by Leo deSouza
“Good luck then.” Rodro continued. “Keep an eye on the cliffs. Now… There is a last thing I must tell. Well here I’m warning about things that I don’t even know if they are real, we talk about legends, but anyway it does not hurt to tell.”
“Go ahead.” Torag replied.
“It is just about rumors and old stories, some say the Grotto keeps secrets in it. Many folks tell different stories about it, but there is something that everyone always says, that one should not take anything but the remedies from inside the cave. Like it was a sacred place of something, not to be violated.” Rodro replied.
“What more could be inside the cave besides herbs and slime?” Torag asked.
“That is something ye will tell me when ye come back.” Rodro replied.
“What if I take anything else?” Torag insisted.
“Well…” Rodro said as he raised one eyebrow. “I’ve heard folks talking about an unwanted gift.”
“How could be a gift unwanted? Let’s wait to see.” Torag added. He stepped ahead and pulled the gate passing through it to feel the soft snow under his feet, being followed by Olaf. On his belt, hook and rope, and two small climbing picks one in each hand, he was wearing a heavy winter cloak that covered all but his eyes, Olaf had the same stuff, except that Torag had a deer headpiece that Rodro himself gave him, a lucky symbol. On the way ahead they could see a path between small short cliffs, and when they went into it they got protected from the wind for a while. This path was long and had many slopes down and up, but was mostly safe and clean, as the dwarfs came to see while they advanced. The grey tone from the rocks and the white from the snow were the only two colors they noticed in this travelling, and they found it pleasant to walk a long way without needing to climb using rope or hook. But then the path between the cliffs ended and they now faced a different landscape, the sight opened and ahead nothing but a mountain ridge surrounded by the steep mountainsides could be seen. The dwarfs continued, stepping on the crest, a straight path above the mountain, still clean, but they found it not at all safe.
As they walked the snow pushed by their feet fell downhill and they had to advance carefully to avoid stepping on loose snow instead of firm rock. For a while they went ahead without much difficulty, except from when the wind blew stronger making them tremble, on these occasions Torag just ducked and held himself on the crest to gain stability, Olaf sat, just when the wind ended they raised again to continue, so they did this repetitively all the way. They could see around the vastness of the mountain range, many peaks, some tall, some shorter and the dwarfs enjoyed looking at the landscape till they found the first obstacle. Right ahead was a rocky wall, the mountain crest suddenly raised, forming a very steep cliff, and one who tried to circle it would roll downhill, so there were now only two options, to climb or to return.
“Let’s do like I say, I’m going up first, then ye come after me.” Torag spoke turning to Olaf.
This one replied with a stuffy voice from under the hood: “Fine! Go ahead, ye are lighter anyway.”
“And stronger! Someone will have to pull ye up.” Torag replied. He thrusted the pick into the ice wall and propped a foot, then another pick was thrusted, and another foot propped, so that after some moments the dwarf was going up, climbing. Again Torag found not much difficulty to do this, when he reached the top, he stretched himself. “Ha! There is yet not a mountain to defeat old Torag!” He said with a satisfied smile, he threw the rope down to Olaf. This one took it and started climbing, and he also found not much difficulty in it. Now ahead, the mountain crest continued, higher but still straight ahead, and so they kept their walk. That was their task for a while, to climb, to walk, but never needing to decide where to go as there was only one way. By the end of the morning, after nothing unforeseen, they reached the peak of this mountain, now the dwarfs were stepping on a large area, trying to find a cave entrance somewhere, but they did not see it. Torag stopped resting his hands on his belt and squinted as he looked around. “Should be here…”
Olaf went walking to the end of the area where they were, the peak ended in a sudden border and ahead there was nothing but a very steep gap, one could not go further, even if willing to.
“There is nothing beyond, no path.” Olaf spoke to Torag. “Maybe the cave is hidden under the snow.”
“We came all the way on the crest, no cave could be there.” Torag said now walking crouched, sticking the handle of a pick into the snowy ground.
Olaf came close to him. “I’m starting to really doubt that there is a place here where plants can grow.” He spoke.
“Hunf…” Torag snorted. “We came to find a legend, a legend we will find.” Torag said, but right when he said that, the pick handle dove deep into the snow, he stepped back and took a shovel from his back, then started to dig. “The snow is loose here.”
Olaf came and tied a rope around both their waists, linking them two. “Just in case…” He spoke. Now he distanced and began to dig in other place.
They spent some time to remove much of the snow, and as they dug they made a hole in the ground. Finally after much effort, and finding the way among the snow, Torag thrust his shovel very deep when striking it on the snow. “It seems that…”
The ground gave space interrupting his speech. Torag fell into an air pocket, the rope tying both dwarfs stretched and Olaf was dragged.
“Hold!” Torag shouted as he went down.
Olaf came slipping on the snow trying to hold himself, till already near the border of the air pocket he managed to thrust his shovel into the ground, stopping. Torag was now hanging by the rope, but Olaf thought he would not be strong enough to raise him. “I can’t do it! I can’t pull ye up!” He said.
All of sudden he felt the weight of the other dwarf’s body vanish. “Torag!” He shouted as he looked down into the hole.
There was Torag, standing on a rocky ground, tightening his gloves. “Ye held me just a palm above the ground.” He said.
Olaf sighed. “Is it the Grotto?” He asked
“If there is really one, then it must be here.” Torag replied from down there.
“This is probably why no one seems to have reached it before, either it is covered by snow or too deep for someone finding it worthy of a risk to check what is down there.” Olaf said as he rose.
Now Torag saw a rocky tunnel, and a strange light coming from inside it. “Look… Ye stay here outside, I’m going in, if the blizzard starts and the snow begins to cover the entrance, ye call me, I don’t want to die buried in this hole.” Torag said.
“Just try to not stay there for long!” Olaf said. Now he found a rock bulge and sat, fairy Vixen popped out of his clothes, but immediately she hid back as she felt the cold around. Torag took from his backpack a torch, he lit it and went inside the tunnel, lightening the way.
“Hey Torag!” Olaf spoke from afar.
“What?” Torag stopped to listen.
“Don’t take anything but the herb, remember what Rodro said.” Said Olaf as he wrapped himself in his robe.
“What to fear...” Torag whispered to himself.
The place was surprisingly dry, the tunnel was large enough to pass through comfortably, the torch light glistened against the rocky walls as Torag advanced, and it took some moments for him to reach the end of the tunnel. There a large cave showed up, in its center a small pool, and there were plants as he had heard, but the strangest thing he saw in a corner, a big crystal like jade, kind of transparent and emitting a strange green light, emerging from the ground as a tree trunk. There were also small things of lesser importance around, nothing that would divert Torag’s attention from the crystal. That was for sure the thing that most interested him, and for a moment he forgot about what he came to do there, he approached the crystal and reached his hand out to touch it, his eyes wide and his mouth half opened, Torag was fascinated. The touch of the jade was soft, its surface was smooth as if gingerly polished, the dwarf thought about taking a piece of it and was
about to do it when he remembered about all the warnings saying he should not, he stood there rubbing his chin as he thought, then finally decided to go ahead. “What could happen after all?” He asked as he tucked the pick in a cleft of the crystal and forced to break it, a crack was heard, a piece of it dropped and Torag reached to take it. “That crystal shines emitting light, how is this possible?” He whispered to himself. But then he noticed something, a green smoke coming from the crack he just made on the stone, it spread in the air as the dwarf stepped back, then something even more strange happened, the smoke became to take form, and took the shape of someone, a strange smoky figure floating in the air.
“Who is this? Daring dwarf…” The creature said.
Torag reached the torch out to the creature and noticed he was not made of flesh but was an ethereal being, like a spirit. “Who… I’m… Not of your business.” He said trying to sound confident.
The creature moved in the air like scattered smoke, circling around Torag in a strange spiral movement. “Not of my business? Do you realize you entered my dwelling?” He asked.
Torag whisked the torch in the air, making the smoke creature fade, but son after he took shape again now in a different place.
“Why did you come, dwarf?” The being asked.
“I came to collect herbs, that is all.” Torag replied.
“I’ve been waiting for a visit for a long time.” The creature said.
“Get the way back to your stone, wicked one.” Torag spoke as he walked out, looking for the herb on the ground.
But the spirit kept surrounding him.
“Will ye keep haunting me like this?” The dwarf asked.
“As one frees me, he gains the right to ask about anything.” The creature replied.
The dwarf went into a frenzy stance. “Ye get out of my way!” He shouted as he stirred the torch in the air.
One more time the smoke creature faded and then took shape again in another place. Torag was not used to magic creatures, he actually was quite skeptical about such things, even after all he saw in the past times. “Just leave me.” He spoke as he crouched to look for the herb, walking as he slipped on the moss, and it did not take much time for him to find a small leafed herb with a red flower on it, like Rodro described. The dwarf cut it from the ground with the pick and raised it, bringing it to his eyes height.
“Ponytail… Why do you want it? Someone has fallen asleep, I suppose.” The spirit said as he observed Torag.
“Go away… Is that what ye want? Take if you want it.” Torag spoke reaching out the piece of crystal he cracked.
“Why would I want such thing?” The spirit asked. “The cover of my prison.”
“Oh really?” Asked Torag, he walked back to the cave entrance, avoiding the creature, but always being followed by him. “What is this of asking about anything?”
“As I said, one who frees me can get answers about anything, it’s a gift.”
“Can I ask about anything?”
“Yes, master.”
“Master…” The dwarf whispered. “Fine, my first question is, how do I get rid of ye?”
“That is the most unexpected question one has ever asked me, though it was long ago since one asked me anything… But the answer is simple, for giving up me is just giving up knowing things, like the future or mysteries.”
“And how I do this?”
“The time comes, one does not decide when.”
“Oh no, means I cannot get rid of ye right now…”
“Huuum… No, unless ye are totally devoid of curiosity, and desire to know about the future. But anyway that was another question ye just asked me, my purpose is to free myself, and in order to do such, my master, the one who freed me from my jail, must give up of knowing, this is why I always tell the truth. Now, don’t you want to know about anything? You can ask me whatever you want.”
Torag was actually not that interested in the talk, he was sure the spirit was nothing more than a tricky one telling a lie. “Huuum…” He muttered. “Why not? What could I ask? What do ye suggest?”
“Well master, generally folks ask about their lives, about how much time they will live, or when death will come.”
“That seems odd, why one would like to know about this? No, that will for sure bring bad omens… There is something else I would like to ask. Tell me about the journey I’m on right now, how it will end up?”
“Your journey will end up in death.”
“Death? I have made a different question trying to avoid it. I thought ye would tell about fortune and glory! Are ye lying to me?”
“I never lie, never.”
“All right…”
“The answer is the truth, I could not change it to fit your yearnings, master.” The creature replied as he materialized his hand and rested it on the dwarf’s shoulder.
Torag got bothered by this, but he decided to not react as he now had another idea in mind, something he remembered about Olaf. From his backpack he took a small glass bottle. “Listen… Oh ye wise one…” He said.
“Thank you for the compliment, master.”
“Yes… Of course…” Torag continued. “How interesting it is to have such a skilled friend. I see ye are really powerful and wise, ye can turn into smoke, or into flesh, I mean, I guess that is what I saw.”
“Yes, if needed.”
“Huuum…” Torag muttered. “Actually, I’m not right about what I saw, I think I just fooled myself.”
“No you did not. I can do such things! That is for sure!” The spirit spoke, somehow vexed.
“Show me!” Torag replied, then he opened the bottle and reached it to the genie. “Get inside, do your magic!”
“If it is the way to prove my skills, master...” The spirit said, he turned into scattered smoke, then flowed into the bottle.
Torag quickly closed it again, sticking the stopper in it. “Hah! Stuck into the bottle!” He said as he saw the spirit turned into a small figure inside the bottle, looking confused. “Who will ye annoy now?”
From inside the glass the spirit said something Torag did not manage to hear.
“What? I can’t hear ye! Speak louder!” The dwarf said.
The creature stirred inside the bottle, his words could not be heard, but judging by his mien, they were not something pleasant.
Torag twice quietly flicked the bottle. “I can’t hear…” He said with a mean smile. The dwarf put the bottle inside his backpack and ran back through the tunnel, when he finally reached the tunnel end and left the cave, he was breathless and snorting. “Olaf! Olaaaf! Drop that damn rope!” He shouted
Up on the border of the hole Olaf showed himself “I thought it would take more time. It was quite fast!” He said, dropping the rope.
Torag tied the rope around his waist and began to climb, being pulled by his friend.
“Better for us.” Olaf continued. “I’m not liking the clouds.”
So it was, they left the place taking the way back to the city. The returning was not complicated for the dwarfs, but the weather was getting worse fast, and they knew they should reach the city as soon as possible. The dwarfs climbed down the cliffs, walked on the crest of the mountain, and at the end of the day, when the sun was touching the horizon, they finally reached the gate again, a guard there opened it as they stepped inside the city, the two dwarfs came directly to the cure room and met the healer.
“Here.” Torag said taking the herb outside from his bag.
“Ponytail…” The dwarf woman replied as she took the herb. “What have I told ye? Nothing is impossible when ye do have will enough.” She left towards another room to prepare an infusion, Torag and Olaf sat near Thuor’s bed and looked at their captain.
“I hope this will work.” Olaf spoke.
“It will… Why would it not?” Torag replied.
“What did ye see there, inside the cave?”
“Nothing special… Moss, rocks and water.”
“Did you take anything e
lse from there?”
“No… Stop making these questions!” Torag exclaimed.
Olaf gazed at him, vexed. “Fine… Anyway… It is getting hot under these clothes.” He said as he undressed his cloak.
Torag also began to undress. “Now look… If captain is about to wake up, maybe the time for us to finally leave has come.” He said.
“Hum… I must confess I began to get used to this place, ye know… Good food and all.”
Torag went to a window, through it he could see the gatehouse of the city outside, and he saw the moment when someone approached it, coming from the narrow passage, this newcomer stood in front of the gate, looking around as if not knowing what to do, but seeming willing to enter the city. It was a dwarf, dressed in bare clothes, but for some reason the guards did not open the gate for him, despite the fact that the blizzard out there was becoming hard.
“There is someone out there…” Torag spoke still looking through the window. “It seems the guards will not allow him to go in.”
Olaf raised from his chair and came close. “Maybe it is just a beggar.” He said.
“A beggar? What beggar would cross this accursed passage to get there just to beg? I think this guy has come for another reason.”
They now watched as two guards went outside the city through the gate and took the newcomer by force, arresting him and dragging him inside.
“Well… At least he will now get in a warm place.” Olaf said as he came back and sat.
They passed some time there waiting, then the healer finally came back, bringing the infusion in a pot, the herb had been boiled and the steam was now floating through the air.
“Here we go.” The dwarf woman said, she reached the pot out to Thuor’s nose and kept it there, letting the steam enter his nostrils.
The captain breathed once, then again, and a third time, and then with a sudden movement, he lifted his torso from the bed, wide eyed, dropping the pot onto the ground and almost burning the healer with its hot infusion.
Torag clapped twice. “My captain! Ye are finally back!” He exclaimed.
The healer was now crouching on the ground, taking the pot and cleaning the mess as she shook her head in disapproval.
