Chapter 43
Lily's Plan
Following the beam of light shining from the bracelet, Lily and Safira soon found themselves back where they started: the chamber Safira had spent two-hundred years entombed in sapphire. Along the way, they heard lots of loud thunderous explosions and a man making chicken noises. Lily tried to tune out the chicken noises but could not stop her face from turning red with embarrassment. Safira noticed and kindly kept quiet.
Shards of blue gemstone laid scattered all over the floor, the remains of Safira's former prison. At the center of the room was the smoke cloud form of Fafnir, shaped like a really deeply scowling face.
Lily and Safira hung back at the entrance, watching the cloud for a bit. They exchanged looks and gave each other resolute nods before boldly stepping into the chamber.
"Hey! Fafnir!"
Hearing Lily's call, Fafnir moved his gaze up.
"Well, well, well. This is a surprise," he said. "What brings you here? Come to surrender?"
"Something like that," said Lily. She lifted up her arm and pulled her sleeve down to expose the bracelet around her wrist. What looked like eyes on the cloud followed the bracelet as she swayed it left and right. "You wanted this, right? It's yours if you promise not to hurt anyone."
Thunder rumbled from the cloud and he said, "You would try to bargain with me? You, a mere human child? To me, a great dragon? I find the notion insulting!"
"Oh?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "So you don't want it then?"
"I want it, alright," said Fafnir. "But that doesn't mean I have to do as you say to get it. I can just take it from you, just like I took treasure from others after I feasted on them!"
Just imagining that sent shivers down Lily's spine. But she tried not to let her fears show and kept her eyes glued on the cloud.
"Then how about I challenge you for it, then?" Lily suggested.
"You, challenge me? Ridiculous! Ridiculous, ridiculous, RIDICULOUS!" The cloud grew three times in size. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped. "That is even more ridiculous than the idea of a bargain between us!"
"What's the matter, Fafnir?" Lily asked. "Afraid you'll lose to a little girl?"
Suddenly, the cloud stopped laughing. It seemed her insult hit a nerve. "You dare? You dare call me afraid? Of you!?"
"Well, if the shoe fits," said Lily. "I wonder what all the other dragons in the world will think when they hear how the big and scary Fafnir was afraid to fight fair with a girl."
"They'll probably think him a coward," said Safira. "I know I would. I can imagine people being shocked to hear that the great and powerful Fafnir of legend had no confidence he could defeat a mere child."
"Grr! I will have your tongues ripped out for this slander!"
Lily fired back, "It's not slander if it's true!"
"Fine! I will accept your challenge, human! Name your terms!"
"The name of the game's Tug-of-War. If you manage to take the bracelet from me, it's your win. If not, then it's mine. I'll even make it easy for you."
Just as she thought, she could remove the bracelet. Whatever had kept it locked on her wrist must have disappeared or turned off when Safira was freed.
"Will your insults never cease?" Fafnir growled.
Safira stepped in and announced, "I will mark the start of the challenge! Will both sides please stand ready?"
Neither Lily or Fafnir said a word. They got closer to one another, tensed up to spring at a moment's notice. And then -
"BEGIN!"
In the blink of an eye, a bit of cloud stretched out of Fafnir, coiled around the bracelet, and yanked it out of Lily's hand.
"HA!" Fafnir laughed triumphantly. "You didn't even put up a fight! Now the bracelet is mine and I see no reason to keep you alive any longer! And once I've disposed of you, that annoying stone wizard's next!"
The stone wizard was probably Uncle Viceroy, Lily thought.
"Now, prepare to - HUH?"
The cloud of smoke yelled out in surprise as the bracelet's jewel rapidly slurped him up.
"What is this?" he cried. "Did you . . . Did you TRICK ME?"
"That's right," Lily admitted.
It was always her plan to have Fafnir take the bracelet. Before walking into the chamber, she had given it one final instruction: to swallow the evil cloud of smoke up like a vacuum and trap him inside forever. Lily was certain he would fall for the bait, since he made it clear before that he wanted it.
"This is what you get for being so greedy, Fafnir. Now take your just desserts!"
"Grrr!" The cloud of smoke growled. He resisted the bracelet's pull with all his might. "Don't think you've won yet! I am Fafnir the dragon! I WILL NOT FALL TO SOME PALTRY HUMAN CHILD'S MAGIC TRICK!"
"What the hey-hey!?" Lily cried out in disbelief as, with a mighty roar, the cloud of smoke began to pull itself out of the bracelet.
Safira saw as well and cried, "We have to do something or he'll get away!"
Lily didn't need telling twice. She dove towards the bracelet, grabbed it with both hands and screamed at it. "I don't care if you have to drain me dry, JUST DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"
Blue light flowed from her shoulders, up her arms to the bracelet. Its jewels flashed brighter than before and she felt her hands get pulled.
Looks like we're playing Tug-of-War Round Two, she thought. And she pulled back as hard as she could.
Rapidly, she got dizzy. Her legs felt like jelly and her knees buckled. She could tell that she was running out of energy fast. But despite that, although slower now, the black smoke was still slipping out of the bracelet.
Oh no! She thought. At this rate, he'll get away!
Fafnir laughed.
"WEAK!" he roared. "YOU ARE TOO WEAK, LADY SAPPHIRE! YOUR POWER ALONE CANNOT HOLD ME! IT IS NOT ENOUGH!"
"Then it's a good thing she's not alone!" Suddenly, a second pair of hands flew in and wrapped themselves over Lily's. They belonged to Safira. And like Lily, blue light flowed from her to the bracelet.
With the combined power from both girls, the bracelet finally stopped the smoke from spilling out and vacuumed it back into its jewels.
"Ah! AAAAAAH!" The evil dragon's spirit moaned and screamed. "CURSE YOU, CHILD OF THE BLUESTONE FAMILY! I WILL NOT LET YOU THWART ME AGAIN! TO ME MY MINIONS!"
"Oh crud."
Out of the corner of her eye, Lily could see endless numbers of spear-wielding skeletons, sword-armed suits of armor, flying books and huge tigers made of bronze metal come pouring into the chamber and surround her and Safira. They all aimed their sharp, pointy weapons at the girls.
"Oh double crud. Quick, Safira! Get away!"
But Safira answered with a shake of her head. She was not going anywhere. And even if she wanted to, there was nowhere left to run.
No one noticed the ceiling trembling in a rhythm over their heads, making bits of dust fly out as a long, jagged crack appeared and grew with each beat.
"DESTROY THEM!"
CRASH!
"BOO-YAH!"
From the ceiling, the Stone Man appeared falling into the chamber. But it was not just one Stone Man, not just two Stone Men but FIVE Stone Men. The clones of Viceroy Kevin Lin had come to the rescue.
They created a circle around the girls and Fafnir. At the same time, they drew back their fists and then threw punches out. Their hands touched nothing but air, but their strikes were so mighty that strong sonic booms were created that mowed down all the skeletons, suits of armor, bronze tigers and flying books, smashing them to pieces against the walls.
Lily was so stunned, she nearly forgot what she was doing until Fafnir cried out, "IMPOSSIBLE! The rooms and halls of this entire underground lair are constantly changing. There's no way you could have found this chamber, no matter how many walls you punch through! SO HOW ARE YOU HERE?"
The cloud of smoke clung to the floor as he shouted.
While jabbing a thumb at the remains of the chamber's creepy guardians, the west side Uncle Viceroy answered, "Thank the guys I just blew to bits. All I had to do was follow them. And it's a good thing I did."
All five glanced at Lily and Safira.
"I figured something was going on when they suddenly turned tail and ran, even if they were badly losing our fight. And just as I expected, that something had to do with you girls."
Lily opened her mouth to speak, but -
"Eyes on the enemy!" Uncle Viceroy shouted. He turned away to face a new wave of monstrous minions marching into the chamber. "I'll keep the small-fries off your backs, so just focus on what you need to do!"
He's right, Lily thought as she returned her gaze to the cloud of smoke, the evil dragon Fafnir. Now was not time to be distracted. I have one job, and one job only: to make sure this rotten piece of cotton candy never hurts anyone ever again!
And so, she stared down the dragon while continuing to feed the bracelet whatever magic power she could muster along with Safira's. But even as she and Safira both drop to their knees from depleted energy, the dragon remained clinging to the floor and resisted the bracelet's pull with all his might and will power.
It's still not enough! Lily thought despairingly. Even with Safira's help, I just can't get that dragon inside the bracelet!
She thought about asking Uncle Viceroy to spare clone to help, but when she risked a sideways glance, she could see all five were bent down, hands raised high over their heads while a wall of light kept the dragon's horror-themed army at bay.
"Bad move," one groaned. "Should've just kept smashing. No room . . . to do anything else."
And then Fafnir laughed and Lily's heart fell.
"You really had me worried," the evil dragon's spirit said. "But it seems that you've now reached your limit. But don't feel bad, Lady Sapphire. You may not vanquish me today, but victory is still yours. Congratulations on driving me to retreat. I will let you have the bracelet and leave to find treasure somewhere else. To find someone else's treasure to take!"
"No!" Lily cried despairingly.
It can't end like this! She thought. If he gets away, he'll fly to who-knows-where and hurt who-knows-who! Just the thought of a stranger falling victim to the dragon when she failed to trap him made her stomach twist into painful knots. I can't let that happen!
She clenched tight on the bracelet, desperate to keep the dragon in place. But more and more of the black smoke that was pulled into the blue jewels was flowing back out.
"Almost there!" Fafnir cried. He morphed into a beastly shape. The parts of him clinging to the floor looked like talons which he used to claw himself further and further away from the bracelet. "Just a little more!"
And then -
"Hm? What's that sound?"
Lily heard it too.
It came echoing in from the hole in the ceiling, a rapid, aggressive musical beat. There was no mistaking it.
Someone, somewhere, was playing drums.
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