that he spurred his horse and it rattled off into the desert soon disappearing in the waves of heat that shimmered in all directions.
Brogus stood at the side of the great stone structure and ran his hand along its surface, leaned in close and smelled it, and then licked his finger. “Good work here,” he said. “Fine craftsmanship. It reminds me of the old parts of Craggen Steep but weathered for many centuries.”
“Earth elementals then?” said Dol as he too approached the side of the tremendous structure.
“Or dwarves,” said Brogus with a smile. “Not goblins or elves. Too bad we don’t have our climbing gear,” he continued and chucked Dol on the shoulder. “Pitons, carabineers, quickdraws, and rope and we’d be up to the top in no time. I’d bet there are a dozen hidden chambers in there as well. We’d have to ascend to that big crack and do some digging. Who knows how much debris has piled up in there over th years. Think if some of the stone masters from back in Craggen Steep were here. What treasure they’d find? We have to remember this place, Dol. This world… this world is much bigger than I ever dreamed. I see it now for the first time. I see how we’re trapped in our city, held back by ancient laws, kept from exploring the world, using our wealth, our power.”
Dol nodded his head as he touched the surface of the stone, “All this may be true, my friend, but this is the work of earth elementals, not fire, and is not my concern.”
Brogus looked at Dol with a frown and shook his head from side to side, “You love masonry, this is ancient work, elemental work, we could spend months here.”
“I don’t love it anymore,” said Dol with a shake of his head, turned away from the ancient stones, and walked back towards the group. He knew the stonework should interest him and one part of him wanted to explore the pyramid and learn its secrets but somehow he found himself bored by the stones. His hand went back to the hammer and began to gently caress the smooth, white handle covered by strange elven runes.
“Your friend,” said Manetho to Petra and Milli with a nod of his hat head towards Dol, “has what we in the desert call a Holy See, a quest, a calling from the gods. I see now what drives you.”
“He,” said Milli with a little turn-down of her lips, “he wasn’t always like this. He’s changed.”
“We suspected you were spies,” said Manetho and pulled off his hat to wipe his sweaty head with a thick rag that he carried for just this purpose. “We planned to interrogate you and kill you after we learned all we knew.”
Milli turned to him and gazed with strong, steady eyes, “I suspected… well, Petra suspected. Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I know now it is not true. You are not spies. You may have come from the north, possibly you promised Corancil you would learn what you could of us, but you are not here to spy. You are here for your quest; you are driven by the gods.”
“Does this mean you won’t have us killed?” said Petra as she staggered over to join the conversation. The heat was too much for the older woman and her breath came in heavy pants as she sat down with a thump on a large rock. It looked of the same material as the pyramid itself, perhaps a left-over stone from the time of construction; it was rounded from centuries of weathering although there were hints that at one time it was square.
“It means I will tell the Black Rider what I now know,” said Manetho and wiped his brow and the top of his head again, then looked at Petra and his eyes went soft. “The desert is harsh for strangers. Your skin, your lungs, they are unused to the conditions. We must get you into the shade. Come, Petra. Let’s us walk to the west side of the pyramid where it is cooler.”
“Thank you, Manetho,” said Petra with a little smile as she put down a hand, unsteadily got to her feet, and began to walk with the nomad. “What decision will the Black Rider make about our future?”
Manetho said nothing as the three made their way into the long, morning shadow cast by the pyramid. Dol stood aloof looking at the shimmering heat waves on the horizon while Brogus continued looking at the heavy stones of the Broken Pyramid. Even in the shade it was hotter than a normal summer day in the north but at least it seemed cool in comparison to the direct sunlight, and the nomadic clothes they wore somehow seemed to allow the breeze in but kept the sun off at the same time. Only when they reached the shade and sat down on a group of stone rocks apparently built exactly for that purpose did Manetho speak again, “I cannot say what the Black Rider will decide, but I see no reason for him to order your execution. He is a reasonable man… when left to make his own decision.”
“Great,” said Milli with a broad smile that showed her brilliant white teeth to their best advantage.
“You said if he is allowed to make his own decision,” said Petra not willing to forego the topic. “Who else would decide for him?”
Manetho shrugged and looked at his feet.
“Tahnoon?” said Petra persisting.
“The vizier has great influence with Sheikh Ming,” said Manetho although he continued to look down. “When Ming emerged from the darkling lands he was badly wounded, nigh onto death. It was Tahnoon and his family that saved him from instant execution as a darkling. He nursed Ming back to health, gave him a position in his tribal family. There is a strong bond there that cannot be easily broken.”
“And you think Tahnoon might prefer to execute us?” said Milli her yellow eyes narrow and gazing at the man intently.
“I’ve known the vizier for over twenty years,” said Manetho as he leaned back on the stone and gazed at the blue sky. “The desert is a predictable land. It rains at the same time every year. The great migrations occur at the same time every year and the predators fill their bellies on this cycle.”
“The vizier is also predictable,” said Petra and leaned forward to listen closely to the wizard’s words.
“He is.”
“And what do you predict?” asked the witch woman.
Manetho shrugged again, mopped his brow and his head, and then looked at the old woman in the eyes, “I suggest you ride your horses as quickly as possible to the south.”
“You’ll not stop us?” she said as Milli watched with wide eyes and a half-open mouth.
“I’ll even provide a map,” suddenly smiling as he came to a decision. “I think you’ve appeared here for a reason. Perhaps only Ras knows the reason but I do not think it is a coincidence. I will help you today and I hope that you will remember me on some day that will come.”
“I don’t see how we’ll ever be in position to help you,” said Milli with a smile although she shook her head, “but, that being said, if I can help you sometime in the future then I will.”
Manetho nodded his own bald head and smiled with slightly upturned lips. “Ride south until you reach a river, it is called the Low River and it will be merely a trickle at this time of year. Turn directly west from there and ride as hard and straight as you can. You’ll pass the territories of the Fire Riders or perhaps, the Horns of the Minotaur. They are fierce tribes both but have tenuous alliances with the Black Rider. I will give you papers to show them and perhaps they will let you pass. Eventually you will reach a tall mountain range, The Desert’s End Mountains. Of course, the people that live beyond call it them the Desert’s Beginning but that is merely a matter of semantics. The dwarves of Temin live in the mountains and guard its passes fiercely. However, I think your friends might find allies that will guide you south to the grasslands of Shandoria. That is the volcanic land although I do not know if your five volcanoes are there or not. It is all that I can offer.”
“How long will it take us to get to the mountains?” said Petra. “Do we have enough supplies on the horses?”
“You are strangers and your animals were not well stocked I’m afraid to say. However, there are supplies hidden in the pyramid and we can use them to equip you for the journey. The water of the Low River will be murky this time of year but it is not toxic. Let us begin at once; there is no telling when the Black Rider and Tahnoon will arrive.”
Chapter 15
Brogus leaned back on the strange thick furs that covered the stone bed and burped loudly. He looked to his right and spotted Dol pacing furiously back and forth along the floor of their temporary chamber. Then he looked to his left and found a heavy pewter mug with the symbol of a dragon emblazoned on its side sitting on the table
