Part 3
The banging stopped and the dwarfs turned to clean their own blades except for several that moved past me to the tunnel entrance to watch for the approach of any orcs. I looked over at Ohmlee where he leaned on his axe. I saw Delwyn just beyond him retrieving his arrows from the orc corpses. I had seen several of those arrows pass by me or over me as I fought. I hadn’t been worried. Elves hit what they aim at. Delwyn felt my eyes upon him and looked up and nodded at me before returning to the task at hand.
I turned back to Ohmlee. “Have you found Ohtar?”
“Yes, he was one of the wounded along the wall when we arrived.”
I thought back to when we had arrived in the cart. My eyes had been on the fight ahead and I hadn’t even noticed the wounded along the walls.
“Is he hurt badly?”
“He’s got a little orc poison in his left arm from an arrow. Delwyn sprinkled some powder on the wound and Ohtar cursed like a lord for a few minutes but then he said he felt better right before he passed out. Delwyn said he’ll sleep all the way back to Kriock so we won’t have to order him back in my father’s name.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing while I’ve been over here working?”
“Hey I just told the lads to make sure that none of them got away before you were done with them and then I went and sat down to enjoy the show. I owe Delwyn ten gold cause I said it would take you a half hour to drive ‘em off and he said fifteen minutes.”
I knew he was bullshitting me because he looked so tired and his axe hadn’t gotten covered by orc blood while he sat on the sidelines but I appreciated him trying to take my mind off the slaughter I had just performed.
Something occurred to me at that point. “Did any of them wear the ring?”
Ohmlee shook his head. “We think he’s sticking to one of the upper floors and throwing his grunts at us to soften us up before a big push. We’re sending up some scouts to see how far they retreated to regroup.”
As we talked a dwarf came trotting out of the tunnel into the outpost and up to Ohmlee. Ohmlee acknowledged him with a nod.
The dwarf grinned as he reported. “They’re gone.”
“How far up did they retreat?”
“You don’t understand my lord. They’re gone. We went all the way to the front gate. Except for a couple wounded they left behind and the bodies they’re gone.”
I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask. “Why in the world would they leave? They had the whole outpost except this chamber for themselves.”
The dwarf grinned even wider and looked up at me. “We wondered that ourselves so we asked one of the wounded they left behind. He was willing to answer if we would let him drag his carcass out of the outpost. We obliged. He said that the ones retreating from this level were screaming in panic about a demon we had called up. They were saying he was ten feet tall with two long sharp claws that couldn’t be hit with a sword. Every time they struck at one of the claws the demon hissed at them and turned their blades aside. He hacked up all that opposed him and danced on their bodies.”
I gaped at him. When I looked at Ohmlee he was grinning as well and I could see Delwyn beyond him also with a silly grin on his puss.
Ohmlee spoke at this point. “I think it’s time we named those swords. How about ‘the demons claws’?”
I sputtered and tried to speak. I couldn’t form a proper sentence for a moment.
Delwyn interrupted. “No, the naming of a weapon is a serious thing. It should not be given in jest. I suggest ‘the hawk’s talons’ in honor of his tribe.”
Ohmlee got a serious look on his face at that. “Yes, I think that’s perfect. Besides we can’t have a fellow hanging around us without a named weapon. What would people say?”
I glared at him. We had never made an issue out of the fact that both he and Delwyn bore named weapons. I snapped at them. “You can’t just drop a name on my weapons you know. There is a certain procedure to it isn’t there?”
Delwyn looked at Ohmlee who shrugged. He looked back at me. "Actually the weapon has to merely be used by one judged worthy. I think all here would judge you worthy. It must be used in a conflict and spill blood. If you look around your feet you’ll see that requirement has been met. It must seem worthy of the name it is given. Again all here will attest to the worthiness of the blades for the name. Finally the weapon must be generally acclaimed by that name.”
He turned from me and faced the room where dwarfs were moving about gathering fallen weapons, bandaging wounds and dragging orc bodies up the hall to the elevator to take outside. He raised his voice so it echoed around the chamber. “Attention, all present attention.”
All stopped what they were doing and turned towards Delwyn. After his part in the recent skirmish none looked on him with suspicion and all looked attentive as he began to speak. “Ohmlee and I have decided that the swords of Micah must bear a name. The courage and skill with which he uses them show they can be truly great weapons in the right hands.”
Many of the dwarfs whispered to each other but many were nodding and none raised any objection as Delwyn continued. “Micah belongs to a clan who’s symbol is the hawk. Thus we have decided on an appropriate name. All bear witness and acclaim, Micah and the ‘hawk’s talons’.”
There was a moments silence and then another clashing as those dwarfs with weapons and shields began beating them again. Those without began a chant that I couldn’t make out at first but became clearer as more joined in.
Finally everyone in the chamber was shouting the chant including Delwyn and Ohmlee. “Hawk’s talons...Hawk’s Talons!!...HAWK’S TALONS!!!”
Instinctively I held my blades up and the chant became a shout that caused my ears to ring and rock dust to filter down from the ceiling high above us.
Ohmlee held up his hands and the shout died out. “Thank you all for your support in this. Now we have much to do in order to get this outpost back in working order. Have we relayed the message back to Kriock by the crystal?”
A dwarf in slightly battered chain mail stepped forward. “Yes my lord. They wish to know if we need further reinforcements.”
“Tell them no and alert them to the return of the carts bearing the wounded.”
As that dwarf moved away he turned to Delwyn. “How are the wounded that you have treated?”
“I’ve done what I can for most of them but there are several that will need a full healer and soon if they are to survive.”
Ohmlee turned to a group of about seven dwarfs that were standing nearby awaiting instructions. “Go with Delwyn. He will point out the most critically wounded for you to load on one of the carts going back to Kriock.”
They all nodded and followed Delwyn as he moved around the room pointing out several dwarfs. They started gently moving them towards the cart where they still sat just inside the tunnel entrance. I looked at Ohmlee and raised an eyebrow. He looked puzzled.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“Nothing…my lord. I’ve just never seen this aspect of you before.”
Ohmlee actually blushed at this. He fidgeted and glanced around. “I have to uphold my people’s image of their prince. I must show the stability and clear headedness to bear the crown when the time comes.”
He looked so uncomfortable that I had to let him off the hook. I grinned at him and set my hand on his shoulder. “There is nothing wrong with being a responsible grown-up even when you would rather not be. Don’t worry. Delwyn and I will always think of you as that devilish youth who rubbed the inside of Jayce’s breastplate with that raw red pepper.”
He smiled at the remembrance. “I’m just glad I wasn’t the one facing her in the ring when her sweat made the dried juice run and set her nipples on fire.”
I chuckled myself at that. The expression on her face had been memorable and the next few seconds had been a blur of activity in which Prince Thon had suffered a black eye when Jayce had ripped off her breastplate and thrown it away before diving chest first into a nearby water trough. He had been facing her in the ring at the time and the breastplate had sailed like a discus straight at his face. When Jayce had rose up dripping wet in a towering rage with her shirt clinging to her huge boobs and nearly transparent from the trough we all endeavored to look innocent but she came straight to us where we sat nearby. She had stood there with her finger pointing at us for a minute without speaking and then she had burst out laughing and shaking her head had headed for the barracks to change. Sgt. Margate had watched all this with a growing anger until Jayce had walked away and then he just shrugged. I won’t tell what Jayce did to get even except to say it was very public and very painful. I looked back at Ohmlee and we shared a painful smile at the remembrance of her revenge.
I grinned at Ohmlee. “Well my lord, what are my instructions? What would you have me do?”
He winced at my calling him lord but shook his head at me. “Just sit down and rest. Everything is being handled and the dwarfs in this room would probably lynch me if I put their hero to work picking up broken swords or dragging bodies.”
“Their hero?”
“You don’t realize how much you have impressed these people today. The only humans most of them deal with are merchants trading for ore or worked metals. You have to know that merchants are not exactly the best representatives of your race. Today you showed them courage, strength and skill that most of them didn’t know humans possessed. Sit, rest, someone will bring you something to drink in a minute. Once the wounded leave we’ll set up another cart so we can get back and report to my father in person. Of course by the time we get there, the wounded and the dwarfs running the carts will have pretty much told everybody everything. You’re liable to arrive to a hero’s welcome.”
I plopped down on the ground. The acclaim of the warriors who had fought alongside me was one thing. Accolades from people who had only heard the story seemed bizarre to me. I had listened to the stories of hero’s and their adventures from the time I was a child. The thought that people might think of me as one of those heroes didn’t make any sense to me. I looked around the chamber at the dwarfs who were cleaning up and organizing things as only dwarfs can. More than one would look my way and then lean close to another for a brief whispered exchange. Several would nod in my direction when they saw me looking and when I would nod in return their faces would break out in a smile. I shook my head. I was no hero. I was just Micah from Santee, the son of a smith.
I sat there thinking as the chamber bustled with activity. After a while things seemed to have quieted down and I looked up to see that there were only about fifteen or so dwarfs, Ohmlee, Delwyn and I in the chamber. The train with the wounded was gone and another pump cart with a cart hooked to the back rested at the entrance of the tunnel. I stood up and moved over to Ohmlee and Delwyn.
Ohmlee looked up at me as I approached. “The dwarfs that came with us are manning the walls while what’s left of the ones that manned this outpost are resting. When we get back to Kriock we’ll send back the carts with as many as they need to bring it back up to full strength.”
I nodded. I realized at this point how tired I was. We had been moving since before the ambush this morning and I wasn’t even sure what time it was. I was also hungry. I tried to remember if I had eaten anything other than the stew Hurk had supplied us at Outpost 12.
I realized that Ohmlee was speaking again. “Let’s get in the cart so I can get back and report to my father.”
I nodded again and dragged my carcass to the cart and got in. Delwyn and Ohmlee piled in after me and I heard Ohmlee say something to the steersman. I didn’t really hear what he said but we started moving and entered the tunnel. Without realizing it I drifted to sleep.
The screech of the brakes jerked me awake as we arrived at Kriock and my swords were in my hands before I was fully awake. I blinked and saw Ohmlee grinning down at me from the other end of the cart with Delwyn next to him looking at me with an amused expression on his face. I sheathed my swords as we emerged into the chamber. As we stepped down from the cart I looked around and was surprised to see the king standing nearby flanked by a half dozen guards. I glanced at Ohmlee and saw from the look on his face that he was surprised as well.
We moved towards the king and I could see his guards shifting their grip on their weapons and could tell they didn’t like their king down here either. Ohmlee stopped about ten feet from the king and stood as straight and tall as he could. Delwyn and I did the same just behind him.
Ohmlee spoke. “My lord, I am ready to give my report.”
“Stand at ease Prince Ohmlee and your friends and give your report.”
We relaxed and Ohmlee began to tell what happened from the time we arrived in the receiving chamber of outpost 8 until we returned here. I felt that he might have embellished somewhat upon my actions until Delwyn was asked by the king for his impressions of what happened. I saw by the reaction of some of the dwarfs accompanying the king that this was an honor and one not given to elves. I listened to his account as well and it agreed almost completely with Ohmlee’s except for a few items pertaining to perspective that could be accounted for by the fact that the two had separated during the combat. When he had finished the king nodded to him and turned to face me. He took several steps towards me and I could see his guards gripping their weapons so hard I was surprised you couldn’t hear the wood creak with the strain.
The king stopped five feet from me and looked up into my face. “It seems I have allowed a demon to enter my city.”
I opened my mouth to respond but could think of no appropriate response when I saw the twinkle in the king’s eye and then he smiled up at me and offered me his hand. The murmurs from the dwarfs present suggested that this wasn’t an everyday occurrence either. I clasped the king’s hand and he spoke again.
“I thank you for your service today. I have heard several reports besides these two and all agree that we owe you a debt for the dwarf lives you saved. Name your reward and it’s yours.”
“Thank you my lord but I did nothing today that your son and the others defending the outpost didn’t do. I have sworn to defend this house and I merely honored that vow. No reward is necessary.”
There was an approving murmur from the nearby dwarfs as the king nodded again and released my hand. He stepped back and returned to the midst of his guards. I could see several of them relax as he put some distance between himself and me but several were looking at me with an approving gaze.
The king turned back to us. “My wife will insist at least that you dine with us as we celebrate the return of our son from Imperial House and the defending of the outpost, both of you.”
His gaze included Delwyn and there were more murmurs as Delwyn replied. “I would be honored to dine with your family this evening.”
The king nodded and turned to depart the chamber. His guards preceded him up the hall and several followed behind. I was watching as they moved away when Ohmlee clapped me on the back.
“Let’s go get cleaned up. My mother is a surprisingly good cook for a female.”
Delwyn and I shared a glance over our friends head and shaking our heads followed him up the hallway the king had just gone up.
Hala was a fine cook and the meal was excellent. All the women were there as well as Ohtar who had recovered much more quickly than expected. Tala spent most of the meal fussing over him and thanking Delwyn and me for saving him. I had to point out several times that Ohmlee had been there too but she shrugged that fact aside. Shala for her part wanted to hear all about the combat and specifically my part in it. She seemed inordinately interested in fighting and swordplay. She kept peppering us with questions until her father shut her down by saying that this was an inappropriate subject for the table.
While we were there we also got to meet Ohmlee’s younger brother Tolwee. As the second born son he was given the control of the city of Kriock as its lord. He oversaw the city’s day to day operations while his father focused on matters concerning the entire north kingdom. After the feast we were informed that we had been given chambers in the family wing of the palace for our stay. This was a great honor.
Because of all the orc activity in the area it was considered too dangerous for Delwyn and I to leave to proceed to our homes so we decided to pitch in and help. For the next two months we used Ohmlus magic map to pinpoint all the orc raiding parties and wipe them out. Because of my ability to sense the magic they used up close I went on many of the raids and of course Delwyn wouldn’t let me go without him and Ohmlee wouldn’t let either of us go without him.
Near the end when there were only a few of the groups left the magic-user who was controlling them must have begun to suspect how we were finding these groups because Ohmlus detected an increase in the power flowing between the stones but the link could no longer be severed from that end as Ohmlus was sustaining it now so we could find them all.
During this time we traveled on the train several times to several of the outposts and I still never got used to it. It was still a nerve racking trip through the dark for me but I did get to meet many of the dwarfs at the other outposts and had become friends with them. More importantly Delwyn had also become friends with many of them. He was functioning as a one Elf good will ambassador to all of Kriock and its surrounding outposts. Ohmlee told us once that many dwarfs would visibly relax when they were informed that we were going on a raid with them after these orcs.
During this time we also got to know Ohmlee’s family fairly well. Ohtar and Tala were well matched as they were both traditional dwarfs. Tolwee ran the city like a clock and had apparently had his sense of humor removed by magic. Evenings when we would sit around in the family wing and talk about our time at Imperial house Hala and Shala would giggle and laugh at the appropriate spots and even the king would smile at our antics but Ohtar, Tolwee and Tala would just sit there with a puzzled expression on their collective faces.
I learned my way around Kriock and with the king’s blessing Delwyn and I could move about freely and unescorted. I spent time in their library practicing my dwarfish and studying the elfish volumes they had. Delwyn helped me with these but I could only study these so long before I would have to quit or start bashing my head against a wall. Elfish language seemed to take on a life of its own when you studied it and after a while it felt like it was trying to wiggle out your ears.
I also located, scattered around the city several gardens of flowers. This is a decidedly un-dwarflike thing and when I asked about it I was told that the king made them so his new bride could get out into the open from time to time like she had back home. It was while I was coming to these gardens to sit and relax that Shala started showing up to hang around with me. Away from the constraint of the rest of her family she was even more outgoing and exuberant than I had seen her before. She asked pointed questions about me and my life before Imperial House. I told her about my trip south when I met the man who sponsored me to Imperial House and the trip back north where I met the hedge wizard Tolkus. She kept after me until I eventually told her a few more details about those journeys that I hadn’t told other people. I didn’t get explicit but she knew of my encounters with the dryads and the demoness Nyassa. I got the feeling she was trying to find out what kind of manipulation worked on me because it wasn’t long after I told her one of these stories that she brought up the true subject she had wanted to discuss with me.
We were sitting on the grass admiring the night sky when she shifted around and looked at me. “Do you think the women who trained at Imperial House with you and my brother will be as good of warriors as you?”
I was startled by the question but answered honestly. “Well Jayce and Elura were raised as Amazon warriors before they went to Imperial House so those two could probably surpass me. Dunuy is the commander of the palace guard so she will probably not be challenged much but she is still pretty good.”
“You don’t think there’s anything wrong with them wanting to be warriors do you?”
For once my brain started working before I opened my mouth. My subconscious ran up to me with a big note that read “Don’t encourage her!” before running back to hide behind my mischief. My lips quirked as I fought a smile thinking about what Ohmlee would think about what I was about to say. “No, I don’t see anything wrong with them wanting to be warriors. Actually by tradition Jayce and Elura have no choice. There were several other women warriors there when we attended that chose that path on their own.”
She sat there a moment in thought and I could see she was working up the nerve to ask me something. I turned back to look at the sky and wait for her to make her decision. It didn’t take long before she spoke again. “Do you think you could teach me to use a weapon?”
I turned back to her and I could see she was very nervous. I’m sure she was wondering if I would go straight to Ohmlee and tell him what we were talking about. Ohmlee was more like her than he was his father but he still thought in traditional terms when it came to dwarf females. I turned back to look at the sky. “I don’t see why not.”
I heard her gasp of delight and I kept staring at the sky for a few moments before I turned back to her again. “You have to understand that if your father finds out he will lock me in the lowest tunnel he can find and throw away the key and Ohmlee will be the one holding me down while he does it. It must be our secret. Understand?”
She nodded and I continued.
“Now I don’t think you could get a hold of one of the war axes for any reason could you?”
She shook her head.
“Well my swords are too long for you so that’s out as well. Do you think you can get a hold of a common sledge hammer?”
Her eyes lit up and she nodded. “Yes that won’t be a problem. Such hammers are common and won’t be missed.”
“Okay, as soon as you can get a hold of one we’ll meet here and I’ll start training you.”
My arms were suddenly full of very excited dwarf. I was sitting flat on the grass with my hands behind me for support when she threw her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her more to help keep myself from falling over backward than any other reason but I have to admit she felt nice pressed up against me. I have already commented on how attractive she and her sister were and now I had her in my arms as she straddled my lap. Her legs were short but not stubby as you would expect. She was perfectly proportioned for her height and certain parts of my anatomy realized just what part of her was pressed against me before I came to the same conclusion consciously. I felt myself harden in my trousers as she crushed her ample bosom against me.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you…”
She broke off and leaned away from me. I still kept my hands wrapped around her but gripped her loosely in case she tried to pull farther away. She grinned impishly at me and shifted her hips grinding her crotch against my hardened organ. She then leaned back into me pressing her breast back into my chest. She kissed me on the cheek and leaned in close to my ear. Her hips shifted back and forth rubbing her crotch against my erection as she whispered to me. “That feels interesting. You wouldn’t be agreeing to train me in hopes of some physical compensation would you?”
“I think you know the answer to that. I’ve been locked up in the academy for five years with no female companionship except women who knew how to kill in twenty-five different ways using a spoon. Having a beautiful woman in my arms after all this time is going to produce obvious results.”
She leaned back away from me again and had a smile on her face that made her even more beautiful. “You think I’m beautiful?”
“Don’t be silly, of course you’re beautiful.”
She leaned back in and kissed me again on the cheek before climbing to her feet. She reached out her hand and I took it as I stood. When I straightened up I realized I had exhibited my usual level of forethought because with me standing next to her the bulging crotch of my trousers was just below her eye level. She stared at it a moment and then looked up at me with a smile. She reached out her other hand and ran it down the front of the bulge as she spoke. “I’ll take care of that for you some other time. Mama asked me to help prepare dinner and I never turn down a chance to cook.”
She released my hand and removed her other hand from my crotch after giving my erection a quick squeeze. She moved quickly to the entrance of the garden, turning to face my way as she arrived at the doorway into the keep. “I should be able to get a hammer tomorrow. I’ll meet you back here about the same time. Okay?”
My brain of course was stuck in idle for the moment so it took a minute to register what she had said. I nodded and she smiled again before darting through the entrance.
I stood there staring at the spot she had been in for several minutes. It seemed I could still feel her hand caressing me and the spot she had gently squeezed seemed to be on fire. I came back to myself and moved back into the garden. There was a large clearing in the center of this one that was ideal for my practice and that’s where I headed. Arriving there I stripped to the waist and took my swords to the center of the clearing. I started the moves of my practice routine and after a few minutes forgot everything else. I was leaping and slashing, pushing myself to the limits when I heard my name.
“Micah.”
I landed and turned to face where the voice had come from.
Ohmlee, the last person in the world I had wanted to see was standing there with a critical look on his face. “That was a little sloppy. What have you got on your mind?”
“To be perfectly honest, your sister.”
He laughed and I raised an eyebrow at him. He snorted again before he spoke. “Shala finally worked up her nerve huh?”
“What?!”
“Oh come on, what kind of brother would I be if I couldn’t tell my sister has the hots for someone.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
He moved into the clearing and tossed a towel I hadn’t noticed he was carrying at me. I caught it and began drying the cooling sweat from my face and body.
He looked at me critically for a moment. “You’re not going to tell her you love her are you?”
“No.”
“Are you going to force your attentions on her?”
“Of course not.”
“Are you going to lie to her and tell her you’ll stay with her forever?”
“I think you know me better than that.”
“Are you?”
“No!”
“Then why should I mind. She’s not a child despite what dwarf tradition says. You are a good friend to me and I know you won’t hurt her. You’re not the first one she’s fastened her attention on.”
“You don’t understand. She doesn’t just want to hold hands and gaze at the stars. She wants something a little more…physical.”
That gave him a moment’s pause but he shrugged. “That’s her choice. Virginity is not the commodity among dwarfs as it is among humans. In fact I’d be very surprised to find out if either of my sisters were virgins.”
I gaped at him. “Tala?!”
He thought about it a moment. “You may be right there. Anyway Shala can make her own decision as far as that goes. Just don’t let my father find out. He likes you more than he will admit but that would upset him. Come on now it’s time to eat.”
I donned my shirt and followed him out of the garden. I wondered if he would have been quite so casual about it if I had told him about what else Shala and I had discussed. After careful consideration I decided that no he wouldn’t and decided to keep her weapons training to myself. I should clarify that Shala at this time was about 28 years old and her sister Tala was around 40. To a human they would both seem mature women but in dwarf society they were both still considered immature and almost children. That should explain Ohmlee’s statement about Shala’s maturity.
The evening meal was the usual dwarf fare and except for the fact that the king was not there because of some matter of state the whole family was there as well as Delwyn and me. Hala announced that Shala would be serving as she had prepared most of the meal. I hoped that no one else noticed that I received slightly more stew than anyone else or the smoldering glances Shala kept shooting my way. I caught Ohmlee grinning at me more than once and glared daggers at him until I noticed that Delwyn was grinning in the same way. I looked at him and realized that Ohmlee had told him about our conversation. It was a good thing that looks cannot actually kill because Ohmlee would not only be dead but burned to ash with Delwyn close behind him. Shala didn’t help matters by dropping a napkin next to where I sat and bending to retrieve it before I could move. The neck of her linen dress hung down exposing the depth of her cleavage and when she straightened up she ran her hand up my leg and across my crotch forcing me to remain seated after everyone else had moved from the table while my newly rekindled erection dwindled back down.
The next day we began her training in the use of the hammer as a weapon. I don’t know what possessed me at first but I worked her extra hard. By the time I let her stop she was so exhausted that seduction was the furthest thing from her mind. I guess that was my way of postponing whether I had to make a decision of my own concerning a physical relationship with her. If she couldn’t do anything I didn’t have to tell her yes or no. I think she realized that before I did because she began to make mistakes she hadn’t been before. These mistakes necessitated that I move close to her and show her how to do something. I would stand behind her and help her place her hands properly and she would back up into me and rub her back against my front. This had the inevitable results and I would step back away from her and she would continue on as if nothing had happened while I stood there and willed my erection down.
In the two and a half months I stayed in Kriock and helped out with their orc problem Shala became quite proficient with the hammer. She was to the point where I could show her nothing else and her teasing had brought me to a critical point. I had to stay in the gardens later and later to work off my frustration and the dwarfs who accompanied me on the raids very seldom had anything to do because I would descend on the unseen bands like the wrath of the gods and slaughter them all before anyone else could join in.
This finally reached a boiling point about a week before Delwyn, Ohmlee and I were about to leave and head to “Sky Haven”, Delwyn’s home. The long linen dress Shala usually wore wouldn’t do for her weapons training so she would smuggle one of her brother’s or her father’s shirts to the garden and change into it when she got there. Since they were both taller and broader than her the shirts hung low enough to form a short skirt for her and she would wear her belt to keep it from billowing out as she dodged and spun. I plopped down on the grass at the edge of the clearing to wait for her not realizing she was already there and changing. She emerged from behind the shrubs she usually changed behind and moved into the clearing. She apparently didn’t notice me either in the gathering twilight and moved to the center of the clearing. She glanced towards where the entrance was beyond the shrubs and reached up to remove her belt.
I sat riveted to the spot as she tossed the belt to the far side of the clearing and raised the hammer to the ready position. I opened my mouth to speak but she began to move through her practice routine and I just sat and stared. I had watched her run through this before but I was usually standing in the clearing and she usually wore her belt. As she feinted and jabbed with the hammer her legs shuffled and kicked causing her shirttails to flare revealing flashes of her legs never before seem by me.
All the frustration of five years and the teasing of the last two months kept me nailed to the ground and silent as she twisted turned and spun. She raised the hammer above her head and spun as if to strike an opponent behind her. Her shirttails kicked up and then flared as she spun to reveal her ass and then the mound of her intimate parts as she brought down her foot and swung the hammer down. She looked beyond where the hammer had slammed into the ground and into my eyes where I sat in the shadows. Her eyes widened as she realized I had been there the whole time and then she flushed crimson in embarrassment and straightened up.
She stammered as I stood up. “I…I…I didn’t think you were here yet.”
I unbuckled the harness of my hawk-wings and dropped them to the ground behind me. Her eyes followed them to the ground and then looked back at me as I stepped out into the clearing. The sun had set and only the light of the stars lit the garden.
She continued as I approached her. “I didn’t want to say before but the belt…it…uh…rubs against me when I move.”
I reached her side and grasped the handle of the hammer. She was looking into my eyes as I pulled it from her grasp and tossed it beyond the clearing. I grabbed her shoulders and bent to kiss her. After a moment she returned the kiss and then she was clasping at me as our tongues dueled between our open mouths. I moved my hands down her body to the hem of the shirt. She moaned into my mouth as I eased my hands under the hem and clasped the cheeks of her ass. Her small body trembled as my fingers moved down the groove of her ass and lightly caressed the bud of her anus before moving back up to clasp her asscheeks. I fondled her as we kissed for a few moments before I broke the kiss.
She stared up at me with lust glazed eyes and her mouth hung open as she panted from the heat of our kiss. I eased down on one knee so we were closer to the same height and then reached out to open the buttons of the shirt she wore. She dazedly watched my hands for a moment before smiling and then she reached out to begin opening the buttons on my shirt. I stopped about half way down and eased my hands in through the open front of the shirt sliding my fingers across her breasts. She hissed through her teeth as my fingers slid across her hardening nipples. I moved my fingers back across the hard points again before I opened the front of the shirt and exposed her nipples to the night air and my mouth.
Her hands were flat against my chest as I took first one nipple and then the other in my mouth and suckled on them for a moment. Her fingers flexed and dug at my chest as she moaned again. I eased back away from her and continued to open the buttons of the shirt. I felt her hands begin to move again as I opened the last button and I ran my hands up her body under the shirt to her shoulders. I eased the shirt from her shoulders and she moved her hands so that it fluttered to the ground behind her.
Clasping her shoulders I looked over her exposed body. It was beautiful. Her breast stood out proud and her hard nipples stabbed the night air. Her creamy skin was unblemished and glowed in the starlight. She shifted from foot to foot as my eyes roamed further down to the flat plain of her stomach and then to the fur of her mons. I raised my eyes back to her face and saw the nervousness there.
I smiled at her. “Beautiful. The most beautiful thing I have seen in years.”
She smiled nervously at me and I drew her in close again to kiss her. Her hands went around my shoulders as mine roamed over her back and down to cup her ass again. She moaned again as I ran one hand down past her ass and up between her legs from behind. I felt the moisture of her opening and ran my fingers lightly over the edges of her labia. She shuddered and clasped at me convulsively. I eased back from her and brought my hands to her shoulders. When she opened her eyes I smiled again and pushed down to get her to kneel and then to lie down on the shirt she had dropped.
She lay there smiling up at me as I stretched out alongside her. Laying like this the difference in our heights wasn’t so obvious and I leaned in to kiss her again. She returned the kiss fervently and then I moved to kiss her cheek and then her ear. She shuddered as I placed butterfly kisses along her jaw line and worked my way down her neck.
She was trembling almost continually as I moved down to her chest and took first one and then the other nipple in my mouth before moving on down her body. I think she was in a daze and didn’t realize what was happening until I moved down her body and eased between her legs. I kissed the inside of her thigh and heard a quizzical noise from her when I moved my mouth higher on her leg and closer to the junction of her legs. She might not be a virgin but I was fairly certain no one had done for her what I was about to do. I moved my face across the damp hair of her crotch gently raking across her labia with my lips.
I heard her tremulous voice. “Micah?!”
Before she could realize what I was doing I extended my tongue and slid it up her labia to the hiding place of her clit at the top which I flicked with just the tip.
Her outburst this time was not tremulous at all. “GODS!!!Micah!”
I plunged my head forward working my tongue between her labia and into the hole beyond where I swirled it around and up towards the top again. Shala shifted and twitched as my tongue encountered her extended clit and swirled around it before returning to the depths of the drooling hole below it. She shuddered and moaned as I licked and laved at her intimate parts. Soon, much sooner than I would have expected her breathing became quick and shallow. She shuddered and moaned and I leaned forward to take her clit between my lips. I clamped down on it and sucked on it as I batted at it with my tongue tip. Shala’s body went completely rigid and it felt like she even stopped breathing for a moment before she started pumping her hips up at me and my stabbing tongue.
I looked up her body with one eye and saw her holding a sleeve of the shirt she was laying on across her mouth to suppress her cries just as she lifted both legs and wrapped them around my neck holding me in place. She twitched and shuddered for several moments and then fell back limp on the ground. I lifted my face from her now overly sensitive pussy and grinned up at her as she stared off into space. Her head rolled to the side and she looked down at me.
I grinned at her. “I got the feeling you liked that.”
She smiled dreamily at me and I eased up alongside her and brought my mouth to hers in a kiss. When I drew my head away I saw a curious look on her face as she licked her lips. She tasted her own juices from my lips. She shuddered again and I drew her close wrapping my arms around her. She wrapped her arms around me for a few minutes and then they started roaming over my body. She felt my chest and back and her hands worked their way down across my stomach to my belt. I kissed her again as I felt her hands unfasten my belt and reach for the buttons of my trousers. As she pulled them open and was rubbing my erect member through my undergarments she drew her head back from mine.
“Sit up and take off that shirt.”
I grinned at her and sat up. I finished opening the buttons of my shirt and started to pull it off over my head as I looked at her body next to me. It was still flushed from her recent orgasm but it glowed in the starlight. I tossed my shirt aside and reached for her again.
She threw up her hands to stop me. “Stand up and take those off too. It’s only fair.”
She had pointed at my trousers and I just grinned and stood up. I kicked off my boots and finished opening my pants before shoving them and my undergarments down to the ground and stepping out of them. When I straightened up I heard her gasp and looked at her to see her eyes were fastened to my erect organ where it bobbed in the night air. I realized that the expression on her face wasn’t eagerness but maybe panic.
I eased to the ground close but not to close to her. “Is something wrong?”
Sitting next to her I realized that she was still staring at my erection where it still stabbed the air. “I guess I just never considered that human men would be so…different from dwarf men.”
“Different in what way?”
She glanced at my face and then looked back at my erection. “Bigger, much bigger.”
I reached out and clasped her hand. She looked at it and then up at my face. I smiled at her and she smiled nervously back before she looked back at my crotch. I squeezed her hand slightly and she looked back at my face again. “I’m not asking you to do something you can’t do. If you don’t think it will fit don’t worry about it. I would never want you to injure yourself just to try to please me.”
A look of relief crossed her face but was quickly replaced by one of concern. “After what you did for me you deserve something.”
“Don’t worry about it. If need be I can handle things myself.”
I’m not sure why but that statement decided something for her. She shook her head and pulled her hand from mine. She lay down on her back and spread her legs wide while holding her arms out to me. The sight of that moist opening gaping between those exquisite thighs was almost too much for me and I nearly threw myself into her as hard as I could. Just the thought that I might injure this delicate creature restrained me although my organ pulsed very close to orgasm at just the sight of that lovely orifice.
Her voice drew my gaze from between her thighs to her face. “No Micah, I’ve wanted to feel you inside me almost from the moment I saw you. I trust you to not hurt me and stop if I say so.”
I smiled at her and shook my head. I eased down to the ground next to her and kissed her. She looked at me quizzically but I could see determination in her eyes. I smiled at her again and took her hand to lift her up. “You get on top. You can control it better and can stop yourself if it starts to hurt.”
The look on her face spoke volumes before she opened her mouth. “Get on top? I didn’t know you could do it that way.”
I nodded at her and she finished standing up. She moved to where her legs were even with my waist. She still stared at my erection but the panic had been replaced by another expression. Lust. This was something new and she was ready and eager to try it. She lifted one leg over my body and moved to straddle me where my erection throbbed and pulsed. Even with her standing up my erection came within a few inches of her exposed crotch. She moved herself into position and I felt her hands clasp the shaft and direct it towards her small opening.
It took all the self control I could muster to keep from plunging upwards when I felt the head of my member touch the moist lips of her pussy. I felt her tremble and ease herself down. There was momentary resistance and then the head of my organ was engulfed in hot, wet, velvet vice. The two of us groaned almost in chorus at the sensations we were both feeling.
I opened my eyes to see a look of ecstasy cross Shala’s face and then her arms and legs went limp. I reacted quickly and grabbed her around the waist but not before another inch or two of my organ had forced its way into her tight sheath. I felt her body convulse and her insides flexed and grabbed at my organ as she groaned again. Her eyes were glazed as she looked down at me but a dreamy smile appeared on her lips.
She was shuddering every few seconds as she tried to speak. “Cum…cumming…ooooo…put more in…feels good.”
As I tried to hold her up near the top of my organ so she wouldn’t inadvertently hurt herself she lifted her legs and tried to force more of me inside her.
Her voice was that of a petulant child. “Let go…uh…want more…ooooo…fill me up.”
I exerted myself and lifted her up. She was dead weight so I could only lift a couple of inches which meant the head of my penis was still buried within her. “Shala please, I don’t want you to be hurt. Help me.”
Something in my tone got through to her and her eyes cleared slightly. I felt her legs take some of her weight but she didn’t lift clear of my organ.
She looked down at me and smiled. “I’m sorry Micah. It felt so good I forgot myself for a moment. Help hold me up please.”
I nodded and felt her weight settle on my member again. I still clasped her waist but she was taking most of the weight on her legs. She settled down around my organ and it took my breath away. She had regained the depth I had lifted her from and I could feel the ripples of her sheath as she twitched and shuddered. Shala was having orgasm every few minutes as my hardened flesh forced its way into her small body. She pushed herself steadily down on my member only pausing when a shudder raced through her body. I felt as if my penis was being forced through a buttonhole but it also felt so good that I couldn’t have stopped her if I wanted to. After what seemed like hours I felt her stop moving. When I looked down her legs were spread almost as wide as they could go and her crotch was plastered against mine.
She sat there with her eyes closed not moving except for an occasional shudder that ran through her body. I couldn’t resist and reached out to clasp her breasts in my hands. I ran my thumb over her hard nipples and she shuddered again and a moan emerged from her throat. She opened her eyes and another dreamy smile hovered on her lips. She leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. Impaled on my organ her head was just close enough to brush my lips with hers. She tried to get closer to kiss me properly and this caused her body to slide up on my flesh which sent another shudder through her body.
When it had passed she kissed me hard on the mouth and then laid her head on my chest. “Gods, I’ve never felt anything like this. I must have cum ten times already.”
“Are you comfortable with me inside you like this?”
“Gods yes.”
“It doesn’t hurt or anything?”
“No, it feels great.”
“Good, because I can’t wait much longer.”
Before she could ask me anything I grabbed her hips and lifted her up slightly. I heard her gasp as my rigid flesh slid part of the way out and then I began sliding back in. I started slowly letting her get used to the feeling but when I looked at her face her eyes had that glazed look again and she twitched and shuddered as I pumped in and out of her unresisting body. I increased my speed as I sought my own orgasm.
I was so very close and I only vaguely heard her as she whimpered and groaned. “Oh gods…not again…oh oh oh…I’m cuming again…Ooooh.”
I was pumping in and out very quickly now but even as close as I was I knew that I couldn’t slam into her as I wanted to because her small body couldn’t take it. My peak was approaching rapidly and I felt the backlog of five years of semen surging up my member and into Shala’s once again shuddering body. “Oh Shala here it comes!”
I buried my flesh in her small body as semen pumped again and again from my flexing organ. I felt the walls of her distended womb ripple and shudder as I bathed her insides with my hot seed.
She stiffened again and began a wail that echoed and bounced off the walls of the garden. “Oh gods it’s not possible. Not agaaaaaaaaaaain!!!!”
I felt the last of my seed empty into her body and collapsed back on the grass and Shala flopped down on my chest gasping noisily and still shuddering, my softening member still held within her body.
We lay like this in the cool grass for several minutes as both our breathing returned to normal. I felt Shala shiver and knew this wasn’t ecstasy but the chill in the air. “We need to get up and get dressed before we both come down with a chill. There’s no way I could explain that to your father.”
I felt her smile against my chest and then she placed her hands on my chest and pushed herself up. She kissed me briefly before she straightened up completely. When she was upright again straddling my waist she flexed her legs and began to lift herself off my now limp organ. I held her waist and helped her stand up and the sight of her gaping pussy in front of my face was almost enough to cause another erection but I quickly looked away. I doubted very seriously if Shala could take it if I became hard again.
She stepped from over me where I still lay on the ground and I noticed she winced as she moved. “Are you all right? Did I hurt you?” She smiled at me where she stood with her gown in her hands.
“Yes you did but trust me it’s a good hurt. You can hurt me like that anytime you want.”
She moved to put on her gown and I saw her wince again. She looked back at me again. “You can do that to me anytime you want. Just let me recover a little first.”
I smiled up at her and lifted myself from the grass. I grabbed my trousers and slid into them as she donned her slippers. She was holding onto a low shrub with one hand but I could see she was having trouble lifting her foot to don the shoe. I moved over to her and knelt down taking the shoes from her hands. She smiled down at me as she straightened up and I lifted first one foot and then the other to put on her shoes.
I looked up at her from where I knelt. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“It hurts no worse than when I lost my virginity. I’ll be fine.”
She started moving around the clearing gasping occasionally. She stepped carefully as if walking on broken glass. I heard her mumble to herself as she moved.
“Well you asked for this you should be happy. Ouch.”
She spoke to me in a normal voice. “What type of animal do you have in your bloodline? Horse or bull?”
I grinned at her.
“Rabbit. I’m ready to go again if you are.”
The look of alarm she had on her face was priceless and I couldn’t help but laugh. The alarm changed to anger which caused me to laugh harder. After a moment her scowl turned back into a smile. “I guess I should be flattered.”
I had pulled on my shirt and moved over to her. I grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up. She gave a startled gasp as I brought her close and kissed her. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close her feet dangling well off the ground. “I want to thank you. That was the most incredible thing I had felt in a long time.”
She smiled up at me. “You will come back to see me from time to time won’t you?”
I set her back on the ground and knelt down so I could look in her eyes. “I feel I am destined to wander all my life. I’m sure I’ll pass through here again every once in a while. If you’re not married and moved to the other side of the continent I’ll see you again.”
Her smile then was a little sad. “Small chance of that.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’m sure Ohmlee has told you that I’m considered…odd by the other dwarfs here. Do you think any of them want to marry someone that might embarrass them by wanting to cook or fight?”
“Times change and so do people. Someday you may be considered the norm and women like Tala the odd ones.”
She snorted at that but smiled a true smile. I held out my hand to her after I picked up my swords. “Come, we’re probably late for supper. We’ll talk more later.”
She took my hand and we moved into the keep.
I was right. We were late for supper. I told them that I had been working out in one of the far gardens and Shala had trouble finding me to bring me home. Most of them just nodded and went about their business but I noticed that a look passed between Shala and her mother as Shala sat gingerly at the table to eat. Hala moved over to her and whispered in her ear a moment and Shala blushed to her hairline. She glanced at me briefly before mumbling some reply to her mother.
Hala looked at me a moment and whispered urgently in Shala’s ear. Shala shook her head violently and drew her mother close. She whispered in her ear for several moments and then turned back to the plate before her. The blush of her cheeks had deepened until she was nearly red. I looked at Hala and saw her staring at me with a speculative air about her. I watched as she very deliberately looked at my crotch where I stood and then looked back at my face with a raised eyebrow. It was my turn to blush and I quickly sat on the floor next to the table and pulled my plate close.
I ate single-mindedly for a few minutes before looking up again. No one was paying the least attention to us except Ohmlee when I looked his way had a big grin plastered all over his big stupid mug. I glared at him and went back to eating.
The next couple of days I waited for the hammer to fall. I was sure Hala knew what had happened between Shala and me and that she would tell her husband the king. I was sure his reaction would be abrupt and painful. The only reaction from anyone however was that Hala seemed to be flirting with me. This terrified me at first until I realized that she was teasing me to show that she wasn’t upset about me and her daughter. After I figured this out I was able to relax and enjoy her and Shala’s company without the gnawing guilt I had felt before.
I knew that Shala had wanted for us to do what we did but I had still felt that I was taking advantage of my hosts. Hala’s silent approval laid those fears to rest. I was able to spend the remaining time in Kriock with Shala and her family without the constant fear of repercussions for my actions.
The day before we were to leave for “Sky Haven” Ohmlus summoned Delwyn and me to his chambers to speak to him. Ohmlee tagged along to see what was going on. He was quite literally getting on my last nerve. Around his family for the most part he played the part of the dutiful son. When he was with just me and Delwyn he reveled in tormenting me with images of what his father would do if he found out about me and Shala.
As we moved along the corridor heading for Ohmlus’ chambers he was giving detailed instructions of a certain device they once used on convicted rapist. Let’s just say the device was employed below the waist and the descriptions he was giving were lurid and very graphic.
I had enough of this and spun to face him. “That is enough Ohmlee. One more description, one more heavy hint and I will tell your father about the man at the inn who conned you with the spelled ring.”
Ohmlee paled at this statement. He was nearly whispering when he spoke. “You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t push me on this. I care about Shala and I don’t want any of your silly antics to frighten her into doing something stupid.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t think she hears all this crap you’ve been spewing about telling your father about us? She doesn’t realize how close we became over the last five years. She doesn’t know your just picking at me. You keep it up and she’ll do something stupid like go to your father and confess that it was her fault about what happened between us. The result will be the same as if you told him yourself.”
I could see that set him back. His face took on a worried expression. “You know I’m just kidding around right?”
I nodded.
“She wouldn’t really go to my father would she?”
I shrugged and shook my head. “I tried to reassure her last night that you were just being a typical big brother making a nuisance of yourself but I don’t know how effective I was.”
He stood there in thought for a moment. He looked up at me. “I’ve got to go talk to her. I’ve got to explain that I would never do anything to hurt you or her. I’ll see you later.”
He turned and hurried back down the hall towards the family’s quarters. I nodded towards Delwyn and indicated with my head that we should continue on. He nodded back and moved up alongside of me as we continued towards Ohmlus’ chambers. “I’m glad you confronted him yourself. I saw how worried Shala was and was going to call him on it but felt that perhaps it wasn’t my business.”
“I know that when you’re dealing with cultures other than your own it’s sometimes hard to know what to do.”
“Yes, my eyes have been opened to much in dwarf society that I would never have suspected. I think it will help me deal with them better as I go through life. I will be able to help others of my kind to understand them as well.”
I nodded and we entered Ohmlus’ workshop. It was much as it had been the first time I had seen it, cluttered and untidy as you’ll ever see in a dwarf dwelling. Ohmlus was pretty much where he had been the first time I had entered this room also. His staff stood upright behind him and one of the tainted pieces of quartz spun gently in the air in front of him. He glanced our way as we entered and his face split in a warm smile.
He motioned for us to enter. “Come in, come in, I’m working on your idea Micah.”
“My idea?”
“Yes, I am attempting to change this rather imperfect piece of quartz into something that will relay messages.”
“Isn’t that one of the stones from a snake ring?”
His features hardened. “Yes it is. The message I want to relay is to a certain individual up north.”
He was referring to the individual who had been controlling the stones and subsequently all the orcs controlled by the stones. We still had no accurate record of how many dwarfs had been lost in raids because some of the outposts had to be approached overland. This couldn’t be done until all the raiding parties had been destroyed. This was a deep hurt for the whole city of Kriock. It would be several weeks before there was a final tally and the not knowing hung like a pall over the city.
Ohmlus shook himself and tried to smile at us. “Time for mourning later. Lot’s of work to do. Come with me you two.”
His staff remained standing upright with the stone spinning in front of it as he crossed the room to one of his worktables. We made a wide circuit to avoid coming between the staff and the stone and moved to the table he stood next to.
He smiled and held out a small metal box to Delwyn as we approached. “I want you to take this to your mother. She is much more powerful than I and might be able to break through the barriers this user has put around these stones. Don’t open it and warn her thoroughly before she opens it. It is no danger to her but she might want to shield those around her from it.”
Delwyn looked at him before he took the box. “Just so I’m certain, what is it?”
“Just one of the snake gems we’ve been able to recover from your raids.”
Delwyn nodded and took the box.
Ohmlus nodded at him and turned to me. “I have been trying to come up with something to give you as a form of thanks for your idea with the stones.”
“It’s not necessary. It was just a spur of the moment idea. I’m just glad it worked.”
“Oh it worked. We have been experimenting with distance and clarity since we figured out the best conversion for the stones. We have a group heading to the under-kings palace in the black mountains right now. We’ve modified and embellished the collapse code so that we can relay more information much more quickly now. If this test works between Kriock and the under-kings palace it will change the way the kings’ rule forever. Decisions on dwarf law can be relayed and enforced throughout the dwarf realm in hours instead of the weeks it would take a rider to relay the information from mine to mine. You may have changed dwarf society forever.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. It had been a spur of the moment idea motivated by the desire to communicate and save lives. The dwarfs had taken it and not only run with it but had launched it as if from a ballista.
Ohmlus smiled up at me. “Now I finally came up with something I think you’ll like by way of thanks. Ohmlee says that you’re a bit of a wanderer. Well this is something every wanderer needs.”
I looked down at his outstretched hands and saw…a backpack. I looked up at Ohmlus while trying to keep a smile on my face. Ohmlus was a powerful magic-user and when he had started talking about rewarding me my mind had filled with all manner of images; magic boots that let you travel leagues at a step, enchanted blades or magic fire starters. Here he held out what looked like a used backpack. As a matter of fact it looked much like my own except it was grey in color and mine was a deep blue.
He saw the look on my face and despite that smiled even deeper. “I see your not unduly impressed with my workmanship but I think you judge too quickly. Here hold this.”
I took the backpack in my hands and held it.
His smiled had changed to a grin. “How’s that feel? Feels empty doesn’t it?”
I nodded and he grinned even wider.
“Flip it over. Dump it out.”
I decided to humor him and turned the backpack upside down and shook it. I hadn’t expected anything to happen because it did feel empty so I was truly surprised by the loud thud and the sharp pain in my foot. I looked down to see one of Ohmlus’ books on my foot and before I could say anything another dropped from the pack and I had to jump back to keep it from landing on my other foot. I held the pack at arms length and shook it again. Delwyn and I watched in amazement as ten more equally weighty volumes fell from the pack along with several bags of laundry, two packs of travel rations and what looked like a stick but when I grabbed it and pulled it out turned out to be a full size pole-axe. We stood there looking in astonishment at all this scattered around the floor as Ohmlus laughed his cackling laugh while holding himself up by the table.
He grinned over at us. "Do either of you know what a 'bag of holding' is?”
We both nodded and he continued. “Well I had one on the shelf I haven’t used in years. I did a little magical sewing and turned it into that backpack for you Micah.”
I looked at the backpack in my hands. It still hung limp as if it was empty but I knew that could be deceiving now and decided to look inside.
I saw nothing and turned back to Ohmlus. “How much will it hold?”
“Well I don’t really know that. The spell I did to reshape it did something funny to the inside of it. It seems much larger than it was before. I know that before you couldn’t have got all that into it and now it’s not even crowded with all that in there. I guess you can just keep shoving stuff in until you can’t get anything else in it and then you’ll know.”
“Thank you. This is truly a wonderful gift.”
“Don’t mention it lad. Now you two need to clear off out of here. I have some experiments in the works and it will take several days before I can leave my chambers.”
We both bid him goodbye and left his chamber. I held the pack and fingered the material. It felt just like any other backpack I had ever held. The next day when we left my new pack was on my back with my old pack and travel rations for a week in it and I couldn’t feel the weight at all.
We bid farewell to the king and his family as well as many dwarfs that we had come to know as friends in our time in Kriock. Shala was there and I could see her eyes glittered with unshed tears but was happy to see that she hugged Ohmlee before we left. We couldn’t embrace as I wished but we shared a secret look filled with promise if ever I came this way again. The three of us moved away towards the north, towards the home of the elves.
End of Book 4
Micah The Wanderer - Book 4: Underground - Part 3
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