by Sam Ferguson
“I understand,” Forlean said.
“Get the rubies, and then get back down to the dwarf residency halls. If you can make it there, I will have a friend waiting for you. He will smuggle you out in a cart of bones back to this room. Then, you can pack the rubies and leave the mountain.”
All stood silently for a moment. Forlean looked behind him to the closed door and sighed. He shook his head and took in a breath of courage. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
Soon Forlean found himself in the bottom of a large push cart measuring two meters by one and a half. The inside was plated with thin sheets of iron, and smelled of blood and rust. A large rack of ribs slid in and squished down next to him. Then the hind leg of a cow was placed near his head. A whole boar was placed over that and then additional pieces were piled atop those.
The cart jerked suddenly and the wheels squeaked sharply, forcing Forlean to lift his head from the bottom of the cart and cover his ears with his hands. The ride was nothing close to smooth. He felt every bump, divot, and crack as the cart made its way up the tunnel.
He could hear muffled voices without the cart. Some belonged to dwarves, others belonged to dragons. No one seemed particularly interested in the cart though, and for that Forlean thanked the Aurorean.
When the cart suddenly lurched to a stop, he bumped his head on the wall of the cart and grimaced. The meat moved and shifted. Then hands reached down and pulled him up and out of the cart.
“Wait here,” the dwarf said as they continued pushing the cart into the nursery. Forlean could hear the dwarves talking with someone inside. Soon the dwarves exited without the cart. “Here is the nursery master’s key,” said the first dwarf. “Come with us, we will show you the tunnel.”
“Why didn’t Algearon give me his key?” Forlean asked. “I assume he has one given his station.”
“This way he can deny knowing you. You will be branded a thief and a traitor if caught,” replied a sour-faced bald dwarf.
Forlean grew quiet and moved along with the group, folding the key into his right hand. They walked down into the residencies, making sure to keep Forlean in the middle of the group as they moved along the tunnel. They passed Algearon’s room and one of them pointed to the door.
“You will come here when you are finished, understood?”
Forlean nodded.
“We will take the key back and drop it somewhere in the halls so the nursery master can find it, but you will have to hurry. Should he notice the key is missing, he will sound an alarm and make a search of the area.”
Forlean nodded. The group stopped and the first dwarf pointed to a door at the end of the tunnel. “Best of luck,” he said. “Hail the true prince.”
“Hail the true prince,” Forlean said absently as he stared at the door. He looked down to his hand and opened his fingers. He looked down at the brass key, frozen in place. Someone nudged him from behind. He stumbled forward a couple of steps. He shot a sour glance over his shoulder at the group, but they were already walking the other way. He turned back to the door and sighed.
Forlean unlocked it and then pushed in. The hinges were silent, which was a nice relief. He closed the portal behind him and then locked it from the inside. He rounded a corner and then ascended up a spiraling staircase carved into the mountain itself. The red and black veins in the stone shimmered under the magical light from the arcstones set in brass sconces upon the wall. The stairs went up and up, seemingly forever. Even for one as accustomed to hiking as Forlean, the climb was long and arduous, and he found himself laboring for breath.
When he finally arrived, Forlean stopped for just a moment to catch his breath. He looked back down at the spiraling stairs and shook his head. “Hurry, they said,” he grumbled. “Were it so easy.”
He then moved forward and put his hand on the iron ring in the door before him. He sucked in a deep breath and then pushed slowly. He looked up and saw the small brass bell being dragged with the door. He reached up and grabbed the bell, sticking his thumb inside to silence it.
Fire along the walls lit the tunnel in this part of the mountain, fueled by a never-ending trough of natural gas and oil from deep within the mountain. Forlean closed the door careful to keep holding the bell until the door was closed. He turned and walked down the hall. His eyes went to the many glittering rubies and sapphires set in the walls beneath the troughs of oil. Under the firelight the gems sparkled as if made of fire themselves. He almost thought to take a few of these rubies, but none of them were close to the sizes he needed. The floor in this part of the hall was made of stones of jasper and emerald. The twinkling diamonds in the arching ceiling above him reminded him of stars in the night.
He approached the final door in the tunnel. A heavy portal of onyx gilded in gold leaf separated him from the king’s council chamber. Shaking fingers reached out and seized the knob. Forlean took a couple of breaths to steady his nerves, and then he pushed the door open and stepped through.
Inside, red and white flames rose in five columns in the chamber. A line of gold connected each column so that a golden star sparkled under the firelight. Beyond the star pattern was a pile of gold and jewels easily over thirty meters tall. Forlean eyed the mound warily and stepped into the chamber, moving along the sides of the wall at first. He knew that either the king or high queen could very well be resting inside the mound of treasure. He would have to move very carefully.
He quickly glanced at the murals around him in the dome shaped chamber. They depicted auroras floating lazily over the land of Kendualdern, giving life to the first plants and animals. Above the auroras, in the upper most parts of the chamber, was a painted dragon of pure light. Every color imaginable stretched forth from this dragon, forming and giving birth to the auroras that fed the life below. Forlean looked around the chamber once more. Then, deciding there were no drones or drakes about, he stepped toward the pile, searching it for rubies that would fit the description Algearon had given.
Forlean circled around the pile and saw many gems, several of them rubies, but none looked large enough. After he completed two revolutions around the treasure he sighed. There was no way around it. He would have to climb and dig into the pile. If there was a dragon inside, he was going to wake it.
He moved carefully up the base of the treasure mountain and swept away some gold nuggets and coins from a ruby. At first it showed promise. It was large, nearly the size of his fist, but as he dug it out his shoulders fell and the smile that had been forming on his face faded away. A large inclusion sat in the back of the gem. It would not be suitable for the remedy.
He stuck his spear up into the pile above his position, using it to sweep items aside. Metal and gems jingled and clinked as they fell over each other and piled around his boots. A large shift in the treasure rattled the mountain and Forlean froze. Only after he was certain the shift was caused by his digging, and not by a dragon under the mound, did he again resume his search.
“Fortune be with me,” he whispered. He dug furiously at the pile, sliding the glittering objects aside and burrowing into the pile. After a while he found another ruby. It was slightly larger than his fist. He plucked it from the pile and held it up in the light. He saw no inclusions, and no clouds. He twirled it in his hand and nearly yelled when he found a small fracture in the gem that ran nearly from top to bottom. The crack had discolored the gem, creating a slightly white appearance around it. This ruby would not be suitable either. He dropped the gem and then pulled his boots free of the gold and silver that had piled around them.
Something snorted nearby. Forlean carefully descended from the pile and quick-stepped to a nearby column. He hid around the back of it and waited. He heard soft footsteps round the pile of treasure. Pit-pat, pit-pat. Along with the steps he heard scales sliding roughly over the floor. He bent down lower and slowly leaned around the column to peer out at the source of the sound. A singular drone, rust in color, walked around the treasure. It flicked its tongue out into the air bef
ore it and twitched its head right and left as it searched the room.
There was no doubt that the drone had heard the treasure shifting, but what Forlean couldn’t guess was whether the animal had caught onto his scent. He watched the meter long, wingless drone shuffle by. It was small, even for a drone. It stood only half a meter tall, and its legs were smaller around than Forlean’s arms. Still, he knew it was a dangerous foe if angered. He would have to either escape, or kill it before it could call out for help. If he killed it, then he would have to drag the body out of the camber.
He moved for the door in the back just as the drone rounded the far side of the pile. He stepped as lightly as he could, but it wasn’t quiet enough.
The drone snorted suddenly and wheeled around, spraying gold nuggets across the floor with its tail. Forlean backed up against the nearest column and held his breath. Pit-pat, pit-pat, ptity-pat-pat. The drone was coming in fast. Forlean took in a breath and moved his hand to his spear. He prepared to strike. He would have to be swift, otherwise the drone would scream and call the others.
The steps came toward the right side of the column. Forlean spun around the left and jabbed the spear into the drone’s back, driving the tip through the base of the spine where it connected with the shoulder blades and severing the spinal column. The drone fell to the ground and emitted nothing more than a wheeze. Blood spurted out from the wound as Forlean yanked the spear free. He set the spear against the column and grabbed the beast by the tail, dragging it to the door he had come through. He stopped when a rivulet of blood ran down the drone’s neck. Moving quickly, he pulled off his leather armor. Then he removed his tunic and wrapped it around the drone’s neck before the blood could reach the floor. He tied a knot and then continued on until he had the body hidden behind the onyx door.
He rushed back to the treasure and looked for more rubies. In the back of the pile uncovered by the drone’s tail when it had whirled around, sat a ruby as large as his head. He bent down and picked the stone up, turning it over in his hands and holding it up to the light. It was pure. No inclusions, no cracks, no clouds. He set it off to the side and continued looking for the second ruby. It took some doing, but after another ten minutes of digging in the back of the pile he found not one, but two fist-sized rubies that were perfect. He took both, and then grabbed the large ruby and moved quickly to the door. He carefully set the gems next to the dead drone. He untied his tunic from the animal and set it on the ground, looking at the new stain. Had he been outside, he would have rubbed dirt over the fresh blood to scrub some of it off. In the pristine hall, there was no such option. He sighed and put his tunic on over his head, careful not to spread the blood over his face. He moved back into the chamber and gathered his armor. He put it on and then grabbed his spear and exited the council chamber.
He closed the onyx door and reached for the rubies. He gathered them up as gently as he could and then shuffled down the hall. When he reached the door with the bell he stopped again and set the rubies down. Once his hands were free he used one to hold the bell and the other to open the door. Then he shuttled the rubies to the other side, set them down and held the bell quiet as he closed the door behind him. He gathered the gems again and made his way down the long, spiraling staircase.
He tried to skip over two steps at a time for speed, but he nearly lost his balance and had to throw his right shoulder into the wall to steady himself. From that point on, he moved carefully, touching upon each and every stair. “Better slow than tumbling down ten thousand stairs,” he muttered to himself. Round and around he circled, stopping occasionally to stare at a fixed point on the wall to keep from getting dizzy by looking down as he went. It seemed like the trip down was harder than the way up, but eventually he made it to the bottom.
Shuffling the rubies he pulled the key out from his pocket and opened the door. He used his foot to drag the portal open and just barely managed to wrap a forefinger around the handle to pull it closed after him. He locked the portal and then made for Algearon’s room.
When he pushed the door open, he saw the bald-headed dwarf sitting upon a bed.
“Took you long enough,” the bald dwarf said.
“Wasn’t easy,” Forlean replied through labored breaths.
“Here,” said the bald dwarf as he rose to reveal a large backpack. “There are blankets inside we can wrap the rubies in.”
Forlean moved in and carefully set the gems on the bed. They wrapped the largest first, and then set it in the backpack. Then they wrapped the other two. When they were done, they left Algearon’s room and made their way up to the nursery entrance. The other dwarves pulled out with a push cart of bones just as they arrived. Relief washed over their faces when they saw Forlean.
“Give me the key,” the bald dwarf said. Forlean handed it over and the bald dwarf went into the nursery.
“I thought we were going to drop it in the hall?” Forlean asked.
“The nursery master is still inside. He will either place it back where he got it, or he will hide it somewhere in the nursery. Either way, it will be better.”
Forlean nodded.
“Get inside,” another dwarf said. They cleared the bones aside and helped him in with his backpack. Soon they were on their way back to the prepping chamber. Forlean still was breathing heavily. It took a while for him to realize that his body had long ago recovered from the climb and descent, but his heart was still pounding from the ordeal. He guessed it would be some time before his nerves had settled again.
He held the backpack with the rubies close to him and closed his eyes while he waited for the cart to reach Dalean again. As before, he heard the voices of dragons and dwarves. A large dragon walked by and the cart stopped as the ground quaked and the dragon passed them. After the steps grew faint, the cart moved again.
When the cart stopped next, the dwarves pushed the bones aside and pulled the backpack, and then Forlean, out of the push cart.
“Best of luck to you,” the bald dwarf said.
Forlean nodded and grabbed the pack. “I best be on my way.” The group moved to push the cart into the prepping chamber and left Forlean standing alone in the hall. The hunter thought perhaps to warn them about the dead drone, but they were already out of earshot. So he moved, figuring it was better to escape the mountain before the body was discovered.
He was surprised to see the sun was well beyond mid-day when he exited the mountain. The dwarf guards at the gate noticed him, but they didn’t say anything or move to question him. It was not all that unusual for a dwarf to come or go from the lower entrance. Forlean made a mental note not to return anytime soon.
He made it back to his brother just after sunset, finding Hermean exactly where he had left him.
“Are you alright?” Hermean asked.
Forlean nodded. He removed the backpack and held it out to Hermean. “Take this to him. One of the smaller rubies gets placed into the wound for three days. That will draw the magic out. Then, make him eat the larger ruby. That will ignite the fires within him once again.”
“That’s it?” Hermean asked.
Forlean scoffed. “You wouldn’t ask that if you knew what I had to do to get them.”
Hermean shot Forlean a puzzled look. “Come with me,” he said. “Unless you have found yourself a little dwarf to make your wife since I have been gone.” Hermean winked.
“No. No wife for me. I haven’t gone into the mountain often enough and the female hunters are, well, a bit butch for my liking.”
“Aren’t all dwarf women a bit butch?” Hermean teased. “So, will you come with me then?”
Forlean shook his head. “I stay. You may have found a new life, but I belong here, with the mountain.”
Hermean looked up and noticed the blood streaked across the tip of Forlean’s spear. “Ran into trouble?”
“A drone,” Forlean replied.
“Still think you should stay here then?” Hermean pressed.
Forlean nodded. “I belong
in the forests here. The south holds nothing for me.”
Hermean nodded. “If you change your mind, just follow the aurora to the south during the night. Eventually it will lead you to us.” Then he clicked with his tongue and his drake came around a clump of trees and bent down for him. Hermean reached out and took his brother in a final embrace. “Be well, my brother.”
“You also,” Forlean said.
Hermean climbed into his saddle and nudged his drake. “Let’s get on up.”
Chapter 26
Gorliad woke from sleep with the first rays of the sun. His eyes opened slowly, parting the weary lids with great effort. The burgundy dragon took in a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill his lungs. The frigid ice in his chest and stomach had moved to fill his entire body now. As he breathed out, small crystals of ice came out of his snout.
A passing pair of dwarves stopped and looked at him for a moment.
“See, I told you something is wrong,” one said to the other.
“Following a lame dragon to the wilds was a stupid idea,” the other replied.
Gorliad dropped his head as if he hadn’t heard them. It didn’t lessen the hurt, but at least he didn’t have to look at them. He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the memories of rejection from the mountain, and those he had thought loved him. Soon the fatigue overtook him again and he fell into sleep. He didn’t notice the dwarves bustling around him. He didn’t hear them working to gather the final remnants of extra wood for fires. He certainly didn’t see them gathering around him later in the day either.
It wasn’t until something poked him in the side that he opened his eyes and again regained some semblance of consciousness. He blinked twice and saw a group of dwarves all around him.
“He’s dead,” someone said.
“No, his eyes are open,” another said.
Gorliad snorted and moved to stand. The sudden movement shocked the crowd and they all took a collective step back. The dragon snorted again and looked through bleary eyes at the gathered dwarves.