Council of War

by Richard S. Tuttle

  "You two wasted no time in getting out of the city," chuckled Morro.

  "How did you know?" asked Garth.

  "When I heard that Judge Julius was interrogating the jeweler," explained the thief, "I had him followed. One of Headman's men overheard the conversation with the investigator. I knew that you would be set free, so I left the city before you did."

  "How did you get out?" asked Kalina.

  "There is a secret entrance along the river," answered Morro. "It is deadly to use unless the thieves know you, which is why I did not suggest it upon our arrival, but it is how I entered the city. That is why my presence in Giza was not recorded."

  "You must show it to me someday," smiled Garth.

  "I will," promised the thief, "but I am glad that you did not know about it before. I think you would have been tempted to sneak out of the city without gaining resolution of the investigation. This way, Garth Shado is still welcome in Giza, and we may need that to be so when it comes time to rescue the children."

  * * *

  Tedi and Natia sat on one side of the fire talking softly. Fakir Aziz sat on the other side of the fire, staring into the glowing coals as if in a trance. The fire had been burning for hours, and the coals were beginning to cool.

  "What do you suppose he sees in the coals?" Natia whispered.

  "I have no idea," Tedi whispered back. "At least he has stopped asking questions about us. He can stare at the coals for the rest of the day as far as I am concerned."

  "Not really," giggled Natia. "It is time to prepare the evening meal. In fact, you need to go out and get some more wood. I could never cook anything over those coals."

  "Alright," sighed Tedi as he rose to his feet. "I won't be long. Why don't you start getting things ready."

  Tedi moved into the trees and began gathering wood, while Natia proceeded towards the creek to get some water. When Natia returned, she saw the old man fondling Tedi's staff.

  "What are you doing?" scowled Natia.

  "I was just admiring the handiwork that went into this staff," smiled the old man. "It is quite a piece of work."

  "It is not polite to handle another's weapon," stated Natia. "Put it down."

  "Of course," smiled the old man as he put the staff down. "I meant no harm. I see that you are preparing for a meal. Can I help you with anything?"

  "No," Natia replied. "I have everything under control."

  "Is that what it is then?" asked Fakir. "A weapon? It seems too fine a piece for such a nasty use. I thought maybe it was an heirloom."

  "It is in a way," Natia sighed. "It was given to Tedi by someone very dear to him. I am sorry if I overreacted just now, but Tedi would be heartbroken if something happened to it."

  "I do apologize," Fakir said. "I should learn to ask before I touch the belongings of another."

  Natia nodded. She dismissed the incident from her mind and began preparing a stew. A few minutes later, Tedi emerged with an armful of wood for the fire. He dumped the wood on the ground and began bringing the fire back to life.

  "I feel as if I have been a burden to the two of you," stated Fakir Aziz. "I will be leaving in the morning so as not to trouble you any longer. I think the day's rest has been enough for my sore body."

  "You are welcome to stay with us if you like," Natia offered even though she was glad that the old man would be leaving.

  Tedi glared at his wife but didn't say anything. The old man chuckled to himself. Tedi's keen hearing suddenly heard someone approaching, and his head pivoted towards the narrow trail as his hand swept the staff up off the ground. Natia saw her husband's reaction and she freed her hands to be better able to respond. The old man sat staring into the fire again, seemingly oblivious to the impending danger.

  "Hello the camp," called Garth as he saw the mule tied next to the horses as he and the others entered the clearing. He continued as if he were a stranger himself. "Would you mind if we joined you?"

  Tedi immediately picked up on what Garth was doing. "You are welcome to join us," he called back.

  Garth, Kalina, and Morro dismounted. Morro took the reins and Garth and Kalina approached the campfire.

  "I am Garth Shado," announced the warrior, "and this is my wife Kalina. The other one is called Morro."

  "I am Tedi Markel," smiled the gypsy prince, "and my wife is Natia. The old man is Fakir Aziz. He left Giza at the same time we did, and he has been sharing our company ever since. Unfortunately, he will be leaving in the morning."

  The old man rose and turned to greet the newcomers. When Garth saw the old man, his face paled and he stopped short.

  "You?" gasped Garth. "How is that possible? I saw you die before my eyes."

  Tedi and Natia looked at each other with worried expressions. Kalina stared at the old man, and Morro stopped what he was doing and hurried across the clearing.

  "Was that you running in the alley?" asked Fakir. "I thought you looked familiar, but I am afraid that my mind was preoccupied at the time."

  "You did not die?" asked Garth.

  "Obviously not," laughed the old man. "Oh, I thought I was dying, mind you, but I managed to cling to life somehow, as I have in the past. My heart is not the heart of a young man, and that was not my first brush with death. I do think it was a warning sign of sorts, though. I made up my mind right after that to leave the hectic life of the Federation and head to more serene lands. That is where I am heading now. Would you and your party happen to be going north?"

  "I'm afraid not," frowned Garth. "I must apologize for abandoning you in that alley. I thought both you and the dog were dead."

  "That is understandable," smiled Fakir. "You must not be from around these parts. No one in Giza would have even thought of apologizing. It is considered wise there to keep moving quickly if someone dies near you."

  "You guess correctly," Garth forced a smile. "We are from Tyronia."

  Fakir smiled as he glanced at the elf. "I did not know that Tyronia had any elves."

  "Garth meant him and his wife," Morro retorted bluntly. "Being that I am an elf, I am sure that you already know where I am from."

  "Quite true," smiled the old man. "Quite true indeed."

  The campsite remained frozen in a tense awkwardness until Natia decided to steer the conversation away from questions that might reveal too much.

  "I was just preparing a stew," she announced. "I have plenty for everyone. Will you join us?"

  "That is gracious of you," smiled Kalina. "Let me help you."

  "And I will help Tedi stockpile some wood," offered Garth.

  Morro returned to tending the horses as Garth and Tedi walked into the trees.

  "Why is he with you?" Garth asked once they were away from the clearing.

  "We couldn't get rid of him," replied Tedi. "I think he is some kind of spy. He did not have to submit a pass to leave the city as we did, and he asks far too many questions. He claims to be a tutor, philosopher, and historian, but he is far too curious about us. I was just gathering wood before you came. As I was returning to the clearing, I witnessed Natia catching the old man inspecting my staff. There is something that is not right about him."

  "Do you mean other than he died yesterday?" quipped Garth. "I could have sworn he was dead before he hit the ground, and Morro thought so as well."

  "Do you still feel that way?" asked Tedi.

  Garth hesitated and then shook his head. "I can't really be sure," he admitted. "I was running for my life when the old man collapsed."

  "Well," replied Tedi, "he said that he is leaving in the morning. Let's just be careful what we say in front of him. Leaving the city without having to produce a pass makes me rather nervous around him."

  "I agree," nodded Garth. "Go and find some wood and leave a pile here for me to carry into the clearing. I am going to set up some bells for tonight."

  Garth set up a perimeter string with tiny bells on it and then returned to pick up an armload of wood. He carried it into the clearing to find Fakir Aziz qu
estioning Morro.

  "I just felt no need to return to Elfwoods," shrugged the thief. "It is not as if I ever belonged there."

  "I couldn't carry it all, Morro," Garth interrupted. "Would you go and get the rest of the wood?"

  Morro rose quickly, appearing relieved at the interruption. The old man looked up at Garth and smiled.

  "I am feeling tired," Fakir stated. "Perhaps I will turn in for the night."

  "Aren't you going to eat?" asked Kalina. "The stew is just about done."

  "I have no appetite tonight," claimed the historian. "I am more tired than hungry. A pleasant evening to all of you."

  Kalina frowned as the old man headed towards the old wagon that the Knights of Alcea had abandoned on their last trip to Giza. He spread a roll out under the wagon and crawled onto it.

  "He is the first person I have met in the Federation who would turn down a hot meal," stated Kalina as she served the stew.

  "Don't push it," cautioned Tedi. "We need to talk about our plans, and we cannot do that with him around the fire."

  "There is truth to that," agreed Garth. "Did you send Button off to the others?"

  "Last night," nodded Tedi. "I warned her not to reveal herself to the old man when she returned."

  "She has been gone a long time then," commented Kalina.

  "I have been here for quite a while," chirped Button. "I did not want to reveal myself. Was that wrong?"

  Tedi followed the voice and saw the tiny blue fairy hiding behind the log that he was sitting on. He chuckled and put down his hand for her to hop onto. "You have followed my instructions perfectly. What do you have to report?"

  "There is much to tell," declared Button. "Runt is safely onboard the ship to Alcea. He and Peanut investigated the packages. They are doors of some kind, but they could not open them, and there were no cracks large enough for either of them to pass through."

  "I hadn't thought of that," gasped Kalina. "It is good that there were no cracks. Who knows where they might have ended up? They might have walked right into the enemy's stronghold."

  Button turned a deep purple and her eyes opened wide. "Eeks!" she chirped. "That would not have been good."

  "So they are doors," mused Garth, "but are they Doors?"

  "I can see no reason for sending a plain wooden door to Alcea," sighed Kalina. "We have to assume that they are magical portals."

  "Oh," Button said as if she had just remembered something, "Haditha is alive, as is Captain Gomery. Squirt finally found them on the Isle of Despair."

  "That is hundreds of leagues from where the attack took place," Kalina said. "How will we ever manage to pick them up?"

  "They are in no hurry to rejoin the group," frowned Button. "In fact, I think Haditha fears losing the captain when he returns to us. Captain Gomery did say that he would be available if and when you need him, but I think he is content to stay with her in the meantime."

  "Is it safe there?" asked Garth. "We think the Federation now knows that a water witch helped us with the attack on the fleet."

  "Squirt will have to inform them of the new danger," replied Button, "but they appear quite safe. The mines are massive, and it would take a lot of soldiers to search them all. Haditha does not appear to be concerned at all. She says that a whole city could hide in the mines."

  "Really?" brightened Morro. "What about food and water?"

  "There is plenty of seafood," answered Button, "and there is a natural spring on the island. The dwarves even tapped into it to deliver water underground."

  "Any sign of the dwarves?" asked Garth.

  "Not living," answered Button, "but the captain found a bottomless chasm that he thinks they used to commit suicide. Hundreds of piles of clothes were left alongside the chasm and words were chiseled into the wall."

  "What words?" asked Garth.

  "The vein is played out," reported the fairy. "There is no more gold to fulfill the quota, but you will have no need for punishment. While life may be precious to some, we can no longer abide under such misery. Let this be the end of it all. It was signed King Drak, and there were some funny carvings underneath it."

  "What kind of funny carvings?" asked Natia.

  "I will show you," replied Button as she leaped off of Tedi's hand and started using her feet to draw the symbols in the dirt.

  "I have seen symbols like that before," mused Garth.

  "So have I," nodded Kalina, "but little good that will do us. We saw those symbols in the mines of the dwarves in both Lanto and Dorgun. They use them to specify directions to other miners when they are digging a new tunnel, but I have no idea how to interpret them."

  "Nor are we likely to find anyone in Zara who can interpret them," sighed Garth. "It is of little concern anyway. The symbols were probably already on the wall when King Drak wrote his farewell address. At least we finally know what became of the dwarves. It seems that they took the opposite approach from the elves and refused to remain as slaves."

  "Karl Gree has also accepted the challenge of leaving Aranak," continued the fairy. "He wants to know where to go and when to leave."

  "They should head towards Tyronia," answered Garth. "They are to seek out Sidney Mercado. I am sure that he will aid them. As to when, the sooner the better."

  "Should I return there immediately then?" frowned Button.

  "No," smiled Garth. "You have done fine and deserve a rest. I will send Bitsy later tonight."

  "It might not be bad to make an early night of this anyway," interjected Kalina. "I am still a bit tired from my use of magic in the city."

  "The strain of being captive in an enemy city didn't help either," nodded Garth. "We are in no hurry tomorrow. Let's get some sleep and plan our journey in the morning."

  The group finished off the stew and cleaned up the campsite before retiring for the night.

  It was still dark when Kalina woke up, but the birds were already chirping, and dawn was not far away. She heard no movement in the camp, but her eyes were drawn towards the narrow trail leading to the road anyway. She blinked as she saw the old man silently leading his mule out of the clearing. She wanted to call after him and offer him some food, but she didn't want to wake the whole camp. In that moment of hesitation, Garth began mumbling and tossing about in his sleep. She let the old man go without food.

  Chapter 6

  Departures

  The chamber was dimly lit, and a dwarf stood with his arms crossed as he stared at the black, gaping rent in the floor. The chasm was almost as long as the huge chamber, and it was too wide to leap across in the center. The dwarf was young, but there was an air of authority about him. That air of authority was certainly not created by his clothing, for the dwarf was dressed in rags comprised of mismatched colors and weaves. On the floor beside the dwarf was a pile of clothes that, while not fit for royalty, were more suitable for a miner. The dwarf unfolded his arms and removed a silver ring from his finger. He bent over and placed the ring on top of the pile of clothes and then rose and crossed his arms again. As the dwarf leader gazed into the maw of the bottomless pit, singing infiltrated the chamber. It was a solemn song, and the words spoke of an ending, not just any ending, but a crucial climax of a way of life.

  The singing grew in volume as hundreds of voices echoed through the tunnels of the mine. The leader dwarf felt a shiver race up his spine as the beginning of the column of dwarves appeared at the entrance to the great chamber. The dwarves in the procession were as poorly dressed as the lone dwarf, and each of them carried a pile of clothes. As the singing dwarves entered the chamber, they lined up along the edges of the bottomless chasm and placed their finest clothes at their feet. Those with jewelry removed the rings and necklaces and placed them atop the piles of clothes. Others, who wore no jewelry, placed a well-cleaned tool on the pile in lieu of the silver adornments.

  When both sides of the gaping maw were lined with singing dwarves, the leader left his place and walked to a portion of the wall that had been cleaned for the occasi
on. He bent down and picked up a hammer and chisel and stared at the smooth face of the rock. The only blemishes on the wall were some strange symbols that he had chiseled there a while ago. Stretching up as far as he could reach, the leader started chiseling a farewell message as the rest of the dwarves continued their solemn song. The message was short, and the leader was proficient with his tools. In mere moments the farewell message was set for eternity in the face of the rock. The leader neatly placed the hammer and chisel on the floor and returned to his place alongside the chasm.

  "It is done," the leader stated as the singing abruptly stopped.

  "Hail, King Drak!" shouted the dwarves.

  "We have finished our work here on the Isle of Despair," the king said, "and we will never toil here again. Today we are to take the fateful step from which there is no return. Who among you are ready to follow me?"

  To a dwarf they shouted, "Hail, King Drak!"

  The king stared into the black void and spit into it. Every dwarf along the edge of the chasm followed the leader's example.

  "There will be no noise," declared the king. "No shouting, no talking, no songs. Absolute silence is required. Is that understood?"

  The dwarves nodded silently, and King Drak smiled with pride at his people. With one last look into the gaping hole, King Drak turned and walked out of the chamber. The dwarves along the edge of the chasm turned towards the exit from the chamber and began to walk single file behind the king. King Drak led the silent procession through a series of intersections in a climb to a higher level. The king halted as the tunnel ended in a small rectangular room. He stared at the wall in front of him and waved for two dwarves in the procession to come forward. The face of the wall was smooth except for a long horizontal crack near the top, giving the appearance of a large flat, vertical stone with a smaller rectangular one on top of it like a lintel. Two of the male dwarves moved quickly forward to the wall and slid the long rectangular stone to the left. A faint noise echoed through the room, and the king smiled broadly. The two men then put their strength to the large flat surface and pushed. Slowly, the wall slid to the side revealing a recently built tunnel.