Fireball

Racing To Elderbush

Reaching the town, Fireball thought it looked quiet, and peaceful. There were a few dozen homes at the foot of a large mountain with a small section of land that touched the ocean. There were no shops visible and no wizards around. Fireball did not know if this was the look of a typical town or not.

"All is calm here, Amos." Fireball commented. "Do you think the prince has arrived yet? It appears that Marcello and his wizard friends are not here, nor does it look like they have been."

"Oh, they were here alright," said Amos, shaking his head. "They may not be here now, but we should be ready. The destruction they did looks like it left many casualties, but I see nobody."

The little dragon was very confused. He saw no damage. He was unsure what Amos was talking about. Did he miss something, he wondered?

Amos cautiously walked toward the mountain and motioned Fireball to follow. He explained to Fireball that they needed to see if there were any injured survivors and they needed to find out if Alexander was there. The dragon followed him, still not understanding.

"Amos!" Fireball called out. "I see nothing wrong. The houses and mountain look pristine. The water is calm and there are no fires. No injured people and no destruction. What do you see that I cannot?"

"The mountain, my friend" said Amos in a very hollow tone. "The mountain you see here is not supposed to be here. Where it stands was once the prince's castle. Also missing is the wizardry school and dozens of homes. This mountain has destroyed all that and I don't know how many lives were lost or people were injured. We must investigate."

The picture was a little clearer for Fireball now, but this magic stuff was beyond his comprehension. How do you just grow a mountain up from nothing? Realizing a magical explanation would need to be a lesson for a later time, Fireball focussed on helping Amos search for survivors.

Fireball told Amos he would quickly circle the mountain to look for injured or dead wizards and report back. As he flew around the mountain he saw no signs of life. He saw no wizards or creatures at all. He did, however, see a large opening that led into the mountain on the far side. He reported the opening to Amos, piquing the wizard's interest.

"Let's go inside," said Amos. "I'm not sure if the prince is still here, but I can feel his presence, so I know he was here recently. I will light my wand. I assume you can see quite well in the dark?"

"I can see very well in the dark." said Fireball smugly.