by CA Morgan
“I want the woman who travels with you. The one you have somehow hidden from me. I saw her swimming in the pond not far from your camp. I sent the mists to capture her. In your own feeble attempt to escape, you have somehow managed to hide her from me. I intend to have her.
“She was promised to me three centuries gone. She was promised as the one who would restore my kingdom and I will have her,” Morengoth said forcefully. Raga didn’t miss the twinge of desperation in his voice.
Eris suddenly made a noise and reached out to grab Raga's leg.
“Don’t you dare…Raga,” Eris wheezed. A violent cough shook him. Spots of blood splattered his face and he groaned in agony. Tears rolled from his eyes. “Do you…hear me? Ancient…history…has nothing…to do…with me.”
His grip relaxed as he coughed again. His eyes rolled partially back as he fought for consciousness. He wanted to give in to pain, for to it take him into oblivion, but he didn't trust Raga. He wasn't going to become part of the bargain again.
“Easy, Eris,” Raga said. His hand continued to rub across Eris' face. The increased heat coming from it had a mildly soothing effect. “Neither of us is going to do anything. Stay calm, stop struggling.”
Morengoth tilted his shrouded head. Raga knew Eris’ reaction confused him, and that he held him in contempt. For what reason, he wasn’t sure. For a man to attempt escape was not unreasonable, especially when Morengoth would have seen the plethora of Eris’ weapons and understood them.
“Morengoth, to avoid any further confusion, I believe you need to know just who we are,” Raga said with a bit of insistence. “This animosity between us isn’t necessary, and I would hope that your royal grace would at least allow me to explain. We may be able to help you in some way. Besides, you have also taken something of great value to us, and it is only reasonable that we negotiate its return.”
Morengoth pondered Raga's words for a moment and then said, “Very well. I will take you to the upper chambers where we may speak with more comfort. It has been some time since I have had a visitor.”
“I believe you mean 'visitors',” Raga corrected as Morengoth released him from the manacles.
“No, I spoke plain enough. This one means nothing to me. The nature of man is slow to change. He is no better than those who attacked my fortress and killed my people. He is a man of violence, and I have no need of his kind,” Morengoth said.
“Then I’ll have to remain here with him. For the time being we are bound to each other by mutual necessity. Violent, or not, he has value to me. Of course that could all end, and perhaps badly even for me, should he die in this place,” Raga said, getting to his feet. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I would also put it to you that he is a clever fellow, and not without merit. His youth is not necessarily wasted on him and he can be quite useful.”
Raga didn’t miss Morengoth's appraisal of his girth.
“As I said before, a way to get back what is ours,” Raga said.
“I admit, you have some valid points,” Morengoth said.
“I would ask, as a show of faith on your part, that you free my companion as well. I can well vouch for his violent nature, but he is a man of honor. I will take responsibility for him, though he is in no condition to cause you trouble. At least let him rest and heal in comfort. For surely he will die if he remains here,” Raga said. He nudged the broken chain with his foot. He knew Eris was strong and would probably recover given time, yet the pallor of his face concerned him.
“Very well. For whatever reason, you obviously esteem this creature. I will take him to the spring to be healed. There, we will drink and you will tell me your tale,” Morengoth agreed and unlocked the manacles.
As easily as before, Morengoth picked up Eris' now unconscious form and carried him deeper into the caverns of the great mountain. Raga lumbered behind still unable to follow the silver path in Eris' mind. The blackness there was even darker than the passageways through which he was taken.
As Morengoth stepped into a warm, steamy cavern, low-burning torches ringing the room suddenly flared into brightness. It was a trick that always delighted Raga, and momentarily lifted the gloominess of his thoughts. It also made him long for the restoration of his power. He couldn't waste it on such frivolities these days. He wondered about this healing spring. Whether it would work or not?
He was even less sure how to heal the injuries Eris had now versus the deathtrap in Charra-Tir's curse. He knew there was serious damage to the inside of him now that he had coughed spots of blood. Healing magic injuries was one thing, but this was quite another.
The cavern contained many pools of various size; each filled by its own warm spring bubbling up in its center. The air smelled vaguely of sulfur, and dissolved mineral salts stained some of the pools with vibrant colors.
Morengoth halted beside a clear pool that had been constructed by hands rather than by nature. Near the water was a long, rock slab onto which he placed Eris’ still form.
“This is the healing pool,” Morengoth explained. “Since the first of my people came here, we brought all of our sick and injured to be healed. The others are merely for bathing and relaxation, but this one has always been different. To honor its power, my ancestors built this beautiful pool with its stairs and sitting ledges to help the sick heal without fear of drowning.”
“Your people were different from Eris. Can it heal him?” Raga asked as he pulled off Eris’ boots.
“I don't know, but it is my wish that it will as you find some favor in this man,” Morengoth answered. “I will get food and wine and bring it here. You may attend to him.”
Raga nodded and watched Morengoth, still shrouded in his cloak, leave the cavern. He wondered what he looked like under those dark folds of fabric. After all, no one had seen a dragon man for three hundred years—if that's truly who he was.
Raga frowned and realized he couldn’t handle Eris with Morengoth’s ease. In fact, he could barely handle his dead weight at all and was glad he was unconscious. He was surely causing great pain and likely more damage in his efforts to get him to the pool’s edge. Once he had him there, Raga wasn't quite sure what to do.
Raga was afraid of water. The fact that Eris had dropped him into the sea was still disturbing to him. It was the antithesis of his being. He could no more like water than could the street torches welcome dousing rains.
After thinking a moment, he pushed Eris feet first into the water and hoped he would float. He did. But just to make sure he didn't accidentally drown, Raga locked his fingers behind Eris’ neck and held his face well above the surface of the water.
“Eris, if you survive this, you owe me,” Raga muttered. As he watched Eris’ bobbing form, Raga hoped he wouldn't become too disoriented and fall headfirst into the warm water. Already he had to close his eyes to ward against waves of dizziness.
A short while later, he heard Morengoth return.
“You may enter if you like,” Morengoth said as he approached from behind.
“I'm fine right here,” Raga said.
“The water is not only for the physically sick. It also eases a mind burdened by troubles. I fall into the latter category. I visit the spring every few days,” the Dragon King explained. He placed a large silver platter on the floor next to Raga. “Wine?”
“Yes, thank you,” Raga said. He glanced over to see Morengoth kneeling beside him and was somewhat taken aback by the appearance of the dragon man. He realized then that he had never encountered this race. Or if he had, it was so many millennia ago that he didn't remember.
Morengoth was indeed as tall as his cloak had made him appear, which made him a head or two taller yet than either Eris or himself. Like Eris, Morengoth was possessed of a darkly handsome face, but his features were sharper with an almost cruel look. At first glance, he seemed mannish, but a closer look revealed differences. Brilliant green, fin-like combs grew fan-like from the sides of his neck just behind his ears. His eyes were intensely green and slit in th
e way of reptiles. His hair tended toward coarseness and was long and black, but for a lock of blue-green that grew back from the center of his forehead.
He was bare-chested and Raga assumed he would take to the water as well. Except for the hair on his head, Morengoth seemed void of body hair in reptilian fashion. Instead, his massively muscled chest and upper arms were covered with delicate, shimmering green scales. The backs of his hands, which had an odd, claw-like appearance, were covered with velvety scales, as were the tops of his feet. The rest was hidden beneath a pair of tight, black breeches that strained to cover his powerful legs.
“Drink,” Morengoth said and handed Raga a silver cup. He slid into the water and seated himself on a ledge near where Eris floated still unmoving.
Seeing the uncovered form of Morengoth, Raga had little doubt that he was the last Dragon King, but the enigma of his professed longevity was a mystery.
The wine was excellent and Raga drank deeply from his cup, which Morengoth, being a good host, refilled immediately.
“Now that you are a little more comfortable, you will tell me of the woman who travels with you. And, where you have hidden her,” Morengoth said. Urgency crept back into his voice.
“The explanation is not as simple as a hiding place,” Raga said. After a pause, he continued. “My lord, Morengoth, you must believe what I say. We have no woman in our company. It’s—”
“Do not presume to take advantage of my benevolence,” Morengoth warned.
“I would never do so intentionally. Just permit me to explain. You see, the woman you saw this morning is really Eris. The man you have nearly killed,” Raga said.
Morengoth jerked the cup away from his lips and glared at Raga. His eyes narrowed in disbelief. Palpable anger flowed from him, which was something Raga was now all too familiar with.
“Please,” Raga said quickly, “be patient and let me explain.”
“I am not a patient man, nor do I intend to be made a fool. You will speak plainly and spare me the details,” Morengoth said.
Raga sighed. Morengoth was Eris all over again and wondered why he was suddenly fated to come against these men. Fortunately, Morengoth listened without interruption as he told him a guarded tale of their plight ending with finding themselves in Morengoth’s dungeon.
Eris began to stir as Raga recounted their ordeal in Reshan. He vaguely heard bits and pieces as he drifted in and out of the darkness that hovered in his mind and he struggled to breathe with the band of pain around his chest.
“So you understand, my lord, that I do not lie when I say Eris is the woman you saw. As the days pass, I only hope we finish our business before it's too late. Where he is concerned, I fear not only for his life, but also for his ability to stay in one state of being long enough to see this through. The separation between warrior and woman lessens with each passing day.
“Like you, he is a warrior, a man of a certain pride. I'm sure you understand what I mean. Too bad this spring won’t cure what really ails him. Though, no doubt, this pool has become of little comfort to you over these long centuries,” Raga said, completing his tale. He turned his attention to Eris, who was beginning to move and stare about with eyes full of confusion.
Morengoth was silent for several moments, his forehead creased in thought. Finally, he stood up and placed his cup back on the platter.
“It seems I may have misjudged this man,” Morengoth said. Raga heard regret in his voice. “It takes a brave man to do what he has done, and perhaps something more than courage to have taken up with the likes of you, Raga-Tor.”
Startled to hear his name, Raga forgot himself and looked up quickly. Though he had told Morengoth much, he hadn’t told all and kept his identity and the powers of his gems unknown.
Morengoth chuckled deeply at Raga’s surprise.
“I know very well who you are, sorcerer. I may be a prisoner of this forest, but I do receive news of the outside world on occasion. I knew exactly who you were the moment I took that gem out of the pouch.”
“Then you will give it back to me?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Then you are willing to risk my wrath and its consequence to you? A first-level elemental is no one to trifle with.”
Morengoth smiled, amused. The way he crossed his arms over his broad chest was almost in challenge.
Riza’s Pits, Raga thought. He’s just like Eris. Just what I need, two of them.
“I have nothing to fear. In the first place, I know your power is quite limited for the time being. Besides, being enchanted by one's own god does give a man a certain amount of protection. And, in case you have forgotten, you are still my prisoner. I decide what you will or will not do. In any case, the negotiation for the stone's return will give us something to discuss while the snowstorm blows itself out.”
“It's snowing?” Raga asked surprised. “How long have we been here?”
“Four days, more or less, I suppose.”
“No wonder I’m starving,” Raga said. He checked his paunch to see if it had gotten noticeably smaller.
Morengoth smirked at him. “Eat, Raga. There is plenty more. Here, let me take Eris.”
“What are you going to do with him?” Raga asked suspiciously. He was slow to relinquish his hold and didn't quite trust this Dragon King.
“I am going to take him out to the deep place where the spring bubbles up. Healing usually works faster there. I am sure he is hungry as well.”
“He’s starting to come around. Don’t do anything unexpected. He’s got a frightening mean streak,” Raga cautioned.
“And you don’t?” Morengoth asked with a sideways glance. “Did you ever tell him what you did to quell the rebellion in Kanchin? Or what you did for fun in—now where was that—oh yes, Tyzet?”
“I was a lot younger then,” Raga said and his face flushed deeply red.
“Perhaps I should enlighten him.”
“I don't think that would be a good idea. You don't have to live with him.”
Again Morengoth smiled at him with an amused expression.
“I think you are actually quite fond of this one for some reason or another. I have to admit I am surprised. You do not have a history of being long in the company of men before they come to a bad end. Of course, it could all be a ruse to get what you want,” he suggested.
Raga shook his head. “Not this time. You’ll see. He’s very different from the others of his kind and I consider him my friend.”
“But are you his?”
“I guess that remains to be seen,” Raga shrugged. “At the moment, I don't think so.”
“Perhaps, for his sake, that is just as well. Eat, Raga. If Eris feels like eating, then we will discuss the terms for recovering your gem, and you finding my bride. If not, we will wait until morning,” Morengoth said and pushed Eris to the deepest part of the pool.
Just as Raga reached for an apple, Morengoth bent over Eris for a moment, then plunged him under the water and held him there. Raga leaped to his feet, horrified.
“What in the Seven Hells are you doing? You’re going to drown him! He was barely conscious!” he shouted. His voice echoed in the chamber.
Raga was frantic. Could he have misjudged Morengoth’s apparent good will? After what happened in Reshan and apparently now, Raga was more determined than ever to keep Eris safe from another’s influence. In a panic, he ran around the edge of the pool to face Morengoth, who stood in chest-deep water.
“Hush, Raga, I am not drowning him. Healing is supposed to take place in an atmosphere of peace. You are a great disturbance,” Morengoth said, as he slowly brought Eris back to the surface. He studied the color of Eris’ face and probed his chest with a gentle hand.
Raising Eris’ head slightly out of the water so he could hear, Morengoth said, “I am going to push you down once more. Stay under as long as you can and come to the surface on your own. Ready?”
Eris nodded slightly. The Dragon King pushed him down so that he disapp
eared into the column of bubbles rising from spring. Morengoth swam to the steps to wait. Raga hurried back to the steps to watch. When Eris reappeared, there was a hint of a smile on his face and his eyes were bright and alert.
“There. He is completely healed,” Morengoth said and leaned closer to Raga. “You might also find his mood will be quite pleasant for a while.”
“That would be an improvement. Too bad it won't last.”
“Ah, Raga, a little water might do you some good as well,” Morengoth said and pushed through the water toward Eris. “Well now, Eris, it seems you are well and it is time we greet each other in a more cordial manner, if you please.”
Without hesitation, Eris took hold of the Dragon King’s strong, scaled hand. He was amazed by the man's appearance and found himself tongue-tied as a result of having no idea where he was or how he got there.
“You will get used to me,” Morengoth said, squeezing Eris' hand in a friendly way.
“I haven't felt this well in a long while,” Eris managed to say. All he remembered was being hurled across the room and an intense pain in his chest, beyond that, nothing.
Raga went back to his food, amazed. That was not Eris. He should have come out of the water sputtering indignantly and threatening everyone in sight.
“Come, eat, before Raga devours your share,” Morengoth invited.
“You speak as though you know him. I could hear you talking, but am at a loss as to what about,” Eris said, climbing out of the pool. He glanced quickly around the cavern and noticed how empty it was compared to the last bathhouse he visited. It was also unsettling to him just how often of late he was subject to near-death injuries. It was a habit he could do without.
“No, I only know of him. He told me your story, though.”
“All of it?” Eris asked. Raga was pleased to see that not all of his innate suspicions had been subdued.
“No, I am sure he did not, but I think I can piece together much of the rest on my own. The red gem in his pouch told its own story.”
