“Friend Verdag,” Gerlock said as the dwarf disappeared into the hole, “I am afraid we do not benefit from the superior vision of dwarves in such environs. Would a lantern be possible?”
Verdag’s large head immediately popped back into view. “Right you are. Most proper to provide light. Not all have to walk the Darkest Path. Not that the judgment will go against you. Wait there for just a moment.”
Verdag proceeded to yell a long stream of orders in the gravelly dwarvish language, and several of the dwarves disappeared for a time into the opening. Sally edged over to Jack.
“Jack,” she whispered, “I didn’t like the sound of that. The Darkest Path?”
Jack nodded. He hadn’t liked the sound of it either. Jack moved over to Gerlock with Sally close behind and quietly asked him about it. Derek eased closer while they talked.
“No good, that’s what it is,” Gerlock said quietly. “A judgment rendered against outsiders by the dwarves is served by the mountain itself. They take you back into the deeps with a skin of water but no light and leave you to find your own way out. The ones who live, well, they’ve been declared innocent by the mountain.”
Verdag stepped back out into the ever-brightening morning light and waved them into the mountain passage. Both Derek and Gerlock had to duck to enter, but inside Jack was astounded to see by the light of three lanterns a large room with shelves packed with stores of food and supplies, a dozen bunks, several tunnels leading out, and even a staircase cut into the rock wall leading up out of sight through a small opening. The ceiling was relatively low, but high enough to let the taller men straighten up.
Gerlock, Fortuna, and Derek each took a lantern, and Verdag led them into one of the tunnels. Derek was starting to look a little unsteady but plodded on, and Jack realized the FBI agent hadn’t slept the previous night. The tunnel led to other tunnels, and those to still others. Some were expansive, as though they were meant for large groups, while others forced them to go single file with Gerlock, Derek, and sometimes even Fortuna hunched over.
When they had left that first main room, Jack had remembered the pendant in his pocket and almost put it on, but decided against it and instead locked onto several Lodestones he could sense to help keep oriented. As they wandered through tunnel after tunnel, he gradually realized the dwarves were taking them through a twisted maze that didn’t really go anywhere. The dwarves were walking around endlessly for no purpose other than to confuse and scare them. Jack’s temper flared up when they came to a tunnel that he recognized was a single turn from the original place they had entered the maze.
“Enough!” he said. “Is this, uh, how you treat your guests, making them wander around going nowhere?”
“Ah, humans,” Verdag said, chuckling nervously. “Not the head for caves and tunnels. Stay with us, young sir, and we’ll see you through it. Almost there. Just a bit deeper into the mountain.”
Gerlock and Fortuna were staring at Jack with alarm, but he was so sick of being pushed around he ignored them. “Claiming courtesy without offering any is, ah, a terrible discourtesy. We may be near our destination, I don’t know. But I do know we are near where we started, and that we aren’t going deeper into the mountain. The entrance is just around that corner and down a bit. I bet we’d find the top of that stairway right there.”
Jack pointed down the side tunnel toward the entrance as he spoke, and the dwarves were thunderstruck. Gerlock looked at Jack and then the dwarves in surprise. A shrewd expression came over his face. He smiled at Jack and held a hand up to quiet him.
“Please, friend dwarf,” Gerlock said, “my friend does not know of the strict honor of dwarves, that such a thing that he is claiming would be a violation of everything held dear by the dwarves, and would put the dwarves firmly in the debt of those on whom such a deception was worked.”
Verdag looked at his boots as Gerlock spoke, and Jack looked around and realized that all the dwarves were acting guilty.
“Ah, for honor’s sake I must confess the debt,” Verdag said, and the other dwarves all made sounds that sounded to Jack like agreement. “Yet I would beseech you to come with us just a short distance to our hall to receive refreshment. My shame would know no bounds if the news of Drakin were not shared in the hall for all to consider.”
“Friend Verdag,” Gerlock said, “I would guess that if we took refreshment and rest with you, you might be able to offer aid that would put us on our course toward Fortress with all speed. Perhaps you know of ways to get east past the mountains so that no time would be wasted in our journey even if we spent the better part of a day with you.”
“Aye,” said Verdag, visibly brightening, “my company will do more than that, and you will not only be on your way faster than you could possibly go, but also see sights that will cause you to yearn for these halls the rest of your years.”
“Then it is settled. Lead on. Let us see your hall and share our story. No need to mention anything about a maze of tunnels,” Gerlock said. In a low voice pitched for Jack and the others to hear, he said, “And I suspect we received the standard treatment, their honor being a flimsy shell. Jack, how did you know?”
As the dwarves led them forward once again, Jack quietly answered. “I decided to keep the amulet in my pocket so I could keep some reference points in view when we entered the mountain. I’ll put it on as soon as we are out of here. Hopefully it takes some time for Drakin to locate me.”
Gerlock and Derek both patted Jack on the back as they walked, and Jack felt a moment of happiness. He realized it was the first time he had felt happy since fleeing the ranger camp, and it was quickly chased away by dark thoughts of Drakin.
Chapter 13
BETRAYAL
A SHORT TIME later, the tunnel they were in ended at a heavy wooden door. Verdag turned to face them.
“We’ll need some time to call together a meeting,” Verdag said, “so I’d like to introduce you, then take you aside to a room where you can eat and rest. I’ll leave a couple of my company with you. You’ve no need to speak just yet.”
With that said, Verdag stepped forward, swung the door open, and stepped through. Jack and the others followed him into a large, terraced room. The doorway they had entered opened in the wall that went up to the first of four concentric terraces surrounding the bottom level where they stood. Jack guessed the bottom area was about the space of the house he and Edalwin lived in, and each terrace above looked about ten feet deep. Long chains hung from the ceiling high above, suspending large metal spheres shot full of holes. Dim light emanated from some substance within the spheres. Tables, chairs, benches, shelves, and supplies were strewn about on the floor level and the terraces above. Kegs were in abundance, and numerous braziers with coals were being used by dwarves to cook with large pots. Dozens of dwarves sat around the room, with many more coming and going through the myriad of tunnels and doors entering the room at all levels.
Verdag walked the group to the center of the floor where a large bell stood hanging below a tripod built of heavy wood poles. Using the side of his ax, Verdag struck the bell, filling the cavernous room with a clear, low-pitched chime. All activity throughout the room ceased, and all eyes swung toward Jack and his companions.
“I am pleased to introduce,” Verdag said in a booming voice that echoed back, “Sir Gerlock Forestdean and his companions, including the traveler of worlds though self-professed non-wizard, Jackparis. Verdag ul’Trag and his company found said group at the Wizard’s Door this dawn, and was intrigued to hear they were fleeing Drakin Wizard, a name most notorious among the fine dwarves of the Daggerfels.”
It was clear to Jack that Verdag was just warming up, but the uproar caused by his mention of Drakin quickly stifled his speech. Verdag looked around for a minute as the noise only became louder, then struck the bell once more with his ax. Gradually, the dwarves settled down, but not without some blows administered by the conscientious ones to the noisemakers.
“The party” Verdag co
ntinued, “is under my hospitality. I will take them for food and rest now, but we shall return late afternoon for the purpose of telling their story to the muster. That is all.”
Verdag nodded to them. “All right, follow me,” he said in a much quieter voice.
He led the group to the other side of the hall and up a short flight of stairs to the first terrace, then around it about a third of the way. All eyes were on the group as they followed him, and very few looked friendly. Verdag led them into a tunnel, and this time Jack could tell they truly were winding deep into the mountain. They traveled further from the Lodestone and deeper below the surface for some time, and finally came to a short tunnel with numerous rooms connecting off of it.
As Verdag showed them the rooms, Jack realized it was the equivalent of a huge house. Rooms off the main tunnel connected to each other, and actually went up and over the tunnel on a second level. There was a large kitchen that included a mysterious hole to dump garbage and another one in the ceiling to siphon off smoke, a bathroom of sorts with an ice-cold underground stream entering one side and exiting the other, and many other rooms. All told, Jack saw enough space to comfortably house several families, and he had seen several doors and passages that were passed by without comment.
“Who lives here?” Sally asked, as Verdag finished his tour.
“Company quarters,” Verdag said. “My company, though we’ve only got one family numbered with us, and they’re visiting cousins to the west. Now, we’ve got some work to do to make sure we have proper representation, so to speak, at the muster. I’ll leave two men at the entrance to, ah, fend off any well-wishers, and another to prepare some food. None speak your tongue particularly well, so don’t mistake their silence for rudeness. You can have the run of the place. Eat, sleep, whatever you need. Let’s see… feels like about the tenth hour. We’ll muster around the seventeenth hour, so I’ll be back within five or six hours.”
With that, Verdag and six other dwarves went off into the maze of tunnels, while two others took up positions at the entrance to the complex. The last dwarf headed to the kitchen. Gerlock signaled them to be quiet and led them through a room to an adjoining one lit only by the three lanterns they still carried. It looked like a bunkroom that was well used.
“Everyone doing well?” Gerlock asked. “Derek, are you holding up to your travel between the worlds?”
“I need to sleep, to be honest. I’ve only had about three hours of sleep in two and a half days, but I’m all right. Didn’t like that comment he made about the Darkest Path.”
“Well that should not be a problem, thanks to Jack,” Gerlock said. “Verdag has been forced to take us under his wing, so he will feel obligated to keep us out of trouble. We should stay close to each other and set up in that room we just came through with the lanterns, but keep this one dark for anyone who wants to sleep.”
No one was quite ready to go to sleep, so they all sat around and waited in the adjoining room until the dwarf delivered large bowls of a meaty stew and pewter cups filled with icy water. Jack ate and ate, but the bowl seemed to have no bottom, and soon his eyelids were drooping. He wondered when he would next get to sleep a normal night’s rest as he went back to the bunkroom and laid down on a lower bed. Just as he fell asleep, he heard one or two others joining him in the room.
Jack woke, his heart racing. The meager light spilling in from the adjoining room suddenly snuffed out, and complete darkness embraced him. Jack had never considered himself afraid of the dark, but lying deep underneath a mountain with no light was too much. Jack cried out, or tried to, but a heavy hand clapped over his mouth, silencing him. He thrashed as several hands grabbed him and lifted him off the bed. He managed to hit a bedpost loudly before being carried rapidly away, his mouth still held shut and his eyes blind in the darkness.
Several shouts from the bunkroom followed, but the sounds rapidly dwindled in the distance as his captors hustled him away. Jack thought back to Gerlock’s comments on the Darkest Path, and didn’t think his awareness of the Lodestones would be sufficient to find his way out in the dark. As his fear consumed him, he was abruptly dropped, and the passage he lay in was filled with the sounds of an intense struggle. A moment later, the noise ceased, and strong hands lifted Jack to his feet.
“Are you well?” Verdag’s voice came from a short distance away, and Jack wept in relief. The hands released him and patted him roughly on the back.
“We need to move fast,” Verdag said. “Events outpace us. Jack, you need to climb on Gerd’s back so we can make time. Keep your head low. You humans have the softest little things up top. Very dangerous in the tunnels.”
Jack complied, and soon found himself bouncing along in the dark, riding piggyback on a dwarf who was actually shorter than he was. His feet banged along the floor as the dwarf jogged, and it was hard to cling to his back without hitting his head against the back of the dwarf’s rock-hard head. Jack was relieved to see light up ahead after a few minutes, and hopped down to jog along beside Verdag and his six companions.
Derek, Gerlock, and Fortuna stood near the entrance armed with kitchen knives and some blocks of wood that looked suspiciously like they had previously been part of a bunk. As Jack entered the compound, he saw Sally hovering behind the others. Remembering his tears, Jack quickly scrubbed his face and greeted the others.
“My men?” Verdag asked Gerlock.
Gerlock shook his head, and Verdag’s hard face became even grimmer.
“Kargrag’s crew,” Verdag said. “The treasonous viper. I’ll deal with him, but first we must away to ensure your safety. Gerd, Crar, Regrik, get some ore carts and meet us at the start of the old Fortress Road.”
Three dwarves immediately took off down the tunnel away from the compound. Verdag looked over Jack and the four others. “We need to find some better arms for you, and then we four will take you to the road by a roundabout way.”
Verdag led them to a room they had not seen on the first tour filled with all sorts of weaponry.
“Amazing quality,” Gerlock said as he strapped a knife on each hip and in a boot, then selected a sword to wear on his back.
“Just trifles we happened to have on hand,” Verdag said. “Not much really, though of course made with exacting dwarvish standards.”
Jack saw Fortuna select three knives and two short, curved swords that were in an odd harness that positioned a hilt above each of her shoulders. Derek also picked a knife and then tested several long poles, finally selecting one after checking the flexibility of each.
“Those are just blanks for spears,” Verdag said. “Not much use without a spear head.”
“Unless,” Derek said as he whipped the pole around his body and made several precise thrusts and countermoves, “you happen to be a black belt in bojutsu.”
Gerlock handed Jack and Sally a small hunting knife each and made a small ceremony out of belting the hilts around their waists.
“Jack, Sally, don’t look for a fight, but when evil comes calling?”
“Fight to the last breath,” Jack said.
Gerlock nodded grimly and stood. Verdag led them back to the compound entrance, where the other three dwarves were waiting, now bearing leather bags of supplies and skins of water. With Verdag and another dwarf up front and two behind, the group set off at a jog. Verdag seemed to take every possible tunnel deeper into the mountain, and gradually wound toward the east, back toward the Lodestone.
“Don’t worry about tiring,” Verdag said as he led. “We’ll not have you run the whole way. Once we are on the road, I’ll explain what I know while we truck you along toward Fortress.”
“Wait,” Derek said. “Those ore carts you sent the others after are for us? You plan to push us along in them?”
“No,” Verdag said chuckling.
“Good,” Derek said. “I can manage, you know. I jog most days.”
“No, we’ll not push you in the carts,” Verdag said. “Far too hard to steer from the back. We’ll
be pulling you.”
Gerlock cut off Derek’s outrage. “You have not seen our dwarven hosts’ mettle yet, Derek. No man can run tirelessly under load for two days straight like a dwarf. We’ll take their offered ride, or we will slow them.”
They jogged on for a time. Sally was finally loaded up on a dwarf to ride piggyback and they continued. Jack refused to allow himself to slow the group, and stubbornly pushed as empty tunnel after empty tunnel rolled by. He felt for a moment like he was back in the Darksbane, running from Drakin’s men, and he wondered when they would stop running and take a stand. First, he thought, they had to find Edalwin.
Up ahead, the tunnel opened into a wide, low cavern, and three dwarves waited for them with wheeled box carts.
Chapter 14
THREE CARTS
THE THREE CARTS were chained together end-to-end and stuffed with old blankets to smooth the ride, though Jack wasn’t convinced they did much good. He and Gerlock were crammed into the lead cart, Sally and Fortuna were in the next, and Derek rode alone in the last one with supplies and water. Five of the dwarves wore thick, leather harnesses around their waists and shoulders with ropes attached to the harnesses at one end and the lead cart to the other. Each rope was a different length, and the dwarves were fanned out in front of the carts, pulling them along. The other two dwarves jogged alongside the carts on the Fortress Road. They had only one lantern lit, and shadows as much as light followed them down the road.
Two things amazed Jack as they went. First, the road was an actual road, if a bit rough, stretching underground via caverns and tunnels. Second, the strength and stamina of the dwarves was incredible. They didn’t move fast, but held a steady jog for a couple hours without rest while pulling the carts. After the first two hours, Verdag and another dwarf handed off their harnesses to the two dwarves not pulling, all done while still making steady progress. Jack had put his amulet back on when they started out, so he wasn’t sure exactly how far they had gone, but the progress had been surprising.
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