Micah The Wanderer - Book 4: Underground - Part 2

Part 2

We followed until he entered the doorway. The roof lowered dramatically. Delwyn glanced at me and then at the passage before us. In the hall Ohmlee had turned back and was grinning at our predicament. Delwyn looked back at me, shrugged and bent nearly double to enter the hall. Elves have an inherent grace in everything they do and even though he should have looked awkward he seemed to glide into the hall to follow Ohmlee. I tried to imitate his movements but I knew I merely looked clumsy. I followed along occasionally bumping the hilts of my swords against the ceiling.

After a few minutes we came to another low doorway. We moved through into another room with several long low tables in it. Hurk and Ohmlee moved over to one and stood waiting. Delwyn and I moved over and sat on the floor next to them. Another dwarf came over with a tray. It had four bowls from which steam was rising on it. He set one in front of each of us and moved away without a word. Hurk and Ohmlee dug in and after a glance at me so did Delwyn. I sniffed the food and scooped up a spoonful. It turned out to be a very tasty stew. We sat eating a while.

Delwyn spoke. "What is this 'train' you were speaking about?"

Ohmlee looked over at Hurk. "You are probably more familiar with the operation than I am. Could you explain it?"

Hurk nodded. "After we run a seam of ore out of a shaft, if it's running in the right direction, we'll continue digging to connect up that shaft with a shaft running from one of the other mines. When the run is complete we lay rails like for a mine cart. One of our artisans designed and built a cart that could be driven by pumping a handle and then another cart that could be pulled along behind it. A magic user sets a stone at either end of the run. When a cart enters either end of the shaft the stone at the other end flashes red so that they know at that end not to start carts from their end until the one from the other clears the shaft."

Delwyn and I looked at each other. This was very impressive. No one outside the dwarf community knew about this kind of thing.

I decided to ask some questions. "You said it would take three hours by this 'train' to get to Kriock. How long would it take overland?"

"On foot it would take about a day and a half maybe two days."

"How deep does the shaft with the train run?"

"About three hundred feet."

"And there are other runs from Kriock to other outposts?"

"Yes, but some of those runs are very hard to do. Fortunately this outpost and Kriock are on pretty much the same level in the mountains. It's almost a level run from here to there. Some of the other runs are very steep. Some have to actually be winched up or down rather than run by the pull carts."

"Pull carts? Is that what you call the carts that have to be pumped?"

"Yes. Now gentlemen if you are through eating the train should be ready to go."

We set our bowls aside and followed Hurk from the room. We moved down several passageways that were lit by the strange glowing stones set in the walls. We arrived at what looked like a small room but when we had all entered Hurk pulled a rope hanging near the door. We heard a distant clang of a bell and the whole room gave a lurch and began descending into the earth. I had never been underground in a mine or anything like that so this was my first encounter with a mine elevator. Ohmlee explained the principle as we descended deeper into the earth. We passed several other shafts as we moved further down into the bowels of the mine. After what seemed like a long time we came to a stop. The hall before us was lit with standard lanterns every few feet and I could hear movement and activity from the far end.

We moved down the hall and emerged into another large chamber. This was the largest chamber I had ever seen outside of the great hall of Imperial house. That hall was used for the assemblies for announcements and other things that the entire school had to be present for. The hall I now stood in had once been a source of some ore that had been dug away over the years until all that was left was useless rock and this huge cavern. For the first time since we entered the front hall of the outpost Delwyn and I could straighten up. This was apparently at least partially a natural chamber.

I could see sections of the ceiling that were natural rock and other parts that clearly showed evidence of being dug by hand. The ceiling was forty feet high in some spots and I could see areas where scaffolding had been taken down. The cavern disappeared into darkness in one direction and I could see dwarves working around several pieces of what looked like machinery at the other end which was some ninety feet away. Hurk began walking in that direction and the rest of us followed behind.

I looked around as we walked that way and saw that there were several offshoot tunnels from the main chamber and I saw at least one that had dwarves working in it digging rock.

I glanced at Delwyn who shrugged. "Hurk, is this still a working mine?"

Hurk glanced at me and then at Ohmlee who shrugged back. "One of the lads who work with the train tripped and dropped his sledge. It hit the wall and cracked loose a stone chip. When it comes to rock and mineral you could say a dwarf could get somewhat single minded."

Delwyn and I hid our smirks at that. When it came to rock and minerals dwarves in general were all single minded.

Hurk continued. "Anyway, when the fellow looked at the stone something caught his eye. He started digging at the rock and found a small seam of iron ore. Dwarf law says that the finder of a new seam in a mine thought to be played out receives thirty percent of the profit from that seam. Dwarf law claims fifty percent of the profits for the mine and remaining profits to be divided among any dwarf's that helps work the seam."

"Seems like you'd have a lot of help with that kind of proposition."

"Not really. The seam may not be rich enough to show much profit and despite what most humans think not every dwarf enjoys mining. The dwarf's that man the walls probably only go underground to sleep. They can't stand to dig."

We kept moving closer to the group of dwarves working around some machinery. I still couldn’t make out what kind of machinery it was when a shout interrupted my train of thought.

One of the dwarfs in the group darted out and nearly tackled Ohmlee. “Ohmlee?! Is that you?”

I was watching Hurk and saw him visibly relax when the new arrival acknowledged that this was indeed Ohmlee. He caught me looking his way and shrugged. I grinned back at him and nodded. The two dwarfs chattered at each other as only two old friends who have been separated for a while can.

After a few moments Ohmlee glanced up and saw Delwyn and my amused expressions and stepped back a bit from his friend. “Hurin, what are you doing here? I thought you were working with the chief engineer trying to improve ventilation in the deep mines.”

“I still work with him a lot but we’ve done pretty much all we can at this point. I’m working with the chief machinist to improve impulse transfer.”

His language then descended into the depths of engineering double-speak. I pretty much knew every word he said but the way he used them made what he said utterly indecipherable to me and to judge from the look on Delwyn’s face, him too.

Ohmlee cut him off at one point. “Hurin, what are you doing here?”

“Oh…I’m the steersman for the train between here and Kriock.”

He opened his mouth again to speak and fearing another onslaught of differential or diatribe of engineering.

I interjected a question before he could speak. “I thought it ran on rails, why would it need a steersman?”

Hurin turned towards us and seemed to see me for the first time. His eyes widened slightly in surprise until he spotted Delwyn standing next to me. I was afraid his eyes would fall out of his head because they bugged out so much.

Ohmlee smiled at his friend. “Hurin, these are my friends Micah, who bears the hawk-wings and Delwyn, who bears ‘Strike the bow’. They both attended Imperial house with me. Delwyn, Micah, this is Hurin. We have been friends for years. My mother Shala, wet nursed him when his mother died in childbirth.”

We acknowledged the introduction but Hurin continued to stare at Delwyn. "So why does it need a steersman if it runs on rails?”

Hurin blinked and seemed to realize I had spoken to him again. He continued to stare at Delwyn as he answered my question which was a little disconcerting as it felt like he was talking to my left ear.

“Steersman is a misnomer. I handle the brakes and adjust the gear ratios on the inclines so the pump dwarfs can maintain a steady speed.”

“Pump dwarfs? Are they the ones who power this train?”

“Oh yes, but come and I’ll show you.”

He turned and headed back to the group of dwarves that had continued to work on their machinery the whole time we were speaking to Hurin. Hurin continued to chatter away in the alien language of engineers and judging by the looks on Delwyn’s face as well as Ohmlee and Hurk I wasn’t the only one who didn’t quite understand what he was talking about. He was saying something about new alloys to prevent gear wear when we came close to the group. Directly beyond them I saw another shaft leading off from this chamber. A gemstone of unknown composition about the size of my fist was set in the cross timber of the entrance and glowed a deep green. This must be the stone set by a magic-user to let the dwarf’s know it was safe to send the train.

Just as we arrived at the group there was what could only be called a collective grunt and the apparatus they were standing around rose and began to move towards the tracks that led into the shaft. The dwarves shuffled their feet and moved sideways supporting what I could see now was a wooden cart with several pieces of machinery sticking up out of the floor. A complex arrangement of gears and levers could be seen from the side. They connected the apparatus sticking through the floor to the wheels and axles beneath the cart which themselves were attached and surrounded by other gears and levers.

The wheels of the cart which were oddly shaped and grooved were lined up with the rails and the whole thing lowered into place. There was a general sigh as the cart settled into position and several dwarves began scrambling around on top of it oiling and greasing at certain points while several others lay on the ground around the wheels and did the same.

Hurin led us around it pointing out this and that. His face was lit as if speaking of his wife or lover but he gazed adoringly at the cart the whole time. “This is the drive unit. Two dwarfs operate the handles by pumping them back and forth. This transfers the motion to the gearbox which steps it up several times and then transfers it to the wheels. The run from here to Kriock will entail several gear changes and we’ll have to replace the original dwarfs about half way. I sit right here in the front above the lanterns. I watch the track for obstructions and use the brake and change the gear ratio to keep us moving at the same pace all the way to Kriock. Back here is the linkage to attach a cart to the back of the drive unit. It took us a while to get that right. Anything solid would bend as we went around turns unless it was too tough to bend at which point it would cause one or the other cart to jump the track. We tried a chain but you had to have some one to ride the brake in the back cart to keep it from slamming into the drive unit. If they didn’t know what they were doing they would slow down the drive unit by riding the brake too much. We finally came up with the idea of an iron rod attached to each cart with a length of chain welded to it. We bolt the two lengths of chain together and it allows for the flexibility we need while keeping the carts apart."

All this information was delivered in a rush as we moved around the cart and Hurin pointed at parts of the cart.

I felt I was drowning in words when Hurk cut him off. “How long until it’s ready to leave?”

Hurin paused and looked dazed for a moment as he tried to understand the question. His expression cleared after a moment. “We only have to set the other cart and hook them together.”

He paused and looked at Delwyn and me again. “We weren’t expecting a human and an elf. We have no carts with seats set up for ‘biggers’.”

Delwyn and I looked at each other. “What is a ‘bigger’?”

Hurin blushed and looked at Ohmlee and Hurk. For the first time since we met him he wasn’t talking.

I glanced at Ohmlee and he shrugged and answered my question. “A ‘bigger’ is dwarf slang for most non-dwarfs. It just means bigger than a dwarf.”

Hurin had moved away so I leaned in close to Ohmlee. “Why does that seem to embarrass him so much? It doesn’t bother me or Delwyn.”

“There are a lot of dwarves that are upset by references to size or height. Most of us could care less but others treat it almost like you humans do references about sex. Okay to talk about in private but off limits in public.”

I nodded my understanding and leaned towards Delwyn to explain as we stood there waiting. By the time I had finished Hurin had returned. He had overcome his earlier embarrassment and was his regular chatterbox self.

“We decided to hook up one of the freight hauling carts. It’s basically just a big box on wheels but if they sit in the bottom at least they won’t split their head open on a low part of the ceiling.”

I waited a moment to see if he was joking about that last part but he didn’t crack a smile. I looked at Hurk. “How low does the ceiling get?”

“See the handles on the pump cart? At a couple of points the ceiling dips within a foot of the top of those handles as they pass by.”

I watched as they man-handled or should I say dwarf-handled another cart into position behind the pump cart.

Hurin continued to talk as the others worked. “With just the three of them in the cart we’ll be able to go much faster than usual. I think we’ll be able to cut the trip time nearly in half.”

Hurk looked skeptical and asked the question that was hammering at my teeth to get out. “Will that be safe?”

Hurin looked uncertain for a moment then glanced at another dwarf standing nearby. This dwarf stood in thought a moment then shrugged his shoulders.

Hurin turned back to us. “It should be okay.”

I wanted to say something at this point but one of the other dwarfs who had been working to couple the carts together straightened up and called that everything was ready.  Ohmlee and Hurin moved towards the train so Delwyn and I had to follow. Hurk stood nearby and wished us a safe trip as Hurin climbed to the front of the pump cart and sat down facing the tunnel mouth. Two dwarfs climbed up and grasped the handles in preparation before they began to pump. Two other dwarfs settled into the back of the pump cart. These were the replacements for when the first two became tired. Ohmlee clambered over the side of the rear cart and Delwyn and I looked at each other. He shrugged and climbed into the cart with Ohmlee. I had little choice. I climbed into the bare bin of the rear cart. I settled at the back of the cart with Delwyn while Ohmlee sat with his back to the front of the cart.

When I looked a question at him he answered. “I prefer to sit this way on these things. Watching the tunnel disappear in the dark behind us isn’t as bad as watching the nose of this thing plunging into the dark ahead.”

This didn’t allay my feelings of anxiety about this thing. I guess I need to explain at this point why it sounds like I don’t exactly like machines and made things despite growing up around a forge. That’s exactly why I don’t like them. I know what some things look like when they break and the kind of damage they can do to the things around them when they do break. Anyway it was too late to say or do anything at this point as Hurin had just called for the dwarfs to start pumping.

The cart began to move slowly at first as the dwarfs moved the handles back and forth. I thought that perhaps this wouldn’t be quite as bad as I thought when we entered the tunnel and the only light was the two lanterns at the front of the pump cart. There was a ratcheting noise from the front cart that Ohmlee explained was Hurin shifting the gears on the cart and the whole thing lurched forward and began to pick up speed. In the next couple of hundred yards Hurin ratcheted the gears twice more and the cart doubled then trebled its speed.

Short, squat, little, even cute and cuddly; I have heard all these used to describe dwarves. One thing most people seemed to forget is strong. Dwarves may appear fat or like they’ve been stuffed but what everyone should remember is that they are stuffed with muscle. The dwarves working the pump handles increased their speed and then held it at an incredible pace.

How best to describe the passage of the train from outpost 12 to Kriock? That is a question I have pondered many times over the years and I have come to only one conclusion. Pure unadulterated terror. Imagine hurtling along in almost absolute dark faster than a horse can gallop in a large wooden box as the ceiling flies past within a foot or two of your head. Ohmlee didn’t help matters by discussing in graphic detail what had happened to some of the early trains when they had jumped the rails and slammed into the tunnel walls. If they didn’t tumble over on top of their passengers they caused a section of the tunnel to collapse burying them instead. I looked at Delwyn and his face was pale even for an elf and I knew mine was probably just as pale.

---

Hurin had been right about our speed. One hour and forty minutes later we arrived at Kriock. The screech of the brakes as we arrived was like the cry of a banshee. The chamber we arrived in was smaller by half than the chamber at the outpost. The roof was barely twenty feet at places and I could plainly see the other end of the chamber as I climbed from the cart on wobbly legs. The dwarfs standing around in the chamber watched in surprise as first me and then Delwyn climbed out of the cart but their eyes really widened when Ohmlee hopped down and looked around.

They put their heads together and were whispering when he turned to one of the ones that were armed. “You, go to my father and tell him I have returned from Imperial house and I and my friends need to see him and my uncle Ohmlus as soon as possible.”

The guard stared at him a long moment before looking at Delwyn and I. He shifted his weight and placed his hand on the haft of the axe across his shoulders. “And who are you to be giving orders here?”

One of the whispering dwarfs moved over to speak to the guard but before he could say much Ohmlee had unshipped his axe and held it up over his head. “I am Ohmlee, bearer of ‘Bloodseeker the red axe’ and if that’s not enough I am Ohmlee, son of Kerlick the king.”

The guard paled and began to back away as he nodded his head. “Yes sir. I’ll go myself and insure the message is delivered. You two escort the prince to the kings receiving chamber. His companions can wait in the great hall.”

The two guards he had pointed at began to move when Ohmlee barked out again. “No! These are my friends and will go with me.”

Delwyn and I looked at each other. This Ohmlee was like a stranger to us. He was barking commands and giving orders like an officer.

The guard who had been leaving stopped. “Please my lord, they are strangers and they are armed.”

“And a good thing too or I would be dead on the trail back there with an orc arrow in my gizzard. Do as I say and I’ll escort these two to my father’s receiving chamber.”

The dwarf hesitated slightly and then turned to hurry from the chamber. Ohmlee began walking in that direction at a much more leisurely pace. He even walked differently than he had before. He had what could only be called a stride as we followed along behind. The tunnel off this chamber was the same rough hand hewn stone as we had seen before but as we turned a corner the walls smoothed out and the floor was paved with octagonal stones. Delwyn and I still had to bend over to move down the hall but the finished quality of the walls and floors made it much easier than it had been at the outpost.

Several similarly finished halls crossed this one as we moved along and I saw many dwarfs moving about on unknown business. When we arrived at an elevator I was more prepared for what might happen as we began to rise through the rock. Where the elevator at the outpost had been pretty much a bare wooden box this one was paneled with finished wood and lit by an ornate lantern fixed to the back wall. As we rose through the shaft I looked over at Delwyn and when he looked back I glanced at Ohmlee and grinned. He grinned back and we moved together to grab his arms. We held them at his sides as he struggled briefly and looked at us in surprise.

His eyes widened when I spoke. “Who are you and what have you done with our friend Ohmlee?”

He gaped at us a moment, his mouth working like a fish out of water. He shook us off. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

I had to ask. “What was that all about? I haven’t seen somebody throw that much weight around since that time Jado slipped and fell in the kitchen.”

“I am the son of the king; I can’t let someone challenge me even if they don’t know who I am. I had to put him in his place or I would have looked weak, not worthy to rule.”

He took a deep breath and seemed to sag in on himself a little.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

He took another deep breath as the elevator continued to climb. This one was moving slower than the one at the outpost but seemed to be going farther. “I guess I forgot what it would be like coming back here. I mean I wanted to come home it’s just that I can’t really act like me any more. Some of the things we did at the academy would earn even me a couple of years at one of the outposts on kitchen duty. I’m the king’s son now, the prince, heir apparent to the throne. I just enjoyed being…I don’t know…”

I finished for him. “You liked being just Ohmlee the dwarf.”

He nodded. Delwyn placed his hand on his other shoulder and spoke to him. “Remember my friend that you will always be just Ohmlee the dwarf to me and Micah. More importantly you are our friend.”

I chimed in. “Yeah, you know us. If your head starts getting too big we’re the guys to pop it for you.”

Ohmlee seemed to be feeling a little better and even smiled a little.

I continued. “You know Delwyn and I have a way of loosening people up. As a matter of fact I still have some of that powder I used on that senior class a year ago. A little of that sprinkled in the king’s mead and he’d be so relaxed he’d probably dance on a table.”

Ohmlee paled at that and leaned back against the side of the elevator with his hands over his eyes. “I’m going to wind up in exile. I just know it.”

Delwyn and I couldn’t help it. We clapped him on the shoulders and laughed. After a moment he lowered his hands and even smiled a genuine smile this time. He raised his hands to our shoulders as well. “Thank you my friends. I’ll try not to take myself quite so seriously from here out.”

Further conversation was forestalled as the elevator came to a halt. We stepped out into a large hallway that Delwyn and I could both stand up straight in. It was ten feet high and fifteen feet across. Forty feet to our right were a set of double doors stretching up to the ceiling that stood open and sunlight poured into the hall. Twenty feet to our left was another, smaller set of double doors and these were closed. At ten foot intervals on both sides of the hall there were armed dwarves all dressed in identical armor. Each warrior carried a pole axe as tall as I am and when we stepped off the elevator there was a crash of armor as all of them in both directions turned to face our way with their axes at the ready. They hesitated when Ohmlee emerged.

“Stand at ease. I have come to see my father and I vouch for these two.”

These dwarves had apparently already heard about what happened below or they knew Ohmlee on sight because with another crash of armor they returned to where they had been. Ohmlee moved down the hall towards the smaller set of double doors.

He stopped before two more dwarfs in identical armor that stood before the doors. “Tell my father that I have requested an audience for myself and my two friends.”

One of the dwarfs gave Delwyn and me a long look before turning to rap once on the door. There were muffled words from within and the guard opened the door to enter as the other guard moved to the center of the two doors and held his pole-axe level across in front of himself. A few minutes passed and then both doors opened and the guard returned.

He stepped to the side and the other returned to his spot. “The king will see you now.”

Ohmlee nodded and we walked past them into the chamber beyond. The chamber beyond was octagonal in shape and some twenty feet across. The ceiling arched up to a window of colored glass the same shape as the room. Directly across from the doors was a small dais with a dwarf sitting on what looked like a stool with arms. Ohmlee later told me that this was the informal greeting chamber so a throne was thought unnecessarily ostentatious. The dwarf sitting on the dais looked old but the one standing on the floor next to the dais looked older still.

The one sitting on the dais had a white beard and the hair on his head beneath a plain silver circlet was mostly white with a few streaks of iron gray. He was dressed in the traditional dwarf fashion of leather breaches with a linen shirt under a studded leather vest. His hand rested on the haft of a huge axe. The handle was at least four feet long and the blade was at least two feet from edge to edge. The handle was worked in gold and precious gems but the blade was unadorned steel.

Ohmlee told me later that this was the king’s axe and that traditionally the king executed state prisoners himself with it. It hadn’t been necessary in centuries but the blade retained its edge just in case.

The king, for that was obviously who it was, watched our approach out of hooded eyes that burned with keen intelligence. He seemed to watch Ohmlee more than he did either Delwyn or me.

The dwarf standing next to the dais watched us approach out of lively laughing eyes. Where the king’s beard was trimmed close and neat his was long and ragged. The end was in fact tucked into the belt of a forest green robe he wore. His beard along with the hair on his head, which hung down past his shoulders was snow white. He leaned slightly on a staff with a beautifully carved green stone in its head. I felt a slight tingling and looked his way more directly. He looked surprised for a moment before he spoke.

His voice was clear and echoed through the chamber. “Stop where you are. My lord I sense dark magic.”

“Is it a danger to us?”

“No I don’t think so, it feels undirected. It’s hard to tell for it feels shielded.”

Ohmlee took another step forward beyond where we had all stopped at the magic-users command. “Majesty, my friends and I do carry dark magic with us.”

There was a murmuring from along the walls from dwarves that I had just realized were there they had been so quiet.

"My friend Delwyn,” he emphasized that fact, “has studied magic from his mother and has bound and shielded what we found to bring it to my esteemed uncle for his more skilled investigation into its properties.”

Ohmlus, for that was the wizard that stood by the king stepped towards us and spoke directly to Delwyn. “Who is your mother? Where do you hale from?”

“My mother is Elwyn and I am originally from Sky Haven although for the past five years I have been at Imperial house.”

Ohmlus turned to the king and nodded.

The king looked at us and signaled for us to continue to approach. We moved forward until we stopped just beyond the head of the axe where it rested on the floor.

Ohmlee held his hands down at his sides. “Your majesty, noble Ohmlus, dwarves of the court let me present Delwyn bearer of ‘Strike the bow’ and Micah bearer of hawk-wing swords. Micah, Delwyn may I present Kerlick the king and my father and Ohmlus his advisor and our court wizard.”

We both held our hands down at our sides and nearly chorused. “We are honored to be at your court Kerlick the king. We are pleased to meet you Ohmlus.”

There was another murmur from the dwarfs around the room before the king spoke. “I welcome you Micah and Delwyn to my court. Ohmlee has written me of you and the time he has spent with you at Imperial house. Lay down your arms and be at peace under the protection of my house.”

Ohmlee had told us about this as we traveled. As a guest under his roof we were not expected to have to defend ourselves for as long as we stayed with him. If another dwarf king came to his gates and demanded us for killing his wife this king would actually go to war to protect us and keep us safe. He would be protected from repercussions by dwarf law afterwards too. We both drew our weapons, me my hawk-wings and Delwyn his twin short swords and laid them on the dais in front of the king’s feet.

As I stood I addressed the king. “We accept the hospitality of your house but reserve the right to help defend this house at need. I and my friend pledge ourselves to the good of this house as long as we abide within these walls.”

There was another murmur in the hall as I moved back to my position next to Delwyn and I saw Ohmlee’s startled expression as I passed him. This was an obscure part of dwarf law that he had mentioned in passing and Delwyn and I had turned around and used it when he didn’t expect it. When I turned back towards the throne the king’s eyes danced with a light that hadn’t been there before. It was hard to tell with his beard but it looked like he was fighting a smile behind it.

When his voice emerged it had a choked off quality like he was fighting back laughter. “We accept your pledge. Ohmlus, I could be mistaken but I believe this is the first time in the history of Kriock that we have had an elf pledged to our defense.”

“I’m not sure myself my lord but I think it may actually be the first time in dwarf history anywhere.”

Delwyn spoke up at this point. “If that is the case my lord then I would say it’s about time.”

The king merely grunted and looked at Ohmlus. He was apparently deferring to him for some reason. “Delwyn, Ohmlee says you have shielded this magic, can you show it to me?”

“I can lord Ohmlus, but I am uncomfortable exposing the king to an unknown danger.”

Another murmur shot around the room at that but this time it had and approving sound to it.

“Have no fear on that score. Shielded though it is I can sense it is not strong enough to harm any but those who come under its influence. I can hold any malevolence at bay if needed.”

Delwyn nodded and removed his pack. He dug until he brought out the pouch and then drew out the square of leather. He opened it on his palm and the piece of quartz lay glittering in the sunlight. I shuddered at the memory of the ring glamour as Ohmlus looked closely at the stone in Delwyn’s hand and whistled low under his breath. He cocked an eye at Delwyn. “You set this binding?”

At Delwyn’s nod he shook his head. He sniffed close to the leather and looked at Delwyn again. “Used your own blood I see. Smart, didn’t have to waste time making the potion or gathering ingredients. Something your mother taught you?”

Delwyn nodded again. “Ohmlee, tell the story behind this to your father while I search this spell a moment.”

It was Ohmlee’s turn to nod then he turned to the king and began to tell the story of the ambush and where it took place. When he spoke of my sensing the magic beforehand both the king and Ohmlus shot a hard look at me until Ohmlee explained about what the hedge wizard Tolkus had told me about my ability. He continued through finding the pin and heading to the nearest outpost. The king didn’t tell him to stop so he kept going until he got to the part where we emerged from the tunnel below. At that point he held up his hand and Ohmlee stopped. The king turned to one of the dwarfs along the walls.

“Make a note in the record for a commendation for Hurk bearer of Orcbane the hammer commander of Outpost 12. He showed initiative to let them in but verified who my son was with a childhood acquaintance. He also showed considerable presence of mind to get them here as soon as possible.”

The dwarf so directed nodded and began scribbling furiously in a ledger propped on a small podium before him. “Have any of you touched this?!”

Our heads whipped around to see Ohmlus standing with his hand outstretched palm up. The gem in his staff glowed with power and a faint nimbus rose from his hand. I leaned forward to see the quartz that we had brought with us lying in his bare palm. Remembering what my friends had said about the stone touching me I was anxious for a moment until the stone in his staff pulsed with power again and the nimbus around the stone and his hand faded. 

I nodded my head. “I picked up the ring but Delwyn said that apparently the stone didn’t touch me.”

Ohmlus strode over to me. I suddenly realized that despite his power he was very short even for a dwarf. The top of his head barely passed my belt. When he stopped in front of me however the head of his staff was even with my face and I thought it might be a painful error to smile at this point.

“Which hand did you hold it in?”

I held out my hand and his staff flashed again. I felt a tingle that shot up my arm and my whole arm went numb. I thought it would drop to my side but it didn’t move and when I tried to move it I couldn’t. After a moment the numbness passed and my arm did drop to my side then.

Ohmlus turned to the king. “I can detect no contamination of evil. I will need to study the stone for a time to see if I can put it to use for us.”

The king nodded and Ohmlus bustled from the room through the door behind the dais holding the stone in his hand. The king looked at us a moment before he spoke.

He turned to face Ohmlee. “I’m sure your mother, brother and sisters are anxious to see you after all this time. You may go through to our quarters. Your friends may retrieve their weapons. We have accepted their pledge to defend the house so they may wear them if they wish. I have matters of state I must attend before we can have a proper reunion.”

“Thank you my lord. I understand.”

We retrieved our weapons as we thanked the king and then we followed Ohmlee through the same door Ohmlus had gone through. I heard the king calling to another dwarf about some trade figures before the sound was cut off by the closing of the door.

---

I looked at Ohmlee as we walked along and he seemed to be almost happy.

Before I could speak he looked up at me. “Did you see that?”

“Did I see what?”

“My father, he almost smiled.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Are you kidding? We used to mark his smiles off on the calendar.  My sister Shala always said she thought he tied his shoes tight on purpose so the pain would keep him from smiling. For him to smile, especially in front of other dwarfs and with everything that’s been going on is a milestone.”

“Well like you said he didn’t actually smile, just almost.”

“Still, that much is incredible.”

I looked over at Delwyn who was grinning like an idiot behind our friends back. He shrugged and I grinned back. I wasn’t watching and almost ran into Ohmlee when he stopped in front of a door. I looked around and saw that the hall we had been walking down was very utilitarian looking except for the marble inlay floors underfoot. The doors which spotted the walls at irregular intervals were not ornate but were crafted beautifully.  Ohmlee straightened himself as much as that was possible and rapped on the door before him.

After about a minute the door swung open a crack and I heard the beginnings of “Who is i…” before the door swung all the way open and with a squeal a small figure shot out and nearly tackled Ohmlee.

“Ohmlee, your back. Mama, Ohmlee’s back. When did you get back? How was the academy? Did you have any trouble on the way home?”

This river of words and questions flowed at full volume from the first dwarf female I had ever seen. She was about four and a half feet tall with brown hair to her shoulders. The white linen dress she wore clung to a very shapely shape indeed. If she had been my height she would have given Bethany a run for her money. I caught myself staring as she hugged Ohmlee to her and wondered what that body would feel like pressed against mine. I shook my head to clear those thoughts. She apparently hadn’t noticed Delwyn and me until she caught the movement of my head and then she suddenly released Ohmlee so he staggered and nearly fell down. She turned to face us and those impish brown eyes raked over us taking into account that we were non-dwarves in a private part of the palace and we were armed.

I could see the calculation in her eyes as Ohmlee regained his composure. “Dammit Shala how about a little decorum and composure in front of guests?”

“Decorum is hardly a word your sister is familiar with and composure is something that we can do without at a time like this.”

I turned at the sound of that voice. Two more figures emerged through the door. They were all of a height and looking in their faces I could see the resemblance to Ohmlee. The one who had spoken was slightly heavier than the first to emerge and her hair was a solid gray and tied in two braids that fell down to the middle of her back. Her brown wool dress fell to the floor but failed to hide the fact that she too had a nice figure. The third female was about the same shape and size of the first one but her hair was a lighter brown, almost a blond and had glittering green eyes that restlessly scanned around her. She also wore a wool dress that went to the floor but hers was a dark blue.

The one who had spoken moved into the hall and embraced Ohmlee briefly and then held him at arms length. Her eyes which I could now see were also green glittered with unshed tears. She looked him up and down as if to assure herself that he was there and whole before she released him and turned to us.

As the other girl moved to embrace Ohmlee briefly before scuttling back to the open door, the older one spoke to us. “If I remember my sons letters right, you two would be Micah and Delwyn. His father saw this friendship as good practice for when he became king and had to deal with different peoples on a regular basis. I saw a mischievous boy who had found two kindred spirits to get into trouble with at first and then I saw a true friendship grow where one of its like was never possible before.”

Delwyn and I were rather uncomfortable under the scrutiny of this woman, Delwyn because his society was very matriarchal.

We both fidgeted slightly under her gaze a moment and then she smiled at us. It was incredible that smile. It took a fairly attractive older dwarf female and turned her into someone you wanted to tell all you secrets to. “My husband has obviously accepted you as guests in our home but I can’t say I’ve ever seen a guest armed as you two are.”

Ohmlee spoke up before either of us could. “They have pledged to protect this house.”

Her eyes widened at that. She smiled again and turned towards the first girl to come out. “I would like you to meet my daughters. The exuberant one is Shala my youngest and the shy one over there is her sister Tala. I am Hala, wife of Kerlick the king.”

“We are pleased to meet you.”

Delwyn took her hand and kissed the back of it which caused a flush to come to her cheeks. He turned to each of the sisters and nodded slightly. “We are pleased to meet you as well.”

Hala replied. “You are welcome in our home. Please enter.”

She turned and moved back through the doorway followed by Shala who was dragging Ohmlee by the arm. We followed along having to duck slightly as we crossed the threshold. The room beyond could have been the den of any human family except for the small size of most of the furniture. Delwyn and I removed our packs and set them down next to Ohmlee’s just inside the door and after looking around settled to the floor. None of the chairs were large enough to support us.

We sat and watched as Shala fired questions at Ohmlee about his stay at Imperial house, his training, what it was like on the road and what kind of people had he met. I noticed that even though Shala kept up the stream of questions that Hala paid close attention to what was asked and what was or wasn’t answered. Delwyn and I sat on the floor sipping cider that Tala had served us before skittering away again and let Ohmlee answer most of the questions himself. We only interjected things from time to time when his memory seemed to fail him on some relevant point like whose idea something was.

We had been sitting talking or should I say listening to Ohmlee dance around the facts as best he could when there came a knock at the door. Shala rolled her eyes and moved to open the door.

A guard entered and moved over to Ohmlee. “The king requests your presence and the presence of…your friends in the chambers of Ohmlus. He wished me to tell you that it is urgent.”

Ohmlee nodded acknowledgment and the guard left. “I’m sorry mother; this probably has to do with that stone we brought in. Let’s go guys.”

We moved out of the room but not before I saw a heated exchange between Shala and her mother. It was rapid and in dwarfish but I had learned just enough to understand that she had wanted to follow us to see what was happening and her mother had said no, quite vehemently. 

As we moved down the hall in the opposite direction I had to ask Ohmlee about it. “What was that about between your mother and Shala?”

“Nothing, family business.”

I noticed he colored slightly at this exchange and I looked over at Delwyn.

He raised an eyebrow and turned to Ohmlee. “Well you know we’re going to find out eventually. Why don’t you save us time and yourself some aggravation and just tell us?”

Ohmlee stopped and turned to face us. He glared at us as we stood there smiling back. Finally he sighed and began moving again. We followed along as he spoke. “Oh all right, I should know better than to try to keep something from you two. You two know that I’m not considered to be your average dwarf. No smart ass comments please. Well, Shala is considered even odder than me. My father blames it on my Mother.”

I had to ask. “Why would he blame your mother? How is Shala so odd?”

“My mother is from a clan of gemstone diggers on the border of Esses and the south plains. They work in great open pits instead of mines. They spend more time outside than any other dwarfs. Other dwarfs think their…odd. My father was roaming a little before he settled down to be king and met her there. They fell in love and he brought her back here. Now whenever Shala or I do something they think is odd they look at my mother and shake their heads. As for how she is odd, well she just is. She wants to do things women shouldn’t.”

“Like what?”

He flushed even deeper. He stopped at the foot of a stair and looked around. When he was sure no one was around he leaned towards us and whispered. “She wants to learn how to fight. You know, to use a weapon.”

Delwyn and I stood there waiting. We were sure he was about to say something else. When he didn’t we looked at each other and we couldn’t help it. We burst out laughing.

He looked at us a moment and then he burst out. “What is so funny about that?!”

Our laughter died down and I wiped my eyes as I answered. “After five years training with Jayce, Elura and Dunuy how in the world could you ask that question?”

He glared at us where we still chortled and tried to suppress our mirth at his expression. “That’s not the same thing.”

I gaped at him. “How is it different?”

“They weren’t dwarves.”

Delwyn and I looked at each other again and we couldn’t stop ourselves. We burst out laughing again.  Ohmlee glared at us and turned to mount the stairs. He slammed his feet into them so hard I expected them to crack. We had to support each other as we began following him up the stairs. We got a hold on ourselves as we passed the first landing of the stairs and headed up the next set. We caught up with Ohmlee who was still stomping along like he had a personal grudge against the marble.

He glared at me for a moment before turning back to the stairs. “You know that’s not all she wants to do?”

“Oh really what else does she want to do that she shouldn’t?”

He stopped on a stair and glared at me. I could see he was debating with himself as to whether he could reveal this other heinous act to me. He finally gave in and leaned close. “She wants to cook?”

I couldn’t help myself. I replied sarcastically. “Noooo, not that.”

I looked over his head at Delwyn who had tears rolling down his cheeks with his face contorted as he tried to suppress his laughter. The expression on his face was more than I could take and I burst out. Seconds later Delwyn joined in and we both collapsed to the stairs. It was fortunate that the stairs were not steep or both of us would have tumbled all the way to the bottom as we lost control of ourselves.

Eventually we got control of ourselves and looked up at Ohmlee where he still stood on a stair above us. The expression on his face was almost enough to set me off again but I clamped down on my mirth.

I straightened up and tried to look as serious as I could when I spoke to him. “We’ll have to discuss this later when we have more time. Right now the king has summoned you and we have kept him waiting too long already.”

---

Ohmlee continued to glare at us but nodded his head and turned back to climb the stairs. I helped Delwyn up and we followed along only occasionally having to suppress a giggle. We climbed three more stories and entered a long hall with no doors except the one at the far end. Through that door was another staircase that emerged into a large round room through the floor.

A table along the far wall supported a number of vials and beakers along with a series of tubing that looked like it had been made by a glassblower with a bad case of the hiccups. Several shelves held jars with things that could be animals or plants or neither or both. Two more tables near the wall we were standing next to were covered by a number of books along with a scattering of what looked like used eating utensils and plates. This was by far the messiest room occupied by a dwarf that I had ever seen, before or since. While I watched one of the books rose up and opened itself to a bookmark that looked suspiciously like a tongue.

It floated in the air for a moment when a voice from the center of the room commented. “No that’s not it.”

The book slammed shut and I could have sworn I heard it squeak like it was alive before it dropped back to the table. Another smaller book rose up and opened. The pages began flipping as I turned towards the source of the voice. Ohmlus stood on the center of the room. His staff stood upright behind him unsupported as he ran his finger down a notepad that floated in front of him. The king stood not far off from him and I could see the piece of quartz we had given them floating in the air in front of Ohmlus. It spun gently in the air but never moved otherwise.

“Blast!! That’s not it either.”

We heard rather than saw the smaller book drop to the table. As I turned back that way a much larger book rose from the table and opened up about half way through. Several pages turned.“Ah, here it is.”

Looking back at Ohmlus we saw him scribbling furiously on his pad with a charcoal stick. He filled up one page and started on another when he spoke to us without turning. “Come over here and stand next to the king.”

We moved into the room, circling wide of the wizard and his staff to stand near the king. He turned to face us as we approached and I saw the ghost of a smile cross his face as he saw his son again.

He looked up at Delwyn and me and nodded briefly. “Ohmlus is about to show us how powerful he is. He says he has detected something about the stone you brought in.”

We had decided again to let Ohmlee speak for us again. “What has he found out?”

Ohmlus spoke up from where he stood. “This stone is tied into a much larger network of stones. That is why the glamour on it is so strong. It’s like a web. Each stone is linked to several other stones in the web as well as the chief control stone.”

“You mean like the pin we found?”

He turned to face Delwyn who had asked the question. “No, not quite. The pin was apparently tied to the ring in a lesser web. Several other pins were tied to this stone as well but I can only read them faintly.”

I spoke at this point. “Could the destruction of the ring have released these pins from control? That’s what we thought when we found the discarded pin.”

He smiled up at me. “Perhaps.”

I looked at the king. “This smacks of more than a raid. You don’t go to the trouble of forming this kind of elaborate interconnected web just to steal cattle or jewels. This seems like someone has declared war against you without letting you in on it. Someone bears you ill my lord.”

The king’s expression was neutral at this statement and I could see that this thought had probably already occurred to him. He nodded just barely.

Ohmlus spoke again. “Everyone please be quiet. I’m going to start the spell.”

I wanted to ask what kind of spell but was mindful of his call for quiet. I have found that annoying wizards for whatever reason is bad policy. We all stood and watched as he began mumbling to himself. His hands took on a faint glow and the gem in his staff flashed once and began to shine a beam of light on the slowly spinning stone before him. The spin of the stone increased until it was only a blur and the beam of light from the staff was bouncing off its uneven surface and flashing around the room. I looked at Ohmlus and he had his eyes closed and his hands were extended towards the stone. His lips moved silently and I thought he looked taller than he had been. After a moment I realized it was because his feet were floating about a foot off the floor. Looking back at the stone I saw that it had increased in speed as it spun and was now only a faint shape in the wash of light from the staff.

Ohmlus suddenly brought his hands together in a sharp clap and dropped back to the floor. His staff flashed again and went dark. The stone abruptly stopped spinning and dropped to the floor. When it hit it shattered like glass and the pieces turned to dust before they settled to the floor.

I looked around the room and except for the destruction of the stone I could see no evidence of any magic being done.

When Ohmlus spoke I couldn’t resist asking the question I’m sure was probably on all our minds. “There, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

“What was easier? What did you do besides destroy the crystal?”

He looked over at us and a grin spread across his face. “I have linked my staff to the network of stones. We can now see where they are. Watch.”

He turned and grabbed his staff and brought it around in front of him. He tapped the butt on the floor and the staff jewel flashed. When the spots cleared from my eyes I looked down upon a map of the surrounding countryside. It wasn’t just a map however. It looked like the countryside would look like from a great height or from some creature that flew. When I had gotten over the awe of this living picture of the land around us I began to notice other details. Small green writing that seemed to hover in the air above the map and some red dots that were scattered here and there as well. The green writing held static where it was but some of the red dots were moving slowly across the map.  I was standing there with my mouth hanging open.

Ohmlus spoke again. “The writing shows where there are dwarf settlements or outposts. The red dots represent the control stones tied into the network. You can also see some faint red lines rising away towards the north. This is the link to the major control stone somewhere up that way. The power there is much greater and I couldn’t break through there without loosing the link to the stones in the area. I though that was more important for the moment.”

As the king stated his agreement over that and Delwyn complimented Ohmlus on his work I had been looking at something that had caught my attention.

“My lord; Ohmlus; what is this here?” They both moved over to stand next to me and look down to where I was pointing.

An area of the dwarfish script was nearly blotted out by one of the red dots. It had been holding steady at that spot since the map had been created. The king spoke.

“That is Outpost 8. They must be under attack.”

The king started to turn from the map and leave the room.

Ohmlus called out to him. “No my lord, they are not under attack. They have either been taken over completely or the orcs are at least within the walls.”

“How do you know?”

“The red will only overlap the script when it is within the walls. If they were merely attacking the red would be alongside the script.”

Something else had occurred to me. “My lord, does the train run to Outpost 8?”

“Yes it does.”

He stopped and turned to a pull cord hanging next to the wall. He yanked it so viciously I expected it to break. A moment later a guard emerged from the stairs. He saluted the king and stood at attention.

“Triple the guards at the receiving chamber from Outpost 8. I want to know immediately if a train from there starts through the tunnel.”

“Yes my lord.”

He turned and darted down the stairs.

The king turned to me. He had a speculative look on his face when he spoke to me. “Anything else occurred to you that we should be thinking about?”

“You should alert all the stations linked to Kriock by the train about these invisible raiders. They can sit outside your front door and not be seen until you open to go outside and then it’s too late. If any outpost linked to the capital falls you are vulnerable to attack from below as well as above ground.”

“I had thought of that but it will take several hours before the train could get through to warn some of them.”

The next thing I said was probably not the best idea I ever had but I should be forgiven because at the time I was flattered that a king would be asking me for advice. I have since learned to control my self when it comes to giving a dwarf an idea to develop. Some of the things are quite beneficial and they share them freely with all the peoples of the world. Others are quite unsettling and I’m glad they keep them to themselves. Anyway my next statement was innocent enough but the dwarfs have developed it into a monster since then. “Why not just use the signal crystals on the tunnels?”

Ohmlus and the king both looked at me curiously. Ohmlus asked the question. “How would we do that?”

“My understanding is that the crystal flashes red when a train enters from the opposite end. Couldn’t you rig up some kind of code of flashes to let them know quickly what was going on? Someone is always watching the tunnel just in case a train is coming right? Well couldn’t you, I don’t know, run a cart in and out under the crystal to cause the other crystal to flash?”

Ohmlus stood there in thought for a moment and I could see a look of surprise on the king’s face. Ohmlus spoke after a moment. “That would be cumbersome but I could alter the stones to flash when tapped with a hammer. Then we could use collapse code.”

“What is collapse code?”

“Something every dwarf is taught as soon as he’s able to walk. If a section of mine collapses and you’re trapped, you tap out a code on the rails to let others know you’re alive and where you are. It should be easy to transmit as a visual code.”

The king spoke to Ohmlus. “Go Ohmlus; see about that while I plan what to do about outpost 8.”

Before I could say anything else Delwyn spoke up. “My lord, you should send Micah and me to this outpost that is under attack.”

“And why should I do that master Delwyn?”

“Micah has a sense that can detect the presence of these invisible raiders. Ohmlus will be tied up for a while converting the crystals to signal so he cannot go himself. Micah is the next best thing.”

“Even if that is true, why should I send you also? Can you sense these raiders too?”

“No my lord but Micah is my friend. I won’t let him jump into the wolf pit alone.”

Ohmlee spoke from where he was standing. “I should go with them. The dwarfs at the outpost, if there are still any alive, won’t know these two are there to help and might attack them. I can intervene for them.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“No, Micah is my friend as well and so is Delwyn. I won’t let them kill themselves alone.”

The king stood in thought a moment. The look he rested on his son showed equal parts of pain and pride. He was proud of what he wanted to do but was worried that he might be hurt. He finally nodded. “Go, before I change my mind. Your mother is going to kill me. Hurry to the departure chamber for Outpost 8. The outpost is only an hour away by train but I’m sure time is slipping away.”

We all nodded to the king and turned to leave when the king called out after us. “Ohtar, your sister Tala’s betrothed is commander of the outpost. If you find him alive bring him home. That is my order. He won’t want to abandon his keep but he will if you tell him I order it.”

He had seemed somewhat calm when he had spoken this. When next he spoke his eyes burned hot with anger and he spoke through gritted teeth. “If he is dead I want a heavy toll in orc blood in payment. Is that understood?”

We all nodded again and turned to descend the stairs.

---

The climb down was a blur as we moved quickly lower in the keep. We rode a different elevator down and emerged in a roughly hewn passage that ended in a chamber roughly thirty by thirty foot square. There were about forty dwarves in matching armor standing guard watching the mouth of the tunnel that led of from the chamber. Ohmlus was on a ladder with his staff fussing over the crystal causing it to flash and blink from red to green and then back again. Other dwarves were moving another pump cart in to position with another cargo cart hooked to it. I leaned over and whispered into Ohmlee’s ear. He nodded and moved away towards the cart dwarves.

We could hear him speak as he approached. “Is there a way to push the cargo cart before the pump cart instead of draw it behind?”

The dwarfs working around the cart stopped working and looked over at him. I could see that they recognized him for who he was.

One stepped away from the other to address him. “Why would we do that my lord?”

“We are liable to be emerging into a fight when we arrive. The pumpers and the steersman won’t have time to stop and draw weapons as they slow the train down for the stop.  Putting the cart first means the fighters can be ready to attack as soon as we emerge from the tunnel.”

I could see the idea take hold in the dwarf’s mind. “Excuse me my lord, this will take a moment.”

He went back to the group and there was a heated exchange for a moment and then the group split up. Some began to move the cart to the front of the pump cart while others bent over the front of that cart and began working furiously. After about ten minutes they all straightened up and stood back beaming at their creation.

The one who spoke to us before came back. “It’s ready my lord. A very good idea if I may say so.”

“Tell my friend, the human, he thought of it.”

The dwarf looked up at me in surprise and I could see he hadn’t expected a human to have that kind of intelligence. He nodded his head towards me. “A very good idea indeed.”

At this point Ohmlus came walking up to us.

He looked up at me as he spoke to Ohmlee. “The crystal has been altered. We sent through the collapse code with instruction on how to return the message and have already got a response. I must commend you Micah on that idea. This will save much time in communication even in peace time. I will have to investigate this further after I set the others in the same way.”

I saw the other dwarfs eyes widen even more when Ohmlus said that about the crystals and I’m sure he hadn’t known it was a human that had come up with that idea too. He looked at the three of us standing there.

“What are you three doing down here anyway?”

Ohmlee answered for us. “Micah can sense these hidden raiders so we are going to the outpost to help.”

“Then you need to know the message they just sent us. The entire outpost above ground has been taken over by orcs and they have fought their way down to the second level above the departure chamber. They are holding but need help.”

Ohmlee nodded and turned back to the engineer dwarf. “How many dwarfs can we load on the cart and still get to the outpost in an hour?”

The dwarf who had been talking to another while Ohmlus had been speaking turned back to us as he spoke. “We have just been discussing this. We think that we can hook another cart to the back of the pump cart like normal and if we put two dwarfs on each pump we should be able to haul about thirty dwarfs if they all stand. Fifteen to a cart.”

“Fifteen won’t fit in the front cart. My two friends here are riding in it with me and they can’t stand up without losing their heads.”

I could see the dwarf was surprised again and desperately wanted to ask questions but he contained himself and looked at Delwyn and me for a moment. “If you two will get in the front cart, we’ll see how much room we’ll need for you and how many dwarfs can ride with you.”

Delwyn and I moved to the front cart and climbed aboard. We settled in the front and drew our legs up to take up as little room as possible. Ohmlee climbed in with us and was followed by more dwarfs. Counting Ohmlee there were ten dwarfs in the front cart with us and there wasn’t room scratch your own ass in that cart although if you tried you might wind up scratching someone else’s. We sat waiting for a few minutes when the steersman called out that we were ready to move out and we started into the mouth of the tunnel.

I don’t remember much about this particular trip because I was concentrating on our destination and what was going to happen once we got there. It seemed that very little time had passed when I started to get an uncomfortable feeling. I shouted to ask Ohmlee to ask the steersman if we were close to our destination. I could see a brief exchange between them and then Ohmlee turned and nodded my way.

I turned to Delwyn where he knelt. “I think the orcs are in the lower chamber now or very close.”

“You can sense something.”

I nodded and after much shifting and grunting from him and the dwarves near him he prepared his bow. He couldn’t draw it in the cart because it was too crowded but once we emerged from the tunnel he should be able to stand and fire. He had just settled an arrow on his bow when the brakes began screeching and the cart noticeably slowed. We rounded a bend in the tunnel and passed through an opening into a large chamber. The roof was some thirty feet overhead and the walls dropped away on either side so that the room was some fifty feet across. Thirty feet beyond the end of the tracks a group of dwarves stood shoulder to shoulder and I could see the flash of lantern light on axes and swords as they rose and fell. Delwyn rose to his feet and fired an arrow over the heads of the dwarfs and into the tunnel beyond down which orcs were charging with drawn steel.

I was down and running before the cart stopped moving and Delwyn was beside me drawing and firing his bow as he ran. A moment later Ohmlee came along side me with “Bloodseeker” in his hands. My hawk-wings were drawn and they flashed as I ran. As we got closer I could see that the orcs were forcing the dwarves back by shear force of numbers. The dwarves needed time to regroup and reform their lines.

I looked at Ohmlee as we ran and shouted at him. “I’m going up and over. Give me a boost.”

He nodded and moved ahead of me as we ran. Just behind the dwarfs that were fighting he dropped to one knee and held his axe against his shoulder with the flat top of the blade even with his shoulder blade. I jumped as I ran and planted my foot atop his shoulder and blade and shoved off. I flipped up and over the line of dwarfs. As I sailed over the fighting group below I watched as an Elvin arrow passed under me and took out the orc in the spot where I was about to land. He fell to the ground dead a second before my feet hit the ground and I began to dance with death.

Some people might think it rather callous of my friends to allow me to jump into the middle of a group of bloodthirsty orcs possibly to my death. You have to remember though that my friends had watched me train with the hawk-wings for five years. I think I can say without boasting too much that they knew that of the three of us I was the only one who could have done this and come out alive. It was like Delwyn’s speed or Ohmlee’s strength. This was an aspect of me that neither of them could match.

Castille had put it very simply once: 'You’re a weapon. It don’t matter what you hold in your hands. You’re the weapon.' I hadn’t really understood him at the time but when I drew my swords in combat for real for the first time I finally got it.

Now I ducked, dodged and spun, my swords licking out to disarm or dismember my opponents. People at the academy had called what Castille had taught me a death dance and I hadn’t understood this either until now. My partners in this dance rose up and tried to end my lead but my swords swirled and parried and retired one partner after another. The ground beneath me began to get slick with black blood and treacherous with fallen limbs but Castille had trained me for this as well. The cooking oil and molasses he used and the beef bones and ribs weren’t as sickening as the real thing but the training helped keep me on my feet and moving. I cut and thrust and moved aside as blades sought my heart or my limbs. Their weapons slid off my blades with the hissing of sharpening swords and passed by my side as I moved out of the way.

The orcs attacked me in ones and twos trying to breach my defense as I moved among them. More than one orc was wounded by the one standing next to him as they tried to attack me in the press of bodies packed in between the entrance and the dwarf line. The pressure began to ease as fewer came through the passage mouth and those around me fell to rise no more. I struck down one more and turned to seek another opponent only to see the orcs retreating up the passage before me. I spun around to face the other way to see only dwarfs with drawn weapons behind me. They stood still and fidgeted and I could see that none were anxious to come near me while my swords were still drawn. I looked at the floor around me and saw the twisted and hacked bodies of my opponents.

Unconsciously I began to count the bodies when Ohmlee called out to me. “Don’t! It doesn’t matter how many there are. The point is you’re still alive and you’ve bought us some time.”

I looked up and saw him emerge from the line of dwarfs and move forward. “Bloodseeker” rested on his shoulder as he approached and I could see the blade was also stained with black orc blood. I looked at the bodies on the ground around me and shuddered before looking back up at him.

He tossed a rag at me which I caught by transferring one of my blades to the other hand. “Clean that goop off your blades before it stains the metal. Orc blood can do that.”

He took out another rag and began cleaning 'Bloodseeker'. I took the rag and began wiping down one of the blades when a loud banging started. I looked up to see the line of dwarves holding shields in front of them and banging on them with axes, hammers or whatever weapon they were holding.

I looked over at Ohmlee who grinned at me. “Dwarf tribute to a true warrior. It’s their way of showing that they respect you and what you just did. You should feel honored. I think you’re the first human to receive this honor.”

I turned towards the dwarfs and held up my swords that were now clean of all orc blood. They flashed in the lamplight. “I thank you. I am honored by this tribute.”

Continued in Part 3

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