Feylings in Dragon's Keep

Chapter 4 ~Combat Ready~

Hops looks at Lyrie with confusion, but Lyrie pours into excruciating detail telling Hops all about what she had heard from her parents and aunt's discussion. Hops set down the books whose second letter on the second page is 'B' down, sets his patchwork hat atop his head, and immediately goes to find a book.

"What are you doing, we need to go find my cousins," Lyrie says sharply

"We cannot help your cousins if we do not know what we're up against and this," gesturing to the floors upon floors of books, "is our best shot at learning as much as we can." Lyrie begrudgingly agrees with her smart-witted friend. As they scour the floors of Lyrie's library and search the shelves half organized by color others organized by the second letter on the second page and some that are far too high for Hops to reach still organized by alphabetical order and genre. As they search, books pile around them on the floor and the sun rises to its peak as it does Hops picks up the book entitled "A History of Vampires" by Aerowyn Leece. As he flips through the book he opens to a specific page when he does he places that book gently on the floor and goes to a giant book entitled "Mysteries of Dragons" by Bron Kendelf the Third. As he flips through the pages of the book, he finds a page of the dragon temple north of Oakhurst. Standing tall, beautiful, and almost otherworldly.

"The Dragon Temple of Orlore Nox," Hops reads.

"A temple built in its glory to worship the beauty and majesty of dragons." Hops pauses takes a big gulp and continues, "Good and evil..."

The two sit over this massive book staring at the depiction of the temple, reading of the lore of Orlore Nox who built the temple with a massive stained glass window with all ten dragons known to the world represented on an individual stained glass window, then a massive window at the front of the sacred worship space depicting them all together. Along both of the west and eastern walls are windows giving a solo image of each type of dragon. Lyrie looks at the languages available assuming from the lettering beneath labeled in draconic.

"Hops what does that say?" Lyrie asks pointing to the lettering.

"Bronze," Hops says as he continues to examine the page before looking up. "You don't read draconic?"

"No, why do you?" Lyrie responds

"It was interesting, and I had an afternoon after organizing the books by the number of chapters," Hops shrugs before turning back to the book and reading more.

"An afternoon?" Lyrie thinks as she stares at her small friend.

"It says that the dragon temple was started by a man named Orlore Nox. He disappeared about 20 years ago and the temple has fell into disrepair with no caretaker or anyone actively looking for the temple, until now. Supposedly, he had kept a dragon in underground caverns beneath the temple, but the dragon ate him." Hops says as if reading a to-do list rather than reading about the death of man.

"Anyways, supposedly there are hoards of treasure beneath the temple and that is what is drawing your cousins and Sir Braeford to the temple."

"So strange, I just don't know why gold would be the draw for my family, we have enough gold for a lifetime," Lyrie says as she tugs at her pocket filled with twenty gold pieces for the journey.

"I guess that..." Hops says as Lyrie's mind trails off. Her heartbeat fills her ears as she lays eyes on her father's swords. She looks up at the mounted swords in a cross shape above the fireplace in the library. Tramaris likes to think back on his glory days even though he had never fought in any wars, killed any great beast, or even gone any farther than Waterdeep. She takes both swords down from their mount and holds them in her hands staring at them. Lyrie thinks of where she is going and what dangers, real dangers may be ahead, and places the swords in her belt. As Lyrie looks at Hops, she recognizes the need for more than just the two of them on this perilous adventure. She thinks of every person in Oakhurst, every person whose faces of disgust she has memorized by now and remembers Zelena.

"Hops, I think we're going to need some help, and I know just the person," and Hops looks at Lyrie as he places a green glass bottle into his bag. Hops obviously has never been on an adventure before, but to be fair Lyrie has not really either. Lyrie heads up to her room and packs the things she needs and sneaks into the kitchen grabbing food and water for herself and Hops. Lyrie knows that he will forget. When Lyrie gets back to the library Hops has a sprawl of books in front of him and Hops looks up,

"I found a map," Hops says. "It should lead us to the temple."

"Are we ready to go get some help?" Lyrie asks. Hops nods picking up a small pack, obviously missing quite a few necessities but Lyrie is not going to correct him. They walk out of the library into the empty echoing marble hallways and towards the massive vine covered front door. Hops pauses at the door peaking out from the doorway.

"Gumdrop," Lyrie thinks. Gumdrop in Hops familiar is a hawk. If you do not know, hawks and rabbits tend to not get along. Lyrie now understands that Gumdrop is controlled by Hops, but before understanding the power that Hops possesses by simply waving a finger Lyrie just thought Hops had a pet that just did not like him all too much. Hops tells Gumdrop to keep him combat-ready, which means every time Hops leaves the house Gumdrop attacks from the skies. As Hops heads out the door he hides, sneaks, and darts for cover as Lyrie skips along the familiar path. She spots Gumdrop not too far off from Hops as they approach the big grassy hill leading to Pelor's temple in town. Lyrie watches as Hops takes a deep breath and runs for it as if his life depends on it, Lyrie watches as Gumdrop almost snatches Hops's tail as he runs straight into Pelor's temple. Lyrie giggles as she enters the temple, she sees that Hops and Zelena have met. Lyrie smiles and begins to speak to Zelena informing her of all that has happened with her cousins and observing how Hops is staring at Lyrie with amazement even though Hops had already heard the reason why they are going on the adventure. Zelena is unwilling at first to hear Lyrie's pleas, but after finding out Sir Braeford, a Knight for Pelor is among the missing troupe. Zelena is less wary.

"You are sure this is this where they are going?" Zelena says in broken common as her thick giant speech accent.

"Positive, I overheard my aunt and parents talking about it this morning," Lyrie says as Hops jumps up on a pew within the temple to whisper into Lyrie's ear,

"You speak giant?" Hops says

"No, she's speaking common," Lyrie whispers back. Zelena looks at the two with a peculiar look in her eyes as if she were analyzing their movements for any lies.

"I will come, I must let the priest know I will be leaving," Zelena says as she steps farther into the temple. As she leaves Lyrie turns to Hops.

"Just the three of us."

"And Gumdrop" Hops adds as he looks over his shoulder.

They wait a while as the sun reaches noon when Zelena finally steps out into the temple. She nods at them with a pack built for a woman of her size. Zelena stands tall enough for Lyrie to have to look up at her.

"Ready?" Zelena asks

"Ready." Lyrie and Hops say in unison as they walk towards the temple doors. Hops picks up his pace leaving Lyrie and Zelena to walk behind him as he begins to prepare for his leave to avoid being eaten by his hawk familiar. Zelena and Lyrie watch on as Hops prepares a fake bird and throws it as Gumdrop chases the bird, Hops runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction. Zelena looks over to Lyrie in confusion,

"It's just Hops staying," as Lyrie does martial arts hands pretending to chop something in half, "combat-ready." Zelena looks the disgusted look Lyrie usually gets, but this time a hint of amusement crosses Zelena's face. Lyrie, Hops, and Zelena head to the trailhead leading to the north of Oakhurst.

As Lyrie looks back on her small town of Oakhurst she realizes how her world is about to get so much bigger, how the small town she carried with each person's face memorized, each morning just like the last barely ever change she turns back to the woods entrance ready for a new adventure, ready for new horizons to see and seas to cross and worlds to explore beyond the simple forest barrier of Oakhurst, Lyrie waves over her shoulder as she heads into the woods with her friends ready to find her cousins and if they're lucky something new.