by Joseph Lallo
“Aye. I can see the human village of Donlari, off to the northeast.”
“Really? I didn’t know we were that close. How far away is it?”
“As the dragon flies, it’s about...”
“We aren’t dragons!” Tristofer yelled up as Rhamalli flew over them again. “Stop telling us how long it’d take you and instead tell us how long it’d take us from the ground!”
They all heard the dragon’s laughter.
“The distance to the human village is equivalent to the amount of ground already covered after our meeting yesterday.”
Exasperated, Athos turned to his brother. “What’d he say?”
Venk shrugged. He didn’t know, either. Tristofer chuckled.
“He means it’s as far away as what we’ve already traveled. About a day and a half.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?” Athos shouted at the open sky. “Why make it so difficult?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Rhamalli asked as he circled lazily in the sky.
Breslin turned to Tristofer and held out a hand.
“Can I see that map Shardwyn gave you?”
“As long as you promise to give it back.”
Unfurling the map on the ground, Breslin studied the forests south of Zylan River. He tapped the northern border of the Selekai Mountains and slowly traced his finger along an imaginary line until he stopped at a point still within the boundary of the forest but southwest of Donlari.
“I figure we are right about here. Rhamalli told us the Zweigelan likes to accost travelers. It wouldn’t be able to do that unless it had a supply of victims. In order to do that, it’d have to situate itself next to some type of road or path. Now, I think we can rule out this road here that runs along Zylan River. If too many people were attacked then the human king would have noticed and would have done something about it. Besides, I heard somewhere that the main roads between villages are enchanted against harm. No, my friends, I think what we’re looking for is something smaller. Something that could barely be perceived as a path, yet obviously someone uses it from time to time.”
“A path between what?” Venk wondered aloud as he stared down at the topological map of Lentari.
“Avin lies to the west, here,” Breslin said, indicating a spot on the map west from their location. “And Donlari is here. The road connecting the two villages is a far cry from being a direct route. There must be other unsanctioned routes folk can use if they so choose.”
“Your premise is Two Heads is preying on anyone who uses one of these paths?” Athos asked.
Breslin nodded. “Aye. Look around, my friends. There must be a path nearby or else why would the Zweigelan have attacked someone here?”
Try as they might, they could find no traces of any type of trail, not even after they split up and spent three more hours searching. Only when it became too dark to see did they give up their search and make camp for the night. They could only hope that luck would favor them the next day.
It did.
Breslin awoke the following morning to the sounds of kytes chirping, insects buzzing, and several unknown animals scurrying about high above their heads in the trees. Swaying gently in his hammock, he finally opened his eyes. Staring straight down at him was the massive horned head of the dragon.
Breslin jerked so violently that his hammock spun him around and deposited him on the ground with a thud.
“What the blazes are you doing? You just scared ten years off my life!”
Rhamalli turned his great head to look back at the two dwarf brothers. Breslin followed his gaze. He narrowed his eyes as he saw several pieces of gold exchange hands.
“Told you he wouldn’t wake,” Athos chided his brother as he pocketed his earnings.
Breslin finally rose from his position on the ground and stalked over to Athos, who had enough sense to put his face back into neutral.
“You wagered against me?”
Athos sheepishly nodded.
Breslin held out a hand. “I want a cut.”
Athos hesitated for a few seconds before handing him a piece of gold.
Rhamalli shook his head. “Dwarves and their gold.”
Breslin cast a disdainful look up at the dragon. “You’re a dragon. You are in no position to heckle me about possessing gold, wouldn’t you agree?”
The dragon harrumphed, but didn’t say anything.
“What are you doing down here, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be looking for a path?”
The dragon nodded. “Aye. I found it.”
“You did? When? How? Where?”
Rhamalli turned and looked towards the distant mountains. “Half a league south there is a path with a faint scent of human about it. I believe that is what you’re looking for. Can I ask what your intentions are? How do you plan on proceeding?”
Breslin smiled mischievously. He indicated the others should huddle close.
“I have a plan. Lukas, stay close. I must talk with you as well.”
Limbs cracked and twigs snapped noisily, breaking the eerie calm of the forest. Flocks of brightly colored kytes retreated to the safety of the air, all the while voicing their displeasure about being disturbed from their perches amongst the trees. A child’s wail sounded, startling the kytes into silence.
“Father! We’re lost! We are never going to find our way out of here! We’re doomed!”
“Be silent, boy! Just as soon as we can return to the safety of our tunnels, all will be well. You’ll see. Now stop that caterwauling and help me figure out which way is north. Do you really want to be stuck out here at night? I don’t. Now move!”
“But you don’t know which way we’re going! I’m tired of walking. Can’t we just sit for a moment?”
Venk grabbed Lucas by the scruff of his shirt and physically pulled him along the ground. Lukas, in a scripted act of defiance, crossed his arms over his chest and went perfectly still. Unfazed by his son’s act of defiance, Venk simply dragged Lukas along after him.
“You’re doing great,” Venk told him in the softest whisper he could manage.
Lukas smiled. “This is fun! I hope it works!”
For thirty minutes father and son argued with each other, all the while creating the loudest ruckus they could, figuring they were probably being heard all the way to Donlari. Lukas had thrown a temper tantrum every ten minutes, as he was instructed. Venk would curse loudly and throw about rocks and tree limbs in a fit of anger. They were close to giving up when a large shadow fell over them.
“Have we another visitor?” a strange voice hissed out.
Venk, already gripping Lukas by his shirt collar, spun in place while reaching for his crossbow. Lukas was flung like a discus. The underling was due for a rough landing but Athos popped up over the bush he was hiding behind and snagged his nephew out of the air. Slapping a hand over Lukas’ mouth, Athos shoved the boy down to the ground.
“Stay here and stay hidden.”
Venk placed his right boot into his crossbow’s stirrup and pulled the string back, locking it into firing position, all without breaking eye contact with the creature standing before him. It was the Zweigelan, but it wasn’t what he was expecting. This dragon was small, much smaller than any other he had ever seen. Its coloring was a mottled green with flecks of brown scattered unevenly all over its body. Its long sinewy body resembled a giant serpent with legs, only it had two heads. Gaunt, leathery wings were folded flat against its back while its long tail had hooked itself around the closest tree. However small this dragon was, it still towered over them.
“It’s been way too long since we’ve had another visitor,” the second head purred, eliciting a nod from the first.
The Zweigelan’s tail released the tree and it started to move. Not towards the bushes, where his friends were, but right towards him. Either it hadn’t detected the presence of the others or else it didn’t care. Both heads were fixated on Venk and peered silently
at him, as though they were capable of reading his innermost thoughts. After a few moments of silence both sets of jaws opened, revealing several rows of razor sharp teeth. Each head was large enough to easily swallow a dwarf whole.
Venk loaded a bolt and took aim. “Keep your distance, dragon.”
The Zweigelan paused in its advances and eyed the dwarf. The left head blinked its bulbous green eyes at him.
“Dragon? We are no dragon. We are Zweigelan!”
“Indeed we are,” the second head agreed.
Venk scratched his head. “That’s your name?”
“It’s what we are,” Right Head told him.
“So what’s your name then?”
“We are Zweigelan!” Left Head and Right Head answered in unison.
“So you don’t have a name, then? That’s sad.”
Left Head growled ominously while Right Head gazed impassively at him.
“What should we do with it?” Left Head asked. “Does it taste good?”
Venk swallowed nervously. The dragon was supposed to ask a riddle or present him with a puzzle! It was considering eating him? That couldn’t be good. Suddenly, inspiration struck. Smiling, Venk faced the Zweigelan.
“Sorry about the misunderstanding. You looked like a dragon to me.”
“We are more than a dragon! We are better!!”
“Allow me to venture a guess. Because two heads are better than one?”
A snort of laughter was heard from one of the nearby bushes.
“Do not try and insult us, biped,” Left Head hissed down at him. “We are far superior, in every fashion.”
“Yes, we are,” Right Head agreed.
“Prove it,” Venk challenged.
Left Head nodded. “Very well. A riddle. We have a riddle for you. If you –”
“You’ll never solve it,” Right Head informed him.
“If you solve it,” Left Head continued, casting a glare at its other head, “you may leave. Alive.”
“And if I cannot?”
“Then you forfeit all that you carry.”
“If I refuse to answer?”
Both heads grinned maliciously. “Then we eat you.”
Venk pretended to think for a moment. “Agreed. Actually, you know what? I have a proposition for you.”
Taken aback, the Zweigelan stared incredulously at the dwarf.
“Intrigued, we are,” Left Head said.
“Very intrigued,” Right Head agreed.
Venk turned to the bushes and motioned for his companions to join him.
“Ask your riddle. If we are unable to answer, then not only do you get all my possessions, but you get all of theirs as well. See the one wearing the long jacket? Trust me, he has a lot of junk I’m sure you’d love.”
Tristofer’s cry of outrage was cut off as Breslin stuffed a wad of grass in the scholar’s mouth.
“And what is it you seek should you answer correctly?”
“You won’t,” Right Head added.
“You take us to your nest and we can select one item from anything you have.”
Right Head looked at Left Head.
“Is it a trap? Can they solve the riddle?”
“How could they?” Left Head argued. “We haven’t told them yet.”
“The biped is confident. Too confident.”
“What have we to worry about?” Right Head insisted. “We are much smarter than they are!”
Left Head nodded. “Very well. We will make the deal.”
“But what will they want in return?” Right Head asked, showing signs of concern.
“It matters not. They will not be successful.”
Venk coughed loudly. “You guys know that you’re speaking loud enough for everyone to hear you, right?”
Ignoring Venk’s question, the Zweigelan advanced on the small group.
“We have an accord. Here is your riddle.”
Both serpentine necks began to sway from left to right.
“Never resting, never still,” Right Head intoned.
“Moving silently from hill to hill,” Left Head continued.
“It does not walk, run, or trot.”
“All is cool where it is not.”
“What is it?” both heads asked together.
Baffled, Venk turned to look at Tristofer and noticed his blank expression. He didn’t know. Venk glanced at his brother and then at Breslin. All had the same crestfallen look on their faces. No one knew the answer.
“Oh, that’s just perfect.”
“Might I remind you, again, that this was your bright idea?”
“Tristofer, if you don’t stop whining, I’ll personally shove another handful of grass in your mouth.”
“But all my things are gone! Again!!”
“You may have noticed this, but I feel I should point it out anyway. All of our stuff is gone, too. Stop complaining.”
“What are we going to do now?”
“Simple,” Athos told the scholar. “We find Two Heads and take the gem. After we take back our things. I will not lose my axe to that conceited excuse of a dragon.”
“Rhamalli?” Breslin called up to the empty sky. “Can you tell where it went?”
“No,” Rhamalli’s voice said as it floated down from above. “It noticed me following and dipped below the tree tops, squeezing itself into spaces where it knew I could not follow. It knew how to elude me, which suggests it has eluded many other dragons before me. Rinbok Intherer is angry. He wants this dragon found.”
Athos cursed with disgust. “So there’s no way to track it? Of all the blasted luck!”
Venk nudged his brother on the arm. “Quiet.”
Athos’ eyebrows shot up.
“Excuse me? You want me to be quiet? I am the elder brother. I say when to be quiet.”
“Athos, shut up!”
Surprised at the commanding tone his younger brother had used, Athos fell silent. Venk was looking pointedly at Lukas. The underling’s eyes were closed.
“What’s going on? Son, are you okay?”
The boy turned to his right and pointed off to the distant mountains. He looked up at Breslin. “It’s that way.”
“What? What’s that way?” Tristofer wanted to know, turning to look south.
“That metal plate given to us by the nixies.”
“You can sense its presence?”
Lukas nodded.
“Ever since it was given to us, I’ve felt it pulling me, like its calling to me. Right now, I feel it again, only this time it’s calling to me from that way.”
Athos turned to Breslin and gave him an appraising stare.
“You knew?”
Breslin nodded. “I suspected. I knew there was a good chance we’d be unable to solve any riddle presented to us from that infernal dragon, so I thought we’d better have a backup plan. I talked to Lukas after I outlined our plan. I had to know if he could sense that metal plate. He told me he could. Therefore I knew tracking this dragon wouldn’t be difficult.”
Venk and Athos both nodded, impressed. Tristofer beamed.
“Well done, Master Breslin. Well done!”
****
“Oh, sure. We can track this dragon, you said. Shouldn’t be difficult, you said.” Tristofer gave Breslin his best attempt at a scowl. “What do you have to say for yourself now?”
The band of dwarves was standing before a sheer cliff rising several thousand feet into the air. Its bare rock beckoned mockingly, indicating there would be no scaling this behemoth. Athos and Breslin both felt the cliff’s surface. It was smooth, as smooth as if the rock had been burnished several times by hundreds of their finest stone grinders.
In response, Breslin turned to look at Lukas.
“Is it nearby?”
Lukas nodded. He pointed up.
“I’m being pulled up. It’s up there somewhere.”
“Of course it is,” Athos grumbl
ed.
They all took several steps back and stared up at the sheer expanse of stone above them. The cliff’s surface may have been perfectly smooth, but the wall was not entirely solid. Dark nooks and sunken caves were seen scattered all across the cliff as far as the eye could see. The dwarves stared up at the imposing cliff for so long that they all developed kinks in their necks at about the same time. Rubbing his, Athos turned to look at his companions.
“Anyone have any ideas?”
Breslin held out a hand to Venk.
“Spells.”
“What?”
“Shardwyn’s spells. One of them is levitation. Would you hand it to me, please?”
Venk pointed up at the wall. “It’s up there, remember? My pack was taken.”
“Wizards be damned.”
“We climb.”
“How? Our tools were taken, too.”
Breslin let out an irritated sigh.
“Better give me a minute.”
“You’ll find the nest three quarters of the way up the mountain,” Rhamalli’s voice informed them.
“How did you find it?” Breslin asked, impressed.
“By smell. Humans and dwarves don’t smell very good. There are many caves scattered across the cliff’s face, but only one that reeks of man. I’m watching that cave now.”
“Is Two Heads home?” Athos asked.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“There are no signs of movement
“Then take us up there. Hurry!”
A distant wyverian form appeared high in the sky and came rapidly closer. Beating his enormous wings to remain aloft, Rhamalli extended his forelegs down onto the ground and waited for the dwarves to jump on. Once all five were sitting in his hands the dragon pumped his wings harder to gain altitude. Rising steadily upwards, the dwarves marveled at the sheer size of the cliff with its many possible hiding places. Countless small, and some large, caves were seen flashing by at an amazing rate.
Slowing their ascent so that he remained level with a particularly large cave, Rhamalli deposited the dwarves into the Zweigelan’s nest then retreated back into the sky. He had already informed the Dragon Lord of the nest’s location. In return, Rhamalli had learned that a formal invitation to join the wyverian ranks had been issued for the Zweigelan. While unclear what that meant, Rhamalli was certain the renegade was not going to like it.
