Bethyl and the Duck, Dedication page
|
Oct 23, 2009 10:17 am
Mood: contemplative,
111 Views
|
Now that I have almost reached the end of the book I am going to post the dedication page. Five years ago I went to Florida because of all the work the hurricanes destruction created. Work was great for the first three years. Then things started to fall apart. At the beginning of 2009 I started to write Bethyl and the Duck because there was no work in the area. I finished it in May. If I had not had all that free time for the lack of work I would never even have dreamed of writing any thing. Then again if there were no hurricanes in Florida five years ago I would have never written it either.
So, I have dedicated my book, Bethyl and the Duck, to the Gift of the Hurricanes.
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
|
Bethyl and the Duck
|
Jun 30, 2009 10:47 am
Mood: adventurous,
577 Views
|
The following is the first chapter of the book I wrote. I have not been looking for a publisher yet with the way the economy is. I have decided to post this chapter here so you can let me know what you think of it.
Spring had returned to the Tirese valley. It was once again green with life. From the Lands of Magic to the west the Snake River twisted and turned through the valley to it joined the Blue River in the lands of men. Many thousands of years ago it had cut this valley through the Small Mountains and was the only way to pass through them.
That morning King Cheliest had come to the top of the highest tower in the castle. Through the purple mist to the far north could be seen the peaks the villagers called the Twin Sisters. To the south were the peaks they called the Twin Brothers. He never cared too much for those names but that was what the villagers had always called them. In his mind they were simple minded peasants. No sense in confusing their little brains they had by calling them something that was more to his tasted. He walked his six feet tall body over to the eastern wall. His raven hair shone brightly in the sun. He had put on his royal blue robe and golden crown. Looking down on the village below a wicked smile came to his face. “If they only knew” he thought. An hour before his wife had died giving birth to their first child. She had been given the name Sandra by the midwives.
In this king dome though it was ruled by men the land belonged to the queen. After the peace treaty between Men and the Kingdoms of Magic had been signed the kings of men drew council to decide which would rule the Tiresian Valley. They argued for two weeks before they agreed that they all would go back to their home land and asked their most holy man, the Rucktan, to make the decision. The Rucktan listened to all the kings before he made his decision. The Rucktan’s first born daughter had just turned seventeen. He gave all the lands to her. Suitors from all the lands would come and compete for her hand. The one who one would become king of the Tiresian Valley but only until his first born daughter would turn seventeen. The suitors would come to compete for her hand as they did for his daughters. Each would bring to the king a great gift to enter the competition. The winner would then become the new king and the old king would go back to the land he came and live out the rest of his life in luxury.
When King Cheliest first saw Sandra his face froze in horror. She was the ugliest creature that had ever lived. There would be no great riches for him and only the poorest of men would come to win her hand. He went to get a sack and his sword. He had made up his mind that he would kill that beast and the midwives. Then he would go down to the village and find a new born baby girl, kill her parents and pass her of as his daughter. No one would ever be the wiser. Then a yellow bee came along and whispered into his ear. “Fear not O great king. There is a better way. For a little bit of honey I will tell you.”
The king stopped and nodded. Then the bee spoke again. “Killing all these people now will not be as easy to cover up as you think. The midwives are the most sought in the entire valley. As for the child, there is only one other in the entire valley that would fit your need. A great curse has been placed on you by a powerful Viserd. If you bring another girl into the castle he will reveal what you have done. To thwart his plan show her to everyone. It is true that you will not have to many suitors for here hand, but you can demand a greater gift from them than they can afford. Then when no one comes to win her hand by law you have the right to kill her and take another lady of Tirese as your queen.”
A cruel smile came to King Cheliest face. He retrieved a jar of honey and poured a few drops on the table for the yellow bee. The bee landed and took a taste of the honey. The king drew his sword and cut the bee in half. “No witnesses” he said darkly.
The king looked up into the sky from the tower. Everything was now right in his world.
Now you would think that such an ugly child that no one wanted to look at would be lonely and sad. You would be too if no one wanted to even talk to you. You would be right if you only had people around you. Here in the castle lived the Schmoles. These creatures stood six inches high and looked like they were half animal and half man. Most of them were grey in color and could easily blend in with the stone walls. When the armies of Magic had left to return to their homes seven thousand years ago some of the Schmoles had decided to live in the Tirese Valley. They could watch men to make sure that they didn’t plot to break the treaty. The Schmoles were the ones that found out that the Viserds had allied themselves with men. Then they told Dondar and the dragons about it. Even now they keep a close eye on men to see if they and the Viserds are planning on breaking the peace treaty. They can speak Tiresian but preferred to speak their own language. They didn’t deal with man in the village and the king had put Sandra in the room that was the farthest away from his site. This was the room where the different passages that the Schmoles used crossed. The Schmole children were the first to befriend Sandra as they had little to fear from her. They even taught her how to speak Schmole.
When she turned ten a new Schmole had come to the castle. He was a pale yellow green in color and he claimed that he was not a Schmole. He could speak Schmole and a language that he called Jerst. He didn’t understand Tiresian at all. Sandra taught him how to speak Tiresian and he taught her how to speak Jerst. For some unexplained reason it was easy for her to learn Jerst while he struggled to learn Tiresian. He also told her stories of the wondrous places he had been and ships that flew through the skies. Most of the Schmoles laughed at them as being things he just imagined but for Sandra they were real. There were other things that he taught her, secrets that were forbidden for women to know, how to write and read, also math and science. He would sneak into the classroom during the day and watch from above the children being taught. Then at night he would teach her what he had learned.
Now during that time a strange thing began to happen. As her knowledge increased so did her beauty. By the time she was sixteen and a half she was the most beautiful girl in all the lands. You would think the king would now be pleased with this transformation since now suitors from all over would come to seek to win here hand and he would be able to leave more wealthy than he could ever imagine. This was not the case. The more beautiful Sandra became the more hatred filled his heart. His face withered and he looked like a hundred year old man. His hair was now the color of smoke and looked like an old mop. His teeth rotted out and he no longer bathed. He wanted more than just the gold that he horded. He wanted to be king for ever and vowed to kill anyone who opposed him. He had to get rid of Sandra and do it in a way so the people wouldn’t suspect him. In order to do this he decided to seek the help of Tove a powerful Viserd that lived near the castle.
Early one morning he saddled his horse and with a bag of gold headed towards Tove’s cottage that was in the woods two miles away. As he approached he could see the green smoke coming out of Tove’s chimney. He quickly dismounted from his horse and went over and knocked on the door.
“Enter only if you have gold for my services,” Tove’s shrill voice answered.
Cheleist opened the door. The room he saw was small but tidy. Tove was seated at the table dressed in all black. His beard looked like it was made from dried out grass as it hung down to the top of the table. A lone candle hovered over his head. He was looking at the pages of an ancient book written in Viserd. Cheliest walked over to the table and put the bag of gold coins on top of the book. “I have the gold but can you do for me what I desire.”
Tove looked at Cheliest with piercing eyes. “I know what you wish but to put a curse on your daughter now is too late.”
Cheliest looked at Tove with anger in his eyes and reached towards the back of money but before he could retrieve it the bag disappeared.
“There is another way.” Tove said in a sharp voice, but it will cost you much more gold.”
Cheliest stared at him through hollow eyes. He wanted to be king for ever but did not want to give up more gold than this. Reluctantly he nodded, “Continue.”
Tove smiled, “On the day your daughter turns seventeen all the suitors for her hand will bring you great gifts. For my services you will give me half of these. When they are ready for the competition you will announce that it will be done in two parts. The first part is that each will gone on a quest of their own choosing to bring you back to you what they consider the most unique gift they can find. They will have until her eighteenth birthday to do this. While they are gone you will make preparations for the hardest competition that they will ever face.”
Tove rose from his chair and went over to the fire place as King Cheliest followed. Tove then took a handful of magic dust and threw it into the fire. Four balls in the colors of gold, blue, red and green formed. Tove reached out and grabbed the gold ball. “You will first build to the west of the castle a building that will be twenty feet long, twenty feet wide and twenty feet high. It will then be painted gold. It will have only one door facing west. When a suitor comes back his gift will be placed in this building.” Tove looked back into the fire place. “One hundred feet to the west you will build three more buildings side by side. Each will be ten feet long, ten feet wide and ten feet high. Each will have no window and only one door facing east towards the gold building. You will paint one building blue, one building red, and one building green. You will have three men who can not speak and are the same height and shape dressed in all brown standing in front of the center building. There will be nine black bags there. Eight of these bags will be filled with ten pounds of feathers. In the ninth bag there will be a duck with its feet and mouth bound. Then all bags will be bound in exactly the same way. The men will pick up three bags each and take them inside the center building. Then the door will be closed. When the drum beats the door will open and two men holding two bags each will come out. One will go into the building to the right and the other into the building to the left. Then all the doors will be closed. The drum will beat again and all the doors will open. The man in the center will come out holding two bags in each hand. The other two men will come out holding one bag each. The will go to the man in the center and each take two bags from him and then give him the bag that they were holding. They will each go back into the building that they came out and the doors will close. Then a suitor will choose the building that he thinks the duck is in. When he looses the next suitor in line will try.”
Cheliest looked at Tove with a skeptical eye. “How can I be sure that they all loose?”
A sly smile came to Tove’s face. “They will not all loose for if they did they would all demand that this is repeated until one of them wins. The one that will win will be the last suitor so they all will put their gifts into the golden building. To make sure this happens each building will have a carpet on the floor. Under the carpet will be a trap door that leads to a tunnel that connects all three buildings. The bag with the duck will have a secret mark on it. It the wrong suitor correctly selects the building with the duck in it the duck will be lowered down into the tunnel and a tenth bag will be put in it place while the bag with the duck will be moved to another building. Having the last man win means that all the gifts they brought will be ours as I will get have of those as well. All will then go back to the great hall of the castle and a banquet will be made ready. I will poison the drink of the winner. Then I will cause the other suitors to fight each other and in the confusion your daughter will be killed.”
Cheleist looked at Tove with fire in his eyes. Then he saw it hanging on the mantle above the fire, violet in color. Then a wicked smile came to his face. He was sure that Tove didn’t know it was there. How could he being a Viserd.
Tove didn’t like the look in Cheliest eyes. “It is only fair that half the gifts go to me and my people. We will be doing all the work and should be adequately rewarded for our services.”
Cheliest acted so quickly that Tove didn’t have time to think. He grabbed the Dragon Dagger from the mantel and plunged it deep into Tove’s heart. Tove gasped and fell to the floor.
“Do you think that I was such a fool, Cheliest sneered? “It was you how first cursed my daughter turning her into a monster. When your plan of me killing her failed, you made her so beautiful again. Then you made me want to be king so much that I would come to you for your help. Then instead of poisoning the winner you would take away from me what I wanted most.”
Cheleist then took an end of a half burning log out of the fire and set Tove’s body on fire. He gave a wicked laugh, “I will use your plan to my own benefit while you burn in the fires of hell.” He then spread fire to the rest of Tove’s cottage. He then saw the bag of his gold and quickly grabbed it and left. He walked over to his horse and looked it straight in the eyes. “You are lucky that you can’t talk or I would have had to kill you as well.
|
|
|
1
comment
|
|
|
Bethyl and the Duck, Chapter 12
|
Oct 23, 2009 10:10 am
Mood: adventurous,
109 Views
|
It took them two more days before they reached the land of Jer. It wasn’t easy like Fred had told her it would be. The path they traveled was smooth but it was all up hill. Bethyl joked that it was easy for Fred because he was a dragon and could fly over it. Put him on the ground and make him walk and he would be crying from having sore feet.
When they finally reached the ridge a top of the hill to the northwest they could see the Endless Sea. From there the water looked a dark blue almost black. Bethyl informed her that was because there it was next to the Swamp of Elaster. The swamp water mixed in with the sea water giving it that color. There were other places along the sea where the water was so clear that you could see out twenty feet to the bottom. She looked out as far as she could see hoping that she could get a glimpse of land but there was no land in site.
“It takes two days by airship or ten days by ship before you can see the first island.” Bethyl explained. “Still you need sea maps and instruments to get you to one of those. If you do not have these you could easily get yourself lost. There have been those who died out there going around in circles when land was just beyond their horizons because they were too stubborn to learn how to navigate.”
As she looked towards Jer she could see a fence made out of wire running to the right and to the left as far as she could see. There was now a road that stretched to the horizon over green fields where cows were eating grass. Ahead of them was a gate with pictures of the sun and the moon painted on it. There on the other side of the gate stood a well and a brick building. They walked up to the gate and opened it and closed it after they passed into Jer. At the well they refilled their water bags. A sign written in Jer hung on the door of the building, Welcome to all travelers. Inside the building were four beds.
“Jer is friendly to all those who pass through it.” Bethyl told her. “This is one of their highland farms. It will take a day of walking until we reach the first farm house. That is why they have a place to sleep here at the border.”
They were up early in the morning to continue their journey. As they walked along the road they passed many cows. Sometimes the cows would just stare at them as they walked. At other times the cows would mow at them. At other times a group of cows would run away as they approached. Then they would stop at a safe distance from them and stare at them. Bethyl found this all amusing. “The cows don’t know what to make of us. They are almost scared that we are dragons.”
It was almost sun set when they came to the farm house. Bethyl winked at Sandra. “You have learned how to speak Jer. Now you will learn how to talk to Jers.”
This took her by surprise. She thought that just understanding the Jer language was that she needed to know. Bethyl went up to t he door and knocked. A short plumb lady wearing a brown dress and a blue apron answered the door. Her hair was tied in a bun and as she smiled Sandra noticed that half of her teeth were missing.
“Come in. You are just in time for supper.”
Sandra felt strange being welcomed like this but Bethyl put his hands together in front of him and crisscrossed his fingers. “We are honored at your hospitality to strangers.”
The lady turned pink. “We are not into formality here. Just come on in.”
Bethyl undid his hands and smiled. “This is Sandra’s first trip to Jer and I am teaching her the proper way of doing things.”
The lady nodded and Bethyl and Sandra entered the farm house. Then the lady set two more plates on the table while Bethyl went and brought two more chairs. Then he motioned to Sandra to come and stand behind the chair to the right of him. “It is their custom that no one sits down until everyone is at the table.”
Through the back door a man dressed in brown entered. He was followed by two boys about Sandra’s age that looked exactly alike.
The women saw the expression on Sandra’s face and smiled. “These are my twin sons, Jaket and Raket.”
When everyone was at the table Bethyl once again put his hands together in front of him and crisscrossed his fingers. “We are weary travelers and we thank you for your hospitality.” The man nodded and then sat down and everyone else did as well. It was a simple dinner. A stew made of beef and potatoes.
“Where did you begin your journey?” The man asked.
“We began our journey in the Tirese Valley,” Sandra replied.
The two boy’s eyes lit up and they wanted to know more. So Sandra told them all about the castle and the village. Then Bethyl interrupted her. “Our journey has been long and tiresome. We have been sent to bring a message to Salmoncher.”
A room that had been full of laughter now went deadly quiet. “Is he hurt?” Sandra asked cautiously.
“He was traveling to Yanktar when we saw him.” The man said sharply. “You may sleep in the barn tonight. I am sure that you will want an early start and you will be gone before we arise in the morning.”
When they reached the barn Sandra asked in a bewilder voice, “What is going on?”
Bethyl shook his head in amazement. “I don’t understand it myself. They don’t have a king to fear. They send people from the villages to the capital to make the laws that they live by. Both men and women do that. That is what makes them different from any land that I have ever visited. It is though they are afraid of someone even asking about him. I doubt if King Cheliest even knows that he is here.”
“Still they knew that he was going to Yanktar.” Sandra replied.
Bethyl stroked his beard. “The way they acted towards us makes me think that it is best that we tell no one else the reason why we are here.”
Sandra nodded her head in agreement.
For the next week they walked passing both villages and farms. Everywhere they went Sandra saw both men and women working. They were going to the market place and using coins. There were even women running their own businesses. When they passed schools she could see that both boys and girls were in outdoor classes studying together. “This is the way it should be,” she thought. She would like to go back to Tirese and have it done there as well but knew it would never happen in her life time. Her only duty there was to marry a man to rule the kingdom and to bare him a daughter so she could do it as well. This was a never ending cycle. She felt very sad. Then she blurted out, “I have decided that after we find Salmoncher I will stay in Jer.”
Bethyl gave her a sly smile. “Perhaps someday you will. You would make an excellent teacher.”
Sandra stopped walking. What Bethyl said took her completely by surprise. She had never thought of herself being a teacher. “Why not,” she exclaimed. “I taught Salmoncher how to speak Tiresian. I can teach others it as well and all the other knowledge that I learned.” Then it hit her. “What do you mean someday?”
Bethyl winked at her. “I know how you are going to repay me. After we find Salmoncher I will let you know.”
Sandra stood there speechless trying to figure out what he had in mind. They would be leaving Jer. Would Salmoncher be going with them? Then her hand brushed against the Dragon Dagger and a smile came to her face. “After we find Salmoncher we will be leaving Jer to go back to Tonjicka so you can return the Dragon Dagger to the family it belongs.”
Bethyl stroked his beard, “Oh really?”
Sandra replied. “Fred told me it is the Dwarfs code of honor.”
Bethyl shrugged his shoulders. “I guess since it is the Dwarfs code of honor we then must do it.”
Sandra felt pleased with herself. She had for the first time beaten Bethyl at his own game.
At the end of the day they made camp by a small stream. “Sometime tomorrow we will reach the top of this ridge.” Bethyl said causally. “In the valley below you will be able to see Yanktar. It will still be another day’s journey from there until we reach it.”
Sandra’s heart started racing. Soon she would know the answers to the all of her questions. Then fear swept through her mind. “How do we know that he is still there?”
Bethly smiled at her. “Look at the Dragon Dagger.”
As Sandra did she noticed that in the center of it she could now see a faint glow of white light that she had never notice before. Then she looked at Bethyl for an explanation.
Bethly stroked his beard. “It maybe that Dragon Daggers are connected to the beings whose curse they broke when the Viserd that made them is killed. When Andrew, Salmoncher and I found that Dragon Dagger where the Viserd had been killed it glowed much brighter than it is now doing. After we left Dirod’s carpet shop it started to darken. By the time that I gave it to you it was completely gone. Whoever is down there is one that the dagger lifted the curse and the only one that we have heard of coming this way is Salmoncher.”
Sandra hoped that he was right and that she would finally get her answers.
It was noon when they reached the top of the ridge. Down in the valley below was Yanktar. Sandra’s jaw dropped in utter amazement of what she saw. Across the whole valley were rows of houses with their roofs shining brightly in the sun. Reaching towards the sky were four tall buildings. One glowed bright green, another glowed bright blue, another glowed bright gold and still another glowed bright silver.
Bethyl explained to her that each of the buildings was a mile wide and it was five miles between each of them. Sandra stood there like she was in a trance. She never could have imagined seeing something like this. Now she knew why Bethyl told her that she had to see it for herself. She didn’t even know how she could explain what she was seeing to others.
Down from the ridge they walked. It was nearly dark when they reached the first buildings of Yanktar. One of these buildings had a sign in Jer and Dwarf, Rooms and Food. There was one room left. Bethly paid for the room then they went down to the dining hall for supper. In there were a mixture of Jers and Dwarfs eating, laughing and making business deals. Many of the Dwarfs were carrying Dragon Daggers so they paid little attention to Sandra having one.
“The food is good but not great” Bethyl grumbled.
“That is what is to be expected in this part of town.” Another Dwarf replied.
Bethyl nodded. After eating they went up to their room and went to sleep.
They rose early in the morning and went to the dining hall for breakfast. A lot of those who had been there the night before had already left. Sandra thought that the food tasted better than it did the night before. Then she noticed a rather larger man came in wearing a purple coat and a purple hat. His shirt was white with a lot of gold buttons. He was talking to the inn keeper and she pointed at Bethyl. He walked over to Bethyl with a sour look on his face. “Your carriage waits for you.”
Bethyl asked him. “Did you want something to eat?”
The man shook his head no.
“I’m buying.” Bethyl added.
A large smile came to the man’s face. Then he sat down. “In that case fill up my plate.”
The man and Bethyl talked about the local gossip for an hour before it was time for them to leave. Then the man asked where Bethyl wanted to go.
“This is the ladies first time here. I thought we would start where the best place to have lunch is.”
The man laughed. “You are a Dwarf after my own heart.”
As the man was loading their belongings on to the carriage Sandra whispered, “We are suppose to be looking for Salmoncher.”
Bethyl gave her a wink. “He is taking us to the center of the city. I know someone there that will help us. In the mean time keep an eye on the Dragon Dagger. It should start to glow brighter. If it glows all white before we get there we will stop. This way we can cover more ground faster than we could do on foot.”
As the carriage moved along Sandra kept one eye on the dagger and one on the city. The houses that they were passing looked exactly alike. They were one story red brick buildings. Then they came to some small shops with signs telling people what they sold. Then she started to see larger buildings. First two story buildings and finally four story buildings. Finally they stopped in front of a large eating hall. It had two large gold statues of lions in front of it. Across form it stood the blue building. It was made of a stone that she had never seen before. It was one not one that was joined together by mortar as the stones at the castle were. It was not the size of the stones at the castle were either. It was much larger like it was one giant stone as high as she could see. It shined brightly in the sun. In some places she thought she could see people looking out of the building at her.
Bethyl saw the look in her eye and smiled. “It is dragon glass, six inches thick in most places. There are some places with the thickness of the blade of my sword with slats cut into it to leave air in so people can see out. It is for decoration. Behind it are walls of metal and stone. Then the glass was melted to the walls by Dragon fire. It makes the dragons that live here feel at home.”
“There are dragons here?” Sandra asked in amazement.
Bethyl gave her a mischievous grin. “You haven’t been watching the sky.”
Sandra looked up and to her surprise she saw dragons flying everywhere.
“The top floors of these buildings are where several dragons have their homes. Other dragons use them as a place to rest. Even though Jers look like men they aren’t. That is why they are not part of the treaty between men and the creatures of the lands of magic.”
Sandra gave Bethyl a startled look. “What are they then?’
“Like you don’t know what they are.” A voice answered her.
“Why did you say that to me Bethyl?” Sandra asked.
“He gave her a bewildered look. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Do you want me to repeat myself?” The voice said again.
This time Sandra saw where the voice came from. A four foot high grey pillar with the faces of babies carved into it. One of those faces had spoken to her. “I have never talked to a statue before.” She stammered.
“I am not a statue.” A man replied sharply. Then he came out form inside the statue. Where Sandra had seen his face was now an empty circle. “I am cleaning out all the bugs. They are bad this time of the year. We place lights in there so people can see at night as they walk past. Those pesky bugs come in there and die. We can not have this place look bad.”
Then the man gave her a hard stare that made her nerves stand on end. “When you need answers for things you forgot you go to the third floor of the blue building. Do not go to the other buildings as they will only confuse you.” Then he went back to work.
Sandra looked at Bethyl and he just shrugged his shoulders. “We go to the blue building then.” Sandra said.
As they started to walk towards it the man shouted at them. “Not now. Everyone is at lunch. Don’t you know anything?”
Bethyl snickered. “We have government at its best. Come on let’s go and eat lunch.”
They went into the eating house. It was larger than the great hall back at the castle. Its walls were decorated with different paintings larger than Sandra had ever seen before. Already it was nearly full of Dwarfs and Jers eating. Here you paid before you ate. They had a long table down the center with all types of fruit and vegetable dishes on it. Along the outer walls were four different stations where they could choose the type of meat they wanted. The choices that they had were Pork, Beef, Lamb and fish. Bethyl’s mouth was already watering as he went to the place where they were serving lamb. Sandra decided to try the fish. She had four different types of fish she could choose. She selected the one that was pink in color.
She came to the table where Bethly was sitting and sat down across from him. Sandra smiled, “It is nice to eat Flubot again.”
Bethyl nodded. “Those are caught out in the Endless Sea. They then are packed in ice and brought here by airships. Before they are cleaned they weigh two hundred pounds. Now if there really were monsters in the sea I am sure they would have been eaten by them.”
Sandra smiled. “I don’t know about monsters but nothing tastes as good as this.”
As they finished eating, Bethly said. “Now we go to the blue building.”
As they walked over towards it she felt like everyone was staring at her. “It is the people here,” Bethyl commented. “They pretty much know who works here and who is a stranger. You get use to it after a while.”
Then Sandra noticed that certain people were nodding to Bethyl and he was nodding back at them. “You seem to know a lot of people here.” Sandra commented.
“I only know the ones that work with the dragons.” Bethyl replied.
The she saw the man cleaning another light holder. She smiled at him. “I thought that you said that everyone went to lunch.”
“Excuse me.” He sneered at her. “I do not know you.”
“I just spoke to you about an hour ago.” Sandra said firmly. “Do not tell me you forgot me already.”
He looked at her as if he thought she was crazy. “I have no time for silly school girl games.” He growled. Then he went back to work.
Sandra gave Bethyl a look like she didn’t understand what was going on. Bethyl stroked his beard. “You didn’t notice that he was wearing a red belt and his twin brother you talked to first was wearing a green belt.”
“Twins?” Sandra said have bewildered.
Bethyl shrugged his shoulders. “Most Jers have twins.”
Sandra paused for a moment and then asked, “Does Salmoncher have a twin?”
That question appeared to catch Bethyl by surprise. Then he said awkwardly. “He never mentioned having a twin to me. I just knew he had a sister named Enthiapha. She was supposed to have been on the airship with Salmoncher and his father but she came down with mumpaw just before their ship left.”
Sandra took her right hand and placed it around her throat and swallowed hard. “I remember having it when I was very young and had to stay in bed for weeks.”
Bethyl stared at her in silence. Finally he spoke. “It is mostly a childhood disease. It has no treatment other than bed rest. Some have been know to die from it. The best thing about it is that once you have had it you will never catch it again.”
Sandra was sad thinking of those who had died form it and at the same time was relieved that she never could catch it again.
As they walked to the doors of the blue building Sandra noticed that the doors were not covered by the dragon glass. On one door was painted a giant shield crossed by a great sword. On the other door were the pictures of a lamp and a set of measuring balances. Above them a dove flew. She turned to Bethly and asked. “Should we knock?”
“No.” A voice behind her spoke. “Just go right in. They are not big on formality here. That is unless you have done something wrong. Have you?”
Sandra turned around to see a lady dressed in a light blue dress holding a green walking chain in her right hand. The lady smiled at her. “I guess you have done nothing wrong. Would you be so kind to open the door for me? My strength is not what it once was.”
As Sandra started to open the door she knew what the lady meant. The door was made of solid oak four inches thick. It took all of her effort to open it enough for them to be able to walk in. The lady then went down the hall to a room near its end.
Bethyl found the stairs and they walked up to the third floor. As they entered the hallway on the third floor Sandra was a bench where the twin sister of the lady from down stairs was sitting. There were four doors but Sandra didn’t know which door to choose.
Suddenly the lady spoke. “The last room at the end of the hall is the one that you need.”
Then she looked at Bethyl. “He is waiting for you up stairs.”
Sandra stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Bethyl. “What is going on? Sandra demanded.
Bethyl gave here the hardest look that she had ever seen on his face. “We both had our reasons for coming here. Mine was to bring you back to Jer. All your questions will be answered when you enter the room. Now I have a dragon to ride.”
Before Sandra could speak a word Bethyl quickly turned around and left.
Then the lady stood up and walked up to her. “I can walk you to the door. From there it is all in your hands.”
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
|
Writing a resume is hard
|
Oct 22, 2009 1:50 pm
Mood: contemplative,
134 Views
|
I am in the process of updating my resume. I have gone on line to check out the address of some of the place that I worked only to discover that they are no longer in business. 
|
|
|
3
Comments
|
|
|
Not you
|
Oct 22, 2009 1:48 pm
Mood: amused,
126 Views
|
Last night I went down to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk and a few other things. As I was leaving I had to cross one of the main street to get to the bus stop. A gallon of milk is to heavy to carry in my back back. There was a lady crossing the street at the same. After I reached the sidewalk on the other side yelled out of her car window. What is your number. Naturally I had to take a look as I was curious to see who she was talking too. That is when she said, "No not you." 
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
|
Bethyl and the Duck, Chapter 11
|
Oct 16, 2009 11:05 am
Mood: adventurous,
157 Views
|
It was early in the morning when Sandra woke up. Bethyl already had breakfast made. She had slept soundly that night and hadn’t dreamt at all or if she had she didn’t remember a thing. After breakfast they took down the tent on the raft. They then unlashed four of the boards and then they moved those boards to the cave where they had seen the fly dragons the night before. “Hospitality of the Lake”, Bethyl called it. Every time a raft was taken apart it pieces were put into the cave so the next person who came along and needed them would know where to go to find them. In a corner of the cave was a place with signs written in Dwarf and Jer as these were the only ones who traveled this way. That is where they place the boards. In there they found two other boards.
“Did Salmoncher use those boards?” Sandra asked.
Bethyl stroked his beard. “He may have. Fred didn’t mention anyone else coming this way. Also he had been traveling by himself and wouldn’t need a raft as large as ours and going up the river he would have cut the size of his raft in half as we just did.”
Sandra put her right hand on to the wood and closed her eyes. Then she moved her hand across its surface. Opening her eyes she smiled. “I am sure that these were his.”
Bethyl didn’t say a thing. He just turned around and headed back to the raft. “He must think I’m crazy or just wishful thinking.” Sandra murmured to herself, but she was sure in her heart that Salmoncher had been there and those had been his boards. Then she headed back to the raft as well.
Bethyl untied the raft from the tree and they started to push it towards the river. Sandra could see the water from the river as it flowed into the lake. This was the only place on the lake that she had seen water moving. Even here the land was white with salt. Slowly they pushed the raft into the river. It was a struggle as they fought against the current. Now she was grateful that Bethyl had divided the raft in half. There would have been no way that they could have pushed the entire raft by themselves.
Slowly the land began to change. The salt became mixed with sand and some small plants were now growing. It had taken them two hours to push the raft two miles up the river. Now they came to where two different rivers had come together to form the one that they were on. The one to their left ran from the Elephant and brought the strong current.
The one that was on the right was a slower moving one and it traveled west. They took that one. The current moved slowly and soon they came to a place where they could stop and rest. There was a fresh water spring there where they refilled their water bags. The grass was now green and a cool breeze blew. After a long rest they started going up the river again. As they did Sandra noticed that the crass was turning color. It went from green to light brown and finally to grey. The trees and their leaves were doing this as well. Soon the water started to turn darker. It eventually became so dark that it looked black. By late in the afternoon the branches of the trees formed a canopy over the river. To Sandra it seemed like they were traveling in twilight. Grey moss was now hanging down from the trees as well.
“Fred never said anything about this place.” She said softly. “It feels spooky.”
Sandra didn’t see the smile on Bethyl’s face as he said. “That is because it is haunted. Wait until you see it tonight.”
Sandra looked up at the trees through scared eyes. “You can’t be serious. The sooner we get out of here the better.”
“If we do you will miss the ghost’s dancing.” He answered her darkly.
She turned around to see him with a big smile on his face. “You are doing it to me again, aren’t you?” She said in a stern voice. “You are trying to make me believe in the picture that you are painting for me to see.”
Bethly winked at her. “I see that you are starting to learn. What you will see tonight is what few people will ever see. Most are to afraid to come here for all the stories they have heard of this place being haunted by ghosts. There is nothing to fear hear.” Then he looked at the right bank of the river. “Here is where we will stop for the night.”
They moved the raft to the bank and Bethyl tided it to a large tree. After they ate supper Bethly stretched out on the ground. “You might as well get some sleep. They will not come until after dark.”
Even though Bethyl seemed at ease here Sandra wasn’t. She had an uneasy feeling about this place. It was well after dark when Bethly woke up. He sat up and yawned. Then he looked at Sandra. “You didn’t sleep any did you?”
“No, I didn’t sleep.” She snapped at him.
Then a light breeze began to blow and she started to hear strange sounds. Then amongst the trees she could see ghostly figures floating. They would go down to the water and then fly high up into the trees. Soon they were everywhere around them. Sandra grabbed hold of the Dragon Dagger’s handle as tightly as she could. Suddenly she began to smile. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked.
Bethly put his finger to his lips indicating that she should not speak. For the next two hours they watched the figures do their ghostly dance. When the last one had vanished Bethyl spoke. “It always amazes me each time I seem them.”
“Why do they come here?” Sandra asked.
“This is where the fly dragons eat.” Bethyl replied. “They move in groups and that makes it seem like there are ghosts here. Very few beings travel this way because they think this place is haunted. Those of us who know better keep those stories alive. It is part of the Dwarf treaty with the dragons. The strong protect the weak. We protect the weaker Dragons and the stronger Dragons protect the Dwarfs. Everyone wins. Now get to sleep.”
The next day they had a late start. Bethyl had let Sandra sleep longer than normal. It was midday before they finally left the Grey Forest. The grass and trees were back to their usual colors. Then they started to see mushroom growing along the river banks. First they saw small brown ones. Then they started to see larger ones. The larger they grew the more different in color they became. When they finally stopped for the night the mushrooms were as tall as Bethyl was. After tying the raft he walked over to one that was pink with bright yellow poke-a-dots. He drew his sword and cut off a piece of its head. Then he cut that piece in half and hand one half to Sandra. “Taste it.” He said gently.
Cautiously she took a bite. At first it seemed to be tasteless, but as she chewed it the sweat taste of honey filled her mouth.
After finishing eating they sat around a fire for a while. “This is as far aw we go by the river.” Bethly told her. “Tomorrow we will take apart the rest of the raft and start heading north.”
“How much farther is it?” Sandra asked impatiently.
Bethly shrugged his shoulders. “We will get there when we get there.”
“That is not a good answer.” Sandra replied sharply.”
Bethyl stroked his beard. “Everything now depends on the weather. We have been lucky so far that we haven’t run into any rain to stop us, but that could change any day.”
Sandra didn’t like what she heard but she knew that he was right.
Early in the morning they took the rest of the raft apart and stored it in a small cave. Once again there were two boards in the cave. Then Bethyl cut the rest of the mushroom apart and put it into their food bags. Sandra filled the water bags. Then she saw her reflection in the river. “My hair!” She shouted. Over night it had grown back to the length it had been before Nomi had cut it off. Tears filled her eyes.
Bethyl smiled at her. “I was wondering when you would notice it.”
“Did the mushrooms do this?”
“Bethly laughed. “If the mushrooms could do this I would make a fortune selling them to bald men.”
“Then how did it happen”?”
Bethly winked at her. “After you fell asleep in the ghost forest, prince Saltfor came by. He was so happy that the diamond star had cured his mother that we wanted to give me something. So, I asked him to give you back your hair. That is one of the magical powers that the Fly Dragons can use.”
“How can I ever repay you?” Sandra asked.
Bethly stroked his beard. “When I know I will let you know.”
They then changed clothes from what they had been wearing to blue pants and shirts. “It is time to go.” Bethly said light heartily. Then they started to walk towards a hill covered with thick tall grass. Cut into the hill were steps that went all the way to the top. These weren’t well crafted steps that fit snuggly into place like those back at the castle. Here they were dull grey in color with their edges well worn off. Neither were they evenly designed. Some were only two inches high while others were a foot high. It was more like someone had a bunch of odd shaped rocks and decided to make a set of steps with them.
“Who built this?” Sandra wondered out loud.
“They were here long before Dwarf or Dragon came to this land.” Bethyl replied as he started to climb the steps. We would never have built them so poorly. Neither do they lead to anything. The area at the top of the hill is flat. One would expect to find at least the ruins of a house or a temple up there, but there is none.”
When they reached the top Sandra saw what he meant. The whole area was flat and barren of life. Bethyl bent over and picked up a handful of soil. Then he let the dust slip through his fingers.
“See what I mean. There is not even the tiniest of a rock in it. You would think that you could grow something in this. The land receives enough rain here but this place is worse than the grey desert.” Then he wiped his hand on his pants. “See, no soil even stuck to either my hand or my pants.”
Then he pointed towards the trees that were a head of them. “That is the never dying forest. Those trees don’t die nor do they grow. You will never find a dead leaf or a dead branch on any of the trees. Try striking one with an ax and the blade will break into pieces even a blade made of the finest metal by Dwarfs. The ground is covered with moss. No matter how many times you walk on it you never can kill it.”
Sandra laughed. “Maybe you should try putting some of that moss on this dead land.”
Bethyl gave here a stern look. “It has been tried. When the moss was put here it crawled back to the forest. There is something unnatural about this land.”
“It is sort of a Kundifk,” Sandra shivered.
“A what!” Bethyl exclaimed.
“A Kundifk.” Sandra repeated. “How you choose your death. You could choose to end your life completely or choose to stand in one place for ever, never growing, never feeling, and never being.”
Bethyl gave here a strange look. “I never told you about the Kundifk.”
“You must have. How else would I have known about it?” Sandra insisted.
Bethyl looked at the Dragon Dagger and shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you learned about it from the dagger.”
Sandra felt a shiver going up and down her spine. Was he right or did he just forget that he had told her? She really didn’t know.
It took them the rest of the day to make it across the forest. They then walked across a field and stopped by a lake. The water in it was salty and impossible to drink. It wasn’t as salty as the salty sea, but more like the water in the Endless Sea, Bethyl told her. It was connected to the Endless Sea by a series of caves and tunnels. Those caves could be explored through passage ways that led to the surface.
The water there was clear near the shore and aqua green color near the center of the lake. At the bottom Sandra could see was covered by blue green rocks. They were so beautiful to her that she reached down into the water and picked one up. It was smooth to the touch. She turned it over and on the back side it was the same as the front.
Bethyl chuckled. “Take as many as you want. When you first see them they are an interesting distraction, but when you have seen as many as I have you get sick of seeing them.”
Sandra lied down and put it close to her head. She stared at it until she fell asleep. In the morning she walked over to the edge of the lake and started to pick up more of the rocks. As she glanced over the lake she noticed that its center was turning red. In a frighten voice she screamed, “Bethel the lake is turning red.”
Bethyl stood up and looked out at the lake. “Get you things quickly,” He demanded. “We need to reach the other end of the lake as fast as we can before they come ashore.”
They gathered their belongings and walked to the other side of the lake at a fast pace. The red color was spreading out in every direction as they walked. When they reached the end of the lake the first ones were just starting to come out of the water. They were pushing their ten feet long bodies using their bellies and their tail. On top of their fat head were two holes that were three inches in diameter. There bodies were as large as a cow.
“What are they?” Sandra asked in wonderment.
“Nobelonians.” Bethyl answered sharply. “They are coming here from the Endless Sea. They breathe through those holes on the tops of their body and can stay under water for over a day before they need to come up for air.”
“They don’t look like they are dangerous.” Sandra commented.
Bethyl nodded. “It is matting time for them and they come here from all over the Endless Sea. Then they push tier way inland to mate. If we had been here a day later than this we would have had to detour at least one hundred miles just to make our way past them.
Out in the sea they are half the size that they are now. There they are grey and black in color. At mating time they start to gorge themselves. Their bodies swell up and their fins disappear into all that blubber. Then they turn red and swim here. After they arrive they will not eat until mating is done. That could take up to two months. Then they turn back to black and grey and head go back into the lake. If they come to any Nobelonian who is still mating they will just crawl over them.”
The whole area was now covered with them as they kept pushing themselves further inland as more came out of the water behind them.
As they started to walk away Sandra asked, “Have you been here before during mating time.”
“I have, but I mostly avoid this area then.” Bethyl replied. “Besides all the space they take up they give off an awful smell to attract a mate.”
It was late in the afternoon when they heard a clap of thunder. Bethyl spotted a cave up on a ridge. After reaching it Bethyl and Sandra started to gather wood for a fire. Then it started to rain. They ate and watched the rain from the entrance of the cave. It rained all night long. In the morning it still was raining.
“That is the thing about this area.” Bethyl grumbled. “You never know how long it will rain.”
It rained all that day and the next day as well. All they could do was to wait until it stopped. To pass the time Bethly had Sandra go over the entire Dwarf that he had taught her. Finally at noon the next day the rain stopped, but they had to wait until the next morning as the entire ground was covered by water.
In the morning they ate the last of the mushrooms and that meant that Sandra would once again be hunting with the bow.
It was another full day of traveling with no sign of the flowering forest. She killed to rabbits when she started to hear the songs of birds she had never heard before. There music was sweat to the ears but she could not see the birds.
“Bethly smiled. “Tomorrow we will be at the flowering forest.”
Sandra sighed, “Finally.”
Patient is something you learn as you grow old.” Bethly replied.
Patient was the last thing that was on her mind. She had been on a long journey and wanted it to end, the sooner the better. To finally have her questions answered.
Sandra woke up early the next morning and was anxious to get started. They walked for a mile before a pleasant aroma filled the air. Then she saw them, trees with small red flowers on them. Around these trees the white bees flew. As they landed on a flower their color would first turn pink. As they landed on other flowers the color with darken. By the time they landed on the tenth flower their color was a bright red. Then they would return to their hive and deposit the pollen there. When they came out they were white again and the whole process would start over.
The further they walked into the forest the more different types of flowers they would see. There was a flower with white petals and pink on its inside. There were purple flowers, gold flowers and many other colors. All around the flower were the white bees. Sandra did not dare to touch any of them as badly as she want too because what Fred had told her about the bees.
Finally they reached the end of the forest and the trees no longer had flowers on them. They walked until they came to a stream. There they stopped to rest. Out in the water near the bank floated the largest violet Sandra had ever seen. She looked around to see if there were any white bees but there were none. Then she reached out her hand towards it.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A strange voice said.
Sandra jerked her hand back and looked around but only saw Bethyl.
“She knows what she is saying.” Bethly said firmly.
“Where is she?” Sandra demanded.
“She is on the lily pad.” Bethly replied.
Sandra looked down and on the lily pad sat a large green frog. Then Sandra realized that the frog had been speaking in Schmole to her.
“Where are your manners Agnes.” Bethyl scolded her.
Agnes hopped off the lily pad and as she landed on the river bank turned into a Schmole. “A fine thank you I get for saving this girls life.” She sneered.
“From what did you save my life?” Sandra asked.
Agnes glared at Sandra. Then she picked up a small rock and threw it at the flower. As soon as the rock touched the flower out of the water came four vines. They flew into the air trying to grab a hold of what it was that touched the flower and then the flower and all four vines disappeared into the water. “She is not going to be happy when she finds out that it was only a rock and nothing to eat.” Agnes laughed nervously.
“We better move away form her.” Bethly added.
After they moved a safe distance away Sandra asked. “What was that?”
“We call it a bottom dweller.” Agnes replied. “It waits at the bottom of the river for a meal to come along. The flower is the tip of her tongue. When anyone tries to pick it the vines grab them instead. There is poison in those vines and they would have killed you and then you would have been its next meal.”
Sandra’s face went pale thinking what would have happened if Agnes hadn’t been there to warn her. Then she looked at Bethyl. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “You no longer need my protection.”
Then Agnes saw it. “She has a Dragon Dagger!”
Bethyl nodded and then asked. “What brings you this way Agnes?”
“I heard it was soon to be mating season for the Nobelonians and I have never seen them come on land before.”
”They started coming out of the water a few days ago.” Bethyl replied. “The whole are is by now covered with them.”
Agnes lowered her head and sadly said, “I should have started a week earlier and I would have seen them come ashore.”
“You can always go to the entrance by the Endless Sea and watch them leave.” Bethyl said cheerfully.
“No thank you. I will not go there and get eaten by monsters.” Agnes retorted.
“Rubbish,” Bethyl laughed.
Agnes pointed a finger at Bethyl. “You haven’t seen them.” She growled. Monsters which are taller than the tallest tree. They can reach their arms high into the sky and pull down the highest flying airship. Then they will eat it whole and spit out the wood when they are done. They even make the Great Diamond Dragon shiver in fear.”
Bethyl stroked his beard. “You are telling us that you have seen these monsters.”
Agnes thundered, “No, you will never find me within ten miles of the Sea, but I was told by a friend that knew a friend that saw one and barely escaped with her life.”
“Have you seen Salmoncher?” Sandra blurted out.
Agnes stopped speaking and looked Sandra over from head to toe. Then in a melatonin voice she replied, “So, you are the one.” Then Agnes quickly changed into a green lizard and ran towards the flowering forest.
Bethyl spat onto the ground. “Green forest Schmoles have never been known for their manners. They have the brain the size of a pea and don’t even use half of them. To think that the sea is full of monsters is a laugh. I have crossed it by boat, airship, and dragon and have never seen a single monster. The Great Diamond Dragon, the master of the sea would think anyone who thinks that he is afraid of anything is a fool.”
Sandra smiled. “There is at least one thing we know. She has seen Salmoncher. How else would she know who I am?”
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
|
Bethyl and the Duck, Chapter 10
|
Oct 9, 2009 11:35 am
Mood: adventurous,
221 Views
|
The boat was more what you would call a raft than a boat. On the beach of salt it had been put together. Eight planks of yellow planks twelve feet long by one food wide tied together by ropes. The outer planks on both the right side and the left side had nothing placed on them. This was to let them have a clear path to walk from the front to the back of the raft. Two eight feet long poles painted orange were given to them. They were to put one end of these on the bottom of the lake and push on the poles to move the raft forward. They were also instructed to stay near the Elephant as the water there was only two feet deep. That would give them more leverage on the poles and make moving the raft easier. The lake was only supposed to be six foot deep in its center but in case they moved over any water that was deeper than that they were given two paddles. With them they then could move the raft into water that was shallow enough for the poles.
In the center of the raft a tent had been built. It was green in color and six feet wide by six feet long and stood four feet high. It was open on both of its ends. There belongings had been place in the tent. Their food and water were placed half at the front of the raft and half at the back of the raft. That was so that neither the front nor the back end of the raft would come out of the water. That didn’t give them much room on the raft but by staying close to the Elephant which was the shortest way across the lake they would only have to travel forty miles. The water was calm this time of the year and they were told that they should be able to cross the lake in two days time to reach the river, three days at the most.
There were now wearing pale green robes made of cotton that covered them from head to foot. The sun light would be brutal on the skin from both above and from reflecting up off the water. It would burn unprotected skin severely. They walked onto the raft and then eight wind watchers picked it up and carried it out into the water. They wore shoes with lead weights attached to them and had their pants rolled up past their knees. When they were out twenty five feet into the water they put the raft down and walked back to shore. As they left the water Sandra could see that their legs were coated a milky white. They washed off there legs and their shoes with clear water. Then they dried them and put on dry socks and shoes before they unrolled their pants. Then they went back to help the others loading salt.
Bethyl showed Sandra how to use the poles. They had to push the polls in unison. Sandra was on the left side of the raft and Bethyl was on the right side. It they didn’t do it at the same time the raft would just go in circles. It took a bit of doing before Sandra was able to time her pushes with Bethyl. Every so soften she would glance back towards the airship. When they stopped for lunch she could no longer see the wind watchers on the ground and the airship was barely visible.
“We have gone eight miles.” Bethyl said cheerfully. “You are doing fine for this being your first time doing this.”
Sandra smiled. “It hasn’t been too hard once I learned how to do it.”
“That is because of the water.” Bethyl answered her. “There is so much salt in it that you could almost walk on it.” Sandra looked at him through unbelieving eyes. “You saw that the wind watchers were wearing lead weights on their shoes. That was the only way they could get their feet to touch the bottom after they set the raft down in the water. If they didn’t they would had to swim back to shore. That would have gotten salt all over them and would have needed a lot of fresh water to wash the salt off.”
She looked at him to see a smile or a laugh as if it was a joke but he looked at her with a stern face. Sandra licked her lips. “It was nice of Captain Jojunk to have his men help us get our boat into the water.”
“Captain Jojunk didn’t have anything to do with it.” Bethyl replied in a mischievous tone. “They volunteered and I know of at least ten more who would have done it as well after all they all bet on me to win.”
Sandra was dumb struck. Bethly laughed. “I see it surprises you that wind watchers would bet on me while Dwarfs bet against me.”
This was something that had not even crossed her mind. She knew that the odds were heavily against him and that his own twin sister had bet on him but she would never have thought that wind watchers would bet on him especially the way he thought about them.
Bethyl saw the question she wanted to ask him in her eyes, “Why”? “We needed to teach Robt a lesson in humility.” Bethyl said eagerly. “Since coming on the Matilda he has been a real pain to the crew. When someone is promoted to the position of first mate it is generally done based on his experience and not the wealth or position of his family. That person is transferred from another ship so he has no favoritism any member of the crew. When Robt came on board he made sure that everyone knew he came from a wealthy family. Those diamond stars I won from him he had carried in his pocket as casually as someone would carry a copper coin. That was his way of flaunting his wealth. One of them is worth more than a wind watcher would make in five years.
When he accepted my wager he didn’t even ask how much gold I had. He never for a moment thought that he would loose. He wanted everything that I had not for its value but to crush me completely. I am not saying that he doesn’t have any skills and if he doesn’t get bored being on an airship he could even make captain. Right now he needed to learn that he isn’t any better than the rest of the crew simply because he was born to a family with wealth.
The whole crew knew this but would not dare to challenge him even though a lot of them could have easily done what I did. In exchange for their winning he would have made their lives miserable. When the ship docked at the volcano some of the crew that knew me heard that I was there. They also knew that I could get under his skin and he would challenge me. It was a good plan and your help pushed him over the edge.”
Sandra looked at him with a perplexed face. “How did I help?”
“He followed your eyes.” Bethyl replied casually. “I convinced you that I was interested in the front tower’s seat and every time you came up on deck you would stare at it. He would watch your action and that convinced him that I told you which one I wanted. With him having such a big ego he was going to stop be from getting what I wanted without realizing that he was playing right into my hands.”
“You weren’t up there most of the times that I was.” Sandra said in a bewildered voice. “How did you know he was watching me?”
Bethyl smiled. “I had eyes of my own up there watching him, the members of the crew that had come to me and knew my plan. He didn’t even think that any wind watcher would conspire with a Dwarf against him. That was his fall down.”
Sandra shook her head. “You are a cleaver Dwarf more than I could even have imagined.”
Bethyl shrugged his shoulders. “Like I said before, I am a painter of life and have been around for one hundred and eighty wears practicing my art.”
Sandra gasped. “I knew that you were old but not that old.”
Bethyl laughed. “I am still a young man in Dwarf years and will be until I reach my four hundredth birthday.”
They continued on until it was nearly dark before they stopped for the night. Bethyl figured that they had done fifteen miles for the day. To keep the raft from drifting out into the lake they would take turns doing watch. They pushed the raft close to the Elephant as they could. One person at a time would stay on the right side of the raft and push it back to the Elephant when it started to float away. Sandra took the first watch and was to wake Bethyl when the moon was high in the sky. He would then watch until the first light of day.
It was a quiet night and the raft didn’t move at all. Several times she caught herself closing her eyes and almost falling to sleep. She would then shake herself to stay awake. She wasn’t about to let the raft float out towards the center of the lake. Even though the water wasn’t supposed to be too deep in her mind she thought differently. Finally it came time too wake Bethyl. She then layed down and fell into a heavy sleep. Sometime in the night she began to dream about a cave. Not one back at the volcano, but somewhere else. It was completely dark but some how it felt familiar. Then she saw a small candle light appear as if it was coming towards her. As it came close she couldn’t see who held it in their hand. Suddenly the light flew past her eyes. Then another appeared and this one flew under her nose. She started to see more and more candle lights. There were hundreds now in the cave, but she still could not see who or what was holding them.
They started to swirl around her.
Then a voice spoke. “Bethyl you found it. “We told you it would be in a place where it could be seen but not seen.”
Then another voice spoke. “Do not forget your promise to us.”
Then another voice spoke. “This is not Bethyl.”
Then another voice spoke. “It has to be him. He has it.”
Then another voice spoke. “It is Andrew. It has to be.”
Then another voice spoke. “No it is a girl. It is Bethyl’s twin sister.
Then another voice spoke. “It is not Bethyl’s twin sister. It is her.”
Then another voice spoke. “It can’t be. He came and spoke to us. She doesn’t know our language.”
Then a deep voice spoke. “It is her. She doesn’t remember how to speak to us.”
Sandra’s mouth opened but no sounds came out. She was trying to ask, “I don’t remember what?”
Then the voices in unison chorused. “We have to go.” The all the lights went out.
“I don’t remember. I don’t remember.” Sandra kept on repeating as Bethyl shook her trying to wake her up. It was day light as she opened her eyes.
“You were having a bad dream.” Bethyl said softly. “You are all right now.”
Slowly Sandra sat up. “It seemed so real. I was in a cave and all these candle lights were swirling about me. Then a lot of voices started to talk at me. They first thought I was you and that you had promised them something.” Then Sandra grew silent. Finally she said. “I can not remember the rest.”
“You were shouting, “I don’t remember when I woke you up.” Bethyl replied gently.
Sandra looked at him in a daze. “What does that mean?”
Bethyl stroked his beard. “I think you were talking with dragons. We will know more when we reach the river at the end of the Elephant.”
All that day she tried to remember the dream but didn’t. She also wondered where the dragon was that contacted her while she was a sleep. Fred had said that the dragon had to be close but what did close mean to a dragon?
It was nearly dark when they reached the end of the Elephant. Bethyl found a place to tie the raft so it would not float off in the middle of the night. Then they are a light supper. Sandra was both nervous and anxious to meet the dragon that Bethyl had told her would be visiting them. She wanted him to tell her what her dream meant.
It was well after dark before Bethyl spoke. “Now we go.” Then he arose and started to walk along the Elephant.
As Sandra followed him an uneasy feeling swept over her. She took out the Dragon Dagger and said, “Becto” but the dagger did not light up.
Bethyl stopped and turned towards her. “That command cannot be used in their presents.”
“They are here then.” She whispered.
“They are in the cave ahead of us.”
They walked for another two hundred feet when Bethyl stopped. “It is best that you wait here to I call for you. These dragons are shy around strangers. You will not be able to speak to them since you do not know dragon tongue. Though since you posse the dragon dagger you will be able to understand what they say. You can transmit your thoughts to them but I would advise you not to do it. Your thoughts would go out to all of them and since you don’t know their names they would all answer you at once. This would flood your head making it impossible to know what anyone of them said.”
Bethyl then walked over to the cave entrance and cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Grlt.”
Soon Sandra could see a small candle light appear like the one in her dream from inside the cave. It appeared that Bethyl was talking to who ever held it. Finally he turned towards her as hundreds of lights appeared coming to the cave entrance. He waved to her to come to him. Cautiously she walked over to him.
“Hold out your hand with the palm up.” Bethyl commanded her.
When she did this a candle light flew out of the cave and landed on her hand. Then she realized that it was not a candle but the tiniest dragon that she had ever seen.
“You are in luck Sandra” Bethly said cheerfully. “This is Saltfor, prince of the Fly Dragons and he speaks Jer.”
“I have to apologize for my family,” Saltfor said. “They have been waiting for Bethyl to come for a long time. When they felt the presents of the Dragon Dagger they were sure that you were him. They didn’t know that he had given it to you.”
Sandra smiled at Saltfor and then looked at Bethyl.
Bethyl coughed. “Saltfor, about what I promised you.” Saltfor looked up at Bethyl then his head sank as tears fell from his eyes on to Sandra’s hand. “Things didn’t go the way we had planned.” Bethyl said sadly. “I don’t have what I said I would get you but I have something else that It think you could use.”
Saltfor looked up as Bethyl reached his hand into his pocked. When he pulled it out and opened his hand Sandra could see that it was one of the diamond stars that he had won from Robt.
The fly dragon’s eyes lit up brighter than the sun. He left Sandra’s hand and stated flying circles around Bethyl. Soon hundreds of fly dragons were doing the same. Through the Dragon Dagger Sandra could hear them all shouting, “Thank you Bethyl.” Then the star diamond floated up into the air and they surrounded it. Slowly it floated into the cave in the center of all of them.
Bethyl looked at Sandra. “I am sorry but they will not be back to tell you about your dream.” Sandra looked at him waiting for an explanation of what had just happened. “They gave me the clue I needed to find the Dragon Dagger that you have and I made them a promise that I would in return deliver something that they wanted. Since I didn’t have it I gave them the star diamond instead. I got what I wanted and they received more than they ask of me, simple as that.”
“What did they want from you?” Sandra asked.
Bethyl shrugged his shoulder. “They didn’t want much, just some of Andrew’s hair.”
“Why did they want his hair?” Sandra asked awkwardly.”
“Schmole’s hair has healing powers for fly dragons, but it must be used within a day after a Schmole gives it willingly. They wanted the healing power for their queen as she is sick. Now the star diamond has healing power which can heal better than Schmole’s hair can. The one that I gave them will hear for the next thousand years. The queen will be made well again and live a long life as she should.” Then Bethyl laughed. “I just hope that they don’t expect me to do something like this again the next time we do business. It is bad for my reputation.”
As they headed back towards the raft Sandra muttered, “I never knew that a dragon would be so small.”
“Wait until you see a Great Diamond Dragon. Then you will say you never knew that a dragon could be so big.”
“How big do they get?” Sandra asked.
“You remember the size of the Grey Lady?” Bethyl said casually. “That is the size a Great Diamond Dragon reaches when it is about one hundred years old. There are some like that in Jer, but to see the larger ones you need to either go to the Dragon Mountains or cross the endless sea.”
As the reached the raft Bethyl looked up to the sky. “It will be a clear night. We both will be able to sleep without posting a guard. Only the fly dragons live here and they will be celebration all night long.”
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
|
Is that a good deal
|
Oct 8, 2009 11:14 am
Mood: contemplative,
228 Views
|
A few days ago when I was talking to my sister on the Telephone I told here that Walmart had one pound packages of ground beef for One dollar and 99 cents. She asked me if that was a good deal.
Now I don't know how often she buys ground beef but it must not be often. Most packages of it here run close to 4 dollars a pound. 
So, to me it was a great deal. 
|
|
|
0
Comments
|
|
|
|
|
Not to many of them left
|
Oct 5, 2009 12:23 pm
Mood: aggravated,
251 Views
|
|
Today I checked for a temporary agency to find work. A lot of them here have closed up shop. Then there are others that have messagages that they are only taking email. Then I applied on line for a job at McDonalds.
|
|
|
2
Comments
|
|
To link to this blog (wander_in_star) use [blog wander_in_star] in your messages.
|
|
|
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| |
|
|
|
12
|
22
|
31
|
4
|
51
|
6
|
71
|
81
|
91
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
161
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
222
|
232
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
|
