***
“So how did ye manage to find the female?” Maelnar asked, once everyone had breakfasted on the celebratory feast assembled in their honor.
Mouth still full of food, Steve hooked a thumb at Breslin. “It was his idea. Said he had a notion where the female was hiding, by the source of some river. I forget which one.” Noting Sarah’s disapproving frown, he followed her eyes down to his plate and the area around him, which was now speckled with flecks of food. Nonchalantly scraping the remnants of his meal onto the floor he gave a sheepish smile to his wife. Kern, Rhein, and Pheron all quickly wiped their areas clean before Sarah could notice.
“Ah, Duvvin river. I forgot about that. So she was hiding in Dyr’gyst Cavern, was she not?”
Breslin nodded. “Aye.”
“Are ye certain that she was destroyed?”
“We saw the remains,” Rhenyon confirmed. “She was crushed in a cave-in. She had just set a trap for us when it backfired on her.”
“How so?”
Breslin spoke up. “When we arrived in the cavern, we noticed the caves along the river. Six I think, was it not, lads?”
Steve and Rhenyon both nodded.
“We wondered how to lure her out when sir Steve figured out a better way to get her attention. He sent four fireballs into the first four caves, and was preparing to send two more to the last two when the female emerged from one of the previously hit caves.”
“Nasty, ugly sucker,” Steve agreed, picking up the thread of the story. “As soon as she came out there were like fifty bugs around her, protecting her. Had no clue where they came from. One minute it was just her, the next, a whole swarm of ‘em.”
“Aye, they were trying to make her go into one of the last two caves. Damn near got her in one but a whole wave of them rushed us, causing sir Steve to miss. The cave was destroyed, but she managed to retreat into the last one.”
“What happened then?” Maelnar and the rest of the Council were spellbound, leaning forward in their seats and hanging on every word that was spoken.
“If I did not see it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it,” Breslin declared. “She ordered a group of them to attack from above.”
Maelnar’s eyebrows shot up. “Ye say ye heard the female guur order the drones to attack from above?”
“She shrieked, and half of them disappeared. We had no idea where they went,” Steve explained.
“Where did they go, then?” one Council member asked, nervously twisting his beard around a finger.
Getting into the moment, Steve paused for dramatic effect. Grinning, he eyed his captive audience. “Well, that’s just it. We didn’t know. Rhenyon was warning me that they were more than likely planning something, but the only thing I could see is that they pretty much left their queen unprotected. I was ready to throw a chaser at her when –”
“Excuse me, please,” one Council member interrupted. “What is a ‘chaser’?”
“Oh, sorry, it’s a ball of fire that will pursue the intended target, no matter if the target is fleeing, moving in different directions, etc. Hence, it is ‘chasing’ the target.”
“Ye can produce these ‘chasers’ at will?”
“Yeah. I’ve used a couple before when I was attacked back at castle R’Tal.”
The dwarf stroked his beard. “Interesting.”
Deciding that Steve shouldn’t have all the fun relaying their exploits, Rhenyon picked up the thread.
“As sir Steve was preparing to throw his chaser,” the captain began, “the group of guur that had disappeared suddenly reappeared, falling down on us from above.”
Several dwarves let out curses as they imagined the feared guur falling on them from the ceiling.
“I believe someone yelled a warning. Might have been me,” the captain grinned, “but the next thing I know I was flying through the air and colliding with Breslin here. Together we were thrown to the floor, which was damn good timing, because at that moment there was an explosion in the cavern the likes of which I have never seen before.”
Breslin had been nodding through Rhenyon’s narration. “I was trying to find a better angle in which I could throw my axe when a large, heavy human lands on me, knocking me flat.” Several dwarves laughed. “The explosion sounded and everything went quiet. Methinks I lost my hearing, it was so quiet in there, until this oaf,” he elbowed Rhenyon in his gut, with several more dwarves snickering; the captain grinned, “let out an exclamation of surprise.”
“What did ye do, sir Steve?”
“I wish I could tell you,” Steve answered, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s happened a couple of times to me. The situation has become so dire that I honestly don’t know what to do, and that’s when the explosions usually happen. Fried an arrow in mid-flight once, to save Sarah. And then it happened twice more, when we were attacked outside the castle.”
Resuming the role of storyteller, Steve straightened, pretending to look surprised at the carnage his blast had created. “I looked around, startled to notice that I wasn’t blown on my ass like I usually am when that happens.”
This time, the four human soldiers all snorted with amusement.
“Bugs were still falling from the ceiling,” Steve continued, “but they were just charred remains. Apparently the blast had travelled well up into the tunnels in the ceiling, frying everything in its way. And, consequently, the blast broke apart the ceiling in the last cave.”
“Ah! So that is what caused the cave-in!”
“That’s right. Breslin saw it first, and was able to find the burnt, squished remains of the last female guur.” As he spoke the last three words, he met a different Council members eyes each time.
At this, the cheering began again as dwarves he was familiar with, as well as those he wasn’t, congratulated them yet again on their spectacular victory.
Sarah smiled. Her husband had always told her that he didn’t like to be the center of attention at any type of party. But watching the way he was smiling and joking with everyone present, she would have to argue the point. He was completely comfortable being in the spotlight, that’s for sure!
Smiling, Steve turned to Sarah and held out his hand. She rose to take it, all the while beaming at her husband. Together, they turned to the dwarf keymaker.
“Now. I would say we’ve upheld our end of the arrangement, don’t you think?”
Smiling, Maelnar nodded.
“How’s it going with our new key?”
“I was wondering when ye were going to ask about that, lad.” Maelnar grinned up at the two tall humans. “It will be finished in about two days. The crystals need to be tuned. And I was going to ask the two of ye about that. I will need yer help.”
“Sure. What do you need from us?”
“I will need the two of ye to concentrate on something from yer homeworld so that I can tune the key in to it. It has to be a strong, vivid memory so that the crystals can detect it.”
“Like the gate itself?” Sarah asked.
“Aye, that would be perfect. When ye have a moment, come find me at my workshop so we can finish yer key.”
Steve and Sarah shared a glance. “How about now?”
The Prophecy Page 48
