Something Wyverian This Way Comes Page 23

  She passed the bottle to her left hand. “Yes, of course, Steve loves riding that two-headed dragon. He said it is his favorite thing to do in the whole wide world.”

  Smiling, the king nodded.

  “Have you made much progress?”

  Sarah tossed the bottle to her right hand.

  Kri’Entu nodded.

  “Do you know what will resolve the situation our allies are facing?”

  Sarah tossed the ink bottle up into the air but caught it with her right hand.

  “Is there something you must do?”

  Another toss, caught by Sarah’s right hand.

  “Is there something we can do to help?”

  Sarah hesitated, then tossed the bottle into the air again and caught it with her right hand.

  The king thought a moment. “There is something to be done but you’re not sure what that is.”

  Another right-handed toss.

  “You have to find the wizard.”

  Sarah tossed the ink bottle to her left hand. Kri’Entu’s eyes widened.

  “That surprises me. Let me try again. The wizard is involved but you’re not looking for him at the moment.”

  The bottle was tossed back to the right hand.

  “I see. Is there an object you’re looking for?”

  The bottle was gently tossed up into the air and caught right-handedly.

  “Seeing how you haven’t said anything of what you’re doing, if you were to describe what you were looking for, I would simply pass it off as fanciful rambling.”

  Sarah thought a moment. This was seriously pushing the limits of the oath she swore to Rinbok Intherer, but since their time was running out, she had no choice. She took a deep breath.

  “How many rubies does this castle have in its treasury?”

  Surprised, the king hesitated.

  “Rubies? Quite a few. Would you like a ruby, Lady Sarah?”

  Sarah smiled and nodded.

  “You know what? I would. I’d love to make a big pendant. The thing is, I’d love it if the ruby could be twisted.”

  “Twisted? A twisted ruby? Wait. Wasn’t there something about… Of course! The hammer!”

  It was Sarah’s turn to be confused.

  “The hammer? What hammer?”

  The king took Sarah’s arm and guided her out of the Antechamber. Walking through the castle, the king guided Sarah back to the orchards north of the castle. Several squadrons fell into step behind them.

  “What hammer?” Sarah asked again, lowering her voice. “What does a hammer have to do with a ruby?”

  “The Narian power hammer,” Kri’Entu answered. “It was discovered last year. I had a chance to study it when Master Breslin of the Kla Guur visited the castle. The hammer, you see, is powered by a ruby helix. This ruby is spiraled.”

  They reached the dragon cavern and immediately descended down into the cavern. The king signaled for his men to wait on the surface.

  Shardwyn was already there and had set up several complicated devices. He was holding something that whirred and clicked next to Pryllan while simultaneously jotting down some notes in a small leather book. He looked up and smiled as both Sarah and the king entered the cavern.

  “Lady Sarah! You appear to be a bit off today.”

  “Aren’t you full of it?” Sarah automatically responded. She cursed silently to herself and gave Steve another dark look. She looked back at the wizard. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that to come out as harsh as it did. That was Steve’s fault, not mine.”

  “No harm done, I assure you. Now, let’s see what we have here.”

  Leaving Shardwyn to his work, Sarah returned her attention to the king.

  “Now what can you tell us about this hammer?”

  “The Narian Power Hammer is an ancient tool that was assembled last year when the dwarves went searching for Nar.”

  Sitting back on his haunches, Steve raised a taloned claw into the air.

  “What is Nar?”

  “An ancient dwarven city,” Kri’Entu answered. He hesitated as he suppressed the urge to smile at the comical figure the sitting dragon presented. “The hammer was assembled from various components that were found scattered across the kingdom. As it turns out, the helix, if I remember correctly, was found in the possession of a Zweigelan.”

  Sarah turned to study Syrreth and Ferreth.

  “Do you know anything about this?”

  Syrreth quickly shook his head no while Ferreth looked away.

  The corners of the king’s mouth turned upwards into a smile.

  “Would you all excuse me? I will return as soon as I am able.”

  Kri’Entu walked back through the tunnel and disappeared from sight. Pryllan gave Sarah an inquisitive look, who shrugged in response.

  Twenty minutes later the king was back, this time accompanied by the queen. Kri’Entu made the appropriate introductions and then stepped aside to join Pryllan at the side of the cavern. The queen walked up to the Zweigelan and smiled.

  “Hello. There seems to be some type of dispute about a ruby that may or may not be missing. What can you tell us about it?”

  Syrreth answered first. “It belonged to us.”

  Ferreth’s response followed immediately afterward.

  “Wrongfully acquired it, we did.”

  Sarah crossed her arms over her chest.

  “O-ho! Is that so? You neglected to mention that little fact didn’t you?”

  Both Zweigelan heads kept their gazes fixed on the ground. Steve was staring at their Zweigelan.

  “Wait a minute. I’m confused. Didn’t Dirgath and Tirgath say it was stolen from them?”

  “By Syrreth and Ferreth, I presume,” Pryllan added.

  “Is this true?” Sarah demanded as she walked directly under Syrreth’s downturned face and looked up at him.

  Syrreth was silent. Remembering that the queen’s jhorun forced anyone in her presence to speak the truth, no matter how much they wanted the truth concealed, Sarah looked at Ny’Callé and smiled.

  “Perhaps you’d like to ask him.”

  Clasping her hands behind her back the queen approached Syrreth and gazed up at him. While Syrreth looked back at Sarah with a tinge of defiance in his eyes, Ferreth avoided the queen’s gaze as though her look alone would be poisonous.

  “Syrreth is it?” the queen began, using calm, soothing tones. “Did you take this gem without permission?”

  Syrreth hissed with frustration as he fought the urge to answer the question. He took a breath but before he could stop himself the answer slipped out.

  “Aye.”

  “Is this the gem that, I’m sorry, what were their names again?”

  “Syrreth and Ferreth,” Steve answered from his place against the cavern wall.

  “Dirgath and Tirgath,” Sarah corrected. “She wants the names of the other Zweigelan.”

  “Oh.”

  “So,” the queen continued, “is this what Dirgath and Tirgath want returned to them?”

  Ten seconds went by as Syrreth valiantly fought the desire to reveal the truth.

  “Yes.”

  “Why did you steal it?”

  Another pause.

  “Because we wanted it.”

  “This creates a dilemma,” Kri’Entu commented. “That ruby is part of the Narian power hammer. It’s a priceless artifact. The dwarves are not going to want that hammer disassembled.”

  Sarah spread her hands.

  “What choice do we have? We need that ruby.”

  There was a sudden shimmer in the air. Sarah and Pryllan collapsed to the ground while there was a simultaneous thud as Steve also fell heavily to the floor.

  Alarmed, both the king and queen looked worriedly over at Shardwyn, whose smile stretched from ear to ear.

  “Got it.”

  Steve got to his feet first. He held out his arms and gave them a quick shake. He wiggled his fingers. Moments later he held out his right hand and ignited a chaser.

&nbs
p; “I’m back! Nice job, Shardwyn!”

  Steve pulled Sarah to her feet and looked into her eyes.

  “Are you back in there, hon?”

  Sarah nodded. She ran her hands down her body and sighed contently.

  “No offense to you, but I’m very glad to be back in my own body.”

  Steve grinned. “Trust me, no offense is taken.”

  “I need to feed.”

  Everyone turned to look at Pryllan, who was just regaining her feet.

  “They should be ready for you,” Kri’Entu told her. “Please help yourself.”

  Pryllan rushed by them and practically flew up the tunnel to reach the surface. Within moments they could hear the disquieting confirmation that Pryllan had found the large pile of meat just outside the tunnel entrance.

  “I have a question,” Ny’Callé began.

  The king turned to her. “Go ahead, my love.”

  “If the hammer has the ruby you need and therefore must be disassembled in order to return the ruby to its rightful owner, can you not find a replacement?”

  Kri’Entu was silent as he contemplated his wife’s suggestion. Steve turned to Sarah.

  “Is that possible? Can we get another one?”

  “I’m led to believe that it was most difficult to come by,” the king finally answered. “I don’t think that’s a viable alternative.”

  “Who found it the first time?” Steve wanted to know.

  “It’s a long story,” the king said with a smile. “A map of sorts appeared on a boy’s back. This map led to the hammer’s components, which in turn was used to find Nar.”

  “Who made the map to find the components?” Sarah asked.

  Finished stowing his equipment back into their respective holders, Shardwyn approached the group.

  “That would be Kasnar, Master Maelnar’s father.”

  Steve whistled. “Maelnar is already old. His father is still alive? Wow. How did Kasnar know where to find it?”

  “That’s part of the same story,” Shardwyn explained once the king nodded his permission to continue. “Kasnar was held captive for centuries. In order to escape he learned to become a spellcaster and became quite good at it. He found the hammer parts and guided others to find them.”

  “Couldn’t he do that again?” Sarah asked. “Could we ask him to see if he can find another ruby?”

  Everyone turned to look at the king, who smiled.

  “That is an excellent question, Lady Sarah. Let us investigate the matter in a more comfortable setting. Perhaps the Antechamber?”

  Steve glanced up at the domed cavern and then over at Syrreth and Ferreth.

  “No offense, your majesty, but if we could do it here that’d be great. Two members of our party won’t fit in the Antechamber.”

  Syrreth and Ferreth both raised their heads to look at Steve. Once Syrreth was looking at him Steve approached.

  “We won’t tell Dirgath and Tirgath you two are the ones who stole their gem.”

  “In exchange for what?” Ferreth asked hesitantly.

  “No exchange,” Steve told them as he looked over at Ferreth. “The only stipulation is that you promise to tell them yourselves. Soon.”

  Thirty seconds later neither Syrreth nor Ferreth had responded. Steve cleared his throat.

  “Unless you’d like us to tell them now.”

  “Very well. We have an accord.”

  Steve pulled Mythrin from its holder and gripped it tightly in both hands. It was time to call in some favors.

  Breslin? Are you there?

  Several minutes of silence ensued.

  Breslin? We need to talk to you.

  Sir Steve? I am here. What is it?

  Do you have some type of magical hammer?

  The power hammer? Aye, I have it here. Why?

  Does the hammer have a spiraled ruby on it?

  Aye. What’s going on?

  We have a situation developing here. The rightful owner of that ruby wants it back.

  The Zweigelan?

  Right, only not the one you’re thinking of. That Zweigelan stole it from another Zweigelan and now that one wants it back.

  That is most unfortunate. The ruby is now part of a power hammer, for which it was originally intended.

  I know that, and you know that, but… Hmmm… Any way I can get you to come here so we can talk about this?

  You are serious? You need the helix?

  No, we need the ruby.

  The ruby is the helix.

  Oh. Then yes, we need the helix.

  Is Lady Sarah there? Please have her come get me.

  Where are you?

  I’m on my way to the Borahgg Council Chamber. I’ll meet her there.

  Thanks, my friend.

  Of course.

  Steve turned to Sarah. “Could you go get Breslin? We’re going to need to tell him what’s going on.”

  “We’re not supposed to tell anyone else,” Sarah reminded him.

  “I know that. You know that. However, the ruby has been located and the present owner is a friend of ours. If there’s to be any hope the ruby will be returned to Dirgath and Tirgath then we’re going to have to tell Breslin what’s going on.”

  “We should ask Pryllan what she’d like us to do.”

  “Bring the dwarf,” Pryllan’s voice spoke, echoing loudly through the cavern. “We must negotiate for the ruby’s return that much is clear.”

  “Damn, you have good ears,” Steve commented as he glanced up at the domed ceiling above their heads. “Are you almost done up there?”

  “I just finished. I’ll rejoin you shortly.”

  Sarah shrugged. “Once Rinbok throws a temper tantrum after he learns everyone has discovered their predicament, don’t go pointing the finger at me. I’ll be right back.”

  Once Sarah vanished Steve turned to Shardwyn.

  “So how’d you fix us? Was it easy?”

  Shardwyn smiled, which caused his wrinkles to deepen in his face.

  “It was just a matter of knowing which enchantments he used. Ultimately it was a combination of three spells. The first was… Would you like to know which spells they were?”

  Steve shook his head. “Not really. You learned what they were and nullified them, which returned us to the right bodies. For that, you have my thanks, although I will miss flying.”

  “I will NOT miss trying to move around on only two appendages,” Pryllan quipped as she emerged from the mouth of the cavern. “How someone is supposed to maintain their balance for an indefinite amount of time without four legs on the ground is beyond me.”

  Steve looked up at the huge emerald dragon and grinned. “Your biggest complaint about being human was the walking? Please. You had it easy.”

  Pryllan’s nose lifted in the air.

  “I challenge any other dragon to inhabit a human body and do better than I.”

  Sarah appeared, along with three other dwarves. Pryllan recognized Breslin, the dwarf she had spoken to before. The other two were older than Breslin and one looked so old that he appeared as though he could collapse at any moment due to his extreme age.

  Breslin, Maelnar, and Kasnar introduced themselves to those they didn’t know, be it human or dragon. Only one person refrained from approaching Syrreth and Ferreth, and that was Breslin. He frowned as he glared at the Zweigelan.

  “I remember you, dragon. We’ve met before, under less than ideal circumstances.”

  Surprised by the vehemence in Breslin’s voice, everyone turned to stare at the dwarf.

  “He tried to kill me,” Breslin explained to his father. “Myself and several others, including an underling.”

  Ashamed, Syrreth stared at the ground. Ferreth looked pointedly at Breslin and bowed his head.

  “Regret our actions, we do.”

  Syrreth looked up. “We would never have harmed you.”

  “You could have fooled me,” Breslin muttered under his breath.

  “Will you accept our apology, fri
end dwarf?”

  “Trust is earned,” Breslin responded flatly. “Not bestowed. I will accept your apology but do not think for one second that all is forgotten, because it isn’t.”

  Both Zweigelan heads nodded.

  “We understand,” Syrreth replied.

  “Hope to earn your trust as we have earned the others’,” Ferreth added.

  “Perhaps,” Breslin told the two-headed dragon. “For what it’s worth, I should tell you that our actions during our last encounter was done by necessity, not by desire. Do you see my grandfather there? Kasnar was held against his will. I needed this hammer in order to free him from his confinement. The only way to do that was to retrieve the jewel in your possession.”

  Both of the Zweigelan’s heads stared at the youngest dwarf and didn’t say a word. Breslin finally smiled and looked over at his father.

  “I think they are still mad at me.”

  Maelnar’s curiosity was piqued.

  “Why?”

  “I solved their riddle.”

  “It was a lucky guess,” Ferreth grumped.

  “Zweigelans love to ask riddles,” Breslin explained as he had caught his grandfather’s confused expression. “Either you answer the riddle or else they rob you of all your things.” He turned back around and looked up at the two-headed dragon. “You two should select a more difficult question. I first heard that riddle when I was a wee lad.”

  Once more Syrreth and Ferreth lifted their noses into the air. Giving the Zweigelan a speculative look Maelnar strolled over to where Steve and Sarah were and gave them each a hug.

  “Sir Steve! Lady Sarah! I am glad to see the two of you again. I don’t suppose that you, or someone else, can tell us what’s going on?”

  Steve pointed down at the unique hammer on Breslin’s belt. He had noticed the handle was carved with various designs and had also noticed a flash of red come from the head of the hammer. Seeing what he was looking at, Breslin pulled the hammer from his belt and rotated the head so that everyone could see the ruby embedded within. Steve walked over to get a closer look at what everyone was making a fuss over. He tentatively held out a hand to see whether Breslin would let him inspect the hammer up close. Breslin surprised everyone by placing it down, head first, on the stony floor. Breslin eyed the group and winked.

  “Trust me.”

  Steve bent to pick up the hammer but was shocked to learn that it must have weighed over fifty pounds.