C18 Chapter 18

Way too much sand

Back at their destination, Dana placed the gloves on the table in Erogat’s office, where they had already placed the other parts of the armor. She silently observed the findings of her quest for armor so far. A few moments later, she pushed out her arms, as if she were in a trance, and rubbed her hands together like she was trying to warm them over a fire. Erogat noticed that, of course, and addressed her.

“An incredibly strong magical energy exudes from the objects. I have already felt that at the first parts.”

Dana woke from her stony behavior.

“What did you say? I was very far away.”

Erogat repeated his words.

“Is that energy going to get larger still?” Dana thoughtfully looked at the parts on the table. “And if so, how am I supposed to bring the armor to the prisoner?”

“In single parts…”, was Erogat’s laconic reply.

Dana had to wrench herself away from the table to escape the armor’s ban. The ghost lead her over to the large map of the underworld.

“Look at it. We have managed to map out a significant part already. But we still seem to be at the very beginning.”

Dana was glad that she was a noticeable distance away from the armor now, and even more thankful that Erogat was trying to distract her.

“Can you guess yet how large the cave system is?”

She curiously studied the map.

“No, not yet. But the search for the next part will lead you even deeper into the mountains. I believe that will help us acquire more information.”

“Where is the next part located?”, she promptly asked.

Erogat pointed at a location far from the wall’s map.

“That’s where you need to go. And no, there’s no other way than the one through the underworld.”

He shot a sharp look at Shari when he said that.

“This is your last excursion into the darkness for now. Then all you need to do is get the locket from the King. You will manage to do that, as well.”

The last words had been directed straight at Shari, because she was already pulling a face again. She would have loved nothing more than to stay where she was. She hated the dark tunnels, as she had so openly voiced plenty of times before. After the reprimanding glance, though, she didn’t complain any further and instead brooded silently.

“Since we still have to crawl through the tunnels, is there any spell we can use to get some light? Shari isn’t much help down there.”

Erogat shot Dana a strange look.

“Did you miss that day? We learned the light spells right at the beginning of your educations. Well, fine, be that as it may. Here, read the first chapter of this book. Once you’re done with that, tell me and we’ll practice.”

Dana skeptically observed the book and read the title: Basic knowledge of magic

Step 1

She had read plenty of these books before, but the one in front of her was one she hadn’t seen, ever. She got to work, trying to absorb the entire knowledge of the book into her soul. Afterwards, she walked back to Erogat.

“I’m done with the weighty tome. There were two incantation about light in that old thing, though.”

“Yes, you’re right. One is a still-light – that’s what you want to do when you need the light source in a fixated spot. The other one accompanies you everywhere. It follows you or flies ahead. He ca be right above you too, depending on how much space there is available. Now, practice like a good girl until you know them in your sleep.”

Dana retreated to a corner of the room, but not without calling Shari over to her. After all, the little fairy was supposed to learn the incantation as well. Five minutes later, she left again – this kind of magic was something she could learn in a heartbeat. Opposed to that, Dana needed much longer until the lights she was creating did exactly what she wanted them to do. Afterwards, she showed her work to Erogat. Very happy with her work, he sent off the trio onto their next mission.

Luckily for Shari, they didn’t need to crawl through the tunnels the entire way. They travelled to the giant kingdom and then climbed down into the underworld. It turned out to be a boring trip: tunnel and rooms they needed to map, tunnels they had to fix. There was nothing special or exciting about it. The light spell was a blessing, because Shari’s faint gleam wouldn’t have been enough to illuminate even a pocket watch. So the three followed the light hovering ahead of them, deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Weeks later, they reached their destination. Dana had to hold back Shari again. Once they’d opened the rock plate, she wanted to storm off right away. The little fairy had forgotten again what her last blind flight had gotten her into. Dana cautiously peeked through the opening. A hot, dry wind slapped her face, almost taking her breath away.

“Where the frack did we end up here?”, she thought and entered another cave.

Like in the other caves, there was a monolith here as well. And like every time, Shari was the first to find the exit. She disappeared immediately, but only to return a short time later, completely unhinged.

“There’s nothing out there. Just sand and heat…tons of it! What did that guy think? Who was supposed to survive here?”

They followed Shari outside through a tunnel. There, the heat was even more unbearable. They were in a cave, of course, but this was truly mighty. Much larger than the one of the giants, only that this one was completely full of sand. Dana recognized what is was supposed to be right away.

“Ah! He created a desert.”

“But why?” Gomek looked at her, puzzled. Shari replied for her, her face serious:

“Desert people. He colonized desert people here.”

Dana had to laugh.

“I don’t know. At the next meeting, we will ask him. But for now, we need to find the piece of armor.”

“One more thing…” Gomek made a thoughtful face. “What kind of dangers are waiting for us here? There’s always something…”

Dana grinned. “There isn’t much living in the desert. Some lizards, bugs, scorpions – mostly small one. Maybe some ants and smaller insects. Nothing of danger to us.”

Dana searched for a stick and used it to turn over a rock. Gomek caught a glimpse of a tiny scorpion waddling off to hide under the next rock.

“See? No danger for us. We can take care of something small like this, right?”

She pulled out the magical map for advice and to find out the right direction.

“Too bad there aren’t very many sights to orientate us on.”

Gomek gloomily mumbled: “I would say – none.”

“So we need a Seeker spell.”

Dana had just voiced that opinion when the small gleaming ball already appeared and then buzzed off.

They followed it for hours. Luckily, there were occasional oasis where they could rest and freshen up. The heat really got to them.

But even under these circumstances, they reached their destination. In the middle of nowhere, the small ball halted. She didn’t move an inch from the spot.

“This is it?” Dana looked around. “Nothing but sand, wherever you look. No chest or building anywhere.”

Dana tapped the magical ball. But it didn’t budge anymore.

“Then I guess we have to go at it and dig a hole. Below us is the only location we can’t see right now.”

Gomek pointed at the ground.

“Ok, then.”

Dana got ready.

“Move aside. Maybe I can make the sand disappear with magic.”

She got started right away and had the upper layer blow away with a wind spell. It was harder than she’d expected. Whenever she’d created a small hole, fine sand grains from the sides slipped in again. An hour later, they only had managed to create a hole the size of four meters in diameter and maybe half a meter deep.

“There must be a way!”, Dana was thinking when suddenly Gomek tightly grasped her upper arm, squeezing it.

“Are those the small scorpions we needn’t worry about?”

Dana’s gaze followed Gomek’s outstretched arm. Giant scorpions began to circle them. They reached over them, more than doubly their own height. With their mighty claws and the vicious tails, they seemed more than vicious and threatening. Dana set off a ring of fire immediately to protect herself and Gomek from impending attacks. The scorpions retreated from the fire right away. A safe distance from the ring, they stopped.

“I think we need to communicate with them. Maybe they think we want to take over their territory.”

Dana glanced at Gomek.

“Or we’ll ask the little person-thingie what they want.”

Gomek had spotted a tiny person on the back of one of the animals. Dana followed his gaze.

“Maybe he’s the guard of the piece of armor, who knows.”

The way too tiny man climbed down from the back of the scorpion that was closest to them and slowly walked over. With a gesture of his hand, he showed Dana to end the fire spell.

“Tell me who you are and what you want from us first.”

She didn’t want to risk anything.

“My name is Hump and this is my army of scorpions.”

He used his arms to show them the readily waiting scorpions, who looked like they were about to pounce.

“Also, I am the guard of the pyramid.”

“What pyramid are you

Talking about?” Dana sent him a puzzled look. She quietly said to Gomek: “He must have been in the desert for too long, seeing pyramids where there are none.”

Louder, she said: “There’s no pyramid here.”

“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there!”, the small guy replied.

“That’s a valid argument!”, she mumbled.

“Do you promise your army won’t attack?”, she wanted to know.

“Surely, in case you are a descendant of the Olden People.”

“Let me guess…”

Dana ended the fire spell and slowly walked over to the tiny man. “…you have been waiting for us. That sounds very familiar to me.”

“Very true. An old prophecy let me know that you would show up here today. It says:

“There will be a magician with two partners

Appearing here

Asking for access to the pyramids.

Grant them entry.”

… or something like that. And boom, there you are.”

“A prophecy then. Or did one of my people tell you that?”, Dana curiously asked.

“Could be that, too. Now you’re here, anyway. Step aside and let an expert deal with this.”

Dana had to inwardly grin. He wanted to get done what even her magic couldn’t accomplish? She couldn’t wait to see that. The tiny man stepped up to Dana’s hole and shook his head.

“Not like this!”, he mumbled reproachfully and pulled out a small twig. Nothing happened at fist.

“Too bad!”, Gomek mocked.

The small guy looked at him disapprovingly. A short time later, the earth began to shook, and slowly a pyramid started to rise in front of them.

“Huh, what do you say now, you know-it-all…!” Hump shot Gomek a snooty look. “Is that a pyramid now or is it not?”

Gomek started at the building in disbelief.

“He really did it…”, he grumbled disbelievingly.

Dana, on the other hand, was ecstatic. “Great magic – is that yours?”

“Of course not. Your ancestor did that. He called it a …thief insurance.”

“How do we get in?”

Dana hoped the little man would show them the way, which he did indeed. He touched the base of the pyramid, pressing different rocks, and a gate opened.

“Get in. I will wait here for you. I am not permitted to walk inside.”

Hump didn’t bother with our friends anymore. He sat down in the sand and smoked his tiny pipe.

“Are there any traps in there we should know about?”

No reply. The little gnome simply enjoyed the smoke.

“Fine. Let’s just go in.”

Dana entered first. The inside of the pyramid wasn’t exactly large; one tunnel, twice around the corner, and then they were already in the middle of a small room. When she entered, the torches on the wall lit by themselves. There wasn’t anything besides a podium made of rock with a tiny chest on it. The obligatory puzzle wasn’t missing either. The thing read in golden scripture:

“I open to the one that’s worthy.”

“Can’t it ever say: Just take me with you!?”

Gomek couldn’t help but voice that comment.

“Whatever.”

Dana slowly walked towards the podium. “Who, if not me, is worthy of opening this chest.”

Gomek held her back.

“Maybe you should touch your locket to the box, we had that before.”

“You could be right.”

Dana pulled out her locket and walked over to the podium, touching it to the chest and opening the lid. She slowly pulled out a belt from the chest and awed at it.

“Gomek, look at this. It is beautifully crafted.”

Gomek stepped closer.

“It’s made by a dragon. Toben’s grandfather told me about artifacts like this one. They contain great powers … the power of the dragons. Very, very powerful!”, he said in a quiet, awed voice.

Once they’d respectfully gushed over the belt for a while, they carefully stashed it and then Dana turned to Gomek.

“I think we can return now. Let’s go.”

“Do you think Hump will throw us a party like the others did?”, Gomek smirked.

“I don’t think so. He’s been in the desert for too long, I assume.”

With that, she turned around and exited the room. After two more corners, they were standing outside the pyramid again. Hump slowly and lankily got up.

“Did you get everything you need? If so, I can bring you back to your gate. You can ride on my scorpions. They are kind as a lamb.”

Dana and Gomek were over the moon at the prospect of sitting on them. But man, that sure was a strange motion…Shari did prefer flying over that. Their travel back to the gate was noticeably faster. Once back at the destination, Dana addressed Hump once more.

“Thank you so much for your help. What are you doing now that the treasure has been rescued?”

“Who knows? My animals need me.”

“Do you really believe that?”, Dana wondered. “Or do you want to come with us?” She looked at him expectantly.

“Maybe another time. When you came back someday, come see me in my village!”, the gnome politely replied.

“There’s a village here? Why didn’t you say that!”, Dana wanted to know, shooting a quick side glance to Gomek.

“You didn’t ask. My people would have surely organized a large festival for you. Maybe another time.”

He slapped a map into Dana’s hand, turned around, and disappeared the same way he’d showed up – very suddenly. Gomek looked at Dana in bewilderment.

“Village, people, party for us? That cannot be true. What did we miss? Damn it!”, Gomek cursed. Dana laughed, though.

“Next time we’re here you’re getting your party. Let’s go back. I’m sure Erogat is waiting for us.”

They entered the cave and travelled back. Erogat was surely waiting impatiently for them.