The Dragon Stone Read online

  Once they had reached the room with the Waygate inside, Leyna checked they were all ready, and reminded Finley to take a deep breath before stepping through the magical portal; something he had omitted doing on his last venture through one. The two elven arcanists took no time in conjuring up enough power to reveal the shimmering pool of light within the Waygate, and after a nod of the head, Galdrac took the lead and stepped quickly forward right into it, immediately followed by Leyna and Karesh, with Finley and Sessi bringing up the rear.

  Finley hoped his wolf was okay, he wasn’t sure how he could explain to an animal about taking a deep breath, but his concerns were not necessary as they all emerged the other side safely. A room he had visited once before now appeared in front of him, as he quickly glanced around still finding it hard to believe that someone could travel so far in such a short space of time. Magic, he thought, was a quite wonderful gift to have, as he glanced over his shoulder to see the light in the Waygate vanish with the blink of an eye.

  “Where are we now?” Karesh asked looking around.

  “Felham,” Finley answered quickly before anyone else could speak.

  “Ooh, that’s in the human lands. I’ve never been here before.”

  “Trust me Karesh, it is very overrated,” Finley replied dryly, recalling how he had almost been forced into military service.

  Galdrac led them out of the room, and down the steps of the tower, before walking along a corridor passing the entrance doors and over to another set of steps which took them into another room. This one was very much like the other, only a mirror image of it. Another Waygate exactly like the one they had just arrived through, stood positioned in the middle of the room, although here, there were two human arcanists ready to power it. After Galdrac had spoken briefly to the two men, they held out the shorter staffs they both held and pointed them at the Waygate. Within just a few seconds the now accustomed glimmering light filled the space inside the structure, and Galdrac once again led them through.

  As Finley emerged through the portal, he was instantly astounded by the size of the room in which he now stood. As tall as ten men, with tall, straight columns of stone running from floor to ceiling interspaced every ten paces up to a large open archway that he assumed to be the doorway. He could see no windows, and spotted the now familiar globes of magical blue light being used to illuminate the room, “Remember not to stare!” Galdrac turned and warned Finley, reminding him of his previous indiscretions.

  Leyna reiterated that warning, although her comment was aimed more towards Karesh, who appeared just as impressed by the building as his brother had been. Sessi seemed far less enthralled and was more interested in giving himself a good scratch. Two dwarf guards approached as the gateway closed behind them. Both were dressed in uniform and armed with long-handled axes, which Finley thought resembled the halberds he had seen used by the human guards in Felham. With thick black bulky looking boots, dark trousers and a deep red tunic almost matching the long beard that grew down over it, one of the guards requested their names and purpose.

  As had been Finley’s previous experience with dwarfs, he found the dialect difficult to understand, despite the fact all the races now spoke a common language. Galdrac however, appeared to have no such problems, and introduced each member of his team, before explaining his purpose for being there. “Several good inns in the market district,” the guard told him, gesturing for him to pass on through.

  Galdrac did not wait around, and immediately waved them all forward. They strode out of the large archway into what Finley could only describe as an even bigger room with even more prominent columns. In this vast space were rows of buildings built as if they would be outside, yet after looking up to check, he noticed they were still indoors. With Galdrac keeping a swift pace, he had little time to dawdle, as he quickly reverted his gaze away from a group of dwarf soldiers heading the opposite direction.

  One cavernous area turned into another, each looking like a city street should, but none of it was outside. After turning down a narrower thoroughfare, Galdrac stopped outside a building, which Finley immediately recognised as an inn. The noise and smell coming through the half-open doorway were a complete giveaway, and Finley was dubious about going in. Karesh however, seemed completely the opposite and was almost through the door before Galdrac had even told them they were staying here.

  The old mage turned to speak to Leyna, explaining that he would see if he could get some horses for their onward journey. While dwarfs did not particularly make good riders, they did use the beasts, although Galdrac knew getting four good ones would likely cost him a small fortune. If finding four good horses was out of the question, he may have to try and find an alternative method of transport, and probably see if he could hire a waggon and driver. While this approach may be a little slower and more restrictive as to where they could go, he thought it was likely good enough for what they needed.

  Leyna led her two sons in through the main common room of the inn. The noise level was uncomfortably loud as groups of dwarfs sat around thick wooden tables shouting and laughing, drinking from large tankards. Finley thought they were drinking but after actually watching he supposed most of them seemed to spill more than they actually consumed. The dwarf behind the bar greeted them with a smile, and while Karesh’s presence had barely turned a head, the fact a wolf was amongst them seemed to cause a little more concern.

  “That beast better not cause problems!” the barman said in the usual broad brogue spoken by the race. “He so much as growls at one of my customers and I’ll have his head stuck up on my wall!” he added, not sounding very friendly as one might expect an innkeeper to be to any potential paying guests. Finley kept his opinions to himself, and merely nodded his understanding, although was a little annoyed by the comment. He had already decided that if any dwarf went anywhere near Sessi, they would have to go through him first. Sensing Finley’s inner anger Sessi also became a little more defensive, crouching just slightly and showing just a few of his teeth to anybody that so much as looked at him.

  Karesh, showing his immaturity and lack of worldly experience, was not quite so muted in his feelings. Thankfully, his mother was quickly on hand to stop the orc saying anything that might be taken the wrong way and cause trouble. They were after all in an entirely foreign environment and had to accept that these people might react differently to them. Leyna remained calm and assured the dwarf behind the bar that her son was a druid and was linked with the wolf, meaning it would only attack if her son were threatened. The dwarf stared at her, before doing likewise to Finley and Karesh, his face almost showing no emotion, making it hard to judge what he was thinking. After an awkward few moments, the dwarf chuckled, “Best not upset the lad then! What can I do for you folk?” he then asked as if there had not been any problem to start with.

  Chapter 3.

  Leyna was surprised by how small the room they had been given to them actually was. To add even further insult, the innkeeper had even made a charge for Sessi to stay, telling her that the wolf still constituted another person. With Galdrac still yet to arrive back from finding onward transportation, she was unsure as to how they would all manage to fit into such a small space.

  The ceiling was lower than the norm, meaning Karesh’s head stood only a few inches beneath it. The furniture was, at best, basic and bulky and there was virtually no space for them to move around in. This was clearly not a room made with orcs in mind, the beds were somewhat shorter in length than would usually be expected, probably more suited to the shorter size of the dwarfs. Quite how a fully grown orc would have even managed to get through the doorway, never mind sleep on a bed almost half its size, was anybody’s guess.

  Leyna had a good mind to march back down the stairs and demand her money back, but as the arrangement was only for one night, she thought it not worthy of the hassle. Despite asking for a room to sleep four, there were in fact only three beds, meaning someone would have to sleep on the floor. There were no wash
facilities in the room, probably due to lack of space as for any other reason, meaning any hope of them freshening up was clearly out of the question.

  After working out between the three of them, while they waited for Galdrac to return, who would sleep where there came a thud at the door. A short, stocky dwarf woman barged in without any form of greeting, carrying a tray of food, covered with a white towel. They all watched as she merely plonked the tray down on the small table, turned around and walked back out again, leaving the door ajar as she left.

  “Something seems amiss here?” Karesh said, sniffing the air to see if he could guess what was hidden beneath the cloth.

  “Yes, manners!” His mother replied as she walked over to close the door. As she did, it opened again almost immediately as the old mage made his way into what was already an overcrowded room.

  The cloth on the tray revealed little in the way of anything fancy. A big pot of dark coloured stew, several slices of dry, almost stale bread and four empty bowls for them to serve it up in. Not one for eating any meat, Leyna opted to pass up on the meal, and instead reached into her pack for some fruit that she had brought with her. With there being only two chairs at the table, neither of which looked very safe to sit on, Karesh sat beside his mother on one of the beds.

  Galdrac and Finley served up three bowls of stew before the latter received the message ‘What about me?’ from the wolf sat patiently looking up at him. Finley smiled, as he broke one his own pieces of bread into what remained of the stew in the pot, and placed it on the floor, “There you go,” he said, “Don’t worry I hadn’t forgotten you.”

  Finley actually thought the stew was okay. With lumps of meat in it, as well as several varieties of root vegetables, all in a thick dark gravy, it served its purpose. While not the best meal he had ever tasted, he thought it was also far from the worst he had eaten. Sessi likewise appeared to have no complaints, although Galdrac appeared less than enamoured with it, so the Wolf finished his off for him.

  The same sullen looking female dwarf barged her way back in, just a little after they had finished. Without speaking, she trudged over to the table, gathered up the bowls and spoons and placed them on the tray, before turning about and carrying it out of the room, once more leaving the door open. “She seemed the happy type!” Galdrac quipped, trying to pick a piece of meat from his teeth with his fingernail.

  “I didn’t think so,” Karesh replied, not understanding the sardonic nature of the comment.

  With the beds being all but useless to Karesh, he was the one forced to sleep on the floor, despite Finley offering him his. The orc had politely refused the offer and seemed happy enough sprawled out on the floor beside Sessi. In truth, the bed was also far too short for Finley as well, but he managed to curl up a little, so his feet at least stayed under the blankets. Even these felt rough and itchy, and the thought that they probably hadn’t been washed for some time made Finley feel somewhat uncomfortable.

  Despite all the negatives, he found sleep easy to come by and it was not long before he once again found himself in the nightmare world of his dreams. He thought Abalyon must have been waiting for him, as the dark figure stood just off to his left. After swirling around for a little while, the shape of the fallen god reappeared in human form just a few paces from him. Finley no longer bothered fleeing and remained standing just watching. “Where are you going Zerus Maldhor?” the dark shaped asked. “Do you think fleeing to the lands of the dwarfs will stop me from finding you?”

  Finley remained quiet, for the first time detecting a little uncertainty in the voice of his nemesis. “You are bound to me Zerus Maldhor. I can find you wherever you are,” the figure added swirling upwards once more before drifting back down just a pace behind him. Finley turned slightly so he faced the figure of Abalyon once more, “Join me and we can rule all the races of the world. I can make you king of all, Zerus Maldhor.” Finley did not feel the need to reply. He had already learned that saying anything at all to this being rarely succeeded in achieving anything.

  With Finley not replying, the figure of Abalyon appeared to become irritated, threatening once more to wreak havoc on the world. Thinking that was not something he particularly wanted, he eventually decided to speak, if only to calm the fallen god down. “Why do you need me to rule for you?” he asked hoping to learn something. The God swirled around again, meaning Finley had to shuffle his feet about to remain facing him. “I am a god. I cannot take real form. With you at my right hand, we can make the others suffer as you crush their creations.”

  “The others?”

  “Gods, Zerus Maldhor. You have already met one other.”

  Finley gave a simple nod of his head, remembering his meetings with Heralin, the creator and goddess of the elves. Quite why Abalyon wished suffering on the other gods, other for the fact they had banished him, he was unsure. Nor was he certain as to how he would have the power to overthrow all the races of the world, even if he wanted to. As if sensing that very question, Abalyon moved in much closer, “I can show you the powers Zerus Maldhor. Bind yourself to me, and they shall be yours to use upon the insignificant creatures that crawl the living world.”

  Finley remained silent once more, thinking that his mother and Karesh were probably what Abalyon considered to be two of those insignificant creatures. “I don’t know how to use any powers,” he eventually replied, noticing that the dark face of the fallen God was waiting for him to respond.

  “You have already used them. Don’t play me for a fool Zerus Maldhor. They are in there, and I can show you how to use them, but first, you must bind yourself to me, as you did before.” A dark hand lifted upwards towards Finley’s head as the God spoke as if indicating where the knowledge was.

  Finley turned sharply as two lighter shapes emerged to his right. One transformed into a figure he had seen before, that of the goddess Heralin. The second formed into a figure of a man beside her, and one he was not familiar with. “Be gone Abalyon. Leave this child alone, he will not do your bidding this time,” the latter said in a deep resonating voice. Whoever this newcomer was, his presence clearly had the effect of irritating Abalyon.

  “I will crush your dwarfs first and foremost Thedan,” the shadowy figure raged, as it once more swirled upwards, before vanishing from sight.

  Both characters moved a little closer, and Finley actually felt more fear now than he had when talking to Abalyon. “I am Thedan,” the newcomer said introducing himself, despite the fact Finley had already sussed that much out. “I am the creator of the dwarfs,” the figure added, once more explaining something that he already knew.

  “What do you want with me?” Finley asked, aiming the question to both Heralin and Thedan.

  The two bright-light figures swirled around him, before taking the shape of humans once more. “You must remain resolute Zerus Maldhor,” Thedan said continuing as Abalyon insisted on doing, by calling him as such. Finley let the matter drop, and had all but accepted that they were probably never going to call him by his proper name, although Heralin had done so on one occasion. “Do not be tempted by the promise of power, Abalyon seeks only to destroy all we hold dear,” Heralin added.

  Finley just sighed, “He is already powerful, and will attack again if I do not,” he replied voicing his concern. He had already witnessed how powerful the Balgraf had become. Had Abalyon have wanted, he could have overrun the elven outpost at Barilyn, although he had chosen not to. In fact, Finley had seen little in the world thus far, that he thought capable of withstanding against such an army. Even with the magical powers of mages, arcanists and druids, they were no match for the vast numbers that were opposing them. “The enemy grows, and the beasts have evolved. I do not see how we can win,” he said bluntly.

  A thought occurred while in the presence of the two deities. If they were indeed makers of the world and had the power to create life, surely they could muster up something to match the forces of the darkness created by Abalyon; A question which he duly asked. It
was the goddess Heralin who gave the answer, albeit as usual a rather cryptic one. “Abalyon draws his power from the tainted lands, feeding off the evil and darkness, creating these abominations that make up his army. He was banished for this very reason, and we will not do likewise.”

  “Then he will slowly but surely wipe your creations from the face of the world, while you float around watching him do so,” Finley found himself answering rather sternly. Whether it was right to speak to two gods in such a way, he was not sure, yet this was still his dream after all, and hence he thought he could do what he liked. “We do not stand idly by Zerus Maldhor. We let you exist for a reason, it is up to you to work out how to save the world. We have given you the knowledge and the means by which to defeat Abalyon’s army, you just need to work out how ” Thedan replied before drifting off and disappearing.

  Leaving him with just Heralin, the goddess broke her form, swirling around a little, and Finley thought she was about to head off as well. However, she drifted back down again, and walked up towards him, placing a ghost-like hand upon his face. While he could feel no physical touch, he could sense the presence of it being there. “You are on the right track… Finley,” she said, pausing as if she had corrected herself by using his proper name. “Seek the king of the skies, and you can turn the tide of any battle.”