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Dusk and Lex looked around frantically, spotting a great stone door only a few feet away that stood ajar. They glanced at one another for a moment, nodded, and grabbed their items quietly before they snuck into the room. Together they took the large rusty handle and pulled the door closed gently, clicking the latch into place. They listened intently, their ears pressed against the other side. The seconds dragged by until a faint noise was just audible, and growing closer. They could hear the creatures squabbling amongst themselves in some sort of guttural language. Their feet padded on the cold pathway, with what sounded like toenails clicking against the rock. Dusk could hear metal scraping across the floor, surely a weapon being dragged.
They seemed to stop near the door briefly, sniffing about loudly. One approached the door and the two men held their breath. But after a moment, another called from further off and they heard the creature scamper away. Lex pulled the Lumorium out from under his cloak and held it aloft to the room. After a moment more of listening, Dusk turned to Lex who was staring across to the other side of the room.
“We should stay here for a bit,“ Dusk whispered. “I think they can smell us.”
Lex was ignoring him, still staring across the large chamber. Dusk followed his line of sight and found many stone columns carved beautifully into the rough shape of dragons, each holding a long rusted sconce in their claws. Beyond them was a massive wall bereft of any doors or decor. Instead, its entire span was coated in millions of tiny pieces of pottery of every color imaginable. Together they created a massive mosaic. From this distance only the larger shapes could be seen, and most notably among them, a white dragon.
Lex rushed forward, his boots clacking against the stone. Dusk followed behind, holding his Lumorium above to help illuminate the wall. Shapes of men and creatures alike were made up of pieces no larger than a fingernail. Each piece was pressed flush with the wall so that the entire thing felt like one smooth surface as he ran his fingers across it. Dusk saw shapes of kings with small crowns on their heads, peasants, farm animals, and especially the large white dragon that loomed over them all. He wondered if the scenes meant anything. At one end the city was no more than a village, but as the wall went on it grew and became a great metropolis and at its center was a giant white diamond shape with rays of light extending from it.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Lex whispered.
“Why not? You told me the story of how the dragon destroyed this place.”
“But look,” he said, pointing to the first scene. “Here. Alamond is only a tiny village and the dragon is there with them, although he’s very small. And there he is again, and again.”
As Lex pointed them out Dusk noticed that the white dragon was present in every scene, although growing in size as they continued.
“And here,” he said rushing a few feet down, “he’s communing with the kings, as if he is some sort of advisor.”
The scene showed the three kings in their thrones with the white dragon behind them all, his head and tail wrapped around the sides and leaning into the center of their discussion.
“Here the kings are arguing and here it shows the third king being cast out,” Lex said as he ran to the other end of the wall. “But that’s where it ends. And this,” he said, coming back to the center and gesturing at the giant white diamond, “I don’t know what this is.”
Dusk stared up at it. The large white dragon was placed behind the crystal. He noticed that the left eye seemed to be not made of pottery, but some sort of gemstone that sparkled in the dim light of the orange glowing ore. Dusk felt his pulse quicken at the sight and wondered if this was the same dragon he saw in the cave. Especially since he had a crystal from its eye socket stuffed in his boot.
“Why would the city of Alamond house a dragon? Everything in the history books says they were ruthless monsters that killed and ate men for sport. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this mural is the history of the city before it fell... but why would there be a dragon? And seemingly one that held counsel with the three kings. Is it some kind of metaphor?”
Dusk stayed silent, still thinking about the gem in his boot and wondering if he should tell Lex. He wondered what good it would do. It might be the only thing that bought him a good life once he was beyond the borders of Ditania. No, he decided he wanted to keep it to himself. Even if it used to belong to this dragon that helped rule a great city, if there was any truth to that, it didn’t make any difference now. Now it was just a rock that could be sold like any other common gemstone. And that was worth everything to Dusk.
“Maybe it’s just art?” Lex queried to himself out loud. “Still strange though. I wish I had paper with me to sketch it down.”
“Does it show a way out?”
“It’s the history of Alamond, not a map,” Lex scoffed.
“Then leave it. We need to get out before we get killed.”
Not wanting to go back to the main cavern and risk being caught, Dusk glanced around for another way until he spotted an average sized door on the right hand wall. It was wooden and had collapsed under its own weight long ago. All that was left was rusted iron hardware and moist sludge. Stepping over it carefully he called Lex to follow. He watched Lex hold a moment longer, drinking in the mural, before turning away to the small passageway after his companion. To Dusk’s surprise, the passage was short and led directly to an expertly carved stone staircase that spiraled upward.
When they finally reached the top of the long flight of stairs a few minutes later, they were panting after the steep steps. At the end of another short passageway they found themselves in another room almost identical to the one they had come from, but much more plain in decor. It also had a stone door leading to the main cavern as well. With no other way out, they both placed a hand on the iron ring and pulled it open. It was wedged tighter into the frame, but after bracing themselves against the stone floor, it budged far enough that they could just slip through.
The cavern was filled with nothing but the sounds of dripping water and faint birdsong above. They knew they had to be close to the surface. The area was covered in thick tangles of ivy as it grew down from above into the open space. Here and there a bird caught a beam of sunlight on its wings, flashing in the distance. Looking out across the open expanse they could see only two more upper pathway loops ending in a large arch that stood wide open. The path didn’t go all the way to the surface, but they assumed it was a short distance through the doorway itself.
“Let’s get out of here,” Dusk sighed.
Lex nodded and they started up the path. It took more than ten minutes, but when they finally reached the door all seemed quiet still. They made their way through, keeping silent as possible and taking one last look at the paths below to make sure they weren’t being followed. Just beyond the entrance, the stench had grown to such a strength that even Dusk was having a hard time not coughing. Lex had wrapped anything he could find around his face and still his skin looked a bit green as he gagged.
The passageway was wide, but they were forced to the center by piles of debris lining the walls. There were broken crates, barrels, and bones. There was refuse everywhere with slick sludge coating most of the beautifully carved stonework. There was a steady stream of foul smelling water running along the edge and Dusk tried not to think about what it could be made of. As they crept quietly down the tunnel, catching themselves on broken things when they slipped, they noticed a bright flickering glow from up ahead. Dusk noticed the air was growing steadily warmer and fresher. That, or his senses were already growing numb from the stench.
Within moments they came upon the mouth of the passage and stepped out to see another wide open space. It was smaller than the pit’s expanse, with high vaulted ceilings carved from the stone. On one side of the chamber there was a small rise and at the top stood an open door with sunlight pouring through. Between them and the door was a small city built entirely of rotting wood covered in damp, moldy hides. The huts were rough and built of soggy logs leaned against one another with a small door-like opening on one side. Some were larger than others, but all seemed to have the same basic design. In the center of the city sat a massive stone platform with a tall dragon statue in the center. It seemed to be made entirely of white marble and was very similar to the ones they had seen, but this one had his wings unfurled as he stood on his hind legs. At his feet sat a large metal bowl that was tinged green on the edges and stained black in the center.
Over a hundred goblins strode about the village. Some sat at large bonfires, others carried baskets or trays on their heads towards the statue. There were piles of food supplies placed in a large ring around the figure, although Dusk had no idea what they were for. As he studied the goblins nearby he realized he had never seen such an ugly looking creature. Their limbs were skinny and muscled, attached to bloated and lumpy naked bodies. On top of their shoulders sat a wide head with large bulbous eyes and almost no neck. Their ears came to sharp points and stuck out to the sides, flopping at the tips as they walked.
A nearby goblin swiveled his ear around in their direction suddenly and they both ducked behind a stack of broken crates. They heard a soft grunt mixed with some sort of rasping cough. The unmistakable sound of toenails clacking against the stone began to draw closer. As it came near they could hear the creature grunting in a curious fashion. Backing around the opposite edge of the pile, they watched as the goblin walked around, sniffing about where they had just been. It glanced about, nose high in the air, looking for the source of the smell as it turned its back to them. Dusk saw Lex pull his sword up and before he could say anything, Lex sprang forward, driving it into the base of the creature’s neck. There was a soft gurgle as blood filled the goblin’s lungs and it slumped to the ground dead.
Lex pulled his blade out gently and dragged the creature off to the side into what looked like an abandoned half built hut. The blood on the stones mixed in with the sludge and was almost unrecognizable, but Dusk was sure the creatures would smell it eventually.
“We need to get to that door,” Lex whispered. “That looks like the only way out. If we sneak along the wall,” he pointed out a path between the huts and the carved stone, “we should be able to make it close without being seen. After that it’s up to luck.”
“I don’t like th—”
Dusk was cut off by a thunderous boom. Both of their heads snapped up over the debris, searching for the source. Figures moved at the entrance, blocking out the sunlight. Dusk could hear the goblins grunting in excitement as they began to come to their feet, hopping in place. Over the din he could just make out a man’s voice and saw one of the figures coming down the pathway was larger and hunched in pain. As he came closer Dusk noticed there were ropes about his neck like a leash and his hands were bound. The goblins pulling him forward yanked on him mercilessly, causing the thin man to stumble many times. As they came closer the man’s voice rose above the others.
“Please! I can show you where they are!” the familiar voice cawed. “They’re in here! They could kill you in the night! Steal your goods! Burn your homes!”
Dusk recognized Torbin from the bandit gang as he came forward. Either the goblins didn’t care about what he said, or they couldn’t understand him.
“I trailed them for days! I know right where they are! Their eyes would be so juicy! Their teeth would make such pretty jewelry! I’ll help you find them if you let me go!”
Torbin continued to beg, but the creatures showed no sign of slowing.
“I wish I could kill him myself,” Lex hissed through his teeth, gripping the sword so hard his knuckles turned white. “The things he wanted to do to me... disgusting.”
“Should we help him?” Dusk asked out of pity, although he knew the answer.
“Help him?” Lex whirled around looking Dusk in the eye. “He wants to help them find us and torture us. No, we aren’t going to help him. But we are going to use him.”
Dusk cocked his head to the side.
“He’s the distraction while we sneak out.”
Dusk heard Lex chuckle under his breath mercilessly as he turned back to watch the scene unfold. The goblins dragged Torbin forward roughly, forcing him up on the stone platform. Dusk looked on as two of them kicked his knees out from under him, causing him to fall onto the hard stone slab. The other goblins were becoming downright rowdy as they screeched, drowning Torbin’s voice in the noise. Their cries echoed around the cavern, creating such a cacophony of sound that Dusk longed to stuff his fingers in his ears. At last another goblin stepped forward from behind the statue. It was larger than the others and crowned with a pair of large rotting antlers. Draped across it’s shoulders and dragging in the sludge behind it was a stained red cloak lined with once-white fur.
“That’s my cloak,” Dusk heard Lex whisper. “Those bastards...”
The goblin stepped forward, holding both of its hands above its head to silence the crowd. Every single one went silent in an instant. Even Torbin stopped his begging. The crowned goblin began to speak. It was a series of what sounded like grunts and coughs, each more phlegm filled than the last. As it spoke it gestured to the crowd, to the statue, and then finally to Torbin as it pulled out a long jagged dagger that gleamed in the firelight. Even though Dusk didn’t know what he was saying, he started to realize that the dark stain in the bottom of the metal bowl must be blood. He knew Torbin’s fate before the crowned goblin even stepped forward.
With a commanding gesture to the goblins holding the ropes, Torbin’s upper body was forced into the bowl.
“No! Please don’t! I can help! I CAN HELP!” he cried, tears streaming down his face as he looked around wildly. His eyes scanned the room and zeroed in on Dusk who had stood up further to get a better look. Torbin began to thrash and fight, crying out, “THEY’RE HERE! Look! Over there! They’re right on top of you!”
Dusk dropped low once more as Torbin tried to point, but his hands were bound. He fought and pulled on the ropes only to be forced lower into the bowl, the other goblins kicking him cruelly. The crowd came alive all at once, calling out and stamping their feet on the ground. The leader held its arms up once more for silence and all fell quiet except for the sobs of Torbin as he was held down.
The crowned goblin stepped up to Torbin. Grabbing a tiny fist full of hair he yanked the man’s head back. An oppressive silence filled the room, anticipation radiated from the crowd as they watched with hunger in their eyes. With a sharp flick of the knife, he carved a deep wound across Torbin’s neck and the blood gushed forth. Torbin kicked and cried out, blood spewing from his mouth, but within seconds his strength faded. He slumped forward into the bowl, which was slowly filling with the red liquid.
The goblins that held the ropes tied a new loop around Torbin’s ankles, and put a metal hook through it that dangled from the dragon’s arm A small group began to pull on another rotting rope a few feet away and slowly Torbin’s lifeless body was hoisted skyward, swinging in the open air. After they suspended him ten feet above the bowl and tied it off, he slowly came to rest, dangling over the center. His blood dripped in the silence, echoing off the cavern walls as the goblins watched with rapt attention.
When the blood finally stopped the crowned goblin turned back, pointing to the group that had pulled Torbin up to begin with. With a quick gesture they let the knot loose and the body crashed to the ground, splattering blood across the white marble statue. Three more goblins stepped forward and pulled Torbin to lay at the head of the platform. With one last shout, the leader dropped his arms and all the crowd sprang forward. The cave was filled with the sound of fighting and the tearing of clothing, then the unmistakable sound of tearing flesh and skin, devouring their sacrifice.