Sudden wrath and concern lent Lenny strength.
He turned to the ugly creatures in the water. "Begone, foul demons!"
The creatures only laughed and taunted him. "Oh, the great human doesn't want us anymore, brother Crackdin," said the first eel. "I will now weep for sorrow!"'
Crackdin laughed harder. "Indeed, brother Mosfoul. Perhaps we should leave!"
Lenny tried to ignore the raucous Katamobi and turned to 'rid his body of water,' as the elf had put it. What Emrey had done to save Arim, Lenny now did to save Emrey.
Emrey began to breathe again, but his eyes remained sealed. Lenny was nearly frantic with worry for him and anger at his noisy captors.
He picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could at the Katamobe called Mosfoul, but it did no good. They only laughed harder as the stone splashed down beside them. Lenny put his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to block out the noise.
The boy looked up at the bright hole as if for guidance. He had no weapons, no magic words, no way to escape, drive off his tormentors, or wake Prince Emrey. He felt very weak and helpless.
Then it hit him--the magnifying glass. He had noticed that the amethysts sometimes shone of themselves. Perhaps the Maker had provided him that for a weapon.
Lenny took the glass from his belt. The jewels glowed, bathing Emrey's face in soft violet. The Katamobi stopped laughing abruptly. They swam farther back, apparently frightened by the light.
Lenny sighed and sat by the unconscious Prince, holding his weapon by the lens. The amethysts embedded in the tibian handle lit the entire cave. The Katamobi were silent, alarmed.
Emrey was still.
Cheryl, Ralph, Arim, and Viara finally reached the shore. They recognized the spot they had camped the night before.
"Great," Arim grumbled as he and Ralph untied the boats in the shallow water near the bank. "Now we will have to go all the way we did before lunch."
Released, the capsized canoes began drifting away from each other. Cheryl and Viara grabbed theirs and pulled it up towards the bank.
"That reminds me," Ralph replied as he and Arim followed the girls' example. "We haven't eaten lunch yet."
With a slight grunt, Cheryl helped Viara lift their canoe, then flip it over deftly. Ralph and Arim repeated the performance, skillfully turning their boat over with nary a drop in it. They'd had a lot of practice.
After a quick bite the four comrades got in and pushed off. Cheryl wore the marcellia stone in its locket around her neck. No one noticed it shine with a faint white light through her sodden gown as they paddled into midstream and headed up the river again.
The amethyst glow of Lenny's magnifying glass had a calming, soothing effect. He could almost forget his hunger and weariness and his concern for the Prince, who still lay silent, hardly breathing, and had for the past two or three hours. The black eels had retreated to the far end of the tiny cave, where Lenny assumed an underwater entrance led into the open river. They seemed afraid of the light, but nothing happened, and they slowly grew bolder and swam nearer the rocky shore.
Lenny sat next to the motionless Elf with his knees drawn up to his chest, left arm wrapped around them. He still held the magnifying glass by the lens in his right hand, watching the eels cautiously as they writhed closer.
Lenny tensed in fear. The violet gleam of the gems would not scare them away forever. He had to do something, but what?
Mosfoul muttered under its breath, "The great light hurts our eyes. We must blow it out, eh, Crackdin?" Crackdin growled, and the two Katamobi squirmed nearer, ugly eyes gleaming.
Lenny instinctively raised his magnifying glass and the light intensified, chasing the evil creatures back to their corner. The boy set his jaw in determination. He could hold them off at least for a while.
Crackdin and Mosfoul held muttered back and forth in a language that made Lenny think of putrid sewers and clammy dungeons. Then Crackdin swam down and disappear in the dark water. Lenny relaxed slightly, wondering if they were going to give up.
For almost an hour nothing happened. Lenny's weariness increased, and a mist formed before his eyes. He had kept a lonely vigil for several hours, and the tension weighed on him. Sleepy eyelids drooped, tired head nodded.
Lenny shook himself, knowing he must remain alert, but soon his head bowed again, and he succumbed. The boy's head fell forward onto his knees, and his arms lay limp at his sides. The cavern fell into dimness as the magnifying glass dropped slowly onto the stones from his open hand.
Lenny was suddenly back in the room at Maychoria Castle, surrounded by soft purple, pink, and white. It slowly gathered into Angel, the cat, and he heard again her stern voice.
"Where are your weapons?"
Lenny woke with a start, unconsciously catching up the magnifying glass as he leapt to his feet. The diffuse violet light shone again, and he saw that the cavern was filled with black vapor, now dissipating slowly in the light.
He threw his gaze wildly around the cave until he saw the source of the sleep-causing fog. Mosfoul's hideous mouth was wide-open, the black, smoke-like substance pouring from it.
Once more Lenny raised the magnifying glass, and the light shone more and more intensely until Lenny squinted and shielded his eyes with his arm, and Mosfoul winced and ducked under the water to escape it. Then the light subsided again to the soft glow, and Lenny sighed with relief, comforted.
"Lord Lenny, what is happening?" It was the voice of a confused Elf ruler with a very sore, dry throat.
Lenny whirled instantly and saw Prince Emrey sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Before the boy could say a thing Emrey leaped to his feet, stamping and clapping to get his blood running nimbly through his veins again.
Lenny looked up into the elf-Prince's dark eyes, amazed at the life and vitality he saw there. "Are you feeling all right, Prince Emrey?" he asked.
"I'm alive. Rather, say invigorated and refreshed, despite hunger and thirst. I felt I was dying not long ago, but a violet glow pursued death far from me and began healing me. After a while it grew brighter and brighter 'til it woke me. Know you naught of it?"
Lenny stared at the treasure in his hand in wide-eyed astonishment. "Apparently I was wrong in thinking the High King had not supplied me with a weapon."
Emrey looked puzzled, but Lenny quickly told him all.
The Elf nodded thoughtfully. "The jewels of your glass have been wrought to impart peace and healing," the Prince theorized. "Katamobi cannot endure the peace of the Maker, for they know they can never have it, or perhaps it has a violent reaction against the selfish thoughts all such creatures have."
"Logical." Lenny nodded.
They turned and watched the still, dark water together. Neither saw any sign of Crackdin or Mosfoul.
"Do you suppose the Katamobi have taken permanent leave of us?" inquired Lenny.
As if in answer the heads of the two eels popped above the water, leering. Before Lenny or Emrey could react several more eels surfaced, their long, ugly mouths open to display sharp, yellow jagged teeth and swollen black tongues.
Crackdin was laughing, and Mosfoul said, "Heh, heh, we got some friends to help blow out the great light. Let us now destroy the lamp, eh, brothers?"
Almost a dozen Katamobi surged toward the shore.
The sun was getting lower, but the river was lit with blue. The trees were shining.
"Oh, Cheryl," Ralph whispered in awe. "It's so beautiful."
It was true. The blue brightened as the sun lowered, covering the wood with a glorious sheen. It reminded Cheryl of the aura surrounding Angel, a love that encompassed everything and made their problems seem small and insignificant, not worth worrying about.
But they were still concerned about Lenny and Prince Emrey. Their paddles dipped more and more rapidly into the water as the sun sank, taking their hope of finding their missing companions before nightfall with it.
The blue light reflected off the ripples in a way that both bewildered and delighted the two Terrans, who had never seen anything so lovely. And as the sun set beyond the trees behind them, the rosy red and dusky orange mingled with the blue shed by the trees. Cheryl gasped in wonder at its beauty, but didn't have much time to enjoy it.
For suddenly they passed out from under the protection of the blue trees and found themselves in a section of the Bluewood where the Witch had destroyed the blue light. Startled, they turned and looked back. The trees still shone behind them, but ahead all was gray twilight.
They proceeded cautiously, Cheryl and Viara leading in their gray canoe, Ralph and Arim following. At least they hadn't capsized once all afternoon, but that was probably because the Katamobi were busy elsewhere. The thought made Cheryl shudder.
And What had become of Prince Emrey and Lenny?
Farther on, they could no longer see the blue-shining trees and all about was quickly fading gray twilight. There they found the overturned canoe still caught in a tangle by the bank, in the center of what they had come to think of as the 'rotten spot.' Not knowing what else to do, they pulled their canoes up next to the lost-and-found one.
On the bank they held a hurried council. They began by debating whether it was more prudent to rush into the trees directly without a plan or stay here and talk about it first, (a very short argument that the girls won over the impetuous boys.) Then they discussed ways of searching the gloomy forest, which grew darker by the second, and after rejecting several rash proposals, mostly from the boys, they began to feel discouraged. And what if Lenny and Emrey had drown-- The thought weighed on everyone's heart, but no one spoke it.
All was blackness around them, except--
"Cheryl!" Ralph exclaimed, pointing. "What's that gray light shining on your chest?"
"What's that green light on your belt?" she answered, astonished.
Cheryl and Ralph held up the locket and eagle-dagger, respectively. The emerald eyes of the eagle shone with blazing green light that illuminated the area around them. Cheryl's locket glowed through the cracks, and when she opened it they all had to shield their eyes against the brilliance.
"Wow," she murmured. She felt filled with wisdom not her own, and she knew exactly what to do.
"Our jewels are shining," she said, repressing a 'duh,' "so I bet Lenny's are too. Let's look around and try to find a kind of purple glow anywhere around here, but we'd better stay together."
His heart in his throat, Lenny raised the shining jewel-bedecked magnifying glass, hoping it would again drive the Katamobi away.
The light again increased ten-fold. But it only worked in part, for the ugly creatures halted for an instant, but did not flee.
Despite Lenny's natural fear of the Katamobi, an undercurrent of calm assurance in his heart somehow negated the terror. He wondered why he wasn't more scared. But he remembered Emrey's words--the amethysts shed the Maker's peace.
He had no time to really think about it, but the thought crossed his mind, Purple is the color of peace… strange, isn't it?
Now the mob of evil creatures was writhing forward again, and Lenny and Emrey noticed a new danger--the demons had opened their gaping mouths, and black vapor belched out. Before long enchanted sleep began to steal over the beleaguered pair, deadening their senses and paralyzing their limbs.
Lenny struggled against it. He recognized it--he'd given in once before and wouldn't again. But how could he fight this spiritual darkness? Gripping his weapon, he thrashed out with his numb arms. The violet light brightened to almost white and he heard Emrey cry, "In the name of the Golden Eagle of Hosiotos, avaunt, avaunt!"
The evil smoke melted instantly, but the Katamobi remained. Emrey looked puzzled, fear beginning to steal across his face.
"I don't understand," the Prince whispered.
Lenny's mind spun. Didn't those words always accomplish the goal? No, only when that goal was the same as the High King's. Then there had to be some other way, a way within Abba's will. Did the magnifying glass have other powers? The handle had apparently lost its effectiveness, but what about the lens?
Quickly, Lenny switched the magnifying glass around so he held the handle instead of the lens. The cave instantly plunged into darkness and Lenny's heart leaped into his mouth. The sun had obviously set outside, and with the violet light of peace went the boy's courage.
What if Katamobi could see in the dark? Terrified, Lenny jumped away from where he could hear the splashing of the black eels. He felt Emrey grasp his trembling arm.
"Courage, Lord Lenny," the elf-Prince said, his strong, authoritative voice ringing in the little cavern. "But reverse whatever action you took that extinguished your light, for with it went our protection."
Lenny nodded idiotically in the dark--of course Emrey could not see him--and was about to take the elf's advice when he paused. He heard voices above him, coming through that little hole.
"It was over here," came Arim's distant voice. "I'm sure it was a bright purple light, and then it went out."
"Yeah," Ralph squeaked excitedly. The voices were getting closer, and Emrey's grip on Lenny's arm tightened.
"Are you sure?" It was Cheryl's voice. "I thought it was more to the left."
Now Lenny and Emrey, craning their heads upward, could see a mingled bright green and whitish gray light.
"Maybe it was this way…." The voices and lights began to fade.
Lenny shouted, "Cheryl, Cheryl, we're here! Arim, Ralph, over here!"
Instantly the light grew strong as those above ran toward Lenny's voice.
"Lenny, Lenny," came Ralph's excited voice. "Where are you, we can't see you!"
"Down here!" called Lenny. "You should see a hole in the ground in your vicinity. Prince Emrey and I are trapped in a small underground cavern!"
"Oh, there it is!" "I see it!" "Come on!"
Backdropped by bright grayish light, the faces of the two boys appeared in the opening. In a moment Cheryl's face appeared, lit by her marcellia stone. All three were now lying on their stomachs around the dark hole.
Lenny winced at the sudden light, then cried out in fear-- a claw had grabbed his ankle! He kicked violently and jumped away. Looking down in panic he saw that one of the Katamobi had crawled up on the rocky shore and grabbed with its claw.
Lenny freed himself with another kick, bashing the eel's black head as he did so. The creature lay stunned for a moment.
The entire cave was lit now by gray light from the marcellia stone, hanging inside the hole on the chain around Cheryl's neck. Several more Katamobi were advancing up the stony bank, dragging their long, scaly bodies by those two horrible little arms ending with three extended claws.
But that light was wonderful! Just as Lenny's amethysts had given him peace, Cheryl's marcellia stone gave her wisdom.
"Lenny," she cried, her voice echoing off the rough walls. "Use your magnifying glass! Magnify the light from this Seeing Stone in the locket and aim it at those creatures!"
Lenny hesitated. "What?"
Ralph lifted his dagger in a joyful gesture, and green light splashed through the cavern. "Come on, scaredy-cat! You can do it!"
Ralph's joy and courage was infectious, and Lenny almost laughed. "All right!" he said, half exasperated, half cheerful. "I'll try!"
The creature at Lenny's feet was beginning to wake. Lenny lifted the lens in front of the brilliant gray jewel, catching the light and intensifying it to a small dot on the far wall. He shifted the glass with a quick twist of the wrist and the brilliant spot landed on the Katamobe, which had opened its mouth to bite Emrey's foot. The eel screamed in pain and jolted back, landing with a splash in the dark water.
"Wow," Arim whispered to his friend. "He really did it! How did he--"
Ralph grinned and shook his head. "I dunno, but he is! Watch!"
Cheryl looked up at the sound of their voices. "Arim, go back to the boat and get Viara and some rope. We gotta get Lenny and the Prince out of that cave, and quick!"
After some persuading, Arim reluctantly took off, heading toward the light of the shining jewels on Cheryl's eagle-sword. Meanwhile Lenny deftly moved his light and drove off the Katamobi one by one. Finally, all the ugly eels were huddled against the far wall in fear of that searing white light.
Lenny all but danced with glee. He'd done it! He really could fight for his King!
Uh oh! Lenny's foot slipped on a loose rock, and he stumbled. When he caught his balance he stood in the exact position so the magnified point of gray light was trained on Ralph.
Startled, Lenny nearly dropped his magnifying glass. If he'd hurt Ralph--!
But the nine-year-old wasn't harmed. "Cool," he said.
"Are you okay, Ralph?" Cheryl gasped.
The boy blinked. "Never better. It was kinda cool. I suddenly felt…wise, I guess. It was cool."
"More like weird," Cheryl replied with a snort.
"I would say that as long as our young friend is unharmed, all is well," Emrey put in.
"I tend to agree." Lenny nodded.
"Enough chit-chat," Cheryl admonished. "Those creatures are coming back!"
For a while Lenny continued staving them off with the light of the marcellia stone, but soon it served only to enrage the demonic creatures, and the travelers' lives were again in jeopardy. Now Lenny ardently desired the violet light of peace, but he could not afford to forfeit the protection of his lens.
But Cheryl knew the answer. It was as if a light from outside her shone in on her mind and illuminated the idea she hadn't known she had.
"Ralph," she commanded, her clear young voice ringing through the little enclosure. "Hold up your eagle-dagger, and Lenny, magnify the light of the emeralds and shine it on those Katamobi!"
In less time than it takes to tell, the brothers obeyed. A brilliant spot of white-green lit Katamobe after Katamobe, and where it touched, there was flash of blinding light as the white-hot courage of Ralph's stone vaporized the black eels.
Again and again Lenny flicked the glass, destroying their enemies one by one. A few of the creatures escaped, but the majority was slain and seen no more. And as quickly as it had come, the danger was over.
Lenny laughed of relief, then sobered. "What happened to the demons? Are they dead? Will they be back?"
Prince Emrey shook his head. "They will not molest us again, I deem, though they are not dead. They are spirits, remember, and only their earthly bodies can be destroyed, as with all who possess the Maker's gift of a soul. But these are evil, and go to dwell in Katatchthonios until called again to battle."
Ralph suffocated a yawn. "This is all very interesting, but do you guys want to get out of there or not?"
Lenny would have scowled and retorted sharply, but the blended joy and courage of Ralph's jewels and wisdom of Cheryl's marcellia stone was shed over him, and he didn't wish to mar the love he suddenly found he had for his brother. Instead he grinned and informed Ralph that escape 'was indeed' on his 'list of priorities,' with a slight bow and a mock salute.
Ralph grinned that lopsided little grin of his. "Lenny!" he exclaimed. "You've got a sense of humor after all! I wish you'd gotten stuck in a little cave with a bunch of ugly, slimy creatures much earlier, if this is what happens!"
Cheryl laughed and amiably smacked her brother. "Don't worry," she called down to Emrey and Lenny. "Arim went to get Viara and bring ropes from the boats. I guess you didn't realized they're both gone in the excitement, but Viara stayed with the canoes holding my shining sword so we wouldn't get lost, and I made Arim go get her as soon as I saw you were stuck in there."
Then Lenny and Emrey had to hear the whole story from when the boats first turned over. Emrey was especially interested in the Seeing Stone and said he had an idea about where it might have come from. He asked if he could examine it closer.
Cheryl was about to say 'of course' and take it off when Arim and Viara returned with sturdy rope to rescue their trapped companions. Viara also brought the eagle-sword, which Cheryl belted to her waist again.
With much talking and excited exclamations, a noose was made of the rope and passed down through the jagged hole to Lenny and Emrey. There was a short argument below, which Lenny apparently won, for Emrey put his foot in the loop, and Lenny called for them to 'retrieve their apparatus.'
Cheryl, Viara, Ralph and Arim heaved on the rope together, stretching it taut with a snap. Soon Emrey's upper body appeared above the hole. The Prince let go of the rope and hauled himself out swiftly. He slipped the noose off his foot and threw it back down, then sat rubbing his foot.
Soon after, Lenny too had been rescued from his cramped prison, and the reunion was joyous. A bewildered Lenny himself to be the hero of the day. Cheryl hugged him, weeping with relief that he was safe. Ralph bowled him over and began a wrestling match, which the nine-year-old summarily won, being much stronger than his scholarly brother. When Lenny finally cried uncle and got up, bits of bracken caught in his curly hair, Arim thumped his back in congratulations so enthusiastically it knocked Lenny's breath quite away, and Emrey shook his hand, thanking him for his courage and leadership in the cave.
"Without you, I would have been lost," Prince Emrey finished with a smile. "I see now that the prophecies are correct. Ryoo doesn't have a chance!"
Lenny thanked him breathlessly, then looked thoughtful.
"It won't be easy, but I know now that we can do it, and these treasures will definitely help us." He laughed suddenly. "Perhaps even the Witch will be unable to stand against our combined lights of peace, wisdom, joy and courage."
But inwardly, he doubted. Would it be enough?
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