“They must have expected the colony to grow,” Thrang said in a thoughtful tone. “As a rule, dwarf houses are closer together and often share walls.”
“The treasure we’ve found so far would indicate that this was a promising place,” Nellus said. “If the dwarfs here had found so much wealth, others would surely have come to join them.”
“Yes,” said Thrang. “But it appears that no one ever did.”
The discussion ended as Thrang spotted what he was looking for. A large stone building made of white marble stood alone in the center of the town square. Polished bronze doors still gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun.
“Locked,” Thrang said, pushing on one of the doors. “I suppose we should have expected that.”
“The bronze has not tarnished,” said Barnabus in surprise, rubbing one of the doors with his hand.
“A little dwarf magic,” said Thrang, a note of pride in his voice. “The dwarfs of this village took great care in building their storehouse.”
“This looks too grand to be a storehouse,” Nellus said.
“A common name for such buildings,” said Thrang, pushing on the door again. “The dwarfs would have used this building to store supplies as well as their records. There is also a chance that they stored community treasure here as well.”
“I suppose we should find a way to open the doors,” said Alex.
“If you would, master wizard,” said Thrang, bowing to Alex.
Alex stepped forward and put one hand on the bronze doors. He could feel the dwarf magic vibrating through his fingers and palm as if the door had a life of its own. This was deeper magic than the hidden rooms in the dwarf houses, deeper and much more powerful. For several minutes he stood motionless, letting his mind explore the spell that held the doors shut. Slowly he stepped back, then lifted his staff and knocked on the bronze door twice. For a moment nothing happened, then the shining bronze seemed to dim. The others looked in wonder as what had once been solid and locked bronze doors melted away, vanishing completely.
“Amazing,” said Thrain, a stunned look on his face.
“An interesting spell,” Alex commented. “Whoever put it here knew what they were doing.”
“Well then,” said Thrang, looking at the dark open space in front of him. “I suppose we should have a look inside.”
Alex could see how nervous Thrang and the others were, but he knew there was no danger. He stepped forward into the darkness, and, seeing no source of light inside the building, conjured up several weir lights. Thrang hurried in behind him, and then smiled as the weir lights moved along the dark passage showing them which way to go.
“Strange there are no windows,” Thrang said, walking at Alex’s side.
“The dwarfs might have been afraid of being robbed,” said Alex. “The door was impressive—though I wouldn’t think that the colony’s records would require so much protection.”
Thrang didn’t comment as they continued to walk into the darkness. A short distance into the building, they came to a broad staircase that led steeply into the ground.
“It seems the building is only a marker,” said Thrang, walking down a few steps. “Perhaps the dwarfs here had a great deal more than archives to protect.”
The stairs went down for a long way before opening into a vast hall. Alex magically lit the torches and lamps along the walls, and then turned to look at Kat.
“Any idea where the archives might be?” asked Alex.
“Lower down,” said Kat after a moment’s thought.
“That sounds right,” said Thrang as he started off into the hall. “This would be a feasting hall. Kitchens and stores would be on the left, and perhaps some private rooms there on the right. There should be another staircase at the far end of the hall that will lead us to a second level. That is where the archives should be.”
“There is a third level as well,” said Kat thoughtfully.
“Oh,” said Thrang, looking back in surprise. “The only reason for a third level would be to store treasure. We’ll have a look there after we find the archives.”
“And after a meal,” Barnabus said.
“It has been a long day already,” Arconn added, smiling at Thrang.
“Yes, of course,” said Thrang as if he’d only just remembered that none of them had eaten since that morning. “Barnabus, Nellus, Thrain, perhaps you would be so good as to return to the surface and set up our camp. The rest of us will go to the archives and see if there are any records of what happened. We will not explore the third level until tomorrow.”
Barnabus and Nellus nodded and started back to the stairs. Thrain took a step then turned back as if to argue about leaving.
“You can see it all tomorrow, Thrain,” said Thrang in a kind but stern voice.
Thrain nodded and reluctantly followed Barnabus and Nellus back up the stairway. Thrang smiled as he watched the young dwarf go, and then turned back toward the hall and started across it.
Alex held back a laugh as he caught Arconn’s eye. He knew how excited Thrain was to explore this abandoned dwarf building, but he also knew that Thrang was right to send him back for the time being. There might still be dangers here, and Thrain was not yet ready to face the unknown.
They found a second set of stairs at the end of the hall, and once again they went down them. The weir lights Alex had conjured had been hovering above his head, and now they rushed down into the darkness to light the way.
At the bottom of the staircase was a solid-looking iron door. Alex stepped around Thrang, who was pushing on the door, and placed his hand on the cold metal. The dwarf magic was stronger here than it had been in the bronze door. After a few moments of thought, Alex spoke a few words in the dwarvish language, and the door slowly creaked open on its own.
“Impressive,” Arconn said.
“Yes,” agreed Alex. “The dwarfs who lived here must have had at least one wizard with them.”
“There have been few dwarf wizards,” Thrang said thoughtfully. “I know of one who lived in Thraxon at about the same time as Albrek. His name was Languinn, but there aren’t many stories about him.”
“It seems we’ve found the hall of records,” said Kat, looking around the room that was filled with books. “I would say the door at the far end of the hall leads to the lowest level of all.”
“Yes,” said Thrang, looking in the direction of the door. “First things first, however. Let’s see what the records have to say about the colony and if there is anything about why the dwarfs left.”
Left, or were destroyed, Alex thought but didn’t say.
Alex lit the lamps and then joined the others in looking through the records. There were far fewer records here than there had been in the archives of Benorg, and it didn’t take them long to find what they were looking for.
“Here now,” said Thrang, looking down at a large leather-bound book that was sitting on a stone table. “This is a listing of what the colony had mined. It seems they found some rich mines here, including at least one mine of true silver.”
“The amount produced drops after the third year of mining,” Alex said, looking over the information. “For the first three years, the numbers increase, and then they drop off by quite a bit.”
“That would make sense,” said Thrang, running his finger down the page. “If Albrek took most of his people south, there would be far fewer dwarfs here to do the mining.”
“So it would seem that Albrek left the Isle of Bones after three years, and went . . . where?” Arconn frowned.
“To the Lost Mountains, no doubt,” said Thrang. “We know that was his plan from the start, but it would be nice to find something written to confirm that fact.”
“It will take some time to go through all these records,” Alex said. “Kat, do you have any impression about where we should start?”
Kat was silent for a minute, her eyes closed. Slowly she moved to one side of the room and put her hand on a huge volume.
??
?This one,” said Kat, blinking several times as if to focus her eyes.
Arconn and Thrang lifted the book onto one of the stone tables. Alex had never seen a book so large, and he wondered why the dwarfs would make something that no single dwarf could move alone. His thoughts about that were soon forgotten as Thrang began reading from the book.
“Yes, this is the complete history of the colony,” said Thrang, turning the pages. “We should learn what happened here when we see where the history stops.”
Thrang paged quickly through the book, looking for the place where the writing stopped. It took only a few minutes, but those minutes seemed to last for hours as Alex and the others waited.
“Ah, here we are,” said Thrang, turning back a few pages from the end of the writing.
For several minutes Thrang read in silence, Alex and Arconn skimming the words over his shoulder. Kat stood back, looking around the room and waiting to hear what had happened.
“It sounds like things were going fine, and then all at once every dwarf on the island started feeling uneasy and tense,” Thrang summarized, taking his hands off the page so Alex and Arconn could finish reading.
“That sounds similar to the way Alex and I felt earlier today,” Arconn said.
“Too similar,” Alex added. “Something on the island was affecting the dwarfs.”
“But what could it be?” Thrang asked. “The record gives no clue at all, and the writing stops without explaining anything about what happened. Kat is unable to sense anything on the island, so what could the trouble have been?”
“I don’t know,” said Alex, pacing back and forth. “Yet there is something here. Something that doesn’t want to be found.”
“Whatever it is, it seems to be leaving us alone,” said Thrang, closing the book with some effort. He sighed in frustration. “We’re not here to find out what happened to the colony, we’re here to find the tomb of Albrek.”
“So you think we should continue our quest and not worry about what happened here?” Alex asked.
“We should worry about it, but not let it get in the way of our quest,” Thrang answered. “We have two weeks on the island, so we should make good use of them. Tomorrow we will explore the third level and gather all the treasure we can find in the time we have. As long as these troubled feelings don’t return, I don’t know what else we can do.”
“And if they do return?” Arconn questioned.
“Then we’ll do what we have to do to protect ourselves and complete our adventure,” said Thrang.
“Very well,” said Alex, refocusing his thoughts. “We should all pay attention to our feelings, though. Hopefully we won’t have any problems before the Seeker returns.”
They all agreed, and Thrang led them up the stairs toward the deserted dwarf village. As they went, Alex tried to relax his mind, but something was poking at his thoughts. The troubled feelings he’d had earlier in the day still reminded him of something, but even now he couldn’t think of what it was.
When they climbed out of the dwarf ruins, they found that Barnabus had their dinner nearly ready. Nellus and Thrain were watching the empty space where the bronze door had been and seemed relieved when Alex and the others emerged.
“What happened?” Nellus questioned.
“I’ll explain as we eat,” said Thrang, moving toward the campfire. “We’ve learned some things, but not everything.”
Barnabus served the food, and Thrang slowly recounted what he had read from the giant book.
Alex had a hard time paying attention to the story or his food; he was still trying to remember what it was he had forgotten and what his strange feelings reminded him of. He knew the answer would come to him eventually, but for now, his thoughts were cluttered and confused.
As the others prepared to sleep, Alex remained by the fire. They all agreed it would be a good idea to keep watch, and Alex had drawn the first shift. Arconn also remained by the fire, but remained still and quiet. Alex listened to the breathing of his friends as he watched the fire burn down, still trying to relax his mind.
“You seem troubled,” Arconn said at last.
“The feelings we had earlier today remind me of something, but I can’t remember what,” said Alex, shifting his position slightly.
“Yes, I feel the same way, though I don’t know why. Perhaps an answer will come to you in your sleep. Often our minds find answers when we stop looking for them.”
“Yes,” Alex agreed. “I suppose I should try to sleep.”
Arconn said nothing more, and Alex slowly moved away from the fire and lay down on his blanket. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to relax, and before he knew it, he was asleep.
How strange, Alex thought in his dream.
He felt awake, even though he knew he wasn’t. He was sitting on a beach, possibly the beach they had landed on that morning. The wind blew his hair, and the smell of the sea reminded him of the sailors he’d met on the Seeker. For several minutes he remained seated, and then he slowly rose and looked toward the land. It looked exactly as he remembered it from earlier in the day, with one large exception.
Sitting directly behind him was an enormous dragon.
“So, you are what Kat could feel. The presence that moved away when she got too close,” said Alex.
“I thought it best that we meet in your dreams,” said the dragon, its voice softer and friendlier than Alex had expected. “I hope you will forgive my intrusion, but meeting face-to-face would have been difficult.”
“I am surprised to see you here,” said Alex, watching the dragon for any sudden movement and trying not to look into its eyes.
“And I am surprised that you are so young,” said the dragon.
Alex was not afraid, though he thought perhaps he should be. This dragon was much larger than Slathbog had been, and even if this was only a dream, he knew the dragon still had a great deal of power.
“I require your assistance, young wizard,” the dragon said. “I can offer several things in return for your services.”
“Why do you require my help?” Alex questioned.
“Because you are what you are,” the dragon answered. “You are a wizard of great power, and I need that power to accomplish my goals.”
“Why would I agree to help a dragon?” Alex asked. “I’ve met one of your kind before, and I doubt your goals will be something honorable.”
“Yes,” said the dragon, its voice sounding thoughtful. “You met Slathbog and destroyed him, as was right. And because of your encounter with Slathbog, you mistrust me, which shows wisdom on your part. However, I am not like Slathbog; I do not hoard wealth nor seek out the lesser races to destroy them.”
Alex considered the dragon’s words for several minutes before he replied. It seemed to be true that this dragon did not care about the dwarf treasure scattered across the island. Still, dragons were dragons, and Alex knew he had to be careful.
“What is it you wish of me?” he asked.
“A spell,” the dragon answered. “A spell to hide this island from all who seek it.”
“Why do you wish that?” Alex questioned, surprised by the dragon’s request.
“So the past will not be repeated,” said the dragon, sounding strangely sad.
“It was you, then,” said Alex as he considered how dangerous a dragon might be in a dream. “You destroyed the dwarfs that lived here.”
“Sadly, yes,” said the dragon. “I did not mean for it to happen, and while most of the blame is mine, the dwarfs still share some of it.”
“Will you tell me what happened?” Alex asked.
“Long ago I chose this place to hide,” the dragon began. “I had grown tired of my long travels and wanted only to sleep and to dream. This island was a good place, far from the lesser races and secluded by the sea. For hundreds of years I slept here, and then the dwarfs came.”
Alex remained quiet.
“At first I was not aware of them,” the dragon continued. “The dwarfs dug th
eir mines and found their treasures, and I remained asleep. Then they opened new mines and looked for more treasures. That is how dwarfs are, so I cannot blame them for that. The mining was noisy, and it slowly woke me from my long sleep. They had a wizard with them, and he was the first to realize I was here.”
“So you destroyed the dwarfs before they could attack you,” said Alex.
“No, nothing like that,” answered the dragon. “The dwarfs attacked me while I was not yet fully awake. Their wizard, a dwarf named Languinn, had great power. He believed that he could drive me away or even destroy me. When I woke fully, it was to his attack. Startled by his magic, I thought only of defending myself. But my anger began to burn inside of me, and being a dragon, my rage got the better of me. I swept down on my attackers and destroyed most of them before I was able to shake off my madness.”
“You destroyed most of them, but not all?” Alex questioned.
“No, not all. Languinn and some of the other dwarfs hid themselves in the underground archives. I tried to apologize, to make things right, but Languinn would not speak to me, even in dreams.”
“So he and his people are still down there?” Alex asked, stunned by the idea.
The dragon shook his head. “They died off, until only Languinn was left. Even then, alone in the dark, he would not speak with me, though I tried many times.”
“So we will find their remains on the third level when we go there tomorrow,” Alex said, wondering how much of the dragon’s story was true.
“Yes,” answered the dragon. “Perhaps that will convince you I speak the truth, though there is an easier way, if you dare.”
“You would have me look into your eyes,” Alex said, feeling a strange desire to look, despite knowing the danger.
“We are in a dream so our powers are not what they might be,” the dragon said. “And I will give you something to protect you, if you will trust me.”
“What can you give me for protection?” Alex asked. He wanted to trust the dragon, yet he knew that trusting any dragon could be fatal.