Dealing with Dragons

Cimorene is nervous about going into the Enchanted Forest, so she brings a magic sword. Kazul leads her through the tunnels, saying a special incantation to open the Caves of Fire and Night. At one point, the caves go completely dark, and Cimorene must feel her way forward by holding onto Kazul’s elbow.

As they walk, Kazul explains the locations to which the tunnels lead. At one point, Cimorene encounters a line of princes who have been transformed into black stones for the crime of disobeying quest orders; they used a golden dipper to retrieve the Waters of Healing rather than using the tin dipper. Cimorene and Kazul then pass through the King’s Cave, where Colin’s Stone was found. Kazul warns her to walk quickly through the King’s Cave, which hums and buzzes with the same intensity as Colin’s Stone. Kazul has not forbidden Cimorene from removing anything, so she pockets a small pebble that is made of the same shiny, dark stone as the walls.

After they emerge from the caves, Kazul invites Cimorene to climb onto her back as they head to Morwen’s house. Morwen offers them refreshments while they fill her in on the wizards’ activities, then fetches the book that Kazul wants to borrow. Kazul promises to keep it in her treasure room, where Zemenar won’t look for it. Morwen asks how Cimorene’s fireproofing spell is going, as she is interested in making a copy.

When Cimorene and Kazul return to the caves, a large white bird attacks Cimorene before she can enter. She hits it with the sword, and the bird laments being killed by a princess. Cimorene is regretful of causing physical harm. She offers to help the bird, but it refuses, instead giving her a forfeit: three black feathers that can instantly teleport her and anyone whom she is physically touching. Cimorene collects the feathers and leaves.

The next morning, Cimorene sorts through bottles in the treasure room, looking for powdered hen’s teeth. Therandil arrives. He wants to talk but gets distracted when Cimorene invites him inside so that she can keep sorting through bottles. While trying to help, he opens a bottle that Kazul warned Cimorene never to open.

A jinn emerges and tells Cimorene to choose the method by which the jinn will claim their lives. Cimorene chooses old age, and he refuses. The jinn explains that he swore an oath that anyone who freed him within a 100 years would be made a ruler. Anyone who freed him within 200 years would receive riches. If he were freed within 300 years, the person would receive three wishes. However, if he had to wait any longer, he vowed to kill the one who freed him. Cimorene finds out he has only been imprisoned for slightly over 200 years. He admits that he would be breaking his oath by killing them but would be tormented by other jinn if he didn’t. She tells him to go back into the bottle until the 300 years are up. When he returns, both she and Therandil will be dead of old age; in this way, the jinn will have effectively killed them by Cimorene’s chosen method without breaking his oath.

Satisfied with this solution, the jinn agrees to grant each of them one wish as thanks. Therandil wishes to defeat a dragon and win “his” princess’s hand in marriage. Cimorene wishes for powdered hen’s teeth. After the jinn goes, Cimorene tells Therandil that she doubts he will ever defeat Kazul and marry Cimorene, because Kazul is a “she,” and Therandil requested to defeat a dragon and free “his” princess. Instead, she urges Therandil to rescue Keredwel, whose dragon is male. Therandil leaves, and Alianora arrives just as Cimorene is writing a warning to affix to the jinn’s bottle. Cimorene tells Alianora what just happened. Together, they cast the lengthy fireproofing spell.

Cimorene and Alianora test out the spell on various household fires. When Kazul returns, they experiment to see if the spell makes them immune to dragon fires, which it does. Over the next few days, Cimorene reads and takes notes from Morwen’s book. Alianora returns to say that Therandil rescued Keredwel. Alianora suggests that they gather more feverfew, which they can use to recast the fireproofing spell. She confesses that she has been casting the spell every few hours because her dragon, Woraug, has become unpredictable.

They venture outside, finding little that grows until they enter an untouched green valley. Cimorene wonders why no dragons have visited it, as it is in the middle of their territory. As they gather feverfew, Alianora spots Antorell gathering purple leaves. Cimorene tells him that he shouldn’t be wandering in the Mountains of Morning, which are dragon territory. When she introduces Alianora as Woraug’s princess, Antorell relaxes, seeming familiar with Woraug. Antorell wants them to leave, but Cimorene insists that they must stay and pick daisies. When he leaves, she investigates the plant that he was gathering.

The princesses return to Kazul’s cave to dry the feverfew. Cimorene gives Alianora her own pouch of dried feverfew to tide her over until the new batch is ready.