The Dragonstone

CHAPTER 78

It was late in the day when Delon reached the rim of the precipice and climbed up over the edge. As soon as he gained the verge, he turned and helped Arin coming after. Then Aiko scrambled onto the lip, following gasping Egil, the Fjordlander spent, weakened by his ordeal, exhausted by the long climb after. He stood bent over, his hands on his knees, and panted for air, now and again coughing, while Delon hauled up the retrieved lines. Last to arrive was Burel.

Their gazes swept across the great ledge. Of Raudhrskal there was no sign, nor was there any sign of Ferret. Near the back of the shelf and behind a boulder they found Alos lying unconscious among several leather bottles, the old man hugging his saddlebags and sleeping in his own vomit.

Delon looked about, worry in his eyes, then glanced at Egil. "Where is Ferai?"

Egil shook his head. "I am sorry, Delon, but she may not have survived. The chest was trapped by a charm. Touching it brought the Krakens."

The blood drained from Delon's face.

"There is another possibility," said Aiko.

With gathering hope in his eyes, Delon looked at her.

The Ryodoan shrugged. "She may be long gone from here, the Dragonstone in her possession."

Delon shook his head. "Oh, no. Not my Ferai. She wouldn't have done that. She wouldn't have stolen the stone and fled."

"I hate to admit it," said Egil, "but Aiko does have a point. Ferret always considered the Dragonstone a treasure, one to be sold to the highest bidder."

"How can you say that?" Delon's words gritted out through clenched teeth. "She has been loyal to the end."

"I'm sorry, Delon," replied Egil, "and if I'm wrong I apologize. But in Pendwyr, if you recall, they named her Queen of All Thieves."

"But she was innocent," protested Delon.

"Or so she said," declared Aiko.

"Mayhap she is injured below and cannot climb back up the way," suggested Arin, pointing toward the crevice at the back of the cavernous hollow in the mountainside.

Delon began gathering up his climbing gear. "I'm going down in."

"I'll go with you," said Burel.

Arin turned to Egil. "I know the way and will go as well, but thou, chier, thou shouldst remain and recover from thy trial."

"Hold," hissed Aiko, drawing her blades, "my tiger whispers of peril."

"Where?" asked Egil, grasping his dagger, his axe long lost 'neath the rushing waters of the abyss far below.

"Somewhere near and nearing," replied Aiko, stepping toward the rear of the ledge.

All now held weapons in hand and followed Aiko as she strode toward the entrance to the passage below, the silent hissing of her red tiger growing with each step.

And now from ahead they could hear a scraping, and the gasp of heavy breathing, and from the darkness of the cave there shone a glimmer of lanternlight and came a panting call: "Well, isn't anyone going to help me with this bedamned heavy thing?"

"Ferai!" shouted Delon, running forward, as she came dragging the silver chest out from the crevice. The bard swept her up in his embrace and kissed her soundly, as the others, grinning and laughing, stepped toward her, all but Aiko and Burel.

"The peril, my love!" said the big man, raising an eyebrow.

"Stronger than ever," replied Aiko, peering about in the long shadows of the setting sun.

"Perhaps it is the Dragonstone," he suggested.

Aiko took a prolonged breath and stared at the chest, then looked up at Burel uncertainly.

"Adon, but I'm glad to see you all," said Ferret. Then she turned to Arin and Egil. "Especially you two. I thought you both done for-slain by the Krakens."

"I take it there was no Kraken waiting for you," said Egil.

"No," replied Ferret. "It seems two were enough, or so Ordrune thought. But I was frightened, let me tell you, and almost couldn't bring myself to touch this charmed silver box. -And another thing: it was damned hard lugging that millstone up all alone… especially over the ice-I almost dropped it a dozen times. The farther I went the heavier it got, or so it seemed-it started out 'round seventy pounds but must scale a thousand by now."

"Nevertheless, love, you brought it after all," said Delon, casting Egil and Aiko a significant glance.

"Where's the Dragon?" asked Ferai, looking about.

"In the many arms of his two lovers, luv," replied Delon, gesturing toward the sea.

"Then let's see what's inside," said Ferret, her eyes glittering as she knelt beside the chest and took her lock-picks from her small belt pack. She turned to Arin. "Is it yet charmed?"

Arin looked at the chest, then said, "No. The glow is gone."

"Hmm, it probably went away when I opened the lock on the chain. And by the way, that latch was very tricksy-I had to lock it twice altogether just to get it open."

Ferret carefully examined the chest and the keyhole on its hasp. At last she inserted a pick, and a look of deep concentration fell on her features.

click!

She slid to one side and, using the pick, cautiously raised the hasp and waited. Satisfied, she edged the lid up an inch or so and again waited. Finally she opened it steadily until it lay all the way back.

Aiko gasped. "My tiger. The peril."

Again Burel said, "The Dragonstone?"

"Perhaps." Aiko looked about, sighting no one or nothing standing near, nought, that is, but enshadowed boulders and Alos beginning to stir and the open chest at hand.

Ferret looked inside, then drew out a leather bag. She set it down and untied the thong wound tightly 'round its neck. Then carefully, cautiously, she reached in and withdrew a large, egg-shaped, melon-sized, translucent, pale green stone, lustrous and faintly glowing with an inner light, and she held it up for all to see.

"Just as in my vision," breathed Arin, reaching out to take it. The Dylvana cradled the jadelike ovoid in two hands and looked at the others. "This, my friends, is the Dragonstone."

Through the bloodred sunlight hurtled a tumbling glitter, and glass shattered at their feet, and a yellow-green gas billowed upward, as from behind there came a sharp command-"Akousete me! Peisesthe moi! And move not!" Egil tried to turn but found he could not move, his body unable to respond.

"I thank you for recovering my prize," hissed a voice- followed by soft laughter.

And then stepping 'round Arin and taking the stone came stalking the Wizard Ordrune.