The Changeling Princess (38 page)

The Hall of Knowledge was a one room building, forty foot wide and forty foot long. It was filled with all types of artifacts and the walls were lined with pictures of diagrams. I concluded that the diagrams were early roadmaps, used for everything from building a log cabin to planting crops. My heart almost stopped when I was led to a portrait of the Angel of Deliverance. She had long auburn hair, she was dressed in a white toga and she was human. She looked enough like me to be my twin.

“
How is this possible?” I asked Wade, trying to contain my composure.

“
It appears that Mawanda was a gifted painter as well as a powerful Seer. Looking at this picture of you gives me the chills.

“
This is overwhelming.”

The senior Elder approached us holding a scroll in his hand. He unrolled the scroll and began reading out loud.
“Angel of Deliverance, protector of innocent, foe of evil. She all powerful, cannot be defeated. Angel of Deliverance bring peace to world by destroying wickedness.”

I faced the senior Elder.
“I am honored your Seer foretold of my coming. Wade and I will fight the forces that use the crystals for evil. We pledge this with our lives.”

The Elders took turns hugging us.
“From this day forward” said the senior Elder, “children will speak of day when visited by Angel of Deliverance. I proclaim this day holiday forever. Come, is time for feast. Entire town will come to greet you.”

“
Good Idea,” Wade whispered to me. “I’m starved.”

I looked at Wade.
“I’m hungry, too, but I’m not sure what kind of food the Mistazoids eat. Prepare yourself for the worst.”

“
I’m hungry enough to eat bugs and plant roots,” said Wade. “All I need is a little salt and pepper.”

* * *

The feast was more like a celebration. I saw animals roasting over open fires and enough vegetables and nuts to feed an army. I had no doubt whatsoever that we were in for a treat.

We found ourselves surrounded by Mistazoid children. They were full of laughter and they asked a million questions. It was fun to watch them play tag. Someone would get tagged and everyone would disappear, daring the tagged one to find them. I decided that happy children were universal. They were full of mischief and they had a zest for life that sadly seemed to fade with adulthood.

I was feeling pretty emotional when we settled down for the night in a Mistazoid cabin. Wade was extremely comforting. “I know it’s a lot to deal with, but Mawanda’s portrait proves you’re living out your destiny. It’s easy to see why you were singled out by the Supreme Entity. You don’t have a conceited bone in your entire body and you’re a natural born champion. You’re probably the most power creature in the universe and you don’t give a tinker’s damn about self-gratification. All you want to do is help others.”

I put my arms around Wade
’s neck. “I love your little speeches when you try to butter me up. Everything you said about me applies to you, too. I think you’re pretty wonderful.”

I couldn
’t imagine life without Wade. He was more precious than my own life and I knew in my heart we would always be together.

We awoke early the next morning and went for a walk. When we came to the crystal, there were several Mistazoids basking in the glow of the precious stone.
“It looks like this is a way of life for the Mistazoids,” I said.

“
It appears they’ve incorporated the crystal into their culture. I assume we’ll leave the crystal intact?”

“
I don’t detect any traces of evil, so we’ll just leave things as they are. Don’t look now, but I see a building that’s advertising ‘Eats.’ I know you’re not hungry, so we’ll just keep walking.”

“
You love to tease me don’t you, Janis? I take back all those all those wonderful things I said about you yesterday.”

We were both laughing as we sat down to an empty table. I looked up to see a middle aged lady rushing to our table.
“You Janis and Wade. I am owner. It is honor you eat here.” I looked around and saw several Mistazoids smiling at us.

“
Thank you,” I said, “and we are honored to be here.”

“
I fix special meal. You be pleased.”

I didn
’t have a chance to answer before the owner rushed into the kitchen. “We’re celebrities,” I said. “I guess we’re going to get the royal treatment.”

“
You’re the celebrity, Janis. “I’m just the sidekick.”

I frowned.
“Not to me, Wade. We’re a team and I don’t want to hear any more garbage about being you a sidekick. Is that understood?”

“
Okay, but only because you’re the boss and you can kick my butt.”

Wade was laughing as I threw up my hands up in the air in frustration.
“Jeez, Wade, you’re just as big a tease as I am.”

“
What’s the old saying, it takes one to know one.”

I think I squealed when the food arrived. There was so much of it, it covered the entire table.
“Where do we start?” I asked.

Wade began filling his plate.
“I’ve already started.”

We were served several cuts of meat and a variety of delicious vegetables I
’d never seen before. I finished two complete helpings, but Wade was already on his third. “Good food uh?” I asked. Wade nodded his head as he reached for another slab of barbecued beef.

For desert, we were served what tasted like pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
“I’m stuffed, I said, “but I’m not going to let this delicious pie go to waste.”

“
I agree. My mother always made me clean my plate when I was little.”

“
I bet she didn’t have to tell you twice.”

“
I think I’ve just been insulted.”

I was giggling as I placed five gold ohms on the table.
“I think that covers the food, plus a good sized tip.”

The owner walked up to our table and pushed the money toward me.
“No pay. We are honored. Ask one favor?”

I smiled.
“Of course, all you have to do is ask.”

“
Show daughter Angel of Deliverance. She never forget.”

“
I’d be happy to.”

“
Twanda!” the owner yelled out in the direction of the kitchen. A sweet young girl about eight or nine walked slowly out of the kitchen. I could tell immediately that she was bashful.

I stood up and smiled.
“Hello, Twanda, would you like to see the Angel of Deliverance?”

The young girl smiled.
“It would honor me.”

I morphed into the Angel of Deliverance and watched the young girls face beam with happiness.
“You beautiful Angle, I never forget you.”

I got down on one knee.
“Why thank you, Twanda, you are a lovely young lady.”

I hugged Twanda and then she smiled at Wade.
“You beautiful, too.” Twanda was still beaming as she hurried back to the kitchen.

The owner was overjoyed.
“Thank you,” she said. “You always welcome.”

The owner headed back to the kitchen and then I morphed back to Janis French. I turned to Wade.
“Come on, beautiful, let’s finish our walk.”

* * *

We walked to the edge of town and came to a large field of vegetables. The heat covering the soil was manufactured, so the Mistazoids had figured out how to use the power of the crystal to grow crops year around. I asked a farmer when the nuts came from that were served at the feast last night.

“
Nuts come from Kingdom of Dragon Riders. Very bad place. We buy nuts and hurry home.”

When he was pointed in the direction of the Kingdom of the Dragon Riders, I sensed that it was the direction of the next crystal. I knew we had our work cut out for us.

CHAPTER 66

We spent the rest of the day with the Mistazoids and left early the next morning. Visiting with the Mistazoids had been both an enjoyable and profound experience.

We’d been flying for a long time, so we decided to take a break and stretch our legs.

“
I don’t understand how flying as a Mist can make your legs cramp.” said Wade. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“
That’s a good question. Maybe it’s like being thirsty in the middle of an ocean.”

“
You’re just guessing, but that was a cute answer.”

“
Okay, here’s the real answer. You don’t get leg cramps flying over the ocean because of the moisture you absorb from the water. You can’t absorb moisture flying over dry land.”

Wade looked annoyed.
“Now I wished I hadn’t asked.”

We walked a mile or so through the forest before morphing back into Mists. It wasn
’t long before we saw water off in the distance and a large city near the shoreline. The city was twice the size of Cayland Town and there were dragons circling overhead. I was positive we’d reached the Kingdom of the Dragon Riders.

I had no idea what to expect as we landed on the outskirts of the city. As soon as we morphed back to our physical form, I had Wade invoke a cloaking spell so no one could pick up our scent.

Our plan was simple. Blend in with the locals and familiarize ourselves with the city. The Mistazoids said this was a bad place and I had no reason not to believe them. An evil character had probably gotten his hands on one of the crystals and he was forcing everyone in the city to do his bidding.

The townspeople were definitely Rens, so we did facial touchups to make sure we blended in with the crowds. When we were satisfied with the way we looked, we began our walk into the city.

The first thing that caught my attention was the extremely wide cobblestone streets. There were horses on one side of the street and several dragons tied to hitching posts on the opposite side of the street. I was astonished because I didn’t sense any fear from the horses. Ordinarily, a horse would have been terrified if it were within a mile of a dragon. We stopped to talk to a vender who was selling fruit.

“
We are strangers,” I said. “How did this city get its name?”

”
King and brothers ride dragons when Kingdom was young. Now wealthy Rens ride dragons too.

It was obvious that owning a dragon was a privilege for the rich. Judging from the few dragons we
’d seen, I doubted that there were more than two or three hundred dragons living in the city. “Do the wealthy think of the dragons as pets?” I asked the vender.

“
Yes, but all dragons belong to King. If people break law, dragon tells King.”

“
Who is the King that makes the law?” I asked the vendor.

“
King Tabia. He live in castle with brothers Tash, Tosh and Tich.”

Wade leaned closer to me and whispered,
“Sounds like a tongue twister to me.”

“
I tried to keep a straight face, but Wade’s humor always managed to make me smile. He was a never ending source of entertainment, which was a good thing with all of the responsibilities we’d taken on.

We bought some fruit and continued on our way. I still had a lot of questions, so I decided to go straight to the source. I walked up to a young dragon that was waiting patiently for its owner to return. I spok
e to the dragon using thought.
My name is Janis. Do you have a name?

The young dragon was surprised that she could hear my voice in her head.
“That is a strange was to talk. My name is Rena and I am waiting for my master.”

“
I didn’t mean to startle you, Rena, I didn’t realize you could talk. How did you manage to come to this Kingdom?”

“
I was brought here by King Tabia. My home is Kazanza Island. All the dragons in this Kingdom come from Kazanza.”

“
Against your will?” I asked.

“
Yes. King Tabia captured us and now he forces us to do his bidding. If a dragon disobeys King Tabia, the dragon is put to death.”

“
What about the laws? I was told that a dragon must inform the King if his rider breaks the law.” 

“
That is true. It is the duty of each dragon to inform the King of what his rider is doing at all times. If the dragon does not report the truth, the dragon is destroyed.”

“
How are the dragons destroyed?” I asked.

“
King Tabia has many Demons that do his bidding. Demons use poison tipped spears to kill dragons.”

“
How many dragons are there in this Kingdom?”

“
About two hundred. When a dragon needs to be replaced, King Tabia travels to Kazanza Island and captures another one of us.”

I quickly stepped back when a young Ren appeared and mounted Rena.
“Come, Rena, time to return home.” I watched as the boy and the dragon disappeared into the sky.

“
Now I’ve seen everything,” said Wade. “This Kingdom is run like Hitler’s Nazi Germany. The dragons are the eyes and ears and the King is the executioner. No one can challenge the King without him knowing it in advance.”

“
I agree, but we have another problem. It’s obvious the King communicates with the dragons through thought. If we kill the King and break the thought process, who knows how the dragons will react. It’s possible they could go on a rampage and kill their riders.”

“
We have to consider the Demons too. Who knows what kind of a rampage they’ll go on?”

“
You’re right about that, Wade. We can’t be in a hundred places at once. We’ll have to come up with a plan.”

“
Maybe we could get some help from the dragons on Kazanza Island. I’m sure they’d like to see the King and his brothers destroyed. Maybe we could convince them to keep the local dragons in check while we put the King and his brothers out of commission.”

“
Wade, you’re a genius. It’ll take a little planning, but I think we can pull it off. And I thought you were just a beautiful sidekick.”

“
Will you please stop calling me beautiful?”

“
I’m sorry, Wade. I know I get carried away and I apologize. Do you forgive me?” I sensed Wade was softening.

“
I couldn’t stay mad at you if I wanted to, so let’s just change the subject. I’d like to know why the dragons don’t talk in funny short sentences like the Rens do.”

“
I’m not sure. Maybe dragons are super intelligent. I’m just guessing.”

“
That’s an honest answer.”

“
If you’re not mad at me, then let’s find a place to eat. The fruit we had earlier made me hungry.”

“
That’s a good idea, Janis. It’s hard to plan anything on an empty stomach.”

* * *

We filled our stomachs and continued exploring the city. We saw a few Demons walking in pairs and several Demons riding horses. Like most Demons, they were extremely tall and built like weight lifters. They carried swords and shields, but they looked like the type that enjoyed tearing their opponents apart with their bare hands. With Wade’s new found strength, I knew he’d like nothing better than tangling with a pair of Demons just for the sport. He was a born scrapper and there was nothing he loved better than a good fight. It wouldn’t matter what the odds were, I knew I would never have to worry about Wade deserting me. He would fight to his last breath and never give up.

I noticed the Demons kept their distance from the dragons. Wade noticed it too.
“I don’t think the dragons have any fear of Demons,” said Wade. “The dragons appear to be docile, but I bet they have a raging temper when they’re provoked.”

“
I think you’re right. The King keeps the dragons on an invisible leash, but they’re no different than any wild animal housed in a zoo. If they gain their freedom, everyone had better watch out.”

After having breakfast the next morning, we went for a walk on the beach. I was surprised to see so many fishing boats in the water. None of the eating places had fish on their menu, so I assumed the Rens didn
’t eat fish.

“
Do you eat fish?” I asked a Ren walking by.

“
Me no like fish. Fishing boats for dragons. Dragons eat fish.”

I waited until the Ren was out of
hearing distance. “Wade, I felt like an idiot. Dragons are basically birds and birds love fish. I should have figured that out on my own.”

“
Maybe it was so obvious. It’s kind of like hiding something valuable right out in the open so a thief will overlook it.”

“
I like that analogy. Did you make that up?

No, I read that someplace. I
’m not even sure if it works.”

“
I think it’s time to head to the King’s castle. We have to check the place out so we can develop a plan. We’ve been here for almost eight hours, so this would be a good time for you to renew the cloaking spell.

* * *

We morphed into Mist and made ourselves invisible before slipping under the castle gate. The guards looked bored, so I knew the cloaking spell was working. It was very quiet except for the sound of swords clashing in the courtyard.

“
I think we should limit our conversations to thoughts, Wade. We can’t take a chance of someone overhearing us.”

I hear you loud and clear.

There were several Demons paired off against each other in the courtyard. They were sharpening their fighting skills and I sensed the adrenalin flowing through Wade
’s body.

I bet you
’d like to get in there and mix it up, wouldn’t you, Wade.

Boy would I ever. It
’d be worth it just to get the kinks out of my bones.

We drifted pass the courtyard and made our way into the castle. The castle was much larger than the one in Cayland Town. We floated down a nearby stairway and invest
igated the dungeon area first.

All of the cells were filled with Rens. They looked lost and abandoned, but they appeared to be well
fed. Wade offered his opinion.
I bet the Rens are used for food. That’s why they’re so well fed.

I bet you
’re right
, I replied sadly.
Maybe we can do something about this later.

The air reeked of burning flesh when we p
assed the Demon’s eating area.
Your first hunch was right, Wade. The prisoners are used for food.

I sensed Wad
e wanted to attack the Demons.
Slimmer down
, I said.
We have to take our time. We’re just here to observe and learn.

We floated down another stairway and came across what appeared to be an area used for business activities. We even came across a counting room. The taxes and fees paid to the King were neatly stacked behind a huge iron gate. Tabia was a very rich man.

We left the counting room and floated up to the top floor. There no doubt that this area was reserved for the King and his brothers. We heard the sound of women and drifted under the door. What we saw could only be described as a harem. There were six beautiful young girls dressed in flimsy bright colored dresses. It was obvious that these girls were the property of one of the brothers.

We came across three more rooms with harems. The last room was the largest and it contained a dozen girls. I figured this room belonged to the King.

We floated out into an open meadow. The first thing to catch my attention was several cages filled with dragons. Scanning the cages, I saw four magnificent dragons that stood out from the rest. I assumed these dragons belonged to the King and his brothers.

I looked the four dragons over very carefully. I was disturbed when I saw several large scars running up and down their necks. The scars were too severe to be caused from a normal whip, so I assumed they were made by a whip that was electrically charged. My thoughts drifted back to the Portal of Darkness and the four skeleton dragon riders with energy power whips. Could the King and his brothers be the same creatures? We heard voices and the sound of laughter coming straight toward us. The stench of evil filled the air. 

The four men were definitely the King and his brothers. They looked like Torks with unusually crude features and all four of them were wearing necklaces that contained a large green crystal. One crystal was larger than the others, so I assumed it belonged to the King.

“Today will be a good hunt my brothers. The young dragon has a lot of spirit and will provide us with great sport.”

“
I hope so, brother Tabia. That last dragon wasn’t worth my time. I was pulled away from the arms of my favorite maiden to kill that miserable excuse for a dragon.”