After a dozen yards the cave opened from a wide, rugged hallway into a soaring natural cathedral of stone and earth. Tiberius appeared to be out.
As they gathered in a circle, Thumb said, “There’s something you should be aware of regarding green dragons.”
“Yeah, what’s that, Tommy?” Kay asked, gaping at the tip of a stalactite high overhead.
“They don’t breathe fire—or acid, as I believe they do in your video game, Artie—but they do expel something that can freeze things into rock.”
“Great,” Artie said, sounding totally unpsyched.
“I hear that you’re quite safe—but a little uncomfortable—if a green dragon freezes you. I hope it won’t happen, but if it does, the important thing is to remain calm. You have my word that I’ll get you out.”
“Check, check, and ditto, Tommy,” Kay said. Artie nodded.
Then they took a closer look at the dragon’s home. It was very tidy. There were neat piles of bones and tree branches and a massive heap of something that looked like cotton. It also smelled incredibly fresh—which was exactly the opposite of what Artie expected of a dragon’s cave.
As for the stream, it was, without doubt, the Font of Sylvan. The flow of water originated from a gentle whirlpool about ten feet across. Erected over it was a gazebo of twisted branches, many of which still had leaves on them. These were of every color in the rainbow, even blue and purple, and they were beautiful.
Finally Kay said, “Well, looks like nobody’s home, huh?”
She’d spoken too soon.
Artie saw it first. The dirt and rock of the near side of the cave appeared to rearrange itself like an earthen Transformer. He gasped. Kay and Thumb wheeled. The “wall” began to shimmer like a pattern of water reflections on a ceiling, and within seconds the whole form turned green and was revealed in all its scaly magnificence.
The tail was what came to the ground first, with barely a whisper. Then the hind legs, and the forelegs, and the neck and head. All completely without noise.
Once its heft was settled on the cave floor, it turned, and at last the three startled knights came face-to-face with the great green dragon.
Its mouth was closed. Its nostrils flared. Its ruffled, Chinese-dragon mane moved as though a soft breeze blew over it. Its eyes blinked.
It remained eerily silent.
There was no question in Artie’s mind that this was the same dragon that had attacked them over the Lake. It had the same golden, ramlike horns, the same rubied canine teeth, and the same brilliant and beautiful rainbow eyes.
Thumb bowed low and said, “Keeper Tiberius, Guardian of Lord Numinae, I, Sir Tom Thumb, greet you humbly on behalf of His Eminence, King Arthur Kingfisher, and his Knight of the First Order, Sir Kay.”
Kay said quietly, “Nicely done, Tommy!” but the little man, still low to the ground and standing on ceremony, shot her a stern glance.
Artie bowed but was otherwise clueless. The dragon turned his head slightly and grunted “Hmmmph” through his nose. Something black rose from his nostrils, but it wasn’t smoke. It seemed impossible … but it looked like glass.
Thumb continued, “We request an audience—”
But before he could finish, the dragon reared and spit something black and shiny on Thumb. At first he looked like Han Solo encased in carbonite—his arms up, his sword out, and his face grimacing—but then the black substance unfolded around him, making sounds of breaking glass and sliding stone. In moments, Thumb was hidden from them in an egg-shaped hunk of black basalt about three feet tall.
The Thumb-egg teetered and fell to the side, rocking back and forth.
Kay screamed and began to move on the dragon, but Artie stuck out Excalibur and stopped her. The dragon ignored Kay and homed in on Artie.
“Needn’t worry,” the dragon sang. Its voice was so low and heavy that they felt it more than they heard it. “The small man is safer there. Quite alive.”
“Why’d you do that?” Kay demanded.
Tiberius continued to stare at Artie. He said, “Hmmmph. I feltn’t like talking to him. Not yet. And aside, he’sn’t to see Lord Numinae. You are.”
Tiberius settled nonchalantly on the ground and placed his chin on his forelegs like a fat housecat.
Thinking of Qwon, Artie said, “Fine. Let’s see Lord Numinae, then.”
The dragon looked away. “Hmmmph. You mightn’t be a new pretender?”
Kay blurted, “Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but—”
“Who’m I? And who’re you thinking you are, infant child?”
“Infant!” Kay started, but the dragon loudly snapped one of his long, pointy ears, and Kay shut up.
“I’m older’n Merlin, Numinae, and Jester Thumb added into one. To me, an infant you are.”
Artie asked, “What do you mean, ‘pretender’?”
The dragon slowly blinked. He looked sleepy. “Hmmph. I know who you are, byrnsweord bearer. I was just wonder’n who you think you are.”
Artie was amazed. This fantastic creature had cut to the heart of the matter. Wasn’t this the question Artie wanted answered more than any other? Wasn’t this question the reason why Artie had agreed to go along with all of this craziness in the first place? A dragon he’d known for less than five minutes had pegged him. A dragon.
“Well,” Artie answered, “I’m King Artie Kingfisher, and as Tom said, I wish to see Lord Numinae. He has something I need, and someone I want back.”
The dragon looked away casually and batted Thumb’s egg like it was toy. He said, “The something perhaps he’ll give. The someone I doubt he’ll return. But this is for Numinae to say. He wants to see’n you too, little king, though I don’t know why. If’t were my choice, I’d freeze you both and return Excalibur to its sleep’n place. Too much trouble otherwise.”
“But it’s not your choice,” Kay said, seeking assurance. Talking with this creature gave her the creeps, and she was eager to get on with things.
“No. ’Tisn’t. Hmmph.” Tiberius was clearly disappointed about this.
Artie was relieved. He said, “Okay, then take us to Numinae.”
The dragon smiled. “Hasten not, little ’uns. Three conditions must be met. The first’n has.” He stuck his chin at Thumb.
“You mean freezing Thumb?” Artie asked. The dragon nodded. “When we come back, will you release him?”
Tiberius said, “If ’n you make it back, he’ll be a-resting here.” For emphasis the dragon stuck a claw into the ground—really, into the ground. He drew it out and it made an awful, claw-on-chalkboard kind of noise. “Quite alive he’ll be.”
“Okay,” Artie said uneasily. “What’re the other conditions?”
“No moongates. If you flee and ever come back, I’ll freeze’n you like your companion. Forever.”
“Okay, we have to get it done now,” Kay said. “What else?”
The dragon reached across to Artie. Its front paw was the size of a love seat. Artie recoiled instinctively but he knew, somehow, that for the moment Tiberius was harmless.
The dragon flicked Excalibur’s scabbard. “This’n stays here.”
“Great,” Kay said sarcastically.
Artie asked, “Can Kay come with me?”
“Hmmmph.”
“That’s a yes.”
“Yes.”
Artie unstrapped the scabbard and laid it at his feet. “Fine, then. We’ll go together to Numinae, both vulnerable.”
Kay tried to protest, but Artie held up his hand. “It’s only fair.”
All the dragon said was, “Hmmmmmmmph,” but it was so weighty and guttural that it was clear that he didn’t hold the concept of fairness in high esteem. Since dragons probably were always at an advantage, this made perfect sense to Artie.
At last the dragon stood. Artie and Kay held their breaths as it backed up. It raised its relatively small wings as it lumbered back and forth on its muscular haunches. It came to a stop and looked down. In the wall was a low, black hole.
“A test lies through there. Get the comb. Only then will Lord Numinae be awaiting.”
“Another test? Man, these guys love tests. You all should have been teachers instead of crazy dragons and wizards and spirits or whatever,” Kay said. Then she grabbed Artie’s hand and squeezed it tight.
Artie asked, “Ready, Sis?”
Kay nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Hand in hand, they walked into the small cave and disappeared.
Kay hollered, “See ya later, Tiberius!”
But the dragon, standing over their departure, said nothing.