Dennis McKiernan - Dragondoom

And there upon a crest deep within the Grimwalls, midst stone and fire and thunder, was held the deathwatch of Elyn of Jord, while the earth below shuddered and the skies above ran red.

“Brelk wilt remain to watcheth the Kammerling and be on hand shouldst something unexpected befall, though ae deem none couldst steal it from the caldera-not even Folk such as we of the deep-for at this time the melt wardeth better than aught else.

“Hundar and Chale wilt go with us, for within the stone, travel be faster in doublets and trines. Ae wilt beareth thee, else we be slowed.”

“I have ponies-” Thork started to say. .

— Nay! My ponies be dead. As is Elyn.

“Friend, we must beareth thee,” said Orth, “for nought surviveth above; there be no water, no food, nought alive, only death and destruction, only ash too deep for thy stature.”

Again, images of Hèl arose in Thork’s mind, and visions of the victims of Dragonslair; and he broke into tears at the vision of one.

And so, with Hundar in the lead, splitting open the way before them, and Chale following, sealing it after, Orth bearing Thork in her arms, his shield upon her back, the four set off southwesterly, travelling through the deep stone below the Grimwall Mountains, below the lifeless land above, aiming for a place where Thork could get aid from a healer to treat his burns.

While behind, Brelk, watching over the Kammerling, hammered upon root stone, signalling out to others afar, speaking of the events that had passed that day.

Swiftly they went, travelling in total darkness, moving through solid rock, splitting it before then healing it after, the way made possible by the strange power the Utruni held over stone.

At times they stopped and took sustenance, feeding upon great mushrooms found deep within phosphorescent caverns below. Too, the moss that glowed was nourishing as well, and water was plentiful. These things Thork had seen before, for Dwarves often cultivated such as food.

It was during rest within one of these glowing caves that Thork at last began to converse with Orth: “How is it Utruni see through stone, Lady Orth?”

In the spectral light she gazed upon the Dwarf, her look baffled, her sapphire eyes slowly blinking. Long she considered, then asked: “How doth thou see, Friend Thork?”

“Why, why. . I just do,” answered Thork, nonplussed. “Except this I know: without light, vision is baffled. And except for rare places such as this, there be no light within living stone, only pitch black.”

“Why, Friend, there be what thee namest ‘light’ all about us,” she answered, gesturing widely. “Not only this pallid glowing from the moss within, but from the bright orb without, called ‘Sun’ by thee and thine, named ‘Ar’ by me and mine. And the ‘light’ that we see by cometh from Ar, and shineth through air and stone alike.

“Know this, Friend Thork: The light that giveth us vision be different from that captured by thine eyes. Ar’s light shineth through all, all things living or dead, shining through Utrun or stone or surface life, it mattereth not; and even though nought reflecteth much of Ar’s radiance, it passing straight through, still we see, some things better than others. Thyself art but an insubstantial shadow in mine sight, as be other dwellers above, some moreso, some less; Drakes be easily seen-’twas thy Dragonhide shield we saw plummeting, else we wouldst not have known thou wert falling.

“Too, we see ores and metals well: it wast the Kammerling that we didst track from Wizard Andrak’s holt-that and thine shield.

“Were it not for the light of Ar, we couldst not do that which Adon gave us to do: shaping the land, building mountains, easing the great tensions within the mighty rifts, aiding the living stone in its slow, steady, eternal march across the face of the world.

“Aye, ’tis Ar’s light that letteth us see what we do.

“Even when Ar be on the opposite side, still the radiance shineth through.”

“You mean, when the Sun sets and it is nighttime above, still there shines a light that you see by?” In Thork’s mind, for reasons he did not comprehend, there rose up a vision of the Wizard’s strange map in Black Mountain, the great globe slowly turning, the lamp on the wall shining upon it.

Orth nodded, and the Dwarf sat pondering, wondering at what he had heard, knowing that Elyn would. .

Beloved.

Tears clouded his eyes, and he ate no more, and soon it was time to go onward.

Over the next several days Thork’s burns became worse, blistering, festering, even though he washed in chill water at every opportunity.

Yet the Giants carried him on, seeking a far-off town where dwelled a healer of the surface Folk. And while the Utruni strode through darkness, Thork and Orth spoke of many things:

“There be a fable amongst mine Folk,” murmured Thork, “that deep within the world the greatest Giant of all sleeps, waiting for the end of time when all things will cease to be. At times he rolls over in his sleep, and then does the earth rattle and quake.”

Orth laughed, and bore him onward. “Nay, Friend, such a one doth not dwell within, for though many a strange thing doth sleep within the stone, ’tis nary a monstrous Giant that causeth the world to rattle. ’Stead it be the groaning along the great rifts, as land slides ’gainst land, jerking, halting, breaking free. Ae and mine Folk try to stop the worst from happening, easing the land along.

“ ’Twas such that caused us to lose the Kammerling in the first place: There camest a time of a monstrous quake, along a fault long believed well rooted. Yet, ’twas not, and a great destruction shattered forth. All nearby rushed to aid, including Lithon, guardian of the Kammerling, for without his aid we couldst not succeed. And whilst we fought ’gainst disaster, easing the great flanks of stone past one another, someone or something camest unto our halls and stole the hammer, bearing it to Wizard Andrak’s holt.”

“Black Kalgalath bore it thus,” said Thork, “though I know not whether it was the Drake that took it from your dwellings; Andrak the Mage told me such as I stood frozen before his power, ere I was saved by my. .”

Beloved.

Thork’s voice jerked to a halt, and he could not speak.

After a while, Orth took up the tale once more: “Lithon felt responsible, for Adon’s Hammer wast in our keep, to be used when the Greatest Dragon of all cometh forth.”

“Kalgalath,” said Thork.

“Nay, not Black Kalgalath, Friend Thork, but something or someone else.”

Thork’s eyes widened at this news. “If not Kalgalath, then who, what, be the greatest Dragon of all?”

“Ae know not, Friend Thork. Ae know not, but list to the prophecy.” Orth’s voice took on the chant of a litany: “In the final days, in the apocalyptic confrontation, death and great destruction shalt sweep o’er the surface of the land, and it shalt be in a time of the gathering of all Drakes. Then shalt the world know the greatest Dragon of all.”

After sleeping, again the Utruni strode forth deep within the stone, and Orth took up the tale of the Kammerling once more: “Lithon set off on a quest to find the hammer. Long didst he search, many times didst Ar circle the world: more than four years as measured by the calendars of the surface Folk. But at last he discovered it, hammering out the joyful news, giving its location. It wast his final signal, for no more didst we hear from him.

“He wast slain on this mission, killed by Andrak.”

Thork’s mind returned to Andrak’s quarters, to a table upon which rested twelve skulls, one of which was an Earthmaster’s.

“Others followed,” continued Orth, “coming to Andrak’s holt. But the very stone itself wast warded ’against us, and we couldst do nought, though the Kammerling didst we see above. We had cometh in anger to taketh back Adon’s Hammer, but Andrak’s spells wert too strong.