Chapter 4
Venger kept walking, retracing his steps to the entrance hall and freedom from the Temple.
But his progress was slow, every single step required a huge effort. And the sensations inside him weren't going away! These disgusting, human feelings: he couldn't stand! How did humans survive this onslaught of emotion?
The Arch-Mage pulled open another door, and looked round. The high, dark ceiling above told him that he had finally returned to the entrance hall. He was close to the outside, so close to escaping this awful place.
But the Dragon Estaria was waiting for him, right in front of the doorway. She smiled her Dragon smile, showing her shining white teeth to full, menacing effect. Venger felt rage boil inside him. That Dragon was laughing at him, laughing at his pain! How dare she!
'You found them?' she asked, the self-satisfaction in her voice was almost unbearable.
'What have you done?' he asked staggering towards her.
'Me?' hissed the dragon in surprise. 'I have no power in this hideous form! It is your own fault!'
'This is your Temple!' he shouted at her, 'It is your power! What have you done?'
Estaria snorted at him, sending a jet of foul-smelling steam out of her nostrils.
'I was not the one who Cursed this Temple, Devil!' she told him. 'Your Curse is too strong. You have been caught as well.'
'No, it is not true. It cannot be true!'
The Dragon smiled again, here eyes shinning with triumphant glee.
'The instant I saw them, I knew. They are perfect, the pair I have been waiting for. And I knew you would come and gloat. Perhaps this will teach you to meddle with something you do not understand!'
The Dragon bent her head down so that her snout almost touched his chest and looked him straight in the eye. Thin, sulphorous wisps of smoke rose slowly around him.
'He would have died for her, Venger,' she said gleefully. 'The Ranger was ready to sacrifice himself for the Thief, right here, in this hall.'
'No!' whispered the Arch-Mage.
'I suggest you find a way of undoing this Curse,' continued Estaria. 'Free the Temple, or suffer this torment for all time. Already the other children are suffocating under the weight of love. You will suffer the same, unless you free us all.'
'No, I will not set you free, you are trapped here!' said Venger desperately. 'No one can take your place. You can never leave!'
The Dragon looked triumphantly at her enemy.
'There is only one way this can end!'
'You are wrong, Dragon!' replied Venger, as ferociously as he could. He turned and lurched towards the door. Estaria watched silently as he staggered out and into the mist, aching to be free of the Temple's power.
But the feelings didn't go as he left the building. They were less strong, true, but they were still there. His breathing quickened as he felt true fear. The Dragon had been right, damn her! He was Cursed too!
Shadow Demon circled slowly around his Master in a smug air that just screamed "I told you so". The Arch-Mage desperately wanted to lash out, to banish his Slave with a flick of his hand, but he didn't. He felt sick, overwhelmed and contaminated by these horrible emotions, and now he couldn't even bring himself to kill.
To his left, he saw a flash of green, obvious against the mud. The Magician was still there and so was the Acrobat, both still enslaved by the Curse.
He felt pity for them now. He was amazed at himself, that he could remember how to feel pity, and even more that he could feel pity for his enemies. The young Magician, his love somewhere far away, hidden away forever, too powerful ever to show herself again. And the Acrobat, separated from her one true love by the vast oceans of death. The words of Dungeonmaster were cold comfort. No time would help her forget a love as powerful as that.
He watched them for a long while, wallowing in pity, with Shadow Demon ever hovering by his side. He had forgotten the power and persuasiveness of these emotions.
'Master?' whispered his Slave eventually. 'Master, what of the other young ones? The Barbarian, and the Cavalier?'
Yes, the two missing young ones, the young Barbarian, and the Cavalier. How had they managed to retain control? Perhaps they were still in the Temple, suffering…
'Master, look!' said Shadow Demon.
Slowly, the Arch-Mage turned, and saw his slave pointing to what they had missed before: two faint sets of muddy footprints, leading off in the direction of Amoran.
'So, for the moment they have overcome my Curse,' muttered Venger.
The Barbarian was probably too young to understand, at least for the time being, but what about the Cavalier? Had he really lead such a loveless life as to be immune to the Curse?
Venger raised an eyebrow at Shadow Demon, who cowered on the ground. If those children could keep control, then so could he! The Barbarian was little more than an infant. A mere infant could not outdo him! He was Venger, who had lived a thousand lifetimes basking in evil and glory! No Curse could hold sway over his will, no matter how strong!
There had to be a way of freeing himself. He had created the Curse, he could find away of negating it.
And when he was free, he would return to the Temple and take his revenge on that Dragon!
The Barbarian waited, staring down at the Cavalier as he sat in the mud. The Shield had slipped out of his hand and was lying, forgotten, on the ground.
'Eric?' asked Bobby quietly. 'Eric, quit kiddin' around!'
The Cavalier didn't move, but sat there, hardly breathing with his eyes fixed on infinity.
Bobby didn't want to leave Eric there. OK, so he was a total jerk that teased him relentlessly, but there was a comforting reassurance about having someone older (and therefore more responsible) as company.
He looked round at Clara as she stood, almost knee deep in mud. She was watching the Cavalier.
'He's not going to wake up, is he?' she asked.
Bobby shrugged, some small part of him hoping that Eric was playing another prank.
'Well, he was right about one thing,' said Clara, looking around anxiously. 'We should go.'
Bobby nodded, and made as if to leave, expecting Eric to stand up and say 'Hey just kidding!' and come with them. But he didn't.
They walked off, following the footprints back to the Temple.
Nothing could compare to the strange, terrible feeling that engulfed Bobby as he moved away. Suddenly, it was up to him alone to save his friends. Yes, he'd done it before, when they had been trapped in that volcano prison of Venger's. He'd been given the amulet by Dungeonmaster, and Karox had helped. Karox had stood up to Venger and helped them all break free!
Now, if he failed, they would all die! And not just his friends, but also everyone in that City, as well.
The presence of Clara was cold comfort.
Hold on a minute! thought Bobby. She's not supposed to go too!
'Wait a minute!' he said to Clara. 'Shiran told you to get us out of Amoran. You're not coming to the Temple too? Are you?'
Clara stared at him of a second or two, then said:
'Do you really think I would pass up the chance?'
'You want to go? You must be nuts!'
Clara smiled, and Bobby felt a small rush of pleasure. Apart from the fact that he had never felt less like being alone in his life, it was nice to see someone smile again.
'You are nuts!' said Bobby with feeling. 'That place, it's creepy!'
A shiver ran up his spine at the memory.
'I'm still going with you,' said Clara evenly.
'But why?'
'I've learned to be helpful,' she said with an awkward shrug. 'Amoran is a hard place to live. If you don't help out others, they won't help you. I learned very quickly that helping others was the only way to survive, and I needed a lot of help when I first arrived. Now Shiran lets me help out in his shop in exchange for some of his books, and I sing. The Mayor was trying to attract more customers.' She shook her head. 'I don't think it worked, though.'
Bobby was suspicious.
'That doesn't sound like a good reason to me!' he said firmly.
The young girl gave a mischievous smile.
'Oh, OK! That's not the real reason,' she replied. 'A Dragon lives in the Temple!'
Bobby blinked. Perhaps he was missing something. But perhaps not. Girls were weird, he'd learned that from his sister.
'I know all about Dragons!' said Clara confidently.
Bobby stared at her, confused.
'I read all about the Keeper in one of Shiran's books. I know how she was made. Shiran always let me read the ones about Dragons. Have you met many?'
'A few,' he said casually. 'We keep on meeting Tiamat!'
The girl's eyes grew as round as a full moon.
'Wow! What's she like?'
'Well, ya know, she's the size of a building, has five heads and a real bad temper. When we fought her…'
Clara gasped.
'You fought her! Wow!'
Bobby gave a proud smile, in spite of the strange despair inside.
'Yeah, ya know, a few times.'
Clara was speechless, and Bobby couldn't help a small laugh. She looked very funny with her mouth open like that.
'You never met one, then?' he asked nonchalantly, ready to bet his Club that she hadn't.
Clara gave a confused smile.
'Well, Shiran obviously. Does he count?'
It was Bobby's turn to leave his mouth hanging open. She didn't mean what he thought she mean, did she? That was just dumb!
'Shiran?'
She looked at him with her brow deeply furrow, as if he had said something confusing.
'He's a dragon! Didn't you guess?'
Bobby stared at her.
'How can he be a dragon? That's stupid!'
'No, really, he's a Steel Dragon.' She smiled widely. 'I know all about them! They love humans, and…'
'You're not making this up?' interrupted the Barbarian.
She drew a little X over her heart.
'Cross my heart, Bobby. He really is a dragon.'
'Weird!'
'Steel Dragons are really friendly,' she said excitedly. 'They often live in human form. But he never let on that he was a dragon, though. But I knew, it was all there.'
'Huh? How could you tell? Did he breathe fire, or something?'
'Well, you know, the trips away. The grey lock of hair. The look in his eyes.'
Bobby nodded, but was confused. Clara kept talking.
'Shiran could speak Dragon-language too. I heard him once talking to this cute little dragonet that was just tiny, the size of your hand!'
The Barbarian nodded again, letting her talk. He had never met anyone who liked Dragons quite as much as this. It was obviously her favourite subject. She started talking again, telling Bobby more about Steel Dragons and their habits, but he didn't try and change the subject. Hearing her talk made the wading easier and helped keep his mind off the Temple.
The Curse was still whispering in his mind. His hand strayed to Terri's heart-shaped pendant, and he pulled it surreptitiously out of his pocket, glad to feel its coolness again.
Bobby held it tightly, and imagined meeting Terri at school, eating burgers at his house, just hanging around with her. He missed her, though he would rather have died than admit it to the others. She gave him hope. Dungeonmaster had told him what she'd dreamed about, that last night they'd spent in the Maze. They were going home!
He could see her clearly even after all this time, down to the smile on her face as she had been pulled into the portal. It was clear now as the day it had happened.
But the Curse nagged away at him. What of Dungeonmaster had been wrong? What if it was all a lie? They were never going home, they would never get away from the Curse, nobody could.
So far, he managed to convince himself that Terri's vision was true. They would get home, and he would meet her again. But then a horrible thought had struck.
What about Sheila and the others? What if the vision was true, but the others didn't get home? What if they were trapped by the Temple?
A unpleasant, cold feeling crept into his stomach. What if this was it? What if he couldn't help them? He would fail!
He suddenly realised Clara had stopped talking and was watching him. He hastily stuffed the pendant back into his pocket.
'Are you crying?' she asked.
Anger had always the Barbarian's first, (last) and best line of defence. He glared at the girl beside him.
'Take that back!' he said harshly, raising his Club. 'I don't do mushy stuff!'
Clara stepped quickly away from him.
'Gee, sorry I spoke.'
The frightened look on her face reminded him of Terri, the day they'd found her in the forest. She was afraid of him. He quickly lowered his Club and gave a small smile.
'Hey, I'm sorry,' he said quietly. 'I didn't mean to sound like such a jerk. I just wanna get Sheila and the others, and go home.'
He bit is bottom lip. 'I'm , um, sorta not feeling like myself,' he said, feeling as stupid as Eric had sounded earlier. 'I think this Curse thing is making me go weird.'
Clara nodded and fell back into step with him.
'I feel kinda strange too,' she said. 'I can't stop thinking about…things I don't want to think about.' She gulped. 'Is that the Curse?'
'I guess so,' replied Bobby, swinging the Club back over his shoulder. 'Shiran said the Temple was getting stronger.'
Clara was silent for a short while as they struggled onwards through the mud, then asked:
'Do you think we'll break the Curse?'
Bobby thought of Terri, her Pendant and her visions. He got home: but did the others? He desperately tried to remember Dungeonmaster's riddles. Hank was usually the one who figured out the riddles.
'Dungeonmaster told us to 'give what must be given' or something,' he said. 'And that there was a way to our home in the Temple.'
'Great,' said Clara in a sullen tone. 'Home, that's all I need!'
The Barbarian's interest was piqued.
'Don't you wanna see you're Mom and Dad, and all your friends? Don't you want to go back home?'
Clara didn't smile and said:
'I like it here, thank you very much.'
There was a short, uncomfortable silence, as Bobby didn't know what to say. Finally, Clara asked:
'What about you? How long have you been in this world?'
'It seems like ages,' he said wistfully. 'We keep trying to find portals, but we never get through.'
It was not a thought he usually dwelt on, but Bobby realised just how much time they had spent in the Realm, and how many portals they'd missed, how many chances to get home. A new wave of anger washed over him. They shouldn't even be here.
'This last one was the worst,' said Bobby angrily. 'That dumb Cavalier should have Wished us back home. Then he goes and gets himself captured by the stupid Warlock, and we don't get to go through the portal!'
Suddenly, Bobby was unable to think of anything else. They could have been home ages ago if it wasn't for Eric! This was his fault! He was tired of missing chances, and tired of waiting. He wanted to go home now, to see his Mom and Dad, his house, and his friends. Eric had taken that chance away and now they were stuck with this dumb Curse. Stupid Cavalier! Some friend he was!
Friendship is shown in many ways.
Dungeonmaster's words came back to him so unexpectedly that Bobby almost missed a step. It was almost as if their guide had whispered them in his ear.
Clara was looking at him.
'But I thought you liked Eric,' she said innocently. 'You and he came to Amoran together, you seemed to get on OK there.'
Bobby narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious of her. Did she know what he'd been thinking? Was it just a coincidence?
Clara noticed the scowl, and shrugged.
'Well, he did call you Michael,' she admitted. 'Maybe he isn't such a good friend.'
Bobby blinked in surprise. He'd been so caught up in the Curse and the thought of going home that he'd forgotten about that.
Yes,' said Bobby slowly. 'He called me Michael.'
The look of pain on the Cavalier's face when he'd said that name was awful, a look of emptiness and regret, and something unbearably sad.
'Who's Michael anyway?' asked Clara.
Bobby shrugged, uncomfortable with the question. For the first time in a very long while, Bobby got the strange feeling that there was a lot that the Cavalier never spoke about. For someone who talked about himself almost non-stop, what did they actually know about him?
'Oh, I suppose, Eric isn't all bad,' said Bobby with a sigh. 'One time, he agreed to marry an evil queen to save my life.'
The Barbarian heroically resisted the temptation to add that the lure of cold, hard cash had clinched the deal.
'What happened?' asked Clara eagerly.
So Bobby embarked on a long-winded telling of their adventures in Zinn, and Clara listened in rapt silence. After he had finished that, he went onto tell her about their trip to Merlin's Castle, how dragons had attacked Helix, and how Tiamat had chased Venger away.
It had been a long time since the Barbarian had though back to their adventures, and even longer since he had actually told them to someone else, and seen their expressions.
They had missed so many chances. And each one of them, had turned away from a portal home, at one time or another. Sheila had been right, it wasn't really fair to blame Eric, especially when he had even apologised for it! How often did that happen!
The Barbarian smiled a little more, surprised to find that he was suddenly eager to share their adventures. Clara seemed so keen on hearing about Tiamat that Bobby started to tell her about their trip to the Dragon's Graveyard.
He had just started describing their new, super-powered weapons when something made him stop mid sentence. He froze, in much the same way as Hank had earlier.
It was creepy. He knew they were back at the Temple, even without seeing it. How? Did it know, did it tell him? Shiran had said the Temple was a living thing. Could it talk?
He took a few small squelches forward, Clara following. Sure enough, the mist lifted, revealing the dark Temple right in front of them.
Clara gave a small, frightened cry. She looked up at the building slowly.
'Th-that's the Temple?' she whispered.
Bobby nodded. Talking had helped him forget the Curse for a while. But now, facing those black walls, he felt very afraid again.
Instinctively, he looked for Uni and the others. His unicorn was dull white against the mud, and he ran up to her, but she didn't stir as he gently patted her neck. Neither Presto or Diana moved when he spoke to them.
The Barbarian took a deep breath. He believed in Terri's vision, he believed he would see her again, just as Dungeonmaster said he would. But what about his friends? Would they becoming too? What if…
'How are we going to break the Curse?' whispered Clara, her voice shaking.
What if…
'Bobby... BOBBY!'
The Barbarian swung round suddenly, his breathing quick and shallow. That was too close! In spite of the mud and the cold chill inside him, he could feel small drips of sweat on his forehead.
'We mustn't wait,' said Bobby, but he didn't move any closer to the Temple. What if he couldn't break the Curse? Would the others be trapped? Sheila…?
The thought of his sister finally made him move. He had to help her, after all, it was sorta his fault she was stuck in here anyway. If he hadn't got so annoyed when she hugged him, she wouldn't have run off. He hoped Hank would keep her safe.
But he had to get her out of that place.
Dungeonmaster had told them to break the Curse. And he would, they had never failed Dungeonmaster before.
Impulsively, and ignoring all thoughts of mushy stuff, he took Clara's hand and walked forward through the Temple's silver doors and back into the entrance hall.
They stood side by side, looking around, Clara still gripping his hand tightly. What surprised the Barbarian most was that nothing had changed. It was still lit by Presto's magic, it was still silent, and it was still grey.
The girl beside him was looking round slowly, here eyes wide in wonder.
'This must have been an amazing place!' she whispered. 'I've never seen anything like it! It would have been great to be here before the Curse, don't you think, Bobby?'
The Barbarian was very far from sharing her enthusiasm. This was a dumb idea! he thought. We don't even know how to break the Curse.
'What do we do now?' asked Clara loudly. 'Do you think the Dragon is still here?'
Bobby glanced up. There was no movement, but he was sure the Dragon was watching them.
'I dunno,' he said. 'We should maybe find Sheila…'
The air around them stirred gently and the Barbarian looked up. There was a glint of red far above.
'Look out!' he said, pulling Clara backwards.
The giant Obsidian Dragon swooped gracefully down from the shadows, and landed on the floor in front of them.
Bobby watched it carefully. His first impulse was to squish it with his Club, but it made no move to attack, so he waited.
The Dragon finally spoke.
'My name is Estaria, once the Keeper of this Temple! Why do you disturb me again?' Her voice was rough, with an offended tone. Neither of the children spoke. Bobby had never been afraid to answer back to anyone until just then.
The Dragon seemed to take a great interest in Clara. It gazed at her, its snout twitching, and flicked its tail wildly back and forward. The young girl took an unsteady step back.
'You like my Temple!' the Dragon said suddenly. 'You must be from Amoran, and I think you must have learned its secret!'
Clara didn't reply, but stared up at the Dragon in awe.
Estaria lowered her head sadly.
'This was once a place of peace: a place to heal. This was my home, a place to give hope and forget the troubles of life. All good people would come to my door, needing help and my protection.'
The Dragon gave a sudden hiss, sweeping her wings back.
'But my power has GONE!' she bellowed 'The Curse is all! And my Temple has no Keeper! WHY do you come here? Answer now!'
Bobby gulped.
'We're here to break the Curse,' he mumbled
The Dragon gave a long subdued hiss. Perhaps it was laughing.
'But you are already tainted, Barbarian, so are your friends. They are all dying, Barbarian, and so are you. There is nothing YOU can do!'
Bobby's mouth was dry. Looking onto Estaria's eyes made him shiver, as they shone with inhuman anger. A wave of despair hit him. This was not going to work! He had no idea how to break the Curse, other than using love somehow. He wasn't going to help his friends this time. It was hopeless…
You must hold on to hope to fulfill your dreams.
The Barbarian jumped as he remembered the words of Dungeonmaster. Of course, the Curse would still try and catch him! He was stupid to think otherwise. He couldn't give up! Not without a fight, at least! He tapped his Club lightly on the ground, making it glow with magic.
'We're here to break the Curse,' he repeated, louder this time.
The Dragon hissed again, the sound much more like a laugh than before.
'What will you do, Barbarian? What will you sacrifice?'
'I'll do anything to help my sister!'
Estaria stared at him, her head cocked to one side. The red eyes glowed.
'You truly wish to break the Curse, Barbarian?'
He let go of Clara's hand to grip his Club with both hands.
'Yeah!' he called out.
Thin spirals of smoke rose from the Dragon's mouth as she watched him.
'Are you strong enough, Barbarian?' she hissed. 'Is your love for your sister strong enough?'
'Yeah!' called Bobby again, more loudly this time. 'Yeah, it is!'
The Dragon held out a front paw.
'Then give me your Club!'
Bobby hesitated. He didn't want to! Standing in a Temple, with a Dragon that had almost eaten his sister… Giving your weapon away was a dumb idea! Not even Eric would be dumb enough to do that!
His heart beat faster, then he remembered Dungeonmaster's words: You must give what must be given.
He gulped. Was this what their guide had meant?
It had better be! he thought.
Slowly, Bobby leaned forward and placed the Club in the Dragon's claw. What could he do without his Club? He closed his eyes briefly, hoping that he was right about the riddle.
Estaria closed he paw slowly, and there was the sound of splintering wood. Bobby shuddered, and opened his eyes slowly, afraid of what he would see. When the Dragon opened her paw again, all that was left of his Club were a few small sticks. She let them fall to the ground.
'Do you still think you're strong enough?' the Dragon asked, contemptuously. 'You have no weapon, you are defenceless! I could crush you in a heartbeat!'
Bobby clenched both fists, close to tears. He'd lost the Club. Even Dungeonmaster couldn't repair it this time! He was shaking.
'Do you still wish to break the Curse?' asked the Dragon.
For a few seconds, Bobby's mouth wouldn't move. But he finally managed to get a single word out.
'Yeah!'
It wasn't said as confidently or as loudly as before. But he had said it!
The Dragon stretched out her paw once more, the tip of the largest silver talon just millimetres away from his nose.
'Then give me the Pendant!'
Bobby's breath catch in his throat. NO! He would never give that up. It was his good luck charm, his hope for getting home. He was going to return it to Terri, she had seen him do it, she had dreamed it. He would never give that up!
'Give it to me!' demanded the Dragon. 'Prove your commitment, prove to me you are strong enough to defeat the Curse!'
He didn't move.
'Ha!' said the Dragon triumphantly. 'Is it really so hard to give up one small piece of jewellery! You are weak, Barbarian!'
Bobby's head was spinning. He knew what Dungeonmaster had told them. Give what must be given. But it was too hard. This was his most powerful link to home, he knew that someday he would give it back to Terri. How could that happen if he gave it away now?
And yet… they would not be going home if the Curse remained unbroken. Is this what he had to do? He wished Hank or Sheila were here to help him, someone to guide him, someone more responsible.
He took a long, deep breath.
He was alone. His sister and the others needed him to break the Curse. He had Dungeonmaster's riddle to guide him, and Dungeonmaster had never been wrong.
The Barbarian closed his eyes and pulled the Pendant out of his pocket once more, looking at it one more time. Estaria gave a soft growl as he hooked its chain over her claw.
He watched as the Pendant glowed one more time. Little rivulets of molten gold flowed down the Dragon's silver claw. Then the Pendant was gone.
The Dragon blew a thick cloud of smoke out of her nose. Bobby and Clara both coughed.
Bobby gazed numbly at the Dragon, hardly listening.
'You have earned a choice with your courage,' Estaria said. 'Either you and your friends go home, or this girl can.'
Bobby's heart almost leaped out of his chest. It was thudding so loudly that he almost couldn't think. They could go home, right now.
Clara stared at the Dragon.
'But I don't…' she started.
The Dragon hissed at her, and the girl fell silent.
Bobby mind was spinning. They could go home, right now! How could he choose anything else? But then, he thought of Dungeonmaster's words. You must give what must be given. Nothing is harder than a selfless sacrifice. Those riddles!
'Choose, Barbarian! You can go home, your unicorn will be safely returned to the Valley. You will all be safe.'
But what about Clara, and the Temple and the people of Amoran? Would they survive? Would they be OK? He couldn't take that risk.
'The Curse?' he asked. 'The city? What about…?'
'Enough, Barbarian!' the Dragon shouted. 'CHOOSE!'
Home! He would be free of the Curse, his friends would be safe, but the words didn't want to come out. This is what he had wanted, but…
'She …can go!' he managed to say.
The Dragon Estaria lowered her head slowly then nodded.
'The Dungeonmaster was wise to send you here,' she whispered, her forked tongue flicking out.
'You, girl!' said the Dragon. 'Are you ready to go home?'
Bobby watched as Clara stared mutely up at the Dragon. They stared at each other for an age, neither moving, as if having a private conversation that only they could understand.
A suspicious, nagging doubt slowly began to form in Bobby's mind. This couldn't be right? What had this to do with breaking the Curse? What had this to do with love?
Then suddenly, with a lightning movement, the Dragon shot forward, her long jaws open. She scooped Clara up with a single bite.
Bobby didn't even have time to call out.
One bite and one gulp, and the young girl was gone.