Swiggum kept the lead and eventually stopped at the base of a ridge of hills. The sun was blinding and even hotter than the day before, turning into uncommon heat for the spring of the year. The ground was very rocky and the color predominantly ochre, which intensified the blinding effect of the sunlight and made it difficult to focus their eyes. Along with their joints, their eyes started to hurt. Swiggum urged them all to stop until the last in line caught up.
“We cannot try to go up this path. The climb is steep and we do not have the strength. I know of a cave nearby where we can at least suffer less heat. Shall we go there, shall we?”
No one had strength to respond, but Nevin at last nodded for Swiggum to lead the way. The dwarf stepped off to their right, followed by Anson and Orris. Nevin assisted Corissa, who had become dizzy with difficulty steadying herself, and they followed for several minutes until they all met again at the opening of a cave. The entrance was large enough for those five foot in height or shorter, but Nevin had difficulty squeezing through.
Once inside the cave, the temperature was immediately several degrees cooler. As they walked farther back into the recess, the path sloped down and it actually became quite cool. The relief from the sweltering heat was welcomed. Nevin feared that the cave would become too dark to move about, but it retained a strange, twilight level of illumination.
Swiggum stopped in an area where the floor widened to form a room. Two small tunnels went off in different directions.
“Let us stop here, friends, and at least defeat the sun, defeat it.” said Swiggum.
All the travelers sank to the floor in exhaustion. Their bodies were racked with thirst, so much so it prevented them from sleeping. Nevin knew that rather than sleep, they were on the verge of a loss of consciousness. He was very concerned about Corissa, whose health was obviously failing, although each of them was in poor condition.
Nevin finally spoke, but only the dwarf was alert enough to seem interested. “We’re fairly deep underground. Are you sure there’s no pool or spring off in one of the tunnels?”
“Sir Nevin, if I may be that familiar, there is no pool of water about.” The dwarf picked up a rock and continued, “Your friend, Lord Stryker, seemed to think there was water in these rocks of upala. If you know how to get water from rocks, then we can be saved.” Swiggum threw the rock off into a tunnel, resulting in a series of clacking ricochets that echoed ominously.
“First of all, Stryker is not my friend,” Nevin answered. “But I meant to ask about this ‘upula’ you mentioned.” Picking up a fist-sized rock, he said, “If this rock is what you refer to, we call it opal.” Nevin thought a minute and brightened. “Maybe water from rocks is not as impossible as you might think.”
“Say what, Sir?” the Dwarf asked.
“You can get water from some rocks, I mean. Stryker is a brilliant scientist and he knows a lot about the crystalline structure of minerals. It is common knowledge that some rocks have water trapped in their molecular…er…inside them. Opal, for example, usually has water trapped among its crystals.”
“Opal is another name of upala, Large Sir. Do you mean that there is water in this rock?” questioned Swiggum, as he picked up a large lump.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“And you can get water from this rock?” The dwarf was upright with interest.
“Well, yes, but there would not be much in a small specimen like that. Give me a large enough piece of opal and it would contain enough water to make a difference.”
Swiggum sprang over to the other side of the chamber and examined a large stone formation cropping out from the wall. The formation rose up from the floor about two feet and formed a large table-like shelf. It was slightly sunken toward the center.
“This is a large piece of upala, or opal, if you prefer. Is it large enough, Sir?”
Nevin turned serious and went over to check out the rock formation. He examined it from all sides and sat down on it, resting his chin in his hand. After several minutes of deep thought, he turned his head askance, snapped his fingers and said, “Why not?”
Swiggum was puzzled. The idea of water existing in a rock as dry as sand made no sense whatever. By this time, Anson had come over to see what was going on. He and Nevin talked in private for some time. Anson shook his head several times in disbelief, but finally relented at Nevin’s urging. Nevin called them all together around the opaline shelf.
“Anson and I are going to try something that may seem crazy to you. Actually, it seems a little crazy to us, too, but we are kind of short on options right now.”
“What is it, Nevin? Have you found water? Orris asked, his eyes widening as he leaned forward.
“Well, yes. In a way. This large rock formation here is a huge piece of opal. Opal is a soft rock that has water built into its crystalline structure. It’s a molecular thing. I know that sounds hard to believe, but that’s what Stryker was referring to when he told the dwarves he could get water from it. Under certain conditions, it is possible. Or it should be, I think.
Orris lowered his head. Words were not needed to express his disappointment.
“I know it sounds crazy, but just listen,” Nevin insisted. “What we have to do is apply enough heat to this opaline formation to stir up the water molecules so they will seek to escape as steam. It is cold enough in here that the steam will condense on the ceiling and drops of water should drip down. If that happens, and it should, we can use a piece of cloth to soak up the water and suck on it. You’ll have to act quickly because I cannot calculate how much water we might actually get.”
“Nevin,” said Anson. “Won’t it get too hot to remain in here?
“Not if we can keep the heat contained. Most of the heat could be trapped and absorbed in the rock and the rest will dissipate when the steam condenses on the ceiling. We will have to be careful if there is a small vent that concentrates steam.”
“How do you propose to heat this rock, Nevin?” asked Corissa, her interest also rising at Nevin’s insistence on the feasibility of this plan.
“That’s the hard part. Anson and I are going to try a heat spell.”
Swiggum jumped up. “Oh! Mages you are! I should have known, I should! Oh, it is mages, mages, mages,” he exclaimed as he pranced a few steps.
“Not ordinary mages, my friend,” said Orris, now smiling. “There is high magery afoot here, I think. If anyone can get water from a rock, it is these two.”
Nevin and Anson conferred for some time longer while the others waited impatiently, especially the dwarf. Anson was resistant to Nevin’s idea about altering a heat spell to keep it contained in very precise coordinates within the rock formation. Anson’s training required him to follow spells without variation and the idea of altering or creating a new spell was still difficult for him to accept. He was finally persuaded to teach Nevin the words to the heat spell and alter them as requested.
When they were ready to begin, Anson concentrated and held his hand to his forehead. With a sharp nod, he began canting the words and phrases. He repeated the sequence a second and third time, but nothing seemed to happen, except that he grew weak from the effort and had to stop to regain his strength.
Before trying again, Anson said, “You must do this with me, Nevin. I need the force of your mind. Together we might succeed, separately we will not. You have memorized the words?”
Nevin nodded.
Anson refocused his concentration and repeated the spellwords, this time with Nevin joining in. They completed a second iteration when they both felt a slight shudder at their feet. Not letting this interrupt them, they canted a third repetition. This time the shudder was strong enough for the others to notice. A fourth repetition was completed and the rock formation clearly vibrated. Wisps of steam began to rise over the flat part of the rock. Soon, more vapor appeared. As Anson and Nevin went through a sixth and seventh iteration in perfect syncopation, the steam started to spew from the rock and tumble upward in clouds wh
ere it began to condense on the cool cave ceiling. Hundreds then thousands of droplets of water soon fell from the ceiling and started to collect on the stone top.
The spellcasters broke their concentration and stared at their handiwork, then at themselves before breaking into a shout and embrace. Water began to pool up on the stone as Orris and Swiggum gingerly dipped a cloth on the small puddles and sucked the warm but life-giving moisture. Soon there was enough water pooling up that they could wring a stream of water from their cloths.
“High magery afoot, indeed,” said a grinning Swiggum. “Water from a rock, oh my. I wonder what our Lorekeeper will think of this.”
Corissa staggered over to Nevin and looked up at him with as thankful a smile as she could manage. Anson stood by, weakened but gladdened by this success. Nevin reached out to his mage friend, pulled him into an embrace with Corissa and the three of them hugged amid the laughter and playful shouts of Orris and Swiggum.
Chapter 15
Glorhumm
After slaking their thirst, they realized they finally became very hungry. Anson laid out the balance of their food: a bag of nuts, some wilted beans and tubers, and the crumbly residue of a few wafers. Within a few minutes, all the food was gone after each had gotten a share.
Swiggum’s eyes were still round with excitement at the incredible feat of spellcasting by Anson and Nevin. He bounced and danced about the cave, delighting himself with descriptions of the “high magic.” To the amusement of the four humans, Swiggum seemed to be rehearsing his account of the event for his people at Glorhumm.
“The dwarf is twice happy,” said Orris. “First for having water to drink, but second because he now believes we can help his people.”
“Let’s take first things first,” cautioned Nevin. “Swiggum, how long will it take us to reach your village?”
“Now that we can keep up a good pace, we could be there by dusk, we could, if we leave before dawn.”
Less than a day’s travel from the village was good news. They were out of food, but they had ample water with the good water bag full and the ruptured bag about half capacity. Spirits rose high as they huddled in a circle and bantered. One by one, each dropped off to sleep, Swiggum being the last. In the quiet and safety of the cave, it was a restful night for all.
* * *
Anson woke before any of his companions. As the sleep cleared from his eyes, he saw a woman sitting cross-legged opposite.
“Who…? Are you Zamora?”
“Yes, Anson. I am Zamora.”
“I was hoping to meet you. Is Hillister about? Should I wake my comrades?”
“Hillister is engaged in other matters. I am here alone. I came to enjoy the sight of you in good health. We felt your pain and it distressed us that we could not intercede when you were mistreated. As for your comrades, they should not wake until I leave.”
“Zamora, I have many questions to ask you.”
“Now is not the time. I am only here to share two concerns with you. First, you must get to Taunton as soon as possible. Hillister thinks the human you know as Stryker is up to foul business of a sort we do not understand, yet we have seen enough to fear this man’s intentions. Should you choose to aid the dwarves, for their need is every bit as dire as Swiggum has said, then do not tarry long at Glorhumm.”
“And the second concern?”
“You and Nevin altered a spell. Together, you seem to have the capability of creating spells as none have done before you. We are unsure whether it is wise to do this, but we have decided not to take any action to stop you. You will need your powers to remove the blight of war from this land. It may be necessary for you to expand the conventions of magery to carry out your destiny, so we must take care not to hinder you. Still, it is a serious matter to alter spells.”
“Can you tell me more about you and the others you refer to? Are you all high mages?”
Zamora smiled, as if it would have pleased her to answer his questions, but she hesitated. “If you and your party hold true to your cause, there will be much time for us to question each other. Now is not yet that time, my dear Anson,” she said, rising. “I must leave you. Please close your eyes so that I may depart.”
Anson closed his eyes to the slightest sounds of footfalls, but did not open them as Zamora requested. After a moment, she was gone. He reflected about all the things she had to say, but he was confused about what it meant for him. Until he better understood, he thought it best not to tell the others about Zamora’s visit. She convinced him, however, that time grew more urgent and he and the others should be on their way.
After rousting his companions, they were soon out of the cave and following Swiggum. To Corissa’s relief, their path turned back toward the northeast and the vista of Adel’s Mountain seemed to inch closer as they made the final few miles to the underground village of Glorhumm.
* * *
Since their bodies were rehydrated and well rested, the band made good time. It was early evening when Swiggum pointed cheerfully to the next ridge of hills, which were quite a bit lower than others they had encountered. “The entrance to Glorhumm lies at the bottom of a glen in those hills. It will be a big to do for ol’ Swiggum to return alive. And with the likes of mages, too. Mages, mages, hoo! We must enter with a look of pride and dignity, friends, because this tale will be long told by Lorekeepers to come, it will. The name of Swiggum will live on, live on and on! Ol’ Swiggum’s made his place.”
It was a difficult climb down once the scrubby glen was spotted because the path was narrow at best and often nonexistent. If the destination were not familiar beforehand, no one would likely find the point of entrance to Glorhumm. When they finally came to a crevice identified as the entrance, only Swiggum was small enough to squeeze through upright. He suggested that the rest of them would probably enter more easily if they crawled, but it would only be a short distance until they could stand again.
“Once inside, there is much room,” said Swiggum. “Tall as he is, not even Sir Nevin will be bothered.”
First Swiggum entered, followed by Anson, Corissa, Orris and Nevin. As told, it was only a short crawl before they could stand up again. There was sufficient headroom in the narrow stone corridor so that walking was no problem for any of them.
Nevin had spent a few summers exploring caves and, at first, this one seemed pretty much like others he had seen. Their path remained dimly lit, which was remarkable because normal cave darkness was dispelled somehow without artificial lighting. He learned later that over many years the dwarves had strategically dug many small holes through the upground surface, which they disguised to any who might pass by While these holes let in small amounts of daylight, the cavern walls were extremely reflective due to a frosting of calcite. This reflective mineralization in the cavern walls resulted in a type of photo-illuminative chain reaction that would diffuse light as far as the calcite went. This same effect was used during the nighttime hours, when well-placed oil lamps provided sufficient, though very dim illumination for residents to find their way anywhere in the underground community.
Swiggum signaled for the line to stop because it was certain their echoes were already detected. A watchguard post was located around the turn ahead and the affable dwarf wanted to go on alone to reduce the risk for alarm. After he disappeared past the turn, Nevin could hear the sounds of an animated conversation in a language he could not understand. Not quite shouting, it sounded like a vigorous exchange of both greetings and mild argument. The conversation ended, soon followed by three sharp metallic peals of a large bell. Swiggum returned, literally bouncing down the path. Rubbing his hands in anticipation and his face lit with excitement, he told them they could enter and the bell signaled for a peaceful assembly in the town square.
Swiggum’s behavior reminded Nevin of a schoolteacher preparing his students before performing the class play. The dwarf orchestrated their entrance. “All right, all. Stand tall! Look proud! This will be a great moment in our history and we
should act the part of its importance, we should. Follow me!”
Swiggum turned and led the line of travelers on. Nevin caught Orris’s eye and they broke out in a laugh at the swagger shown by the dwarf. It was a proud moment for their new friend and it was obvious he intended to play his part with gusto.
Once around the corner, they came to the guard post. Another dwarf, much younger looking than Swiggum, stood by a large bell. Without breaking stride, Swiggum looked back to inform the others, “This is Aune. Pay no mind to him. He has little more sense than the rock he sits on. Save your charm and greetings for the Moot.”
When Aune saw the entourage following Swiggum, his mouth fell open. When his gaze came to Nevin, the bell hammer dropped from his hand. Nevin said a friendly “hello” as they passed, but the young dwarf could only stare in speechless astonishment. When he collected himself after the line passed, Aune picked up his hammer and proceeded to bang out another series of peals on the bell even louder than the first.
The path started with a gentle downward slope that became increasingly steeper. Nevin calculated they were about one hundred feet underground when they came to a final turn. Swiggum stopped just before the turn, adjusted his posture and took a deep breath. When he started again, he thrust his chin forward and swung his arms with a swagger even more exaggerated than before.
Nevin smiled at Swiggum’s antics, but once around the turn, he, himself, was astonished by the unexpected sight. Each of the humans stopped in their tracks as a mammoth cavern unfolded before them, containing an entire city of small pastel colored houses made of impeccably masoned stone. There were rows of houses on three sides of the cavern, with four terraced levels above the main street.
Nevin exclaimed, “There must be more than a hundred homes in here!”
“I have never seen such a sight,” declared Orris.
The enormous cavern was generally round, like a hollow sphere. The white calcite frosting the walls reflected a pale light, but the effect was quite startling to Nevin. It looked like the inside of a colossal geode.
Swiggum marched on, swinging his arms to and fro, as the path steeply dropped along the main pathway to the city center. The homes were small by human standards, but neatly placed very close together occupying all available space. The houses were all stone constructed, basically square with one level. Colored stone created soft pastel accents that distinguish one house from another. In place of accessories like flowerboxes or shutters to provide color and style, each of the homes was decorated with very colorful mosaic fanciwork made of many-sized stones and pebbles. On closer examination, Nevin could see that around windows and next to doors much of the mosaic decoration was artistically fashioned to actually represent flowers and shrubbery.