by B N Miles
“They’ll stay in here for now,” he said. “The great door closes at night, and they’ll be safe. The other villagers have taken up most of the rooms throughout the eastern city, but we’ll find space for everyone soon enough.”
“I can stay here, then,” Cam said, glancing at Felin. She shrugged at him and smiled.
“I don’t mind where we stay,” she said.
“Ah, yes, well,” Warden Maur said, his eyes wide. “Well, ah, Lord Remorn, he told me to find you and give you suitable rooms personally. I can’t… he won’t…” The man trailed off, looking distraught.
Cam sighed and shook his head. “It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll come with you. Show me the rooms.”
“Wonderful.” The Warden perked up. “Wonderful, wonderful. Please, come this way.”
Cam took a step but Felin didn’t follow. He looked at her and nodded.
“Coming?” he asked.
She hesitated. “You think I should?”
“You’re with me now,” he said. “Actually, go find Key and bring her, too. She’ll want to see this, I bet.”
Felin nodded and ran off. The Warden hesitated, wringing his hands, but when Key joined them Cam motioned for the Warden to continue. The man whirled around and walked across the huge cavernous space toward one of the several doorways that cut out away from the entry cavern and into the smaller side tunnels.
Cam counted at least ten doorways around the main entry, and wondered how large the Mansion really was. He’d only ever been inside the entry cavern, since that was there the Wardens would take tribute and pay out any outstanding debts. The Wardens were the administrators of the Mansion, but they also played the role of staff and servants, depending on their status within the Warden hierarchy. The top-level Wardens looked at books more than brooms, while the lower-levels served food and wine and cleaned the halls.
Warden Maur took them into a side tunnel. It was eight feet tall and wide enough for three people to stand shoulder to shoulder. Lamps were lit at intervals, casting a dull yellow light. They passed other doorways, some opened into nothing but black, some closed off by wooden doors.
“Mind the dark rooms,” Warden Maur said. “No light in the caves, so you have to bring your own. Any room without a door is a public space and open to anyone, so feel free to use them as you wish.”
The ceiling was roughhewn but the walls and floor were perfectly smooth and polished. There were more decorative carvings on the walls and columns were set at intervals, almost as if they were holding up the ceiling. Key walked on his one side and Felin on the other, though both girls were staring around with wide eyes.
“There are markings on the floors to guide your step,” Warden Maur said. “You’ll learn what they mean soon enough. Ask any Warden where to go if you’re ever lost, and don’t ever go down the unmarked tunnels. The cave system is very large here, and only a portion has been carved for Human use.”
The tunnel began to slope upward slightly. They came to a bend in the tunnel and passed more doors. They saw several other people walking along the halls, Warden Maur waving and greeting each one. Some wore a similar cloak to Warden Maur, and Cam guessed that was the symbol of their station. The quality of the cloak, the color of it, or maybe some other markings probably told of their status within the Warden hierarchy, but Cam didn’t know what any of that meant yet, and he thought it might be rude to ask.
They traveled along another couple bends, around a corner, up a staircase hacked into the rock, and into a wide landing. There was a hall to their right and a sheer wall to their left. The hall was dark, but Cam could make out several other wooden doors, and one single open room at the very end. Warden Maur hurried up to a wooden doorway at the end of the landing, lighting lamps as he went. He took out a single key and slipped it into the lock. He turned it and pushed the door open.
“Here we are,” he said.
Cam followed the Warden inside. Felin and Key came next, and he heard Key’s breath catch in her throat.
The room was long and wide with high ceilings. Warden Maur hurried around the room, lighting lamps. There were rugs, thick skins, some wolf and some bear. He glanced at Felin and she was glaring at the wolf skins, a look of disgust on her face. He’d have them taken out as soon as possible. There were couches like he’d never seen before, a low table and chairs, wooden cabinets, and a fireplace. The walls were smooth and had column motifs in each corner along with long, geometric square patterns along the ceiling. There was another door, which Warden Maur opened and gestured toward.
Inside was an enormous bed covered in furs, mostly fox and bear, with several large, long pillows at the head. It was enormous enough to fill the room from side to side, at least twenty feet in total. It was raised off the ground by a wooden frame carved to look like boar tusks, and the tusks sprouted all the way up toward the ceiling. Maur lit two more lamps in the room before backing out. Cam had never seen anything like it before, had never seen so much luxury in his life. Even the richest man in their village didn’t sleep in something so large and opulent.
“Here you are,” Warden Maur said. “Privy outside this door on the left at the end of the hall. It’s a shared privy, though I don’t think anyone else is on this level yet. Fireplaces were cleaned recently and we’ll deliver wood soon. There’s a small kitchen area which we’ll stock with your rations.”
“Thank you, Warden Maur,” Cam said, looking at the room around him. “This is… more than enough. This is plenty.”
“Very good, very good.” He beamed at Cam. “Ah, almost forgot. Here, the best part of this.” He hurried over to a large wooden shutter set in the left wall. It was in the main room, just to the side of the long wooden table. The Warden unlatched it then shoved it aside to reveal a large window that overlooked the valley. Cool air blew into the space and Cam took a sharp breath. Warden Maur stepped aside and Key, Felin, and Cam all came to stare out toward the sky.
The window was hacked into the side of the mountain. Cam could see the valley down below, wreathed in mist, and the trees were small green undulations in the distance. He felt dizzy for half a moment and put his hand on Key’s arm. She grinned at him, leaned her head against his shoulder, and Felin smiled at the two of them. They stood there for a moment longer, staring out the window, before Cam turned back to Warden Maur.
The Warden held out the key. “This is the only one,” he said.
Cam took it. “Thank you, Warden.”
He bowed his head. “Lord Remorn said to give the shaman the best rooms we had. I hope it’s to your liking.”
“It’s more than enough,” Cam said again.
“Very good. I will have wood and food sent up, if it pleases you. We can set the fire as well, if you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Cam said. “I think we can handle our fires.”
“Very good.” The Warden turned and headed to the front door.
“Warden,” Cam said before he left.
He turned back. “Yes, shaman?”
“I want to return to the main hall and help my people settle in. Which way do I go?”
Warden Maur bowed his head. “I could show you. But if you want to find the way yourself, there are small marks on the ground. Find the marks shaped like a circle with a dot in the center. Follow those until you reach it. Don’t stray from their path. If the dots disappear from the hall you’re walking along, double back, find them again, and take a different path.”
“Thank you,” Cam said.
The Warden bowed his head again then left, shutting the door behind him.
44
Cam laughed as Key ran into the bedroom and threw herself down onto the bed. She let out a squeal of delight unlike he’d ever heard from her as she rolled around in the furs. Cam stood in the doorway to the sleeping room and watched her for a moment, grinning as she sat up on her knees, draped in the furs, her blonde hair a mess.
“Can you believe this?” she asked. “This is… I never dreamed of having s
o much.”
“I know,” Cam said. “It’s almost too much.”
“You heard the Warden,” Key said. “These are the best rooms available.”
Cam frowned and looked back out into the common area. He shook his head slowly.
“I’m not sure what that says about me,” he said.
“It means they think you’re important,” Felin said. She walked over and stood over the wolf skin, kicking it with her foot. “And this is disgusting.”
“We’ll have it removed,” Cam said. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and looked away. “It’s fine. I know that it wasn’t one of my people, but still. It’s hard to look at.”
Cam walked over, picked up the wolf skin, and slid it underneath the table. He walked to Felin and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and bit her lip, staring at the ground.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “I know this is strange and new, and it’s just—”
“You don’t understand,” she said. Her tone was almost harsh. “It’s not just the skin. It’s this whole place. The feeling of the mountain above me, like it might crumble and crush me at any moment. I just…” She took a deep, calming breath.
“This place has stood for hundreds of years,” Cam said. “It won’t crumble anytime soon.”
“You don’t know that.” She looked back at him, and he realized that she was having some kind of anxiety attack. He stepped up and put an arm over her shoulder, hugging her close.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “Come on, let’s leave that window open. Does that help?”
“A little,” she admitted.
He nodded, walked over, and pushed the window back open. She took a deep breath and leaned up against the wall, her fingers curved against the stone.
“We should go back into the main cave,” Cam said. “We need to help the others.”
“Are you sure?” Key asked. “We could just… you know, stay here. It’s pretty nice. I mean, look, there’s this thing just for sitting.”
“It’s called a couch,” Felin said.
Cam nodded. “My father told me about those.”
“Never seen one before in my life.” Key walked over and flopped down on it. “Almost as good as the bed.”
Felin gave Cam a look and they laughed. Key sat up and glared at them.
“What?” she demanded.
“Nothing,” Cam said. “Come on, let’s get back out there. We can enjoy the luxury later.”
Felin nodded and looked a little grateful. Cam walked over and picked up one of the larger lamps, holding it up and to the side as he exited through the main door. Key followed, grumbling to herself, and Felin brought up the rear. He heard her shut the door, but she didn’t lock it since the key was in his belt.
They moved back down the staircase, turned left, and Cam searched for the markings Muar had mentioned. He found it, a little circle with a dot in the center, along with a bunch of other markings scattered around it. He walked onward until he came to a junction and found that the markings split at the intersection, some were moved further down to the left, and some continued on in the same hall they were walking along. Since their marking stayed in their current hall, he stayed on that course.
Cam went like that, retracing their steps, until the sounds of the main cave reached them again. He could hear people talking, laughing, even singing. Those were sounds he’d almost forgotten over the past few days, and as they stepped out of the gloomy tunnel and into the well-lit main cave, he saw smiles on the faces of his people. He hung the lamp on a peg and let his eyes adjust for a moment.
Key lingered next to him before Felin joined them. Cam took a deep breath and smiled to himself. The villagers were spreading out in the left corner, just inside the main door. The carts had been drawn up, and tents were already being pitched. More Wardens had joined Dagan and the warriors, and he could see them pointing at some supplies and consulting small leather-bound books with sheaves of paper stacked inside. He knew they were used for accounting and were absurdly expensive, but the Lord of the Mansion could afford it.
He saw Rador and Luccus lounging against a cart, drinking from their water stores. He saw Indri stooped over an older man with a bandage down his arm, speaking to him in soft tones. He saw his village relaxed for the first time in days, and it brought joy to his heart.
Cam watched as Key waved to her parents and jogged off to help them set up. Felin stayed next to him and inched closer.
“Cam?” she asked.
He looked at her. “Yeah?”
“I noticed something,” she said then hesitated. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but there aren’t very many warriors around.”
He narrowed his eyes at her then scanned the room. He saw the armored men helping to unload the carts, and a few other warriors in worn leathers lined up near the entrance, but Felin was right. There were very few warriors, maybe ten in total, but that made no sense.
The Mansion had thousands of residents, which meant hundreds of warriors at least. If other villages had come to the Mansion as Lord Remorn had said, that meant there should be even more warriors available to stand guard. Except Cam hadn’t seen a single person back in the caves, aside from the few Wardens Maur had greeted.
“You’re right,” Cam said. “The last time I was here, there were at least fifty men in this room, maybe more. And now there’s maybe ten at most.”
Felin nodded. “It’s very strange,” she said. “We were told this was a mighty Mansion and would be difficult to take, but my people could storm it today and easily overpower the defenses.”
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He stared at Felin for a long moment. She looked back and smiled, a little sheepish, and her cheeks turned red.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean… I just mean, they could. Not that I want them to.”
Cam sighed. “No, I appreciate your honesty,” he said. “We’ll have to bring this up with Remorn. This whole place seems much emptier than I had been expecting.”
“Something’s off,” Felin said.
Cam clenched his jaw then ran a hand through his hair. “Come on, there’s nothing we can do right now. Let’s go help the others and we’ll figure something out later.”
She nodded and Cam stalked across the room toward his people. He caught stares from others he didn’t recognize, probably another village set up on the far side of the room. They had no carts, but they had more tents than Cam’s own people. He saw young and old alike within those tents, staring out at them with suspicion, which he couldn’t understand. If they were from a local village, they should be happy that another group of Humans had survived and more warriors had joined their cause.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind and got to work. He helped an older couple get their tent pitched and unloaded supplies from the food cart. The Wardens took some but left most of it, promising to return with goods the village didn’t already have, such as fresh bread and lard. Cam lost himself in the work, trying not to think about all the missing warriors and the strange looks the other villagers were throwing at them.
Soon though, there was a commotion at the door. Felin appeared by his side almost like magic, and he frowned at the wolf girl. He hadn’t heard her approach, which was a little unsettling, but he didn’t have time to mull it over as Miuri, Gwedi, and Haesar stepped in through the huge stone doorway.
The four men in their bronze armor confronted the Elves, spears lowered, but the Elves held their ground. Cam hurried over and Miuri caught his eye, a big smile breaking across her face. She waved to him and Gwedi shot her a dirty look, but Haesar pretended not to notice either of them, too busy staring down the Human guards.
“It’s okay,” Cam said to the leader of the guards. The man looked back at him and tilted his head.
“Lord Remorn did not invite these… Elves,” he said.
“They’re friends,” Cam said. “And Lord Remorn did agree to see them. Allow them to pass and send
a runner to the Lord, telling them that the Elves are here to speak with them.”
The leader of the guard didn’t move. He stared at Cam for a long moment, a frown on his face, his body tense. Cam could tell he wasn’t sure what to do, but Cam wasn’t about to let things devolve into violence. He stepped up between the Elves and the Humans and pushed their spears away.
“Get moving, warrior,” Cam said.
“You’re not my Lord,” the man said.
“I’m not, but I am a shaman, and I’ll burn your armor to cinder if you keep pointing those spears at my friends.”
The guard stared at Cam and he could see a glimmer of fear in his eyes. That meant the man knew what a shaman was capable of, and so Cam held his ground. Slowly, the leader raised his spear, and the others did the same.
“Nibs,” he barked. “Run to Lord Remorn, tell him the Elves are here.”
One of the leather-clad warriors standing behind the line of heavily armored guards grunted and ran off toward one of the side tunnels. The armored guards didn’t press their spears forward, but they didn’t move aside, either.
Cam sighed and turned to Miuri. She grinned at him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I’ve never seen the inside before. It’s incredible, Cam. How high do you think that ceiling is?”
He laughed and pulled himself away, shaking his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “Fifty feet? One hundred? It’s amazing either way.”
“And the carvings,” Miuri said, almost breathless. “I didn’t know Humans were capable of it. Really, it’s incredible.”
“They’ve been working on it for hundreds of years,” Cam said. “You should see our rooms.”
Miuri frowned at him and tilted her head. “Our?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Felin and Key are staying with me. I figured you wouldn’t want to be left out.”
She laughed, clearly delighted. Cam saw Gwedi roll her eyes with disgust.
“You’re starting to know me too well, Cam,” Miuri said.
“I’m trying at least.”
