Jeff Crook - The Rose and the Skull

Jessica shook her head in shocked disbelief. She'd never heard anything so terrible as what she'd just been told. It brought a dreary end to an otherwise pleasant day. The rain beating against the castle walls usually made her feel peaceful and safe, but not now. Wind howled around the towers, and thunder shook dust from the rafters. The old castle mumbled and groaned as though all its ghosts had wakened and were holding conclave in some secret hall. Jessica shuddered with a chill.

"This is quite a storm for Gildember," Alya said, using the Solamnic name for October. "Is this common?"

"Very rare," Jessica answered.

The door to the chamber opened, and Valian stepped into the room. "Our horses are settled in the stable. It seems warm and dry enough, with plenty of feed and hay," he said.

"Waterstone, my retainer, worked very hard this past summer patching the roof," Jessica said.

"Ah yes, your dwarf," Valian said blandly. "I'll retire to my room to await mess call." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and strode away, leaving the door open.

"We don't really have a mess call around here," Jessica apologized.

"Don't worry. When he gets hungry enough, he'll come down," Alya said with a smile.

For a long while, neither of the Knights said anything. They listened to the voices of wind and stone, the wailing of the storm. The thunder abated and drew away, shaking the hills to the south. Alya rose and walked to the window. "It's getting dark out," she commented.

A different pounding echoed from below. Alya stopped. "What's that?"

"Someone at the door," Jessica said, a puzzled look on her brow.

"Visitors?" Alya asked.

"We never have visitors," Jessica answered. The pounding came again. The two hurried from the room and down the long spiral stair to the heavy, double-paneled door at the front entrance. Waterstone was already there ahead of them. They heard him speaking to someone. He seemed to be arguing, for his stony voice rose in pitch.

"No. No, we have none. Good night to you," he said.

"What is it?" Jessica called, but the dwarf didn't answer her.

Instead, he said angrily, "We don't take in vagabonds. Now be on your way. Good night!" He slammed the door and shot the bolt.

"Waterstone, who was that?" Jessica asked.

"No one, no one at all, Lady Jessica," the elderly dwarf answered. "Supper is almost ready. I have a lovely roast goose for you."

"Waterstone, who was at the door? We never have visitors," Jessica demanded.

"Just some raggedy human and his mangy mutt," Waterstone said.

"How could you turn him away in this storm?" Jessica scolded.

"I've seen his type before. Give 'em a hot meal and you never get rid of 'em. Best to send 'em on their way," the dwarf said.

The pounding on the door resumed.

Quickly Jessica stepped in front of Waterstone and opened the door, allowing the stranger to stumble wearily inside. The man was drenched from the storm and dripping pools on the floor. He was followed by a large hound of some sort who looked more even more miserable and bedraggled. Both were limping; the hound had old, wet bandages wrapped around its forelegs.

With a scowl at his mistress and the stranger, the dwarf turned away with a growl.

"Reorx's bones!" he swore.

"A Knight of Takhisis," the stranger said with some surprise. "Then it's true." Everyone suddenly turned away as the hound shook the water from her coat, wetting everyone with a fine spray. Waterstone swore blackly.

Alya then asked, "What is true?"

"But I thought they were lying. Then it must also be true about… Papa," he said absently, as though speaking his thoughts aloud. He seemed to realize what he was doing, for his eyes suddenly cleared and he bristled beneath his thick bush of a beard. "Forgive me," he said. "A habit of living alone. My name is Nalvarre Ringbow, former priest of Chislev."

"A priest!" the dwarf exclaimed. "Reorx's black boots!"

"And this poor bedraggled hound is… "

"Millisant!" Jessica exclaimed. At the sound of her name, the hound lowered her head and began to wag her tail, slinging water on everyone's shoes. Jessica knelt beside the dog, petting and scratching her behind her wet ears. Millisant replied by licking Jessica's face. "This was one of Lord Gunthar's favorite dogs. How did she get here? Were you sent by Sir Liam?" she asked Nalvarre.

"Who? No. She was in the company of the three gully dwarves. Did you say she was one of Gunthar's dogs?" he asked.

"I see there is a story to be told here/' Alya said, "and you are soaked."

"Oh! I'm so sorry," Jessica said, suddenly remembering her guest. "Please, come in. We'll find you some dry clothes. Waterstone, set another place for supper."

"The goose isn't big enough for five," the dwarf grumbled as he stalked off to the kitchen. "Someone will have to go without, and I bet I know who that unlucky person will be!"

After dinner, the Knights related recent events of Sancrist Isle to Nalvarre, bringing him up to date on the change in the Knighthood and the untimely death of Lord Gunthar. The newcomer seemed particularly interested in the manner of Gunthar's death, asking if they were sure about the facts of the Grand Master's demise. They recounted their mission both to garrison this castle and to pick up the trail of a gully dwarf named Uhoh Ragnap. At the mention of this name, Nalvarre nodded, as though finally convinced of something that he long suspected.

As Waterstone cleared the dishes away, Nalvarre told them his curious tale, how he came home one day to find Uhoh, Glabella, Lumpo, and Millisant firmly entrenched in his house. He told them Uhoh's story of his Papa's death, and everyone agreed that it sounded very much like the circumstances of Gunthar's death. However, Alya pointed out that Uhoh could have heard the story told at the castle before he ran away, and in the usual gully dwarf fashion, imagined himself in an important role.

"Then you agree. He must have been speaking of Lord Gunthar's death, and not the death of his own father," Nalvarre persisted.

"Of course! What's more, everyone knows that Uhoh called him 'Papa.' All the gully dwarves did," Jessica said.

"Where do the draconians fit in?" Nalvarre asked.

"What draconians?" Alya asked. Valian looked up, suddenly interested. Jessica noted with some surprise that he stared hardest at Alya, not Nalvarre.

"I haven't finished the tale. Uhoh said that after Gunthar died, draconians appeared on the scene and tried to kill him. He escaped them, and they've been chasing after him ever since," Nalvarre said.

"Preposterous!" Alya snorted.

"There aren't any draconians on Sancrist," Jessica said in agreement.

Valian, however, said nothing.

"Uhoh insists that draconians are trying to kill him," Nalvarre said, and he related events of the last few days, ending with his discovery of the wounded Millisant and the disappearance of the gully dwarves. "He claims to know a big, important secret."

"What secret?" asked Valian sharply.

"I don't know," Nalvarre had to admit doubtfully.

"Well, did you see any draconians?" Alya asked.

"No, but I did see Pyrothraxus fly over the valley," he said. "It was the same day. A sure portent of evil, I'd say."

Jessica gasped.

"Not only that, but I found a pile of strange dust in front of my door. I didn't see it that night, but in the light of the next day, it was quite obvious. Millisant growled at it," Nalvarre said.

"Dust? Did it have any kind of shape?" Valian asked.

Nalvarre eyed the dark elf. "As a matter of fact, it did. The wind had disturbed it somewhat, but it had a vague humanoid outline," he said.

To everyone's surprise, Valian pounded the table in anger. "Abaaz! Damn!" he shouted.

"Let's not jump to any hasty conclusions, Sir Valian," Alya said softly, but with steel in her voice. She turned to Jessica. "There must be another explanation. I find it quite hard to credit any reason why draconians would be chasing three gully dwarves halfway across Sancrist."