Dollano 13, SP~4,909

Therol’s Ice Bridge

It was only one day’s travel, but a long one. We walked down the mountain to get to the coast, and lo and behold there was a road going along the coastline just up from the beach. I learned again not to underestimate Donnessling. That guy knows his geography.

The road hadn’t been tended in a long time, so the walking could be a bit rough at times, and there were several points where the forest had overrun it, but it was a lot better than trying to make our way through the up-and-down in the mountains. I was glad of that and so were my legs.

We reached the bridge about an hour before sunset. I was just shocked at the structure. It was beautiful, and, like the name says, it’s made out of ice. I don’t know how that can be done, but it looks like it can. Donnessling and his folk took no particular notice. They’d clearly been here before, so I was the only one ogling the structure. When I asked, the nossring told me that the bridge was old, very old. They said it was, “before the Third Era”. Since this is the year SP~4,909, it means that it’s five thousand years old, or probably a lot older.

I was in mid-ogle when Donnessling came over and stood next to me. I let him stand there for a minute. Yeah, it was a bit rude, but I wasn’t in the mood for what he was going to tell me, and I didn’t really care if he got a few ruffled feathers, though, it’s pretty hard to ruffle that guys feathers.

Note to Self: Picture Donnessling in my mind with a head full of feathers and a long feathery tale. I guess that’s the kind of mood I’m in right now.

He let me start for a while. I think he wasn’t going to give in to my petulance, but, to be honest, I think he knew that the bridge was a pretty damn magnificent thing to set eyes on.

After a minute he leaned down to me, but before he could say anything, I turned on him and told him that there was no way he was getting rid of me at this point and, unless he tied me to a rock, I was going to follow him and his folk. I think I said that kind of loud, because when I was done, I noticed that everybody was looking at us.

Donnessling sighed and looked away. I started to say some more, but he put up his hand. He did that pretty forcefully, like he understood my point (or he’d had enough of my point).

“I can’t slow down, Rhonda, for you, or anybody.” He stuck his finger at me on the second half to make his point, as if he needed that extra bit of flourish. “I won’t put anyone in danger looking after a human, not even you.”

I admit I was flattered when he said ‘even you’.

“If I fall behind, then leave me behind!” I wasn’t having any of it. “I know how to fight. Not like your folk, but I can fend for myself.”

When I saw him unmoved, I added, “And, I can write the story and get it published.”

Still unmoved. He was about to do something, like tie me up or the like, when it suddenly hit me.

“I know the Queen of the Isselt’s”

That got his attention.

“Yup, she’s a relative of mine.” Well, a pretty distant relative, but still family is family. “And, the Isselt’s live on the mainland near the part of Begkragks’ folk on that side of the water. And, they trade with those dwarves and know how we could get into their mountain.”

I’d made the best point I could, and it seemed to be good enough. Donnessling turned and walked away, and with his back to me he said, “If you fall behind, we’ll leave you behind!”

I call that a successful negotiation. Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to do all that stuff I said I could.

Dollano 12, SP~4,909

Searching

For two days now we’ve been searching for Begkragk and his dwarves and we’ve come up empty-handed.

Yesterday morning, before we started, Donnessling called out in some loud bird-like sounds, and soon after a very large whooshenawa landed at the western end of the shelf where we were camped. He proceeded to have a conversation with this creature, who occasionally would look over at the rest of us, and, in particular, at me.

The conversation lasted less than ten minutes. Then the whooshenawa bounded off the ledge and darted down the side of the mountain to turn at the last moment and then skim the ocean waters below us. Not bad flying!

Donnessling told us that Begkragk and his companions had been spotted heading for a cave west of us. We’ve been trying to find it ever since. Donnessling found it. He knew exactly where it was hidden. Good directions from the bird. Finding it, though, does not get us in. We couldn’t open it. We tried quite a few things, but in the end we had to admit that it was not going to happen.

We stayed the night there, and then the next day, today, we headed to another place where Donnessling thought we could find another entrance higher up in the peaks. By mid-day we did find it, and we even got the door open. We were making good progress, when we reached a turn in the tunnel and Donnessling stopped us. He had a couple of his stone experts check out a section of the wall, and they confirmed to Donnessling that there was a hidden door, but they could tell (I don’t know how) that the tunnel on the other side had collapsed. Another dead end!

Donnessling looked a bit dispirited, which is saying a lot for this guy. After a short break for food, we made our way through a different set of tunnels and, now, here we are outside the mountain, again, just further east of where we were the day before.

We must be up a few thousand feet. I still see the ocean below us, but to the west is something very strange. It looks like a long, thin line of some kind of shimmering white substance just above the horizon. Mossessling noticed what I was looking at and came over. He pointed at it and said, “That is Therol’s Ice Bridge, a wide bridge made of ice that leads from Shawmancer Island to the mainland. No one knows when it was built, though we know it was long ago, perhaps not even during this Era of the world. And, we do not know who built it. However, that is our destination. You see, the Begkragk Dwarf Kingdom lies under the mountains on both sides of the sea below us, and under that sea as well.”

Then, I heard Donnessling come up. “Yes,” he said, “That is our path, Rhonda, but you will not cross the bridge. A ship awaits you on this side of the bridge. It will take you home.”

I tried arguing, but that lasted about two minutes. We were all tired and nobody was their best (I’ll say it that way). To be honest, I was pretty cranky.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings, and where the days after that take us.

Dollano 10, SP~4,909

Betrayal

I woke this morning to chaos. Donnessling was gone and so were Begkragk and his dwarves.

Mossessling and Donnessling’s chief lieutenant, Allalling, were in a heated debate. They were unnerved about Donnessling’s absence, but, more than that, they were distressed because he had said nothing to either of them. And, of course, the dwarves were gone. They are notoriously silent when walking over stone, especially stone they knew so well, and they are not always to be trusted, even when they are your ally.

Allalling had sent the other nossring out to search the hallways and tunnels for Donnessling, but none had yet returned.

I approached the two to ask when they had last seen Donnessling. They were surprised at the question, but Mossessling quickly responded that she had been up early and had noticed that his sleeping space was empty and his belongings were undisturbed.

I told them of my exploit the night before. As I finished the story we heard a shout from behind. It came from the direction where Donnessling and Begkragk, and I, had walked only hours before. One of the searchers was making their way back to us, holding up another nossring, helping them walk. It was Donnessling. He had a good deal of blood caked to one side of his head and a bloodied arm. When he saw us he pushed away his help and walked unsteadily toward us.

“Begkragk has betrayed us,” he said between clenched teeth. Allalling sounded a small horn he carried at his side. The sound filled the halls and echoed back to us, as the other nossring came running back to our location.

As everyone returned, Donnessling told his story. When Allalling told him what they had already heard from me, I could see that Donnessling was impressed. I was pleased with that, though, personally, it didn’t matter whether he approved or not. It’s my job, and he should know that by now. In fact, I think he does.

Mossessling tended Donnessling‘s wounds and provided him with a small cake from her supplies. The food and stitches revived him considerably.

By that time everyone had returned from the search and Donnessling gave the word to Allalling that we were leaving, immediately.

I have to say, these guys are amazingly quick, and they packed up in a minute. I was the only one who was still trying to get my things packed, but I quickly got some “help” to speed things up.

Then off we went. We didn’t go back the way we had come from, nor did we head down the corridor that Begkragk and Donnessling took the night before. Allalling led us to a passageway that was mostly hidden among sharp, rough rocks. It contained a rough floor of broken stone, and it was narrow, so progress was slow, but it soon led us in an upward direction.

We began the journey this morning, and at the end of a long march, we came out of the darkness and onto a shelf high in the mountains overlooking the sea. Daylight was well-gone when we arrived here, but it was a cloudless night. I am writing now under that welcoming sky and will tell more of the tale of Begkragk’s betrayal and the Eye of Zanyr tomorrow.

Later that night

Midnight conversation

I’m writing again today, or maybe it’s early tomorrow.

I’d been asleep, but I sleep lightly. Good for me!

I heard a soft movement, like someone trying to sneak away, and, of course, I was right. Begkragk and Donnessling were stealing away from where we were all sleeping, and I decided to follow. The lessons I got from my good friend Elinor about walking silently really paid off (kamari can make no sound at all when walking in the woods through brambles!). I was able to follow, at a distance, but not be heard or seen. I think I was a bit lucky, too, that the two of them seemed to be deeply in conversation and not paying much attention to anything else.

Begkragk knew where he was going and took them down a narrow corridor that seemed like no one had walked in for a long time. He found a door hidden along the wall and took Donnessling in with him. I got myself close enough to hear them.

“It’s mine!” I could hear Begkragk say.

“It belongs to no one,” Donnessling replied. “It’s too powerful for any one …”

That’s when I heard a snapping sound like a hand slapped on stone.

The rest of the conversation, more like an argument actually, was more of the same. Donnessling argued that the stone, which he called “one of the Eyes from the Crown of Drawnwyn”, should be reunited with the “other Eyes”.

Begkragk wasn’t having any of it. His folk found it, and they found it in the mountains of their kingdom, so it belonged to them!

There was something Donnessling said about where the Eye had been in centuries before. I didn’t pick up on all of it, but it seemed to have traveled quite a bit.

The two of them must have gone on for an hour or more before Donnessling finally gave up. I remember the last thing he said. “We will do all in our power to protect Zanyr and to protect you and your folk, but beware, Begkragk, this Eye has powers you know not of.”

Begkragk responded with something about how he could control the stone and would use it to bring order to the northern regions of the continent.

After that there was silence, and then I could hear them in the hallway just outside of the room, and not far from the alcove where I was hiding. Somehow they passed me by without seeing me. I think they were each so focused on not hammering the other that they weren’t paying attention.

I waited a while for them to be well gone, and then I headed back to write this down and to find another hour or two of sleep before the next day began.

Dollano 9, SP~4,909

An Underground Journey

Today was a long day. I’m too tired to write much, but I want to get down a few things before sleep takes me.

We started the day with an early breakfast. Well, at least, it seemed early. It’s hard to tell when you can’t see the sun.

As soon as we’d finished eating, we set out on a trek. It was Begkragk himself and some of his folk — some of his counselors and about a dozen of his “royal” guards, and all of us (the nossring and me). The guards were a tough-looking lot. They didn’t say a word all day, and it was a long day.

We marched many miles, all of it underground of course. The first thing Begkragk did was to take us to a part of his halls that seemed out of the way and gave the appearance of being unimportant — craft dwarves! It was clear he didn’t want others to see where we were all going.

After a few hours we reached a deadend, or at least that’s what it looked like to me. One of Begkragk’s folk walked up to a part of the tunnel just before the dead end and did something with the wall. I think he (she?) mumbled a few words, too. The wall opened up and there was another tunnel. This one, though, was all natural; no paths were carved here.

I’ll admit I was totally lost at this point. I knew I was under a mountain, and we seemed to be heading further down, and that’s about it. They just pointed us in a direction and we all (especially me) scrambled to keep up.

Eventually, we reached some kind of open area. The ceiling was further above us than I could tell. Begkragk gave some instructions to some of his guards and they went off. A minute later, the place was lit up, and I could see just how big it was. Very big, and this was no natural cavern. The floor of the cavern held a pattern made from some marvelous stone. There were gigantic pillars running down its middle, and the walls on all sides had carvings that seemed to tell a story. I didn’t get a chance to look closely, but I’m guessing it was a story of the heroism of Begkragk’s folk.

Donnessling and his folk looked mightily impressed, too. They’d certainly never seen this place before.

Begkragk led us up to a large, circular stone platform at one end of the room. There were dozens of chairs and tables on the platform. We all sat on seats near the center and Begkragk gave a look to Donnessling, who returned a nod of confirmation.

Begkragk reached into one of the tables and pulled out a fist-sized piece of cloth. He quickly pulled away the cloth to reveal a stone, and a beautiful one! It actually must have been a gem and not just a stone because of its beauty. It was a magnificent purple color, and shades of that color as it moved, and, it seemed to my eyes, even when at rest.

One of the nossring came up to Begkragk. Donnessling introduced his kind, Mossessling, to Begkragk as “holder of the knowledge of Drawnwyn’s Eyes”. That meant nothing to me, but it was peculiar enough that I remembered it, and wanted to get that written down. Begkragk, though, knew exactly what Donnessling was talking about and handed the stone, or gem, to Mossessling.

Mossessling spent some time with this thing. She even went into a bit of a trance, or at least got very quiet. When her eyes opened they opened very wide. She turned to speak to Donnessling and Begkragk, but we could all hear her.

“This is the Eye of Zanyr, the stone of Physic Energy from Drawnwyn’s crown.” Begkragk went wide-eyed. Donnessling didn’t move a muscle.

Note to Self: Never play cards with Donnessling, at least not for money.

Mossessling handed the “Eye” back to the dwarf king, who wrapped it back in the cloth it came in and put it carefully back in a hidden place in the table. He then instructed two of his guards to sit at the table — dwarves are not naturally trusting folk!

“We’ll need to sleep on this.” That’s all Begkragk said and Donnessling, again, said nothing. Then we had dinner, a smattering of uninteresting conversation (something about how to tell where the sun is by “reading” the rocks around us), and now we’re about to sleep for the night.

Too tired to speculate, but lots to think about.

I almost forgot. It seems like it was a week ago. Before we headed out for today’s journey, I was able to locate a blink bat station. The dwarf who ran it was surprised to see a human, but got over it quickly enough and managed to overcharge me. But, I got a blink bat off to Bobby. Not sure how he’ll find me, but that’s the least of my worries.

Dollano 8, SP~4,909

The Begkragk Dwarves

My day started when Donnessling pulled me aside to let me know we were on our way to find the Begkragk Dwarf Kingdom. He said that the mountains in front of us were their home. He also told me to say nothing until he told me to. Apparently they’re willing to talk with some kinds of nossring (wonder what the history is there!), but they’re not friendly toward the Ten Races, in particular the humans.

I agreed mainly because I didn’t have a choice, but I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

It didn’t take long for us to find these Begkragk Dwarves. It was mid-day and we were half-way up one of the mountain ranges when, there they were, standing right in front of us and all around us. One of them, who was their leader, spoke in an odd language, and Donnessling right away responded in the same tongue. The two of them spoke for a while. It sounded like a negotiation of some kind. At one point the dwarf looked over at me and pointed. Donnessling quickly responded. I don’t know what he said, and the dwarf didn’t seem happy. His scowl was worth a thousand words. But then he gave an order to his kin who lowered their weapons. Whatever Donnessling said, it seemed to have worked, and the dwarves then motioned for us to follow them. They led us along the crest of a long, tall ridge and then down a steep descent into a very narrow ravine. We could barely fit, but the dwarves seemed quite comfortable, and very used to it.

It wasn’t long before I realized that the darkness wasn’t because we were in a deep gully. We were in a tunnel, and then we were headed down some rough-carved steps and the tunnel got wider. A lot wider, though it was hard to tell; the dwarves had lit some torches to help us find our way, but the light was dim and the floor was uneven.

At some point, after we’d been walking for a while, always downwards, I could see light up ahead. There were torches in the walls and we were walking over a smooth stone floor.

It seemed like we walked for hours, and then eventually we came to a large chamber off the main tunnel. The chamber was well-lit with many stone columns along the sides and an elaborate throne on a riser at the end. There was a regal-looking dwarf sitting on the throne. He was a very unpleasant-looking fellow and I was expecting the worst when he suddenly got up, strode over to Donnessling, and gave him a massive embrace.

It was a very jolly greeting all around until it came to me. That’s when the dwarf king, Begkragk, strode up to me to take a good hard look. I looked right back at him. I wasn’t going to grovel to any folk. I’ve had editors worse than this guy!

I didn’t move my eyes away from his stare. I heard Donnessling say something in the strange dwarf language, and then, for no reason I could understand, Begkragk beamed at me and gave me a big hug. Backing off a bit (I’m not particularly comfortable with hugging, but this time I had some strong motivation), still smiling, he said to me, “Welcome, Rhonda of the humans. We do not often have your kind here in our home, but you are a friend to Donnessling, and so you are now a friend of the Begkragk Dwarves.”

At this all the other dwarves in the chamber gave out a hearty cheer.

I wasn’t expecting that. I won’t say what I was expecting. I’m not sure I want to remind myself of that in the years to come. But, it was definitely a good outcome.

Dinner was next. It was very good food and lots of it. Then there was some singing, and then we were shown to a room where the nossring and I could get some sleep.

Tomorrow I will ask if they have any blink bats. Still worried about Bobby.