Amber and Iron

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Amber and Iron Page 14

by Margaret Weis


  If such a terrible fate could befall a god, no one—not even a dragon—was safe.

  For the second time in her life, Midori left her lair and went out to discover the truth. She swam slowly and ponderously through the water, not burdened by years so much as by as the weight of the enormous shell on her back. Whereas land dragons have spiny protrusions on their backs and wings that enable them to fly, sea dragons have an enormous shell, like that of a tortoise, and flippers instead of clawed feet. The shell was designed for defense. Midori could withdraw her head and feet into it for safety, and that was where she slept. Over the centuries, as she slept, her shell had been overgrown by coral and barnacles, so that swimming with it was tantamount to picking up and moving a coral reef.

  Thinking that this latest calamity might have something to do with Istar and that other Cataclysm, Midori returned to the Blood Sea and there came across Nuitari, busily raising up the ruins of some rotting old tower. The god was startled and not particularly pleased to see a sea dragon, for he had no idea one was in the vicinity and he feared she might cause trouble.

  Nuitari was respectful to Midori, however, and told her the whole story—all about the Irda, Chaos, world-snatching, alien dragons, skull totems, a time-traveling kender, a girl named Mina, the War of Souls, the death of one god and the voluntary exile of another.

  As Midori listened, her fears grew. A world where even gods could die was obviously a much more dangerous place than she’d realized. She was thinking of this and wondering how she would ever have a good epoch’s sleep again, when, unexpectedly, Nuitari made her an offer. He needed a guardian for some relics he’d picked up off the sea floor. The job was hers, if she wanted it.

  Midori didn’t like Nuitari. She considered him a whining, ungrateful child, not worthy of the mother who had given birth to him. She didn’t particularly relish working for him, but she didn’t like the thought of returning to her lonely lair, either. She needed to keep an eye on things. Besides, if she grew bored or if he annoyed her too much, she could always leave. Midori agreed to move into Nuitari’s newly restored Tower, there to guard his store of valuable religious artifacts.

  Nuitari assured her that, since his Tower was located far beneath the Blood Sea, there was little likelihood of any mortals annoying her. The only one who did come was Caele, a mongrel half-elf who was forced to visit her every so often to beg her to give him a drop or two of her blood.

  Midori would have refused, but Caele groveled so well and flattered her so lavishly, and he was obviously so frightened of her, that she found she actually enjoyed his visits. She would emerge from her lair and toy with him for a time, long enough for him to utterly debase himself, and then she would snarlingly grant his request, snapping at him as he collected her blood just for the pleasure of seeing him leap about in panic.

  No one else came to disturb the dragon’s rest and ruminations. Nuitari built a lair specially designed for her—a large crystal-walled globe flooded with seawater located at the base of the Tower. Inside the enormous globe, the dragon could swim at her ease, coming and going as she desired by swimming through a magical portal placed in the crystal wall.

  In the center of the globe was the Hall of Sacrilege—not really a hall, but more of a small castle, where the artifacts were stored. Any mortal trying to gain access to the artifacts would not only have to be able to swim, they would have to find a way to avoid the sea dragon, and the other denizens of the deep. The dragon couldn’t abide commotion, so she admitted into her globe only those creatures who were quiet and kept to themselves, such as jellyfish and stingrays. Sharks were stupid and uncouth, but they made a tasty snack, and they entertained her by fighting her giant squids. Sea urchins, with their constant chatter, were banned.

  All in all, a pleasant way to pass one’s twilight years.

  Midori was dozing, her head half-in and half-out of her shell, lulled into a tranquil state by the undulating motions of the jellyfish, when she heard the door leading to the underwater chamber open. A person entered.

  Thinking it was the half-elf after more blood, Midori decided she didn’t want to be bothered with him now. She was about to tell him to go drain his own blood or she would do it for him, when she realized, suddenly, that this was not the half-elf. This was an intruder.

  Midori withdrew into her shell and held very still. She was, to all appearances, a vast coral formation. Fish swam, undisturbed, around her. Sea plants, growing on her back, swayed back and forth with the currents that swirled around the globe. Only an acute observer, looking very closely, would have seen the dragon’s yellow eyes gleaming from out of the shadowy depths of her shell.

  What Midori saw amazed her more than anything else had amazed her in several millennia.

  She came out to investigate further.

  Mina watched the dragon in a terror that seemed to paralyze her. The dragon’s jaws gaped. Fangs glistened in the eerie green sunlight, as the dragon sucked in a breath that sent hundreds of helpless fish disappearing into the beast’s gullet.

  The dragon’s jaws snapped shut. Two huge flipper-like legs thrust the ponderous shell up from the seaweed-covered floor. The dragon’s tail lashed the water, stirring up clouds of silt. The flipper legs propelled the beast through the water. Head and neck outthrust, the dragon lunged straight at Mina.

  Mina feared the dragon meant to crash through the crystal wall. She ran back to the door and pushed on it frantically.

  The door would not open. Mina looked over her shoulder. The dragon was almost on her. The eyes were enormous—slits of black surrounded by green-gold flame. It seemed the eyes alone could swallow her. The dragon’s jaws opened.

  Mina pressed her back against the door, a prayer to Chemosh on her lips.

  The dragon reached the crystal wall, made a sudden turn, following the curve of the globe, and hung there, floating. The dragon spoke, words and fish gushing from her mouth.

  “Where did you come from?”

  Mina had expected violent death, not an inane question. She couldn’t find breath enough to answer.

  “Well?” the dragon demanded impatiently.

  “I came from … the Tower.…” Mina indicated with a feeble gesture the door behind her.

  “I don’t mean that,” snapped the dragon, irate. “I mean where did you come from? Where have you been?”

  Mina had heard that some dragons liked to play games with their victims, asking them riddles and toying with them before the kill. This dragon didn’t sound as if she were playing, however. This dragon appeared to be quite serious.

  I am obviously not a wizard, yet I am here in this Tower. The guardian must think I am here at Nuitari’s invitation. That is why she hasn’t killed me. This may work to my advantage.

  “I am a friend of the god’s,” Mina replied. This, at least, was true. She just didn’t mention which god had befriended her. “When those tremors shook the Tower, he sent me to see that the artifacts are safe.”

  The dragon’s slit eyes narrowed. She was displeased. “Do you refuse to answer my questions?”

  Mina was perplexed. “It’s just … I didn’t think you’d be interested. I have no objection to answering. As to who I am, my name is Mina. As to where I came from, I do not know. I am an orphan with no memory of my childhood. As to where I have been, I have been in almost every part of Ansalon. To tell you my tale would take too long. I am supposed to check the artifacts—”

  “You waste my time. Come inside and check the artifacts then. No one’s stopping you,” the dragon snarled irascibly.

  Mina realized that the dragon must think Nuitari had revealed the secret of how to enter the globe.

  What a fool I was to mention that, Mina thought in irritation. Now what do I say? That I forgot what the god told me? Not even a gully dwarf would believe that!

  The dragon glared at her. “Well, what are you waiting for? As for that rigmarole you told me about being an orphan—”

  The dragon paused. Her eyes flared
open. Her head thrust forward and banged against the crystal.

  “By my teeth and tonsils,” exclaimed the dragon. “By my lungs and liver. By my heart and stomach, tooth and toenail! You don’t know!”

  Mina couldn’t understand what this was all about. “What don’t I know?” she asked the dragon.

  But the creature was muttering to herself and no longer paying attention.

  Mina caught a few words of the dragon’s ranting: “… bastard … liar … we’ll see about that!”

  Mina could make no sense of any of it.

  “What is it I don’t know?” Mina asked again. Something twisted inside her. She had the feeling that this was desperately important.

  “You don’t know”—the dragon paused—“how to get inside. Do you?”

  That hadn’t been what the dragon meant. The dragon was now teasing, taunting. Her slit eyes glinted. Her green lip curled. “There’s no trick to it, really. Just walk right through the crystal wall. As to breathing under water, you won’t have any trouble. It’s all part of the magic, isn’t it?”

  The beast is trying to lure me inside, Mina reasoned. I could stay here and remain safe from the dragon, but that would mean failing my lord.

  “Chemosh, be with me!” Mina prayed and walked up to the crystal wall.

  She placed both her hands on the glass. Her fingers traced the sharp edges of the runes engraved on the surface. She focused on her destination—the sand castle in the center of the globe and, keeping her gaze fixed on that and away from the dragon, Mina drew in a deep breath, shut her eyes, and walked forward.

  The crystal melted like ice at her touch and she found herself inside the globe.

  Mina experienced a strange sensation. She was not floundering, drowning, gasping for breath. It was as though her body had lost its solidity. She did not breathe the water so much as she was one with the water. She was water, no longer flesh. The sensation was marvelous, liberating, and frightening all at once. She could not take time to try to understand what had happened. Tensing, Mina turned to face the dragon, certain that now the creature must attack.

  The dragon’s lips drew back from the yellowed fangs in a grin. To Mina’s astonishment, the dragon flipped herself around ponderously in the water and swam down to the floor of the globe, where she settled herself on the bottom.

  “You will excuse me,” said the dragon. “I am old and all this excitement has worn me out. Please don’t let me deter you from your task.”

  Sharks circled Mina. Jellyfish floated uncomfortably close. The squid’s eyes opened. The sea creatures watched her. None of them came near her.

  Mina began to swim through the water, heading toward the sand castle, keeping her enemies in sight.

  Moving in lazy circles, the sharks accompanied her. The squid propelled itself through the water, but kept its distance.

  Puzzled beyond measure, Mina continued to swim. The sea creatures followed her, watching her. The dragon watched her, gold-green eyes gleaming with what might have been amusement.

  Of course, there will be traps.

  Arriving at the structure, Mina swam around to the front and floated there, swaying gently with the currents, to gaze at it in perplexity. The water had not been playing tricks on her eyes. The Solio Febalas was a child’s play castle made of sand, which looked as though it would crumble at a touch.

  She would have to get down on her hands and knees to crawl through the doorway, and even with her slender build, it would be a tight fit.

  There are no artifacts! This is a hoax perpetrated by Nuitari, but why? Why go to all this trouble? Certainly, Mina reflected, the ways of the gods are beyond man’s comprehension. My lord will be exceedingly disappointed.

  Mina glanced back at the dragon, who appeared to be enjoying her discomfiture. Mina wondered if she should continue to investigate or give up and swim back.

  At least, I should look inside, she determined. My lord will be outraged enough as it is. I should be able to provide him with all the details.

  Mina approached the sand castle with caution, mindful of traps and half-afraid she would bring down the entire structure if she bumped into it. The top of the walls came to her shoulders.

  Mina reached out her hand to gingerly touch the wall. The structure was made of sand that had been fused together and was hard as marble. Nothing happened when she touched the wall. She glanced back again at the dragon and then outside the crystal globe, fearing Nuitari must come at any moment.

  No one was there and the dragon hadn’t stirred.

  Mina swam around to the front of the sand castle and found the entrance—a door, about three feet in height, made of thousands of pearls that shimmered with a pinkish-purple luster. A single rune carved out of a large emerald was embedded in the center. Mina brushed the tips of her fingers across the emerald.

  The rune flashed a blinding green. The pearl door flew open with explosive force. Too late, Mina understood the trap. The building was air tight, sealed against the water. When the door opened, the seal broke. The water rushed inside, carrying Mina with it. The rush of the water ceased. The door shut and sealed, leaving the castle once again airtight.

  Leaving Mina, once again, a prisoner.

  Small wonder the dragon had looked amused.

  The force of the water had swept Mina off her feet and tumbled her about. She lay on her stomach in water that was up to her chin. The water level was sinking fast, however. There must be a drain in the floor. She could hear the water gurgle as it swirled away.

  Mina could not see a thing in the pitch darkness. She raised herself up slowly off the floor, fearful of hitting her head against the low ceiling. She felt nothing. She reached up her hand, still felt nothing. She tried straightening to her full height.

  She did not hit her head. She stood perfectly still, afraid to move when she could not see. Gradually, her eyes became accustomed to the gloom. The room was not as dark as she’d first thought. There were no lights, but some objects around the room gave off a soft glow, so she was able to make out her surroundings.

  Mina looked about her. She looked up, and she looked down. Her breath caught in her throat. Tears burned her eyes, causing the lights to blur together.

  She was in an immense chamber. One hundred paces would not have carried her halfway across it. The ceiling on which she was afraid she might hit her head was so far above her that she could barely see it.

  And, all around her, were the gods.

  Each god had an alcove carved out of the wall, and in each alcove was an altar. Artifacts, sacred to each god, stood on the altar or on the floor before the altar.

  Some of the artifacts shone with a radiant light. Some flickered, some glimmered. Some of the artifacts were dark, and some seemed to suck the light from the others.

  Mina fell, trembling, to her knees.

  The holy power of the gods seemed to crush her.

  “Gods forgive me!” she whispered. “What have I done? What have I done?”

  uitari arrived back at his Tower to find it under siege. His sister, Zeboim, goddess of the Deep, was apparently intent upon shaking it to bits.

  Although they were siblings, born to Takhisis and her consort, the god of Vengeance, Sargonnas, Nuitari and Zeboim were as different as foaming waves and black moonlight. Zeboim had inherited her mother’s volatile nature and fierce ambition but lacked her mother’s discipline. Nuitari, by contrast, was born with his mother’s cold and calculating cunning, tempered by his passion for magic. Zeboim was close to their father, Sargonnas, and often worked with him to further the cause of his beloved minotaurs, who were among the sea goddess’s chief worshippers. Nuitari despised their father and made no secret of it. He didn’t think much of minotaurs either, one reason there were few minotaur mages.

  Nuitari had known his sister was going to be upset over the fact he’d raised up the old Tower of High Sorcery in her sea without first seeking her permission. Knowing her, he knew she was capable of refusing him out of s
heer caprice. Also fearing this would put ideas into her head, Nuitari had felt it was wiser to build his Tower first and ask his sister’s pardon later.

  He was attempting to do just that, but Zeboim refused to listen.

  “I swear to you, Brother,” Zeboim fumed, “not one of your Black Robes will dare set foot on water or face my wrath! If a wizard should try to take a hot bath, I will push him under! Any ship that transports a wizard will capsize. Rafts carrying wizards across rivers will sink. If a wizard puts his toe in a stream, I will swell it to a raging river. A wizard who so much as drinks a glass of water will choke on it—”

  She continued like this, ranting and raging and stamping her feet. With every stamp, the ocean floor trembled. Her fury rocked the Tower on its foundations. Nuitari could only guess at the havoc the tremors were wreaking inside. He’d lost contact with his two wizards, and that worried him.

  “I am sorry, dear sister, if I have upset you,” he said contritely. “Truly, it was unintentional.”

  “Raising up this Tower without my knowledge was unintentional?” Zeboim howled.

  “I thought you knew!” Nuitari protested, all innocence. “I thought you knew everything that went on in your ocean! If you didn’t, if this comes as such a surprise to you, is it my fault?”

  Seething, Zeboim glared at him. She flopped and floundered but could see no way out of the net that had so neatly trapped her. If she claimed she had known he was building the Tower, then why hadn’t she stopped him if it so offended her? To admit she hadn’t known was to admit she didn’t know what was happening in her own realm.

  “I have been preoccupied with other, more important matters,” she said loftily. “But now that I know, you must make reparations.”

  “What do you want?” Nuitari asked smoothly. “I will be only too happy to accede to your demands, dear sister. Provided they are reasonable, of course.”

  He assumed that she’d found out not only about the Tower but also about the Hall of Sacrilege. He figured she would ask for her holy artifacts to be returned to her in exchange for her permission to keep his Tower. Nuitari was prepared to hand over one artifact or maybe even two, if she persisted in her threats against his wizards. Her response was completely unexpected.

 

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