The Black Dragon

by W. D. Newman

CHAPTER 16

  HARRY AND BOBO

  "Turn around and stick your hands up in the air, where we can see them," one of the Holediggers snarled, "or so help us, you will die where you stand."

  "Harry," said Mueller, "is that you?" Mueller walked past Ben to have a closer look at the Holediggers.

  The gnome that Mueller had called Harry lowered his spear and raised his torch. "Mueller? Mueller Mudcrawler? I thought you were dead!"

  "No, I am very much alive, but I am no longer a Mudcrawler. Who is with you?"

  "It's me; Bobo. Have you been restored?"

  "No one has ever been restored under Ringwald's reign, Harry. And no one has ever been advanced, either. You know that!"

  "If you are not a Mudcrawler, and you are not a Holedigger, then what are you? Do not tell me you are now a Stonebreaker."

  "I am an Alderman. My name is Mueller Alderman."

  "Alderman," Harry replied in a sarcastic tone. "There are no Alderman gnomes. Where did you get this name?"

  "My friend," Mueller answered, pointing to Ben. "My friend, Ben Alderman, gave me his name."

  "Is this true," Harry asked Ben.

  "Yes," Ben answered. "Mueller is no longer a Mudcrawler. He is my friend and I have given him my name. We are starting a new group of gnomes; one that will be greater than the Stonebreakers. Would you and Bobo be interested in joining us? We would be much honored to have two such brave and fearless gnomes on our side."

  "Why should we join you? You are our prisoners."

  "We are not your prisoners yet," Gob growled.

  "Gob," Ben whispered, "I have a plan, so be quiet and let me handle this."

  The dwarf nodded, but grumbled something under his breath and stared angrily past Ben at the two gnomes. Ben turned his attention back to the Holediggers.

  "You should join us, because I will give you my name too and you will become Alderman gnomes, like Mueller."

  "Ha! What is so great about Alderman gnomes," ask Bobo. "It appears that Mueller is the only one."

  "Like Ben has said," Mueller answered, with his chin pointed defiantly in the air, "the Alderman gnomes will be greater than the Stonebreakers,"

  "Always the dreamer," said Harry, shaking his head. "But this is amusing. Let's pretend that you are able to get other gnomes to accept this name. What makes you think the Aldermans are going to be greater than the Stonebreakers?"

  "The Aldermans are going to be free gnomes," Ben answered.

  "Free?"

  "Yes, free. Free to come and go as they please, free to do whatever they want to do, to be whatever they want to be."

  "Ringwald, our king, will never allow it."

  "Your king will not have a choice if your people rise up against him. In the land where I come from, the people grew tired of their king and wanted to be free. They wanted it bad enough to fight for it and they love it well enough to die for it."

  "And the people in your land are now free?"

  "They are free and everyone is equal. That is how the Aldermans will be."

  "If your king is gone, then you have no leader?"

  "No, we have a leader. Our leader is called a president," Ben answered.

  "Aha," said Bobo. "So you are not free!"

  "We have laws that we have to obey, but as long as we live within the boundaries of those laws, we are free." Ben could tell that he had touched upon a point of contention and pressed onward. "Our president is chosen by the people and he only gets to be the president for four years. If he is a good leader, and if the people like him, they can choose him to be their president for another four years, but after that he has to quit and the people have to choose someone else."

  "Your people can choose anyone they want to be their leader?" asked Harry, incredulously.

  "There are some basic qualifications for being a president and there are guidelines in choosing one, but yes, our people can choose their own leaders and make their own laws. It's called democracy."

  "Join us, guys," Mueller pleaded. "You both know that Ringwald is insane. You both know that Holediggers are just as much slaves to the Stonebreakers as Mudcrawlers. It's time for a change."

  The two Holediggers looked at each other. Ben could tell they were wavering, so he gave them something else to consider. "You probably assumed the storm forced us to seek shelter in your cave, but that's not why we are here. There is an elf and a dwarf who are lost in Kahzidar and they may be carrying the staff of Merlin. They are our friends and we came here to rescue them. We also very desperately need to get our hands on Merlin's staff."

  "Why is it you need the staff?" asked Harry.

  "And what are your plans with it?" Bobo added.

  "You have obviously heard of Merlin, but have you also heard of Zoltan; the black dragon from Crag?"

  "We know of Zoltan and we have heard the stories of Merlin and his battle with the dragon. What has this to do with the staff?"

  "Zoltan has been wakened and seeks the staff. In three days he will return to the Twilight and, if we do not have the staff for him, he will destroy the Twilight and all those within it."

  "That is grim news indeed," said Harry. "What does the dragon want with the staff, I wonder?"

  "Zoltan was afraid of Merlin. When he sneaked into Camelot, from Crag, he could sense the power in the wizard and fled into the northlands where he could grow and mature into adulthood. When he was confident in his strength, he returned to the Twilight and challenged the wizard. Merlin cast a sleep spell on the dragon and used the spell catcher on the end of his staff to maintain the spell."

  "But Merlin is many years gone from Camelot."

  "Yes, but Zoltan is afraid that someone else might learn how to use the spell catcher on Merlin's staff. And he may be right; we might actually need the staff to defeat him. One thing's for sure; if Ringwald gets that staff, Zoltan will destroy everything above ground and there will never be another opportunity to change things down here in Kahzidar."

  "Could Ringwald unlock the power of the staff?" asked Harry.

  "I don't know," Ben answered. "Seems like you would need to be a wizard, but I really just don't know. I suppose it's possible."

  After a moment of silence, Harry spoke. "Let us talk privately."

  Ben nodded. The two Holediggers retreated back into the tunnel and talked in hushed voices. They quickly reached an agreement and returned.

  "We will accept your offer," said Harry. "Ringwald is insane and must be removed. "There are many others who will agree," Bobo added, "and it will take very little persuading to convince them to join us."

  "We know of your friends, too," said Harry. "It is the talk of Kahzidar. Ringwald has them imprisoned in his home in the upper city. He has Merlin's staff as well. He believes that if he can unlock the secret of Merlin's staff, that he will gain Merlin's powers. He is truly insane."

  Once the alliance was formed, Mueller formally introduced everyone and Harry and Bobo offered their humble apologies to Casey. Curious, Ben asked them how they came about the names of Harry and Bobo. Harry explained that gnomes are allowed to choose their calling name and often chose the calling names of sunlighters, the people who lived above ground.

  Gob had politely remained quiet throughout the introductions, but after hearing of Hob's imprisonment, he could hold his tongue no longer. "Enough of these pleasantries, we haven't any more time to spare! Will you help us rescue our friends and retrieve the staff?"

  "Yes, that we will," Harry answered. "We will go to the slave mines and speak to the Holediggers that oversee the Mudcrawlers. There is already an underground movement among the Holediggers to remove Ringwald. This movement has been spreading quietly, but is like a great field of dry sticks and straw; harmless and useless. However, Ben Alderman is a flame that will set this field on fire. Ben's talk of freedom will fan the flames of this revolution, and the Mudcrawlers and Holediggers will unite together and rise up against the Stonebreakers
."

  "That's all well and good," said Gob, "but how will that get our friends back?"

  "Your friends are safe in their prison cell. They are also at the top of the city. Any fighting will take place in the lower levels. When we take the city, we will make certain your friends are returned to you unharmed."

  Ben turned to Gob. "You have to take Casey back. If there's going to be any fighting, I don't want her around. Besides, if anyone tries to flee through the Crystal Cave, Nob will need your help."

  Gob nodded. Casey threw her arms around her brother's neck and squeezed. "Please be careful, Ben." She turned to the three gnomes. "Don't you dare let anything happen to him."

  "We will keep him safe," Mueller promised. He has to bestow his name on thousands of gnomes tonight and he has much to teach us about this thing called democracy."

  Gob gave Ben a quick embrace and grudgingly thanked Mueller as the gnome handed him a rock buster to light his way. Gob spat on the rock and rubbed it until it began to emit a soft green light. "Which way is the city?"

  Mueller pointed to the tunnel behind him that forked to the right. "Straight down this corridor, take the first right, then take the second left."

  "We will wait for you at the cave entrance," said Gob. "If you are not back by the time Jonah returns, we will come looking for you."

  Ben watched Gob and Casey disappear into the darkness. Eventually, all he could see was the bobbing green light that Gob was carrying. He watched the light until it winked out as they rounded the corner and then he turned to the three gnomes. "Okay, what's your plan?"

  "We need to get down to the slave mines," answered Harry, "and the only way to get there is by the elevators in the main shaft."

  "Let's get moving then!"

  "I'm afraid it's not that simple. These elevators are located in the lower city and they are always guarded. We will have to pretend that you are our prisoner and that we are taking you there. You must act frightened. Keep your head down, do not look at anyone, and do not speak to anyone. Can you do that?"

  Ben nodded.

  "That will get us into the slave mines," said Bobo, "but how will we sneak Ben to the driver's quarters? They process the slaves as soon as they step off the elevator."

  "Hmmmm, that will be a problem," said Harry.

  "Even if we manage to sneak him to the driver's quarters undetected, how do we get back out? There are thousands of Mudcrawlers and Holediggers down there. The guards that operate the elevators are Stonebreakers. They will not raise the elevators for us and even if they would, it would take forever to move that many gnomes. Ringwald only has to defend the elevators to keep the city."

  "I know another way in and out of the slave mines," said Mueller, "and I can lead us from the mines, all the way to the upper levels of the city, undetected."

  "That's impossible," said Bobo. "The elevators are the ONLY way out of the slave mines."

  "How do you think I got here, Bobo? Think about it!"

  "Oh! That never occurred to me. Okay, I see your point. Can you get us to the driver's quarters?"

  The Holediggers that worked in the slave mines were called drivers. Each driver had one hundred Mudcrawlers in his pod and was responsible for keeping his pod healthy, so they could meet their daily quota of precious gems and metals. Everything taken from the mines was loaded onto the elevators and hauled up to the city. Once in the city, Ringwald's elite personal guard would take the cargo from the drivers and deliver it to Kahzidar's treasury.

  "I can get us there," Mueller replied confidently. "But, first, we have some very important business to take care of."

  "What?" asked Harry.

  "You'll see," Mueller smiled. "Ben, are you ready?"

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