“Very well,” the man answered, straightening to his full height. “My name is Lucretian, and I am the druid you seek.”
“You?” Heidel asked.
This came as a shock. I was expecting someone else… someone less scary. But I supposed looks weren’t everything. Maybe he was a harmless teddy bear under that vampire’s appearance.
“Yes,” he answered. “I am.”
“How do we know you aren’t tricking us?” Rolf asked.
Behind the man, the dragon shook his massive head. The man—Lucretian, I supposed—turned away and walked toward his dragon. “You don’t!” he called over his shoulder. “Follow me,” he added as he reached the dragon, grabbed onto a rope ladder, and climbed atop the creature’s back.
He kicked the beast, and the dragon flapped its massive wings several times until it leapt into the air. The dragon gained height and then flew over the gates. Below them, the doors slowly opened. Grace trotted to the opening gates, sniffing excitedly, but then ran back to Heidel.
“Do we trust him?” Heidel asked.
“No,” Rolf answered. “I don’t like him. And did you see that beast he’s riding? A creature like that could take us all out in a matter of minutes.”
“Let’s not go that far,” I said. “We’ve got Kull with us, you know.”
Kull didn’t crack a smile as he stared at the gates. He’d been unusually quiet since we’d met up with the supposed druid.
“What do you think?” I asked him. “Do you trust him?” Kull had the ability to see people for who they were, not who they appeared to be.
“I trust him,” he said finally.
“Trust him?” Rolf asked.
“Aye, that’s what the man said, didn’t he?” Brodnik answered.
“Yes, I trust him, but let’s not wait out here forever, because I don’t trust the creatures lurking out here. Let’s go and see what’s behind this wall, shall we?”
We followed Kull through the open gate. Once we stepped inside, the two doors slowly closed behind us until they sealed with a boom. Before us lay a landscape of more barren rocks, but at the center sat a tall, cone-shaped structure, resembling a termite mound, made of red dirt with tiny windows peeking from each level. The place was the size of a small mountain. We watched as the black dragon circled the structure, then landed on a platform halfway up before disappearing through a tall, arched opening leading inside.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this, Brother. What if that man was lying and means to lead us into a trap?”
“I’ve said I trusted him, didn’t I?” He turned to stare up at the mountain. “Still,” he added. “Let’s be cautious, just in case. Never know what to expect in a place like this.”
We followed Kull down a path paved in rough stones made of the same red dirt as the rest of the area. Stretching away from us in every direction was the wall surrounding the mountain.
When we reached the base, we stopped at an arched opening tall enough to allow a dragon inside. Cautiously, we entered. Inside, on the bottom level, I was shocked to find a myriad of creatures loafing about—like some sort of strange zoo. A barnyard smell pervaded the air. Bays, clucks, neighs, and barks filled the room—a noisy, cheerful clatter that was a welcome sound after the oppressive silence we’d encountered in the desert.
I didn’t recognize the beasts, though some looked similar to buffalos and coyotes. A few resembled Pegasus, though the winged horses looked more like draft horses than the Greek portrayals, with muscular bodies and feathering on their lower legs.
Grace pricked her ears as she studied the unfamiliar creatures. A dog-type beast—similar to the one we’d seen in Theht’s temple—came close, but backed away as Grace growled. None of the creatures were caged, though stalls and troughs holding water or grain surrounded the hay-covered floor. A ramp circled the outer wall, spiraling around the room like a corkscrew and leading upward. Since we’d seen Lucretian enter the mid-level of the mountain, we made our way up the ramp, leaving the zoo of animals beneath us.
Smells of cooking food replaced the barnyard odor. We continued climbing until we reached another level and entered a room that resembled a house, with a cooking stove at the center, a table with chairs, and worn, comfortable rugs that hid most of the dirt floor.
The man claiming to be Lucretian stood near the hearth as he stirred a cauldron full of something that smelled delicious. Although, after eating rations for a day and half, it didn’t take much to impress me.
“Come,” he said, not turning to look at us. “Have a seat. I’m sure you’re all famished after traveling through that waste. The deserts on my world are infested with those demon Regaymor, as I’m sure you must know by now.”
No one sat. Except for Grace, who wandered toward the druid with a wagging tail and propped herself at his side, sniffing intently at the food. The man plucked a piece of meat from the stew, carefully blew on it, and tossed it at the dog’s feet. She inhaled it in one gulp before she wagged her tail, thumping the floor. The man patted her head.
Typical dog. Give her a little food and she’d be a friend for life.
“Well, sit,” he said, ladling the food into several bowls and bringing the steaming stew to the table.
I was the first to break away from our group and find a seat at one of the chairs.
“Good,” Lucretian said, sitting across from me.
I tried the stew. It tasted odd, with too much salt and fatty meat, but it was food, so I wouldn’t turn it down. I also didn’t want to know what sort of meat was in it.
“You like it?” the man asked.
“It’s… pretty good.” I smiled and took another bite, not wanting to offend him. In in a place like this, any food was better than nothing.
The others finally came and sat at the table. As we ate, I watched the man. His appearance definitely wasn’t
