The Scent of Death

by Shelby Skabelund

  “We can’t get out that way.” Nick said. “I don’t even know where that tunnel leads and there is no way I could cast the spell long enough to get us out.”

  “But what other options do we have?” Rhen asked.

  “There are none. At least none that I can think of.” Nick answered.

  All at once a loud blare of a horn reached the tunnel where Nick and Rhen were hiding in. It was a low rumbling horn. One that Nick would have imagined would announce battle on a field of war. The sound made Nick’s insides turn. Both of their bodies tensed. “Something is not right.” Nick said.

  “Definitely not right!” Rhen echoed as he stood up and turned towards the entrance of the tunnel. Rhen moved quickly further up the tunnel and up the zig zag trail that lead to the piles where they got rid of the extra dirt and rock at the platform. They slowed as they reached the top and peered out from behind a rock. The mine was full of motion and torch light. Nick could see guards running down trails with torches in their hand yelling. The horn sounded again. There was a group of guards heading across to the trails. Nick and Rhen could barely over hear what they were saying. “...yes, two of them are unaccounted for. She said they are planning an escape. They weren’t in their cell and the door was left unlocked.” Came one of the voices.

  Rhen moved slowly back into the shadows of the zig zag trail and started making his way back to the bottom. Nick followed him down and back into the cave. The horn echoed once more through the cavern above.

  “They are looking for us. I can’t believe I did something so dumb. I forgot to lock the cell back up.” Rhen said holding his head. “I can’t blame the others, they had no choice but to tell. They would have been beaten for it.” He muttered with his head down shaking it back and forth.

  “We have to hide. I can’t protect us. Where are we going to go?” Nick said nervously.

  “We aren’t going anywhere.” Rhen seemed to come to his senses. “We will stay here in the back of this tunnel. If they come for us, you will hide us until they leave.”

  It seemed like it made sense. Nick knew they would never have a chance trying to escape now. The mine was crawling with guards and Dead Ones by now. He didn’t have the strength to keep them hidden. It was the best thing to do. Once they checked this tunnel and found no one, they would set a guard at the intersection to make sure the prisoners wouldn’t come down here. They would be safe for a little while.

  Although they were not safe by any means, it gave Nick some peace of mind that there was at least some sort of a plan. “Up there” Rhen motioned to the back of the tunnel they had been mining. “We need to get up onto that ledge. If we stay at floor level, they might bump into us giving us away. We have to get up off the floor.” Rhen said to Nick.

  The ledge Rhen was pointing to was at the back left of the tunnel. It was a ledge about eight feet off the tunnel floor. It was just large enough for the two of them to fit onto. Nick realized that the torch hung on the wall just below the ledge and would give them a nice dark shadow to hide in even without the spell. The only problem was getting up to it. Rhen was a good climber, and it looked difficult for him to get up.

  Rhen was hurrying over to the ledge. He was struggling to find a good hand and foot hold to work his way up. His foot kept slipping and his hands couldn’t find anything to grab. Nick reached for his wand again and with a flick of his wrist and saying “Levito” tried the levitation spell he had started to work on. He pointed the wand at Rhen and slowly moved his wand toward the ledge.

  Rhen’s hands shot out and he gasped. He almost yelled out but caught himself. He was slowly floating into the air and onto the shelf of rock. Nick was amazed at the rush of magic that had shot through his arm and down the wand. It felt as though the wand was attached to Rhen physically and made it simple to move Rhen into his hiding spot. With the rush of magic, came a wave of exhaustion. Nick fell to one knee as he released the spell.

  “Are you alright?” Rhen asked from his new perch? “Yes, just tired.” Nick replied. “Don’t do any more, I think I can help you up.” Rhen said as he undid the leather strap that held his trousers up. He dangled it over the ledge. “Wrap it around your wrist and then grab on.” Rhen commanded.

  Nick stumbled to his feet and over to the strap. As he wrapped the leather around his wrist he could hear loud shouting from up the tunnel. His heart jumped into his throat. He grabbed the leather with his other hand and Rhen started pulling him. He instinctively leaned back and pushed his feet against the wall. This seemed to help him take some of the weight off Rhen and to allow him to find rock footholds to move him up. Even being exhausted, the excitement seemed to allow him to do just enough to get over the edge and onto the ledge with Rhen. Just as he did, the voices grew louder, and they could see torch light filling the tunnel up ahead.

  “Light all of the torches and leave them lit.” came an angry raspy voice. “No one sleeps tonight until we kill these two vermin.” Came the voice again. Light was filling the whole tunnel as Nick and Rhen began to see the legs of four guards and a Dead One slowly grow into their bodies as they came down the tunnel. Only their heads were missing as they hadn’t come deep enough into the tunnel to expose them to Nick and Rhen.

  Nick took this as his que. He looked at Rhen to see he was already clutching at the hem of his robe. Nick gave the wand a quick wave, whispered the words and could feel the spell take effect. They disappeared.

  “Light the torches!” screeched the raspy voice.

  A guard scurried into the back of the cave and lit the torch directly under Nick and Rhen. The others slowly walked into the cave along with the Dead One. They investigated every crevice and corner of the tunnel. Nick winced as the eyes of the Dead One crossed over the ledge where they were hidden and paused for a moment.

  Nick’s hands were sweating. He could feel the spell stealing his much-needed energy. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to keep them hidden. His hand was beginning to tremble, and his vision was full of stars.

  “Keep searching the tunnels. They are here somewhere.” Yelled the Dead One. Two of the guards hurried off and up the tunnel to continue their search. The other two stayed by the Dead Ones side.

  The Dead One was not moving from his spot and more than once he looked to the ledge where they were hiding. Nick felt uneasy as though he knew they were there. “Why is he not leaving?” Nick thought to himself.

  Just then Nick’s vision became very blurry and he could hardly keep his hand up. He started to sway a little and then the spell broke. He could feel the flow of magic falter through his arm and sputter and die as it did. For just a moment, they were visible. Then Nick felt several strong small, hands grab him from behind, covering his mouth and pulling him backwards. Nick thought he was delirious as he was pulled back into an opening that he was sure was not there.

  He could no longer see the Dead One or his guards, he could see nothing but the black of a dark tunnel closing around him and then he passed out.

  Chapter 15

  The Heart of the Mountain

  When Nick came to, he was confused. He had some type of a blindfold and gag tied around his head and in his mouth. It had a terrible salty taste and was making it hard for him to breath. He was being dragged on some sort of stretcher through the dark. He could not make out the slightest hint of light. He could hear his captors’ heavy breathing as they drug him through the darkness.

  Although he couldn’t see who had captured him, he could smell them. It was a pungent body odor mixed with spices and the distinct smell of alcohol. He could hear their booted feet trudging along over the sound of the stretcher dragging on the tunnel floor. Occasionally, there was a sharp bump as they must be hitting into rocks or uneven surfaces in the tunnel floor.

  Nick was amazed at the way they were able to move forward so rapidly into the darkness without bumping into the walls or falling. He couldn’t see a thing himself, so how could they. They drug them for what seemed for ever to Nick.


  Just then Nick heard a deep gruff voice with a thick accent “It looks like he is awake.” Another voice answered “Just in time to answer some questions. Velengar is curious. He must be very curious to expose us to this common folk.”

  Nicks heart was racing. He was realizing that he hadn’t been hallucinating before, that someone had grabbed him from behind and drug him into a tunnel that wasn’t there just moments before. He wasn’t sure if these were friends or if they were foes. He did know that someone wanted answers. These men had seen him use his new power and he was sure this would be the topic of his questioning.

  Nick could feel the tunnel slant upward and the floor seemed to get very smooth. The litter they were being dragged on became much quieter and seemed to glide on the floor. The first hint of light started to creep into the tunnel and Nick thought he could faintly make out shapes to the walls as they were moving along. He couldn’t wrench his head far enough around the side of the litter to see what was coming up but could tell the light was growing from up ahead.

  The litter came to an abrupt halt without warning and it was dropped to the floor. Nick and Rhen crashed to the tunnels surface along with it. “Stand up you two!” commanded a different voice. Nick did his best to get to his feet in the dim light with his hands bound. A strong smaller hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him up.

  Nick could see a bright thin light coming from a crack in front of him. He heard the crack of shifting stone and a long groan as the light grew into a large doorway as a huge stone door slid out of the way. Nick was speechless when he saw what lie on the other side in the light.

  Hundreds of torches were lit lighting an enormous kingly hall. Bright as day from the torch light and rising into a high ceiling that the light could not reach. High arches cut straight into the stone with highly detailed cornice and trim work covered the ceiling of the huge hall. The walls were adorned with the same intricate stonework and details. Everything seemed to have a shine to it. The stone had been flawlessly worked and then polished perfectly. The granite floor below their feet was the most brilliant of all. It had been polished more perfectly than he thought possible.

  Without realizing it, Nick slid his foot back and forth and realized that the stone was raw and not waxed. He had never seen stone that had been worked like this before. It was stunning. The hall stretched out in front of them hundreds of feet. It was completely empty except for two guards in polished silver armor. Their helmets were open faced and allowed their thick braided beards to flow freely onto the silver Breast plate of their armor. They held what looked like battle axes across their chest towards one another.

  His eyes were still adjusting to the bright light, but he could now see his captors. There were five short stocky men with long braided beards and leather armor that was different from the shiny armor of the guards across the room. Their faces were stoic and menacing. They glared up at Nick watching their prisoner cautiously. He recognized them at once as dwarves from his fantasy books. They looked nothing like the small people he had seen on television in the children’s cartoons. These men were big boned and strong. They looked like they had spent their lives hard at work and eating hard to keep up with the work. There was an air of strength to their physique regardless of their short and round stature. If his hands weren’t tied behind his back, he would have pinched himself to make sure he was really awake.

  By the look on Rhen’s face, Nick assumed he had never seen these men before. A look of bewilderment and wonder had placed him in a state of confusion. His mouth kept opening and closing as if her were about to say something but couldn’t seem to find the words.

  “What are you staring at smarty!” said one looking up into Rhen’s bewildered face.

  Just then they heard the clatter of armor and a sharp stamp of feet as the doors across the hall began to open out into the hall. The two guards in front of the door had ceremoniously stepped away from the doors and come to attention. They stood with the handles of their long axes resting on the floor and their arm outstretched holding the handle just below the large blades. They looked forward at nothing frozen in place.

  A much larger version of the guards had pushed the doors open and was striding towards the rest of them across the large hall. Just then something cold and sharp pushed at Nicks back. “Move to meet him.” Came a gruff command.

  Both Rhen and Nick stumbled slowly forward to meet the giant dwarf moving toward them. His eyes were steely and cold. His gaze was fixed on the two of them as they worked their way toward him. His shorter legs traversed less ground so even though starting later than the guard, they still met up about half way across the hall.

  The dwarf reached his large hand out and grabbed Nick by the arm. He pushed him forward toward the door and pushed Rhen in the back giving them the clear impression to head for the open doors. Not a word was said. Nick had noticed that this dwarf must be older than the others. His hair was mostly silver and gray. There were still a few strands of dark brown hair intermixed, but the silver told the story of an old worn warrior. His hands were thick and callused, and his strong arms showed no sign of weakness. His armor was the same shining silver of the two guards in front of the doors, except this armor seemed to have much more fine detail worked into it. There was a large ridge of silver that rose up on his left shoulder from his armor just to the height of his mouth. It was on his shield arm side, so Nick assumed that it must be to protect his neck while in battle.

  Nick began to feel uneasy. We these new enemies? They must have seen him use his magic. They were going to want answers and he was not sure if they were someone he could give them to. Nick looked to Rhen as they were pushed through the door. “Don’t say anything!” Rhen cautioned Nick quietly.

  Just then the dwarf smashed his forearm into Rhen’s back. “Do not speak until you have been spoken to!” he commanded. The blow was surprisingly enough to knock Rhen onto the floor with his hands behind his back. He tried to catch himself by moving his feet under him quickly but couldn’t manage it and fell onto his side eventually hitting his face on the stone floor.

  The dwarf grabbed him by his collar and drug him back to his feet. Nick could see blood on his cheek where he had hit the floor. He pushed them forward toward their destination. Nick looked from Rhen’s cheek to where the Dwarf was pushing them.

  A stair carved and polished from the stone rose up straight before them. The bottom was about 50 feet wide and slowly looked to get smaller as the climbed. They could see light coming over the landing at the top of the stair but could not see past as a decorative beam carved across the top of the roof. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and showed the natural form of the cavern they were in, and somehow brought majesty to the polished stone stairs.

  They slowly worked their way up the large stairs. As they reached the top the light grew brighter and brighter. When they were able to see into the cavern where the light was coming from, they were amazed at the beauty. The walls were intricately carved with arching alcoves filled with shining polished gold Armor, and battle axes. Large beautifully crafted gold Vases and jewelry hung displayed. The torch light glittered and bounced off the gold and silver treasures.

  There in the center was a small set of stairs about four feet high, and on top of that was a golden throne. It was encrusted with hundreds of the biggest jewels Nick had ever seen. On both sides were two huge battle hammers carved out of stone. The hammers seamlessly came together with the golden throne. It seemed to Nick that everything that had been crafted within these walls was as close to perfection as he had ever seen. It was obvious this race worked with their hands and took great pride in their work.

  Above the throne, the cavern ceiling had been carved back to reveal gems still embedded in the stone. There were thousands of them glittering. Nick was taken back by the natural beauty. He had never known a place that could be so rich in precious gems. Even such a simple task of exposing jewels from their hiding spot within the rock had been done in a way that required im
mense amounts of work. Fine designs had been carved in the stone surface between each of the exposed Jewels and then the Jewel was faceted in place, making the ceiling one giant work of art.

  Sitting atop the throne was a weathered old dwarf. His hair was white and long. His beard was carefully woven and braided and fell majestically into his lap. His eyes were fixed on Nick and did not leave him as they approached the throne. It made Nick feel uneasy.

  He was dressed in a robe of silky white. The robe had interesting designs of silver that trimmed it and gave it a feel of importance. His rough knobby hands were covered in large golden rings with the same fine craftsmanship as the hall they were in. On top of his head was a silver and gold crown. The crown was smaller in the back and grew to a point in the front. The silver crown was trimmed with gold thorns twisted together in perfect detail. It was simple yet extraordinary. There was only one jewel on the entire crown. It was a blood red ruby that was held in place by the twisting gold thorns right above the king’s forehead.

  His eyes were still fixed on Nick when he spoke. “What is your name?” came a low warm voice that did not match the demeanor of the man in front of him.

  “Nick Channing.” Nick stuttered.