Trillius locked arms with Rozelle, turned to Raina, and said, “We are ready.”
“I never noticed your eyes before,” Raina announced, studying a trace of glowing blue in Trillius’ irises.
Trillius tapped his nose, “Most notice the nose first. I get my eyes from my mother.”
In this special moment, Trillius’s brain rang with Dal-Draydian’s spirit voice, “Excellent. Well played, Master Trillius. This elf wizard will take us directly to the place of power, where we will both be free, and you Trillius, will become the Dragon God.”
Bridazak, with his bow and arrows hidden inside a mine cart, once again mingled with Spilf amongst the slaves. They crossed to the other side of the cavern, mentally marking out the remaining goblins; twenty spread throughout the cavernous area, plus one goffen, who took position by the large opening leading back to their massive army. When Bridazak and Spilf were in place for their plan to unfold, Bridazak nodded to Abawken, who waited, hiding in a dark passage with the dwarf.
“Are you ready, Master Dulgin?”
“C’mon Huey, let’s get Bridazak’s plan in motion before I change my mind.”
Abawken pointed his sword and softly spoke the word to release its magic. A growl echoed from the cave that held the screamer. The surprised goblin troops tentatively approached the tunnel, weapons at the ready. Abawken’s summoned rock elemental emerged out into the lighted area, causing green humanoids to freeze in astonishment. Several goblins threw their spears, which ricocheted off the massive rock beast. It slunk back into the dark tunnel. The goblin band followed, leaving two to guard the opening.
As Bridazak watched, Abawken soared out of an adjacent tunnel. Dulgin was draped over his back, holding on for dear life around the human’s neck. They flew toward the Sky Diamond. The goffen spotted the intruders and turned to run, but Bridazak had fired his first arrow, in anticipation, which slammed into its back, sending the goffen sprawling face first into the dirt floor of the cave.
Spilf alerted his friend, “Bridazak, here come the two guards.”
The goblins charged from the far side. Bridazak aimed his bow in their direction, but suddenly spotted the distinct glowing yellow eyes of a hovering shadow next to the stalagmite that cradled the Sky Diamond.
“Reeg!” he yelled to alert his partners in the heist of the new threat, and just as quickly fired his arrow at the specter-like menace. The whistling shaft flew through the bodiless image with no effect. Bridazak knew the Reeg would report back to the Dark Lord of the underworld—something far worse than the horde of Goblins. Bridazak no longer had any special arrows, so, remembering their last encounter with the reegs at the temple within the great Everwood forest, he realized Abawken’s sword was the only thing that could damage it. He was about to run toward Abawken, but Spilf, dagger in hand, stepped up to intercept the pair of goblins that were almost upon them. Bridazak glanced to where the goffen had fallen, but quickly noticed it was gone—a trail of blood led into the large tunnel. The goffen had lived, and the plan was unraveling before their eyes. The reeg had backed away, ready to vanish into the shadows and teleport back to Kerrith Ravine with its findings. Bridazak refocused his attention on the brazen goblins who were about to impale his friend. Ignoring the reeg, he fired an arrow. It slammed into the thug’s chest, propelling it several feet backward with a force that swept the creature’s legs up into the air. Bridazak was unable to get the last attacker as Spilf held his dagger ready to fight it.
“Slow down, Huey!”
“Are you ready, Master Dulgin?”
“I’m not flying with you for fun, Princey. Yeah, I’m ready!”
The brilliance of the Sky Diamond intensified, it rested at the top, and waited to be in the hand of a good dwarf. They were a body’s length away when Abawken suddenly slammed into an invisible wall, sending Dulgin flying through the air, arms flailing, and then impacting the rock column. The human fighter slid down to the ground, dazed by the force. Dulgin, unaffected by the magical barrier, clung to the stalagmite in a desperate hug, his battle-axe strapped to his back. Glancing up, Dulgin realized he needed to climb a few more feet before grabbing the precious stone.
Abawken, shaking off the effects of his crash, called, “Master Dulgin, can you make it?”
“Not if you are going to be blabbing the entire time. Help the others.”
With nothing more that Abawken could do to help Dulgin, the human ran off to assist Bridazak and Spilf. The dwarf had made it through the invisible wall, and was on his way to touching the gem.
Spilf was surprised when a lizardman fighter miraculously blurred into view as it parried the goblin’s sword that came down to strike the ordakian. The new visitor, wearing nothing but a leather loin cloth, blended into the environment like a ghost, but when steel met steel, the defender materialized. Its slithery tongue hissed and its scaled tail swished back and forth as it brought up its longsword and shield.
Bridazak cried out, “It’s okay Spilf, it belongs to Abawken!”
Spilf backed away as the goblin and lizard creature battled it out. Bridazak looked for the reeg once more, but the shadowy wisp had vanished. A chill ran through his body in remembrance of his encounter with the evil lord, ruler of Kerrith Ravine, within King Manasseh’s cell.
“C’mon, let’s get to the tunnel and make sure none of the other goblins escape.”
They met up with Abawken who had arrived at the tunnel the same moment they did.
“Where is Dulgin?” Bridazak asked.
“He is getting the Sky Diamond, something he must do on his own.”
At this point, the lizardman, with mucus blood dripping off of its blade, sleekly walked up behind them and waited for his next orders. Abawken held up his hand, indicating it was to hold for the time being.
“Thanks for the help,” Spilf said to Abawken, who nodded.
The sound of muffled echoes of distant fighting further down the tunnel, informed them that the goblins and the rock elemental were close to the screamer.
Bridazak sighed, “I hate to say it, but the goffen got away. He is injured, but there is no telling how long we have.”
“Let’s go after it, then,” Spilf suggested.
“Too dangerous, Master Spilf. Our best option is to retrieve the Sky Diamond and get these people back into the castle to set up defenses.”
Just then, a high-pitched, ear-splitting screech reverberated around them. They quickly clamped their hands over their ears as they winced in pain and backed away from the entrance to the tunnel. Stones along the edging vibrated and then the walls cracked. In seconds, the entire structure collapsed into a debris-showered pile of rubble, sealing it off. Clouds of dust poured from the tunnel and enveloped the heroes. A wooden sign fell at their feet, the single goblin word carved into its surface proclaimed what had happened, and exactly as they’d hoped: crash.
Coughing, Bridazak said, “It’s up to Dulgin, now. C’mon.”
Beads of sweat trickled down Dulgin’s brow, dripping through his red bushy eyebrows as he climbed another foot closer. A determination to free the people still mindlessly slaving below brought him an inner strength. With weathered hands, he navigated the rough stalagmite, feeling the uneven indentions with uncertainty, and using his leg muscles to clamp and help push himself higher and higher. It was slow going, but he was getting a feel for the rock tower as he approached the tapered pinnacle, where the Sky Diamond shined brightly.
Dulgin’s heart stopped in shock when Abawken, hovering just outside the protective invisible shield, said softly, “Master Dulgin, we know you can do it.”
Dulgin gasped, “Damn you, Huey! Don’t be sneakin up on me like that.”
Suddenly, the reeg that Bridazak had spotted earlier materialized between Abawken and the rock climbing dwarf. Its yellow eyes glowed within its shadowy blurred outline, glaring at Abawken.
“Master Dulgin, reeg.”
“What? Where?”
“Move with haste, Dulgin!”
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The reeg, still too far out of reach to attack, continued to stare at Abawken behind the shield, which would not hinder the creature from launching itself at him. However, it did not. He noticed that this reeg was different than the others he had encountered. Its features were similar to the shadowy beings, but this one had a stronger pull of evil. Abawken felt despair rising inside and his heart quickened with heightened thumps. The eyes of the assailant burned a bright yellow with a tinge of red and the black smokey substance that formed its body appeared thicker and more tangible. Abawken thought, “This isn’t me.” He resisted the sudden bout of fear and he felt the burden on his shoulders and chest lift away. Abawken realized this reeg was the demon, Shiell-Zonn, the dwarven king spoke of.
Dulgin glanced quickly over his shoulder and then hollered, “Holy orc-shit!” He shuffled around the cone shaped rock, where he found a larger palm sized opening to grip firmly. Only a foot’s distance now separated him from the prize—the Sky Diamond.
Suddenly, the reeg, moving in and out of the dimensional plane of shadows at will, a creature unhindered by material objects, faded away before Abawken’s eyes. “It’s gone,” the human announced. Bridazak and Spilf searched desperately for an opening in the shielding below him.
Dulgin had no time to keep track of the reeg, and kept his focus on holding tightly. A bitter cold gripped him as the spectre from Kerrith Ravine slowly materialized within the stalagmite. Its glowing eyes, showing through, stared directly into Dulgin’s face. His hands began to shake and lose strength as he tried to back away. The infernal beast was draining the life from Dulgin’s body. It pulled on his energy. He could not hold on much longer. His friends could do no more than watch in horror. The dwarf bellowed as one hand lost its grip and fell away from the rock. He dangled from his last good grip. The shadow crept over the remaining hold. Anger swelled within the dwarf. He pulled out his father’s axe with his free hand and hooked the edge at the top of the naturally formed column. The reeg edged out further, making contact with the dwarf’s chest and arms. Dulgin roared and fought through the draining effect, pulling himself higher until he was close enough to reach the diamond. The shadow immersed itself inside Dulgin, who barely held on. With one hand on his axe, he quickly reached up and snagged the valued treasure. The reeg screeched an unworldly cry as the light of the Sky Diamond, now in a worthy dwarf’s possession, incinerated its murky outline. Dulgin crashed to the ground, and tumbled into a roll, adding another dent to his armor. The invisible shield crackled away, and his friends were quickly by his side, rolling him over to face them.
“Are you okay?”
“I hate climbing.”
His friends chuckled with a sigh of relief.
“Can you stand?”
“Yeah, help me up.” As they assisted him, Dulgin winced in pain. “My lucky rib is broken again.”
“Lucky?” Abawken questioned.
“Lucky it was just one,” Dulgin responded, bringing more laughter.
“Hey guys, look! Everyone has stopped working,” Spilf alerted them.
They gazed about and saw that the mining had ceased and the simple tools had fallen to the ground. The denizens slowly returned to their natural state. Bewildered faces, followed by a sea of murmurs of, “Where are we? What happened?” echoed as clusters of former slaves formed.
Dulgin held up the Sky Diamond, the beacon of light. Enslaved frost dwarves’ strength returned, icicles formed on their soot covered beards and hair, and a blue hue crept out from under the layers of dirt on their faces and bodies.
Bridazak stepped up and yelled out, “We need to head back to the castle. The horde of Gock-Turnin will be coming.”
Not a soul flinched from his announcement. Dulgin blared, “Get movin!”
A few raspy, dry voices sounded in several directions, “This way!” The throngs began their march through the endless tunnels and back into the fortress. Frost dwarves took over commanding the masses more and more as their senses returned.
“Master Dulgin, your axe,” Abawken said as he handed him his inherited weapon after retrieving it atop of the stalagmite.
“Many thanks, Huey.”
After trudging through the tunnels for the better part of an hour, Spilf, out of breath as he still adjusted to the elevation sickness, said, “My parents are amongst these people. How are we supposed to find them?”
Bridazak, smiling, clasped Spilf’s shoulder, “You will see them soon, my friend. We did it. They have to be here. Once we return the Diamond, then we can find them.”
They had reached the castle wall that led to the many barracks of King Morthkin’s keep, but smiles turned to concern when heightened voices sounded in front of the heroes; gurgled screams, muffled yelling, and clashing of steel echoed off the tunnel walls. A crowd surged toward them as they fought to see what was causing the commotion. They finally broke through and saw a black armored knight, wielding a two-handed sword. He was surrounded by frost dwarves.
Manasseh pointed his blade’s tip toward the heroes and his booming voice resounded, “It is time for my revenge, Bridazak.”
El’Korr, Rondee, and Xan were joined by Trillius and Rozelle as they surrounded Raina the Sheldeen mystic, who stood with her arms tightly at her sides as she bowed her head in preparation. The powerful ritual she was about to begin would transport the entire group to a new location within the realm. A hush fell over the crewmembers of A Pinch of Luck as they watched the magical feat with great anticipation.
Raina, with her eyes closed, took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, raised her arms to the bright blue sky and chanted, “Alu thornec fehu trechts gaar.” Eerie whispers echoed her words as she continued, “Urus fe, gewareda haal noths.” Crackling energy manifested and encircled the gathered band. The soft glow shifted to a deeper yellow and blurred the outlines of the individuals inside. “Ezec eis quairtra daz!” A perfect sphere of topaz encapsulated them and then instantly imploded. The distant sound of thunder rumbled and faded. Light ocean spray and calm winds remained as the crew stared wide-eyed in wonder as the adventurers teleported to their next destination.
The Guul-Fenn Mountain range, an isolated section within the fallen North Horn King’s territory, extended for hundreds of miles to the northwest. The largest peak, known only as the Shield, contained the legendary fortress of the frost dwarves.
Raina and the group found themselves before an opening in the mountain. Frigid air encircled them. Icicles formed at the cave entrance like jagged teeth. They had been transported to an icy ledge thousands of feet above the ground, high in the clouds, where they saw the peaks of mountains poking through the billowy blanket.
Raina said, “My spell has only brought us close to our destination. We must travel by foot the rest of the way. This cave must lead to the Chamber of Cleansing.”
El’Korr shivered, “Let’s get movin before we freeze to death.”
“I will take the chill off our travels.” Raina waved her arms about and whispered incantations until lanterns materialized and hovered over each of them, producing light and the warmth they yearned for.
Trillius snapped, “I prefer not to have a beacon over my head alerting every creature, ‘here I am’.”
“As you wish,” Raina said and then dispelled his lantern.
Trillius stomped ahead of everyone, snow crunching under foot, as if bothered to be in the presence of the group that followed. Raina edged close to King El’Korr. “Be mindful of the gnome. I have noticed a shift in his attitude since he discovered the Pearl.”
“Aye, so have I. Do your magical senses tell you more?”
“There is a cloud around him that obscures my detections. I didn’t notice it before.”
Xan and Rondee were also discreetly warned of the change in Trillius. Rozelle noticed close whispers from the back of the pack and her gnomish instinct immediately sensed it was about Trillius.
The six of them wended their way slowly on the slippery blue ice floor of the tu
nnel a few miles into the mountain. The massive tube snaked through until bursting into a gigantic cave. Icicles clung to the ceiling, some of which were the size of large tree bases. Frozen stalagmites and boulders dotted the surface and a distinct odor of frozen meat greeted them at the entrance.
“Is this the chamber you were talking about, Raina?” El’Korr asked.
“No, according to Yasooma’s journal, it is much smaller. He also mentioned being greeted by frost dwarves at some point—the militia of the Shield.”
“It is deathly quiet,” Xan said in a low voice.
Rondee sniffed the air with short intakes, and snarled, “Draco piete.”
“What did he say?” Rozelle asked.
“Dragon shit,” El’Korr translated.
“Where is Trillius?” Raina asked.
Everyone turned and scanned the area. They spotted him on top of a large ice encrusted boulder twenty-yards ahead. The three-foot gnome raised his hands and smiled.
“C’mon! It is only dragons, nothing to fear.”
As he called to them, a majestic, white, horned dragon with scales that glistened like mirrors, rose behind him and flapped its leathery, translucent wings. Its streamlined head had a high crest at the back of the skull and a frothy frost built at the edges of its jaw line. The cottage sized wyrmling roared forth an ear splitting screech. It reeked of a vague chemical odor.
Raina, fearful to cast a spell as Trillius was in the way, yelled to him, “Duck!”
Trillius grinned and said, “You have your own friends to deal with, don’t worry about me little-Elf.”
Suddenly, two more white flying beasts, sleek like the other, dropped from the ceiling behind them, camouflaged amongst the stalactites.
The heroes spun and Raina shouted, “Get behind me!”
The group did as instructed. The two white dragons swooped in and released their breath weapon—cones of freezing air intended to engulf everyone, but Raina had quickly cast a spell and their blasts were blocked by a fiery shield that she leaned into as the two energy forces collided. The hiss of steam combined with the howling frozen wind assailed their ears while huddled tightly behind Raina.