A Feather on the Breath of Ellulianaen
Page 43
~
King Klaer travelled down, deep into the earth, through twisting tunnels and to the door of the first cavern of Zischá Findondae. A dwarf was guarding the door, armed with a spear, and he said, “Halt! Who goes there?”
“It is I, King Klaer.”
The dwarf began trembling, and said, “Show me the Hringarin glyphs upon your cloak and I will let you pass.”
“I gave my cloak to another dwarf who needed it at the time. I do not have it.”
“Come,” said the guard, and he still appeared to be trembling, “You must come to see your brother, King Hrammir. He will know what to do with you.”
“What is he doing here?” asked King Klaer, but the guard did not answer.
He led King Klaer at spear-point into a large cavern, where Hrammir was seated, and bowed down, saying, “This dwarf says he is King Klaer.”
And King Hrammir looked very frightened as he said, “But Klaer, do you not realise that you… you are dead? I saw your skeleton, in the coffin! Haldar found you. We had the funeral – it was splendid. Were you not there to watch? We honoured you greatly – we sang the Ode of the Dwarf Queen, and had a great feast, and many dwarves were there to mourn you. Your coffin was made of gold and we drank the finest mead and the singing was splendid. And your cloak – your body was wrapped in it! Why have you come to see me? Have you come to tell me something?”
King Klaer said, “Hrammir, don’t be a fool. I’m as alive as you are. Touch me. I am not a ghost! Get some food for me, and I’ll show you, I’ll eat it! You old fool, that was my servant’s body that you found – I gave him my cloak, for he was suffering from a chill, and the Zwaegwyr got him.”
King Hrammir said, “Oh. You are completely sure you are not dead?”
King Klaer said, “Absolutely sure.”
Stolidly, in the manner of any dwarf at a great moment in his life, King Hrammir said gruffly, “You are alive. Well, that is that, brother Klaer. We ought to have a feast, then. For it is not often that a dwarf-King returns from the dead.”