Paul Kidd - White Plume Mountain

“Kelpies. Gods, but Kelpies annoy me.”

The two water-women made an “Awww!” of disappointment andlooked imploringly up out of the water.

“We can do drow.” The elfmaid’s form shifted, her silky whiteskin deepening to coal black and her hair shimmering into a silvery white. “Isthis better?”

“Knock it off!” Hovering high above the water, Escallafrowned “Jus? What are they?”

“Kelpies-intelligent weeds.” The Justicar dragged Polkupright with one heave of his arm. “They charm males, let them drown, then chewthem up for plant food.”

The faerie bridled in alarm.

“But that’s horrid!”

“We’re sorry.” The two women hung their heads, then cast alittle glance up at the Justicar. “You should probably spank us.”

“Shut up, or I’ll come back with a bucket of weed poison.”The ranger managed to drag Polk, backpack and all, around the rim of the room. He tested the way ahead with the tip of his sword. “The edges are shallow, themiddle’s deep. Head for the stairs.”

The two kelpies were left behind as Sir Olthwaite, the Justicar, and Escalla scaled the stairs. Pouting unhappily, the kelpies sniffed as Jus tramped past. “Mammals have no sense of fun!”

Jus ignored them. Stamping his boots to try to free them of some of their burden of dungeon water, the big man reached the top of the stairs, dropped Polk against the wall, then felt in the teamster’s pockets forthe inevitable flask of liquor. He trickled a little of the alcohol into the man’s open mouth, took a pull on the flask himself, and passed it up to thefaerie.

Escalla drank, coughed as though she had just swallowed acid, and tossed the drink back down to the Justicar.

“Ooooh, amphisbanae piss! You don’t get much of thatnowadays.” The girl sounded hoarse. “How is he?”

Jus shrugged, hardly caring. At his feet, Polk swallowed, stirred, and opened an accusing eye. Mightily offended, the man cradled his jaw and said, “What did you do that for?”

“They were evil animated water weeds, and they wanted togrind you up for fertilizer.”

“The fiends!” Polk bridled and shot a regretful glance backdown the stairs. “Even the minstrel girl?”

“Definitely the minstrel girl.” Jus hauled the little manup to his feet. “You’re all right. Take another drink, and let’s get going.”

Blinking in amazement, Polk suddenly gazed up at the Justicar and sputtered, “You saved me! You saved my life!”

“Yup.”

“You’re a hero!”

“If you say so.”

Suddenly Polk felt the weight of his backpack and raised a suspicious brow.

“You just didn’t want to have to dive into the water toretrieve the magic hammer.”

“Yup.” The Justicar smiled.

The little teamster muttered, took a drink from his flask, and cast an eye about the room. Sir Olthwaite stood guard against the upper passage while light still reflected from the kelpie pool below. Feeling victimized, Polk tenderly probed his own jaw.

“Kelpies, eh? How did you throw off the evil spell?”

The Justicar held up a hand and removed his gauntlet. A bone ring shone on his finger.

“Useful trinket. Protection against fear and charm spells.”The man cast a glance up at Escalla. “And Escalla’s safe. It’s not like thekelpies have anything to offer her .”

Biting her knuckle and casting an eye back down the stairs, Escalla gave a start.

“What? Oh, yeah! Didn’t do a thing for me! Not even theelfmaid!”

All eyes now turned toward the paladin. Sir Olthwaite drew himself up proudly, his chiselled face radiating a superior air, and he said, “Vows of chastity armor a man against such feminine wiles.”

Escalla and Jus both raised a brow. Sneering from atop the ranger’s helm, Cinders snarled at the paladin.

Burn…

“Later.” The Justicar looked at the plain wooden door at theside of the steps and then at the huge double-flanged metal portal that sealed off the corridor. He jerked his chin toward the metal doors. “That way.”

Escalla fluttered curiously in front of the metal doors and frowned.

“Must be something really important on the other side.”

“Something that eats fish heads.” Polk sniffed. “Can’t bemuch.”

“Yeah, you’re right!” The girl let the humans push open theway. “Well, we’ve had vampires, giant flesh monsters, green slime, and talkingkelp. There can’t be much left.” Her wings whirring, the girl made a toast withPolk’s own flask and then flew into the dark. “Here’s to something small!”

“Ha! A fish head!” Forgetting to remain invisible, Escalladarted back and forth over the floor finding clues. “And another one! We’re onthe right track!”

It took a nose less sensitive than Cinders’ to sense thetrail ahead. The first huge metallic doors had swung open upon a short passageway that led to a duplicate portal of the first. Fish heads had been dropped here and there, and the tracks of some kind of handcart trailed mud across the floors.

Escalla fluttered about impatiently as Sir Olthwaite and Jus put their shoulders to the next doors and swung them slowly outward, revealing yet another chamber blocked by metal doors. The fish reek came more strongly as the doors opened wide. An old fish head had clearly fallen free as it was carried over stone flanges in the floor, and the stench was enough to bring water to the eyes.

Escalla fluttered about the last pair of doors. Halting to the rear, Jus knelt and examined the previous portal, inspecting the perfect fit of the doors against heavy stone flanges built into the corridor. The doors were absurdly easy to open from the south but seemed to be built to stop an assault of some kind from the north.

“These doors seal perfectly against the stone. The seal iseven lined with leather.” The Justicar touched the well-oiled hinges with hisfingers. “Of all doors in the dungeon, these are the only ones anybody caresfor.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Escalla had finished her inspection of thelatest set of metal doors. “No runes, no tripwires, no traps. Pooch says there’sno smell of spells. You will observe, the faerie now listens with one graceful ear.” The girl pressed her head against the door and listened carefully. “Clear!See, I’m getting this adventure thing down after all!” Posing in midair, Escallastretched indulgently as the humans opened the way.

Swinging slowly outward, the heavy metal doors flooded a baleful red light into the corridor. The air swirled stifling hot with steam, and the fish smell hovered thicker than flies. Escalla snorted in disgust and drifted onward down the passageway, looking at walls that now dripped with condensation.

She emerged into a great, transparent tube. The floor was stone, yet the clear, curved walls and ceiling roiled violently with bubbles. Escalla looked nervously about and shrank away from the dripping surface of the tube. The impression of savage heat looming in on every side made the little faerie quail.

The passage apparently went beneath the waters of a boiling lake. From somewhere far below, the light of the volcano ebbed and pulsed, lighting the lake with all the colors of clotting blood. The faerie stared at it all, then hesitantly approached the ceiling to reach upward with one delicate little finger.

From behind her, the Justicar called out a warning. The faerie waved him down and softly prodded the hot, transparent surface of the passageway. It stretched slightly away from her touch.

The walls felt red hot, rubbery, and dangerously thin. Hot as they were, the waters beyond boiled with all the force of a superheated kettle, sending vast bubbles wobbling upward through the baleful glare. Escalla carefully touched a water droplet on the walls, then tasted it with her tongue and made a face.