Nath popped up into standing position.
It’s always back to another thing dwarves say: “Evil is unrelenting!”
CHAPTER 35
With the palm of his hand on his forehead, Nath shook his head. There were more floating rocks nearby, but where would he go? No matter where he went, the skeletons would follow. And they clearly wouldn’t stop until he vacated the city. And the dragons, they were probably just the guardians of the jaxite. If he didn’t take it, they’d leave him alone, but he had to take it.
I’m not stopping now.
Dangling from the steps, the chain of skeletons kept swinging back and forth, the end getting closer and closer to the rock he stood on. Two skeletons swung at the bottom of the chain with their arms stretched out like branches. They swooped backward under the stairs and forward underneath his rock.
The undead chain stopped when their bony hands locked onto the sides of the rock. A bridge was formed. Skeletons started across. Nath whipped out Fang and chopped the fingers away. The bridge twisted and tossed. The skeletons plummeted through the air, then it started all over again. Skeleton climbed down skeleton, and the chain resumed its full form.
Stubborn as dwarves as well!
As he searched for another rock, something caught his eye. The staircase continued to run beneath the city, inverted and accompanied by a solid iron railing.
I’ll be. I knew there’d have to be something.
He could almost jump and reach it, but the skeletons were in the way, swinging like a rattling trapeze in the air. He wished he had Akron and some of those special arrows. They’d make a fine hand right now.
Hmmm…
Back and forth they swung.
Nath snapped his fingers.
This might work.
The next time the skeletons swung forth with outstretched arms, Nath snatched them by the wrist, hoisted them up, jumped off the rock and swung himself underneath the staircase and rail. The skeletons bit at him, but the chain held. Underneath the rock they swung, and he grabbed hold of the iron rail with one hand and jerked his other arm free from the skeletons. Away they swung. Without hesitation, Nath worked himself down the railing, hand over hand, following the steps. Glancing back, the skeletons had swung to a stop.
Let them figure this out.
Toes dangling over the river, he shimmied down the rail. The staircase led into a cavern, and then the warm, blue-green glow of the jaxite was everywhere. The stairs kept going, winding and winding with no up or down.
What madness is this?
Nath reached over to the rail on the other side and hung suspended from both of them. His weight came from torso to toe, bearing down on his head. He brought his toes to the stairs with ease. He let go of one rail, then the other. He stood on the stairs, upside down but not falling anywhere.
I hope those skeletons never figure this out.
Inverted, he continued along the stairs. Jaxite was everywhere. A world of it, and nothing else. Beautiful, magnificent, living. With mystic radiance. Its colors were of many gemstones in one. It reminded him of Dragon Home.
The stairs came to a stop on a large landing tiled in dark-blue marble. A stone archway twelve feet high gaped open like a dragon’s maw.
Chink. Chink. Chink. Chink.
Something lived, moved, breathed, and worked in there.
Nath got Fang ready and strode straight through the archway. Little hairy, bearded men were hard at work. Glowing chisels and hammers were in their skilled hands, but they weren’t dwarves.
Gads! Gnomes!
Shorter and leaner than dwarves, the gnomes hammered and chiseled away. Ten of them was all Nath could count, wearing long working smocks and leather aprons. Their beards were neatly trimmed to a point in most cases. A few didn’t have beards at all. The best way to tell a dwarf from a gnome, if one didn’t know better, was that gnomes smiled. Dwarves didn’t.
It’s a good thing Brenwar isn’t here.
Nath remained still. The gnomes continued working on chunks of jaxite. Pieces large and small were scattered all over the cavern floor, with much of the mystic light of the jaxite gone. A shirtless gnome with a bald head and a leather apron held a polished piece of jaxite in front of his grey eyes and smiled. Polishing it with a cloth, he said something to the others in Gnomish. They crowded around the man and stared with wonder. Their comments were excited and incredulous. They passed the glowing stone around.
That’ll do. I just need a couple more. And some questions answered as well.
Nath made a quick glance around the room and saw nothing suspicious.
I’ve killed dozens of skeletons. A few gnomes shouldn’t be a problem.
Fang secured, he strolled over and looked down at the circle of gnomes. He noticed a strange blue hue to their skin.
Odd.
With Nath towering over them, the gnomes continued talking, heads down, lips moving with excitement as if a newborn baby had arrived. They went on and on in Gnomish gibberish. Not a single one made a glance up at him.
“Ahem,” Nath said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Not a single chin turned up his way.
These gnomes were just as engrossed in their work as dwarven builders got. Once they started, they didn’t stop, often to the point of death. Nath recollected a time when dwarves were building a bridge and were under attack. Volley after volley of arrows came, but the dwarves weren’t any more distracted by them than they would be by a mosquito. They worked wounded, dying, and even falling to their deaths. Nath could still see one hammering away with several arrows in him until the blood loss let him fall to his death.
Nath cleared his throat again. Same result. He reached over them and snatched the vibrant stone from one of their hands. Blinking, they all murmured back and forth at one another and started to shove and push each other. Nath understood bits of it.
“Where did it go?”
“Who took it?”
“I didn’t get to see it.”
Nath growled in his throat and spoke in his best Gnomish in an unfriendly tone.
“Excuse me!” he said, dangling the stone over their faces.
One by one, their heads turned up toward him. All of their looks were puzzled.
“Who made him?” one said, scratching the hairs on his head.
The gnomes encircled him.
“He’s so lifelike, and my,” said another gnome with bright white teeth, “these scales are marvelous craftsmanship.”
They started poking and prodding. That was another thing about gnomes: their inquisitive and obnoxious nature. They treated every living creature like a specimen for their amusement.
“And his eyes are perfectly aligned in his head.”
“And rivers of gold flow in them.”
“Let me fetch my chisel. I’ll have a closer look at them.”
His lips curling up in a snarl, Nath hoisted that last one by the collar and shook him like a rug.
“I’m no creation. I’m Nath Dragon. No more musings. You’ve been warned.”
“That’s not possible,” the gnome said, stretching out its arms and feeling Nath’s face. “No man can invade this cavern. My, you really are real.” He shook his head and looked down at the tall bald one with knotty arms. “What do you think, Snarggell?”
“Yes,” Nath said, looking at the gnome he presumed to be the leader. He dropped the other gnome to his feet. “What do you think, Snarggell?”
Pecking at his teeth, the lead gnome didn’t say a thing. Then he broke out speaking in Common, but so fast a normal man might not have understood.
“Ithinkyemayhavegotteninhere,butyouwon’tgetout.Howdidyoumakeit?Butdieyouwill.Still,Imustknowwhoyouareandwhyyouarehere.Weneverhaveanyvisitorshere.Nicetohavesomecompany,eventhoughtheybealreadydeadones.Thefirstintwentysomeyears.We’lltalk,dine,andchiselyourgrave.Thelurkercomessoontosuckthemarrowfromyourbones.”
Snarggell spoke fast, but not too fast for Nath. Still, the gnome’s last words crawled th
rough his veins like mud.
“Excuse me, but what’s going to suck the marrow from my bones?”
CHAPTER 36
Nath swatted Snarggell’s frisky hands away. The persistent gnome continued to poke and prod.
“What is this thing, this monster you mentioned?”
“It’s no matter. No matter at all. The end of your presence is inevitable.” He grabbed Nath’s elbow. “This skin is fascinating. I hope there’s enough left so we can keep it.”
Nath shoved him back.
“That’s enough.”
“No matter. I’ll inspect when you’re dead.”
“I’m not going to die,” Nath said, pointed to his chest.
The gnomes giggled.
“Stop that. I assure you I’ve faced tougher monsters than this lurker you’ve mentioned.”
The gnomes guffawed. They all spoke Common now, fast but plenty understandable to Nath.
“Nothing can defeat the lurker,” one said, shaking his head.
“Nothing,” said another.
“Not ever,” said the third.
Nath wasn’t used to anyone telling him that he was going to lose to anything or die. If he could handle a full-scaled dragon, he could handle just about anything else. Nath’s arms tensed at his sides. His scales rippled.
The gnomes ooh-ed and ah-ed.
“You might as well sit. Have something to eat,” Snarggell said, tugging at his arm. “Enjoy our company before the lurker comes.”
Nath pulled away.
“I’m not here to chat. I’ve somewhere to be, and I’ll see this finished.”
“See what finished?” Snarggell asked.
“I’ve two demands. First, I need two more of these,” he said, holding the glowing stone up.
The gnomes reached into their aprons and each handed him a stone. The small haul made for plenty.
“I said two more,” Nath said, sticking the three for Otter Bone inside his jerkin. He tossed the others back. “Don’t be so zealous to drop your booty.”
They giggled at him and one another.
The tall bald one said, “What is your second request?”
“You will cease making any more stones, and you’ll destroy what you already have. And you’ll have to come with me.”
They froze. Their little gnarled hands twisted at their beards. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Red-faced guffaws followed one right after the other. Two fell to their backs on the floor, kicking. They laughed so loudly that it was resounding off the jaxite walls. This was one of the things dwarves hated about gnomes. They were always cheery and laughing.
Embarrassed and taken aback, Nath felt uneasiness seep into him. He had what he wanted. All he had to do was leave and jump for the river, but their laughter convinced him that wasn’t going to happen.
They all got up, grabbed their tools, and got back to work, talking and laughing back and forth with one another, leaving only him and Snarggell all alone.
“Your quest is foolish. Futile, my friend,” Snarggell said, stroking his hairy arms. “Nothing comes to the Floating City and lives for long. Just us gnomes.”
“You live.”
“Aye, we live, but we are cursed,” he said, frowning. “The lurker will kill us if we try to leave.”
“Or the dragons?”
“The dragons? Hah,” Snarggell laughed, “they fear the lurker just as much as any do. They come and collect the stones for Barnabus. Come.” Snarggell led him through the mines, stopping at a small well made of jaxite rocks. It was barely big enough for a cat to squeeze through. Dark colors swirled in the hole.
“We put the stones in here. On the other side, dragons pick them up. They won’t come inside the cavern. Too dangerous. The lurker can be temperamental.”
Dragons didn’t fear anything except other dragons. What could be so bad that a dragon would fear it?
“Why you?”
“Why me, what?” Snarggell said.
“Why doesn’t someone else prepare the stones?”
“Hah! Only we can. We are crystal gnomes. Masters of precious stones. We work the blue rock and make it willing. It is our craft. But it still takes the hardest metals and magic to chip it. Most people don’t understand. This jaxite is harder, but especially hard when you don’t understand it. We do. We talk to it, and it talks to us.” He rubbed the skin on the back of his hand with his finger. “We aren’t blue for just any reason. We’re special.”
“What you’re doing is serving Barnabus. The stones are used for evil, to control the dragons. You’ll have to stop.”
“We cannot. It’s what we do. We’re here. We cannot leave.”
“And if you die?”
“They just bring more gnomes. Everyone is expendable.”
“Can more gnomes do it?” Nath said.
“Any crystal gnome can, with the right tools,” the gnome said, leading him back through the jaxite catacombs to where they had stood before. “We’ve always done this for the wizards, for generations. They were wise doing what they did. Cursing this city and freeing it from control. It worked for a long, long time, but Barnabus figured it out. The undead protect the city above, and the lurker is the guardian in the mines below. Barnabus made a deal with it.”
“What kind of deal?”
“They feed it.”
“Feed it what?”
“Whatever it wants, but mostly the river folk,” the gnome said, picking up his hammer and chisel, “but it gets a craving for other things from time to time. Elves, dwarves, gnolls, you name it. Horses, cattle, pixies. The dragons fetch them. The one reason why they roost like hawks in a nest. Sometimes it even feasts on the dragons themselves. That’s why they hate it.” He eyed Nath’s scales. “I can only imagine the lurker will be looking forward to a taste of you. I’ve heard every marrow has a different flavor.” He rubbed his belly. “Still makes me a little sick to my stomach when I hear those horrible sucking sounds. Worse than an orc licking its fingers, thanks to the accompanying screams.” His bald head shivered. “Ugh, still hear the screams.”
Nath folded his arms over his chest, glowered at him, and said, “You wouldn’t be stretching the truth, would you?”
Gnomes, unlike dwarves, weren’t quite so honest. Not only were they crafters, they were well-known tricksters as well.
Snarggell eyed him back and said in a dire tone, “I assure you, this is no tall tale.”
Nath looked back over his shoulder. The inverted staircase was gone.
“Where did …”
Snarggell held his palm up and pressed a finger to his lips. His eyes widened like saucers, and the chiseling of the other gnomes stopped.
“It was nice talking to you, Nath Dragon,” the gnome said, extending his hand. “I’ll do what I can to preserve your skin. There’s no salvation for your bones, however. The lurker knows you’re here.”
CHAPTER 37
Nath’s senses ignited. The crystal gnomes set down their tools. Huddled together murmuring, they turned into an odd-looking statue of jaxite stone. He caught Snarggell peering at him. The gnome winked just before he solidified. All that was left of the gnomes was a hunk of lifeless stone, odd in fashion but similar to the rest of the cavern.
“Thanks for the help,” Nath said. He eyed the place where the inverted steps once were. The entire cavern landscape had changed. The series of caves had become catacombs of blue-green stones.
He sighed, drew Fang, and wandered into the oppressive silence.
Dragons were patient. Mature ones were, anyway. They had all the time in the world, but of late, Nath wasn’t so patient. Being trapped in the catacombs reminded him of the tomb he’d lain in for twenty-five years. Again now it seemed to take forever to get from one place to another.
What if I go into a deep sleep again? With this lurker near?
Worry. It was the enemy of the brave. It wasn’t something Nath was accustomed to, either, yet it was there. Same as the shard of a dagger that bit between his rib
s, courtesy of Overlord Dormus.
I must help Bayzog.
Nath wandered into the depths of the catacombs. The jaxite illuminated his way. It was a strange place, dayless and nightless, and it reminded him a little of Dragon Home. The stark silence was misery, however. Unsettling like a rash that ran through his bones. Only his steps penetrated the silence. The tunnel twisted left and sloped down, taking him right back to where he’d started what seemed like an hour ago.
Not much of a monster if it’s afraid to face me.
Nath tried to envision it. It must be big if it eats horses and dragons. A shadow or a shade, perhaps. Would it have many arms, legs, or heads? Could it cast fire from its breath? Was it a giant of a man or some hideous beast? He’d never heard of the lurker before. Perhaps Bayzog would have read about it in his histories and been able to tell Nath something about it.
Nath walked on for hours, but the landscape didn’t change. Jaxite. Jaxite. And more jaxite. A glimmering rock that was clear like glass. He stared into a piece that was smooth as a mirror. His reflection faced him. He could see blood dried on his face, and his lips were split and swollen.
Gads, my hair’s a mess. He combed his free hand through it and winced. His chewed-up arm was still tender and stiff. The long days just get longer. As he turned from the polished stone, his image turned into something dark and ugly, then faded away.
Nath felt a chill in his scales. A foreboding presence neared. The faint smell of decay filled his nostrils.
Follow that malodorous smell. Where there’s stink, there’s evil.
Trusting his instincts, he tracked the scent. Winding, turning, rising, and dipping, the lurker’s course resembled a crooked river. The farther Nath followed, the worse the smell became.
If there are orcs at the end of this, I might be glad to see them.
He rounded a deep bend into a vast cavern that opened up like a huge auditorium. Bones were piled up high all over. A horrifying sight. Flesh rotted on busted bones. Skulls of horned dragons and other beasts lined the walls. The heads of all the races were scattered all about, just as Snarggell had said. The elves, dwarves, and humans made him think of his friends. Most of the others he didn’t care so much about.
The Chronicles of Dragon Collection (Series 1 Omnibus, Books 1-10) Page 89