Victim of Fate Read online

  "How did they make these?" Alto wondered aloud as he stared at one of the shelves. "There’s no seams; it’s like they cut the rock out from beneath and above them."

  "Dwarves are said to be master diggers," Patrina said. "Perhaps they possess some earth magic to aid them."

  "Bah!" Garrick spat on the ground, showing his thought of magic and dwarves with a simple gesture.

  Alto rolled his eyes at the large man’s antics. "Right, well, let’s move on."

  "Shouldn’t somebody be meeting us?" Patrina asked.

  "Let’s find out," Alto suggested. He started forward but Garrick moved ahead of him with his longer stride, cutting him off as he stepped into the opening that led into a short hallway that led to their right and left. Alto scowled but bit his tongue; he was beginning to get a sense of the barbarian the more time he spent around him.

  The hall ended in another storeroom to their right, forcing them back to the left where they entered yet another storeroom. This one had an open door at the end of it that opened into a hallway. Glowing lanterns lined the hallway, but it took only a glance for them to realize the lamps weren’t burning oil or pitch. They didn’t appear to be burning at all, from the steady white radiance they emitted.

  "What foul sorcery is this?" Garrick hissed. He shifted his torch to his other hand and drew his sword. The blade clipped the ceiling as he pulled it from the wolfskin scabbard on his back, causing the ringing noise to echo down the hallway.

  Alto looked up and down the passage, concerned by his reaction. He saw nothing, but a glance at the well-lit floor of the tunnel showed that the dirt and dust had been pushed to the sides of the passage. "Put your sword away," Alto cautioned. "They’re lamps. Probably been like this since the dwarves were here."

  "Evil magic," Garrick growled.

  "Perhaps, or maybe some natural stone that glows. Dwarves had delved deeper than any other race. They’ve no doubt found treasures and mysteries we’ve never dreamed of," Patrina reasoned.

  Garrick narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. Alto shifted to look at Patrina as well. "I thought you didn’t trust magic?"

  "I don’t," she said. "It’s beyond my knowing, but that doesn’t make it evil. It just means you don’t know what it is, or how to protect yourself from it."

  Alto nodded. He remembered the enchanted forest where he’d met Winter. That was an example of magic that was something he hoped to never have to deal with again, even if it meant learning how to protect himself from it.

  A clanking sound drew their attention down the hallway to their left, where the passage curved after thirty feet. A moment later, a crude wooden cart was pushed around the corner by a goblin.

  "Preth!" Garrick swore. He raised his sword and clanked it against the ceiling again.

  "Garrick, hold!" Alto snapped at him.

  The goblin let go of the cart and jumped back. He shrieked something in his guttural language and held out his hands.

  "Is that a dwarf?" Garrick demanded.

  "What? No! That’s a goblin," Alto said. "These mountains are full of these filthy little savages. We ran afoul of hundreds of them the last time."

  "So why not kill it?" he asked.

  Patrina stepped forward and approached the goblin. "Because this time maybe he can tell us where to go," she said. She turned back to the cowering goblin. "We just arrived—where do we go?"

  It shook its head after a moment of waiting for more from her. She scowled. "He doesn’t understand me. Stupid goblin."

  "He came from that way; let’s see where it leads," Alto suggested.

  Patrina held up her hand. "His cart’s full of rocks. I’d say he came from some mines. I think we’re more interested in where he’s going."

  "What about him?" Garrick still glared at the goblin.

  Alto frowned. He had no love for goblins but that didn’t mean there was a reason to risk discovery. "Leave him, won’t do us any good to leave a trail of corpses behind."

  "What if it tells them about us?" Garrick asked.

  "‘It’ is a he," Patrina pointed out. "And he doesn’t understand a word we’re saying."

  The goblin continued to stare at them with wide eyes and quaking shoulders. Alto sneered at it and turned away. "Come on," he said before leading the way down the passage. The tunnel curved to the left and went downhill at a shallow grade, complete with level spots every dozen paces. Noises drifted to them from the tunnel ahead. They heard the clanging of metal at first, and then an occasional shout reached their ears.

  "Is it getting warmer?" Patrina asked.

  Alto realized she was right. "Been trying to hear what’s ahead," he said. "But yeah, it is getting warmer."

  "Smell’s stronger, too," Garrick said.

  Alto sniffed. The northerner was right; the smell of smoke had grown thicker. The passage ahead curved around to the right and continued to turn until Alto judged they’d walked at least a half circle. The tunnel opened up ahead of them, revealing a breathtaking cavern that made them stop and stare with open mouths.

  Their tunnel emptied onto a wide shelf along the wall of a massive underground opening. A wide river flowed on the far side of the cavern’s floor, complete with docks that had rafts tied to them. There were six forges with chimneys that stretched to the ceiling more than a hundred feet above, as well as eight smelters gathered together near the downstream end of the river. Buildings made of stone were scattered about the cavern floor, with clear roads separating them and leading to tunnels that opened in the walls of the cavern.

  The ledge they were on sloped down the wall of the cavern, with additional openings in the wall leading to other tunnels. White lights scattered along the smooth roof of the cavern shone down on the cavern, lighting it evenly and showing the bustling life of the lost dwarven city. Goblins, men, and larger figures moved amongst the city and the forges.

  "What kind of ore was that?" Alto asked.

  Patrina snorted. "Do I look like a miner? It looked like the same rock we found before."

  "Silver?"

  "I don’t know, maybe."

  Alto frowned. "It looks like they’re using the forges."

  "Isn’t that how they get silver out of the rocks?"

  "The smelters get the ore from the rocks," Garrick said. "Forges turn iron into weapons and tools."

  Alto and Patrina turned to stare at him. Garrick shrugged. "I spent time learning the forge in my village. We learn each other’s trades. Life is harsh."

  "Sounds wise to me," Alto offered. "So what are they doing, smelting silver or making weapons?"

  "They’ve got resources enough to do both," Patrina said. "Goblins dig the rock then it’s brought here for both to be dealt with."

  "What’s a dragon need silver and weapons for?" Garrick asked.

  "They hoard treasure and beauty. They’ve no use for it, but owning and collecting it is all that matters to them," Alto said. Patrina raised an eyebrow at his sudden offering of knowledge. He blushed and admitted, "I asked Kar the same question a while back."

  "Weapons aren’t exactly art objects," Patrina said.

  "They can be items of power, Kar said, but I doubt they have master smiths working here," Alto said. "My bet is that the weapons are for the armies they’re putting together."

  "A sword takes days to make and requires many trades," Garrick said. "If they don’t care for quality it can be lessened, but the sword won’t hold an edge and it may break."

  "Spears? Clubs? Simpler weapons?" Alto asked.

  Garrick nodded. "Those are easier. Faster to forge the metal."

  "Now what? We’ve seen what they’re doing; should we leave?" Patrina asked.

  "We’ve made it in. I doubt anyone will have the chance to do it again," Alto said. "They’ll secure the entrance or close it and use another."

  "I’ve seen no proof this means my people are in danger," Garrick said.

  "It doesn’t bother you that there are goblins, trolls, ogres, and men working together?" Patri
na asked.

  Garrick shrugged. "My people wouldn’t do it, but these are not my people."

  "This is why your people do not have your own nation," she said. "You are blind to the obvious!"

  "We are not blind," Garrick growled at her. "We keep our eyes to ourselves and do not risk our lives in the affairs of others."

  "When you don’t make a choice, you’re making a choice," Patrina said.

  Alto stared at her as he considered her words. He nodded and smiled. "I like that; it makes sense."

  Patrina returned his grin. "My mother told me that once."

  "Lady Kenna is a wise woman."

  "You know my mother?" Patrina gasped.

  "I happened across her the day you’d been taken," Alto said.

  Patrina groaned. "I don’t want to know what she told you. You’re going to tell me, but I’m not looking forward to hearing it."

  "You two chatter like old women! Be silent—we’ve been seen!" Garrick hissed.

  They followed his eyes and saw a man wearing a chain shirt walking up the ledge towards them from where he’d emerged from a tunnel. He waved at them and, once he’d come within a score of feet, he called out to them. "New recruits? Only three of you? That’s enough, I suppose. Have you any skills? Ho! What’s this, a woman?"

  Alto was staggered by the rapid questions the man asked. He opened his mouth but hesitated, uncertain of which to respond to first. Patrina beat him to the punch. "Draw your blade and learn what a woman can do."

  He held up his hands and chuckled. "A warrior wench in a dress? This ain’t no playground, lass." He turned to look at Alto and Garrick. "If you think to bring your own whore, think again—the other boys’ll be wanting a turn."

  Patrina drew her blade and started towards him. "I’ll carve your tongue from your filthy face!"

  Alto grabbed her arm and held her back before she could get close enough to make good on her threat. The man stared at her in openmouthed shock and then he laughed again. "Makes no difference to me, but best of luck to you. If you want to stand a chance of keeping them legs of yours together, you’d best find yourself dressing like a man. Now what about skills, have you any?"

  "I’m Garrick, of the Snowbear clan. I can outrun a caribou and wrestle a wolf," Garrick boasted.

  The man stared up at Garrick and smirked. "I don’t give a damn who you are and if you’re lucky, I never will. Only time I keep track of names is when there’s trouble I have to deal with. As for the rest, I’ll keep that in mind in case we’re attacked by a herd of reindeer. How about you? Between the two of you I ’spect you could hold the mountain up in case it fell."

  Alto glanced at the scowling barbarian and then looked back to the speaker. "I’m a warrior. Good with horses, too."

  He snorted and then nodded his head down the ledge behind him. "I’m Eremius, a sergeant of sorts around here. That first passage on your right is where you’ll be staying till we’re ready."

  "Ready for what?" Alto asked.

  Eremius stared hard at him for a moment. "Ready for what comes next," he said. "There are training rooms and they’re making weapons daily to keep your skills sharp, but they aren’t worth a damn. Good thing you brought your own swords. Not much for ale but we get some when the food comes in. You’d think the dwarves would have had something stashed away but we haven't found nothing yet. Some parts of this place still ain't been looked into yet, though. Deep holes that nobody’s wanted to head into. We do got lots of water." He paused and leered at Patrina before adding, "And we got no women, at least not till now."

  "Sounds like fun," Patrina muttered.

  "Head in, find some bunks. We got no special rooms for you." He looked at Patrina directly. "Somebody’ll tell you what to do. Believe ’em or don’t, it’s up to you. I’ll be the one who brings in the official word. Man I report to is named Kazim; he’s a southlander with a big mustache and a big hat. As far as you’re concerned, he’s the king of these mountains."

  "A southlander?" Patrina echoed.

  "I hear the women down there couldn’t handle him anymore so he came north." Eremius grinned.

  Patrina’s scowl echoed Alto’s thoughts. Eremius was crude and disrespectful, but Alto knew he didn’t dare ruin their cover. Patrina glanced at him before he saw her swallow and flex the muscles in her jaws. She nodded and said, "I’ll be sure to avoid him."

  Eremius laughed and walked past them. "I’m off to check on the gate. If you’ve got any questions, figure it out yourself."

  After he passed, the three looked at one another. Only Garrick was grinning.

  "Won’t be long until he finds what we done," Alto said. "We need to figure something out."

  "Let’s check the tunnel he mentioned," Patrina said. "He was right about one thing. I need to get out of this dress!"

  Garrick’s grin widened.

  "Oh, knock it off." Patrina backhanded him in the belly and started down the ledge.

  Alto laughed at the northerner’s grunt and shocked look. He shook his head and said softly, "She finds a way to steal the wind from any man."

  Garrick straightened and scowled. "She hasn’t found the right man to show her how to be a proper woman then."

  Alto stood still as the barbarian strode past him after Patrina. He watched him go and then shook his head. He hurried after, clenching his teeth in irritation at the bold words Garrick had spoken. He was Patrina’s champion. She liked him, not the crass barbarian. He’d show the man that Patrina was a lady and not the sort of savage wench that Garrick was accustomed to.

  Chapter 20

  "Where do we go?" Patrina asked as they stopped at the first door in the tunnel. "Eremius didn’t say which door to take."

  "Try them all," Garrick suggested. He stepped up and tried the handle of the door, only to find it locked.

  "Great start," Patrina muttered.

  "Maybe this is Eremius’s room?" Alto wondered aloud.

  Patrina frowned as she stared at the door. "Then we really want to get inside there."

  Garrick tested the door to see if it had any give to it, and then backed up a step.

  "Wait!" Alto hissed. "If you can break that door in, we don’t need the noise and the attention."

  "You forget we’re in a bit of a rush?" Patrina asked him.

  "No, but are you dressed to fight off an army?" Alto reminded her.

  Garrick looked back and forth between the two. He scowled and then raised his foot and planted it against the door so hard he sent himself stumbling backwards when the door refused to budge. The noise, at least, was minimal.

  Patrina giggled. "Seems dwarven iron work is as good as they claim."

  Garrick scowled at the door.

  "Come on, let’s find where they store the weapons and armor for Trina," Alto said. He turned away and started down the tunnel, a smirk making its way onto his face at the barbarian’s failure to prove that strength could solve everything.

  Alto tried the next door and found it opened easily. He looked in on a room with two sleeping pallets set up on opposite sides of the room and an opening into another room on the far wall. A man was sitting on the pallet and putting on his boots.

  "What you want?" the red-haired man growled at them.

  "Um, hi. We’re new here," Alto stammered.

  "We’re full up, head up the hall. Any openings will be down a ways," he said. He turned away from Alto and reached for the boiled leather chest piece that was lying on the floor. His head whipped back around so his gaze could focus past Alto. He grinned at seeing Patrina. "Half a minute, your lady’s small enough I bet we could squeeze her in."

  Patrina’s smile left no doubt what she thought of his offer. "Thanks, but I heard there’s a pit of snakes I’d rather lay in."

  He stared at her as he digested her words, and then chuckled and waved them off.

  "This could take a while," Alto muttered as they shut the door behind them and peered up the hallway.

  "What do you suggest?" Patrina asked.
"Mind you, I’d be happy to get away from here. These dogs make my skin crawl every time they look at me."

  "Let’s walk and see what we find," Alto said. "We won’t bother with each door unless we’ve a reason to."

  Garrick grunted and started forward, taking the lead. Alto shook his head and followed behind him. After less than a handful of paces, a distant ringing echoed along the passage walls. They stopped and looked at one another, both warriors at a loss to explain the noise.

  "You fools," Patrina snapped. "It's an alarm! They've discovered us. We must escape!"

  "Escape? What about those forges?" He frowned and shook his head. "We have to find a way to stop them!"

  "No stopping nothing when your skull's split," Garrick said.

  "He's right," Patrina said. "Come on, we have to get away. We know where this is and what's going on; we can return with help. An army, even! My father won't stand for this; they won't be satisfied with the mountains or the Kingdom's northern reaches."

  Alto felt the sword at his side throb. He reached down to put his hand on the hilt and felt a familiar tingle in his palm. Kevard's Sword was fashioned to protect the Kelgryn. If Patrina was right, then it was this very thing that the sword had been forged to stand against.

  "I have Kevard's Sword," Alto reminded her. "We can do it."

  "That thinking got Kevard killed!" she hissed at him. "You're my champion; you must do as I say!"

  Alto stared at her for a long moment. He shook his head. "No, I must do what I think is right. This is the best way to protect you and your people."

  "You're a fool!"

  Garrick held up his hand. "You're both fools," he growled. "And worse for wasting time arguing about it. If there's blood to be spilt, we'll spill it, but standing here's not the way to do it!"

  Alto nodded. "Come, back to the main cavern. We'll scavenge proper clothing and armor for you as we can."

  Patrina snorted but said nothing. Alto could feel her glaring at him as he led the jog back up the passage. They could hear the echoes of other soldiers in the tunnel, though it was difficult to tell if it came from in front or behind them. They had their answer when the tunnel opened ahead of them to the ledge that led down the cavern wall.