“But of late, everything’s gone agley. About a month ago, or a bit more, we began to see signs of large movements of moredhel and goblins from their villages to the north of ours. We sent some lads to investigate. They found entire villages abandoned, both goblin and moredhel. Some were sacked, but others stood empty without sign of trouble.
“Needless to say, the displacement of those miscreants caused an increase in problems for us. Our villages are in the higher meadows and plateaus, so they dare not attack, but they do raid our herds in the lower valleys as they pass—which is why we now mount patrols down the mountainside. With the winter upon us, our herds are in our lowest meadows, and we must keep vigilant.
“Most likely your messengers didn’t reach our villages because of the large number of moredhel and goblins fleeing the mountains down into the forests. Now at least we’ve some gleaning of what’s causing this migration.”
The Duke nodded. “The Tsurani.”
Dolgan was thoughtful for a moment, while Arutha said, “Then they’re up there in strength.”
Borric gave his son a questioning look, while Dolgan chuckled and said, “That’s a bright lad you’ve got, Lord Borric.” He nodded thoughtfully, then said, “Aye, Prince. They’re up there, and in strength. Despite their other grievous faults, the moredhel are not without skill in warcraft.” He fell silent again, lost in thought for a few minutes. Then, tapping out the dottle of his pipe, he said, “The dwarven folk are not counted the finest warriors in the West for naught, but we lack the numbers to dispose of our more troublesome neighbors. To dislodge such a host as have been passing would require a great force of men, well armed and provisioned.”
Kulgan said, “I would give anything to know how they reached these mountains.”
“I would rather know how many there are,” said the Duke.
Dolgan refilled his pipe and, after it was lit, stared thoughtfully into the fire. Weylin and Udell nodded at each other, and Weylin said. “Lord Borric, there may be as many as five thousand.”
Before the startled Duke could respond, Dolgan came out of his reverie. Swearing an oath, he said, “Closer to ten thousand!” He turned to look at the Duke, whose expression showed he clearly didn’t understand what was being said. Dolgan added, “We’ve given every reason for this migration save invasion. Plague, internal warfare between bands, pests in their crops causing famine, but an invading army of aliens was not one of them.
“From the number of towns empty, we guess a few thousand goblins and moredhel have descended into the Green Heart. South of those villages are a clutch of huts my two boys could overcome unaided. But others are walled hill forts, with a hundred, two hundred warriors to man the palisade. They’ve swept away a dozen such in little over a month. How many men do you judge you’d need to accomplish such a deed, Lord Borric?”
For the first time in his memory, Pug saw fear clearly etched upon the Duke’s face. Borric leaned forward, his arm resting across his knee, as he said, “I’ve fifteen hundred men in Crydee, counting those in the frontier garrisons along the boundary. I can call another eight hundred or a thousand each from the garrisons at Carse and Tulan, though to do so would strip them fully. The levies from the villages and towns number at best a thousand, and most would be old veterans from the siege at Carse or young boys without skills.”
Arutha looked as grim as his father as he said, “Forty-five hundred at the outside, a full third unproved, against an army of ten thousand.”
Udell looked at his father, then at Lord Borric. “My father makes no boast of our skills, nor of the moredhel’s, Your Grace. Whether there be five thousand or ten thousand, they’ll be hard, experienced fighters to drive out the enemies of our blood so quickly.”
“Then I’m thinking,” said Dolgan, “you’d best send word to your older son and your vassal barons, telling them to stay safely behind the walls of your castles, and hie yourself to Krondor. It will take all the Armies of the West to withstand these newcomers this spring.”
Tomas suddenly said, “Is it really that bad?” then looked embarrassed for interrupting the council. “I’m sorry, my lord.”
Borric waved away the apology. “It may be we are weaving many threads of fear together into a larger tapestry than exists, but a good soldier prepares for the worst, Tomas. Dolgan is right. I must enlist the Prince’s aid.” He looked at Dolgan. “But to call the Armies of the West to arms, I must reach Krondor.”
Dolgan said, “The South Pass is closed, and your human ships’ masters have too much sense to brave the Straits of Darkness in winter. But there is another way, though it is a difficult path. There are mines throughout these mountains, ancient tunnels under the Grey Towers. Many were carved by my people as we dug for iron and gold. Some are natural, fashioned when the mountains were born. And still others were here when my people first came to these mountains, dug by only the gods know whom. There is one mine that passes completely under the mountains, coming out on the other side of the range, only a day’s march from the road to Bordon. It will take two days to pass through, and there may be dangers.”
The dwarven brothers looked at their father, and Weylin said, “Father, the Mac Mordain Cadal?”
Dolgan nodded his head. “Aye, the abandoned mine of my grandfather, and his father before him.” He said to the Duke, “We have dug many miles of tunnels under the mountain, and some connect with the ancient passages I have spoken of. There are dark and queer tales about Mac Mordain Cadal, for it is connected with these old passages. Not a few dwarves have ventured deep into the old mines, seeking legendary riches, and most have returned. But a few have vanished. Once upon a path, a dwarf can never lose his way back, so they were not lost in their searching. Something must have befallen them. I tell you this so there will be no misunderstandings, but if we keep to the passages dug by my ancestors, we should have small risk.”
“ ‘We,’ friend dwarf?” said the Duke.
Dolgan grinned “Should I simply place your feet upon the path, you’d be hopelessly lost within an hour. No, I’d care not for traveling to Rillanon to explain to your King how I’d managed to lose one of his better Dukes. I will guide you willingly, Lord Borric, for a small price.” He winked at Pug and Tomas as he spoke the last. “Say, a pouch of tabac and a fine dinner at Crydee.”
The Duke’s mood lightened a little With a smile he said, “Done, and our thanks, Dolgan.”
The dwarf turned to his sons. “Udell, you take half the compam and one of the mules, and the Duke’s men too ill or wounded to continue. Make for the castle at Crydee. There’s an ink horn and quill, wrapped in parchment, somewhere in our baggage; find it for his lordship, so he may instruct his men. Weylin, take the others of our kin back to Caldara, then send word to the other villages before the winter blizzards strike. Come spring, the dwarves of the Grey Towers go to war.”
Dolgan looked at Borric. “No one has ever conquered our highland villages, not in the longest memory of the dwarven folk. But it would prove an irritation for someone to try. The dwarves will stand with the Kingdom, Your Lordship. You have long been a friend to us, trading fairly and giving aid when asked. And we have never run from battle when we were called.”
Arutha said, “And what of Stone Mountain?”
Dolgan laughed “I thank His Highness for the jog to my memory. Old Harthorn and his clans would be sorely troubled should a good fight come and they were not invited. I’ll send runners to Stone Mountain as well.”
Pug and Tomas watched while the Duke wrote messages to Lyam and Fannon, then full stomachs and fatigue began to lull them, despite their long sleep. The dwarves gave them the loan of heavy cloaks, which they wrapped about pine boughs to make comfortable mattresses. Occasionally Pug would turn in the night, coming out of his deep sleep, and hear voices speaking low. More than once he heard the name Mac Mordain Cadal.
Dolgan led the Duke’s party along the rocky foothills of the Grey Towers. They had left at first light, the dwarven chieftain’s
sons departing for their own destinations with their men. Dolgan walked before the Duke and his son, followed by the puffing Kulgan and the boys. Five soldiers of Crydee, those still able to continue, under the supervision of Sergeant Gardan followed behind, leading two mules. Walking behind the struggling magician, Pug said, “Kulgan, ask for a rest. You’re all done in.”
The magician said, “No, boy, I’ll be all right. Once into the mines, the pace will slow, and we should be there soon.”
Tomas regarded the stocky figure of Dolgan, marching along at the head of the party, short legs striding along, setting a rugged pace. “Doesn’t he ever tire?”
Kulgan shook his head. “The dwarven folk are renowned for their strong constitutions. At the Battle of Carse Keep, when the castle was nearly taken by the Dark Brotherhood, the dwarves of Stone Mountain and the Grey Towers were on the march to aid the besieged. A messenger carried the news of the castle’s imminent fall, and the dwarves ran for a day and a night and half a day again to fall on the Brotherhood from behind without any lessening of their fighting ability. The Brotherhood was broken, never again organizing under a single leader.” He panted a bit. “There was no idle boasting in Dolgan’s appraisal of the aid forthcoming from the dwarves, for they are undoubtedly the finest fighters in the West. While they have few numbers compared to men, only the Hadati hillmen come close to their equal as mountain fighters.”
Pug and Tomas looked with newfound respect upon the dwarf as he strode along. While the pace was brisk, the meal of the night before and another this morning had restored the flagging energies of the boys, and they were not pushed to keep up.
They came to the mine entrance, overgrown with brush. The soldiers cleared it away, revealing a wide, low tunnel. Dolgan turned to the company. “You might have to duck a bit here and there, but many a mule has been led through here by dwarven miners. There should be ample room.”
Pug smiled. The dwarves proved taller than tales had led him to expect, averaging about four and a half to five feet tall. Except for being short-legged and broad-shouldered, they looked much like other people. It was going to be a tight fit for the Duke and Gardan, but Pug was only a few inches taller than the dwarf, so he’d manage.
Gardan ordered torches lit, and when the party was ready, Dolgan led them into the mine. As they entered the gloom of the tunnel, the dwarf said, “Keep alert, for only the gods know what is living in these tunnels We should not be troubled, but it is best to be cautious.”
Pug entered and, as the gloom enveloped him, looked over his shoulder. He saw Gardan outlined against the receding light. For a brief instant he thought of Carline, and Roland, then wondered how she could seem so far removed so quickly, or how indifferent he was to his rival’s attentions. He shook his head, and his gaze returned to the dark tunnel ahead.
The tunnels were damp. Every once in a while they would pass a tunnel branching off to one side or the other Pug peered down each as he passed, but they were quickly swallowed up in gloom. The torches sent flickering shadows dancing on the walls, expanding and contracting as they moved closer or farther from each other, or as the ceiling rose or fell. At several places they had to pull the mules’ heads down, but for most of their passage there was ample room.
Pug heard Tomas, who walked in front of him, mutter, “I’d not want to stray down here; I’ve lost all sense of direction.” Pug said nothing, for the mines had an oppressive feeling to him.
After some time they came to a large cavern with several tunnels leading out. The column halted, and the Duke ordered watches to be posted. Torches were wedged in the rocks and the mules watered. Pug and Tomas stood with the last watch, and Pug thought a hundred times that shapes moved just outside the fire’s glow. Soon guards came to replace them, and the boys joined the others, who were eating. They were given dried meat and biscuits to eat. Tomas asked Dolgan, “What place is this?”
The dwarf puffed on his pipe “It is a glory hole, laddie. When my people mined this area, we fashioned many such places When great runs of iron, gold, silver, and other metals would come together, many tunnels would be joined. And as the metals were taken out, these caverns would be formed. There are natural ones down here as large, but the look of them is different. They have great spires of stone rising from the floor, and others hanging from the ceiling, unlike this one. You’ll see one as we pass through.”
Tomas looked above him. “How high does it go?”
Dolgan looked up. “I can’t rightly say. Perhaps a hundred feet, perhaps two or three times as much. These mountains are rich with metals still, but when my grandfather’s grandfather first mined here, the metal was rich beyond imagining. There are hundreds of tunnels throughout these mountains, with many levels upward and downward from here Through that tunnel there”—he pointed to another on the same level as the floor of the glory hole—”lies a tunnel that will join with another tunnel, then yet another. Follow that one, and you’ll end up in the Mac Bronin Alroth, another abandoned mine. Beyond that you could make your way to the Mac Owyn Dur, where several of my people would be inquiring how you managed entrance into their gold mine.” He laughed “Though I doubt you could find the way, unless you were dwarven born.”
He puffed at his pipe, and the balance of the guards came over to cat. Dolgan said, “Well, we had best be on our way.”
Tomas looked startled. “I thought we were stopping for the night.”
“The sun is yet high in the sky, laddie. There’s half the day left before we sleep.”
“But I thought . . .”
“I know. It is easy to lose track of time down here, unless you have the knack of it.”
They gathered together their gear and started off again. After more walking they entered a series of twisting, turning passages that seemed to slant down. Dolgan explained that the entrance on the east side of the mountains was several hundred feet lower than on the west, and they would be moving downward most of the journey.
Later they passed through another of the glory holes, smaller than the last, but still impressive for the number of tunnels leading from it. Dolgan picked one with no hesitation and led them through.
Soon they could hear the sound of water, coming from ahead. Dolgan said, over his shoulder, “You’ll soon see a sight that no man living and few dwarves have ever seen.”
As they walked, the sound of rushing water became louder. They entered another cavern, this one natural and larger than the first by several times. The tunnel they had been walking in became a ledge, twenty feet wide, that ran along the right side of the cavern. They all peered over the edge and could see nothing but darkness stretching away below.
The path rounded a curve in the wall, and when they passed around it, they were greeted with a sight that made them all gasp. Across the cavern, a mighty waterfall spilled over a huge outcropping of stone. From fully three hundred feet above where they stood, it poured into the cavern, crashing down the stone face of the opposite wall to disappear into the darkness below. It filled the cavern with reverberations that made it impossible to hear it striking bottom, confounding any attempt to judge the fall’s height. Throughout the cascade luminous colors danced, aglow with an inner light. Reds, golds, greens, blues, and yellows played among the white foam, falling along the wall, blazing with brief flashes of intense luminosity where the water struck the wall, painting a fairy picture in the darkness.
Dolgan shouted over the roar, “Ages ago the river Wynn-Ula ran from the Grey Towers to the Bitter Sea. A great quake opened a fissure under the river, and now it falls into a mighty underground lake below. As it runs through the rocks, it picks up the minerals that give it its glowing colors.” They stood quietly for a while, marveling at the sight of the falls of Mac Mordain Cadal.
The Duke signaled for the march to resume, and they moved on. Besides the spectacle of the falls, they had been refreshed by spray and cool wind off them, for the caverns were dank and musty. Onward they went, deeper into the mines, past numberless tunne
ls and passages. After a time, Gardan asked the boys how they fared. Pug and Tomas both answered that they were fine, though tired.
Later they came to yet another cavern, and Dolgan said it was time to rest the night. More torches were lit, and the Duke said, “I hope we have enough brands to last the journey. They burn quickly.”
Dolgan said, “Give me a few men, and I will fetch some old timbers for a fire. There are many lying about if you know where to find them without bringing the ceiling down upon your head.”
Gardan and two other men followed the dwarf into a side tunnel, while the others unloaded the mules and staked them out. They were given water from the waterskins and a small portion of grain carried for the times when they could not graze.
Borric sat next to Kulgan. “I have had an ill feeling for the last few hours. Is it my imagining, or does something about this place bode evil?”
Kulgan nodded as Arutha joined them “I have felt something also, but it comes and goes. It is nothing I can put a name to.”
Arutha hunkered down and used his dagger to draw aimlessly in the dirt. “This place would give anyone a case of the jumping fits and starts. Perhaps we all feel the same thing: dread at being where men do not belong.”
The Duke said, “I hope that is all it is. This would be a poor place to fight”—he paused—”or flee from.” The boys stood watch, but could overhear the conversation, as could the other men, for no one else was speaking in the cavern and the sound carried well Pug said in a hushed voice, “I will also be glad to be done with this mine.”
Tomas grinned in the torchlight, his face set in an evil leer. “Afraid of the dark, little boy?”
Pug snorted. “No more than you, should you but admit it. Do you think you could find your way out?”
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