Chapter 4

 

 

A short time later a troop of soldiers on horseback came down the alley, attracted by some raucous singing. They came upon a pigsty full of pigs and to their utter disgust, numerous muddy dwarves sitting in it. They were singing away, a few holding bottles of ale with even an arm thrown about a pig or two as if sharing the fun with them.

 

‘Hey! Come and join us!’ one dwarf yelled. ‘Plenty of room here.’

 

‘Drunken dwarves!’ an officer said in distaste. ‘We’ll get no information out of them!’

 

‘We’ve searched the streets and shops, sir,’ a soldier said. ‘There’s no sign of the princess.’

 

‘Then we’ll search the woods to the north,’ the officer replied.

 

He gave the dwarves a parting glare and then wheeling his horse about, led the soldiers away. A minute or so went by and then the sound of thundering hooves was heard as they left town.

 

The dwarves stopped singing and Giselle suddenly sat up from where she’d been lying hidden in the mud. She was covered in it, her face and hair all smeared, though not enough to cover her expression of stark horror.

 

‘Phew! That was close!’ said one dwarf. ‘Lucky we bought these bottles at the inn.’

 

‘Luck indeed,’ Stone-Fist agreed and snatching the bottle from him, poured the remainder of the ale over Giselle’s head to wash some of the mud away. The other dwarves gasped in shock at the terrible waste.

 

‘I… I think I’m going to be sick!’ Giselle said. ‘I’ve never felt so… dirty!’

 

‘Sorry, princess,’ Stone-Fist said as he stood up and helped her to her feet. ‘But it was the only way to throw the soldiers off our trail. If we’d hidden in the inn or the Witchery, we would have been caught.’

 

‘It’ll wash off princess,’ Iron-Ear said. ‘It’s not the first time we’ve hidden here.’

 

‘You what!’ she exclaimed. ‘You’ve jumped in here before?’

 

Iron-Ear and the other dwarves all looked a little embarrassed.

 

‘Well, we’ve got a bit rowdy here a few times, especially when the inn closes for the night,’ he replied. ‘The town guards have tried to throw us in jail a couple of times, but jumping in the pigsty puts them off.’

 

‘That is disgusting!’ Giselle said, then suddenly giggled, seeing the humour in what had happened. ‘It was very clever of you though.’

 

Stone-Fist grinned.

 

‘Thanks, princess,’ he said. ‘Come on… back to the mine.’

 

* * *

 

It was almost midday by the time they arrived back at the cavern. The walk back had dried most of the mud to their clothes and skin and they looked a sorry sight. Everyone was very keen to have a bath of course, especially Giselle.

 

‘You go off and have a bath, princess,’ Stone-Fist said. ‘A quick one though… just jump into the pool in your clothes to wash both. We’ll be getting you out of here as soon as we can.’

 

‘What’s your plan, Stone-Fist?’ Iron-Ear asked as Giselle headed toward the exit.

 

Stone-Fist opened his mouth to reply, but all of a sudden the sound of clanging bells came echoing down the East Tunnel. Everyone, including Giselle, froze.

 

‘That’s the bells under the net of the airshaft Giselle fell into,’ Stone-Fist said with a frown.

 

‘Maybe a deer or moose has fallen into it,’ Iron-Ear suggested.

 

‘In broad daylight?’ Marble-Nose frowned. ‘Not very likely.’

 

Then the bells started ringing again with a frenzy, almost sounding if something was trying to escape the net. Then they heard furious growls echoing down the tunnel.

 

‘Troll’s breath!’ Iron-Ear exclaimed. ‘That sounds like a big cat!’

 

But Stone-Fist had gone very pale.

 

‘That’s no cat… that sounds like a dragon!’

 

The dwarves all turned to look at Giselle and her eyes widened in dread.

 

‘Dragons?’ she whimpered. ‘They couldn’t be after me… could they?’

 

‘I’m not waiting around to find out!’ Stone-Fist said gruffly and turned to Marble-Nose.

 

‘Take the lads and head up the North Tunnel to where the crew is working. Then head to the Prospecting Cavern in the Kingdom of the Winter Moon. We’ll meet you there when we can.’

 

‘Righto, Stone-Fist!’ Marble-Nose replied and then turned to Giselle.

 

‘It’s been a pleasure meeting you, princess,’ he said. ‘Hopefully we’ll meet up again when you’re safe once more.’

 

‘I’d like that, Marble-Nose,’ Giselle replied and gave him a kiss on a bearded cheek, which made his forehead turn quite red.

 

He turned away a little flustered and then curtly got the other dwarves moving. They all quickly hurried into the North Tunnel and disappeared. The bells had stopped ringing by now, but the growls were growing louder.

 

‘Come on, let’s get out of here!’ Stone-Fist urged and he, Giselle and Iron-Ear dashed over to the West Tunnel exit.

 

They reached it just as shadows moved at the mouth of the East Tunnel and in the next moment  two dragons appeared. They were the size of cows, jet black in colour except for a deep copper colour to their bellies. They had short, squat necks, but large heads with gaping jaws of needle like fangs. Their wings were short and stubby and Giselle thought they wouldn’t be able to fly with them.

 

‘Troll’s breath!’ Iron-Ear hissed in fear. ‘Copper-Bellied dragons!’

 

‘Run!’ Stone-Fist roared and grabbing Giselle by a hand, the trio fled down the tunnel. The dragons came after them, uttering furious roars as they bounded across the cavern, their clawed limbs scrabbling on the stone floor.

 

* * *

 

As they sprinted down the tunnel, Giselle knew they wouldn’t be able to outrun the dragons. They looked far too quick and agile and a quick glance over her shoulder told her they were gaining fast.

 

‘We’ll never outrun them!’ she gasped.

 

‘I know!’ Stone-Fist grunted. ‘But we won’t have to!’

 

They suddenly came up to the entrance of the bathing cavern and Stone-Fist dragged Giselle down the tunnel with Iron-Ear hard on her heels. They bolted down to the bathing pool, then sliding to a stop, looked back up the tunnel. They could see the two dragons at the entrance already and trying to force their way in. But the tunnel was too narrow for them.

 

Then they both gave a coughing roar and spat fireballs at them.

 

‘Duck!’ Iron-Ear yelled and the trio dived to the ground just as the fireballs sizzled over them.

 

They exploded on the far wall of the cavern, the flames dribbling down it like thick oil and spattering on the ground. Then Stone-Fist got them quickly to their feet and they dashed out of the cavern by another tunnel. They ran for a short way, then slid to a stop so they could catch their breaths.

 

‘Copper-Bellied dragons!’ Stone-Fist said shakily. ‘We’re in real trouble now.’

 

‘I’ve never heard of them before,’ Giselle said.

 

‘They are quite rare,’ Iron-Ear said. ‘But they are killers non-the-less and they don’t breath fire, but spit fireballs. If it gets on you, it can burn right through you!’

 

Giselle shuddered at the thought.

 

‘They can’t fly with their stubby wings, but they can propel them along on the ground really fast,’ Stone-Fist said. ‘Some people train them as hunters and they can track a flea through a jungle I’m told. Henbane must control over these two.’

 

‘Do you think we have lost them?’ Giselle asked worriedly.

 

‘Maybe,’ Stone-Fist said, though not in a reassuring tone. ‘The west tunnel doesn’t actually run in straight line, but swings south before turning west again. It then emerges on the coast of your kingdom, princess. This tunnel is a short cut to where it turns west again. With any luck we should make it to the coast before they wise up.’

 

‘Then let’s get moving!’ Iron-Ear urged. ‘I’ve no intention of being a dragon’s dinner!’

 

Giselle could only agree with that and the trio headed quickly away.

 

* * *

 

Henbane was peering into her crystal ball, watching an image of the dragons chasing Giselle and the dwarves down a tunnel. It ended at a narrower tunnel the dragons couldn’t fit through and the pair suddenly spat fireballs down it. She had to painfully squeeze their minds to bring them under control. You can kill and eat the dwarves, she ordered, but Giselle must be left unharmed.

 

But she was fuming more over the discovery that Giselle had stumbled upon the dwarves. She had suspected as much when the dragons had tracked her to the airshaft in the forest clearing. Henbane was well aware of the dwarves silly Society and if there was anyone that could threaten her plans, it were these bearded do-gooders.

 

In the image in the crystal ball, one of the dragons looked down the main tunnel.

 

‘Yes, follow the tunnel,’ she ordered.

 

* * *

 

For some hours Giselle, Stone-Fist and Iron-Ear hurried down the West Tunnel. It was little used according to Stone-Fist, so there were fewer lanterns on the walls to light the way. Often they were enclosed in deep shadows and they knew if the dragons caught up with them, they would have little warning. But they marched on at a steady pace, their footsteps echoing behind and ahead of them.

 

Then Stone-Fist announced that they were nearing the exit.

 

‘We’re close now,’ he said. ‘Maybe half a mile and we’ll be out of here.’

 

But even as he spoke they heard a low, approaching growling coming from behind them.

 

‘Troll’s breath, they’re right behind us!’ Iron-Ear  exclaimed nervously. ‘They catch us in a few minutes!’

 

‘Then run!’ Stone-Fist urged and they all broke into a sprint down the tunnel.

 

The growling grew louder behind them and Giselle risked a glance over her shoulder as a lantern flashed past. She thought she saw movement back up the tunnel, but couldn’t be sure. Then they suddenly came up to a dead-end wall of stone.

 

‘We’re here!’ Stone-Fist said and he touched the wall in a certain spot.

 

A muffled, stony click was heard and then a door began to swing slowly forward with a heavy grinding. Thin daylight stabbed into the tunnel as the door widened and then Iron-Ear gave a shout.

 

‘Stone-Fist! They’re here!’ he warned.

 

‘It’s almost open!’ he growled back.

 

Then a pair of fireballs came sizzling down the tunnel and the trio squeezed through the opening just before they splattered against the wall. They stumbled onto a sandy beach, the sun setting in the west across a broad ocean.

 

‘Close the door against them!’ Iron-Ear urged and he and Stone-Fist began to push the stone door closed again.

 

But dragons came charging up on the other side and rammed against it. It flung open, the force sending the dwarves flying into the air. They hit the sand and Giselle scrambled after them as the dragons came through, growling and ready to eat.