< back to Part 8: The Ice Fields Adventure
Part 9: Return of the Snek
400 Pennonia Orgona (Lilac)
“What’s wrong, Little Buddy? Weeks since we left the Ice Fields and you’ve hardly said a thing.” Essri glanced at the portal stones. Professor Eenness would arrive any moment. “I’m afraid to go home,” Essri said. I’m sure your mother will be happy to see you, Vika said. “They’ll be impressed by your adventures,” Quin added. “How many of them have learned to read and write?” Makhabesh asked. “That’th not a valuable thkill for thneks. Thtorytelling and thinging—” Just then, the Professor appeared at the center of the portal stones. “I have a confethion,” Essri said before fear could stop him.
401 Pennonia Balaton-kék (Lake Balaton)
Professor Eenness glanced at Essri, then the others. “Sorry, preparing for classes took longer than expected. Good to see you all again.” She moved closer to Essri, who held tightly to Vika. “I never talked to the elderth. I jutht repeated a rumor.” Professor Eenness laughed. “Is that your confession?” Essri nodded. “That’s nothing to worry about. If all sneks have magic, like you said, then there’s a good chance your rumor is true. And the pursuit of knowledge is always worthy.” Essri let out his breath. “I thought you’d be mad I wathted your time.”
402 Thornton's Green
For a week, they trekked through the forest until they came to a spot not far from the Muirdoor. “How much farther, Essri?” Quin asked. “Tomorrow, but we have to croth Mad Mara’th territory.” Essri shivered. “I’ll fireball her once and for all,” Makhabesh said. “Oh, don’t worry about Mad Mara,” Professor Eenness said. “She and I have a sort of understanding.” Before anyone could ask more, she said, “You haven’t told us the name of your village, Essri.” “Drekvin.” The Professor focused all her attention on Essri. “Really? Do you know what that means?”
403 Colorverse Alpha UMa
The Professor’s stare was intense. Essri tried not to squirm. “It’th jutht a name.” The Professor suddenly grinned. “In the old language, Drekvin is short for dragon friend!” Everyone turned to stare at Essri. “Oh,” he said. “No one ever told me.” As they gathered around the camp fire, the Professor said, “What other dragon legends does your village have?” Essri racked his brain, trying to remember if he’d heard anything else. Truth was, few people ever talked to him except to make fun of him. Then he remembered. “There’th an inthcription in a cave.”
404 Robert Oster Chicago
“What does the inscription say?” the Professor asked. “I don’t know,” Essri admitted. “I only heard a dragon wrote it, and the elderth don’t let anyone in the cave.” Professor Eenness took out a notebook and wrote rapidly. “Wonderful,” she whispered to herself. Essri hoped he didn’t disappoint her. His village hadn’t seemed special to him. He and Vika took first watch. What if it’th jutht tall taleth? he asked through their link. Then your family will know you’re safe, and we’ll head home. No one will be mad, Essri. Essri tried not to think about seeing all the people who’d made fun of him.
405 Noodler's Polar Green
The next morning, they struck camp and headed up the trail. Soon, they heard a familiar cry, "Ma-a-a-a-a!" Before anyone else could react, the Professor yelled, “Is that you, Mara? It’s me, Professor Eenness.” A high-pitched scream came from the trees, followed by the sound of running. The Professor laughed. “Really, she just looks scary.” Near midday, the trees thinned and they could see a stony outcrop. “We have to be careful,” Essri said. “The protector-thnekth have venom magic.” When they cleared the trees, Essri called out, “Hello, Drekvin. It’th Ethri come home.”
406 Colorverse Dark Energy
“Ethri?” a snek called. “You mean Essri? He’s dead! Who are you?” The heads of several sneks popped up from behind a low wall. Essri shouted back, “I’m not dead. I made thome friendth.” Before the protector-sneks could respond, Quin said, “I’m Wizard Quin. We’ve come with Professor Eenness of Inkabar University to talk with the Elders.” Makhabesh whispered, “And I’m gonna fireball the lot of you if you don’t let us pass.” After lots of whispering behind the wall, someone shouted, “Wait where you are!” Several minutes later, two sneks slithered atop the wall. “I’m dead,” Essri said.
407 Thornton's Brown
Who are they? Vika asked. “My parentth.” “Essri?” “It’th me, Mom.” Essri slithered down from Vika’s orb and crossed to the wall. The other two sneks came down off the wall. Quin held back, waiting. After a flurry of whispers, both sneks coiled around Essri. Makhabesh reached for his pendant. “Are they hugging him or killing him?” The professor took a few steps forward and asked, “Is everything alright, Essri?” Quin followed in time to hear Essri’s father say, “I oughta squeeze the life out of you, you undersize noodle!” “The finders couldn’t find you,” his mother added.
408 Robert Oster Sydney Lavender
Quin spoke up at the mention of finders. “We were on the other side of a Muirdoor. Finding magic can’t cross Muirdoors.” Essri’s parents looked up. “What’s a Muirdoor?” “I’ll ekthplain everything, Mom.” Quin and the others followed carefully as the sneks led up the rocky slope to a clear area just shy of the overhang, which appeared to be where the sneks had their dens. Several sneks peered from the rocks. Essri told his parents about his adventures, only vaguely touching on the Source of magic. “And then the profethor wanted to meet the elderth to talk about dragonth.”
409 Noodler's Tsvetayeva
As he told his story, Essri saw many sneks looking down from holes in the overhang and slithering closer and closer on all sides. Some of his siblings came and settled near their parents. He worried they’d call him a liar, but his mother was a truth-seer. She’d believe. Quin, Makhabesh, Vika, and even Eenness added to the story. When he finished, one of his brothers said, “No way you did all that!” One sister whispered to another, “And learned to read and write, too.” Her tone suggested disbelief. His mother said, “He spoke truth.”
410 Ferris Wheel Press Bluegrass Velvet
Makhabesh kept a close eye on the sneks. There were too many for comfort. After Essri finished his story and his mother declared it was true, everyone slithered away, as if that were the end. Essri’s father finally said, “I’d better go talk to the elders. They’ll want to know more about these outsiders.” Essri’s mother glanced up at each of the non-snek visitors. “Oh my. You’ll never fit in our home. And our food is too small for you.” Quin reached into his pack and pulled out a package. “We brought pizza.”
411 Diplomat Purple
They gathered on a ledge above Drekvin. To fit, Quin and Eenness sat shoulder to shoulder, with Makhabesh on one of Quin’s shoulders. The snek elders arrayed before a short cliff face with a snek-sized entrance to a cave behind them. Someone had lit a line of fire between the elders and everyone else. One of the elders spoke. “Why have you brought outsiders to our village, Essri?” Essri rose up a little taller. “They’re my friends. Professor Eenness holds the Chair of the Natural History of Magic at Inkabar University. She wants to talk to you about dragons.”
412 Robert Oster Yellow Sunset
Essri tried not to sigh as he related his adventures once more. The elders weren’t nearly as scary as he remembered. At the edge of the gathering, he recognized the most famous of the village storytellers and poets. They all had memory magic. And as he went on, he realized he didn’t care. He’d faced the ice, and monsters from the underside. He’d helped restore the Source. He’d seen whales and learned to read. He had a wizard and a sphinx for friends. What threat were elders and storytellers? He kept himself straight and boldly spoke about it all.
...to be continued, every Tuesday.