The Staff Of Naught Part 14

"We need to find out more about that thing," said Lousa out loud but not to anyone in particular. "It's up to us to figure out how to destroy it ... or if it even needs to be destroyed," this last with a little nod to Ariana. "Khemer was lying the entire time, we can be sure of that. He wanted to bring himself back to life and used us. He was probably the one that tipped off the bugbear about us in the first place. He probably hoped to regain his corporeal form and then, with the help of his allies, kill us and be on his merry way."

"That's not nice," said Ariana her lower lip in a bit of a pout. "We were friends with him mostly."

"Well, I'm totally lost and Tanner is the only one who has ever been up in these mountains," said Lousa. "Shamki, do you think you can find your way to Hot Rock so we can meet up with the rest of them?"

The half-orc nodded his heavy head and then looked at Unerus; "Why so long?" he asked and then looked around at the rocky region around them his ears perked.

"It's like hunting rats," said Unerus and Lousa gave him a look with raised eyebrows and tilted her head to the left. "Well, when you're hunting rats you have to be real still, and then when they move you jump *em!"

"I don't understand," said Lousa with a look down at the boy and a smile on her face. "But, I am glad to see you safe and sound."

"Well, this time, it was like I was the rat and she was looking for me so I just kind of laid down and waited for her to go away, Shamki. That's what a meant."

"Her?" said Lousa with a look to the half-orc.

Shamki nodded his head once at Unerus and made sort of a grunting sound of approval.

"Who is this her?" said Lousa again while her emerald green eyes became the slightest bit darker.

"The darkling girl," said Unerus with a look up at Lousa his face in a wide grin. "Didn't you see her?"

Lousa shook her head.

"A darkling?" asked Ariana her eyes wide with excitement. "Really?"

"Yep," said Unerus and nodded his head sagely. "She had silver hair and real dark skin and she was really pretty but not as pretty as you, Lousa."

The green in her eyes once again lightened and she smiled down at Unerus. "That is very nice of you to say, young man. So a darkling woman stole the staff but you managed to get it back from her then? What would the darklings want with this and how was she out and about in the daylight?"

"Working with Lorim," said Humbort as he vaguely followed along with the conversation.

Shamki got up at this point and began to look at the ground for signs of his own tracks. After a moment he got the scent and began to walk back towards where they left the wagon behind. The rest of the group followed him walking at a far more leisurely pace.

"You're right Humbort," said Lousa thinking aloud once again. "She must have been in it with the trade master and the bugbears although I can't figure out exactly why. The darklings wors.h.i.+p the Spider Queen; Smyrnala is actually enemies with her as I remember, they hate each other I think, but I could be wrong."

Ariana looked at Lousa as the woman puzzled through the problem aloud and then smiled when she thought about the Staff of Naught in her sack and the chance to talk with the voice again. There was something about the voice that made her s.h.i.+ver with excitement. It was a voice that knew what it was doing. All you had to do was find a voice like that and follow along and everything would be all right. Sort of like with Humbort and Shamki.

Chapter 18.

"The place keeps growing," said Tanner and shook his head as the wagon made its way into the village of Hot Rock. Built on the slopes of The Maw it was a town that had no right to exist in the first place as the constant eruptions and poisonous gas that engulfed the area with regularity left little room for people to live and breathe. But Hot Rock was here and it thrived.

"Look, dad," said Shalalee as she gaped at the metal houses with hugely thick roofs built on long stilts that themselves were on ma.s.sive coiled springs. "The houses are on springs!"

"I know, Shalalee," said Tanner and patted the girl on the head.

"How come you never brought us here before," admonished Tylan his eyes wide in wonder as they drove through the central circle that housed all the important buildings in town including the ma.s.sive metallurgy facility where Edorin held court.

"It's very dangerous here," said Tanner with a look to his wife next to him in the front of the wagon while the children peered over their shoulders. "They have volcanic eruptions that send huge boulders flying for miles and there are terrible gases that can kill a man in seconds that spew out with no warning."

"Awesome!" said Tylan as his eyes grew ever wider.

"What's that!" said Shalalee and pointed to a large building where two huge statues of fiery creatures seemed to float gently next to a small bronze door. They had a vaguely human shape but sinewy flames shot off instead of arms and legs.

"That's the church of the Black Fire," said Tanner. "Those are statues made of gla.s.sy rock and metal by Edorin himself."

As they approached, the flaming things came into better focus and it was easy to see they were exactly as Tanner described them, metal sculptures infused with gla.s.sy rocks that caught the sunlight in strange ways and reflected the light back giving the illusion of fire and movement.

"Who is Edorin?" asked Tylan.

"Well," said Tanner and scratched his chin and pursed his lips for a moment. "I suppose the easy answer is to say he is the founder of Hot Rock. He's a dwarf, a master smith, the dwarf word for smith is Edos, and so most people call him Edos Edorin. I've been told he settled her fifty years ago and built a forge deep near the heart of the volcano, they call it the Black Fire Forge, and pretty soon an entire town sprang up around him. He makes the finest weapons and armor in all of Doria, perhaps the entire world. They say he trained at the Deep Forge in Craggen Steep but others say neither of those places exists so, it's hard to say."

"What's Craggen Steep?" asked Tylan "What's the Deep Forge?" said Shalalee at the same moment.

"Children," said Almara and turned around to the kids with a frown on her face. "Stop pestering your father."

"No, no, Almara. It's okay. The kids have to learn about these things and they are getting old enough," said Tanner and reached back to give his son's thick brown mop of hair a tussle. "Tylan can drive the wagon now and Shalalee is growing up as well. She'll be thinking about a husband in a few years."

"I'm only eleven, dad," said the girl. "I don't even have a boyfriend."

"Since when do you complain that I treat you like you're too old?" asked the man, a deep smile on his face as he looked at his daughter. She was growing up, her legs and arms getting long but no sign yet of any hips or b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "You'll be my little girl for a while longer though."

"Craggen Steep!" reminded Tylan.

"That's not an easy one to answer, Tylan," said Tanner as they pulled the wagon up to the largest building in the town. Almost a hundred of the spring stilts stood under it and a large placard out front seemed to display a camel about to fall over. A young boy dangled his legs over the edge of the front porch and immediately jumped down and ran over to the wagon, "Take your donkeys, sir?"

Tanner smiled at him and tossed him a silver coin. "Sure thing, we should be here a couple of days at the most."

"What is this place," said Shalalee with a look at the strange sign.

"The Irontop Camel Sway Inn," said Tanner with a grin. "They say it starts to sway pretty fierce during eruptions so much so that it's like riding a camel across the Sands of Tarlton. Luckily I've never been here during major eruptions but she gets going a bit even with a little trembler."

The boy began to unhitch the two donkeys, and after he fed them each a carrot, led them back to the other side of the inn where the open mouth of a large cave was barely visible.

"Craggen Steep!" said Tylan in an even louder voice.

"Son, you're going to have to learn patience," said Tanner. "There's a lot going on. I'll tell you all about the hidden Dwarf Citadel, or at least all I've heard after we get everything unpacked and settled in at the Camel.

"Aww, dad," said Tylan and jumped down from the wagon. "You always say that."

"I promise, Tylan," said Tanner. "You know how busy everyone has been."

At that Shalalee went silent for a moment and then looked up at her father with clear brown eyes as she bit her lower lip. "Do you think they'll be all right?"

"Shamki can take care of himself and I like that Unerus boy as well. I think they'll be fine but I can't make you any promises, Shalalee. We're involved in some very dangerous things now. I wish I could have kept you and your brother out of it but there is nothing to be done for now."

Shalalee looked at him for a moment and then her shoulders drooped, "I don't like being treated like a grown-up sometimes."

Almara laughed and gave her daughter a hug. "You keep saying that and I'll be a very happy mother."

Not too much after that they found themselves in one of the large rooms of the Camel Sway Inn. Although the entire structure was made from sheets of iron the place was moderately comfortable with one large bed and two smaller along with a table and several wooden chairs all bolted to the floor. Each step they took on the floor seemed strange and their voices echoed loudly around the room.

"Walking on this is going to have my feet in salt.w.a.ter for a month," said Almara as she unpacked some of the clothes from various satchels and put them in an iron dresser that hugged the far wall away from the master bed. "I can see why you never brought me here before."

"There isn't much lumber in the mountain so they make do with iron sheets for the most part," said Tanner. "They have to import most of their foodstuff and anything wood but the metal goods produced from the Black Fire Forge are of such excellent quality that even the poorest man in Hot Rock is richer than the mayor of most towns of Doria."

"Can I hear about Craggen Steep now," said Tylan as he put away the last of his clothes in the bottom shelf of the iron dresser.

"I'll tell you what I know," said Tanner with a smile. "There are a lot of legends about Craggen Steep but no one knows if any of them are true or not."

"Just tell me already!" said Tylan and sat down on one of the smaller beds with a thump and looked up as his father with a roll of his eyes. "You old people take about ten hours to tell the simplest story."

"He has a point, dear," said Almara and came up to her husband and put her arm around his waist. "We do tend to take our time the older we get."

"It's the wisdom that comes with age," said Tanner and put his own arm around her shoulder and smiled down at the chubby woman. "Children are always anxious to get to the next thing but we adults like to savor the journey."

Tylan rolled his eyes towards Shalalee but the girl stood at the window, leaned out, and craned her neck around the edge.

"Shalalee," said the boy with a shake of his head. "They won't get here until at least tomorrow morning so there's no sense in looking for them."

"Mom," said Shalalee as she ignored her brother and poked her head back in the window. "Can I go explore the town? I'll be back before dark, I promise."

Almara looked at Tanner who nodded his head and shrugged his shoulder. "Hot Rock is safe enough. Shalalee, when you leave the inn they're going to give you a metal helmet, you keep that on at all times and if you feel the ground start to shake run into the nearest building. They'll let you in without any questions."

"An iron helmet?" asked the girl squinting and wrinkling her nose. "Yuck."

"The volcano throws out rocks all the time and you can get killed by one before you even know an eruption has started. If you go walking around outside without a helmet they might even fine you."

Shalalee's eyes opened wide and then she turned on her heel and dashed out the door. The dull thuds of her soft leather shoes on the iron floor of the inn almost drowned out her faint reply, "Thanks, dad."

"Dad," said Tylan with a look at his father. "No more excuses, I want to hear about Craggen Steep!"

"Is it safe to go outside?" said Almara "Mom!" said Tylan "I'm sorry, Tylan," said Almara, "but your sister's safety is more important than hearing some legends that probably are mostly just lies anyway."

Tylan slumped his shoulders gave out a long sigh. "Yes, mom."

"Don't you *yes, mom' me young man," said Almara. She stood up and grabbed a wooden stirring spoon in her right hand. "I've got a spoon and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"I'm not five year's old anymore," said Tylan with a roll his eyes. "I'm taller than you anyway."

"Don't you test me, young man," said Almara with a shake of the spoon at the boy.

"I don't want to test you," said the young boy as he stood up and looked at his father. "I just want to hear the story."

"Almara dear," said Tanner with a smile at his wife. "She's as safe as she can be. Hot Rock has the greatest collection of warriors in western Doria. They flock here in the hopes of getting Edos Edorin to make them a weapon. They say the waiting list to get a sword from him is two years long and growing."

Almara looked like she wanted to object to this as her mouth opened, but then she went back to her kitchenware and began to arrange things in a meticulous fas.h.i.+on.

"Dad?" said Tylan a plaintive plea in his voice as he looked up at his father.

"As I was saying," said the merchant, took a seat in one of the chairs, and pulled out a pouch filled with a dark leaf that he began to roll into a long piece of paper. "Oh, honey, you might want to go out and get some coffee. That's the only crop that grows on the mountain around here and they make a number of excellent blends. There's two or three shops but don't forget to wear a helmet."

"That's right," said the woman her eyes suddenly lighting up. "What was that flavor we loved so much last time you came back from Hot Rock?"

"They'll let you have tastings, dear; now run along so I can finish my story before Tylan's head explodes."

Almara laughed out loud at that and she put on a knit shawl and adjusted the pins in her hair, but she was out the door soon enough finally leaving the father and son to themselves.

"Craggen Steep," said Tanner, after he finished rolling his cigarette he went over to the small iron stove, opened the small grate in front, reached in with tongs and pulled out a flaming ember, which he put on top of the stove and then used to light his tobacco. He took in a deep breath and exhaled a long plume of orange brown smoke. "Craggen Steep."

Tylan, unable to contain himself for a moment longer, bounced on the bed and said, "Yes, Craggen Steep!"

"They say it was where the dwarves were first born deep under the ground and where they lived for centuries before anyone knew they were even there. They built the Deep Forge at the heart of the volcano. It is said the Forge Master of Craggen Steep is the finest smith in the world. Edorin arrived in the Maw before I was even born," said Tanner shaking his head with a wry smile. "I've been here at Hot Rock on trading mission at least fifteen times but I've never met the dwarf. They say he stays mostly underground working the Black Fire Forge."

"Which volcano is it?" said Tylan as he sat on the edge of his bed and leaned forward to hear his father.

"That is a question many people would like to know the answer to," said Tanner with a shrug of his shoulders. "They say the dwarves have kept the location a secret for all these years, even during the Imperial Age when the Emperor ruled the world. I've heard lots of stories but I think they are all just guesses."

"Do you think it's near Doria, dad?" asked Tylan his voice suddenly squeaked in a high pitch. "There are lots of volcanoes all around here."

"It makes sense that it might be," said Tanner, "but there are volcanoes in other places as well. A lot of people think it's in Lonely Mountain but others say further north where Das'von used to be. Like I said, no one knows for sure except the dwarves and they aren't talking. A lot of folks think it's all just made up nonsense, that no one could keep a whole citadel secret for so long, especially from the Emperor."

"What's Lonely Mountain?" said Tylan.

Tanner shook his head with a smile. "I don't really know much about that either, son. I know it's far, far to the north of us near the center of the continent. They say it's a ma.s.sive mountain in the middle of a lake and it stands alone, with no other mountains within hundreds of miles."

"Where's Doria on the continent?"

"South, about as far south as you can get. We're even south of Tarlton and they call that place the City in the Sand."

"How big is the continent?" asked Tylan.

"This conversation is never going to end, is it?" asked Tanner with a smile and got up to give his son a cuff on the shoulder.

"Dad!"

"I don't know, I've never been much further west than Hot Rock here, further north than Lycidas which borders the Great Salt Fen, further east than Iv's Folly, or further south than the lands of Lord Thotmes. That's only about two hundred miles north to south and less than that east to west."

"How many hundred miles do you think it is to the Lonely Mountain?"

"Not hundreds, Tylan. Thousands, ten thousand maybe, maybe more. So far it doesn't really make any difference I suppose. We're tradesmen, son, and we travel hundreds of miles from one outpost to another and most people consider us wanders, adventurers. Most folks never leave the town they're born in so for them fifty miles is the same as five thousand miles. Lonely Mountain, ancient Das'von, they're about as far away as a dream is from reality as far as we're concerned, if that makes any sense."