Annie was exhausted! It had been a very busy three days since she had met Kaleb, who she had thought was an evil sorcerer, and been teleported by him from her kitchen to Sambria. Before she could get her bearings, a small army of goblin and enormous wolves threatened to seize her in return for not attacking Kaleb's castle that loomed behind them all. However, the invaders took note of Selena, Kaleb's dragon companion, who was luxuriating on the hill above and fled before she could hit them with a torrent of her poisonous breath. The ominous castle transformed into a pretty, pink palace as they passed through the magical barrier surrounding it, and she blinked in wonder as one of the towers spontaneously stretched several stories higher. Later, at the feast held in Annie's honor, not only were a neighboring lord and lady poisoned, but an orc assassin made an attempt on her own life!
     After the wretched funeral for the poisoned couple, Annie went to her room to pack, as she and Kaleb were going to hunt down the orcs. This was the first time Annie had actually made it up to her room because of all the chaos. She had one of four rooms located in the tower. The view out her window was of the three suns, setting in the north. She gravitated to the giant walk-in closet which had a multitude of camping wear and fashionable dresses. Her bed was in a loft and books were everywhere. She grabbed a large, nondescript backpack and started shoving in the basics as well as scrupulously including multiple water bottles, a hat, flashlights and several boxes of batteries. Since she had no idea where they were headed, she had the insight to grab travelling pants as well as short and long sleeved tunics. As Annie packed, she noticed her bag stayed lightweight and still looked practically empty. On one of the top shelves, Annie perceived a tent and an insulated sleeping bag. She instantly grabbed those! Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
     Answering it, Annie admitted Kaleb into her room. "The closet is full of surprises. Have you discovered them all, yet?" he chortled. Moving to the closet, he deftly open a drawer concealed in the door, and extracted two intriguing necklaces. They were delicate looking confections; old gold and silver craftsmanship with quite a few charms loosely attached. Some charms that really caught Annie's attention were a sword, a dragon, and a knight. "These are beautiful, but is there anything else special about them?" she inquired. Kaleb responded, "Each charm possesses power. For instance, the sword becomes an actual sword when pulled off the necklace. Some charms can be reattached, others can be utilized only once. The dragon charm, if a binding ritual is performed immediately, will become your companion until finally dismissed. Beware of what you ask of her, as the two of you will have a mental link." "I would be distraught if I were to relinquish the friendship of a dragon so fleetingly," Annie said fretfully.
    They grabbed their bags and, together headed down to the stables. They were joined by four palace guards, who already had saddled their horses. Annie faltered for a moment when she discovered one of their companions was actually a female. As they rode into the forest north of the castle's main gates, Annie looked back just as they passed the protective barrier. Once again, the pink granite walls transformed into sinister obsidian and the surrounding land appeared to be nothing but desolation. The horses' hooves merrily clipped along when they eventually entered the dark, dense woods. Annie had tried to strike up a conversation with the guards, but they preferred solitude. Sammi was more willing to talk. She told Annie she was apprehensive because the Nightstalkers, a vampire clan, ruled this forest. The vampires were known to take prisoners and cause them excruciating pain. Annie almost blurted out that her grandma was the queen of those vampires.
      The small group travelled late before making camp for the night, collecting firewood and eating a quick, cold dinner of bread and beef jerky. Annie kept close to Kaleb because she kept hearing weird noises that made the night unendurable. Some sounded like women cackling in glee. Others sounded like men crying out in anguish. Altogether, it made it hard to sleep. The next time Annie opened her eyes, there were blood splatters all over the tent in the shape of handprints! Ruefully, Kaleb noted that two of the guardsmen had vanished during their watch last night. Annie noted there was a conspicuous pile of ashes on the sunny side of the tent, looking suspiciously human shaped. Sammi and the other guard had slept soundly and were quite dejected when they saw the damage. Over breakfast, Kaleb said, "I am afraid there is no hope for Fred and George. They must have been taken in the night. Shall we continue to pursue the orcs? Or shall we strive to rid this land of the Nightstalker?" Annie was about to reply when something caught her eye. It looked like George's ear....