"Everything dies, dwarf," the tribesman said, his eyes narrowing. "Some things just take more killing than others."
"Jundag, you can go and warn Beriknor," Shay said. "Raise the militia and bring them back here. We three will attempt to recover the gems. If we fail, then try to storm the keep. But time is of the essence; we must retrieve the gems before the fiend learns how to use their power."
"No," Jundag said, surprising himself, but realizing that he could make no other choice. "We are friends. I will not leave you to descend into this pit of evil without my strong arm to defend you." Avari looked at him gratefully and for once DoHeney did not have a smart remark. Once Jundag made up his mind on a course of action, he followed it. He rose, gathered his supplies and started toward the stairs. "We will go."
"Wait, we cannot leave yet!" Shay interjected, bringing the others up short. "I must take some time to rest. The use of Tem's blessings comes at a price."
Avari sighed, obviously impatient. "So, you can't use any more of his blessings until you rest?" she asked.
Shay face broke into his distinctive grin for the first time since they had entered the keep. "Just one."
The messenger's short legs carried it swiftly through the twisting corridors, but after a while, even its boundless energy waned. "Message for Darkmist. Message for Darkmist..." The litany ran through its head as it descended another stair. "Messagemessagemessage..." It travelled unerringly toward his master's quarters, hesitating as it passed the kitchens.
"Messagemessage... foodfoodfood... No!" It could not let its mind wander. This message was important—the bigbadogrehurthurt guy had said so. Ah! There were the doors to the master's suite, at the end of the hall. And there he was, talking to one of his captains.
The little creature increased its pace. It watched Darkmist as he dismissed his underling, then removed something from a pouch, spoke a few words and... vanished.
"Ahhhhh!" A cry escaped the messenger's lips as it slowed, then plodded to the doors. "Message?" it whined, knocking hopefully. After a while shifting from one foot to the other, it gave up, resigning itself to a more laborious strategy.
"Must find Darkmist. Messagemessage..." The dedicated but dense little creature set off, peeking around corners at intersections, hoping to spot its master by chance as it trotted through the immense labyrinth of Zellohar Keep.
"Must give message to Darkmist..."
CHAPTER 23
Well don't just sit there like toads on a lily!" DoHeney scolded, stifling a belch. "Ye heard the elf. He's finally ready to go, so let's get a move on!"
Avari and Jundag were cleaning up traces of the magnificent meal that Shay had provided. After eating, Shay had retreated into his meditation and study while the others rested. Jundag cast suspicious glances at the half-elf and his books, but eventually relaxed. Now they were ready and started down the stairs, cautious but in good spirits.
Avari began counting the cold braziers mounted at regular intervals as they descended; by number thirty she was wondering how deep they were, by fifty her thighs were growing weary and at seventy five, she wanted to scream. The stairway seemed to go on forever and, unfortunately, so did the dwarf. He had not shut his mouth since they left the alcove.
"...so ye see there really wasn't any blame ta be laid on nobody, just because the emissary's peace treaty'd been used as a bog roll. Besides, it was too scratchy anyways." DoHeney glanced over his shoulder to check on the others' progress. They had lagged behind so he stopped to wait for them to catch up.
"DoHeney?" Avari ventured, taking advantage of one of the dwarf's rare lapses. "Didn't you say that the stairs would be the most dangerous part of getting to the lower levels?"
"That I did, lass. Fer if we was ta meet up with somethin' in this narrow corridor, there would be no choice but ta fight, since there're no side passages ta slip inta. And if ye was ta fall on this slope, ye could roll and roll 'til near every bone in yer body was broke. So if ye do happen ta slip be sure to catch yerself before ye start ta tumblin' or—"
"DoHeney?" Avari interrupted again. "If it's so dangerous, shouldn't we be quiet so we'll hear if something is coming?"
"Why, o'course we should be quiet, lass. If some beastie was ta hear—"
"So, shut up!" Jundag growled through clenched teeth.
"Oh," DoHeney muttered, his hand moving to cover his mouth. "I suppose yer right at that, lad."
Blissful silence reigned until the dwarf finally raised a hand for the group to stop. His stubby fingers brushed the wall lightly, a quizzical look scrinching up his already scrinched face. He whispered to Shay, then disappeared into the gloom ahead.
"He's gone ahead to check something," Shay whispered to the others. "Said he felt vibrations through the stone, like there was mining going on ahead." The others looked skeptical but, having no other choice, decided to wait for the dwarf's return.
Shortly, DoHeney came strolling back up the stair, humming a jaunty tune. He stopped below them, beaming like a boy with a secret waiting for someone to ask him what it was.
"Well?" Jundag whispered sharply. His patience with the dwarf had ended hundreds of stairs ago.
"Shouldn't be a problem." DoHeney's normal speaking voice seemed to echo forever in the small passage. The others cringed, but he continued before they could interrupt. "Guards are makin' more noise than an orc stuck with a fire-beetle spine."
They stared at him as if he'd gone mad.
"What I mean is, we shouldn't have a problem attractin' anythin' when we take the guards. They're playin' some kind o' game, and makin' more noise than a... Oh, never mind. Jist come along and be ready."
Soon the others could feel the vibrations in the surrounding stone and hear a repeating rumble and thunderous crash. Before long they could barely hear themselves think; the noise reached a deafening crescendo, the brief silence between the crashes filled with furious bouts of guttural laughter. As Avari's head began to ache, they rounded the last curve and crept into the shadows beside a pair of open doors.
Torchlight illuminated three orcs taking turns rolling a stone ball down the length of a chamber to knock down pieces of broken statuary, which were set back up after each throw by two harried goblins. The acoustics served to augment the riotous din; every crash reverberated through the halls.
Avari felt a tug at her sleeve and looked down at DoHeney, who motioned them all together. He spoke in the stage whisper that had become their customary speech, but with the cacophony, the others just shook their heads, unable to hear a word. The dwarf's face pinched in frustration and slowly reddened to anger. Then, suddenly, he brightened as if struck with a brilliant idea and dashed out of the stairway and into the chamber.
The companions stood horrified for a few seconds before Jundag shrugged and charged after the dwarf, drawing his sword. Avari and Shay followed only a step behind.
But even their short delay made them too late. As they rounded the corner, the last of the three orcs went down with one of DoHeney's daggers in its back. Sudden silence rang in Avari's ears as she watched the dwarf wrench a knife from his victim. Her admiration died in new-found horror as the two goblins broke from their immobility and ran toward the nearest door.
Avari fumbled with her bow, feeling all thumbs as she tried to string it. Finally the loop clicked into its notch and she grabbed a shaft, then stopped. The two goblins sprawled on the floor, each with a crossbow bolt sprouting from its back. DoHeney looked at her as he twirled a third bolt, grinning from ear to ear.
"Close yer mouth, lass," he said, placing the bolt back in its quiver. "Unless ye be plannin' ta catch flies with it."
"How did you do that?" Avari blurted, louder and more rudely than she had intended.
"Oh, just a trick me old gran-mammy taught me when I was a tyke." He replaced the bow on his back. "Now, as I was sayin', we shouldn't have any trouble with makin' noise, if this is the likes they're used to 'round here."
"And as I was going to say," Shay interru
pted, stalking over to the dwarf with a strained look, "before you pulled your stupid little bit of bravado, we should probably try to take at least one of these alive, since we have absolutely no idea where the gems are or how large a force we are dealing with."
"Calm yerself, elf. I was jist—"
"First of all, I am half-elven, not an elf!" Shay said, counting on his fingers under the dwarf's nose. "Second, my name is Szcze-kon, or Shay. And third, if you pull any more stunts like that you are going to get us all killed, or worse, captured! Do you know what Nekdukarr do to prisoners, dwarf?"
The two warriors stood like statues, worried that Shay would anger the dwarf, who had just proved himself to be quite deadly. But instead of planting a dagger between Shay's lovely violet eyes, DoHeney smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Aye, yer probably right at that, lad. So what do ye say ta helpin' a rash old dwarf clean up the mess he just made, ay?"
"Uh, fine," Shay said, his argument withering on his lips. Such an affront would have put any normal dwarf into a rage, but it was becoming clear that DoHeney was not a normal dwarf.
The confrontation averted, Jundag and Avari sighed with relief and helped drag the corpses to where they would not be so obvious, tucking the bodies into an unlit alcove.
"It did not occur to me," Shay thought aloud, "but the lack of noise may be as alarming as any disturbance we may make."
"We should move quickly then," Jundag suggested as he eyed the chamber. The walls were lined with alcoves, each with a stand for statuary. But the sculptures had been used as part of the orcs' game and were strewn about the floor in pieces.
"What is this place, anyway?" Avari asked nervously. "It makes the hair stand up on my neck."
"'Tis marked in the diary as The Hall o' The Fallen, lass, and well it should make yer skin prickle. These're the tombs o' the greatest dwarves that ever lived in Zellohar." DoHeney walked to where the head of one of the statues lay and stooped to lift the battered piece of stonework. He muttered something in dwarvish, and his tone spoke volumes: his heritage lay here, defiled by the putrid infection that had infested the keep. Shay walked to the dwarf's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Was this a member of your clan?" he asked, looking into the eyes of the battered stone likeness. DoHeney started, then looked up with a hint of the familiar twinkle in his eyes.
"Oh, ye might say that, though I never met the dwarf meself." He looked at the stony visage for a moment then set it down near the wall. "Not a very fittin' end fer the likeness o' somebody as great as he; endin' up as a plaything fer orcs."
"What do you suppose these are?" Avari called, kneeling within an archway at the room's other end to examine several large smudges on the floor.
"It appears as if something was burned here," Shay noted, kneeling to inspect the blackened stone. "See the bits of melted metal in the ash?"
"Yes, and there are still a few bits of bone, too." Avari wiped a grimy hand over her forehead in puzzlement, oblivious of the smudge it left. "What do you think, DoHeney?"
They all looked at the dwarf where he stood at the entrance to the passage, staring at the writing inscribed upon the archway, as it was on many of the doorways and arches throughout the keep. He jolted out of his trance at Avari's question.
"Eh? What do I think?" He smirked, but with a nervousness unusual for him. " I think ye've all used up yer allotment o' luck fer the rest o' this trip, and I think it's amazin' ye've not all been blasted ta smithereens by the wards that are set on these arches. Ye should let me read the inscriptions afore ye go blunderin' inta somethin' less forgivin', if ye understand me thinkin'."
They all froze. Jundag looked at the walls as if he expected a delayed magical attack. Avari opened her mouth to speak, but only a squeak escaped; she had to swallow to regain her voice.
"You mean that these ashes are..."
"Aye, they're likely a couple o' stupid critters that also didn't think much o' wanderin' about a strange keep wi'out payin' any mind to the writin' on the walls."
"Then these are the wards that were set by FinGalen!" Shay said as he rose to inspect the lettering. "Yes. There are several runes of power here. Most are quite beyond me, but..."
"I don't know about all that gobbledegook yer lookin' at, but this here is simple dwarvish, and it says that this is the Tomb o' the Ancients, and that if yer not one o' the clan, or a true dwarf-friend, ta stay out or feel the wrath of the Keeper of the Slain."
"We had best be going," Jundag said, failing to conceal his nervousness as he edged out of the passage. "As the dwarf said, this is no place for us."
"Oh, if we have not triggered the wards yet, I think it is safe, Jundag. Although I am curious as to why we did not. They are still quite potent and their power is considerable. So why were we spared the enchantment? We have no charms against this kind of magic and are obviously not of the clan. What prevents the wards from working the way they were designed to?"
"I don't know, elf—er, I mean Shay," DoHeney admitted, flipping through the pages of the diary. "It may be 'cause I was along wi' ye, but if I can find the right map... Here we are. Yeah, sure as the Delver's dirty toenails, this here Tomb o' the Ancients'll take us right through the worst part o' this level. And we needn't worry 'bout any beasties while we pass, if ye understand me thinkin'." He stepped inside the archway and toed the charred remains, chuckling at his own joke.
"You have no objection to us invading the tombs of your forefathers?" Jundag asked.
"Oh, I know ye won't be robbin' any graves. We'll jist be passin' through, but we'd best be quick." He looked up at the nervous tribesman with a grin. "Come on along then, bucko. Unless yer scared o' some simple ol' scribblin's on the wall."
CHAPTER 24
Avari found herself standing before a portal at the end of a corridor, overwhelmed by its beauty. The bronze doors were cunningly wrought in the likeness of a dwarven goddess of breathtaking loveliness, her arms spread in a welcoming gesture, a warm smile on her face. Wispy shapes of dwarven warriors rose around her, blissful adulation gracing their features. Not a trace of tarnish nor a scratch of disfigurement marred the doors, despite their obvious antiquity.
She moved forward, pulled along by a gentle force, scarcely aware that Shay strode beside her. A warning from far in the back of her mind screamed Danger!, but she seemed unable to heed the warning. Something was amiss. Something, no someone was missing, but when she tried to recall who, her mind slipped off the thought like a bare foot on a mossy rock.
"So beautiful," she murmured, raising her hand, her fingers stopping a hair's breadth from the door. "It's so beautiful."
"We are very likely the first non-dwarves to lay eyes upon this," Shay whispered in the same dreamy tone. "If the elves ever saw this, I daresay they would have a new respect for the dwarven race."
Avari stood like a statue, her arm still extended toward the bronze likeness of the dwarven goddess. "...so beautiful." She moved forward, not of her own volition, her fingers lightly brushing the magnificent doors. A tiny spark snapped, striking her fingertip. "Ow!" She jerked her hand back, nursing the injured digits, her trance broken. "I think it bit me!"
"Let that be a lesson to—" The half-elf stopped, then jumped back, pulling Avari with him. They drew their weapons as the doors opened.
A tide of golden light washed over them, warm and comforting, calming their trepidations. Once again a gentle force took hold and, although Avari thought We should flee!, she was unable to overcome the insatiable desire to enter the glowing chamber. Shay ventured a cautious step, peering through the opening, and Avari followed.
The chamber was a perfect half-sphere, the far wall more than a hundred feet away, but the pervasive light revealed every detail with startling clarity. On the ceiling was an exquisite mural of the heavens wrought with such splendor that the awe-inspiring doors seemed crude by comparison. The deities gazed down at them, rendered in a mosaic of varying shades of gold, bronze, copper and silv
er, the constellations sparkling with diamonds, sapphires and rubies. The floor was a similar mosaic in stone, smooth and unmarred. The earth-bound dwarven heroes were represented here, resplendent in their fine armor and weapons, battling all manner of foul beasts.
Set around the perimeter of the chamber were forty-two sarcophagi. Each of the stone coffins was about four feet high, four feet wide and six feet long. The foot-thick covers were sculpted with likenesses of the deceased, the sides depicting scenes that chronicled their lives.
Avari's chest ached and she realized she had been holding her breath. She inhaled, exhaled a wistful sigh and glanced at Shay. The priest smiled at the beauty surrounding him, his eyes bright and brimming with tears.
"If the elves only knew the beauty of—"
A shaft of green lightning shot from the top of one of the sarcophagi and flew straight at the two companions, interrupting Shay's reverie. Avari had no time to dodge as it speared for her heart and—stopped.
A huge sword quivered in the air directly in front of her, its point scant inches from her chest. She stood motionless, too frightened to move. All coherent thought melted from her mind, but her father's lessons took over. "The most important thing to do when you're in a tight spot is to keep your head. Thinking rationally, even when there's a knife at your throat, is always the best defense." Her legs steadied and her hammering heart slowed, but she still did not move for fear that the weapon might simply continue its trajectory.
The sword was extraordinarily large, from pommel to tip almost as long as she was tall, with a crosspiece more than a foot wide. The hilt was fashioned from braided silver wire that made for an easy two-handed grip. The blade tapered gradually from its base, but flared again into a diamond-shaped tip fully a hand's breadth wide. And there, surrounded by the razor-sharp metal and pulsing with an enchanted light, was the largest emerald Avari had ever seen. The gem was cut to fit the diamond shape of the sword's tip, and was so flawless that Avari could see her reflection blinking back at her from the its surface.
Zellohar Page 21