by Allan Joyal
Al was holding our lightstone. "Al! Light on the right side!" I commanded.
I joined Mertiln in watching down the right side of the sled. As the light from the stone moved to cover the floor, I could see a dwarf lying face down on the stone. A pool of blood was forming under his left side.
"Esme! Check the dwarf." I commanded. "Aine, Lydia, watch for enemies."
"It was the beetle," Mertiln grumbled as I ran over to the body. "It turned on Caspern."
Esme had reached the dwarf. She knelt down and brushed the greasy locks of the dwarf's hair away from his side. I could see a frown form.
"Esme?" I asked.
"It's a nasty slash," she said. "We'd have to take his leather shirt off to see it, but if we do that now, I think he'll die. We need to hold the wound closed until we get someplace where I can stitch it closed."
"Bad?" I asked.
"It's deep, but I don't see signs of any internal injuries. He's going to keep bleeding, and when we move him it could tear open. These leather shirts are tight, but with the damage this one has suffered, it might not provide enough pressure."
"Henck, Steve, we need to get this dwarf on one of the sleds. I need help lifting," I said.
"You can't save him," Mertiln said. "Not from a strike like that."
"Is the beetle poisonous?" Esme asked.
"What?" Mertiln asked, looking at the body.
"Is there any poison in this bite?" Esme asked.
"No, the stag beetles we use are not poisonous," Mertiln replied. "But without a potion, you can't keep Caspern alive. That wound is too deep."
"He might spend months in a bed," Esme said. "But nothing vital appears to be damaged. If we can keep him alive, I should be able to save him. But he needs a bed, and I'll need a clean area so I can work. Victoria, bring some bandages. We need to get pressure on this cut now."
Steve and Verval ran over. "Henck is having a bit of a panic attack," Steve said. "Lydia is calming him down. Esme, this is your area of skill."
Esme nodded as Victoria ran up. "Where are the bandages?" she asked.
"First sled," Esme said. "Hopefully it has stopped."
"It has," Mertiln said. "But we can't stay here long. Blood attracts creatures that don't respect the peace. Something is sure to smell the blood soon and come to look."
"Run," I said to Victoria. "Esme, what do we do?"
Esme was carefully poking around the torn leather and flesh. She looked at the massive chest on the dwarf and sighed. "I want to get the leather off, but right now it's actually helping keep some pressure on the wound. What I'll need is for you to lift him up once Victoria brings the bandages. I'll wrap the wound tight and then we can load him on the second sled. Hopefully we are close to the dwarf's home. He won't last more than three hours if we can't clean and close this wound. I'm not sure we even have three, but he's still alive and the bleeding is slow for now."
I leaned the spear against the second sled and squatted down. I placed my hands high on the thighs of the injured dwarf. Steve and Verval positioned themselves at the fallen dwarf's shoulders and worked their hands under his body.
Victoria came back carrying Esme's medical pack. Esme opened it and pulled out a tightly coiled strip of bandages. She placed one end against the dwarf's stomach, just below where the wound started and started to wrap it around the body. "Victoria, get on the other side. I'll need you to make sure the bandages stay tight as we wrap them. Then pass the coil under the body."
"He's on the ground," Victoria said as she knelt next to the dwarf.
"That's our cue," I said. "On one, two ..."
"Three," Steve finished.
I gripped the thighs of the dwarf and lifted upwards. The body weighed far more than I expected and I had to strain to get it a foot off the ground. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as I held the body up.
"God, this guy is heavy," Steve groaned out.
"We won't be able to hold him long," Verval added in a strained voice.
"Wrap fast," Esme said. I could feel the air disturbed as she and Victoria passed the bandage around the body. My muscles were protesting the effort and I began to worry that I would drop the body. As my arms burned with fatigue, I thought up multiplication tables to help take my mind away from the strain. Even with that, I quickly reached the limit of my strength and started to lower the body.
"Done!" Esme shouted. "Set him down. I need to see if it is putting the right pressure."
I set the body down and then fell backwards. Steve and Verval both sighed with relief as I leaned back and opened my eyes.
Steve and Verval were lying down on the stone floor. Both groaned as Victoria moved to check on them. Esme was looking at the dwarf, paying attention to the heavy chest that was now wrapped with a series of bandages.
"How is he?" I asked.
"It's a massive wound," Esme confirmed. "But it didn't kill him immediately. And the bandage appears to be holding. If he can hold on until we get to a place where I can stitch him up, we can probably save his life."
Mertiln was standing next to me. "Can she really save him?" he asked.
"I hope so," I said. "She was about to complete a training program on healing the sick and wounded. This is a bit more complex than most of what she studied, but she knows what needs to be done. The problem will be loading Caspern into the sled. We have to make sure we don't twist his body and cause the bandage to slip."
"We can take care of that," Mertiln said. He shouted something and four dwarves emerged from the shadows behind us. The put their weapons away as they approached their wounded friend. One of the quartet asked a few questions of Mertiln.
I could not understand the exchange, but the four dwarves seemed satisfied with the answer. They gathered around Caspern. First, they carefully rolled him onto his back. Esme gave a cry of dismay when they started to move him. She kept her hands against the wound, holding it closed as the dwarf was moved.
When Caspern was on his back, Esme held up a hand. She tugged on a couple of the lengths of bandage. She also felt the area of the wound. Caspern groaned slightly and she nodded.
"The bandages are holding," she said needlessly. "Let's get him on the sled and get moving. He doesn't have much time."
The dwarves looked at Mertiln, who nodded. They lifted their friend. With surprising care, they carried him over to the sled and laid him down on top of the bedrolls piled near the front of the cargo area. They took up new positions on either side of the sled.
Victoria was helping Steve and Verval to their feet. I stood up and then helped Esme stand. "How close to the outpost are we?" I asked.
"Close enough," Mertiln said. He shouted something and the first sled started moving again. At first, its progress was not as steady as it had been, but it soon was moving as fast as ever. I slipped back behind the second sled as it followed.
Mertiln said no more as we moved through the tunnels. The pace was now a bit faster than we had been walking and it was clear that he had said something to the others. The beetles were enthusiastically prodded forward until the one in the back took a swipe at one of the dwarves herding it forward. The dwarf was ready for the action and stepped aside, but everyone in our group moved away from the angry beast, crowding the back of the second sled.
It was getting to the point that I was tempted to say something when the trail split again. This time we took the right fork, which made a sharp turn towards a tunnel with a five foot ceiling. With the exception of Shaylin, Gertrilla and Corwar, everyone had to duck down as we passed through the tight passage.
Chapter 19: Visiting the Dwarf's Outpost
The passage continued for about fifty feet. Pain rippled through my back as I tried to hold a crouch and continue forward. The trailing beetle pushed us to maintain a rapid pace. I heard Hencktor curse a couple times as he hit his head on the low ceiling.
The tunnel ended abruptly. One moment the ceiling was right above our crouched heads and the walls were about ten feet apart,
and then suddenly the ceiling and walls seemed to vanish. I straighten my back as we continued to follow the faint glows of the lanterns on the sleds ahead of us.
The glows and answering ones from far above our heads soon revealed that we were in a massive chamber. Al gasped and pointed off into the distance. I followed his gesture and could see additional glows from a number of fires. The flickering light revealed massive walls and windows built into the side of the mammoth cavern we were in. Verval raised the Everlight stone, which he must have gotten from Al earlier. The light it cast did not reach any cave walls, but revealed open areas that appeared to be tilled fields covered in moss.
"Our outpost," Mertiln said. "They know we are coming."
"Let's put the weapons away," I suggested to Aine and Lydia. The two ladies ran ahead of the group and proceeded to go through the process of unstringing the crossbows. They held the weapons on their shoulders as the group caught up to them a moment later.
"Esme," I called out. "What will you need when we arrive?"
"It would be best if I could find a clean room," she said. "A table I can lay our patient on and lots of water. I also would like to have Natalie and Al to help me. If there are any dwarf healers, they could help too."
"Our healers are better with broken bones than the kind of wound Caspern has suffered," Mertiln said.
"Perhaps I can teach them something," Esme said. "At least they should be able to guide me."
Mertiln started stroking his beard again. He nodded and then shouted something to one of the other dwarves. The dwarf left the caravan and headed ahead at a trot.
I turned to Mertiln. "We are staying here for the night?"
"That is the plan. "Don't worry about your goods. We will need to switch out beetles after the attack. Your sleds will be kept in the courtyard," Mertiln said.
"Steve, make sure any bedrolls or clothing people want is taken from the sleds when we leave the courtyard," I said. "Corwar, work with the girls and make sure the puppies don't bother the dwarves."
"I want to see the forge," Corwar said. "They tell wonderful tales of the dwarven smiths."
"We don't have much of a smithy here," Mertiln said. "But I'm sure they keep a master smith on hand to repair mining gear. I'll see if he minds you watching for a few moments."
The first sled was turning to the right and heading towards the wall of the dwarven fortress. A large metal door was sliding to the right, creating an opening into a courtyard. The lead beetle paused at the threshold, but then scuttled through the doorway. The second beetle did not balk and we found ourselves in an open area about the size of a basketball court, surrounded by walls. The dwarves were unhitching the beetles from the first two sleds as Mertiln led us to some steps on the far side of the courtyard.
"Wait on the steps," he told us. "I'm sure watchers have reported our approach to the council, but I need to make a report."
"What about the wounded dwarf?" Esme asked. "It's best I treat his wound immediately."
"Do you have everything you need?" Lydia asked.
"Yes," Esme said. "I'll take Natalie and Al as helpers. I'd like to take the lightstone as well. We'll need good light for what I need to do."
One of the herder dwarves returned from driving the beetles that had pulled the sleds. He used a long hooked pole to remove the lanterns from the first sled. "Excuse me," I shouted. "Could we keep a couple of those lanterns for a while? We need the light."
The dwarf just stared at me. I walked near him and pointed at the lantern that dangled from his hook. He lowered the pole and I reached out to put a hand on the lantern. I held it up like I was trying to illuminate the courtyard.
The dwarf smiled and twisted the hook, leaving me holding the lantern. He removed a second lantern and extended it to me. I took that one in my other hand and then walked over to rejoin the rest of the group on the steps. I could see that Esme, Natalie and Al were gone, but the rest of the group was standing on the steps holding some bedrolls.
"I don't think these dwarves speak the local human language," Steve said. "I'm sure that dwarf had no idea what you said until you touched the lantern."
"Probably never occurred to them they might need to," I replied. "I doubt many humans are invited to this outpost."
We watched as the dwarves carefully took down each lantern and then covered the sleds. Once this was complete they left the courtyard leaving my companions and I standing in the firelight. I could hear Aine and Kariy start up a conversation about food. Everyone wandered over and offered comments as we waited.
There was the rattle of metal plates. We looked toward the top of the stairs. Three dwarves marched out. All three were wearing armor made of metal plates that covered their torso and arms. Their heads were covered with a simple metal skull cap with leather flaps covering their ears and coming down to their shoulders. The leader of this trio approached the edge of the steps and held out his hand.
"I am Morgarn, son of Nordern, Baron of this outpost and Reeve of Clan Drugn. In the name of Clan Drugn and Clan Skyve, I welcome you to our home."
Lydia nudged me in the back. "Your turn," she whispered.
I stepped up so I was one step above any other member of the group. "I am Ron, son of Richard. I lead Daytona Trade. We thank you for granting us the great honor of visiting your outpost."
Morgarn smiled and lowered his hand. He looked at our group and nodded. "I hear three of your members are not here," he said.
"Yes," I replied. "Our healer Esme is attempting to save the life of Caspern. He was attacked by one of the draft beetles who pulled our sleds through the tunnels."
"Do you believe she will succeed?" one of the two dwarves behind Morgarn asked.
"I wish I could guarantee success," I said calmly. "On our world, Esme was training in healing, but much of what she learned requires devices and drugs we do not have available here. She has some experience with wounds, but the slash the beetle made was deep. I can promise she will do no less than her best."
Morgarn nodded. "Few humans would try. Even fewer would think to offer and would then admit they might fail. It is good that you do not make promises."
"Even if she does succeed, he might take a long time to heal," I said.
"Dwarves heal fast. He'll be active before all the snows melt," one of the secondary dwarves muttered.
"Oh, I should introduce the rest of my group," I observed.
"Just your seconds for now," Morgarn said. "A feast is being prepared. It has been a long time since a human trade group visited. And rarer is it that we meet a human willing to assist us."
I nodded and waved forward Steve and Lydia. "This gentleman is Steve, he has been the one to back me up in battle. The woman here is Lydia, she is an expert with a crossbow and has done a wonderful job keeping the group organized."
Morgarn's eyes widened. "We dwarves do allow women to fight, but I have heard of few human women who are good with any weapon. This is another surprise from your group. But from the descriptions, Lydia is not the woman who met Clan Skyve's representatives in Linktrum."
"True," I said. "Heather accompanied me that day. She has been a boon companion to all of us and a treasured friend. I expect her to lead us in the future. For now, she is still learning patience."
Morgarn nodded. "Is that not the final test for all who would lead? I greet you Steve, Lydia and all of Daytona Trade. To my right is Gestorn, son of Gern. To my left is Krovan, son of Vorkln. Gestorn is the overseer of our mines and Krovan maintains the militia that defends our home and the trade routes nearby."
Krovan nodded to us. "Now if you will follow, the feast will be ready shortly."
The trio of dwarves turned around and started walking into the citadel. I handed one of the lanterns to Steve and then started climbing the remaining steps. Lydia quickly dropped into position just behind my left shoulder.
"Boon companion?" she whispered in my ear. "When did you start using fifty dollar words?"
"The dwarves seem a
bit formal. I figured they might be insulted if I talked like some hick farmer. Is that a bad thing?" I asked.
"No," Lydia said with a laugh. "But you should look at your face. Your brow grows lines as you try to think up how to say things."
We reached the top of the steps and followed the dwarven trio towards the citadel. The doors there were short. The doorway was low enough that the dwarves had to duck their heads slightly. Hencktor groaned as we reached the doorway and had to stoop down to enter.
I was the first inside and was able to straighten up when I found the ceiling was about seven feet. I stepped away from the doorway and looked around while waiting for the others. The entranceway had no furnishings although a number of empty sconces showed where torches or candles could be placed if light was required.
"Only in a battle, which is also why the door is so short," Mertiln said as he appeared in a doorway and noticed me looking around.
I could see that everyone had managed to pass through the doorway and looked at Mertiln. "Are you here to lead us to the feast?" I asked.
"Yes," he said. "But I was also asked to mention something. I'm afraid humans don't visit often. Morgarn, Krovan and I are the only dwarves currently in the citadel who speak the human tongue. The rest will be unable to speak. Please do not cause a scene because of that."
I glanced at the group. Their impassive faces made it clear they had heard and understood. "I thank you for providing that information," I said. "None of us will be insulted to find our dining companion unable to speak with us."
Mertiln smiled. "Good. Now if you will follow me."
The dwarf led us down the hallway and through a wide doorway. We found ourselves in a large chamber. More than a dozen round tables were scattered around the room. I could see Morgarn and Krovan standing next to two of the tables. Mertiln pointed to the tables. "If you could send part of your group to each table."
I nodded and looked at my friends. I could see Esme and Natalie standing next to Al near the back. I pointed in the direction of Krovan. "Lydia, take Hencktor, Jennifer, Verval, Corwar, Shaylin and Gertrilla to Krovan's table. I'll take Heather, Esme, and Natalie with me and sit with Morgarn. Steve, you'll sit with Al, Aine, Kariy and Victoria with Mertiln."
