To lillianaakajose: Your review made me curious, so I looked it up. It turns out that he actually is old enough, but I wasn't thinking about that when I wrote the chapter. If you've played the game, you know what's coming, and a baby would have made that way too complex. But hey - learned something new, right? Thanks!

My first dreams that night were usual things – garbled, nonsense images that I would forget the instant I awoke. But my final dream was different.

Connor and I were together in a place that I could not identify. But I did not care that the place was unfamiliar. We were closer than we had been at any time besides those wonderful moments stolen aboard the Pride.

I shivered with elation as Connor's lips moved down my neck, and I pulled myself even closer to him. "I love you," I whispered."

"I love you too," Connor replied. "Are you ready?"

A slight laugh escaped me. "Connor, I have been ready for you for over a century."

Then he was inside me, and everything was perfect. Nothing could be better than this, was my half-articulated thought. I could not truly think when we were together. It was all the moment. There was no time for thought – and even if there was, how could I think when Connor was with me? We fit together in every way, as though we had been made for one another.

But then something interrupted our moment of perfection: The sound of metal sliding against metal. My eyes snapped open, as did Connor's, and we wrestled ourselves into a standing position.

My eyes widened, and I felt a rush of anger. Standing before us, sword drawn, was none other than the traitor Aquila.

"You!" I cried, reaching instinctively for my weapon – but of course, it was not there. I felt suddenly vulnerable, naked and unarmed as I was. But my vulnerability vanished as I took in my erstwhile master's features, which once I had regarded as those of a father. Now they belonged to a traitor, thief, and attempted murderer. And the one he had attempted to kill was me.

I felt a lurch in my gut as I suddenly recognised our location. This was the cliff edge from the nightmares that had tormented me after my fall! What were we doing here of all places!

The wind picked up, mimicking my early nightmare. My unbound hair whipped in the sudden gust, but it was not strong enough to push me off the cliff as it had before.

And then, to my shock, Connor lunged at Aquila. Despite the terror I felt for Connor, I could not help admiring him as he leapt. I could see each of his wiry muscles as they moved him in preparation for a punch. I would never be able to see anyone else as quite so perfect…

As Connor's fist snaked out, Aquila's sword sliced upwards. "No!" I shouted, attempting to run and shove Connor out of the way, but my feet seemed frozen to the ground. I nearly fell over attempting to move forwards.

I could not look away as Aquila's sword sliced into Connor. I screamed, half in pain, half in anger, and tried to rush at Aquila. He had taken everything from me – the fyggs, my trust, and now Connor. I did not care if he killed me. I wished to hurt him as much as I possibly could.

And I discovered that I could indeed move. I raced at Aquila, arms extended to claw at his face. To my surprise, I knocked him back when I hit him. I clawed at him mercilessly.

"Traitor!" I screamed. "Murderer! I trusted you! We all trusted you! I will – I will kill you!"

But then Aquila shoved me off, sending me flying a good metre back. I rolled over and attempted to scramble away, but I was not fast enough.

I heard the sword whistling towards me before I saw it. There was a sudden sharp burst of pain –

I screamed, and my eyes snapped open. "Zera?" came Connor's concerned voice from my right, and before I could think I flung myself on him. Ridiculously, tears were spilling from my eyes. "Oh, thank the Almighty, you are alive, he did not kill you!" I sobbed.

"I…what?" asked Connor, and I looked up. Despite the blur of the tears, I could see him. Then a fresh wave came, and I buried my head against his chest. My body shook with sobs.

"Zera, what's wrong?" asked Connor. I could not answer. Relief, sadness, and anger were overwhelming me, and some part of my mind wondered if this had to do with my menstruation. I had felt strangely emotional before I had begun the first time…

It took several minutes of Connor holding me and rubbing my back before I regained my ability to speak coherently. "I had a dream," I hiccoughed. "But it became a nightmare. You were there, but then Aquila came…"

As I spoke, the feel of Connor's arms made my blood run faster. The first part of the dream was as fresh in my mind as the rest, and when my eyes met Connor's, I knew that I was doing a poor job in concealing the need I felt for him.

"It was just a dream," murmured Connor, and he brushed an uncooperative lock of hair away from my face. I could see by his expression that he knew his statement was not enough.

I bowed my head and placed it back against Connor's chest. Whatever the voice and the light had done in Alltrades Abbey, it had not been enough. It could never be enough. Something within me had broken when Aquila betrayed me, and I knew that I would never be quite right again.

I only hoped that Connor could accept damaged goods.

/\*/\

When I finally calmed down, I moved into the forest to exercise. I needed to do this each day if I was to be strong enough to fight Aquila. My nightmare had terrified me, but it had also reminded me of what I needed to do. Aquila would die, and I would be the one to strike the final blow.

The dream and my scream had, fortunately, only awoken Connor and myself. It was too early to really be awake – only perhaps five thirty – but I was not going to go back to sleep. And Connor did not seem eager to leave me to my own devices after my incoherent sobbing.

When we returned to our clearing, it was to find Sydney and Opal awake. Opal was cheered – it seemed that May the twenty-ninth was her birthday. She was now thirteen. And so, after breakfast and a small celebration, we set off for the cave by the spring to return Serena's necklace.

We found the ghost girl standing in the same position we had left her in. As we approached, she turned. Her eyes widened as she saw Sydney pull the necklace out of her bag.

"You found it for me!" she exclaimed. Sydney held the necklace out to Serena, who put a hand on it. "He gave me that necklace, you know," she murmured. "It means the world to me."

I had moved forward to get another look at the necklace as she had spoken, and suddenly the pendant began to glow. Serena looked from the necklace to me and back again, clearly shocked.

"He told me that it shines whenever there's a Celestrian nearby," she said. "I didn't think it possible, but you're one too, aren't you? A Celestrian, I mean…"

Her bright eyes held mine as I nodded. There was a mixture of emotions contained within her eyes: Sadness, as always, but also curiosity, relief, and…guilt?

Serena sighed and looked back at the necklace. "But he's the only Celestrian in my heart…" she murmured. "The one who gave me that necklace… Could I have it now, please?" This was directed to Sydney.

"Of course," Sydney said. Serena took the necklace and closed her fingers around the glowing pendant. "Haah…" she said, relief crossing her face. "Yes… It brings it all back…" She looked up towards the ceiling of the cave.

I wondered briefly how it was that she could hold the necklace, being a ghost, but I was suddenly distracted. The cave had vanished. Connor, Opal, Sydney, Stella, and I were on a grassy bank – the one by the river where Connor and I had had our splash fight. A Celestrian with shoulder-length blond hair and no halo laid face-down on the bank, clearly unconscious.

A young woman who I recognised as Serena – alive and well, with her hood down and the terrible sadness gone from her face – spotted the Celestrian and rushed to his side. "Are, are you okay?" she asked. "Are…are those wings! Are you a…?"

The scene changed, and we stood inside the Mayor's house. The Celestrian sat on the bed where I had recovered from my second fall, a bandage wrapped around his forehead. Serena stood where Wallace had, and an old man stood at the foot of the bed.

"So…you're a Celestrian?" Serena asked, excitement clear upon her features. "Really?"

The Celestrian merely nodded. The serious expression on his face seemed strangely familiar to me.

"I knew there was something special about you, the way you survived those terrible injuries…" said Serena. "And your wings…" She looked out the window, where I could see the Wormwood Creek church. "Ever since I was a little girl, I was told tales about Corvus, the Guardian of Wormwood Creek," Serena said, and I gasped. This was Corvus, master of Columba and the traitor! Had his disappearance been a fall like my own?

"But I never really believed you existed," Serena continued, oblivious to our presence. "…And I never imagined I'd actually meet you!"

Corvus looked away, his expression unreadable. As the scene faded, I understood why his expression had seemed so familiar. The serious, no-nonsense expression Aquila had always worn…he and Corvus were much alike, it seemed.

But then I was distracted. We now stood outside, where the old man and Serena faced ranks of soldiers. The man's position in front of Serena was clearly defensive. A soldier with a fancy helm stood before the ranks, as though he were in charge.

"Who the devil are you?" asked the old man. "There's nothing of interest here. Get lost!"

Sorry, old fellow," said Fancy-Helm, "that's rather out of the question. This is part of the Gittish Empire now. Even a backwards backwood like this must recognise the Empire's sovereignty."

The Gittish Empire…I knew that name, somehow. The very sound of it gave me an uneasy feeling.

"We're a poor community," replied the old man brusquely. "We don't have anything to give you."

"Really?" asked Fancy-Helm, sounding polite as he disagreed. "I wouldn't say that." He looked past the old man's shoulder, directly at Serena. Her hands covered her mouth. "There are other ways of paying tribute to your masters. That young lady would make one of us a fine wife, for example." His helm covered his face, but I knew he was smiling. I doubted that it was a smile of friendship.

As the old man looked to Serena, I suddenly remembered how I knew the name of the Gittish Empire. My History class at Swinedimples had covered the Empire's reign. We had just begun on it the day of the dance, unfortunately. I did not know much at all about it.

"You want me to give you my daughter!" came the old man's voice, interrupting my thoughts.

"Very good!" said Fancy-Helm. "You do catch on quickly!" My stomach sank as my vision flickered for a moment and I caught a glimpse of Corvus rising from the bed and running out, wings outstretched. When my sight returned to the soldiers and Serena, Fancy-Helm had her by the wrist.

"Get off!" spat Serena through clenched teeth, struggling. "Get off of me!"

"Come along now, there's a dear," said Fancy-Helm. There was a dangerous edge to the softness of his tone. "I don't think you'll like what will happen to this cesspool of a village if you resist…"

"Stop!" shouted Serena's father past the soldier who was blocking him. "Let her go!"

"Get back, old man!" said the blocking soldier. He pulled his fist back, readying for a punch. The hairs on the back of my neck rose as the air suddenly filled with static, and then the soldier was his with a burst of lightening.

My head whipped around to see Corvus standing nearby, a crackling gold nimbus of light surrounding him. My eyes widened. This was a power most Celestrians had to work their whole lives to master – even Apus Major could not summon a bolt with such ease as Corvus!

To my amazement, bolts continued to rain down upon the soldiers. One hit Fancy-Helm, causing him to release Serena and fall onto his rear end. The light from the bolts seemed to spread until my vision was nothing but white. The voices of soldiers resounded through the whiteness around me.

"Huuurgh!" said one. "Wh-what the blazes!"

"That power! Only a…"

"No one defies the Gittish Empire! You shall live to rue this day!"

"Fall back, men! Fall back!"

When we returned to the present, it was to see the ghostly Serena looking out over the water. "It was all my fault that he…" she murmured. "That's why I have to find him…Why I can never stop searching…"

She turned to look at us. "I want to thank you for finding my necklace, so… If there's anything I can do for you, I will."

"Too flapping right there is!" exclaimed Stella, making me jump. I hated it when she did things like that!

"You're from Wormwood, aren't you?" Stella asked. "Do you know how to get into the… What was it? The Bowhole?"

I was amazed that she did not mangle the name.

"Oh, my!" said Serena. "What a pretty little thing! Are you a faerie?"

Stella brushed at her hair, flashing a smile at Serena and a ha-ha look at me. What was that for? I wondered.

"Talk about stating the obvious!" Stella was saying. "And as for being a faerie, I'm –"

Catching sight of us choking back laughter, she glared and said, "Never mind!" Looking back to Serena, she asked, "Do you know how to get inside this Bowhole place or not?"

We sobered up as Serena said, "If you mean you want to know how to break the seal there, then yes… I can help you. I'll meet you there, then, shall I?"

She turned and walked off, and Stella turned to look at us. "Stellar!" she cheered. "See, I'm not just an outrageously beautiful face!"

I snorted. "I think you have overinflated your ego, Stella."

Stella glared, but continued. "This should mean we can get to that Upover place at last! Come on, then! Follow that spook! She said this Bowhole place is off to the west, didn't she?"

"No," Opal said. "Wallace told us that."

"Whatever," Stella said, waving a hand. And we set off to find the Bowhole.

Several hours and five quick battles later, we found Serena standing by a cave entrance set into a large cliff at the north end of the Bowhole wood. But the entrance was blocked by swirling dark and lightning.

"This is the place you meant, isn't it?" asked Serena.

"I guess so," Sydney said. "Wallace did say it was sealed, didn't he?"

Opal nodded. "This has to be the place!"

Serena nodded. "I know the spell you need to break this magic seal…" She turned to the barrier. "Heed the word of one Wyrmward-born: Open the path of light for these who seek the way to Upover. Answer my prayers!" There was an edge of desperation to her last sentence, as though she did not speak only of her request for the path to be opened.

As the last syllable fell from her lips, the barrier evaporated. Serena turned back to us. "Well, that's my work here done," she said matter-of-factly. "You're on your own from here on in. I must be on my way. I can't rest. Not until I finally find my Corvus…"

She gave us a parting nod, then turned and walked away.

"Shall we?" I asked, a hint of a smile touching my lips. Though it was cool and shaded here, the light and warmth of the day – and the companionship of my friends – had helped the terror of the nightmare to fade. Although I certainly was not going to let go of Connor any time soon…

We entered the Bowhole and found ourselves in a huge, bare cavern. The echoes of our footsteps seemed to go on forever as we walked in.

"Fascinating," said Connor, a sarcastic edge to his tone. "I've never seen an invisible statue before!"

I laughed. "I think it is down there," I told him, pointing. There were three holes in the floor: One to our left, one to our right, and one directly ahead of us.

"But down which one?" asked Opal, moving to the one in front of us. She peered down. "I don't think we'll be able to get back up here if we choose the wrong hole. It's a long way down."

I did not like that. I had had more than enough of falling! My feet were best when on firm ground.

"Can you see what's down there?" Connor asked. Opal shrugged. "Caverns," she said. "Monsters. Usual cave things."

"Same down here," Sydney reported of the right-side hole.

"And here," I said, looking down the hole to the left. "Wait… Opal, look south and to the left. What do you see?"

"More of the same," Opal said. "Why?"

I drew my sword and, keeping a careful hold on the hilt, lowered it point-first through my hole. "Now what do you see? Look up near the top of the caverns," I suggested.

"I – Zera! That's brilliant!" Opal cheered. "They're all one big cavern!"

I grinned and sheathed my sword. "It seemed too big to be able to share the space with two other holes."

"So it doesn't matter where we jump," Connor said. "I'll go down here, then." He moved over to Opal's hole, and Sydney and I followed.

"Ready?" asked Sydney, taking my hand and Opal's.

"Ready," replied the rest of us, and once we were all connected, we leapt into the hole.

We fell for about a second, then staggered as we hit the floor. I winced at the impact. My feet must have hit wrong, I decided, and after a moment, the pain faded.

Once we all recovered from the fall, I took Connor's hand, and the five of us set out to find our way through the Bowhole.

It took an hour to reach what seemed to be the final room of the Bowhole. A raised dais occupied the centre of the room, upon which sat the statue of a large dragonlike creature.

"I bet that's the sentry statue," said Sydney. "Let's investigate, shall we?"

The moment I put my foot upon the dais, a solemn voice boomed through the room, making me jump.

"I am the keeper of the path of light!" it said. "He who wishes to unlock the Wyrmward…must demonstrate his worth!"

Or hers, I thought, but discarded the thought as the statue began shaking. "Ga-ga-ga-gaaaaaaaaah!" cried the voice. The statue rocketed into the air.

"Gah!"

It slammed back down…

"Drrrong!"

I was beginning to get the feeling that the voice meant something by "Gah-drong." Perhaps its name…?

And then cracks began to appear upon the stone. Light shone through them, and then the stone vanished to reveal a live blue version of the statue.

"Go!" it cried, and I was certain that it was not speaking of battle. Gadrongo…

But we battled anyway.

It was interesting to fight against a being which used a sword and shield after all our time battling monsters, but it was a pleasure, as well. It felt as though we were fighting a person, not a beast, despite its monstrous appearance. But regardless of that, we fought hard. I had a feeling that whatever harm we did to the sentry would not last once our battle was finished.

Late into the battle, Gadrongo's sword bit deeply into the muscle on my left thigh. I yelled, but through the pain, I felt a strange excitement. Strength surged through my left arm – my sword arm. I restrained my urge to attack straightaway, however. My leg would not support my weight right then.

To my relief, once Opal had taken her turn and cast Frizzle, Sydney moved to me and healed my leg. "Thank you," I said, and then grinned. It was time to see what I could do!

I extended my sword out to my left as I rushed Gadrongo, feeling the strength rush through my arm. Then I sliced in at him, leaping up in a corkscrew. "YAAHHHH!"

Gadrongo reeled and staggered back as I landed on the floor, lightly as a cat. The moment he reached the place where his statue form had stood before, he straightened, and stone raced over his body. Within seconds, he was once again a mere statue.

"You have demonstrated your worth," boomed Gadrongo's voice. "I shall reveal to you now the path of light, that you may venture forth into the realm of the mighty Greygnarl, Hero of the Heavens."

The statue shone for a moment, then disappeared. Behind where it had stood was a plinth housing a bow and a single arrow.

"Yikes!" Stella said. "No one said there'd be a flapping great goon to get past."

"Well," I said, moving to the plinth, "everyone spoke of a sentry statue. And what good would a sentry be if they did not fight to protect the path?"

Stella shrugged. "Well, all's well that ends in a well, I suppose. He's a goner now. What d'you think that bow-and-arrow thing is up there on the pillar? Something to do with opening this path of light or whatever?"

"That's what we're finding out," said Connor, who had come with me. I stared at the bow, fascinated by it, as Connor read the plaque below it. "'The path of light in this arrow is sealed, Cradled here 'til a chosen one be revealed. Let fly this arrow o'er the Wyrmward wide, As the way unfolds, boldly onward stride.'"

I placed a hand gently on the bow and felt warmth spread through my fingers. "What do you suppose the Wyrmward is?" I asked, picking up the bow and slinging it over my shoulder. It sat in place beside my sword. I held the arrow in my hand.

"It must be Wormwood Canyon," Opal said. "Wallace told me about it. It's this absolutely enormous canyon that separates Wormwood Creek and Upover."

"That must be it," I agreed. "Do you know how we might get there, Opal?"

"I sure do!" Opal replied. "Grab hands, everyone. I'm gonna use Zera's evacuation spell so we don't have to get back up those holes."

"Good thinking," said Sydney as we grasped hands. Opal raised her hand, knife still clutched in her fist, and the flash of light enveloped us. The instant it cleared, we were outside, in the Bowhole forest.

Opal took the lead then, and we headed back along the long path to Wormwood Creek.

"This is the place," announced Opal as we reached the end of the path. I stared. About three metres in front of us was a huge canyon, at least a kilometre wide. I could not see to the bottom.

A sign stood to our right, which I glanced at. Then I moved closer to read it fully.

When Wyrmward, long sealed, is opened at last, the path of light, shining, shall appear, firm and fast. A wyrmlight bow's arrow, let loose to the skies, shall point out the path to the blindest of eyes.

"A wyrmlight bow…" I murmured, glancing at the bow slung over my shoulder. "I assume that would be this."

Then I straightened and turned. "This is it," I said. "This-" I held up the bow and arrow – "should reveal the path if I shoot it over the canyon."

Connor grinned. "Let's hope it can shoot that far."

We all laughed as I moved to the edge of the canyon. A stone with a dragon's head carved into it was set into the earth there. When my feet touched it, the bow began to glow, and I heard Gadrongo's voice: "Fire the light into the sky and let it lead you."

I held up the bow and drew the string back to my ear. The bow was not my preferred weapon, but I had learnt how to use one. And I was fairly good at it.

Here goes nothing, I thought, and released the string.

The arrow went an amazing distance, crossing the entirety of the canyon. In its path it left a glowing tendril which widened until it was clearly a path – one made entirely out of light.

"Well, would you look at that!" exclaimed Stella as we stared in amazement. "I can make light of anything, and you can make anything out of light! What a pair!"

"What a pair indeed," I laughed, turning to my companions. "This is it! This is our way to Upover!"

They were grinning, as well. "Nice work, Zera," said Connor, taking my hand and giving it a tight squeeze. "Yeah, I didn't know you could use a bow and arrow!" Opal said.

Sydney did not take her eyes off the path as she said, "Even if she didn't, I don't think that bow would let you miss. There's something special about that thing." She grinned and looked at me. "Nice shot."

I began to thank her, but then caught sight of Mayor Doffish, Wallace, a man with leather armour, and a plump man in blue approaching us. "Oi!" called Mayor Doffish.

"Uh-oh," said Stella. "Looks like you've got company."

"Like we have company?" I hissed. "You are here too!"

Stella did not answer. "Zera, isn't it?" asked the mayor. "And…anyway. What're you doin' here? We just saw a whoppin' great flash back in the village." Then his eyes landed on the path of light, and widened. He raced to the path. "What the-?"

After several moments of staring by all of the villagers who had come, Mayor Doffish said, "Well I'll be stuffed! A bridge…made of light!"

"Wow!" said Wallace, running up to us. "Did you guys do this?"

Opal nodded, beaming. "We got into the Bowhole. It's thanks to you we figured out what to do!"

Wallace's face broke into a smile to rival Opal's upon hearing this.

Mayor Doffish was still staring at the bridge. "'The Wyrmward will open with the light of the statue's sanctuary, and the way to Upover will appear at last'…" he murmured. "So this is what all that means? The old sayin' isn't just a load of yabber after all? Strewth!"

Wallace looked at his uncle, still beaming. "Exactly!" he said. "And now Opal and Zera and Connor and Sydney are off to give that black dragon the what-for!"

"Hmm…" said the mayor, then turned to us. "You weren't lyin' about bein' attacked by that dragon, were you, Zera? Looks like we owe you an apology. We've just been so caught up in hatin' outsiders after what happened all them years ago…"

What did happen? I wondered. Serena had not shown us enough. If anything, I would think that the people of Wormwood Creek would be grateful to Corvus for driving the soldiers away. But when I remembered the cry of "You will live to rue this day", I got an uneasy feeling. Something more had happened. But now was not the time to think about that.

The other villagers had moved forwards and muttered apologies. "Sorry for bein' such ungrateful drogoes," said Mayor Doffish. "I hope you can forgive us."

Then he looked back to the path. There was a strange longing in his eyes as he looked out over the canyon. "Anyway," he said, "if the legends are true, Upover should be on the other side of the bridge, and Greygnarl with it. If you head over there, maybe you can meet up with him and figure out what to do about that black dragon."

"Of course they can," said Wallace, glancing at Opal. "If anyone can meet up with the Hero of the Heavens and beat the black dragon, it's them!" He looked at us. "I know you can do it! And we'll all be cheering you on!"

Then, to my shock, Mayor Doffish gave us a little bow. "Well, good luck, then," he said. "Everyone in Wormwood'll be sayin' prayers for you." And the rest of the villagers bowed. Wallace came over to Opal, and I was surprised to see him hug her. "Take care," he said. "And don't forget to come back and visit once you've defeated the black dragon!"

"I won't forget," Opal murmured, and they hugged for a moment longer. Then they let go, and Wallace left.

"Hang on," Stella said, "when did it fall on your shoulders to give this black dragon a hiding on top of everything else?"

"About a minute ago," I replied. "But it is a good idea."

Stella shrugged. "Oh well, it's as good a lead as any," she said. "I bet wherever that dragon's gone, there'll be some sort of clue about the fyggs. Come on, then."

/\*/\

It was an even longer journey to Upover than it was to the Bowhole. We reached the foot of an enormous mountain at about nine o'clock that evening, and we were still not quite there. A steep flight of stairs led up to where I could see firelight flickering – a clear hallmark of any village.

It was chilly as we climbed the stairs, so I was grateful for the physical activity to warm me up. We were several thousand metres above the level of the sea, and we kept going upwards. Strangely, though, it began to grow warmer as we reached the top of the stairs.

The villagers were mostly inside at this hour, though a few were still out and about. We found an inn very near to the stairs and paid for four beds. "We can search for Greygnarl tomorrow," yawned Sydney. "Right now, I need to sleep. We've been walking all day."

"'Night, all," said Opal, and left for her bed. She looked a bit dejected, and I could not blame her. She had seemed to quite like Wallace. I hoped she would be able to see him again at some point.

The rest of us dispersed as well. The beds were soft, and despite the thoughts buzzing about my skull, I fell asleep quickly. That night, I had no nightmares – just dreams of Connor.

We met up in the common room the next morning to eat and plan. I had awoken earlier, and so I was coming in from exercising almost just as Sydney had come out for breakfast. The others had joined us within a few minutes.

As Opal devoured a mountain of food, we discussed what to do about finding Greygnarl. "I say we ask the shopkeepers," said Opal as she swallowed her mouthful. I laughed. "You always say that."

"Because I always mean it," she shot back, and took a big bite of egg. We all laughed.

Sydney's map was spread on the table. I pushed a small vessel of marmalade out of the way to get a better view of Upover and the mountain it sat on. Really, it was a volcano known as the Magmaroo. I hated to think what would happen if it erupted, but none of the villagers I saw through the inn's windows seemed bothered by that.

I sighed, looking down at Angel Falls's position on the continent to our north. It seemed like years since I had been there, watching over the village with Aquila. Now here I sat with the appearance of a mortal, in the companionship of friends (shock enough on its own!), a faerie, and my best friend of all – a boy whom I loved. And with whom I had had sex… My Celestrian life seemed like something out of a novel.

Connor laid his hand on top of mine, and I smiled. I would not trade this life to have my old one back again, I knew it. The mortal realm was home to me now, not the Observatory. I had not changed. I had merely found my place.

When we finally dragged Opal away from the food, we headed out to ask about Greygnarl – and shop, of course. Opal found a sword breaker at the weapons shop, and Sydney found a magical mace. None of us purchased anything at the armour shop, though Opal tried on everything.

After a quarter-hour of asking around the village, we found ourselves in front of a cave. As we approached, the man guarding it said, "Mind how you go, eh?" This here cave up to the top's chocker with monsters and lava and crikey knows what else. So if you ain't got a good reason to go up there, I wouldn't bother if I were you."

Opal stifled a snort and came out with a strange sound like a monster choking. We all turned away so that the guard would not think we were laughing at him, and attempted to behave normally.

"Well, how are we supposed to talk to Greygnarl if we can't get up there?" asked Stella indignantly. "Everyone's been saying that's where he lives – up top of the Magmaroo! Come on, I think we ought to find whoever's in charge here and give him a few pieces of our minds!"

I bit my tongue to keep from laughing and said, "Perhaps we should find the mayor. If anyone will give us permission to go up, it will be him."

It turned out that the mayor lived right next door to the cave entrance.

"Hello, sir," I said when he introduced himself as the mayor. "We have come here to find Greygnarl. You see, we are in need of his assistance in chasing down a black dragon." I nearly winced at how ridiculous that sounded.

"Don't be daft!" said the mayor, just as I had feared he would. But his next words surprised me a bit. "The only big black dragon here was Barbarus, and Greygnarl saw to him three hundred years back."

Three hundred years! I thought. But only Celestrians live that long…

"Still," said the mayor after looking us over, "I don't reckon you'd come all this way just to tell fibs, so I guess there must be something in it…"

Looking at our hopeful expressions, he sighed. "Okay, why don't you head up the Magmaroo and see old Greygnarl. Let's see what he has to say about it. I reckon you're on a wild goose chase, but we can hardly let you trek all the way up here and then turn you away, eh? D'you know where to find him?"

"At the top of the Magmaroo," Opal said. "We heard." She still did not sound quite like her usual cheerful self, but I ignored it. If, even after three days, I had had to leave Connor, I would have been dejected, too.

"So you're off to see old Greygnarl, are ya?" asked a voice from behind us, and we turned to see an old woman looking at us. We nodded. The old woman smiled. "Well, I ain't seen him for yonks, so say g'day for me, and tell him I'm doin' fine since he left me in charge down here, okay?"

As we began to acquiesce, the old woman shook her head vigorously. "Ahh, what am I thinkin'?" she said, smiling. "I can't have yez doin' me dirty work for me just 'cos I'm getting' on a bit. I'll trek up there myself."

"All right," said Connor, and we headed out. I laughed.

"I've been thinking…" said Stella as we walked back over to the cave. "This Greygnarl we're supposed to go and meet… He was around three hundred years ago, right? So how come he's still alive? You don't think he's some kind of zombie, do you?" Her expression grew panicked and she said, "Eeeurgh! I hate rotten, stinking zombies…"

"I am sure he is not a zombie, Stella," I said. "There is something else going on here."

When we told the guard that the mayor had given us permission, he moved aside to let us through. Inside the cave, it was much hotter than out on the mountain.

"Good grief," muttered Sydney. "Let's hope we can get through here quickly, huh?"

"Yeah," agreed Opal. "I think we'll all melt if we stay in here too long!"

Fortunately, it was not as long a journey up the Magmaroo as it had been to Upover. Within two hours, we were outside, although now it was freezing rather than boiling hot. But it grew warmer again as we followed the path up and around the mountain. We were approaching the crater.

At the very top, we crossed a short stone bridge over the lava to a circular platform. My stomach did nervous somersaults as I noticed just how far down it was. And the lava below would not make for a comfortable landing…

As we walked onto the platform, there was a rumbling from a cave set into the back. A pair of yellow eyes glinted. "Who dares disturb me?" came a deep, roiling voice from within. It did not sound like any voice I had ever heard before. In it, there was the sound of fire and thunder.

The ground shook as the eyes moved closer. My stomach twisted, and I moved to put my arm around Connor. To my relief, he put an arm around me as well. The shaking increased, and something exited the cave. My eyes widened.

Golden-yellow eyes with catlike pupils… Enormous, lizard-like, white-scaled body… Long, sharp talons… A mouth full of razor-sharp teeth…

Greygnarl, the Hero of the Heavens, was a dragon.