Ignoring Tal ‘s advice to eat modestly, Bradok stuffed himself. Between the spicy peppertops and the sweet honey mushrooms, he felt as if he’d just dined in some luxurious tavern. After he had eaten his fill and more, Bradok leaned back against a column of rock and closed his eyes.
“We should gather up as much as we can carry,” he heard Chisul say just as he was about to doze off. “There’s no telling when we’ll get out of these tunnels.”
Everyone murmured agreement and the dwarves began moving again, cutting mushrooms and wrapping them in whatever they had handy.
“You shouldn’t let him do that,” Tal whispered as Bradok opened his eyes to watch the activity.
“Do what?”
Tal pointed to Chisul. “If you allow him to lead, the others will begin to look to him as our leader,” he said.
Bradok shrugged. “What do I care?” he said. “It makes him happy and keeps him from complaining. I don’t feel like much of a leader, anyway.”
“He’s a spoiled kid,” Tal said, fixing Bradok with a serious stare. “That kind of leader makes impulsive decisions, and impulsive decisions get people killed.”
“He’s right, you know,” Rose chimed in, sidling closer. She was still nibbling on a mushroom.
“We have to think ahead,” Tal continued. “Sooner or later we’re going to get out of these caverns. Have you thought about what happens then?”
Bradok admitted he hadn’t.
“What caused the destruction of Ironroot?” Tal asked. “Who knows what other destruction it caused?”
“What are you driving at?” Bradok answered, tired of Tal’s know-it-all air.
“What if we make it to the surface and there’s no one there anymore?” Tal said, an earnest look on his face.
“Don’t be absurd,” Bradok said. “The surface world is positively lousy with humans and elves and all sorts of things. What makes you think the destruction spread beyond Ironroot?”
“What makes you think it didn’t?” Rose asked, exchanging looks with her brother. “What if it was a disaster that wiped out much of Krynn? What if there are few dwarves left alive anywhere? Then what?”
Bradok frowned, thinking it over. They were back to being believers. But something very bad had happened to Krynn. What had happened, why had it happened, and how far had it spread? He had to admit, he hadn’t thought deeply enough about the possibilities.
“I guess we’d have to start our own town,” he said finally. “Rebuild.”
Rose and Tal nodded.
“Exactly,” Tal said. “And who do you think will be the leader of that town? Who will they come to for advice and laws and justice? Who will wield power then?”
“Well, I guess it’ll be who leads us to safety,” he said, uncomfortably.
“Do you want Chisul to become our leader when all this is over?” Tal said. “He’s a good enough person, but he’s also selfish and spoiled. Such a dwarf would lead us to ruin.”
Bradok nodded slowly. He hated those kind of political problems, but Tal had a very valid point. Chisul was the kind of dwarf who would crown himself king if he got the chance. If only his father, Silas, were there; he might knock some sense into his son.
“So what do you propose?” he asked Tal.
The doctor’s handsome face twisted into a winning grin, only barely disguised by his short, red beard. “You’re already a better leader than Chisul and he knows it,” he said. “You possess the enchanted compass. You found the food. All you have to do is take charge more decisively, and they’ll follow you instead of him. I’m sure of that.”
Bradok glanced at Rose, who was nodding encouragingly.
Bradok wasn’t sure he wanted the responsibilities they were pushing on him, but Tal had been right about one thing. Chisul was a well-intentioned dwarf who would be a terrible leader. It didn’t take much imagination to see in him another Mayor Arbuckle, down the line. Bradok had to step up and take command-for the sake of everyone.
“I’ll gather more mushrooms,” Rose said, rising. “You two talk it over and figure out which direction we should head in next.”
Bradok smiled as she placed his pack next to hers to fill. He stood up, walked back to the opening he’d hammered in the wall, then moved to stand beneath one of the lanterns. Dallon Ramshorn, the wheelwright from Everguard, had pushed the end of the pole into the soft ground, leaving the lantern suspended above. Bradok took out the compass with a flourish, ensuring anyone in the vicinity would notice him. He felt completely foolish but swallowed his pride and played up checking the compass.
The moment he looked into it, however, all guile vanished. The image of the Seer was back, and she kept jabbing her spear urgently, pointing back the way they came. At first Bradok could not fathom why, but then something dawned on him.
“Everyone,” he said, raising his voice. “I think it’s time to leave.”
Chisul looked up. “Maybe having just eaten,” he said, his voice a confident drawl, “we should take some time to rest and digest.”
“Normally, I’d agree with you,” Bradok said; then he held up the compass for emphasis. “I think something’s wrong, though.”
“What’s she doing now?” Much asked, standing up to look over Bradok’s shoulder.
“Let me see that,” Chisul said, reaching for the compass.
For a moment, Bradok considered not giving it to Chisul, thinking he didn’t want to appear weak. Then he remembered how often that had been Arbuckle and Bladehook’s rationale for their behavior.
Bradok dropped the compass in Chisul’s hand. The moment the other dwarf held the compass, however, the Seer stopped her pointing and crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture of defiance.
“Huh! Do you always have this effect on women?” Rose asked teasingly, elbowing Chisul in the ribs.
Chisul growled and passed the compass back to Bradok whereupon the Seer immediately resumed her frantic pointing.
“What’s she doing?” Chisul demanded.
“Well, she’s probably just impatient to be gone from here,” Kellik said. “Most magic things have a mind of their own.”
“I hate to be contrary,” Marl Anvil said, “but I agree with Chisul. The children are tired. Everyone’s tired. We need to rest.”
“We could do with a bit of a rest,” Much agreed. The old dwarf lay stretched out with his head against the base of column of rock.
Bradok opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again immediately. A strange, powerful odor suddenly pervaded the cavern-the stench of rot and decay. It seemed to invade his senses, even leaving an aftertaste in his mouth. Poor Lyra felt it come upon her, too, all of a sudden; she collapsed and retched all over the floor. Everywhere dwarves began covering their noses with hands and handkerchiefs in a vain effort to ward off the stench.
Chisul stared hard at Bradok. “I think you’re right after all,” he said. “Everyone get to the hole!” Chisul shouted. “Get the women and children out first!”
“Look!” Halum shouted, pointing.
Bradok turned toward the back of the cavern. A quick glance revealed a pale light glowing from inside the crack at the very back of the area. Someone or something had found them.
As Bradok watched, pale white hands appeared and broke off the edges of the crack, widening the hole. Next emerged five dwarves, or at least five beings who might have been dwarves once. Each had the pale skin, white-blond hair, and reddish eyes of a Daergar, but there the similarities to living Daergar ended. They had strange gray patches on their skin, and each of them seemed to have sprouted glowing mushrooms from various parts of their bodies. Glowing roots spread out under their skin like veins from the errant fungi.
The moment the five strange dwarves entered the chamber, the stench that had preceded their arrival became nearly unbearable.
“Get those children out of here,” Bradok said, breaking the spell that had gripped everyone, their eyes riveted upon the eerie newcomers. Everyone burst back into action.