“I must say,” said Sir Eldrick cheerfully. “My lance has done some amazing things in its day, but it has never reversed a curse before. Hah!”
“Oh, stop,” said Chastity with a playful slap to his shoulder. “I’ve got to make the tincture.”
“This is simply amazing,” said Murland, watching her dreamily.
“Figures,” said Brannon, eyeing his spoonful of food suspiciously. “Sir Eldrick always falls in shit and comes out smelling like roses.”
Sir Eldrick grinned and sat back, lacing his fingers behind his head and seeming quite happy with himself.
They ate their food as Princess Chastity went about creating the tincture that would cure Gibrig. It took her nearly two hours and many ingredients, but finally, she emerged from behind the bubbling cauldron with a bright green and glowing potion.
“Help me to administer it please,” she told them. “One of you hold is head back, another put that funnel down his throat, and someone else pinch his nose.
They did as they were told, and the princess poured the concoction down Gibrig’s throat.
Everyone stepped back and waited expectantly.
“Don’t hold your breath,” said Chastity. “The potion could take an hour or a week, or not work at all. It is all up to Gibrig now.”
“What do you mean?” said Brannon, suddenly distraught. “You said—”
“I said that I can help him, and I have tried. Please, have faith, and give it time. If you want to help, you should spend your energy convincing him to come back from the dream world. Open your heart to him, and let him know that he has friends on the other side. This is crucial,” she said with sudden seriousness. “For his ancestors will try to lure him to the other side. Even now they beckon…”
***
“Where am I?” Gibrig asked when he awoke in the bright field.
“Why, paradise, o’ course,” came a voice that he thought he recognized as his grandfather’s, though it sounded much younger than he remembered the dwarf to have been.
“Gran’pap Forgor?” said Gibrig, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. A young dwarf of no more than thirty years stood before him, smiling brightly, thumbs hooked beneath brown suspenders. He had a short beard, well kempt, with only a single braid.
“Aye, Gibrig, it be me. It be good to see ye, even if ye be so young upon arrivin’. What happened, lad?”
Gibrig thought back, perplexed and foggy headed. “I…I don’t remember. No, wait. I got meself bitten by a snake in the Swamp o’ Doom. Yes, that be what happened.”
“Did ye at least give it a what-for?”
Gibrig tried to remember, rubbing his forearm where the fang had sunk deep. “I did,” he said solemnly, remembering the violence. “I…I killed it.”
“Well then, that ain’t such a bad way to go. Perfectly honorable, I say.”
“Gran’pap, where we be?”
“Like I said, this be paradise.” He turned and pointed at the impossibly huge mountain looming overhead, its peak lost in the stars. “Ye be at the door to the Mountain in the Clouds.”
Gibrig stared in amazement at the mountain and the city nestled in its rolling hill. The golden field spread out as far as the eye could see, and other dwarves were being greeted in a similar manner by their ancestors. Gibrig turned around and found that nothing lay behind him but blue sky.
“What’s that?” he asked his grandfather, and he walked to the edge of the field, where it suddenly dropped off. He gasped when he saw the world below. In his shock, he stumbled and began to pitch forward.
Forgor’s strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and righted him before pulling him back from the edge.
“Ye don’t want to be goin’ back down there yet, not with yer body in the state it be in. Ye’re likely to become trapped in the In-Between.”
“What about me body?” Gibrig asked, looking down at his hands.
“It be in a kind o’ limbo.”
“From the snake bite,” Gibrig said to himself, rubbing the forearm where he had been bit, but which showed no signs of injury.
“Yer friends be tryin’ to save ye, but it be up to ye now.”
“What be up to me? I don’t understand.”
Forgor nodded and turned slowly with Gibrig to show him once again the mountain. “Ye can let yer body go, let it give up the struggle o’ the flesh. Ye can spend eternity here with yer kin, or ye can go back to the world and continue down yer path.”
Gibrig stared at the mountain, and its majesty brought tears to his eyes. He was overcome with joy and wonder. He knew that here there was no violence, no killing, and no being mean to each other for no good reason. Here there was no suffering, no tears.
He looked back at the ledge, and the clear blue sky beyond. The world passed slowly below, and he was amazed to be able to make out the Wide Wall. He saw the Iron Mountains, the Magestrian coast, and even Willow’s Fire Swamp. He looked west beyond the Wide Wall at the Swamp of Doom, amazed at how far they had all come together. Down there, the world was full of pain and suffering, strife and meanness.
Suddenly, Gibrig thought of his brother, and panic and hope rose in his mind. “Gran’pap,” he said anxiously. “Me brother Gill…he be here?”
A shadow of sorrow crossed his grandfather’s face. “Sorry, me lad, but he done himself in, and that be a sin in the eyes o’ the God King.”
“But…he was pushed to it by the others.”
“There ain’t no excuses to be made for him, lad. Sorry.”
“Sorry? But if he ain’t here, where he be?”
“In the In-Between, I suppose.”
Gibrig’s eyes teared to think of his brother trapped in limbo like that, and he wanted to curse the God King, curse his grandfather and all the rest of them, but then a voice came on the wind. It was a voice that he knew well.
“Heya Gib.”
“Willow?”
“I don’t know if you can hear me, but the princess says that she thinks you can.” She gave a sigh, and Gibrig looked to his grandfather.
“Why can’t she hear me?”
“She be speakin’ to yer body, down there,” he said, pointing.
“Gib,” Willow went on, her voice sounding as though she were speaking through a long metal pipe. “You’ve got to fight it. I know that you are probably in a better place than this muddy shithole, as Brannon says, but we need you down here. I need you. Murland is always stuck in his spell book, and Sir Eldrick isn’t much for conversation. And Brannon…well, you know how that is. Great Turtle’s sake, I feel foolish. Just come back to us, alright Gib?”
Gibrig wiped a tear and glanced over at the Eternal Mountain.
“Gib?” Brannon’s voice replaced Willow’s, riding on the wind and swirling around him as well. “Go on, this is supposed to be private,” Brannon said to someone else. “Listen, Gib, I’m sorry for all the mean things that I’ve said to you.” His voice cracked, but then came back stronger, more guarded. “You are a Champion of the Dragon. You cannot abandon us here in the swamp if you have a way back. The princess gave you the antidote, so get your ass back here. We’ve a quest to finish.”
After a long silence, Murland spoke to Gibrig, and he thought that he felt warmth on his forehead, as though a hand were dabbing it with a hot cloth. “Hey Gib, I hope Brannon didn’t give you a scare. He’s just worried, believe it or not. We all are. We haven’t known each other long, you and I, but, well, you have become one of the best friends I have ever had. I’ve never met anyone more kind…I don’t know, maybe you’re too good for this world. But I think the world needs you, we need you...”
Gibrig sniffled and wiped his nose on his immaculate white sleeve.
“How you doing, lad?” came Sir Eldrick’s gruff voice. He sounded nervous to Gibrig. “I’ve spoken to more warriors who were on the brink of death than I like to think about, and few of them ever came back. Who can blame ‘em?” he said with a weak laugh. “This place will rip out your heart and eat it whole. The
world is a hard place, but there is good in it. Gods know you see it. You point it out all the time, and in doing so, you make others see it as well. I know that you have always thought that you didn’t belong in this group, that you are no champion, but, by the gods, I say that you are. Look at all the amazing things that you have done already. Don’t give up now, Gib, we’ve come so far. And besides, I had to sleep with a hag for you. A hag! Granted, she turned into a beautiful princess, but that wasn’t until after I…well, let’s just say that you owe me big time, pal.”
When no one else spoke, Gibrig’s grandfather turned to him. “Ye got good friends, it seems.”
Gibrig laughed and cried, trying to pull himself together in front of his grandfather. “Yeah, I guess I do. I never knew they felt that way.”
“It sounds like whatever ye be caught up in, ye be an important part o’ it.”
“I guess.”
“What’ll it be, lad? The choice be yers and yers alone.”
Gibrig looked up at the mountain again. “If I leave…can I, can I ever come back?”
“O’ course ye can. Everyone dies sooner or later. Just don’t do nothin’…ye know, against the gods, else ye be windin’ up down in the Black Pit, digging to the end o’ time in the darkness.”
Gibrig nodded, his mind made up.
“I need to go back.”
His grandfather smiled. “I thought ye might be sayin’ that. Go on then, and know ye got me blessin’, and that o’ all yer ancestors.”
“But…” said Gibrig, glancing around. “How do I return to me body?”
“Ye got to jump off the edge.”
Gibrig looked at the drop-off and shook his head. “Are ye sure?”
“Aye, it ain’t gonna kill ye, yer body be down there, not up here.”
“Alright…if ye say so,” said Gibrig, walking slowly to the edge and looking back. “Thanks, Gran’pap. I’ve missed ye.”
Forgor smiled. “I’ve missed ye too, lad. And I look forward to seein’ ye again.”
“When I return, it’ll be with me brother, ye just wait and see,” said Gibrig. And with that he turned back to the open expanse, closed his eyes, and jumped.
***
“Great Turtle’s sake, what’s taking so long!” Willow erupted.
“These things take time,” said Princess Chastity, cradling Gibrig’s head in her hand and dabbing his face with a wet cloth.
“It has been nearly twelve hours since you gave him the antidote,” said Murland. “Maybe it didn’t work, do you think you should make another?”
“It was the right potion,” said Chastity. “As I said, it is up to him. But you all need to consider that perhaps he doesn’t want to—”
Gibrig suddenly coughed and weakly sucked in a raspy breath. His eyes opened slowly, languidly, and he glanced around at everyone gathered near.
“Gib!” Willow screeched and clapped.
“Who died?” he said, and when everyone glanced at each other, perplexed, he fell into a fit of sickly laughter.
“Why you little son of a…” said Brannon indignantly. “Now you make jokes? We were worried sick!” He was fanning himself and gripping the bedpost dramatically, and all eyes fell upon him.
“I knew ye liked me,” said Gibrig with a wide grin.
Brannon scoffed and looked to Sir Eldrick. “Yeah, well, I liked you better when you were in a coma.”
“It’s good to have you back, Gib,” said Murland, clasping his hand. “We thought you were a goner.”
“Gibrig is tougher than he looks,” said Sir Eldrick, rustling his hair. “How soon will he be able to travel?” he asked Chastity.
“Few days. I have many elixirs and potions that will help him to regain his strength.”
Sir Eldrick was quite pleased with the news, and he winked at Gibrig.
“It was the most amazin’ thing,” said Gibrig, unable to contain his wide grin. “I went to the Eternal Mountain, and I saw me gran’pap Forgor.”
“Wow,” said Willow, enthralled.
“You saw the afterworld?” said Murland.
“Yeah, well, the dwarven afterworld, I suppose. The Mountain in the Clouds rose all the way up into the stars. There was a great city at its base, golden and shining. Other dwarves were being greeted by their ancestors as well.”
“Are you sure that it wasn’t a dream?” Brannon asked, looking skeptical.
“O’ course it weren’t no dream. I even looked over the edge and saw the world stretched out beneath me.”
“Was it flat?” Sir Eldrick asked, eyeing Murland.
“Well, I ain’t for certain. It was so big.” Gibrig remembered what his grandfather had said about Gill. The others noticed the change, and Willow put a big hand on his and squeezed gently.
“What is it?” she asked kindly.
“Me gran’pap Forgor, he…he said that me brother Gill be caught in limbo in the In-Between. Said that he can’t be allowed into the Mountain in the Clouds on account o’ what he done to himself.”
“Awe, Gib, I’m sorry,” said Murland.
Gibrig sniffled and held his chin high. “Ain’t no matter. ‘Cause someday I be goin’ to the In-Between to get him out o’ there.”
Chapter 20
The Wand that was Broken
Murland awoke with a kink in his back, which was due to the awkward position he had slept in as he tried to keep his fingers stuffed in his ears. Sir Eldrick and the princess had been making a terrible racket at night, and Murland hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in three days. He spent the waking hours working on his wand, which was nearly ready. Just a few more small tweaks and he could finally attempt to mend the revered wand of Allan Kazam.
Gibrig was steadily getting better, thanks to Princess Chastity’s diligence and the quality of her potions. The princess had spent the last two hundred years living in the swamp, learning about its wildlife, its flora and fauna. The witch who had brought her to the swamp had left a small potions book before leaving, saying, “Now you will see how the other half lives, and perhaps you will come out of it a decent person.” The princess admitted to having been, what she called, “a miserable cunnus,” and she seemed to have forgiven the witch who had stolen her away from Magestra.
“Good morning, Murland,” said the princess as she emerged from behind the curtain separating the living area from the bedroom.
“Morning.”
“How is brave Gibrig?” she said, checking the dwarf’s forehead with the back of her hand.
Gibrig smiled up at her sleepily. “Much better, thank you.”
“You are very welcome.” She kissed his forehead, adding healthy pink color to his cheeks. “Who’s hungry?”
Willow shot up like a springboard, her blanket covering her head. “Someone say food?” she asked.
The princess giggled musically and began humming a happy tune as she set to the familiar task in the kitchen. She moved about fluidly, setting cast iron to stove and slopping on a spoonful of grease. She twirled over to a short set of stairs and disappeared into the cold room before spinning back up them with an armful of food. The smell of fried meat and baking pussywillow bread soon roused Brannon, and Sir Eldrick emerged from the bedroom with a blanket wrapped around his hips.
The knight had lost a lot of weight in the weeks on the road, and without the layer of fat beneath his skin, he had the body of an ancient hero. Murland envied Sir Eldrick his physique; he had always been what High Wizard Waverly called, “a string bean.”
Sir Eldrick offered his friends a smile and moved up behind the princess as she was singing in the kitchen. She giggled, and Brannon offered them both a withering glance.
“Are you feeling fit for the road yet, or what?” Brannon asked Gibrig.
“I guess so,” said the dwarf reluctantly.
“He should be right as rain by tomorrow morning,” said the princess over her shoulder.
“Chastity has graciously offered to lead us through the swamp to the Horri
ble Hills,” said Sir Eldrick, kissing her neck.
“Lady Princess,” said Gibrig. “Will ye be traveling with us all the way to Bad Mountain?”
“No, I think that it is high time that I return to Magestra.”
“All by yourself? Aren’t ye afraid?”
“The creatures of the swamp are my friends, and I do not fear the Forest of the Dead. After I get to the Wide Wall, I shall be ferried home by the knights of Magestra.”
“No one is going to believe your claim,” said Brannon.
“My claim?”
“That you are the long-lost Princess Chastity.”
“She does resemble Princess Caressa,” said Murland. “And now that I think of it, I remember seeing a painting of her in the castle.”
“Does it still hang in the great room, above the onyx fireplace?” said Chastity, forgetting her work as she waited for the answer.
“Why, yes, yes it does,” said Murland. “I have been friends with the princess since I was very young. We were playmates, due to our fathers working together so often. My father was on the king’s council for ten years.”
“Tell me more about my descendants,” said Chastity.
Over breakfast, Murland told her everything he knew of the history of the Roddington family from the last two hundred years. The mood became solemn when he told her of the fate of her father, who had scoured the world for her, and who had disappeared in the Forest of the Dead five years after the princess disappeared. Chastity was consoled to know that the witch who had turned her into a hag had been suspected of foul play in her disappearance, and had been burned at the stake.
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