The Dragon God (Book 2) (14 page)

“Just read it!”
Spilf charged.

Lester and Ross quickly mumbled through the guttural language, but nothing happened.

“Master, I detect an enchantment which requires a dwarf to speak it aloud.”

“Lester, how do you know that?”
Ross asked.

“I’m using my pick-brain, Brother.”

“Wow, I’m impressed.”

Spilf ignored Ross and Lester’s bantering and turned toward his awaiting friends. “There is a dwarven language magically hidden, but they think it needs to be read aloud by a dwarf.”

Everyone turned to face Dulgin. He quickly put up his hands, “I don’t see nothin to read.”

“I have an idea,” Bridazak smiled.

“I never like those kind of smiles you give,” Dulgin responded.

“Well, it has everything to do with you, my dwarven friend.”

“That is what I was afraid of. What is this idea?”

“Well, you are going to hold onto Lester and Ross so you can see the writing and read it to everyone.”

“What did he just say?”
Lester charged.

“Spilf, send us away, I can’t hear this. I want to go back to my golden lock dream.”

“What happens when I hold those things?” Dulgin cautiously asked.

“It is harmless. You will have a telepathic link with Lester and Ross. It will only take a minute and then you can give them back to Spilf.”

“It better be harmless. I don’t like all this magical shenanigans.”

“Spilf, please gift Lester and Ross to Dulgin.”

Spilf heard the crying and screaming pleas from his trusted picks and looked forward to the interesting encounter forthcoming. “Dulgin, take care of them,” he said as he handed them over. The mind link faded with their combined yelling of,
“No!”
as he passed them to the dwarf.

Dulgin’s mind instantly flooded with the echoing cries of Lester and Ross inside his head. The once rusty, non-impressive tools now shifted to the illustrious crafted animated items only revealed to the one who owned them. The oversized eyeballs of the picks stared in pure horror at the situation as they gazed upon the burly, red-bearded giant.

He spoke aloud and held them out away from himself as if the distance would lessen their voices, “Keep it down ya blundering fools!”

“Use your mind Dulgin,” Spilf said.

“He doesn’t have a mind, Spilf!”
Ross yelled.

“Ross, Spilf can’t hear us, we now have a new master, the dwarf.”

“We are doomed, Lester!”

“Would you two pick-squeaks shut your metal mouths. I don’t like this anymore than you, so let’s get this over with.”

“Lester, did Grumpy, I mean—Master, say something intelligent?”

“Yes Ross. Let’s do our job and show him what he needs to see. Master, move us closer to the stone structure so we can show you our discovery.”

Dulgin did as instructed, holding the tiny tools as best as possible in his ruddy and battle-hardened hands. Bridazak, Spilf, and Abawken smiled and nudged each other at the sight of him wielding Lester and Ross in an awkward fashion, unaccustomed to such items of finesse.

Dulgin saw the dwarven writing flare to life before him and then read it aloud, “Mey sheiz temmey denohrt tasheiz burs lhaz kelohrt markul hallazku sekk frukat.” The rest of them waited for the translation, but Dulgin seemed shocked by what he read.

“What does it mean, Master Dwarf?”

He looked at each of them with concern and said, “My crest will announce my arrival, I’m a symbol in battle and I defend all who seek shelter.”

“It’s a riddle,”
Lester announced inside Dulgin’s mind.

“I love riddles,”
Ross followed.

Dulgin mentally responded,
“It is not a riddle to dwarves.”
He then handed them back to Spilf.

“That could be a lot of different things,” Bridazak said. “Any ideas?” he looked around.

“Maybe a flag or a sword?” Abawken ventured a guess.

“Or maybe armor,” Spilf added.

“It’s a shield,” Dulgin announced, matter of factly.

Everyone nodded as it made sense. “This is an ancient dwarven proverb, but only used by the frost dwarves of old,” Dulgin continued.

“Here we go. It is history time once again,” Spilf said.

“This is not just any shield my friends, this is
the Shield
. We call it te Sond.”

As he spoke the name in his native tongue, the cliff rumbled and began to shake, first gently and then more violently. Rocks tumbled down, bouncing off boulders and impacting one against the other with a clattering of stone against stone.

The group moved quickly from the area, covering their heads for protection.

After much shaking and buffeting, the cliff-side groaned loudly and the air was filled with the sound of granite grinding as the bluff wall ripped apart and formed an opening revealing a small pathway of rough stairs leading into the mountain.

Everyone watched, dumbstruck by the magical feat they had just witnessed.

“I guess you figured out the answer to the riddle, Master Dulgin. And it looks like we have a new direction to head.”

“You don’t understand,” Dulgin stated, “This is the Shield, the same location that my brother El’Korr is bringing his army to.”

“Are you certain?”

“Bridazak, this is the Shield.”

“Then it appears our fates are entwined more than we thought.”

Spilf peered into the open cliff. Cold air embraced the adventuring dak. Rough cut stone steps went up beyond his vision, “Where does this go?” his voice echoed.

“Up, ya blundering fool. Let’s go.”

T
he heroes gathered on the deck when the crow’s nest called out, “Pirate’s Belly ahead!”

Their ship sailed onward toward a massive, sheer faced cliff wall. Protruding volcanic rock caught incoming swells of water that washed over the top and then receded back to start the process all over again. Elsbeth stood resolute, holding the wheel as her vessel continued to glide forward. El’Korr exchanged a concerned look with Xan, who raised an eyebrow.

“Do you know something we don’t?” Xan asked his sister, noticing she seemed amused.

“It appears we will be going through it,” she stated calmly, not taking her eye off the spectacle.

Rondee rubbed his eyes and blinked frantically, and then positioned himself between his King and the impending disaster. El’Korr asked, “How are you going to protect me from this, my friend?” Rondee shrugged.

“Half sails!” Skath ordered. The crew moved quickly and efficiently and the speed of the ship lessened. Elsbeth turned the wheel slightly and moments before an impact, the optical illusion of the jutting cliff was revealed; the slight shift in angle unveiled an enormous cave entrance beyond. The hidden cavern swallowed the ship and the bright blue sea quickly transformed into a turquoise green. The sounds of the open ocean faded away.

Trillius yelled from the railing of
A Pinch of Luck
, “Trillius has arrived!” His voice echoed off the walls. Trillius glanced back and was startled to find El’Korr standing right behind him, arms crossed over his armored barrel chest, and glaring at him. The gnome flashed a fake smile and then went to stand next to Rozelle, as if she would protect him somehow.

Fingers of light from small openings above reached down and touched the water, revealing the deep colors of the calm ocean. The humongous pirate harbor catered to over forty docked or anchored ships of various sizes. Most impressive were the intricate docks themselves—multi-level platforms and walkways weaved back and forth along the rock wall of the cave, rope and wood, appearing a chaotic, jumbled mess, but actually quite functional, connected it all together. Small vessels littered the lower wards that jutted out just above the waterline, while large galleons lined tall stilted docks toward the center of the lair. Lit torches adorned the edges of the railed walkways. A glow permeated from deep within the cavern beyond the docks, and soon the heroes could see a main street that shot straight back into the rock.

“That is the Alley,” Captain Elsbeth announced.

“Looks like fun-land to me,” Trillius chimed.

“Not a chance, Gnome,” El’Korr quickly retorted. “You are staying on board with me.”

He pouted, “Great, fun-land just turned into boring-land.”

The Alley was comprised of vendors, shops, taverns, and repair services; provisions could be found there to meet any traveler’s needs.

“How is it that they allow you entrance, Captain? This is not a pirate ship,” Raina asked.

“Let us just say, it can be good to know people.”

Urlin Thoom, Elsbeth’s mystic, stepped out of his cabin and approached. He had not been seen for days as he studied his books within his quarters. “Are you ready, Captain?”

“Yes, you may proceed.”

He stepped back and closed his eyes as if going into meditation. Lifting his robed arms, he waved them around slowly and mumbled words of the arcane. Suddenly, everyone felt a noticeable shift in the movement of the galleon. It was now under Urlin’s control.

“So this is how you dock instead of anchoring,” Xan stated.

“Yes, I don’t like ferrying people back and forth. It makes things much easier.”

The large ship slid into its spot along an open part of the railing. Elsbeth’s crew quickly threw out rope lines and tied it down, using the many bollards. Shouts and hollers from old friends began to spark up between other crews aboard neighboring ships and along the docks.

Captain Elsbeth said, “We will restock and depart first thing tomorrow morning. I would suggest not leaving my ship on your own at any time. Pirate’s Belly goes by its own rules—there are none.”

A horn trumpeted from within the cavern. It was a deeply resonating sound. Cheers began to escalate from pirates aboard other ships and those working on the docks.

“What is happening?” Lufra questioned.

Captain Elsbeth looked portside, “That sound heralds their fearless leader’s return.”

A galleon, slightly larger than
A Pinch of Luck
, came into view as it entered the vast chamber. Its flag did not bear a pirate symbol, but instead a red rose. Within minutes it cruised into port and docked adjacent to them on the other side of the pier. It was quickly tethered and Elsbeth’s crew mingled with the newly arrived shipmates. The heroes gathered on the railing looking for the commander of the vessel.

Raina stepped toward Captain Elsbeth to ask if they would be able to meet the Pirate Governor of the unusual settlement, but Elsbeth turned to face the opposite direction and smiled broadly, giving Raina her answer. The mystic began to turn with Elsbeth in expectation of the forthcoming introduction.

“You’ve brought guests to Pirate’s Belly,” a mysterious, smooth voice came from behind the adventurers. Startled, the other heroes turned.

Before them stood an impressive pirate, who wore dark blue velvet pants, black boots, and a white, billowy, long sleeved shirt with frills around the cuffs and collar. His greatly plumed hat, along with the downward tilt of his head, concealed his face from view.

“May I introduce you to my acquaintances? These are the ones responsible for the demise of King Manasseh,” said Elsbeth.

“We are honored to have such heroes among us. My name is Romann de Beaux. Welcome to my humble home.” He pulled off his maroon hat and bowed elegantly. The swashbuckler stood back up, displaying his pale face, with eyes that swirled red and blue like a whirlpool. His smile revealed pearly white teeth with two prominent fangs.

The group of heroes were wise enough not to insult the creature by announcing their surprise aloud. That is, all of them, except one.

“You’re a vampire,” Trillius chimed in awe.

“Forgive—” Elsbeth began, but Romann held up his hand to stop her.

“And what is your name?” he asked. He kneeled down as if talking to a child.

The gnome answered tremulously, “My name is Trillius.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Well little-one, since we are being candid, I will call you
Snack
.” Romann lifted his lip slightly to reveal one of his fangs while emphasizing his last word. Trillius back peddled away and clung to El’Korr. The dwarf was pleased, as he knew this encounter would keep the gnome on board the ship.

Romann stood and reached into his hat. A light glow shone out from the brim of the magical item as he pulled out a long-stemmed red rose, “From one captain to another.” He gave it to Elsbeth. She took it, brought it to her nose, and smelled the fragrant flower.

He then motioned toward his ship and offered, “I would like to dine with you and the elves this evening aboard
The Rose
,” he hesitated a moment, then added, “unless of course your dwarvenkind would like to join us as well.”

El’Korr spoke up, “We appreciate your invitation, but my bodyguard and I have urgent matters to attend to this evening, and plan to stay aboard.”

“But of course, I will accept,” Elsbeth responded with a smile. She looked to Xan and Raina’s nods, adding, “We look forward to it.”