Chapter 5: A Bargain Made

Back to: "Chapter 4: Raven's Peak" 

A Bargain Made

Torin woke slowly. His head was pounding and each breath was painful. He was too warm, his clothing soaked in sweat. He also felt incredibly uncomfortable and strangely out of place.

With a cry, he startled fully awake, jerking upright. Gasping, he pressed his good arm against his ribs. Wide-eyed, he stared at the black dragon watching him.

"You must be a great warrior indeed to make it past Korundour."

"I -- I'm still . . alive?"

The dragon was amused. "What did you think I was going to do? Eat you?" It snorted, blasting Torin backwards with its hot, steamy breath.

Picking himself back up carefully, Torin eyed the dragon. This dragon wasn't the nasty, fire-breathing sort he'd heard of in tales. By all rights, he should be dead. Hero indeed. He stared at the dragon.

The dragon stared back.

The young elf shifted feet uneasily. "What do you want with me?"

The dragon countered with another question, "What do you want with my treasure?"

Torin paled. "Ah, well, you see, um . . . ." He sighed. "In truth, it was a dare, Dragon. I did not know you were here, else I swear I would not have come!"

"The others did!" snapped the dragon, its eye whirring angrily. "They foolishly broke the warding of my resting place AND STOLE WHAT IS MINE!"

Torin clasped his hands to his ears as the dragon's roar reverberated around the cavern.

"Sorry," apologized the dragon at once.

Torin's eyes stretched even wider as his mouth dropped open. "Sorry?" he stammered. "What for? You are angry. I should never have come."

The dragon regarded him quizzically. "Are you sorry now you ventured this far for a glimpse of Dragon Treasure?" The forked tongue darted forth, the dragon's expression darkening.

"Oh, no!" Torin assured it hastily, shaking his head vigorously. "I wouldn't give up this sight for anything!"

The dragon relaxed slightly, its breast swelling even more with pride. A slight scraping noise drew Torin's attention. For the first time, he dared glance away from the dragon's impressive mass. The cavern, he saw, was stuffed to bursting with golden treasure, but there was no gold where the dragon crouched, its sharp, five-foot-long claws digging into the rock. It looked as if the dragon had tried to either scratch or melt its way through. Torin looked back at the dragon.

From where it sat, its great, ebony shoulders pressed hard against the cavern's high ceiling, its head poking forward in what had to be a most uncomfortable position. The long tail was wrapped around three-fourths of the room and the wings twitched occasionally as if trying to spread.

"Are you -- are you stuck?" Torin blurted.

The dragon's eyes whirled angrily and it leaned toward him. "I am imprisoned," it spat. "Imprisoned here by your kind a millennia ago. Then, I was but a hatchling. See how they cared for me lest I wake? They mined these caves for me! Took the gold and fashioned all this bedding for the day when I grew strong enough they could then break the enchantment. BUT THEY FORGOT!" The dragon roared again, shaking the very walls and showering Torin with treasure. It glared at him.

"F -- forgot what?" he ventured.

The dragon gnashed its teeth, sending chills up and down Torin's spine. Its sharp claws gouged new scars in the cavern floor, and the tail thrashed, sending a shower of gold in Torin's direction. He ducked.

"They forgot to break the spell and wake me from my sleep," growled the dragon.

"Surely, one of your own kind --" Torin spoke the first thought in his head.

The dragon flicked its tail, slamming it against the wall, causing Torin to stumble as the gold shifted around him. "They know not, or the world above would be devastated of all life and you could not have come." The dragon lowered its head to stare directly at Torin. "You have come to free me."

"Uh --"

"You would refuse me?"

"N -- o! Of course not!" said Torin hastily. "But why me? I have no magic to help you escape, and, and no one will help me."

The dragon stared. "Why not?"

"I, I am not well liked."

"A warrior such as you? Why not?"

"Can you not see?" Torin burst. "I am half Drow!"

The dragon blinked its large eyes. "So?" it asked in puzzlement.

"The Drow did horrible things centuries ago. They ravaged the lands and the people and ruled with terror and pain. When they were driven away at last, there was no love for them remaining here."

"You are here."

"Yes, but, my father, he is different."

"I do not see a problem. You see I am still here, alive, but imprisoned. You will go to the surface and have them dig me out."

"But I can't do that!" protested Torin. "They would kill you!"

"KILL ME?" the dragon roared. It drew in a deep breath, but instead of emitting fire, it coughed as its sides pressed against the cavern walls, not allowing it the pressure needed to release the fire within. Instead, a cloud of noxious smoke spilled from the dragon’s nose and it moaned in agony.

Watching it, Torin was overcome with pity.

"I . . MUST . . Get . . OUT!" gasped the dragon, furiously clawing the floor. It pressed its back against the ceiling, flicking its tail back and forth and banging its head repeatedly in the process.

"Wait!" Torin shouted, ducking his head to protect himself from the rain of debris and treasure. "Stop! Calm down!"

The dragon's eyes spun madly, making Torin fear for its sanity, but at least it ceased throwing itself around.

"I'll help you!" Torin shouted, fighting to remain standing amidst the falling debris. "But I can't if you bury us both in here!"

"You must help me!"

Torin was astounded by the tone of the dragon's voice, gone from demanding to pleading. Well, almost. "Of course," he promised lightly, "but I'll need to find help. And you have to promise not to kill anyone."

"They have forgotten me," said the dragon sulkily.

"Without my help, you will die down here," Torin reminded him.

"How do I know you will keep your word?"

"How do I know you'll keep yours?"

"You dare to question the word of a dragon?"

"I don't know any dragons."

The dragon blinked down at Torin. "Very well, I will spare the lives of the surface dwellers."

"Everyone," Torin pressed. "You can't kill anyone if I set you free."

The dragon gnashed its teeth. "Very well," it agreed unhappily.

"All right then."

"This is my treasure."

Torin nodded. "No one will disturb you. I'll block the tunnel behind me."

"Then how will you get me free?"

"I will have to find a sorcerer, I suppose. There're miles of rock between us and the surface. I'll find a way."

"Hurry."

"How long can you stay down here like this?"

"Can you not see how thin and scrawny I have become? I hunger!"

"Yes, but how long? I may not be able to get back here right away."

"Weeks, maybe, or months."

"The truth, Dragon!"

"Years," the dragon hissed. "An eternity for me without food or water or space."

"I'll find a way, Dragon, I swear I will."

"I suppose I must heal you then," said the dragon grumpily, "else you will not get far. And there is a tunnel directly nearby. I can smell it."

"I'll just use my map," said Torin, dreading the thought of crawling through any more tunnels.

"There is Korundour."

Torin cursed. He'd forgotten. Get past the moster once, but twice?

"The tunnel," the dragon insisted, "the air is fresh."

Torin felt sick. "I suppose," he said numbly.


{c}"Chapter 6: On the Road"