“She is small and weak!” the left head argued. “She has no chance of retrieving the Harp. She will lose the key!”
Kendra rose to her feet. “I am a dragon tamer. I bested the dragons at the Wyrmroost Dragon Temple. We defeated the hydra and Glommus, and I killed Siletta.”
“Grand claims,” the center head said.
“Let’s help the girl!” the right head said.
“We should eat the girl!” the left head said.
“I don’t taste good,” Kendra assured them.
“She is slight,” the right head said. “Scant meat to be had.”
“Humans have a wonderful crunch, bones and all,” the left head said.
Ptolemy pulled two hatchets from the target, one for each hand. “The hatchets will decide,” the center head said. “Dodge all five and you can borrow the key.”
He surprised Kendra by tossing the first one underhand. She lurched to the side, and it scythed by close enough that she felt the breeze. Kendra unstopped the bottle and guzzled the effervescent liquid.
The next hatchet was thrown overhand and slashed Kendra in half. It was strange for Kendra to feel her vaporous body separate and then merge back together.
The center head yelled angrily.
“Witchcraft!” the left head accused. “Treachery!”
Kendra tried to explain that she was simply trying to play smart, but her gaseous vocal cords could not produce sound. With an effort of will, Kendra drifted slightly closer to Ptolemy.
The ettin angrily claimed another hatchet and hurled it twice as hard. Kendra felt the weapon swish through her, temporarily dispersing her body with a sensation like millions of tiny fizzing bubbles. Again, her gaseous body fused back together as the hatchet clattered behind her.
“She cheated us!” the left head cried.
“She is using good strategy,” the right head approved. “She has potential to retrieve the Harp of Ages.”
Ptolemy collected the final two hatchets. He raised one to throw it.
“No!” the left head shouted. “She is like a cloud of gas! We cannot hit her right now. You may as well try to wound the smoke of a campfire. Wait. We did not say how quickly we must throw the axes. Wait for her to solidify so you have a fair target.”
“Go reach under your mattress and fetch the key,” the right head said, giving Kendra a significant look. “We should let her attempt her errand.”
“She mocks us,” the left head said. “Do not allow a young girl to defeat us. We would be laughingstocks. She will no longer act so smug after we devour her.”
“I will wait,” the center head said, hefting the hatchets. “Two more throws with a fair chance.”
Kendra willed herself back toward the entrance to the cave, and she drifted in that direction.
“She flees,” the left head said. “I declare a forfeit.”
“She may return,” the right head said.
“Return and die,” the center head called. “I will not miss.”
Kendra glided onward. She needed a new strategy. If she waited near Ptolemy until her body solidified, she had no doubt that she would die.
Floating through the mist beside the waterfall caused a bizarre sensation, her entire body tingling as water particles invasively mingled with her gaseousness. Vanessa approached with concern, and Kendra started pantomiming.
“He threw rocks at you?” Vanessa guessed. “Wait. Axes? And you drank the potion?”
Kendra signaled that she had it right. Then she played more charades.
“A key?” Vanessa interpreted. “Under something? You’re sleeping? On a bed? I see. Ptolemy keeps the lightning key under his bed?”
Kendra tapped her nose and gave a thumbs-up.
“I need to hurry to the others,” Vanessa said. “Follow me if you like, but stay in the shelter of the ravine so you don’t blow away.”
Vanessa took off at a sprint over the rough terrain beside the creek. Kendra was surprised that she dared run so fast over the unfavorable ground, but the narcoblix remained surefooted until she passed out of sight. Kendra decided to wait rather than float after her, mostly because she knew Tanu and Warren would head to the cave now that negotiations had failed.
Kendra hovered within view of the waterfall for a long time, idly wondering if Ptolemy might come after her. The ettin did not emerge from his cave, and Kendra tried to relax and enjoy the bubbly calmness of floating without a solid body.
After what seemed a long time, Warren appeared, leading a sheep. They had apparently used chains from the portable dungeon to devise a crude leash. Tanu and Vanessa came along behind.
Warren waved as he approached Kendra. “Good job getting the location of the key,” he said cheerfully.
Kendra scowled, flexed her vaporous muscles, and pointed at the cave.
“I figured the ettin would be tough,” Warren said. He lowered his voice. “We’re going to trick him, not fight him.”
Warren led the sheep to the edge of the waterfall; then Tanu crouched and fed the sheep a potion. Kendra saw no difference in the animal. Holding a small flask in his hand, Warren led the sheep behind the waterfall.
Tanu and Vanessa retreated to Kendra, each holding a potion ready. Tanu scrutinized Kendra for a moment. “Stay low,” he advised. “You won’t be gaseous much longer.”
Kendra pointed at the cave and cocked her head curiously.
Tanu sidled close and whispered. “I gave the sheep a sleeping potion. It’s very potent, but I tinkered with the recipe so hopefully the sheep will remain conscious until the ettin eats it. I tuned the mixture for the ettin’s chemistry. Let’s hope Ptolemy will soon be in dreamland.”
Kendra pantomimed throwing hatchets.
“Warren has the gummy potion,” Vanessa said. “It will make him virtually indestructible.”
Kendra nodded. Her body started to feel extra fizzy, and she coalesced into a solid again. Vanessa and Tanu supported her until the dizzy spell passed.
Tanu handed her a bottle. “Here is another one in case you need it. If Ptolemy shows himself, don’t hesitate.”
“All right,” Kendra said, watching the cave, worried for Warren.
“How deep is the cave?” Vanessa whispered.
“I didn’t have to go very far to find the ettin,” Kendra said.
