Spring Break
Chapter 7
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

"So what do you think of these colors, Renard?

"Well, Marcon said it was not blood or charred. So it has to be something else."

"Let's begin the scratch test and see if we can flake some of it off."

Eldwin takes a wooden block and presses it on the tooth to steady it because of the magic on it. Renard takes a knife and touches the red surface. Seeing no reaction, he begins to scrape it and shave off the red covering.

"If it is paint, the mineral spirits will let us know."

"Right Renard,” Eldwin sets the wooden block down and reaches for a sealed jar and a small cup and puts them on the table. He opens the jar and pours a little bit of the liquid into the cup.

Renard takes the knife again and scrape some of the red covering on the table surface onto the knife. He then brings the knife over the small cup and taps the knife to drop the red shavings onto the liquid.

The red shavings run and break down and mix with the liquid. But a new reaction takes place. They see a little bit of yellow smoke appear and floating into the air.

"What was that?"

"There was something mixed in with the red paint."

"That is obvious. But what is it?"

While they were pondering that mystery, Renard's contact sphere is glowing on the shelf nearby. Renard sees it and picks it up. Then the image of Sir Halgren appears.

"We just received dire news; we met one of the Outside Helpers here. He just confirmed our suspicions. That tooth has a knife point dipped in sea dragon's blood."

"Where did it come from Sir Halgren?"

"It came from the Master Wizard Ruald of Maranelle Island Kingdom. He's the survivor from the islands to the West. He was a young wizard in training then."

"Oh, my Maker, that explains a lot."

"Corrbas is the one who sent that tooth yesterday; he was dressed as a servant. Behind that knife point is a crystal sphere with a message. Belisar just showed Richard and me a wizard in training medallion with a broken chain. Sir Peridan just gave us the most incredible story to believe in. You will hear the same story from Corrbas on the crystal sphere."

"Thanks for the warning. Now we know what to look for. We can figure out the rest of clues with this tooth."

"There's more, Renard and Eldwin."

"Yes, Sir Halgren."

"Belisar says there is an attempt to spread the sickness during the day. Right now he thinks there are five to fifteen people sick in the Maranelle Island Kingdom. Richard thinks it will be done during the noon repast. Is any fish or fowl served in the castle today?"

"Why, yes, both are being served,"

"Richard said there could be a compromise there. He wants the Master Chef in there to be extra clean, heat the metal utensils, pots and pans before he starts, burn the wooden utensils or bring in new and clean utensils, pots and pans."

"Thanks for the warning; we'll take care of that. We'll contact Tierion and Dryden, go and inform Sir Trenton."

"Yes, Renard and Eldwin."

The image disappears. Renard and Eldwin look at each other.

"We better check the black coloring as well."

"Yes, Corrbas knew it would find its way here."

"We must contact the Kings right now and warn them."

"See if we can do a group call."

Eldwin reaches for his contact sphere. Eldwin recites the spell. They wait a moment, and then the images of their King appear above their respective crystal sphere.

"Can we speak privately my King with you and Lord Tierion?"

"Yes, Tierion is with me. Give us a moment."

The image disappears. They wait patiently for a few moments.

Eldwin's sphere glows. He places his palm facing it and activates the spell. The images of both Kings appear.

"Go ahead, Eldwin and Renard. What did you discover?"

"We were just informed by Sir Halgren. The Outside Helper from Maranelle told all and it was confirmed by his escort. The sea tooth was delivered by Corrbas in servant’s clothes yesterday. Corrbas was Second Wizard there until Master Wizard Ruald demoted him when he challenged his behavior. I remember the incident well."

"What are you saying, Eldwin?"

"It was Master Wizard Ruald who was the survivor on the islands to the West. He was a young wizard in training then."

"By the Twin Moons, Tierion, that explains it all."

"Yes my Lords. We were told that the knife point we saw is actually dipped in sea dragon's blood. Behind that, there is a crystal sphere with a message from Corrbas. We have not retrieved it yet."

"There's more. Their Outside Helper witnessed at least fifteen people who might be sick from eating wild animals. He is not sure if there are more."

"They are planning to spread the sickness while we're together today. Richard thinks the best opportunity would be during the noon repast."

"We will have to change the food quickly. Fortunately we still have time for that. The meat has not been prepared and cooked yet."

"Richard said he wants the Master Chef in there to be extra clean, heat the metal utensils, pots and pans before he starts, burn the wooden utensils or bring in new and clean utensils, pots and pans."

"Usually washing and scrubbing is clean enough. But why use heat Lord Tierion?"

“If Richard is requesting this Dryden, then he has a good reason. Maybe the answer will present itself when we are in the kitchen."

"Probably, Tierion."

"Is that all, Renard?"

"Sir Halgren contacted us first; he's going to contact Sir Trenton once we get done talking."

"Good, that means we all have to work a little harder. We know Richard is up for it."

"Yes, we just need to be wary of any more surprises that will happen."

"We'll take care of the kitchen. We know who we can call on to help us determine which one is sick, the fairies."

"The fairies, my Lord?"

"Richard said this morning he smelled blood on the breaths of the people in his dream."

"That's right; they will smell like wild animals. All right, recruit some fairies my King. I'm sure they will be pleased with helping, they will probably need a bath once it is over," Eldwin smiles.

King Dryden smiles, "I'm sure they will. If you find the message before we start, let us know, if not keep at it. There might be something new from Corrbas."

"Yes, my King." Both Renard and Eldwin respond at the same time.

The image disappears above the crystal.

"Renard, we must continue. Let's see if we can scrape the black
covering and see how deep it is."

"All right, let's see what we get."

Eldwin holds the tooth down with the wood block again. Renard
takes the knife and scrapes the black covering. Some of it comes off and falls to the table surface.

"Well, it is definitely not burnt because I don't smell that odor."

"Nor do I, let's put it into the mineral spirits and see what happens."

"All right," Eldwin reaches for another small cup and places it on the table. He pours some of the liquid into another cup and puts the lid back on the jar of mineral spirits.

Renard picks up the knife and scrapes the table to put some of the black powder onto the knife. He then taps the knife carefully to drop the powder into the cup of the mineral spirits.

The black powder begins to run and mix with the mineral spirits but a blue cloud is emitted into the air.

"That was unexpected again. What is going on Eldwin?"

"Two separate reactions, two separate results. Hmm.... I've seen this before, but a long time ago from one of my studies with my wizard mentor. I think I know what it is. It's a dual reaction spell. It's hardly used anymore. I think Corrbas wanted to keep curious eyes away from the prize within the sea tooth."

"So if I mix both colors together and put them in one cup of mineral spirits we will get something new?"

"Yes, then the spell will work by itself and do something for us."

"All right, let's do that."

Renard scrapes some more red and black material from the sea tooth onto the table and mixes them together. Eldwin brings down another cup down from the shelf and fills it with the mineral spirits again after opening the jar. He closes the jar and puts it on a shelf nearby.

"Let me put a metal plate under the tooth this time."

"Yes, Eldwin."

Eldwin carefully moves the sea tooth onto the plate by using the wooden block he used earlier. He then places the cup of mineral spirits near the sea tooth.

"Alright, Eldwin, let's see what happens."

Renard takes the mixture and scrapes some of it onto the knife blade. He taps the knife so the shavings and powder mixture fall into the cup of mineral spirits. This time the reaction is more violent and bubbles, soon green smoke comes forth. The sea tooth glows green and fades away. Then the knife point pops out and falls onto the plate with two 'pl-ink' sounds. The tip is covered in dried green blood.

Eldwin then touches the sea tooth. "It doesn't tingle anymore Renard. We can now pick up the sea tooth safely. Apparently Corrbas used a clever dual spell to activate a common spell we use to seal our doors." He smiles at the ingenuity of it.

Eldwin tips the sea tooth and a small crystal sphere rolls out onto the metal plate.

"Look, there it is. Activate it; let's see what Corrbas has to say."

Just about Eldwin is going to activate the sphere they hear a loud commotion and noise outside his window.

"What is going on out there? It sounds like the dragons are angry."

The both walk to window and open it up. They see the dragons flying in circles around the castle in a rage, roaring with anger. Renard and Eldwin hold their hands to their ears to muffle the rage.

Soon they see some fairies flying towards them quickly. They hover in front of them.

"What is going on, fairies?"

"The dragons smell their own blood being spilled. They want revenge. It is most terrible."

Eldwin and Renard look at each other quickly and say at the same time, "The knife point!"

They quickly run back to the table. "We must get the knife point back inside the sea tooth and seal it quickly."

Renard recites the elevation spell quickly. The knife point elevates in the air. Eldwin brings the tooth under the knife point and brings it up to the knife point. Once the knife settles into the tooth cavity, Renard releases the knife point and it falls into the cavity.

Eldwin quickly puts a piece of paraffin on top of the hole and presses it into the cavity. He then recites the sealing spell to seal the tooth. It glows green. They immediately walk to the window to see if it worked.

They see the dragons have calmed down and are landing in the fields to regain their breath. The wizards smile at each other and give a sigh of relief.

"What did you do, you Wizards?"

"Did you hear the rumors of the sea tooth that was delivered to the pavilion of Thryson Kingdom?"

"Yes we did, Wizard Eldwin." The other fairies nodded their heads as well.

Then Eldwin holds up the sea tooth for them to see. "This is it. We just figured out how to open it. We found a knife point dipped in dried green blood."

"That's the color of the dragon's blood! How did it get there?"

"It's a long story. You will hear it all soon. Once Marcon settles down, have him come up here. We'll explain what is happening. There is still danger inside the castle today. We have people in there who are doing their best to keep the peace on Twainor."

"All right, we'll go tell Marcon and the other dragons out there.

"Thank you both," responded all the fairies. They all fly away in many directions but keep flying towards the dragons.

Once they calmed down they see Marcon flying towards them and he lands on a crenelle near the wizard's window.

Renard and Eldwin bow deeply, "We are so sorry for the pain. We did not realize what would happen. We will explain what is going on."

Marcon listens intently to the circumstances about the sea tooth, the servant, Corrbas, Ruald and the problems in Maranelle Islands Kingdom. Marcon finally breathes a sigh of relief once it is all explained.

"So it was Ruald who did this. I received word from the other dragons near that kingdom. They heard that blood was being spilled. We thought it was dark magic of some type."

"We can imagine it so. But from what Sir Peridan and Belisar told Sir Halgren and Richard it really started at those islands to the West. We're speculating what happened, apparently the fishermen stumbled upon the breeding grounds of the sea dragons. Being the fishermen they are, they began to kill them to harvest them. They probably didn't realize what was going to happen next."

"Yes, it would be a terrible battle. Then Ruald is the only survivor of that battle. Somehow he found his way back home. Either he or someone else began the rumors of the fleet being destroyed and began the war."

"Now we have the chance, Marcon, to rectify and finally bring it to a peaceful ending."

"I will tell the others this story. We will remain vigilant out here if something new develops. I'm sure it was mayhem inside the Grand Hall for a few moments."

"You're right Marcon. Since we don't see the dome in rubble, we averted the tragedy inside just in time."

"That you did. Be well my good Wizards. Good luck in hunting this evil."

We smile at Marcon, "We will, Marcon. Thank you for your understanding."

We nod our heads to Marcon and he nods his head as well and smiles. He then flaps his wings and joins his brethren in the field.

Renard and Eldwin walk back inside. "That was close, Eldwin."

"Yes, it was, Renard. Now let's see and hear what Corrbas has to say."

Eldwin recites the spell to activate the recording on the sphere. An image of Corrbas appears above the crystal sphere.

"Greetings Master Eldwin, I hope this message gets to you time. There is evil planned for the day of the Outside Helpers."

Corrbas then explains the sequence of events that Escort Peridan just gave to Sir Halgren and Richard earlier. Renard and Eldwin sit there with mouths open in astonishment on what is happening on Maranelle Island the last fifty years or so and the history of Ruald.

"Eldwin, do you think we have done all we can to prevent this tragedy today?"

"Let us hope so. Corrbas was wise to let Belisar and Sir Peridan to help relay the news as backup if we could not decipher this sea tooth in time. It allowed us to put our plans together quickly."

"We can trust Tierion and Dryden to take care of the noon repast problem. Now we can just focus on the sequence of events this morning. Let us watch and wait what happens. We'll react accordingly."

"If I know Richard, he will improvise on the spot to help us catch them. He already anticipated he could be a target. That will give us an edge to move quickly."

"He's going to sacrifice himself?"

"By no means, Eldwin," Renard smiles, "Under his shirt is a breast and back plate to protect him. He requested it before we came here yesterday."

"What caused that conclusion?"

"Earth has this sickness far longer than we can imagine. It's been in their blood for thousands of years. He's very aware that an assassin could be there because they have them on Earth. Remember what he said this morning after the bad dream?"

"Yes, he has the self-control against the urge to kill. He has the mental tools to keep it in check. If he were to drink the blood or eat meat from a wild animal it would not affect him like it would for us."

"That is right, Eldwin. That is our advantage and Ruald doesn't know that."

"Come we must join with the others. We can wrap this sea tooth in a cloth wrap now and carry it safely."

Eldwin wraps the sea tooth in a large cloth to cover it twice and puts a sealing spell on it. He then takes that and inserts it into the bag that Renard brought. He also places the crystal sphere in the bag as well. He pulls the draw string tight and knots it. He then recites another sealing spell on the bag so that it cannot be tampered with easily. He then places that into his satchel and carries it with him.

Renard goes to the table and pours out two cups of water and hands one to Eldwin. Renard raises his cup as Eldwin raises his cup.

"May we be steadfast and wary of the enemy."

"To be ready at a moment’s notice to give aid."

"For Twainor!"

"For the Maker!"

They quickly drink the cups of water and place the cups on the table. Renard picks up his satchel and puts it around his shoulders. They both walk out of Eldwin's private study. Eldwin recites a sealing spell on the door and it glows green. They walk down the hallway and stairs to find their respective kingdoms.

Renard and Eldwin see their Kings near the front entrance closed doors looking concerned. They turn and see the two wizards approaching them.

"Thanks to the Twin Moons. You just missed a very bad scene in there. In one moment the dragons were in a rage. They were roaring in anger."

"Then the next moment they got calm. Once they settled down and received words of comfort from all. They finally remembered the reason for the day."

"We can only image it in there. Because it was our fault that caused it?"

"How so, Eldwin?"

"That knife point is dipped in sea dragon's blood. However, it was dry, but it was enough to send the dragons outside into a rage as well. Once we realized what happened we were able to put the knife point back inside the sea tooth and seal it. We did retrieve the crystal sphere that was hidden in there by Corrbas, my Kings.

"Praise the Twin Moons. Where is the sea tooth now?"

"I have the sea tooth with me and double sealed in my satchel. The only intention I have for it; is to show it to the people."

"We'll tell about the kitchen problem later. We did it get resolved. The guilty are asleep and in the cells below."

"Once the fairies determined all wild animal blood is not present; I still ordered all of the food in the kitchen to be disposed of to the Fire Mountains. Then have all pots, pans, table surfaces, kitchen utensils, etc. to be thoroughly scrubbed, cleansed and heated. Then new food items will be brought in. They're working on the menu as we speak. I have two squads of guards posted to make sure nothing goes into the kitchen unless requested by the Master Chef. Whoever leaves the kitchen gets escorted and returns escorted. Fortunately the blood jars were found, only one had been opened. They had already spread the sickness to the meats in the cold boxes."

"That should provide enough security my King."

"Come, it is time to begin the ceremony for the Outside Helpers. Let us begin the celebration and say our silent prayers for the inquiry afterwards."

The guards by the entrance open the doors. King Tierion, Renard and Eldwin walk in and go to their assigned positions. Then the fanfare from the trumpeters in the Grand Hall sound out loud and clear. Grand King Dryden walks up the stairs to center front of the dais, he turns and smiles.

The Grand Hall is set up in a semi-circle divided into twelve sections. Each section has its own kingdom banner and decorated with its own theme colors. The First Ones have their own seating up front and taking half that kingdom's front space. The other half front is seating for the king, queen and legion commander. Behind them is the seating for the castle lords and ladies and the wizards and sorceresses. The pages and hand maidens are seated among them to help them out. Behind the dignitaries are the military units arrayed as the front. One half is the navy, the other half is the army.

The entire floor elevation slopes up gradually to form a half bowl in the Grand Hall. There are aisles on both sides that lead downward towards the front of each kingdom section. It is divided in half with six on one side of the main entrance door and six on the other side. The six are divided in half again to form a total of four groups of three kingdoms each. This is the same arrangement as it is for the pavilion sites around the Grand Castle outside on the fields. These four groups also correspond to the Four Regions of Twainor. There are additional exits along the outside wall of the Grand Hall for emergency use only. All exit doors are manned by guards like the ones for the main entrance into the Grand Hall.

The people begin to fill the Grand Hall. Everyone is walking up the aisles to get to their seats. All kingdoms are present. Everybody looks around to see who has come. However, some are saddened to see that the First Ones from Maranelle Islands are not present. The First Ones who are present take note of the absence, but shake their heads knowing why they’re not there. There are fairies flying around to each of the First Ones whispering into their ears. They nod their heads in understanding of what is being said. They keep a straight face as they look around the room.

Then the Grand King begins to walk up the center floor aisle to center stage. He turns around and faces the crowd. He smiles as he raises his hand and looks around.

“Welcome, Twainor to the Grand Ceremony for the Outside Helpers.”

The kingdoms of Twainor begin to clap and cheer and make the loudest noise possible.