Disclaimer: I don't own the Deltora Quest I'm just a really big fan!!
Author's note: Sorry about the really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really long wait!! I updated like in March…I think…well actually I wrote the first seven chapters in the first two weeks of January this year and posted them every few weeks…so yeah…hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!
The Underground of Hope
- Black Fury
8 – The Coded Message
Drahen paced up and down the self length of the library, cursing himself for his failure. How could he have let this happen?
Not only had he failed to prevent them learning of the dragons, he had not stopped them from going to search for the amulet, the amulet which was not to fall into their puny human hands. That amulet was to stay with the dragons. It was the dragon's amulet!
He was soon comforted as he relised that the dragon would never give up the treasure, not without a fight, a fight which would hopefully kill then.
He gave a small laugh at this thought. How he wished it was he who would be able to fight them – he hadn't been in a battle for ages and battle was what he ached for.
From not so far away Penn watched Drahen. She knew he was mad about something. He'd failed to do whatever it was he was meant to. Penn smiled happily. She would not fail like him; she would not fail her master.
Lief tossed the golden coins aside as quietly as possible, bewitched or not the dragon may still wake and attack if their presence was to be known.
He had only been searching for a short time before he had relised that it was almost impossible to find what he searched for. The dragon's mound of gold, though quite small in comparison with the dragon, was huge. To find one piece of the amulet amongst it would take hours – hours which they could not really spare.
He looked up from the shining mass of gold to see how Barda and Jasmine were doing, neither appeared to have had more luck.
Of course it may have helped if we knew what it looked like, he thought bitterly, tired already of the boring task at hand.
'What have you found Kree?' Jasmine's voice caught his attention and he looked up again. Kree fluttered down beside her a small piece of parchment in his mouth. Jasmine took it carefully and looked it over.
Looking for any excuse not to continue his work, Lief walked over to her.
'What is it?' He inquired.
'Some coded message,' Frustration was evident in her voice as she handed it over to Lief, 'Though, I doubt it would be important'
Lief looked down to the words and began to read:
NAROD–
NOOSD NAEUR TSEMO CSTCI DERPN OKCAV ILOTA HWTAH TEPOH YLNON ACEWW ONSSE UGI.
D AERDW ONIYA DHCAE SAEKA WUOYN EHWEV ILADE EDNIL LITSM AIIF– NIAGA UOYEE SOTEP OHI,W ONOGT SUMI.
MEGEH TROFS NREYT AHTDN ALEHT TONNO GARDE HTROF SNREY TAHTM EGEHT SITIW ONKLL AEWSA ROFER AYEHT EREHW LLETD LUOCI NEHTT LEDSG INKDI PUTSE HTLA ESDLU OCIFI.
DELLU FLLIF NEEBT ONSAH AEDIT ELUMA EHTTA HTRAE PPADL UOWTI DNA.S NOGAR DRUOFG NINIA MEREH THTIW TCATN OCDNA THGIS LLATS OLEVA HIROF EVAHT HGIME HRAEF IDNAW ONSNO GARDU OYLLI KOTRE WOPEH TEVAH OT MIH EVEIL EBI–R EGNOR TSHCU M,REG NORTS SIDRO WODAH SEHT. RETTA MT'HS EODDN AWONE KAWAE RAUOY ETARY NATA.
TIOTS DNIME REHTD ESOLC SREHT OEHTS AEREH WDNUO SEHTO TRUOY DEKCI RPYLE TAIDE MMIUOY CISUM FOREV OLAER AUOYE SUACE BYLPM IS.
?K SAUOY PEELS ATONE HSIYH WDNA.
DEVEI LEBTS EMYHT ATAHW STAHT TSAEL TAROP EELSO TUOYT ENSTA HWSIT AHT.S EIKNU LFSIH FOENO TSAEL TAROD ROLWO DAHSE HTYBD EYALP SAWTA HTROF , OSEP OHI.
? RAEHT 'NACS NAMUH TAHTC ISUMG NIHTO OS, TE EWSTA HT–DE YALPS AWTAH TCISU MTAHT REBME MERTB UODON UOY.
T IOTYR OEHTA NEVIG SAWIT UBTHG IRM'I ERUST ONM'I , PEEL SALLA FUOYE KAMOT DENEP PAHTA HWWON KOTTN AWTHG IMUOY YLTSR IF.
LL EWOOT UOYWO NKI, T IDESS IMUOY EMLLE TT'NO DOS–E RUSAE RTRUO YTNUO COTEB LLIWE KAWUO YNEHW ODLLI WUOYG NIHTT SRIFE HTWON KISAE GASSE MSIHT DINFL LIWUO YWONK I.
ENO DERAU OYNEH WEMDL AREDN AIBEU ROTEG ASSEM SIHTS SAPLL IWUOY TSURT I–REB MULSRU OYGNI RUDAR OTLED FOSGNINE PPAHE HTFOW ONKYA MUOYO SUOYO TEGAS SEMSI HTEVAEL I
, Z OPAT
'This is a message! It has to be! Look at the indents and the way the first and the last words are set out. This Zopat person is writing to his friend Narod!' Lief called out excitedly, quite forgetting to be quiet.
'Well as good as that maybe, it will not help us to find the amulet or help your people Lief,' Barda growled as he wandered over, 'Zopat and Narod where probably some stupid men who got themselves eaten by the dragon, several years ago looking at the state of it.'
Lief nodded slowly seeing the truth in his companion's words, but for some reason he wanted to know what was written before him, he wanted to know who Narod and Zopat were, especially Zopat for some reason. Zopat seemed familiar, he wasn't sure from where but he was sure he had heard it before, recently even…
'Jasmine,' He turned around, 'what were the names of the dragons again?'
'Why is this important Lief?' She sighed impatiently.
Lief didn't answer, he was trying to think back to what she had said before.
Donimad, Laizuli, the golden one and Oblivackon…. Ruebi, Eraldme, Aythmest and Tapoz….
Tapoz! Lief looked down at the message again, down at the part where it said: Zopat.
Yes, He thought, Zopat is just like Tapoz only switched around! Tapoz which is a so closely related word to the word topaz! The topaz which is as gold as the scales of the dragon! Tapoz was the golden dragon!
Each dragon had a prize possession and for each dragon it was a rounded gem, a gem which glows the same colour as its dragon's scales.
Of course why had he not seen it before? The dragon before him now was the dragon called Tapoz, the dragon who gave up the topaz to Adin, the dragon who was the dragon of Del!
Surely if Tapoz name was close to the topaz then this must be a clue to the other dragon's names! He quickly thought. Yes! Donimad is but diamond in another form, so is Eraldme to emerald and Aythmest to amethyst! Ruebi sounds just like ruby and Laizuli is but a combination of words lapis and lazuli! Now all that remains is Oblivackon!
But he could see no connection with that name and the opal other than that they both began with O. Still the opal must have been given by Oblivackon as it was all that was left.
So, thought Lief thinking back, I think I understand how to read it now!
Quickly he looked to the top, now understanding. Narod was Doran! The dragon was writing to Doran!
Immediately Lief stopped, thinking over what he had just thought.
A dragon writing to Doran? The size of this writing was surely too small for a dragon with such big claws?
Perhaps he forced someone to write it for him? Lief considered this for a moment but did not stay on the point for long, he was too eager to decode the message.
The trick it would appear was that each word was written backwards so therefore the first line read:
DORAN–
DSOON RUEAN OMEST ICTSC NPRED VACKO ATOLI HATWH HOPET NONLY WWECA ESSNO IGU.
But that did not make sense either, what else had to be done?
'Lief what have you found out?' Jasmine walked back over.
'It is a message from Tapoz to Doran.' He sighed seeing how stupid it sounded.
'But Tapoz is a dragon!' Jasmine exclaimed.
'I know, he is the topaz dragon of Del.' Lief smiled.
'How do you know this?' Barda interrupted.
'Tapoz is similar to topaz and the topaz looks just like the scales of this dragon, remember what that book said,' Lief said, 'But I haven't figured out the rest of it yet. '
'But why would Tapoz have been writing to a human? Least of all Doran who it would appear killed some of the dragons.' Jasmine inquired.
'The book also said that the dragons didn't like other dragons, perhaps this Tapoz and Doran struck up some kind of deal.' Barda grunted.
'It's possible…' Lief began but suddenly something struck him about the letter, 'Wait, I think know how to work it out!'
Black Fury: Do you?
Here's a challenge for you! See if you can figure out this line (at least) between now and when I next update (so absolutely NO pressure!).
NAROD–
NOOSD NAEUR TSEMO CSTCI DERPN OKCAV ILOTA HWTAH TEPOH YLNON ACEWW ONSSE UGI.
Good luck! Plz review and tell me what you think!! Hope you liked it!
* Emily Rodda code comp: see her DQ site for details but basically she's going to give out a code in November and the person who cracks it gets a page dedicated to them in the last book of the new series of DQ which is coming out in November and while your there you may as well go read the first chapter of the "Dragon's Nest" (the first in the third series) which its also on the site. Have fun!