Darkness and Light

Chapter 28

The Cloudmaster, freed of several hundred pounds Of useless weight, buoyed a bit off the ground.

Wingover had a fine time 'lifting' the big ship up with his hands. Roperig advised staking the hull to the ground, so

Wooden Stakes Were pounded into the turf and the flying

Ship was Secured.

"Besides stacks Of food and water, there isn't a Scrap Of anything left On board," Stutts reported. "Most Of the interi or partitions have been tjrn Out, too."

"What about the engine?" asked Sturm. "It must weigh as much as the rest Of the hull put together."

"It does," said Flash, not without pride.

"Then we must dump it."

"Not Our beautiful enginel There isn't another machine like it anywhere!"

Sturm could make no headway, so he went to where Kiti ara, cutwood, and sighter Were studying the matter Of dis solving the Obelisk's lead mortar.

"we'll need ladders to reach those higher courses," Kitiara

Was Saying.

"Scaffolding would be better," Sighter argued. "There's

Some Scrap lumber from the Ship."

"How will we get the vitriol up there?" asked Cutwood.

"Glass vials and beakers," Said Sighter. "That Stuff will eat through anything else."

Sturm cleared his throat loudly. Kitiara Said impatiently,

"Speak up, Sturm."

"The Ship is almost light enough to float, but Birdcall and

Flash Won't agree to discard the useless engine," he reported.

"So what? Take a hammer and knock it to pieces," She

Said. "That's the Way to get things done." cutwood and

Sighter looked at her in some surprise, and Sturm prudently refrained from commenting. Instead, he asked if they'd heard from Cupelix.

"Not a peep. He's being very stubborn."

Sturm went inside. The vast Open floor Was deserted. The ship, the gnomes, and their gear had all been removed. Only the three gaping holes for the Micones Were the same.

"Cupelix?" he called. "Cupelix, I know you can hear me.

Come down." His voice echoed through the empty Space.

"Kitiara is going ahead with this vitriol Scheme Of hers.

She'll bring this tower down about your ears, just to prove

She can do it." He felt the faint but distinct touch Of the dragon's mental voice.

L trust you, Brightblade. You tell the truth.

"A man's truthfulness is his duty to the Measure," Sturm replied.

I made a bargain with dear Kit: If she would advocate my cause to the gnomes, I would accompany her for two years upon our return to Krynn.

Sturm frowned. "For what purpose?"

I know not. But it was important enough that she was

Whilling to abandon you and your friends to reach Krynll.

"You must be jesting! Kitiara Wouldn't do that t"

I am very Serious, Brightblade. When she believed the ship ruined, she pressed me to take her away when I left.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Her ambition worries me. Every living thing has an aura; have you heard this? It is true. The aura reveals the spark Of life that animates the body without. Yours, for example, is a golden yellow, strong, radiant, and unvarying. But Kitiara's is fiery red and streaked with black. The black is growing in her.

Sturm Waved dismissively. "I don't know What you're talking about. Kit is strong-willed and impetuous, that's all."

You are wrong, my virtuous friend.

J" come down, dragon, and help us with your release.

That's all I have to Say." Sturm marched Out.

The gnomes had the lowest Stages Of a Scaffold lashed together. Sturm noted the brightening Sky. "Sunrise," he

Said. "Better come inside till after the tower discharges."

There was a rumble Overhead. The sun peeked Over the

Valley Wall, and the early rays hit the marble tower. The rumble deepened. The first crackles Of lightning were arcing from the Obelisk's peak. The Whole valley shook With the force. Another brief day began On Lunitari.

You don't have to Shake the tower so! I intend to join in.

The group broke into relieved laughter. "Gives us a lot Of credit, doesn't he?" Kitiara said. They Streamed back to the unfinished Scaffold.

Stutts explained, in great detail, the vitriol Plan to Cupe lix. The dragon was not sanguine about it. He was more interested in taking the top Off the tower, but there was not enough Wood to erect a Scaffold five hundred feet high.

"It's too bad you can't go down to the cavern," Said

Wingover. "You'd be Safe there."

"Who Says I can't?" the dragon answered.

"The holes in the floor aren't big enough to let you pass," the gnome Objected.

"Then we Shall make them bigger. Will this corrosive Of yours eat through marble?"

"Ah, we're not certain," said Stutts. "I wish I'd Studied alchemy more closelyl Then I could tell you."

"Why don't We try a more direct approach' Let's apply vitriol to the floor stones," Offered Cupelix.

The flying ship's erstwhile china milk pitcher was pressed into service as a vitriol vessel. They breached the keg head and dipped the pitcher in until it Was full.

"Careful!" said Stutts. Kitiara nodded, tight-lipped, as drops fell from the pitcher's lip and landed, sizzling, On the ground, leaving black, smoking scorch marks.

Kitiara walked very Slowly to the Obelisk, gnomes danc ing attendance On each Side, prattling On with useless but well-intended advice. Sturm hurried ahead to clear the way.

Cupelix had come all the way down to the floor to be as close as possible to the experiment. Holding the pitcher at aim's length, Kitiara dribbled a thin Stream Of vitriol On the rim Of One Of the Micones' holes. The corrosive hissed and

Sizzled villainously, and after a few minutes, the bubbling stopped.

"Whewf" said Kitiara. "This Stuff Stinksl"

Wingover tapped the doused area With a Slender mineral hammer. "The stone has definitely decayed," he announced,

"though not by much. It would take gallons and gallons Of

Oil Of vitriol to eat through this thick marble."

"We haven't got an endless Supply," Kitiara reminded him.

"Fifty gallons; that's as much as we have."

'Then it's picks and mattocks," Said Sturm. "Hand work. I knew it would come down to sweat and blisters eventually."

The gnomes returned Outside to work On extending the scaffolding around three sides Of the Obelisk. Kitiara and

Sturm found the heaviest digging tools the gnomes had and

Set to work. It was hard going. The floor Was tough, and the tools were Small. What amounted to a full-sized pick for a gnome was little bigger than a hand adze to a human.

It was hot inside the tower, as they chipped away at the marble. Kitiara Stripped Off her cloak and mail Shirt and worked in her light blouse. Sturm set aside his armor and quilted tunic, too. Cupelix did What he could to make their labor easier. He fanned them with his broad wings and flushed the chips and dust Out Of their way. He told clever stories that he'd garnered from his reading.

Sturm discovered that Cupelix was a devotee Of the elven bard, Quivalen Soth. The dragon knew the "Song Of Huma" by heart. Even more interesting Was a lost cycle Of songs by

Quivalen about Huma and the Silver Dragon. Kitiara had not heard the tale Of Huma's love for the Silver Dragon, and was fascinated.

"A true tragedy," said Cupelix, fanning a breeze Over them. "That a dragon should descend from its noble natural form to that Of a mortal. Tsk, tsk."

Sturm traded his small pick for an equally small sledge hammer. It hit the floor with a crack that stung his hands.

"You think dragons are better than people?" he asked.

'Without a doubt. Dragons are bigger, Stronger, have more abilities and powers, live longer, do more, and have unequaled mental qualities," Said Cupelix. "What can humans do that dragons can't?"

"Walk Out Of here," said Kitiara, leaning On her pick. The fanning Wings missed a beat, then started up again.

"Too bad you can't change into a man, even briefly,"

Sturm said. "Then all this digging would be unnecessary."

"Alas, shape-Shifting has never been a talent known among brass dragons. There are texts On the matter, that Of the elf wizard Dromondothalas being the most famous. But my library is completely lacking in Such books."

Kitiara kicked a Wide Wedge Of stone loose. It slipped through the hole. Seconds later, a distant thud revealed that it had landed in the cavern below. She Said, "Where did your books come from?"

"What books I have I had from the beginning. The maker

Of the Obelisk provided them, I believe, So that the Keeper Of the New Lives Would have some knowledge Of the Wider worlds beyond Lunitari. There are tomes Of history, geogra phy, letters, medicine, alchemy — "

"And magic," said Sturm, bringing the hammer down.

"Half the Scrolls are related to magic," agreed Cupelix.

In two hours' Work, the humans Succeeded in widening the hole by several inches all around. Cupelix expressed sat isfaction with their progress, but Kitiara Was disgusted.

"At this rate, well be too Old to lift the tools by the time

We cut a hole big enough for you," She said to the dragon.

"I think We're going about this the hard way," Sturm Said.

His alms and back ached, and his head pounded from the

Strain Of working So hard in the thin air. "I remember the masons at the castle cleaving Stones as thick as this floor

With One Or two blows. Let me have Some cool Water, and

I'll think about it a while." He took the water bottle from

Kitiara and Slumped by the near wall.

Kitiara went Out. To her unconcealed surprise, the gnomes had already wrapped their rickety platform around three sides Of the Obelisk to a height Of Six feet. Boards, posts, tool handles and beams were pegged and lashed together Wherever space allowed.

"How goes it?" she said, turning away and almost bowl ing Over Stutts.

"We're ratcheting right along," he Said. "Are you making any progress On the floor?"

"Very little, I'm afraid." She fingered her left biceps. "All this extra muscle power is going to Waste. If I swing too hard, 111 Only break the tool."

"I see." Stutts squinted at the midday sun. "Only two and a half hours Of light left. Let's have a look at your progress."

They entered and found Sturm kneeling On the floor, star ing at the water pitcher. He looked from it to One Of the areas where they'd Scarred away the polished Surface. Then he Stared Once more at the Water pitcher. Cupelix had hopped back up to his perch.

"What are you doing?" Kitiara asked Sturm.

"I remember how they did it," Sturm replied. "The masons at castle Brightblade used to quarry Out enormous blocks Of granite with just four men."

"How did they do it?" asked Stutts.

"They bored holes along the block they wanted to free and drove in thick Wooden pegs. Then they Soaked the Pegs in water. The Swelling wood cracked the stone."

Stutts looked at Sturm and blinked. "That's ingenious."

Kitiara Said, "But can We bore holes in the marble?"

"We have some steel augers," Said the gnome. "With your strength and the right approach — yes, easily!"

Stutts ran back to the pile Of goods discarded from the fly ing ship and returned with a large brace and bit. He explained quickly how, when boring Stone, it Was impor tant to keep the bit cool and lubricated. Sturm would trickle water around the bit while Kit turned the brace.

They tried it, and bored through the twenty-inch-thick floor in thirty minutes. Flushed with success, they bored more holes, connecting the first Micone hole with the Sec ond, about twelve feet away. Using this line as the base Of a triangle, Sturm and Kitiara angled Out into the main floor

Space. They were well into the triangle's Second arm, When the sun Went down and the gnomes came Streaming in. Flash announced that the scaffold was done.

"Then find a bit and join in," Kitiara said. "More Water,

Sturm! The handle feels hot!"

It was well past midnight when they finished, thirty-Six holes in all. Cupelix worked up an especially bracing repast with thick soup and lots Of bread. They had mined four bits, and Kitiara's hands were blistered.

Rainspot Offered her Some soothing Salve, but She declined. "Let's get On With it," She Said. "Get the pegs."

The gnomes did the peg work. They cut lengths from the remaining Scrap Wood, and Sturm banged these home with the sledge. Everyone cleared Out Of the triangle area formed by the bored holes. Kitiara filled a canvas bucket With Water and handed it to Sturm.

"Your honor," she Said. "Your idea."

He took the handle. "This is for the good yeoman Of Cas tle Brightblade," he answered, dousing each peg in turn, refilling the bucket, and dousing them all again.

Nothing happened.

"Well?" Said Kitiara, bracing One hand On her hip.

"It takes a while," said Sturm. "The pegs have to swell.

We'd better have some more water."

Sturm poured water On the pegs three more times. The tops Of the pegs clearly Swelled above the level Of the floor, but little else appeared to happen.

"wonderful," Kitiara said Sarcastically. She loped Out,

Snorting With ill-concealed contempt. One by One, the gnomes gave up, and went Outside. Sturm Shook his head.

"It Worked for my father's masons," he Said.

"Masonry is an arcane art," Cupelix said. "Its secrets are not easily adapted by the untrained."

Then the floor went crack.

Near the hole that Sturm and Kitiara had So laboriously enlarged, a hairline crack reached from the first peg, across the marble, to the peg On the Other Side Of the hole. Sturm laid the sledge On his shoulder and hurried to the scene. He

Was about to smite the Splitting Stone, When he heard another crack, and a fissure slowly zigzagged from the tri angle's far point to its base; Sturm raised the hammer.

"No, wait," Said the fascinated dragon.

The line between the Micone holes jumped apart, and

Sturm started backward. A section Of stone, larger than any they'd released by hand, broke free and plunged into the cavern below. That Opened the floodgates, and the entire triangle collapsed into the cavern with a rush. The Obelisk rang with the concussion as a ton Of marble hit the resonant floor a hundred feet down.

Kitiara burst in, the gnomes at her heels. "Great suffering gods! What was that?" She cried.

Sturm dusted his hands and pointed dramatically to the gaping hole in the floor. "The way is clear for Cupelix to descend!" he Said.

The gnomes were all for going On and bringing the Obelisk down that very night, but Sturm and Kitiara were both exhausted and begged Off. Cupelix supported them, saying that he had many items he Wished to Save from destruction before the tower Was demolished. He flew up to his private aerie and left the mortals to take their ease.

The gnomes quieted after the initial rush Of Success wore

Off. They burrowed into the Cloudmaster's jetsam and

Slept, their tinny Snores Sounding like an Operatic war between bullfrogs and crickets. Sturm Stretched Out On a blanket surrounded by Stacked crates. The Sky Was bril liantly clear as usual, and he counted Stars to make himself drowsy.

Kitiara sauntered around the crates. "Asleep?" she asked.

"Huh? No, not yet."

She slipped down opposite him, her back braced by a box.,"This may be our last night On Lunitari."

"Sounds good to me."

"You know, I've been trying to figure out how, long We've been here. In local terms, We've seen about forty-four days and forty-five nights. How long does that make it back home?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Suppose We get back to Krynn and find that years have passed?"

He almost laughed at the idea, but stopped himself.

Sturm couldn't prove that years hadn't elapsed while they were On the red moon.

"There are so many Old tales about humans who Went Off to elf realms and returned in What they thought were a few months to find their children grown and their friends dead

Of Old age," Kitiara said. Sturm thought She was just musing

Over possibilities, but then he realized that she Was seriously concerned.

"What are you afraid of, Kit?" he asked gently.

"The five-year reunion. It's important that I not miss it."

"And Tanis?"

"Yes."

"Do you intend to go back to him?"

Kitiara shifted uncomfortably. "No, that's not it. We didn't part on the best of terms, and I want to patch things up, before — " She started to say Something but stopped.

"Before what?" Sturm prompted.

"Before I begin my travels with Cupelix."

So, she was Owning up to it. "Are you giving up trying to find your father and his people?"

"My father always said his family had disowned him and his forever," she said. "Much as I'd love to ride up to their front door and spit in their faces, partnership With a dragon promises to be more exciting." She Shrugged. "I say, to the

Abyss with the Uth Matars."

The quiet interval grew long, and Sturm felt his eyelids droop With Sleep. He was about to nod Off When Kitiara said, "Sturm, if you see Tanis before I do, will you tell him

I'm sorry, and that he Was right?" Sturm was too much Of a gentleman to inquire What she had to be sorry about. He promised upon his honor as a Brightblade to bear her mes sage back to Tanis Half-Elven.