Kathir's Redemption (Book 6) (15 page)

Once Bolrakei was out of earshot, Kathir muttered angrily,
“
Life would be a lot easier for everyone if the orcs had killed her.
”

Skemtun shot him a look.
“
Be quiet! Please don
’
t talk about her like that
—
someone could overhear ye. Things are difficult enough as it is.
”

“
She
’
s intolerable,
”
said Kathir.

Skemtun nodded.
“
I know, I know. I
’
ll have to keep an eye on her. I can
’
t let her ruin things
”

At least they both agreed on that. Whatever nasty tricks she was planning, neither one of them was about to let her get away with it.

All the clans agreed to hold a peace talk a few days later. Bolrakei, Skemtun, and the dragon riders were invited inside the Highport Caverns for the first time. Although the smaller caves were unfinished, the main cavern was enormous. Huge stalagmites made for difficult walking, and none of the footpaths were finished. The sound of dripping water in the background followed them wherever they went.

Inside the caves, the temperature was cool, and the air smelled faintly of moss and fertilizer. Torches lined the walls, but only a few of them were lit, in order to conserve fuel. There was also the ever-present odor of pig meal.

“
Where is all your livestock?
”
asked Skemtun.

“
We only raise pigs. The pens are outside the mountain, on the banks of the creek. It
’
s easier to feed and care for them there. Plus, the smell is less bothersome when their pens are outside.
”

Utan led them to a small meeting room close to the gates, and they all sat down at a rough-hewn table. The floor of the cave was covered with fine sand.

Kathir leaned against the wall and prepared to watch the proceedings in silence. As an outsider with no rank, Kathir was barred from speaking. Bolrakei had tried to block Kathir
’
s entry into the negotiation, But Skemtun had insisted that he be allowed to observe, since Bolrakei insisted on bringing several of her advisors.

The dragon riders, Sela and Elias, were also present, but acting only as observers.

Once they all sat down, it didn
’
t take long for the dwarves to start arguing.

“…
I
’
m just saying that everyone needs to pull their own weight,
”
Utan said.

“
My clan can
’
t spend their time doing menial labor,
”
Bolrakei sniffed. 
“
We
’
re highly-skilled artisans. We earn more money cutting gemstones. That
’
s what we
’
re trained to do. We would be most useful in that role.
”

Silence hung in the room for a moment.

Utan shook his head.
“
I won
’
t allow that. Ye just want things to go back to how they were before. We have no use for yer baubles and gewgaws here! What we
really
need is more farmers and laborers.
”

“
You
’
re being unreasonable!
”
Bolrakei said.

“
I
’
m not bein
’
unreasonable,
”
argued Utan.
“
If ye want to share this mountain with us, Klorra-Kanna must do their share of the hard labor, just like everybody else.
”

“
That
’
s ridiculous!
”
she replied, her voice rising to a shout.

Skemtun sat between them, not responding. He was totally shocked and didn
’
t know what to say.

“
Ye think that shouting will get ye what ye want,
”
Utan continued.
“
Well, it won
’
t work! Not here. My people can wait inside this mountain forever, and we don
’
t
ever
have to allow ye inside. Shout until ye
’
re blue in the face, for all I care. Ye
’
re the ones who need our help, not the other way around.
”

Bolrakei pounded her fist on the table.
“
You forget yourself! My ancestry is royal
—
do you even understand what that means?
”

Utan
’
s eyes locked onto hers.
“
Yer bloodline means nothing to me, Bolrakei, and it never will. There aren
’
t any princesses here.
”

“
How dare you speak to me so disrespectfully
—
how dare you!
”
Bolrakei cried, springing to her feet.
“
I come from royal blood. I deserve to be queen by right! I am from the highest family, and your father was nothing more than a lowly peasant farmer!
”

Utan gasped.
“
How dare ye insult my family! I
’
m done here! This negotiation is over!
”

“
Wait
—
are ye sure you want to give up so quickly?
”
asked Skemtun, finally speaking.

“
I
’
m leavin
’
,
”
said Utan.
“
I didn
’
t come here to be insulted.
”

Skemtun sighed and put his face in his hands. He knew that the negotiations couldn
’
t continue without Utan. If he wouldn
’
t agree to a treaty, then they were stuck at a stalemate.

Utan gave the dragon riders a respectful nod and left the negotiation room.
“
My guards will escort ye all out. The dragon riders are welcome to stay.
”

Bolrakei spun on her heel and left, followed by her advisors.

“
This is hopeless,
”
Skemtun muttered.
“
Bolrakei is ruining everything.
”

“
We
’
ll try again in a few days,
”
said Kathir quietly.
“
Maybe the dragon riders can talk some sense into her.
”

“
Maybe,
”
said Skemtun, but he was doubtful. It was frustrating to have to return to his people without any good news to report. Bolrakei was the problem, but at least half the dwarves supported her unquestioningly
—
partly because of her high birth, but also because of her unwavering belief in the superiority of the
“
old ways.
”

Even under these difficult circumstances, most of the clans still considered the Vardmiters beneath them, and they expected the Vardmiters to capitulate to their demands.

Old prejudices were hard to break. Skemtun was learning that the hard way.

They walked outside, and Skemtun paused on the hillside to view the camp. The refugee camp sprawled before them on the lower slopes of the mountain. Many dwarves were constructing outdoor shelters with whatever materials they could find. There were a few large tents, wooden lean-tos, and simple shacks. Skemtun didn
’
t like the idea of living the rest of his life
outside
a mountain; it just wasn
’
t the way dwarves should live.

Bolrakei and a few of her advisors had claimed a nicer section of the camp for themselves. She had also bullied other dwarves into building her a large shelter so she could protect her jewel boxes.

“
We need to find a way to break this deadlock,
”
said Skemtun quietly as they headed back toward the camp.
“
The longer this goes on, the harder it
’
ll be to change anything.
”

“
Bolrakei is the main problem,
”
replied Kathir.
“
Utan dislikes her intensely, and I can
’
t say I blame him. Can
’
t you just overrule her?
”

Skemtun shook his head.
“
It
’
s not that simple. I can
’
t oppose her directly without splitting the clans even further. She
’
s got powerful supporters, and she
’
s descended from a very important family. Her lineage means a lot, especially to her own clan. Many dwarves who believe exactly as she does
—
they believe that the Vardmiters are beneath us. I
’
ll admit that I used to feel the same way myself.
”

“
You
’
ll have to work something out soon,
”
Kathir said.
“
How long can your people live exposed on this side of a mountain? There
’
s a blanket of snow on the ground, and it
’
s getting colder every day.
”

“
At least we have enough to eat.
”
Skemtun tried to remain positive, but he knew that things were bad. Two more of his clan had died last night. Even with enough food, Highport was a harsh place.

“
I don
’
t understand what Bolrakei is gaining from this,
”
Kathir said.

“
She
’
s very prideful, but she isn
’
t stupid. Klorra-Kanna became the richest clan in dwarvish history under her rule
—
she
’
s rich beyond all measure. If there
’
s one thing Bolrakei knows how to do well, it
’
s how to make money.
”

Skemtun and Kathir kept walking through the camp. They went silent for a moment as they approached a group of dwarves huddled in a circle. They cooked a freshly skinned rabbit over a small campfire. Skemtun stopped to greet them.

Kathir stepped back a respectful distance and took some time to think. He
’
d spent a lot of time working for powerful people who manipulated those around them. Once they resumed walking, he asked Skemtun,
“
What if Bolrakei
’
s motives are more sinister? Maybe creating obstacles is part of her plan. Could she aggravate things until a final battle occurs?
”

“
It
’
s possible, I suppose.
”

Kathir looked at his friend.
“
What happens when your clans are so sick and tired of freezing outside that they attempt to take this mountain by force?
”

Skemtun sighed.
“
Most of our soldiers are dead, and the Vardmiters don
’
t have any military trainin
’
. A battle between the clans would be a disaster. Both sides would suffer heavy casualties.
”

Kathir frowned.
“
We know that, but does Bolrakei? Does she even
care
?
”

“
She sees the Vardmiters as a bunch of misfits, so deep down, she believes we can beat them. She
’
s blinded by her arrogance and prejudice.
”

“
You have to stop her,
”
Kathir insisted.

The old dwarf sighed.
“
I know that, but what would ye have me do? I can
’
t oppose her, at least not openly. Her clan is too powerful.
”

“
Come on, man! Take charge here. Go talk to Utan. Alone.
”

“
And what if Bolrakei discovers that I went behind her back?
”
Skemtun countered.
“
I
’
m not a king! I
’
m just a clan leader. I don
’
t have more authority than she does. In fact, I have
less
.
”