Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (53 page)

"As much as I can tell,"
Holli reported. "The draevol is gone."

"As is the one in
Huntston," Enin added.

"The inferns have been
defeated, thanks to Ryson. I am not certain as to the extent of Jure's success,
but I do not believe the valleys are in any further danger."

"I checked on that before I
returned here," Enin offered. "He has the situation in control. I
imagine he will be here shortly."

"Then I guess everything has
been handled," Ryson acknowledged.

As if to punctuate that sentiment,
the last of the fires flickered out under the heavy rains. Both Enin and Holli
ended their spells and the storm clouds overhead disappeared.

Just as the sun began to rise,
Jure walked toward them, coming from the center of town.

"I'm glad to see you're all
alright," the elder wizard exclaimed. "I just saw the town hall. I
was worried."

"Nothing to worry
about," Holli proclaimed. "The demon's last gasp. Nothing more."

"The inferns around the
valleys have been removed," Jure acknowledged. "I assume everything
else has been taken care of?"

Enin nodded.

"So what do we do now?"
Ryson wondered.

It was Jure who considered the
tragedy amid their success.

"If there are no other
threats here, I'd like to get Heteera back to Connel," the elder wizard
requested as he looked to Enin.

Enin grimaced and then explained
everything that had happened in Huntston.

"You did what you had to
do," Jure stated.

"I'm thankful you
understand," Enin acknowledged.

"I just wish we didn't have
to lose her in all this," the elder wizard admitted. "She had so much
potential. Well, at least we dealt with everyone that was responsible."

"Not all of them," Holli
announced. "There is still one last matter we must resolve."

They all knew what she was
referring to, and they all understood that while the valleys had been saved,
their work was not quite finished.

With that thought, the delver
scanned the burned out buildings around them. Ashlan had not been completely
destroyed, but it had suffered. The demon fires consumed many blocks of the
western portion of the city, and it served as a stark reminder as to just how
much danger they had all faced.

"What about Ashlan? Jure was
able to use his magic to restore the damage done by the goblins. Should we do
something about the damage caused by the fire?"

It was Enin who answered quickly.

"No, the people of this city
chose their leaders, and they did not choose well. Let them deal with at least
some of the consequences of their decisions. Let them rebuild. It will be a
good lesson for them."

Queen Therese Folarok, ruler of
Dunop, entered Sterling through
tunnels reserved for dwarf royalty and their escorts. She arrived with an
extremely large contingent of dwarf royal guards, but rather than enter the
palace directly, she bypassed the castle entrance and walked across the open
streets of Sterling.

Sterling's
own royal palace guards revealed surprise at her arrival. She had stirred a
great deal of attention and many of the dwarf citizens gathered around her as
she stopped in front of the castle's main gate.

A diplomat quickly exited the
palace to greet the royal party from Dunop, but displayed a sense of anxiety
regarding both the queen's appearance and her method of arrival. He bowed to
the queen upon greeting her as he regained his composure.

"Forgive me, your highness,
but we did not expect you. If I seem a bit stunned, it is because we received
no word of your visit. I'm also slightly concerned about your safety out in the
streets. May I direct you into the palace?"

Queen Therese smiled but then
revealed her own surprise.

"You feel I am in danger among
the dwarves of Sterling? I doubt
that is the case. I must admit, though, I am surprised by their apparent lack
of grief. I expected a greater display of mourning."

"I'm not sure I follow
you," the diplomat admitted.

"Surely the death of Sterling's
queen would generate some sentiment of sorrow, but they appear as if the
tragedy has not even occurred. While I don't expect open wailing from
stout-hearted dwarves, I am surprised at the level of ambivalence. I believed
the queen was well thought of among her followers, yet I see nothing to
indicate her passing—not a single memorial, not one display of remembrance.
Have you done nothing to honor her?"

The assertion agitated the
diplomat once more, and he nervously looked about at the growing crowd of
dwarves. Many had heard Queen Therese's question, and whispers among them were
quickly turning into questions of their own.

"I assure you, your highness,
the queen is very much alive. She and the king have been quite ill, struck down
by a harsh disease, but they are slowly recovering."

The queen showed resolve toward
her own assertion.

"Recovering? I doubt that is
possible. No, I am quite certain the queen has passed."

She then turned to the gathering
crowd.

"Has anyone seen or even
heard from the queen in the past season? No? The season before? No? When was
the last time anyone here has actually seen the queen?"

The questions were growing
stronger among the dwarf citizens of Sterling
and the diplomat moved to quiet them.

"I saw the queen this very
morning," he announced. "She is weak still, not ready to venture from
the comforts of her room. Certainly, she would like to address her subjects,
but we must, of course, focus on her health. When she is fully recovered, she
will thank those that have shown concern for her."

"And would you allow me to
visit the queen right now?" Therese questioned.

"I will check with her, but I
believe she is resting."

"I won't disturb her. Let me
simply look in upon her, and then I will return to the fine dwarves of Sterling
and reassure them that the queen is in fact recovering."

"I'm afraid the queen had a
relapse this morning," a voice called out from the palace doors.

Ulet Bulharp marched down the
steps and bowed before Queen Therese. She directed her response to the Queen of
Dunop but spoke loud enough for all the dwarves gathered to hear.

"She would have been pleased
to see you. She knows you have had a difficult time in Dunop."

Therese knew that Ulet was
referring to the uprising of the separatists that occurred in Dunop many seasons
ago, an uprising that was fueled by the very same Strog Grandhammer who had
secretly taken over the palace in Sterling.

"The difficult times are in
the past. We have recovered well."

"And what of the king, Jon
Folarok, has he also recovered?"

"I'm afraid he still has a
long way to go."

"Then you can appreciate how
long it will take for our queen to recover. The sickness was severe."

"What of
your
king?" the queen asked. "Perhaps I could speak with
him?"

"The king and queen were
struck by the same disease. He is also not quite ready to receive royal guests.
I hope you can understand."

"But he is being cared
for?"

"Of course."

Therese frowned and shook her head
slightly.

"I find all of this very odd.
I did hear the king and queen had taken ill, and yes, it was a strong
sickness." Therese continued with a firmer voice as her stare bored into
the face of the battle commander. "Disease cast by a draevol is very
powerful indeed."

Ulet remained stone faced. If she
was surprised by the revelation, she did not reveal it.

The queen was not deterred by the
battle commander's stoic silence and pressed the issue for all to hear.

"Are you not going to deny
the royal couple were struck down by the plague spell of a demon?"

"I am not a physician. I know
they were ill, but from where they obtained the disease, I cannot say. I am
somewhat concerned you seem to know so much about this." The dwarf battle
commander then saw an opportunity to cast doubt upon the Queen of Dunop.
"How is it that you have knowledge of our king and queen's health? You
spoke of a draevol. How does a dwarf queen know the source of a mysterious
sickness when the castle physicians are unable to identify the cause?"

"Are you making an
accusation?"

The battle commander remained
cool. She could only guess as to how the Queen of Dunop gained such knowledge,
but it was in her interest to quell the storm Therese was creating. While Ulet
would not make a direct allegation, she certainly did not hesitate to throw
further suspicion on Dunop's queen.

"Accusations? Based on what?
I have no knowledge of a draevol. It was you who brought it up. I find that...
odd."

Therese decided to confront the
battle commander with the complete truth.

"What I find odd is that you
wish to deny certain events of the past. The King of Sterling is not being
cared for at all. He is a prisoner and has been removed from the palace. The
queen, as much as it pains me to say, has been murdered... murdered by the
rebel separatist Strog Grandhammer, the same separatist who led the revolt in
Dunop against my husband, Jon Folarok."

"I'm afraid your information
is incorrect," Ulet answered swiftly, refusing to back down or show any
sign of unease. "I do not wish to show disrespect to dwarf royalty. If it
will serve you, I will accompany you to the king's quarters and you may see for
yourself."

"And I'm afraid my royal
guards would never let me put myself in such peril. We are quite aware that
Strog Grandhammer has assumed control of the palace. This is why the king and
queen have not been seen. Strog Grandhammer is a murderer, and you take your
orders from him. You are as guilty as he."

Ulet remained unbroken in the face
of such accusations.

"As I said, I am unwilling to
show any disrespect, but if you are intent on making unfounded charges, I must
ask that you return to Dunop. This incident must be dealt with through proper
diplomatic channels."

"That is how you would leave
it?" Therese demanded. "You wish that I would simply turn around and
vanish while you harbor a wanted criminal of Dunop, a separatist dwarf guilty
of many crimes?"

"Strog Grandhammer is not in Sterling,"
Ulet answered resolutely. "As for you, Sterling
is not prepared to meet with royalty from Dunop. We ask that you respect our
wishes and return home. That word comes directly from the queen."

It was not Therese who responded,
but a familiar voice that rang out far behind Dunop's line of royal guards.

"How is that possible, since
you are unable to speak with the dead?"

Holli Brances stepped out of the
shadows as she let her cloaking spell dissolve. As it did, another figure
recognizable to the battle commander came into Ulet's view.

"I can assure you that Strog
Grandhammer is in Sterling and he
is in the palace," Ryson Acumen announced. "I saw him there myself.
He had me chained and ordered that I be killed."

Ulet fumed, but did not panic.
Once more she spoke for the increasing crowd of dwarves to hear.

"Now I understand. The Queen
of Dunop is obviously under a spell of deceit. She enters Sterling
with an elf guard who practices sorcery and a delver who is wanted for killing
three dwarf guards of Sterling."

"I am the one who killed
those guards," Holli responded. "They were intent on handing Ryson
Acumen over to goblins... a death sentence handed down by Strog
Grandhammer."

"You admit you murdered three
dwarf guards, and the delver stands by you. That is enough for me to doubt
everything that has been said here."

One more voice called out from the
far side of the wide street before the palace... away from the rest of the
crowd.

"Very well played, but the
charade is over."

Three figures stood previously
unnoticed, but when the crowd turned, every dwarf recognized the face of the
shortest individual. His face was gaunt and he trembled slightly, but there was
no denying it was the King of Sterling.

Ulet stood frozen, staring at her
king.

Enin called out again.

"Well commander? I thought
the king was being well cared for. Is that why I found him imprisoned in
desolate tunnels under a human town to the east? It was not an easy task to
find him, dwarves are very resistant to magic, but my friend and I worked
together and devised a spell that would call to a royal dwarf's ear. All he had
to do was answer, and he did. He led us right to him."

The third figure, Jure, decided to
remain quiet. He simply watched with growing satisfaction as Ulet failed to
respond to Enin's revelations.

"After the draevols were
defeated, I took the liberty of contacting Queen Therese. I explained to her
all of the occurrences in Sterling."

Enin went on to list the actions of
Strog Grandhammer and his alliances with goblins, demons, and corrupt humans.
As the string of crimes grew, the crowd of dwarves listened in hushed
astonishment.

"I had hoped the queen would
offer advice as how to inform the people of Sterling
of the truth without causing widespread violence. She was kind enough to
accompany us here in order to lend both credence and stability to these most
difficult times."

A long silence prevailed, Ulet
unable to answer the charges. It was the weakened yet stout form between Enin
and Jure who brought the confrontation to its inevitable conclusion. The crowd
separated for their king and allowed the true leader of Sterling
to walk up to his palace steps. Dozens of soldiers emptied out of side streets
and fell in behind their king who addressed the rebel battle commander with
angry disdain and conviction in his trembling voice.