Chapter 2: Reunited

The horrifying scream was like cold water in the face of everyone. Even Vonkar halted and turned back to see what had happened and Papa blinked, realizing even as he released the flame, that his target was no more than a girl.

“Papa, no!” Mama shouted in horror.
Flindee squeezed his fingers shut again over his eyes and hugged Q closer.

Nathan’s scream was still echoing off the cavern walls when the flames cleared and Princess Nataleigh stood, untouched, still holding the Serpent’s Eye in her outstretched hands. Her eyes were wide in shock and she was breathing heavily, but she appeared unharmed by the raging heat of the flames which had just surrounded her. Not even her clothes had been singed!
The Serpent’s Eye glowed more brightly and seemed to have grown slightly, but it had apparently protected its bearer.

Now it was Prince Nathan’s turn to blink in surprise. And then, as the truth dawned on him, his face brightened and his scream turned to laughter.

“Nataleigh!” he shouted and began running again.

At the sound of her name, the Princess snapped out of her daze and spun toward the voice that had called her. What she saw shocked her even more. A handsome young man was charging toward her with tears in his eyes and he looked vaguely like her brother. He even sounded kind of like her brother, but his voice was deeper. Too deep to be her little brother. And this young knight towered over the dwarves. Surely it couldn’t be her brother. He had been the same height as a dwarf the last time she had seen him just a few days ago. Yet, it was her brother, grown at least a whole foot taller and somehow more mature.

“Nathan?” she stuttered as the prince threw himself upon her and nearly knocked her over with a crushing embrace. “Ouch! Hey, easy! You’re hurting me!”

In his excitement, the prince had forgotten that he was still wearing his dragon armor and that it probably wouldn’t feel very good to get bear-hugged by someone in a full plated suit. Realizing what he was doing, he released her and held her away at arms length, grinning.

“It’s you!” he beamed. “I’ve found you and you’re ok! I can’t believe it!”

“You found me?” Nataleigh frowned. “You mean you’ve been looking for me?”

“Of course!” Nathan said. “You’ve been gone for days and I was so worried about you running off after that dumb Serp…”

He froze in mid sentence, suddenly aware of what he was saying. The joy of being reunited with his sister vanished, replaced by the reality of where they were and what she held in her hand.
Looking down at her hands, his eyes fell upon the glass ball and then glanced around them. The conflict had ceased momentarily as all eyes were upon them, even the eyes of Flindee and Q.

“Give me that!” he shouted and grabbed for the Serpent’s Eye.

“Wait a minute! What are you doing?” Nataleigh protested as she resisted his attempt to relieve her of her treasure.

The two of them began to struggle over the Serpent’s Eye, trying to get the other to release it.
Seeing the conflict resume, Papa Sea Serpent began to rumble in his throat again, still not understanding who this group of thieves were. Of course, as the sea serpent began to get agitated, so too did the Viking.

“Oh no you don’t, ye foul fiend!” Vonkar growled in return, raising Foegrin menacingly. Unlike the sea serpent, Vonkar had figured out the identity of the young woman standing with the prince and he wasn’t about to let a monster harm her now that they had found her.

Of course, as Vonkar threatened anew, Papa grew angrier and the battle was about to start all over again, when suddenly there was a bang that echoed through the cavern and a large wet ball of goop exploded against the ceiling of the cavern right over everyone’s head.

Once again, all conflict and threats of conflict came to an immediate halt as a horrible stench flooded the entire cavern and took everyone’s breath away!

“Papa, stop! They’re friends!” came the voice of the little sea serpent, Anna Monee, from a small cave entrance on the other side of the cavern. Beside her stood Frangen with Heindel’s stinkball launcher aimed at the ceiling.