Chapter 14: The Night Visitor
Elias and Thorin rode hard for the next three days. They ate in their saddles and only paused to relieve themselves and to allow the horses to drink. They kept off the regular road, and Elias used a concealment spell whenever they saw other travelers. They slept very little, stopping only a few hours. They rose before the sunrise to continue on again.
On the third day, Thorin paused and pointed into the distance. “See that outcropping of rock? That’s Hwīt Rock. There’s a trading post there, and boats for hire. We’ve got at least another full day of hard riding before we reach it. We’ll keep going until the light fades, and then we’ll make camp. The horses must rest.”
Elias nodded. His mare had flecks of white spittle around her mouth. He patted her neck soothingly and whispered in her ear, “I know you’re tired, old girl, but we’re almost there.” They were all exhausted.
They rode on until nightfall and then Thorin stopped and dismounted. There was a spring nearby and the horses drank water and started to graze. “Here’s a good a place as any. We can’t risk lightin’ a fire, so why don’t you just lie down and rest? I’ll take the first watch.”
Elias nodded and pulled out one of the hides. It was stiff, but he was grateful for it, because the ground was still pretty wet and cold. He propped himself up against a tree and started eating a piece of flatbread. This was the last of their rations, but both of them were too tired to hunt. “Thorin, how long will it take for us to get to Mount Velik once we reach the river?”
“About three days, if we get a speedy vessel. Perhaps four. We don’t want to be sailin’ past the capital city during the day. The emperor has defensive posts on both sides of the river. We shouldn’t compromise safety for speed, but I won’t know for sure until we reach the river.”
As the last of the light faded, Elias pulled out a white crystal from his pocket. “Liuhath!” he whispered, and the crystal glowed with warm blue light.
Thorin smiled. “That’s a neat little trick, boy.”
“It will stay lit all night. It’s one of the first spells I learned. The crystal holds the energy of the spell, so it lasts a long time without draining my energy. My grandmother used crystals to store magical energy, but I never really learned how to do it. This is only crystal spell I know.”
“Crystal magic is a disappearing art, boy. There aren’t many that are proficient at it, anymore, because it takes so long to learn.”
“Do any of the dwarf mages practice crystal magic?”
“Only a few in our history, and only one that I know of who is still alive. He is old, much older than I. There are only a half dozen dwarf mages at Mount Velik. It’s not a common gift for our people. Usually, the mageborn trait is passed down from a human ancestor, or, more rarely, from one who has elven blood.”
“There are dwarves with elven blood?” asked Elias incredulously. “I’ve never even seen an elf.”
Thorin nodded, “I’ve known at least a few in my time. It’s not something that dwarves like to reveal. Half-lings are discriminated against at Mount Velik, although mageborn dwarves are highly esteemed.”
“That doesn’t make much sense—especially if you basically have to be a half-ling in order to be dwarf mage.”
“I didn’t say there was any logic to it, boy. My people are long-lived and set in their ways. That’s just the way things are. It takes a lot to change us.” Thorin removed his pipe from his coat pocket and started to smoke.
Elias smelled the pungent smokeleaf in the air. His eyes started to get heavy. “Thorin, do you mind if I ask—how old are you?”
Thorin smiled, and blew rings of smoke. “I’m not old by the standards of my people, but I’m old by human standards. Let’s see… When your grandmother was a little girl, I was already a full-grown man. Does that help?”
“Really?” asked Elias, his eyes wide.
“Yes, really. Now go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Elias pulled the hide around him, and tried to get comfortable. His mind raced—“I’ve learned more about my family in the last week than I have my entire life. There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep,” he thought, but just moments later he drifted off.
Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) Page 17
