Red Magic - Jean Rabe [130]
"Stop!" Galvin shouted, hoping to be heard above the pounding rocks. "You'll kill everyone!"
"Tres-pass-ers die," the rock rumbled.
"We're not trespassers!" the druid retorted, gasping for air as a shower of dirt fell from above the mine opening into his face.
"Tres-pass-ers die," the rock repeated, reaching a rocky arm out from its body and grabbing the druid about the waist. The rock lifted Galvin off the ground, and its great stone eyes bore into his.
The druid stared back, calling on his own magic, trying to speak to the rock as he had to the wall in Maligor's tower. "Stop this!" he croaked, straining to clear his lungs.
The rock pulled him closer, until Galvin's face was only inches from its right eye. It studied the druid for several long moments, then closed its stony eyelids and the rumbling ceased.
"We're not trespassers," Galvin repeated, extricating himself from the rock's grasp. "We're Harpers, and we're here to help." Taking a step backward from the living boulder, the druid looked frantically about the plateau, searching for some sign of Brenna. His heart hammered in his chest, fearing she had been killed.
"Wynter!" Galvin cried. "Where's Brenna?"
"I saw her go over the side," the centaur said. "I couldn't reach her."
The druid bolted from the living rock, coming to a stop when he reached the edge of the plateau and saw the enchantress float into view. "Brenna!" he called, embracing her when she glided to the ground in front of him. He held her for only a moment, then tugged her toward the mine opening.
The living boulders were watching them.
"What are you?" Wynter gasped as he faced the boulders. The pounding rocks had injured his human chest and horse underbelly, and it hurt him to breathe and talk. He gently prodded his horse side, checking for broken ribs.
"Galeb duhr," one said slowly. Then he went on to explain in his deep voice that he was one of a race of rock creatures whose lifespans dwarfed those of Faerun's humans and demihumans.
"Guard-i-ans," the other stated. "We watch the mine."
"We're not after the mine," Wynter offered, gesturing at the mountain and the land below. "In fact, we're here to protect it."
The galeb duhr on the north side of the mine entrance wrinkled its craggy nose and stared past the Harpers and Brenna toward the remaining undead who were clawing their way onto the edge of the plateau. Only a handful of skeletons had survived the pummeling, and the zombies' numbers were halved. The wraiths and shadows seemed unaffected.
"The dead men will help the mine, too?" the rock's booming voice was tinged with sarcasm.
"Yes," Brenna said, explaining their ordeal with Szass Tam and their promise to stop Maligor and his forces, who threatened the mine.
"But we can't help unless you help us. We need some information," she continued.
The rocks stared at her quizzically.
"Has a Red Wizard been here recently?" she asked, brushing the dirt from her clothes.
"No," came the deep reply in unison.
She inhaled sharply and pursed her lips. "Have you seen any strange creatures? Horrid, batlike things?"
The rock on the north side of the mine opening nodded, and the ground shook again. "Saw bat crea-tures. Hundreds, may-be more. Dark, like a cloud. Flew in-side. Cannot re-mem-ber why we did not stop them."
Brenna positioned herself in front of the living boulder, directly between its eyes. "Maligor could have ensorceled you. Maybe that's why you don't remember. Something's wrong here, that's certain. The tharchion I fought wasn't human."
"Doubt-ful some-thing is wrong," the other galeb duhr answered. "We no-ticed noth-ing odd in the mines."
"We've got to go inside and find out for sure," Galvin tried. "Please trust us."
"Trust un-dead?"
"We'll control them," Galvin continued, staring past the living boulders and into the mine.
"If you lie," the other galeb