The Magical Key. Martie Florence
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in panic, trying to avoid any touch of the weightless chatoyant veil. The two unruled boats collided and cracked breaking into pieces, squealing monsters clumsily flopped into the water, splashing and floundering.
Some playing and whirling amber puffs reached the yacht but did no faintest inconvenience to the four friends.
"Fragrant like roses," Lynette scented.
"The nectar from flowers grown by Elves," Iven nodded smiling.
"Ooh! Let me try too!" the Dwarf flung the second lantern vigorously, it exploded in the middle of the flotilla, and the new shining cloud produced a greater disorder, a louder whine, the boats began to veer round, bump against one another and capsize.
But one vessel did get closer, roaring trolls started to jump from it and climb the yacht board impudently. Iven strained his bow and shot one monster. Jim hewed the second brute with the axe not to let him step onto the deck. Andreas knocked two more assailants down into the water with swift blows of his saber.
Lynette took the last Elvish lantern from the steering-wheel where Iven had hung it and hurled it onto the enemy boat prow. Trying to escape from the shining golden nectar gushing out, the mob of remaining trolls heavily brattled towards the stern, bawling in horror. That panic rush made their vessel careen and overturn.
"Hey, we should spare illumination appliances!" Iven exclaimed in a joking discontent.
"But we did have a fun!" Jim went to the steering-wheel and rotated it to lead the yacht out of the magical mist diffusing in the air.
Andreas noticed an iron panoply glove dropped by one of the trolls, got a hold of it with the tip of his sword blade, raised it from the deck and threw it overboard. After that he sheathed the saber.
The battered and disorganized pursuit lagged behind and vanished from sight. Soon the shore evanesced too, only the azure sea scintillating all around. Drifting in the blue sky above the horizon, massive clouds were even more splendid than the nectar haze. From afar they resembled majestic snow-white castles, unknown fabulous kingdoms, sails of mysterious ships. A moment of peace.
"Where shall we go now?" Lynette stood beside Andreas.
"Maybe, to the University Lighthouse?" he looked at her, "the professors can advise us what to do…"
"It is rather a long way. I offer to make a short stop at that island," Jim gazed at a bluish silhouette, a group of conical mountains looming in a distance, "Dwarfs come there to mine minerals."
The wind favoured them to approach to the solitary piece of land quickly, and in a minute they could distinctly see the lush verdure, wild forests on uneven slopes, shrubs on high cliffs.
"A chance to have a lunch on a steady ground," Lynette commented the view in an undertone.
Antique wind-lashed colonnades and arbours of white marble, grass thrusting up between slabs of footworn paths. Polished with waves, a broad staircase was leading straight into the water and could serve as a wharf.
The yacht came up to the half-sunk stairs, Iven and Andreas furled the sails and lowered their new ladder. Jim went ashore, Andreas threw the mooring rope hank for him to tie the ship to a vertical fragment of a crashed column.
After disembarking they arranged a lunch on stony benches in one of the arbours. Tankards, a deep wooden plate with a pile of buns on it.
"Dryads abandoned this place many years ago," Iven looked around, "but their portal must be somewhere over here."
"Do you feel it with your Elvish magic?" Jim was eating and drinking with a good appetite.
"Elves don't know any magic," Iven took a bun from the plate, "we just live in harmony with nature."
"Well, I agree that the Universe has a vital power. I feel better among greenery than in a desert," Jim went on trying to understand, "but why do wizards utter different incantations? And what is the Dark Witchcraft?"
"To wield that power one must formulate his wish clearly. Thoughts can be vague, but words make them definite… And the Dark Witchcraft is nothing but a despicable hypnotism…" the Elf raised his tankard but didn't drink, listening to something he turned to the old footpath flanked with bushes and a dilapidated colonnade.
Seven Dwarfs were wearily walking along that road towards the arbour. Dark jackets and trousers, boots and hats, sacks hanging on shoulders, pickaxes in hands and battle-axes in belts, all their working clothes and tools had a cover of dust. The most imposing bearded Dwarf was obviously their leader, his mates looked younger and not so mighty.
"Thanks Goodness! If only you knew, Jim, how we are glad to see you!.. and your nice yacht!" the leader pronounced in a joyful bass.
"Master Huges?! What happened?!" Jim stopped eating.
"We need your help," Huges smoothed his short beard, "our hired captain got crazy at the sight of precious stones we had mined. He grabbed a fistful, took the ship and disappeared. But you can take us home!"
"M-m-m-m… well… I don't know…" Jim hesitated.
"It's all right, Jim," Lynette assured, "we shall wait for you here."
"The Southern Cape is not far, you'll return to your friends tomorrow. Besides, we shall pay," Huges put two dozens of big sapphires and emeralds onto the bench.
"We shall need some travel expenses," Jim divided the treasure into four equal parts, passed three twinkling piles to Lynette, Iven and Andreas, the last portion became his own.
"Beware of trolls!" Andreas warned the Dwarfs, "they are near the Ariadna City and can quickly come to the Southern Cape!"
"Oh, heh, heh, let them attack us!" Huges tapped at his axe handle, "we shall be glad of some fighting practice!.."
"Why not pay a visit to Dryads?" Iven suggested watching the Dwarfs going away to the yacht. He led Lynette and Andreas along the road and soon pointed at a stony archway having no architectural function, standing alone for no obvious reason: "The portal!"
"Can you activate it?" Lynette asked.
"Yes, I can. Try yourself, it is possible if you have good intentions. Just touch it and think of your wish to pass."
Lynette put her palm onto the marble and immediately stepped back, as an opaque golden radiance flared up in the archway. The Elf smiled and invited them to enter the portal with a gesture.
The golden afterglow changed to soft pastel tints of the evening twilight, delicate pale pink and blue colours embraced the white bloom of the spring orchards, fresh leafage and grass. Unlike the landscape, the arch remained seemingly the same, Iven switched it off with a touch.
"I have never been in this part of the town," Lynette murmured. Accurate green hedges, two-storeyed wooden houses with sun-parlours among apple-trees, a settlement and a garden in one. Whitish slabs of the streets looked rather like footpaths on lawns than pavements. An Elf in a silvery suit was trimming bushes with large long scissors. Lynette asked him: "Excuse me, can you tell us the way to the Cherry Line?"
"Sure!" the Elf smiled and waved his hand pointing, "go to the Fountain Square and then turn to the left!"
Statues of young women in tunics and big bowls of flower-beds encircled the square, a beautiful fountain had a shape of an immense marble flower, water cascades falling down from the petals. Dryads and Elves in white summer attires were leisurely enjoying an evening walk, kind friendly faces and blithe clear laugh.
Elvish lanterns began to sparkle everywhere meeting the early blue night with a warm orange gleam, a soft yellow illumination shone from windows.
"Martina?" Lynette called and gently knocked at the halfway-opened door of one house.
"Oh, come in!" smiling Martina, in the same dress as in the morning, appeared in the doorway and let them enter the veranda lit with candles. Her eyes twinkled as she noticed that Iven looked at her in admiration.
A small low table between two sofas, white flowers in big wicker baskets standing on the floor, climbing ivy growing from flowerpots, the interior had elements of a garden or a wild nature landscape.
"I want to