” she murmured to herself as she turned to leave.
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