by Sam Ferguson
Al saluted the dwarves as he rode to the front of the long line of encamped soldiers. Only when he saw Commander Benbo standing near a shining, mithril gate did he slow his pace.
Benbo saluted the king and gave a bow of his head as Al drew in close. Al set the officer at ease and leapt down from his cavedog to inspect a broken tablet of stone on the wall. He walked to it and brushed a layer of dust away with his hand.
“Beware not to squander dwarven blood, it is far more precious than treasure,” Al read aloud.
“A warning against greed,” Benbo commented.
Al turned around and shook his head. “Only partly,” he corrected. “It is also a call to action.” Al pointed up to the mithril gate. “Do you see those runes?”
Benbo looked up and made a puffing sound as he shook his head. “I hadn’t noticed those before.”
Al nodded. “This is the way to the Wealth of Kings,” Al said. “However, look at the rune they used for ‘wealth’ and tell me what you see.”
Benbo shrugged. “It’s an older rune, but that makes sense given the fact this gate was built under Sylus’ reign.”
Al chuckled. “I was going through some of Alferug’s books over the last couple of weeks. He had quite an extensive history on our language, its origins and mutations.” Al pointed to the rune that symbolized wealth. “This particular rune is hardly ever used now, but that is because it has a double meaning.”
“Something other than wealth?”
Al nodded with a smile. “It means duty,” Al said. “This gate opens the way to the Duty of Kings.”
“What duty?” Benbo asked.
Al glanced back to the stone tablet on the wall. “I imagine Sylus meant the duty of the king to protect the people of Roegudok Hall. A king should not waste the lives of his citizens. However, looking at the whole picture, it appears that the duty I must face, is the responsibility of opening the gate in search of something more valuable than mere treasure.”
“The addorite,” Benbo said. “I received your letter a few days ago.
Al nodded. “Good, then you understand why we must lead an assault.”
Benbo shrugged. “We can open the gate, but the tunnel beyond is still filled with rubble and stone. It will take some time to clear it.”
“See that it is done as quickly as possible,” Al commanded. “I will settle the reinforcements in. Let’s open this gate and see what lies beyond.”
Al ate his supper from a plate sitting atop a mostly stable boulder while he listened to the music of explosions and pick-axes breaking apart the rubble and forging the way forward. A long line of miners carried the rubble out of the tunnel in handcarts they pushed and dumped into several of the side chambers further up the mine shaft. The soldiers were all on alert. They lined the walls, standing ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble from down the line.
It was hours before the first alarm went up through the camp. When it did, the soldiers reacted so quickly that Al was unable to reach the battle until it was over. He found forty dwarves gathering around the bodies of a pair of lurkers that had sprung from an opening in the wall created by one of the explosions. The warriors swept the small chamber and found a lava tube. Moments later, explosives engineers were preparing to collapse the lava tube.
Soon, a loud, terrible explosion rocked the mine as the lava tube was blocked up by a pile of broken hunks of stone.
“Any losses?” Al asked.
Benbo shook his head. “When we saw the hole in the wall we sent up the alarm. The miners ran and the soldiers rushed in. The lurkers never knew what hit them.”
“Your training over the last several weeks has served you well.”
Benbo shook his head and deflected the compliment. “Without the pointers you offered me that were written in Sylus’ book, we would not be as efficient as we are now.”
Al nodded, smiling pleasantly. “Let’s keep it up.”
Benbo nodded. The commander then turned to a pair of mining crew leaders. “Go ahead and fill this chamber with rubble from the main tunnel.”
“As you command,” one of the miners replied.
For the rest of the day, there were no more attacks and the dwarves made excellent progress through the last couple of remaining miles.
Early the next morning, Al was standing in front of the last few feet of piled rock that separated shaft thirty-seven from the large chamber containing the addorite. Through cracks and openings he could feel a cool, musty air flowing out toward him. The dwarves worked hard clearing the stone, setting lanterns, and watching for any sign of predators.
Al fidgeted inside his armor as the last of the rocks began to fall away and the light from their lanterns pierced into the darkness of the open chamber beyond. The dwarf king took a torch from one of the miners and walked toward the waist-high pile of rubble. He threw the torch into the chamber. The torch spun end over end as the flames roared in protest. The light spun up, then down with each revolution of the torch, illuminating the depths of the darkness until it struck the ground where the light flickered and nearly went out before it stabilized.
“By the stars above and the stones below,” Al said as he looked to the light.
All around the torch he saw piles of bones. Most were either from dwarves or cavedogs from the looks of it, but there were also giant bones sticking up out of the piles in some places. Black scales also littered the ground, along with rusted swords and axes.
“It’s bigger than I thought,” Benbo commented with awe as he stepped closer to the dwarf king.
Al turned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get the last of the rocks out of the way and then move in and form a defensive perimeter.”
Benbo nodded, but his wide eyes never left the piles of bones in the great chamber beyond.
After the path was cleared, Al waited a few yards inside the chamber as the army marched in. With every new torch and lantern that was brought into the chamber, Al felt his heart sink a little more as he was able to see more clearly how vast the battlefield truly was. Had it not been for the vision of deceased ancestors he had witnessed in the main hall, he might have ordered the tunnel to be recollapsed and sealed off forever.
He knew he couldn’t do that though. This was a dangerous place to be, and their activities here could very well awaken something far beyond what the dwarves could handle, but if they could get the addorite to Hiasyntar’Kulai, then it would be worth the risk.
Al knew all too well from his time with Erik that the four horsemen were far more than legend. They were very real, and they were coming. He didn’t know when, but he knew it was a near certainty that they would come. When they arrived, they would destroy Terramyr. The only known information that could shed some light on how to stop the horsemen was contained in The Infinium. The idea that even the Ancients needed help reading the book was not something Al liked to think about. The possibilities of what might happen to a great dragon if they tried to read the book without the help of the addorite crystal was enough to keep the dwarf king awake at night.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how the addorite actually assisted the Ancients decipher the book. If he lived through this ordeal, he would have to ask one of the Ancients.
As he thought on the subject, he saw a group of miners move in close to a section on the wall that was bursting with pink crystals. He moved to them and looked at the crystal formation.
“Is this it?” a miner asked.
Al didn’t know how he knew, but he was certain the crystal was addorite. He nodded. “That is it. Wait until we have secured the chamber before we start removing it. For all we know, the explosions might not bother the monsters. It might only be when we try to take the crystal from the mountain. A shift in the Mystinen perhaps.”
The miners nodded and carefully set their pickaxes down on the ground while they waited.
Al moved to join one of the forward patrols. The old bones beneath their feet clicked and snapped like twigs underfoot. Dust
popped up from the ground as the group disturbed the endless mound of bones and scales. Al and the others moved to cover their mouths and noses as they continued to scout through the chamber. They moved slowly, using their torches to scan the area for any sign of hostile life. The group picked its way toward the outer wall where the bones were thinnest as they passed around the largest heap of bones and debris.
“This must be where the fighting was the worst,” one of the soldiers said.
“Can you imagine climbing on a growing hill of bodies to fight your enemy?” another one called out.
Al silently surveyed the pile, following the patrol and recalling the words Sylus had used to describe the horrors of this particular battle. He didn’t dare share that information with any of the soldiers around him now. He saw little use in making them soil themselves before they had even begun to fight.
A shout rose up from somewhere off in the distance. Al and the others quickened their pace around the large mound so they could see what the matter was. As they rounded the pile, they saw a great creature, the likes of which they had never seen before. It had thick, bony plates along its back, with spikes jutting out the sides. A short, thick neck protruded out from under the covering of bony plates and held a round, scaly head that ended in a stubby snout filled with large fangs. It walked upon all fours and was fairly slow as it came out from under a pile of bones and tried to escape from the dwarf patrol chasing after it. As it emerged from the bones, Al saw the long, massive tail that was tipped with a round knob of solid bone.
No sooner had the tail come free from the pile of bones the creature had been hiding in than it swung out to the side and swept two dwarves off their cavedogs. They flew through the air and landed far off in the mess of bones.
“Come on!” Al shouted.
He led the charge from their side toward the strange creature. The patrol group that was nearest the beast circled around it, waving their swords and keeping it from escaping. The dwarf king shouted to let the others know that he was on the way. He quickly realized he had made a mistake. A pair of wings erupted out from the bones immediately in front of Al and a long, slender body rose into the air directly in front of them. Al and the others around him slid to a scratching halt as the bones beneath their feet scraped along the stone. The flying demon was maybe seven feet from head to foot, with a long, spike-tipped tail thrashing wildly behind it. Long, curved talons jutted out from its feet. It lashed out with one foot, scratching, but not piercing, Al’s breastplate. Al retaliated quickly by driving the spiked end of Murskain through the flying creature’s thigh. The thing screeched in a terribly shrill voice that all but pierced the dwarves’ ears, but Al held firm and kept the monster from flying away.
Two other warriors lunged in and plunged swords deep into the creature’s abdomen. It fell to the ground, crying and screaming in pain. Its white, blind eyes were opened horridly wide, revealing blood-red eyelids as it thrashed about. Al pulled the hammer free and then came down with a savage blow of Murskain’s heavy side. The creature’s skull was crushed as easily as an egg beneath a boot. The group then continued to ride on to help the others.
By the time they reached the large, four-legged animal, it was bleeding from its head, neck, and two hind legs. The dwarves were bringing it down piece by piece. Al moved in with his hammer and tried to close in on the beast’s head, but every time he came closer the animal turned to the side and presented its tail. A couple times it brought it down just inches away from Al and his cavedog. Splintering bone fragments exploded in every direction as the tail whomped down time and time again.
Ultimately, a lucky crossbow shot to the eye put the beast down.
After it was dead, several other patrol groups arrived to look at the thing.
Benbo ignored the animal and moved next to Al. “We have finished sweeping the chamber,” he said. “We found a few strange flying creatures, but we put them all down.”
“Losses?” Al asked.
Benbo replied, “Less than a score in total.” He turned and pointed out away from the bone-plated animal. “Additionally, we found two of our comrades over there. They looked like something had crushed their chests. Now that I see this animal, I think I understand.”
Al nodded. “It has a wickedly powerful tail.” He turned around in his saddle. “What else?” he asked. “Where are the exit tunnels?”
Benbo shrugged. “That’s the thing. We didn’t find any tunnels leading out of here.”
Al looked at Benbo with disbelieving eyes. “What do you mean there aren’t any other tunnels? Were they sealed up?”
Benbo shook his head. “This giant chamber is a dead end. There are no tunnels other than the one we used to come in.”
Al shook his head. “That can’t be,” he said. “There must be something.”
Benbo sighed and frowned. “There is nothing here. It looks like this was the final resting place of the demons King Sylus fought.”
Al narrowed his eyes and looked around. “No, there was something,” he said. “Sylus believed they invaded from somewhere else. He details that they mined here for quite a while before they were attacked. There must be a tunnel somewhere.”
“There isn’t,” Benbo replied flatly.
“Have the patrols look again.” Al looked up to the ceiling. “Have them inspect the ceiling too. Whatever it takes. We must find the source of the demons before we can begin mining the addorite.”
Benbo nodded. “It is possible the mountain has shifted. After all, we are miles below the surface now. It could be that whatever ancient tunnel let the demons in has been sealed off by the mountain itself.”
“I suppose,” Al mused.
“We did find gold veins on the far wall,” Benbo said pointing out to the east. “There looks to be enough there that we can alleviate our food shortage if we begin mining.”
“We can’t mine until we find the tunnels that Sylus spoke of,” Al replied. “If you can’t find obvious tunnels, then have the miners clear these bones off to one side of the chamber. Maybe there is a tunnel leading down. Have them set metal remnants of armor and weapons in a second pile. Maybe we can reuse the material.”
“As you command sire,” Benbo replied. “What if we find no tunnels, what shall we do then?” he pressed.
Al thought for a moment. He could hear the exasperation in Benbo’s voice. He knew that he could not justify waiting to extract the gold unless there was a clear and present danger. If there really were no tunnels, then perhaps Benbo was correct. The mountain could have sealed them off. “If there are no tunnels, then set up the best defenses you can and let the miners get to work.”
“By your command,” Benbo said.
Al watched the commander ride away and bark out orders to the patrols. The dwarf king couldn’t help but feel as though something was missing. There was an uneasy feeling in his stomach that the demons would come as soon as the dwarves mined the addorite.
*****
Hiasyntar’Kulai was sitting in the large, crystal-walled chamber deep within the ground beneath his castle nestled in the mountains when the three dragon spirits returned from their quest to find the missing addorite.
The three spirits settled upon the floor and bowed deeply.
“Have you found it?” the Father of the Ancients asked.
The middle dragon, a large, strong spirit with blue scales lifted its head and looked to Hiasyntar’Kulai with its black, penetrating eyes.
The golden dragon formed the telepathic connection with the blue dragon and relived the memory of discovering the addorite through her eyes.
The cave was found exactly where Tu’luh had said it would be. The three dragons entered the cave and swiftly floated through the winding passages. They heard strange noises echoing through the caves, but there was no sign of any life. They wound their way down long, dank corridors. The deeper they went into the cavern network, the more tunnels seemed to branch off in every direction.
The three dragons s
plit up.
The blue dragon, whose memories Hiasyntar’Kulai was watching, chose a tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. She floated through quickly, not needing to worry about the physical constraints of the tunnel as her ethereal form easily passed through the solid stone walls and stalactites that would have prevented her from navigating the tunnel had she been alive and in her physical body.
That was why Tu’luh could never recover the addorite, Hiasyntar’Kulai thought to himself as he watched the memories. The tunnels were far too small for any dragon to infiltrate.
The tunnel came to a large chamber with an underground pool of water. Green, thick algae grew along the top of the pond and stretched over the stone banks. There were several piles of bones as well. The blue dragon moved closer to inspect the bones, and realized that they belonged to goblins.
She moved on. Something moved in the shadows in a tunnel off to the right, so she followed after it. Quiet footsteps padded along the cave a short ways in front of her. She increased her speed and discovered a hulking, hunch-backed figure with green skin dotted with cysts over the left shoulder. It turned and narrowed its gray eyes, seemingly looking right at the blue dragon. It snarled, revealing a set of crooked, jagged teeth. Then it turned and hobbled through the tunnel, shifting its weight from foot to foot.
The blue dragon followed the deformed creature until the tunnel opened into a large chamber filled with torches and fire pits that illuminated the entire area. The hulking creature moved in and went to a large, iron cage filled with goblins. They shrieked and jumped to the back of the cage as the deformed creature approached. It opened the cage and reached in, seizing one of the goblins by the wrist and yanking it out.
