Chapter 3

Blast from the Past

Before the Cavalier could react, a long golden muzzle descended and his face was covered in a wet lick. He looked up into the face of a young Golden Dragon, then it licked him again.

'Da-Da!' it squealed. 'Found! Da-da!'

The pressure on his chest increased and the Cavalier struggled for air.

'Hey…' he managed, '… lemme… up.'

The animal tilted its head to one side, then the other, as if trying to understand. In desperation, Eric gave the claw a futile push. The Dragon immediately removed it and the Cavalier drank in the sudden rush of air. Slowly, he sat up.

The Dragon looked at him with big, red eyes. It was the size of a small car, with long, slender wings and a whip-like tail. It seemed very pleased to see him and sat watching his every movement with great interest. He hadn't been stared at so intently since…No, he wasn't going to think about her! There was no point!

'Hi,' he said, when he finally had enough breath to talk. 'It's nice to see you. What ya doin' here?'

It blinked at him, still staring, almost as if it didn't understand. Then it prodded him affectionately on the shoulder.

'Found. Da-da,' it repeated.

'You're the baby one, yeah?' he asked.

After another pause, it nodded, doing a good impression of an over-eager puppy. And if he hadn't moved out of the way, it would have knocked him over in its enthusiasm.

'Da-da!' it said. 'Baby.'

Eric realised this was not gonna be an easy conversation, but at least the young Dragon seemed to be able to understand him, even if it didn't work the other way round all the time. It didn't come as a huge surprise that the Dragon talked to him. Its Mom had spoken to him, only once. She didn't speak in front of the others, but just before they were leaving, she had coiled around him in a protective kind of way and politely thanked him for his help against the Giant. She'd obviously taught her children to talk too.

He smiled back at the creature.

'Yeah, course you are the baby one,' he said, trying to think how long ago it was that they'd met the Golden Dragon. It couldn't have been much more than a year. 'But aren't you a bit young to be out on your own? Where's your Mom and your brother?'

The Dragon shook its head, then furrowed its forehead, as if trying to concentrate.

'Forest,' it said at last. 'Help.'

There was no infection in its voice, and it was almost impossible to tell what it meant.

Did it want to help him, or did it need his help? He sighed. Wouldn't it be nice if it was here to help him find a portal, but knowing this dumb Realm, it was probably the latter.

'You want me to help you?' he suggested, a sinking feeling in his heart. It was always the same whenever they got a sniff of a portal. Something always happened, there was always someone else to help first.

It was looking at him with big yellow eyes, and it nodded.

'Brother. Find.'

The sinking feeling got worse.

'You want me to help find your brother? In the forest?'

It nodded vigorously.

He smiled, in spite of himself. He was doing quite well with an animal whose vocabulary seemed to consist of a small selection of nouns and verbs. It was easier than talking to Uni!

'What's happened to him? He get lost?' asked Eric. The Dragon narrowed its eyes and gave a long, low hiss. It didn't reply immediately, and seemed to be trying to work out what to say, or how to say it.

'Druid,' it said finally. 'Dragon.'

He might not have hung around the Golden Dragons for long, but he knew enough about then to know they were angry. Whoever this Druid was, they weren't popular with this little Dragon! The sinking feeling got worse once more. This was gonna get him into trouble.

'Dragon Druids?'

The animal shook its head.

'Druid.' It stopped, and seemed to be thinking. 'Get.'

'A Druid, that gets Dragons?' suggested Eric.

'Dragon. Keep,' it said. Then it added in a morose tone: 'Brother. Keep.'

Eric raised his eyebrow, finally starting to understand.

'Your big brother's been taken somewhere by this Druid?' he asked. The Dragon nodded. 'And you want me to help you rescue him? Right now?'

It nodded once more, looking at him in a pleading kind of way.

Eric hesitated.

He should help it. But he knew what was going to happen; it was all gonna go wrong and he was gonna end up in mortal danger… again! And in need of rescue… again! No one was getting more sick of that than him, and he really wanted to stay out of trouble; the others were gonna lynch him if he screwed this up. Well, that's if he was lucky and they came after him at all. Maybe they would just leave him.

That was too depressing a thought; he really, really should stay put this time.

Eric sighed and stood up, his chest still hurt from the impact of its claw, and breathing was going to be difficult for a while. He petted the dragon on its snout and it rubbed back, happy at the attention.

How was he supposed to say "find him yourself" to it?

'Well, I suppose I could come with you for a short way,' he said, as unenthusiastically as he could. 'I don't want you to get lost or anything.' It still had that expectant, hopeful look in its eye. 'We could find my friends.'

It shook its head firmly.

'Dragon. Keep,' it said, sounding more urgent. 'Keep!'

'We could a quick look, then…' began Eric. But before he could continue, the Dragon gave him a big, wet lick and marched off through the undergrowth, looking for all the world as if it knew exactly what it was doing. It obviously expected him to follow. Eric watched its tail disappear, his heart way down in his boots. This was a really bad idea, but he was committed now. Hopefully, the others would understand.

The Dragon knew the way to go, and all Eric had to do was keep up. They walked in silence side by side, its tail waving about behind them. It seemed clumsy, but then, it was still young. It reminded him of a fat cat that had forgotten what its legs were for.

They walked for an hour or so, picking their way through the forest and trying to look inconspicuous. It was surprising how well the baby Dragon blended in. Its scales were a dull yellow, with tiny flecks of gold, but if it kept still in the shadows, you could easily pass it by without noticing it.

It kept up a good pace, and showed no sign of getting tired. But Eric was, and hungry too. He'd forgone the minimal breakfast that Presto had scraped together in favour of arguing with Bobby. But now, where there was no chance of anything more appetising than a handful of cold water, he was suddenly starving.

He slowed, and the Dragon noticed immediately.

'Sorry,' he said, noting the impatience in its glance. 'I didn't get any breakfast!'

It stared at him, head tilted to one side once more. A second later, the Dragon had darted off and was grubbing around in the undergrowth. It appeared back after just a few minutes looking incredibly pleased, holding something in its mouth, which it dropped obediently at Eric's feet.

It was a stone.

'Um… I don't eat stones,' he said after a couple of seconds.

The look from the Dragon seemed to say an incredulous "You don't?". Eric shook his head.

'We humans sorta eat real food,' he said, hoping it understood. 'You know, nuts, berries, ice cream, burgers. Food.'

He gave a wistful sigh. What he wouldn't give for a cheeseburger right now!

'Burger,' it repeated, looking confused. 'Ice cream.'

It wanted him to explain, probably so it could go off and find some for him. He couldn't help smiling and he patted it again.

'You're not gonna find any burgers round here,' he said with a sigh. 'Or ice cream… Hey!'

It had turned round, and dived back into the undergrowth. It was gone for longer this time, and made distinct snuffling noises as it trampled around.

This time, it came back with a branch in its mouth.

He recognised the berries on it: dragonberries, lovely sweet, juicy fruit that were a bright red when they were ripe. Unfortunately, these were still a dull blue.

It offered him the branch, and he took it, looking at the fruits with a frown. After all the trouble it had taken, he couldn't refuse to eat them. But under-ripe, they would probably taste terrible!

The Dragon was watching him.

Slowly, he pulled off a berry and popped it into his mouth. He tried not to bite into it, but even so it tasted disgusting, like bitter soap with a hint of rubber. But he managed to swallow it.

The Dragon was still watching him.

One by one, he pulled the remaining berries off and ate them. After the first ten, he started to get used to the taste and managed the rest without too much trouble, but he never made the mistake of biting into one. By the end, the Dragon seemed satisfied that its offering met with his approval, and quickly gobbled up the stone it had brought earlier, before heading off again.

Despite tasting foul, the berries took the edge of the hunger, and Eric found it easier to keep up with his companion. It didn't say anything, and was intent on getting were it was going as quickly as possible, so Eric didn't disturb it.

When he had first arrived in the Realm, this would have been unheard of. He'd had a very clear idea of how to survive, and it didn't involve helping other people (or creatures) but throwing his money around. He'd scoffed at the others for trying to help, and now, here he was charging off on a solo rescue mission! And there still wasn't even a hint of a portal!

They hadn't seen a portal for weeks. He, personally, hadn't seen one for months as he'd missed both the one the Warlock created and the one in Venger's castle. Krin's crappy machine didn't count; while he said what it could have done, the portal hadn't opened, and they didn't even get a glimpse of home. He was struggling to remember what the Amusement Park looked like!

How did he ever manage to get himself into…

Suddenly, he realised the Dragon wasn't beside him any more. It had stopped, a few feet behind, and seemed to be listening out for something.

He walked back to it, and gave it a friendly, reassuring pat. It seemed to know this forest pretty well, it might be able to give him a few clues as to where the portal was, so after finding its brother, he could start looking.

'Look,' he said as it stood there, 'just outta interest. Have you seen a portal around here? Anywhere?'

The Dragon thought about this for few seconds, then shook its head.

'Dragons.'

Eric sighed. Why had he gotten his hopes up?

'You've just seen dragons? I should have guessed!'

'Dragons,' it repeated, more forcefully. An odd thought struck him.

'You don't mean… that dragons can open a portal? Do you?'

Much to his surprise, it nodded, seemingly happy that he understood. But he didn't. Dragons don't open portals. And if they did, why had no one told him this before? His heartbeat sped up. And if they did, then…

'Can you open a portal?' he asked, his voice a shaky whisper. It shook his head.

'Dragons,' it said. 'Dragons. Dragons. Dragons!'

It seemed to be nodding its head in one direction, so Eric carefully moved forward. It didn't take long for the forest to thin out, then stop at the top of a sheer cliff.

He looked out over the plane below; his breath caught in his chest and any thoughts of portals disappeared. So that was what it meant. He had to blink to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

It might not have a large vocabulary, but it had obviously mastered the art of the understatement!

'Well,' he murmured, 'at least we're in the right place.'

'Hank's taking his time,' said Presto. 'Wonder where he is.'

Diana stifled a knowing smile. Sheila hadn't returned either, and those two were probably having a wonderful, quiet and romantic time together, for once. They didn't get the chance to be alone often.

'I'm sure he'll be back soon,' said the Acrobat. 'Besides, there's no rush.'

Presto nodded, though a shade more half-heartedly than she'd expected. They'd been sitting side by side by the base of the Statue for a while in comfortable silence, but now the Magician seemed on edge. The next minute of silence was much more tense, and Diana was sure he was building up to saying something.

Sure enough, she heard Presto take a deep breath.

'Diana,' he said, 'can I ask you something?' She smiled brightly at him, but he was looking real worried. The Hat was lying across his knee, and he was rubbing the end of it between his hands. 'It's kinda… well…'

He looked up at her, with an expression she'd never seen before.

'Magic,' he said haltingly. 'I try, and I don't know what else to do.' His voice dropped to a rough whisper. 'I'm never gonna get it right. I should just give up. I'm no good.'

She put her hand on his arm, trying to reassure the Magician. She knew better than to think this was just a small crisis of confidence. Presto might moan about the Hat, or call it dumb or stupid, but he loved magic; never before had he wanted to give up.

'I don't understand what I have to do to make it work,' he said, his voice with a hint of anger. 'It doesn't come with a manual, Dungeonmaster's never said anything to help, except dumb "twiddles" and…'

He stopped. Diana knew what he was thinking, she had seen it earlier when the Cavalier and the Barbarian were arguing. What was it Shawn the Wizard had said in Kilan? And you should know, Magician, that even if this Cavalier is too weak and cowardly to use it, his power will ALWAYS surpass yours!

She didn't believe it; she doubted any of them did, even Eric himself. But Presto did, and Diana found it hard to understand; that anyone would be jealous of Eric was a joke!

'Eric,' said Presto thickly, 'all this time, I never saw it.'

'Shawn was doing it deliberately,' she told him, 'because you and the Hat were the ones he feared.'

The Magician shook his head and said firmly.

'I don't think so.'

'C'mon, Presto, this is Eric we're talking about! You know what he's like!'

That got a grudging smile out of the Magician, but it only lasted for a few seconds.

'And he hates me,' Presto said blankly.

That statement took her by surprise. What was he talking about? They were best friends!

'C'mon, Presto!' she said in disbelief. 'I know he's been a little off lately, but those Trogs really messed with his head. He's all over the place!'

There was another silence; a much colder, and angry silence.

'You chose me over him, back with the Trogs. You came to help me, not him. He was my best friend, but I don't think he's gonna forgive me for that.'

Taken aback at the conviction, Diana couldn't think of a suitable reply, and Presto seemed to take her silence as confirmation of his theory. He turned away from her, trying unsuccessfully to hide the hurt expression

Diana gave a resigned smile. Was this gonna be her good deed for the day? Defending the Cavalier?

'Eric is your friend,' she told Presto. 'He was as worried about you as we were. And he doesn't blame you about what happened. And he doesn't hate you.'

He turned back, not speaking, but looked keenly at her. Her smile widened.

'He might hate Hank. And Dungeonmaster. And the Realm. But he doesn't hate you. Trust me on that one!'

Again, Presto gave her a rueful smile.

'They did have a pretty good showdown, didn't they,' he said.

'It was a good job we left when we did, I think they'd have come to blows! And Eric's been beaten up too often already!'

'You think Hank'd win?' he asked incredulously.

'Sure! You know Eric, he can't fight his way out of a wet paper bag!'

'Couldn't,' corrected Presto. 'I'm not so sure about that now.'

'I still say Hank would win, hands down,' said Diana firmly. The Magician still didn't look convinced. 'C'mon Presto! Hank's not the one who repeatedly gets carried off, is he!'

'Well…'

'And Eric isn't exactly cast in the heroic mould!'

Presto did smile properly at that.

'But he was funny as a Bogbeast!'

Diana grinned at him, nodding enthusiastically. Eric the Bogbeast was certainly one of the funniest things to happen in the Realm. And there was nothing like a little bit of harmless mocking of Eric to cheer everyone up!

The smile on Presto's face faded, but instead of looking miserable, he just looked thoughtful. He looked down at the Hat once more.

'Consequences,' he said with a sigh. 'I still don't understand.'

She gripped his arm, giving him a warm smile. 'You will. I know you will.'

He still didn't smile, but still had that wistful look on his face. There was silence for a short time.

'Do you miss Kosar?' he asked suddenly.

The question caught her totally off guard. If it had been anyone but Presto she wouldn't have bothered answering. But after the Temple of Love they understood that they shared the same pain. Both Kosar and Varla were forever out of reach. No one else understood the way she felt. The Magician didn't let it show very often, for fear of being teased, but he felt as much for the Illusionist as she had for Kosar.

She nodded, with the bitter thought that "miss Kosar" was too much of an understatement.

'I miss Varla,' said the Magician. 'It's weird, I only knew her for a few days, but it felt like I'd known her forever. I really miss her.'

Diana understood. She'd spoken to Sheila a few times, and the Thief had tried to help, but only Presto really knew what she was talking about.

'I still dream about him,' she murmured. 'I know, it's dumb but…'

The Magician gave her a consoling smile.

'I understand. I dream, too.'

'But dreaming won't bring him back.'

Presto didn't reply. They had all heard Dungeonmaster's words after Starfall, but they made no more sense now that they did at the time. There was always the hope that they would meet again. She had lived the past few months on that hope, and it was slowly beginning to fade. He wasn't going to return.

She looked at Presto, who was staring at the ground. No prizes for guessing who he was thinking about. Recognising the indefinable ache that was written all over his face, the Acrobat shuffled a little closer and put an arm round his shoulders.

They sat together in silence once more and the minutes passed quickly.

But before too long, Bobby appeared back, holding what looked like a chocolate bar, Uni trotting beside him with her muzzle smeared with food.

Giving Presto a reassuring smile, Diana moved her arm and waved at the Barbarian.

If he thought it was odd that she'd had her arm round the Magician's shoulders, he didn't say anything. Now, if it had been Eric, they would never have heard the end of it, but at least Bobby seemed to be able to see beyond the quick quip, and let it pass. He plopped himself down on the other side of Diana.

Again, they waited, listening to the sounds of the town, and Bobby chomping on the chocolate.

'The people here are real friendly,' said the Barbarian at last.

Looking back, she should have known something was going to happen; after all, they'd been in the Realm long enough to know that you don't tempt Fate like that. But at the time, she smiled back at the Barbarian and nodded in agreement.

'Yeah,' she replied. 'It's been fun.'

The words were hardly out of her mouth when she saw the man. She noticed him as soon as he set foot in the Square. He didn't look like the other townspeople, he was dressed in dark hunting robes, and a long, dark cape. There was something about his attire that reminded her of the strange supply shop she and Presto had seen, and she was going to mention it to the Magician. But the man walked right up to where they were sitting.

Uni backed away behind the Barbarian, frowning at the newcomer.

'You should come with me,' he said.

No greeting, no formalities, just a statement. Like they were gonna respond to that!

'Why?' demanded Diana. 'We've not done anything!'

'My Mistress wishes the pleasure of your company,' he said, not sounding particularly friendly. 'She wishes you to join her.'

Diana pulled a face.

'No way! We're waiting for our friends!'

The man glanced at their weapons, but still persisted.

'You will come with me. Now.'

Bobby was on his feet, the Club already glowing.

'Oh, yeah?' he said. 'Why would we do somethin' as dumb as that?'

'We already have one of you,' the man told them with a grim smile. 'And you wouldn't want anything nasty to happen to him, would you?'

Diana scowled. Goddamn that boy! She knew he wouldn't have stayed out of trouble. She was getting really, really sick of this happening! It would serve him right if they just left him too it this time!

'Just wait til I get my hands on that dumb Cavalier!' she snarled.

The man looked back, surprise on his face. Then he smirked.

'But it's your Ranger!'

He knew something was wrong the instant he awoke. He ached, his head was pounding and he could smell blood. Why was he like this, why was he feeling so bad?

What had he done to end up here, wherever here was?

Screwing his eyes up, he tried to remember what had happened.

He and the Thief had parted company in the street, and Hank had watched her as she walked back towards the Square until she was out of sight. Then he'd wandered on further, down some roads and alleys, not going anywhere in particular.

Nothing much had happened, until after he'd turned back towards the Square.

The street was almost empty, and the three men came out of nowhere, dragging him off down one of the small alleys. Of course, he'd put a fight, a pretty decent one at that, but they were determined. And once the Bow had been yanked out of his hand, one of them struck him across the back of his head, hard.

He reached up, and touched the lump gently. That really hurt! He'd had his share of fights in the Realm, and back at school, but he'd never felt this bad before.

But that wasn't the worst of it. How could he have been stupid enough to get himself beaten up! Wasn't that Eric's usual trick? Why had he let his guard down and stopped paying attention? Why had he not seen this coming?

And what about the others? What about Sheila?

That wasn't a nice thought.

Maybe he could get out of there.

But it was difficult to tell where he was, as it was almost pitch black. There was a thin streak of light leaking in from under what seemed to be a door; and the room smelt strongly of dank grass. He tried to force the door, but it wouldn't move, and there seemed to be no other way out; no windows, no secret exits, and no one else to help.

He gave a resigned sigh.

'Guess I'm gonna have to sit and wait,' he muttered.