"I still think that we should split up again and look for her," Presto said. "And I don't see why you wouldn't let me send up some of the flares my hat gave me!"

"I said no, Presto—how could she see them in this fog? And besides, if we split up again we'll just keep wandering around in circles again," Hank said reasonably, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

"We should've been more careful," Bobby kept saying. "I still think there was a way we could have used the whatzits to find her!"

"The whatzits, as you call them, are no longer useful to you, my children," said Dungeonmaster, his red robes trailing ropes of mist as he approached them.

"Dungeonmaster!" exclaimed Bobby.

"Venger has destroyed the last missing shard," Dungeonmaster continued.

"He destroyed it? But why?" asked Diana.

"He decided that he could no longer pay the price," Dungeonmaster told them.

Eric grinned. "Yeah…Sheila's enough to drive anyone crazy," he said.

"Don't you talk about my sister that way!" Bobby threatened.

"Be-aaaaah!" agreed Uni.

"Give it a rest, you two. Dungeonmaster….is Sheila all right?" asked Hank.

"Why not ask her yourself?" said the little sorcerer, and at his gesture the fog lifted from the valley, revealing a cloaked figure not a dozen yards away.

(It also revealed that they were nowhere near the gates of the ruins, as Hank had insisted, but Hank hoped they'd overlook that part.)

"Sheila!" they cried, and ran to greet her.

"So what happened?"

"Did you see Venger?"

"How'd you get away?"

"What happened?"

Sheila smiled, but found herself reluctant to speak of what she'd seen. All she would say was that what Dungeonmaster had told her had turned out true, as usual. Venger had tried to trick her by using the form of one she trusted. And she'd figured him out when he slipped and said something that only she knew about. And she'd tricked him back. She described her legendary punch with considerable pride and even showed them her bruised knuckles.

But she didn't tell them what she'd learned. And she didn't tell them that he, not she, was the one who'd had to make the terrible choice between what their heart desired most and what they'd been seeking all their life. She didn't want them to know she'd thrown another chance to get rid of him away. She didn't want to make their own moral decisions regarding Venger any harder than they had to be.

But mostly, she thought as the happy group made their way out of the ruins and on to their next adventure, I didn't tell them because…in the end…I kinda felt sorry for him. He must have such a lonely life…

She glanced briefly at the Ring of the Mind, and slipped it on her finger.

If worst comes to worst…I can always throw it at him again…

Venger (having restored both his face and his horn) stared out the window at the Realm that he should be ruling.

I should feel humiliated. I should feel like a complete and total fool. I destroyed another chance to conquer this wretched world…because of a girl. I even gave her the Ring of the Mind. What was I thinking? She knows too much. And now I am in debt to her, for I know she will not break her word.

She was magnificent.

And Venger took that memory, and all the other memories and longings that the curse had awakened, and he buried them deep within the tattered, shriveled thing that was once his heart.

And he thought on it no more.

All at once he summoned his black stallion and took to the sky. He conjured up a terrible storm, a glorious display of wanton terror and pointless destruction, to celebrate his return to evil. And to scare the daylights out of those kids. He would crush them, finally! An evil grimace of anticipation came over his face.

A few hundred yards away, a stray lightning bolt singed the tail of a passing dragon. A five-headed, easily annoyed dragon, which immediately began to search for the source of its discomfort.

Dungeonmaster's pupils were sitting around their little campfire, making s'mores. They were in quite a festive mood—Presto's hat had been generous that night and the kids were eagerly gobbling down their first taste of chocolate and marshmallows since they'd gotten to the Realm. Venger grinned evilly and prepared a special bolt just to douse their puny fire. They saw him and began to scamper about.

Venger was pleased at their reaction, until they stopped running and started pointing behind him. Venger glared at them with disdain—did they think he was that stupid, to fall for the oldest trick in the—

A large, irate dragon attacked him from behind. The next few minutes was spent fighting to avoid being alternately burnt, frozen, electrocuted, poisoned, dissolved, or chomped. It didn't help that, far below him, six kids (and a baby unicorn) were clapping and cheering him on.

"Nice to have you back, Horn-Head!" the thief called.

As Venger sped away, Tiamat in close pursuit, he vowed revenge.

Again.

For the 68th time that year.

Something has got to be done about those blasted kids!