Fireball

A Clue?

"Well," said Elyse, "maybe it's nothing, but take a look at the side of the large rock. Any time I have come with him, Dronin comes out of the water there and up the beach to this spot. He leaves the same way. With the winds here, the footprints in the sand disappear every few days. I see footprints leading up to the stones, but I don't see any leaving. Why?"

That was a very good observation, thought Fireball, but before he could say anything, Endrik spoke up.

"So what? He walked to the rocks. Maybe he flew back to the water. That would leave no footprints."

"I did consider that, though I have never seen him flying back any time we have come here. But, more importantly, look at the back side of the rocks, toward the main beach, where it is very sandy. The sand looks very smooth, as if it were purposely smoothed out, and it is like that all the way down the beach. Seems awfully strange to have a 20 foot wide path down the beach, all smoothed out. It's almost like something very large was dragged down the beach and somebody smoothed out the sand afterwards. Perhaps it was a large dragon, like Dronin!"

Endrik smiled. Not because Elyse may have determined that Dronin was in trouble, but because she may have proven his theory was correct. Maybe they could prove Dronin was kidnapped.

"Great work Elyse," Endrik said. "It looks like you are onto something. Further, the path down the beach is toward the disturbed area that Fireball found. That can't be a coincidence. I think we need to investigate this whole area further."

The three headed down the beach. Elyse and Endrik walked, but Fireball decided to fly. Being much larger dragons, they covered far more ground with each step than ten of Fireball's steps. In no time the trio had reached the end of the beach. Directly in front of them was the brush that was clearly flattened. Something large had been dragged through this brush, they guessed.

If Dronin had been dragged down the beach and through this brush, how had he been incapacitated and what or who was able to move his very large body, wondered Elyse. She had played many games with him over the years and anything that involved moving Dronin had always proven to be next to impossible. Even Endrik agreed with that.

The three followed the trail until it suddenly ended. Nothing, thought Fireball. It was as if he had vanished. Wizards could do lots of things, but Fireball had never heard stories of them being able to disappear, or worse, make a 6 ton dragon disappear.

"It's getting dark," said Fireball. "The trail can't just end here, but maybe we should come back tomorrow, with others to help us look. Maybe we aren't the only ones on this island after all. We shall find out tomorrow."

Elyse looked at Fireball and Endrik. "We need to find Dronin, but all the elders tell us to stay away from the other side of the island, away from the volcano."

Fireball looked back at Elyse. "We will be very careful, but as you say, we have to find Dronin. The volcano didn't take Dronin. We have to find out who did, and get him back!"