Ravish Me, Oh Great Wizard King!!!

Mira was torn.

Her body was screaming to run after Zander, to help him with whatever he needed, and to make sure he was not hurt or in any danger. Her mind, however, was resolute about what needed to be done.

Having her around would only hobble Zander, as he would not only have to fight the forces that had taken his parents, he would also have to expend his precious energies and powers to keep her safe.

The only thing she could do for him right now was return to Diamond Palace and keep his kingdom stable enough so that when he returned, there would not be a huge mess that he would have to clean up.

"Is there a way for me to get a secure message to the Tamein Palace?"

"Who is the message to?"

"There is a dwarf currently at Tamein Palace in Jade City. His name is Daran Duluth."

"We know Daran well. He is a good friend." Victor pounded his fist into his palm. "I can have a messenger bird reach him within two hours."

"Edwin, stay here and silence any possible noises." Alfrick began assigning various duties to the dwarves. "Clean up and secure this area. If anyone comes poking about, throw them in the root cellar and wait for me to return." He jabbed his fingers at the others. "You three come with me. Your only job from this point forward is to protect the Princess."

He turned back to Mira. "We have to leave now, Princess."

"I need my bag," Mira said.

Alfrick nodded at Ziggy, who took off without needing further clarification.

"What about Felix?" Nonna rubbed the boy's downy head.

"He is my responsibility. He stays with me." Mira reached out and touched his cheek.

"Nnng...Ooooo...waaaeee…" he warbled, waving his little paws at her.

"You will also have to join us, wife." Alfrick Hobart spoke as he walked over to one side of the chamber and placed his palm in what seemed to be a random spot on the wall.

Instantly, the area that the round grass rug occupied began to sink downward, taking with it, everyone who was standing around Mira.

She clutched onto the edge of the table and swallowed a tiny yelp.

It wasn't that it was moving quickly. In fact, it was such a slow descent that Alfrick Hobart and the men who were standing beyond the rug's reach had plenty of time to take the few steps it took to reach the rug and to step down into it.

Even Ziggy made it back to the grass round with Mira's carry-on clutched in his arms.

What had seemed to be such a tiny mushroom house suddenly revealed itself to be the tip of a huge floating iceberg.

The table, along with the round grass carpet, sank down onto a large wooden platform immediately under the mushroom house. As they all stepped off the round carpet elevator, the rest of the chamber came into view.

Mira gasped.

The cavernous chamber opened up before her eyes and stretched out into the distance. It was a natural formation, complete with stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, and stalagmites reaching up from the cavern floor.

The stalactites and stalagmites themselves were glowing with some type of luminescence that gave off a constant illumination within the cavern.

Elsewhere, there were large round stones that glowed with the same intensity. There were smaller spheres on iron poles, and larger ones on plinths that had been placed at regular intervals along the paved walk paths and in front of the mushroom structures scattered about.

"It's all lit up with those stones!" She gasped.

"Yes," Alfric gave a pained expression. "The Dolmian miners make a brisk business with the dolmian stones they trade with us, and every year, they hike the price."

"It's actually dolmia. We use crushed ground dolmia to adhere to the stalactites and stalagmites so they can be used as light pillars."

"And do you coat the round balls too?"

"No. The spheres are pure dolmian crystals. We only use crushed dolmia if any of the spheres get damaged during delivery, and we use the ground dolmia to coat any place that needs a little bit of light."

"That sounds so useful!"

Alfric shrugged. "They definitely have their uses, especially in these dark caverns and underground passages. The dolmia dust have to be reapplied every year though, and since they are only a thin layer, they don't give off much light. It's the round spheres you see that offer much more light. The miners deliver the crystals in round balls, and we put them wherever we need them."

"I wonder why nobody uses them inside their homes."

He gave her a strange look. "Because we can't turn them off and on, like a lantern. They produce light all the time, whether we want light or not."

She nodded with understanding, her eyes continued tracking the movements of the dwarves below.

The cavern floor was filled with activity. Dwarves were moving in all directions, carrying large bulky bags, and pushing heavy carts filled with barrels and boxes.

At first, it looked like random movement, but everyone was actually heading towards various ramps that lead to individual box cars. They were loading them onto a train that had just pulled into the junction.

"This is a railway station!" Mira breathed with amazement.

"This is one of the junctions, yes." Alfric Hobart held out his arm. "Please hang onto me. I will take you down to the junction floor."

Mira grabbed onto his arm as he moved quickly down a set of zig-zagging stairs. She gritted her teeth and tried to keep up as much as she could.

Looks were so deceiving. These dwarves were well-trained and physically robust. Even Nonna Pearla, holding onto the fifteen pound Felix the Incorrigible Pigpen, was keeping up with ease.

They had barely reached the junction floor when everyone around them bowed, calling out greetings to Alfric and Pearla Hobart. It seemed as if they were quite respected and esteemed down here.

Alfric did not respond. His eyes maintained their steely resolve and he led the group forward until they were standing in front of a small forlorn looking mushroom shack with a worn wooden door. He rapped on the door three times.

Within seconds, there was the sound of running feet on floorboards. There was a metal squeak as a tiny covering over the small round brass peephole was pushed aside. A bright hazel eye peeked out.

Then there was a click and the door opened.

"Sir Alfric! You're back!" A dwarf wearing a black flat cap and grey overalls stepped back to allow the group entry.

The interior was dark and smelled of old machine oil. Various boxes and bundles aggregated around the walls, stacked in haphazard heaps. In the far corner, there was a dark writing desk piled high with scrolls and bound books of various assortments.

Alfrick strode in, took one hand and swept the book piles onto the floor. They landed with a crash, throwing up a small puff of dust.

"What sort of pigsty are you keeping here, Humphrey? Put these away where they belong. I can't even see the surface of the table."

"Yes, Sir Alfric!" The dwarf named Humphrey ran to the scattered books and began gathering them up in his arms. Two other dwarves wearing the same grey overalls and flat caps came running to assist.

"You," Alfric pointed to one of them. "Wipe the surface of this table down. And while you are at it, wipe down the chair too."

"Yes, Sir Alfric!"

Within minutes, the table was glowing with some type of wood oil they used to polish with. The chair too, had also been wiped down. They were the only clean surfaces in this dusty chamber.

"This way, Your Royal Highness," Alfric led the way, pulling the chair out for her to sit while Boris set paper and quill out in front of her.

It was then that Mira laughed.

She was illiterate in Ashryan script.