SILVERYMOON
Chapter 21
They were an intriguing group. Four humans on horses, one Dwarf riding a Goat, now pulling seven camels because one was gone, eaten, and one Young, Brass Dragon.
Rick was out in front of the Dragon because he was full of stories and liked having an audience that would listen to him. However, because of the Dragon, those two were off to one side to give the Dragon some space.
Alexis was in the back with Kate, pulling camels behind them. "I think Dad is loving this."
"He has someone that will listen to him." Kate grinned wide since she saw him loving it. He was telling stories to a real Dragon, one that didn't want to eat them for a change.
"Dad might cry when he leaves," Alexis joked as she actually got Kate to start laughing. Kate certainly could see it.
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It was blistering hot by the time the sun was high overhead. They stopped to eat something, and everyone got water off the camels, save for the camels. They were working off the idea that the camels didn't need that much water.
"Why are we going north?" Thinrythlaem questioned them since this wasn't the way to the mountain range. Did they have an alternative reason they weren't sharing with him?
"It's the only way I know," Ghared explained. "I don't want to get lost in the desert."
"I'm not lost, but if you want to go there, be aware that Gnolls live in the caves and tunnels in that area. Gnolls are quite tasty, so we can go there if you need," Thinrythlaem informed them.
"Gnolls?" Alexis asked since this was a race of which she had never heard.
"Think dogs on two legs," Ghared suggested. "Viscous and mean."
"We can go that way instead." Thinrythlaem moved his head and pointed in a different direction. "There is an Oasis with fresh water over there. Though, everyone in the area knows about it, so it isn't always safe."
"Choices, choices. Gnolls or fresh water." Alexis thought it was a no-brainer. Fresh water in a desert was what everyone wanted. "Wait, are you hungry? Maybe we can find a Gnoll or two."
"I'm a Dragon, I'm always hungry," Thinrythlaem retorted. "But I'm also thirsty, so if I can, I will go to the Oasis, drink, and be right back." He would eat a Gnoll later.
"Do you need us to come with you?" Kate inquired. "You said something about a Blue Dragon."
"His home is in the mountains with the Orcs. I will be fine. Be right back." He turned and ran till he had enough speed to start flying and flew off.
"We finally know a Good Dragon!" Alexis crowed. "No one at home will ever believe us." She loved that idea.
"Do you think they know how to send us back? They're hiding that they know about us, so did they lie to us about that?" Kate questioned out loud. Ghared knew everything now, and they could talk freely. "Someone brought us here."
Alexis frowned. "To a Drow prison? Then how do we know if they're lying to us?"
"MEOW!" Patches jumped out of Alexis's arms and ran off, hissing the entire way.
"Patches!" Why had he done that? "WHAT IS THAT!?" Alexis pointed at what she had finally spotted. "It's on fire just like Patches."
Sure enough, walking their way was something that had two legs, maybe two arms, and one body but no real head, and it was all fire.
"PATCHES!" Could that thing hurt her cat? She would die if she lost Patches!
"MEOW!"
They watched as these two stood off about ten feet apart. They did, however, have wands and staves out and ready to attack whatever it was.
"MEOW?"
In return, they heard hissing. Like something-was-burning, kind of hissing. There was even a couple of popping sounds.
"MEOW!"
"What are they saying?" Kate asked Alexis since she had a skill and could understand all this.
"OH, RIGHT!" Alexis had forgotten about that. She activated her skill and listened.
Whatever it was, it started hissing again.
"MEOW!"
"It said something about being summoned, and it escaped, so now it lives in the desert since it's hot. Patches is asking what it is."
There was more hissing along with some popping. It began to sound like wet wood on a fire or wood with too many air pockets inside it.
"It wants to know what Patches is. He has never seen anything like him," Alexis translated.
"MEOW!"
And more hissing with lots of pops. "He wants to know why Patches is with us. It sounds like he doesn't understand."
"MEOW!"
That had Alexis grinning wide. Patches was telling it that Patches loved her and would never leave her.
"Patches, ask him how old he is." To Alexis, he was about the size of her dad, so how old was it or he, she, or whatever?
"MEOW?"
A few hisses and one pop followed Patches' meow. "He's still young and misses others like himself but doesn't know how to get back." After that, there were several pops and many more hisses.
"He wants to know if he can come with us. He's lost, and he likes Patches," Alexis translated. "I'm guessing because he's on fire like he is."
"What's our Dragon going to think when he comes back?" Rick wondered. Of everyone here, he had talked with him the most.
"You know what he is?" Alexis looked at Ghared, and she shook her head.
"A cat on fire and now him. We will attract attention once night falls," Ghared said grimly because this could very well cause trouble.
But Alexis started grinning since, so far as she was concerned, Ghared had just agreed that he could join them. "Tell him he can come, Patches. We'll explain him to the Dragon when he returns," Alexis told him. "I wonder what he eats?"
Now Kate was laughing again. They were already down one camel and would feed another to the Dragon. This thing wanted another camel, and soon, they wouldn't have any.
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They were walking their horses and one Goat with one Young Fire Elemental and one Ember Cat walking side by side, talking to each other. One was all hisses and pops while Patches was all Meows. However, they seemed to be doing a lot of talking.
Then Thinrythlaem was back, and he was all set to attack their new friend until Rick got him to stop. "It's a Fire Elemental," Thinrythlaem explained heatedly.
"Is he Evil?" Rick queried which got him to shut up for a couple of moments.
"I don't think so. He's only the second one I've ever seen," Thinrythlaem responded. "He's kinda small."
"MEOW!"
"Yes, bigger than you," Thinrythlaem answered back. That told them all that Thinrythlaem understood Patches as much as Alexis did.
"You know what Patches said?" He had it right as far as Alexis could tell.
"I speak Elemental. They are both Elementals. Didn't you know?" How could she not know her own Cat?
"I didn't know. No one told me. I love Patches, so I understand him. I never questioned why. Elemental, huh?" Alexis was learning something new on this trip. "HEY, I know a new language. Thanks."
"Just don't hurt each other," Kate asked them both.
"MEOW!"
And that was followed by hisses and pops. "Patches, I understand, though not him without my skill. There must be something different." Alexis didn't get it. It sounded like it should work.
Now they were an honest-to-goodness group. One Young, Brass Dragon, one young Fire Elemental, one Ember cat, four humans on horses, and one Dwarf on a Goat, trailing seven camels.
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Once the sun went down, they stopped in the middle of the dry wasteland. Given that they now had a Fire Elemental that was all fire, as was Patches, and they had a Dragon, hiding was pretty much out of the question. Thankfully, Ghared put up her tent so they could use her fire to cook dinner.
That left a Dragon, an Elemental, and Patches outside, keeping watch. As expected, Patches and the Elemental didn't sleep while the Dragon kept stealing cat naps.
Come morning, after a cold breakfast, they got back on track, traveling toward the hills that were the barrier between the desert and the Ice. It was where the caves were located and possibly the Hobgoblins. Once they reached that area, they had another five days to get to the mountain range that held all the Orcs, which meant danger.
Kate looked at Thinrythlaem. "You been here before?" She wanted to know what he knew if anything.
"I spend my time traveling from one Oasis to another. Water means food and water, which means life," Thinrythlaem answered. "The Blue Dragon is the only one in the mountains."
"We heard the desert has a Sand Dragon or Brown Dragon," Alexis said. "Do you know anything about it?"
"No. And not that I have noticed. Perhaps farther south," Thinrythlaem replied.
They stopped for a small lunch since they needed to conserve food. If the Stronghold was indeed lost, there would be nothing for them from there. It was also time to feed the horses, Goat, and camels. Thankfully the camels had their food on them, along with other things, most of it being water.
As the sun went down, they reached the hills and needed to find a spot without caves. They wanted to avoid Hobgoblins if they could. Kate took on that task and changed into a swarm of bats.
"She can do that?" Thinrythlaem wasn't used to that, but when she came back, she had found a location free of caves.
Dinner was cold and light, and the Elemental, Patches, and Thinrythlaem were farther away from the hills to keep watch.
It was just after sunrise the next day. They had gotten used to getting an early start while it was still cool outside and the sun wasn't up high yet and burning hot.
Sure enough, as they traveled, they spotted several caves but didn't have time to search each and every one of them. They had a destination to reach and no time to waste.
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Starting day two along the hills and Kate found Rick out front not far from the Brass Dragon. Kate stepped up next to him. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm not thinking of anything at all, really. Just looking. Though…" Now that she had mentioned it, he looked at her and asked, "Ever thought you would be on another planet, looking at the stars while standing behind a Dragon?"
"No." Kate leaned into him and felt an arm slip around her. She liked being in his arms. It was comforting. "None of this existed till now. I was sure of it."
Rick smiled a little crookedly. "Time to open your thinking. Different planet, parallel universe. This planet doesn't even have a moon, let alone flying to it and setting foot on it."
That had Kate grinning. The sky was full of stars, but this place didn't have a moon. Home didn't have Dragons, Orcs, Dwarves, and Disney didn't count.
"You think they brought us here?" Kate meant the people in Silverymoon. Specifically, the Lady herself.
"Even if they did, why us? I don't really remember us even being at the same place, at the same time. So what makes us so special? Why not a rocket scientist? Someone in the CIA? KGB? What are the odds out of over 6 billion people?" he asked, frustrated with not knowing.
Kate could agree that they selected them on purpose. "All right. Then who do we know that would do this to us? I can't think of anyone. You know people, or so you say."
"I know a lot of people, Kate. When are you going to learn that?" Rick looked at her and then back out at the view. "No, I don't know of anyone. No one comes to mind. A cosmic event, maybe? Green asteroid landed close enough? Little gray guys with big black eyes?
"We were together, I'm thinking, but Alexis was at school, or should have been. How about we're all still there, and this is just a dream?" He shrugged then his face lit up. "I know, a virtual reality! We're all plugged into a computer somewhere, and this place doesn't actually exist." Rick was on a roll now that Kate had gotten him started.
"I think you can stop now, babe. Not much we can do about it anyway. Certainly not way out here." Kate didn't need more of his imagination.
Rick looked down at her. "If we could go back, would you?"
Kate kept looking at the back of the Brass Dragon and thought about that. "I don't know. I miss my dad, and I miss the guys. I miss Lanie a whole lot. But I don't miss the dead bodies." She didn't miss why people killed each other, either.
"I miss electricity, taxis, and the Library." Rick sighed, "Oh, how I miss the Library. Don't tell Alexis, but I actually miss Mother. A little. …OOFF!" Kate had poked him in the side for that comment.
"Have you noticed how clean the air is here? Yes, there's a lot of fireplace smoke, but it's not car exhaust or smoke from all those coal generators," Rick commented.
"No sirens, no trash in the street. I really do like Silverymoon. It's so pretty. Not during winter, but when all those plants are flowering, it's like living in a park full of beautiful colors.
"Would I go back if I had the choice? I don't think we get that choice, so I'm not going to think about it. I know what I do want. I want to be married. I so want to be married to you. If being here is the cause of that..." Kate had decided it was worth it. Being there had forced a life change, forced her to think differently. To stop fighting against Castle.
"A spring wedding in the middle of a river. It's going to be great. Now, if I could only get a banner to fly across the sky asking you to marry me. Oh, I know, put it up on one of those videos at the Ballpark. NO, Times Square!" Doing something grand was what Rick missed.
"I already said yes, so you can stop now. It was perfect, and so is my ring." Kate lifted her hand that held her ring. It didn't have a diamond, but this was better.
"You two ready to go?" Alexis called out to them. They still had days to travel to reach the Dwarven Stronghold full of Orcs. She liked seeing them holding each other. She loved her dad deeply, but she was learning to love Kate almost as much. Kate wasn't her mother, and thankfully, not Gina.
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The only real problem with that day was that one of the camels took an arrow in the side fired from one of the caves. That cave instantly took two Lightning Bolts that actually killed no one, but the two Fireballs that followed did. They killed everyone in that cave. Not that they knew that since they didn't investigate. Since the shooting stopped, all that really happened was that Ghared worked on getting the arrow out of the camel, followed by Alexis using her Wand of Cure Light Wounds to repair the damage.
The next day Thinrythlaem spotted a pair of giant Scorpions, and he bounded out there and breathed on them. Now his breath weapon was different. His breath weapon was a Sleeping Gas that put them to sleep, making it easy to stomp on them, bite the stinger off, and swallow the rest of them.
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"This is where I leave you. I have enjoyed your company. Richard Castle is full of stories. Perhaps we will meet again. Remember, the Orcs from this mountain range have conquered that Dwarven Stronghold. How they did this, I don't know. There are hundreds of tasty Orcs in this mountain range and a Blue Dragon somewhere." Thinrythlaem was ready to leave them and go back out into the desert.
"A deal is a deal." Rick cut a camel loose and left it behind. It was empty of everything anyway since they had used up all the water it had been carrying. "Thin, I can say you are a good friend. I will miss you." He had listened to every story Rick had told him. Several had nothing to do with reality, but each was from his Realm back in New York City.
"The Gods have spoken," Thinrythlaem declared, and after they turned their backs to head for the tip of the mountain range that led to the Ice, he bit the camel that screamed, and he gnawed on it till it was all gone.
Their Fire Elemental said something and followed Thinrythlaem out into the desert.
"So, just us again," Kate said since they had lost two.
Between that first camel, a pair of Scorpions, and now this camel, Thin was finally full. He intended to wander into the desert a little and wait for them to return. At least, he was hoping that they would. He might not even ask for another camel. No, he would definitely ask for a camel for a new deal.
His only real worry was that he was closer than he liked to where that Blue Dragon lived. He would prefer to avoid him.
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From here on, Ghared was in charge. They went where she told them to go. After all, she had been here before and knew this place even if it had been some years.
Thanks to Ghared, they had a small hide-out where they would leave the horses, camels, and Goat. Hopefully, Orcs wouldn't find them. They left them as much water as they dared, along with a lot of hay. Putting on a feed bag was out since it covered the horse's mouth, making him unable to eat or drink anything.
"Lead on," Kate said to Ghared since they would soon be underground inside a mountain, so daylight didn't matter much.
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"The main entrance is just around this corner. It is well hidden, or at least it was. Only 5 feet wide at best," Ghared told them.
"Stay here, Patches. I'll be right back." Alexis went Ethereal to do some scouting.
Ghared's jaw dropped. "She can do that?" She had no idea such a thing was possible. It was plain that she had underestimated them.
Time passed, and Ghared was wondering if they had caught Alexis when suddenly she was back.
"You weren't kidding when you said it was tight. I saw two Orcs not paying attention and arguing about someone named Ulfe. Past them is a large room with stairs going down. Beyond that is a pair of massive, heavily reinforced doors, which are open. Further on is a rope bridge. No planks, just rope. On the far side are two more Orcs with bows and swords. I couldn't see a bottom," Alexis reported.
"We don't need to go over the bridge," Ghared told them. "There are secret doors on either side of that first room just past the doors. The first task is those two Orcs."
"I'll take one of them," Kate offered. She was thinking of biting him till he was unconscious and not draining him dry. She worried that she might be doing a lot of this.
"I'll take the other. Give me a minute. You show up, and I'll attack mine. You stay, Patches." He would only give them away. Alexis vanished again and headed for the Orcs.
Kate waited about one minute, shifted into a swarm of bats, and went inside. Sure enough, it was tight, but she found the Orcs, chose one, surrounded him, and began biting him. That was Alexis's cue to put a dagger in the other's back.
Kate dropped hers and looked at Alexis, who had hers down.
And for the others…. "MEOW!" Inside went Patches which forced everyone else to follow.
They went down the stairs. "The door on the right leads to a spy hole on the right. The door on the left leads deeper inside, bypassing the rope bridge," Ghared told them.
"Be right back; you stay, Patches." Alexis went right first but found no one watching, so she left and was soon back. "Nothing to the right and four Orcs to the left. They look bored."
"I want you to wear my Ring of Invisibility." Kate handed it to Ghared. "The three of us can take four Orcs." She liked the odds and attacking by surprise.
"Give me a minute. Stay, Patches." Alexis vanished.
Ghared had the secret door open, and she sneaked down the tunnel till she had to turn left. She removed the ring to signal to Kate and put it back on again.
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It was easy, but Ghared got to see Kate bite someone and drop him. She really was a Vampire. Her understanding now conflicted with what she knew of her and what she knew about Vampires.
"The room beyond that door is a barracks for eleven Dwarves. There might be eleven Orcs now. In the far wall is another secret door leading deeper inside," Ghared said.
"Give me a minute. You stay, Patches." Alexis vanished again.
"She really is useful." Ghared hadn't anticipated having a scout like her for this.
"Alexis is amazing!" Corimin was beaming with pride. He didn't just mean amazing at this. He also meant that she was amazing in bed, amazing in his life. He was hopelessly in love with her. And the sex with her was truly amazing.
"Five Orcs this time. All of them are resting, not sleeping, just resting. Past that door is a large statue of a Dwarf," Alexis advised them.
"There's a pressure plate in front of that statue that we must avoid. It releases a poisonous gas if you step on it," Ghared warned them.
"Five versus three this time." Kate thought about that.
"We have the element of surprise, and everyone else can come rushing in," Ghared suggested.
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It had been stupidly simple. Granted, Kate hadn't actually killed anyone yet, but she needed to stop drinking soon, or she couldn't bite anyone else, and they had only just started.
Getting Castle to step over the trap was the next big problem. And watching him tease them by losing his balance certainly didn't help. Kate wanted to kill him for that.
"To the right was the Captain of the Guards quarters. Straight down the hall is another barracks room," Ghared told them.
Once again, Alexis took off like always and eventually, she returned.
"Inside that first room is the biggest damn Orc I've ever seen. He's easily ten feet tall. He also has two enormous wolves on leashes. And he has to weigh close to 300 pounds. He has an axe almost as big as he is. Down the hall are four sleeping Orcs. I didn't take the tunnel to the right," Alexis added.
"Sounds more like an Ogre than an Orc. He'll have strength, but he's just as stupid," Ghared remarked. "Those wolves could be a problem." She was concerned about how to deal with them.
"Leave the wolves to me." Kate was pretty sure she could handle them. She was a Vampire, after all.
"I might be able to hold him in place if you can get the door open." Corimin was planning to use his staff.
"You do that, and I can kiss him a few times. And don't you go getting all jealous on me!" Then Alexis smiled at Corimin.
Corimin smiled back at her. "You can kiss me after you kiss him."
"Deal. I'm first, then you open the door, Dad, and Corimin hits him. I kiss him, and Kate can handle the wolves." Alexis was sure they had a plan.
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It had worked perfectly. The Ogre was standing there looking stupid after being kissed a few times. Kate was standing between a pair of wolves petting each of them. "They're not exactly friendly, but I can control them."
The problem with the Ogre was that he was now too stupid to answer their questions. Alexis had kissed him a few times too many. They did, however, search the room.
(440 gold pieces, 1,600 silver pieces, one potion of climbing and one magical rapier sword)
Getting into the room with sleeping Orcs was almost effortless. And while Kate had a problem just killing them, she didn't need to be leaving them behind and having them attack from behind later.
(210 gold pieces, Topaz gem at 200 gold pieces, two onyx gems at 50 gold pieces each)
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To the right turned out to be a rough tunnel full of crates, barrels, and loose stuff. They saw foodstuffs, ale, blankets, tools, timber, pitch, nails, wool, and similar goods.
"We go left here." Ghared led them there. "Behind this door is the grand stairs leading down into the Great Glitterhame. It is trapped, as you can see." She pointed out all the burned and dead Orcs that had tried these doors and died.
"I need to disable it first. It resets itself after a few minutes," Ghared added and got to work.
Just inside, there was a massive chamber with a huge hole in the middle and worked steps leading down into the darkness. It was here that the continual light torches ended, so down into the dark they needed to go.
The ceiling soared thirty feet high in the center of this impressive chamber, and the walls had been carved with images of dwarves at their forges. They could hear the distant sound of running water and a curious buzzing coming from far below.
"What is it that I don't like about this?" Alexis didn't like the idea of going down there. It reminded her too much of the Underdark and the Drow. "Why can't Dwarves live in massive citadels above ground or something?"