Hoodwinked: The Summoning Book One

Chapter 25

Otswana woke to the sound of a cold, desert wind hitting the side of the tent. The sun, now high in the sky, gave little warmth, but plenty of light. Otswana turned and stretched, with her feet kicking something in the process. Memories of the previous evening returned to her. Her head snapped to the space behind her, meeting Captain Greypol's brown eyes.

"Good morning wife," he spoke in a low voice.

Otswana gave him a shy smile. "Good morning husband," she greeted in return. She pulled the covers up to her neck as she fully turned towards him.

"Are the others awake?" Otti whispered.

"Yes, they are waiting for us to take leave of our tent to witness us untie our wrists," Klav said.

"It is for show?"

"It's tradition in Draconia," Klav reaffirmed.

"Very well. I shall need help finding my carpet bag to dress. I wish to wear trousers and a shirt."

Klav rolled the other direction and lifted her bag from his side of the tent. Otti looked away, trying not to blush at seeing his torso, now clearly visible in the daylight.

"Hand me your wrist so I may untie it for you to slip your arm through the sleeve," Klav demanded.

Otti complied. "You have gotten quite bossy since our wedding. Is this really how you treat a queen?" Otti teased.

"No, I have already shown you how I treat a queen," Klav, in turn, jested with his wife.

"Yes, you have. I believe I could easily get accustomed to being treated like a queen." Otti smiled at her husband.

Klav paused and looked into her eyes as she gazed into his. He slowly leaned in and gave her a proper kiss, which in turn, delayed their quitting of the tent.

The smell of roasted bird floated through the fabrics of the small structure. Otti quickly finished dressing and pulled on her riding boots. She helped Klav retie the leather strap to his wrist once he had his boots fastened. He held the flap door open for her to exit first. She instantly regretted this, for seeing the reaction of others, she wished to hide behind Klav the remainder of the day.

"It's about time you two came out. We've eaten most of lunch and were about to search out this portal without you," Prince Greggor stated. He grinned at Otswana and gave her a friendly wink before he turned away.

Otti looked to Klav who held up their right wrists. Those who witnessed the removal of the leather binding from the wrists congratulated them on the union of their nuptials. Otswana avoided looking at her father. She did not wish to add to her discomfort. She stayed by Klav's side during the afternoon meal and throughout the process of packing their things to store in the saddle bags.

Once Otswana had everything packed away, she noticed Zyvon had his map upon the ground. He had weighed the corners down with rocks as he calculated the direction and distance they would travel.

"Captain, what are you able to describe of the location of the portal from your vision?" Lord Briggon asked, as he approached them.

"It was in a shady area, surrounded by dry brush. There was sunlight, so it will not be in an enclosed space," Captain Greypol recalled.

"There was an overhanging rock to the right of the portal," Otti added.

"We split off with partners. We each take a dragon-"

"I shall find it much faster if I transform into a falcon. I can fly to places your dragons cannot. If you wait here, I'll return shortly and give you the exact location of the portal," Otti said.

"It may not be safe," King Nathar stated.

"Other than the dragons and your men, I am the next biggest threat in this desert. I shall even bring back a coney for you," Otswana said with a smile.

"You have until we give you a smoke signal. If you have not found the portal by then, you will return and we all search for it," Lord Briggon instructed his daughter.

"Very well. Zyvon, will you point out on the map where I should look first?"

Otti was given the general area to search out, before she went into the tent to transform. She easily flew out of the loose flap and shot straight up to avoid flying near the storm of dragons resting by the camp.

The plateau stretched on for nearly two kilometers. It was a straight drop-off into the valley below on the east side. Otti looked there first. She flew over the area three times, recognizing nothing from Klav's vision. She soared over several clusters of rock on the south side of the plateau. The portal was not there. She flew to the west portion of the plateau.

The first flyover, she saw nothing. Turning back in the opposite direction, she noticed a crevice and an overhang, surrounded by dry brush. She dove quickly, scaring a rabbit from the bush in the process.

Otti snatched up the gray animal and dug in her talons for a quick kill as she landed. She turned her head to the overhanging rock and the stone wall underneath it. The queen instantly recognized the etched outline of a summoning door. It looked exactly as it did in the vision. Clutching the coney, Otti took off to report her findings and deliver their dinner.

An hour later, Klav, Otswana, Zyvon, and the King returned from sealing the portal. It was not only encased in diamond, but Zyvon insisted the summoning door be covered in several layers of rock and sand, which Zyvon enchanted to be immovable. Otti suspected he used his blood to bind it, but did not vocalize her suspicions.

"That was easy enough. Do you suppose they will all be this simple to find and seal with magic?" Prince Greggor asked his father.

"Let us hope so," King Nathar said, studying his sparkling gauntlets. "I am curious to know how we plan to kill demons that our swords cannot penetrate. My diamond touch will stop these dark creatures, but I am only one man."

"There is Demon's Bane," Lord Briggon stated.

Everyone looked at the younger of the two sorcerers.

"What is Demon's Bane?" Otti asked.

"It's selenite, or desert rose crushed into a fine powder. You let it bathe in moonlight, preferably under a full moon. Then you enchant it with the purity spell," Zyvon explained.

"You may dip your talisman or a weapon into the powder once the spell is complete. It's called Demon's Bane because legend says it kills anything unnatural and impure. You must never get it wet, otherwise the magic quickly fades."

"Where can we find this stone?" Klav asked.

"It's called desert rose, so in the desert, I would assume," Prince Greggor replied.

"Yes, we should be able to find some here," Zyvon stated.

"The next full moon will be in two nights," Otti informed them.

"We have only three hours of daylight left. It will be near impossible to find in the dark," Zyvon said.

"There is no time to waste. Let us search out the selenite. It can either be clear crystal or a light brown ball or tower formation that has a pattern of a rose," Lord Briggon stated.

Prince Matteais stepped forward. "The dragons need to hunt. We will search for these crystals as they search for food."

The men agreed to split up and search the grounds, the crevices, and caves for the desert rose or selenite. By twilight, they each returned with a few white crystals and several handfuls of the brown desert rose gypsum. When the dragons finished their meal after dark, everyone mounted the dragons, pairing up as they did before.

This time Klav's dragon, Firebeam, led the storm of dragons to the south portal. Zyvon had marked the Willow Swamps as the general location of the portal to the south. They would arrive there by morning.