moment it was full size.
“That’s the magic of the pen,” Harmony explained. “What it draws becomes real. I can’t draw a good sword, so mine would be warped and stunted. But yours is nice.”
“Magic,” Bryce echoed, staring at the sword. “Amazing.”
“Try something else.”
“What about the sword? I shouldn’t leave it just lying around.”
“You can revoke it, or invoke a new drawing, at which point the old one will fade.”
“Ah.” He drew an ice-cream cone. “Invoke.”
It slid off the page. He caught it as it expanded.
“Chocolate eye scream!” Harmony exclaimed. “Thank you, Bryce.” She took the cone and licked the ice cream.
“Um, is that actually edible? What happens when I revoke it?”
“It vanishes.” She licked it again. “That makes it nonfattening.”
“I see.” He decided not to eat any other drawings, because he did not want to be deceived about their food value. “Thank you for the pen, Harmony. I’m sure it will be useful.”
“You’ll need to practice with it,” she said. “Maybe set up several drawings you can do rapidly at need.”
He had another thought. “I’m not sure I should really accept this.”
She frowned, and he caught just a hint of what it might be like to anger a Sorceress. “You are rejecting my gift?”
“It’s not that. It’s a fine gift. It’s that this could be considered as you playing favorites in a contest that should be objective.”
“Then I will give gifts to the others too, when I meet them.”
“That may do,” he agreed. “I probably should go now.”
“Yes, Piper and Granola are done now.” She laughed at his expression. “No, I can’t see what they’re doing. For one thing, she’s invisible.”
That had not been the precise focus of his surprise, but he let it go. “Then farewell, Princess, until such time as we meet again.”
“Oh, don’t be stuffy!” She flung her arms about him and kissed him again. Once more there was the pastel heart and the floating. She was lovely and that love spell was potent.
Then he found himself outside, walking away from the castle. He must have walked down the stairs and through the halls and out, but he remembered none of it. Princess Harmony might be only a girl, but what a girl!
He realized belatedly that he had seen no other people in the castle, after Harmony’s triplet sisters left. That must have been by design. There was so much magic, in so many guises!
Piper was waiting for him. “Was it a good meeting?”
“It was amazing,” Bryce said. “She’s a remarkable person.”
“Sorceresses are. Did she enchant you?”
“Yes. Figuratively and literally.”
“They do.”
They got on the trikes and the invisible giantess picked them up and bore them swiftly to Caprice Castle. What a day he had had!
5
P EN
N ext day Caprice Castle looked out on a remarkable landscape. It was ordinary immediately around the castle, but not far distant a towering cliff rose up. Two cliffs.
“We’re in the Gap Chasm!” Bryce exclaimed. “Piper told me about it.”
“We are,” Mindy agreed. “Just be glad we’re not in the Gas Chasm; it really stinks. Rogue puns are everywhere. You will have to meet the Gap Dragon before you start, though, so he won’t steam you.”
“Steam me?”
“There are several fundamental types of dragons, chiefly the fire-breathers, the smokers, and the steamers. Stanley is a steamer.”
“Stanley Steamer,” he agreed, amused.
“It’s not funny. He’s dangerous.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that he’s not. It was a private thought.”
In due course they exited the castle and stood before the front gate. Bryce heard an odd whomping sound. Then he saw puffs of steam rising in the distance. Then the dragon hove into view: a green six-legged creature with vestigial wings and a great ugly head. The steamer.
Dawn stepped forward. She hugged the dragon’s hot snout. “Stanley, we are here to forage for puns today. We have
“That’s the magic of the pen,” Harmony explained. “What it draws becomes real. I can’t draw a good sword, so mine would be warped and stunted. But yours is nice.”
“Magic,” Bryce echoed, staring at the sword. “Amazing.”
“Try something else.”
“What about the sword? I shouldn’t leave it just lying around.”
“You can revoke it, or invoke a new drawing, at which point the old one will fade.”
“Ah.” He drew an ice-cream cone. “Invoke.”
It slid off the page. He caught it as it expanded.
“Chocolate eye scream!” Harmony exclaimed. “Thank you, Bryce.” She took the cone and licked the ice cream.
“Um, is that actually edible? What happens when I revoke it?”
“It vanishes.” She licked it again. “That makes it nonfattening.”
“I see.” He decided not to eat any other drawings, because he did not want to be deceived about their food value. “Thank you for the pen, Harmony. I’m sure it will be useful.”
“You’ll need to practice with it,” she said. “Maybe set up several drawings you can do rapidly at need.”
He had another thought. “I’m not sure I should really accept this.”
She frowned, and he caught just a hint of what it might be like to anger a Sorceress. “You are rejecting my gift?”
“It’s not that. It’s a fine gift. It’s that this could be considered as you playing favorites in a contest that should be objective.”
“Then I will give gifts to the others too, when I meet them.”
“That may do,” he agreed. “I probably should go now.”
“Yes, Piper and Granola are done now.” She laughed at his expression. “No, I can’t see what they’re doing. For one thing, she’s invisible.”
That had not been the precise focus of his surprise, but he let it go. “Then farewell, Princess, until such time as we meet again.”
“Oh, don’t be stuffy!” She flung her arms about him and kissed him again. Once more there was the pastel heart and the floating. She was lovely and that love spell was potent.
Then he found himself outside, walking away from the castle. He must have walked down the stairs and through the halls and out, but he remembered none of it. Princess Harmony might be only a girl, but what a girl!
He realized belatedly that he had seen no other people in the castle, after Harmony’s triplet sisters left. That must have been by design. There was so much magic, in so many guises!
Piper was waiting for him. “Was it a good meeting?”
“It was amazing,” Bryce said. “She’s a remarkable person.”
“Sorceresses are. Did she enchant you?”
“Yes. Figuratively and literally.”
“They do.”
They got on the trikes and the invisible giantess picked them up and bore them swiftly to Caprice Castle. What a day he had had!
5
P EN
N ext day Caprice Castle looked out on a remarkable landscape. It was ordinary immediately around the castle, but not far distant a towering cliff rose up. Two cliffs.
“We’re in the Gap Chasm!” Bryce exclaimed. “Piper told me about it.”
“We are,” Mindy agreed. “Just be glad we’re not in the Gas Chasm; it really stinks. Rogue puns are everywhere. You will have to meet the Gap Dragon before you start, though, so he won’t steam you.”
“Steam me?”
“There are several fundamental types of dragons, chiefly the fire-breathers, the smokers, and the steamers. Stanley is a steamer.”
“Stanley Steamer,” he agreed, amused.
“It’s not funny. He’s dangerous.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that he’s not. It was a private thought.”
In due course they exited the castle and stood before the front gate. Bryce heard an odd whomping sound. Then he saw puffs of steam rising in the distance. Then the dragon hove into view: a green six-legged creature with vestigial wings and a great ugly head. The steamer.
Dawn stepped forward. She hugged the dragon’s hot snout. “Stanley, we are here to forage for puns today. We have
Similar Books
