“Oh, this is beautiful,” Brianna said.
“You must have dwarfish blood, missy,” said a stout-looking dwarf.
Unlike Jute and the dwarves Zollin had met in the southern range of mountain highlands, these dwarves had swarthy-looking skin and dark, curly beards. A group of men, most with hammers and tongs in their hands, had gathered in the center of the cavern. Zollin caught glimpses of dwarf children peeking from the small doorways and windows carved into the solid rock.
“I’m Bahbaz,” said the dwarf, “Head man of the Oliad clan. What brings a wizard this far north? Dragon hunting is dangerous business.”
“Yes, it is,” Zollin agreed. “We’re from Yelsia, south of the highlands. A dragon has been preying on our people. The King sent me to find the dragon and kill it if possible.”
“Well, you’re still alive, that says something. Let’s find something to drink.”
Bahbaz led them to a small group of stone benches. He poured small mugs of a frothy drink and then gave one each to Brianna and Zollin. He took a long draught of his own mug and then belched loudly.
“Ah, that’s refreshing,” Bahbaz said proudly. “Well, go ahead, drink up.”
Zollin and Brianna looked at each other as they sampled the drink. Zollin found the drink slightly bitter, but cool on his tongue. It warmed his body in that familiar way that wine and ale did. It was thicker than most drinks and tasted creamy.
“That’s an Oliad clan drink. It’s made from root liquor, ewe’s milk, and spring water with herbs. We age it in brass vats. As you may have noticed, vegetation is scarce here in the northern highlands, but we take our drink very seriously. It’s called arkhi.”
“It’s very nice,” said Brianna.
“Yes, I like it,” Zollin agreed. “It’s better than ale.”
“Of course it is, it’s dwarfish made,” Bahbaz said happily. “Now, how can I help you, wizard?”
“Please, call me Zollin. We don’t really need anything, although we are grateful for your hospitality. We’re pursuing the dragon and we shouldn’t stay long. We need to get ahead of the beast.”
“You want to keep it from attacking the southlands, eh?”
“No, I mean, yes, of course we do. But we’re hoping to ambush the dragon. If we can catch it in a canyon or gorge, we have a plan to kill it that just might work.”
“What’s to keep it from flying away?” Bahbaz asked. “They’re wily beasts, after all.”
“It’s wounded,” Brianna said. “I shot it with my bow.”
“You would need dwarfish steel to penetrate dragon hide.”
“We have dwarfish steel,” Zollin said. “I traded for it with Jute of the Yel Clan.”
“The Yel Clan is in the southern mountains. Not the wiliest traders. What did you give him?”
“He wanted ale. I brought him over a dozen casks.”
“Ale? I knew it. The southern clans are not brewers, and they’re always looking for something to supplement their vapid drinks. They want arkhi, but we don’t trade it cheap. We have been in negotiations with the southern clans for two decades now, but they’re stubborn. The southern mountains have more minerals, but they are loath to trade them to us, because they know we’re better brewers and better smithies too.”
“You don’t have iron here?” Brianna asked.
“Yes, of course we have iron. It’s the other minerals that are scarce. Quartz, for example, is very rare, as is wolframite and scheelite. They have the precious gems you southlanders crave, too, but we have little use for them. In the old days we were at a distinct disadvantage to the southern clans. We have the greater skills, see, never doubt that fact, but the southern clans had access to people. You southlanders don’t travel into the northern range very often.”
“No, I suppose not,” Zollin said.
“Well, that’s enough history for today. I want to show you something, wizard. Something very special.”
“All right,” Zollin said.
He knew he needed to continue his journey, but he was fascinated with dwarves. Their tight-knit clans, pride in workmanship, and friendly nature drew him to them. He looked at Brianna and she nodded encouragement.
“It may be that we can help each other,” Bahbaz said.
He led them down a long, narrow corridor that sloped down. The air grew warmer and the light faded. There were carvings on the wall that depicted battles and fantastic beasts, dwarf kings and entire dwarf clans. Zollin wanted to stop and inspect the carvings, but Bahbaz hurried past them. Soon the roof of the corridor began to slope down, and Zollin was forced to stoop. Brianna wasn’t as tall as Zollin, but she was soon walking bent over as well. They walked with their hands on the walls as the light faded, and soon they were moving in almost total darkness. The only sounds were their boots scraping along the floor of rock.
“There are many ways through the mountains,” Bahbaz said. “You southlanders go over or around the mountains, while we go under. But it’s been a long time since the Stepping Stones were used by dwarves or men.”
“What are the Stepping Stones?” Zollin said.
“You’ll see soon enough. Patience, my tall friend. Patience.”
“If this roof gets any lower we’ll be crawling,” Brianna said.
“I’m getting a little claustrophobic,” Zollin said. “How much further?”
“Not far, not far,” Bahbaz said in a merry voice.
The temperature had grown steadily warmer. Zollin and Brianna in their thick, winter clothes were sweating and panting from the exertion of walking bent over. Just when Brianna thought she couldn’t take anymore, the tunnel began to brighten. It took several more minutes, but finally they came out into an immense cavern. The heat took their breath away. It felt like they were standing in an oven. The floor of the cavern sloped down to a vast pool of glowing molten rock that illuminated the giant cave. The ceiling was covered with huge stalactites that glittered brightly and reflected the orange light in all directions.
“Wow,” Zollin said.
“It’s a rare sight,” Bahbaz said. “Very few people not of our race have seen this place. It’s the heart of the mountain. The magma is impossible to approach, even for dwarves. There was once a bridge that spanned the pool and allowed us to travel through the mountains and to the south, but occasionally the magma rises. We can never predict how high it will rise or when or even how long it will stay that way. The Stepping Stones are what we call these caverns. They can allow us to move quickly through the mountain range, but with the bridge out we can’t risk it. If we get caught trying to circle the pool of magma, we could be trapped if the pool rises. It’s just too dangerous.”
“What happened to the bridge?” Zollin asked.
“It grew weak from the heat and eventually collapsed. Sometimes the magma rises slowly, and other times it erupts like a pot boiling over. When that happens the molten rock gets thrown up as air in the magma from far below bubbles out. The bridges get damaged and eventually destroyed. In the past, great numbers of dwarves would come together to rebuild the bridges, but it’s been harder and harder to get our people motivated. We’ve grown complacent, and many tribes are isolated.”
“That’s fascinating, but why show me this?” Zollin asked.
“Well, you’re a wizard,” Bahbaz said in surprise. “If you will rebuild the bridge, I’ll lead you south. You’ll be well ahead of your dragon when we’re though, provided you don’t take too long with the bridge.”
Zollin was at a loss for words. He knew that he could build the bridge, he just wasn’t sure how to build it or with what. Brianna was watching him, as was Bahbaz.
“You can do it, can’t you? I’m mean, a wizard who hunts dragons must have great power,” Bahbaz said.
“I guess so,” Zollin said. Then he turned to Brianna, “What do you think?”