by Bill Albert
Riding Snow, she looked down and, for the first time, noticed just how black the dirt was beneath them. It wasn’t a mixture of brown or tan or sandy colors like everywhere else. It was completely black. She looked up at the tree canopy and was pleased to see a few strands of light coming straight down through the foliage. The sun was still high and there was plenty of time left.
“The dirt is pitch black,” she called back to the couple. “I bet we’ll be out of this part of the forest within five or six hours. After that the trees start to break up and it becomes a pretty easy ride from what I have been told.”
“Yee,” Arca called to her. “There small few villages if we nad to stop where.”
Gallif dropped back so she was riding right next to the carriage and said, “I didn’t know that.”
“Yes,” Linea said. “There are two that I cen think of, Crafta and Medallin, plus smaller few towns along the way. But you remember that ef you go more than few miles in either direction of this road you be back into the thickness.”
“You know a lot more about this area than I do,” Gallif admitted.
“Nature of dwarves to knew,” Arca smiled.
Gallif nodded and smiled, but, very quickly, her senses caught something unusual. She told Arca and Linea to stop and they sat in complete silence for a while. Gallif swung around and looked in all directions as she took deep breaths. They started to ask her questions, but she waved them to be quiet. She finally signaled them to wait and then rode forward a few hundred feet but stayed within sight of the couple and the carriage. She took a deep breath again. This time the smell of smoke was stronger, and she knew that even though she could see nothing, something was burning.
She dismounted and whispered instructions to Snow. Her companion quietly, but steadily returned to the couple and took up a position directly in front of their own horse team. This made it obvious that they were not to move and by leaving Snow there she hoped it would build confidence in them that she would return.
Gallif drew her flame sword and started walking eastward where she sensed the source of the smoke was. She traveled quietly and cautiously using all of her senses before each step. As she moved on, she finally saw a thin mist of smoke hanging close to the ground. It was heavy and gray like the smoke that came from burning damp leaves or wood.
There was a small hillock ahead of her and as she climbed it, she stayed closer to the ground to avoid being seen. When she got as high as she could go she carefully peeked up and over.
There was a small area on the other side of the hillock where two giants had set up camp. The camp had been made quickly and carelessly. Small trees and a few bushes were just pulled out of the ground and tossed aside. The hole in the center of the torn ground was filled with damp wood and grass and lit to create a campfire. There wasn’t much fire and what little smoke there was rolled slowly over the ground in small clouds.
One giant was sitting near the fire trying to roast a few rabbits on a stick and Gallif could tell it was going to take a long time at that rate before the meat was edible. A second giant was resting against one of the overturned trees, sound asleep.
Despite how careless they had been in making the camp these giants were smarter than the one she had encountered in the sewer. They were well fed, well dressed and the weapons that were stacked near them were finely crafted and dangerous. Maces and hammers were not the type of weapons that were usually used for hunting wild game. These were combat weapons.
She considered the possibility that they were just a pair of giants on an outing who were enjoying nature and minding their own business. There was only one way to find that out, but, after the encounter in the sewer, she hoped to avoid a confrontation. She did not want to have to battle with, or possibly kill, another giant. She glanced back to make sure that Arca or Linea hadn’t come to check on her and was relieved that there was no sign of them or Snow in the area.
Snow? Yes, she thought, that was another thing that seemed so unusual about these giants. There was no carriage or horse team nearby waiting for them and they appeared to have very little with them other than the clothes they were wearing and their weapons. No matter what their purpose they wanted to be able to move quickly and not draw attention to themselves. It was obvious that there would be no discussion for her to overhear in the near future so, very quietly, she withdrew from the area and went back to the road. Deep down inside she thanked Tebiet that there had been no combat.
When she stepped from the thicker trees and bushes on to the Black Road she came to an abrupt halt. She could see the carriage, its team, and Snow just where she had left them, but this time, there was another horse with them. She could see no sign of Arca or Linea but saw a heavily armed dwarf crawling around on top of the carriage. He wore thick and very finely crafted plate armor and had various weapons, including two hammers and two clubs hanging from his belt. He was also so busy he didn’t stop to notice Gallif as she approached.
She moved in silently and hid under the carriage and could hear the dwarf as it rattled around the couple’s belongings. Finally, she heard a cheer and assumed that it had found what it was looking for. The way the coach shook she could tell it was climbing down the back and she braced herself to confront the intruder. There wasn’t enough room to pull her sword, so she pulled the knife she had strapped to her thigh.
The dwarf jumped the last few feet and took a deep breath as he patted his hands in satisfaction. He turned to walk away and Gallif jumped into him and grabbed his hair tight and pulled back. She placed the sharp tip of the knife against the dwarf’s neck so he knew instantly who was in charge. He froze and left its hands at its sides.
“Drop whatever it is you took,” she ordered and paused until she heard the sound of something hitting the ground. “Now,” she continued, “I’m going to take a few steps back and I want you to get on your horse and get out of here.”
The dwarf nodded that it would do what she instructed, and she was about to let it go when she heard a screech from the wooded area nearby. She held her grip on the dwarf but looked to see Arca and Linea come running toward them and waving their hands.
“Pleash, let hem go,” Linea said.
“It’s okay, Gellif,” Arca said.
“He was looting through your carriage. He took something from on top. It’s in the bag there,” Gallif indicated.
Linea and Arca took the bag from the dirt and opened it up. They pulled out a three-inch-high figure of a dwarf carved out of glass and held it lovingly.
Arca looked up at Gallif and said “Prichless family idol.”
Linea took the figure and carried it to the dwarf that Gallif was still holding hostage. “For our son,” she said as she handed him the figure.
Gallif took a deep breath and slowly pulled the knife away from his throat. “Sorry,” she whispered as she let him go.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be terribly offended,” he said in a perfect clear voice with no accent. “After all,” he said rubbing a bruise on his throat, “you were protecting my family.”
“I’m really sorry,” she said as she put the knife away. “I didn’t see them here and you were going...”
“I know what you saw. Thank you for protecting my parents. Next time, however, you might consider the attitude your companion took to my presence before attacking,” he said pointing at Snow.
Gallif glanced over and saw the horse gently chewing on some fresh grass and completely ignoring the events at the wagon. Even though no one else could tell Gallif could feel an air of smugness.
“This is Gellif,” Linea said as she lovingly hugged.
“Hello, Gellif,” he shook her hand.
“Gallif,” she corrected and smiled back.
“Gallif, it is. My name is Jakobus.”
“You fin anything?” Arca asked.
“Yes, I did,” Gallif said as the embarrassment subsided, and she got control of the situation. “There are two giants camping up there.” The dwarves each took
a deep breath and were struck by the oddity of what she had told them as she described the campsite she had seen.
“Did they have a fire?”
“Yes. Not much of one though. They used damp wood and leaves and were trying to cook a dinner over that.”
“That’ll take them forever,” he said as a glint of delight crossed his face. “Maybe I should go and show them how to do it properly,” he said and turned to walk further up the road.
Gallif, Linea, Arca and Snow all quickly moved to cut him off.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Gallif said.
“I thenk we should leve them be,” Linea pleaded.
“We need to get moving,” Arca reasoned with him.
“Yes,” Linea joined in. “We have to get out off forest before dark.”
Jakobus stopped and thought about it for a moment. Clearly disappointed he looked at the ground and nodded that they were right.
“Perhaps we should get moving,” Gallif suggested and Linea and Arca quickly agreed and started to mount their rides.
“Think you, Gellif,” Arca said as he climbed into the carriage.
“Yes, Jakobus is good at making things burn,” Linea smiled fondly at her son. “Grandson, Piro, gats it from him.”
Gallif bit her lip tight and looked away to keep them from seeing the shocked look on her face. She quickly mounted Snow and called “I’ll lead the way,” as she started off without looking back.
Two hours later the forest quickly opened, and they could see the clear sky. There were occasional patches of trees ahead of them and the forest line was prominent several miles on each side. They would be able to pick up speed from here.
Arriving before the rest Gallif stopped and looked at the Stack Black Mountains just on the horizon. She admitted that their reputation did not give them enough credit. The same black dirt that was on the road beneath them climbed sharply into the sky and gave the mountains a foreboding look. Even with plenty of green grass and trees along the surface it was impossible to escape the overpowering feelings the mountains gave. She thought how the pure white of Snow’s coat would contrast the blackness of the territory.
She heard the carriage and horses approaching and moved to stand off to one side of the road. Arca brought their carriage to a stop and looked fondly at Gallif.
“Suppose you well go ahead now,” Linea said. “This carriage must stay on main read.”
“I have to get going, I’m afraid,” Gallif said. “I think the road should be safe from here and Jakobus will be with you,” she pointed at their son who was sitting quietly on his horse opposite the carriage. “This is a direct path and I can get there faster.”
“We wall be safe from here on,” Arca nodded.
“Thinks, Gellif,” Linea said and held out a hand to her. Gallif took it and held it warmly.
“Thank you for your kindness,” she said. “You could have left me there.”
“You halped us, as wall,” Linea said. “We well thank the goddess for you.”
Gallif was touched by their heartfelt remarks and squeezed Linea’s hand tightly once more before letting go.
“I’ll be in Primor for a few days, I expect. I hope to see you there.”
Linea and Arca both smiled and said that they would be looking for her soon. Gallif started to ride away from them but stopped when Jakobus called out her name. He rode forward and stopped next to her.
“Crafta is just a few miles ahead,” he said. “Medallin is beyond that. The path you are taking is rough and rocky but it’s straight and you can get there before sundown.”
“Thanks,” she nodded and looked ahead.
“Thank you for helping my family. I have something for you,” he said. He pulled one of the clubs from his belt and tossed it to her. She looked at it and realized it wasn’t just a club but had some grainy substance on it that gave out an odd smell. “Get a good hold of the thin end and smack the thick end against a hard surface,” he said when she looked oddly at him. “It’s a very bright torch that will light under any condition. Make them myself,” he said proudly.
“I can imagine there’s lots of need for something like this up there,” she said indicating the mountains on the horizon.
“They say deep inside the mountains the dirt is so black it swallows light,” he said.
“I’ll use it wisely,” she said and carefully slid the torch into one of the saddle bags. “Good luck,” she said and finally started Snow moving.
Jakobus wished her luck as well but she was riding fast and didn’t look back to hear anything or even wave goodbye. Within a few minutes she was around the next corner and out of sight.
***
Before long she was approaching the town of Crafta and the closer she got the more odd it seemed to be to call it a town. There were only ten buildings and there didn’t appear to be any store or communal area. The sun was still high in the sky and she guessed she could make it to the next town before the sun dipped too low. She saw only a few people wandering around the grounds of Crafta and hoped she would have a better chance to meet people and get information in Medallin.
As she rode she considered her options and debated what her next move should be. She knew she had to ask for the tomb that Tome had mentioned once she got to Primor, but hoped to have more information to pass along. So far she didn’t have much. The two giants she had seen in the forest could have been a simple chance occurrence. It was certainly possible that the giant community had their own runaways or outcasts. Some giants may have not chosen to live in the proper society that the Giant Lords had created for themselves. For some reason that was even harder to accept than the idea of giants rebelling against giants. Somehow the Giant Lords had always seemed so perfect before now, but the veils were slowly falling away.
She thought about the carriage she had encountered and the battle with the skeletons. Even as a magically cast carriage it would have been too small to carry giants. She remembered the casts she had gone through at Rayjen’s cabin and briefly considered the possibility that a type of casting had been used. Then she remembered how she had reacted when she had seen Jakobus at the wagon and shook it off. Besides, she reasoned, if they had the ability to use jumps they wouldn’t have needed the carriage. No, that encounter was something different.
The sun was just starting to disappear under the horizon when she came within sight of Medallin. As she passed through a small crop of trees she spied the town just a mile ahead. This was more of a proper village than Crafta with several businesses, a court, and almost forty homes scattered along a small river. As she crossed the water on a sturdy stone bridge she was glad to see that one of the larger buildings was a hotel. She was even happier to see that there was a stable attached and she immediately decided she would stop there for the night.
“Hello,” a cheerful blonde girl greeted her as she dismounted near the hotel.
“Hello,” Gallif smiled. “I was hoping to find a place to stay tonight and this looks just fine.” Gallif guessed the girl was probably just a year or two younger than she was.
“It’s the last hotel between here and Primor,” the girl said.
“Just how far is Primor?”
“If you leave at sun rise tomorrow morning you’ll be there just after high noon,” she reported. “It’s not very far, but the mountain roads get steep and winding fairly quickly and that usually slows people down. I expect you on your horse will make good time getting there.”
“Thanks,” Gallif said. She enjoyed the girl’s polite and friendly attitude and she introduced herself and Snow.
“Hi, Gallif. Hello, Snow,” she giggled. “My name is Maura.”
Snow nodded and gently nudged Maura’s chin with her damp nose.
“Do you own this hotel?” Gallif asked.
“My family does,” she giggled. “I help take care of the stable and feed the horses.”
“Great,” Gallif said and gladly handed her the reins. “You take good car
e of her.”
“She’s beautiful,” Maura said amazed.
“Don’t say it too loud or she’ll get uppity,” Gallif winked. Snow swung her head around and snorted at Gallif and walked over to stand behind Maura.
“How long will you be staying?”
“Just one night,” Gallif said as she brushed some dirt off of Snow’s coat. “I came through a town called Crafta on the way here. It was a really weird little town.”
“You only know the half. That town was established before us or Primor, but a band of brujas moved in and scared most everyone out.”
“Brujas?”
“Weak witches that mimic vampire bats, but they aren’t very intelligent and don’t amount to much. Mostly just nuisances that look like more of a threat than they really are. They came from the mountains about fifty years ago and rustled things up in Crafta before anyone got rid of them. All you have to do is cover up any cracks or holes, like keyholes, and they can’t get in to the house. Also, if you sprinkle a handful of rice or wheat outside the door they’ll stop to count them but can’t get the job done before sunrise and they lose their powers. After a month or so they got hungry and moved back into the mountains, but the legend was already spreading so the town never recovered.”
“I suppose the legend is too strong now.”
“Yes,” she shrugged and looked around. “I have to get some things closed up before night, so I’ll see you later,” Maura smiled and headed toward the stable.
Gallif went inside and quickly got a room. She had just climbed the stairs to the second floor and gotten inside when there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Maura standing with the saddlebags draped over her shoulders. She thanked her and took the load from her and laid them on the floor. Together they got the rest of her belongings and had them all in the room in a single trip.
It had been a long time since Gallif had really been able to just spend time talking with a woman her age and she found it quite relaxing. As she unloaded some of her belongings, she invited Maura to stay and they talked constantly for an hour. After a while Gallif felt comfortable enough to start asking questions. She pulled out one of the clay jars they had discovered in the giant’s lair and showed it to Maura.
