“Other side? Other side of what?” asked the elf in his high and mighty tone.
“Get us out of here and away from these gnomes and I’ll tell you what you want to know,” said Stone, trying to make a deal to be free of these pesky creatures.
“Oh, for Zoroct’s sake!” The elf sped around the room so fast that the gnomes couldn’t catch him. It took the attention off of Stone so he and his hound were able to make it to the opening of the cave.
“Hurry, Fang,” Stone commanded his dog as he and Aithrod stumbled out of the cave and into the sunshine.
“Aaah!” Aithrod held up a hand to cover his eyes from the bright light. Since the gnomes weren’t following them, they plopped down on the ground in the sand to rest. They seemed to be on some sort of beach. There was a sea of water nearby with waves crashing against the rocks and rolling onto the shore. Fang ran over to join them, turning to get in a few more barks at the troublesome gnomes that were no longer there.
“We’re free,” said Stone, wiping his brow and trying to catch his breath. Fang lay down by his feet.
“It’s already morning?” asked Aithrod. “It was night when we left. How long were we in there?”
“I didn’t think it was that long,” Stone answered, shading his eyes with his hand and looking up at the sun. “And it seems more like midday than morning if you ask me. That’s odd. I have a feeling we are far from home.”
“All right, fess up.”
Stone jerked backward as the elf appeared, perching himself atop a rock right above Stone’s head.
“What are you talking about?” asked Stone.
“Tell me where you got that gemstone. And let me see it, too.”
“Slow down, little fellow,” said Stone with a chuckle.
Before he knew what happened, the elf was right next to him, glaring at him with narrowed eyes and his long, pointy nose.
“Don’t call me little fellow. Ever! My name is Elric. I am a sage and deserve your respect. And for that matter, who in Belcoum’s name are you?” He looked at Stone and Aithrod, as he backed away from the panting dog.
“I’m Stone Nightstalker,” he answered. “Although I have no idea who Belcoum is.”
“Hmmph. Fitting name for a stone stealer, I suppose. And Belcoum is what some of you from different lands call the devil.” The elf’s open palm shot forward. “Give it to me. Come on, come on, hand it over.”
“I’m his friend, Aithrod Gabbencort, in case you’re wondering. And Stone’s dog’s name is Fang,” Aithrod said from the ground next to them.
“I wasn’t wondering and neither do I care. Now come on, Stonestealer. I’m waiting.” The elf’s toe tapped the ground impatiently.
“Stone Nightstalker,” he corrected him, shaking his head. “All right. Fine, I’ll show it to you since you did help us escape the gnomes.” Stone reached for his pouch. “By the way, what is this place called that we’re in?”
“What do you mean?” asked Elric.
“We have no idea where we are,” Aithrod explained.
“You don’t know about the Quamm Caves?” asked Elric. “Any fool knows not to go in there unless you want to be attacked by gnomes.”
“Nay, I meant the land. This whole area,” said Stone, digging the gemstone out of his pouch.
“How can you not know where you are? You don’t remember where you were going?”
“Well, it wasn’t our choice to be in those gnome caves to begin with,” said Aithrod, with a puff of air from his mouth. “We were in there because that is where the portal took us.”
“Did you say, portal?” The elf’s hand slowly lowered to his side. “Are you telling me that you came through a portal?”
“That’s what he said. How can you not listen to what we say?” answered Stone, not caring that he was being cocky with the elf. Let him taste a little of his own medicine.
“From where?” the elf demanded to know. “Where were you before you came through the portal?”
“We were home. In our land of Taelgonoth.” Stone got to his feet. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Now please tell us what land we are in and how to get back.”
“Nope. I’ve never heard of Taelgonoth,” answered Elric, even though Stone didn’t believe him. “And you are in Mura, you big oaf. Just go back home the same way you came.”
“Did you say, Mura?” asked Aithrod, getting to his feet as well. The dog did so, too, and hurried behind a large rock to lift his leg. “I don’t know of any land named Mura, do you, Stone?”
“Nay, I don’t.” Stone shook his head. “And since it was the middle of the night when we walked through the portal and now it looks to be midday, I’d say our lands are far from each other.”
“Don’t know, don’t care. Now let me see my gem, and then I’ll be on my way.” The elf’s open hand shot out again.
Stone held up the rock, ready to let Elric see it, but something told him he couldn’t trust him so he held back. He pulled his hand away and lifted up the rock between two fingers. “There,” he said. “You see, it has a slight sparkle like yours do. It was stolen from the King of Taelgonoth and needs to be returned along with the rest of them.”
The elf tried to take it, but Stone was ready for him and snapped close his hand and pulled it away.
“What is your king’s name?” asked the little man, squinting one eye as he perused them.
“King Helix Kapion,” Aithrod told him.
Elric’s eyes opened wide, then closed to slits. He seemed to be furious about something. “Give me my treasure.” Elric’s eyes looked crazed. “It was in my cave and you stole it from me, now return it at once.”
“Your cave? I get the feeling that the cave belongs to the gnomes and not you. I think you were there stealing from them,” said Stone. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
