The Eastern Dwarfs: Part Two - The Underground Journey Read online

  “By my beard! The dwarf is alive!” Olaf exclaimed.

  Thuor sat still, looking at the two dwarfs as he slowly regained consciousness.

  “What have I told ye?” Asked the healer. “It never failed before.”

  “Where am I?” Thuor asked with a weak voice.

  “Don’t ye worry captain. We reached the Red Star City, we are at our cousins house!” Olaf spoke.

  Thuor rested his forehead over his palm. “I don’t remember much, I still can see in my mind the moment when we entered into the Narrow Passage.” He said.

  “Look, captain, ye have been sleeping for a long time.” Olaf spoke.

  “How much time?” Thuor asked.

  “Many days.” Torag replied.

  The captain jumped from the bed and stood up on the floor, then he felt a pain in his ribs and moaned as he rubbed his chest.

  “Ye will need to keep meek till your bones recover, master RockFoot.” The healer spoke.

  Thuor went out of the room, Olaf and Torag came after him, the captain walked through the corridors and halls showing he knew the place, they crossed the city, making curves and going up staircases, and when they finally stopped, they were in front of the barracks, the captain knocked on its door, it took just a moment for the door to be open by someone inside it, and this one was exactly who Thuor wanted to talk to, Rodro.

  The ThickBeard one looked at Thuor wide eyed. “So… It seems that your loyal friends managed to bring ye back.” He said.

  Thuor looked at Torag and Olaf. “What do ye mean? He asked.

  “Well… It is true captain. We came across the ice on the top of the mountain to find some herb to wake ye up, not that difficult at all.” Olaf spoke.

  “And I see ye are quite ready, surprisingly ready for someone who lay sleeping for so much time, though a little bit thin… I would recommend ye now, to visit our larder and have your first good meal in a while.” Rodro spoke.

  “Thank ye for this, but since now, I would like to receive authorization to cross this city and follow my way towards the Underground Path.” Thuor said.

  Everyone looked at him finding strange his hurry.

  “The Underground Path ye say?” Rodro asked. “I don’t think this will be that simple, master Thuor.”

  “And why not?” Asked the captain.

  “Oh… There are some matters to discuss about this, go now and take a good meal. We can talk later about this. Find me again tomorrow in the main hall, I will be there dealing with some… Recently occurred issues…” Rodro replied.

  Thuor, Olaf and Torag turned and left, not before hearing Rodro talk one more time. “Ye two take care of him, and make some commemoration for your captain, after all he is alive! Don’t let him think too much about leaving, not for now.” He spoke.

  Thuor raised his fist in greeting and was replied by Rodro. The three dwarfs left toward the larder, and during the walk Olaf came beside Thuor making questions. “Don’t ye think captain, Rodro may be right, too quick to leave this way, ye just woke up, would be better for us to have some planning time.” He said.

  “No, Olaf, ye told me I spent many days sleeping, we are already late. What happened in the canyon anyway?” Thuor asked.

  “Ye fell, captain, and hit your head. We had to climb down a cliff to rescue ye, and in the end our ram died after carrying ye a long way till we reached the gate.” Torag replied.

  “Our ram is dead? I see… Where is Rurur?” The captain asked.

  “Herm… Somewhere around. Guess there is not many places of interest for him here.” Torag replied.

  Vixen was hiding inside Olaf’s clothes as usual, for they had agreed to do it like that while walking inside the city among the others, not to raise much curiosity about the fairy. When they reached the larder, they sat on a table and Olaf spoke to the keeper there: “Excuse me my good sir, we are the RockFoot hosted in this marvelous house, our captain just woke up from a long sleep, and we would like to have a meal, if it is not nuisance to ask it.”

  The keeper looked at Thuor’s face and saw the dark circles around his eyes, his skin was dark and his face was scrawny. “Fine, master RockFoot. What would you like to have?” He asked.

  “Everything!” Shouted Rurur coming from the door.

  Everyone turned and looked at him.

  “Captain!” He continued. “What a good sight to see ye here among us again! May I tell ye, for a while my hopes of ye coming back where lost…”

  Olaf slapped the table. “So the company is whole again! What now?”

  The keeper came, bringing plates and cups and beverage, he filled the cups serving the dwarfs, then left again.

  “We must leave as soon as possible.” Thuor spoke.

  “Fine then.” Torag replied. “I’m willing to leave too, can’t stand motionless inside here for long anymore, and if captain says he is ready to, who could disagree?”

  “So we are taking the Underground Path.” Rurur spoke.

  “Yes, though Rodro told me something about it, maybe we will need the King’s authorization to do it.” Thuor said.

  “I don’t believe he will keep us here, eating from his food and drinking from his winehouse.” Torag spoke.

  “So, Torag. Now I must thank ye about what ye have done for me. If I got to understand it well, ye brought something to wake me up from the sleeping.” Thuor said.

  “It was nothing captain. Nothing that old dwarf here could not handle easily.” Torag replied.

  The keeper came again, now bringing much food, meat, pork, bread and sausages, the dwarfs prepared to eat as he served the table.

  “I would advise ye to go slowly, captain. Your stomach may be… Unused to food.” Rurur spoke.

  “Well… One thing is for sure. The ThickBeard larders are filled with the best one guest could ask for.” Olaf said as he took a pork meat piece.

  “Then enjoy as much as ye can, Rurur, for soon we will take the road again, and this time prepare for not seeing any friendly house for a while, we are not going to travel through fields with folks and dwellings, but under the ground where there is only darkness and rock.” Thuor replied.

  S ecrets to be kept.

  Thuor was the first to wake up in the morning and he went directly to Rodro, to deal with him about their leaving, but what the captain would come to know is that things would not be the way he wanted, when he reached the barracks to meet Rodro, he found there an unusual scene. In the center of the room was a dwarf on his knees, surrounded by guards and by Rodro himself, the dwarf had his hands tied on his back.

  “So… Ye crossed all the way back from the Golden City of men? How did ye pass the Narrow Passage across all the snow?” Rodro asked the dwarf.

  Thuor came close. “Who is this?”

  “Oh… Just a little trickster, someone we dislodged from our kingdom a while before. But now he comes back.” Said Rodro.

  “Dislodged, why?” Thuor insisted.

  “He was caught stealing from a known noble man’s house, out there in the fields. We have a straight code of conduct here, a thief can not stay among us and must be punished. As punishment, we dislodged him from the kingdom, now he says he was captured by slave traders and somehow managed to escape. He is nothing but a poor devil, no family, not even a house to live, I think he would be a beggar, if not a thief, who knows where he has been.” Rodro continued.

  “But now he is back.” Thuor spoke.

  “Yes… And he tells a long and strange story, not to be trusted anyway.” Rodro said.

  Thuor looked at the captive, he was a short, brown dwarf, and had a strange innocent smile on his face.

  “What is his name?” Thuor asked.

  “Montaron. At least it used to be.” Rodro replied.

  A warrior nearby broke in: “An old known one to us. He makes ye smile and then asks for coins.”

  “And what are ye going to do with him?” Thuor asked.

  Rodro shrugged. “The problem is, it seems that the trickster
really escaped from slavery, that part of his story seems to be true, so now we have a dilemma here. I don’t want to set him free, for I know he would make a new mess as soon as he gets the chance. But by the other hand we have the following situation… We already applied his penalty, for all means, he already received his punishment, he’s a free dwarf… Should be.” He said.

  “What then?” Thuor asked.

  Rodro rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “Well... It is not fair to punish someone twice for a single crime, and I always try to be fair. But if our Queen comes to know ye are here, Montaron, she will punish both ye and me. I will free ye now, but ye can’t stay.”

  “Where is the little bastard going then?” A guard asked.

  “Wherever he wants, either back through the Narrow Passage on the mountains, or towards the Underground Path, maybe our Steel Fist cousins will welcome him there, provided they don’t come to know about his dirty past.” Rodro said.

  “The Narrow Passage must be now all under snow. He would not make it.” Thuor said.

  “Yes but this is not a problem of mine, is it? Besides, there is always a second option, maybe he is willing to take the path in the roots of the mountains, though travelling through such a place alone might be something… Distressing.” Rodro said, he motioned to the guards, and pointed to Montaron.

  One guard approached and cut the rope from Montaron’s hands, this one raised from the floor rubbing his fists and nodded looking at everyone, still with a smile on his face.

  “Now listen, Montaron. If ye come to commit any infringement again, I will be the one to make sure ye will never be able to walk more than a few steps for the rest of your life. I’m not going to expel ye right now, ask for some provisions from the larder, and prepare yourself for your leaving, then leave as soon as possible, I’m giving ye some days.” Rodro spoke.

  Montaron now had a sad mien, he left the room, passing through the door.

  “Do ye think he has any chance alone? Thuor asked.

  Rodro gently rested his hand on Thuor’s shoulder and spoke looking down: “Listen, my fellow cousin, don’t let a smile and a meek way fool ye, this is a trickster one, keeping him among us for more time would be a tragedy. But let’s not talk about him anymore, now let’s talk about ye.”

  “Fine. This is why I came, to treat with ye about that. I want to leave alongside my party as soon as possible, today by the end of the day, if possible.” Thuor spoke.

  Rodro motioned to Thuor calling to follow him, they went to a corner of the room where there was a table among many things like weapons and wooden boxes, there they sat, Rodro lit a pipe and started smoking. “Ye can’t leave, I’m afraid.” He said.

  “Why?” Thuor asked.

  “Because the Queen told me to not let ye out.”

  “The Queen?”

  “Oh yes, don’t ye know that women play an important role in our Home? Yes, master Thuor, here the woman talks.” Rodro replied.

  “I though that would be a matter of interest for the King.” Thuor replied.

  “And it is, of course, but as he is busy dealing with another matters, like military and safety ones, it is the Queen who decides about things like who enters and who leaves our city.”

  “All right.” Thuor continued. “And what is her statement?”

  “Now that ye are finally awake, I think she would like to hear some things from ye.”

  “Fine, some talk and it is enough, then we leave.”

  “It is not that simple… The Queen is a busy one... She ordered me to keep ye and your group here.”

  “How long?”

  “Some days… A week I guess.”

  Thuor shook his head, he slightly punched the table. “We can not stay more, we have already lost much time while I was asleep.”

  “In a hurry huh?” Rodro sounded. “I wonder what is so important that it deserves more attention than talking to the Queen herself, your quest must be really a serious matter.”

  “There are many things of great importance happening Rodro.”

  Rodro suddenly looked over Thuor’s shoulder. “Seems your luck is about to change.” He said quietly.

  As Thuor looked back, he saw coming from the room’s entrance an imposing figure dressed in royal clothes, scouted by two guards, these ones were not like the ordinary warriors, they dressed with special armor and weapons. The figure was the Queen herself.

  “My Queen.” Rodro said as he raised and bent.

  Thuor did the same, in respect.

  Rodro spoke: “Such an honor to have your majesty here. I was right now talking to captain Thuor about your request to keep him here till ye could have the chance to talk, my Queen.”

  “Good. Questions must be made, and answers must be given.” The Queen said.

  Rodro just nodded.

  “Welcome to our City, Thuor RockFoot.” She continued. “How strange is to welcome ye only now after days have passed since ye entered our domain.” Said the Queen.

  “I thank ye for your welcoming, Queen Matrona, it is an honor.” The captain replied.

  She motioned for everyone to leave the place, remaining there only she herself, Thuor and Rodro, the door was closed as the last one left, and now the three stayed sat. “I guess ye must be eager to leave, Thuor, but in times like this each move brings big consequences, every step must be measured.” She spoke.

  “I understand.” Thuor replied.

  “Good.” The queen continued. “Our City has been prepared, we received many reports from different friendly houses. Birds arrived, bringing letters and one among them deserved more attention than the others. One sent by master Lainor, from the top of his sacred tree.”

  “I see. Lainor is a fair one, and his word is to be trusted.” Thuor replied.

  “That is right. And this is exactly what brings us more concern.” She continued. “He sent us warning about the stranger who entered the east, and advised us to watch the skies, among many other good hints.”

  “Yes.” Thuor replied. “If Lainor told you himself, than your majesty is better informed by him than I could do by myself.”

  “He is really a formidable ally. But more reports came also from many other houses, around all the east everyone is preparing, as if all of sudden this stranger who entered our lands brought the shadow of war over us.” The Queen said.

  “Good to hear the free people of the east are well warned.” Thuor spoke.

  “Thanks to Lainor, he was the first to spread it. But what I want to understand now, is something that is making me curious, something that is common to all letters we received.”

  “What is it?” The captain asked.

  “Ye. Your company, everyone quotes the rider on his flying mount, and then somehow your group is cited. Travellers, adventures, trouble makers, bounty hunters… They give ye many names.” The Queen spoke.

  “I can assure your majesty we are not trouble makers, nor bounty hunters.” Thuor explained.

  “And I believe ye. Still I don’t understand how an event of such importance can be so related to a group of common dwarfs like ye.” She spoke.

  “We were sent by our King, Frar the fair. Not to get involved in struggle but to consult the Wise One in his White Tower. Though I must admit we brought a trail of many odd events behind us.” Thuor argued.

  “Yes, ye did, as I heard in the reports.” The Queen continued. “Somehow ye seem to be at the center of all this, though I still don’t understand how ye managed to track one who flies so well as ye did.” She spoke.

  Now Thuor remembered about Olaf and his connection with the Warlock, but he decided not to tell, as it could result in more delay for his company. “We have a good tracker in our group, Torag. His eyes are sharp, and his tracking skills are clever.” He spoke.

  “If his eyes are really good as ye say, so that ye managed to track that intruder the way ye did, then he must be a really skilled dwarf. What more do ye count on for this quest?” She asked.

  Thuor noticed the
Queen was suspicious about him and his company and was now choosing the right words to say, still trying to not lie or be dishonest. The truth is that he was not sure about if they were tracking the Warlock, or it was him who was actually chasing them.

  “We count on our legs and our cunning, your majesty.” He said.

  Now the Queen looked deeply in his eyes, so penetrating that it made him uncomfortable.

  “This is a matter of great importance, Thuor, Master Chief of Arms. I’m sure ye would not hide anything from your own kind, specially when information could save lives and avoid struggle.” She spoke.

  The captain began to feel strange, the pressure over him was almost unbearable, he felt as if she could see into his soul. “Nothing will stand between the friendship of our houses, milady.” He said.

  She gazed a last time on him, then finally nodded with a smile. “Good! Enjoy your stay, Thuor RockFoot, I will assure that all your needs will be provided during your staying.”

  “Wait! Your majesty, I thought ye would release me and my company!” Thuor said.

  “Not till I find all the answers I need, and this is not something that depends on me, right? For sure the accident ye suffered made some harm to your head, but I’m sure that some more time of resting will be enough for ye to completely recover, your memory will come back better, then we can have another talk. And this is my last statement!” She said, and then left the room, leaving Rodro and Thuor alone.

  The warriors who were there before came in again. Thuor was concerned.

  “Quite inquiring, isn’t she?” Rodro asked. “I got almost as tense as ye.”

  “The Queen is making her duty, taking care of her kingdom.” Thuor said. “Rodro… Ye know I need to leave, we can’t stay here inside while a threat is under us all, we were sent in a quest by the King himself!”

  “I’m afraid I can not do anything for ye, my friend. I would, if I could.” Rodro spoke.

  “But what about our quest, we must reach our destiny, the actions to be taken by my King in order to protect his own folks depends on the advice we are going to take from the Wise One in his tower, we must reach there!”