"King Jakin!" Whittle exclaimed, scrambling to his feet as the small pixie came into the light. "What brings you here? Is Hope all right?" he asked with concern, his mind going at once to the princess of Lark, as it so often did of late.

A look of revelation shone out from behind the pixie's eyes, but he only nodded his head. "Hope be fine. She waiting in woods to speak to Whittle on matter of deep importance."

Tid-Bit pulled his son back as the prince began to follow after Whittle, who seemed in a great rush to get out of the cave.

"We give Hope and Whittle a few minutes alone," he said.

"But why, father?" Timon wanted to know as he obediently joined his father who had taken a seat on the bottom of a shiny pot which stuck out from the top of Garreth's mound of coveted treasures.

"Father explain when Timon older," the king said, ruffling his son's curly locks.

Hope ran forward to meet Whittle as he emerged from the cave. For a moment he thought she was going to throw herself into his arms, but she stopped just inches from him and stood awkwardly gazing silently at him from behind her long lashes.

"Why have you come, your highness?" he asked at length, feeling both relief and frustration that he had been mistaken in her intent.

"I promised that I would come back," she said in a small voice, very unlike the tone she usually took when speaking to him. "I thought, perhaps, you would be glad to see me," she added shyly.

"I should be glad of any company after so long a time alone," he said, without much tact. "But I would prefer you had stayed safely below, and sent a message through Timon or Obil. It's not safe for you to be here, Hope. Suppose the dragon were to return and find you here?"

"Then I guess you would have to choose between us, and either slay the monster, or let it kill me, as it has been desirous of doing ever since it learned of my existence."

She spoke sharply and he realized ruefully that he had in some way offended her. No doubt princesses were unaccustomed to being told what to do, he thought, even when it was in their own best interest.

"I would slay all the dragons in existence, your highness, if you asked it of me," Whittle said stiffly.

"Oh, Whittle!" she cried softly and covering her face with her hands began to weep softy.

Whittle was at a loss. The last thing he would have expected from Hope were tears. They must have been having a very hard time below, he thought, to have reduced the proud princess of Lark to such a state.

"Please don't cry, Hope," he pleaded, wishing he dared take her into his arms and comfort her. "It won't be long until you're safely back in your father's palace, and you can get on with your life as it was before Garreth carried you off."

"You think that's why I'm upset?" she asked, her tears dissolving into anger. "That I'm so spoiled I can't wait until I can once more be the pampered Princess of Lark?"

Whittle felt as though he couldn't say anything right. "I only meant that --- that is I thought --" he fumbled and fell helplessly silent.

"As a matter of fact, my father has pledged me to Prince Alexander of Briar," she went on bitterly. "A most obnoxious young man who I hate nearly as much as I do this island! So you see, once I return to Lark, I shall pass from one form of captivity into another."

A combination of jealousy and rage unexpectely swept over Whittle. He determined then and there that Hope would never be forced into marrying anyone. Such a rare and precious jewel deserved only the best in suitors. That the young girl might be interested in him as a potential mate never even entered the young man's head. He was, after all, only the son of common peasants who dwelt in a small obscure village between the kingdoms of Lark and Briar.

"We don't have time for this sort of talk now," Hope was back to her practical self. "I've a number of matters to discuss with you, and we must make some firm plans before the dragon returns. Time is running out for all of us. If we don't get off this island soon, Obil says the weather will prevent us from passing safely over the waters. And, of course, we must get me back to Lark, before this evil knight who sent you out to do his work for him, returns to your village and destroys it. I find it difficult to believe my father would enlist the aid of such a barbarian. It sounds much more like something Alexander would do. As my intended, he is duty bound to try and rescue me. Or, if it were believed that I had been slain by the dragon, to hunt the culprit down and destroy it. If his father insisted he kill the dragon as a matter of honor, he wouldn't hesitate in bullying someone else into doing his work for him. That that bully then bullied someone else seems a likely probability to me."

Whittle's chalked up another point against the Prince of Briar and silently vowed that if it were true that this Alexander were responsible for the terror inflicted on his village the villain should never live to marry Hope. It was a thought very unlike any Whittle had ever had against another human being. But then, Whittle had never experienced such emotions before - perhaps the fact that he had spent a great deal of time with the red dragon of late had something to do with these new feelings of passion and possessiveness, or perhaps not.

As he stood battling his emotions two small figures emerged from the cave and flew toward them.

"What standing out in open for?" Tid-Bit asked as he hovered between the two young humans. He could tell that there was a great amount of tension in the air, but, being a wise king, he chose not to make mention of it. "Should be under trees, where Dragon not see you so easily if returns," he added firmly before flying off in a way that made it clear he expected the others to follow.

Once in the woods he lead them to a fallen log where he made motions for Whittle and Hope to take a seat. Turning to Timon he said, "You must watch for dragon."

"But father, Timon want to stay!" the young prince whined. "Timon want to tell Whittle about mother's wing and see what he think."

"I will go and watch for the dragon," Hope volunteered. "It's obvious I'll not be missed here."

"Hope mad!" Timon stated the obvious as the three males watched the girl walk stiffly away.

"Better she go," King Jakin said soberly, "Hope's mind not on business of getting off island."

"Before we talk about that, I'd like to know what's happening with Queen Atar. Has her wing gotten worse?" Whittle asked with concern, for he thought very highly of Timon's mother.

"No better, no worse," Timon sighed sadly. "But Hope think wing can be fixed using glue Chester make from fish. Chester say he set sheeps' broken bones many times with similar glue, and Julian say Whittle can cut piece of wood small enough to hold wing in right position till glue dries and wing heals, but father not want mother to get hopes up, or to suffer pain that setting wing cause. Timon want to know what Whittle think," the young pixie ended somewhat breathlessly.

"I believe it's more important what Queen Atar thinks," Whittle pointed out sensibly. "But if this glue really works, than I don't see why we shouldn't give it a try. Only I believe a slender fish bone would work better than wood on a fairy's wing. The bone would be more flexible, and less likely to break."

"Fish bone better than wood, but can Whittle set Queen's wing without her feeling pain?" Tid-Bit asked, still worried that his darling wife might suffer additional discomfort for something that might not work.

"I don't think I should be the one to try and set the wing, King Jakin," Whittle explained. "My fingers are too big to do such delicate work. Perhaps Chester can walk you through it, while I play my flute. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but when my grandmother set bones she always had me play for her. She said it steadied her hands, and helped her patients sleep through the worst of it."

"Will discuss it with Queen," Tid-Bit said after some thought. "Now, must talk about plans to mend balloon and leave island. Is going to be tricky thing to get away before dragon discover Whittle gone. Chester ask Tid-Bit to talk Whittle into killing dragon. He say it only way."

Whittle felt as though a cold hand had squeezed his heart. How could he slay a dragon that seemed to know what he was thinking? And, even if he could somehow kill the dragon, did he really want to?

"Not worry," Tid-Bit saw his face and read what he was thinking. "Tid-Bit have better plan. Listen," he commanded and commenced to explain what he had in mind.

Dragon's Claw Book One
Price $12.95  
    by Charles M. Clark
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Prince Adam returns home to find his father, the King, gravely ill, some say dying. Feeling unprepared for the duties of kingship, and unhappy about a proposed marriage between himself and a rather plain princess, Adam makes a plea to the Powers that be for guidance and help. Adam then falls into a deep sleep and awakes in an unfamiliar land full of sinister foes and wild men. Yet it is one of these wild men that takes Adam under his wing and teaches the young prince what it takes to be a real leader. Charles M. Clark has written this book for older children and teens, but older folks enjoy it as well. All Antelope Publishing's fantasy books are browser readable and come on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM contains TWO books. One book with music and special electronic enhancements, and one book without, for times when a quieter read is desired. For more information about browser readable e-books CLICK HERE

The Making of a King
Price $9.95  
    by Charles M. Clark
(Browser Readable E-Book on CD-ROM contains Music & No Sound Options)

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