by Charles Lamb
“Fiancée, huh? Too bad,” Regas replied softly as he eyed Cassie. Before she could reply, the fire in her eyes evident, Alex continued.
“This fine gentleman is Leander, Guild Master of the Ranger’s Guild of Great Vale.”
Alex noted the wince from Regas at the mention of the Rangers. While not technically law enforcement, Rangers of the Ranger’s Guild were not to be messed with by those in a thieving profession. Regas was quick to move past Leander and on to the twins.
“And what of these angels of mercy?” Regas asked, showing some gratitude to their efforts in saving his sailors in the water. He stood smiling as he eyed the mermaids up and down.
“Kelby and Leena are here to avenge their mother by killing that dragon,” Alex replied, indicating the beast they had just driven off. As he spoke, he watched the twins slide up to either side of Regas with their flirt turned on high.
“Easy girls,” Regas said as he gently guided both back to where they were standing while retrieving his coin pouch from Leena’s hand at the same time.
“Where did all these men come from?” Alex asked as he motioned to the work going on around them.
“Once word got out about our change in profession, we had recruits from all over the islands show up. We can probably man one or two more of those ships in Windfall you mentioned once we are seaworthy,” Regas replied.
“And the dwarves?” Alex asked slowly.
“King Teivel will meet with you tomorrow, inside the tunnels there,” Regas replied as he pointed to openings in the hillside just up the point.
Alex considered that the name Teivel didn’t sound very dwarfish to him, but then everything here had been a learning experience. It did have a familiar ring to it, but he couldn’t place it.
“Ok until tomorrow then, let’s see what we can accomplish today,” he replied as he pointed to the incomplete work all around.
Chapter 21
The rest of the day was spent in ship’s repairs and other preparations. Alex surprised more than a few people as he applied some of his engineering knowledge to the effort. The mermaid twins did their part as well, assisting in any underwater activities as well as getting into some mischief. With three ship’s crews on hand, it was more of a temptation than either could resist.
With every trip they made into the water, flashes of skin or enticing looks had more than one sailor accidently overboard. Several times that afternoon, Alex had to reprimand the two, reminding them that the goal was to help not hinder.
As a way of making amends, the two provided a lavish seafood spread for dinner, with some things Alex had never seen before. Using modified gaffs as spears, they had skewered several large fish and collected a bounty of crab and lobster. The ships cooks appeared overwhelmed with the offering.
It was decided to take the affair to the nearby beach in order to accommodate all the crews at one time. Alex kept a watchful eye as the evening progressed, concerned about the crews and biases from previous encounters. His fears we unfounded, as it turned out, mainly due to the mermaid twins, and their innate talent for handling men.
While he, Cassie, Abrianna, and Leander sat with the Captains and other officers, planning the next few day’s efforts, the twins did what they did best and handled the sailors. Kinsey sat nearby, thankful for returning to dry land and hopeful for the occasional tidbit tossed to her by one of the revelers. Every so often she would get up and wander, taking offerings as they came available, only to return to sit by Cassie.
Alex watched in fascination as the two mermaids worked the crowd, nudging conversations and participants from one group to another, insuring a good mix in crew and attitudes. Every time a temper might flair, or a voice was raised, they were right there to defuse the situation and bedazzle the antagonists into submission.
“You two are amazing!” Alex commented to Kelby at a lull in the evening. By this time, it was very late and the lion’s share of the participants had returned to their ships for the night or simply dropped in the sand to sleep, passed out cold. The night air was comfortable, and made for a pleasurable evening out.
“It’s nothing really, we do this all night, every night,” Leena replied before her sister, who shrugged in apparent agreement.
“We usually have help though,” Kelby added as she stroked Kinsey who lay nearby. Both sisters had taken a liking to the wolf, spoiling her at every meal. Alex had watched her follow the twins all over last night, appearing as an enforcer to whatever the women had on their hands. Alex knew though, she was just looking for handouts as they wandered from group to group, who were all eating, and drinking.
----*----
Alex led the small group down the beach and toward a tunnel, the same Captain Regas had identified as the one intended for the meeting with the dwarves. With him were Cassie, Abrianna and Leander with Kinsey following close behind. The wolf had been particularly playful, running up and down the beach as she enjoyed the return to dry land and open spaces.
The twins were still aboard Cassie’s Quest, peacefully sleeping the morning away. Besides showing no interest in meeting the dwarves, both mermaids had put in quite a night, furthering Alex’s goal of converting the pirate crews into a more presentable force for good. Between the evening’s frivolity and the influence of the twins, he felt his mission accomplished and they earned the rest.
As the four walked, Alex could see the remnants of the previous night’s festivities, the various smoldering fire pits spread around the beach. The embers were all that remained of the raging fires from the night before. Sprinkled amongst the fire pits were still sleeping sailors, from all appearances, dead to the world.
He suspected they had overindulged, as the drinks provided from all three vessels were heavily laden with some form of alcohol. Not much of a drinker himself, he had sampled a few of the flagons offered him, only to pass them on to those more eager to imbibe.
“Is it this one?”
Cassie’s question brought Alex back to the task at hand. There were several openings in the cliff, some natural and some with the telltale tool marks left by hand tools. The one she had indicated was one of those with the tool marks.
“That’s what Regas said,” he replied as he cut right, heading away from the water and straight toward the tunnel opening. They had taken no more than a few steps before Kinsey stopped and started a low growl. She had darted ahead of the party and was positioned at the mouth of the tunnel, between the opening and the group.
They stopped as two dwarves, short, broad, and heavily laden with weapons and armor, appeared from the shadows.
“You’re farshpetikt; about time you goyim got here,” one of the two commented to the humans.
“We were not given an exact time for the meet,” Abrianna tried to explain.
“No time to kibbitz. This way then,” the other dwarf directed, apparently not interested in an explanation for the perceived tardiness.
With one dwarf leading and the other bringing up the rear, everyone entered the tunnel. Kinsey had stopped growling and closed in, walking between Alex and Cassie. Neither dwarf appeared particularly intimidated by the animal, something that didn’t surprise Alex considering his last experience with dwarves.
Within a few hundred feet of the tunnel entrance, the passageway widened into a large circular room. While the ceiling heights were not much more than the tunnel providing access, the walls were pushed out a good twenty feet in both directions.
Were it not for the fact that it was solid stone, Alex would be very concerned about the integrity of the ceiling. Dirt would have come crashing down long ago with such an open span containing no supports.
Light was provided by several torches, all in wall sconces lining both sides of the chamber. To his left, Alex could see additional torches, held by dwarves, lining both sides of a stone chair, rising from the stone floor itself. While very plain, with no ornamentation whatsoever, he suspected the dwarf occupying it was King Teivel.
“Oy vey! Get
your tocheses over here already. You think we have all day?” Alex heard the dwarf on the throne bellow as he waved them over.
Crossing the open floor space, the four, plus Kinsey moved quickly until they stood before the dwarf king.
“King Teivel?” Alex asked hesitantly.
“You went to all the tsuris to set this meeting up and think I won’t show? Of course it’s me!” the King replied, appearing somewhat irritated at the question.
“I was led to believe you were a Yiddishe kop?” the king added.
Alex had no idea what tsuris or a Yiddishe kop was but he suspected, from the short conversation so far, it wasn’t the last unfamiliar words he would encounter. He then went through the introductions of those with him, emphasizing Abrianna and Leander’s status as principals in Great Vale.
“And your little tchotchke?” the dwarf asked, indicating Cassie standing next to him.
“My fiancée, Lady Cassandra,” Alex replied with an edge. He didn’t understand the reference, but had little patience for the disrespect it might imply.
“Your Majesty, we were led to believe you might know a way into the tunnels beneath Gundor Stronghold?” Abrianna asked, stepping forward to defuse things.
“And you are here to schmooze me into helping you? Do I look like a shmendrik?” The king asked sarcastically.
“Ah, no Sire, but we feel you might find value in our proposition,” Alex replied, shooting from the hip; he was completely at a loss as to what the dwarf had just said. The king seemed to be considering Alex’s statement for a moment and then waved to someone behind the four. Chairs were brought forward and the group was invited to sit.
“Ok, let’s hear your spiel, but cut out the shmaltz,” King Teivel said finally.
First, looking at his companions to see if anyone had a desire to jump in, he then detailed the quest to recover Cassie’s mom from Tantalus. At the mention of Renfeld and Tantalus, Alex heard murmurs of discontent from the dwarves surrounding them, with what he thought was a “feh!” from several in the crowd. King Teivel sat stone faced the whole time.
References to the two dragons also got a rise out of the crowd and the king, the Red Dragon being more interesting to them than the Sea Dragon. At the suggestion that there may be a dragon’s lair in the base of the stronghold, he got more whispers, with a few questions from Teivel regarding potential treasure.
Alex outlined the plan to enter the stronghold from the tunnels in the mountains and retrieve Amelia and the dragon’s eggs, thus removing further threat.
“And you are a maven on dragons?’ the king asked Alex after he had finished.
“Expert,” Abrianna whispered, as his confusion must have been visible. Apparently, she could understand at least a portion of the dwarf’s references.
“Hardly, however, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. With that he held out his hand, palm up, and created a glowing while ball. The sphere, pulling in free energy from the torches, blasted a white light that illuminated the entire room.
“Nu? Am I to be impressed?” the king responded to the demonstration.
“That is just a small sample of his power, Sire. He has faced both dragons numerous times now and has successfully driven them off each time,” Cassie replied, omitting her own contributions to the efforts.
“Couldn’t kill the things, heh?” the King replied, looking unimpressed at the statement but decidedly more interested in the conversation.
“So will you take us?” Alex asked after a pause in the conversation.
“We have no love for Renfeld or Tantalus. They have encroached on our mountains as the Vassal Lords have done in the valley to the north. However, I don’t see how this is our fight,” the king replied.
“You can help vanquish Tantalus,” Abrianna replied.
“And I get bupkis for my efforts?” The king asked.
“As described, we have no idea what’s in the lair or the stronghold, but beyond the eggs, it’s all yours. It is a sure thing that Tantalus has brought some of his wealth with him to Gundor. In addition, should you be interested, we will lead you to the lair in the Dragon’s Teeth where we can personally vouch for the dragon’s hoard we saw there,” Alex replied. The king sat quietly for several minutes as he considered the offer. Alex could see the dwarves nearby watching their king with interest.
“Ok, I’ll be a mentsch, but I’m holding you to the payment. And you are going to need more of a shtick than a glowing ball if you plan on defeating a dragon,” the King said as he stepped down from the thrown. With a smile, he slapped the now standing Alex on the back warmly.
“Enough of this kibbitzing. Come, let’s nosh while we make plans to schlep our way into Gundor Stronghold and steal from a dragon. It will plotz when it finds out! What mishegoss, what chutzpah!” The King announced while leading the group deeper into the tunnels to a place where stone tables lined the side of the widened space. Alex had no idea what the dwarf had just said, but at least he was agreeing to the plan.
“So I have to ask, your name, Teivel. It’s familiar but I can’t place it. What does it mean?” Alex asked as they approached the tables covered with food. He had seen dwarves eat before and wondered if this was going to be enough.
“Devil,” Teivel replied with a broad grin.
----*----
Finishing what the dwarves considered a light meal, the four bid them goodbye and returned to the schooner with a promise to return before nightfall. As the trip was to be made through the tunnels riddling the Northern Mountains, it hardly mattered if it was day or night when they traveled.
As they walked along, Alex considered the conversation with the King and then asked Abrianna a question.
“What language was that?”
“It’s a rare dialect not normally taught. I learned it as a young girl because the words sound so funny. My father wasn’t so pleased with some of the things I learned,” Abrianna answered with a laugh.
“I remember the day uncle caught you wandering the halls repeating that one word, what was it? He had a fit!” Cassie commented with a laugh of her own.
“Schmuck! It just sounded so funny. I had no idea what it meant,” Abrianna replied, laughing.
“Uncle had a fit and made you promise not to use it ever again,” Cassie cried, tears of laughter streaming down her face.
“It was only later, when I learned what it referred to, that I really understood his attitude about a young girl skipping down the halls saying it,” Abrianna replied, her laughter adding to Cassie’s.
Leander looked over to Alex, who returned a shrug at the two laughing women. By this time they had reached the small boat they had beached earlier, their transportation to and from the schooner. Both men assisted the women into the boat before they both gave a solid shove, slipping the boat off the sand and back into the water.
Alex grabbed one set of oars with Leander operating the second set. By the time they had the boat turned around, they were coordinated in their efforts and heading smoothly back to the ship. There was a sailor waiting as they brought the boat parallel to Cassie’s Quest, with another at the top of the ladder.
Alex got Kinsey into the makeshift harness they had been using to hoist the wolf in and out of the boat, as she was just too large to carry easily. She wasn’t particularly pleased at the process, but waited patiently nonetheless as she seemed to understand its purpose.
Soon everyone was back on deck and Alex found Captain Yeagars there waiting with several members of the crew.
“Sire, I presume you will be departing soon?” he asked as he greeted the party.
“Yes. Can you and anyone you require meet us below? I will also need Captain Regas. Oh, and have someone wake the twins, they will want in on this.”
As he watched, Yeagars waved several of his men away while holding his first and second officers. He sent the officers to retrieve the mermaids while everyone else followed Abrianna below decks and into the lounge they had been using as a meeting room.
“Ok gang, here’s the plan,” he began.
Chapter 22
It was late in the afternoon when Alex, Cassie, Abrianna, and Leander returned to the beach with Kinsey in tow. Each member had their necessary items in easily carried satchels or backpacks. In addition, their weapons were all accessible; they held little hope of this being a bloodless rescue.
King Teivel had indicated the trip would require several days of hard travel, walking long hours, particularly for the goyish travelers, whatever that was. Alex suspected that the trip with the dwarves was going to be filled with incomprehensible conversation.
With a favorable breeze blowing, Alex could see Captain Yeagars preparing Cassie’s Quest to make sail. He viewed Leena and Kelby at the railing, watching them. The twins were not entirely happy with their part of the plan, but agreed their contribution would be far greater as Alex had outlined, rather than following the four into the tunnels beneath the Norther Mountains. He suspected they were not all that excited at the prospect of an underground trip taking them so far from the sea.
At the tunnel mouth were two dwarves as before, waiting impatiently for the humans to arrive. He could tell their irritation by the way one paced back and forth across the opening. As they closed the distance to the entrance, Alex could hear the one pacing speaking to the other.
“Farshpetikt again. I hope they don’t make a habit of this.”
“Vos ton ir zorgn, so long as the wizard does his part,” the other replied to his impatient comrade.
Alex had no idea what the dwarf was referencing, much less understood half the words, as he had not committed to any particular action. He wasn’t particularly concerned however, so long as the dwarves did their part and got them to the Stronghold.