Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

you be broke?'
    The Land's just had its second famine in a row, the barons are refusing to pay taxes, and if our currency was any more debased you could use it as bottle caps.'
    'Oh,' said the dragon.
    'Right. Oh.'
    'So bringing me back alive isn't going to help you much.'
    'Not really,' admitted the Prince. 'Apart from the hoard you were supposed to have, dragon's hide is worth a lot of money, you know. So are dragon's teeth. And as for dragon's ...'
    'I know what they're worth, thank you,' said the dragon huffily. 'I value them myself, rather.'
    Rupert blushed and looked away. 'Well, you see my problem.'
    'I'll think about it,' said the dragon.
    'Will you two shut up and let me sleep,' muttered the unicorn blearily.
    The Princess came back out of the darkness with slightly puffy eyes that nobody commented on, and settled herself by the fire.
    'What were you two talking about?' she asked.
    'It seems the Prince's family is financially embarrassed,' said the dragon.
    'Broke,' said the unicorn.
    'Maybe when this is over I should go on another quest,' Rupert said gloomily. 'Look for a pot of gold at the Rainbow's End.'
    'If you do, you can walk,' said the unicorn.
    'Rainbow's End,' said the dragon slowly. 'It's not just a legend.'
    'You mean it's real?' asked Julia.
    The dragon hesitated. 'Sometimes.'
    'How do I find it?'asked Rupert.
    'You don't, it finds you.' The dragon frowned, struggling for the right words. 'Rainbow's End is a state of mind as much as a place. If you reach it, you can find your heart's desire, but that may not be what you think it is. There's a spell ...'
    Everyone froze as a branch snapped somewhere out in the dark, and then they surged to their feet.
    Rupert drew his sword and Julia pulled a wicked-looking dagger from her boot. The unicorn pressed close beside the dragon, nervously pawing the ground. And then, one by one, the torches at the clearing's
    perimeter guttered and went out, and darkness welled forward like a tide.
    'They've found us again,' said Rupert.
    A figure stepped into the clearing. Tall, spindly and corpse-pale, it squatted at the edge of the firelight, clawed hands twitching restlessly at its sides. Faintly glowing eyes stared unblinkingly from a broad, toadlike head. As the company watched in horrified fascination, more demons crept forward out of the dark. Some walked on two legs, some on four, and some crawled on their bellies in the dirt. Firelight gleamed redly on claw and fang. No one creature was shaped as any other, but all had the mark of foulness on them, a darkness in the soul. Rupert raised his sword and moved forward, and the toad demon came to meet him, loping horribly fast across the uneven ground. Rupert dropped into his fighting stance, and then swayed aside at the last moment to let the demon rush by him. His sword swung out in a long arc and bit deeply into the creature's back. Dark blood spurted, and the demon fell, writhing silently on the ground until the unicorn slammed down a well-placed hoof. The watching shapes melted back into the darkness.
    'What are our chances?' muttered Julia.
    'Not good,' Rupert admitted, swinging his sword back and forth before him. 'There's too many of them.'
    'But we've got a dragon with us,' Julia protested. 'Everyone knows dragons can't be killed, except by heroes whose hearts are pure.'
    'Legends,' said the dragon wearily. 'I'm old, Julia. Older than you can imagine. My eyesight's poor, my bones ache in the winter, and I haven't breathed fire in years. Don't even know if I still can. No, Julia, dragons die just as easily as any other creature.'
    'Are you saying we've no chance at all?' asked Julia softly.
    'There's always a chance,' said Rupert, hefting his sword.
    'Not that way,' said the dragon. 'You'll have to make the Rainbow Run.'
    'What are you talking about?' snapped Rupert, eyes still fixed on the lurking shadows among the rotting trees.
    'Rainbow's End. I know a spell that will take you right to it. If you're strong enough. Any man who can run down the Rainbow will find his heart's desire; whatever that might be.'
    Try the spell,' said Julia. 'I won't let those things take me alive. I've heard stories.'
    Rupert nodded grimly. He'd heard stories too.
    'Look out!' yelled Julia. Rupert howled his battle-cry and swung his sword double-handed as demons burst from the Darkwood's concealing shadows. His blade flashed in short, vicious arcs, slicing through his opponents like overripe wheat. Blood flew on the air, but