by Brad Clark
“Yes.”
“Have you not seen water inside of barrels if the barrel is too full?”
Understanding flashed through his eyes. “Well, yes. The rain barrels that we keep out in the summer. If they are filled to the top and sealed tightly, then the water freezes, they crack open.”
“Right. Water grows bigger when frozen. The spell that I will cast allows one object to flow through another. It is a tough spell, but with water and metal, it is actually easy. If the spell is stopped suddenly, water is trapped inside the metal, and when it is frozen and expands, the metal cannot contain it. The force of the two materials trying to occupy the same spot causes the metal to explode.”
“And you’re sure this will work?”
“I have no other ideas. The chains are attached to the tower’s walls, which are imbued with magic, so there is no tearing down the stone around it. If the dragon were strong enough to tear the chains from the walls, it would have already done it.”
“Okay, but is it cold enough? Do we have to wait for the water to freeze?”
“That spell is even easier. I will cast a second spell that will freeze the metal and the water inside.”
“Okay, then,” Marik said. He was still not sure about the plan, but when it came to magic, he had to trust those who knew about it. “What do we need.”
Hallendrielle shrugged her shoulders. “Go out into the city and find me some water. With your disguise, it should be easy.”
She flashed a smile at him. He let out a low grumble. Nothing was ever just easy.
“How much do you need?”
“At least a very large bucket. More, if you can haul it here.”
He started to leave and then hesitated. “You’ll be okay here, alone?”
She smiled warmly at him. “Yes, I will be fine. I must rest to regain strength and prepare myself for when you return.”
***
With sword in hand to give him light, Marik descended the tower’s inner stairwell. He had stripped off all his leather armor to make him lighter and quicker. The moderate protection it gave him had already proven valuable in close-quarters combat, but if Hallendrielle’s plan worked as she expected, he would not need the protection. She had warned him that if he were discovered he would be better off turning and running than trying to fight his way out. In that, he was in agreement, although he did feel naked without his armor.
When he reached the lower levels, daylight came through open doorways, so he sheathed his sword. Walking slowly along a hallway that led away from the stairwell, he tried to make sure his footfalls made no sound. The hallway ended not at the doorway that led outside, but at another wide corridor that led into the interior of the tower where the dragon was chained up. He glanced in that direction and saw the scaled body of the dragon. The beast was lying on the floor, its sides expanding and contracting as it breathed. He could not see the Stone Ogres that guarded it, but he knew they were there.
The moment he thought about the Stone Ogres, he mumbled a curse as he realized he had sheathed his sword. Without in his hands, the disguise spell would not be active. He drew it and said a word of prayer to the One God. If he were to survive the next hour, the enchanted sword would have to do its job.
She had told him exactly what to do and what to think to have the disguise work. It was hard for him to believe that magic could work as she described, but then again, it was hard for him to believe in magic at all. But, he had seen it in action, and whether he understood it or not, he believed in it. He put into his mind images of one of the goblins that he had come across, picturing its face and its body. He stood under the archway that led into the main corridor for a few moments wondering if it worked. He didn’t feel any different. He looked down at his arms and legs, and it looked just like his. The only way that he would know if it was truly working would be when he came upon his first goblin.
Finally, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer and marched through the main corridor and out through the archway that led outside. Without stopping, he continued walking across the open ground between the tower and the city. With each step, he expected a horde of goblins to come charging at him. He kept his head down and his eyes forward and he tried to continue to think about the image of the goblin that he was trying to replicate.
He froze when a large Stone Ogre came into view. At first, he only saw the top of its head, but soon it passed by a collapsed building. It stopped and looked at him. Marik’s heart thumped for several beats, but soon enough the Stone Ogre turned away and moved on.
“What are you doing!”
Marik spun at the gruff, gravelly voice. Five goblins approached him from behind. They must have seen him come out of the tower and followed him. It was only when he stopped because of the Stone Ogre that they had caught up to him. His training had not prepared him for this. With sweaty hands, he squeezed the handle of his sword tightly, readying it to be used. But the goblins just stared at him with drool pouring out of their mouths.
“Well?” said the largest of the goblins. This one stood in front of the other four and stood as if he were their leader. “Did the Adversary slice your tongue out?”
“No,” Marik said. With each passing moment, he realized the disguise was actually working. Otherwise, they would have jumped him and tried to tear him to shreds with their sharp talons. He had actually thought about what he might say if confronted, so he quickly spat out his reply. “The Adversary has sent me on an errand.”
“What is this errand?” the lead goblin asked. It took a step forward, baring its long teeth.
Another goblin pushed forward and said, “Tell us what this errand is!”
They all pushed forward, and their stench nearly overwhelmed him. He tried not to recoil, but he couldn’t help himself.
The goblins noticed his reaction. The leader leaned forward and sniffed.
“Being a slave in the tower has made you soft,” the goblin said. “You probably even sleep in a warm bed at night while we sleep on the cold ground.”
The goblins inched forward, and Marik took a tentative step back. He held up his sword and wondered if they could see it. Likely not, as it was not a weapon that a goblin would carry. They would surely think a sword-wielding goblin was out of place.
“What tribe are you with!” the lead goblin snapped, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed Marik once again.
Marik knew the goblins were cowards at heart and they would bully and badger him if he acted weakly. He had already inadvertently done so when he backed up from them as they pressed forward. If he were to continue to act in this manner, they might eventually see through his disguise. However, if he were able to take advantage of their innate cowardliness, maybe he could just get them to go away.
With a deep voice that he hoped was intimidating, Marik shouted out, “I am on an errand for the Adversary! That is all you need to know. Now begone, before he comes out to see that you have delayed me!” He finished his words by stepping forward and snapping his teeth together.
“So you will not share in the rewards?” another goblin asked.
“No! The rewards are all mine! Leave me be!”
Marik turned away, but the lead goblin grabbed his arm. Reacting out of instinct, he rotated his shoulders back towards the goblins, which caused the blade of his sword to slice across the belly of the goblin, spilling its innards onto the ground. It let out a shriek and grabbed all that was coming out of its body and tried to shove it back in. The other goblins were too stunned to react quickly. Marik did not hesitate, even though he knew he had made a grave mistake. Two goblins swiftly lost their heads before the others could react. The remaining two backed away and tried to run, but they were still too slow and clumsy, and Marik was too quick and skilled. Their feet became tangled, and both fell to the ground flailing and trying to crawl away. It took one chopping slice of his sword to sever the head of one goblin, and with a quick reversal of his blade, he drove the sword into the back of the last goblin, cutt
ing into its heart and killing it instantly.
He didn’t wait for any more goblins to arrive. Without even looking to see if he had been seen, he sprinted towards the nearest building and ducked into the shadows. Breathing heavily, he turned and expected a horde of goblins to be chasing him, but the open yard around the tower remained empty, except for the five dead goblins. Somehow, his bad luck and poor reaction had gone unnoticed. Leaning back against the lone standing wall of the building, he took a moment to let his heart rate drop and his breathing to slow down.
Before leaving, he took one last look back at the five goblin bodies. Several birds had descended upon them and started picking at their flesh. They would not stay unnoticed. Gripping his sword tightly, he put the image of the goblin back in his head. Even though the disguise worked, the plan was not without flaws. As much as he could, he would still need to stay away from interacting with goblins. They might see him as a goblin, but there was no way for him to act like one around them. He would need to just keep his distance.
Marik knew the city well, but with all the rubble and destroyed buildings, he wasn’t sure what would be the fastest route to the nearest well. The castle had its own well, which was accessible from the lower levels of the castle. But the castle had been completely demolished, and any chance of accessing the well was gone after the first day the Deceiver’s army attacked. There were other wells throughout the city that were in open courtyards that should be accessible. He headed for what he thought should be the nearest one.
He walked with purpose, but with care. Any time he thought he would come in contact with a group of goblins, he quickly changed his course. He passed single goblins going about their business, and they ignored him as much as he ignored them. Stone Ogres completely ignored him. As he walked briskly along a wide street that he knew led towards a well, two smaller Stone Ogres marched right past him without so much as a look or acknowledgment. They had their business, and he had his.
He feared the well would be demolished. If not by the Taran army, then certainly when the dragon attacked. The beast had not left much standing, and whatever was left was destroyed by the goblins and Stone Ogres. To his surprise though, not only was the well still intact, the ground around it had been cleared so it could be used. Goblins needed water to survive just like Humans.
His next problem became quickly apparent, and he mentally kicked himself for not even thinking about how he would carry the water back to the tower. One of the nearby buildings was a tavern, so he walked over to it to search for a bucket or anything that would allow him to carry water. Two of its walls had been knocked down, and most of its roof had caved in.
Pulling aside pieces of wall, he realized that he could step inside. The half of the building that had survived was the kitchen half of the tavern. The floor was covered with cooking instruments, roof debris, and even parts of several tables and chairs. Standing untouched in the corner of the two remaining walls was a large barrel. It had no cover, so the contents were mixed with dust, dirt, and chunks of debris. He dipped his hand in and sipped some of it. It was lukewarm, bitter, flat ale. He spat it out. As carefully as he could, he tipped the barrel over so that he didn’t smash it. It didn’t take long for the ale to gush out, covering the floor and his boots.
Empty, it was still too heavy to carry out, but he managed to roll it out of the building and into the back alley. With a grunt, he set it upright and then leaned over the top of the barrel wondering how he would manage to carry it with water in it all the way back to the castle. If he had a top, he could seal it and then he could roll it. There was no chance of him carrying it with enough water as Hallendrielle needed. As he looked among the rubble and debris scattered about the back of the building, he saw a wheel sticking out of the pile.
A small cart had been tipped on its side. It was a cart meant to be pulled by oxen, but it would not take much effort for him to pull it himself. After tipping the cart upright and lugging the barrel into the back of it, he realized his next dilemma. The cart had two wheels and two long arms that were supposed to go on either side of an ox. He would have to stand between them to pull the cart, but to maintain his disguise, he would still need to hold onto his sword.
It was as difficult and awkward as it seemed. He had to hold one hand on the one arm and wrap his other arm around the other arm of the cart, hugging it under his armpit and close to his body. Pulling the cart from the back alley to the well was a struggle. He feared it would be even tougher with the barrel full of water.
As quickly as he could, he lowered the well’s small bucket down into the water. With grunts and curses, he pulled the bucket out of the well and then dumped the contents of the bucket into the barrel. After six buckets, the barrel was almost half full. He glanced around. Several goblins were nearby picking through the rubble, but they ignored him. Feeling anxious about staying out in the open any longer, he decided that he had enough water. He could not imagine Hallendrielle needing as much water as he was going to bring her. With his sword, he cut the rope that was attached to the bucket and tossed it into the barrel. Somehow they would have to get the water from the barrel and pour it over the chains. He still could not imagine how it would work, but he stopped thinking about it and kept his focus on the job at hand.
Surprisingly, the weight of the water in the barrel made it easier to pull the cart. With the barrel at the back of the cart, its weight was distributed towards the back, which pulled up the cart’s arms into the air. It was easier trying to keep the arms down than trying to pull them up. With one of its arms underneath his armpit, he didn’t have to exert any extra energy keeping the cart balanced. He just needed to pull the cart forward, which he did as quickly as he could.
At first, he walked quickly, then he found himself jogging. As he needed to follow streets and alleys that were mostly cleared of debris, he had to take a longer route getting back to the tower. He continued to pass by more and more goblins, but they did not pay him any attention. The disguise was working. He just hoped that it would work for a few more minutes.
With the tower in full view, he picked up his pace even more and ran towards the tower’s entrance. Standing in the shadows of the archway that led into the tower was Hallendrielle.
“A whole barrel?” She asked as he came to a stop right in front of her.
He let the arms go, and the cart tipped back but didn’t tip over. He was out of breath, but he still replied, “Half full. I hope that’s enough.”
“More than enough. Can you carry it back there?”
Marik looked up and around at the archway and then back at the cart. “It should fit through.”
“That’ll make it easy,” she said.
Together, they pulled the cart through the archway and down the short corridor towards the central chamber where the dragon was being held. They stopped before entering. Immerallis’ eyes turned towards them, but he did not move his head. The two Stone Ogres stood, but did not move towards them.
“What now?” Marik asked in a whisper.
“The Stone Ogres do not yet see us as a threat. The moment we step into the chamber, they will likely attack. Your disguise should hold long enough for you to do what I need you to do, so they should not attack you.
“Right,” Marik said, unconvinced at her plan.
“You remember what I need you to do?”
“Of course not,” he replied in an even tone.
“You need to pour water over the chain where it attaches to the wall.”
He shook his head. “I still do not understand.”
She looked at him as if he were a young child. “I do not need you to understand. I just need you to do as I tell you.”
Just as she was about to step forward, Hallendrielle took a look back at the barrel and asked, “Can you really lift the whole barrel up to pour the water over the chains?”
Marik reached inside and pulled out the bucket used to fill the barrel. “I brought this.”
“Good,” She rep
lied. Then, she pointed to a chain that was attached to the wall farthest from the Stone Ogres. “We will start with that one. We will likely only have the chance to do one before the Stone Ogres attack. That chain holds the dragon’s body down and restricts its movement. With it freed to move around, it should be able to help us.”
“Maybe the dragon does not want to help you.”
Both Marik and Hallendrielle stood in dumb silence looking first at each other, then for someone hidden in the chamber. “What?” Marik asked. “Who’s there?”
Immerallis lifted his snout and turned its head towards them. “The dragon has a name. It is Immerallis.”
“It speaks to us in our heads,” Marik said. “The other one did that to me, and it still freaks me out.”
“Why don’t you want to help us?” Hallendrielle asked. “We have come here to free you.”
The dragon lowered his head back to the ground as if it were too heavy to hold up. “You need to kill me. Right now. Hurry, before these stupid gray things attack you. With a well-placed slice, you can get this done quickly.”
“What?” Marik exclaimed. “We’re not going to kill you!”
Immerallis slowly lifted himself up to his feet. “Last night the Deceiver drained several large barrels of my blood. He will have plenty to use to bring hundreds if not thousands of his creatures into this realm. It is why I am so weak. I will heal in a few days and regain my strength. Then the Deceiver will be back to take more of my blood. Our bodies heal quickly, which will allow him to continue to use my blood for as long as I am alive. If there is any time for me to die, it is now. If I could do it myself, I would. But the chains restrict me so that I cannot harm myself. Only you can do it.”
“Not a chance! Queen Elissa has been taken by the golden-eyed one, and it will kill her if we do not free you.”
Immerallis let out a snort. “Myllia is as stubborn as ever. She is wasting time and effort trying to save me. As long as I am alive, the Deceiver will continue to steal my blood and use it to bring his creatures into this realm. I have tried to resist, but he has made me too weak to fight back. Now, take that sword of yours and slice me underneath my neck. I will show you where.”