From: bilbo@bisco.kodak.com (Charles Tryon)
Subject: STORY: The Towers, part04
Summary: Into The Desert's Mouth
Keywords: STORY GreyEagle
Organization: Eastman Kodak Company; Rochester, NY
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 00:29:58 GMT


       Copyright 1992  Charles Tryon

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            T H E   T O W E R S

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4:  Into The Desert's Mouth

   By noon they had passed from the Stonelands into hilly terrain.  The
DesertsMouth Mountains loomed tall and forbidding to the north/northeast
of them.  To the west/ northwest Anauroch looked even less inviting.  It
had grown very warm and those in metal armor began to sweat profusely, and
even those not in any armor were uncomfortably warm.  During their lunch
break it continued to grow even hotter.  GreyEagle and Ormec started to
feel a little light headed and dizzy, and Conrad kept shifting his chain
mail shirt.  It quickly became apparent that they would not be able to
continue wearing their metal armor.  They'd have to either take it off, or
rest now and travel at night.  Such a possibility had not occurred to them
before and they took some time to discuss the best plan.  While daytime
travel would be preferred, it would continue to grow even hotter the
closer they got to Anauroch.
   "That's it!"  grumbled Ormec.  "I can't ride in this heat."  He got off
his horse and started to remove his field plate armor.  "This heat is only
going to get worse.  We have no choice but to travel at night."  When he
was done with this he started putting on his leather armor.  He stood with
his feet firmly planted on the ground and his heavy arms defiantly
crossed, refusing to mount his horse.
   The dark one had stopped his horse as Ormec began his tirade, and offered
no opinions one way or the other.
   Trouble gazed through his odd-looking eyepieces, scanning the desert and
the mountains for trouble.  "I have a lantern and oil, so night travel is
possible although not my favorite thing.  I am particularly eager to get a
sight of the Tower, although I doubt that is possible for days yet."
   GreyEagle wasn't sure what to do.  On the one hand, she didn't want to
risk traveling in only her leather armor, even if it had proved to be
unusually effective in the last battle, but she also didn't like the added
risk of traveling at night.  "My sword has been enchanted to give off a
brilliant light, brighter than a lantern.  This would give us some light
to travel by, but would also serve as a beacon to draw attention to our
presence for miles around.  It would be far better if we could journey
without additional lights.  When we left Arabel the moon was about a
quarter full headed towards a full moon so we should be able to see fairly
well at night as long as it stays clear."
   "Also, I suppose that we would probably go through less water traveling at
night and sleeping during the day.  If we were able to travel without
additional lights, we would probably attract less attention.  As we come
nearer to the Tower, this could be important, as such forces often had
far-reaching eyes."
   They knew that it would be cooler going further into the hills, more
towards the mountains they were sure but it would also be infinitely more
dangerous.  Most creatures would tend to stay clear of the hot desert
which is why Schimray had suggested they travel close to it.
   "Well, I have to admit that Ormec has a point here," said Conrad, "and my
feet are killing me.  I'd rather risk getting surprised by those goblins
by traveling at night than baked like a fat hen here in the day.  I don't
think the hills will protect us since we probably can't get over the
mountains and would have to come out eventually."  He got down from his
horse and began to set up a shade out of the camping equipment.
   GreyEagle shrugged.  It seemed that most wanted to travel at night.  She
still wanted to try to travel by star or moon light, to avoid using lights
which might make them easy targets.  She did have her sword with the
continual light spell, but was hesitant to use it, since it was not
directional, and tended to shine in her eyes as much as on the path in
front of them, which made her night blind, rather than allowing her eyes
to get accustomed to the darkness.
   Having said that, she too changed out of her metal armor into leather,
binding up her hair into a loose knot.  She hunted through her things to
find a scarf or cloth to drape over her head and neck, pouring a small
amount of water on it to cool her head in an attempt to calm down the
throbbing headache she had.  She wasn't real hungry.  In fact, the thought
of food turned her stomach at the moment.
   They had stopped in a small valley.  There they found a small stream, a
few trees, and some grasses for the horses.  GreyEagle watered the horses
at the stream and picketed them in the grassy area.  Conrad set up a tent
in the shade of a tree.  They remembered Sucaba flying away but had no way
of contacting him or even seeing him.
   GreyEagle moved a short distance away from the others to the stream to
bath the sweat from her face and eyes.  Once again she heard the call of a
raven.  Looking around she saw what appeared to be the same bird again
watching her from a short distance away.  She got up and again tried to
slowly creep towards it.  It let her approach a little closer, studying
her, and then took flight again as Ormec bellowed his complaints about the
heat.
   By this time GreyEagle was beginning to have definite feelings that this
was no ordinary raven.  Someone was watching them.  It suddenly dawned on
her that Schimray might have sent the raven, and that it might have had
some connection with the incident of the spear bouncing off her chest.
   As the raven flew off, GreyEagle made a mental note to try and speak to it
if she had a chance.  But then she stopped suddenly.  It could be someone
else following them.  A sudden chill went through her body.  If it was in
fact sent by Schimray, then that would be very comforting, but if someone
else was spying on them, then they could be in much deeper trouble than
they imagined!  "If it is from somewhere or someone else, then I could be
reveling who we were sent by, and perhaps what we were headed out to do,
even putting Schimray in danger!"  She thought about their conversations
around the fire, what kind of loose tongues they might have had, and who
might have heard.  Depending on how strong the powers were inside the
Towers, this might be a problem as they neared their destination.  She
thought about telling the others about it, warning them to think about
what they were saying in their idle talk, but she was so much younger than
all the rest, and didn't want to seem like she was being overly nervous.
   Now GreyEagle was not at all sure what she should do.  In any event, she
figured that she would try to keep a careful watch on the skies.  Even if
the raven was from Schimray, it pointed out the problem that others might
have eyes in the sky, following their movements.  Certainly this would be
true when they came to the Tower with the Dark Creature in it.  Schimray
had spoken of orcus' involvement with the demon and the Towers.  While the
Tower they were headed towards would likely not be as well guarded as the
one where the demon was, they were all connected in their power.
   Returning to the group, she found a small tree, and flopped down in its
shade, facing away from the desert and shutting her eyes to try and block
out the brilliant glare.
   After a while Sucaba returned to see why they aren't following.  From
somewhere very close to the sounds and smells of Horton, Sucaba voice
emerged shortly after hearing of the party's heat related problems.
   "Fine, we shall travel at night.  Horton can see well at night as well as
day.  We shall continue to scout.  We must fill all our flasks and skins
with water here, sightings of water grow scarce.  I also grow tired of dry
rations.  I will bring back some game as the opportunity arises while
scouting."
   They settled down in the shade of the trees to wait out the heat of the
afternoon.  They figured they could probably head out before dark.  The
heat of the day coupled with the strain of several days riding was making
them drowsy and lethargic.  Deciding that setting watches was a good idea,
they did so, and the others not on watch quickly fell asleep.


   Sucaba woke them about six hours later.  He requested that someone bring
food for himself and Horton over to him.  "Lay it down," he said when
someone brings the food.  The food was then split into a large portion and
a small portion.  The large portion was ravaged quickly, while the small
portion was eaten slowly.
   By the time they had eaten dinner and broken camp it was cool enough to
travel.  They all felt quite refreshed by their naps and were eager to
continue along the trail.  Sucaba again took to the air to scout ahead.
   This night passed uneventfully with no more than the occasional howl of a
wolf or cry of a bird.  As dawn broke over the eastern hills Sucaba
swooped down and shouted directions to a small valley just to the east
which seemed to be deserted and had water.  They were grateful for the
water.  They had noticed that the further towards the desert they went,
the fewer streams they found.  It was certainly helpful to have the
abilities of the dragon at this time.  They quickly set up camp, each
doing his share quickly and efficiently by this time.  They again found a
few trees to place their tents or other shades under.  The heat of the day
slowly passed into evening with no more noise than the scratching of small
animals, and the buzzing of insects.
   While preparing the evening meal in preparation for getting under way
again, they heard a loud splashing noise from around a bend in the
stream.  Sucaba and Horton flew that way to investigate and returned
reporting that mama bear and her two cubs were busy fishing and playing in
the stream some 80 yards downstream from them.  They weren't headed in
their direction at this moment.
   Conrad, unimpressed with the bears, relaxed in the encampment.  He did
however, make a point of setting his crossbow nearby.  "As long as those
critters stay over there its fine with me."
   GreyEagle went over to check on the horses.  She didn't figure that there
was any reason to bother the bears as long as they didn't come any
closer.  However, the horses could become upset if they did wander closer,
and would need to be controlled.  GreyEagle also commented that the bears
might be attracted to the food, especially if they were hungry.  She made
a point of bringing her shortbow along with her as a precaution.
   As long as she was there, GreyEagle went from one horse to the next,
speaking softly to them, rubbing their noses and scratching their ears.
She tried to detect if they sensed anything in the air.
   "No sense inviting disaster," said Ormec, noticeable nervous about camping
so close to the bears.  "These bears'll come for our food sooner or
later.  So, we ought to change the campsite to another location."
   "Let us finish our meal and be on our way," said Sucaba, agreeing with
Ormec.  "The bears are of no concern of ours."  Trouble seemed a bit bored
with the lack of action, but he wasn't about to pick a fight with bears.
So, they quickly broke camp, packed up the horses, and moved out, headed
away from the bears.  Sucaba and Horton took to the air.
   As the trail became rougher and more difficult to travel, those on
horseback began to envy Sucaba and Horton and their ease of travel.
GreyEagle began to be concerned for the horses, lest one of them might
slip in the dark.  Still, as the night slowly passed, they wound their way
up higher and higher into the mountains.
   GreyEagle thought she could smell a storm brewing.  The winds had started
to shift, and she could tell that it was not just due just to the change
in terrain.  Periodically she would stop to get a feel for it.
   As dawn broke over the horizon they could see the hills behind and below,
while in front, the mountains climbed even higher.  To the west Anauroch
glimmered in the pale light.  It was cooler up here, but slower to
travel.  GreyEagle thought that perhaps if they stayed to the heights they
could even travel by day again, at least until they got out of the
foothills.
   They finally stopped, making camp in the shelter of some large boulders.
With the coming of dawn, the light had an unnatural tint to it.  GreyEagle
tested the wind and looked worriedly at the sky to the southwest.  "A
storm is coming," she said.  "It will be here by afternoon I think."  As
the sky continued to lighten it seemed a weird color and black clouds were
barely visible to the southwest.  Looking around they realized that the
boulders will not provide much protection from a storm.  Sucaba
volunteered to find a better spot and took off on Horton.  They stood
around for the better part of an hour waiting for them to return.
   They heard the whoosh of dragon wings announcing their return and then
Sucaba's voice as he shouted directions to a cave he had found that is big
enough for both man and beast.  GreyEagle welcomed the prospect of a dry
rest.
   Following his directions they found the cave entrance.  Sucaba told them
that he and Horton had already taken a look inside and nobody was home.
They found a large cave, about 60 feet in diameter and 20 feet high, with
a smaller cave to the back of it, about 20 feet in diameter by 10 feet
high.  They were connected by a four foot long by 5 foot high tunnel.
   Upon entering, GreyEagle pulled out and lit her lantern, which glowed
warmly in the darkness of the cave.  She made sure that the horses were
settled and tied, looking outside every so often at the gathering storm,
trying to judge how severe it would be.  Leaving the animals and extra
provisions in the outer cave, they chose the inner cave as a place to
rest.
   Having left his dragon to rest in the large area, Sucaba was now visible.
GreyEagle tried to talk to him again about their route, asking him if he
had gone far enough ahead to spot the tower yet.
   "I have not spotted the tower yet.", he told her.
   She wasn't sure what to think.  On the one hand, she wanted to be there,
to get the job over with.  On the other hand, she was still afraid, and
fought the urge to bolt.  "I wonder how far we still have to go," she
thought as they unpacked their things for the meal.
   During the meal, GreyEagle casually mentioned that she had a couple of
magical items which she couldn't use.  She wondered if anyone in the group
had any other items which they would like to trade, to the benefit of both
parties.
   Trouble, clearly interested, jumped at the opportunity.  "I don't suppose
you could describe these magic items?"  Sucaba began to fidget nervously,
also greatly interested in the magic items, but not saying anything yet.
   GreyEagle described them.  One was a wand of illumination containing
spells of dancing lights, continual light, light and sunburst.  There was
also a magic scroll with animate dead, clairvoyance and wizard eye spells,
and a magically trapped lock and key.  Sucaba's eyes glowed with desire as
GreyEagle described her possessions.
   Trouble's eyes also shone for a brief moment before he masked it.  "I have
just the thing for you, GreyEagle!  They are called `Eyes of the Eagle',
and they give you the vision of one of your beloved eagles.  You can see
at 2000 feet what others can see at 20 feet.  I am willing to trade them
to you for the three items which you described.  That's two temporary
items, one of which you can't use, plus one icky poisonous item which you
probably don't want anyway, in exchange for one permanent item which you
can use.  It's a good deal!"  Trouble smiled sincerely.  At first Sucaba
scowled angrily at Trouble, but this faded and he sat back thinking.
   GreyEagle, immediately interested, asked, "Are these the curious eye
pieces that I have seen you often looking through?"
   "Yes.  They are special crystal lenses that fit over the wearer's eyes."
Seeking to convince her, he continued earnestly.  "Don't you think that we
would be a more effective party if I was able to use the wand to blind
creatures from a distance?  Isn't this trade the best thing to do for the
party?"  he asked seriously.
   "How would you be able to do this in a way that I could not?"  asked
GreyEagle, somewhat puzzled.
   "That was not my point.  This is: now, you can fight and I can do nothing,
or you can blind creatures and I can do nothing.  After the trade, you can
fight and I can blind creatures.  This makes for a more effective party."
   "I will think about it a bit."  GreyEagle got up from the fire and walked
around a bit.  Sucaba got up quickly, following her.  When they were a
little ways from the others, he spoke quietly to her.
   "Surely the `Eyes of the Eagle' are worthy," he whispered to her, his eyes
glowing.  "But do not be fooled into thinking that they are worth all your
magic!  Surely this is not the case.  Trade Trouble the wand, he is right,
this would aid the party."  Sucaba looked about at the hapless group.
"Throw in the trapped lock if you must.  But deal with me for the Scroll.
I can give you two spell books for the one scroll.  My written magic is
limited.  With your scroll I would be able to help the party much more
than I can now.  Be smart, GreyEagle, and we all benefit.  Trade me the
scroll, and force Trouble to settle for the wand.  He is far less of a
mage than I, and cannot make use of the scroll as I can.  I may need this
magic to defeat the `dark one'."
   GreyEagle was thoughtful.  Which one did she trust less, she thought with
a frown?  Schimray had warned her about Trouble, and she had seen some of
what Sucaba was like.  The spells contained in the scroll seemed like they
could do much damage if in the hands of the wrong person.  Yet, they were
useless to her, and the Eyes would be of great use.  In addition, if
Trouble could be dangerous, then she would rather be on his good side than
have him angry at her.
   After thinking for a few moments, she returned to the fire and sat down.
She continued to negotiate with Trouble.  She thought that if she could
hold on to the scroll, then she could bargain with Sucaba.  She didn't
think it would work, but it was worth a try.
   "To be able to see as an eagle does -- now that would be useful!  Still,
exchanging three items of great magic, well, really two great ones, and
one curious one, for one item, even if it will last forever, doesn't that
seem a bit much?  Would you consider trading for the wand and lock?"
   Trouble snorted, "No.  For the wand and scroll, perhaps.         Even
though they are both items that will be used up, and the scroll spells are
too high-level for me to put in my spell book right now.  In fact, you
haven't mentioned how many charges the wand has, if you know.  It might
not last the rest of the day."  He was clearly not in the mood to haggle
that day.
   "Come," he continued, speaking with even more intensity, "think of the
last time that you used any of the three items.  Ever?  This is your
chance to put your items somewhere where they will be useful, and receive
something which you will use in return.  Unfortunately the Eyes are the
only thing that I have to offer, besides possibly teaching you some
language or skill if you have the aptitude."
   Thinking a moment, GreyEagle finally responded, "Ok.  I will trade the
three items for the Eyes.  I think it's fair enough.  I was considering
keeping the lock, but I would value more your offer of teaching me a
skill.  You never know.  An extra language could come in useful some
time."
   Trouble pulled out a small, carefully crafted pouch, the same one which
GreyEagle had seen him pull out a number of times before.  He dumped the
contents out into his hand.  She saw there two lenses, made of special
crystal, which fitted over the eyes of the wearer.  He warned her that
wearing only one of the pair would cause a her to become dizzy and, in
effect, stunned, for a short time.  Thereafter, a single one could be
used, but the other eye would always have to be covered to avoid this
sensation of vertigo.  GreyEagle took them, carefully returning them to
their pouch and tucking them in a safe place.
   GreyEagle in turn, went to her things and pulled out the three magic
items.  She looked at them for a moment, and then quickly handed them over
to Trouble.  "Well," she thought, "it's done now.  I hope I did the best
thing.  Time will tell I suppose."


   After the meal, Sucaba went around examining the interior of both caves.
GreyEagle watched him with great curiosity as he mixed talc and water in a
small bowl.  She almost jumped as he then placed small drops of this
liquid into his eyes.  He glanced about a bit, blinking, as if testing
something.
   "May I ask what you are doing?"  GreyEagle hesitantly asked him.  "Is this
another kind of magic to help you see better?"
   Having finished his incantation, Sucaba explained that he was using magic
to search for hidden things about the cave.  His eyes were still cloudy as
he explained this to her.
   He then wandered around the caves, from place to place sprinkling powdered
silver all about as he went.  GreyEagle looked at the powered silver he
was spreading around, being very careful not to disturb it.  She
shrugged.  She never had been able to understand those magic types.
   Wandering around on her own, GreyEagle came upon a hole behind a
stalagmite, and gave a shout for the others to come.  It was a small round
hole about 1 1/2' in diameter.
   "Excitable aren't we?"  Sucaba taunted her as the others gathered around.
She gave him a sour look in return, holding her tongue.
   "Hey Gnome!"  he continued, "How about climbing down this tunnel and
seeing what's up.  I can't see a damn thing in here without a light."
GreyEagle shoved the light she was carrying in his direction, thinking
that perhaps it would shut him up for a moment.  Sucaba, however, seemed
occupied with other things.
   "Yes, Conrad would be an ideal scout in this situation!"  added Trouble,
looking over Sucaba's shoulder.
   Ormec was also examining the tunnel entrance, trying to judge if it were
new or not.  "In my opinion," he sneered, "we have no business exploring
this tunnel.  I say we should pile as many rocks into the opening as it
takes to seal it off so that nothing sneaks up on us and be done with it."
   "Aw, let the gnome check it out Ormec," said Sucaba in a bothered tone of
voice.  "We've got nothing better to do while we are in here."  He was
eager to find out what the tunnel might contain.
   GreyEagle was not sure about going into the hole either.  It seemed like
the others wanted to, but she thought that she would rather sleep for a
while and get moving on.  It was still early morning, and they'd had a
long, hard night of travel, so she was pretty tired by now.  On the other
hand she thought, they might be stuck in the cave for a while, depending
on how long it took the storm to pass.
   The dark one, by the crude light provided by others, dug into his pack and
pulled out a lamp and filled it from a flask of oil.  Lighting it, he
walked back toward the hole, but not all the way to it.  He looked like he
almost expected something to jump out at them.  Sucaba went to inform
Horton of their plans to go in.
   With the others calling to him, Conrad finally came over from where he had
been working on something.  "Well first off, let me see how safe this cave
looks," he said, a bit put out.  He crossed the cave back and forth
tapping at seemingly random places, and examining the ceiling and floor.
"Seems fine from here.  I think though that we need to shed some light on
the subject before I'll climb anywhere."  He looked about for an available
lantern.  GreyEagle volunteered her lantern, figuring that she could use
the light from her sword easier than the lamp anyway, since they would
have to be on hands and knees in the tunnel.
   Trouble looked at Conrad with a smirk.  "Conrad, I thought you sub-, er,
nonhumans could see in the dark.  Why do you need a light?  Are you
afraid?"  Conrad didn't dignify the taunt with an answer, but he gave
Trouble a cool look.
   The tunnel was mostly horizontal, seeming to slope gently down.  Conrad
poked his head down the tunnel and could see that it ran further than his
line of vision.  It then curved to the right but he couldn't see where it
went.  It was evident that they would not fit through in metal armor.
"Well, it doesn't look very `natural' to me."  he muttered.  "I'll check
it out.  Just be quiet back here or I won't have any chance of hearing
what's on the other side of this.  Don't worry about me getting too eager,
I'll be back out the first sign of trouble."
   With that, he removed his chain mumbling something about "clanking like a
cavalier in his undergarments", paused outside the hole and motioning that
he would like to listen before entering.  He stood there listening for
what the others thought was forever, and finally, after assuring himself
that it was safe for now, started down the tunnel.
   Once he was into the tunnel those outside could hear a few scuffs as he
proceeded, occasionally pausing, cocking his head to listen, and then
moving on.  Sucaba scampered to gather something from a far corner of the
cave, trying to be quiet but still managing somehow to trip over every
stone in his way, and then returned to watch and wait.  Trouble, being
less trusting of others than normal, grabbed a lit lantern to bring along
just in case.  Kneeling down to look into the tunnel, he wondered out
loud, "Can anyone tell whether or not we will be moving towards the
tower?"
   Soon Conrad had traveled beyond her sight around the bend.  They could
hear a few grunts and scrapes then nothing.  Sucaba hovered poised over
GreyEagle's shoulder as she looked down the tunnel after Conrad.  They
waited for several minutes with only the drip of the stalagmites making
any sound.  Then suddenly there was a thud, followed by a cry of pain, and
then faintly, a cry of "Help!"
   Ormec was the first to dive in, followed quickly by GreyEagle, holding out
her sword for light.  Sucaba, Trouble, and then the dark one followed in
turn.  They headed through the tight space as quickly as they could.
Rounding the bend they came upon a sight more comical than critical.
   Conrad was surrounded by a horde of tiny creatures a little more than a
foot tall, pointing their tiny spears at him.  Occasionally one would
prick him and chitter angrily.  The crawl way had opened up a little and
to Conrad's left there was a gaping hole where he had apparently broken
through to the creatures living area.  They seemed quite upset with him,
but the angry chittering died down a little as they saw the rest of the
party towering over them.  The group of them fell back in confusion except
for one which bravely stepped forward, chittering at Ormec and then stood,
apparently waiting for a response.
   Seeing Conrad surrounded by the creatures, GreyEagle suppressed a giggle.
As she heard their chattering, she muttered, "I knew I should have paid
more attention to my brother when he told me to learn more languages."
   Ormec, sensing that they were not likely to immediately attack, smiled in
a friendly manner, and put his battle axe away.  Franticly trying to think
of a way to communicate, he reached into his pocket and pulled out about
ten coins.  He tried all the languages he knew, saying, "Sorry," in
Dwarfish, Common and Goblin, and offering the coins to the little
creatures.  Then he tried saying "Friend."  in the same three languages,
all the time watching for a glimmer of recognition.  The creature made no
indication of understanding the words, but he did seem to understand
Ormec's tone of voice.The leader tilted his head to the side for a moment
then put his spear down and carefully reached out for the coins.  He took
them from Ormec and then jumped back.  Ormec continued to smile in a
friendly manner.
   GreyEagle pushed her way into the open area with Conrad and Ormec.  She
too tried to speak to the creatures, trying Common and Elven.  "You
there.  What seems to be the problem?"  She kept her back by the entrance,
holding her brightly glowing sword high, trying to look intimidating, but
not like she is about to attack.  Suddenly the leader caught sight of her
and her bright sword.  He leaped back, grabbing his spear, and chittering
in a highly aggravated tone.
   Ormec turned his head, trying to not startle the tiny creature.  Very
annoyed, he quickly whispered to her, "What are you doing?! Can't you see
that I am trying to talk to them?  You're going to confuse them.  Just
wait a minute!"  He turned back to the tiny creature and smiled, trying to
look non-threatening.  GreyEagle quickly put her sword away.  Once she had
done this, the creature put his spear down again, approaching Ormec and
chittering at him in a friendly tone.
   Still looking for a way to make friends, Ormec started to pile some of the
rubble back onto the broken wall saying: "Fix, Fix."  in all the languages
he knew.  The creature became really excited about this jumping up and
down waving his hands.  The others put away their spears and helped Conrad
to his feet.  They seemed to be greatly interested in his gnomish armor,
poking into the pockets and such.
   Once Ormec had demonstrated his friendliness and willingness to help, the
creatures became very excited and invited the entire group into the large
cavern which opened out from the opening which Conrad had broken through.
   They followed the little creatures into the large cavern.  What probably
seemed very spacious to them was barely high enough to allow the taller
members of the group to stand erect.  It was, however, very large in
diameter, measuring over 100 feet from side to side.  Once they were
inside the creatures began to play some music and presented a "feast".
   Ormec tried for a while to introduce himself, pointing to himself and
saying "Ormec."  While the leader seemed to understand and reciprocate by
pointing to himself and speaking a word, it become apparent very quickly
that he couldn't make the proper sounds to say "Ormec" nor could Ormec
repeat his name.  But he seemed very happy with Ormec for trying and
quickly seated him in a place of honor.  Since their furniture was much
too small for the party, the little creatures seated them on the floor and
began to serve them from tables that were small enough to be used as
plates.
   GreyEagle was delighted to be invited in for a feast.  She had grown a bit
tired of travel rations, though the occasional game which Sucaba and
Horton had brought in were welcome breaks in the routine.  It sounded like
they were going to dance or at least celebrate, so GreyEagle gladly joined
in, even though she was significantly taller than the little creatures,
laughing and having a grand time.  It felt good to have the weight of
their task lifted from her mind for a short time.
   Conrad joined in on the party for a while, but was annoyed by the little
folks poking and prodding into his pockets.  He remained in good humor but
kept gently brushing aside, closing, and re-buttoning up pockets.  They
soon took the hint from him that he didn't want them poking into his
pockets and disappointedly gave up.  After a while he sat off and began
working with some material which he pulled out of his pack.  When they
suddenly understood his intentions, they quickly brought him some
unusually soft and pliable leather.  Taking very little time he made a
shirt for the leader who chittered in delight and promptly put it on and
danced around showing it off.  Conrad quickly found himself besieged with
requests as the tiny creatures hurried to bring him more of the fine soft
leather.  One also brought him a tiny crystal, offering it in exchange for
more shirts.  Conrad accepted the gift, and subsequently ended up working
for most of the rest of the evening producing the leather vests.
   Sucaba seemed a bit annoyed by the creatures' fascination with Conrad.
Going off a short distance from the crowd gathering around Conrad, he sat
down and took out a small chuck of soft wood and began to carve.
   This was clearly not Trouble's favorite kind of party, yet.  Then, a
mischievous look came into his eyes.  He couldn't resist the urge to play
with his new toys.  He walked over to one of the cooking fires at one side
of the chamber and lifted his wand.  Out of the fire, a small tongue of
flame jumped out and began to dance about.  A number of the little
creatures (they were everywhere) had gathered around Trouble as he was
doing this, and they chittered in delight and began to dance around it.
Once or twice it seemed to turn threateningly and chase them.  They would
scream in fear, run away and hide behind anything convenient, especially
one of the group.  When the fire creature returned to dancing they
hesitantly returned and joined in, quickly laughing again.  Sucaba looked
up briefly from his work to smirk at Trouble as he teased their hosts.
   After eating, Ormec got up and went to the hole in the wall through which
they had come.  He had figured out while they had been eating, after a
long string of hand waving and pantomime, frequently interspersed with
excited chitterings, that the leader wanted him to form the hole into an
archway.  He picked up one of the loose stones there, turning it over
carefully in his hands.  A transformation seemed take place as he felt the
stone, tugging at roots deep within.  Soon he was deeply engrossed in
working the rough hole into a stone archway.
   The food and drink were excellent, and the merrymaking continued for
hours.  As GreyEagle danced with the creatures, she began to look around
the chamber.  She could see two normal exits and more than a dozen tiny
ones exiting this main chamber.  The creatures came and went in a constant
swirl of motion and color.  There seemed to be no end to the supply of
food and drink and the creatures played music on an assortment of
instruments.  This seemed to be an all out party
   GreyEagle was having a wonderful time dancing with the creatures, but
after a while, even she began to wear out.  She was amazed thou see that
the creatures seemed to show no signs of slowing.  They continued to
stream in and out of the room, a never ending flow of color and noise.
She began to get dizzy from the constant motion.
   After a while, she became curious about the other entrances.  After
looking to see what the others were doing, she wandered over to one of
them and looked through.  She wandered in a short distance, looking
around.  She was immediately surrounded by a cloud of happy guides tugging
her this way and that.  She followed them all around as they insisted on
excitedly explained in great detail every nook and cranny of their
wonderful home.  Of course, she couldn't understand any of their talk (a
fact which never seemed to dawn on her chattering guides), but she could
follow some of their gestures and guess as what they were saying.  There
was nothing unusual about their dwelling.  It was clean and neat.  There
were plenty of little passageways, some of which were too small for her to
crawl through, no matter how much her little guides encouraged her.
   She had kept her shortsword with her, not wanting to let it out of her
sight, even though it had made things a bit difficult getting around.  The
little creatures had been afraid of it at first, but soon their curiosity
overcame their fear of it.  GreyEagle carefully pulled it out to show to
them.  As the light from it filled the room, the creatures fell back at
first.  Then, a few brave ones slowly came forward to look at it and touch
it.  They quickly offered her piles of the pretty stoned for it, but
GreyEagle sadly shook her head.  They were sad when she returned the sword
to its sheaf, but they quickly forgot as their enthusiasm to show her
around returned once again.
   She returned with them after about an hour and a half and was very glad to
sit down.
   In fact the creatures generally swarmed over everyone except the dark one
who stayed in the background.  They seemed a little in awe of him and
didn't get near him except to offer him food and drink.  He sat with his
back to the cavern wall, being careful not to cover any openings, and
watched the goings on of both the party members and the little people.  He
accepted both food and drink but waited for quite some time before
partaking of them.  He seemed somewhat annoyed at the more frivolous
members drinking and dancing the night away.
   Eating and drinking sparingly Sucaba too seemed somewhat put out until he
had finished his piece of wood.  With a satisfied smirk he passed it
around.  It turned out to be an amazing likeness of Conrad cowering from
the needles being jabbed at him by the creatures.  Immediately Sucaba was
surrounded by a dozen or so chittering creatures all holding out pieces of
wood to have their likeness carved.  Sucaba held up his hands and shook
his head no.  Although disappointed, the creatures slowly moved away but
kept one eye on him in case he should change his mind.
   The little creatures seemed to be easily excited by glittery, shinny
things which upon examination proved to be no more than a pretty stone or
a bit of colored glass.  These they freely traded amongst themselves for
other pretty stones and such.  The coins Ormec had given to the leader had
become a great prize to them.


   By the end of the evening Conrad had made a great many vests and
collected a great many pretty stones.  At some point during the party he
had obviously sat in something as his rear end was covered with some dark
liquid.  Sucaba and Trouble were obviously very amused by this and Ormec
gave a hearty laugh when he saw it.  After some time though, the two of
them retreated off into a corner together.  Some of the little creatures
followed them, curious as to what they were doing, but Trouble waved them
off, giving then a sour scowl, and causing them to scatter.  GreyEagle saw
them intently studying some sort of papers, but she was having too good of
a time to be bothered with wondering what they might be doing.
   Ormec, after eating and drinking unbelievable amounts and having
transformed the hole they had broken through into an archway, sat down
heavily.  His eyes began to close, his head to nod, and soon great snores
were rolling from his mouth.  GreyEagle tried to fight off sleep for a
while, not wanting to seem impolite, but soon the food and drink, combined
with the long night of travel and the steady hum of color and sound
overtook her, and her eyes closed in sleep.  She was shortly followed by
Conrad.  Eventually even the mages could no longer keep their eyes open.
They had traveled long and hard the night before, and had been ready to
sleep many hours ago when they had discovered the cave.  GreyEagle dreamed
of tiny creatures dancing around her, spinning faster and faster until they
faded into a blur.


= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
    Next:  The Tower


--
Chuck Tryon
    bilbo@bisco.kodak.com                                 B. Baggins
    << Kodak and I don't always share opinions. >>        At Your Service
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