Part 24 (2/2)
Otherwise, the refugees would be at a literal dead end.
Book II
Chapter 1.
Prince Grallen Returns. The Gates of Thorbardin.
Now what?
Led by Sturm under the magical influence of the enchanted helm, the companions wended their way up Cloudseeker, climbing along a steep defile that cut into the side of the moun-tain wall. The defile was one among many, and without the prince to guide them, they would have either never found it or would have chosen it by merest accident.
Tanis continued to mark the trail for the refugees, wondering more than once as he did so if he was wasting his time. He often looked back the way they had come, hoping to see some sign that they were safe, but the pa.s.s was often shrouded in fog or low hanging clouds, and he could see nothing.
The climb proved to be relatively easy. Whenever they came to a part of the defile that was steep and could have been hard to traverse, crude stairs carved into the rock wall provided safe pa.s.sage. Not even Raistlin found the going difficult. A night's rest had allowed him to recover his strength. He said that the pure, chill mountain air opened his lungs. He coughed less and was actually in a relatively good mood.
The sun was bright, the sky cloudless. They could see the desolate plains spread out beneath them and far off in the distance the ruined fortress, looking, as Caramon said, like a skull on a platter. They made good time, at least as far as Tanis was able to judge, considering he had no idea where they were going. He asked Sturm more than once to point out their destination, but the knight only shook his helmed head, refusing to answer, and continued to climb. Tanis looked to Flint, but the dwarf shrugged. He was obviously highly skeptical about all this.
”If there is a gate in the side of the mountain, I don't see it,” he huffed.
As they climbed higher, the air grew colder and thinner. The humans, the half-elf, and the kender began to feel dizzy. Their breathing grew labored.
”I hope we don't have much further to go,” Tanis said, catching up to Sturm. ”If we do, I'm afraid some of us aren't going to make it.”
He looked back at Raistlin, who had slumped down to the ground. So much for pure mountain air. Caramon leaned against a boulder. Ta.s.slehoff was wobbly on his feet. Even Flint was breathing hard, though he refused to admit anything was wrong.
Sturm raised his head and peered through the helm's eyeslits. ”Almost there.”
He pointed to a stone ledge about five feet wide jutting out from the side of the mountain. The defile ended here. Tanis looked back at Flint, and to his surprise, the old dwarf's eyes were bright, his face flushed. He stood smoothing his beard with his hand.
”I think this is it, lad,” he said softly. ”I think we're close!”
”Why? Do you see something?” Tanis asked.
”Just a feeling I have,” said Flint. ”It feels right to me.”
Tanis looked around. ”I feel nothing. I see nothing, no sign of any gate.”
”You won't,” Flint said proudly, ”not with those half-elf, half-human eyes of yours. Admit it, my friend. You would have never found the way.”
”I readily admit it,” said Tanis, adding with a smile, ”Would you?”
”I would have,” Flint insisted, ”if I'd been interested in finding it, which I wasn't up until now.”
Tanis's gaze scanned the vast gray expanse of rock before them. ”If we do find the gate, will the mountain dwarves let us in?”
”That's not what I'm asking myself,” Flint returned.
Tanis gave him a questioning glance.
”What I'm asking is if there are any dwarves beneath the mountain to say 'yeah' or 'nay' to the matter. Perhaps the reason the gate has remained shut for three hundred years is that there is no one left alive to open it.”
Sturm was already on the move, and Flint hiked after him. Tanis looked back at the others.
”We're coming,” said Caramon.
Raistlin nodded, and aided by his staff and his brother, he began to climb. Ta.s.slehoff trailed along after.
They left the defile and walked onto the rock ledge.
”Dwarves built this,” said Flint, stamping on the ledge. ”We're here, Half-Elven. We're here!”
The ledge was smooth and level. It had once been much wider, but parts of it had either fallen off or crumbled away over time. They had not gone far along the ledge, perhaps thirty feet, when Sturm came a halt and turned to face the rock wall. Flint eagerly scanned the stone. The dwarf's eyes grew moist. He gave a long, tremulous sigh. When he spoke, his voice was husky.
”We have found it, Tanis. The Gate to Thorbardin.”
”We have?” Tanis looked up and he looked down and saw nothing but smooth rock.
Sturm approached the wall, his hand outstretched.
”Watch this!” Flint said softly.
Raistlin elbowed Tanis out of his way in his eagerness to see what was about to happen. Ta.s.slehoff hurried to Sturm's side and stared expectantly at the blank wall.
”I would not stand there if I were you,” Sturm warned.
”I don't want to miss anything,” Tas protested.
Sturm shrugged and turned to face the mountain. Raising his hands, he cried out words in dwarven.
”I am Grallen, son of Duncan, King Beneath the Mountain. My spirit returns to the halls of my fathers. In the name of Reorx, I call upon the gate to open.”
At the mention of the G.o.d's name, Flint s.n.a.t.c.hed off his helm and held it close to his chest. He bowed his head.
A beam of light blazed from the ruby in the center of Sturm's helm. Red and bright as the flame of Reorx's fire, the light illuminated the side of the mountain.
The ground rumbled, knocking Tanis to his hands and knees. The mountain shook and trembled. Raistlin balanced himself with his staff. Caramon lost his footing and slid part way down the trail. An enormous gate some sixty feet in height and thirty feet wide appeared in the side of the mountain. A grinding, screeching sound came from somewhere inside.
”Get out of the way!” Flint roared. He seized hold of Ta.s.slehoff by the scuff of his neck and dragged him to one side.
Like a cork in an ale barrel, the gigantic block of stone burst out of the side of the mountain and went rumbling over the ledge right where the kender had been standing.
Now that the gate was open, they could see the enormous screw mechanism that was shoving the huge block of granite forward. The gate grated along the ledge and continued on, past the edge. The mechanism that operated the gate whined and groaned, pus.h.i.+ng the gate farther and farther until the heavy stone block hung out over the side of the mountain.
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