Two more messengers caught me before I was able to finally get back to our camp. The rest of that day and the two after passed in a blur as I was constantly besieged with questions and inquiries while I hurried from place to place myself, ensuring that all of our preparations were being made as quickly as possible. While we likely had some time before our enemies returned, I was not going to let myself be lulled into a sense of complacency. My overconfidence in leaving our gateway wide open had almost been our downfall during the previous battle, and I was determined to never let something like that happen again.
Ridge worked non-stop all through those days and had the passageway almost finished by the third morning after the attack. The dwarves worked diligently behind him and had finished carving out the channels that would allow us to set up the intricate mechanisms to operate the outer gate. The machinery would not only allow us to seal off the entrance when the gate was raised, but also provide us with a bridge to safely cross over the spike-filled trench when it was lowered.
The gate itself was nearly completed. Dellon had worked tirelessly, shaping the logs he had handpicked into thick planks of wood, joining them together into a single large gate reinforced with ironwork that Hilgreth’s apprentices were able to provide.
Hilgreth insisted on forging the portcullis almost entirely by herself, spending countless hours diligently fashioning every metal span and bolt. Hilgreth took my direction seriously, and every element of her work was as strong as it could be. I had also told her that the barrier need not be pretty, and she seemed to take that aspect of the job to heart as well. The steel might have been strong, but the few sections she had joined together revealed that the finished work would be an unsightly affair.
It was on the afternoon of that third day that Bane came to warn me that he had spotted a large group approaching the canyon.
Sintári, he sent calmly as he landed on my shoulder. There are over a hundred approaching us from the woods in the north.
‘Over a hundred!’ I thought back to him. With the defenses we had in place, I was certain we could fend off an attack from even a group as large as that, but I found the fact that we were attracting the attention of so many enemies so quickly unsettling.
Do not be alarmed, Sintári. It is our friends the elves returning from their mission.
‘You did that on purpose, didn’t you?’
I don’t know what you mean, he sent back innocently.
‘Get off me,’ I replied with annoyance as I shook him loose. ‘You need to stop begging food from everyone, you’re getting fat.’
Bane huffed his indignation back at me as he fluttered off to land on a nearby rock.
I am not getting fat, he protested as he settled down on the stones.
‘Maybe not, but you do seem a bit heavier lately.’
He looked himself over critically, peering at his belly trying to determine if there was any truth to my barb.
‘Come on back,’ I finally sent him, feeling sorry that I had prodded him with an apparently sensitive subject for the vain little Rhastoren. ‘We’ll go greet them together.’
He reluctantly returned to me and curled up on my shoulder again. As I walked towards the gateway, I could see Ridge beginning his work on the finishing touches to the passageway. Soon, the stonemasons would begin adding the defensive enhancements in earnest, completing what I hoped would be the key to our defenses.
I walked across the log span that Ridge had built and into the open field beyond the wall. The crude bridge still served as our only way to cross over the trench, but I was glad that we would be able to replace it soon now that Dellon was almost finished with his work on the new gate. As I stepped off the span, the first group of elves emerged from the forest ahead of me, with Venna at their lead.
‘They seem to have gotten quite close before you noticed their approach,’ I sent to Bane, suddenly realizing what must have happened.
I first saw them two days ago, Sintári, came his guilty reply.
‘Was it your idea or hers to keep this from me?’
We both thought it would be fun to surprise you, he admitted.
My expression told him exactly what I thought of the surprise they had planned, and he silently laid his head down, avoiding my gaze. I couldn’t be too upset with him though—the last few days had been incredibly hectic, and I couldn’t imagine how much more difficult they would have been for me if I was preoccupied with Venna’s impending arrival. I stroked Bane across his head and neck, letting him know I was not truly upset with him, and he perked up as I strode through the field towards Venna.
I greeted her with a hug, pulling her into a warm embrace that she returned with equal enthusiasm. We stood together for a long moment, enjoying our reunion for a while before I finally let her go. As we pulled apart, I reached up and stroked her cheek softly, staring into her eyes intently while I waited for her to recognize the significance of my gesture. Venna’s eyes lit up almost immediately as she felt my fingertips gently brushing across her skin and I smiled at her realization.
“You’re not wearing gloves!” She declared as she reached up and placed her hand over mine.
“I still do most of the time,” I told her as I took hold of her bare hand. “But my control has improved enough for me to manage simple contact.”
“Hello Dreya!” Stel’s voice called out as he spotted us.
He made his way over to us, and I embraced him just as I had with Venna. Although I cared deeply for all of my companions, the two of them were very special to me; their significance extended well beyond our bonds of friendship. Now that they were back, I felt whole again, as if I had regained a part of me that I hadn’t even realized I was missing. I wanted to spend more time with the two of them, but an entire host of elves were gathering around us and we needed to get everyone inside the safety of the fortifications before continuing our happy reunion.
“Broda and Khorim will be happy to see you,” I said to Venna as I led the way back. “Unless of course I’m the only one whose been kept in the dark.”
“Umm, well about that,” Venna stumbled.
“I hate all of you,” I replied, rubbing my temples in frustration.
I am sorry, Sintári, Bane sent. We truly thought it would make you happy.
‘I am happy, Bane,’ I replied to him directly. ‘I’ve just been under a lot of pressure the last few days.’
Once inside the fortifications, we followed almost the exact same process as had occurred when the dwarves first arrived. I had Venna direct the elves to set up temporarily while we figured out a longer-term solution for them. While they began arranging their camp, Stel took me on a quick tour, introducing me to all of the new arrivals. My head was still overflowing with the names of all the dwarves I still hadn’t memorized, and although I tried my best, I simply couldn’t keep up with the flurry of introductions.
Bane was ecstatic through the entire process. The elves were simply amazed by him and made no effort to hide their awe, staring at him open-mouthed while he sat perched on my shoulder. He made the most of the situation, posing regally for the admiring elves as they gazed at him in wonder. I sighed in relief when the introductions were finally done, and we wandered back into the open canyon.
“Stel,” I said to him as we finally emerged from the encampment. “We’re facing an imminent attack. How many of these people are capable of fighting?”
“Yes, one of the notes Khorim sent mentioned the threat we are facing,” he confessed.
I wondered how Bane managed to communicate with my friends during their little conspiracy. Now I knew he had help, and that my so-called companions were far more deceitful than I had given them credit for.
“I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on all of you from now on,” I said glaring at him sideways.
“As you always should have,” Stel smirked back at me.
“But back to your point,” he quickly amended. “Not many have any real skill with arms I’m afraid, but n
early all of the adults can shoot a bow well enough, and we do have a bowyer and smith among those who came with us.”
I recalled several farmers, hunters, and carpenters among those he had introduced to me as well. Should we survive the impending assault by the orcs, those people would be invaluable to our long-term survival. But for now, everyone’s primary function revolved around defeating the green-skinned horde that was headed our way.
“We need to have a meeting and revise the plans for our defense now that all of you are here,” I declared. “Go find Venna and bring the bowyer and one of the carpenters with you. Wait for me here once you’ve gathered them. I’m going to find everyone else we need.”
Stel dipped his head in acknowledgement before setting off. I quickly trotted over to the forge and pulled Hilgreth from her work before grabbing Dellon as well. With the two crafters in tow, I tracked down Khorim and Broda, who fortunately had Tási with them when I arrived. We picked up Stel and his group, and I led all of them to the officer’s quarters we had previously used to make our initial preparations. Once the lamps had been lit and everyone found a place to sit, I began.
“I’m sorry your arrival comes during such a precarious time,” I said addressing the two elves whose names I couldn’t remember. “We are expecting an attack by a powerful force of orcs, and I’ve brought you here to help with our preparations.”
The new arrivals didn’t seem overly surprised by my revelation. Whether they had already been told what the situation was or simply expected the possibility considering our location in the wilds, I couldn’t be sure. Either way, their calm attitude in the face of such dire news was reassuring.
I outlined the basics of the strategy we had in place. Considering how little we knew about the precise numbers we would be facing, no one was able to offer any substantive changes. The bowyer offered to begin immediately crafting more powerful weapons and the many additional arrows that would be required for them.
While everyone needed to be ready to join the fight when the orcs arrived, it was decided that it would be best for us to allow the farmers to begin preparing the land in the valley for their crops. It would do us no good to survive the battle only to die of starvation later.
In addition, the hunters would be permitted to pursue game outside the walls until Bane saw the first sign of any orcs approaching. If needed, they could hunt within the valley later, but I wanted to preserve as much of the valley’s wildlife as possible—the resources there were far too valuable for us to squander them needlessly.
The carpenter offered to help Dellon with any projects he had, but asked to be allowed to begin constructing homes within the valley itself as soon as possible. The elves would be far more comfortable within its verdant confines, and most of them were farmers and herdsmen anyway. I agreed, so long as a respectable number of them still manned the defenses. It would not be fair, I reminded everyone, for the dwarves alone to shoulder the dangerous burden.
Ridge was nearly done constructing the passageway, so I pulled out the blueprints for the fortifications and we poured over them together, trying to decide where to direct his efforts next.
“We have enough people to man the towers now,” Khorim reminded me.
“Yes, but if we build the ones in the middle, it may ruin our plan,” I noted.
“Then we’ll just have him carve out the two on either side,” Stel offered. “Those may actually encourage the orcs to cooperate with your strategy.”
“You may be right about that, Stel,” I replied thoughtfully as I considered the impact the structures would have on our plan.
“What do these indicate?” Asked the carpenter, who I now knew was named Ilvain.
I told him what the bump-outs in the wall represented, and his eyes twinkled at the explanation.
“If time allows, My Lady, you may want to get those done as well,” he smiled at me.
“Aye,” Dellon echoed.
“I’ll pay both of you a full gold Talon for each one of those you can deliver before the orcs get here,” I promised them, noting what would be required if the additions they asked for were to be of any real value.
“Then we need to get right to work,” the elf smiled back at me.
I dismissed Dellon, Ilvain, and Nalen the bowyer so they could each get started on the tasks they had been assigned but held Hilgreth back for another moment.
“Hilgreth,” I addressed her. “There is also a smith among the elves that arrived today. Not inviting him to this meeting was an oversight on my part, and after we adjourn, I’m going to correct my mistake and bring him to your forge. I want you to work with him, and although it is your forge, you need to treat him as an equal.”
“I don’t need some limp-armed elf mucking about in my business,” she protested.
“Those words sound familiar, Hilgreth,” I said, reminding her of our first meeting. “How did things turn out for you the last time you spoke them?”
Her chagrin was obvious, and I chose that moment to make my point clear.
“You’re an incredibly talented smith, Hilgreth,” I began. “But you seem to be a little dense at times. I’ll remind you that the reason you’re here and not back in Dhel-Ar is because no one there would give you a fair chance, just because you’re a woman. I would have thought that might have taught you not to judge anyone by what’s on the outside. I’m disappointed that’s not the case.”
“My apologies, Lady Dreya,” Hilgreth replied sincerely. “You are right; I should know better by now. My own example should have been enough, and yet I still find myself clinging to old prejudices. I will do my best to make him feel welcome. You have my word.”
“Thank you, Hilgreth,” I said, softening my tone. “I expect that he may learn a great deal working with you, and you just may learn a few things from him as well.”
Hilgreth seemed about to object to the thought that she could learn anything from the elven smith before catching herself. Her cheeks reddened as she choked back her reflexive derision, but despite the obvious lingering issues, I counted her restraint as a positive step. She quickly got up and returned to her forge before her tongue could betray her yet again, leaving me alone with my companions, reunited together for the first time in weeks.
Seizing the opportunity to catch up, Broda and Khorim quickly recounted their tale for Stel and Venna’s benefit before the elves told us their own story. Queen Líann of Íforn had recognized the seal for what it was, and followed the directives written on the scroll. Just as in the dwarven Kingdom of Dhel-Ar, most of the elves of Íforn rejected the opportunity to take part in forming a new Realm. But even in the face of overwhelming odds, an ambitious group had still answered the call, wagering everything for the chance to make a better life for themselves, and in many cases, for the children they brought along with them.
Once we’d finished catching up, we began to head our separate ways. While we all wanted to prolong our reunion, the threat of the impending attack made coordinating our defenses far too critical to ignore. As we parted, we promised to get back together at the end of the day when Venna and Stel would set up their tents alongside ours.
Stel knew the elven smith well and walked with me through the bustling encampment as we searched for him. Before we could locate the man, I remembered the gift I had been saving for Stel. I stopped abruptly and pulled the ring from my finger before handing it to him.
“You’ve served so long as our group’s mule that you practically smell like one now,” I joked as I passed him the Ring of Encumbrance. “This may help to lighten your load a little.”
“This is not an inexpensive thing,” Stel said as he looked over the silver band.
“Shut up and put it on already,” I told him bluntly. “You and I are well past the point of considering such minor things.”
“True,” he said wistfully. “Though I seem to have already received far more from you than I will ever be able to offer in return.”
“And what price do I put on y
our friendship?” I replied.
“You have me there, Dreya,” he said with a smirk. “Shall we call it even then?”
I laughed as Stel slipped the band in place on his finger. He paused for a moment and his wry smirk returned as we started off again, this time veering off in a different direction than we had been headed in before. Stel led me straight to one of the tents which was surprisingly being protected by several guards, and held the flap open for me as I walked inside.
Once within, I could see that the large tent was unoccupied, although far from empty. In fact, it was nearly filled with backpacks piled together in a heap. They looked like the standard adventurer’s packs I knew so well, but the significance of so many of them heaped together in the canvas tent was lost on me and I turned to Stel in confusion.
“We made a slight detour on our way here,” he explained. “The hand carts we pulled through the forest contained not only our provisions and equipment, but all of the loot we left behind at the bandit camp as well.”
“I trust the people we brought here,” Stel continued. “And I imagine Broda and Khorim have faith in those that came with them as well, but temptation is powerful thing. We will need to find a secure place for this, and the rest of the treasure we left here before.”
“This is amazing, Stel,” I said looking over the mountain of packs in awe. The treasure would be an incredible boon to our fledgling community once the orc threat was over and we could begin trading and purchasing the goods we would need to truly prosper.
“I would like to take credit for this,” he replied honestly. “But in truth, it was Venna’s idea to retrieve all of this. She knew you would eventually go back for it at some point, and wanted to spare you the effort.”
I smiled at his confession, knowing that he was certainly downplaying his role in the affair. Stel’s penchant for logistical thinking was well-known and the use of backpacks and handcarts to haul them through the forest told me who had been responsible for bringing Venna’s idea to fruition. She may have been the one to think of it, but it had clearly been Stel who made retrieving the bandits’ loot possible.
Second Skin Omnibus Page 100
