Fortunately for the two captives, Prince Nathan had not given up on his sister. As soon as he had noticed their disappearance in the sand chamber he knew where they had gone and followed up the passage. He had been delayed briefly by Captain Claw who had not followed the wizard and the king. The captain of the Shabby Crab was not interested in magic as much as money. And there was still a serpent’s treasure to be found.
As Prince Nathan entered the tunnel, the captain jumped out of the shadows and grabbed him with the notorious claw that gave him his name. But while he was threatening the prince and questioning him about the location of the treasure with a saber at Nathan’s throat, he found himself ambushed by two little sea dragons who were outraged that their handsome prince was being so mistreated. Before Captain Claw knew what hit him, Coralee and Anna Monee had the pirate captain pinned to the floor and disarmed.
Both blushed as the prince hurriedly picked up Claw’s sword, thanked them and took off again up the passage. It was not long before he caught up to his sister and her inventor friend, but this time, the prince decided to follow them secretly. He was sure that they would end up in trouble again, but he knew Nataleigh wouldn’t listen to him.
And he had, of course, been right. Now he watched helplessly as his sister was captured by the three cunning villains. Before he could think to do anything, Panganiban, Hagwig and King Kugelbone had the princess tied up.
Panganiban smiled wickedly as he took the Serpent’s Eye from Hagwig. His eyes shone with malicious excitement and he stroked the prize that they all had pursued for so long.
“A fortunate day this has turned out to be indeed.” He sneered. “Not only do I hold the Serpent’s Eye in my hands, but I also have his enemy’s daughter in my grasp!”
“Now wait just a minute, wizard!” Kugelbone corrected. “You mean, WE have the Serpent’s Eye. These are OUR prizes. In fact, I am the King! If anyone may lay claim to them, it is me!”
But before the King could say anything else or move to take the Serpent’s Eye from the wizard, Nathan saw it begin to glow in Panganiban’s hands. Within seconds it had grown to its original size and rested again upon its bronze stand as Nataleigh had first seen it in the treasure cave. Panganiban’s hands rested upon both sides of the glowing ball of mist and he gazed into it with cold eyes as he spoke.
“Hear me, Snagglefang! The master of the eye calls upon you!”
King Kugelbone’s flushed face drained of its usual color at the mention of the dragon’s name and he took a step back. As the ball glowed brighter, he shielded his eyes from it and cowered in a side passage. Hagwig giggled and clapped her hands in anticipation, even jumping up and down in her excitement.
Nathan’s eyes grew wide. He had never stopped to consider what power the Serpent’s Eye might possess, but this situation was becoming eerily familiar again as a scaled, green image appeared within its mirrored surface. And then he noticed his sister. Her eyes were mesmerized by the glowing ball and her mouth hung open in wonder.
A voice echoed from the Serpent’s Eye that filled the tunnels. “Panganiban, my old friend, you have triumphed after all of these years. How pleasing to see that my first and best student has obtained the greatest reward in Darrowold. I never doubted it would one day be you. How may I be of service?”
Panganiban’s chest swelled at the compliment and he stepped back from the Eye to smooth his fine robes and hold his head high. And then something seemed to change in him. His eyes narrowed suddenly and Nathan realized that his reason for originally contacting the dragon was gone, replaced with absolute greed and lust for power.
“Dragon,” he arrogantly shouted to the image in the ball. “I am master of the Eye now! And as the master, I command you to inform the High King that I have His daughter prisoner! Tell Him that He will surrender the Ivory Palace and its secrets to me if he wants to see her safely returned!”
Prince Nathan thought he saw the dragon’s eyes narrow and a lip curl in rage, but it was gone as fast as it had come replaced by the hypnotizing voice of the serpent.
“Of course, Master.” It offered helpfully. “I have indeed taught you well. Why settle for the magic of my fortress in the North when you can take possession HIS power? But if your humble servant may offer you council, the King may not believe me unless I offer proof of the claim. I have fallen out of favor with the Him after all. But if I might take with me a token of proof, he would know that you are to be respected and your words obeyed, O’ powerful wielder of the Eye.”
Panganiban considered as Snagglefang continued.
“Summon me to where you are, my master, and I will take a small lock of the Princess’s hair to present to her father on your behalf. Surely then, he will know that you are not to be underestimated as the greatest power in Darrowold; the Great Wizard who has wrestled control of the all powerful Serpent’s Eye!”
The wizard glowed with pride as the dragon’s words had the desired affect upon him.
“Yes!” He shouted in triumph. “An excellent idea, my messenger. In fact, I think it would be an excellent idea to give him more than a token. Hagwig!”
The little witch stepped forward grinning. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Remove some of our little princess’s high and mightiness!” He commanded.
Hagwig danced a little jig as she moved toward Nataleigh, pulling a small pair of scissors out of one of her pouches. But the princess was still mesmerized by the Serpent’s Eye. She did not even realize what was about to happen.
Nathan found himself struggling to move as well. Something about Snagglefang’s voice seemed to freeze him in place even as he watched the witch begin to cut his sister’s long beautiful hair. He couldn’t understand why Nataleigh was so taken with the Serpent’s Eye, even to the point that she ignored what was happening. He wanted to stop it, but something held him back. Was it fear? What if he could not stop this evil wizard with all of his power?
Suddenly, Panganiban threw his arms wide and shouted again. “Come, Snagglefang! I summon you to do my bidding!”
The image within the Serpent’s Eye smiled and then moved closer until it began to break through the surface of the magic ball. Far too quickly, the dragon slithered from the ball as if entering through a hole in the wall until he stood before the wizard, not as a simple image in a ball, but in the flesh. And somehow he seemed more dangerous to the prince this time than he had in the cave on Stormwatch mountain. Perhaps it was that the prince’s eyes were opened to the truth about the dragon, or maybe it was that the dragon no longer hid his true wickedness.
In fact, now it was the dragon’s turn to throw his head back and laugh in triumph.
“Fool!” He roared! “Did you think that I would allow you to rob me of this moment of victory after centuries of plotting and scheming for this very moment? You have no power over me! I am the one who gives you your power!”
Panganiban’s face grew terrified as he realized his mistake and he raised his staff to protect himself. It was too late! With cat-like reflexes, the dragon pounced upon him, snapping the wizard’s staff in two and knocking him against the cave wall. Then spinning around, the serpent took hold of his treasure.
“At last, I have the key and no one shall imprison me again!”
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