by Sam Ferguson
“Please, don’t!” Jonathan shouted. A few moments went by and nothing happened. Jonathan peeked out from under his hands and looked at Cayda. “I swear, I don’t know anything about your migot,” he said. He glanced to the stone and backed away from it.
“Clearly,” Cayda said. “That isn’t a migot. It’s just a hunk of black rock that I polished up and use as a paperweight.”
“A paper weight?” Jonathan said. “You attacked me with a paper weight?”
“No, I attacked you with my wits, the rock was just the final piece of the ruse,” Cayda replied evenly.
“Why?”
“Because in the antechamber I sized you up as the weakest link. You were swollen up from the sedative our guards use, and you are the youngest. I figured I would gain your trust by healing your hands and eyes.”
“But…”
“The theft is real,” Cayda added quickly. “Forgive me, but I had to be sure. The migot was stolen not more than a few days ago. It seemed too coincidental to have your group show up asking similar questions as the other party. I thought perhaps they had sent you for more.”
“More?” Jonathan asked as he looked back to the black stone. “You have another migot? But, why would you want such a crystal?”
Cayda smiled. “I don’t,” she said as she sat back down. “I keep them. Sometimes a migot is found in our mines. They are brought here, where I catalogue them and assess their strength.”
“Why not destroy them?” Jonathan pressed. “You said they suck the energy out of living things.”
Cayda nodded. “A migot is nearly impossible to destroy, and beyond that, they are highly valuable. Over the centuries we have sold a few.” Cayda held up a finger. “We only sell them to trusted individuals, of course,” she added.
“Who would you trust with such power?” Jonathan asked.
“Mostly, we trust no one with them. However, every so often the power a migot wields can be put to good use. We have sold a few to the elf council in Gwyndoltai, and we have in the past given one to Lysander.”
“The elf council?” Jonathan asked. “Why?”
“It doesn’t matter why,” Cayda said. “It was before my time. I am only telling you, because I think you have seen them. The crystals Captain Ziegler spoke of, they are migots. Had you known what a migot was, you would have recognized the rock I held as an ordinary rock.” Cayda pointed to the paper weight. “Can I have it back please?”
Jonathan looked to the black stone. “Will it burn me?”
“Most certainly not, that was just part of the act.”
Jonathan grabbed the rock, relieved to find it cool to the touch, and walked over to set it on her desk. “So, a migot is red then, like the crystals we saw over the altar?”
Cayda nodded. “This leaves me with three scenarios. The first is that you are all clever liars, but I don’t think you could make all that up and keep it straight. The second is that someone stole the migot crystals from the elf council.”
“And the third is that it was someone on the elf council,” Jonathan said dryly.
Cayda nodded. “I have not reported the migot stolen yet. Such matters are kept close and quiet. If knowledge were to spread that I had managed to be tricked, I would lose my position, and I have far too much work to finish yet. I wonder if you are able to look into this matter for me?” Cayda asked.
“You want us to find the migot?”
Cayda nodded. “Whoever stole it is simply a pawn. However, I believe the individual who hired the thief, and the elf Ziegler claimed had this nefarious plan to find the Astral Crystal, would most likely be one and the same person.”
“So, Brykith used his influence on the council to get his hands on these migot crystals. Then, when we ended the Troll Wars and stopped him from releasing the demon in Sierryn, he sent his followers here to steal another migot from you to speed up his plans and try to amplify his scrying power.”
“So it would seem,” Cayda said.
“What do we do with the migot?” Jonathan asked.
“Nothing,” Cayda said. “They are extraordinarily dangerous in the wrong hands, even most of the elves do not know how to master a migot crystal. So, the danger is primarily the mastermind behind the thief. I suspect that the thief was hired so the migot can add yet another boost to the search for the Astral Crystal. If I know crystals, and I do, you will be looking for a very tall tower. It will lie somewhere in the center of a nexus, drawing power from all of the outlying altars that use the migot crystals. If you know where the altars are, then you can start your search easily enough like this.” Cayda removed her glove and took a piece of paper out. She made a few dots on the paper. “Suppose there are altars in Sierryn, Tirnog, and Gwyndoltai. Then, the other abandoned city Ziegler mentioned would be here.” She made another dot. “You create a circular area, like drawing a pie with the dots as the crust.”
“And then draw inward from the dots, like slicing the pie,” Jonathan guessed.
Cayda nodded as she drew lines into the center of the pie. “Somewhere in the intersection of these lines is the focus of power. The Eye, if you will. It will be drawing energy from the migot crystals. Such a place would have very far reaching scrying abilities.”
“You said the Astral Crystal was too dangerous to seek though,” Jonathan put in.
Cayda nodded. “I believe it is, but, that doesn’t mean that our mutual friend will stop searching for it. If anything, his knowledge of how to use migot crystals to amplify his powers shows that he is smart enough to believe he can handle the Astral Crystal, and that makes him terribly dangerous.”
“Why not tell all the others outside?” Jonathan said.
Cayda shook her head. “You can explain it to them,” she said. “But only after you have left Shuldern. I cannot risk Dignar knowing that I have lost a migot. No one must know.”
Jonathan nodded. “I understand.”
Cayda reached into the drawer one more time and pulled a sealed envelope. “I was going to hire bounty hunters from Tyrwyn, but seeing as our interests align, I suppose you can take this. This is a summary of all correspondence I had with the suspected thief and his party of gem purchasers. It has a description of each one as well. Please, keep it as quiet as you can. Once you have finished, I will send a few miners to reclaim the migot crystals. I think we have more than enough evidence that the elf council has been irresponsible in handling them. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Jonathan took the envelope. “I’m sure we can handle this,” he promised.
“Good. I will have payment sent to you upon completion,” Cayda promised. “Do a good enough job that I can keep my position, and I will send you more than enough gold to set you up for life.”
Jonathan smiled. “It’s a deal,” he said.
The two then left the office and walked through the large lab to rejoin the others.
“You two were gone for a long time,” Ziegler said when they returned.
“But the swelling is gone, so it all worked out,” Jonathan said as he held up his hands triumphantly.
Dignar stiffened. “So, are you going to go with them as Captain Ziegler asked?” Dignar wrung his hands nervously. “I don’t think that would be wise.”
“I can answer for myself, Diggie,” Cayda said.
Jason glanced to Jonathan and silently mouthed the word, “Diggie” with a smirk on his face as Jonathan moved to sit next to his brother once more.
“I will not be leaving my work here,” Cayda said firmly. “Again, I would caution you to leave this alone. If this elf you spoke of does find the Astral Crystal, it will consume him.”
“I still have my friend to find,” Ziegler said sternly. “There are also elves that go missing regularly, and now that we know what happens to them, I can’t turn my back on it.”
“Well then, a soldier’s job is to fight, and a gemologist’s duty is to work with precious stones. I have told you all I can, I’m afraid. Sorry I couldn’t be of more assista
nce. Perhaps try asking around in Tyrwyn, they are the nearest elf city.”
“There is one more question I wanted to ask,” Jason said with a flashy, confident smile as he walked up and put an arm on Dignar’s shoulder.
“Don’t you dare!” Dignar warned.
“Diggie, here, wanted to know if you would have dinner with him tonight, just the two of you, but he is a bit too shy to ask you properly for himself.”
Cayda smirked and folded her arms. “Oh, and so you thought you would ask for him, is that it?”
Jason nodded. “I thought I might help things along a bit.”
Dignar was blushing and glancing nervously between the floor and Cayda.
“Well,” Cayda began, “if Diggie is unable to ask for himself, I guess we’ll never know the answer.”
Dignar furrowed his brows and stared at her.
Jason removed his arm from Dignar’s shoulder and slapped the dwarf on the back. “Well go on then, ask her.”
“I—um, I… Cayda? Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Cayda smiled and shook her head. “No.”
Dignar’s shoulders slumped and he started to wring his fingers. “Oh, I see, I’m sorry. Just, forget I mentioned it.”
Cayda laughed and stepped closer. “Tonight is a bad night. I have some work that I need to finish before the morning, but perhaps tomorrow night would work, if you are available then.”
Dignar’s eyes shot wide and his whole body seemed full of energy as he smiled wide and nodded. “Oh yes, tomorrow would be wonderful!”
“Great, then I will see you then.” Cayda flashed a smile and then turned and went back through the large door, closing it after her.
Dignar turned to Jason and wrapped his arms around Jason in a tight hug as he hoisted him off the ground and swung him back and forth. “Oh I can’t believe it! She said yes!”
“Impressed now?” Jonathan asked.
Dignar set Jason down and nodded. “Oh yes, very much so. I had intended only to get some sport out of you, and instead… well, this is wonderful. Come with me, I have something for you, as promised.”
The group left the antechamber to Cayda’s workshop and retraced their path alongside the underground river and through the forge. Then they wound their way up a spiraling path until they came to an area where the cavern had been widened considerably and doors set into the walls on either side.
“This is one of the residential districts,” Dignar said as they walked toward one of the doors and Dignar fished out a set of keys. He unlocked three different locks before the door swung into the chamber. Seeing Jonathan watch him, the dwarf smiled and put the keys away. “Never can be too careful.”
They went in and Dignar bolted the three locks and put an additional two chains across the opening for good measure.
“A lot to hide?” Ziegler asked.
“It isn’t polite to ask about one’s income or private property,” Dignar replied evenly. “After all, we have only just met.” He indicated a long, brown sofa and the others moved to sit down while the dwarf went to a locked cupboard a short distance away.
Jonathan surveyed the room and saw tapestries and statues decorating nearly the entire front half of the chamber. A kitchenette was situated toward the back of the room, along with a round table and pair of chairs. Unlike the stone furnishings they had seen elsewhere, the table and chairs, and other pieces of furniture, were all made of wood. Jonathan couldn’t name the various types of wood on sight, but by their high polish and rich color, he guessed they were quite expensive.
Dignar came away from the cupboard and handed a small, tan parchment to Jason.
“Here you go, payment as promised.”
“What is this?” Jason asked curiously.
“Open it up and see for yourself,” Dignar replied.
Jason unfolded the paper and his mouth hung open. “A set of elven windows, with gold trim and set with rubies and sapphires along the top rim, to be delivered anywhere the bearer of this receipt specifies.” Jason shook his head. “I can’t take this.”
“You can, and you should,” Dignar said evenly.
“What would a dwarf want with windows?” Ziegler asked. “You live deep within the mountain. Where would you use them?”
Dignar shook his head. “It isn’t like that at all,” Dignar replied. “It’s a long story, but let’s just say that I visited Ma’at a long, long time ago. I asked him for help with something. He agreed to help, but told me that I should buy these windows, and then offer them as a reward to the man who impressed me the most. I had a feeling it would be you after hearing you talk in the cell before, but I had no idea that it would help me get what I have wanted most.”
“Cayda?” Jonathan guessed.
Dignar shrugged. “I have known her for a long time, but could never work up the courage to talk to her. I tried, many times, but the words always got stuck in my head. In any case, I went to see Ma’at long before I met Cayda. I asked him to help me find someone with which to make a family.” Dignar gestured around himself. “A home is just a house without a family, after all.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“Come, we should be off. There is a lot to prepare before you all leave tomorrow.” Dignar pointed to Jason. “You be sure to take that to Telwenyr, the other dwarves will point you in the right direction once you arrive in Tyrwyn. Just tell him where you want the windows delivered, and they’ll get there safe enough, I assure you. I have worked with Telwenyr many times, and he always makes good on orders, often exceeding even my expectations, and that’s saying quite a lot.”
Jason smiled and carefully stuffed the note into the side of his sock for safe keeping.
CHAPTER 6
The next day the trio was waiting outside the mountain. Their equipment had all been returned to them, and they were waiting for the final preparations to be made before the caravan would begin the journey. They sat in the back of a long wagon, watching the dwarves go about their work. They had offered to help, but the dwarves had all insisted that they take the time to relax. Whether they were told this out of a gesture of hospitality, or simply put out of the way because the dwarves didn’t want them to drop any of their precious goods, Jonathan wasn’t sure, but then, he didn’t actually care either.
He figured that after they had been sedated and captured, not to mention his bad reaction to the substance, he shouldn’t have to be expected to load their goods for them. While the dwarves worked, he got to relax and watch the clouds drift by overhead. As far as he was concerned, that made them roughly even.
Soon they would be on their way, and travelling with the caravan would actually be faster than walking, though Jonathan didn’t see any horses yet. In fact, he didn’t see any animals at all at the front of the wagons. All the yolks and hitches were empty. For a while, Jonathan wondered if the dwarves would pull the wagons themselves. He quite liked the thought of that. An army of short men strapped to the wagons and running along the road. Perhaps then he would forgive them the kidnapping.
Of course, he knew this wouldn’t be the case, but he was still surprised when the animals were brought out. There were no horses. No ponies. Not even oxen. Instead, there were giant lizards brought out in pairs by long, black leather leashes. They wore blinders on their eyes, much like horses would, and muzzles over their snouts.
“Cavedogs,” Ziegler said. “I have heard of them, but never seen them in person.”
“What are cavedogs?” Jonathan asked as he watched a surly, brown-haired dwarf tug roughly on a leash, dragging a stubborn cavedog toward a small cart.
“Those are cavedogs,” Ziegler replied with a wave of his hand toward the lizards. “Bred in the mountain by the dwarves. They can be good work animals, but from what I hear their temperaments are a bit on the wild side. They are far more suitable for battle than for work, and I have read accounts in which dwarves ride cavedogs like knights ride horses.”
“Except horses can’t u
se their teeth as well as these buggers I bet,” Jason put in.
“Quite right,” Ziegler said with a nod. “A bite from one of these creatures could take a man’s leg right off, or a horse’s for that matter.”
Jonathan watched as a pair of cavedogs were hitched to a small wagon. Their skin was rough and leathery. Their tails were fat and thick, with slight ridges along the top. One of them had spikes along its jaw and on top of its head too, while the other had a smooth head and face. Both were brown, with varying stripes along the body. They had sharp, long claws that dug into the earth as well. It wasn’t hard to imagine what such an animal could do in battle. Yet, despite their ferocious appearance, the dwarves seemed completely at ease around the creatures. They petted them, moved them into their harnesses, or bopped them on their noses when they did something they weren’t supposed to. One dwarf even emerged from the mountain riding atop his two cavedogs, with one foot atop each lizard’s back and a big smile on his face as they raced out along the path toward their cart. The dwarf emitted a series of clicks with his mouth and that particular pair of cavedogs moved right into position for the harness.
Four of the animals were eventually hitched to the long wagon that Jonathan and the others sat in. One of the animals was particularly stubborn, and had to be reprimanded several times by the owner before allowing itself to be hooked in.
“Hang on, tall-folk!” a black-haired dwarf called out as he climbed up into the driver’s seat. “It might be a bit bumpy riding in my cart.”
“It all right,” Ziegler said. “We’re thankful for the ride.”
“No, I mean you really will want to hang on,” the dwarf said. “Cavedogs aren’t like horses. They pull a bit sharper and hug curves tighter. I should know, I’ve been breeding them for my whole life. In fact, the only reason I’m on this expedition is to train this group how to pull carts.”
“You mean these cavedogs have never pulled a cart before?” Jason asked.
