The next ten days went by much like the first. Jeremy spent the day searching. To his embarrassment, he found nothing that even resembled a treasure map. He continued to use rocks to mislead the saurians, but they became harder to please by the day. The evenings devolved into his becoming Soppett's punching bag.

  He learned a little about saurian fighting. Like the kobolds, they fought with their tails and clawed fingers. Soppett was a capable fighter, and Jeremy wasn't sure he could beat him if they fought for real, rather than Jeremy feigning weakness and letting him win.

  He felt the parasite crawling under his skin every minute of the day. All he wanted to do was tear his neck open and yank it out. He asked Tossi what would happen if he did in one of their rare moments alone together.

  “It would paralyze you long before you could hurt it. If one of us held you down and pulled it out of you, it would tear out your throat while pulling your brain from your skull, and you would die horribly.”

  “How does that bracelet hurt the parasite?” Jeremy asked.

  “It's quite the opposite,” Tossi replied. “Nashul has been bound by magic to these bracelets; without the bracelets' soothing presence, it will suffer horribly and eventually die, though long after its host. If the owners lose them, get too far from the parasite, or die, the bracelets cease to work. I don't know how to circumvent this system, and I wouldn't tell you if I did.”

  ***

  Something happened on the sixteenth day of his captivity. All the suns set, and there was approximately half an hour of darkness.

  “That is the star I mentioned,” Tossi said quietly, pointing at a bright gold star. “The other stars move around the sky, but that gold star remains stationary. I thought it might show the treasure's location, but we searched every comparable ground location in this section of the dungeon and found nothing.”

  Jeremy studied the star-filled sky, enjoying a blessed relief from the sun. He could see the gold star in question, but without more information, this did him little good.

  “You seem smarter than your companions,” Jeremy said. “Why do you serve them?”

  “It is a great honor to serve the royal family. And they would kill me if I refused.”

  The second ten-day period passed, Boggan showed up again, and at their pleading, gave them a third ten-day period.

  ***

  “Nashul will not permit you to lie. Do you know where the treasure is?” The princess touched one of her rings, and Jeremy fell to the ground in pain.

  “No, Princess,” Jeremy gasped. Unfortunately true.

  “Would you tell us if you did?”

  Hell no. “Of course I would, Princess,” Jeremy did his best to look pathetic, putting every bit of acting and mental resistance into that lie. He felt Nashul react, tightening around his neck.

  There was a long pause.

  “Of course you would, Vermin; you lack the courage to do anything else.”

  Jeremy collapsed in the sand, blood oozing out of his nose.

  Squeak was making progress burrowing underneath the sauriens' tent, but the princess grew tired of the view or some such thing, and demanded they move the tent. Poor Squeak had to start over again.

  Jeremy prayed Boggan would evict the saurians. The saurians would certainly leave Jeremy behind, believing Nashul would kill him in the most painful manner imaginable. His parasite resistance would prevent that from happening... He hoped.

  After studying Jeremy's fake map of stones, they decided the treasure could be in one of three places, and they dug up those areas. They found nothing and expressed their unhappiness at Jeremy's expense.

  At the saurians' urging, Jeremy remembered a rock that, if you looked at it a certain way, resembled a dragon. They were still digging underneath that stone when Boggan showed up for a fourth time. Though not happy with the saurians, Boggan reluctantly agreed to ten more days.

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  The saurians redoubled their efforts, digging deeper under the dragon rock, and the princess attempted a treasure-seeking spell, unsuccessfully. On the eighth day, they had visitors.

  Jeremy was with Soppett and Tossi, examining a batch of stones for what had to be the tenth time. It was to Jeremy's great annoyance that he'd been here over a month and had no idea where this treasure was. He was starting to wonder if it even existed. Or if they were searching in the wrong place.

  The golems sounded the alarm. Jeremy's two companions clambered to the top of the rocks to see what was happening, forcing him to follow. It was the goblins from the second floor standing near the entrance. There were only six goblins now, but the four gnomes from the third floor were with them, willing or not, he couldn't say. Both goblins and gnomes carried guns.

  “The goblins!” Soppett said, unable to contain his glee. “I will not miss this. You. Servant and Vermin, stay. This shouldn't take long.” He jumped down from the rock and ran with impressive speed to join the other saurians.

  Jeremy and Tossi watched as the four gnomes ran away from the goblins, waving their Cleansing Wind flag. They collapsed in front of the six saurians who stood in a group watching them. Soppett and the gnomes arrived at nearly the same time.

  Jeremy was too far away to hear what was being said. Tossi tensed, releasing his breath with a loud hiss. “Srytha help us, it's a trap,” he said to himself. He started running toward the others. “It's a—urk!”

  The last was from Jeremy grabbing him by the throat and holding him with all his strength. The two of them rolled off the boulder, landing on the sand below. Jeremy wasn't sure if it was a trap, but he wasn't about to let the saurian warn his comrades. Tossi touched his bracelet, activating Nashul, then twisted to free himself. Jeremy screamed quietly in more pain than he'd been in his life. But he somehow held on, keeping Tossi in a chokehold.

  ***

  Flint, invisible, stood beside the saurians and watched the unfolding situation, unsure if it was good for him, but ready to take advantage if it was. The four gnomes ran to the saurians, waving a Cleansing Wind flag. These were the same gnomes Jeremy should have killed on the third floor, but hadn't because, Flint thought with a non-corporeal sigh, he was Jeremy.

  The six remaining goblins from the second floor, whom Jeremy should also have killed, waited, each holding a gun by its barrel.

  “Those filthy goblins forced us to join them!” Fizzlepuff collapsed before the sauriens. “Please help us!” All four gnomes were on their knees, looking terrified. “We told them we'd catch you off guard and try to kill you while they attacked. Please forgive us; we had no choice. They were going to kill and eat us. We had to convince them we were their friends, and we'd help them against their human enemies!”

  Princess Ssrethadis watched the goings-on with an amused smirk. “What are they doing with gnome weapons?”

  “We convinced them the guns would make them very powerful,” Fizzlepuff said. “They forced us to teach them how to use them, except they don't understand guns. We taught them to swing the guns by the barrel really hard.” He swung his gun that way for emphasis, resulting in a bloodthirsty cheer from the goblins.

  Prince Sstetakidis spoke. “I didn't think even goblins were that stupid and gullible.”

  “We have to record this!” Soppett said. “If we don't, no one from our world will believe it happened.”

  “You speak out of turn, Rogue,” the princess said, “but you are right. Gnome, can you delay their attack?”

  “For a short time, yes, your highness,” Fizzlepuff said. “Goblins aren't known for delayed gratification.”

  “Well, do so. Everyone, gather; we will record our image in front of our gun-wielding goblins.” The princess let out a hissing giggle. “I didn't think goblins could become even more primitive and stupid, but it would seem they can.”

  Flint felt Jeremy fighting with Tossi and decided it was time. He had no sympathy for Jeremy's pain; if it weren't for his companion's insane, obstinate refusal to leave this dungeon, they'd be free of this horrible place. But Flint was grateful for the extra strength Jeremy's distress gave him.

  He returned to the saurians' mostly empty tent. Jeremy's pack and bag were resting in their usual place, next to where the saurians tossed their waste. Flint couldn't do anything with that, but the servant in charge of cooking had left cooking supplies next to their stove. The cap of the bottle of cooking oil was loose enough that Flint could laboriously remove it. He pushed the bottle back and forth, rocking it until it toppled, spilling oil onto the stove and tent. Then he did the same with a bottle of cooking alcohol.

  He twisted the knob on the stove, using all his strength to turn it to its hottest setting. The stove would soon get hot enough to ignite the alcohol and grease.

  He mentally signaled Squeak to be ready.

  “Squeak!” Squeak was ready and waiting in its hiding place underground, several feet beneath Jeremy's pack, wards preventing it from getting closer.

  Flint returned to the saurians.

  The princess held a large crystal with images of smiling saurians, with gun-holding goblins in the background. “Move the two golems to protect our flanks. Make sure no goblins escape. Gnome, signal the attack; this should be amusing.”

  Fizzlepuff had never felt so frightened in his life, and considering he'd been frightened most of his life, that meant something. “Do you even know my name?” he squeaked quietly, wondering if the saurian/humans even knew who he was.

  The princess turned, eyes narrowing dangerously. “Did you say something, gnome?”

  “No, kind princess.” the gnome raised his two fists—the first prearranged signal. With a roar, the goblins charged.

  While the saurians watched the goblins and laughed, Fizzlepuff raised his legendary-grade shotgun, charmed to do extreme damage up close and loaded with the deadliest ammunition he could make. He pointed his gun at the princess and fired.