Gelbus’s stomach grumbled. He was hungry and damn near dying of thirst, but most of all, he was tired. Exhausted, really.
He rolled over on the straw-covered stone floor, which was about as cold as a slab of ice, and tried to will himself to sleep. A few moments passed, each one filled with the dog’s uproarious barking.
Nope, no sleep for Gelbus.
He rolled over again to sit up, but something caught his eye, causing him to double take. When his gaze settled on the grate in the floor for the second time, he jumped, his heart clapping in his chest.
“Hello?” he whispered.
Between the grate’s small squares, Gelbus saw a person—a young woman with wild dark hair. Mud and muck splotched her garb. Dirt streaked her fair skin. She was, as far as humanoid creatures went, quite pretty.
No time to think of women and their looks, Gelbus! Ask her who she is!
But it seemed that Gelbus’s tongue had become knotted and his throat had closed. He could hardly breathe, let alone speak at all.
Turned out he didn’t need to. The girl spoke up for him.
In a soft whisper, but still in a voice that commanded respect and oozed leadership, the girl said, “Glad I know a Gnome when I see one. You must be Gelbus?”
Still, his tongue was twisted, so he nodded.
“All right, Gel—can I call you ‘Gel’? I feel like we’re already on a nickname basis level of friendship, with all the shit you’ve put me through.”
Who is this girl?
She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I’m Maria Apple. I’m a witch, but I didn’t know that until a few days ago—Earth days, that is. Yes, I’m from Earth. I know, I know, probably a big shock. A Centaur from the Light Elves’ library sent me after you because you know secrets that I need.”
Why do so many people covet my secrets? All I’d wanted to do was share a nice night with my old friend Elargo, have a few drinks, reminisce on old times, but no. These damn secrets always came back to bite me in the bottom.
Finally, Gelbus found his voice. It was mainly out of annoyance that he was able to answer. “I cannot give you the secrets. It is in my DNA. Do you know what DNA is, young lady?”
“Deoxyribonucleic acid,” Maria Apple answered. “Yeah, I paid attention in biology class. Guess you can call me a nerd.”
Gelbus smirked. He didn’t know the girl, didn’t know if she was actually real and not some hunger-induced hallucination, but he was beginning to like her—real or not.
“Well, see, we are really out of options here,” Maria continued. “I got a village of people trapped in the world in between who I need to get out. From what I’ve gathered in my travels, this will not be an easy task. We figured a Gnome like you—”
“Like me?” Gelbus scoffed accusingly. “What is that supposed to mean?”
The girl under the floor shifted her eyes away from his guiltily.
“Do you mean a Gnome relieved of his duties? A Gnome who likes to drink…maybe a bit too much? Well, I see nothing wrong with that, seeing as how I can’t spill any secrets because…IT’S…IN…MY…DNA!”
“Quiet,” Maria hissed. “I’m sorry. Like I said, we are desperate. Honestly, I kind of realized there was a chance you’d never spill any secrets. But judging by that black eye and swollen nose, you aren’t giving the Dragon Tongue what they want, either, eh?”
Gelbus shook his head. She’s a smart girl.
“But you are stringing them along. Good idea.”
Reflexively, Gelbus said, “Thank you.”
“Besides,” Maria continued, “at a certain point, mainly after the whole ordeal with the Cave of Delusion and all that crap, it wasn’t so much about getting you to talk as it was about saving you and a whole town of people before a Rogue Dragon could really put the ‘ash’ in ‘Ashbourne’.”
Gelbus chuckled softly. “A Rogue Dragon? That would be the day.”
“That’s what I hope.”
“Wait—did you say you were here to save me?”
Maria nodded.
“Well, I think we better get on with it,” Gelbus said.
“Yeah, about that…I don’t exactly have a plan.”
Gelbus sighed. This is hopeless.
“Yet,” Maria added. “I’m looking for other prisoners: an old man, a younger- but-still-kinda-old-compared-to-me woman, and a dog.”
“Dog?”
“Yeah,” Maria said, sounding hopeful. “Do you know who I’m talking about?”
“Unfortunately, I do. That damn dog has been getting on my last nerves. Can’t a Gnome just die in peace?”
“Could you point me—”
Heavy footsteps cut her off.
“Hide,” Gelbus hissed. He rolled over and played it off like he was sleeping. The cell door creaked open; Gelbus could practically hear the flakes of rust crackling off of its hinges.
“Up, Gnome,” a gruff voice said.
“Huh?” Gelbus said sleepily. He thought he faked it pretty good. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl slink off into the shadows, out of the view of the blood-crusted grate.
Slowly, Gelbus started to rise, but still wasn’t looking at the man who’d entered his cell.
His slow movement irritated his captor, and a strong hand gripped him on the back of the neck, ripping him up from the floor. Gelbus hit the wall with an ‘oomph,’ knocking the breath from his lungs at a rapid pace.
When his vision cleared, he wasn’t looking at a guard he recognized. This was someone new, someone rougher—apparently.
More footsteps echoed down the corridor. In came two more guards in their black cloaks, with their fiery eyes. Between them, they wheeled a barrel. Gelbus could recognize a barrel like that from a mile away—it was a wine barrel.
He could practically smell the sweet nectar within, even through the wood.
The guard whose rough hands were bunching up Gelbus’s dirty suit coat let go, and the Gnome sank down the wall, hitting the floor with a thump. The guard then took out a glass as the others tilted the barrel upright.
“We heard you like to drink, Gelbus,”
