Authors: Daniel Arenson
Neev grumbled. He'd cast another spell, trading this jinx for another, but felt too drained. Casting so many fireballs took a lot out of him; he would cast no more magic tonight.
"You still ate ten cakes," he said, lamely. His voice sounded miserable to him, which made Romy laugh even louder. She kept running in circles around him, poking his nose, wiggling her backside at him, and oinking.
Finally Neev had enough. He walked up to her, grabbed her, and glared.
"Romy," he said, "shut it."
When she opened her mouth to object, he kissed her, muffling her words. Her voice died, and she kissed him back. His arms wrapped around her and she clung to him. They kissed for long moments in the sunset, their wet bodies pressed together.
"Piggy," she said to him when their kiss ended. She kissed his snout. "My cute hero piglet. I love you, Neev. I love you very much."
He held her close. "Right back at you, Romster. I'm glad you're okay."
She yawned. "Now let's find a place to sleep—far away from the water! We have a volcano to climb tomorrow."
They sat by the fire to dry, then lay down to sleep, cuddled up in their cloaks. Crickets chirped around them. Soon Romy slept, her head against his shoulder and her arms around him. She snored and drooled so much, that she soaked his shirt. Neev sighed, kissed her head, and closed his eyes.
* * * * *
Jamie climbed the mountain, her sword rattling over her back. Cold winds blew, sneaking under her breastplate like icy fingers. She tightened her cloak around her, gritted her teeth, and kept climbing. When she looked behind her, she saw distant valleys cloaked in mist. Beyond them rolled autumn forests, red and gold and yellow.
She saw the elflings too; they climbed the mountain behind her in single file. Rowyn walked first, his green cloak fluttering, his wand in his hand. His goldencharm glowed on his forehead, a glittering star. Behind him walked Ellywyn, her silver dagger drawn. Fall leaves filled her red hair, her sun goldencharm glowed, and her green eyes were narrowed. Noelyn brought up the rear, an arrow in her bow, her dress fluttering in the wind. Her purple eyes glowed like the golden moon on her forehead.
I wish I were an elfling too,
Jamie thought, not for the first time. She remembered turning into a ball of fluff, and wondered if any wizards knew spells that could turn her into an elfling.
I'm already short enough. All I need are pointy ears and a goldencharm. Mine would be a roaring dragon.
"How much higher is the dragon's nest?" she asked and looked up the mountainside. The peak seemed miles away, cloaked in clouds.
"All the way on top," Rowyn said. "Grumbledook is watcher of the peak."
Jamie grumbled. "I should have known."
She kept climbing, feet aching, but paused when she heard howls behind her.
Jamie spun around and stared down the mountainside. The elflings too heard the sound; they raised their weapons and stared into the misty valleys below. Howls and barks sounded there, coming closer.
"Dogs," Jamie said. She drew her sword. "Big, angry ones."
The howls continued, echoing in the valley. They carried a strange, metallic twang, she thought. They were too deep, too cruel.
"No, not dogs," Noelyn said softly, the first words she had spoken all day. She pointed her arrow down the mountainside. "Not the kind you and I know, at least."
Jamie growled and swung her sword. She wished she could see the creatures, but the mist hid everything. The howls were getting closer, and soon she heard footfalls too, a dozen or more racing up the mountainside. The barking sounded almost like words.
"Bullies
bark bark
Bullies
bark
!"
Rowyn uttered a spell, and soon his wand sparkled with green lightning.
"These creatures are looking for us."
Jamie gritted her teeth. She raised her sword and shield. "They found us."
Ten creatures burst from the mist below, racing up the mountainside. Jamie grunted. They looked like dogs, but were larger—pony sized—and each had three heads. Their hides were black, and fire filled their maws. Their claws clanked against the mountainside.
"Devil dogs!" screamed Ellywyn. She swung her dagger before her. "Stay back!"
The three-headed creatures kept racing toward them. "Bullies!
Bark bark
, Bullies!"
Noelyn shot an arrow. It whistled and slammed into one devil dog. The creature howled, fell, but rose and kept running. Rowyn shot lightning from his wand. It hit another devil dog, and the creature screeched and fell.
"Ellywyn, with me!" Jamie shouted and charged down the mountainside. "We'll take them head on."
The redhead elfling shouted a wordless battle cry, and the two girls raced toward the dogs. More arrows and lightning flew. One dog blew fire from its maw. Jamie pushed Ellywyn aside, saving her from the flames, and raised her shield. The flames crashed against it. Sparks flew around the shield, nearly burning Jamie. She screamed and ran, shield held before her. She leaped, swung her sword, and cut the devil dog. It howled and bit. Its teeth slammed against her breastplate, denting the steel. Jamie screamed, shoved it back, and thrust her sword. Her blade drew blood, the beast fell, and she stabbed it again.
"Jamie, watch out!" Ellywyn cried.
A dog leaped onto Jamie's back. She hit the ground. Teeth bit her shoulder, denting her armor.
"Get off her!" Ellywyn cried. She leaped. Her silver dagger lashed. The devil dog yelped and fell. Jamie scurried to her feet, swinging her blade into the beast. Ellywyn's dagger lashed a second time, and the dog fell dead.
Five more surrounded them, growling and bristling. Smoke rose from their nostrils.
The dogs blew fire. Ellywyn leaped, somersaulted, and lashed her blade at one. Jamie slid under a jet of fire and hacked at the dog's legs. It fell, and she leaped up and raised her shield. Fire blazed against it; a few tongues of flame passed around the shield and licked her arm. She screamed, leaped, and swung her blade. Devil dog blood spilled, orange and smoking.
From the corners of her eyes, she saw the elflings fighting, but had no time to look closely. A dog leaped onto her, all three heads barking. Its fangs slammed against her breastplate. The steel dented. Jamie grunted and slammed the pommel of her sword into one of the heads. The devil dog whimpered and leaped back, and she slashed her sword, cutting it down.
She panted, looking around. Devil dogs lay dead around her, bloody and smoking. Three other dogs were fleeing down the mountain.
"Noelyn, shoot them down!" Jamie said.
Noelyn was panting, her dress torn. Teeth marks bled on her leg. "I will not kill fleeing creatures."
Jamie groaned and watched the devil dogs flee into the mist. She considered chasing them, but doubted she'd catch them; they moved fast as horses.
"If those things work for Madrila, she'll know we're here," she said. She knelt by a dead dog. Its three necks bore collars and tags marked with red
M
s. When she examined the other dogs, she saw that they all wore the same collars.
"
M
for Madrila," she said and sighed. "Expect more of these creatures on our trail."
She examined her wounds; her arm was singed, and bruises were probably spreading under her breastplate. The elflings suffered small lacerations and burns. Rowyn carried healing herbs and bandages in his pack; he spent a while tending to their wounds. When everyone was bandaged, they kept climbing the mountain.
"We better find that dragon soon," Jamie muttered. The mountain soared above them. She thought of Burrfield and ignored the pain.
Chapter Fourteen
Mount Doom
Madrila leaned back in her seat and patted Bramblebridge. Chained to the throne, the bulldog made soft, contented noises.
"Good puppy," she said. "Good puppy."
She doubted the bulldog remembered being human; he now lived for pats, treats, and chasing cats.
"A dog's life is easy," she said to the grunters who filled Fort Rosethorn's hall. "Fed, pampered, and patted all day."
The grunters grunted sympathetically. In truth, Madrila thought grunters had it easy too. All they did was obey, kill, and grunt. They did not bear the yoke of power. They did not have to worry about Bullies who kept escaping and wreaking havoc.
"They killed my sweet devil dogs," she said to Bramblebridge. "Your comrades! And they killed my water spirit."
And they killed my father,
she thought, but said nothing. She would not speak of that pain here, to this dog, to these grunting grunters. Yet that pain still lingered inside her every day.
You never saw my power,
Dry Bones,
she thought.
You never even believed I'm your daughter. But I'll show you. I'll show everyone who didn't believe me. I'll show them that Madrila, this outcast orphan, can become the world's terror.
Bramblebridge nudged her with his nose. He whimpered, begging for pats. Madrila sighed and kicked him aside, so that he choked on his chain.
"Go chase your tail," she said to him. He obliged, running around in circles.
She looked upon Fort Rosethorn's hall, her new home. A week ago, tapestries, suits of armor, and trestle tables had filled it. Madrila had tossed out all that junk. Instead of a table, she had built a throne, a great seat of twisted metal. Instead of tapestries and suits of armor, she placed grunters along the walls, each armed with a spear and sword. Outside the walls, she had torn off the roses and burned them; the castle walls now rose bare and cruel.
Finally a home my enemies will fear,
she thought.
A knock sounded against the hall's double doors, fifty yards ahead of Madrila's throne.
"My lady!" rose a voice behind them. "My lady Madrila, I beg an audience."
Madrila sighed. She recognized that snivelling voice, and she detested it.
Yet the man is useful. He's a toad, a worm, a maggot... but useful.
"Grunters!" she called. "Let him in."
Two grunters pulled the doors open. In walked John Quill, chin held high, chest thrust out. His fingers trembled, but otherwise he put on a fine show, strutting forward with his cap at a jaunty angle.
"My lady," he said and sketched an elaborate bow. His face was pale, but he managed a nervous smile.
"Hello, Swill," she said. "That is your name, right? John Swill?"
"Actually, it's—" She gave him her best glare, and he swallowed. "Yes, my lady. Of course. But... let my swill serve you today. I can help you find the Bullies."
Bramblebridge growled and Madrila patted him.
"How, Swill? How will you succeed where my grunters failed?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of small, metallic letters. "With these, my lady. These magical pieces of metal, when arranged on plates, print my
Gazette
. They print thousands of copies a day. Thousands for every man, woman, and child in Burrfield!" His eyes shone and his voice gained confidence with each word. "But imagine, my lady... imagine if every man, woman, and child in the
kingdom
read my words. Imagine it! In the farthest village, fort, and farm... people reading my
Burrfield Gazette
!"
Madrila cleared her throat. "You're an ambitious worm, but how does this concern me and the Bullies?"
His smile widened. "Ah, my lady. That is the beautiful part. With the distribution I envision, the kingdom will know of the Bullies' crimes. We could announce a reward on their heads, and everyone across the realm will hunt them. The Bullies will have nowhere to hide. All I need is some, well... some help." He cleared his throat. "Just a few grunters—to print the extra papers, to deliver them across the land, and... well, I'd need some money to buy all the parchment, and...." He coughed. "A hundred gold coins and a hundred grunters would be a swimming start."
She shot a bolt from her wand, knocking off his cap. He squealed and jumped. She shot a second bolt, knocking him down. Before he could stand up again, she leaped up and pointed her wand at his throat.
"You are cheeky, Swill," she said. "You will have no money from me. And you will have no grunters. But you will employ the people of this town—every one of them, if you must. And you will find more parchment, if you have to skin every last sheep in these farms, and then the townfolk. You will build more print machines, and you will send your
Gazette
to every city, village, and town in the kingdom.
You will find the Bullies
."
He gulped. "And if... if the townfolk refuse to help me?"
"They will help you. They will obey you. My grunters will make sure of that. Now out! Out of my hall, Swill."
He leaped to his feet, sketched a bow, grabbed his cap, and ran off. Bramblebridge barked madly after him.
"Go, boy, chase!" Madrila said and unlocked his collar. The bulldog burst into a run, chasing a squealing John Quill out of the hall. Madrila laughed.
"At least I found one thing the mutt is good for."
* * * * *
"Here we are!" said Romy, gesturing with flourish. "The mighty, terrifying Mount Doom!"
Neev raised an eyebrow. "Romy, it's... not exactly a mountain."
She gestured again with all the gusto she could muster. "Here is the great, legendary Hill of Doom!"
Neev leaned down and squinted. "It's more of an anthill than a hill."
The tiny volcano rose three feet tall, its hole just wide enough for a gopher or two. A fizzle of smoke rose from it.
Romy scrunched her lips. "Well, just pretend it's very far away, and that it's really really big. Now let's jump in! It leads straight to Hell... once you crawl for a couple days, and pass through the kingdom of the molemen, and make a little detour through the crystal caves. But after that—straight to Hell!"