by A. Giannetti
The far side of the courtyard ended against a sheer cliff of gray rock some hundred feet wide and eighty feet high. Set in the base of the rock face were two doorways positioned about sixty feet apart. A single, wide step led up to the door on the left, which was about six feet high and four wide. A brass knocker shaped like a hammer, at a convenient height for a Dwarf, was set in the age-darkened oak of which the door was constructed. Behind the hammer was a thick plate of brass. On the right side of the door, below the knocker, was a large brass doorknob. Above the door, a square sign made of dark oak hung from a stout iron rod. A picture of a hooded Dwarf with a pack on his back was painted on the panel in faded colors.
On the right, the second opening was eight feet high and twelve feet wide, fronted by double doors constructed of the same dark oak as the door on the left. Brass lanterns were set in the rock on either side of both doors, but the lights in them had also been extinguished.
“This was a busy inn in the days before the dragon appeared,” said Ascilius as he walked up to the smaller door. “Traders returning to and leaving Ennodius paused here for the night to rest and eat.”
He turned the brass handle with his right hand, but the door did not budge. Apparently, it was firmly locked. Ascilius hammered on the door with the heavy brass knocker, but after the hollow echoes died away, no one came to open it.
“I do not think there is anyone here, but at least they had time to lock the door behind them,” said Ascilius to Elerian. In a commanding voice, he said, “Open,” in the Dwarf tongue. With his magical eye, Elerian saw a small golden orb of light fly from the Ascilius’s right hand. When it struck the door lock, Elerian heard the click of a lock opening. After Ascilius twisted the knob again and pushed on the door, it opened easily, revealing a passageway wide enough and tall enough to admit even Enias. The walls and floors were polished to a smooth finish, but Elerian saw at once that the layer of dust on the floor was thick and undisturbed. At another word of command from Ascilius, golden mage lights appeared in the brass bound glass lamps hung from the ceiling of the passageway.
“It appears that we are the first to enter here in some time,” said Ascilius to Elerian in a disappointed voice. “The inn was probably abandoned shortly after Eboria arrived.”
He entered the passageway followed by Elerian and Enias. The door closed on its own behind them, the lock clicking shut once more. As they made their way down the dusty hall, the only sounds were the tramp of Ascilius's leather boots and the barely audible clop of Enias's small, neat hooves on the stone floor of the passageway.
Thirty feet into the cliff face, the passageway they were following gave out into a large chamber that could only have been the main room of the tavern. The mage lights in the hallway revealed a long granite counter on one side. Heavy oak tables and benches were scattered around the other side of the room. All of the furniture was slightly smaller than it would have been in a human inn.
With a word of command, Ascilius lit the lights hanging from the ceiling on iron chains before surveying the empty room. Everything was neat and well ordered if somewhat dusty. Someone had even taken the time to push the benches under the tables.
“They had the time to clean up and to extinguish the lights before they left,” said Ascilius thoughtfully. “I do not think Eboria ever discovered this place.”
Ascilius walked behind the granite counter and disappeared into the room behind it. He returned a few moments later, a pleased expression on his rugged features.
“There are several kegs back there that are still sealed,” he said to Elerian with satisfaction, “and there is food in the store room that is still wholesome. We will eat and drink well tonight. Follow me, and I will show you where you can stable Enias. Horses usually entered the inn through the wagon doors on the right, but there is a way to reach the stables from here.”
Followed by Elerian and Enias, Ascilius walked to the far side of the room, leading the way down three wide stone steps before walking down another long passageway which angled down at a gradual incline. When the tunnel ended, Ascilius again spoke a word in Corach, and a large underground stable lit by scattered mage lights was suddenly revealed. The chamber was filled with empty stone stalls, and the air smelled musty, as if the straw scattered on the stall floors had been there for a long time.
“While you settle Enias, I will tend to our own supper,” said Ascilius to Elerian before disappearing back up the passageway.
Elerian found a pitchfork leaning on one of the squat stone pillars that supported the ceiling. While Enias watched, he used it to clean a stall. He found clean, dry straw in a storeroom at the back of the stables and scattered enough to make a thick covering on the floor of the stall he had cleaned. A stream of water that gushed out of a stone horse’s head into a deep basin provided clear water to fill the trough in the stall. After another search, Elerian found grain for Enias in one of the sealed stone storage bins in the same back room that had provided the straw. He put a generous portion in a second trough. Behind him, as if he approved of his lodgings for the night, Enias entered the stall without any prompting. With the stallion comfortably settled for the night, Elerian went back upstairs to the inn to see what Ascilius had prepared for their own supper.
In the kitchen, Ascilius had already lit a small fire in the iron cook stove, using lumps of hard coal that gave off little smoke. From past experience, Ascilius knew that the chimneys of the inn were well hidden among the trees growing on top of the cliff. There was little chance of being discovered, for any smoke that did find its way out into the open would not rise up above the canopy of the forest.
The dry, cool storerooms of the inn had provided Ascilius with smoked bacon, ham, cheese, and flour for pan bread. By the time Elerian entered the large kitchen in back of the granite counter, Ascilius had already cooked up thick slices of ham, bacon, and pan bread in the great iron skillets which he had found hanging from the ceiling. Close to his right hand was a large mug of beer, already much reduced, for Ascilius had wasted no time in tapping one of the kegs that he had discovered.
As Ascilius heaped the cooked food onto glazed white plates that sat on a small wooden table in the kitchen, Elerian sliced creamy white slices from a cheese wheel that Ascilius had brought out from the pantry. Ascilius completed his preparations by setting out eating utensils for both of them and a tankard of ale for Elerian. Armed with hearty appetites, the two companions made serious inroads on the delicious food that Ascilius had prepared.
Later, after they had eaten, they sipped wine from another keg and toasted chestnuts in a wire basket over the coals in the stove. Ascilius had found sacks of the tasty nuts in the pantry as well as some honey to dip them in. As they sat on benches before the stove and pried the sweet white meat of the nuts from their warm, crisp shells, Elerian asked, “What do you think happened to the Dwarves who ran the inn, Ascilius?”
“They likely made their way through the mountains back to the city,” replied the Dwarf. “The trees completely cover the high road through the foothills with their leaves and branches, so you can get quite close to Ennodius without being seen. We shall go that way ourselves in the morning.”
Elerian sipped his wine contentedly, pleased that they would spend another day traveling through a new forest. “Do you think the dragon has entered the city?” he asked quietly as he stared into the red coals that were all that remained of the fire Ascilius had lit in the heavy black iron stove.
“I expect that she has,” replied Ascilius. “Once they have devastated an area, a dragon will usually leave. Since this one has been hanging about Ennodius for months now, it is almost a certainty that she has forced her way into the city. Dwarf gates are proof even against a full-grown dragon when they are closed and spell locked, but if Eboria came upon the city unawares, she may have been able to force herself through the front gates before they could be fully closed. By now, she will have gathered together all of the gold, silver, and jewels that she can reach, piling
it up in one of the larger chambers so that she can sleep on it. She will never abandon it, and her greatest fear will be that someone may try to steal some of it.”
“Do you think any of your people survived the attack?” asked Elerian hesitantly. He felt reluctant to bring up such a painful subject, but he was curious as to why Ascilius was so certain that there were survivors in the city after all this time had passed.
“There will have been losses” said Ascilius stoically, “but there should be many Dwarves still alive and hiding in the city out of Eboria’s. There are gates on the central ramp which will keep her confined to the first level of the city. The storerooms on the second level are always kept full, so starvation should not have been an issue, even after all the time that has passed.”
“What is your plan then for driving the dragon from the city once we reach it?” Elerian asked curiously.
Ascilius started and almost spilled his wine. “I thought I made it clear to you that I have no intention of fighting Eboria,” he said impatiently. “Only a fool or a madman would try to fight a full-grown dragon. As you have already seen for yourself, they are enormous, and they can breathe fire that will melt the best steel. Their claws can score stone, and those scales you admire so much are proof against the keenest blades. Dragons also possess great magical powers, so it is best to leave them strictly alone.
“Although they are intelligent creatures, you cannot reason with them one bit, for all of them have a very high opinion of themselves. A dragon feels that it has a right to do whatever it wishes, and when they grow large enough, they are pretty much able to do just that,” said Ascilius glumly. “When they take one of our cities, we generally salvage what treasure we can and abandon it. As I mentioned before, dragons still hold two of our cities in the north, across the Murus. The treasure the dragons steal has a soporific effect on them after a time. If they are left alone, they eventually sleep for centuries on their golden beds. The gold they steal is a small price to pay to be rid of them.”
“If you are not planning to drive the dragon away, then how do you intend to enter the city?” asked Elerian in a puzzled voice.
“Ennodius would not be a Dwarf city if it did not have several secret entrances,” said Ascilius impatiently. “While Eboria is asleep or away hunting, we will enter the city through one of them. We will then search each level. Once we have gathered all the survivors together, along with any treasure that has escaped the greedy claws of Eboria, I will lead them to Galenus where my uncle rules. After that, you may take as much treasure as you can carry and return to Tarsius. I may even come with you so that I can attend the wedding,” said Ascilius expansively.
“How will we get away from the city with the dragon patrolling the skies?” asked Elerian, pointing out an obvious flaw in Ascilius’s plan. “I would have thought your people would have left already if they could.”
“I know a way out that no one else knows about, as you will see,” said Ascilius smugly. “Once we enter the city, things will go smoothly. The most dangerous part of the undertaking was always crossing the plains, which is why I tried to persuade you not to accompany me. I should have known that you were more than a match for Eboria after all the devious pranks you played on me in the past.”
“We have also had more than our share of good fortune thus far,” said Elerian modestly.
“It has not all been luck,” said Ascilius firmly. “Luck can only carry you so far. Your magic and the strength of our arms have had more to do with getting us this far then luck has.”
Elerian rose and stretched gracefully, like a cat rising from a comfortable bed. Even though Ascilius had refused to reveal his escape route, Elerian was in a contented frame of mind now that he knew more of Ascilius’s plans. His chances of returning to Tarsius alive with enough treasure to wed Anthea appeared to have improved considerably.
“Let us rest while we can,” he said to the Dwarf. “I am looking forward to sleeping in a real bed once more.”
After they cleaned up the kitchen, Ascilius led the way up a wide stone stairway to the next level. Here, above the tavern room, they found pleasant if dusty bedrooms. They lay down to sleep that night in real beds with clean sheets and soft pillows, but despite the comfortable sleeping arrangements, Elerian remained awake in the small bedroom that he had selected for himself, thinking about Ascilius.
“What a crafty fellow he is,” thought Elerian to himself. “He has had a secret plan to rescue his people all along. I wonder at his motives, though. There is no doubt in my mind that he cares deeply about his people, but he seems almost to relish the prospect of leading the populace of Ennodius to safety. He has not said much about it, but he seems to have come in for more than his share of disapproval from his father and certain of his people. Perhaps this rescue is his way of finally silencing those who criticized him in the past. I wish him luck if that is the case. He is a worthy fellow, although I would never admit it to his face, and deserving of everyone’s respect. I will certainly help him in any way I can.”
Elerian’s thoughts next turned to Anthea. “Why has she never come back?” he wondered to himself. “If she has mastered some new form of magic, she should have wasted no time in tantalizing me with it. Rather than strip away the illusion spell masking the ruby ring on his left hand, Elerian merely opened his third eye, observing the crimson pulse of the ruby behind the golden glow of the illusion spell that covered it. A slender thread of gold led away from the ring, disappearing after only a few feet. The thread passed through a tiny portal to communicate with Anthea’s ring. Elerian knew about the link between the rings, for he had crafted them with his own hands, but he had not thought of the connection between them before.
“That is how she did it,” he thought to himself excitedly. “Somehow, she found a way for her shade to follow the thread through the portal.”
Elerian was now both intrigued and alarmed. It was a clever use of unknown magic, but he felt no desire to emulate it. During his fight with Drusus, the changeling had almost stolen Elerian’s body by casting out his shade, leaving Elerian with a horror of being separated from his physical body.
“I will have to warn Anthea about the dangers of leaving her living body behind if she appears again.” he thought to himself worriedly.
Eventually, he ceased to think, slipping instead into the world of his memories. The elemental spell that he had used to drive off Eboria brought thoughts of Tullius to his mind, and he walked and talked with his old mentor once more before finally falling into a true sleep near dawn.
RAIN AND WAITING
Elerian slept only a little before rising to check on Enias. He found the stallion resting comfortably in his stall. With a currycomb that he found in a nearby tack room, Elerian brushed out his coat until it gleamed like newly polished silver. He then carefully examined all four of Enias's small, trim hooves for stones or bruises. Finding everything in order, he put out more grain for the stallion and then went exploring. Walking southwest, toward the cliff face, he found that the stalls ended and a large open space began.
“This is probably where the wagons were stored,” thought Elerian to himself as he walked through the chamber. It proved to be empty, filled only with a weighty silence that made him uneasy.
“Nothing to worry about,” he reassured himself, persevering in his explorations until he came to a passageway that led away from the empty cavern. Lighting a small mage light which then hovered above his head, Elerian entered the tunnel which was wide enough for two wagons to pass abreast. His tiny mage light provided more than enough light for his eyes to pierce the darkness around him.
At the end of the passageway, which inclined steadily upward, Elerian found a set of double doors made of thick oak that were locked fast. He was sure that these were the same doors that he had seen in the cliff wall that formed the front of the inn.
Retracing his steps, Elerian returned to the kitchen where he found Ascilius already making their breakfast. The Dwarf was
frying bread and bacon in the same pan. He was also cooking porridge and honey in a large pot. Elerian set the table in the kitchen, and when all was in readiness, they sat down to eat. Elerian would have lingered over the hot meal in the warm, pleasant kitchen, but Ascilius was in a hurry this morning. He ate quickly and then began to gather provisions to take with them.
While Elerian tidied the kitchen after their meal, washing the dishes and their cutlery, Ascilius filled two old, tattered packs that he had found hanging on a hook in his bedroom with bread he had baked that morning as well as cheese, smoked meat, chestnuts, and dried fruit that he took from the inn’s storerooms. From the small cask of beer that they had tapped the night before, he also filled a pair of water bottles that he had discovered in the kitchen.
Elerian was reluctant to leave the comfortable inn after just one night, for the last few days had taxed his strength more than he was willing to admit. A few days of rest would have served him well, but he made no complaint about their hasty departure, for he understood and sympathized with Ascilius's impatience to reach Ennodius. When they were ready to leave, he fetched Enias from the stable before following Ascilius to the front door of the tavern.
When Ascilius cautiously opened the door, they were met with an unexpected downpour. A storm had blown in during the early morning hours, but the thick stone walls of the inn had muffled the sounds of rain and wind. Rivulets of water were already coursing down the sides of the cliff and dripping off the leaves of the trees in steady streams. A stiff wind whipped the branches overhead back and forth, sending sprays of cold, heavy raindrops into the doorway.
Elerian would gladly have turned around to wait out the storm in the inn, but Ascilius seemed determined to ignore the foul weather.