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Viren and Anstice lead them on the main dirt road of Durtulugo. It really wasn't made up of much - just a few crumbled houses and a stone well located in the middle. It almost gave off the vibe of an old western town. There were no people out in the streets, which didn't surprise Clark or Lana in the slightest – they had to be terrified of Amon.
"Quickly! We will hide in my friend's home," Viren informed trotting to the last thatched-roof house on the right. He slid off Anstice's back and banged on the door.
"Who is this outside my home!" said a muffled voice from behind the door with fright.
"Viren, you're companion! Let me in!"
"Viren!"
The door swung open and a very short, very chubby man revealed himself. He waved a hand towards his home, beckoning them inside. "Come in! Bring the horses, too!"
Clark jumped off and then helped Lana down. They lead Elsu into the small home behind Viren and Anstice, praying that they would all fit inside.
Surprisingly, when they'd all gathered in, the home seemed to be just big enough for everyone. It was a one-room place with a small window stained with dirt. Other than that, there really wasn't much else to say about the place. There was no furniture, no carpet, and no bathroom. Clark hoped they didn't have to stay in here long.
The very chubby man waddled over to the window, wiped a small patch of dust off the glass and peeked through.
"He approaches," the man said in a soft whisper.
Clark curiously walked up behind the man and looked out of the window also. Lana wasn't far behind.
A low, grunting sound began to shake the floors. The pounding of Amon's pawsrattled the walls of the small home. Lana swallowed and looked up at the roof. It didn't look too sturdy. She decided this thought was too pessimistic and she quickly focused back on the window, now beginning to shiver.
One of the tiger's massive and powerful paws came into view with a deafening boom. And slowly, Amon's head followed it. His long, pointy fangs were gleaming and his face was curled into an angry expression full of rage. Clark now realized Amon had to be five times better then a regular tiger. And where a normal tiger's fur would be an orange-y color, Amon's was a deep blood red – almost matching the shade of his hideous eyes.
The tiger walked out into full view of the bystanders in the house and stopped as he scanned the area. When his eyes came towards Clark and the others, Viren urged everyone to duck down. Once she got down, Lana curled into a ball next Clark.
"I keep telling myself Amon is just a dream," Lana whispered to Clark tenderly, "but I'm still scared. That thing is a monster."
Clark didn't know of anything he could say that would comfort her, so he just wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"Oh dear God…" the chubby man said who had only recently stood back up to see what Amon was doing next. "All three of em…"
Clark's eyes widened and he quickly stood back up. Once he saw what the short man had seen, Clark finally admitted to himself that he was truly living a nightmare.
Behind Amon a long, thick black thing was sliding around aimlessly. Clark wasn't sure what it was until it looked his way, flashing two gigantic, glowing eyes into his. He blinked, blinded for a moment, and then looked back at the thing which he realized now was Haras the cobra. He was over one hundred feet long with a width the size of a barrel. His scales were a diamond shape and were a dark jet-black color. He too had ugly fangs and a mean glare that could frighten even the most stubborn of men.
And, of course, last was Diaba. Clark had never seen a real dragon, but he was almost positive that if he'd dreamt one up, it would look exactly like Diaba. The dragon was hovering above his two companions, her bat-like wings flapping wildly. Her talons were like white daggers and her nostrils were smoking lightly. She was a dark blue color, but her eyes were like Amon's – dark red. You could see in her face how much she longed to bring terror to something.
Just then, Amon's head darted in one direction. Haras and Diaba followed it. Amon turned his gaze back to Diaba who looked at Amon for a moment before nodding andlanding on the ground smoothly. The reptile edged towards a home just across the road from where Clark and the others were. Minutes slid by, and Diaba was still walking slowly…ever so slowly.
Amon and Haras came up behind him, silent as the dead of night.
Everything was completely quiet.
FOOSH!
Everybody jumped in astonishment as one deep exhale of Diaba's breathdemolished the house into a giantic flaming ball of fire. Amon jumped straight into it, growling like mad. Haras' tongue dwindled around his mouth, watching intently. Diaba began to help Amon rip the home to shreds.
"What's going on?" Lana asked. She was still sitting on the ground, afraid to look up.
"I'll tell you later," Clark answered back, afraid of how Lana might react to the situation.
After a few minutes, rain began to pour. It gradually began to speed up and soon enough Diaba's fire had burnt out. Amon, Haras, and Diaba now seemed bored with the house and looked around the town again, searching for another place tofeed their wrath.
Just then, to Clark's horror, Amon's attention was turned to the very house Clark and his friends were huddled in.
No…please no…my weakened powers can't withstand this… Horrible visions were flashing in his head now.
"He's looking our way," Viren stated in the most calm tone he could manage.
"Clark," Lana whispered, grabbing his hand. Her face was full of fright.
Looking down on her, Clark's brain went into overdrive. "I'm not gonna sit here and watch everybody get shredded and burned. Think, Clark…think…what's the matter with you?"
As Amon began to make his way to the house, rain beading down on him harshly. Diaba and Haras were on either side of the tiger, smiling. It was as if they could sense that the people inside were terrified of them and this made them very excited.
Amon's eyes were throwing Clark off. He couldn't think. All that came to mind was eyes – deep, red eyes.
Lana's grip on his hand tightened.
Amon came closer until he was standing in the same spot that Elsu and Anstice had stood in before entering the house.
The tiger's face moved closer still and by now, the chubby man and Viren had run into hiding. Lana's hand was going numb in Clark's. Amon's eyes were forcing them to stay put.
Amon was now inches from the window, his breath fogging up the dirty glass. A roar rumbled around in his throat. He could tell that he had Lana and Clark right where he wanted them.
"Move, Clark! MOVE! What's going on!" His mind kept yelling at him, but he couldn't listen. It was like for a brief moment he couldn't even understand what his own brain was telling him. He felt like he was stuck in gelatin.
Diaba took her place on the entrance to the house, drawing in a deep breath. In a matter of few seconds the home would match the one across from it almost identically.
A tear slid down Lana's face. Clark couldn't move. She couldn't move. What a horrible way to die – inside an imaginary world where no one could find them.
Then out of no where, an unbelievably bright white light exploded inside the house. Amon, Diaba, and Haras shrieked in fright. Clark fell backwards, knocking the wind out of him. The window shook violently until it shattered into countless numbers of pieces. The light's powerful beams flew everywhere in the small home. Everyone closed their eyes to keep the blinding light out.
A feeling twirled within Clark as the light came over him. He felt...giddy. Happy. He couldn't remember what he was so afraid about. His insides felt warm and fuzzy and he unknowningly found himself smiling. What was wrong with him?...
Soon the light faded slowly and took the happiness aswell as theevil creatures away with it. When the light was completely gone, everything went back to an uncomfortable and uncertain silence. The sky cleared and the rain ceased.
Clarkdropped hissmile andstarted to cough harshly, trying to regain his breath.
Lana looked down on him with concern. "Are you okay, Clark?"
"Yeah...I-I guess I'm okay," he coughed once more, "You?"
"So far, so good," she said as she shrugged. Truthfully, she didn't know how she felt. Her hand was still clasped to Clark's and she slowly let go. She was happy to see that blood was circulating in it again.
"What was that light? It felt so...weird," Clark asked as he pulled himself off the ground.
"I have no idea…" the chubby man trailed off.
"I've seen it happen many times before at my home in the woods," Viren explained, who was so far the most calmed down of any in the hut.
"And just what is it?" Lana wondered curiously.
"I personally believe its part of the Mist…trying to get through to us that it's still here…"Viren stated with widening eyes.
A long silence hovered over everyone.
"Well, what's happened has happened and let's not get so worked up over it. We're all okay aren't we?"Noam said hopefully.
Everyone was indeed okay, but still didn't speak.
Viren coughed . "Um…his is Noam. He's an expert storyteller so you might want to excuse his over-dramatic actions."
The chubby man smiled at the sound of his name. His cheeks were rosy red and his pop-belly stomach caused his back to arch forward. Actually, he bore a frighteningly similar resemblance to Happy of the Seven Dwarfs.
Viren then introduced Clark and Lana (adding in the words 'master' and 'mistress' as always). Noam shook their hands heartily.
"So these are the humans I've been hearing about," he said with satisfaction. "Wow…I must say I am very honored to be in your presence."
"Um…thanks," Clark retorted, slightly confused.
"You are headed to the castle for the celebration?" Noam said as more of a question then a statement.
"You presume correct, Noam," Viren confirmed with pride.
"Well, I'd offer you my home for the night, but as you might've already guessed, it isn't too safe," Noam admitted, looking over at his now broken window.
"Oh, that's perfectly all right, Noam. I'm sure your home is a splendid place to stay just for tonight. Tomorrow and all tomorrows after that will be spent elsewhere."
"And where would that be?" Clark interrupted coldly.
"You will see in due time, Master Clark," Viren explained quietly. "No need to get upset."
"Well, I suppose since it's now safe to go outside again, I shall get us some food, eh?" Noam shouted as he walked out of the door, not waiting for an answer.
"Oh dear. I'd better go out there and make sure he's not fixing something inedible," Viren said aloud to no one in particular. "Dwarfs eat the most peculiar things…"
Only a fewseconds passed before Clark and Lana heard the familiar voices making their way back to the hut.
"Good God, Noam! What in the name of Toadswallow is that hideously disgusting thing!"
"It's a wizel rat! A fried wizel rat! And they're VERY delicious!"
The front door burst open and in came Noam along with the foulest smell Clark and Lana had ever smelt. It was almost as bad as the time Pete had left a carton of milk in his locker at school over the weekend.
No, actually…this smell was worse.
Ten times worse.
"Go ahead and try some, humans!"
As if the smell wasn't enough, Clark found a long twisted stick up under his nose with the body of a fat, burnt rat jabbed on the end. Lana backed away and pulled Clark along with her. She covered her mouth, hoping that she wouldn't throw up.
"Put that foul thing away, Noam! Humans don't eat that kind of scum!" Viren shouted angry as he came through the door, holding a very large leaf in his hands like a tray. The objects resting on it looked like fruits. "Here, humans, try these."
Viren held his offering out to them with a beaming smile.
Clark was a little cautious, but Lana grabbed a one of the fruits right away. It looked like a strawberry, only slightly bigger and had an orange hue to its color. She slowly took a bite.
"Wow! It tastes great!" she exclaimed loudly, shoving the rest of the fruit in her mouth.
After a few minutes, Clark joined Lana in eating the exotic fruit and found it quite refreshing. It was only then when he realized he hadn't eaten anything during his whole stay in Sogni Dromen. Still, even if he wasn't starving from lack of food, the fruits were varied and delicious. He and the others sat down around the small house, letting the horses go outside for some air. For a brief moment, Clark could honestly admit he was perfectly content.
"So, Viren…about where we're staying after tonight…" Clark began after a while, chomping on the end of a strasberry (Clark and Lana took the liberty of naming the fruits by combining the names of the normal fruits they tasted like), "…are you going to conjure up some mansion with those 'magical powers' you have?"
"I only wish I was that powerful, Master Clark," Viren explained apologetically. "I'm only an elf…we don't learn much magic…only hear of it…"
"Then where are we going to stay?" Lana wondered with confusion.
"We're taking thetunnels through Semprob Wereld – an underground world."
"Tunnels? Underground?" Lana repeated, feeling a little sick.
"Yes, Mistress Lana. In fact, my family originated in Semprob Wereld. It's where most creatures hide to seek shelter from Amon and the others."
Never blinking, Lana's eyes stared at the floor.
"Are you feeling all right, Mistress Lana?" Viren asked with a frown.
Realizing her problem, Clark looked up and Viren and answered his question for Lana.
"She's a little claustrophobic."
"Claus-ti-fo-bick?" Noam repeated, twisting his bushy eyebrows into a bewildered look.
"She doesn't like enclosed places."
"Oh, no need to worry. I know a sleeping charm. She can sleep the whole way through – "
"No way!" Clark shouted as Viren stuck his hand out to the Lana and opened his mouth to say the charm.
Viren was taken back. "What is wrong?"
Clark looked from Viren's weird expression to Lana. She also looked confused. Neither one saw anything wrong with Viren's charm.
"I just…I don't want you to put her to sleep like that…it's…" Clark swallowed, not really sure how to express his concern without sounding like on overbearing parent, "…I want to make sure she'll be okay."
Clark's fumbling voice was both over-protective and sweet for Lana. As if he didn't have enough problems worrying about himself in Sogni Dromen, he was also worrying about the well being of her. She found herself smiling at Clark once again.
"Clark, I'll be fine…"
"Mistress Lana speaks the truth." Viren stared at Clark, showing as much honestly in his face as possible.
Feeling as though he was being outnumbered (except for Noam who sat, watching everyone else converse), Clark opened his mouth to say something to argue his opinion, but then noticed Lana's beautiful smile sent directly towards him.
"Do you have to do it right now?"
"I'm not quite sure when the tunnels will appear tomorrow. I'd rather get it over with now so she'll have a goodnight's rest as well as take care of her clausty - erm -fear of tunnelscondition."
He looked at Lana and then gave a short smile.
"Go ahead."
Viren clapped his hands together and rushed over to Lana. He ordered her to lie down, which she did obediently. After a few minutes of Viren muttering his enchanting words, he backed away from Lana slowly. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to feel very calm and relaxed.
Clark looked over at Viren. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Yes, yes. She'll sleep the whole way through."
Nodding, Clark still continued to watch Lana in her sleeping state. Suddenly, an unrealized thought crossed his mind.
"Wait, when does she wake up?"
A smileappeared onViren's face that made Clark feel very strange. "You have no need of knowing that at this time, Master Clark. When she needs to wake up, she will awaken. Put your faith in that."
Clark bit his lip in frustration. He knew arguing with Viren was pointless – the little elf had lips as tight as a padlock and would never let anything he didn't want to say be said. Clark decided it was best to let Viren lead him through this land for a while. After all, who knows what he would accidentally walk into by himself?
He touched strands of Lana's silky smooth hair and sighed. Trusting in an elf was going to prove to be a very difficult task for Clark to agree with, but he knew he could do it for her.