And then, we came into a large room, a hundred feet across at least. Several heavy, wooden doors lined the walls.
We walked slowly to the center of the room. It was well lit, despite there being no torches or any other source of light that we could see.
"Duke, this is it," Adrian whispered. "This is why we're here."
"Yeah." I felt it, too. It wasn't the voice talking to me. Not really. But it was a sense of rightness, like I was supposed to be in this place at this time. Well, not this place, but.... there.
That door. That was the one that I needed to go through. I began walking toward it, without a word to Adrian. He didn't follow, but out of the corner of my eye it vaguely registered that he was slowly walking to a different door, slightly puzzled contentment on his face.
Then he ceased to exist for me. Everything did. The fire-drakes and salamanders, Lord Pennywither's cup, the dragon itself. None of it mattered. All that meant anything was seeing what was on the other side of that door.
I reached out and pulled the handle and the door opened easily. It was dark as the inside of a stone beyond, the light from the room not penetrating in the least. I didn't hesitate for one second, simply pulled the door open and stepped inside.
The door closed behind me and a light slowly began to glow. Several paces in front of me was a niche set into the rock, and an object lay on it. It was this that the glow was concentrated on. The rest of the chamber was empty.
I approached and reached out to touch the thing. It was like nothing I ever saw before. It fit in my hand, and my fingers curled around what was obviously the place to hold it. My forefinger slipped inside a ring and felt the trigger there, like that of a crossbow. On the other end was a hole.
"It's yours, for now," the voice said. But it didn't come from inside my head. Instead, it came from all around me, but there was still no-one there that I could see.
"What is it?" I asked, my eyes not leaving it.
"It's called a gun, although this one is unique. It's been here now for many years, but the time has come for it to enter the world again. Even I can't keep it here any longer."
"Who are you?" I felt almost like I was in a dream, but I could still reason. Maybe now I would finally get an answer.
"Once, I was known as Trickster, but that was long, long ago. I've been forgotten by all but the oldest of the Elves. But it was those who believed in me, and in the others here, who built this place, after the dwarves fled."
"For what? I mean, why build such a place just to hide something?"
"It was too dangerous to be in the world. Then. Now, things are changing, and all the good that is being done is being challenged by others. I wasn't the first to send out a call, nor will I be the last. My hope is that you will be the balance to some of those items already taken."
"I see," I said, not really seeing at all. "And Adrian?"
"Called by another."
"Will he be okay?"
The voice hesitated. Then, "Yes, if he's strong enough. I believe he will be."
I examined the thing in my hand, raised it and sighted along it. The urge to pull the trigger was almost undeniable.
"Don't yet. The little, metal ball that will come out will bounce off the stone wall, perhaps striking you."
I lowered the gun, tore my eyes from it and looked around. The room was still empty other than me.
"Why me?" I said. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"There is good inside you, Duke Grandfather, balanced by a healthy dose of arrogance, mixed with a sense-of-humor, and topped off with a desire for justice. You have growing to do yet, but the base is there. I think you will do more good than harm with it."
I nodded, not unmoved by his words. I tried to be a good person, even if I didn't always live up to it.
"And the cup? Is there any such thing?"
"Oh, yes. It is where you thought. In the dragon's hoard."
"And if we get out without it?"
"He'll be disappointed, of course, and won't pay you. He may continue to send more agents after it. Most will be killed by the dragon."
"It was lying, then. None of the others made it here."
"Oh, no. It didn't lie. Several of them did, and they took different doors. Most, the dragon burnt on their way out. A few made it, and are out in the world, with items of power. None of them got the cup, but none of them cared, either."
"And to get out, we need to get past the dragon, and then all the salamanders and their pets? How are we supposed to do that?"
There was a chuckle in the air. "I have no idea. That will be up to you."
The door cracked open and the glow began to fade.
"Wait!" I cried. "Are you kidding me? You brought me here, giving me no real choice, and now you'll leave me to my fate?"
"Of course." The voice was softer. "I'm in the lead, as of now. If you get out, I'll win the game, but to help you from here would be cheating. And even Trickster wouldn't dare cheat at this game."
The glow faded completely and the door swung all the way open.
"Wait!" I cried. "Hey!"
But it was no use. The voice, whatever it really was, was gone. From both the air and my head. I was free and on my own again. Well, as free as a man trapped behind a dragon could possibly be anyway.
I walked from the small room, my head down examining the gun in my hand. It drew my eye to it, and already I had the feeling that it would be my near constant companion for a long time to come. I was so engrossed that I almost ran right into Adrian, who stood watching me with a smile on his face.
“What do you got there?” he asked.
I showed him the gun. “This. Not sure how it works though. You?’
He turned to show me a new sword that rode in a scabbard on his hip. The hilt was gorgeously fashioned, but unadorned. “Nice, right?”
“Very,” I said, but not really seeing a difference between that and any other sword.
“Watch this,” he said, and drew it with a flourish.
I’m sure the gasp that came out of me was satisfying to him. As soon as the sword cleared its sheath, it grew to enormous proportions. It was at least a foot wide and six long. It was a sword fit for a giant, and one that a normal human like Adrian shouldn’t even be able to lift, let alone hold aloft so casually in one hand.
He spun and went through a few motions with it, stabbing, slashing and blocking. The sword moved like it weighed no more than that of any normal human-sized one, perhaps even less. His grin could have lit up the whole place if it wasn’t already.
Then he resheathed it, and just like that, it was back on his hip, and back to a normal size.
“Wow,” was the only thing I could think of to say.
“So, what does yours do?”
I shrugged. “Not really sure yet. But I’ve been told…” Then a strange reluctance to discuss what I was told came over me. Adrian saw it in my face, but ignored it and asked me instead, “How are we going to get out here?”
“I guess we go see what these things can do against a dragon.”
Our new-found confidence and swagger deflated a little at that. Weapons, even ones of this magnitude, were all well and good, but a dragon was…well, a dragon.
We made our way back up to the dragon’s chamber, walking silently, hoping to come on it still asleep. No such luck. It wasn’t even sprawled out on the floor anymore, but was sitting up, its eyes focused on us as we came out of the hallway behind the throne.
“Should I turn you to ash now, or would you care to run for it first?” it asked.
Adrian drew his sword and the dragon harrumphed. “Yes, very nice. And deadly. You might even be able to hurt me with it, if I let you get close enough.”
The amusement in the things voice set my teeth on edge.
“What about this, dragon?” I said loudly, holding the gun up, the hollow end pointed at it.
It tilted its gigantic head and regarded me. “Ah. That’s different. Do you know what you hold, ther
e?”
“I know enough to know that if I see you draw in even a wisp of a breath, I’ll pull the trigger.”
It looked at us for a moment more, and then ducked its head in acknowledgment. “Then, pass, manlings. And may you find your way past the rest of your challenges.”
The voice was still smug, mocking us. Even with Adrian’s sword and my gun, getting past things that could throw fire at us from a distance was going to be tricky, especially when I really had no idea what my new weapon could do yet.
From the dragon’s reaction, Trickster was telling the truth, it was powerful, but how powerful I didn’t know.
“Wait,” I said, seeing something that I didn’t before. “I think not. Here’s the deal. You do what I tell you, and I won’t shoot you, dragon.”
Its eyes narrowed. “You presume to issue orders to me? Me, who could swallow you whole, burn you to cinders, or simply stomp you into oblivion?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” I answered. “But something about this gun scares you. You don’t want me to pull the trigger, or else you would have done it by now. So, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going up that tunnel ahead of us, and you’re going to clear it out. You’re going to take us all the way to the wall, and then you’re going back far enough for us to climb over and get out of here.”
“You are brave, manling. It will be your downfall.” But still the voice sounded amused, even as it turned toward the tunnel.
“Hey, wait!” Something else occurred to me. “Which one of these is the cup that Lord Pennywither wants?”
“You would steal from a dragon’s hoard? Are you truly that vain and stupid?”
“Just tell me which cup.”
He glared at me, no amusement in his eyes now, and flicked a claw the size of my leg. A golden cup, encrusted with gems, flew at me. I ducked it, but kept the gun pointed at the dragon.
“Nice try,” I growled, trying to sound tough, despite the tremors in my legs. Gun or no gun, threatening a dragon and taking treasure from it, no matter how small, was getting to me.
Behind me, Adrian picked up the cup. “Should we take anything else?” he asked.
“No, I think we have enough, and we’re completing the job we were hired to do. Alright, dragon, let’s go.”
It snorted and turned into the tunnel, Adrian and I hurrying along behind it, close enough that I could shoot it if I needed to, but far enough back that we were out of the worst of the heat it generated.
As we approached the area where the torches were lit, the dragon roared, the noise loud enough to shake the tunnel. I wanted to clap my hands over my ears, but held on, keeping the gun aimed at it. Above, there were squeals and yips, and the fire-drakes and salamanders that waited for us fled.
The dragon stayed true to its word and escorted us all the way back to the stone wall we climbed over on the way in. There was no sign of anything else in the tunnel.
“Alright,” I said to it. “You did what we agreed to. Now, go back down the tunnel until we get over the wall. If I see so much as a single flame from a salamander, you get it first.”
“Do you know how old I am?” the dragon asked.
The question took me by surprise. “What? No. What difference does that…”
“I am old enough that I was here when those items were hidden in this place. I watched as the ones who possessed them dug beyond what the dwarves delved. I dared not interfere. But when they were done, they needed to come back out, and this time, they were helpless before me. I ate some, burnt others and eviscerated the rest.”
“Great, so you’re a monster. Big surprise.”
“I was also here,” the dragon went on, ignoring my interruption. “when others came to take the items, including that gun. Again, they were able to get past me, but as always must be, they returned, to place the items back where they were found. And then I would have my revenge on them.”
“And your point is?”
“I will live far beyond your paltry number of years. And when you return, you will walk brazenly past me, and then return with no weapon that can harm me. I will have you then, and will take extra time, to pay you back for taking what is mine.”
I glanced at the cup in Adrian’s hand. Was it really worth it? Yeah, it was.
“Be that as it may, it’s a long way off. And besides, maybe when I come back, I’ll come for you first.”
The dragon laughed, the noise of it deafening. It began to move back down the tunnel.
“Leave now, manlings, before I change my mind. You will learn, Duke Grandfather, that not even that gun holds all the answers. We will meet again, but for now, nothing will stop you from leaving this place.”
Adrian was already half-way up the wall while I watched the dragon leave. Still no salamanders or fire-drakes showed themselves. When Adrian got to the top, he kept watch while I climbed.
I was pulling myself over the edge when he pointed and yelled, “It’s coming back!”
I jumped up, banging my knee painfully and spun around, gun raised.
There was nothing there, but Adrian was bent over laughing.
“You’re an ass,” I said.
“Yeah, but that was funny.”
“It was not. You don’t mess around with a dragon.” I started down the other side of the wall, tucking the gun into my belt.
“Why not? It’s obviously going to wait until we come back to kill us.”
“It’s not funny. Besides, I hurt my knee.”
“Awww, poor baby…”
We bantered our way out of the cave, back down the stairs and out of the defile. We were still going at it when we found the horses, and then I took a break to say hello to Sal, truly happy to see him again.
The journey home was uneventful. The giantess had left her cave and the ale at the tavern in Briarwood was still excellent.
But as we rode, I examined the gun. Other than being like nothing I ever saw before, it didn’t seem like much. Finally, I pointed it at a tree and pulled the trigger. The resulting loud bang caused Sal to rear up, throwing me to the ground. When I could raise my head and look, there was a neat round hole in the trunk.
Adrian pulled his knife and dug into the wood. After a few inches, a round, little, metal ball fell into his palm. We both studied it and the tree.
“It did some damage,” Adrian said, doubt in his voice, “but not that much.”
“No, not enough to hurt a dragon badly,” I replied. I aimed again. “Maybe it just can’t hurt a tree.”
This time when I pulled the trigger, there was the loud bang, but a buzzing sound as the little, metal ball flew out of it. It hit the tree, but rather than simply going in, it seemed to keep moving, flying back and forth across the bark, deeper and deeper, until with a groan, the tree toppled over, crashing to the ground with a boom.
We both stood, stunned, staring at the mess.
“It’s not subtle,” Adrian said.
“No, but what did I do? Why was it different this time?”
Adrian shrugged, and then pointed at another, much smaller tree. “Try it again.”
The same thing occurred, only this time much more quickly.
“Try that rock,” Adrian said.
I did, but the metal ball didn’t do much to it. It scraped across the face of it and went careening off into the bushes.
“Huh.” I tried another small sapling, to the same result as the first two trees.
Nothing else that I aimed at had the same effect.
“You know,” Adrian said, “you did say dragon while you were pointing it at the dragon in the cave. And just now, you said tree when you were pointing it at the tree. Maybe that’s the secret.”
“Good point,” I said. I turned to a large stone, aimed, and said, “I’m going to shoot that stone.”
No luck. The same thing happened, the ball flying off after only scratching the surface. I pulled the gun down and looked at it.
“I think I have a lot to learn about this thing,�
� I said.
Adrian laughed. “Yep, I definitely got the better end of this deal.” To illustrate his point, he drew his sword and brought it down in a sudden sweep, cleaving the rock in two.
“I guess so,” I sighed. Still, there was something about this thing.
I didn’t know what it could do yet, or what the future held for me and my new weapon, but I knew it belonged with me. At least for now.
A DRY THROAT
Duke stopped talking and took a long drink of his ale.
“There you have it,” he said. “The rest is minutia.”
“Who is Trickster?” Lilly asked.
“Did you get the cup back to Lord Pennywither?” the young man said.
“What about the giantess?” Lilly asked.
“And why were the torches…” the young man started.
“Enough!” Duke held up his hand. “Peace, please. That was a long story. But to answer those quickly. We never saw the giantess again, and I don’t know who paid her to be there as she was. We did return the cup and got rewarded handsomely. We spent the money almost as quickly. And I still have no idea who Trickster was. Perhaps I’ll find out when I go to return the gun.”
“What! You can’t be serious about that!” Lilly exclaimed.
“Oh, not yet. Not yet. I still have time. But yes, at some point, I will have to. I’ve known that since I first touched it.”
“But the dragon,” his grandson said.
“Will still be there. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll come to an understanding. If not, well, that’s not a horrible way for a Nuisance Man to go. Now, if you’ve had enough, it’s getting late, and you finally have your story.”
“But there’s still so much more that I…”
“Nope,” Duke said with a smile. “Those are stories for another time.”
AFTERWORD
Noooo! I can hear the howls now. Where’s Lilly? Why isn’t Lilly in this? We want more Lilly! I get it, I really do. The feedback that I receive the second most with these books is that people like the chapters with Duke and Lilly working together. I like them, too.
Duke Grandfather- The Whole Story Page 84