Jeff Crook - The Rose and the Skull

"These are the two who were with Uhoh," Nalvarre explained, having to shout to be heard. He pulled Glabella from his neck and brushed the hair from her face. "Listen to me," he said. "Was Uhoh alive?"

She nodded, her lower lip trembling.

"Where did they take him?" he asked.

Sobbing between words, she said, "They take Uhoh to mountain."

"Which mountain?" Alya said. "The whole area is nothing but mountains. Meanwhile, we need to find a way to get to this water. Did any of you see any ropes or chains?"

"Yes," Valian said.

"Well go and get them, and see if you can scrounge up a bucket with a handle," she ordered.

With a dark look at his commander, the elf stalked away.

"After we've all had a good drink and washed the dust from our faces, we can sit down and find out what really happened here," she added.

"Right!" the Highbulp agreed. Then in an aside to Alya, she whispered, "These gulpfungers die of thirst without me and you."

The scent of water drew gully dwarves in from the desert in droves. Nalvarre and Lumpo spent most of the afternoon drawing water from the well and filling every vessel and jug the gully dwarves could scrounge. To the surprise of the Knights, many of these were bowls and chalices of beaten gold and jeweled silver. Like magic, the gully dwarves conjured from the earthen mounds treasures worthy of the finest families of Sancrist or even Palanthas.

As darkness fell, Nalvarre built a bonfire around which the gully dwarves celebrated their deliverance by breaking out cactus beer, a bitter brew concocted by a group of old gammers who chewed up pieces of cactus into a mush, which they then spit into a communal cauldron. Once the cauldron was filled, they let it sit for several days to ferment. With this celebration, the gully dwarves brought out a cauldron that had been fermenting for two days. Soon, everyone had a bowl or cup and was dipping into the roiling pink stew.

Glabella brought Valian a frothy bowl, but he politely declined it, saying he preferred water. She shrugged and flopped beside him, sipping her beer and watching him from the corner of her eye. Timidly, she reached out a hand and touched his long white hair.

"You pretty," she said.

He eyed her with a bit of alarm. "Thank you," he said.

"You nice Knight," she whispered. "Uhoh say Knights bad, but you good Knight."

He leaned his head closer to hers and asked, "And why did Uhoh say Knights are bad?"

" 'Cause that's what Papa say when he die," she whispered.

"I see," the elf said.

"But he wrong. You nice," she cooed.

Across from them, Alya and Jessica sat on either side of the Highbulp. Alya leaned forward and clanged her golden drinking bowl against a rock. "I think it is time that we get the whole story. We've wasted enough time on this trip. I want to know what happened to Uhoh?"

The Highbulp rose unsteadily to her feet. "Highbulp Mommamose I tell you. This way it happen. I born good place, plenty food, I very happy," she began.

Alya sighed in exasperation. "We don't want your whole life story, just what happened to Uhoh last night," she said.

With an impatient wave of her hand, the gully dwarf continued. "I very happy. I grow up happy, I marry happy, I have happy baby. Then I drop happy baby on head. I name him Uhoh."

Glabella clapped. "That my favorite story. Tell it again," she said.

"Later," the Highbulp scowled. "One day things go all wrong. Slagd come, put all us Bulps on big ship, we sail and sail and sail, two days. There many slagd on ship, all kinds. Captain no got wings."

"An aurak," Valian said. "How many slagd were on the ship?"

"Two," she said, holding up five fingers. "Ship bring us here."

"Here?" Jessica asked.

"Not here, there," the Highbulp said, pointing north. "How you think ship get here? This desert," she said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Jessica said.

"We get off ship," the Highbulp continued. "Slagd make us help build big castle on mountain by sea. They whip Bulps and put us in dungeon. We no get plenty food. We not happy. I cut stone. All day long I cut stone." She wrung her hands as though in remembrance of the pain.

"When castle done, big no-wing slagd say he Highbulp. Other slagd call him Old Man. They busy, busy all the time then, forget about Bulps. Sometimes we cook, sometimes clean castle. One time thunder hit tower, so we fix it. They forget us most time. We a little happy, but we still not get food."

During this account of the gully dwarves' misery, the look of disgust on Alya's face was slowly replaced by one of curiosity. Finally, she interrupted. "Do you mean to say that there is a draconian stronghold somewhere on this island?"

"Castle Slagd," the Highbulp nodded.

"I never heard of it," Jessica shrugged.

"How long has it been here?" Valian asked.

The Highbulp held up four fingers. "Two years," she answered. "Not more than two."

"This is unbelievable," Alya declared.

"But what happened to Uhoh?" Nalvarre asked.

"I try to tell, but they butt in," the Highbulp said with a frown. "I try to say, I hungry at castle. Those hungry days I look for way out to go find food, and I find way out. So I go find food. Aghar follow me, lots Aghar. I walk this way. We come here. I say I Highbulp now. I Highbulp Mommamose I, and this place Town. We got lots to eat here. Got good lizards, good bugs, good cactus. Good water, good beer. I happy.

"Uhoh sad. He funny 'cause I drop him on head. He not stay. He take young Aghar and go that way," she said, pointing south. "I tell him you no go. You get in trouble. But he not listen. He never listen to Mommamose." She sniffled and wiped away a motherly tear.

"And he get in trouble, like I say. He come back here, but trouble come too. Slagd come. Slagd burn down mound. They take Uhoh, go that way." She pointed north.

"How many slagd?" Valian asked.

"Two," she answered, holding up two fingers.

"Then there is only one thing to do," Nalvarre declared. "We have to go north to this castle."

"I agree," Jessica said.

"Something must be done. A reconnaissance is needed, even if we can't rescue the gully dwarf," Valian said.

Alya paused, considering as she stared northward. Valian watched her. At last, she said, "I agree. But the most important thing right now is to alert the Knighthood."

Jessica started to protest, but Alya silenced her with a raised hand. "We are dealing with larger considerations than one gully dwarf. The others must be warned of this development so that plans can be made. If there are draconians on this island, we must alert the Knighthood. We can't all rush off blindly without any plan at all." She stood and dusted off her leather trousers.

"One of us should continue north to scout out the castle, while the others return to Castle uth Wistan to warn the Knights," she announced.

Valian stood. "I'll go," he said.

"No,you return with the others," Alya said. "I will head north and do my best to rescue poor Uhoh."

"I do not think this is wise," Valian countered. "I am best suited for tracking the draconians. Why choose to send me back?"

"And what makes you think I intend to turn back?" asked Nalvarre.

"Because," answered Alya, "if what we heard is true, the real danger is yet to come. It is your duty to spread the alarm. Go fast-safeguard each other, and return with reinforcements."

"How will you follow their trail?" Valian asked.

She shot him an angry glance. "I don't need to follow their trail. Mommamose knows the way to the castle, doesn't she? She'll take me there."

"I will?" the Highbulp asked in surprise.

"Valian is in charge now," Alya said as she gathered two extra wineskins from her companions and slung them over her shoulder. "Jessica, you must help convince the Solamnics. I can't imagine what Liam Ehrling and the others would say if Valian and a former priest of Chislev show up with two gully dwarves proclaiming the existence of a previously unknown stronghold of draconians. Stop by Isherwood and pick up Millisant. That-and Nalvarre's firsthand testimony-should do the trick."