The further they traveled, the more intricate the designs of the chambers they passed through became. In one of these, massive pillars towered high to a brightly lit ceiling, revealing incredibly detailed carved images of stars, moons and planets, all of them inlaid with gold and gemstones. The light split within the gem’s facets, raining down in a cascade of color and beauty. Everyone apart from Birger, who seemed almost irritated by the scene, had stared up in astonishment. But this chamber, like all the others, was abandoned.
On the day they were set to arrive, Birger stopped and gathered the group together.
“I’m taking us through the west gate,” he told them. “No one goes there anymore, so we should be able to pass unseen for a while.”
“Why do we need to hide?” asked Ethan.
“We’re not hiding,” he replied irritably. “I just would rather avoid causing a disturbance if possible. And your presence here will certainly do that.”
Jonas cleared his throat. “I hesitate to ask, but I couldn’t help noticing that we didn’t see any other dwarves along the way. Not a single one. Lord Dragonvein visited your people many times, both here and in the north, and he told me stories of your vast halls and great cities. He said they were always teeming with people and bustling with life. And yet the mountain now seems all but deserted. What happened here?”
Birger’s eyes locked onto Jonas’, but he did not flinch or falter under the scrutiny.
Finally, the dwarf heaved a sigh and shifted his gaze. “We did not desert our cities, or abandon our halls. There simply aren’t enough of us left to fill them anymore. After the mages were defeated, the Emperor set his sights on us. But not even his vast armies could penetrate our defenses. For three years we fought, and for a time it looked as if we might prevail. But then Shinzan himself came.”
He paused, his face racked with hatred. “He slaughtered us like sheep. We tried to surrender, but he ignored our pleas and continued his bloody rampage. When he did finally stop, our numbers were but a fraction of what they once were. Our kin in the north, hoping to avoid a similar fate, surrendered at once. But Shinzan didn’t care and did the same to them.”
He looked up at the faces of the group. “I am telling you this so that you understand the decision my king is now faced with. I have put myself in great peril by bringing you here. But not as much as I bring to my people.”
“Then why do it?” asked Markus.
“I have my reasons,” he replied. “But enough of that. Come. Soon you will see why our industry and skill was famed throughout Lumnia.”
After another twenty minutes, the passage ended with a solid double door made of iron. Birger was forced to lean his shoulder hard into it twice before it screeched open. He then stretched out an arm as an invitation for them to step through.
Beyond was a broad avenue made from polished blue octagonal stones dotted with tiny flakes of silver and white; it was wide enough to easily accommodate six wagons side by side. Lining both sides at regular intervals were twenty-foot tall steel posts, each one capped by a shimmering white rajni stone. The ceiling was now so high that it could no longer be seen, though Ethan caught the sparkle of light here and there – almost like the twinkle of distant stars peeking through a cloudy night sky.
As they walked along they saw, positioned between the light posts, life-sized statues of animals, dwarves…and humans. These were set in various poses depicting acts of heroism, charity, and kindness.
“I thought dwarves didn’t like humans,” Ethan remarked.
“Those were created a very long time ago,” Birger explained. “Things between human and dwarf have not always been as they are now.”
They continued for another few miles. At last, rising up in the distance, two gargantuan gold monoliths towering more than one hundred feet high came into view. As they drew near, Ethan could see that they were set on either side of two massive gates made of the purest silver. These had been polished until they shone with an almost heavenly radiance.
“Magnificent,” gasped Jonas.
“This is nothing,” said Birger, his head held high. “What lies beyond is the true wonder.”
When they were only a short distance away, the doors slowly swung outward. Ethan and the others looked for whoever was opening them, but there was no one to be seen.
“Do they open on their own?” asked Ethan.
Birger nodded. “The gate recognizes that I am a dwarf. Were I not here, you could not get in.”
“How does it know?” asked Ethan.
“I’m just a simple miner,” he replied, shrugging. “If you prove yourself to be a Dragonvein, then perhaps you could ask one of the builders. Though I doubt you’d understand the details, even if they told you.”
He paused, and then gave a grand sweep of his arm. “Behold. The great city of Elyfoss.”
While moving along, Ethan was dumbfounded by what he saw. The city stretched on for mile after mile in every direction. Towers and spires as tall as the Empire State building reached up, some nearly touching the twinkling lights that danced high above on the colossal ceiling. The buildings were of such elaborate design that they could rival – even surpass – anything he had seen on Earth. He stopped in his tracks, trying to fathom what it would take to construct something of this magnitude.
Birger ushered them on. The streets were constructed of the same material as the road outside the gates, but now featured broad sidewalks of polished white marble veined with deep blue and crimson. The smaller buildings were equally impressive as the skyscrapers. Their stonework was like an artist’s canvas; stars and comets in stunning relief, together with mosaics of brave dwarf warriors were so numerous and beautiful, Ethan felt dizzy looking at them.
They walked for nearly five blocks before seeing anyone about. Most of the city’s inhabitants were dressed similarly to Birger, though a few wore more elaborate attire with high collared shirts and pants made from a slick cloth that caught the light and gave it a metallic quality. As the group passed by, everyone who saw them immediately stopped what they were doing and stared with a mixture of loathing and curiosity.
Ethan glanced over his shoulder. A crowd had gathered and was keeping pace a few yards behind them.
“It looks like we may not make it to the king,” remarked Jonas.
“No one will harm you so long as I am here,” Birger assured him. “But I warn you. When you meet the king, speak only when spoken to. And do not lie. If you are found to be false, you will be executed without delay. Do you understand?”
“We have no reason to lie,” said Jonas.
Birger muttered something indistinct, then took a left toward the center of the city. After another few blocks, they were suddenly confronted by six dwarves appearing from around the corner, each one of them carrying a huge, fierce looking axe. All of them were clad in polished black leather armor studded with steel. Their beards were tied in a tight braid, and their helms were adorned with black and yellow feathers down the center.
“What is the meaning of this, Birger?” demanded the lead dwarf.
“I have brought these humans here for an audience with King Halvar.”
“And why would the king wish to see them?” he asked.
“One claims to be the son of Praxis Dragonvein. I was duty bound to bring him here.”
The lead dwarf sneered with contempt. “Then you are a fool. Everyone knows that Praxis Dragonvein is dust and his line broken. You’ve been fed a lie.”
“Perhaps,” said Birger. “But that is for the king to decide. Not you, Larrel.”
The pair of them stared hard at each other for several seconds. Finally, Larrel snorted and pushed Birger aside.
“You will come with me,” he commanded Ethan and the others. “Hand over your weapons.”
After doing as instructed, they were surrounded on all sides and ordered to move. The march was quick – even quicker than Birger’s pace.
Word of their arrival was spreading, and after onl
y a few blocks the crowd behind them had grown tenfold. Ethan could hear an almost continuous torrent of angry murmurs and hisses. He did his best to ignore these, concentrating his attention on the splendor of the city. The area they were now in consisted of mostly two and three story buildings. The stone used for these had a shine on the surface: not so bright as to give off a glare, but enough to make it sparkle in the light. The windows, both round and octagonal, were set with multi-colored glass that reminded him of a church.
“It’s kind of like the West Village,” he remarked.
Markus chuckled. “Only cleaner.”
“This is true artistry,” said Jonas. “To think such glorious beauty stays hidden away beneath the mountains.”
“Quiet!” barked Larrel, who was leading the way. “Your foul voices pain my ears.”
In the near distance, a massive building peeked out from above the others. Though nowhere near as tall as the towers and spires, it measured at least three full city blocks across. The roof was made from white and gold tiles, and the upper floor was surrounded by a balcony with elaborately designed gold railings. Ethan guessed this must be where the king lived. He was tempted to ask, but thought it best not to antagonize the already hostile Larrel.
As it turned out, the immense manor was not to be their destination. Before reaching it, they were escorted into a small, one story building – uncommonly plain when compared with the rest of what they had seen. It was situated midway down a block and butted up against taller buildings on either side. The room they were in now was completely empty, with just the one door and a window set with iron bars.
I’m back in jail, Ethan thought.
“You will wait here until sent for,” said Larrel. “Food and water will be provided later.”
Three of the guards searched their packs and then tossed them carelessly into the corner.
“Do you know how long we must wait here?” asked Jonas.
Larrel simply sneered at him, then stepped back outside and slammed the door shut.
The hostile voices of the ever-increasing crowd outside could be clearly heard. Markus tested the door’s strength. It was far too heavy to break down, and the bars on the windows much too thick to bend.
“Let us hope the crowd doesn’t become violent,” said Jonas.
“I wouldn’t worry just yet,” Markus said, glancing out of the window. “There are a dozen guards directly outside. And I get the feeling the king will want to see us before turning us over to an angry mob.”
By now, Kat had sat down in the far corner of the room and was humming softly to herself, a tiny smile on her face. Ethan moved over and settled beside her.
“You don’t seem scared,” he said.
“I’m not.” Her smile widened. “And you shouldn’t be either. We made it. We’re here, safe with the dwarves.”
Ethan chuckled. “I don’t know how safe we are. But we certainly made it.”
“Everything is going to be fine,” she said. “I just know it.”
“I wish I had your optimism,” Markus remarked from across the room.
“She’s right,” Ethan told him. “We made it here in spite of everything. I think maybe a little optimism is in order.”
“Indeed,” agreed Jonas.
Kat leaned her head on his shoulder and continued humming.
Ethan hoped she was right. But though he allowed himself to release a little of his anxiety, he knew in his heart that they had only just begun. Whatever the future held, it would be fraught with difficulty. There would be more danger, more hardship, and more death.
A lot more!
Chapter Sixteen
Ethan had no idea how much time had passed since they had been locked up; it felt like many hours.
As the waiting for something to happen dragged on, much of his previous anxiety returned. He could see that Markus was faring no better, pacing the room and checking the window every few minutes. Jonas, weary from all the travel, had fallen asleep with his pack under his head. Kat was lying down beside him, though her eyes remained open.
With his back beginning to ache from leaning against the hard wall, Ethan heaved himself up and joined Markus by the window.
The crowd outside had now dwindled to no more than a few dozen curiosity seekers. Ethan was surprised by the look of the dwarf women. Though stockier and shorter than most human women, they were certainly more feminine and graceful than he would have imagined. Some were even quite attractive. Their dress was by far more colorful and ornate than that of the men, the majority of whom wore various shades of brown or gray.
“Perhaps they intend to starve us to death,” suggested Markus, trying to maintain a level of lightheartedness.
“And no bathroom,” added Ethan.
This drew a dissatisfied moan from his friend. “Well, they better come soon, or else they’ll find quite a mess when they get here.”
Ethan rummaged through his pack, but only found a few strips of jerky and a small hunk of stale bread. Markus fared little better with just a couple of apricots and a small bag of salted nuts.
“We better hold off until we know how long we’ll be stuck in here,” Ethan suggested.
Markus nodded and resumed his vigil at the window. Another hour passed before the door finally opened. A very dissatisfied looking dwarf entered carrying a small sack and a pitcher of water.
“The female will come with me,” he said.
His few words were enough to wake Jonas and have him springing to his feet. “What are you going to do with her?”
“It is our understanding that it is not proper for human women to be housed with the men,” he replied. “We will find her more suitable quarters.”
Both Markus and Ethan stepped in front of Kat.
“She will not be harmed,” he assured.
Reluctantly, the pair moved aside.
“How long must we wait here?” asked Jonas.
The dwarf shrugged. “Until the king calls for you.” Ushering Kat outside, he shut the door.
Ethan looked in the sack and found a loaf of dry bread and a dozen bright yellow fruits. They were about the size of a lemon, though with a fleshy skin rather than an outer peel.
He tossed one over to Markus. “What is it?”
“Mora fruit.” His friend’s face twisted in displeasure. “Imagine a rotted potato dipped in motor oil. Farmers won’t even feed these to their pigs.”
Ethan sniffed one, but could smell nothing. Tentatively, he took a small bite.
His taste buds were instantly attacked with the foulest tasting juice he had ever known. After spitting repeatedly and pulling grotesque faces, he rinsed his mouth out with water from the pitcher. Markus could not control his laughter.
Jonas snatched the Mora fruit away from Ethan and took a large bite. Ethan expected a similar reaction from him, but the old man’s expression remained unchanged.
“Better this than nothing,” he said, finishing it quickly.
Markus laughed again and ate one himself, though with exaggerated swallows and a scowl. Ethan tried again, but very nearly vomited.
His hunger getting the better of him, Ethan finally decided to finish off the remaining jerky and bread from his pack.
Just as he was swallowing the last mouthful, the door opened and Birger entered. His expression was dire. “The king says that he will speak only to Dragonvein.”
“With respect,” said Jonas. “Ethan knows nothing about this world. There is little the king can learn from questioning him alone.”
“King Halvar is aware your claim. I have told him all I have heard.”
“Then he must know that Ethan is…”
“He knows only what you have said,” Birger snapped. “The truth of your words has yet to be proven.”
“When do I see him?” asked Ethan.
“In three days,” he replied. “Until then, I have arranged better accommodations for you. But mind that you do not try to leave. You will be killed on sight if you are seen
wandering about without an escort.” He glanced down at the Mora fruit peeking out from the sack on the floor and grimaced. “Did you actually eat any of those?”
“They did,” said Ethan. “It was a bit too much for me to handle.”
In spite of himself, Birger smiled. “Foul tasting little things. Good for only two purposes. Bat food and troll repellant. Even the young ones won’t touch them.”
He turned to the door. “I’ll have proper food brought to you as soon as I can. If you die here, it will be by steel…not starvation. Now come. You’ll be housed in the building next door for now. There are beds and showers waiting.”
The dwarf opened the door and led them outside. The crowd was now all but gone. Only a few small groups remained, but the moment they caught sight of the humans their hostile whispering resumed.
The three story building alongside was made from a polished azure stone. It had superbly crafted windows and a small porch. Immediately inside was a staircase leading to the upper floors. To the right was a parlor featuring two sofas and an assortment of comfortable looking chairs. Unlike the prison, which had been lit by a single rajni stone fixed in the center of the ceiling, the room here had brass lamps hanging from silver chains in each corner. The red tile floor had a black rug in the center, while the walls were decorated with numerous paintings of dwarves and animals. Some of these were set in unfamiliar looking landscapes, with plants and trees that Ethan had never seen the like of before. On many of these artworks, the sky was filled with exploding stars, streaking comets, and three blood red moons.
Birger took them down a hallway just beside the stairs with three doors on the right. “These are your rooms,” he told them. “There’s a kitchen further down, as well as a bath and shower. I have no clothing that would fit you, so you’ll need to make do with what you have.”
Jonas bowed low. “I thank you, Birger. Your hospitality is most welcome.”
The dwarf sniffed. “Enjoy it while you can. King Halvar will not be easily convinced of your intentions.”
Jonas smiled. “I appreciate your kindness, regardless of what else happens.”
Birger frowned. “Be thankful that I am a great fool. If I had a brain in my head I would have left you to the Rakasa. As it stands, I am in nearly as much peril as you.”
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