Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (31 page)

"Nothing out of the ordinary.
There's going to be some rough spots. Refugees are going to argue over who gets
what house and so forth, but it shouldn't be too bad once they're reminded that
any house is better than a tent out near the woods. The town has to be cleaned
up. Dwarves will build, but they're not going to tidy up the place. With that
and the logging, there's plenty of work to keep everyone busy, but there will
always be a slacker or two. That's nothing new and every town deals with
that."

"Is that it?"

The optimism finally left the
sergeant's voice as he offered the one concern that could not be removed. His
true worry centered on the problem as a whole, and it offered challenges beyond
Pinesway.

"The only thing that bothers
me is the refugees keep coming. I've got guards patrolling the fields to the
east of Burbon's wall. They're directing newcomers to Pinesway. They haven't
stopped coming. You know that. You issued the order."

"I know," Sy offered
with a clear burden shaping his expression. It seemed he would have to hold to
his worries. He wanted to keep Burbon safe and to keep his promise to its
people, but the nagging issue of the valleys just wouldn't go away.

The sergeant continued with
complete honesty, the same basic truth he gave his captain when they spoke
previously of the problem.

"Don't get me wrong. It's a
good plan. You did more than just buy time. You created an opportunity to
rebuild Pinesway and moved the refugees out of immediate harm, but it's not the
final solution. There's space in Pinesway—a great deal of space—but if they
don't stop leaving the valleys, even Pinesway will reach its limit. We might be
right back where we started."

It
was
the truth. The stream of refugees hadn't stopped. It hadn't
even let up. Sy couldn't argue that point, but he also knew he wasn't alone.
Enin was aware of the problem as well, and the wizard had sent two of the most
capable individuals Sy had ever known to deal with the issue. The captain of
the guard would never grab at false hope, but he had faith in Ryson and Holli.

"We're going to be
alright," Sy said with a certainty that was born from that faith. "We
just have to give it some more time."

#

Jure sat in a wooden chair by
Heteera's bed. He watched her carefully. He suffered from near painful boredom,
but he would not leave her side. He could not talk to her; she would not
respond. He wouldn't allow anyone else in the room; it was simply too
dangerous. He couldn't even practice the most minor spell; her unpredictable
condition made any such attempt foolish at best. He simply sat, or paced, and
then sat again, all the while hoping for signs that the sorceress might break
from her self-induced trance.

He closely monitored the magic
that he could sense around Heteera. Only a small trickle of energy flowed into
her, but deep within, he knew she held an ocean of power. Despite his deft
control over magic, the sheer enormity of the energy was frightening. So much
had been sealed within her that she was more like an enchanted entity than a
living being.

He thought of Ingar's Sphere, the
talisman that once held nearly every pulse of magic in Uton. He couldn't
imagine how such a vessel could have consumed so much power, but perhaps that
is why it was such a threat to the land. He heard that Ryson's sword had split
the sphere open in a great battle with the ghost of Ingar, but he knew that it
was Ryson's soul that triumphed over Ingar, not the delver's enchanted weapon.

Jure did not yet have Enin's
ability to transverse dimensional planes, but his own faith was strengthened by
what the magic had taught him. His awareness had grown with his use of the
energy. Life was so much more than what surrounded him on a physical plane. He
knew the journey started well before birth and continued on after death. They
were not alone, left to their own devices. He understood the true force of
benevolence, and that the magic was
meant
to return to Uton. He held to that faith, and he looked for his own purpose in
serving the land... and in helping Heteera.

He wished he could break through
to her, but it wasn't simply a matter of reaching out and waking her from a
deep sleep. She didn't sleep. She just stared up at the ceiling, blinking every
now and then to remind the elder wizard that she was still alive, reminding him
that she deliberately withdrew from life and hid from her self-doubts.

She had such natural power—the
inherent ability to absorb and cast out magic of each hue. Her aptitude in this
regard far surpassed Jure's, but the capacity for power was a gift to her,
probably at birth. She never had to work to increase it, to strengthen it.

What she was not given was
control. The energy was always there, but it defied her will. The more she
tried to shape it, the more it raged against her. It was almost as if she was
blessed with a beautiful singing voice but was made tone deaf.

Jure was not as blessed... or as
cursed. He developed his natural sense for magic and worked diligently to
extend his talents. He earned the ability to cast a pure circle of power, and
eventually, he gained the capability to cast equally with each hue. His casting
in white magic was developed through time and practice.

For whatever reason, they had been
brought together. Jure had utilized Heteera's energy to defeat an extremely
powerful wizard. Although he had to cast the barrier which added to Heteera's
current state, he believed that he had done what he needed to do, what he was
meant
to do.

He could not, however, accept that
Heteera would pay for that course of action, and if she did, she would not do
so alone. His decision to attend to her went far beyond Enin's wishes. He made
it based on his own convictions. He would accept total responsibility for his
decisions, even if the consequences were ultimately altered by Heteera herself.
He would not walk away from the sorceress, and he would not simply allow her to
remain in a suspended state.

Just like Sy Fenden, Jure knew he
was not alone, but his view of assistance and allies went beyond the mortals
that walked the land of Uton,
even beyond the enormously powerful Enin. Not every step had purpose, but
certain aspects of life had to be faced with a devotion to faith, regardless of
opposing hopes and desires. Just as he had been brought together with Heteera
and Holli to defeat an arrogant and dangerous wizard, he would be guided to his
next purpose. He would have another moment of fate, a moment to do what was
right. With all his heart, he believed providence would not only lead him
there, but direct him in exactly what to do... and so, he waited.

"Why did you bring another
scent bag?" Ryson asked, as he almost gagged at the overpowering stench.

The delver staggered backwards out
of the tunnel that led to Sterling
and back into open air. They had initially been met by dwarves that guarded the
entrance, but they were allowed to pass, even encouraged. It was only when they
took several steps into the tunnel that they were confronted by another half
dozen dwarves in battle gear rushing up the passage. One held a putrid smelling
sack and waved it about vigorously upon reaching the opening.

"We were alerted to the
presence of a goblin." Ulet Bulharp explained, the same dwarf battle
commander who met Ryson and Holli once before near the hillside entrance to Sterling.
She quickly took command of the situation and demanded information from the
dwarf guards at the entrance.

"Only these three?"

"That's all," one
replied quickly.

Ulet was not satisfied.

"Recall all outer patrols.
Search the surrounding hills only, but leave four guards at the entrance.
Secure the pass. No one goes through without being checked and no one else gets
into Sterling until I say so."

"We were not followed,"
Holli assured the dwarf commander.

Ulet ignored the elf and instead
focused on the delver.

"Do you smell any other
goblins in the area?"

"All I can smell is what's in
that bag," Ryson revealed.

Ulet appeared satisfied by the
response, but Holli remained confused and realized the dwarf had not answered
the delver's question adequately. She repeated it.

"Why would you bring a goblin
scent bag to confront another goblin?"

Though she obviously did not
appreciate having her deeds questioned, the dwarf battle commander offered an
explanation.

"We do not want goblins
sniffing around our tunnels. We thought it would be best to confuse it with a
scent from its own kind."

"The goblin is our
prisoner," Holli noted. "We brought it here with a warning."

Ulet quickly examined the goblin
that was blindfolded and bound, but then placed a suspicious glare upon the
elf.

"What kind of warning?"

"Goblins have infiltrated a
dwarf mine under the human town of Huntston.
This goblin was one of many that were stealing precious minerals from the mine.
There is an entire horde within the shaft, and we are concerned that they might
eventually obtain access to Sterling
itself."

"Sterling
is well guarded," Ulet replied in a near growl. "This is why you
brought a dark creature to the entrance of our city?"

"We brought it here so you
could question it," Holli defended her decision. "As you can see, we
took precautions. The monster has been blindfolded for most of the journey. It
has no idea of its location."

"Question a goblin? A feeble
reason to risk the sanctity of our home."

"Risk? A blindfolded goblin a
risk to Sterling? Goblins in the
dwarf mines seem a much more brazen act."

"We do not like any such
risks," Ulet stewed.

Holli remained confused over the
dwarf's reaction, but as she hoped to gain her assistance, she quickly offered
an apology.

"You will have to forgive me
then. I believed a prisoner would have been useful to you."

The dwarf battle commander
frowned, but then issued an order to the several dwarves that accompanied her
up the tunnel.

"You three, take the goblin
beyond the entrance to the edge of the pass. Guard it carefully. I will return
and handle the interrogation myself. The rest of you accompany me to the
palace." She turned her attention back to Holli. "You will also have
to come with us. You must give a full accounting of what you have seen."

"I understand."

The delver lifted his hand from
his mouth and nose long enough to make a request of his own.

"Can they leave the sack
outside. It's going to make me sick if I have to walk near it."

"I'm afraid not, my friend. I
don't wish to leave it out in the open. I will send it ahead first, but you
will have to adjust your senses to the smell."

Holli was about to question the
decision, but Ryson spoke first.

"If you can get it as far
away from me as possible, I'd appreciate it."

Ulet nodded to the dwarf holding
the sack, and the foul smelling bag was carried quickly away from the delver.
The dwarf commander allowed a few moments to pass before following, but then
urged them all to move quickly down the tunnel.

The thick goblin scent hung heavy
in the air, and Ryson choked out a cough on several occasions during their
descent. He placed his hands over his nose and mouth, even pulled up his shirt
to act as a filter, but he could not avoid the pungent aroma.

The odor was strong, nearly
unbearable for Holli as well. It overwhelmed everything in the tunnel and the
elf couldn't comprehend why it was necessary to pollute their path with such a
stench. She understood that dwarves utilized ventilation with superior talents.
Perhaps they believed fresh air rushing through the passage would quickly flush
away the abominable odor, but she felt no breeze from either end of the tunnel.
She almost openly questioned the dwarf commander's choice of tactics when the
tunnel made a sharp break to the left.

After the turn, the passage
spilled out into a wide open expanse that allowed for a stunning view of Sterling.
The dwarf city sprawled out before them like a welcoming oasis. Thoughts of the
foul odor died quickly away as the vastness of open space consumed the
lingering traces and a breath of clean air billowed into their faces. With but
a few steps, they walked into a gigantic cavern which served as a foundation
for the spectacular dwarf sanctuary.

For the delver, the experience
brought sheer joy to his heart. Ryson had only witnessed one other dwarf city,
and that was Dunop near Dark Spruce
Forest. Entering that city was a
moment etched into his mind, for witnessing dwarf construction on such a scale
was a view that could only be matched by the most stunning displays of nature.
The revelation of a second dwarf city actually surpassed his expectations,
something he did not think possible.

Sterling
seemed the most appropriate name, as the city filled the open cavern with
reverent majesty, and Ryson wondered if he had stepped into a dream. The
brightness of everything about him defied the ceiling of rock over their heads.
Ryson gaped at the magnificence of every structure and the radiant beauty of
the city as a whole. His concept of a dwarf city had been based on his exposure
to Dunop's sculptured excellence, but Sterling
widened his expectations of dwarf construction to include painted brilliance.
He tried to put the two cities in perspective, but making comparisons was a
daunting task.

As he recalled the dwarf city in
Dark Spruce, he remembered that Dunop was entirely carved from stone. Every
home, shop, and tavern was formed from the rock deep below the surface. The
dwarves used iron to support certain structures and bridges, but the city
appeared as a perfectly refined and ornately detailed stone sculpture. Dunop's
castle stood as the centerpiece, an intricate collection of spires and towers
reaching up from a foundation of granite. The citadel, the city itself, was a
testament to strength, like the mighty fist of a warrior giant.