It was dark out, the sun was set, and the air was starting to get a hint of chill. The wind had changed directions. The wind had shifted towards the mountain range Tad had seen in the distance earlier.

Tad's party had gone down the trail to find the dwarf's wagon. It was a sizeable open-topped wagon with three giant wheels on each side. The wheels were six-foot diameter, almost as tall as Tad was, they were made of some solid spongy material, and they had an outward rounded shape with a short independent metal axel for each wheel.

The wagon was a simple box made of iron with benches on both sides and some crates and casks tied down in the middle. In the center, mid and fore, were two poles, one taller than the other. Attached to each pole was a triangular cloth sail. On the front of the wagon was attached a giant lizard much larger than one of the Carnival's draft horses.

Most of the dwarves were riding smaller saddled versions of this giant lizard pulling the wagon. Each had a long spear they used to tap the lizard's side when they wanted to go forward.

Tad was looking at the wagon's lizard, trying to sense its intentions.

"Don't worry, Lad, the only thing those things eat are mushrooms. I'm more worried about the safety of the wheels than us. " said the driver from atop his seat in the front.

The group was in the wagon when Torekit came up alongside riding one of the smaller lizards.

"The sails will be deployed once the lizard gets the wagon moving. It will take the load off the creature so he can run faster and save his energy for the taller dunes. Make sure to hang on there. We will be moving swiftly to stay ahead of anything that gets our scent. " said the dwarf.

Zanna was looking around at everything with an amazed look on her face. Lamruil was standing just behind the driver with one hand wrapped around the smaller mast. Nico looked bored while peering out at the riders.

"Everything all right, Nico? " asked Tad.

"No, we were supposed to be serenading the ladies right now, not sniffing lizard dung while traipsing around a desert with a bunch of old dwarves," said Nico.

Tad looked at his friend, "Hey, don't worry, you are not missing anything except disappointment." Then Tad laughed, elbowing his friend.

Nico chuckled, "I was looking forward to that forest trip. "

"I'll tell you what, as soon as we get to the Hold, I'll buy the first round. You never know. You might yet find the dwarven lass of your dreams. " laughed Tad.

Nico smiled and looked out at the desert, shifting his cittern in its case on his lap.

The ride went quickly, the sails had filled, the wagon picked up speed, and the riders kept pace. At one point, Tad had spotted a large creature that looked like a scorpion in the distance, but the dwarven caravan quickly outpaced it. This wagon was fast, thought Tad.

The ride was smooth except for a few jarring moments as they had come down the side of some of the bigger dunes, but Tad found the giant mushroom top wheels absorbed most of the impact, and the wheels had no problem with the angles the driver had to use to keep momentum up for the next dune ascent.

The group would go up a dune. Then they would turn slightly to follow the top ridge of the dune as far as they could before having to descend. This allowed the breeze to fill the sails. The driver occasionally turned the lizard to keep the sails full, and the wagon responded well, staying above the sand while they traveled.

Perhaps they didn't need the ocean ships, after all, thought Tad.

A few hours later, and the mountain range loomed above them, the cliffs were almost entirely sheer with very few paths up the sides. The dwarves angled left towards a large flat cliff, a series of high ledges carved in its face far above. As the wagon neared, Tad could see lights and many different openings along that upper cliff face. The cliff was several miles wide, and as they drew near this part, Tad saw a large platform with a square hole in the center and a ramp.

The dwarves pulled up to the platform and waited. A few moments later, Tad saw a big lift being lowered down from above. The dwarves lived above the desert. That makes sense. Who would want to live down here in the sand? While the lift lowered, the driver reefed the sails by pulling the two ropes tied to the mast.

Several minutes passed before the wagon, and its giant lizard pulled forward onto the platform, and the lift started to rise. As they neared the top, Tad began to see openings into what must be homes carved into the cliff face. He wondered how the dwarves got into those hollowed-out dwellings. There must be tunnels or stairs on the other side.

The lift came up to a platform where it locked on the front and both sides. Once locked, the giant lizard pulled the wagon off the lift down a ramp to the right. Below, Tad could see the inside of an enormous cavern several hundred yards wide, going deep into the mountain. The sides were carved into more dwellings with elaborate terraces and stairs leading from level to level all the way down to the floor of the cavern. Large support pillars were placed throughout, holding up the cavern's ceiling.

The floor had a series of pools and fountains. Water was flowing through canals with wide boulevards on each side of the waterway as it passed between with stone bridges spanning across at intersections. In the distance, Tad could see even more chambers opening up into large caverns, many of which had square fields of giant mushrooms growing. Some of them are giving off light under their caps. Along the walkways above were planters that had smaller versions of the mushrooms lighting the interior passages. It looked like something out of a children's book to Tad.

Tad saw dwarves moving everywhere he looked, going here and there, some going into the rooms carved in the walls or up the stairs. Around some of the fountains below, he saw small groups of dwarven children playing with smaller versions of the lizard that had pulled the wagon across the desert. Other children were arrayed in a semi-circle around a dwarf adult who appeared to be giving a lecture or teaching.

"Welcome to Splendarr Sonn Licar," said the driver. The language charm translated it to Sunny Lizard rock.

The group was led from the wagon to a large chamber and asked to wait while Torekit talked to the council members. They were brought food and water, which consisted of some fluffy mushroom chunks and water in stone mugs. It wasn't bad. Nico didn't like it, but everyone else ate their fill.

The room they waited in had a couple of windows and two miners standing guard outside the doorway.

"Tad, this is amazing," said Beothorn while he ate some more of the fluffy mushroom chunks, " This is the largest dwarven Hold I've ever seen. I wonder how many live here. "

Marena was sitting at the table holding the flower they had put in a tall bucket to protect it. Bubbles was still floating around it. She took it out and placed the flower on the table, and gave it some water from one of the mugs. The flower was giving off a soft glow. It did that sometimes when the sun wasn't shining outside.

Zanna was looking out one of the windows watching all the activity outside the room. The right window could see down into the lower parts of the cavern, and she was standing there deep in thought.

A dwarf wearing a robe came into the room, "Greetings, I am chancellor Hobart. I would like to welcome you to the Hold and inform you that there is a council meeting scheduled for later today after the midday sleep cycle. It will take some time for the councilmembers from the far said of the hold to arrive. We have some rooms set aside for you. If you will follow me, I will show you where you will be resting till the council gathers. "

The group followed Hobart back out towards the lift and down some stairs. He showed them a long hallway that had rooms on the left, and he pointed out the privy's on the right. All of the rooms had heavy stone doors that swung easily, and the rooms were some Tad had seen on the way up the lift, and the rooms had wide views of the dunes below. There were four and the party divided up. Beothorn and Marena took the first room. Zanna in the second door. Nico and Tad took the next, and Lamruil took the last. Dwarven guards were posted above the stairs to rooms.

"Tad, look down there. " Nico pointed down past the window down along the cliff. Tad looked, and hundreds of large lizards like the ones they dwarves rode across the desert were sunning themselves on the side of the cliff, hanging there as the rising sun beat down on the rocks below.

"Well, Sunny Lizard Rock indeed," said Tad. It had been a long night. He was tired and took the area next to the window, it looked like a divan or bench with large cushions, and decided to get some sleep while he could. He left the short bed across the room for Nico.

***