The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7) (23 page)

“
What's with
the convoluted path?” he asked Aeris as the road dipped down
and went left. “Wouldn't it have been easier to just make a
straight road from the edge of the cavern to the city?”

“
Security,
my dear wizard,” Aeris said as he flew ahead, his body glowing
in the darkness. “The dwarves' enemies can be easily contained
and attacked in this maze-like area.”

He pointed up. Above them, the
ceiling of the cavern soared so high that it was lost in the gloom.

“
They
intentionally left this section of the road uncovered so that all
enemies must travel the path and not climb above it. It is a
brilliant bit of engineering.”

They walked on. They had lost sight
of the undead as soon as they'd entered the maze and now they
couldn't hear them either.

“
Are we
getting farther ahead of the horde or does this whole place muffle
sound?” Simon wondered.

“
The latter
I should think,” Aeris replied. “Notice our voices as we
speak? They aren't echoing the way they did back in the tunnels. The
dwarves have managed to dampen sound here somehow. Fascinating.”

Several more twists and turns finally
brought them to a straight stretch of road. The final run to the
city, perhaps.

They followed the path for several
more minutes until a distant flicker appeared in the distance. They
slowed down and Simon peered into the gloom.

He could see torches twinkling about
a hundred yards ahead and felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“
Guys, we
made it!” he exclaimed as the trio stopped to look at the
distant city walls. “Just a few more minutes and we'll be
safe.”

“
You will be
safe, my dear wizard,” Aeris corrected him. “As I said
earlier, Kronk and I would face a much different fate should we
accompany you any further.”

Simon leaned on his staff wearily,
his legs quivering. He stared at the elementals in confusion as he
tried to catch his breath.

“
What are
you talking about? Come on, we have to get to the city before those
undead bastards catch up.”

“
I am sorry,
master,” Kronk said gently as he stared up at the wizard, “but
Aeris is correct. Elementals are forbidden in the cities of the
dwarves. We know it and they know it. If we should approach too
closely, it is quite possible that we would be attacked.”

He looked forlornly at the distant
torches.

“
And dwarves
know how to destroy elementals, I'm afraid. Forgive us, master, but
we can go no further.”

“
But....but
what about the undead? If we split up, you'll be attacked.”

Aeris snorted with laughter.

“
Your brain
must be addled with fatigue, my dear wizard, to think that. Kronk
will travel through the rock and I will simply vanish. I can fly
above the vermin back to the main tunnel and then follow it up. Once
back on the surface away from the dampening power of the deep stone,
we can return to the tower instantly, thanks to your graciously
giving us permission to do so.”

Simon looked from the small blocky
face of Kronk to the semi-transparent visage of Aeris and then smiled
weakly in relief.

“
Crap. I
forgot that the only really vulnerable one in this group is little
ol' me. I think I'll agree with you, Aeris, and chalk it up to
exhaustion rather than to just being dumb.”

The air elemental grinned widely.

“
Oh, you can
call it the latter if you want to. I have no problem with that.”

“
Thanks,”
Simon said dryly. “Okay then. You two head home. I should be
safe enough walking from here to those torches. Watch over the tower
for me until I get back, won't you?”

“
Of course
we will. Kronk's a mother hen, you know that. It will be fine. Who
knows? Perhaps some of my people will have reported back in by the
time you get home.”

“
Hmm, maybe.
I actually doubt that any of them will return for months. Anyway,
we'll talk about it when I get back. Be careful heading home, guys.
We know that the undead aren't the only dangers down here.”

“
Thank you,
master. We will be fine.”

Kronk stepped closer and lowered his
voice and Simon bent down to hear him.

“
Watch the
dwarves, master,” the earthen whispered. “Their king may
be your friend, but in the end he serves his peoples' best interests,
not yours. Only trust him as far as you must.”

Simon stood up with an appreciative
smile.

“
I know, my
friend. I know. The only people that I trust implicitly in this
world, now that Daniel is gone, are you two. Now get going; the
undead can't be far behind.”

Kronk bowed and sank into the solid
rock of the road, disappearing from sight.

Aeris was no longer smiling. Instead,
he gave Simon a solemn salute and shot straight up, fading and then
vanishing in the distance.

“
Okay
Simon,” the wizard said to himself as he started to walk toward
the city. “You're alone again. Try not to do anything stupid.”

The wizard hurried toward the
flickering points of light that were the torches at the city gates.
He'd underestimated the distance in the gloom and no matter how fast
he trudged, the walls didn't seem to be getting any closer.

Worse still, Simon began to hear the
distant dry sounds of the undead as they dragged their bony feel over
the ground. They were relentless and could chase him forever, while
his energy was quickly being used up.

Shouldn't there be a patrol out here
or something, he wondered. After all, the dwarves are the targets of
the dark gods as much as we humans are.

The maze fell away behind him and
Simon found himself on open ground with a straight path to the
towering double gates of Kingstone. He was surprised by the sudden
transition and staggered to a stop to get his bearings.

Behind him, the deep road entered the
twisted barrier of rock that he'd just passed through, while all
around him was flat and featureless.

It's a killing ground, he realized.

It sent a chill quivering down his
back.

The dwarves on the high walls had a
clear view all around their city of any enemies approaching and could
attack them at a distance, before they even got close enough to be a
threat.

Could they see him? Of course they
could.

Simon hesitated for an instant, but
the sound of pursuit was growing louder and he realized that he was
out of options. He would have to trust that the sentries could tell
friend from foe; and that they considered him a friend.

He stumbled forward again, using
Mortis de Draconis to push himself along at a frantic, hobbling pace.

He was no more than a hundred feet
from the gates when his globe of light was snuffed out in a loud poof
of air. Simon almost tripped in surprise but forced himself to
stagger on.

It was the ward against magic, of
course. He remembered his last visit to the dwarven city and the
dampening field that had prevented him from using his powers.
Obviously the same protections still extended around the capital.

Great. Now I really am powerless.

“
Hold,
human!” a gruff voice cried from atop the wall next to the
gate. “Come no further!”

Simon stumbled to a halt. He was now
sweating and gasping so loudly that they must have heard him all the
way from the top of the wall.

“
State your
business here.”

The wizard breathed deeply, trying to
find enough air to reply.

“
My
business?” he called up to the unseen watcher. “I'm here
to see my friend, Shandon Ironhand. My name is Simon O'Toole. I was a
guest of the king a few years ago.”

There was a long silence and Simon
turned to look back along the road.

“
Excuse me,”
he shouted. “But there are a few hundred undead monsters behind
me. Shouldn't you be doing something about them?”

“
It is
already done, wizard,” the watcher replied sternly. “We
waited for you to exit the tunnel before dealing with them.”

“
Wizard?
Then you know who I am?”

“
I know who
you say you are. The king will determine if your words are true. Be
patient; a message has been sent to the palace.”

Simon stood in the silent darkness
for a moment and then folded his legs carefully and sat down on the
hard stone. If he had to wait for Shandon, he might as well take the
opportunity to get a little rest.

He rubbed his legs and sighed as they
throbbed under his fingers.

Oh, I'll be sore in the morning, he
thought ruefully. I wish the dwarves had told me that they had
destroyed the horde. I could have at least slowed down a bit.

He was so thirsty, his mouth felt
like it was coated with dust. He spared a thought for his lost pack
and hoped that he wouldn't have to wait too long for the king to
verify his identity.

Simon stood up slowly a few minutes
later, his knees creaking like those of an old man. The gates had
boomed and shook the ground from where he waited fifty feet away and
he decided not to be caught sitting down. He wondered why the massive
portal would be opening now. There was a small entrance off to the
side that he had used when he had left before and he was surprised
that they wouldn't just use that.

The towering iron gate swung inward
with a rumble and light blazed from inside the city. A lone figure
silhouetted against the glow beckoned to Simon and he walked toward
it carefully, afraid that his legs might buckle from fatigue.

Behind the short, armored figure, two
torch-bearers stood supplying light. They were simple workers,
wearing tunics and leather aprons, the symbols of the tradesman
class. There were no other dwarves in sight.

Simon kept walking until he was a few
yards away from the waiting dwarf. He could finally see the warrior's
face and was surprised to realize that it wasn't Shandon Ironhand.

Instead, the helmeted dwarf was a
much older person. Deep lines criss-crossed his face, as well as
several battle scars. What little hair Simon could see beneath his
helmet and cowl was as white as snow, but the dwarf stood straight
and proud, a large axe dangling from his hip.

“
Welcome,
Simon O'Toole,” the dwarf said as he banged his mailed fist
against his chest. “I am Ragar Blackrock, seneschal to his
highness, King Shandon Ironhand. Welcome back to Kingstone.”

“
Err, hi.
I'm pleased to meet you,” Simon replied, a little confused.
“I'm sorry, but I thought that maybe the king would be here.”

Ragar glowered at him.

“
His
highness is a busy dwarf, sir wizard. When the message came that you
had arrived, he asked me to welcome you. Things are a little...hectic
in the city at the moment and the king is otherwise occupied.”

“
Oh, of
course,” Simon said quickly as he realized how arrogant his
statement might have sounded. “I didn't mean to imply that I
thought Shandon should drop everything just to greet me. I know I'm
not that important.”

The seneschal looked him up and down
and thawed slightly.

“
I
understand. You have walked far to reach Kingstone and I can see how
weary you are. Sometimes we misspeak when we are fatigued. Please
follow me. I have arranged for some refreshment and a room for you.
You can recover from your journey and the king will summon you as
soon as he has the time.”

Simon put his palm on his chest the
way he'd been taught and bowed slightly.

“
I am
honored by your greeting,” he said, correctly this time. “The
dwarves are well known for their hospitality.”

Actually they weren't, the wizard
thought to himself. But they did love the niceties.

This time Ragar actually looked
pleased and he returned the courtesy. A clatter of metal from behind
him made the dwarf turn abruptly and he motioned Simon to the side of
the gate.

“
The watch
is changing,” he said as a troop of armored dwarves marched
past, heading out into the darkness. “The last shift took care
of those undead marauders that had been chasing you and I am sure
that they will be pleased to be relieved.”

So that's why the main gate had
opened, Simon thought with some humor. It wasn't for the great wizard
after all. Well, that's a relief.

“
Now let us
go. I can see you are in some discomfort,” Ragar said
considerately. “Follow me please.”