“Yes,” Turlock whispered.
“Then, without warning, he changed,” Kat went on. “He no longer helped his people, but demanded payment for his services. If the sick could not pay his price, he would do nothing to help them. It was as if Nethrom was no longer the same dwarf he had once been.”
“All that you say is true,” said Turlock, a questioning look on his face as he glanced from Kat to Alex.
“My friend is a seer,” said Alex. “She has felt Nethrom’s presence, or rather, the presence of what Nethrom has become.”
“A wizard, a seer, and a party of adventurers? Perhaps I should feel hope, but I do not,” said Turlock, shaking his head. “I would advise you to leave this place as soon as possible. We will provide you with horses, but I doubt they will last long against the hellerash.”
“There are no more hellerash,” said Thrang. “Alex has freed you of that curse already.”
“You’ve driven them off?” Turlock questioned in surprise.
“I’ve destroyed them,” answered Alex, turning his own gaze to the fire.
“Perhaps there is hope after all, but I would still advise you to leave,” Turlock said, his eyes fixed on Alex.
“The weather is turning, and we may have to winter here,” said Thrang in a worried tone. “We need to search the mountains for traces of Albrek and his people.”
“Albrek?” Turlock asked as if remembering something.
“Our quest is not to destroy the hellerash, or to fight the necromancer who called them back from the dead,” Thrang explained.
“No, of course not,” said Turlock, smiling in a tired sort of way. “I fear you will find little record of Albrek or his company in these mountains. Legend says that he did stop here during his wanderings, but Neplee was already being built. Not wanting to cause conflict, Albrek moved on.”
“Then our quest lies farther south,” said Thrang, glancing at Alex. “If the weather allows, we will move on as soon as possible.”
“I will order that horses be provided for you,” said Turlock.
“How long?” Alex questioned.
“How long?” Turlock repeated, his eyes moving to Alex. “How long what?”
“How long since Nethrom changed?”
“With the coming of the new moon, it will be three years and three moons,” answered Turlock.
Standing suddenly, Turlock raised his hand. Several dwarfs who had been waiting nearby hurried forward, bowing to Turlock and waiting for his command.
“Find rooms for our guests,” Turlock ordered. “Make them comfortable and provide them with refreshment. When they are settled, search the city for whatever horses you can find.”
“Yes, lord,” the dwarfs answered, bowing.
“Perhaps tomorrow we can speak again,” Turlock said, returning to his chair. “And if the weather holds, you can be on your way.”
“You have our thanks,” said Thrang, bowing to Turlock.
Alex and his friends bowed as well and then followed the dwarfs out of the hall. The dwarfs led them quickly and quietly through the city to a series of rooms that had already been prepared. Unlike every other dwarf city Alex had been in, Neplee was dark and quiet. They saw no other dwarfs as they went along, and many of the passageways had no lights in them at all. It was depressing, and Alex began to wonder how many of the city’s people had already been destroyed by Nethrom.
“What is wrong with this city?” Thrain questioned as soon as their guides left them to rest in a large room where there were several chairs and a fireplace. “In my grandfather’s kingdom, no dwarf city is so dark or so quiet, and guests are always welcomed with feasts and excitement.”
“This is not your grandfather’s kingdom,” said Thrang, dropping into a chair.
“This city is like a tomb,” Nellus said, taking a chair close to Thrang’s.
“They have lived for more than three years in fear,” said Alex, his eyes fixed on the fire. “They have forgotten what happiness is. Now they simply live day to day, while death sits on their doorstep.”
“You still wish to stay and face the necromancer?” Thrang questioned.
“I will go with the company,” said Alex without looking at Thrang.
“Then you think me wrong to lead us away from here if the weather holds,” Thrang pressed.
“No, I do not think you are wrong,” answered Alex. “Our quest is to find the tomb of Albrek and the Ring of Searching. Staying here is dangerous. We are honor bound to finish our adventure, so I will do whatever you think best.”
Thrang was about to reply when Arconn broke in.
“Do you think the necromancer will come looking for you?”
“I don’t know,” said Alex. “I have no idea how Nethrom, or whatever he is now, will react to my being here.”
“You don’t really think he would attack you openly, do you?” Barnabus asked.
“I have no idea. I’ve never faced a necromancer before, and I don’t know how powerful Nethrom has become. I think, if he feels that he is strong enough, he will challenge me,” said Alex. “For now, I’m going to bed.”
With that, Alex turned and left the large room, heading for one of the several smaller rooms connected to it. Alex chose a room at random and closed the door behind him. He didn’t know what to think or do, and he didn’t know what answers to give to his friends. The necromancer was already aware of him, that much was certain. What the necromancer would do now that they had entered Neplee, Alex didn’t dare guess.
In the middle of these dark thoughts, Alex heard a sudden popping sound and a loud ding. A geeb appeared on his bed, and for a moment he was too stunned to do anything but stare. When he realized that the geeb could only have come from Whalen, he hurried forward to retrieve the message. Tossing the geeb a small diamond, Alex opened the envelope and began to read.
Whalen’s letter did little to make Alex feel any better. For the most part it told him not to feel bad about destroying the hellerash because they were already dead anyway. Whalen had little to say about fighting the necromancer, except to give Alex a lot of advice about gathering his power and preparing himself to face the darkness.
Unhappy with the message, Alex tossed it aside and climbed into his bed. Whatever hope he had felt when the geeb first arrived was gone, and he lay awake in the darkness for a long time before drifting off to sleep.
When Alex finally did fall asleep, his dreams were as confused and troubled as his waking thoughts were. They jumped from place to place as if he was searching for something, but he didn’t know what. Twice he woke with a start, looking around wildly as if expecting someone or something to be in the room, waiting for him. The second time it happened, he’d even conjured weir lights, sending them around the room to make sure he was alone.
Lying back on the bed, Alex put out the weir lights and tried to focus on what he was looking for in his dreams. Slowly his mind relaxed, and he felt as if he was lifting off the bed and flying away.
Alex’s thoughts moved out of Neplee and turned north. He felt like a bird, flying back along the path that he and his friends had traveled. Kazad-Syn looked small and inviting as he flew past it, and for a moment he wanted to stop, but he felt an urgent need to go on. When his mind reached the shores of the Eastern Sea, Alex knew where his thoughts were taking him. He moved across the wind-tossed sea into the darkness that hid the dragon.
“Your thoughts are troubled, young one.” Salinor’s deep, steady voice echoed inside Alex’s head.
“Yes, I have much to worry about,” said Alex.
“The necromancer,” Salinor stated.
“You knew about him?”
“Yes, but I did not know you would face him,” answered Salinor.
“I’m not sure I will. Thrang wishes to move on as soon as possible, so I may not face him for some time yet,” Alex explained.
“Sooner would be better,” said Salinor.
“I’m . . . I’m not sure I can face the necromancer,” said Alex, expressing the fear that had been nagging at his mind.