you’re on the run, just remember, you don’t necessarily have to be the fastest.

…just faster than the last guy.

The popping noises resounded through Wendell’s head as the bones of his jaw and neck realigned. UNGH! With each pop, he sighed with relief. The pounding throb in his temples subsided and his vision finally came into perfect focus. Dax was hastily pulling him through the front door of the Roadkill Tavern, Alhannah and the wizard close at their heels.

“Why are we running?” he asked, pulling from Dax’s grip. Wendell glanced back at the wizard, who wore a frantic expression. “What’s going on?”

“Right,” Chuck sighed, “microwave version.” He ushered Wendell forward, guiding him between buildings, towards the Market exit. The wizard looked left and right, over his shoulder and even up at the ceiling. “I brushed you aside to hide your identity from Istul,” he started rapidly. “I’m sorry, my boy. Truly. Thule’s not here, but his henchmen are.”

Wendell quickly followed without having to be prompted.

“Four Vallen soldiers—scouts, sitting in the tavern, saw what you just did—then left without a word. That doesn’t bode well for us.” He flipped around suddenly and squeezed Wendell’s shoulders like an excited father, “Even though I’m SO proud of what I saw back there!” He quickly looked him up and down, “You ok? Any open wounds, missing fingers or toes?”

“I’m good…” Wendell started, trying to put the pieces together.

“Ya got yerself noticed,” grumbled Dax, peeking around a corner and waving them forward.

“…and that means?” Wendell gulped.

“Were screwed.” He stopped and threw himself against a wall—each of them following Dax’s example. “If we’re lucky,” he whispered, “we can get out of here before they catch us and deny it ever happened.”

“Right,” Wendell sighed, biting his lip. Then it hit him. “What happened to the girl?” Surely the girl from his dreams thought more of him by now.

“Sorry son,” the wizard frowned, “she ran out of the tavern as soon as her feet hit the floor. Don’t think she noticed what you did.”

Right, he thought, of course not. I get my face pounded in and she wasn’t even there to see the sacrifice—what was I thinking? The smiley face rolled its eyes, then gave a muted sigh. There had to be some way of finding out who she was.

Alhannah kept pace, guarding their backs. “Question!”

Dax skidded to a halt, looking back in a near panic. “What?”

She jabbed a thumb in Wendell’s direction, “Who’s the kid?”

Kid? scoffed Wendell, look who’s talking…a china doll with sushi knives. The smiley face laughed.

“I’m sorry my dear,” said Chuck, ruffled, “Alhannah Luckyfeller, Wendell Dipmier…Wendell, Alhannah. Right, we good now? Come ON!”

“He’s the Gnolaum, ‘Hannah.” Dax stopped behind a wall as Sentry passed by.

She shook her head, red pig-tails bouncing. Looking Wendell up and down, she stifled a laugh. “I’m sorry—run that by me again? He’s the Gnolaum,…as in, prophecy?” She gawked at Wendell in disbelief.

He smiled back awkwardly.

Dax didn’t reply.

“Sort of,” whispered Chuck.

“That’s like kinda-pregnant. He is…or he’s not.”

“He is,” replied Chuck and Dax simultaneously.

“You two been sniffing book adhesive?”

The wizard’s brows rolled forward disapprovingly and the gnome gulped.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “You’re serious?”

Dax looked at Alhannah and scowled, “Deadly.”

She took a few moment to study Wendell more closely, doing a double take when the smiley face winked at her. Wendell shifted in place, uncomfortably.

Her eyebrows crinkled, “Well that’s disappointing.”

Wendell gasped and opened his mouth to retort, but was shoved into an alleyway to avoid another set of Sentry quickly jogging towards the Tavern—led by Lucian.

Chuck pulled off his hat and dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief. “That man is just aching to find a reason to put our heads on the chopping block!”

The crowds were thickening the closer they got to the exit. Dax kept them to the shadows as much as possible, but they’d run out of buildings to hide behind. It was all open area from this point forward. The Exchange and its holding pens were all that stood between the party…and freedom.

Wendell fidgeted.

“We’re gonna get caught, Chuck,” Dax whispered. “Let me port us out of here. We don’t need the blasted key.”

“No!” Chuck snapped, “You have to be strong enough to get us to Humär. Time is of the essence my boy.” He smiled reassuringly, “We’re almost there. We can do this.” He winked at Wendell and Alhannah. “Ready?”

All three nodded.

They waited for a large group to pass, then, slipping around the corner, blended in—walking casually with the patrons leaving the Market. The chatter was loud and energetic—women gabbed and compared fabrics and jewelry they’d purchased. Chuck fell in behind their downtrodden and utterly broke, male counterparts.

Wendell’s attention was glued on the hanging exit sign of the cave wall. Up the main road, past the holding pens—the sheep brayed loudly, then to the exit. Almost there…almost there!

Dax stopped abruptly, nearly tripping his three companions. “Fairy-farts!” he whispered, pointing ahead.“They know!”

Sure enough, standing on either side of the exit wall, two vallen scouts stood erect, watching the paths and the flow of patrons leaving the Black Market. Dax started shoving Wendell and Chuck in the opposite direction when one of them took notice. Both giants pushed off the wall without a word, walking briskly towards them.

“Move it!” hissed Alhannah. Flipping the straps off her swords she backed down the path, ready to fight.

“Plan B!” piped Chuck. With one swift motion, he hiked up the folds of his robe, pulling it to his knees…and took off sprinting like a madman.

“What the..?!?” squeaked Dax, shoving Wendell after him.

“They’re not running after us!” Wendell huffed, looking over his shoulder.

Chuck made an abrupt left turn. “That’s why!” he yelled, pointing ahead. Two more scouts appeared along a higher path…and these ones were running!

Patrons were shoved aside as they barreled towards Wendell.

“WoOOOah!” Wendell squawked, pouring on the speed. Within moments, he pulled ahead, leaving Dax and Alhannah behind. “Where are you going!?” he shouted after the wizard, who was trying hard not to trip on his robe.

“Working on it,” Chuck called back, “…working on it!” His sandals flapped loudly against the path as he hurdled a cart effortlessly like an hurdling olympian. He instantly smiled to himself. “That’s a nice breeze…have to do this more often!”

Through the market they dashed and weaved. Dax and Alhannah played interference, knocking over displays and yanking down awnings to cover their tracks.

“Looks like we’ll need to vanish for another six months,” she said with a giddy laugh.

Dax guffawed, knocking over an entire cart of baked goods. “I say we make it a year!”

Bolting through an alley, Chuck led them into the animal district. The old man Wendell had seen earlier with the yellow dragon, was still there, now playing a flute, seated on a stool along one side of the street. Children sat, watching in awe as the beautiful beast swayed to the rhythm of the music. Wendell dashed past them and looked back, trying to catch his breath.

Dax and Alhannah slid around the corner, leaping over displays and knocking over several vendor carts. They charged down the street, the enemy in hot pursuit. Alhannah looked visually tired in her metal armor and Dax had a firm grip on his shorts.

They’re going to get caught, his heart pounding in fear.

A loud hiss arose above the music. Wendell watched the dragon’s head bobbing up an down to the movements of the vallen as they came into sight. When one roared, the lizard hissed, bearing its teeth. The old man played on, ignoring the irritation of the chained beast.

I know you can hear me, Wendell thought. The dragon stopped bobbing its head and looked directly at him. Upon eye contact, he stumbled backwards—gasping…suffocating. His breathing became shallow, but he concentrated. I’m sorry I can’t free you, he resisted the uncontrollable yearning inside him to escape. A longing to see the light of day, to feel the wind under the wings he didn’t have. Wendell thought his heart might break.

I need your help.

The round, emerald eyes stared right through him, unblinking.

Please, Wendell begged. The dragon’s golden head tilted slightly…and then nodded. Wendell broke the connection as Alhannah stumbled and Dax had to knock over an armor rack to buy her time—throwing several shields at their pursuers. Wendell pointed at the giants, can you stop them, even for a moment, to give us time?

There was a long pause…then another nod.

Thank you. Wendell smiled silently, I’ll come back! He turned and ran after the wizard, just as Dax caught up to him.

“What’re ya DOING, kid??!” he yelled. “MOVE YER BUTT!!”

Alhannah shoved Wendell forward, just as the scouts crossed the dragons path.

Bearing her needle teeth, the lizard reared upon the shoulders of her master, spreading her mighty wings and producing an ear-piercing shriek.

Children fled for their lives, screaming.

The merchant dropped his flute as the children scattered, trying to control the great lizard. He yanked on the chain around her throat, but she resisted, clawing his shoulders in the struggle to get at the scouts. The giants fell back when her tail whipped forward and sliced through one of their cheeks—from chin to ear, barely missing his throat.

Bleeding himself, the merchant cursed. Forced to release the chain to free himself. He fled the street, wounds covering his torso.

Glimmering in the waning light of the cave, the dragon opened her mouth…and blew.

Green flame engulfed the scouts and set shop awnings ablaze. Leather tunics withered and fell from their chests. The smell of burning flesh quickly filled the cavern air and heated chain-mail melted into skin.

Wendell saw a green light flare over the rooftops.

Thank you! he shouted in his mind, hoping the dragon would be able to hear him.

Chuck was stalled, trying desperately to push through a sea of drunk gnomes. The crowd was coming back from the Roadkill Tavern, chittering about gears, micro-processors and whether or not a barmaid’s girdle would make an effective hammock. They cheered as Wendell ran up the path. Small hands patted him on arms and legs, congratulating him on a battle well fought against the reallybiguglyoneswithnastysharpteeth.

The wizard motioned frantically, finally resorting to tripping the little men with his staff to get them out of his way. Their tiny bodies rolled down and street, while others took odds on which ones would throw up first.

“Come on!” Chuck shouted above the cheering, “We’re not clear yet!!”

A left, a right, another left and they all skidded to a halt.

It was a dead end.

An alley with three doors.

Chuck quickly tried all three.

Locked.

“What are you DOING?!?” shouted Dax, “They’re right behind us!”

“You and Alhannah cover the entrance,” he babbled, not looking back, “give me just a second.” Then, yanking his hat from his head, Chuck plunged his arm in up to his shoulder.

Yanking out the leather bag he was carrying earlier, he tossed it at Wendell. “Don’t lose that,” he snapped, “Schoolwork.”

“Hurry up!” warned Dax, “The other two found their buddies.” His ears twitched, “I can hear patrons screaming…here they come!”

There was a jingling noise in the hat, followed by a squeak and then shattering glass. Chuck pulled his arm out, shaking a soaked hand. He gazed inside, heartbroken, “Awwww, that snow globe was a collectors item.”

“CHUCK!”

“Right! Focus!!” Rummaging again, he pulled out an enormous set of keys. “Ah-HAH!” he cried triumphantly. The ring was at least six inches in diameter, with dozens of odd-looking keys attached. Flipping his hat back onto his head, Chuck pointed to each of the doors methodically. “Eeenie, meenie, min…”

“CHUCK!!” screamed Dax.

“Oh alRIGHT!!” he bellowed back. He looked at Wendell, frustrated. “He’s so impatient.”

“Heard that!”

Chuck mockingly imitated Dax in silence, selecting a door. “Of course you can hear me…you have radar dishes for ears.” With deft precision, he flipped through the keys and tried each one in the door. On the seventh try, Wendell heard a ‘click’.

Chuck looked at him and shouted. “Everybody in!”

Without warning, two vallen slammed into the opening, both fighting to get at the prey first. Dax shoved Alhannah down the alley. Momentarily wedged, the scouts roared, swords clanging and scraping against the sides of the buildings.

Dax, Alhannah and Wendell jumped through the door, with Chuck bringing up the rear. The door slammed shut behind them.

Wendell tumbled forward through the darkness…and onto the carpet, face first. A broom and mop fell forward, clunking him on the head with a double beat. Both Alhannah and Dax hopped over his prone body and landed lithely in front of him.

“Good moves, squirt,” grinned Dax, giving the gnome a high-five.

“Thank-YOU,” she bowed in return. “I learned from the best.”

With a bang, a clatter and finally a ‘Mahan’s Pink Panties!’, Chuck stumbled backwards, out of the closet, hat over his eyes.

“I’m hit!” he cried, “Blast those sniper wizards—I’ve been blinded!!” Tripping over Wendell, Chuck landed onto the carpet beside him. He pulled his hat up over his eyes and looked around.

“Did we make it?”

“How? Where?…what?” Wendell squinted, blinking incessantly.

The wizard shook his head, concerned, “Poor boy—must have hit your head too hard.” He leaned over and patted Wendell tenderly on the head. “We’ll get that speech impediment looked at right away.”

Wendell snorted in disbelief. Pictures lined the walls, a black grand piano sat in the bay window and comfortable, leather furniture filled the center of the room, facing the big screen TV. They had fallen into the bright light of Chucks living room! He could still smell hints of the meal Chuck had cooked before they’d left.

Wendell stumbled up onto his feet.

“But how did we…?” Grabbing the door of the closet, he swung it wide open, the knob banging against the wall. Cleaning supplies, a coat rack, a few small boxes and several pairs of shoes, boots and sandals littered the floor. Wendell stepped in and ran his hands over the surface of the interior walls. No portal, no open tunnel to the Black Market—nothing. It didn’t make any sense. Nothing here at all.

“How in the world did you do that?” he asked, bewildered. Wendell reached down and helped Chuck struggle to his feet, the wizard tugging and yanking at his twisted robe. “We didn’t have a port key. You said we needed a key?”

Chuck grinned, “Some of us have a key or two of our own.” He held up the loop of keys and rattled them with a cheesy smirk. “Got mine, right here.”

He frowned at Wendell and slapped him on the shoulder, “Oh don’t burn your last brain cell over it, my boy, it’s the simple mathematical calculations of the time space continuum, angular displacement and whether or not you left the toaster plugged in and the percolator going. I wonder if there’s any sausage left?”

“The mathematical…huh?” Wendell’s face contorted in utter confusion.

Chuck whistled and laughed out loud, “Didn’t I tell you the Black Market would be exciting and educational!? WeeHAW!” He gave a youthful wiggle of his hips and then winked. “SO much fun! Good food, good clothes, cute cannibalistic chicks, fist fights with giants…then a narrow escape through the use of misdirection, blinding speed and the proper application of rolling gnomes.”

“Hey!” grunted Alhannah.

“Present company excluded of course, my dear.” He strutted across the floor looking overly pleased with himself. “I’d say that was a successful trip!”

“And the help of a dragon,” Wendell added.

Dax, Alhannah and the wizard all looked at him curiously.

“Sorry?” asked Chuck.

“We also had the help of a dragon, to get away. You know—the one we stopped to look at when we first arrived? I talked to it.”

“You…talked to it?” repeated the wizard. His eyebrows crumpled together.

Wendell sighed. Why doesn’t anyone listen? “I told you this when we were at the tavern, Chuck. Yes, I talked to it,” then he reconsidered. “Well, I was thinking about it and it seemed to hear my thoughts—”

Dax rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t actually say a word,” Wendell explained, “It…responded to what I said.”

“Sure it did,” Dax grunted.

Chuck and Alhannah seemed dumbfounded, while Dax plopped down into a recliner, completely uninterested.

“So when I passed it,” Wendell continued, “I asked it to help Dax and Alhannah.” He grinned wide. He couldn’t help himself. It was so cool, to talk with a dragon. He knew it had happened, even if no one believed him.

Chuck sat down on the arm of Dax’s chair. “What did you ask it to do?” The smile was gone. He sat still for long moments, waiting for Wendell to answer.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just…tell me what you asked the creature to do, son.”

Wendell hesitated. “I…asked it to stop the Vallen, so we could get away.”

“Oh-ho-ho,” Dax scoffed, “Nice one, genius.”

“Dax!” snapped the wizard. The reaction wasn’t the one Wendell was expecting. Dax closed his mouth with a scowl. Alhannah’s cold features softened. Her eyes watered.

“I want to go back, Chuck,” Wendell continued, “As soon as possible. The way it projected its emotions—it was so sad.” He gripped his chest, scrunching his shirt at the memory. “It wants to be free. It longed to be free. So I thought, we could take it into the woods, or wherever it lives. Let it go into the wild.” Even now his heart ached as he thought about it. “I know that’s risky, but I think it would be the best thing. Better in the wild than in chains, right?”

“I don’t think that’s going to be possible, son.”

“Sure it is. We just wait a few days and go back. Thule’s men won’t wait that long, would they? You can use one of those key things and we can sneak in from the closet.”

Chuck shook his head. “This doesn’t have anything to do with vallen or Market security.”

“Then what?” The wizard’s expression was impossible to read. “I don’t care how much she costs, Chuck—if I have it, I’ll pay it. Then we can take her somewhere nice and set her free.”

“The laws concerning livestock are absolute in the Market.”

Wendell’s gut wrenched and he felt sick to his stomach. He slid down onto the end of the couch. “Are they going to hurt it?”

The wizard frowned. “I’m sorry. Beasts that harm any patron, even a vallen, are destroyed.”

“Destroyed!?” Wendell stared back in horror. “As in killing it?” He blinked numbly, “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Wendell’s head fell back against the couch as the room started to spin. The smiley turned a putrid green. I killed it. I killed a beautiful, enchanting, real life dragon…

“I killed her,” he whispered to himself. Then an idea hit him. “We can go back,” he pleaded, “Right now. It wasn’t her fault—I asked her to help! That has to make a difference…” He looked to each of them for support. “I can pay for damages. Right?”

Only Chuck looked him in the face. “I’m sorry.”

Wendell’s stomach churned. It was the heavy realization of the truth. He’d finally met a real life dragon—an intelligent creature and he sentenced it to death.

Way to go Wendell. You screwed up…again. He huddled at the end of the sofa.

“You got yerself another problem now, Chuck—ta add to the dragon killer over there.”

Wendell flinched at the jeer.

Dax smirked, his huge fingers interlaced behind his back.

“Leave the boy alone, monkey,” replied Chuck, “I got us back, safe and sound. All we have to do is sit back and wait for the Council.” He watched Wendell pull his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

Dax nodded towards Alhannah—sitting quietly, picking at her nails with a dagger. “…and then explain why ya brought back a Gnome…into Sanctuary.”

“What’s wrong with me being here?” Alhannah asked, offended.

Chuck waved a hand at her. “Alhannah’s not technically IN Sanctuary, now is she? She’s in my home. No one can tell me who I can and cannot invite into my own home!” He sank down between Wendell and the gnome, then reached over and squeezed Alhannah’s hand, reassuringly. “So good to see you, by the way, my dear.”

Snatching the wide brimmed hat from his head, Chuck flung it across the room. It sailed casually through the air, then hovered, like a feather suspended upon the wind…and landed on a peg by the front door. “Besides, now that she’s my employee, she’s required to stay near the boy—wherever he goes.”

Both Wendell and Alhannah sat forward. “Excuse me?” they said in unison.

“What do ya mean, employee?” asked Dax.

“Bodyguard, of course.” Chuck smirked as he collected his massive beard and pulled it up onto his lap. He added, “Well, and trainer.”

Wendell and Alhannah looked across at one another, confused.

“Oh please,” Chuck huffed, looking between them, “am I the only one thinking ahead?” Pointing to Alhannah, “You obviously need a job or you wouldn’t have been visiting your father. No, don’t deny it—he normally comes to see you. Besides, you can’t go back to the Market for awhile after our little escapade, so why not make some coin? Do something important,” his gaze turned to Wendell, “like protecting this worlds interests.”

The gnome sat back, considering. “How much coin?”

Chuck ignored her and focused on Wendell. “You need to start learning how to defend yourself, son. There’s no doubt about that. You gave an amazing display at the tavern, but think of what you could do with instruction. Hardcore training! Alhannah here is quite talented, despite her gentile countenance.”

Alhannah growled, “I am not gentile!?”

“Got that right,” snickered Dax.

Wendell hunched forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees. Now I’m going to be babysat by a red headed porcelain doll…and she’s going to do what? Teach me how to use pocket knives? But it wasn’t true and he knew it. Alhannah proved herself dangerous and fearless against the vallen in the tavern,…it just didn’t sit well with him. As if on cue, Alhannah looked up at him and grinned, her two red piggy tails bouncing quite menacingly. She bobbed her eyebrows at him. How can this get any more embarrassing?

Chuck glared at the troll, “And you certainly don’t want the job ANYway! Admit it, monkey!! You love and respect the boy as much as a boil on your butt.”

Dax opened his mouth to retort, but the wizard held his hand up for silence. “You oversee the training, I’ll educate. Deal?”

Dax bit his lip, considering.

“There!” the wizard clapped his hands together, “Now we have concrete reason for showing up with a gnome. We have absolutely nothing to worry about.” And with that, Chuck kicked off his sandals and put his white feet up onto the coffee table. He laced his hands behind his head, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

A loud knock echoed at the front door.

The room erupted in hysterics. Dax dove behind the armchair, Alhannah flipped over the back of the sofa and Chuck flung himself forward, spinning his body behind the curtains of the bay window.

Only Wendell failed to react.

He sat on the couch, rubbing his temple with a finger.

“Right,” he sighed, “I’ll get it.” Crazy loons.

An Iskari boy in red robes stood on the steps, taking deep gulps of air, his cheeks flushed purple. He bowed deeply, “Lord Wendell.” Handing him a small scroll of paper, the boy bowed again and immediately dashed back up the starlit path.

Leaves rolled across the cobblestone path leading to the picket fence, the chittering sands echoing above. Even here, on a moon, Wendell could hear the familiar sound of crickets in the night. The crystals of Sanctuary were dimming. Wendell stood in the doorway, watching the page until he had vanished from view altogether.

Chuck slid up beside him. He looked sheepishly over Wendell’s shoulder.

“What does it say?”

Untying the red ribbon, Wendell unraveled the scroll and read.

A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Here we go…

“The Council wants to see us within the hour.”