by Rosie Scott
“Magic is a coward's weapon,” the dwarf blurted in a need to have the last word before her death. “What strength does it take to wield somethin' invisible when ya could wield steel? Yer a coward for killin' with magic, and I'll be an embarrassment for dyin' from it.”
I sent the magic directly into the woman's head. She immediately stopped in her tracks, all animosity and anger gone from her demeanor. Even though I'd only used calm, her brow furrowed in confusion like she couldn't understand why she felt no hostility toward me.
“Every weapon requires great strength to wield, for weapons kill, and few have the mental fortitude to take a life,” I told her. “Without a strong arm, one can choose other options for fighting. Without a strong mind, one can do nothing.”
“Yet, ya do not kill me,” the dwarf replied, breathing heavily from her earlier rant.
“I'd prefer not to. A week ago when we were enemies, I would have done so without a second thought. But our roles have changed. Right now, you are a civilian in a settlement under my control. If you have qualms with me or the actions of my past, let's settle it with words.” My eyes searched hers. “My war has brought you pain. I cannot help you heal from this if I am dead. Tell me of your losses.” I gave the woman dull senses next and took her injured hand in my own.
“What is this magic yer usin' on me?” she asked, ignoring my request.
“The first spell calmed you. The second will ease your pain as I heal you.” As I delicately pulled Azazel's arrow out of her palm, I asked, “What is your name?”
“Brigid Griddle,” she replied, watching with fascination as the white magic burrowed deep in the split of her hand and merged torn muscle back together.
“Tell me of your losses, Brigid.”
“I lost my whole business,” Brigid replied, swallowing hard. “I built it from the ground up. Figuratively speakin', a'course. Over nine decades of work and buildin' client relationships and a reputation...gone.”
“Due to tsunami damages?” I questioned.
“Aye. All that water came right in and took my best stock like any ol' thief. When the water level finally went down, there was no gettin' my stuff back. Looters took damn near everythin' 'cause they had the chance. Years and years of quality work...gone and ruined.”
“What kind of business did you run?” I looked up into Brigid's eyes, for her hand was healed. Azazel cleaned off the bloody arrow I handed back to him and put it in his quiver, but he continued watching the dwarf for sudden movements. After all, the calm spell would soon dispel.
“A combination smithy and armory,” Brigid replied. “I made good stuff for cheap 'cause I had a deal with a tannery and a steelmaker near the mines. Our families went back generations. The tannery made it through the flood, but barely, and the steelmaker couldn't give me no deals when I was strugglin' because the government commissioned weapons from other smithies in the higher districts. They had no use for a blacksmith without a workin' forge.” She suddenly stopped talking and a new realization settled on her face as the illusion magic dispelled. Calming her with magic had clearly pacified her system; though Brigid was clear-headed, her earlier rage was now only muted suspicion and distrust.
“If you had a working forge and sufficient resources, would you be willing to go back to work?” I inquired.
“A'course. It's all I know,” Brigid said.
“Where is your forge?”
“Where was it, ya mean,” Brigid replied. When I said nothing, she pointed farther down the main road. “That'a way. It's seen better days. Was kicked out of it when I could no longer afford the rent.”
“Is it vacant?”
“Aye...I think so.” Brigid stopped short of saying more and simply frowned, confused. She still seemed to think I planned on killing her despite how I'd said otherwise.
“I have a plan, Brigid, and I want you to tell me how it sounds to you,” I began. When she only gave me a look of perplexity, I went on, “My first concern in Narangar is the renovation of this lower district, so your issues here were already at the forefront of my mind this morning. Thank you for being honest about them—I couldn't find anyone else to open up to me about anything. Hearing your story gives me an idea of where to start.
“I will put you back in your old forge and ensure you have the resources you need to start working right away on new weapons and armor. I won't claim any control over how you run your business, but until you can hire other workers, I have a few hard-working women and men I can suggest to help you temporarily. Maggie here knows her way around a forge if your roof is high enough to have her there with you. If you give me the names and locations of your former business partners, I will set up meetings with them to re-establish those old connections to supply you now and in the future. If your forge is on the main road, seeing it working steadily should encourage others to grow their own businesses nearby since the location is prime real estate. Change can't happen overnight, but if we plant the seeds for recovery now, I have a member of my court who would be fantastic at getting Narangar's lowest district to thrive and can pick up where we leave off a few years from now.”
“Chance?” Cerin questioned.
I nodded. "It would thrill Chance to take all of this on. If he weren't needed in Comercio right now, I'd send for him.” I asked Brigid, “What do you think?”
Brigid still only appeared baffled. “What's the catch?”
“The catch?” I questioned, tilting my head.
“Ya can't just put me back in the forge, 'cause I still must pay rent and I'll be startin' off with no inventory. I can't afford it. My suppliers would be ignorant to help since I can't pay them, and even if I could, I've lost all my clients.”
“Perhaps, but you've just gained the biggest client you'll ever get.” I pointed down the street, bringing Brigid's attention to the thousands of my soldiers intermingling with dwarven civilians. “I need quality weapons and armor for my men, and I need skilled people who can repair the supplies we have. I told you I would re-establish those connections myself, Brigid. I will make you whole and give you the first contract of your reinstated business. I will handle your rent, the cost of your supplies, and find skilled workers who can handle extra workloads temporarily. In return, I ask for your labor, use of your forge until my army leaves Narangar, and we can negotiate on what you think is a fair price for my order while considering your lack of out-of-pocket costs.”
Brigid was silent as she considered this. Many of the bystanders still watched, more intrigued in the exchange than ever considering how quickly it changed its tune. “How big do ya think this order will be?” she finally asked. “It's possible I'll get on my feet again just to lose it all 'cause I can't fill my inventory quickly enough after the first order's fulfilled.”
I glanced over at Azazel for an answer, for he had recently assessed our army's needs. He grabbed a small logbook out of his satchel and flipped through pages as Maggie smirked nearby.
“Ya bought him a lil' book, love?” the engineer asked me. “Cute. Now he looks just as professional as he acts.”
“No,” I replied. “Azazel bought that himself. I stopped giving the ungrateful bastard gifts back in Celendar.”
Azazel smiled as he heard my teasing quip, but when he spoke it was only to answer Brigid's question. “Approximately two thousand weapons for delivery to Comercio since metal reserves were low. About three thousand weapons to replace the lost or stolen reported from the last battle thus far. A few hundred recruits in Comercio need whole sets of armor. Finally, an estimated seventy thousand repairs of both weapons and armor, to be segmented into groups so I can track it easily. You'll be busy for a while.” He glanced up from his logbook, finished.
“Good gods,” Brigid breathed. “I'm gonna need a lotta help.”
I eyed the bystanders on the streets surrounding us. They were mostly dwarven and had the rough, calloused skin indicative of physical labor. Because we were in the most damaged district of Narangar, they were likely poor
due in part to my tsunami. Many of them were still leery and distrusting of me, but overseeing such an odd exchange seemed to make them question their firmly held opinions. An attempted assassination had quickly turned into a business negotiation and job offer, and that was not only a rare phenomenon, it gave some onlookers hope for changes in their own situations.
“I see many people standing around who look like they might want some experience in blacksmithing,” I commented loudly enough for the bystanders to hear. “I will offer any volunteers the same wages I pay my own men until this order is fulfilled.” A few murmurs rose among the crowd, and some eager dwarves hard on their luck stepped forward tentatively. I directed my next question back to Brigid. “Now, I have offered you everything you need. I will find volunteers to help you and prepare our contract. Before I ask you to come with me to sit down and lay out our terms honestly, am I correct in thinking that you do, indeed, want to take this offer and work for me?”
As if realizing our odd situation for the first time, Brigid exhaled heavily in distress and blurted, “I tried to kill ya earlier.”
I chuckled. “Yes, and you had a legitimate reason for it. I'd prefer not to die today, though. If we work together, we both get what we want. You'll have your business back, and my army's supplies will be repaired and restocked. This may seem hard to believe, but I'd prefer to build bridges than burn them.” I reached out a hand and smiled. “Will you take my offer?”
Brigid slowly extended the hand I'd mended only minutes ago, and I took it firmly. As we shook, she answered, “Aye.”
Thirty-four
“Gods, I could use an ale.” The words tumbled out of my lips like a plea to my companions as we walked together down the main road of Narangar. It was like I was asking for permission to unwind. In a way, I was. Much like after Comercio's takeover, work bombarded me throughout the first few weeks I owned Narangar to where taking any time to myself to relax felt scandalous.
“Music to my ears, friend!” Nyx exclaimed happily, gaining a bounce in her step. “We'll loosen you up. Beat the stress right out of you.”
“Are we still talking about drinking?” Azazel quipped.
Nyx burst into laughter, only sobering when she noticed the interested gaze of a gruff-looking dwarf as we passed a group of loitering miners. She turned around to maintain their mutual gaze, winked once, and fell back into step with the rest of us. “Maybe. Why, are you intrigued?”
“No,” Azazel replied lightly. “Just amused.”
“Amusement tends to be the common reaction to Nyx in general,” Cerin mused from my other side. “Well, that, and an odd emotion halfway between confusion and concern.”
I snorted a laugh. Nyx replied, “You're lucky I like you.”
“Am I?” Cerin retorted. Suddenly, Nyx disappeared out of thin air. I felt a breeze of movement go around me just before Cerin exclaimed, “Ow!”
“Don't care. You deserved it.” Nyx reappeared next to Holter, and both were grinning.
“Did you just go invisible to kick my ass?” Cerin blurted, and the rest of us burst out laughing.
“I had to make sure you couldn't stop me,” Nyx replied, giggling like a child herself.
“Kai.” Cerin pulled his fingers toward him a few times in a row. “Give me the spell.” I raised an eyebrow at him, but I gave into his request. Just as Cerin went invisible, he stopped in his tracks. “Okay, this is really disorienting.”
“I can wait for you to catch up if you'd like,” Nyx offered sweetly. She dramatically stopped, bent over slightly, and pointed at her backside. “Kick here.”
“Words cannot describe how ridiculous you look.” Cerin said dryly, his words coming from empty air. As Nyx cackled, my lover took a step forward. The only reason we all knew it was because it was audibly obvious. Cerin's boots were so heavy that each step clunked before a deep resounding echo, and his armor was so covered in metal buckles and hanging sheaths he jingled as he walked.
Nyx pointed once more at herself. “Riiight here.”
Cerin huffed with humor but lamented, “If I lift my leg when I can't even see it, I'll fall over from dizziness alone. I'd rather save my pride.” I felt him tap my arm. “Dispel it.” I did so as Nyx grinned with her victory.
“This is why we keep you out of stealth missions,” Azazel said to Cerin. “You're even louder than Kai.”
Nyx suggested, “We could use him as a decoy.”
“He wouldn't be a very good one,” Azazel replied. “Few other than the Alderi would hear the jingling outside a certain radius.”
“Hey,” Cerin blurted. “Don't let Nyx recruit you into her madness.” Azazel only grinned and shrugged.
Ignoring Cerin completely, Nyx replied to Azazel, “Cerin doesn't have to be invisible to be a decoy. We'll just send him out and let him take the brunt of the damage.” My lover sighed heavily at Nyx's persistent teasing.
Maggie chuckled and announced, “You two are makin' me glad I was an only child. Ya bicker like siblings.”
“Cerin's fun to tease.” Nyx motioned toward him. “I mean, look at him. I'm half-convinced Kai's blind.”
I sighed facetiously. “You told me I had impeccable taste years ago.”
“Well, sure, but we were in the middle of nowhere at the time. It was slim pickings for men.” Nyx swirled a finger beside her head. “I get kooky when I go without.” Noticing Cerin's glare, she grinned.
Because I had mentioned drinking, we automatically followed Nyx as she led the way to a bar she already frequented. Sitting along the main street just a few blocks inside the cavern from the open tunnel was a small two-story pub that had seen better days. It was built of stone and outlined in gold. A wooden sign post stuck out beside the front door, but the sign with the establishment's name had either fallen or been stolen and wasn't replaced.
Standing just outside the door amid people-watching was Calder, leaning back against the wall with a cigarette in one hand and a mug of ale in the other. He kept his hood off tonight, for it was fairly cool in the inner mountain and the sun had set hours ago, pulling its warmth out of the reaches of the tunnel. Firelight from nearby sconces called attention to his many gold and copper loops, making them sparkle along the edges of his ears.
Next to Calder was Mirrikh. A mug of ale sat empty by his boots, and he scraped a surgical blade over the dark flesh of his left arm methodically up one way and down the other. Oddly, the movement entertained him. It was clear Mirrikh was in his flirtatious mood, for when he glanced up at our approach, his eyes locked on mine and his lips slowly lifted in a charming smile. When he spoke, he purred.
“The summoner has been summoned,” Mirrikh drawled.
I frowned. “By who?”
Calder stood up straight against the wall and dug around in his trouser pocket. Bringing out a folded piece of parchment and handing it to me, he said, “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody.”
I racked my head for who he spoke of as I unfolded the paper and read its message.
Half-breed. Docks. Night.
I put the parchment in my satchel and asked, “Hades? He's still here?” Ever since our conversation during Narangar's battle, I hadn't seen the other god. Hades told me he wouldn't be controlled, so I'd assumed he'd left.
“Apparently, and he wants to see you,” Calder affirmed. “I guess he knew I'd come across you before he did.”
“Did he tell you anything?” I questioned.
Calder replied, “He said to bring people you trusted if you wanted, but he doesn't want a party. Whatever that meant. He was very short and to the point with me.”
“Well, any of you are welcome to come with me,” I offered.
Maggie immediately scoffed at the idea. “Nah, love. I'll stay here and get to drinkin'.”
Nyx seemed torn between staying with Maggie and coming with us though she finally took a step closer to the engineer with Holter by her side. “We'll all have a drinking contest.”
“Ha! Good luck,” Maggie blurted with a
laugh.
“I would absolutely love to come with you, love,” Calder started, “but I was getting ready to do business with some local dealers.” He jerked a thumb to the stone behind him.
“Ferris dealers, I'm assuming?” I asked.
“Yeah. Our stock's running low and I didn't think to get any off of my reinforcements when we passed them on the way here.” Calder chuckled roughly at his oversight. “Guy claims to have tons of it on his mercenary ship. Came straight from the wildlands. Their production of ferris is ramping up, you know. Lots of my brothers who went there after the liberation are now involved in growing or transporting it. When you legalize it in Chairel, the wildlands will flourish.”
“Sounds like they're already flourishing,” I commented.
“Getting there, that's for sure.” Calder smiled warmly at me, showing his appreciation for my past aid and his hope for the future all in one quick look. “Have fun with the one-eyed monster.”
“I will,” I replied, turning toward the docks before calling back, “I'll try to have some fun with Hades, too.” Calder's laughter rattled off the surrounding structures at my joke as we left.
Though I invited everyone, only Azazel and Cerin came with me. I understood the hesitance of the others. None of them knew Hades. Many of us had fought against him in Tal. All of us were in need of a good night of relaxation after the stress of working non-stop, and meeting with Hades didn't sound like a relaxing prospect at all.
Narangar's harbor opened around us as we walked out of the tunnel. The mid-High Star skies were pitch-black save for collections of stars that twinkled in patterns of constellations. Mountainsides sparkled with the glow of various ships and harbor lamps at their bases, but they were simply blocks of shadow at their peaks. The decline of the stone harbor evolved into the built platform of the docks that encompassed the tip of the entire inlet. Ships of all types creaked and rocked with the natural calm movement of water. Dwarves and Alderi were most prevalent near the coast, and the mood wasn't as hostile as it had been weeks ago. My work thus far on Narangar's lowest district had warmed up some of the native population here. Much like in Hammerton, once the dwarves realized how much they had in common with the Alderi, the two races intermingled with ease. Looking over the harbor, I could see new friendships forming between people of comically different appearances. Given the shorter statures of dwarves and the taller forms of Alderi, some civilians were up to a full four feet shorter than their companions.
