Margaret Weis - Dragons of The Dwarven Depths

“Fortunately you’ve got big hips,” he told Tika.

“Thanks a bunch,” she said bitterly.

Planting one foot on her hip, Tas hoisted himself up. He put his other foot on her shoulder, brought up his other foot, then he had both feet on both of Tika’s shoulders. Slowly, teetering a little, keeping his hands on the top of Tika’s head, he straightened.

“I didn’t think you were this heavy!” Tika gasped. “You’d better… hurry!”

“Hold onto my ankles!” Tas instructed. He reached up and grasped two of the iron railings. “You can let loose now!”

Tas swung his right leg up, trying to connect with the balcony. After two tries, he finally made it. He slid one leg through the railings then didn’t know what to do with the other leg. He hung there for a moment in an extremely awkward, uncomfortable, and precarious position. Tika, looking up, put her hands over her mouth, terrified Tas would fall.

Fortunately he came from a long line of kender who climbed up onto balconies or shinnied out onto ledges or walked the ridgepoles of roofs. A wriggle, a few grunts, a readjustment of his leg so that he wasn’t about to dislocate a hip, another wriggle and a squeeze, and he was through the iron railings and lying flat on his stomach on the cat walk.

“You did it!” Tika cried, impressed. “What’s up there? Is there a way out?” She could hear Tas rummaging around in the dark, but she couldn’t see what he was doing. Once he seemed to trip over something, for he said, “Ouch!” in irritated tones. Then he came back, leaned over the edge of the rail, and called down, “Say, Tika, why do you suppose they call it a cat walk? Do cats walk on these things a lot?”

“How should I know? What difference does that make?” she returned irritably.

“I was just wondering. I think it’s because they have nine lives.” Before Tika could point out that this made no sense, Tas added “There’s lots of rope up here, coils and coils of it, and some torches and a sack that has something squishy inside that smells bad. I’ll keep looking.” He was off again. Tika picked up the torch and looked around nervously, not liking being left alone. Then she reflected she wasn’t truly alone. Caramon was not far away. He would come if she called.

Tas came back. “I found it! There’s a hole in the ceiling that I think leads up into a shaft that I’m pretty sure goes outside. I’ll bet we could climb up the shaft. Do you want to try?”

“Yes,” Tika said, thinking that wherever the shaft led was better than where she was now. Anything was better than going back to Caramon and his brother. “How do I get up onto the cat walk?”

“I’ll send down some rope. Hold that torch where I can see what I’m doing.” Tika raised the torch. Working by its flickering light, Tas tied one end of the rope to an iron railing. He tugged on it to make sure it was good and tight, then he flung the rope down to Tika.

“You’d better douse the torch,” he advised, “so no draconians come after us. I’ll light one up here.”

Tika extinguished the light then took hold of the rope and began to pull herself up, hand over hand. She’d been quite adept at rope climbing when she was a girl; the children of the tree-top town of Solace could clamor up and down ropes like spiders. She hadn’t done much rope climbing since those days, but the skill came back to her.

“You have strong arms,” Tas remarked admiringly.

“And big hips,” Tika muttered. She pulled herself up and over the railing.

“The air shaft’s over here.” Tas and his torch led the way to a wide hole in the ceiling. Though Tika couldn’t see sunlight, she could feel and smell the fresh air flowing down from above, gently brushing her face. She drew in a deep breath.

“This is definitely the way out,” she said.

“I think it’s also the way in,” said Tas. “The draconians used this route to enter the fortress. You can tell because they left their stuff lying around.”

“That means they’ll be back to collect it!” Tika said, alarmed.

“Any minute now probably,” said Tas in cheerful tones, “so if we’re going to explore the shaft, we should do it pretty quickly.”

“What if there are draconian guards inside there?” Tika faltered.

Tas peered up the shaft, his face screwed up into thought wrinkles.

“I don’t think so,” he said at last. “If the draconians had gone back up the shaft, they would have taken their stuff with them. No. They’re somewhere else. Probably exploring the ruins down below.”

“Then let’s go up there,” said Tika, shivering at the thought.

The two climbed a pile of rubble that lay beneath the shaft and from there into the shaft itself. Dim gray light filtered down from above, so they could leave the torch behind. The shaft did not go straight up, like a chimney, but sloped gradually, and the climb was an easy one. The breeze wafting down the shaft grew stronger and colder, and they soon came in sight of heavy gray clouds that looked so close it seemed they could grab a handful. The opening was a large oval hole in the rock; the edges glistened wetly in the gray light.

Tas poked his head out of the hole and immediately ducked down again.

“Draconians!” Tas whispered. “Lots of them, standing on the ground below us.” They both held very still, then Tas started to raise himself up again.

“What are you doing!” Tika gasped, tugging on his breeches. “They’ll see you!”

“No, they won’t,” Tas said. “We’re up above them. Come on. You can look.” Tika didn’t like it, but she had to see for herself. She edged her head cautiously out of the hole. The draconians were gathered at the base of the ruined fortress on one of the few dry patches of ground available. A foul-smelling, evil-looking swamp surrounded them. The gray clouds roiling above turned out not to be clouds at all, but a thick mist rising from dark and putrid waters. The draconians stood in a group around a draconian who appeared to be their leader. He was larger than the others, his scales were a different color, and he was issuing orders. His voice was deep and loud, and they could hear him quite clearly.

“Tika!” said Tas, excited. “I can speak draconian! I know what he’s saying.”

“I know what he’s saying, too,” said Tika. “He’s speaking Common.” The two listened and watched. Then Tika said softly, “Come on! We have to go tell the others!”

“Shouldn’t we wait to hear more?”

“We’ve heard enough.” Tika said.

She began to scrabble back down the shaft. Tas listened a moment longer, then he followed.

“You know, Tika,” said Tas, when they reached the cat walk. “It’s good we came, after all.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Tika said.

“Raistlin! Caramon! Sturm! There’s a draconian army right outside!” Tas announced, bursting into the armory.

“The draconians are planning to attack our people in the valley!” Tika was saying at the same time. “We heard the big one telling his soldiers! The attack is coming from Pax Tharkas.”

“We found out because I can understand draconian now.” Tas raised his voice to be heard above Tika. “Say, why is Sturm wearing that funny-looking helm?”

Raistlin glared at them. “I can’t understand a word either of you is saying. One person talks at a time!”

“Tas,” Tika ordered, “go keep watch in the corridor.”

“But Tika—”

She glared at him, and Tasslehoff departed.

Tika repeated what they’d overheard, adding, “These draconians are part of a larger force. They’ve been posted here to make sure that our people don’t come this way. It’s a good thing Tas and I came,” she said, with a defiant glance at Raistlin, “otherwise we wouldn’t have found out about the danger the refugees are in.”