CHAPTER 5
NO WAY, NO HOW
The really cool thing about the Merlin Tree was that when you returned to your world from Camelot, no time will have expired in your world, regardless of how long you were gone. So, if Louise walked through the Merlin Tree on a Monday at ten o'clock in the morning, and stayed in Camelot for three weeks, when she came back through the Merlin Tree it would still be Monday and it would still be ten o'clock in the morning. Because of this, she was always able to visit Camelot whenever George was not home, and she never had to worry about him returning before she got back home. She followed Amos into the canes and waited patiently as the big man knelt down to crawl through the tree.
When she followed him through the tree, she noticed a sharp drop in the temperature; Camelot's winters were much colder than the warm Carolina winters she was accustomed to. She expected to find Jonah, Gob, and Nob waiting for them, but the center of the patch was deserted.
"Where are the others?"
"They are probably saddling the horses."
"Oh no," said Louise, planting her hands on her hips and staring up at the big man with a defiant expression. "You are not getting me on another horse. After the last time, I swore I'd never straddle another one."
Amos smiled at the small white haired lady that was staring him down. "There is no need for you to ride a horse just yet. We will walk to my cabin and there, by the warmth of my fire, we'll talk."
"Then lead the way," said Louise, gesturing toward the canes.
Once again, she followed the giant man through the thick bamboo canes. When they finally squeezed past the last few stalks, they stepped out into an expansive meadow. To her left, the meadow stretched as far as the eye could see, while to her right, in the far distance, rocky foothills lay at the base of snow-capped mountains that rose high above the plains. Louise looked down at the path that lay before her. It wound through the meadow, leading away from the bamboo and up a nearby hill. At the top of this hill the path disappeared into lofty pines that marked the end of the prairie and the beginning of the forest where Amos lived. She had made that path herself through countless visits here, in her battle with the witch, to save her daughter-in-law, Carol. Carol's son, Ben, however, had been the one who finally defeated the witch. Thinking back to those horrid times made her flesh prickle with goose bumps and sent shivers down her spine. She and Amos were indeed old friends. They had been through a lot together.
"Louise," someone yelled, "Louise! Louise!"
Louise turned to see Gob and Nob coming around the side of the bamboo patch, each of them leading one of the dark ebony horses from the Twilight. Jonah was behind the two dwarves and he was leading a horse as well. Louise, upon seeing only three horses, let out a sigh of relief and greeted her friends. Jonah gave her a quick smile and a dignified nod of his head while Gob and Nob made a big show of it, as dwarves are known to do, with many bows and handshakes.
"Where is Ben?" Gob asked, after pleasantries were exchanged.
"Yes," Nob added, "we are delighted to see you, Louise, but where are Ben and Casey?"
"Ben and Casey are at home, in Atlanta, with their family," Louise answered.
"Can you not contact him?"
"Why do you want me to contact Ben?" Louise asked, and then turned to Amos. "What's this all about?"
"Let's wait until we get inside," Amos answered. "It's cold our here and there is much to talk over."
Amos led the way back up the winding path. Louise followed along behind him. She pulled her coat tightly about her and then plunged her hands deep into her coat pockets. It was really cold here! Her knees were beginning to ache a little too. Usually, that was a sure sign that snow or rain was on the way. Once they were back inside the cabin, Amos removed the pot of stew from the hearth and threw another log into the fireplace. The cabin was really warm and toasty. Everyone removed their coats and piled them on top of Amos' bed, then gathered around the table.
"Ok, Amos, why have you brought me here? What is going on?"
"I will let Jonah tell the story, as I have just heard it myself and would like to hear it a second time."
"Louise," Jonah began, "are you familiar with the story of Merlin and a black dragon, from Crag, called Zoltan?"
Louise shook her head. "I have heard some of Merlin, but never any stories of a dragon named Zoltan."
"Then I shall start at the beginning. When the wizards discovered Crag, they offered the dwarves refuge from the dragons that ruled there. It was a colossal undertaking to evacuate an entire race from their home world, but the wizards were successful in their rescue. Merlin then destroyed the pathway to Crag, but not before an infant black dragon crept through undetected. This was no ordinary dragon either. Black dragons are the biggest, the most powerful, and the nastiest tempered dragons on Crag. All other dragons steer clear of them. To make matters worse, this particular black dragon was Zoltan, son of Zog the Terrible."
An ember popped loudly in the fireplace and Gob jumped, while Nob yanked sharply on his beard.
"Please, do not say that name aloud," Nob whispered. "There are no dwarves living today that have ever seen Zoltan's sire, but his name and the fear it instills has been kept alive through generation after generation."
"Forgive me," Jonah replied, with a bow of his head toward the dwarves. "Zoltan," he continued, "quietly slipped way. Most believe that he fled to the wild northlands where he grew and matured. One thing that is certain; he grew into the biggest and most powerful dragon anyone had ever seen before. Many say that he was even bigger than his sire. Zoltan, however, was not content to live peacefully in the northlands. He eventually returned to the Twilight, seeking Merlin."
"What did he want with Merlin?" Louise asked.
"He was afraid of Merlin," Jonah answered. "Even as an infant dragon he could sense the power that emanated from Merlin and he feared him. He hated that fear too, and he hated Merlin for being the source of that fear. So when he had grown into his prime and was at the height of his power and strength, he sought Merlin out to destroy him. He came first to the Twilight and burned down the entire city and much of the forest. And then, before he left, he spoke to the Keeper and commanded him to have Merlin search him out in the Black Hills. If Merlin failed to show, Zoltan promised to return and finish destroying the Twilight and all those in it."
Jonah paused while Amos grabbed a poker to stir the embers on the hearth. When the fire began to crackle and pop again, Amos hung the poker back on the mantle and the elf continued his story.
"To shorten this narrative a bit, Merlin went to the black hills to battle the dragon. He actually stumbled upon Zoltan quite by accident and Zoltan's pride was his undoing. He wanted Merlin to look upon him and despair. He wanted the wizard to fear him as he had feared the wizard his entire life. He wanted to taunt Merlin before he destroyed him, so instead of immediately attacking the wizard, he called to him. Merlin, however, had no intentions of speaking with the dragon. Old and stooped with age but still fast as a snake when needs be, he snapped his staff up and cast a sleep spell upon Zoltan. His intention was to put the dragon to sleep and then let the elves pry up a scale from his armor, so that they might pierce his heart with a long spear."
"Did the spell work?" Louise asked, totally engrossed in the tale.
"Absolutely," Jonah answered. "Merlin used the spell catcher on the end of his staff to maintain the spell, but once Zoltan was asleep we could not kill him."
"And why not?"
"Because dragons, you see, turn to stone when they are sleeping. It is a defense mechanism that protects them from other dragons. When they are in their sleep-stone state, they are completely indestructible."
"Wow," Louise marveled, as she turned this information over in her mind. "Hey, I didn't know Merlin had a spell catcher. He would have had to come to our world to get one!"
"Yes, after the Crag tree was destroyed, Merlin visited your world quite often. Ever
since the treachery of Mordred, Merlin had not been happy here. I think, during his many visits to your world, he was preparing a new home; a place to live out the remainder of his days in peace."
"Getting back to your story, what did he do when he found the dragon could not be destroyed?"
"He hid his staff beneath the hill and left Camelot. He has never been seen since."
"And this dragon still sleeps?"
"No, Louise, not any longer. Zoltan has been wakened."
"How? Why? Who in heaven's name would wake him?"
"We do not know how he was wakened, but we suspect Gabriel and Hob must have somehow done it. For centuries the elves of the Twilight have maintained a vigil over Zoltan and over the hidden cave where Merlin's staff is located. When the witch appeared in Camelot and began killing unicorns so that she could free Mordred from his exile in Pluton, we began to focus all of our resources on stopping her, and Zoltan was all but forgotten."
"Until the witch was finally destroyed this past summer," Louise added, as the whole story began to unfold. "Gabriel was sent to the Black Hills to assess the state of the dragon and Hob went with him."
Jonah nodded. "Gabriel and Hob left for the Black Hills in the morning on the day before yesterday and Zoltan appeared at the Twilight yesterday evening. He spoke with the Keeper and knows that Merlin is long dead. He now wants Merlin's staff and has given us only seven days to retrieve it for him."
"What can I do? I know nothing of dragons, Jonah! How can I possibly help?"
"Louise, there are two reasons we are here. The first reason is because Nob and Gob believe that Ben is the only person who can help us."
"And Marcus agreed with them?" Louise asked incredulously.
"No, Marcus is unable to see any future where the dragon is concerned. He does not discount Ben nor does he request him to come to our aid, but he has asked for you and Amos to return to the Twilight with us. That is the second reason we are here. Marcus values your counsel greatly."
Louise stood and slipped into her coat. "I will come."
"What of Ben?" Gob asked. "Can you go back and get Ben?"
"No," Louise answered. "Ben lives far from the Merlin Tree in our world. It would take me half a day to get him and return back here."
"Then we will wait," said Nob. "We must have Ben if we are to defeat Zoltan."
"I'm afraid it is more complicated than that," said Louise. "It would take me half a day to get him and return back here, and then, when we return to our world, it would take me another half day to take him home and then return to my home. It would be totally impossible for me to accomplish that undetected. Besides, I am not bringing him into this. He is just a child and there is nothing he can do against a dragon."
"But Louise," Gob and Nob cried together.
Louise held up her hand to silence the dwarves. "It is not open for discussion. Ben shall not be brought into this. I have said I will go with you to the Twilight and I'm sure Amos will go too."
"Yes," said Amos, rising from the table. "I will go to the Twilight as well. I have been itching to get out of this cabin for a while anyway."
"How will we get there?" Louise asked. "Even if I were willing to ride a horse, there are only three."
"You will not have to ride a horse to get there," Amos answered, with a mischievous grin. The big walked across the room and opened a trunk sitting beneath the window, near the hearth. He rummaged around in the trunk for a few seconds, and then pulled out a large rope harness. "Remember this?"
"I remember," said Louise. "Just keep your eyes open for ogres this time."
Outside everyone stood back and watched in amazement as Amos transformed. The air around him began to shimmer and his fur garments seemed to expand, engulfing his body as the transformation took place. In a few seconds, a gigantic bear, as large as the horses from the Twilight, was standing before them. Jonah and Louise strapped the rope harness onto the bear and then Jonah helped Louise crawl up onto the bear's back. There were stirrups for her feet and loops on each side of the harness where she could hold on with her hands. Once Louise was mounted, Amos took off. Jonah and the two dwarves were shocked at how fast the big bear could move.
"Come on guys, let's go!"
Jonah helped each dwarf onto the back of their horse and then hopped onto his own. They had to push the horses hard to catch up with the Louise, but they eventually caught up with the bear just as it veered off the path and shot down the mountain side. The horses plunged through the trees right behind the bear and, running full speed downhill, they managed to reach the meadow in minutes. Once out of the forest, though, they fanned out and the Twilight horses began to pull ahead of Amos as they sprinted across the open fields. The air around the big bear shimmered and he suddenly grew even larger as he closed the gap and pulled even with the horses. Jonah laughed and called to his horse for even more speed.
The cold silence of the wintry morning across the open plains was neatly sliced by the thundering hooves of three great horses, the huffing and puffing of one gigantic bear, and the loud wailing of two terrified dwarves.
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