I woke up with a start and sat up, drenched in sweat and heaving for breath. Another night’s sleep interrupted by a nightmare I could not remember. I fell back onto the bed and threw my left arm over my eyes. I knew it wouldn’t work, but I still hoped I could fall asleep again.

A few minutes later, I gave up and jumped out of bed. I looked through my window and across the valley. There I could see Therinos, the Burning Pinnacle, its peak a constant storm of molten stone and ash. The highest peak in the Salnak Mountain Range. According to mom, that’s where they found me years ago. It was a beautiful sight. Bah, this was getting nowhere. I wouldn’t sleep again tonight, so I might as well do something productive.

I got dressed and headed into the dark corridor. A normal human wouldn’t be able to see in the total darkness. I didn’t care. To me, the corridor was an open field at noon. As I approached the corner, a surprised voice called out. “Who goes there?” I shook my head in disapproval. “Fifth time this week I have taken you by surprise just by sashaying down the corridor, Slate. You need to take your job more seriously.”

Slate exhaled and relaxed the grip on his halberd. “Blood and gore lass, ye will scare me ta death one of these nights, mark me words.” He looked up at me as he wiped the sweat from his bald head. I grinned down at him. “Then take it as an incentive to remain vigilant when confronted with boredom.” Slate shot me a dirty look, but didn’t reply.

Since the conversation seemed over, I gave him a jovial wave and headed towards the training field. As I entered, I noticed the field was already in use. A lone woman wielding dual axes spun and weaved among the animated dummies in a graceful dance of destruction. One of her axes shot up and cleaved off the arm of one dummy. The other intercepted a sword, then beheaded the dummy in a single fluid motion.

In between each swing, one of her seven tails would flare up in blue fire and lash out as well, setting another dummy ablaze. The sight was mesmerizing in both its beauty and its brutality. A living enemy would have retreated, but the dummies kept on attacking. It didn’t matter to the woman. Within a few more minutes, she had destroyed every single dummy.

As the dance ended, I applauded the spectacle. “An impressive display, mom, though I think Marble will be far less happy about your zeal when she has to delay training tomorrow to replace the dummies.” Mom turned around as I spoke, startled by my voice. “Oh, hello dear, couldn’t sleep again?” Her fox ears drooped as she looked at me. They always did when something worried her.

I shook my head. “Same as before, some kind of horrible nightmare I can’t remember, followed by a sense of dread and loss.” Mom dropped her axes and hugged me. “I wish there was something I could do to help, dear. But as you know, I can’t interpret dreams you cannot remember.” I responded in kind. “I know, mom, though I appreciate the thought.”

Mom looked up at me. I cut an impressive figure for someone my age, standing almost two meters and thirty centimeters tall, and I had often wondered if I was human or not. I was stronger, taller, had nightvision and no matter how hot the forges got it was cold for me. Uncle Moor once attempted to identify my race using magic, but something obscured my status. No mortal could obscure their status, so it was possible that the same deity had placed me in that icy cradle.

I suspected it was Labyrinthia, a goddess held in high regard in these halls. According to mom, she had created dad long ago, way back before the second Void Invasion. After she had ascended, she had broken the shackles that bound dad and the others to the dungeon and gave them freedom to leave. Mom and dad were evasive about the exact circumstances that led to his departure.

Mom released me from the hug. “Listen dear, I have talked to your father and we both agree, you need to petition Labyrinthia and ask her why she is sending you these nightmares.” I flinched. “Mom, you know I prefer not to leave the mountain, it’s my home.” Mom looked me plainly in the eyes. “Keari Ironheart, stop being stubborn. We’re not casting you out of the hall, but you can’t continue like this. You have not slept well for the last 4 months and you are suffering.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but mom shushed me. “We have talked about this before, my little gemstone. Even Moor agrees this time, he has even agreed to guide you. You think your uncle is just a nice old man, but he is a powerful Wizard and our oldest friend, to boot.” Mom was serious. I knew her tell, and she wasn’t joking. “Fine, I’ll go prepare my things for departure when Moor comes back.”

Mom took a deep breath and smiled gently. “Moor won’t be back for another week, we contacted him yesterday, so you’re still going on the prospecting expedition, young lady.” The damnable expedition. “Come on, mom, you can’t intend to have me climb that stupid volcano to survey for ores when I haven’t had a good rest for months?” Mom poked her finger under my cheek.

“Keari Ironheart, lack of sleep is not a valid excuse. You can climb that mountain, or you can go for six-hour training sessions with me every day until they come back. The result will not change regardless, I suspect.” Damn it, there was no escaping it. “Fine, FINE, I’ll join the stupid expedition, happy?” Mom’s wagging tails showed just how pleased she was.

“Now, my dear, how about a light sparring match? To burn some energy.” Mom’s expression made it impossible to refuse. I would spar with her, period. “Just gotta fetch my gauntlets.” Mom pulled my gauntlets out from among her tails. A telltale smile plastered on her face as she did.

Damn, I had hoped to stall for time. “Considering it took you almost three hours of searching last time, I fetched them before coming here, since I knew you would be around.” I grabbed them. “Thanks mom, I appreciate it.” I could barely suppress my frustration. Training was fine, but training with mom was pure torture, she was the harshest practice partner you could have. Mom’s amusement was obvious. “I am sure you do. Now, are you ready?” I raised my arms and took a fighting stance.

A few hours later, I staggered out of the training yard. Mom had run every single drill she knew, and every muscle in my body ached. As I passed Marble, I couldn’t help but feel some vindication. Mom would receive the heat now. The Hall was waking up. The forges would burn, the mine carts running, and the empty halls filled with traffic of Duergar doing their daily routine. “Good morning, Ashes, how ye doing?” I stopped. There was only one person in the entire mountain that would call me Ashes.

A tapping on my lower back revealed the speaker’s location. “Wow, Ashes, you look like you just hugged a starving Cave Worm, sparring with your mom again?” Amber’s friendly, red-haired face grinned up at me. Just like me, Amber wasn’t a Duergar. She was a gnome mom and dad had saved while prospecting, and she had joined their expedition. Amber was also my best friend since she was about my age.

I bent down and hoisted Amber up with one arm, much to her delight. “You think anyone else could give me this much of a beating?” Amber shook her head. “Nope, your mom’s the only one, that’s for sure. Everyone else would worry about making her angry. Including your dad.” A momentary silence followed. Then we both smiled. Shortly after, we were laughing.

It was almost true. They gave dad the moniker “the Henpecked.” before I was even born. Many even joked mom was the true ruler of the Mountain. Though none dared to utter those jokes within earshot of mom, after she brought a jokester she heard to the training ring for some “Correctional Training”. He spent three months in the infirmary, while under constant healing, before he recovered. For some strange reason, such jokes became a rarity afterwards.

“Hey Amber, you think dad will try to let me skip the prospecting expedition?” Amber shrugged as she hopped from my arm and onto my shoulder. “I am pretty certain your mom will probably get upset if he tries.” Amber certainly wasn’t wrong. “Five silver says he’ll try, but mom stops him.” Amber shook her head. “Nu uh, not taking that bet. It’s about as certain as the sunrise and sunset.” Well, Amber had learned her lesson, it seemed.

“I see you have finally learned your lesson.” I moved through the corridors towards the workshop that Amber and I operated together. Amber harrumphed in response to my comment. “More like my wallet is nagging me about all the coin I’ve lost betting against you when your parents involved. How much gold is it now?” I pulled out a rather extensive list. “Well, if you had taken that bet, it would have been ninety-eight gold, thirteen silver and fifty-two copper.” Amber winced when I read the total.

“I swear on my poor money pouch I won’t gamble again.” Amber was looking at her pouch with an almost forlorn expression. I rolled out the parchment. “You took a similar vow around fifty gold, see right around here.” I showed her the note, written just after fifty gold coins. “Amber swears she will give up gambling, odds say she will not last twenty-four hours. And lo-and-behold, the very next day you and I had another bet, that you promptly lost.” I read aloud, grinning as I did.

Amber jumped off my shoulder and deliberately ignored me as she shuffled through her alchemical shelves. “Come now Amber, don’t be a grump, I’ll buy you some Honeyshrooms if you cheer up.” I could see Amber slow down, her anger warring with her sweet tooth over the next minute. “How many Honeyshrooms are we talking about, exactly?” Bingo, her fatal weakness strikes again. Offering Amber some Honeyshrooms would have her crawl through fire and ice to get them, regardless of her own condition.

I pretended to consider it for about a minute. “How about a half dozen, to apologize for making fun of your crippling gambling addiction?” Amber eyed me with open suspicion. “There no chance you could buy a half dozen Honeyshrooms without your mom skinning you alive. You know how obsessed she is that you follow a healthy diet without gobbling candy.” Time to play my trump card and earn Amber’s complete and utter forgiveness.

“So you claim, oh doubting little Amber. But I won’t have to do anything, since I can just give you this.” I pulled out another parchment and handed it to a bewildered Amber. She glanced down and read it, froze, then rushed out the doorway as fast as her legs could carry her.

She returned soon after, chewing on a honey-colored mushroom with a certain sweet scent around it. “These are so good, I forgive you Ashes. I can’t even remember what we talked about, but I forgive you.” Typical Amber. The moment she had some Honeyshrooms to eat, she immediately forgot everything else. “Oh it was nothing, I simply had an extra coupon lying around, besides, you can consider it an early birthday present.”

Amber stopped chewing and looked at me. “Oh, right, the expedition! We won’t be home to celebrate my birthday. Oh, fiddlesticks. Well, at least we will be back for yours, yeah? I mean, King Granite can’t possibly keep his daughter away on her twenty-first birthday.”

I shrugged and began working the iron in my forge. “Honestly, Amber, I don’t know. Dad and mom have been worrying about my recurring nightmare of late. They plan to have me cross half the continent to petition Lady Labyrinthia about the reason.” Amber looked completely flabbergasted.

“You’re leaving the mountain and plodding into the wilderness on your own? Seriously, Ashes, stop joking, your parents wouldn’t send you off into the unknown alone.” Amber’s expression turned sour as she spoke. “Oh, she won’t be going alone, Amber, I will go with her.” Another familiar voice spoke from the workshop entrance. I dropped the blade I was working on into the water and rushed towards it.

“Uncle Moor, you arrived early!” I embraced him in a crushing bear hug. “Well, little Keari, distance can mean little when you have magic at your disposal, and I wanted to surprise your parents.” He broke embrace. “Alright, you two, let’s go greet Gran and Yun-Yun, shall we?” He almost used their names, despite their insistence he should always use the nicknames they gave one another.

I looked past Uncle Moor to the timepiece hanging behind him. “Hmm, considering the hour, dad should be on the furnace level.” Uncle Moor gave a nod. “I should cast some enchantments as we walk, then. Are you coming as well, Amber?” She considered the prospect momentarily before she nodded and finished the last Honeyshroom. Once we reached the stairs and began the descent from the workshops to the foundry, the temperature rose drastically.

The furnace layer was the deepest in the mountain, as it relied on a river of molten rock to operate its eighteen giant furnaces. The entire floor bathed in the warm glow from the molten river, and blasts of fire and gas burst forth from the molten surface. Dad always claimed reclaiming this floor had been a major undertaking, as Salamanders had nested here.

“Gah, it’s so hot, Moor, your enchantments aren’t working.” Amber had been complaining since before we set foot on the layer. I disagreed with her view on the enchantments, though. “Amber, if the enchantments weren’t working, your clothes would have caught fire by now, since you aren’t wearing fire resistant gear. Besides, considering the heat, you’d have a heatstroke before even entering the layer without adequate protection.” Uncle Moor shot me an appreciative glance.

“Look lively kids, one misstep will give you a molten bath.” Uncle Moor scanned the immense area, attempting to locate Dad. “Just look for the largest crowd, Uncle. Dad’s gotta be in the center of attention.” Amber stopped fanning herself and helped Uncle Moor and me in locating dad. “Found him! He’s on that vast island in the center of the lake.” Amber seemed rather smug as she pointed in dad’s direction.

Our trip across the large layer was daunting. Occasionally, the room would tremble from seismic activity or an extra large plume of flame would shoot across the walkway. “Just plug it, ya durned fool. Surely ye can repair a bloody leak, or do I need ta teach ye how to swing a hammer?” I could hear dad halfway across the layer, through the constant rumble from deep within the mountain and the hissing, boiling river. Hoo boy, the shift supervisor, picked the wrong day to make dad mad.

With the prospecting expedition coming up, dad’s temper was teetering on a knife’s edge. The slightest mistake would set him off like Therinos itself. It was a close race between dad’s temper and the volcano’s fury for the hottest fire. “Hey Gran, what’s the problem?” Dad spun around and glared at Moor for a second before he broke into a smile.

“Yer early Moor, it’s great seeing ye. Don’t just stand there, surely ye have some magic to fix the Furnace?” Every Duergar present gave Moor pleading looks, brought by desperation to escape further berating from dad.

Moor stepped forward. “I will see what I can do. But I make no promises.” He moved up to the furnace and began inspecting it. Meanwhile, dad moved over to me and Amber. “Ye think he can mend it?” Amber looked uncertain. “The dwarves used darkesteel to build those furnaces. Even using magic, repairs won’t be easy.”

Uncle Moor nodded slowly as he studied the gigantic crack across the furnace. “Hmm, let’s see here, a fault line, this was deliberate. Whoever made this furnace, created it to fail. Fixing it is possible, however, more furnaces might have similar faults, I will need a few days to ensure everyone’s safety.” Damn, no escaping the boring expedition, since Uncle Moor was doing repairs.

“I’m going to pack my bags. With Moor stuck here, I’m not escaping the expedition, and delaying the inevitable is pointless.” I waved to dad and Amber before I sprinted back out. The expedition to the Volcano was something I had hoped to avoid. Something about that burning mountain scared me. A primordial fear I couldn’t place, combined with a sense of profound loss. However, every time I tried to understand why, it slipped away, like sand, through my fingers.

Gah, thinking about it wouldn’t help. Shaking myself from my dark thoughts, I opened the door to my bedroom. My bags were lying on the bed, fully packed. “Gee, mom, that’s overkill. I won’t attempt an escape from the expedition or anything.” Mom wouldn’t be able to hear me, since she wasn’t here. However, she was the only one who’d enter my room without me around.

I sat down on the bed and opened the bags. Mom always packed more than I needed, anyway. I should repack, so I only brought the essentials. It was a dreadfully boring task to ensure every item I brought along wasn’t redundant or detrimental for a brief excursion, but mom was always going overboard.

I didn’t need fifteen different pairs of socks, fourteen pairs of pants or five jackets for an expedition lasting three to four days. “Seriously, mom, you’re such a worrywart.” I yawned. The lack of sleep finally catching up to me. I didn’t even notice when I sank over on the bed, nor did I notice falling asleep.