DRAGON’S HEART
CRYSTAL
Book One of
Dragon’s Lore Chronicles
A trilogy by Thomas James Gallagher
Smashwords Edition 2010
Dragon’s Heart Crystal
By Thomas James Gallagher
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010, Thomas James Gallagher
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your own use only, then you should return to Smashowords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is available in paperback from infinitypublishing.com under Dragon’s Heart Crystal, ISBN 0-7414-5104-2, by Thomas James Gallagher
Contents
ONE
Timothy
TWO
Birthday – Birthday
THREE
Flight
FOUR
Creature’s Cave
FIVE
Dragon’s Heart Crystal
SIX
Harpies
SEVEN
Praxis City
EIGHT
Oracle’s Palace
NINE
The Hearing
TEN
Sprite’s Hollow
ELEVEN
Wizenquest
TWELVE
Return to the Dingle
THIRTEEN
Hunters and Hunted
FOURTEEN
The Dolmen
THE WORLDS OF FAERIE
Author’s Notes
Acknowledgements
CHAPTER ONE
TIMOTHY
“Kayla… Do you know where we are?” Dalton nervously asked his twin sister.
“No, I don’t, Dalton,” whispering with awe.
“Have you seen anything like this before, Sis. And why is it glowing? Do you think it’s dangerous?” Dalton wondered.
“No! Er, well… yeah. I’ve maybe seen something like this before, but I’m not sure. Glowing things can be dangerous, but I don’t think this one is. I’m sort of glad it’s glowing, at least we can see. It must be nighttime here or something,” she answered uncertainly.
“Okay, but what is it, Sis? You watch those travel shows and read all the time. You must have seen this thing on one of those shows or something,” Dalton added hopefully.
“It sort of reminds me of some pictures I saw in a magazine about a place called Stonehenge, in England. It has all sorts of towering stones that look like these, only smaller and they don’t glow. Those tall standing up stones and that long one across the top, I think it’s called a ‘Dolmen.’ It sort of looks like a doorway, doesn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully.
“A doorway? Yeah, maybe on a barn or something! Look at the size of this thing, and there’s nothing on the other side of the opening. Why would you think it’s a doorway?” Dalton asked sarcastically.
“Well it just looks like it would be a door or a portal or something. Look at all the symbols and pictures on it, sort of like writing. I’ve seen that on old drawings and pictures of Rome and other places. Look, there on top, in the middle, it’s a picture of a Dragon in a circle. Do you see it? A dragon would be able to fit through here easily.”
“Yeah, I see it, Sis. So you think it’s a doorway for a Dragon?”
“No, don’t be silly! That picture might be some marker though, you know, to tell other Dragons this is the way, or something.”
“You might be right, Sis. I’m going to look at those symbols on that other tall rock, you look over this one and see if you can find anything that looks familiar,” Dalton suggested.
“Okay, but I don’t see what good it will do. Somehow I doubt if these symbols will tell us where we are or how we got here,” Kayla said as she ran her hand over one of the odd pictures. She noticed a difference immediately. “D – Dal – Dalton!” she stammered frantically. “The doorway, Dalton – look!” She almost screamed. “I can’t see through it anymore! Do you feel that rush of air?”
“I feel it and see it, too! But I can also hear something moving. I can’t tell what it is, but I think it’s something big!”
Kayla was already quivering with fright and lost no time running to Dalton’s side. “I think we should get out of here!”
“Yeah, I think you’re right, Sis. Whoever’s making that noise is close. Let’s go – now!”
Before they were able to run, a huge, black and evil looking Dragon came through the opening. Spotting the twins, the Dragon grabbed one of them in each of its huge claws. Dalton and Kayla were squeezed so hard they could barely breathe.
In a deep, grumbling voice, “I’ve been waiting a very long time for you Elves. Now I finally have you!”
“Wh – who are you? W – what do you want with us?” Dalton screamed.
“Do you not recognize me, Elf? Do you not know of the Dahak? Do you claim to not know me, Elf?” he said angrily. “Do you not know what you and your sister have done to me, Elf? You have interfered in my life long enough, Elf! I’ve made my choice – you will bother me no more!”
The evil Dahak’s razor-sharp claws tore through their bodies, ripping the little Elves to pieces. The children awoke screaming out loud. Shaking violently, with cold droplets of sweat on their foreheads, they clung to one another hoping for safety and some comfort.
Matty rushed into their bedroom, followed by Marge, each taking one of the children in their arms. Holding them tightly, they listened to each child rant against their terrifying experience at the portal. They told of the evil Dahak and the sharp claws tearing them apart.
“Listen to me, Dalton, Kayla! You had a nightmare, a really bad dream! You’re both at home, safe, in bed. There are no Dragons or Dahaks or portals. Nothing is going to hurt you here. Your Aunt Marge and I won’t let that happen, okay?”
“Okay,” they said in unison. Aunt Marge gave each of them a kiss as she tucked them back into bed. As Marge closed the bedroom door, “we may as well have a cup of coffee, Matty. I won’t get back to sleep now, it’s almost morning.”
They quietly made coffee, each contemplating what the children had said. “Matty, you’ve taught the twins about magical creatures. Have you ever mentioned a Dahak?”
“No, of course not! Those things are as evil as they come. I don’t have anything that even mentions them. Heck Sis, no one’s even seen one of them for centuries,” answered Matty.
“It’s just so strange! Those two kids had the same dream. A dream of an oddly decorated Dolmen and a Dahak coming through it! How do they know about a Dahak, much less a Dolmen? Another strange thing they could see and speak with each other while in the dream!” Marge exclaimed.
“That worries me, Marge. I don’t know though, do twins dream together like that? They’re so close and they do everything together, maybe sharing dreams is perfectly normal for them.”
“There is another possibility. The twins might be having some sort of premonition” Marge said, concerned. “I think I’ll stay up. Not much sense going back to bed now. I would just lie there and worry about the children for the next hour.”
“You’re right, Marge. I think I’ll bake some fresh biscuits to take our minds off things, want to help?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Later that morning, “Matty, you have the best looking yard I’ve ever seen around here,” her neighbor Lynn said, looking over the patio wall.
“Thank you, Lynn,” replied Matty. “How are you and your husband? Are you still planning your trip this weekend?”
“We’re fine, Matty, thanks for asking. Yes, we’re still planning to go and we’ve decided to stay until Sunday. Can you keep an eye on things for us?”
“Sure, no problem. It’s probably a good thing you won’t be here tomorrow, though. The twins will be having their birthday party and it will probably be a bit on the noisy side.”
“In that case, I’m glad we won’t be here,” Lynn said jokingly. “But you tell Dalton and Kayla happy birthday for us, okay? We’ll see you Sunday.”
“Sure will Lynn,” said Matty.
Matilda Moore was known as Aunt Matty to neighbors and friends. She owned her home at 1024 Maple Street in a rural suburb of San Diego, California. She had a nice looking red brick, three-bedroom house with white trim and a single car garage separated from the house on the north side by a gated walkway to the back yard. There were good-sized yards in the front and the back of the house and a small strip of lawn on the south side of the house.
The front yard had a low, neatly trimmed privet hedge that ran from the south corner of the house around to the driveway. On each side of the front porch were planters, filled with multi-colored flowers. Flowerbeds also lined the driveway and around the two shade trees in the front yard.
A five-foot tall block patio wall encircled the south end of the house and back yard. Inside the back yard was an eight-foot deep swimming pool with a diving board at one end. On the patio sat a redwood picnic table that could seat six people. The pool and adjoining patio could easily be seen through the sliding glass door in the dining room.
Matty went to extremes to keep her home looking nice. She wanted her home looking exactly as it should for her neighbors. She was often seen planting new brightly-colored flower plants, sometimes on a weekly basis. Of course, she might plant fewer new flowers, but for the occasional accidents of the children and her sister.
Six years ago, Matty had asked her sister, Marge, to come and live with her. Matty had adopted her younger sister’s two-year-old twins, a boy named Dalton and a girl named Kayla. Her nephew and niece promised to be quite a handful to deal with on her own. Marge knew that raising these particular children would present unique problems, but agreed to move in and help as much as possible. Matty slept in the master bedroom and the children shared the front bedroom, so Marge got the back spare bedroom of the house.
Marge also shared the household duties and raising and educating the children with her sister. There was always a great deal to do, even though the twins were old enough to help with the chores. Matty and Marge were great cooks, with Matty doing the baking and her sister cooking the regular meals. At the moment, Marge had a delicious smelling pot roast with potatoes, carrots and onions in the oven for tonight’s supper.
Even though Matty did her best to maintain a perfectly normal household, with perfectly normal and well-behaved children, her efforts were a hopeful dream at best. The truth is, this household and the people who live here are very different from their neighbors.
This house is a place of magical mystery and wonderment. Matty, Marge and the twins are, in fact, Elves. Matty and Marge are considered adept Elven witches. Their short stature, light brown hair, blue eyes and pale white skin do not exactly give them away as Elven; but the long, pointed ears certainly do. They magically disguise their ears to all non-magical people. They are formally called Drey Elves, which study the healing arts using herbs, plants, potions and chemicals.
The twins, Dalton and Kayla, are also Drey Elves, with pale white skin, light brown hair and deep blue eyes. They have a thin, almost frail appearance and they too hide their pointed ears by using a spell.
Elves are born with innate magic, which helps them to survive, but most of the Elven magical skills and talents must be learned through teaching, experience and practice. Dalton’s and Kayla’s magical talents are just beginning to develop with age and practice, and their efforts to learn provide much entertainment and some surprises as well.
Dalton would, by magical standards, be considered an Elven Wizard and Kayla would be considered an Elven Witch. Their developing powers are amazing at such a young age. This, in part, is due to Matty’s and Marge’s teaching the children the magical spells and incantations they will need, as well as the use of crystals, wands, herbs and the healing arts.
The children came to live with Matty when they were orphaned six years ago because of the wars. Officially, the Elven—Dwarf Wars ended six-and-a-half years ago after a successful attack by the elves on the last remaining Dwarf stronghold. The Dwarven armies and their Goblin allies were soundly defeated and the stronghold was left in ruins. Those who survived those final days of battle returned to what was left of their homes and families.
The children’s mother and father, Kaitlin and James Summers, were both highly skilled Drey Elves. They were extraordinary medical healers who traveled from one village to the next helping and healing the problems of the many magical creatures they encountered. They did not fight in the wars and did not take sides, as Drey Elves, their only concern was treating injuries and wounds.
Sadly, Kaitlin and James were slain while treating people in a Gnome village. The town was viciously attacked by rogue Dwarves and Goblins, six months after the end of the wars. There are still sporadic attacks by these vicious rogue factors today, which causes even more hatred and more victims.
Marge stepped out of the back door and called, “Dalton! Kayla! Time to get out of that pool and get changed for supper, it’ll be ready in a few minutes. Don’t forget to hang those wet suits on the rack in the hall bathroom.”
Swimming always made the twins hungry and they hurriedly changed into dry clothes, hung up their bathing suits and headed to the kitchen to eat. Dalton and Kayla had just sat down at the table when Marge began serving up the pot roast and vegetables. She casually asked, “How many friends did you two invite to your party so I can plan for snacks and drinks?”
Dalton, looking sort of sheepish, said, “I only invited my friend, Robert, to come over. I didn’t really want anyone else to come.”
“Me, too,” echoed Kayla. “I didn’t ask anyone but my friend, Annie.”
What they failed to tell their aunts was that neither one of them had any friends except Robert and Annie in the neighborhood or at school. They quite simply were not considered “cool” by the other kids.
They were both rather small for their age and so pale it looked as though they never went into the sunlight. They didn’t wear the latest tennis shoes or designer clothing, nor did they have MP3 players or cell phones. The twins simply did not hang out with the right kids and didn’t speak badly about the kids considered to be the wrong kids.
Even worse for their social status, if there could be a worse, was that neither Dalton nor Kayla seemed to care whether they were “cool” or not, nor whether they fit in the popular crowd or not. This attitude on their part made them equivalent to social outcasts, even though they just finished the second grade.
“I have an idea,” said Marge. “Since you two only invited Robert and Annie to your party, why don’t you phone them and have them come over by eight o’clock in the morning. I’ll take you all to Sea World Park then sometime around noon, we can come back to the house for cake, ice cream and games. Does that sound good?” The children loved the idea and after dinner called Robert and Annie to tell them their latest birthday plans.
Tomorrow morning would be Saturday, July 24th, and Dalton’s and Kayla’s eighth birthday! Even though it was a special day for the twins, they wanted to make it a special day for Robert and Annie, too. Dalton and Kayla had planned and worked hard for weeks to put on a magic show at their party to surprise and astonish their friends.
Dalton had prepared and practiced a disappearing act, where he would step behind a curtain, disappear and then reappear someplace else. He would then repeat the process in the reverse order.
Kayla had planned a special performance, too. She would step behind a curtain, but instead of disappearing, she would change her elf form to a mountain lion, called a puma. After she pranced around and hopefully scared her friends, she would return to the curtain and change back into her regular form. Robert and Annie would have no clue that Dalton and Kayla would be performing real magic for them and not some sort of tricks.
Matty had worked with Dalton for the last two weeks practicing in order to be able to teleport himself from place to place. Dalton turned out to be a very good student. He still needed to use a teleportation gem along with a wand, but as his skills develop with experience, he wouldn’t need the crystal. For tonight’s practice, Dalton was teleporting back and forth from place to place to his Aunt’s delight.
Some of Dalton’s attempts at teleportation, at first, didn’t get very far. He would concentrate on where he was going to go; thinking of moving every part of him to that spot and tapping the crystal in one hand with the wand in the other, he said his spell – and nothing happened. He tried and tried and tried again.
Dalton’s first successful teleportation amused the whole family. He was really concentrating hard and had his spot to go to all picked out. He held the crystal tightly in his left hand and tapped the crystal with the wand saying, “suo loco carpet.” He disappeared from the spot where he stood and reappeared naked three feet away! Everyone clapped and laughed as Dalton realized he didn’t teleport his clothes with him. He dressed and tried again and with practice started to get better and better, but he still had a few accidents when he didn’t concentrate. One time he ended up outside in the swimming pool fully dressed, shoes and all. Another time he ended up in Kayla’s shower. Most of his accidental trips placed him in front of the refrigerator in the kitchen and Matty thought this might be due to his constant hunger.
While Matty had been instructing Dalton, Marge had been working with Kayla on transfiguration of herself into another sort of creature. After several weeks of trial and error, Kayla’s efforts were rewarded as she transformed into a beautiful puma. When she changed, she had snow white fur, large blue eyes, very large paws and a sleek long tail that she liked to swish back and forth. Like her brother, she suffered a few minor accidents; like the time she walked around the house for days with white fur on her face. And it took a couple of days more, another time, to get rid of that darned tail!
Transformation required Kayla to be naked before she changed into her animal form. However, this was not a problem for an elf, as they do not consider nudity as embarrassing or as shameful, it’s simply a natural state. In fact, neither of the twins had the usual hang-ups about anything that non-magical kids have.
At first, Kayla thought it was a hassle to have to remove her clothes to transform into her cat form. Once, while her Aunt Marge wasn’t around, Kayla decided to see what would happen if she transfigured fully clothed. She got down on all fours and transformed into a cat. She almost strangled herself and was in serious pain and agony! Her clothes cut off vital circulation and her shoes crushed her back paws! Fortunately she was only in pain for a few moments before she split the seams of her clothing and ripped out her shoes. Her puma form was twice her elf size and her paws were four times wider than her shoes! That was the first and last time Kayla transfigured with her clothes on; and her Aunt Marge was not very happy that she had torn her clothes and shoes to shreds either.
Saturday morning arrived with a delightful aroma wafting out of the kitchen. The smell would have aroused the soundest of sleepers. However, this morning no one was sleeping late and those yummy odors didn’t have a chance of waking Dalton or Kayla. . They were already out of bed and almost dressed when Marge called them to breakfast. Today was their birthday and Dalton and Kayla didn’t plan on missing one single thing their aunts had in mind for them and their friends.
Matty already told the children that she would bake their favorite cake for their birthday – German Chocolate with black walnut and coconut frosting. In fact, the cakes were baking in the oven this morning. Matty had ice cream in the freezer and the syrups and fruit to make banana splits, another twin favorite. She also had root beer chilling in the refrigerator.
The children entered the kitchen and Dalton, who seemed to always be this side of starving to death, said, “… morning – what’s for breakfast?” Then he plopped down into his usual chair. Kayla said her very ladylike good mornings to both of her aunts, then proceeded to demonstrate to Dalton the proper way to seat oneself at the table. Dalton, like all brothers, ignored his sister’s efforts.
Matty and Marge said their good mornings and wished each twin a very happy birthday. Marge was already filling their plates with bacon, eggs and blueberry pancakes. There were hot biscuits, jam and syrups waiting on the table. Matty poured them cold milk and then removed two round chocolate cakes from the oven. She placed them on cooling racks, then sat at the table joining the others for breakfast.
The children finished their breakfast and put their dirty dishes into the sink. Marge told them to sit a minute and she left the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with two wrapped packages. “I thought you two might like to open these gifts ahead of time. These things belonged to your mother and father and I know they would want you to have them when you were old enough to appreciate them. I believe you have proven yourselves mature enough for them.” She handed Dalton a small package and Kayla one that was larger.
Both Dalton and Kayla stared at the gifts a few moments before opening them. Dalton opened his gift to find a utility knife that had his father’s name “James” engraved on the side. The knife was one of those multi-tools that changed into a pliers, wire cutter, screwdriver or scissors. Dalton was quiet and somber as he looked at his gift. His flushed skin and wet eyes gave away his sense of loss, but appreciation of the moment as well.
Kayla had watched as her brother opened his gift, then carefully opened hers. She found a slightly worn leather bag that contained many different packages, vials and bottles of medicinal herbs, plants and potions. There were several vials of “Moly,” a rare magical herb used to ward off incantations, fight infections and soothe burns. Kayla immediately teared up at the sight of the bag and as she thought of her mother who she would never know, a Drey Elf Healer.
A loud squawk broke the somber silence of the moment as John Paul arrived and landed on the kitchen windowsill above the counter. John Paul happened to be a rather large, jet-black raven who delivered The Daily Seer, a witches’ newspaper, every morning along with the latest gossip. John Paul dropped the paper on the counter as Matty placed a generous piece of fresh bread next to him. John Paul graciously ate the bread as he told Matty he had important news for her.
“Squawk — Timothy captured. Dark druid tricked him. Timothy heard dark druid say things to Kobolds of Dalton — Kayla twins. Tried to warn you he did. Squawk — Druid tricked Timothy, put iron wire on horn — Timothy no escape now. Taken to park zoo— to fake healer. Elves must help Timothy — squawk! Dark Druid told horn glued to Timothy by children as joke — fake healer put Timothy into cage. Tell Dark Druid he put Timothy to sleep — cut off horn. Squawk — you must help Timothy — yes?”
Everyone at the kitchen table was stunned by the news of the little unicorn foal’s capture. Unicorns are magical creatures capable of teleportation unless their horn is wrapped by iron. They all knew the removal of Timothy’s horn would kill the foal. Marge asked, “John Paul, can you fly back to the zoo where they are holding Timothy? See if he is okay and tell him help is on the way — okay?”
“Squawk — yes. John Paul fly now and back soon with important news.” He turned and flew out the window.
Marge and her sister and the twins all agreed quite quickly to mount a rescue mission to save Timothy from the zoo and vet. No one said, but all were anxious to find out from Timothy his news concerning the dark druid and Dalton and Kayla.
The lost child at the zoo, might be a good excuse if they needed to get into some area that is usually off limits. Marge was on top of the planning, changing the children’s birthday adventure from Sea World to Balboa Park Zoo. The twins didn’t mind at all because saving Timothy was the most important thing for them to do. Matty sent Dalton to get the teleportation crystal he was using in last night’s practice session and the wand that she kept in her bedroom. She would need the crystal to teleport Timothy, as he was heavier than she was, even though he was a young foal.
John Paul returned quickly as the zoo was only a few miles away by air. As the large raven flew through the kitchen window and tried to land, Marge noticed him flapping extra hard and making a rather clumsy landing. He strutted around holding his wing out from his side, “Wing hurt — squawk!” Marge checked John Paul’s wing and found a broken bone near the tip of his wing. “Squawk — Druid’s Crow attack John Paul, hurt John Paul.” Marge sent Kayla for her wand.
Kayla had learned months ago how to mend broken bones with a wand. When Kayla returned with the wand, the raven had quit flapping and squawking. “Kayla, do you want to mend the bone in John Paul’s wing for the practice and experience?” Kayla was delighted and immediately went to John Paul and examined his wing. She found the bones were in place and ready to mend.
“John Paul, please don’t move while I heal your wing.” Kayla concentrated and pictured in her mind the wing bone mending together. She lightly touched the wand tip to John Paul’s wing and said, “Insitu—pennon—carpis.” A soft blue light issued from the tip of the wand and encircled the wing, weaving back and forth through all the feathers. When the light abated, John Paul flapped his wing several times.
“Squawk, … thank you helping wing,” John Paul said to a very pleased Kayla. “Timothy in cage — squawk, fake healer and cage building same. Timothy okay but no escape – horn not work – much iron. Timothy not sleep yet – squawk. Fake healer not at zoo. John Paul told Timothy elves to rescue him – squawk.”
Robert and Annie showed up at Dalton’s and Kayla’s house right on time. Matty explained to them that their plans had changed suddenly and that rather than going to Sea World, they would be going to Balboa Park Zoo, to see a new South American bird exhibit that was opening today. Robert and Annie quickly agreed as they loved going to the zoo to see the animals, especially new ones they hadn’t seen before.
Marge packed sandwiches and drinks to take along with them and told the children to head for the car. Matty made sure she had the teleportation crystal and her wand, and Marge took her wand, “Just in case,” she said. They climbed into the old Chevy station wagon and they were off to the zoo. John Paul had flown ahead to await them and be a guide.
The group soon arrived at the zoo entrance. Matty used the excuse of having to use the restroom and told the others she would catch up with them inside at one of the exhibits. When Marge and the children were out of sight, she looked over the zoo map to find the veterinarian’s office and was off to the area. John Paul called to her as she neared the enclosures and guided her to the cage holding Timothy.
This was worse than she thought it would be. The unicorn foal was tied to an inside wall of the enclosure and near the door to the vet’s treatment room. There was no gate into the cage from her side. The gate into the enclosure was by the walkway where zoo personnel were working and she couldn’t go that way because they would see her. The only other way into the cage was over the high chain link fence and she certainly could not climb that fence to get to the unicorn, but maybe Dalton could, she thought.
Even if Dalton could climb over that high fence, would he be able to teleport a unicorn? Timothy was larger and much heavier than her nephew and he had only teleported himself before, not another creature. Well, he would have to try. She had the crystal and wand and the teleport to her garage at home wasn’t that far away, maybe her nephew could do it. She left to find Dalton, as he seemed to be the unicorn’s only hope at freedom. John Paul said he would stand guard until her return.
Matty found the children and whispered to her sister. “Marge, I don’t have time to explain now, but I need Dalton’s help to rescue Timothy. We’ll be back soon.” Marge nodded. Pulling her nephew to the side she said, “Come with me, I need your help with this rescue.”
Dalton and his aunt slipped away from the others and got to the veterinarian’s treatment area without being seen. “Dalton, I need you to climb over this fence and teleport Timothy to our garage at home, then we can rejoin the others before we’re missed, okay?”
Dalton had a stunned look on his face that begged the question – Has Aunt Matty lost her mind? “B—but Aunt Matty, I’ve only teleported myself and maybe a couple pens and pencils, never anyone else. Timothy’s big — much bigger than me! How can I teleport him?”
“You’re the only one who knows how to teleport that’s able to climb that fence. You have to do this, Dalton, and I believe you can.” Said Matty.
Dalton looked at the fence and swallowed hard — it was high! He started his climb and got to the top, swung his leg over the fence and started back down the other side. His aunt had a worried look on her face, but Dalton was the nervous one with sweaty hands that threatened to slip off the fence. He gave a sigh of relief when his feet finally hit the ground.
Dalton was intent on following his aunt’s instructions to the letter – it was up to him to save this little unicorn foal. He carefully walked up to Timothy and told the unicorn that he was there to help him. “I need you to stand real still, Timothy, and I’ll try to send you to my home. You must let me touch your horn with this crystal and my hand, okay? When I do that, I want you to think of home – okay, Timothy?” Dalton realized Timothy couldn’t answer him with that wire wrapped around his horn, but knew Timothy understood him.
Dalton wasn’t at all sure he could do this, but he concentrated as hard as he could. He was thinking of sending the foal to his garage at home as his Aunt Matty had instructed him. He touched the crystal to the unicorn’s horn and he pictured the exact spot in the garage he would send Timothy. He said, “Suo loco home,” as he touched the unicorn’s horn and crystal with the tip of Aunt Matty’s wand; but he heard the word Dingle in his mind. It had come from Timothy.
Timothy’s horn and the transportation crystal glowed brightly. The little unicorn disappeared, but so did Dalton! John Paul let out a loud squawk and Matty was aghast and stared at the spot her nephew and the unicorn once stood. Where was Dalton? What went wrong? Was this some sort of druid trap for her nephew? John Paul had said there was a dark druid in the area, were they all in danger? She was now without her wand and defenseless, but was her nephew safe, or was he facing a dark druid alone? The thought of Dalton having another “accident” did cross her mind as she rushed back to find the others again.
Dalton knew immediately that he had had another accident and Aunt Matty was going to be furious about this one. He wasn’t supposed to be teleported with Timothy and they were not at his home, but where was he? Wherever he was, it was cold and he was in some sort of a clearing in the woods, but definitely not home. He looked in shock at the shattered blue sapphire teleportation crystal in his hand and knew it was no longer any good for teleportation. He was standing next to Timothy so something went right, they were away from the zoo.
There were numerous Unicorns coming toward them. One of these must be Timothy’s mother, thought Dalton, but any one of them could be deadly to him! Unicorns do not tolerate other creatures within their herd or with one of their foals; especially a foal with iron wire wrapped around his horn to stop him from using his magical powers. Dalton was in a bad place at the wrong time!
A rather large, angry looking female Unicorn with a long, golden spiraled horn in the middle of her head was approaching and looked very threatening to Dalton. Her expression did not look friendly at all and Dalton was rapidly becoming fearful. Dalton was remembering his Aunt Matty telling him that a Unicorn can run their horn through the body of another creature to destroy it. The large Mare stopped in front of the Unicorn foal looking it over. She then looked at Dalton, but she didn’t exactly speak to him; he heard her in his mind. What have you done to my foal? Why is there iron wire wrapped around his horn? Speak quickly, Elf, or suffer my wrath!
“I — I didn’t do anything!” stammered Dalton. “I — we saved him from the zoo. They were going to cut his horn off and Aunt Matty and I went to the zoo to save Timothy. I was supposed to take him to my house and take that wire off his horn, but something went wrong. He’s supposed to have some sort of message for my aunt. Please don’t hurt me — I didn’t mean any harm to Timothy.”
The harm is done, Dalton heard in his mind. The Mare touched her horn to her foal’s and they stood like this for a few moments. Dalton knew they could communicate this way and he hoped the little Unicorn was telling his mother that he helped him to escape. He also hoped Timothy did not think of him as some sort of continued threat or the large Mare might kill him.
Timothy told his mother all of the events of his being captured by the Dark Druid. That he had heard the Druid talk of Dalton and Kayla, the twins who belonged to Matty. That she had once treated an injury he had and he felt he owed her a favor. He told her the twins were in danger from the Druid and his Goblin friends and that they might kill them. He also told her that it was the Druid that wrapped his horn with the wire and the little Elf had helped him escape.
The Mare turned to Dalton. I need for you to stand still and do not fear me, Elf. I need to touch you with my horn for better communication, she told Dalton in his head. She then touched her horn to him. Immediately, he relived the entire morning in his thoughts. How they learned of Timothy’s capture, the plan to rescue him and the rescue itself. She saw Dalton’s efforts to teleport Timothy and the accidental teleportation of them both to the dingle where they now were. She also knew of the broken crystal and that Dalton could not return to his home without it. Thank you for helping my foal, Little Elf Dalton. I apologize for mistrusting your good intentions, she said to him as she released her hold on Dalton’s mind.
“With your permission, I’ll remove that wire from Timothy’s horn,” Dalton told the mare. He reached into the pouch on his side and pulled out his dad’s utility knife and changed it into pliers. The mare nodded her approval and watched as Dalton began removing the wire from her foal’s horn. Almost ten minutes later and Dalton had all the wire off the horn and he put his knife away.
Dalton reached into his pocket and took out his gem pouch. He removed a rose colored gem from the bag and held it to Timothy’s horn. He asked Timothy’s mother, “Can you touch the gem with your horn? There will be a flash of light, but it won’t hurt you.” She did as he asked and reared back in surprise, as the brilliance of the light was unexpected. She looked at her foal’s shiny and smooth horn, all the scratches and damage were gone.
Thank you for removing that dreadful wire and restoring his horn’s power. You must know that his message to your aunt was a warning about a Dark Druid named Mordou. This Druid represents extreme danger to you and your sister; and he will stop at nothing to prevent the development of your powers. His wish is to become powerful and rule the Druid order, but you and your sister can somehow prevent this from happening. I will need to touch my horn to you again for better communication with your mind. I will give you the knowledge of my herd concerning the Druids.
She again moved close to Dalton and touched his head with her horn. The information flooded into his thoughts and memory. He learned more in those few moments than he could have in years of talking. This kind of communication was much more efficient than anything he’d ever seen. Dalton was not able to control her probe of his mind, but he could see into her mind as well and found it interesting. Elf child, you are an amazing creature for one so young. Thank you again for helping my foal and being his friend. I will ask the herd Stallion to help you return home, and she broke contact with him.
The mare turned and faced a huge black Stallion with a gold and silver horn. They touched their horns like she did with her foal and Dalton knew they were talking about him. When they finished, the huge unicorn walked straight up to Dalton and looked right into his elven eyes.
Dalton heard a deep voice in his head. I’m going to touch you with my horn. Do not be nervous or scared. As I touch you, think of your home and I thank you for your service. The large Unicorn came closer. Dalton thought of home, then remembering the house wards, thought of the garage. Somehow, just as the Unicorn’s horn touched Dalton’s head, he pictured the back yard swimming pool…
CHAPTER TWO
Birthday — Birthday
Matty found her sister and the children in one of the huge walk-through birdcages used for aviary exhibits. The children were feeding the birds and trying to entice the South American Parrots close enough to feed. Matty pulled her sister to the side and told her that she had lost Dalton somehow when the Unicorn was teleported. Marge listened to her sister’s story with a stunned look on her face and deep concern for her nephew’s safety.
Marge looked at her sister and patiently asked, “Matty, now that you have a minute, please tell me, exactly why did you need Dalton’s help to rescue Timothy?”
“I couldn’t get to Timothy, Marge. He was tied to a wall inside a large cage. The only gate was near some zoo employees. I couldn’t get past them without being seen. The cage had a high fence I wasn’t able to climb, but I knew Dalton could. That’s why I needed him, to climb the fence and teleport Timothy back home,” Matty explained.
“Oh, Matty, I know you’ve had a lot on your mind today. John Paul showing up telling us about Druids and the twins, Timothy’s rescue, the birthday party, non-magical children around. You’ve had a lot to worry about. Now, I’m not mad at you or anything, but why didn’t you just teleport inside the cage?”
Matty gave her sister a look of horror as her question dawned on her. “Te — tele — port!” she stuttered. “Oh my gosh! How silly of me! I — I just didn’t think of that! Heaven’s, Marge — I stupidly put that boy in danger! Oh, my, I hope he is all right! I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to him.”
Marge thoughtfully said, “Dalton has to be with Timothy. They couldn’t teleport to two different locations. They must have teleported home and to the garage because of the house wards. They couldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
“John Paul flew to the house to check there for them after Dalton disappeared; he should be back here soon with a report,” added Matty.
“Well, I’m a bit surprised by Dalton’s disappearance, but the child is a little accident prone, Sis. I’m sure he’s okay and I don’t really think a druid is involved, at least not with this. Timothy’s magic must have somehow interfered with the teleportation, although I don’t know how it would.” Still, Marge was glad they were almost done at the zoo and would be heading home within the hour.
“Where’s Dalton?” Robert asked Matty.
“Oh, he took a bus home to finish preparing for the magic show that he and Kayla are going to present for you and Annie,” answered Matty.
“We think Dalton accidently teleported himself home with Timothy,” Marge whispered to Kayla. She simply looked at her aunt and nodded, as she really wasn’t too surprised by the news.
John Paul arrived back at the zoo and found Matty as she left one of the bird enclosures. “No Timothy — squawk — no Dalton boy!”
“Let me use your wand, Dalton has mine.” Matty told her sister. “I’ll teleport home and find Dalton and the unicorn, then send Timothy home after I find out what his message is.”
“Better not, Sis, what if we have an encounter with that druid John Paul said was around here — we’d be defenseless without my wand.”
“You’re right, Marge. Don’t know what I was thinking. John Paul already said no one was at the house, not even the unicorn. Where do you suppose that boy could have gotten off to?” Matty asked.
“I don’t know. Let’s just continue our zoo trip as normally as possible until we know something or it’s time for us to leave. We still have an hour or so and Kayla wanted to go see the large cats. Guess she wants to improve her Puma form,” answered Marge.
Matty, Marge and the three children were soon through the large bird enclosures and Marge broke out the sandwiches and sodas she had brought from home. They sat at the little rest area, ate and soon were on their way to see the large animal exhibits. They saw Bobcats and African lions and finally got to the Puma’s enclosure, where Kayla studied the cat intently. A large cat like that is what Kayla turned into the first time she transfigured. An elf has no control over what they change into, but some, with practice, can change into any form they desire.
Kayla was finally done studying the cats and the group proceeded through some other small exhibits on their way to the parking lot. It was about 11:30 a.m. by the time they piled back into the old station wagon to head for home. Cake, ice cream and games awaited, but the best would be the magic show the twins had planned for their friends’ amusement.
Matty and Marge were already looking for some sign of Dalton or the Unicorn as they pulled into the driveway. Even if Robert or Annie did see Timothy or something unusual, they would think it was part of the show. Marge was out of the station wagon as soon as it stopped moving. She went to the garage door and looked through one of the windows — no Dalton and no Unicorn? Where had that child gotten himself to? she thought.
Marge unlocked the side door of the house and stepped into the dining room. From where she stood, she could see into the back yard and the pool area through the sliding glass doors. She glanced out the door in time to see Dalton materialize directly over the swimming pool and drop into the water.
Matty and the other children walked through the door as Dalton was climbing out of the pool. Kayla, Robert and Annie burst out laughing and giggled at the sight of Dalton standing by the edge of the pool in his soaking wet clothes and shoes. They knew he must have tripped somehow and fallen into the pool. Dalton knew by the somber expression on Matty’s face and her ushering his dripping wet body through the dining and living rooms, that he had some explaining to do.
Matty followed Dalton into his bedroom, shut the door behind her and took a seat on the bed waiting for an explanation. As Dalton took off his wet clothing and changed into dry things, he explained what Timothy’s mother had told him.
“After I climbed into the cage and went up to Timothy, I told him what I was going to try to do. I told him when I touch him with the wand that he must concentrate on going to my home. I held the crystal to his horn like you told me and tapped it with the wand and said the spell. I was really concentrating on sending him home when I heard the word “Dingle” in my head. We both teleported to Timothy’s home — the Dingle — in Colorado! Timothy’s mother told me her foal’s magic would work while being teleported, even though his horn had wire on it. She wasn’t sure why the teleportation crystal cracked, but she thought it might be the combination of Elven and Unicorn magics. I was stuck there with no way to get home without the crystal, but it wouldn’t have helped anyway, ’cause I didn’t know where I was. Timothy’s mother told me all about the Druids, then asked her husband, the herd Stallion, I mean, to send me home. I was concentrating on home like he told me to do, when somehow the swimming pool flashed into my thoughts. The next thing I knew, I was falling into the water.” Dalton then told his Aunt Matty the threat the Druid was to them and how the mother Unicorn had been able to tell him this in his mind.
“That information about the druid, the order and the threat to both you and your sister is very credible and I have no doubt it is true. I’ll let your Aunt Marge in on the news while you and the others are playing games. Your accidental teleportation makes sense, too, even though you returned — except for the swimming pool!” chuckled Matty. “The aegis cannot be teleported through except by the unique magical power of a Unicorn and that is how you could’ve landed in the pool rather than in the garage like you were supposed to.” She then apologized to Dalton, telling him of her error at the zoo, that she could have teleported into the cage, but didn’t think of it. They both had a good laugh then went into the living room together.
Marge and Kayla had set up the curtain for the magic show and they were entertaining their guests with snacks and sodas when Matty and Dalton returned. Kayla was going to do her trick first so Dalton could have a few minutes to get himself prepared — he would be the “magician” who would change her into a cat. She went to the bedroom and put on a bathrobe, leaving her clothes and shoes in the room, then returned to the show.
Everyone was sitting down in the dining room with their snacks as a nervous Kayla stepped behind the curtain and told her brother she was ready as soon as he was. Kayla bowed to her audience as Dalton said:
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Kayla!” announced Dalton. “I will perform the greatest magical feat you will ever see in this dining room. I will change my sister into a marvelous animal for your enjoyment!” Dalton closed the curtain with his sister behind it then moved to the side of the curtain where he could see his sister change while he stalled for time.
“I will now turn my sister into a wild creature,” said Dalton as his sister took off her bathrobe and hid it out of sight. She then dropped to all fours and nodded to Dalton. Dalton waved a wand at the front of the curtain and said, “Abra cadabra — hocus pocus, turn my sister into a locust!” He quickly looked like he made a mistake and peeked behind the curtain. “Ooops!” he said. “I better try this again — Abra Cadabra — hocus pocus, turn my sister from a locust to a beautiful mountain lion!” He again looked to see if Kayla had finished changing into a cat. He was amazed by her ability to change from elf to cat and loved to watch her. He just hoped that when he learned to transfigure he could do as well as she. Dalton said, “Abra — Cadabra,” one last time, then slowly pulled open the curtain.
Where Kayla had once stood, there was the most beautiful Puma anyone had ever seen. She was tall, lean and muscular, with a very shiny snow white coat of fur covering her body. She had large paws, large shiny blue eyes and a long slender tail to swish back and forth. She also had large fangs and teeth and she snarled and growled at just the right time to scare her friends.
There were many ooooh’s and aaaah’s in all the right places as Kayla stalked and pranced around her audience. She walked right up to Robert and Annie and nuzzled them with her nose to get them to pet her. She also nipped Robert’s hand when he playfully grabbed her tail. When she thought she had done her trick long enough, she returned to her spot behind the curtain and licked her paw. This was her brother’s cue to change her back to a human.
Dalton closed the curtain and said, “Abra — Cadabra.” He watched as his sister turned back to elf form. “Abra — Cadabra, change my sister from a cat to a human.” She completed the change and quickly put her bathrobe back on, ready to reappear as human. “Abra — Cadabra,” Dalton said, but he didn’t open the curtain. He got his sister’s attention and pointed to his ear so his audience couldn’t see. Kayla felt her ears — oh, no, she had changed to an elf with long, pointed ears. Good thing Dalton was watching, she thought as she changed her ears to human ears.
Her brother opened the curtain to loud cheering and clapping from everyone. Kayla took a deep bow and thanked her audience for being so gracious. Matty and Marge beamed with pride at their niece and her accomplishments. Kayla had a pleased and satisfied smile on her face as she hurried to her room to change back into her clothes. She quickly returned to help her brother with his act. This time she would be the magician.
Dalton was preparing himself for his magic trick, making sure he was ready. Yeah, — he had Aunt Matty’s wand and oooh — no! The crystal! How could he have forgotten? He waved and called Aunt Matty to come over to him. “What can I do? The teleportation crystal’s broken — I can’t teleport! We don’t have a spare crystal, do we?” he asked, hopefully.
“No, we don’t have a spare, Dalton, but you don’t need one to be able to teleport. You only need a crystal to teleport more than one person at a time or something larger and heavier, like Timothy,” said his aunt. “You can do this, just concentrate really hard on where you want to go, like the kitchen.” Dalton sort of hung his head and nodded to his aunt.
Dalton whispered, “I guess I’m ready,” to his sister.
“Now that all the technical difficulties are solved, my brother will step behind the curtain and when I say the magic words, he will disappear!” announced Kayla. She hoped her brother was successful, knowing he didn’t have the crystal to help him. She watched from the side of the curtain so she would know if he disappeared or not.
“Abra — Cadabra,” she said and waved a wand in front of the curtain. “Make my brother disappear into a place he likes.” She said, “Abra — Cadabra,” again as her brother tapped himself with the wand and disappeared. With relief, Kayla said, “Abra — Cadabra,” and opened the curtain revealing that her brother was not there.
Robert, Annie, Matty and Marge all cheered and clapped and ooohed and aaahed. Dalton came out from the kitchen into the dining room and asked what the noise was all about — to more cheering and clapping. Kayla closed the curtain as her brother walked back into the kitchen.
Kayla spoke loudly so her brother could hear her from the kitchen, but also to get everyone’s attention on her. “Now to make my brother reappear and don’t you dare go swimming again, Dalton,” she said jokingly as she chuckled a bit. “Abra — Cadabra!” She watched behind the curtain for Dalton to appear, but he wasn’t there yet. He probably had another snack, she thought as she said, “Abra — Cadabra!” and waived the wand in front of the curtain again. Still no Dalton.
Dalton started to concentrate hard as soon as he heard his sister’s announcement – what was that about swimming? he thought. Well, it would have to wait. He pictured in his mind where he would go — the dining room just behind the curtain — he said the spell and tapping himself with the wand he got a very clear picture of the pool in his thoughts.
Kayla said louder than before, “Abra — Cadabra, reappear my dear sweet brother.” She was getting nervous and a bit worried. Where was Dalton? She hoped he heard her — he was spoiling everything, she thought. Then she saw her brother reappear behind the curtain.
Kayla went into hysterical laughter — falling to her knees, laughing so hard, she couldn’t even say he was back, or Abra — Cadabra, or anything. She grabbed the curtain and pulled it down, exposing her brother to her aunts and friends as she continued laughing and carrying on.
There stood her brother — soaking wet and dripping water on Aunt Matty’s carpet!
Their audience went wild with cheering, laughing, clapping, giggling and pointing at poor Dalton. He turned a bright red with embarrassment, just before Marge fell out of her seat. She was laughing so hard she slipped and landed on the floor! The kids all saw her and laughed even harder. Dalton even managed a slight smile.
Matty, on the other hand, shook her head and said, “Oh, for heaven’s sake, not again!” Then seeing her sister on the floor and everyone laughing at each other – began laughing herself. All in all, a good magic show, she thought.
Dalton went to change his clothes again as the others crowded around talking about how good the magic show was, with Robert and Annie both questioning Kayla how her brother disappeared and how she turned into a mountain lion. “A good magician never reveals how they perform their act,” she told them.
When Dalton returned, Matty called them to the dining room table to open their birthday presents. She told them cake and ice cream would be a little later as they all had sodas and snacks in hand. Robert said, “Open my present first. It’s for both of you and it’s something you wanted to learn.”
Both Kayla and Dalton looked at each other, grabbed Robert’s gift and started tearing the wrapping paper off, happily obliging him. His gift turned out to be something both of them had asked Robert for, to teach them to play – soccer. There was a ball, nets and an instructional book on various types of games. Both Robert and Annie had planned to play soccer with the twins today, at least long enough to learn the basics of the game.
“Mine next, mine next,” Annie said and handed a present to Dalton and another to Kayla. Dalton got another game he mentioned he would like, a double deck Dragon’s Revenge card game, that they promised to break in later on. Kayla got a bottle of lilac perfume that she adored. She never had perfume before and Annie lost no time in teaching her where to wear it, putting some on them both and threatening to add some to the boys.
Matty’s and Marge’s presents were next. Both Kayla and Dalton received a waterproof sports watch that was ideal as both of them loved swimming and sports. Dalton also got a box of beautiful gemstones for his crystal pouch. Robert and Annie thought Dalton was becoming a rock collector and said they knew where he could get some other types of rocks, too. Dalton thanked them for the offer saying he would like that. He knew his friends would not understand the gemstones he just received could be readily used in magic.