“I’ve had two passions all my life,” the Duke continued. “I’m a military man, there’s no denying that. I love this castle. I love that my family has held the Keep for over five hundred years. But I also love academia. Not that I’m a learned man. I’ve never had the time to devote myself to one of the scholarly disciplines, but I love books. I used to sit in this room and watch my father read. We would drill with swords all day, then spend our evenings reading. I got those two passions from my father, and I suppose he inherited those same passions from his father. I don’t care for court or politics. My place is here, defending the eastern border, even if there hasn’t been a threat here for over three hundred years.”
He smiled at Kelvich, who nodded encouragingly.
“Young Jax is quite a lad,” the Duke continued. “I’d say he’s smarter than half the people in this castle combined.”
“Yes, he’s very bright.”
“He’s the type of person who combines practical knowledge with genuine concern. His idea of having the children run messages was a stroke of genius. My tutor tells me the classes in the essentials school are more productive than ever. And that’s with a portion of the children out of the classroom everyday. I should have thought of that years ago. I know it would have made my life during essentials school much more enjoyable.”
“I suppose so,” Kelvich said.
“I want Jax to stay here,” the Duke said. “As my ward, of course. I think he could be an invaluable asset to the Keep.”
Kelvich was surprised and not quite sure what to say.
“Well,” he said, struggling to find the right words. “He’s an orphan, so I suppose that would be up to him.”
“Good,” said the Duke. “I was hoping you’d agree. I’ll talk to him soon and see how he feels. I’ve sent messengers to Orrock, letting the King know what we’re seeing here. My question for you is, when might we receive your friend, the wizard?”
“I’m not sure,” Kelvich said. “I’m supposed to return to the Ruins of Ornak once I learn all I can from the scrolls. He’ll only come here if he returns from the highlands and I’m not there.”
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into staying here then, could I?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if war is coming, it wouldn’t hurt to have a wizard on our side.”
“I really can’t believe that war is brewing. We haven’t been at war for over three centuries. Isn’t it more likely that the troops you’re seeing are just replacing the troops normally stationed at Fort Jellar?”
“That’s a good point, but the there are no troops leaving the area. More and more come in every day, but none leave.”
“Perhaps it’s just ordinary maneuvers,” Kelvich said.
“I’ve been the Duke here for over twenty years. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
He stood up and walked over to the large window that faced east.
“Look at this. Tell me what you think it might be.”
Kelvich waked over to the window and what he saw surprised him. Fort Jellar was easily over a mile away. There were several tall, stone structures and a long timber wall that surrounded the sprawling compound. Beyond that were rows and rows of small, white tents. Kelvich recognized the tents because they looked exactly like the tents used by the King’s legion, which had marched up the Great Valley with the wizards of the Torr in search of Zollin.
“There are so many,” Kelvich said quietly.
“More than I’ve ever seen before,” the Duke said. “Now do you understand my concern?”
“I’m beginning to.”
“And your friend?”
“Zollin,” Kelvich said. He realized that the Duke was hoping that Zollin would come and fight. It made him nervous. He didn’t want Zollin to join the Torr, but the Torr had risen to power in the Five Kingdoms by consolidating magical power so that no single kingdom had a military advantage over another by using wizards when they waged war. There hadn’t been a wizard aligned with a specific kingdom in centuries. In fact, Kelvich suspected that Zollin’s presence was the cause for the Council of Kings. And if he was right and Prince Wilam had withdrawn, that meant that there was no one speaking for Yelsia at the Council. Perhaps it all made sense. Perhaps, Kelvich thought to himself, the King wants war.
“I can’t make any promises,” Kelvich said. “Zollin could be in the mountains for months. There’s really no telling when or even if he’ll ever come back. But I see your point.”
“I’m not afraid to fight,” the Duke said. “I’m not interested in the whys or what happens afterward. My whole life I’ve trained my body and my mind to hold this Keep against whatever forces come against us. But if I’m right and the other kingdoms join forces against us, we could be overrun. If that happens, we lose the library. All the scrolls could be destroyed. Once the scholars are finished translating the manuscripts you need, I’d like you to leave the Keep and send your wizard to help defend us.”
“I’ll do all I can,” Kelvich said. He was suddenly upset with himself for not insisting that Jax come with him when he left.
“That’s all I can ask,” said the Duke.
Chapter 10
Zollin considered all the possibilities. He needed materials to make the bridge. There was plenty of stone-he was under the mountain after all-but it would take a lot of time and strength to remove the stone from the cavern walls. Plus he didn’t want to have to worry about the structural integrity of the cavern. The molten rock was his best option. It was already heated to a liquid state, so it would be easy to separate and then transmute. The only question was, could he manipulate the molten rock without hurting himself? He had moved incredibly heavy objects before, but he had never worked with anything that was too hot to touch.
“What’s your plan?” Brianna asked.
They had asked Bahbaz to bring their packs and gather the supplies they would need for the journey. Zollin was hopeful that by passing under the mountains they could make better time than the dragon, although it was possible that at any moment the beast could take flight and their best efforts would all be for naught.
“I’m wondering about using the molten rock to build the bridge.”
“I don’t know,” Brianna said. “It’s already so hot in here I can hardly stand it.”
“I don’t really have much choice. We need to get this done as quickly as possible. The molten rock is my best option.”
“But it could take a really long time to cool enough that we could pass over it.”
“No, I’ll have to cool it down to a reasonable temperature.”
“You can do that?”
“Sure, I think so.”
“Can you cool me down?” she asked playfully, waving her hand to fan her face.
Her skin glistened with sweat in the orange light of the cavern, and Zollin thought she looked more beautiful than ever.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I always get hot when I’m around you.”
“Oh, Zollin,” she said. “You need to stick to magic. I don’t think wooing women is your strong suit.”
“I thought it was pretty smooth.”
Brianna just laughed, and Zollin turned back to his task. He let his magic flow out and approach the molten rock. He could feel the heat. It wasn’t the same as physically being near the heat. It was more like noticing something: the heat registered in his mind but didn’t hurt him. He could sense that the surface, although blisteringly hot, was much cooler than the molten rock underneath. He probed the magma and found that the molten rock was thick like molasses on the surface. As the rock grew hotter, it became less viscous until it was almost like water.
He could also perceive the tiny particles that made up the magma. They were the same as the rock all around him, only these particles were spinning and shaking at an incredible rate. Further under the surface of the molten rock the particles crashed into each other, causing even more friction and heat. Zollin realized that all he needed
to do was slow down the racing particles and the magma would revert to solid stone.
It took a great amount of concentration to form the shape of the bridge. It had to be arched, both for strength and to allow humans or dwarves to cross over the giant well of molten rock without the heat becoming unbearable.
Brianna watched in awe as the column of magma, at first merely glowing orange and then so bright white it was difficult to look at, rose up from the pool of molten rock. The magma dimmed and took shape as it rose. Zollin first simply made an arch of stone and cooled the rock. Then he levitated more of the molten rock and formed a flat walkway with railings on the side, fusing it to the arch he had already made. The entire process took nearly an hour.
Bahbaz returned halfway through the process and watched in awe as Zollin lifted the molten rock and made a bridge over the pool of super heated stone. When Zollin finished he leaned against the rock wall, tired and hot. His hair was wet with sweat and there were drops of sweat running down his face. He used his shirt to mop up the perspiration.
“That’s a fine bridge, wizard,” Bahbaz said. “You may have dwarfish blood. How long until we can cross?”
“Whenever you’re ready, although I could use a drink,” Zollin said.
“How’s your containment working?” Brianna said, referring to the barrier Zollin had built around his magic to keep it from sapping his physical strength so much.
“It’s fine, I’m just really hot.”
“It’s warm under the mountain, southlander,” Bahbaz boasted. “Spend the day pounding iron near a dwarf’s forge and you’ll know true heat.”
“I’ll pass,” Zollin said.
Bahbaz handed Zollin a metal canteen that was covered in a thin layer of tanned animal hide. There were four other dwarves with Bahbaz, each carrying a ruck sack, and among them they carried Zollin and Brianna’s packs. Brianna hefted hers over her shoulders and offered to carry Zollin’s.
“No, I’ve got it. Let’s get moving,” Zollin said.
The surface of the bridge was rough under their feet. Zollin had left it that way to give better traction to those crossing the steep inclines. The heat in the large cavern increased as they neared the apex of the bridge. Zollin had to dodge a few of the lowest-hanging stalactites, and soon they were on their way down the far side of the bridge. Beyond that was another tunnel.
The dwarves produced lanterns to light their path. The little lamps were great at illuminating the path, but not so effective at giving light to the ceiling of the tunnel. Zollin hit his head on the uneven stone several times. Brianna put on the helmet Zollin had made for her and the dwarves all marveled at it.
“That’s dwarfish steel if ever I’ve seen it,” Bahbaz said. “But who forged it for you? Dwarves don’t make human armor.”
“Zollin made it for me,” she said.
“You’re a smith?” asked one of the other dwarfs. He had a gruff voice that was so low-pitched it was almost hard to understand.
“No, I forged it using magic. Just like the bridge.”
This seemed to pacify the dwarves. They didn’t seem to care that their steel was forged into armor or weapons, but they wanted to ensure it was well made.
They walked for a long time. At certain points the tunnels opened up into larger caverns. At other times, Zollin and Brianna were forced to walk stooped over. Finally they came to another of the large caverns with a pool of molten rock at the center. This one still had remnants of the ancient bridge that once spanned the gap. It was narrower than the one Zollin had built. The pool of magma had built up, too, so that it looked like a tiny volcano in the center of the cavern floor.
“We’ll stop here and let the wizard work,” Bahbaz said to the other dwarves.
They sat on the stone and began eating. Zollin shrugged off his pack and took a long drink from the canteen. The water wasn’t cold, but it was still refreshing. The heat in the cavern was much greater than in the tunnels. He decided to repair the old bridge rather than build one from scratch. He pushed his magic into the molten rock and pulled it up. This magma was heavier, and Zollin could feel that the stone had a high mineral content. As his magic probed the bridge he was surprised to find the ends of the ruined stone walkway seemed almost splintered. Zollin had thought that the molten rock spewing up might have caused the bridge to melt away, but perhaps it just grew weak and collapsed, he thought.
He worked on the bridge for half an hour, then slumped down beside the others.
“Finished already?” Bahbaz said.
“Yes,” Zollin said. “I just rebuilt the fallen portion of the old bridge and made a heat shield underneath.”
Bahbaz and the other dwarves went to inspect Zollin’s work. Brianna brought over a small loaf of bread that was round and flat. She handed it to him and smiled.
“There’s also some crumbly cheese they make out of goat’s milk, and some meat. How does that sound?” she asked.
“Great, I’m starving.”
He ate quickly. The dwarves returned and were ready to push on. Zollin couldn’t tell what time it was or whether it was day or night. His body was tired and his feet ached. He sipped arkhi from a canteen that Bahbaz had given him, and they continued their journey. The tunnels they followed rose and fell, sometimes curving and even switching back to head in the opposite direction. There were forks in the tunnels and sometimes the tunnels crossed other tunnels, usually in the larger caverns. Zollin knew he was totally dependent on the dwarves to lead him and Brianna out of the maze of caves.
Finally, they decided they had gone far enough for the day and stopped when their tunnel opened up to a cavern that was so immense that the ceiling and far wall were swallowed in an inky darkness that seemed thick and alive. Zollin felt a strange sensation, as if the darkness were pulling him. It reminded him of being near a sharp drop and the way in which looking down made him feel as if the empty space were pulling him down. They came to a small pool of water, and the dwarves lay down on the hard, stone floor.
“Is there any need to keep watch?” Zollin asked.
A strange look crossed Bahbaz’s face, and then he shook his head.
Zollin felt relaxed from the arkhi. He gave the canteen to Brianna and unfolded a blanket from his pack which he spread out on the floor. The dwarves watched them curiously. Zollin spread another blanket for Brianna. They nibbled a bit of dried meat as they lay down, but soon they were too tired to talk or eat or even think. Zollin slept soundly until Bahbaz woke him.
“Time to get moving,” said the dwarf.
Zollin had no idea how the dwarves kept track of time, but he stretched and got to his feet. He shook Brianna awake and then folded the blankets. They refilled their canteens with water from the pool. Then they set out again, circling the pool to continue on their journey. As they came to the pool’s farthest point from the wall they had been following, they discovered that the water was running out of the pool and falling off a ledge. Zollin saw the gaping abyss and wished more than ever that they were back by the wall.
“What is this?” Brianna asked, peering over the ledge.
“Just a hole,” Bahbaz said.
“What’s down there?”
“Nothing good.”
They waded across the edge of the pool and then circled the far side back to the wall. The rest of the morning they spent traversing the huge, underground cavern. The blackness felt heavy, and Zollin thought it was hard to breathe, as though the weight of the mountains were bearing down on them. He was ready to be back out in the open, to see the sky and feel the sun on his skin.
When they left the big cavern Zollin and Brianna both welcomed the close confines of the tunnel. It took another hour to reach the next Stepping Stone, as Bahbaz called them. This cavern was smaller, and the floor was littered with small rocks. There was no sign of a bridge, so Zollin started from scratch. Once again the dwarves, who were stoic little people, sat and ate while Zollin worked.
He had the arch built when he noticed a
change in the magma. It was beginning to churn and Zollin hesitated, watching the molten rock.
“Something’s happening,” he said.
The dwarves moved quickly past Zollin.
“What is it?” Brianna asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Is it going to erupt?”
Zollin let his magic probe into the magma and felt something strange. The molten rock was still churning, but he could feel something in the pool. It was large, even though it seemed to blend perfectly into the magma.
“There’s something in it,” Zollin said, noticing the dwarves give each other nervous glances.
“What do you mean?” Brianna asked.
“I can’t tell what it is, but there is something moving in the magma.”
“Something like. .?”
“Like a creature.”
“You’re saying there’s something alive down there? In the lava?”
“Yes,” Zollin said.
“It’s a luggart,” Bahbaz said. “A rock monster.”
“You know what it is?” Brianna asked. She was stunned by the idea that anything could be alive in molten rock.
“Aye, lass, we know,” said one of the other dwarves.
“And we know how to fight it,” Bahbaz said.
“Do we have to fight it?” Zollin asked.
“We can run, but we’ll just have to go back the way we came,” Bahbaz explained. “You agreed to rebuild the bridges. We can deal with this luggart.”
Zollin didn’t know what to think. He felt fear digging a sharp talon into his guts. He wanted to move away from the monster instinctively. He felt trapped by the cave. There was no place to hide. He didn’t want to be in the tunnel. He had made that mistake with the dragon and it had almost crushed him.
“Come on,” he told Brianna. “I don’t want to be in the tunnel.”
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