Chapter 17 #2
He was dragging ass a little bit, but his magic was building back up. He knew he’d be able to slide soon. They just needed to find this stone because if they didn’t, they’d end up coming back here every time the stone sang its song to Kami.
Something moved when they reached the giant banqueting hall that was on the third floor. It was a shadow of whatever it had been once, with banners trailing along the windows in tatters, and green schmutz covering what you could see of the windows.
The scent invading his nose was foul—brackish water, spongy mildew, and all of the things that he hated having come from the sea.
There was nothing alive in this place, at least nothing good, nothing worth dying for.
His eyes filled with tears as they passed these long trestle tables, one of which was just smashed, broken in half. “So much hate here, there’s just so much.”
Kami nodded. “We’re just trying to get the stone. That’s it. We get the stone, and we’re solid.”
“All right, well, let’s do it. Which way?”
“Up.” Kami sounded so sure.
“All right. Let’s go.”
At least it was less wet up here. The higher they went, the drier it was, but it was cold and dark and more than a little scary.
This place had been huge. Not as big as Cain’s keep, but bigger than anyone could explore in a day or even two.
There was room after room after room, all of them dusty and ransacked. One or two even had lumps on the destroyed mattresses that were suspicious, and he wasn’t going to go look. Mercury didn’t want to know.
“It’s going to be okay. I can hear it. I just got to get these stones.”
“I thought you said there was one in a box.”
“There is one in a box. There are others too, though. Let’s go.”
He kept walking with Kami. “I’m really scared.”
“Well, this isn’t the most brilliant idea I didn’t have!” Kami grinned at him. “We’re going to have to watch that. Me going ‘I need to see a man about a stone’ and then just grabbing your arm. I didn’t mean to do this.”
“I know. I didn’t mean to let you do it. It was just so immediate. I’ll have to talk to one of the seers. There’s got to be a way where I have to agree to go at least a little bit, especially in the keep.”
“I think that’s a good idea. The kids are going to get old enough where they would just want to grab your arm and have you pop them somewhere because they don’t want to walk.” Kami waggled his eyebrows. “I mean…kids.”
“They’re sort of like you…impulsive. They don’t think about what they’re doing.” Mercury bared his teeth at Kami, who laughed heartily.
“That’s the spirit, man. Get mad instead of getting scared.”
“I’m not mad at you, Kami. But it does help to get this fear response wiped out.”
“Ah. Fake it until you make it, right?” Kami nodded, then tilted his head. “Follow me.”
Kami forged a path through the next few rooms, ignoring all sorts of detritus. In the fourth room they pushed into, the door half shut and stuck on gunk on the floor, they found a box tucked into a niche along the wall.
“Oh. Do you think that’s it?”
“I sure hope so.” Kami looked at the niche. “You think it’s booby trapped? Maybe that’s why it’s still there.”
“Well, you’re the expert on that stuff, right?” Mercury had lived more than half his life in a single large chamber. So he had no idea what there might be to disarming a booby trap.
“Let me look. I might need you to boost me. Clearly an alphahole put this up here. Or someone with a ladder.”
“Okay, but if snakes pop out and fall on me, I’m going to bite you myself.”
“Kinky.” Kami got him to bend over, hands on his knees, then climbed to stand on his back. Thank goodness he’d been eating like a little piglet, because a month ago, he would have collapsed.
“Okay, I’m gonna pull it.”
Mercury squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel Kami yanking, the weight on his back going from toes to heels.
He didn’t know how long that box was, but knew without a doubt Kami would fall and there wasn’t anything about it because his hands and legs were in the gunk.
As Kami pulled, a great rumbling began to vibrate underneath his hands and feet.
“Kami? Kami? This isn’t good.”
“Just a second, I almost got it.”
“No, really, this is really—” Something began to move. The floor. He thought the floor was moving, but Kami wasn’t falling.
Something was weird. There was a strange grinding sound, and then a wild roar, and then there was a sharp, furious growl.
“Now look what you’ve done, you two are idiots!”
“Well, hi, grumpypuss!” Kami stepped down off of his back, and Mercury opened his eyes to find themselves in a completely different room.
“What happened?”
“I pulled the box; it was booby trapped.”
“Yes, you idiots, and now you’re trapped in here with me!” A skinny, very scabby-looking dragon lay there on the floor, wrapped around what looked to be a massive hoard.
“Hi?”
It was drier in here, not quite so gross, and there were stones just everywhere—stones, jewels, and gold. Weird.
Kami tilted his head. “So did you get stuck in here because you were trying to steal the hoard, or did you get stuck in here because you were protecting it?”
“I was stuck in here because I was protecting it. You’re stuck in here because you’re idiots. But at least you’ll be tasty to eat.” The dragon snapped its teeth at them, but he was so thin. So dull in his colors, his scales a rusty orange, almost. Was he supposed to be red?
Mercury shook his head. “Nope. That doesn’t work for me. I don’t want to be eaten. Kami?”
“No. No, I’m thinking no on the eating.” Kami sniffed a little bit. “I love all the stones though. There’s some good ones in here.”
“You can’t have my stones.”
“I was looking for the one in the box. Is there one in the box, right?”
“No, there was one in that box. It’s now with me. It’s mine.”
Kami looked at Mercury, who shrugged because he wasn’t sure what to do to convince the dragon who was stuck in a prison with a horde and nothing to eat that they needed to take his stone.
We could offer to take him with us. Kami said. Maybe that way he would give us one stone in exchange for freedom.
That’s a good idea. I’m sure if I rested up a little bit more, I could take him and the horde and you back home since I know exactly where I’m going.
Okay. I’m going to try to convince him to let me look for the stone in his hoard first, and then we’ll offer to take him back. Kami’s shoulders went back and up, his chin lifting like he was ready to start battling.
Mercury stood behind his shoulder, only a few feet away, ready to defend and help if necessary.
“What’s your name?” Kami asked. “I’m Kami, and this is Mercury.”
The dragon puffed out a little bit of smoke. “I wish you hadn’t told me that. It’d be way easier to eat you if I didn’t know your names.”
Kami shook his head. “I told you, no eating.”
“But I haven’t had anything in so long.”
Kami tilted his head, but it was Mercury who spoke up.
“I know how that feels. I was locked in a tower with nothing but canned fish for years and years, decades. If you come with us, we can try to take your hoard, and we’ll make sure you get plenty of food.
As long as you give Kami the stone he needs.
” He waggled his eyebrows encouragingly when the dragon looked at him.
“He’s a stone singer. He wouldn’t ask for greed.
He’s asking because somebody needs the stone for their heartstone. ”
The dragon sighed, his back rising and falling with the force of it. “My heartstone was destroyed, and there’s no way to get out of here. I’ve tried and tried.”
Mercury smiled, trying to be helpful or something along those lines. “We might have a way. Are you willing to help Kami get his stone?”
“I’m willing to help you get a new heartstone, too,” Kami said. “I’m really good at matching up stones with dragons.”
“And there’s food and freedom where we’re taking you.” Mercury held the other dragon’s eyes, the hunger and sorrow there so big. “No one deserves to be trapped in a cage. We’re supposed to be free and flying and fed and a bunch of other F-words that are probably inappropriate in this situation.”
Kami looked at him. “Did you really just bring up fucking in this situation?”
He turned to stare at Kami. “Well I didn’t say it. I’m not even a hundred percent sure I thought it.” Mercury shrugged, patting his belly a little bit. “I’m pregnant, and so I—”
The big dragon gaped. “You’re pregnant? Now I absolutely can’t eat you, thanks.”
Mercury rolled his eyes. “So come with us. I promise I know where home is, and I know a safe place, but we just have to get there.”
“I will trade the stone you want if you can do that.” The dragon bent his head. “I am Dannol.”
“Hey, Dannol, it’s nice to meet you. We’re going to have to figure this out.” He tried to grin, and he hoped he didn’t look as scared as he felt. He focused on Kami. “Okay, so I’m going to be really tired when we do this, so if you could imagine us close to Talon, that would be great.”
He’d never actually tried to move two dragons and a hoard before. He wasn’t sure it was going to work.
“You should give Kami the stone first, just in case I can’t get your hoard here. There. Wherever. Home. I’ve never tried to move a non-dragon.”
Kami grinned. “I know you can do it, Mercury. I have faith in you.”
Dannol looked at them both. “You promised this would work.”
“Well, I promise I can get you and Kami home. I just told you I don’t know about the other. But I’m trying!” And he was a little bit scared, and he wanted to go home right now.
He knew Talon had to be frightened, worried, concerned, and all sorts of other words. Reno was going to be hot, too.
One way or the other, it was time to go home.
“Let’s do this.”
“Okay. Give me your hand, Dannol,” Kami said. “And clear your mind.”
Dannol did, so Mercury took Kami’s hand and put his other hand on the pile of treasure.
“Now, Kami.”
“Mercury, I want you take me and Dannol and all this stuff home.”
He closed his eyes and focused on the slide, and then the world went cold and dark and empty for what felt like forever. It took his breath, took his senses, and soon, it was going to take his consciousness.
Mercury just hoped they got where they were going.