Chapter 16 – A Wager

"Well, me buckos, it'd take days to force that door. Anything magical to use?" Asked Garlt.

Stefane stooped down and picked up several objects from the floor. Holding out this hand he showed his companions what he had gathered.

"A wand… it's... a Wand of Withering." The man paused, briefly considering the carved wooden stick. "Takes fifty years from your life."

Stefane turned to the dwarf. "You saved my life, Master Gemfinder!"

"Damn," swore Garlt. "Got hit by thet twice. Lost a hundred years? Seems I'm now further into middle-age than I'd like to admit."

'You are a bit greyer", noted Daelynn. "How do you feel?"

"Not so bad, considerin'", growled the dwarf. The ground shook. "Back to our door problem?"

Stefane pocketed the wand and the other two objects, a beaded bracelet and a silver ring still affixed on a dried, boney, finger.

"Perhaps, together, we can break it open?" the man suggested, hopefully.

It was soon apparent that even the combined strength of dwarf, human and elf was not enough to open the magically sealed doors.

"Give me a moment", said Daelynn, pulling a slim leather case from her left boot.

The elf knelt by the door. Removing several fine tools from the case, she set to work on the door's lock plate.

During this procedure several small pieces of rock fell from the ceiling causing Stefane to jump.

After a moment Daelynn collected her tools, stashed the case away, and addressed her companions.

"There is steel bar behind the door's face that has dropped into place. It is held fast by magic. No tool or key will lift it. Only brute force will open this door and we do not have enough of that."

"Do ye have another of thems Knock-y type spells ye used earlier", Garlt asked of Daelynn?

The Herald shook her head.

The elf and dwarf both turned to look at Stefane.

"Maybe the lad knows a spell?"

"That could be dangerous", said he elf.

Another section of ceiling crashed to the chamber floor.

"But beggars cannot be choosers" averred Daelynn, quickly. "Stefane? Have you any fire or cold spells that might shatter the door?"

Stefane shook his head.

"None", said the almost-mage, coughing as an errant draft pushed the green smoke from the still burning fire over them.

Stepping out of the noxious smoke, Daelynn wiped her burning eyes. She quickly scanned the wrecked chamber.

"Dragon Fire!" She exclaimed.

"What's that?" asked the dwarf.

"A potion that Martinus and Corinna were working on. It is what made the green flames that still burn over there. It is incredibly hot and acrid. It might burn through the locking bar!"

Running up to the green flames, Daelynn saw several scrolls laying on the floor. She pulled them out from harm's way and retreated to a table closer to the door.

Spreading out the scrolls, the elf quickly perused each one.

"It is this one. It will take me time to decipher it."

Stefane stepped forward, grasped the scroll, and cast Read Magic.

"Yes, this says 'Dragon Fire'. There is a list of components needed. Three of them are starred."

"Corinna said the potion required three rare components", stated Daelynn.

"Yes, yes. Most of the list are common ingredients - stabilizing solutions, permutative components. The rare ones are… Um, a green dragon scale", Stefane read. "An ounce of emerald dust… and 1 cup of… oh!"

"This chamber is filled with magical and alchemical paraphernalia", observed the elf. "Somewhere in this wreckage is what we need. Master Gemfinder, I hope you live up to your name. Find us an emerald or emerald dust. I will search for a green dragon scale. Stefane, gather the other minor ingredients."

A pillar next to the door crashed onto the floor, adding urgency to Daelynn's orders.

The three companions spread out through the chamber searching frantically for the material required to create the potion.

Martinus and Corinna had kept a tidy and well-organized lair. Many objects, tagged and labelled, were stored together with like items. However, that was before a fire, a fight, and several large pieces of collapsed ceiling had destroyed much of it.

Stefane was the first to complete his task, Garlt the last.

Re-grouping by the door, Stefane and Daelynn started preparing the Dragon Fire potion.

"This will take a few minutes. Master Gemfinder, could you please retrieve my sword while we do this? And I believe an axe of yours is over there?"

The dwarf grumbled something and set about his new task.

"Last ingredient", said Daelynn, removing her left arm bracer.

She pulled two small vials from her belt, handing them to Stefane, then drew her knife.

"After we have enough blood, you will need to use this unguent to seal my wound."

Daelynn pointed to the vial with a blue-coloured stopper.

"Then bind my arm. I will then drink from the red-stoppered vial. It will help heal me. Hold that cup steady. And, now."

Daelynn's knife flicked over her forearm, hardly seeming to touch it. Dark red blood started to flow, dripping from her wrist into the cup.

"That's enough", cautioned Stefane after a moment,

"No. Better too much than not enough", said the elf between gritted teeth.

"There. That is good."

Garlt, approaching the table from the far side, was stunned to see what the elf and human were doing.

"What, by Moradin's Eye, are ye two up to!"

"Garlt", snapped Daelynn. "While Stefane bandages my arm, you must take these two cups to the door. Mix their contents together and pour the concoction into the little funnel I placed sticking out of the locking mechanism. The potion will flow onto the locking arm. Then step away."

Garlt followed his instructions, stepping back as green noxious vapours wafted up from the door lock. Sparks followed, then a hot, green flame. A hissing issued from the door.

After the space of several breaths, the potion effects quieted, the flames dying out. Green smoke continued to rise from the lock.

Garlt reached out and placed his palm tentatively on the door.

"it's hot", he reported.

Pulling at the handles, Garlt swung the massive door inward revealing a dark, empty hallway beyond.

"Time to go", said Daelynn, grabbing her sword and a globe of light that was floating just above her head.

"Stefane, your dark vision spell will fade soon. Take this light. Master Gemfinder, light your axe and take up the rear."

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

"Quickly, gentle sirs!"

Daelynn and Stefane scurried down the hallway, followed a moment later by Garlt who had returned to their worktable where he scooped up a middling-sized sack he had placed there after collecting Daelynn's sword and his axe.

The trio halted at the intersection of the corridor and the staircase which they had descended earlier in the day.

"Shortest route out is through the trap room", said a mildly winded Daelynn.

"Aye. But it'll take time to dismantle thet mechanism", stated Garlt.

A thunderclap echoed down the hallway, the ground again shifting beneath their feet. A crack, several inches wide, split the hallway floor beside them.

"Stairs it is", said Stefane, as he ran up the spiral staircase, taking the steps two at a time.

Daelynn briskly followed.

Garlt, grumbling and cursing human engineered stairways that were obviously built to hinder or injure shorter-legged beings, clambered after her.

Stefane was two-thirds the way up the staircase when the spire violently shook. Cracks appeared in the black rock walls on either side of him. With no warning, an eight-foot section of the staircase vanished, falling into a newly created chasm. With no time to stop his rapid ascent of the stairs, Stefane vaulted over the opening.

Landing safely, he turned to warn the others. The elf had been closing behind him and also had no time to stop. Seeing the danger before her she quickened her pace and jumped, landing precariously on the edge of the crevasse. The step she teetered on broke.

Daelynn's arms windmilled as she tried to right herself. She started falling.

Something grabbed her right wrist and hoisted her up. She found herself held tight in Stefane's strong arms.

"Thank you", Daelynn said, flushed and breathless. "That was close."

Stefane looked down the stairwell. "Gemfinder won't be able to make that jump!"

Daelynn moved aside while Stefane stepped closer to the cleft in the stairs. He could hear the dwarf huffing, puffing and cursing as he ascended the spiral stairway.

"Garlt. Wait!" Shouted Daelynn.

"Stop!" Yelled Stefane.

Galt either did not hear or did not heed their warnings, but he saw the danger and stopped at the very lip of the crevasse. One more violent shake of the spire tripped him up. He fell headlong into the chasm.

Pulling the Rod of Vines from his belt, Stefane spoke the words of command. Two green vines shot from the rod's ends and followed the dwarf down into darkness.

The vines tightened under a significant weight, almost pulling Stefane off the stairs.

Held steady by the elf, Stefane heaved on the greenery. A struggling, swearing, upside-down dwarf was soon pulled to safety.

Garlt, breathing hard, nodded his thanks to the human.

The three companions continued upwards as fast as they could to the small room at the top of the stairs.

Garlt, his axes now strapped into his harness against his back, tied off the sack he carried to his waist, and grabbed the rope and grapple they had left curled up on the stone floor. Quickly setting the grapple, the dwarf shouted to Stefane.

"If ye've gloves, use 'em. If not, use some rags. Keep the rope looped about yer thigh then over the opposite shoulder, like this. Start walkin' backwards down the spire. Yer hands need a tight grip to brake. Dunna get goin' too fast or ye'll not be able to stop. Good luck!"

With those few words of instruction, the dwarf exited the window-like fissure and rappelled down the spire.

Stefane watched the dwarf's rapid descent.

"The spire is swaying! Quick now", directed Daelynn.

Stefane clambered out onto the spire's surface. At first his feet kept slipping, causing him to swing and slam knees and face against the spire wall. About halfway down he got into the rhythm of the descent.

Oh, oh. He was going too fast. Damn. The rope was burning his hands!

Stefane landed hard, but the dwarf, who had not moved aside fast enough, inadvertently broke the large man's fall.

"Git off me, ye ox!"

"A… apologies, Master Gemfinder", stuttered Stefane, assisting Garlt to his feet.

Any further comment from the student mage was lost as the two men were sent tumbling to the ground by a powerful tremor. Sitting up, Garlt watched as loops of rope snaked down from the sky, piling up on the prostrate Stefane. The end of the rope with grapple attached bounced off Stefane's derriere. Looking up he could make out the head and shoulders of the elf, peering out from the fissure in the Spire's wall, fifty feet above them.

"Ooh. Thet's not good", he muttered.

The most recent tremor dislodged the grapple and sent Daelynn stumbling across the small room like a drunkard. Rushing to the window she saw rope, dwarf and Stefane sprawled out on the moss-covered rocks below.

Udûn!

Quickly examining the room, Daelynn cursed again. Where was a spider when you needed one?

The tremors continued and large cracks were now appearing in the black stone walls surrounding her. The spire was breaking apart.

Daelynn looked own. That was a mistake. The tower was swaying. Grasping a side of the 'window' with one hand, she stroked the feathered earring on her left ear, offered prayers to Tymora and Eilistraee, and leapt out into the air.

Spread-eagled, Daelynn plummeted towards the ground.

"Leaf-on-the-wind!" She commanded. "Now! Damn it, Flit! Leaf-on-the-wind!"

A small but fierce windstorm formed around the elf, slowing her rapid descent. Daelynn hit the ground hard but suffered only bruises and having the breath knocked from her.

Nothing broken? She was alive? It had worked. Stroking the feather earring, the elf offered a voiceless "Thank you" and staggered to her feet in front of an amazed dwarf and a dumbfounded Stefane.

"Spire. Collapsing. Run." Was all she could say.

Scrambling over the rocks at the foot of the spire, the three companions reached their horses. The animals were nervous, whinnying and stamping their hooves. A shrill whistle from Daelynn brought her mount under control.

Daelynn sprang onto Pick's back. She had barely settled into the saddle when the sharp, alarming clap of tons of rock breaking apart echoed out from the spire. In amazement the trio watched as a mighty fracture starting at the spire's base carved its way up to the pinnacle of the towering rock formation.

Split in two, the spire toppled.

Garlt and Stefane grabbed for their mounts' reins as Daelynn whispered a word into Pick's ears. Snorting, her horse dashed along the curving trail that led through the boulder strewn field surrounding the dying spire.

A horse and pony soon passed her, both terror-stricken. Neither mount was burdened by a rider.

Slowing, she turned in her saddle, looking behind her. Running as fast as they could, Stefane and Garlt wove their way around and over the large boulders scattered about the base of the spire. The spire, falling apart before her eyes, suddenly vanished in a cloud of grey-white rock dust. The cloud quickly spread outward, engulfing her two companions.

The dust cloud dissipated just before it reached Daelynn, some of it settling onto the ground, the rest borne away by a late day autumn breeze. As the cloud dispersed, she could make out two figures slowly approaching her. One was short, the other one tall. One was grumbling, the other was silent. Covered from pate to toe in grey dust, the only colours the duo offered were a pair of brown eyes and one startling blue eye, all red-rimmed from flying grit and sand.

Stopping before the elf, Garlt looked first at Stefane, then the elf. Clearing his throat he spat dust, then softly voiced a relatively mild dwarven curse.

"Soon as I catch up to that Western Plains nag of mine, I am going to kill an' eat it. It'll be worth the walk to Silver Tree. Treacherous animal."

Daelynn grinned. "I recall there is a small stream a mile or three back down this trail. I am certain I will catch up with your mounts there. See you in a bit, good sirs!"

Garlt grunted something in dwarvish. Stefane offered a small wave.

"Beautiful", Stefane said aloud, to no one.

"Huh? What's beautiful", queried Garlt?

"The Lady Herald", answered Stefane. "I don't know why I never realized that before. I've seen her naked! Why did I not recognize such beauty before today? That damn Charm! And Babette! Those eyes! Do you know what Sarina proposed to me? Never gave it a serious thought until now. Not sure if what she suggested is even physically possible, but…"

Stefane's soliloquy of lost lustful opportunities slowed as Garlt held up a hand, indicating the young man should stop talking.

"Come here", the dwarf crooked a finger at the young mage.

Stefane moved closer to the dwarf.

"A little lower", said Garlt, softening his voice.

Stefane bent lower still to hear what the dwarf had to say.

Garlt's gloved hand smacked the left side of Stefane's head, making the man's ears ring.

"I'm so glad ye're now actin' like a normal, horny, human male", snarled Garlt. "But right now, I have sand and dust settlin' into every fold, nook an' cranny in me body and we have a two or three mile walk ahead of us. We're still in the wilderness. Stay alert, stop moonin' over lost opportunities, and focus!"

Rubbing the side of his head, Stefane corrected the dwarf. "The Herald said she'd catch up with our mounts by the stream. If she does, she'll bring them back to us. We will not be walking long, Master Gemfinder."

"Oh, is that what ye think, boy? Ye've not noticed our elf Herald has a particular sense of humour? I dinna recall her say anythin' about comin' back fer us. But, if ye believe beauty of form equals beauty of spirit, then ye've not been payin' attention to the last hour of yer own life."

Angered at being summarily dismissed by the dwarf, Stefane stubbornly shook his head. "She will return for us, with our horses."

"Ah. Then perhaps ye'd like to put a little wager on it? Say yer share of all our treasures from the spire", asked Garlt?

"Treasures?" Stefane laughed. He felt for the ring they had found in the trap room. It was still in his belt pocket.

"Very well, Master Gemfinder, I'll wager my share of all 'treasures' found."

"Accepted? Good!" Garlt untied the sack that hung from his belt. He shook it, dusted it off and swung it over his shoulder. The bag made a soft metallic tinkling sound as it settled against his broad back.

Stefane regarded the dwarf for a moment. He'd not noticed the bag when they had entered the spire.

"What's in the sack", he asked?

Garlt raised his eyebrows in feigned surprise.

"What? In here? Of just some spell components an' such. I found that emerald dust right quick an' thought I'd pick up a few other gemstones that were laying around. Also a few bits an' pieces of intriguin' raw ores, handful of scrolls, small case with some liquids, maybe magical potions, who knows? Oh, an' some interestin' odds an' ends. If ye believe the tags on these objects, an' my readin' of Common script is not the best, we've a griffon feather, some treant bark, an' a basalisk eye, too."

"Treasure", stated Stefane.

"Aye", agreed Garlt. "The gems alone are worth a few thousand gold pieces. Not certain about the rest. Maybe a thousand more? There's probably an alchemist or mage in Silver Tree we can sell it all to."

"I… I didn't know", protested Stefane.

"Nah. Ye dinna. Ye should pay more attention to what yer Companions are up too. Makes our bet a little more interestin', eh?"

Tired, sweating and grimy, Garlt and Stefane arrived at the stream an hour after Daelynn. The elf had hobbled the men's mounts and set up a small fire. She'd removed her leather armor and was stretched out on a bed of grasses reading a small book.

She looked at the two men, smiled and waved. Stefane glared at her and walked over to his gear, which was piled on the far side of the small fire. Garlt, smiling, waved a cheery greeting, and, stripping off his armour as he walked, headed to the stream.

Odd but interesting Companions of the Road, mused Daelynn. It was unfortunate that they parted ways at Sliver Tree, she thought, returning to her book.

The End

A/N: I hope readers enjoyed this little adventure. It was supposed to be much shorter and was to be followed by Daelynn's adventure in Silver Tree and Garlt's own quest in the north. Those stories may be written later.