"Are we there yet?"

Alex stared back at Karen. "Yes of course we are. Even though we haven't come to the fence that marks the edge of the Dragon Land, we've been walking for less than a day when Tolan said that it would take a full day just to get to the border, and we haven't seen a single dragon, we have arrived at our destination. Does it look like we're there yet?!"

"It was just a joke. Lighten up."

"You should talk. You've been in a bad mood for the past three days and haven't stopped complaining ever since we arrived in Anaquaria."

"I've had good reason to be in a bad mood, you haven't. Let me give you a recap. First I'm pulled into a strange world and told that I'm supposed to help save it from an evil demon. Then Calem shocks me with his harmless, but painful, stun field." Calem glanced behind him at the mention of his name, then resumed looking ahead. "Next, my hand is cut in a fight, which was my fault, but it is still a good reason to be in a bad mood. Then, because this place is so medieval, I'm now limited to just two sets of decent clothing, and that night I get a real bad night's sleep. Finally, I fall into that lovely little swamp; twice. Now, do you think I should I be in a good mood?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you have been having a run of bad luck lately. I'm sure it's over now. So try and be in a little better mood, without the stupid jokes, okay?"

"I'll try, just as long as nothing else bad happens to me."

Tolan smiled. "I think that's the best you're going to do, Alex."

"You're probably right." Alex went silent for a moment when a question jumped into his mind. "What are the dragons like, Tolan? What should we expect from them?"

"What's the matter, Alex? Don't you remember reading stories about dragons?"

"Karen, if you want to rely on made-up stories from our world, go right ahead. I would like some accurate information about them."

Karen crossed her arms in displeasure while Tolan took a deep breath. "The dragons have a long history in Anaquaria. And I'm sure some of them have been around for most of it, as dragons often live upwards of 2500 years."

"That's a lot older than you, Erris," Karen whispered.

"Much older."

"Like us, dragons are sentient and have the ability to speak. They are a very rigid and honour driven society. The dragons have a very well established chain of command; everyone follows Darigos, their ruler, without question. Non-dragons are at the end of this chain, only those who have proven themselves are treated with respect. Proving one's self is the only way anybody has ever escaped from the Dragon Land alive. This is why people rarely enter. The Dragons prefer it this way; they live alone and do not like being bothered by outsiders."

"So, what are we going to do? We're going to walk into their home and take their ruler's Fire Crystal. I hope he doesn't mind."

"Karen!"

"Sorry, but what do you expect? From the sounds of it, I don't think dragons will welcome our presence."

"No, they won't. But getting the Fire Crystal from Darigos is more important than any danger there may be. Aranax is a lot more fearful than any dragon."

"It sounds like we're going to have to fight them. What strengths and weaknesses do they have?"

"They are extremely large, weighing several tons, which makes them very strong physically. Dragons also have wings and therefore possess the ability to fly, although they can only travel short distances. Normally, they cannot use magic, but Darigos has the fire crystal which will allow him to use fire based magic."

"Do they have any weaknesses?" Karen asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"You sound scared, Karen."

"I am not scared! I just don't want to get myself killed."

"Kaldor scared. Me small, dragon bigger. Much stronger too. Dragons not like gnomes. Darigos kill many of us when we inhabit land."

"Nobody wants to get killed. But we are going to have to take risks in order to stop Aranax. If that means taking on a dragon, then that's what we'll do."

"Don't make it sound like too much fun."

Alex ignored the comment and turned to Kaldor. "I don't understand. How could Darigos kill the gnomes if the dragons never leave their territory?"

"Darigos start short war with gnomes when he first become ruler. Wanted to extend Dragon Land. Extend into gnome territory. Collapsed tunnels and kill all gnomes in his way. Gnomes fight back, but too small to fight. We kill only two dragons, he kill many hundred gnomes. So we forced to retreat."

"Nice guy."

"I thought you were going to try and stop complaining, Karen."

"I was going to try and be in a better mood, not stop complaining."

"Try both."

"I don't know. That's asking a lot." Karen suddenly remembered that she had asked a question earlier. "Nobody answered my question. Do the dragons have any weaknesses?"

"According to people who claim to have escaped from the Dragon Land, dragons are extremely focused. So much so that when they concentrate on something, they will often fail to notice anything else around them. That is their only known weakness, although no one has ever truly proven it."

"At least it's something."

"Sure. We get the dragons to concentrate on killing just one of us, while everybody else runs away."

Alex glared at Karen. "I think I know who they can focus on."

Karen turned away from Alex in response to the comment. "Funny, Alex. Real funny."

"Just returning the favour."

"What that?" Kaldor stated as he pointed to a cloud of smoke just over the ridge they were walking up.

"I'm not sure, but it's directly in front of us. We'll be going right past it."

As they reached the crest of the hill, everyone saw where the smoke was coming from. "Wow. Somebody's been busy." The group was staring at the charred remains of several buildings situated at the base of the hill.

"What happened here?"

"I think it's rather obvious, Karen. There used to be a village here. Something or someone has completely burned it to the ground."

They all walked down the hill and into what remained of the village. "Tolan, can I have the map?"

Tolan reached into his backpack and pulled out the map. He unfolded it and gave it to Karen. "There's no village on the map," she stated, after looking it over.

"That's because it has been destroyed. It wouldn't be on the map."

"No, Alex. The fact that there is still smoke indicates that this fire is recent. Within the last couple of days, I'd guess. The village should be marked."

"Well it's not. And it never will be, either, since it doesn't exist anymore."

"Tolan, how far are we to the edge of the Dragon Land?"

"Not far. About another hour of walking. Why?"

"This village is very close to the Dragon Land, and it was destroyed by fire. Darigos has the Fire Crystal. Is it possible that it was him?"

"I don't know. Perhaps. But it is still outside of their territory. As I said before, they don't usually leave the Dragon Land."

"Well, we're not going to figure it out standing around here. Only Darigos can answer that. Let's just continue walking." The others resumed their journey while Karen remained behind for a few seconds, looking at the smoldering buildings.

"If Darigos can do this to a village, I'd hate to think what he could do to us."

"How uninviting."

"Is it ever."

The six members had just reached the fence that marked the edge of the Dragon Land. The fence was nothing more than half a metre high wooden pillars spaced a few metres apart. The pillars were connected with poorly cut metal rods and the fence extended right across the path blocking the entrance, although the fence could easily be jumped over. A rough wooden sign with the words `Dragon Land` written on it was situated off to the left. The path continued beyond the fence for a short distance before fading away. Beyond the path was just flat ground made up of dirt and rock. There were no indications of anything growing, no trees, no bushes or shrubs, not even a single blade of grass. Far off in the distance were several volcanoes, most of them spewing a dark grey smoke out of their tops.

"We set up camp here. Tomorrow we'll enter the Dragon Land to get the Fire Crystal."

"Lets just hope Darigos doesn't fry us with it first."

"Good to see you're thinking positively, Karen."

Karen pulled her tent out of her backpack and quickly set it up. "Somebody has to." Fifteen minutes later, everyone had set up their tents in a semicircle and built a fire in the centre. Tolan brought out some meat and cooked it over the flames for dinner. Everyone thought it tasted pretty good, although Karen and Alex were not totally sure what it was, and neither one was willing to ask. After they finished, Tolan and Calem sat down in front of their tents and started talking to each other. Alex and Kaldor stayed around the fire and started their own conversation, while Karen and Erris sat beside each other in front of their own tents.

"Karen, do you mind if we finish that conversation we started earlier at the lake?"

"No, not at all, Erris. What's on your mind?"

"Two things, actually. First, I was wondering what your world is like. Is it very different from this one?"

Karen was surprised. "My world? Yes, it is very different from this one. It's called Earth, and it is far bigger than this world. Based on that map of Anaquaria, I'd guess at least 100 times bigger. Also, from what Tolan's told me, Anaquaria is flat, and alone in its universe. Earth is spherical and only a very tiny point in its universe. True magic doesn't exist in my world, either, but it is much more advanced technologically.

"Is that why you were complaining about the clothes? Because to you they're old fashioned?"

Karen blushed. "Alex told you about that, didn't he?"

"At the lake, before I joined you."

"Yes, that's why I was complaining about the clothes. It may not be the greatest achievement we could have, but new technology does inspire new fashion. And personally, the fashion here is not very appealing. What was your second question?"

"The other thing I was curious about is that I've noticed that neither you nor Alex seem to express any great desire to get home. I would have thought that you would really want to get back to your world."

"You weren't there when we first arrived here. We, uh, I, wanted to go back, but Tolan showed us that we can't without the Wind Crystal. Until we find it, there's no point worrying about going home. This is also a very unique experience, something that no one else will ever have. Another reason is that I don't really have much to go back to; just my studies. And being here is actually a lot more fun than writing essays and exams, even if everybody's trying to kill us."

"Don't you have any family or friends that would miss you? Wouldn't you miss them?"

Karen lowered her head. "I... I don't have any family. At least none that I know of. And Alex and I really only had a couple of friends. I'm fairly sure they wouldn't miss us very much, either."

"What happened to your family?"

"I don't know. They abandoned me when I was only three years old. I lived in an orphanage until I was old enough to move out on my own. I met Alex a year after I arrived at the orphanage when his parents were killed in an accident. We've been together ever since."

"I'm sorry about your family."

"Don't be. Knowing why my family did what they did is just a mystery that I guess will never be solved. And I've done fairly well, despite it all. Including being in another dimension."

Karen and Erris noticed that everyone one else had already gone to sleep. "We should get some rest. It won't do us any good if we're tired when we confront Darigos."

"I guess you're right. It is quite late." Karen looked at her watch, which still displayed the wrong time. "I think."

The two females stood up and walked over to their respective tents. Erris stopped in front of hers and looked to the right. "Karen?"

"Yes?"

"You have friends here. Alex is with you, and I would like to think of you as my friend."

"Thanks, Erris. I would consider you my friend as well."

When the group woke up the next morning, they were greeted not by a pleasant sunrise, but by a dismal grey sky and the downpour of rain brought with it.

"Perfect. It's raining. And no umbrella."

"Umbrella?" Erris asked, confused, as she and the others packed up their things.

"It's a device from my world that's used to keep the rain off."

"I thought you liked rain, Karen."

"Normally I do. But now it simply seems like it's just more bad luck. Plus, I don't usually have to walk for a full day in it."

"Speaking of walking, how do we know where to go? The path disappears shortly after we enter."

"You can see the castle from here. We head in that direction." Tolan pointed to a faint grey object in the distance that almost completely blended into the sky.

Alex squinted at the faint outline. "I think I see it." He picked up his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. "Let's get going."

"Wait a minute. The dragons live in a castle?"

"Yes. But it's no ordinary castle. It is very large, due the immense size of the dragons. So, when we're inside, we can expect to feel really, really small."

"Yet another thing to look forward to."

"Be ready for anything." After this last comment, they all crossed the fence and stepped into the Dragon Land, heading in the direction of Darigos's castle.

It was late afternoon and the group had been walking steadily towards the giant castle. The structure, which was now easily visible, was only about another kilometre away. A faint, blinking red light could be seen through the open windows in the tallest tower, which was located at approximately the centre of the castle grounds. Tolan was fairly sure that this was the Fire Crystal, but retrieving it was another matter. During the day, the sky had all but become darker and more gloomy. It was still raining heavily and the barren ground had become very muddy from all the water.

"This is almost as bad as the swamp," Karen said, wiping the water dripping from her wet hair out of her eyes.

"This time you can at least see where you are going."

"There may be no mist on the ground, but there's water in my eyes. However, the footing is fairly good; nobody's fallen."

"Be careful what you say, Karen. You may be giving yourself bad luck."

"I don't care. I'm jinxed enough as it is."

Alex wiped water off his face and looked around. "Tolan, why haven't we seen any dragons? Are there not very many of them?" Alex laughed lightly. "Or are they all inside hiding from the rain?"

"I don't know, it is rather strange. There are several hundred dragons in the Dragon Land and they can usually be seen walking or flying around, no matter what the weather is. We should have seen at least one."

"Don't worry. We're probably just walking into a trap."

"Would you be quiet, Karen?! You're going to give everyone else your bad luck."

"I hope I already have," Karen grumbled.

"Please don't start arguing now. We are almost there and I don't want to have to worry about you two fighting each other in addition to Darigos." The ground suddenly changed back into grass as they approached the castle. A pathway, almost four metres wide, appeared under their feet and led up to the castle. The entrance was formed from two huge wooden doors that were at least six metres high. Through the crack that separated the two doors a large wooden bar, located about halfway up, could be seen on the other side, crossing the doors. This was obviously some sort of lock that prevented them from being opened.

"How are we going to get in?"

"I could change into something that could break the doors down, but that would be very noisy and give away our presence."

"Erris is right. We have to be as discrete as possible," Calem stated.

"My sword can fit through this crack. I could probably break the bar with it, but I can't reach that high."

"Kaldor know. Me have very sharp claws and not weigh very much. Me could reach if stand on someone's shoulders."

"Sounds like a good idea." Karen walked forward and stood directly in front of the doors. "I guess I volunteer since I'm the tallest."

"You are not. We're the same height, Karen!"

"Wrong, Alex. You are six foot one and a half. I am six foot two."

"Half an inch, big deal."

"It's all that matters to me."

"Why? You're too tall anyway. Most women aren't over six feet."

"You're just mad because I'm taller than you."

"Argue later, you two! One of you just give Kaldor a lift."

"Go ahead, Karen." Alex replied unhappily.

Karen lifted Kaldor up onto her shoulders. The gnome was now eye-level with the board that blocked the doors on the other side. He slashed at the door with his sharp claws, causing a large chunk of wood to break off. Kaldor hit the door again and more wood came flying off, exposing the beam on the other side. After two more slashs the beam broke in half and the two pieces fell to the ground.

As Kaldor jumped down Karen looked at the pieces of wood on the ground. "We're in," she stated. They all pushed on the heavy wooden door and slowly opened it. "You're right, Tolan. I feel really, really small," Karen said as she and the others walked inside. They were standing in a large area that was much like a hallway, although it was several metres wide. It extended all the way to the end of the castle on both the left and the right, then went around the corners and continued down the length of the huge structure. In front of them was an archway, the same height as the doors, which allowed access to the interior of the castle. As well, there were several plants decorating the walls.

"Where is everyone?" Alex asked. Just as he spoke, two dragons appeared out of nowhere and stood in the archway. Several more dragons emerged from around the corners on either side of them. After a few moments, the pair of dragons in the archway moved aside and looked behind them. A huge dragon walked between the two and stopped in front of the group.

"I am Darigos, ruler of the dragons. After I saw you last night camped out on the edge of our land, I figured you might be coming here." Darigos had dark blue scales, stood almost five metres tall and was at least twice as long. He had a massive, heavily spiked tail and large wings that were folded inward along his body. Darigos's face was long and narrow, with a number of sharp teeth exposed, and his eyes were a piercing, deep green colour.

"I knew it. It's a trap."

"Shut up, Karen! I gathered that."

"Why have you disturbed us? What do you want?"

"We have come for the Fire Crystal."

Darigos laughed. "No matter how many times I hear someone say that, it is still funny. Now, what do you really want?"

"The Fire Crystal. We need it."

Darigos narrowed his eyes and growled. "It belongs to me! Why do you need it?"

"Aranax is trying to harness all the magical power in Anaquaria. If he does this, it will destroy this land. We need the Fire Crystal and the other element crystals to stop him."

"I could care less about what Aranax is doing. He doesn't bother us."

Calem whispered to Alex. "Dragons can't use magic without getting it from something like the element crystals. Aranax has left them alone because he thinks there is no magic to control here."

"You don't understand, Darigos. He is going to destroy everything, including you! We must have the Fire Crystal to prevent this from happening. You must realize what would happen if he tries to concentrate all the magic in Anaquaria."

"I don't give a damn about Aranax! He can do whatever he wants, as long as he leaves us alone. I actually enjoy his presence. Everyone else is so afraid of him they don't travel anymore, which means that nobody is around to bothers us. The only disturbance we've had in the last year were some foolish humans who tried to build a town on our borders, but we took care of that. They managed to conceal what they were doing for quite some time, however, it is very difficult to hide an entire village, so we found out eventually. I got to have some fun, too. It had been a long time since I used the Fire Crystal."

Karen shook her fist at Darigos. "It was you! You completely torched that village!"

"They were too close to our land! They knew exactly where they were building; and paid for it. Remember the ashes of those buildings, as it will be the closest you get to owning the Fire Crystal." Darigos stepped forward. "You have bothered us long enough. Leave the Dragon Land now and I'll let you live."

"We are not leaving without the Fire Crystal, Darigos. Stopping Aranax is more important than your privacy."

"Then you will die. I will not give up the crystal! If you want it, you will have to take it by force!" Darigos took a deep breath and then exhaled a bright red stream of fire at the group. Everyone dove out of the way as the streak of fire blazed through them and impacted on the stone wall, leaving a black scorch mark behind.

"How classic! A dragon who breathes fire!" Karen said, picking herself up off the ground.

"Unbelievable, Karen! Even now you're making sarcastic remarks."

"Just trying to lighten up the atmosphere of impending doom."

"Do it later! And I'd prefer to not think of this as impending doom." Another stream of fire screamed past. "Okay, maybe there is a slight air of impending doom."

"Tolan! What happened to the magic words?"

"There aren't any. There are two forms of magic: spells and action-based. Spells are more powerful but slower to take effect and require the caster to say a special phrase. Action-based magic is weaker, but much faster and doesn't use words. As the name says, this type of magic is invoked simply by a single motion or thought. I can only use spells, but there are others who can only use action-based magic and also those who can use both forms."

"Now you tell me." A third blast of fire shot through the group.

"What do we do?!" Karen yelled.

"Knight!" Alex quickly transformed into his alternate self as Darigos stormed forward. He made a series of gestures motioning Karen, Tolan, and Kaldor toward the archway behind the giant blue dragon.

"What about you?"

More fire spewed from Darigos's mouth, which Alex blocked with his shield. At the same time he mouthed the word 'quiet' to Karen so the dragon ruler wouldn't know what they were doing. It didn't matter, however, as the rumour about the dragon's concentration was true and Darigos hadn't noticed anything. None of the other dragons noticed anything either because they were too busy watching their leader. "Erris, Calem and I will keep Darigos occupied. You get the crystal!"

Following Alex's instructions, Karen, Tolan and Kaldor took off through the archway and into the castle's interior. Alex raised his shield to block the fire and made a charge at Darigos. Just as he came close enough to hit him with his sword the massive dragon swung his tail around and struck him with incredible force, sending him flying into the stone wall behind him. "Alex!" Karen screamed as she stopped running and started back towards her fallen friend.

Stunned, Alex stayed on the ground for a few moments, then slowly picked himself up off the ground. "I'm fine. Go! Get that crystal!"

Karen stared back at him with concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Now get going!" Karen waited for a couple more seconds until she was convinced Alex was alright, then turned around and caught up with Tolan and Kaldor.

"Are you alright?" Calem asked.

"I twisted my arm, but I'll live. Tolan sure wasn't kidding when he said that the dragons were strong."

"Why did you tell Karen that you were alright then?"

"She and the others need to focus on getting that crystal. You saw how she reacted. I don't want her to get hurt because she was distracted wondering if I was okay."

"Who ever thought you could show you care by lying? Personally, though, I don't think you're giving Karen enough credit."

"You don't know her nearly as well as I do. She distracts easily."

Yet another blast of fire came from Darigos, narrowly missing the three remaining members. Erris ran over to Alex and Calem. "If you two would stop chatting for a moment you may have noticed that we have other problems."

"You're right. This can wait," Alex responded, glancing at Darigos who was advancing on them. "Since I can't get close enough to him to strike with my sword then I'll use my shield to block the fire while you two attack him from a distance."

"Good idea, for Calem. As for me, right now I think Darigos needs to fight someone more his size." Erris took a step backwards and morphed into the giant Torumus creature she had changed into during their first fight. Despite its large size, it was still considerably smaller than Darigos. Erris slashed at the attacking dragon but missed as he dodged at the last second. Darigos took another deep breath and exhaled, this time shooting a large fireball instead of a stream of fire. The ball of flame exploded in front of Erris, sending a spray of fire in every direction, but fortunately not harming her. Erris took a couple more swipes at the dragon but missed again. Darigos returned the favour with a few slashes of is own from his front claws, but he also failed to land a blow. Alex and Calem watched as Erris and Darigos continued swinging at each other.

"I think Erris could use our help," Calem said, raising his staff in the air. "Infligo everbero!" A white beam came shooting out of the staff and broadsided Darigos. The energy blast didn't do any damage whatsoever, and he continued his battle with Erris without even looking in the direction of the attack. Calem turned to Alex. "He's too big. I can't harm him." He thought for a moment. "But maybe I can sap some of his energy and slow him down." Calem raised his staff again. "Adficio impedio!" A bright red ribbon of energy came streaming from the staff, wrapped around Darigos, and then dissipated after a few seconds. Unfortunately, the results of the flashy display were less than spectacular as the spell once again had no effect. It did succeed in attracting Darigos's attention, however, as the dragon turned towards them and spit out another fireball. Alex raised his shield above his head and managed to block the attack.

"Give it up! Your magic has no effect on me!" Darigos sneered.

Calem looked at the Alex. "He's right. My magic isn't powerful enough to have any effect on a creature this large." With Darigos still facing the other direction, Erris was given an opportunity to strike. Before the dragon could turn his attention back to her, a large claw came crashing down on the back of Darigos's head. This time, the attack appeared to have an effect as the dragon seemed to be in some pain. More than anything, however, it just made him angrier as he growled loudly, then charged headfirst at Erris. Darigos's huge blue body slammed into her, sending her reeling backwards. Erris lost her balance and fell into the stone wall behind her, putting a large crack in it from the weight of her large Torumus form. Several pieces of rock fell to the ground from the impact, landing around the motionless Erris. With her down, Darigos once again diverted his attention back to Alex and Calem and began shooting more fire at the two.

"Calem! Look out!" Alex yelled as he ran at Calem and pushed him out of way, a streak of fire narrowly missing them.

"Thanks. That was close." The two quickly got up and dodged another blast of fire. "Is Erris okay?"

"I'm not sure." Alex blocked more fire with his shield. "But we're not going to be okay for much longer. We can't keep dodging Darigos's fire forever. I just hope Karen and the others get that crystal soon." Alex dove out of the way of another fireball and winced as he landed on his injured arm. "Before our group of six is reduced to a group of three."

"This place is a maze! How do the dragons get around in here?" Karen said in annoyance.

"It's easier to get around when you're as big as they are." Tolan stopped and pointed to the tower with the shining red light in it, which could be seen over the top of the wall in front of them. "We're almost there." The three of them turned a corner and walked down a short hallway. They turned another corner and entered a large open courtyard. At the centre of the courtyard was a six-story tall tower with a glowing red object at the top. The tower was surprisingly narrow in comparison to everything else in the castle and with the exception of the very top, where the crystal was located, it was completely enclosed; the only way inside was by either flying or climbing to the top. As well, sitting beside the tower was a large dark green dragon.

Upon seeing the dragon, Karen, Tolan, and Kaldor retreated back behind the corner they had just turned. "Now what? Darigos left a guard. We'll never get the crystal with him there."

Tolan stood where he was, thinking. "If you hit him in the head with one of your arrows it would probably kill him instantly."

Karen slowly turned her head around and gave Tolan a look that said 'you must be crazy'. "With my accuracy, do you really think I would have a chance in hell of hitting him from here?"

"Well... I..."

"Right. By the way, if a single arrow in the head can kill a dragon then why are they so feared?"

"Your arrows are magic based. They are far more powerful than any regular one. A normal arrow probably wouldn't harm a dragon at all. Also, any dragon who knew you were there would never give you a clear shot of his head. But we have an opportunity here and we're not going to get the crystal unless we use it."

"I already told you, I'll never be able to hit him."

"We have to try."

Karen sighed and took out an arrow. She raised her bow and aimed at the dragon. "You do realize that if... I mean, when I miss, he'll know we're here and then we'll be in real trouble."

"Then don't miss."

"Like I really plan on missing." Karen pulled back on the bow's string and fired. The arrow sailed through the air towards the dragon. Halfway to it's destination, however, it was clear that it was going to miss. The arrow ricochetted off the tower and continued through the air, flying over a wall behind the dragon and disappearing from site. The green dragon looked around in confusion and then took off down another hallway to investigate what had happened.

Karen made a goofy smile and looked at the others. "I meant to do that."

"Of course. At any rate, the dragon's gone. Let's get that crystal before he comes back." Karen, Tolan, and Kaldor ran across the courtyard to the tower. Tolan pulled some rope out of Karen's backpack. "You can climb up to the top using this rope."

"What do you mean, I climb up?"

"I'm old and not very agile and Kaldor can't hold the rope with those claws. You're the only one who can get up there."

"I guess I don't have a choice. But how are we going to get the rope up there?"

"We can tie it to the end of an arrow and you could shoot it up through the opening."

Karen gave Tolan the 'you must be crazy' look again. "Do you not remember what just happened a minute ago? I'll never get it up there. Even if I did get it through the opening, there's nothing to secure it in place."

"It's no wonder you have bad luck. You're always so negative."

"I'm negative because of the bad luck, not the other way around."

"Well, you have a choice. You can try and shoot the arrow or you can wait for the dragon to come back."

"When you put it that way..." Karen pulled out another arrow. But how are we going to secure it?"

"Kaldor have idea." The gnome took two iron spikes out of his backpack. "Tie spikes to other end of arrow. Spikes hook onto edge."

"That might actually work. You're very creative, Kaldor."

"Me just try to help."

Karen tied the rope to the end of the arrow, leaving enough excess to tie the spikes to the other end. "Finished. Now I just have to get it up there." Karen placed the makeshift grappling hook in her bow and fired it into the air. The modified arrow flew upward towards the opening, but just missed by a few centimetres. It hit the edge of the tower and came falling back down. Karen turned toward Tolan. "See, I told you I would miss."

Tolan took a step backwards. "Uh, Karen."

"Wha... ouch!" Karen yelled out as the falling arrow landed on her head.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She responded angrily, rubbing her head.

"You really should watch what you're doing."

"It's just more bad luck. I've been cursed ever since I came to Anaquaria! I'm glad Alex didn't see that though. Otherwise, I'd never hear the end of it." Karen picked up the arrow and put it in the bow again.

"If you miss this time, make sure you step out of the way."

"Don't worry. I don't need a second bump on my head." Karen pointed the bow upwards and fired a second time. This time, the arrow went through the opening and landed on the floor of the room at the top of the tower. Karen pulled the rope until the spikes caught onto something and it became taut. "Only two tries. Maybe my aim is improving."

"That's what practice does. You had better hurry. That guard will be back any minute."

"I'm going, I'm going." Karen took hold of the rope and began to scale the tower. Although she was fairly good at sports, climbing was not one of her favourites. Despite her dislike of climbing, it didn't take her long to get to the top. When she got there, Karen quickly hopped inside. She was now in a small, circular room about four metres across and three metres high. In the centre was a stone pillar with a small glowing red hexagonally-shaped crystal sitting on top of it. The room was far too small for a dragon so Karen figured the tower was probably built around the crystal to prevent any of the other dragons from stealing it. Karen could see the entire castle from where she was standing, including the fight with Darigos. Her attention was quickly diverted from the battle, however, when she noticed that the dragon guard was coming back.

"Darigos's crystal!" The guard shouted angrily as he saw Karen in the tower. The dragon suddenly spread his wings and took flight, heading straight for the tower at top speed.

Karen quickly turned around and reached for the red gem, but stopped as the magic phrase that transferred the crystal's powers from one person to another entered her head. She thought about saying the words and stealing the powers from Darigos, thus maybe helping out Alex and the others in their fight against him, but decided against it. She picked up the crystal, then grabbed the rope and began to climb down. Karen thought to herself. "That dragon will be here any second, I don't have the time to chant the phrase. Calem's the magic user anyway, he's better suited to use it's powers."

"Dragon coming! Karen hurry!" Kaldor yelled up to her.

Karen was just over three metres from the ground when the dragon swooped down from the air and slammed into the tower. The force of the impact caused the entire tower to shake violently. "What cheap workmanship. It sure doesn't take much to shake this thing," she said to herself, trying to hold on. The vibrations had almost stopped when the arrow the rope was attached to suddenly came dislodged. "Oh sh..." Karen exclaimed, falling to the ground.

"Karen! Are you okay?"

"I told you I've been cursed ever since I arrived in Anaquaria!" Karen slowly got to her feet. "Well, I can still move, so I guess that's a good sign. But it sure does hurt. I'll have time to bruise later, though. Right now, I think we should just get out of here before that dragon catches us." The three of them started running back the way they had come with the dragon guard only a few metres behind. Karen held up the Fire Crystal and looked over at Tolan. "I didn't take the crystal's powers. I figured Calem would benefit the most from its magic."

"You're probably right. I just hope he's still alive to give it to."

"Whoa, do I feel dizzy. This headache's going to last awhile," Erris said to herself, waking up from her unconscious state. She was still in her Torumus form and was lying on a pile of rocks from the broken wall behind her. Erris transformed back to normal and stood up carefully, trying to shake off the dizziness. She looked around for a moment and then focused on the battle between Alex, Tolan and Darigos which was still raging.

Darigos was alternating between shooting streaks of fire and fireballs, all of which Alex and Tolan either blocked or dodged. On occasion they got in a shot of their own, but they never really did any damage. The dragon's inability to hit Alex and Tolan was beginning to frustrate him. "This is ridiculous!" Darigos stopped attacking. "I'm going to put an end to this once and for all!" A bright red aura suddenly formed around the blue dragon. "The crystal has given me some spells as well. And this is one of them! Aestus cresco!" Upon chanting the magic words there was a sudden flash, followed by a searing energy wave of heat that expanded outward from the dragon.

"Contego munimentum!" A yellow bubble quickly surrounded Tolan. At the same time, Alex knelt down and raised his shield to protect himself while Erris changed herself into a small shelled creature. The wave of fire blasted through them with amazing speed and strength, knocking Alex over and blowing the shield out of his hand. The protective bubble around Calem appeared to weaken significantly, but held in place. After the attack had passed by he dissipated the field. Erris had not been affected by the attack as the creature she had morphed into was obviously immune to fire. When the fire was gone, she once again returned to her humanoid form.

Darigos stepped menacingly toward Alex. "You've lost your shield and you have nothing else to protect yourself with. I'm going to make you regret you ever challenged me!" The massive dragon took a deep breath, and prepared to shoot a stream of fire at the defenceless Alex. Just as he was about to exhale, a loud commotion from the interior of the castle caught his attention. Karen, Tolan and Kaldor emerged from the archway, the dragon guard thundering right behind them. Darigos immediately recognized the red glow coming from Karen's hand. "My crystal!" he shouted in rage. "You dare steal it?!" Darigos shot a fireball at Karen which she barely avoided.

"Calem! Take the crystal's powers!" Karen threw the crystal at the mage who caught it with his free hand.

"Me?" Calem was shocked.

"Yes, you! You're the magic user!"

"Alright." Calem looked at Darigos and smiled. "You lose, Darigos! Delego vires in mihi!" As Calem spoke, the Fire Crystal grew brighter for a moment, the returned to its normal luminosity. New knowledge of magic suddenly filled Calem's head. In one instant he now knew several new spells relating to element of fire.

Darigos was furious. "I don't need the magic to squash you!" He jumped forward, landing directly in front of Calem.

"I think you do! Contendo ignis!" A powerful bolt of fire shot out of Calem's staff and struck the blue dragon in the side. The attack definately hurt the dragon, but he was able to shake off its effects. Darigos growled loudly at Calem and prepared to strike with his front claws. "Try this one!" Calem shouted. "Flamma procella!" The second spell sent a series of small fireballs raining down on Darigos, causing him to stumble backwards from the multiple hits.

"Stop! Stop it! I yield!" Darigos yelled desperately. Calem waited for a second, not sure of the dragon's sincerity, then ended the attack. "You win. You have proven yourself to the dragons."

"Talk about a change in attitude!" Karen commented.

"As I said earlier, the dragon's chain of command is extremely important to them. The instant Darigos realized that he couldn't compete with the magic of the crystal, he knew he must admit defeat," Tolan responded.

"You may take the crystal. Aranax must truly be a serious threat to everyone or you would never have gone to all this trouble. Use the Fire Crystal's magic to stop him."

"Thank..."

"Do not thank me. It is not a gift. I am letting you take it because you have proven to be stronger than I. Just take the crystal and leave the Dragon Land." Tolan nodded to the dragon and then proceeded to head out of the castle. Karen, Alex, Calem, Erris, and Kaldor followed. After they had left, Darigos walked up to the castle's entrance and called out to the group. "I warn you, though, If you ever return to the Dragon Land you will be facing all the dragons, not just me."

Karen glanced back at the castle. "Note to self. Do not return to this place."

"That's something that we can all agree to." Alex laughed lightly. "Hey, Karen. What happened to you? That looks like a pretty bad bump on your head."

"Uh, never mind." Karen noticed that Alex was being overly careful not to move his arm "So, what happened to your arm?"

"Uh, never mind."

"I think it's safe to say that most of us have a few bruises. Nobody ever said this journey would be safe."

"That's for sure. We go to the city of Ezmar next, correct?"

"Yes. You'll have some time to heal on the way. It will take at least a week to get there."

"A week?! I thought things would improve after what we just went through!" Karen exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, things can't improve until Aranax is defeated," Erris said solemnly.

"Hey, you two. Look on the bright side."

"What bright side?"

"We have the Fire Crystal. We're one step closer to our goal."

"Tolan's right." Calem added. He stared at the red Fire Crystal in his hand and then put it inside a pouch attached to his side. "One down, three to go."