"Of course it's a dragon! Why couldn't it have been a really upset butterfly?" Alexx screamed in confusion. The events thus far have been like a waterfall, drowning the pirate in a violent current. Alexx finally admitted that Senkazital really did have a big plan, assuming the dragon was a part of all this simply because they've been extinct. A couple of these legends coming back in one night is no coincidence. And then there was Dracabane. If he never found Moon's Heart, he could almost be as happy having this magic sword. But it takes skill to slay a dragon, a lost art. Being anywhere near them is certain doom. Alexx took a moment to pause, and reorient where he was going.

  "Go south," he said. The southern lands were home to Tuttles and Bacoots, and his friendship with them was great. Alexx remembered that his shipmate Tusk was from the southern province and would likely run into him again.

  But then he also remembered that the merfolk favor that area, and he upset the Queen and she was looking for him.

  "Go north," he said.

  The dragon didn't seem as bad as a queen's scorn. The north was also a larger expanse, and there were plenty of caves, hills and mountains to take cover in. The eastern shoreline has one particular cove he used more than once. Alexx felt his confidence rising. But as it rose it also staggered remembering that heading up meant running into Richard Wearev, the old crotchety swordsman of the North. Richard had a personal grudge against Alexx, who swore to take him in immediately for stepping foot in the northern province.

  "Go south." Surely the Queen can forgive a misunderstanding. Anyone would have dropped their anchor into her castle.

  "Go East!" No sense taking risks. The uncharted eastern mountains were due to be charted.

  This wasn't normal. The sea was his regular escape. He had complete freedom to do what he wanted. Few would brave the waters, and fewer were willing to chase Alexx. Being landlocked wasn't new, but this time there wasn't a ship to return to. He thought back to the last time he was afraid like this, the time he faced off against the kraken. He looked at his right arm and studied the tattoo of the giant squid that stretched from his shoulder to his forearm. It was a fierce battle, and he had lost a ship, and nearly all his crew at the time. He almost lost another captain who had come to help him. But together they brought down that beast, and no one realized he had hidden in his room for some of that battle. It was the cannon lodged in the kraken that gave him the opportunity to turn the struggle into victory. After realizing that, Alexx told himself to find the cannon in this situation.

  His thoughts were interrupted by rapid rustling noises getting louder. Looking toward the direction proved useless as whatever it was had collided with him, knocking into him with the full force of a tidal wave. If the tidal wave was made of stone. If not for the golem hitting the golem, Alexx would have become smashed meat instead of flying through the air. The collision with the ground knocked the wind out of him, as he tumbled a few times through the tall yellow grass. Alexx gathered himself as quick as he could, all the while unsheathing his sword and reaching for the mask. Remembering that it heightened his senses against Kryll, he hoped it would do the same for the speedy golem.

  As he stood up, the remains of the large golem had stopped rolling and the major part was on the ground as an unrecognizable chunk of black rock. The smaller nimble golem was staring at Alexx from the other side. It wasn't obvious before, but the human shape was impressive, mimicking the shapes of calf muscles, thighs, shoulders, and even the forearms. The hands and feet were shaped, but lacked fingers and toes. The armor pieces were chipped and damaged, and the mask was worn down metal. The pieces looked ancient, but the golem moved as if it was made yesterday. Alexx sighed, because this golem was not tattered by time.

  He readied himself as it stepped through the rubble of its kin. Though it was walking, Alexx could already tell he was perceiving things with enhanced senses. He wanted to wait, but the feeling that attacking him first could be the better advantage. The problem was the distance. He could easily lose the moment he charged in, so there had to be something he could do.

  "Find the cannon... find the cannon," Alexx looked around at everything and suddenly got an idea.

  Taking Dracabane, he plunged the blade into the ground, then began to provoke the golem to attack him. Alexx was successful as the beast charged him. He was lucky enough to see his movements and react just in time. Alexx dropped and yanked on the line attached to the sword, holding it tight as the golem tripped over the wire. As the golem fell over, he pulled the sword out with ease, and followed after his target. As he was within resch, he swung and managed to slice one of the legs under the knee joint.

  "It worked!" Alexx marveled at how easy it was to slice through the stone, but more than that, that his plan was pulled off. He wasted no more time, and darted away. He looked for the closest edge of the fog and went for it. He realized that it was the northern boundary, but getting out spurred him without hesitation. As he ran and looked back he spotted the golem crawling after him, using its arms to crawl like a three legged animal. It was gaining on him, but its speed was dramatically slower.

  Without thinking, Alex. Wheeled around and attacked, but wasn't prepared for the golem to pounce him. He fell to the ground with the golem trying to squish him. It stomped like a horse, hitting the sword guarding Alexx. Without a second leg, it was still too heavy for Alexx to heave off of him like he would usually do.

  The golem rose up with both hands- steadying itself on one knee-, Alexx rolled out of the way, rising to his knees, and instinctively slashing, taking the right hand and forearm away from the golem. He took off again, staring at the statues lining the fog wall. Alexx felt like a mouse in comparison to their height. The white fog was thick, and nothing could be seen through it. Searching through his pockets, he pulled out a glass jar with a glowing green orb inside of it. as he stood next to the fog, the glow repelled the fog in a curve, parallel to the curve of the orb. Alexx stepped into the fog, and it wrapped around him, leaving a spatial dome of green light around him. The golem was staring at him, but unmoving.

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  "The other eye of the dragon where Trandin got his." Alexx pressed on, heading in as straight a line as he could. Fog surrounded him on all sides. The ground had no markers for him to use, he only had his understanding from seeing the outside of the fog. He wasn't sure if the golem would still chase after him, so he walked with purpose. The fog thinned eventually, and the night sky, followed by green grass welcomed him. With no golem in sight, Alexx assumed he had reached the other side. He gave a cheer, having overcome yet another obstacle in the same night. His cheering was cut short when a sound whizzed by his ear.

  "That was a warnin' shot young feller! You stay put ya hear me? I'm a coming' out!" Sounded a distant upper pitched voice.

  Alexx put his hands up, but was growling angrily. "Can't a guy catch a break!?"

  The grass was shuffling in front of him, it was too dark to see anything, but he knew they were drawing closer.

  "Now, I've got my weapon on ya's, and I will fire if you do anything funny, ya got that?"

  The drawled speech meant he was dealing with someone who lives out here, raised up outside of any city. A local around here was most likely nonhuman. But having a weapon that can shoot so far meant most likely human, unless something got a hold of some weapons by luck. Alexx stayed silent and still, waiting until he knew what he was dealing with to find the cannon.

  The rustling slowed down, and eventually stopped. Alexx could see a dark figure holding a gun that was too big for it.

  "You came out of tha' f-aw-g," said the hidden figure, " Ain't nu'thin s'posed to come out-a thar."

  "Well I did," Alexx said, sighing in reply, "And it's been a really, really long night. So if I could just go, I promise I won't harm anything or anybody."

  "You don't just walk out a tha' f-aw-g and say ya wanna go home! That there's a holy place!"

  Alexx groaned. He didn't want to run into a religious fanatic on the only night he would ever be inside Attricot.

  "Listen, this is all a huge misunderstanding, " Alexx tried to reason with him, "I was flying, we were attacked by Kagral, and I barely made it out of there thanks to the golems."

  "F'lyin? I don't see no wings! Y'er diggin' a deep hole! I suggest you keep y'er mouth shut. This night is bad enough! Dark creatures in tha' sky, a dragon, and now you! It's like tha' end of tha' world goin' on, we don't need no desecration of the holy place!"

  "I wasn't desecrating, I was just stuck! I'm trying to get away to safety!"

  "No one just gets stuck in there unless Zaal wills it! Now unless you got another excuse I suggest you start prayin' and hope there's some room in the Realm Beyond for a late believer."

  Find the cannon, find the cannon.

  Alexx was too exhausted to think of a way to run. He would have to smooth talk his way out of this, and the gun being prepared only increased his stress, "Okay, look-" silence fell, the grass was listening to his next important words.

  "I'm the child of prophecy."

  There was no response, save the faint shifting of grass. A long wooden barrel of a gun aimed in his direction surfaced from the shadows. Crossbow limbs, twisted sinews and bone pieces followed making the rough shape of a custom made gun with orange fur hands grilling it tightly. Finally the figure came forth. It was a Bacoot, with matted, pale orange fur, a large bushy mustache that had never seen a comb, and large eyes that were intent on killing Alexx. It's body was covered in a long ragged white shirt and faded brown trousers. It wasn't wearing shoes, but had a round billed leather hat on its head. His tail swished behind him, but didn't make a noise when hitting the grass.

  "Boy," the Bacoot said in a raspy, serious, low tone "You'd best take that back right now, and then when you apola'gize, then I'ma kill ya's." As he threatened Alexx, the Bacoot tail pulled the sinew strong back.

  "I didn't want to tell you, because I need to keep my journey a secret." Alexx continued, "Senkazital is back, and he almost killed me. I barely escaped with my life, that's why I fell into Attricot. We can talk to Trandin, he was with me."

  The Bacoot slightly lowered his weapon, his face shifting emotions, "Sen-kaws-a-tall? Where izzee?"

  "Lanrete, the island to the west. He's unearthing his vehicle at this very moment." Alexx stopped, thinking maybe this was just enough to calm the rodent down. He stood with his gun lowering further, pondering. He asked Alexx a question, "If you really are the child of prophecy, then what was the message left from yer folks?"

  Alexx's lips curled, but he didn't laugh out loud. What a foolish question he thought, anyone with access to the poem would know this answer. Every church in Rediew had a copy of the poem nailed to their wall inside the sanctuary. Alexx tried to be clever.

  "I think all of us are familiar with my parents last words," Alexx said, "But for me it's not the words that I hold on to. It's... an image. I remember..." he paused his dreamy tone for a dramatic flair, "Warmth. Light. Two blurry faces, but their arms holding me. Their words were hazy, like my ears were submerged underwater. But I remember kisses. Tender kisses. And then being handed over, and they disappeared into the light..." Alexx frowned, and looked back at his audience of one. The Bacoot stared at him, a look of wonder filling his eyes.

  "Could it... could it really be?"

  Yes! Got him! Alexx said triumphantly.

  "Yer so... so young! How?"

  "The people who raised me, found me frozen solid in a type of magic ice. They found me while fishing down south." Alexx bsaid without missing a beat.

  "You... you were so close ta hear! You was here this whole time?"

  "Once they figured out who I was, they gave me to the Avians so I could be raised in the sky, and given the best education."

  "But, but why do you wear all those tattoos and scars? Begging' yer pardon fer me askin',"

  "It's alright, like I said my journey is secret, so I've had to disguise myself." Alexx began projecting into existence that this Bacoot had never seen a wanted poster, or been anywhere in a big city. He laid down so many lies that he felt ready to run. It felt so wrong that this was going so well.

  The Bacoot reared back and screamed. "Woohoo! I found the child of prophecy!" The Bacoot celebrated, and threw his hat in the air, whooping and hollering more. Alexx couldn't believe what he was seeing. His lie was purchased in full.

  "I can't believe it! Who'd a thunk ol' Huckle would stumble upon destiny itself!" He laughed and coughed from laughing so hard. "What's yer name?"

  Alexx chuckled slightly, "No offense, but the mission still has to maintain secrecy. The world is changing very quickly." The pirate stepped back and smiled while nodding his head. He was congratulating himself for sounding so heroic.

  "I understan', this is so exciting! I mean I know dark days are ahead, but to live in this time and be witness ta the defeat of Sen-kaws-a-tawl just gets me rarin' ta go!"

  "I'm happy for you, um..."

  "Huckle. Silas B Huckle, Mr. Prophecy Child!"

  "I am delighted. You may know my cover name, Alexx Junder. And now that we're all squared away, I have to get going."

  "You're right we shouldn't waste anymore time, let's get going!"

  "Excuse me?"

  "You're gonna take down the big baddie, starting with that dragon, yeah? I comin' wicha to see it up close and personal!"

  "A-actually I'm headed east into the uncharted territory."

  "But that's not where the dragon is, or Senkeetawl! You said it yerself he's over on tha west! Come on, let's go get that dragon! And then we sail over and take him down!