Dragon of Eriden - The Complete Collection

by Samantha Jacobey

  “Promotion,” the king’s nephew scoffed, turning his back and rubbing his hands together briskly.

  “Yes, and congratulations on your new wife,” the warden laughed, relaxing only the slightest with the pleasantries. “She was a beautiful bride,” he added, his tone less than convincing. “Not a dwarf but fine makings for a queen, none-the-less,” he stammered, almost talking in circles.

  “Indeed,” Hayt agreed, loudly clearing his throat. “I feel so lucky, all these good things happening to me at once,” he grimaced, hiding his displeasure at Vael’s choice of words about his bride. Opening his palms to the fire, he warmed them, hoping to appear calm. “As I recall, you are quite fond of trinkets,” he began, glancing at the ground behind him, watching the other dwarf’s boots as he shifted uncomfortably.

  “Yes,” the guard grunted, “I have a fair collection of unusual fare.”

  Producing the hamar gem, Hayt grinned to himself, noting the way it gathered the light from the fire, as if it harnessed it. “Good. I have something I think you might be interested in adding to your assembly.”

  Catching sight of the offering as the king’s nephew turned, Vael licked his thick pink lips. “My, that is precious,” he observed, his voice still shaky.

  “Yes, very,” Hayt agreed, glancing at the door of the cell he needed to open. “I’d like to trade it to you for a few minutes with our guests.”

  “You mean the prisoners!” Vael snapped, instantly removed from his daze, as if he had been slapped. “No, sir! Under king’s orders, no one may see or speak to the outsiders. Trinket or no, you may not, my lord!” He still stood at attention, but his displeasure was evidenced by the sway of his body as he resisted.

  “Now Vael, obviously you know that one day I am to rule this kingdom. Imagine what good it might do you to have such a favor for me to repay when that day comes?” Hayt soothed, enticing him further with the promise of a future blessing. His heart raced beneath his calm features, as force would be his only resort if the dwarf could not be persuaded.

  Vael cut his eyes over at him, calming his body and standing still as he stared at his superior without reply.

  “Let us come to an arrangement,” Hayt charmed, raising his chin as he sauntered towards him. His hand extended, holding out the prize, he sweetened, “And imagine that day I will grant you any single thing you could wish, once I sit upon the throne.”

  Staring at him with wide green eyes, Vael flicked his gaze between the stone and his round features. “I could get in so much trouble,” he stammered, again adjusting his feet anxiously as he held his post.

  “I only need a few minutes,” Hayt insisted, giving the gem a twist to further catch the light.

  Unable to resist, the dwarf’s tongue shot out quickly and flicked around his mouth as he reached for the crystal. His fingers wrapping around it, he panted, “Ten minutes, no more.”

  “Thank you,” Hayt replied, opening his hand to accept the key to the cell. The ring of metal jingled softly as a shaking appendage passed them over. “That’s a good friend,” Hayt offered, turning to let himself into their cage.

  Inserting the key into the hole, he turned it, listening to the click as the lock shifted. Pulling on the bars, the door squealed as it opened. Leaving it wide, Hayt shoved the ring into his pocket and stepped inside, blinking at the darkness of the compartment. “Have I awakened you?” he asked, noting the Mate sat on the far end, while the rest lay stretched across their single bunk that ran the length of the right-hand wall.

  “As if we could in such a wretched place,” Animir growled, pulling himself up to stand between their visitor and the exit.

  “Relax, elf,” Hayt slurred. “I have not come to quarrel.” Looking past him, he could see the guard remained on the far side, staring into the stall. Dropping his voice, he said more quietly, “We are leaving. Tonight. Zaendra and Oldrilin await us.”

  His mouth falling open, Piers gasped as he slowly got to his feet, “You’re serious.”

  “Of course. Would I come all this way to prank you?”

  Peeking at their guard himself, Animir observed, “You gave him Oldrilin’s gift.”

  “Yes,” Hayt nodded as he explained. “She gave it to me tonight while we were preparing to leave. We decided it could still be used to buy your freedom even if the king refused the offer.”

  “We’ll have to get it back,” the elf sneered, slapping Baldwin on the foot. “Wake up,” he taunted. “We have a visitor.”

  Sitting up, Bally blinked at Zaendra’s new husband. “What are you doing here?”

  “There’s no time to explain to each of you in turn,” the dwarf grunted. “Wake the others and be ready to rush him. He is only one, but we must move quickly if we are to make your escape.”

  “Did you bring weapons?” Piers asked, giving his wife a shake, then Amicia. Holding a single finger to his lips, he hissed, “Be quiet and follow. Our new friend is here to see us to an early release.”

  Glancing at Hayt, Ami knew immediately what danger such a prospect could hold. “You go out and silence the guard. We’ll pack the bags and be ready to leave.”

  “I’ll take care of him,” Animir grinned, darting from the cell. At the same moment, he lifted a flat palm in a stopping motion, and the gem flashed with a blinding white light as he directed a shot of energy into it. Knocked against the wall, the jailor rolled onto his knees but made it no further before the elf and Baldwin were upon him. Pulling him up, they forced his arms behind him, stripping him of his new toy.

  “What shall we do with him, Mate?” Bally asked with an excited squeak in his voice.

  “We’ll lock him in here when we’ve prepared to leave,” Piers suggested.

  “I’ve got the keys,” Hayt countered, producing the ring. A moment later, he had opened another cell. “Put him in here, and we’ll not have to worry about him while you pack.” As soon as they had shoved him inside, their new friend shut the door with a loud clang.

  Turning to face him, Vael grabbed the iron bars and leaned against them. “So, this is how you repay me?” he growled, certain he would pay dearly for their escape.

  “I’m sorry,” Hayt replied, lifting his chin, “but I cannot allow my uncle to sell these people to the dragons, not for any price.”

  “We’re ready,” the Mate cut him off, leading the others to the door.

  Accepting the hamar from Animir, Amicia shoved it in her pocket and announced, “I fear this plan will get us killed.”

  “Aye, it may,” the Mate agreed, throwing his bag over his shoulder, “but staying here will only do the same. Let’s go.”

  Following the dwarf, they exited the tunnel a short time later, coming out in the great hall. Seeing movement on the far side, they stepped back into the shadows, hoping they had not been seen.

  “Is there another way around?” Meena asked, watching the dwarves on the ledge above the ground floor, certain they had no intention of retiring any time soon by the looks of them.

  “I’m afraid not. Almost all tunnels pass through the great hall,” Hayt explained with a shake of his head. “Those that do not are private and won’t take us anywhere we need to go.”

  “Great,” Bally grumbled. “We’ll never get by them.”

  “We can use the stone, as we did the night we made it into the troll’s cave,” Amicia offered, fishing it out of her pocket and holding it up.

  Observing the faint light within it, Hayt gasped, “How are you doing that?”

  “I have a way with the gem,” she grinned. “We share a kind of connection, you could say.”

  “Right,” he agreed with a nod. “So how are you going to use it on us?” he pushed, his trepidation intact.

  “I will hide us within a shadow,” she explained, moving to the mouth of the cave. “Everyone will form a line behind me, each holding the person in front of them. We are going to go slow so that none get disconnected, so hold on and stay calm.”

  Holding up the gem, the girl wai
ted until their chain had been formed. Then, taking slow, purposeful steps, she entered the great hall. Her feet walking forward, each pressed against the loose gravel slowly to muffle the sound of the tiny stones grinding against one another.

  “I –” Bally began as he reached the mouth of the tunnel.

  “DO NOT SPEAK!” Piers hissed from behind him, his loud whisper causing Amicia’s heart to beat wildly within her chest.

  “What are you doing?” she reached out to their leader telepathically.

  “He must be silent. I’m sure your shadow does not mask our sounds,” he replied in kind.

  Breathing through her nose, she panted, “Ok, but please don’t do that again.”

  “He’ll get us killed,” he replied in agreement, “but I’ll be silent from here on.”

  Sweat forming on her brow, Amicia wiped at it the best she could with her raised arm. Her mouth dry, she longed for a drink but knew there would be no water until they reached the far end of the path.

  Taking a few quicker steps, she noted the difference in the noise the gravel made. Damn. We can’t go any faster. Forced to keep the pace down, she crept along, the line of the others following her. Shit. A dwarf couple approached, moving towards them at a quick gait.

  Shifting to the left edge of the path, she looked back at the others, hoping they would do the same. Following her lead, they stood shoulder to shoulder as the lovers walked past them, oblivious to their presence.

  “My God, that thing is powerful,” Piers observed to her.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “Thankfully.”

  Resuming their creeping across the vast floor, they slowly closed the gap between themselves and freedom. They weren’t sure how the dwarf was going to get them out of Rhong, but they felt certain he wouldn’t have broken them out without some sort of a plan.

  Over an hour had passed since Amicia first hid them as they exited the open room. Her fingers cramped, she uncurled them, dropping the glowing white stone into her other hand as she worked the digits to restore the flow of blood. “How far now?” she gasped, hoping she would no longer have to provide their cover.

  Hearing voices, Piers growled, “Doesn’t anyone in this cursed kingdom sleep?”

  “Yes, but we are very close to the family quarters. They will be coming and going for some time. I feel we should hide,” Hayt explained.

  “Hide? And do what, wait for our escape to be discovered before they come for us?” the Mate bit angrily. “Why did you remove us from the prison if it wasn’t safe to make our escape?”

  Glaring up at him, Hayt replied through clenched teeth, “Perhaps you would like to return to your cell. It’s that way,” he pointed over his shoulder as he walked ahead to have a look. Seeing nothing, he curled his fingers to encourage the group to follow.

  In this manner, they made quicker progress than they had in the main hall but still slower than they would have liked. Having to hide against the walls a few more times, they finally came to an area that appeared to be deserted, and the noises of the families fell away.

  “Where are we now?” Amicia asked, still longing for a single swallow of water as her thirst persisted.

  “We are on the south end of the kingdom,” Hayt explained. “Ahead are the storage caves, where the engineering supplies are kept. Zaendra and Lin await us there. The hour is much later than I had anticipated, but I hope that your weapons have been delivered to them in my absence.”

  “You had someone helping you?” Bally asked in surprise.

  “Yes, a friend I have known all my life,” the dwarf explained, leading them through the passages as Amicia provided the light.

  “He must be a very good friend to risk himself to help us,” Meena observed in a somber tone.

  “Yes, very good indeed,” Hayt nodded, pointing. “This is it,” he announced as they passed through the entrance and Zaendra’s dim light illuminated the room.

  “Oh my God,” the nymph squealed, throwing herself into Piers’s arms, earning a surprised glare from her husband. Noting his displeased countenance, she laughed, “Thank you, my love. I was afraid my friends were lost to me forever.”

  “To the contrary,” he grunted, cutting the taller man a dark glare. “But we must move quickly before we are discovered. I fear we may already be missed, as morning is coming rapidly,” he informed them as he gathered a few tools from one of the crates.

  “Well, thankfully, I again have my staff,” Meena breathed, lifting it out of the pile of returned weapons. “I was surprised they bothered to take it from me the night we were marched from our room.”

  “They must have feared you could use it,” Rey surmised, locating his sword and giving it a test swing.

  Bally stood motionless for a moment, frozen with guilt. “I’m sorry. I might have mentioned you were gifted to Asyng that last night at dinner,” he confessed.

  “Forget about it,” the Mate commanded, handing him his axe and sword, then locating his own. “We must leave and don’t have time to worry about such things.”

  Armed and ready, the group followed Hayt once again, out of the cave and into the tunnels. Remembering what she had discovered about them, Zaendra slipped her small fingers into his, holding him firmly as he guided them towards the abyss.

  Asomanee

  Their footsteps loud on the loose gravel, the group arrived at a section of tunnel that had been cordoned off. Glaring at the wooden planks nailed across the opening, Piers grunted, “We’re going in here?”

  “Yes,” Hayt agreed, applying an iron bar he had retrieved from the crate to the rusted nails. “This is the path to Asomanee, but it was sealed long ago.”

  “Why?” the Mate clipped, glaring at the shorter blond.

  “Don’t ask,” Zaendra mumbled. “You are much happier not knowing.”

  Glancing between them, Hayt swallowed, then replied quietly as he continued to unhook the boards. “About two centuries ago, we were driven from the original dwarf city by a dark presence. Few still live who were there for the exodus, but the stories remain,” he explained. Having removed the covering up to mid-thigh, he pointed, “We should squeeze through and be on our way.”

  “Not until you tell us what’s down there,” Piers snapped, glancing at his wife. Noting the firm set of her jaw, he knew she was frightened and doing her best to hide it.

  “There’s a presence there. Someone has used a powerful spell to trap it below,” she informed him weakly.

  “Don’t worry, love. We’re not going to put ourselves at risk,” he tried to reassure her, considering if they had time to go another route.

  “We’re already at risk,” Rey observed, pointing the way they had come. “Unless I’m mistaken, they have discovered our path of escape.”

  “Everyone into the tunnel,” Amicia took charge. “Go. Now!” She stood behind them, holding up her light and hiding the group as they worked their way through, each crawling under the remaining blockade and dragging their packs behind them. The dwarves were in sight by the time she had fallen to her knees, backing through the gaping hole and pulling her bag under.

  On her feet on the other side, their two lanterns lit the dark tunnel only a few yards ahead of them. She expected the dwarves to crawl under close behind, but they did not, giving them at least a chance to escape. With Hayt leading the way, they moved down the path as quickly as they could, while a shouting match echoed through the corridor.

  “Follow them!” Baeweth commanded.

  “But sire, there are daemons,” a voice protested.

  “I care not what else may lurk in the shadows! My nephew and his comrades must not escape!” the king screamed.

  Silence followed, either as they had moved beyond range of the debate or his minions had refused to go any farther. Realizing they may lose their lead, Piers growled, “Is there any place down here to hide?”

  “Yes,” Zaendra intervened. She had spent hours studying the map and pointed ahead. “We will come to a tunnel that veers to the lef
t. If we take it, we can hide and wait for them to pass or lay a trap for them if they follow.”

  “Aye,” the Mate agreed. “We will rest a few minutes there and see if we are pursued.”

  Making the left turn, they filed into a small chamber. Dust hung in the air, and remnants of furniture made of stone lined the walls. Only bits of dirt and piles of debris covered in cobwebs remained. Anything made of organic material had decayed long ago.

  “Well, this is creepy,” Bally observed, dropping his pack and gripping his axe.

  “Creepy or not, I’ll take it,” Amicia sighed. “And I’d sure love a drink. I don’t suppose you thought to pack us some water?”

  Staring at her, Zaendra shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were coming this way until we left.”

  “I have the water stone,” Meena advised. “Perhaps one more pot can be supplied.” Pulling out their kettle, she placed the smooth blue stone in the bottom and filled it to the brim. “This will give us all a good drink.”

  Locating her cup in her bag, Amicia scooped it full and slurped at the cool liquid. “Thank you,” she breathed when it had been drained. “I was so thirsty when we were crossing the great hall I felt I might faint,” she explained as she passed the cup along so the others could have a share.

  “Have another scoop,” Zae advised when they each had gotten a cup full. “We don’t want to waste a drop.”

  Waiting anxiously, the group finished the water and then sat in a tight circle in the center of the room. In the tunnel, no sound reached them, so if the dwarves had dared to follow, they had been very quiet about it.

  After the time grew long, Piers observed, “I don’t think he convinced them to continue the hunt. Whatever is down here must be atrocious to put such fear into dwarves,” he surmised, glaring at their would-be rescuer. “Care to explain?”

  “It is,” Hayt agreed, laying his arm across his wife’s shoulders to pull her firmly against his chest. “It would be better if we do not speak of it and simply do our best to avoid it.”

  “Well, that’s not going to work,” Reynard disagreed. “How will we know what to avoid?”