Paul warily kept his eyes on the two massive creatures gingerly walking beside them. He could feel the tension in the other men as well, yet the warriors surrounding them completely ignored the black-haired, red-eyed beasts that looked like a cross between a wild hog and a hyena. For the first time since this adventure had begun, even his dragon was wide awake and alert.

It’s about time, he silently muttered to his other half.

I no like this world, his dragon growled, pacing back and forth.

“What’s so funny?” Mandra asked under his breath.

His own dragon’s anxiety matched the uneasy look on Mandra’s face. These huge warriors weren’t used to being on the other end of the food chain where things were bigger and deadlier than they were.

“My dragon isn’t happy that his favorite snack tried to take a bite out of him or that these creatures look like they could swallow us without even chewing,” Paul admitted.

“Mine isn’t either,” Trelon replied,” glancing around at the beasts. “Something tells me that we wouldn’t make it very far if we tried to escape.”

“If we don’t get eaten by one of those things, then we’d still have to fight off more than a hundred warriors and face the Tasiers. I’m sure I’m not the only one who noticed them feeding as we passed by,” Mandra observed, a look of distaste crossing his face. “It is times like this when I wish Ariel or Jabir were here. Those two would have these creatures and the Tasiers eating out of the palms of their hands, regardless of how big they are. That would only leave us a few dozen warriors to contend with,” he said with a rueful look.

“My biggest concern is the younglings. We don’t know for sure if they are here, but what if they are and they encounter the creatures? Do you really think Jabir can control them?” Trelon asked.

“Like you said, we don’t know for sure if they are here or still back in the forest. All I know is I need to find Leo. That boy is far too daring to be left this long unsupervised,” Viper stated with a worried frown.

“Leo! Can you imagine the damage my two can do? I know they brought some of their newest contraptions. I’m still finding demented symbiots left over from Halloween in our apartments!” Trelon retorted with a strained chuckle. “My hope is if they are still in the woods, the symbiots would have guided them back to Mandra and Ariel’s home. If they are here.... I don’t want to think of all the trouble they could cause,” he said with a sigh.

“Regardless of where they are, they have the symbiots with them. My Zohar is smart. He and the older younglings will help protect the younger ones,” Zoran stated with confidence.

“Yes, but will the symbiots be as protective of Leo, Roam, and Alice?” Viper asked with a worried expression.

They grew quiet when the woman in front of them stopped and turned to face them. Her face was devoid of expression as she raised the staff and brought it down with a loud thud against the rocky surface of the ground.

A collective hiss escaped the men when vivid red threads of light streaked out in all directions. The two beady-eyed creatures on either side of them turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Paul blinked in astonishment when the mushrooms around him began to glow in a sweeping wave across the floor of the cavern. The lights changed colors, illuminating the interior section of the cavern until they could see a path leading into a brilliant glittering city. It was almost like a veil was swept aside. On the opposite end from where they were standing was a beautiful castle carved into the rock with waterfalls on its right side.

Despite the splendor surrounding them, it was the man striding toward them who captured their attention. Tall and slender like the others, his skin was a light green, and he had a regal confidence. The way all of the warriors came to attention could only mean one thing….

“The Leprechaun King!” Trelon hissed under his breath.

Paul drew in a shocked gasp. The man did look like one—well, if he thought of Leprechauns as tall and stately instead of short and somewhat rounded. The man’s eyes narrowed, and Paul was confident he didn’t miss anything in his scrutiny of them.

The King stopped in front of them. His gaze moved from one to the other before his lips pursed for a fraction of a second when another woman, who had the same green skin, facial features, and vivid red hair, hurried up behind him. The man took a deep breath before he spoke.

“I am King Tamblin… of the Leprechauns,” he announced with an almost pained expression though his voice was cool and confident. “This is my sister, Tia.”

“Hello,” Tia said with a warm smile.

“What brings you to my kingdom?” Tamblin demanded.

Zoran stepped forward and introduced himself. “I am Zoran Reykill, King of the Valdier,” he stated.

Ha’ven stepped next to Zoran on his left side. “I am Ha’ven Ha’darra, Crown Prince of the Curizans,” he introduced himself.

Viper nodded to Tamblin. “I’m Viper d’Rojah, Prince of the Sarafin. I’m looking for a small black tiger cub with dark brown eyes. He likes to eat things that he shouldn’t. Have you seen him?” he demanded.

Tamblin’s eyes twinkled with amusement, but he didn’t appear at all surprised by the introductions—or Viper’s question. A frown creased Paul’s brow.

Tia’s eyes sparkled with excitement and merriment. She was biting her bottom lip in an effort not to laugh. Clearly, she was not the type capable of keeping a secret for long.

“King Tamblin, if I may explain,” Paul said, stepping forward.

Tamblin turned to face him, a slight frown furrowing the man’s brow. Tia leaned forward and whispered in Tamblin’s ear, but Paul still heard her say his daughter’s name, and he distinctly heard her say ‘you know, the one with the princess gown and wand.’ Tamblin’s lips twitched, and he nodded.

“You are the storyteller,” Tamblin stated with a straight face.

Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Yes,” he replied.

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Tamblin’s mouth for a moment—before he laughed outright. Paul looked around when many of Tamblin’s warriors began to chuckle as well. He looked back at the King with a quizzical expression.

“It would appear that you and my sister have a lot in common. If you would follow me, I believe there is still more of the story to be told,” Tamblin said with a bow of his head. The king raised his hand, and the warriors parted, stepping back and bowing in respect. Creon and Mandra each fell in step with Paul as he followed Tamblin.

“What did he mean by ‘there is more to be told’?” Creon asked in a low, wary voice.

Paul chuckled. “Something tells me the kids are here,” he replied under his breath.

“The kids?!” Mandra softly exclaimed, looking up and scanning the area.

“Do you think they were shrunk like we were?” Ha’ven asked, falling back to walk with them.

Paul shook his head. “I don’t know. I never added shrinking to the story, so this is all new to me,” he confessed.

Zoran gazed around them. “This is incredible,” he said to Tamblin with a wave of his hand at the glittering city.

Tamblin smiled and glanced over his shoulder at them. “Thank you,” he said.

“Tamblin, can you share what is going on?” Paul asked.

Tamblin nodded to his sister who was hurrying up ahead of them. “It would appear that a group of children are searching for their lost fathers and have decided that I, Tamblin, King of a magical species known as Leprechauns, must have spirited you away to the Kingdom of Glitter,” he responded with a chuckle.

“Is that a yes, you’ve seen the cub then?” Viper asked with a growl of frustration. “My mate is going to skin me alive if I’ve lost him.”

Tamblin laughed. “Yes, he is alive. I believe Santil is quite miffed with that one. He tried to eat him,” he replied.

“Thank you, Goddesses!” Viper muttered in relief, lifting his hands and running them through his hair.

“Now all we need to do is find Vox, Kelan, and the twin dragons,” Ha’ven continued.

Tamblin raised an eyebrow. “We have found two more men. I fear we had to contain one. He would not cooperate,” he said.

Ha’ven and Zoran grinned. “Vox,” they both said at the same time.

Tamblin nodded. “I believe that is what the man named Kelan called him, along with a few other names,” he stated, falling quiet as they walked through the city.

“Now, we just need to find the twin dragons,” Trelon said.