“That was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” Brianna said.
“It isn’t over,” Bahbaz said, panting. “It’s waiting for us to come closer. Then it’ll attack again.”
“What can we do?” Zollin asked.
“Just wait it out,” said one of the other dwarfs. “Eventually it will give up.”
“Or,” Zollin said, “we could take the fight to the worm.”
Everyone looked at Zollin with surprise, and he smiled.
“I’ve got an idea,” he said.
Chapter 11
“How many creatures are there like this?” Zollin asked.
“Not many,” Bahbaz said. “Why?”
“Is it intelligent?”
“I’ve no idea. I didn’t think to ask it any questions.”
“I was just wondering what would be the the most effective thing we could do. I got the distinct impression that this fire-worm was trying to protect something. So I’m wondering if we would be better off to kill it, or to teach it to fear coming out of the pools.”
“They’re killers,” said one of the dwarves. “You never know when they’re going to come out and strike.”
“We’ve learned how to fend them off as long as there are at least four of us,” said Bahbaz.
“Okay, so let’s lure it out again. Give me a chance to see what I can learn about it.”
“I think we know all we need,” grumbled one of the dwarves. “You’d be better off killing it.”
“Perhaps, but if the creature is intelligent, we might be able to form a truce that would allow you to travel without fear.”
“I’m not afraid, southlander,” said the dwarf fiercely.
“I meant no offense,” Zollin said, trying to pacify the angry dwarf. “I don’t mind fighting or killing when necessary, but it’s been my experience that many magical creatures are misunderstood. If I can’t reason with the beast, I’ll kill it. Or at least hurt it badly enough to make it think twice before bothering anyone again.”
The dwarves didn’t seem convinced, but they were persuaded to move back into the tunnel and watch. Brianna waited in the cavern. She had her bow in hand with an arrow nocked on the string just in case Zollin needed help.
He walked slowly forward, letting his magic flow out in front of him. He could sense the creature waiting just below the surface of the molten rock. He began to send friendly thoughts toward the creature. He had been able to calm frightened horses and even influence wild mountain lions with this same technique. It worked best on other people, but Zollin hoped he might be able to deal with the luggart peacefully. He wasn’t sure what spell to use on this giant worm-creature that was obviously impervious to heat and fire.
When the luggart moved it wasn’t slow or peaceful. It lunged out of the molten rock like a fish, sending burning globs of magma everywhere. Zollin raised his shields to protect himself and Brianna, while quickly back-peddling. He tripped over the rough surface of the cavern floor and fell on his back. The luggart’s maw opened and Brianna shot her arrow. The wood burst into flame just before reaching the creature and, while it still struck the beast, the arrow shattered into ash upon impact, having virtually no effect.
Zollin was scrambling away from the creature but its tongues were too fast. They whipped out to grab him, but Zollin shoved them away with his magical power. He got back on his feet just as the tongues tried again. This time he used his magic to grab the tongues, holding them fast. The luggart bellowed in fury, but Zollin wasn’t through. He levitated the creature, which wiggled and squirmed in the air. It reminded Zollin of his earliest experiments with his magic. He would spend hours trying to isolate and levitate fish from a stream. They, too, had wiggled and fought his power, but he had mastered the technique of holding them in place. The luggart was extremely heavy and incredibly strong, but Zollin held the beast fast, lifting it higher and higher. He could feel his magic roaring inside him, but his magical containment held fast and seemed to channel his power so that it was stronger than ever before. He felt the exertion taking a toll on him physically, but whereas previously attempting such a powerful spell would have left him exhausted after only a few minutes, he could tell that would be able to keep up his strength for a prolonged period of time now.
As the creature rose higher in the air, fear began to break down its will. Zollin hadn’t hurt the beast, but he could tell all it wanted was to get as far away from the cavern as possible. Zollin let the creature’s head dangle toward the pool of molten rock. Then he let go. The luggart fell into the pool and disappeared, but the splash was massive. Molten rock flew in all directions. Once again Zollin threw up a shield to protect himself and Brianna. The temperature in the cavern rose dramatically. Brianna grabbed his arm and pulled him back toward the tunnel.
“That was impressive, wizard,” said Bahbaz.
“That will teach the wormy beast,” said another dwarf.
“It’s gone now,” Zollin said. He reached out and accepted the canteen of arkhi that Bahbaz offered him. “I can’t say it won’t be back, but I doubt it will come back anytime soon.”
“Why didn’t you kill it?” asked the dwarf who had challenged him earlier.
“Well, I didn’t see any reason to kill it. And to be honest, I’m not sure how I could have. I did try to calm it down, but it was a wasted effort. It’s either a very simple-minded creature with no concept of emotion, or a very angry beast.”
“Well the good news is that you can now begin to build the bridge,” Bahbaz said.
“He needs to rest,” Brianna said protectively.
“No, it’s okay,” Zollin assured her. “The containment is working. I’m not nearly as exhausted as I would have expected.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. We just need to let the cavern cool down before we all go back through, but I think I can get the bridge built from here.”
An hour later they crossed the bridge that Zollin had created. It was much like the first bridge, but this time Zollin added a wide barrier between the bridge and the pool. There was no way to keep the cavern from being extremely hot, but the barrier kept the travelers from being exposed to the direct heat from the pool of molten rock.
They traveled on until they came to another dwarven village. This clan lived far underground with no easy access to the surface. Their forges were smaller and the dwarves less hospitable to Zollin and Brianna. Bahbaz explained that Zollin was a wizard and was rebuilding the Stepping Stones, but still the dwarves kept their distance. The travelers ate a warm meal of potato hash with bits of fish and more of the round loaves of bread that the dwarves had brought as rations. The food was warm and flavorful. Zollin was tired and fell asleep right after eating his supper.
Brianna stayed awake longer. They had been given a room in the village that was used as a storeroom, with wooden boxes and barrels scattered around, but it was large enough that they could both stretch out to sleep. Brianna wondered where the wood came from. The dwarves were able to cultivate some root vegetables and tubers, but mostly they subsisted on the strange round bread and animals such as goats. They made almost everything from carved stone or forged metals. Brass, copper, tin, and iron were abundant, but where did the wood come from? she wondered.
The next morning they were given bread toasted over open flames and smoked fish. The fish came from a nearby stream that flowed under the mountain, Bahbaz told them. Then they set off again. They journeyed in this fashion for over a week. Every day, they came to caverns with molten pools, but they encountered no more luggarts or any other monsters. One day, Zollin was called on to repair a bridge that crossed a deep chasm. It was in one of the larger caverns, devoid of any light except for the small lanterns the dwarves carried, and here Zollin felt the greatest fear. He was tired of being constantly in the dark. He was tired of the hot, oppressive air and longed to be back in the mountains. There was a wild freedom in the mountains he had felt no where else. But in these large, dark caverns, the absence of light threatened to destroy him. He had the overwhelming desire to curl up into a ball and cry. Once he completed the bridge, he held onto a bit of hemp and, when they were halfway across the dark expanse, he set it ablaze.