Chapter 14

{See “Chapter 13? Ellismera” on Render’s blog}

Chapter 14
“Where is the scepter of time anyway?” asked Flint. They were moving again, this time joined by their new friends Cless the Dragoon and Luna Moonarrow.

“It’s in the Cave of Calindide. To get there we have to go through the city Silthrim. That could be dangerous,” said Render as he walked.

Will nodded in agreement and added, “Most people here haven’t seen dragons for years. They don’t even know they still exist. If they see us they will start talking and spies will tell the shade. His name is Borom and he will stop at nothing until the whole world is under his power.”

“Then we can’t go through the city,” said Charity. “It’s too risky. Is there another way?”

The riders exchanged glances and said nothing. Bonnie listened in on their mental conversation, but only head the last words Cless muttered, “…the tunnels.”

“There is another way…” started Cless. Render gave him a dark look but he continued. “There are tunnels deep beneath the ground of Alagasia that are known only to a few dwarves and a handful of trusted Elves. In the tunnel system there is a route that runs directly under the city and pops out on the East side of the cave.”

“Great,” said Charity, happy to avoid unnecessary danger.

“What’s the catch?” asked Bonnie. Render kept his eyes on the road and replied, “The tunnels are made of grobdenite, the only substance known to mankind that can block magic.” Charity stopped and looked at him as he continued, “We’d be defenseless if anyone attacked us and we couldn’t even mindspeak!”

Luna walked slightly behind them with Levi. Her blonde hair was tied back loosely and her bright eyes were trained on her many minor dragons. A purple one flew near her shoulder but the rest stayed inside her hollows.

“I think we should take the tunnels,” said Levi, thinking about the possibilities. “It’s better to not have anyone know we were even here instead of risking it. Besides, no one knows about the tunnels anyway except for Elves and Dwarves. What threat are they to us?” They all agreed this was the best way to go but Render said nothing, only keeping his eyes on the ground.

Cless found the nearest tunnel entry around noon that day. It was covered by magic and took Will, Render, Cless, Levi, and Luna just to uncover it. Once uncovered they were happy to find the entrance big enough for all the dragons to pass through. Cless led the way with a small light in his hand. Luna followed, a blue light emanating from her palm. Bonnie followed after them with Miya perched on her shoulder. Will walked behind her with another small light. Charity and Flint walked side by side and Render was last. The dragons stayed by their riders if their rider was not on them. They walked for what seemed like an endless eternity. Flint and Bonnie argued for a while. Will and Charity talked quietly, remembering old times aboard their ship. Render and Cless were silent yet on occasion they stopped, looked at the walls, muttered something under their breath, and continued walking. Levi and Luna watched the minor dragons and discussed everything that had happened since they had been separated. Bonnie joined them after a while.

“So how is finding this staff going to help us bring Borom’s reign to an end?” asked Bonnie.

“If we find the staff and time-travel, we can go back to the point in time where he gained power and stop it from happening,” answered Luna.

“When would that be?” asked Bonnie.

“10 years ago. It started there. Slowly, spies and slaves of Borom had become trusted guards and security agents in the castle. Borom himself was the King’s adviser. One night he murdered the king in his sleep and his minions killed all the loyal servants. They took over the whole castle and slowly, like poison, spread among the country, taking all they desired.” The group fell into silence, imagining what it would be like when they went back to the night when the king was killed.

Will walked by his dragon and looked at the walls. They were smooth and round, kind of a grey color with blue streaks running through them like veins. He noted a few holes, and when examined closely he found they were deep crevices. He could see ten feet into them and they were not smooth at all, for on the inside were formations that should have been in a cave. The tunnels had been mined out from the inside of a gigantic cave and some of the older tunnels that branched off were dangerous and rough because of that. The caves were dark and Will couldn’t even see the end of them. Fortunately for the travelers, they only had to stay on the smoothed paths.

It would take two weeks for them to arrive near Silthrim, and another week for them to reach the tunnel they needed to surface, and they would have to walk back for a day in order to reach the cave. They were about one twentieth of the way through the desired tunnel on day two.

“We’re a bit behind schedule so let’s try to move a bit faster,” said Cless as he led the way. Will {with Baladon in tow} and Luna followed him, talking quietly. Bonnie and Charity walked behind them, talking and laughing animatedly. Flint and Levi were discussing the best weapons to use in various battle scenarios, Clesseath walking alongside Levi. Render hung back. He still didn’t trust the caves. Without magic he felt like part of him was missing. Ancalagon also seemed a bit nervous. They continued in this manner for a while.

“Be careful here,” said Cless. They had come to a place in the tunnel with a low ceiling. There were two paths. One was the smooth path they had been following. The other was shaped roughly with formations poking out of the entrance. They crawled into it and stood up on the other side. Huge rocks and boulders had been pushed away to the sides of the cave to make a path. The roof was pointed with stalactites and the ground still had many stalagmites. It was dark so the dragons had to breath fire to light the way.

“As far as short cuts go, this is the worst one yet,” whispered Charity to Bonnie. They began the trek down. There was no wind and no light, which made everyone a bit nervous.

“Everyone needs to stay silent. The rocks above us are old, and if we are too loud or move too quickly with enough force they may fall down on us,” said Render, softly. Bonnie and Luna’s minor dragons were hiding in their hollows. Ancalagon and Baladon breathed flames lightly on the ground in front of them, lighting up the beginning and ending of the train of travelers. Baladon’s tail swept up a pile of dust. He pulled away but was not quick enough to evade the dust from flying into his face and up his large nostrils. He made a face, swiveled his head around, and blinked wildly. The friends stared then began moving away from him desperately. He sneezed, his roar echoing around the walls, fire erupting from his mouth.

The roof rumbled from the impact. The ceiling caved in. Rocks and stalactites fell on them. They barely managed to move out of the way. The noise caused more to fall. The whole room seemed to be collapsing. They threw themselves on the ground and covered their heads with their arms. A few minutes later the dust cleared and they cautiously climbed their way out of the rubble. Luna peeked through her hands and gasped. There was a wall of debris and rock in front of her. It stretched from ceiling to floor and wall to wall. Looking around, she found that Cless, Will, and Bonnie were on her side of the wall. They glanced at the looming boulders, foreboding and impenetrable. The dragons had flown to their riders and now stood near the wall, lowering their heads and trying to push the wall. The friends joined them in moving the rocks. The only opening they saw was at the very top and it was so small not even Miya could climb through it.

“Chair!” called Bonnie, reasoning that no more rocks could fall because all of them already had. No reply.

“Render!” called Luna.

“Flint!” yelled Will.

Silence. “Luna, can you climb to the top and peek through the hole?” asked Bonnie. Luna nodded and began the dangerous ascent to the top. Some pebbles fell down.

“Careful!” called Cless. She nodded and took another step. She slipped and slid a few feet down but caught herself, wincing as she felt her leg get scraped. She finally reached the hole and peered through. She could not see her friends, only rocks and wreckage like on her side.

“Levi? Are you alive?” she asked, searching for them with her eyes. She could sense them. Four beings were breathing. Slowly a rock moved and Render climbed out. He searched for the rest of them. Charity, Flint, and Levi were all unharmed and had survived with minimum bruises and cuts.

“We have to turn back. We can’t move these boulders without magic,” said Render.

“We will continue along the tunnel and reach the cave first. It should take you an additional day or two to get to the surface,” said Cless, loudly. Luna repeated what he said to the group on her side.

“But that means we’ll have to go through the city!” said Charity. Luna translated again, leaving out the worry she had heard in Charity’s voice.

“That just means you’ll have to be smart and careful,” said Cless.

“Looks like you’ll have more of an adventure than we will,” said Bonnie to Charity, sounding a bit jealous.

“What on earth do you mean?” asked Charity, confused.

“You guys get to go back and sneak through the city, hiding your true identities from spies, concealing your dragons, and evading all shades in the process. And I’m stuck in this hole in the ground.” Bonnie said. Charity almost smiled even though Bonnie couldn’t see her.

Will spoke to Flint. “Take care of Chair, ok?”

“Duh. Somebody’s got to,” He replied. “And keep your weapon sharp.”

“Of course,” Will said.

Luna looked down at her friends. “Levi says he’ll meet us a mile in front of the cave. On the night of the next full moon.” Cless nodded.

“We need to go now. We have already wasted much time,” he said in a low tone.

“I shall see you in time. Keep them safe.” He said to Render.

“Same to you,” replied Render. The riders, dragons, and pirates thus parted ways. Render, Flint, Charity, and Levi were bound to go back to the tunnels’ entrance to surface and go through the city with the dragons Ancalagon, Clesseath and Baladon. Cless, Will, Bonnie, and Luna were going to press on through the tunnels to get to the Cave of Calindide.

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner
The Week of Terror

Next Part {Of Shades and Elves}

Part…a lot. Like…12, right? Ok.
Part 12

*Scratching dried paint on pants desperately* Arg…IT’S NOT COMING OFF! *Glaring at Flint*…Oops. Hi. Ok…here we go. Go see Render’s post, “Leviticus and the Duel of Greatness”… Now. Here’s the 12th part:

The next day came rapidly, the sun springing up in the East as if trying to kill the travelers…or warn them. Its golden beams spread like liquid fire in the sky. Charity was watching the sunrise. Footsteps sounded behind her and Bonnie plopped down next to her friend, gazing at the scarlet sky.

“If the sunrise was music, I’m sure it would be the best song ever written,” she said slowly. Charity nodded and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her cheeks from the cold night. Bonnie looked at her. “Are you afraid?” she asked. Charity opened her eyes and nodded. It had been harder than ever to keep her secrets with Bonnie’s mind speaking ability continually growing, but the girls never really kept anything from each other anyway.

“Render says this is the last safe campsite we’ll have for a while,” Charity said. They looked at the sky in silence.

“Don’t worry,” Bonnie said, “That’s what friends are for. We won’t let anything happen to you.” Charity smiled. Flint popped down beside his sister.

“Hey you two. Will says it’s almost time to go and you need to help pack up,” he said, poking Charity in the stomach playfully. Bonnie put her hat on, looking up at him with a sarcastic face.

“You pack, we’ll supervise,” said Bonnie, remembering countless times he had told them that. Nevertheless they all rose and rolled up their sleeping bags. The dragon riders, Will, Render, and their new friend Leviticus, were all ready to go. They set out on a rocky trail surrounded by trees and shrubs. This was a large forest and before they went into it, Levi told them briefly that this was a popular place for shades and other creatures to hide and dwell. They moved silently and slowly, trying not to make noise and stick to the shadows. They all enjoyed their moonbeams cloaks, compliments of the Elves and Levi. They made them almost invisible in darkness. Flint stuck his hand out from his cape and immediately pulled it back in, for the air outside was humid. His cape kept him relatively cool. The forest had large trees whose trunks were so huge that not even Render could wrap both his arms around one of them. It seemed to them like no one had ever ventured here before, the trees looked so ancient and undisturbed. Will noted a few cobwebs in some of the branches. They could not see very far ahead of them, so dense and thick the trees were, and although the day was bright, the forest was dark and seemingly endless. Baladon, Will’s dragon, Clesseath {Levi’s major dragon}, and Ancalagon, Render’s dragon, all chose to walk instead of fly. They didn’t trust the skies here. Miya rode inside Bonnie’s cloak but she stuck her head out of the opening, observing everything around her. Moss, Levi’s minor dragon, stayed safely inside Levi’s cloak. Bonnie listened in on what the little dragons were saying. Miya was trying very hard to have a conversation with Moss, who was very shy.

“Do you think there’s a reason for the lack of animals here?” whispered Charity to Bonnie. She shrugged and realized her friend had made a brilliant observation. There were no birds or squirrels like there should have been. No small creatures played around the trees. Nothing flew, not even bugs.

“It’s as if something evil is lurking nearby,” said Flint, trying to scare his sister. Charity rolled her eyes but that thought echoed in the back of her mind. Bonnie said nothing, trying not to frighten Charity, but she silently agreed with Flint. It was almost like the very creatures in the area avoided this forest like the plague. It soon grew darker as they progressed into the forest and Levi’s staff produced a small light that they followed. All the riders made other lights in their hands and they moved themselves between the others. With the darkness came a mist, a haunting, chilling, mystifying mist that made it hard to see. They decided to form a line and place a hand on the shoulder in front of them so as not to get lost. This strange mist sank to the ground from the sky, and as it increased they began to feel tired. Gradually they began to breathe slower, drinking in the intoxicating fumes, not quite knowing what was happening. Even the dragons nodded off and drowsily sat down. Before anyone quite knew what was happening, they were all asleep. If Levi had not tripped and landed where the mist had not yet fallen, they probably would not have woken up. He blinked and looked around him.

There was a noise. Not noise…music. Music was playing somewhere in the mist, but he could not see where or even quite tell what direction it was coming from. Its soft lullaby was so tranquil, so peaceful, that he almost fell asleep again on the spot. He thought that must be the source of the enchantment. He spoke to Clesseath and woke him up. Levi explained to his dragon that music was coming from the mist, and both the music and the mist were dangerous. Clesseath let out a roar and flapped his winds. With three flaps the mist was completely blown away, along with the enchanting sound. He roused his friends.

“Pretty music…” muttered Will, rubbing his eyes. Render sat up, blinking. His face changed.

“Of course,” he said in a low tone, looking around at the waking forms around him.

“Shades,” agreed Levi. They stood up and searched the area mentally. Their faces changed to ones filled with concern.

“We’ve got to move. Now!” said Render, pulling Will up. Charity and Bonnie rose to their feet, still recovering from intense dreams.

“Wha--?” said Bonnie, sleepily yawning. The area darkened. The dragons rose up from the ground. Considering their essential need for speed, they decided to ride but would not fly. Levi and Flint rode Clesseath, Render and Bonnie Ancalagon, and Charity and Will Baladon. The only light they followed was emanating from Levi’s staff. The dragons moved quickly, weaving in and out of the trees with surprising agility and grace. Bonnie held out her hand in front of her face. She couldn’t see it at all, not even a dim outline. She looked around her but could see nothing except Levi’s staff far ahead. She looked back. Nothing. She turned her head away but then snapped it back. Was…did that shadow just move? No…no, it couldn’t have…She turned around and looked to her left. There! She was sure something was there now! Something was moving around them in the darkness, or maybe multiple somethings…She reached out with her mind. Shades! Lots of them! That was extremely unusual.

“Render,” she said to his mind.

“Shades. I know,” he replied, “We’ve got to outrun them. I’ve already told Will and Levi.”

“But is that enough? Can they outrun dragons?” She asked, feeling her new Elvish knife to make sure it was still there.

“Looks like we’ll soon be finding out,” he said. Ancalagon sped up. The wind almost swept Bonnie’s hat off, but she held it on. The other dragons were also speeding up. They had formed a single file line with Levi leading and Render bringing up the rear. The passengers looked around at the forest nervously, trying to find the invisible terrors. The darkness was cold and the night was starless as the dragons ran as fast as they possibly could. Then from somewhere in the dark night, a scream echoed around the forest. Shivers ran up and down Bonnie’s spine.

“What’s the quickest way to kill a shade?” she asked, pulling out her knife and holding it at her side. A gust of wind rustled her cape. Miya was terrified and hiding inside it. She thought she heard breathing in the wind.

“There’s only one way to kill a shade,” said Render, “And that is to stab it through the heart.”

Another gust of wind. They were gaining speed. With this gust she thought she saw a form passing by quickly. Something whispered nearby. Bonnie turned around, looking every way. Render urged his dragon to go faster, to follow the others. Another scream erupted in the silence. This one was nearby. They were going at a break-neck pace. She wanted to call out to her friends. She opened her mouth but her words were drowned in laughter. The evil laughter from invisible lips enveloped all of them. Multiple tongues mocked them, for the shades were close. Bonnie looked down at the ground passing below them. Then a voice spoke from behind her in a foreign tongue. She whipped around, her knife aimed at whoever it was. Yellow eyes glared at her. That was all she could see. Her knife was stuck, her hand was held in one position in the air.

“Render!” she shouted. He turned and saw them, throwing a knife at the shade. The knife evaporated in midair. Bonnie found she could move again and pulled out her other knife while Render took out his dagger. They began to attack but the shade disappeared. They looked around but the yellow eyes were gone.

“Be alert,” he said out loud, sending a mental warning to his friends. Laughter continued to echo around them, reverberating off the trees and growing louder. Ice cold hands wrapped around Bonnie’s throat before she could utter a word. She was being lifted by unseen hands and she fell to the ground, landing so hard the wind was knocked out of her and for a moment all she saw was black. She struggled and reached for her knife, rolling on the ground in hopes of the shade letting go. A muffled sound came from right next to her. Her fingers fastened around her knife and she stabbed the arms holding her neck. Once free she took two steps away, turned, and began to fight with the shade, aiming for his heart. Next to her, Levi had been dragged off his dragon in a similar fashion and was fighting another shade. Charity, Render, Flint, and Will were no where to be seen, not to mention the dragons.

The shade was tall and had red hair, his yellow eyes now changing to a deep shade of purple. That was strange. She charged him then briskly turned, ducked, sliced at his feet, and jumped up on the other side of him. He was faster, however and blocked her blows. This carried on for a while, each strike being blocked. Then the shade began to fight back, each hit more powerful than the last. Bonnie met his blows, determined to win. Miya flew out from her cape and the shade was so taken aback that when Miya spat her venom into his eye he didn’t know how to react. Bonnie took this advantage and pierced him through the heart. He looked at her and then evaporated like smoke.

She turned and watched as Levi used his staff to disarm his shade and used his sword to strike against him. The shade blocked him with magic, however. Fire burst out from Levi’s sword, and he continued to attack with renewed energy. Bonnie drew her sword and joined him. Miya chirped to Moss, but he remained hidden. Levi struck him on his shoulder, dropped down and tapped his knee, swirled around, and drove his sword through the shade’s heart. The shade looked at the sword in his heart and gave a wicked smile, reaching out a hand to choke Levi, but he melted into the ground and disappeared. Levi and Bonnie both stood, panting, for a moment. They looked around. Their friends were gone. The night was silent.

Screams came from the trees and Levi lit his staff. They set out in that direction. Charity met them, running from something. She was flustered and her hair was in such disarray it would have been comical if not for the present deadly circumstances. Two shades were after her. Then from their left came the sound of swords clashing against each other. Will and another shade soon came into view, the shade pressing him back. Everyone fought fiercely. A gunshot sounded and Flint came out from behind a tree, his pistol drawn. A shade reappeared behind him and knocked it out of his hand. Flint stepped on his foot and drew his sword. Render came into the scene, breathing heavily and looking a bit pale. He wiped a thick substance from his blade and joined them. The friends unconsciously made a circle, with the shades circling around them. More shades joined them. It seemed like they were outnumbered. Bonnie was in between Will and Charity. They briefly exchanged glances, each half-doubting themselves.

Then the dragons came down from the sky. As if that was some unspoken signal they had all been waiting for, the forest became alive with the sounds of weapons clashing. Charity and Bonnie worked as a team. They fought well and hard, Bonnie using her newly acquired mental advantages and Charity using her dancing skill to maneuver around them so quickly they didn’t know what hit them. Render fought on his own, using magical weapons and the nature around him to his advantage. He bent a tree and made it fall on one of them, but while the shade was moving out of the way he threw a dagger into his heart. He turned and ducked the blade from the other shade, rising up and continuing to fight. Levi also worked alone, lighting his staff on fire to illuminate everything. He managed to make glass on the spot, shatter it, and send the pieces flying into the two shades he was fighting. One piece of glass found its shade, the other shade stopping the glass before it reached him. The shade laughed and tried to freeze him but Levi made a circle around the shade with fire. The shade disappeared and re-appeared behind him. Levi stepped backward, driving his knife into the shade’s heart. Flint’s pistol had not been found in the darkness so he used his sword to slice away at his shade. The shade bent down suddenly, pistol in hand, and pointed it at Flint. He pulled the trigger. The bullet shot through the air, bounced off the protective layer on his hat, and embedded itself in the shocked shade’s heart. Will raised his arms and his dragon swooped down and picked up his shade. Will shot him with a flaming arrow as Baladon released him to fall to the ground.

The fight lasted for quite some time. Soon there was only one shade left, but this one was bigger, better, and smarter. He kept evaporating and re-appearing somewhere else. It was his laughter that echoed around the trees in the cold, dark night. He had a malicious smile on his face as he darted around, his weapon flashing with reflected firelight.

“Why have you come here?” Render called to it. It had disappeared.

“Death…death to all who dare try to stop Me!” he said, reappearing, “This is my forest! Enter here and you shall die! One day I shall rule all of Alagasia! One day—” He was cut off as a multitude of voices came from the trees. He disappeared quickly as a volley of arrows came at him.

From the trees came Elves, about ten of them. Each Elf had pointed ears, a long face, and delicately chiseled features. Their hair was long, some dark and some light. They seemed to float over the ground, so graceful and light they were. Five Elves were female, wearing long dresses that almost touched the ground. Their hair was let down over their shoulders and their eyes sparkled. The other five were male, and they were clad in rich green fabric. They had light cloaks and long bows on their backs. Their hair was also long, but it was tied back somewhat. All of the Elves were tall and beautiful, and suddenly the travelers had nothing to say at all. Finally Render and Levi bowed, the others following suit a second later. Render and Levi spoke a few words in a different language, everyone looking on with interest. The Elves smiled, said something back, and began to lead them through the trees that now seemed light, as if these Elves illuminated everything in their path. Miya briefly translated everything they had said to Bonnie, for she had the gift of languages. It was simply an elaborate salutation.

As they walked, Bonnie could not resist mentally asking Render, “How many did you kill?” He hid a smile.

“Three and a half,” he said softly.

“How do you kill half a shade?” she asked, looking at the bright forest, pretending to be observant and watchful.

“That last one didn’t count,” he replied, “But given more time I could have finished him.” Bonnie smiled. They continued to be led by the Elves to a place where they could rest for the night, their dragons walking behind them and the Elves around them in a protective circle.

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner
{See Render’s blog for the next part} Chapter 13 Elismera

Part 11

Part 11
A short chapter, because all good stories need one.

I think. I think this is part 11……not quite sure….Maybe I should go back and read Render’s post “Chapter 10”…as should you. Cuz I’m done doin’ recaps. I mean it. I’m through. You just gotta read de stuff and do de work…and why am I talking like this? Ok, ok. So … here we go. Warning: If you have not read Render’s “Chapter 10” this is a spoiler! BAD! Go to read it now…shoo fly, don’t bother me…Ok, I’m going to shut up now so you can read. Here you go:

Charity grabbed a tree root and dove into the quicksand to save her sinking brother, Flint. See? I told you there are spoilers. Render, Will, and Bonnie stood nearby, watching with baited breath. They couldn’t see the siblings and therefore were afraid to try to help them with magic. Seconds ticked by. Nothing stirred under the surface of the sand. The root was slacked and did not tighten. Will looked around and moved a vine over the sinking sand. Just then the line tightened and the two siblings came out, covered in sand and gasping for breath. Everyone rushed to their aid as soon as they were clear of the sand while Render and Will magically cleaned the sand off of them.

When they were breathing normally, Charity said to Flint, “Please…try to be more careful.”

“I’m sorry…I should have paid more attention,” he said, avoiding her eyes.

“I just can’t bear the thought of loosing you,” she said quickly. The siblings hugged. Bonnie smiled. They continued on their journey through the rough and burned lands of Alagasia. They had to travel through a desert and then a forest in order to get to Elismera. It would take a week or two at least. As the days wore on they noticed the ground was cracked and barren. There were no trees or grass. As more time passed, the friends began to settle into regular habits. Charity would read as she walked, continually feeding her mind. Flint and Will talked and laughed when they walked or occasionally fought, showing off their weapons. Bonnie experimented with mind reading and speaking, which she had been interested in when Miya hatched, occasionally getting tips from Render. Render led the way, looking at all the changes and differences from when he had last been to Alagasia, occasionally talking or practicing magic.

They all enjoyed the end of the day most. Usually when the sun sank down into the horizon and the sky turned shades of purple and gold, they made camp for the night. This was when they would get into groups and spar. This was what they all looked forward too. Their blades would be blunted and they would fight to keep their skills up, and best of all there were no rules. After this they would settle down with stories and if they felt very safe they would make music. Render and Will would play their instruments {penny whistle and guitar}, Bonnie would sing, and Charity would dance as Flint tried to chase her and trip her. Both siblings had quick feet and fluid movements and they entertained their friends as they danced and chased each other. At night they all took turns watching. Bonnie was always the last one asleep and the last one awake in the morning; Charity was the exact opposite, always the first asleep and the first one up. Flint and Will were the loudest snorers. Render usually kept watch, switching whenever one of them woke.
The second day of their journey started out peacefully. Charity woke and watched a pale mist rising from the ground. It was almost nice, but the earth was red and cracked. She wrinkled her nose. Everyone was up but Bonnie. She nudged her friend, who let out a grunt.

“Morning,” she said to the lump inside a sleeping bag. She continued nudging her then gave up and started jumping on her stubborn friend, who ignored her. Will and Flint were packing up and Render had just gotten back from his usual scout of the surrounding area, always making sure there were no shades nearby. Will and Flint exchanged glances with Charity, slow smiles spreading on their faces.

Bonnie’s eyes opened as cold water drenched her. She leapt up angrily, willing to tackle the culprit. She chased after the boys, who were trying to get rid of a large {and now empty} bucket. A few minutes later they were all ready to go and they set off on the path leading to Elismera. Miya, Ancalagon, and Baladon flew over head but they stayed rather low, not trusting the empty skies. Miya got a bit tired and chose to ride in Bonnie’s hollow. A hollow is a magically enlarged pocket that never bulges or lumps though it can contain as much as a small child. The middle of the day approached quickly and they began to debate the possibility of taking a quick rest.

They kept on the dry path, Render leading, followed by Chair and Flint, with Will and Bonnie bringing up the rear. Flint and Will thought they saw something but the girls shook their heads and walked past them, placing them behind the others. Bonnie had been exploring the area mentally as she always did when she felt a dark presence nearby. She opened her mouth to tell Render. He had stopped and was holding up a hand, listening to something no one else could hear.

“Run!” he said suddenly. The earth shook. They bolted down the path, trying very hard not to trip over the cracks. Flint gasped as the earth below them started cracking open. All around them, huge crevices opened up, revealing large, gaping black holes. They ran faster and faster, the ground shaking underneath them. When one of them fell the others helped him or her up and continued running. Then a large rumble broke the earth right in front of them and a gaping hole began to grow. Render cleared it with one jump. Charity, right behind him, jumped and made it. It grew larger. Bonnie jumped and got across. Flint and Will, who had fallen behind, hardly had time to slow down and take stock.

“Hurry!” their friends called as the crack grew larger still. They had stopped and were waiting for the two boys. Flint and Will ran harder. The crack opened up before them as they flew through the air. Their friends reached out and made sure they made it to the other side.

They took a rest from running as the ground began to settle down and its trembling had subsided. Render suspected a shade was nearby and had been playing with the weather. The clouds darkened and grew close together. Rain fell down with an alarmingly hard force. They pulled their hoods over their faces and pressed on.

Soon they arrived at the foot of some rather large hills. The hills were boney and dry with great slabs of rock protruding from their sides, a very unwelcoming sight to the travelers. They began the long trek up the hills. The rain came down so rapidly that they could hardly see through the veils of grey surrounding them.

“We have to turn around,” shouted Charity to Render, a few feet away. She was scarcely heard above the thunder. Her hair had darkened and her small face was framed with the dark locks, so different from her normally dry blonde hue. Render had somehow managed to stay dry, as had Will. Bonnie, Charity, and Flint were drenched through and through, shivering slightly because it was cold and the wind was blowing. They clung to the rock.

“We can’t turn back now. It’ll only get worse,” he called back. Will took a step forward. His foot slipped and he slid down the rock face, yelling loudly. Rocks tumbled down, following his path. He managed to stop himself with magic and Render moved the boulders. Flint cautiously walked down after him, hurrying but trying not to slide himself. He came to a skidding halt when he reached his friend and he knelt down beside him. Will’s face was riddled with pain and he was clutching his left leg tightly. His eyes were closed and he murmured a few phrases under his breath, his face looking as if he had tasted something horribly sour. Charity joined her brother, quickly followed by Bonnie and Render.

“Let me see,” said Charity. Will winced and let go of his leg. The blood had now soaked through his pants and gotten all over his hand. Charity made a face at the sight of blood. She was always a little squeamish when it came to things like this, but she was a good nurse because she read so many books, some of which had medical tips. She tore her sleeve and wrapped his leg.

“And herbs?” she asked. Flint shook his head and said they had very few supplies left.

“I could look for some when we stop,” said Render. “Some plants can live on rocky surfaces if their roots are deep enough.” They were all tired. Both Render and Will were too weary to heal him with magic, and even that would take time. Flint looked around and pointed out to Render that there was a rock ledge nearby. They dragged Will over there and made camp under the rocky cliff for the night.

Flint made a fire and helped set up camp. Will slept. Bonnie got out the sleeping bags and sat on hers, resting her back against the rock and watching the rain fall. Charity stirred a pot over the fire, cooking something that smelled wonderful. Render walked away from their camp site and found a tiny patch of grass growing between some of the boulders. He recognized them as healing plants, and with the rain still pouring down on him, he took out his knife and started cutting the roots from the ground. His only thoughts were on Will and he was caught off guard when cold metal rested against his neck.
He froze and a voice whispered in his ear, “What’s this? An elf off his guard?”
~ Captain Bonnie Spinner
Read this next chapter: Leviticus and the Duel of Greatness

Part 6

Part 6

Ok, go read Render’s blog {Bats, Fish, and Dragons} otherwise this won’t make any sense at all. So go, go, go. I’m too lazy to do recaps. Now…*sigh* Um…ok. Here:

The island of endless death. Not the first item on the normal “places to go” list, and for good reason. Its banks were black because it was volcanic, and it had no life on its surface. It was hot and as their ships grew closer they wondered if it would safe to walk on. It was and they quickly paced up and down the beach once they docked. Baladon and Ancalagon flew around the island, telling their riders all they saw. Bonnie and Charity stayed near each other while Will, Flint, and Render spread out a bit and examined the blank landscape. Then they all gathered in a circle.

“In your dream, there was a great room filled with treasure,” said Will, “But there’s a secret door. Correct?” Render nodded. “But the only thing on this small, dark island is the volcano. No doors or buildings or anything that could contain treasure.”

“It seems to me,” said Flint, “That the only place it could be would be the volcano.”

“Great. Let’s go!” said Charity. They set off through the empty land until they were about a hundred yards from the volcano. As they grew closer they noticed a foul smell rising from it like the smoke it had coming from its mouth. Charity wrinkled her nose. They soon approached the dark mass and walked around the base, searching for some sort of door or crevice. Render and Will muttered a few words in a different language, but nothing happened. Charity and Bonnie walked one way around the volcano, the boys the other. The volcano was large and after 5 minutes Charity got tired and sat down.

“This is useless!” she said. Bonnie sighed and leaned against a wall of rock that served as the side of the volcano. The wall swung back and she fell. She got up, rubbed her neck, and looked inside the door she had just opened. Charity got up. In a few minutes the boys met them there and they went inside the dark passageway. The dragons couldn’t fit through the door so they kept watch outside. Render lit his hand and watched the flame light up the hall. They continued to walk down into the heart of the volcano. Render led, Will walked behind him, and Flint followed with Charity’s hand on his shoulder. Bonnie brought up the rear. It grew hotter. There was another door that they came to after a while, which they opened slowly. They gasped.

Treasure! There were coins, crowns, jewelry, gems, thrones, golden bars, silver chandeliers, and statues everywhere ~ as far as the eye could see! Flint ran into the middle of the room, scooping up a handful of coins and throwing them everywhere. Will joined him, putting on a crown and pocketing as much gold as he could carry. Charity laughed and started pulling necklaces over her head and gem-studded bracelets on her arms. Bonnie picked out a golden ring that was a little big so she wore it on her thumb and watched as her friends threw the gold in the air like rain. Render walked to the other side of the room where there was a large pedestal. It was the one from his dream in every way, shape, and form.

“Who has the stone?” he asked. Will stepped forward. The others noticed the tone of his voice and wordlessly gathered around him. Will gave him the stone and Render held it over the marble pedestal. He turned to face them, his eyes sorrowful, and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Wait—” said Charity, but the earth shook suddenly and the gem fell from his hand, landing on the smooth stone. Render disappeared. They all stared at each other and the earth moved again. Will looked down to hide his watering eyes. There was a book that he hadn’t seen before. It had his name on it. He opened it and read it to himself.

“Will. I’ve learned how to time travel, and if I estimated it right, this is the day that the island disappears. Don’t worry about me. Ancalagon and I are back home. I wrote this a long time ago and placed it here for you to find now. Time is running out. Get the out of here before the parrot talks. Your only way of escape is through the eye of the needle. Do not dwell or linger. Take the cat’s advice and run. ~ Render Moonarrow.” He stared at the page then looked around at his sad friends. Flint had just picked up a golden statue of a bird. Will’s stomach turned over. A parrot. The whole room began to shake.

“The ceiling!” cried Charity. The roof was indeed growing closer, slowly but surely.

“We’re going to be crushed!” yelled Bonnie. Will looked at the book again before closing it and stuffing it under his jacket.

“Look for anything that resembles a needle,” he said loudly. They stared at him blankly. “Just do it! Hurry!” They began searching, filtering through piles of gold. The ceiling grew closer. Will now had to duck his head to fit.

“Here!” said Bonnie, who now had to stoop also. She had found a golden needle. Under closer examination it was discovered to be a portal, which opened up with a few words from Will, and not a second too soon. They all dived into it and found themselves in a room with two doors. The walls and floor were still shaking and they could hear loud eruptions all around them. One door had a carving of a parrot hanging from it. The other had a carving of a cat. Will opened the cat door and looked at the never ending tunnel before him.

“We have to run,” he said, and they raced down the passageway after him. Bonnie {who again brought up the rear} glanced behind her toward the way they had come and suppressed a scream. The floor was disappearing from under them.

“Faster!” she shouted, as the floor continued to disappear, ever growing closer. Charity tried to run faster, but she tripped and both she and Bonnie fell behind. They immediately jumped back up and ran harder, trying to evade the falling stones as they remained a step ahead of the black nothingness replacing the floor. Will found a door. The boys rushed through it and turned around, ready to close it once the girls came out. Charity and Bonnie jumped and landed roughly on the grass as Flint shut the door behind them. They stood up, panting. The whole island was shaking now. Trees and rocks from the mountain began to fall and roll away. They raced back to the ship.
They climbed aboard rapidly, raising the sails and the anchor. They were a mile away from the island when they relaxed. Will, Flint, Charity, and Bonnie watched as the black island gave one last shudder and disappeared into the sea forever. The day was warm but everyone felt cold and empty. Even Baladon swam silently in the sea. He missed Ancalagon. The silence prevailed. No one looked at anyone else. Then a popping noise came from the North side of the ship and the pirates looked up. A portal opened and Render stepped out.

“You didn’t think I’d leave without saying goodbye, did you?”

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner

See Render's blog for the next part! Next ch. is called "The Gateway Ch.10"
Chapter 10!

Story Part...what is this, 5? Yeah. 5

Part 5

{See Render’s blog “Searching”, otherwise it won’t make sense} I’m too lazy to do a good recap, so basically we now have two other ships that we…borrowed…and we’re trying to figure out what this stone does. Also Render looked in this book and got mad. Flint {Chair’s bro} is now traveling with them.
Ok, scene = Lunch on the Golden Dawn.
Enter Charity, Will, Flint, and Bonnie.
And…Action!

Bonnie looked at the faces around her. Will was eating his fish slowly, looking up at the siblings. Charity and Flint were not moving, not eating, hardly blinking even. They simply glared at each other. Charity’s wrist had healed very well {with some help from Render} but it didn’t even twitch to pick up her fork.

“Where’s Render?” asked Bonnie.

“His room,” replied Will. “He won’t come out. I don’t know why.” They looked at each other, then at the siblings. It felt awkward to eat in such silence. Five minutes passed. Bonnie half-raised a piece of fish to her mouth. She dropped her fork and stood up.

“Ok, you guys need to work this out! I’m going to leave you two here, and please, please, please talk things out, alright?” Neither of them said anything. Bonnie motioned to Will for them to leave. She grabbed her plate and followed him up the stairs. Once outside they could breathe again. “Will,” she said, “Can you talk to Render?”

“What do you mean?” he asked nervously.

“You know…talk to him. Have an intellectual discourse…Just ask him why he’s so upset,” she said, glancing briefly at the sky.

“Um…Render’s not quite that easy to get to…if you know what I mean. At this point no one knows what’s going on inside his head,” he said, looking down the deck to the door leading to the room Render was in.

“Can you try? Please? If the people on the ship aren’t having good chemistry, the whole thing will go down!” she said, taking a step back.

“Alright…hey, where are you going?” he called as she backed away.

“I’ve got a date with a fish and a book, and I can’t be late,” she said as she turned and walked into her room. Once inside she bit into her food hungrily and opened up the book she has acquired from Flint. Secrets of the Sea Volume 1: Items of Power: Myth or Reality? She opened the cover and flipped through the pages until she arrived at the page with “Delkanis Stone” written across the top. She began reading.

“The Delkanis Stone is a magical emerald that casts light where there is none and enables the possessor to have control of all minds within the area. It was found in 1735 by a sailor named Josephina Morgan, who was exploring some caves near the island Tugtour. Ignorant of its powers, she sold it on the black market to a man named Gerald Rail. It was he who discovered its powers and used them to become the greatest pirate the world has ever seen.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes and briefly turned the book over. The author was a person by the name of “Leman Rail”. They were probably brothers. That explained the glorious reputation. She murmured something about never hearing about this pirate herself and continued reading.

“Eventually Josephina learned of his wealth, fame, and fortune. She investigated and bribed some of his crew to tell her how this had come about. He had used the stone wisely in defeating foes and taking their plunder but he never revealed the secret of the stone to anyone except his first mate, whom she had bribed. She became angry and tried to steal it back. She was defeated, however, but managed to escape his rage. Josephina was not satisfied and soon began to foolishly tell everyone she knew. The word spread like fire and many conspiracies and groups arose from the empty ports, outraged. One lazy day, while Gerald was asleep in his cabin, one such group {the Thunder Sails} found his ship. They raided the ship, killing all in their way. The captain and the crew searched for the stone but never found it. However, they let one tiny child escape their gaze ~ Slyth Brandy. He was cabin boy for one of the ships in the Thunder Sails, and it was he who found the stone. He hid it and kept it with him, using it whenever he wanted. He soon grew into a powerful and greatly feared captain. Now, as the years continue, he continues to grow stronger. He still has the stone, but any attempts to steal it have always been thwarted.”

Bonnie thought this was the point where Chung has stolen it from him. Chung had been murdered that night Will, Charity, and Bonnie had been on land. They had always heard tale of such a stone but never believed it, and if they did they had long forgotten about it when they actually acquired it. Chung had something valuable on board ~ the only thing he had stolen from a loaded ship. Will had managed to discover it was the stone and take it and then they were off to discover what it was. She walked over to the window and sighed. She picked up the book again, pacing as she read.

“The stone itself is an emerald shaped like an olive that glows in the dark. It is activated simply by holding it and thinking a command that everyone within 100 yards will obey. The only known counter to its magical spell is salt.” Bonnie thought this rather odd and wondered how that worked exactly. There was nothing else on the Delkanis stone except for a few paragraphs, which she skimmed briefly. She got up, left the book on her bed, and went outside. Will was standing near the side of the ship, leaning over the railing.

He shouted to something down there, “TALK TO HIM!” Bonnie’s eyebrows grew closer together and she walked behind him, peeking over the edge. Ancalagon was swimming there, tossing and turning in the waves. He flicked his head back.

“I don’t know!” yelled Will, “Through the window, maybe! Just back me up on this one!” Bonnie tapped his shoulder. He turned quickly. She raised her eyebrows.
“He didn’t say anything to me,” Will said, walking down the deck, frustrated.

“Nothing about being from another world?” she prompted, following him.

“I don’t know! He wouldn’t speak! He’s just…burning things…I think it’s best if we let him simmer for a while and when he’s ready he’ll explain everything…I hope,” Will said, stopping.

“Oh…I’m sorry,” Bonnie said simply. He shrugged.

“He’ll come to,” he said. She nodded and he walked off. She decided to tell Charity it was almost time for dinner. She walked down to the room she had left the siblings in. She could hear shouting and the sound of something falling to the ground. She opened the door.

Charity was standing on the table, a candlestick raised above her head. Her hair had come undone and her face was red. Flint was cowering on the ground, holding a chair in front of his face. He too was flustered. They immediately fell silent, pausing to look at her as if her hair was purple.

“Dinner’s in ten minutes,” she said, then shut the door. She took a step then stopped, turned toward the door, thought for a moment, then shrugged and walked away. She met Will again on the deck.

“I don’t see why he’s so upset,” Will said, speaking of Render.

“Yeah, neither can I,” agreed Bonnie, “I mean, so what if he is from the past of another world? It’s not that big of a deal. Just the fact that he is now millions of miles from home, family, and all he holds dear with no way of returning and nothing except Ancalagon and the clothes on his back to remind him he is from another world that possibly doesn’t exist, not to mention the culture change and the emotional shock he must be feeling…He has no reason to be this upset.” Will gave her a blank look. “Ok…so maybe he has the right to be a little moody…” Will sighed. “I think I’m going to go help with dinner,” she said.

“No!” Will exclaimed. “Remember last time you tried to ‘help’ with dinner?” he asked quickly. She blushed.

“That was only once; I didn’t know fire could spread that quickly, and it was a small boat anyway! This one is much nicer,” she said.

“Which is why I’ll help with dinner,” he concluded.

She suppressed a smile and said, “Fine. But you’ll need to get some beans from below the deck.” He nodded and walked away. Thirty minutes later Charity and Flint came out of the room, their arms around each other’s shoulder. They were both grinning. Charity walked with Bonnie to the other side of the ship.

“Bonnie,” she started, but Bonnie held up a hand and said, “As long as you’re cool.” They hugged. Charity looked around as Flint joined them.

“Where’s Will?” she asked. Bonnie’s face grew serious.

“He was getting some food, but it shouldn’t take this long to get it. Something must be wrong.” Her stomach flipped over. Render suddenly threw open his door and motioned for them to follow.

Before they could say anything he muttered, “Will’s in trouble. Hurry!” They grabbed their weapons and wordlessly followed him. As they went down the air around them became cooler and darker. They came to a large door and Render threw it open. Charity gasped. Will was being strangled by…Slyth Brandy!

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner

{See Render’s blog for the next part}
Read me! I'm the next chapter!

My Strange Past

This is Will. I am getting tired of not knowing what I'm doing so I'll shed a little light on my past.

"Old friend..." said Will. "Yes", replied render. "Read my mind." "I can't. You have it heavily guarded."said the elf. "Good. I need you to refresh my memory of my Dragon Rider training." said Will. Bonnie and Flint were standing in amaze, with dropped jaws while Render seamed unfazed. "It Will be done. But...you have no dragon. Do you?" "Yes I do." Will then muttered a strange word under his breath and in a burst of foam and spray a blue dragon shot from the water. "This is Baladon the Blue. Sorry I kept it a secret, but the Council of Elves instructed me not to tell anyone unless it was totally necessary."

"But...why didn't you have your dragon when we met at the docks?" said Render, still calm. "Because I was a privateer in the employment of the Varden. I had to keep my real identity safe." Will then took off his hat and untied a bandanna to reveal slightly pointed ears. "So that's why you got so mad when I took your hat!" said Flint smartly.

"Listen, Render, enter into my mind and teach me everything you can. It's only so I'll remember." Render then said a strange word and him and Will stood still for several minutes. "There. You are a learned Rider again." said Render, quite proud of himself. "Miss Spinner, set sail for doom!" said Will with the courage of a lion. "Yes sir!" said bonnie eager to find her dear friend charity.

Remember this was Will so no editing!