Search for the Crystal Key (A Continuation of Dark Escape)

Chapter 19

Adam lay by the fire with his head resting on his paws. Things weren't going well. The enchantress was sharp and suspicious. Instead of accepting him as a cute and cuddly collie that wandered into the boundary and was in need of human assistance she suspected him of being exactly what he was, a creature of the dark in disguise. He'd been laying low in an effort to gain her trust and convince her otherwise. He should have returned to Shadow Land with the witchdoctor in tow by now. If he couldn't get the enchantress to soften soon, he'd have to abandon the idea of glory and fetch the witchdoctor. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that. At least here, in the company of the enchantress and her companion, his life wasn't at risk. He wanted to keep it that way. Delaying much longer would also put him in jeopardy with Balthazar. Any way he looked at it, getting the enchantress to enter Shadow Land with him was imperative.

"How long do you plan on hanging out here?" Brandon asked, openly frustrated.

"As long as we need to," Fiona replied, doing her best to mask the irritation she felt with the situation. "We're in the heart of the boundary so we need to take things slow and easy. One wrong move could prove fatal."

"Wouldn't it be safer to be mobile rather than sitting here like easy game?" he asked hesitantly.

"We're safe within the circle I cast. Nothing evil can get in or out," she explained. "Really?" Brandon looked around. Nothing looked different to him. "I can't see a thing."

"Exactly," she huffed.

This wasn't good news for Adam. He was very much aware of how powerful the magic circle of protection was, and she was right, nothing of evil persuasion could get in or out unless she spoke them in or out. This would be a problem if he wasn't able to get her to trust him.

Fiona watched the collie's body language when she spoke of the magic ring. Did she detect a reaction? Did he understand their conversation? She wasn't sure, but she suspected it. In the beginning, she thought he might be a dark creature in disguise to fool them into letting him get closer to them, but after inaction on his end she felt she might be wrong.

She decided to lay some bait. If he was something other than a dog, this would prove it. Sliding next to Brandon, she pulled out a sack from the saddle bag she hadn't touched since they began their trip. Untying the leather strap that secured the sack she reached in and pulled out a small vile.

"Hand me some of that meat from the fire, will ya?" she said to Brandon.

Confused, but knowing better than to speak, Brandon pulled off a small chunk of the venison that was roasting over the fire pit. Since it had only recently been skewered and balanced over the flames, it was still cool to the touch and therefore, easy to remove. As he handed the meat to Fiona, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Can I ask what you're doing?" he said.

"I think 'tis time to find out the truth about this dog. I want to move on, but I won't make a move with that beast at me heels unless I can be certain he's really a dog," she said as she soaked the meat in the liquid from the vile. "This here should do the trick."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Poison," she replied. "The way I figure it, if this is a creature in disguise it understands every word we say. That means he heard me say this meat is poisoned. It is tasteless and odorless poison, so the only way he'd know the meat could kill him is if he's not a dog and understands me words." "So, you're planning on feeding this bad meat to the dog and if he eats it and dies you know he was the real thing?" Brandon asked incredulously.

"That's right," she replied.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" he asked in earnest.

"Beasts from Shadow Land are tricky devils. We can't be traveling with one. Trust me," she said.