The Unknown Man: Book 1 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series (25 page)

“Thank you, High Clan Chief.” He nodded to each clan chief one by one. “Thank you to all of the clan chiefs for allowing us this audience.” He turned his attention back to Hirig. “You inquired into how these items came into my possession, and I wish I could tell you.” A look of concern crept on his face. He knew this would be a difficult task. He told his tale, beginning with his discovery on the beach, ending with the present moment. He added, “I can also remember being in Drognard before. My journey through your city has given me a bad case of déjà vu.” Noise erupted again as many of those gathered began speaking to one another in a cacophony of sound.

Hirig stood again and rapped his scepter on the floor, bringing everyone's attention back to the point at hand. Hirig stepped forward and gazed down to the floor below the dais. “I will be honest Tirene, I don’t recognize your face nor do I recognize your name. I find it hard to believe you have been amongst us before. I have over five hundred years and would remember a ceremony like this. What else can you remember? Do you remember me?”

Tirene smiled at him. “Thank you, High Clan Chief.” He nodded at Hirig as the chief regally sat back down. “That is part of the hole in my memory. It seems I don’t remember people, including myself. I can remember small things, but most of my memories are a blank hole. I don’t recognize you, nor your name, but I have vague memories of this hall, as I have in all of the places we’ve traveled thus far.”

Tirene could tell they were getting nowhere, and he had to convince them. He decided to take a drastic step. He looked toward Liniana, who nodded her agreement.

Tirene pulled out the small chain hidden beneath his breastplate. Attached to the end of the chain sat the silver medallion identifying him as a keeper of the orbs. Liniana also pulled from beneath her tunic a similar necklace. Tirene raised his hand, displaying the burn he had on his hand. Hirig crept toward the edge of the dais to examine the items. He grasped the medallion hanging from Tirene's neck and felt a small flow of energy. Hirig knew the medallions were put in place using an incantation and were impossible to remove. Tirene brought up the palm of his hand to display it for Hirig. Hirig ran his fingers over the scar as he looked up and gazed into Tirene's eyes. “This is amazing.” A hush fell over the hall as realization dawned.

He looked at Liniana and examined her medallion as well. It looked identical to Tirene's, but the metal used for hers wasn’t as precious. He moved his gaze back to Tirene. “It’s apparent you two are keepers, and if I understand the rumors, you have one in your possession.”

Tirene nodded as he bent down to pull the orb from his bag, retrieving it with one hand. Liniana sat back down and slid her keeper medallion underneath her tunic. Tirene raised the orb high enough to be visible on the dais as commotion arose from the gathered Dwarves. They marveled at what was displayed before them.

Tirene let them look at it for a moment, but then put it back in his bag for safekeeping. “So while I have holes in my memory, this should prove to you what I have told you is the truth.” He let these words settle in before he proceeded. “I don’t know what my mission is, but it appears it’s interwoven with the events transpiring around the continent. I need to reach Norlun and it’s of the utmost importance.” He bowed his head to the High Clan Chief. “This is why we request the aid of the Ironhammer Dwarves. Your tunnel system will allow us to shave a month off our journey. If my purpose is to put an end to the conflict in the north, I need to know how and why, and we all believe Norlun is the only one who can help me with this.” He bowed his head to all of the Dwarves on the council, one at a time. “I thank you for listening to our pleas, and I await your decision.”

Hirig acknowledged him and motioned for him to sit down. He rapped his scepter on the floor of the dais once again. He turned and nodded to one side of the platform then did the same to the other. “You have given the council much to deliberate. While I tend to lean toward believing your story—and would love to lend assistance—it’s up to all of the clan chiefs to decide.” He stopped and acknowledged the entire hall. “This meeting is adjourned for one hour while I meet with the chiefs to determine the proper course of action. You will be summoned to return when we’ve reached our verdict. Until then, you’re all dismissed.” He brought his scepter down on the floor as the bells above the chamber tolled once again.

Commotion clamored through the hall while the Dwarves all filed out of the audience chamber. Tirene and his party stood, and Jaeden turned to Tirene with a broad smile on his face. “Well that went well, I do believe.”

Liniana turned to Tirene. “Did you see the look on their faces when they saw the medallions? I think it might have won them to our cause. There is no way they can turn down our request now.”

Tirene nodded. “While I felt it necessary to reveal them, it might still hinder our cause. The medallions themselves could cause fear in the council. Lutheras might view their assistance as a blatant move against the north. If word reaches him they gave us assistance, Drognard could become his next target.” The chamber had pretty much cleared out now. He motioned for them to leave but said, “I can only have faith they will see the urgency and how their help is crucial.” They all nodded their agreement and walked out of the chamber, following Tirene.

Back out in the city streets, they found Yordrinn and Aglina sitting on a bench against the wall. Yordrinn had his back turned, but Aglina waved them over as soon as she spotted as they towered over the Dwarves and stuck out like sore thumbs.

“Excellent job following the customs of my people.” She patted Tirene on the back. “If nothing else, you followed protocol.” She gave him a grin. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you had been honored by my people before. You were very courteous, and respected the council. Clearly you knew what to do.”

Tirene bowed his head and thanked her. Jaeden looked very excited. “Do you think they will vote in our favor?”

“I don’t see how they can. You used deceit to gain access to our city; something I will remember for a long time,” the old Dwarf sneered out the side of his mouth.

“You have to admit, nothing else would have broken through your stubbornness and allowed us to enter your halls. It was my only choice,” Tirene said.

Yordrinn looked like he’d been slapped in the face and began turning an ugly shade of red. “Calm down, Yordrinn!” This statement brought about a glare from her brother. “Oh, back yourself down before I have to slap you across your head.” She chuckled. “I know for a fact if you were in the same position, you wouldn’t have revealed half of what this man did. And he did it because of the necessity for his cause. Would you have been so brave? I tend to think not.” Yordrinn turned and acted as if he wanted to storm off. “Runaway then you overgrown buffoon.” This razz stopped him from doing what every urge in his body told him to do. She always knew how to get the reaction she wanted from her brother.

Liniana listened to the brother-sister feud. “Thank you for your assistance and your support, Aglina.” Liniana gave her a smile. “It’s nice to know at least someone here isn’t our enemy and this to understand our cause.”

Aglina waved her hand at Liniana. “It's nothing. I just recognize something more important than myself. You’re after more than the deception of the Dwarves.” She returned Liniana's smile. “You have done nothing to show me otherwise, and if there is someone who is out to capture all of the orbs—bent on conquering the world—well then I would like nothing better than to know I have done everything possible to stop it.” She nudged her brother on the shoulder. “Don’t listen to the useless prejudice of my brother. He means well, but when you have watched a number of people in your control die due to betrayal, you have to understand his position.”

Tirene stepped forward. “Even though I cannot say I remember everything, I’m sure I would be just as skeptical if I were in your position.” He nodded toward Yordrinn. “I don’t hold your comments against you. If anything, I can respect them, as I do your position.” Yordrinn nodded his begrudging acceptance.

Many of the Dwarves passing by spoke words of support for the Humans, making it seem that what they revealed today had, in fact, gone a long way toward garnering at least some backing. Tirene just hoped they’d earned enough from the members of the council to sway the vote.

The hour went by quickly. They had taken their positions next to Yordrinn and Aglina, but hadn’t been summoned yet. They expected to be called back within the hour, but now that the hour had passed, the minutes crawled by. Jaeden, who appeared bored, tried to get a reaction out of Matt and uttered an insult toward him. The pair had grown close over the past couple of weeks and they loved nothing more than insulting one another to get a rise out of each other. Some of the comments even brought about smiles while they waited. It wasn’t quite the relationship of a father and son, but more of a competition between two brothers separated by a large age gap.

When the second hour passed, the group became antsy and thoughts filled their heads; Tirene's mainly.
What happened to cause such a delay? The high chief
said
we would receive an answer after an hour. Why have we been waiting for over two hours now?

Liniana noticed Tirene looking worried; creases filled his forehead and he looked deep in thought. She put her arm on his shoulder and rested her head on his upper arm. She wanted to reassure him, but didn’t want to reveal too much about their relationship. He noticed her movements and her attempts to reassure him. He gave her a small, but heartfelt, smile. He wrapped his arm around her in a small half-hug. She whispered in his ear. “I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. They will see the need in offering us assistance.” He turned his head so he faced her. “You just have to have faith and realize some things are out of your control.”

He smiled at her, remembering when he gave her the same advice. “I hope you’re right. I just don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

As it turned out, they waited another hour and a half. With the extra time, they became very nervous and on edge. Matt and Jaeden had even fallen into silence now, as they worried about the ruling of the council. When they all felt like they could wait no longer, the council bell tolled three times. Tirene almost jumped out of his seat, eager to be back in the chamber.

Yordrinn noticed Tirene’s eagerness and he placed his hand up and reached for Tirene's chest to stop him. “We’ll arrive last. Let the audience fill in first. If we come in last, we’ll make more of an impression.” Tirene knew the Dwarf spoke the truth and took the moment to regain his composure.

They waited on the street while they watched the steady flow of Dwarves move into the chamber. It seemed like they weren’t in a rush, and it felt like they waited another hour to make their move into the chamber; although only a matter of minutes passed by.

With the streets empty and deserted, Yordrinn nodded to them and started his approach up the broad stone steps. They walked through the large double doors, and Tirene stumbled for a moment, shocked to see the council had already taken their seats and a couple of the members looked annoyed they’d been kept waiting. This brought about a sense of satisfaction in Tirene, but he did everything he could to hide it. They made their way down the aisle and stood in front of their seats. They remained standing, and the high chief rose from his own seat. He rapped his scepter on the floor, which brought about instant silence in the hall.

Hirig eyed each of the Humans. “We’ve reached our decision.” He waved his hands at Tirene and company. “You may be seated.” They nodded before taking their seats. “I know I said we would convene for an hour, but a couple of the chiefs wanted the claims made by Tirene validated.” He gave a rather broad grin. “I think you can all appreciate this, but it took some time.” Hirig looked to one of the other chiefs before returning his attention to Tirene. “It appears what you have said about the attacks has reached us in the form of rumors. We didn’t think much of them, as they involved Humans and we don’t worry about what is going on outside of our own cities.” A couple of snide jeers arose from members of the audience. “This news made some of the chiefs nervous about possible repercussions toward Drognard, and I’m afraid it doesn’t bode well for your request.” This brought about a lot of commotion from the commoners in attendance. Hirig pounded his scepter on the floor. “I will have silence!” He waited for the commotion to die down. “While we’re all in agreement you are who you say you are, we don’t wish to get involved.” He sneered toward a couple of the chiefs. “While it wasn’t a unanimous decision, we think it would be best if you left the Ironhammer halls and used the pass to the north.”

Chaos and resentment erupted, filling the chamber. Many comments could be heard relating to “
too much time sitting idle
”, and “
we should help the Humans before it’s too late and the Dwarves are forced to stand alone
.” Comments from the other side could be heard too. From “
glad the chiefs know how to make a good decision
,” to “
they betrayed us once, what’s to stop them from betraying us again
.” There were even confrontations between Dwarves on either side of the issue. Hirig slammed his scepter on the floor, trying to regain control, but he wasn’t having much success.

Tirene looked toward Aglina, but no one expected what happened. With a red face, she jumped out of her chair, knocking it over in the process. “OF ALL THE DIM WITTED, LACKADAISACAL THINGS YOU BUFFOONS COULD DO!” Her sudden outburst got the attention of many who attended. When it quieted down enough so she didn’t have to yell, she continued. “You have heard this man's story,” She thrust her hand toward Tirene. “He’s trying to protect the orbs, while at the same time protecting our hides, and you want to throw him out of our halls.” She shook her head back and forth, while a small, unnoticeable, smile crept on Hirig's face. “I knew many of you lacked any kind of wit, but I never, for a second thought you could make such a dumb decision.” Yordrinn tried to rein her in and many of the chiefs tried to get her to be silent, but Hirig allowed her to continue. “He’s a keeper of the orbs, has full plate armor and the finest blade I’ve ever laid eyes upon—both of Dwarven craftsmanship—but you choose to turn your backs on him.” She let her comments ring through the hall before continuing. “I cannot allow it.” Another pause. “In fact, I won’t allow it. You might turn your backs upon this group, but I think what they are after is far too important. If you insist upon this decision, then I will be forced to escort them myself and you can all be damned!” She turned her back on the council and turned to address Tirene. “Have your things prepared, we can leave within the hour, and we’ll be one hour closer to getting you out of these forsaken halls.”