The contraption was cumbersome and gaudy, as it looked much like a diving helmet, though it worked very well in making the cyclopses appear even more threatening than they already were.
The two beasts continued pounding the earth with their fists to loosen the dirt, before using their nails to dig into the ground and heave huge lumps of dirt and grass through the air. The skinder in charge continued to look on; he was sure he was in the right place. Using magic, he had cast a ring some thirty feet in diameter, and that ring was able to sense movement below the ground. If it were not for his special gauntlets, equipped with elf stones, he would not have been able to detect movement so deep underground; but these elf stones were unique – they came from the goddess herself right before she left the island.
He scratched his chin as he continued to watch, before finally raising his hand for the beasts to stop digging.
“Be ready!” he said, “When we break through this cursed ground, the basilisk herself may be lying in wait for us! Shield your eyes, and if we must, we will kill the serpent!”
The cyclopses belted loud roars of approval, for the serpent had killed many of their kind over the centuries.
“Whatever happens,” he continued, “I want those men alive!”
He gave the signal, and the cyclopses returned to their task.
The basilisk felt the vibrations coming from the cavern ceiling, and though she was but a beast – she knew something big was above her – trying to force its way into her lair. She knew the sunlight would blind her and so, for now, her prey would have to be abandoned. She needed to ensure she would not become prey when the roof above her would inevitably come crashing down at the hands of whatever beasts’ were pounding away at the ceiling.
She turned her head and angled downward, slithering over the edge of the cliff side. Her scales repeatedly clanged, slowly at first, then faster, as her body gained momentum going down the hard side and into the darkness.
The trio could hear the distinct sound of the serpent’s scales as she slithered away, back into the bottom of the ruins. The sound of her scales reminded Earmeth and Fogrolir of a human contraption they had seen one time while in the Quks Slemt port in Libiather; a huge contraption of fun and merriment the humans called a rollercoaster.
“The beast has gone to the belly of the ruins,” Sharp murmured. “We shall keep moving, and make it out of harm’s way before long!”
The trio continued to edge along the walkway for what felt like an eternity before they finally came to an opening. Before venturing forth into the clearing, however, Sharp pulled a small metal ball from his pocket and tossed it out into the cavern; he waited to hear whether the ball stayed within a few feet, or fell over a ledge. He knew the ruins fairly well, though he never spent much time in them due to the dangers of the serpent and other skinders.
He listened, and he heard the telltale sounds of metal bouncing off rocks: they were at a cliffside edge once more. He sighed, knowing that crossing the gap would mean finding a bridge or other structure, which also meant there was a good chance the basilisk would be lying in wait.
He pulled the orb out, allowing its light to shine fully so he could see in front of him. He spoke a few words in a hushed tone, as though the orb of light could understand him, and moments later, he blew softly, and the ball floated out into the air and rested as though it were being held by an invisible string.
The cavern suddenly felt as though it were a lot brighter than it had been earlier.
“What kind of magic…”
“Shh!” Sharp interrupted Earmeth. “Whisper! The basilisk is nearby, though she is not within our reach.”
“Then why are you telling me to whisper?”
“She is not within our reach; we are very much within hers.”
Sharp stepped out fully into the clearing to survey his surroundings. The thumping overhead was so constant now that he had all but drowned it out within his mind. Earmeth stepped into the clearing, and Fogrolir followed. Now all three men stood in the open cavern once more, unprotected by the tall walls where they were hiding only moments before:
“Wow!” Fogrolir exclaimed.
Sharp shot an icy stare in his direction, reminding him to be quiet. Fogrolir could not help himself, however; as he noticed the dark reflection of a substance he was quite familiar in dealing with: diamond.
The light from the orb reflected on the crystal, causing the cavern to sparkle in the night as though thousands of fireflies were flitting about. It reminded Fogrolir of his home, and he wanted to return home more than he wanted anything else in the world.
He did not have time to be homesick, however, for moments after they stepped into the open cavern, there was a loud crash. The noise caused all three men to jump.
“Raaaaawwwwrrrrr!” The sound reverberated throughout the cavern as the trio looked upwards and saw their worst fears coming true: cyclopses’ and skinders. The sound, so ear piercing, caused Fogrolir to cover his ears and cringe in pain.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Sharp!” the leader of the skinders called out. “Fancy meeting you here; and here I thought you were afraid of the ruins!” he laughed.
“Trouble we are in, yep. The trouble we are in for sure, yep.” Sharp muttered to himself, which only made the leader of the clan above laugh harder.
“You foolish little gnat!” he bellowed. “Did you really think you could lead a couple of dwarves through my territory without me knowing about it?”
Sharp was shaking, as the sight of the two cyclops’, with their heads covered and chains hanging all about them, was more than enough to make any reasonable man quiver. He refused to back down, however:
“Own this land, you do not, no!” he shouted.
He shook his head vehemently, as though he was trying to convince himself of the words he spoke.
The skinder took a step closer to the hole:
“I have told you before what would happen to you if you crossed us, Sharp. Now, for your transgressions against us, you are going…”
He never got a chance to finish his sentence for one of the cyclops’ saw the serpent slithering slowly up the cavern wall – the cyclops lunged toward the hole to try to intimidate the beast. The action was so sudden that the skinder holding the chains was unprepared and, as a result, was hurtled into the air while still holding onto the chains.
“Ahh!” the skinder yelled as he launched above the cyclops head, still holding onto the chains. The sudden shout that rang out above the cyclops caused the beast to jump backward and look into the air. The chain reached its end and snapped back, yanking the skinder forward. The chains, now full of slack, fell downward – the skinder with them, straight through the opening in the ruins ceiling.
Before the trio had any time to react, a burst of air shoved them forward as the basilisk shot herself through the air, high above the ledge, mouth wide open, and clamped down on the skinder. The basilisks’ jaws clamped shut, but there was a problem: one of her fangs became entangled in the thick chains, which caused the fang to snap at its root and fall out of her mouth. The chain, still between her lips, yanked the two cyclopses forward and into the cavern. Her body uncoiled, and her full weight pulled her back toward the earthen floor with cyclopses in tow.
Sharp wasted no time as the beasts, screaming and flailing as they fell, shot past the trio:
“Run!” he yelled.
The three, now able to see everything in the cavern due to the hole made by the cyclopses, ran as fast as they could toward the edge of the cliff side. There was a rope bridge far to their left-hand side, and they made their way quickly for it.
“Get them!” came the shrill voice of the skinder clan leader. Hundreds of skinder furled into the cavern opening as traps were thrown toward the trio.
“I want the dwarves alive! Kill Sharp!” the leader screamed at the top of his lungs.
The three ran, and as they got near the rope bridge, Sharp swooped down and grabbed something from the floor
.
“What are you doing?” Earmeth yelled. “Run!”
“I need this!” Sharp yelled back as he started to scurry away once more.
They crossed the rope bridge just as one of the traps exploded, blowing the wooden slats to smithereens. Sharp realized the trail he set to find the dragon was just ahead, as he could make out the faint glittering of the dust that was to lead the way.
“This way!” he yelled as they continued running.
Clink! Clink! Ker-Thump! Came a sound from behind the three as they ran on.
“No! No! NO!” Sharp screamed. “Not that! Anything but that!” he yelled as he took deep breaths, trying to keep his composure. Earmeth grabbed the skinder and picked him up so they could move faster.
“Anything but what?” Fogrolir yelled as he grabbed onto the back of Earmeth’s garment, making sure he was not left behind.
“Nothing! Do not look back!” Sharp yelled as they rounded a huge boulder; he saw daylight just ahead, and he knew they would be safer once they were back in the forest.
Fogrolir did not listen and glanced back to see what the sound was. He did not know what was so scary, however, for all he saw were three giant balls, made of black diamond, rolling toward the group quite fast.
“What are those balls?” he called out.
“I told you not to look back! If they lock onto us, we are as good as dead!”
Fogrolir ran with renewed strength and vigor, his adrenaline taking over, as he did not wish to die. Something bounced around in his pockets, and he realized his legs were hurting. He felt around in his pocket and found he still had a few bombs.
“Would now be a good time to use one of these?” he said as he ran with his outstretched arms, weapon in hand.
“YES!” Sharp screamed with a smile on his face. “Push the button and drop it!”
There was a whizzing sound behind the trio as they rounded another rock and now ran straight toward the stairs leading out of the ruins. Fogrolir realized it was arrows being fired, zooming past the men like beads of falling rain – but with the intent to maim.
Earmeth wondered what the sound was as he had zoned out while running. He glanced behind to see what was going on and realized the three balls were full of arrows, and they were launching the arrows at the men.
Fogrolir dropped the bomb and grabbed another to ready it as well:
“Do not use them all!” Sharp called out.
The bomb rolled toward the three spheres, but before it could go off and destroy the traps, an arrow shot through Earmeth’s leg, causing him to trip and fall.
“Umpf!” was the only sound Sharp made as he hit the floor; the breath knocked out of him shortly.
Earmeth stood again, searing pain in his leg as the arrow broke in half when he fell. Part of the shaft remained lodged in his leg, making his movements hampered. He reached over and grabbed Fogrolir, and as they made it to the bottom step of the exit from the ruins, a loud explosion sent shockwaves through the cavern. The concussion knocked the men forward and into the stone steps.
The traps were destroyed, but that was the least of their problems. They exited the ruins as clouds of dust and smoke billowed out and into the open air, only to find an entire camp of cyclopses standing in the open field in the middle of the forest. All their eyes affixed to the trio.
“Fall down, now!” Sharp said to Earmeth.
“What? You want me to…” his sentence was interrupted as Sharp hit him in the temple with one of the metal balls in his hands. Earmeth fell to the earth, unconscious. Fogrolir needed no prodding and gladly fell to the floor, pretending to be unconscious.
Sharp moved slowly but deliberately as he lay on the ground. He placed the object he picked up from the cavern floor into his mouth and proceeded to pretend he was unconscious as well.
6
“Oww!” Earmeth said as he woke; his voice – raspy from his grogginess, could be heard in the next cage over as he slowly regained consciousness from his unplanned slumber.
“What happened?” he grunted as he tried to set upright. He failed and decided to remain motionless.
“Shh!” Fogrolir said. “We are in the cyclopses’ camp, Earmeth. They brought us to their camp, and they have the dragon and the dragon rider here as well. Sharp said to make sure that you stay quiet and he will get us out of here alive.”
Earmeth pondered Fogrolir’s words for a moment, and then his memory came swarming back, and with it, the feeling of his temple hurting from where he was hit in the side of the head. His vision, still blurred by a pounding headache, cleared up a bit as he lay on the ground, staring up at the treetops through the wooden made cage bars.
“Where is Sharp?” Earmeth whispered.
Fogrolir, lying on his side, rolled over slowly so he could see Earmeth:
“The skinder we saw back in those ruins has him. When he knocked you out, we feigned being knocked out by the shockwave of the bomb's blast. They put you and me in these wooden cages but kept him out in the open. So far, he has refused to speak to them.”
Earmeth tucked his head downward, bringing his chin to his chest so he could look toward the encampment and see the cyclopses’ and skinder clan. Dusk was fading inward, turning the vibrant blue hues, barely seeable through the treetops, into deep purples that would soon become black as the stars would come out and dance in the night.
Torches were lit about the encampment, much to the surprise of the two dwarves; they figured skinders would use orbs of light similar to that which Sharp used earlier in the day.
“Bring them forward!” a shrill voice rang out into the night air. Ember ashes floated through the air as the torches burned, causing the area to look as though something truly magical was happening within the center encampment.
A cyclops stepped forward and walked over to the two dwarves, and in one swift motion he picked up the wooden cages from the top, removing them from their space, setting the dwarves free. The dwarves remained motionless, and as the cyclops bent over to prick the two small men from the ground as though they were splinters in his foot, Fogrolir closed his eyes tightly. Neither had any idea what was about to happen, but if they learned one thing on their journey thus far, it was to trust Sharp when he uttered the words ‘trust me.’
The cyclops took a couple of steps and was back at the center of the encampment. The monster knelt over and dropped the dwarves to the ground; they landed with a thud but were able to exhibit no signs of being conscious.
“Bring out the skinder!” the leader called out.
Moments later, Sharp was marched into the center of the makeshift circle and shoved to the ground by a group of skinder. They all wore the same dark maroon cloaks as if they were part of some deranged priesthood.
“Well then, Sharp,” the leader began, “it appears as though your cleverness will be your ultimate folly. Did you really believe that you, the outcast from our order, would succeed in some” he threw his hands up as though exasperated, “some rogue mission to free a dragon and her rider?”
Sharp stood still, staring at the leader of the clan and not speaking a word. His mind was already made, and though he knew it might cost him his life, he would keep his promise to the dwarves: he would make sure they left the island while still amongst the living.
“Oh, I see. You, the tongue-tied fool of the sandy beaches, refuse to speak to me. That is all right, Sharp. I do not need to hear your excuses. I shall hear your begging for mercy soon enough.”
The leader of the clan motioned for the cyclops to take care of the skinder, and the beast bent over and grabbed Sharp by the head, picking him up into the air.
“Eat him slowly.” The leader called out.
“In fact, toy with him and make him suffer before his life ends tonight!”
The other skinders’ laughed aloud, for they knew the cyclopses’ were great at making others suffer. They all watched on in anticipation as the beast stuck out its tongue and sat the skinder on it. He pulled his tongue back s
lowly toward his mouth, and as the skinder passed between his lips, the cyclopses’ teeth grazed his head. The cyclops closed his mouth and shook his head, tossing poor Sharp all about, his body banging off the wall of teeth, back and forth. The beast opened its mouth once more and leaned forward, showing everyone that the small creature was still alive.
He motioned with his arm that it was time to do away with the skinder, and he began slowly closing his mouth once more. As his mouth shut this time, the leader of the skinder clan swore he saw Sharp smile at him.
The pain was instantaneous as the cyclops clamped its mouth down over Sharp. The dragon’s fang, full of poison, shot through his tongue and into his bloodstream. Sharp was no fool; he had been holding onto the fang since he picked it off the cavern floor while running away from the skinders’.
He knew there was poison in the fang, and the only way to release it was to jam the sharp tooth into something, causing the abrasions against the fang to force the tubes of poison to open; it was only a matter of getting in place to ensure he did the most damage.
The cyclops opened its mouth to scream, but before he could do so, his equilibrium failed him, and he stumbled backward. Dizzy from the poison, he lost his balance and slammed into the trees behind him. His body was in shock, as were everyone else watching. The impact from his body connecting with the ground caused a massive tremor, shaking the torches and knocking a few out.
The cyclops’ head rolled to one side, his mouth open as he tried to gasp for air. There would be no air, nor mercy, for this beast; the poison was into his bloodstream and paralysis was already setting in. Sharp, still hanging onto the fang, placed both feet on the cyclops tongue and kicked backward, dislodging the fang and himself from the mouth of his would be killer.