Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) (8 page)

“I’m coming! Hold on!” shouted Carina, and
then, whispering, “Elias—make haste! You must go!”

Carina lifted a worn carpet in the kitchen,
revealing a door. Elias slipped through the door in the floor and
crawled down the rickety steps into the root cellar. He was
underneath the cottage. Carina slammed the door shut. He heard his
grandmother dragging the rug back over the opening. He tried to
move, but fear kept him frozen in place.

His eyes adjusted to the faint light coming
in from cracks. Above him, he heard the front door open and loud
footsteps—the soldier’s boots. He could see movement through a
crack in the floor. Elias paused, listening closely.

“Old woman—we heard you found a stone in the
forest—where is it? Tell us quickly, and I might let you live.” It
was a man’s voice—gruff and angry.

“A stone?” Carina responded. “I don’t know
anything about it. If I had something so precious, I would have
sold it and bought myself some food! The emperor isn’t feeding me,
after all.” Her voice did not betray a hint of fear.

“You don’t know anything about it, eh? How
about your grandson? I want to talk to him. Where is he?” asked the
captain.

“I don’t have a grandson. I live alone,”
said Carina.

“Do you take me for a fool, woman?” roared
the captain.

“Yes! You are a fool!” Carina screamed. “A
pathetic fool! Are you going to attack an old woman? Get out—get
out of my house!”

Elias gasped, his hand going up to his
mouth. He never heard his grandmother talk like this. Elias heard a
dull thump and a crash.

He heard a groan. It was his grandmother’s
voice. They had thrown her to the ground—an old woman! These men
were beasts. Elias swallowed a lump in his throat, but he kept
silent.

“Tell me where to find the boy—and the
stone. Or I will kill you, woman. Now talk!” Elias heard the sounds
of other men stomping into the cottage. Some of them were
laughing.

“It is true… I am an old woman.” Carina spat
blood. “I am weak… I have been sick for a long time. But
appearances can be deceiving. You have underestimated me, and that
will be your doom.”

The captain chuckled. “Is that so?” Two more
soldiers stepped inside. They shut the door behind them, so the
villagers couldn’t see what they planned to do.

“Yes, it is so. I was simply waiting for all
of you to arrive.” Carina’s hands glowed fire-red, and she jerked
her fists in the air.

“By Golka! Captain, she’s a mage!” one of
the men shouted. “Stop her!”

The door hinges melted shut, trapping all
the men inside. “The door! It’s sealed shut! She’s cast a spell on
it!” another cried.

“Kill her!” The men descended on Carina, but
it was too late. Her body had turned bluish-white. They touched her
skin and their hands burned.

“Augghh! She’s on fire!” the men screamed.
The heat inside the cottage increased, and the air began to
crackle.

“Enjoy my hospitality, you
fiends!
Incêndio!
” Carina roared, and the men burst into flames, screaming in
agony. Their clothing, hair, and bodies burned in icy blue fire—the
mage’s flame. The spell took enormous reserves of energy, and
Carina collapsed, taking her last breath. The cabin filled with
acrid smoke, and it started to creep into the root
cellar.

Smoke trickled into the
cellar. Elias could no longer see anything. He stumbled and fell in
the darkness, swearing as his hit the ground. The cellar was almost
empty, but he knew there were some onions and turnips in the
corner. He felt around in the darkness until he found the
vegetables, and then added them to his pack. Holding back tears, he
exited the cellar.
“She sacrificed herself
to save me.”

Fragrant black smoke filled the air; all of
Carina’s herbs were burning. Elias had cover to escape. He had to
leave now—before the rest of the village discovered what was
happening. As he reached the forest’s edge, he could hear dogs
howling and villagers shouting. Behind him, his neighbors screamed,
“Fire! Fire!” Elias ran, without looking back.

***

Chapter 6: Thorin
Ulfarsson

Elias ran for many leagues without stopping,
until he was far from the village. When his side ached, he
continued to walk as fast as her could. The weather was miserable,
and a slow drizzle of freezing rain began to fall. He walked deeper
into the forest, staying off the paths.

“
I should have obeyed my
grandmother the first time,”
he thought.
He would return the stone to the tree where he found it. After
that, he would travel to the Elder Willow, as his grandmother had
ordered him.

Elias was grateful for his wool cloak, which
kept him warm even when wet. Elias was also thankful for the
weather, because the rain would help hide his tracks. He eventually
reached the clearing where he had found the stone over a week ago.
As he walked towards the tree, he was surprised to see a boy on the
ground, face down.

His curiosity overcame his fear, and Elias
went to the boy’s side, tapping his shoulder.

“Boy—are you alright?”

The figure spun around in a flash and
grabbed his arm. Elias was shocked to see that it wasn’t a boy, but
a little man! A black-bearded dwarf, no more than four feet tall;
his face wrinkled like an old potato. But none of his hair was
streaked with gray. It was impossible to tell his age.

His eyes were like bits of black coal. “Who
are ye?” he asked.

“I—I’m Elias! I’m here to… return something.
I thought you were a boy.”

He laughed. “I’m a dwarf! Haven’t you ever
seen a dwarf before?”

Elias shook his head. “No—never. Are you
hurt? Why are you lying on the ground like that?”

“I fell from the tree. I was tryin’ to reach
inside. My old bones don’t move like they used to. Dwarves don’t
belong in trees, I’ll tell you that much.” He groaned and touched
his forehead, which had a quickly rising bump. “Blast! I can’t wait
to be gone from this freezing, miserable forest and back to Mount
Velik!” He got up with some difficulty, and extended his hand. “The
name’s Thorin—Thorin Ulfarsson—what’s yours, boy?”

“My name’s Elias,” he said cautiously. “What
were you looking for? Can’t you see there’s a beehive?” The bees
were buzzing slowly in the air, still coming in and out of the hole
in the tree.

Thorin’s eyes lit up and he laughed. “I’m
not afraid of bees, boy. A little bee sting isn’t going to affect
me much—there’s precious little for them to go after!”

He had a point. The dwarf wore his long hair
in a braid, and his beard was also pleated. Every patch of skin was
covered with jet black hair—even his ears and knuckles. He was like
a bear—only his nose, mouth, and tiny black eyes were exposed.

“So, you’re Elias, eh? Why, you’re almost a
full-grown man!” Thorin clapped him on the back so hard that Elias
coughed.

“Yes... I had my fifteenth cycle. H-How do
you know me?”

“I don’t know
you
, boy. I knew
your
grandmother
,
Carina. She’s the one who sent me the message, and I came as soon
as I could. I’m glad you’re here. It saves me the trip all the way
to Persil.”

“Message? What message? My grandmother
didn’t tell me anything about you,” said Elias with suspicion. Then
he sighed. “But—she didn’t tell me much of anything—she always had
her secrets. Thorin…my grandmother is dead. Soldiers came to our
village this morning. They forced their way into the cottage and
attacked her. She died trying to save me.” Elias sat down, putting
his head in his hands.

“Ah, I’m sorry lad. That’s a shame. Carina
was a fine woman.” Thorin patted Elias’ shoulder. “Your grandmother
died an honorable death, boy. She was a friend of my people. She
was fearless, too—one day I will tell you some stories. But there’s
no time for sorrows. Do you have the dragon stone with you?”

“Y-Yes,” admitted Elias, startled. “I was
trying to put it back where I found it. My grandmother told me to
return it days ago, but I disobeyed her. I tried to sell the stone
last week. The man I tried to sell it to—he’s a bad man. I’m
certain that’s how the soldiers found out about it.” Elias’ voice
cracked. “It’s my fault she’s dead.”

“Now, now… there’s no reason to be blamin’
yourself, lad. You couldn’t have known.”

“I’m just trying to be rid of it—the stone
has been bad luck since I found it.” Elias pulled the stone out of
his pocket and showed him. Thorin’s eyebrows went up, but he did
not touch the stone.

“Aye, that’s a true dragon stone. Your
grandmother asked me to come and get it—take it back to Mount Velik
for safekeepin’. The plan was for me to take the stone back to our
vaults. But I’m guessin’ our plans have changed.”

“I don’t know what to do. I’ve never
traveled outside Darkmouth Forest.”

“Well, it looks like we’ll be travelling
companions, then,” said Thorin.

“Okay.” Elias looked visibly relieved. “I
can’t go back to the village… probably not ever.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re right. The reward for
a dragon stone is tempting—the emperor offers a hundred gold crowns
to anyone who brings him one. Times are bad, and neighbors can’t be
trusted when they’re starvin’.”

“A hundred crowns!” Elias gasped. It was a
vast fortune. “I should have just taken the stone to the
emperor!”

“No, boy. Be glad you didn’t. It’s a fine
bit o’ coin, but the emperor would spit you alive. You can’t enjoy
a reward if you’re rottin’ in the ground!” Thorin examined the
stone carefully in Elias’ palm. “Yup. A true dragon stone that is.
Hide it securely. We can’t afford to lose it now.”

Elias shook his head. “Can you tell me
what’s going on? I don’t understand any of this.”

“Don’t worry, boy. I’ll
explain it to you in due time. Are you sure that your grandmother
killed
all
the
soldiers?”

“Yes—I‘m sure. The whole house went up in
flames. No one escaped.”

“Good. That means it’s safe for us to make
camp. It will be at least another four days until old Vosper can
get more soldiers up to Persil, and we’ll be long gone by then.
Your granny was always thorough, I’ll tell you that! What a woman!
May her spirit live forever in the fields of Darthnell, enjoying
all the spoils of the afterlife.” Thorin made a circular motion on
his chest, and withdrew a gold amulet from around his neck. It was
a pendant, set with tiny rubies, and it bore the image of a claw
hammer. He kissed it, before tucking it back into his tunic.

“What is that?” asked Elias, pointing to the
pendant.

Thorin held it up proudly. “This is the
symbol of my clan, Marretaela. My people are honest folk; though
not the biggest clan. We can talk more about this later. Right now,
let’s go make camp. There’s a secluded cave a few miles north of
here. We shouldn’t stay out in the open—there’s no sense in taking
unnecessary risks. The sun will be going down soon, and we could
have a fire started before then. It will be freezing tonight and we
will need to stay warm. Plus, I’m not one for cold food. I caught a
rabbit earlier that we can enjoy for dinner tonight.”

Elias nodded. “There are good mushroom beds
nearby. It will only take me a few minutes to gather some. They
will go well with the rabbit.”

“Aye. I’ll help you, boy.” They both walked
to Elias’ favorite mushroom spot and collected handfuls of wild
mushrooms, which Thorin wrapped into a piece of cloth and tied to
his belt. “Let’s go now, before it gets much later. My mount,
Duster, is grazing nearby. I’ll go get him.” Thorin returned a few
minutes later with a sturdy grey pony. Elias reached out and patted
his neck, and the animal responded by nudging him gently.

“He seems good-natured.”

“Aye. Duster has been my favorite for years.
He’s wasn’t bred for speed—he was bred for endurance. He’s as sharp
as a tack and doesn’t tire easily. The dwarves breed the best
ponies and sheep in all of Durn. Our animals have vigor and
fortitude, just like us!” Thorin slapped the pony’s side proudly.
Duster responded with a loud whinny. The pony’s legs were shorter
than normal, and thick; they were knotted with muscle.

“Do you know how to ride, lad?”

“Yes,” answered Elias. “We owned a horse a
few years ago, but Carina sold him because we needed money. I
learned how to ride bareback; we couldn’t afford a saddle.”

“That’s fine. Tomorrow, we’ll head for
Jutland. We’ll purchase a horse for you there.”

“Thorin, my grandmother told me that I
should go to the Elder Willow. Do you know where it is?” asked
Elias.

“Yes. I suspected she might have told you to
go there.”

“Do you know why?”

“Not really sure,” Thorin said, looking at
the ground. He cleared his throat. “The Elder Willow is a magical
tree, and the groves surrounding the willow are guarded by various
spells and tree sprites. It’s not an easy journey, and the grove is
considered a holy place. If Carina told you to go, then we should
try to go. The Elder Willow is a bit out of our way, so we’ll
travel to Jutland first.”

“Okay… I just wish I understood what was
going on.”

“Everything will make sense in time. In the
meantime, you should collect some kindling for our fire. Gather as
much as you can. It will be cold tonight.”

They were going to Jutland! Elias was
excited. Jutland was the largest city in the Elburgian Mountains.
He heard the village merchants talking about it often. There was a
large marketplace, and many wonderful sights. Elias’ grandmother
used to trade there, before her health failed. Elias had only been
there once—and that was many years ago, when he was a child. He
still remembered many of the sights and sounds.