The Corgi Chronicles Page 3

  The tunnel eventually widened out into a chamber. Aliiana whispered to Nelathen. “Are we supposed to announce our presence?”

  “I was expecting some sort of guard,” he whispered. “King Latrak’s instructions say to ‘hammer thrice and thrice again, hammer on the delving meet.’” He turned to Birgitte. “Do you know what that means?”

  “The delving meet should be some sort of pedestal,” she said, “where dwarves would gather. You need to hammer on it to make a noise.”

  “Barrol, Pippin. See if you can find a pedestal.”

  The cougar and I crisscrossed the chamber quickly. Near the far wall we found a smooth stone column rising from the floor. I barked for the others, and stood up on my hind paws for a closer look. On the top of the column was a smooth bowl-like depression, with silver runes inlayed around the edges.

  After joining us, Nelathen walked around the bowl, peering at the runes. “There are Elvish and Dwarvish runes here. The Elvish tell of great danger.” He drew his long sword and held it upright to strike the pommel into the bowl.

  Boom boom boom… Boom boom boom…

  The sound was much louder than it should have been for metal against stone. It seemed to echo not only through the chamber, but into the ground beneath us.

  Nothing happened for a few minutes. Then I felt rough hands grasp my head and neck.

  Chapter 4

  The dwarf who held me was as immovable as a rock. I squirmed and wriggled, and I might have tried to bite him, but his arms around my neck and chest were solid. And stinky. The earthy scent had definitely been dwarven in origin.

  “Peace!” yelled Nelathen. “We’re here on behalf of King Latrak!”

  “Do you have proof of that?” the leader of the dwarves asked.

  “Here.” A dwarf held Nelathen’s arms, but he somehow managed to free a hand to produce the parchment. “Your king’s seal is on this document, as is the seal of my Queen Elspeth.”

  The dwarf leader snatched the parchment. He muttered some words and the seal glowed purple. “It’s authentic,” he said. The iron arms released me, and I spun around to growl at my attacker.

  Six dwarves stood in a circle around us. It looked like it had taken three of them to restrain Barrol, and he was still snarling after being released. The dwarves were all thickly built, with shaggy beards and leather armor.

  “My apologies,” said the leader. “We can’t be too careful these days. I’m Gornak. This is my brother Jurtug, and the others are members of my clan.”

  Nelathen introduced us, and Aliiana stepped forward. “I’ve been sent here to investigate the theft,” she said. “I need to know everything that happened, and I need to see the place where the Gem was kept.”

  Gornak nodded. “Of course. But may we offer you some refreshment and rest before we get to business?”

  My stomach grumbled at the word ‘refreshment,’ and I barked. The others agreed, and Gornak gestured for us to follow him. He approached a section of the chamber wall, roughhewn like every other section. His thick fingers delicately tapped a series of faint protrusions, and the section slid away. I like to think I’m a pretty observant Corgi, but I never would have detected the hidden door.

  We followed the dwarves down another passageway, this one smooth and lit by gas lamps. They led us to a large chamber with vaulted ceilings and decorative stone and metal carvings. In the center of the room an enormous table of flawless cream-colored marble was surrounded by stone chairs and benches.

  “Sit, please.” Gornak gestured. I hesitated—when I’m pretending to be a dog, I’m not allowed on furniture. “You, too,” he added, nodding to Barrol and me. I smiled my furry lips and hopped up onto a bench.

  I was drooling by the time the dwarves brought us the meal. They brought bread and fruit for the fey, and meat for themselves. The platter they set before me held a magnificent piece of rare elk meat. I ate every bit of it, and licked the platter clean. I had decided that dwarven food was much tastier than elven food.

  As I licked my lips a final time, I thought to pay attention to the conversation.

  “—intruders?” Aliiana was asking.

  “No, we were completely unaware,” Gornak said. “The six of us work shifts of eight hours, with two dwarves on each shift. We take our work very seriously. The granite which housed the Gem was never unattended.”

  “Then how could it have been stolen?”

  Gornak’s red eyebrows and shaggy beard drooped. “I don’t know.”

  One of the other dwarves spoke. “I was on duty when it happened. I saw nothing. We were performing our routine patrols, and I was on the far side. When I returned to the near side, I saw the hole in the rock. No one was there.”

  “Was there anything else of note?” Aliiana asked. “A smell? A sound?”

  The dwarf chewed on his elk steak as he thought. “There was something,” he said. “I didn’t think of it until now, but when I was on the far side of the patrol, I heard a sort of high-pitched buzzing.” He shrugged. “That’s all. I’m sorry.”

  “And who was the other dwarf on duty?” Aliiana asked.

  “I was,” said Jurtug. “I was on the near side while he was on the far side. But I don’t remember. I was walking patrol, felt a little dizzy, and then… it was over.”

  “Could be a confusion spell,” Nelathen said. “That would explain the buzzing sound and your dizziness.”

  The fey and the dwarves talked for a bit longer, but I felt sleepy with my full tummy, so I curled up on the stone bench and took a little nap. Later, I was vaguely aware of strong arms gently lifting me and placing me on a soft cushion.

  I slept for hours. I guess the long trek from Utah to Montana had tired me out more than I wanted to admit. When I awoke, I found myself in a cozy side chamber furnished with layers of wool rugs and soft pillows. I stretched and padded out to find everyone else.

  The dwarves and fey were still in the main chamber. Aliiana was deep in discussion with Gornak but looked up at my approach. “Hello, Pippin. I’m glad you’re awake. Gornak is about to show us to the site where the Gem was kept.”

  We followed the dwarves along a series of tunnels that grew rougher and colder as we went down. Finally, we arrived at the site. There really wasn’t anything remarkable about that particular chunk of granite to set it apart from any other in the mountain. The tunnel simply ended at a large flat rock face, and a smaller tunnel looped around behind.

  In the center was a gaping hole. Above the hole an ominous message was scrawled in red: Angarath was here! The power will be mine!

  “Who’s Angarath?” I asked.

  “We don’t know,” said Gornak. “Do you?” he asked the fey.

  The others shook their heads. “It means nothing to me,” said Aliiana.

  “The message suggests that this Angarath stole the Gem to take its power,” said Birgitte.

  “But how could its power be taken?” asked one of the dwarves.

  Birgitte just shrugged and shook her head.

  I approached the hole for a closer look. Parts of the hole were smooth, as if the rock had melted, while other parts were covered by deep angry scratches. The scent I had picked up earlier of monster-opossum was particularly strong.

  Nelathen ran his fingers along the scratches. “Troll.” He turned to me. “That may help us, because you can track the troll’s scent.”

  Gornak gestured to the melted rock. “The dwarves have no magical capabilities to melt granite.”

  Nelathen shook his head. “Nor do the elves.” He turned to Birgitte with a questioning look on his face.

  She fluttered over and laid a dainty green hand on the melted stone. She shrieked and jerked her hand back as if burned, but I couldn’t feel any heat. “This is dark, dark magic. I’ve never encountered anything like it.”

  “Do trolls have magic?” I asked.

  “No, elranor,” Nelathen said. “They’re monstrous brutes but non-magical. And a troll wouldn’t be clever enough to ev
en find this place, let alone evade the dwarves’ detection.”

  “I fear an evil wizard is behind this crime,” said Birgitte. Nelathen nodded sadly.

  Aliiana took a deep breath and approached the granite. She put her hands on the rock at the edge of the wall and very slowly made her way closer to the yawning hole. Through our telepathic link, I felt her becoming more agitated. I went to her, and poked my cold nose against her arm. She put one hand on my back to steady herself, and continued pressing toward the hole with her other hand.

  Her breath came in ragged bursts and sweat drenched her face by the time she reached the hole. She let go and turned to speak. “The granite is in pain—it’s burning. I’ve never felt such a thing, even when there have been wildfires in the foothills at home.” She rubbed her eyes and continued. “The stone is in such pain that I can’t get a clear picture of what happened, but it does confirm that there was dark magic done.” She looked at Nelathen and Gornak. “Elven and dwarven magics were also done.”

  “Impossible!” said Gornak, waving his arms in anger. “No dwarf would ever take the Ruseol. And no dwarf would ever cause pain to the living rock of this mountain.”

  Nelathen laid a gentle hand on Gornak’s shoulder. “We’re not accusing you of anything. I agree that no dwarf would have done this, and I can assure you that no elf would have, either.” Turning to the rest of us, he said, “I fear that this Angarath may have placed an elf and dwarf under his control, as well as the troll.”

  Gornak settled down and his face returned from red to tan. “Aliiana, is there anything we can do to relieve the granite’s pain?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. She turned to Birgitte. “Perhaps a healing spell?”

  Birgitte nodded. “I will need help to enter the hole. Pippin, would you assist me?”

  I barked, happy to help. She flew to me and settled on the back of my neck, holding on to my fur and peeking between my big ears. She was so light that I could barely feel her weight.

  The hole was several feet above the floor level. I couldn’t quite jump high enough, so Nelathen lifted me. As he set me down I winced, expecting my paws to burn, but the melted rock was cool and smooth beneath my toes. Birgitte huddled deeper into my fur as I walked slowly forward. The hole became a tunnel that extended about ten feet back into the rock. It was smooth except for the troll claw marks.

  When we reached the end of the tunnel, Birgitte said, “This is where the Ruseol dwelled for the last four millennia. I can still feel its presence, but also its fear.” She dipped her hand into her pouch and extracted more sparkling powder. She instructed me to turn in a tight circle as she blew the powder onto all the exposed rock surfaces. She whispered some words in Elvish and a brief blue light flashed. “I hope that helps,” she said. “We can leave now, Pippin.”

  When we emerged from the hole, it seemed that all of the collected fey and dwarves had been holding their breath, because they all sighed and smiled. Aliiana laid her hands on the granite again and nodded. “Yes, that’s better.”

  We left the chamber and retraced our steps through the twisting tunnels. We gathered again in the main dining chamber to discuss the next part of our mission.

  “How can you possibly find the Ruseol?” Gornak asked. He looked miserable, and rested his head on his crossed arms.

  “Pippin can track the troll’s scent,” Aliiana said.

  “And after visiting the site where the Gem dwelled, I can feel a very slight presence of it, somewhere to the east,” said Birgitte.

  “We should get our bags packed and ready to set out again,” said Nelathen. He turned to Gornak. “May we replenish our supplies from your stocks?”

  Gornak absently waved his hand, sending his goblet splashing. “Of course.” Then he slammed down the goblet. “But I’m coming with you. It’s my fault that the Gem was stolen. I’ll be responsible for the end of magic if we don’t find it.”

  “Do we anticipate danger?” I asked, my ears drooping.

  Aliiana patted my head. “I’m afraid so, Pippin. Only a very powerful dark wizard could have stolen the Gem. And that wizard will not want to give it up.”

  We set out a few hours later with our packs stuffed full. Gornak had outfitted himself for the journey with a large battleaxe and a pointed steel helmet. He wouldn’t be able to pass for a human like Nelathen could.

  I took the lead, with Aliiana on my back and my snout to the ground. The troll scent was strong and bitter, prickling my sensitive nose. The troll’s trail headed generally eastward, winding through the valleys. The next few hours passed unremarkably. The trail wove around pines and spruces, and birds flitted above. The early spring air was chilly, but the sun was clear and warm.

  After a while I had become so accustomed to the troll’s scent that I was able to pick out other scents on the trail—a human and another creature. I mentioned it to Aliiana.

  “A human?” she asked. “But they don’t have magic. I can’t imagine how a human could even know about the Gem, let alone control a troll.”

  That evening as we set up camp, we talked more about the theft.

  “I think we should prepare ourselves for the worst,” said Nelathen. “A dark wizard of unknown race who has placed a human, an elf, a dwarf, and a troll under duress.”

  “Who could do that?” I asked.

  Nelathen shook his head. “I don’t know.” He twirled a fallen leaf around in his fingers as he considered. “I’ll attempt to contact the Queen to find if any elves have been reported missing.” With that, he walked a little way from the camp and sat down cross-legged in front of a large pine tree. With my exceptional Corgi ears, I could hear his heart and breathing rates slow to nearly undetectable. He stayed in that meditation for nearly an hour, then slowly rose and returned to the fire.

  We all looked up at him expectedly. He shook his head and sat down. “No elves have gone missing recently, but the Queen reminded me of something that happened nearly ten years ago.” He paused, and continued in a soft voice. “A wise elf named Baern disappeared mysteriously. He was a powerful wizard, and the Queen’s council could not determine how he had been abducted. He was missing for months, and when he reappeared he had lost his memory—and his magic. Without the magic of the elves, he was no longer immortal. He rapidly aged and died.”

  “How could he lose his magic?” asked Aliiana.

  Nelathen shrugged. “No elf has ever lost his magic in the twenty thousand years we’ve been in this land.”

  The next few days passed in the same manner. We continued to follow the trail as it wound east through the forest and gradually lost elevation. On the fourth day out, we ran into the first booby trap.

  Chapter 5

  The mysterious Angarath must have known or suspected that he would be followed.

  That morning, I was in the lead as usual, following the troll’s scent when another smell tickled my nose. Mmmm… rabbit!

  Rabbits are fun to chase. I slowed a bit to sniff the rabbit’s trail. Aliiana was deep in discussion with Birgitte, and didn’t notice my distraction.

  Sniff sniff sniff… I crouched low and padded as quietly as I could. I spotted the rabbit. He was crouched in the grass, a ray of sunlight illuminating his ears. I was such a clever hunter that he hadn’t seen me yet. Sneak sneak sneak. I tip-toed to within a couple feet of the rabbit and pounced.

  Mid-pounce, I froze. It was as if time stopped. There I was, balanced precariously on my rear paws, with my front paws in the air. In my peripheral vision I could barely see that Aliiana was half-fallen from my saddle, hanging in midair. I couldn’t move a single muscle, and gravity didn’t pull me down as it should have.

  The rabbit was frozen, too.

  “Stop! Stay back,” Nelathen ordered the others.

  Gornak grunted. “Stasis field.”

  I heard Birgitte’s wings buzzing near, and then away to my left. She buzzed back from the right a moment later. “It’s about thirty feet in diameter.”

  “Ho
w do we disarm it?” asked Gornak.

  “The spell is usually anchored on an object,” said Nelathen. “If we can destroy the object, that might nullify the spell.”

  I was aware of the others prowling around the perimeter of the stasis field. “There,” growled Barrol. “That reddish rock looks like it’s directly in the center of the field.”

  “I’ll try to shoot it,” said Nelathen. He circled around to the side, readied his longbow and notched a red-feathered arrow. He drew back and released. The arrow flew a few feet and stopped dead, floating immobile in the air.

  “Oops,” he said.

  “All right, I’ll give it a try,” said Birgitte. She dipped her hand into her tiny bag and pulled out a bit of the sparkling powder. She worked the powder between her hands, forming a rod shape. Pointing the rod at the anchor rock, she spoke a few words in Elvish.

  A brilliant green light blasted forward from her hands. It penetrated the stasis field. Hooray! We would soon be free.

  But the green beam immediately slowed. We all watched as it decelerated to an agonizingly slow pace, eventually coming to a full stop just a few feet from the anchor rock.

  Barrol snarled. I would have growled if I could have moved my vocal cords.

  Nelathen sat down hard on the ground, elbows on his knees and face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, Aliiana, Pippin. I’m not sure what to do.”

  “What if…” Gornak tugged on his braided beard. “What would happen if the stone were to move?”

  “The field would move as well,” said Birgitte. “But how do you propose to move the rock when we can’t enter the field?”

  “There might be a way with dwarven magic.” Gornak approached the edge of the stasis field. He lay down on his belly and pawed in the dirt and rocks of the ground. After a few minutes, he said, “I’ve reached a large slab of limestone. I just hope it extends far enough.”