Chapter 4

Sheldor could see the enchanted path finally dip down and knew the magical path was finally leading them out of LonLary and into Galstire.

Penelope hadn't said a word or even spared a look his way since their conversation. He was thankful for the silence, but he felt hollow and saddened by the lack of her voice. He knew he was horrible with dealing with emotions and even harder in reading them.

She was thrown to the witch by her only family as if she had no value… even HE could understand how much that would weigh on a person. Sheldor couldn't remember his family, did he even have one and would he recognize them if he saw them? It was a constant struggle in his mind, so he learned to shove it away. He was only 13 when he woke up in the middle of the already burned down farm house in Galstire… the town they were headed to. He really did try to remember more, but he could only remember the box with 'From Memaw' written very beautifully in ink. After that, it was just memories of being trained and raised by a man who claimed to be in love with his mother… Eric VonGablehauser.

VonGablehauser was a marauder, at first, but as the witches Winklivre and Lordornia got stronger… he knew he had to put his powers to good use. He taught Sheldor how to place his magic in forms of weapons… how to know when to use magic… and when to use your mind. He taught him that magic must TAKE in order to GIVE. Though the marauder was very smart, he still cut himself off from everyone, even Sheldor, but still… he raised him to be a better man… a stronger man. It was Winklivre that killed VonGablehauser when Sheldor was 18, chewed him up in her dragon form and swallowed with a grin. He couldn't do anything to prevent it… just watched as his mentor was just another meal for the witch. He used his anger and magic to slay the Dragon Child, but he wasn't quick enough… wasn't good enough to save the only person he ever cared about.

In reality, he was much like the blonde woman. He, too, watched his only family being ripped from his fingertips, and all he did was watch.

They made it to the top of the decline and Sheldor watched as the red clay bottom of the canyon was hidden by the walls of the enchanted path. He looked over to see Penelope stopped on the top and smiled down the slope. Sheldor swallowed at the beauty of her smile and finally made it to where she stood and looked down in the direction she was smiling. Onar was sitting on his haunches giving a big yawn with his monstrous jaws in the middle of the path at the bottom of the tall hill. Sheldor grinned a little and was relieved to see his friend well. Onar sniffed the air after his yawn and snapped his head up and saw them at the top of the hill. He hopped up and his tail began to wag in a happy fashion.

Sheldor had learned that there was a minimal distance to the nerkanine's telepathy, it was approximately 22.4 feet from the radial center that was his mind. It was quite a fascinating discovery in itself as he had to do many experiments to calculate it. As the two hurried down the hill, it was within those perimeters… they were met with happy, relieved thoughts full of 'Missed You' 'Glad you're ok' and other emotional dribble. Sheldor amused himself with the thought that if he were anymore de-evolved… he'd have tackled them and drowned them with drool.

Onar started to trot happily beside them as they all began to travel forward again. Penelope moved forward and stayed close to the canyon wall and Sheldor noticed that her weapon was gone. Before he could question it, Onar's voice cascaded in his mind, "She didn't try to kill you while you were traveling, did she?"

Sheldor shook his head no, "On the contrary… she tried to kiss me, but she stopped herself and quickly removed her persons very hastily." Onar snorted in amusement, causing Sheldor to scowl at him. When Sheldor looked back over at the woman… the glaive had returned as if it had not left and he hummed in diversion.

Sheldor did not mention the exposing of her heartlessness as he gave the woman a glare of regret. The three stopped at they came to an interesting hitch in the road. Wolowix groaned, "Greeeaaatt! Man, this just keeps getting better and better." Sheldor muttered under his breath, "What… what is it?"

There, in the middle of the enchanted path and not but a few yards from the exit to Galstire, was a lion's rear facing them and bouncing happily to an unheard melody. Its long tail with fur on the tip was sticking straight up like a flag pole and the tip bounced to the same tune as the butt. The creature was 23 feet tall and seemed to have its front part leaned to the ground and its butt straight up in the air. The three moved to the side to get a better look of the front of the beast and saw that it had a human head and the rest of the body a lion. It also appeared to be male from the testicles and male face. He was humming and had a single claw poked out and waving it at the song while watching a string of ants strolling across in a line.

Penelope cleared her throat and the lummox stomped and stumbled and straightened to eventually face them. Wolowix snorted, "Is that supposed to be a sphinx? Sphinxes are merciless, clever, and downright malevolent… I think this one came from a pride where sleeping with your cousin is ok."

Sheldor gave a gaspy laugh and the other two looked at him with confusion. He waved his hands to show he didn't mean it. Completely forgotten that they couldn't hear Wolowix, he cleared his throat and shook the hand that had the wrist watch upon it.

Penelope stood forward towards the male sphinx and smiled, "Hi… is it ok if you could possibly move to the side and let us pass. We're really really tired and would like to get to our home."

The handsome faced sphinx gave a grin and he leaned down to his belly and talked with a cute little voice, "Hey… Ummm… I'm sorry, but I can't let you pass. Not unless you can answer my riddle, that is." He raised his front lion paw and rested his human chin upon it and gave Penelope a dreamy look, Sheldor half expected to see heart bubbles floating and popping above his head. The sphinx whispered loudly to the woman, "You are such a babe… no REALLY. I've seen a lot of women come through here and you are…"

Sheldor had had enough, he cut the creature's game off with an angered voice, "What is this riddle so we may hurry and pass." He stepped beside Penelope with an exaggerated scowl and the sphinx stood back up with a shocked look, "Wow dude… I.. I didn't know she was your lady. My bad!"

Penelope and Sheldor looked at each other with furrowed brows then back at the sphinx and spoke at the same time, "I'm not his lady!" "She is NOT my lady!"

Onar rolled his eyes and snorted as the sphinx laughed and grinned as he leaned down a little, "So… I have a shot, then?" Sheldor and Penelope spoke again at the same time, "Not in a million years!" "I guess so!"

Wolowix groaned humorously, "Wow… we might be here for a while."

Onar stepped in front the two humans and included the sphinx in his circumference of telepathy, "Please… just give us the riddle!"

The sphinx poised himself, "Alright… but let me start from the beginning! I… I tend to forget the riddle if I don't." Sheldor rolled his eyes and moaned loudly as the sphinx cleared his throat and started to speak in a deep voice, "I am Zackuberi… Sphinx of the Johnsayl Pride. In order to pass into the land of Galstire, you must answer my riddle or I will consume your flesh and leave your soul to wonder the land. Are you prepared and willing to participate in my challenge?" He waited a few second then almost snapped out of character as he spoke, goofily, "This is the part where you either say yes or run away in fear." Sheldor smiled as Wolowix hummed, "Oh Brother!"

Sheldor, without consulting the others, stepped forward and quickly answered, "We accept your challenge." Sheldor refused to let this utter idiot best him in anything, there was no way he was in any way clever and he was confident that he could answer whatever the moronic cat-man could dish out.

Zackuberi smiled handsomely, "SWEET! I haven't had any takers before." He cleared his throat again and popped into his deep voiced character that got another eye roll sent to him from the witch hunter, "Here is the riddle… ummm… uhhh… Oh… OH!"

"I do not breathe, but I run and jump
I do not eat, but I swim and stretch
I do not drink, but I grow and play
I do not see, but I support you everyday
What am I?"

Sheldor squinted and let the information gather in his big brain. He hummed as he thought, but Penelope stepped forward and cleared her throat. Sheldor look over at her with an annoyed look and she smiled and gave a wink before looking at the sphinx and spoke loudly, "You're a Leg!"

Zackuberi gave a huge grin, "Wow… gorgeous AND smart, you're one hell of a catch. That was correct! You may pass, but the others must each answer their own riddle."

Penelope looked back at the others with a mischievous grin and gave them a wink before turning towards the sphinx and smiling, "How about this, handsome… I'll ask YOU a riddle and if you can't answer it, you let my friend's pass… if not… you can eat them and we'll go out on a date. Deal?"

Zackuberi gave a grin, "That sounds fair… Deal!"

Penelope grinned and spoke, "Alright… here is my riddle…"

"Larger than a mountain
But smaller than a pea
Endlessly treading
In a waterless sea
What am I?"

The sphinx looked wide eyed and seemed to go incoherent. The sphinx lay back on his stomach with his paws laid forward and his face went stern. Within a few seconds, the beast was covered in stone. Penelope had bested the beast and in turn… reduced the creature to stone until the next challenge. She did a funny dance in place then pumped her fist up in the air and back down to her side in a show of victory. She moved around the statue and paused to pat the lion on the butt with a grin on her face. Sheldor, annoyed, stared at the sphinx's face as Onar wagged his tail and moved past the statue. Wolowix chimed into Sheldor's head, "Sore. Loser. What is it that makes you more angry… the fact that you couldn't answer the sphinx's riddle… or that you can't answer HERS?"

Sheldor growls, "Shut it, Wolowatch!"

The trinket laughed inside his head as he moved past the statue to see the group of two waiting for him. He looked over at Penelope with a scowl, but it softened as he saw her grin. She was some kind of witchcraft, that woman.

He joined the two and looked at the woman, "Well done, Miss Penelope. And where is it that you learned your art of deciphering psycholinguistics?"

She smiled, but it twisted in confusion and he rolled his eyes, "Riddles…"

Her face saddened, pursing her lips before turning to continue traveling down the path. They all followed after her and he believed she wouldn't answer… but her voice filled their ears with a low tone, "My father… he was real good at them. Used to ask me a bunch while we doing chores around the farm… so much so that I got real good at them."

Sheldor felt a strike in his stomach at her sad voice. Wolowix's voice made it worse, "Man. No wonder you're still a virgin, even your compliments make the ladies sad."

Sheldor forgot his surroundings and blurted out, "Shut UP!"

The echo of his order ricocheted through the walls of the path, making Onar wince and Penelope to stop and look back at him. Sheldor slapped his hand over his mouth and looked positively regretful. He immediately poised himself and cleared his throat, "I… I was not speaking towards you."

Penelope stepped forward with a livid look on her face and she spoke with an almost high pitched voice, "Then who the hell were you talking to, then?"

Sheldor closed his eyes and sought out Wolowix's advice. Should he tell her or should he keep his secret. He never told anyone about Wolowix unless the cursed one agreed to it. Wolowix sighed inside his head and the watch on the Sheldor's wrist began to glow and disappeared from his wrist. Penelope's eyes went wide and she stepped backwards as a blue ghost of a short male with a bowl hair cut hovered in mid air right before them. Wolowix smiled and gave a bow, "Nice to finally meet you, Miss Penelope… I am Howardrick Wolowix… I am an Innovagygr wizard cursed by the witch who has your heart. Now, though, I'm just the inner monologue of this nutcase." Wolowix pointed his thumb to Sheldor as he scowled at the ghost.

Penelope finally smiled and stepped forward, "So… you're that second aura I kept seeing… interesting. Well, it's nice to meet you, too." She gave a faked curtsy then glared at Sheldor. He swallowed as looked down to the ground and Wolowix came to his aid, "Don't be mad at him… he's actually a very good friend. He's really really bad at keeping secrets, but he keeps mine to keep me safe. Don't know why I showed myself to the drone of a witch that turned me into that relic, but… you seem like a person just as cursed as I am." Wolowix smiled and Penelope nodded in agreement.

Onar stepped beside the ghost and he and the hologram began to discuss and speak on things as if they had left off from a saved point. Sheldor sighed and began to move forward on the path leaving the two to chat. Penelope hurried to his side and he looked over at her with wide eyes and felt strange, "I… I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if we could trust you."

The woman gave him a smile, "You really are a good friend… No need to apologize." They kept walking each with a small smile and she spoke again, "I had no idea there was a small little wizard yelling stuff at you inside your head… no wonder you're such a whack-a-doodle." He was about to give her a scowl, but the beauty of her laughing face stopped it dead in its tracks and he couldn't stop the grin on his lips.

The sun was attempting to fall past the newly formed hills of the terrain. Everyone was walking and talking and becoming better friends as they traveled. Onar and Wolowix had Penelope in a whorl of discussion about her riddle while Sheldor led the march… antisocial as he ever was, until he saw it and froze right in place. Wolowix's protoplasm flowed all around him as Onar and Penelope had to round themselves and stop to look at him. Wolowix gathered himself and floated beside him and got a good look at what the witch hunter was looking at.

The sign that once said 'Welcome to Galstire' was now covered in a message of blood that now said 'Welcome Home, Sheldor'.

Sheldor began to breathe heavily at the sign and felt something building inside his chest and he groaned to try and get rid of the feeling. Sheldor swallowed and moved forward and Penelope grabbed at her heart as her face twisted in pain then followed the group with her eyes, an unnatural green.