“I promise,” Seth said.
“Me too,” Merek added. “What is the true Game?”
Humbuggle pressed against one fist, cracking knuckles, then popped the knuckles of his other hand. After clearing his throat, he recited:
To master how my Game is played
Go find the Unforgiving Blade
Beg no gurus, ask no sages
Cut the strings of the Harp of Ages
“That’s it?” Merek asked.
“I know, it’s brief, and the meter is imperfect,” Humbuggle said. “But you both paid heavily to come this far—I wanted to make the objective plain. English can be so ambiguous and cumbersome.”
“We find the Unforgiving Blade and cut the strings of the Harp of Ages,” Seth said.
“Can’t get much by this kid,” Humbuggle said, jerking a thumb at Seth. “Don’t be too disappointed. Many tasks are easier said than done.”
“The Harp of Ages is in the Dragon Temple here at Titan Valley,” Merek said.
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” Humbuggle said, hands behind his back.
“To destroy it would be a desecration,” Merek said. “That Harp was pivotal in winning the dragon war.”
“Could we restring it?” Seth asked.
“You don’t understand,” Merek said. “Wounds inflicted by the Unforgiving Blade can never be undone. What that blade cuts will never be repaired.”
“You didn’t expect me to give away the Wizenstone without sacrifices?” Humbuggle asked. “I better go. Being around clever heroes tends to make me blab. Thanks for making this entertaining.”
With a flash and a puff of smoke, Humbuggle vanished.
We’re traveling by dungeon?” Warren asked.
“It was made for transporting prisoners,” Kendra said. “But Dectus thought we might prefer it to wicker when the storm hits.”
Kendra, Warren, Vanessa, and Tanu stood before a human-sized wooden house with iron-reinforced doors and bars on the windows, meant to be carried by a giant. Not far off, Bernosh, a surly giant wearing huge, mismatched pieces of armor, sat sharpening a longsword that could probably cut most castles in half.
“I try not to voluntarily enter dungeons,” Warren said. “Entering a prison is often easy. Getting out tends to be the problem.”
“You don’t think Dectus means to trap us?” Vanessa checked.
“Let’s imagine Bernosh takes a nasty fall and breaks his neck,” Warren said in a reasonable tone. “What happens to us?”
“We have the keys,” Kendra said. “We unlock the front door and leave.”
“If our giant takes a nasty fall, we’ll be lucky to survive it,” Tanu said. “Unless we use the right potion.”
Bernosh stood and sheathed his sword. “Are we going or not?” He was built like a running back, with bulging arms and legs.
“We’re going,” Kendra said, unlocking the front door of the dungeon.
The four of them entered and sat on thinly cushioned benches with high backs. Armrests projected from the benches at intervals, and Kendra grabbed one tightly. Unlike in the wicker house, several sets of shackles were bolted to the walls. Bernosh smoothly swung the house onto his back and set off at a brisk pace.
“He doesn’t waste time,” Warren approved.
“It gave me a head rush,” Tanu said, sliding his fingers through his thick hair.
“But it wasn’t jerky,” Vanessa said.
When Bernosh exited Terastios, he picked up the pace to a lively jog, making the portable dungeon sway and bob, shackles jangling. Seen through the barred windows, the landscape went by at a startling rate.
“Are we in this big of a hurry?” Warren asked.
“The faster we travel, the less ground we cover surrounded by lightning,” Bernosh said in his rumbly voice.
“Great, he’s listening,” Warren said.
“I’m slow to judge,” Bernosh said.
Though the speed was exhilarating, Kendra had to agree that the jostling was too much, especially with all the furniture made of wood and poorly cushioned. Kendra soon found that by rocking her body in harmony with the jouncing of the dungeon, she could reduce the impact of the motion.
“I’m going to need a chiropractor after this,” Tanu said.
“You could use a gaseous potion,” Vanessa suggested.
“Worse situations might lie ahead,” Tanu replied. “I’d better save the potions.”
Warren had unfolded a copy of the map. “Does this giant’s name start with a p?”
“The p is silent,” Tanu said. “Like in pterodactyl.”
“English is ridiculous sometimes,” Warren said. “Why have silent ps?”
“Only psychics know,” Kendra said.
Bernosh ran for more than two hours before setting the portable dungeon down on a riverbank so he could pause and drink. Kendra had not seen much of the landscape going by because she had been too busy bracing herself during the choppy ride. She and the others stood and stretched now that they were at rest.
“Listen to the wind,” Tanu said.
Now that he mentioned it, Kendra heard the wind whistling in the trees and felt it gusting through the dungeon. Going to a window, she saw that the sky still looked mostly clear.
“How far off is the storm?” Kendra called.
At the river’s edge, Bernosh stood tall and gazed eastward. “Less than a day,” he reported. “We may feel the front edge in a matter of hours.”
“How far to Ptolemy?” Kendra asked.
“We’re almost there,” Bernosh said. “This was the last reliable place to get water before we reach his cave.”
“Are you sure you want to go in alone?” Warren asked Kendra.
“Dectus thought negotiation was our best chance,” Kendra said. “He suspected Ptolemy would be more likely to take pity on me than any of you. I’ll bring a gaseous potion. If he tries to capture me, I’ll drink it right away.”
“Most ettins have two heads,” Bernosh put in. “But Ptolemy has three.”
“Dectus told us the middle one has control over the body,” Kendra said. “The other two act like counselors.”
“True enough,” Bernosh said. “Not a terribly large giant, but plenty big next to any of you. Ready to go?”
“Sure,” Kendra said.
She and the others returned to their seats barely before Bernosh hauled the dungeon onto his back. This time he walked instead of jogged, and Kendra could see the relief on Tanu’s face.
They traversed heavily forested foothills, the dungeon windows just higher
