Adventurers Wanted 1) Slathbog's Gold (39 page)

“In we must go, or give up our quest,” said Bregnest in a grim tone.

“To some this would seem foolish, but let us seek our fate and trust to luck,” Skeld added, looking as serious as Alex had ever seen him.

Foolish,
thought Alex. That was a good word for what they were about to do. Foolish or incredibly brave, he couldn’t decide which. It didn’t really matter though, because Alex knew he would go into the dark cave with his friends. He looked around at his seven companions and smiled.

They all checked their weapons, nervously gripping them as if fearing the dragon would attack at any moment. Alex drew Moon Slayer from his side and the pale winter light glimmered bright blue on its sharp edges. He could feel the sword’s power enter him, but it was not as violent as before. He knew he would not feel the burning heat until his enemy was much closer.

“A single torch,” Bregnest ordered as he bent down to look into the cave. “We will need some light, even if it proves fatal.”

Thrang quickly retrieved a torch from his bag. Lighting it with a word, he handed the torch to Bregnest.

Bregnest took a deep breath, looked around at the company, and then slipped into the cave. Arconn followed him with Thrang right behind him.

“After you, master wizard,” said Skeld with a brave smile. “Perhaps your luck will flow behind you and I may catch some of it.”

Alex smiled and followed Thrang into the darkness. The smell was even worse inside the cave, and the floor seemed to be covered with slime. He slipped slightly and touched the wall to balance himself, discovering the walls were also covered with greenish slime.

“The dragon’s filth is all around us,” said Thrang in a hushed whisper.

“Silence,” Bregnest whispered back.

Alex could see Bregnest’s worried face in the torchlight ahead of him. He knew they needed to surprise the dragon if they could, and the smallest sound might mean their doom. As quietly as he could, Alex moved forward with his friends, keeping close to the slimy wall. The idea of slipping and falling into the dirty stream was far worse than touching the filth on the wall beside him.

They moved along the tunnel slowly, quietly. The water rushed past them, covering any noises they made, including the sound of their breathing. Fortunately, the path was level and fairly wide, running straight into the heart of the mountain.

To Alex, time seemed to crawl by, but in the darkness, it was difficult to tell. Bregnest’s torch moved forward, its light flickering against the walls. With every step, Alex became more nervous, sure they would emerge in the dragon’s lair. Suddenly the torch stopped, and he could see Bregnest motion for the company to gather around.

“We are close,” Bregnest whispered so softly that Alex wasn’t sure if he’d heard him or only imagined it. “There is no light ahead. I don’t know what that means.”

Alex remembered what Arconn had told him about dragons, how their fire made them glow in the darkness. The fact there was no glow from in front of them meant Slathbog wasn’t there. And if Slathbog wasn’t there, where was he?

Bregnest shifted nervously, looking around at the darkness. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as Alex, and was just as unsure of his answer. Slowly he began to move forward, holding the torch high above his head. The others stayed close behind him, moving quietly along the passage.

They finally came to a wide set of stairs, and Alex knew that these would lead into the great hall of Varlo. This was where they had hoped to find Slathbog. They moved forward in pairs: Arconn beside Bregnest, Thrang beside Alex. The deep darkness and quiet was almost painful, and Alex would have welcomed the dragon, if only to break the silence. Then they would no longer have to wonder and worry about where he was.

When they reached the top of the stairs, two things happened at once. For a second, the torchlight blazed, reflecting back at them from thousands of gold and silver objects in the hall. And then the torch went out.

“
Inferno,
” Thrang commanded in the darkness. The torch sputtered and died once more. “
Inferno,
” he tried again, but the torch would not stay lit.

“This is some dragon’s spell,” Thrang muttered. “What do we do?”

There was no time to answer his question. A sudden crash in the tunnel behind them made them jump. Alex felt the touch of the dragon in his mind. Slathbog had found them.

“Cunning worm,” spat Halfdan. “He must have seen us entering, and now we are boxed in. He can attack us at his leisure.”

“And in this darkness, we can’t find our way out of his lair,” Thrang complained.

“We must do something,” said Bregnest urgently. “If we wait here for the dragon to return, we are doomed.”

“Just a moment,” said Alex, slipping Moon Slayer back into its scabbard. “I think I remember something that might help.”

“If you can do anything at all, do it quickly,” Arconn urged. “We have little time before the dragon returns.”

Alex moved forward in the darkness, softly speaking the magic words he had learned from his book. He focused all his thoughts on remembering the brightly lit caves of the dwarf city as he worked his spell. He raised his hands to shoulder level as he forced the magic out of himself and into the darkness. He felt suddenly weak once he had finished speaking the words, but he was happy to see his spell had worked.

Hundreds of torches and lamps around the chamber, including the torch in Thrang’s hands, sprang to life. Their bright flames were reflected a thousand times over by the vast piles of treasure that filled the gigantic hall. Alex and his friends stood still for a moment, dumbstruck by the incredible size of Slathbog’s hoard. Alex had thought his payment from Umbar was large, but it was a drop in a bucket compared to what he saw before him.

“Quickly,” said Arconn, regaining his thoughts faster than the others. “We must find a better place than this to face the dragon.”

At the sound of Arconn’s voice, they began to struggle forward through the piles of treasure blocking their way. The hall was much larger than Alex had first thought, and it took some time to make their way across it. When they finally reached the far side of the hall, they found a wide staircase leading up into the ruined city.

“If we can catch Slathbog where he thinks we won’t be, we have a chance,” said Bregnest, breathing hard.

“And if he catches us in a narrow passage, we are as good as done,” Tayo commented darkly. “Higher up in the ruins would be better than here.”

Bregnest didn’t wait for any more discussion, turning quickly and starting up the stairs. The stairway was slick with greenish slime, but they all reached the top without falling. Bregnest rushed down another passageway, and then up another set of stairs. Alex noticed that all the torches in Varlo were burning brightly, and he hoped it was because of his spell and not some magic of Slathbog’s.

Hurrying through the castle, looking for a good spot to ambush the dragon, he had little time to worry. Alex knew that Tayo was right: If Slathbog caught them in a narrow passageway, one blast of flame would finish them all.

“Here,” said Bregnest, entering a wide hall after the third long stairway. “This is as good a spot as any we will find.”

The others nodded, too breathless to speak. Bregnest ordered them to various places in the hall, each man well out of sight of the main entrance. If Slathbog was hasty in his return, they would be able to take him by surprise.

“Behind this pillar, Alex,” said Bregnest, pointing. “When the dragon comes, be careful of his wings. The edges are like razors and can cut clean through a man if hit squarely. And remember, do not look into Slathbog’s eyes for any reason.”

Bregnest rushed off to take his own hiding place. Alex leaned against the pillar, trying to catch his breath while listening for any sound of the dragon’s return but all he could hear was the ragged breathing of his friends.

Minutes passed and everyone’s breathing grew softer until Alex could hear the torches burning on the walls. The waiting was painful, as every ear strained to hear the slightest sound of Slathbog’s return.

Alex started to think there must be some other passageway the dragon could use. If so, Slathbog would be able to come at them from behind, and that would surely mean their death. Alex glanced nervously toward the main doorway they had come through. He hadn’t seen any other hallway on their journey here that looked large enough for a dragon, so he tried not to worry.

Alex’s thoughts were broken by a sudden, terrible sound. A roar of pure fury as Slathbog descended through the ruins of Varlo to his hoard. The floor under Alex’s feet shook with the dragon’s rage.

It wasn’t long before Alex heard a loud scraping noise coming closer as Slathbog’s armored skin ground against the walls of the passageway. Alex felt nervous and afraid because it sounded like Slathbog was enormous. Shaking slightly, he drew Moon Slayer from his side and prepared to meet his destiny.

As soon as the sword was in his hand, he felt the power of the sword enter, the heat growing fast in his chest. Strange flames of happiness filled Alex’s mind, consuming his fears and worries. It felt as though the sword was excited to meet the dragon, almost longing for the battle to begin. It was a wonderful feeling, and at the same time terrible and frightening.

A huge ball of flame shot through the chamber doors. Slathbog had arrived. The fireball hit the wall behind Alex and his friends, scattering bits of burning plaster and rock around the chamber. Everyone held their positions, waiting for Bregnest’s order to attack.

Slathbog entered the chamber with a cloud of smoke and flame around him. He rushed wildly to his hoard, blind to his surroundings, afraid his enemies were already stealing his wealth.

“Attack!” Bregnest yelled, rushing forward with his two-handed sword.

Alex stepped from behind the pillar, sword at the ready, but then stopped, staring up at the dragon. Slathbog was a creature of incredible beauty and power, and Alex stood frozen at the sight of the great red dragon.

Bregnest’s sword clanged loudly against Slathbog’s hind leg, but it bounced off the hard scales, causing no real harm. Arconn’s arrows snapped against Slathbog’s long neck, unable to pierce the metallic red flesh. Halfdan rushed in with his ax. Swinging with all his strength, he struck at Slathbog’s side, but he might as well have attacked the wall for all the good it did.

Slathbog faced his attackers, his great tail swinging around, forcing Halfdan to retreat. The tail hit the pillar next to Alex. The force of the impact knocked Alex off his feet, but it also broke the thoughts holding him motionless. Jumping up, Alex ran forward and slashed at the dragon’s tail. Unlike Bregnest’s sword and Halfdan’s ax, Moon Slayer cut a deep gash in Slathbog’s tail, spraying Alex with burning hot dragon blood.

Slathbog roared in pain. Alex moved to attack again. Ignoring the others, Slathbog faced Alex. As the beast turned, Alex could hear a strange hissing noise. It sounded like some kind of language, but the words were too quick and Alex couldn’t understand them.

The dragon moved slowly toward him, and Alex looked around at the others, hoping they could distract Slathbog from his deadly mission. His friends were frozen in place, unmoving. Alex guessed the strange hissing he heard had been one of Slathbog’s spells.

“You have come far, little one,” Slathbog hissed at Alex. “I hope you have enjoyed your journey, as it will be your last.”

“I have enjoyed my journey, and I will enjoy many more,” answered Alex, in a voice he hoped sounded braver than he felt.

Slathbog let out a low laugh and continued to move forward.

“I will enjoy killing you,” said Slathbog, stopping a short distance in front of Alex. “It has been a long time since any have dared approach me. Once you are gone, none will ever seek me again.”

Alex could feel the fire of his magic sword burning inside him, but he did not raise Moon Slayer to strike at the dragon. Instead of attacking the monster in front of him, he did the one thing he’d been told not to do for any reason: Alex looked into the dragon’s eyes.