by Allan Joyal
“What about the kobolds near you?” the innkeeper asked. “Aren’t you worried?”
“I don’t think they’ll anger Faestari by leaving their caverns to attack us. I’m not even sure they want to attack us. They seem to be happy trying to injure the adventurers who bravely delve within the caverns,” Dared said.
“They let the spiders do most of the fighting,” Jerisa said fondly. “But that’s just as well since the eyes and venom sacs are useful in so many different potions.”
The innkeeper just looked back and forth between Dared and Jerisa. Finally, he threw up his hands and backed away. “I’ll wait for the others to come and let them drag the stories out,” he said firmly as he returned to sweeping the floor of the inn.
“Now what?” Jerisa asked.
“We can wait for Varia to return,” Dared said as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t want to head to the bank today.”
“Fine,” Jerisa said sadly. “But tomorrow we also need to visit the market. I need cloth and thread so I have something to do once the winter storms settle over the mountain.”
Chapter 11: Jerisa Makes More Friends.
Dared and Jerisa sat quietly at the table for quite some time. The innkeeper’s stable boy did stop by to hand Dared the saddle bags from all three horses and promised that their saddles and tack were carefully stored in the stable where no thief would disturb them. Dared asked the boy to provide a pitcher of wine while they waited for Varia and Pauly to return.
The shadows coming in through the window were getting quite long when the sound of tired babies could be heard just outside. Someone pushed the door open as two women rushed in. Both were carrying babies in their arms.
“Varia!” Dared called out as the second one to enter moved to walk around their table.
Both women halted and stared at Dared. The closer one had a rather stocky build, with wide shoulders. She cradled the head of her child as she shook her head back and forth. She was wearing a battered scarf over her hair.
The second woman approached carefully. She was a tiny woman with slender fingers that wrapped around the head and back of a blond-haired baby. The woman’s hair was concealed by the bright blue scarf covering it. “Dared?” the woman asked.
“I thought you knew I was coming,” Dared said. “I told Narhert that I wanted to accompany you when he brought you out to Montgar.”
“Montgar?” the woman asked.
Jerisa sighed. “Trust Dared to believe everyone already knows things. He and I talked about what to name the town he’s building. Since he came from Rockgar, and the town is right at the foot of a rather special mountain. We chose to use the name Montgar.”
“Did we remember to tell Narhert that?” Dared asked.
Jerisa just pointed at her husband. “See. And while I don’t know if you told Narhert, I do remember telling his niece all about it.”
“Is Malegy well?” the other woman asked. “She hasn’t been hurt by bandits or anything.”
“She was fine when we sped up our journey and left them behind. They should have reached Oersteglen yesterday,” Dared said. “They were supposed to load up with grain and head back towards Montgar. It will be their last run until the spring.”
“I do miss my daughter,” the woman said. “And I want to introduce her to her brother and sister.”
“Didn’t she meet them on her previous trip to Fairview?” Jerisa asked. “I heard that Narhert had been going back and forth regularly all summer.”
“Oh, Berhert was afraid of bringing her to see the babies,” the woman who had to be Pauly said. “They were so small right after they were born. At least now they are growing.”
Pauly held up the baby in her arms. It was impossible to determine the sex of the two-month-old child, but the blue eyes looked curiously towards Jerisa.
“Where’s your other child?” Dared asked.
“Coulette was going to change Verhert. Once she completed bathing him, she’ll bring him back so I can feed both of them,” Pauly said fondly. “I’m wondering if Coulette can come with us.”
“That would be something the innkeeper would have to decide,” Dared said. “I’m willing to discuss it with him, but would he want to allow his daughter to move so far away.”
“Oh, he’ll do anything to get rid of me,” a young woman of about thirteen years said as she walked up to the table. “I’m not his daughter. My mother married him after my father died. He wants to get rid of me.”
The young woman was wearing clothing that was clearly much patched and repaired. The scarf covering her hair had several large holes and might have been white once, but looked gray. She was almost skeletally thin.
“I’ll see what it will cost,” Dared said firmly.
“What?” Pauly asked. “Why?”
Dared smiled. “Because in the future Jerisa will also need someone to help care for her children. Coulette can do that. And who knows, she might meet a nice man.”
“That won’t happen,” Coulette said mournfully as she handed Verhert back to Pauly. “I’m not going to have a dowry or any beauty that would attract a good man.”
Jerisa covered her mouth. She made a coughing sound and then looked at Coulette. “If all goes well, you’ll find men who might be interested. And while many won’t be good husbands, if you are patient you might find a few.”
“Really,” Dared asked. “Who?”
“Hal’vik is too old, but he would have been a great husband for the right woman,” Jerisa said.
“You met him? I thought Betrixy and Gee’if handled all of the trades with your father,” Dared said. “And I can’t remember seeing you talk to him in the tavern.”
“I never talked to him, but I spent quite a bit of time talking to Betrixy when she visited my father’s shop. She considers Hal’vik a very nice man who needs a caring woman to get him to settle down.”
“Well, he left for Dungeon Sea Spray with the Flame Vultures. He might return, but I suspect that he’ll be sent to other dungeons unless the group decides they need an experienced hand next summer,” Dared said.
Jerisa just shook her head and looked at Varia. “Varia? What can you tell me about my husband here.”
“What?” Varia asked. “You married him without knowing him?”
Jerisa put a hand on Dared’s shoulder. “I know about him. I know what he did for me in Ridnek. He saved my father and me there. And I’ve seen him working hard to get Montgar built up. We’re probably going to have to live in the inn the first winter, but everyone will have a warm place to live.”
“Why live in the inn?” Pauly asked as she unlaced her bodice. She noticed Dared’s gaze and her face flushed. “Sorry, but Verhert and Vauloa must be hungry so I was going to nurse them.”
Dared looked away but wound up looking right at Varia who was also loosening her bodice. Narhert’s wife just shook her head at him. “You are so like my husband.”
Jerisa used an elbow to get her husband’s attention. “Are you going to be hiring servants for our manor house?”
“Since it won’t be ready this winter, I was going to wait for the spring,” Dared said. “However, I can commission some furniture while we are here if you wish. We’d just have to arrange for Narhert to pick it up once we can travel again in the spring.”
“Narhert gave up on putting runners on any of the wagons to turn them into sleds?” Varia asked. “I know he spent quite a bit of time looking into doing that.”
“I think the men who are working at the quarry or the ones who set up the sawmill do plan on converting some of their wagons into sleds, but Narhert wants to spend some time with his wife and new child,” Dared said.
“That I can understand,” Jerisa said. “I know I’m looking forward to some quiet time just getting to know my husband.”
Varia looked at Jerisa. “I thought you knew him well. At least that’s what Narhert indicated.”
Jerisa put a hand on Dared’s shoulder and leaned into him. “I owe
him my life and my freedom, but I first met him last summer when he rescued my father and I. The prince of Ridnek was going to execute my father and have me chained in the guard barracks because I was in his eyes unnatural.”
“You are uncommonly beautiful and smart. If the crown prince really wanted to see unnatural, he could argue with Faestari,” Dared muttered.
“Who is Faestari?” Coulette asked. “I can’t even figure out where that name came from.”
“Can we really say she is a who?” Jerisa asked Dared. “I mean considering what we’ve heard about her.”
“Heard about her?” Varia asked.
Dared took a deep breath. “How much do you know about why we founded the village?”
“Narhert didn’t say much about it,” Varia said. “Just that you heard a rumor that a new dungeon had been found and wanted to build a town nearby. I never quite understand why you would find a king’s dumping ground interesting.”
Dared closed his eyes and shook his head. “Not that kind of dungeon. The dungeon we heard about is a magical series of caverns. The caverns of these dungeons are filled with monsters and treasures. Once the news gets out about them adventurers tend to flock to the area as they are interested in challenging their abilities by entering the dungeon and fighting the creatures within.”
“That sounds dangerous,” Coulette said. “Do people really do that?”
“There were two full groups that were there before Jared brought me out there,” Jerisa said. “My father was excited. The adventurers were bringing out a lot of very valuable items.”
“That doesn’t explain who this Faestari is,” Varia pointed out.
“The dungeon has a soul. I haven’t met her, but the adventurers who have says she appears to be a teenage girl. We did have a wizard arrive who claimed to be descended from her human father,” Dared said.
“Roquel thinks he was descended from one of the wizards who tried to capture her mother long ago,” Jerisa said. “At least that’s what she told me one time you were scouting the route back here.”
Varia gasped. Coulette had a hand over her mouth. “How terrible,” she whispered.
Dared nodded. “The strange thing is that all the people who have talked to Faestari tell me that she’s not angry at anyone. She’s a rather unusual being.”
“And she’s the mind of the dungeon?” Varia asked.
“I guess that’s what you’d call it. She can create the various rooms and do something to improve the health and power of the creatures that live within the mountain. But from what I hear she doesn’t command the creatures directly very often,” Dared said.
“Wow,” Varia said. “It sounds impossible. How could such a girl survive?”
“You’d have to talk to Roquel about that,” Dared replied.
“Who?” Pauly asks.
“Roquel is an adventurer,” Jerisa said. “She arrived with a group who claimed they were going to kill the dungeon. However, the other adventurers talked her out of entering. Since then she’s mostly remained in town talking to the adventurers and helping keep the peace between the adventurers and the workers building the town.”
“Should we be worried?” Pauly asked.
Jerisa shook her head as she looked over Pauly’s shoulder. She raised her arm and waved it. “Excuse me. I have a question for you.”
The innkeeper walked over. “Yes?” he asked. “Oh, a runner stopped by. It appears that the council wants to speak to any traveler arriving from the west.”
“We’ll be here for a couple of days. They can come here to talk,” Dared said firmly.
“You won’t go to the council chamber?” Jerisa asked.
“We aren’t citizens of Fairview and I don’t want the council thinking they have authority over us,” Dared said. “Also I’m guessing this is about the raids occurring to the southwest of town.”
“Raids? Will we be safe?” Varia asked.
“The raids are occurring far from Montgar,” Dared said.
The innkeeper looked a bit upset and confused. “Coulette, can you run to the council chamber with a message? The courier who visited here already left.”
“If its that important I can go,” Dared said angrily.
“No, Coulette shall go,” the innkeeper insisted.
Dared looked over at his wife. “Jerisa, I will go with Coulette. Stay and get to know Varia and Pauly. You can reassure them about how safe Montgar is.”
“Return soon,” Jerisa said. “I’ll see about a bath and our evening meal.”
Dared nodded as he stood up. Coulette smiled as he stepped around the table and looked down at the teenager. “Let’s go,” he said.
Coulette turned and started walking out of the inn. Dared followed as his wife turned to the carter’s wives and began gossiping about the people of Montgar.
Chapter 12: The Return of the Dungeon
At the same time that Dared was leaving the inn, Faestari was resting in her dungeon heart chamber. Kalacho had brought the young adventurers on another visit. The two women in the group seemed more than a bit upset with one of the other young members of the group.
Faestari was thinking about listening in on the group’s conversation when she felt the flash of an orc wanting to use the door. She shifted her attention and could see a dozen orcs waiting near the door.
It took no more than a thought for the door to open. The dozen orcs rushed out and raced down the mountain. Faestari watched as they left her domain, heading off to the west. They were moving away from the town and the adventurers so once they vanished into the trees, she stopped following them.
“What happened?” Aylia asked as she reanimated her avatar.
“What?” Faestari responded.
“We were watching the adventurers and then suddenly your body froze. Were you listening in on the adventurers?” Aylia asked.
Faestari shook her head. “No, a group of orcs wanted to leave the dungeon to raid. I had to open up their exit.”
“How many?” Aylia asked.
“A dozen I think. I didn’t really pay attention to the exact number. They rushed off to the west so they are moving away from the town. Once I saw that I stopped following them.”
Aylia giggled. “You never left the room. Or at least your avatar didn’t, but you claimed you followed them.”
“You know that I deal mostly through mana. I don’t have to move my body in order to follow the orcs,” Faestari said.
Aylia just laughed more. “I know, but I don’t get to tease you very often. You’ve been very serious since.”
Faestari felt a massive spike of mana appearing near the gatehouse at the edge of her domain. She raised a hand towards Aylia as her head turned to gaze at the walls in that direction.
“It’s back,” she said. “Something is wrong. I have to go to the gatehouse.”
“Outside? Why?” Aylia asked as her legs and torso turned into water. Her head started to sink towards the pool.
“That’s where it is. It must be throwing mana away to maintain a presence outside my domain,” Faestari said. “I’m going to raise a granite avatar there.”
“You should just create once that you keep under the ground,” Aylia said. “You seem to visit there often enough.”
“I might,” Faestari responded. “But I’m leaving this body here. Come or stay as you wish.”
Faestari immediately withdrew her spirit and mana from the avatar allowing it to slowly slump down. She rushed her spirit to the granite just inside her domain and began raising an avatar.
“Mana, much mana,” she heard a child-like voice call out. “It calls, I burn for it.”
Faestari looked and could see what appeared to be a blood covered kobold floating above the ground. She could see the trees and sky behind it as the image was not solid. The kobold spun around lazily, but its head kept turning so that its eyes never left the edge of Faestari’s domain.
“You aren’t wanted here,” she stated firmly.
“Mana. All mana mine,” the creature stated. “You give me.”
“It’s not yours,” Faestari said. “I’m not even sure how a dungeon could take mana from outside their domain. You need to return to your stone.”
“No,” the kobold said. “Need mana. You have. Give.”
The creature looked up towards the entrance to Faestari’s caverns. It started shouting loudly in kobold as it stopped spinning.
“What is it?” the terrified guard asked as he left the guardhouse and moved to cower behind Faestari. Faestari noticed that this guard had been there when she talked to Salene and Roquel only a few days before.
“A new dungeon woke up in the mountains to the southeast,” Faestari said. “At least I think it did.”
“You don’t know,” the man asked.
“For all I know it could have woken up years ago, but only recently received enough mana to project any power. All I am sure of is this is the avatar of a dungeon,” Faestari said as the kobold avatar continued barking in the harsh language of the dogmen.
“What’s it doing?” the guard asked.
“It appears to be trying to get my kobolds to come down to the edge of my domain,” Faestari said. She took a moment to feel where her kobolds were. A couple had moved to the base of the stairway, but none appeared interested in climbing out of her caverns.
“Why?” the guard asked.
“Mana,” the kobold avatar said as it stopped barking. “Need mana. Must have mana.”
“You gain mana from the beings inside your domain,” Faestari said firmly. “You can get more if they fight and die.”
“My people fight. They die. Tunnels filled with dead. More every day,” the dungeon avatar said. “Need to make them strong. To save.”
“Who do they fight?” Faestari asked.
“Tunnel opened. Creatures entered. Fight my people. Fight constant. My people win, but fight not ending,” the avatar said.
“What?” the guard asked.
“I don’t know,” Faestari said angrily. The kobold raised a hand to touch the edge of Faestari’s domain. She could feel the mismatched mana as her protections pushed it back.
