“How are your men?” Granno asked.
“We’ve marched two hours,” Minto reported. “The terrain was rugged, so we marched at rout step.”
“Of course,” Granno allowed. He gestured toward the looming darkness of the ruined fort. “I suggest you gather them up there and set up a light camp.”
“Sir?” Minto asked.
“You’ll at least need to let them rest before we try anything —”
CLACK! A sound rang from behind Granno and the others. They all turned in surprise. CLACK! clack! cla—!
“It’s coming from over there!” Rabel said, pointing and moving toward the source of the sound.
“Ibb?” Diam said, peering from Granno to Imay and back.
“It could be,” Granno allowed. “Or it could be rock settling. The sound died down, after all.”
“Ellen!” Rabel called from the ruins. Ellen rushed off to join him.
“Let us see what we can learn,” Diam said, gesturing for the others to lead the way.
“Follow the queen,” Granno shouted to the others on the plain. “Prepare to make light camp.”
The night filled with noise as his orders were obeyed.
#
Diam joined Rabel and Ellen, trailed by Imay. The others moved as quietly in the night as they could but the wagons were loud as they moved over the rough terrain.
Rabel was holding a finger toward the curved wall of the ruined turret which lay on its side. At the end of his fingertip flared a bright white light which he used to illuminate the wall.
“There,” he said, pointing to a hole between the granite bricks. “If we could widen it enough to see and then put a light up there —” he pointed to another hole “— someone might be able to see inside.”
“And then?” Diam prompted.
Rabel turned to her, lowering his finger and extinguishing his light. “We could at least get an idea of the state of the —”
“Look!” Ellen said, pointing.
A light glowed through the hole Rabel had indicated. It was feeble but enough to be visible in the darkness.
“Ibb?” Diam said, examining the light with wide eyes. She turned and shouted, “Granno! Get the miners! Get them now!”
“Inside the turret,” Rabel called, putting his voice to the hole. “If you can hear me, turn off your light.”
Rabel pulled his head back and looked at the hole where the thin beam of light escaped. A moment later, it went out.
Granno came rushing up with three other sturdy zwerg carrying pickaxes. He bowed to the queen and turned to Rabel. “These are Alicen, Aenor, and Ricon,” he said introducing two women and one man in turn. He turned to the zwerg and told them, “This is Rabel and Ellen.” The zwerg nodded at the two humans.
“What do we know?” Alicen asked, moving toward the ruined turret and running her hand over the stone work. She smiled as she finished her inspection. “Zwerg made, you know.”
“So it should hold, even after the fall?” Rabel asked.
Alicen frowned and turned toward Aenor and Ricon who both made faces. “It’s hard to say,” she admitted. “The fall and the impact, both of those were not considered in the construction.”
“But the fort was constructed to withstand cannon fire,” Rabel said. The miners nodded in agreement. “So we can hope that the fall and the impact were not much more powerful than a cannon’s blast.”
“Perhaps,” Alicen allowed with a flick of her fingers. “But humans?” She shook her head.
“It’s well that Ibb is not human,” Rabel said with a grin.
“How do we know it’s Ibb in there?” Granno asked reluctantly.
“The light went out too quickly to be a torch,” Rabel said slowly, as if thinking to himself. He put his lips to the hole and called, “Ibb, can you light a red light?”
He pulled back and waited. And waited. Around him the others stirred in discomfort. Ellen made a pained sound, like she was trying to hold back tears.
Then, faintly — “There!” Rabel cried, turning to the others. “Do you see it?”
“It could be a red light,” Granno allowed skeptically.
“We have to save him,” Ellen said, grabbing Granno by the arm. “He would do the same for you!”
“We must be careful,” Alicen said slowly. Ellen gave her a surprised look, so the zwerg explained, “We can’t say where he is or how stable the ruins are.”
“We must be quick,” Rabel said. He had his ear pressed against the hole.
“Why?” Granno asked. “Isn’t Ibb immortal?”
“He is,” Rabel agreed, moving his ear aside and gesturing for Granno to take his place. Granno listened and then grunted in surprise, pulling away from the hole with a jerk.
“We have to hurry,” Granno said to the others.
“Why?” Alicen asked in surprise. “Didn’t you just say that he’s immortal?”
“I did,” Granno agreed, “but I heard breathing. Faint, labored.”
“Breathing?” Ellen said, shaking her head. “Ibb doesn’t breathe.”
“No,” Granno said, “he doesn’t.”
Alicen’s eyes widened as she realized what the zwerg chief meant and gestured to the others. “Let’s build some supports, then we’ll pull out those stones further up, widening as we go down until we can make an entrance.”
In moments the night was rent with the sound of twenty miners working at full speed.
“Will we be in time?” Diam asked after Granno and Rabel had given her their findings.
“For Ibb?” Rabel shrugged. “Probably. But the others?”
Chapter Five
“Major, did you say something?” General Filbert asked, once again, in irritation. It was at least the fifth time he’d caught Major Morris whining and he was quite ready for the man to be done.
It had taken over two hours to assemble the troops, the horses — the general’s own horses — the wagons, and all the other impedimenta necessary for their escapade. Really! Filbert fumed once more about his subordinate, and he calls himself an officer!
“I was wondering if we should perhaps rest the troops, sir,” Morris said as he huffed alongside the horse Filbert was riding. “I’m afraid they’re getting quite winded.”
“Well, Major, if you’d trained them properly, they would certainly not be affected by this short march!”
Major Morris firmly tamped down his fury — General Filbert had repeatedly refused to allow him to drill the troops in his battalion since they disembarked from the trains nearly a week ago. In fact, with the exception of a few platoons called for guard duty, his men had been completely without employment. It was not the way to treat crack troops! At least, not if one wanted them to retain their edge.
And while the general had fumed, Morris had had to replace several platoon members and platoon leaders to meet the requisite height requirements — “No, no! They’re too tall! By the gods, man! Don’t you know what zwerg are?” — which not only delayed their departure but shredded the efficiency of his command as his troops were forced to work with others they hardly knew or did not know at all. Any training that had occurred with the regular formations was completely lost with this ragtag organization that had never had a chance to train together. Also, because he was not allowed to tell his troops their mission, he feared that his two half-companies of weeded out men felt that they were being sent on some sort of punishment detail and not selected because of their superior height which, of course, they lacked.
And, as they marched, Morris discovered — or at least guessed — that some of the men so picked had heard the same stories as the deserter, Slater, and had themselves deserted the formation, causing him and the remaining troops much distress.
Others, he feared, had heard the same stories and decided that their futures were guaranteed, alt
hough Morris was convinced that those hardy souls were also the dumbest in his ragtag formation.
“Come along, Major!” Filbert called down from his mount. “Keep those men in order! Another hour and we’ll see some fighting!” The general showed his teeth in darkness. “And won’t that be something, men?”
The men, panting as much as the major, made no sound in response — which was perhaps for the best, Morris decided glumly.
#
Adelin had passed the word onto Gisom and Alfren at the entrance before heading back to her own listening post. That had been over an hour ago. Since then, she’d been relieved and sent to quarters. She grabbed a quick bite to eat and lay in her bunk, too nervous to sleep but too tired to do anything more.
Adelin didn’t like Gisom. He was one of the zwerg who held the secret belief that men were always better than women. He was handsome and knew it, skilled at mining, and knew it, too, and fancied himself a better soldier than most. Adelin didn’t agree. Oh, he could march well but he had no patience and was always willing to assume that he was always right. She felt that was a danger for a soldier, particularly for a guard. Particularly when paired with someone like Alfren. Alfren was kind and considerate but more than a bit of a worrier. Gisom liked to bully Alfren which kept the other from voicing his concerns. Which meant that, together, they were the absolute worst soldiers to guard the cavern exit.
Adelin leaned back in her bunk, closed her eyes. A moment later she opened them again, shook her head, sat up and with an irritated growl, jumped onto the floor.
She was a soldier. She would go check on them. Maybe Gisom would growl at her but that was no reason to prevent her. On the way out of the barracks, Adelin paused by the stove and grabbed two cups. She would bring them some kaffi, to keep them warm and awake. Perhaps then Gisom wouldn’t even growl. Perhaps.
#
The zwerg miners were quick and efficient. Queen Diam led Rabel and Ellen away from the work site, saying, “We’ll just slow them down and you two need to rest.”
Ellen made ready to protest but then the smells from the campfire came to her and she held her tongue. Her stomach rumbled instead, reminding her of how long it had been since she’d eaten.
“Food and rest are what you need,” Diam said with a chuckle. She gestured for Imay and Granno to join them. “All of you!”
The zwerg made excellent kaffi, the bitter leaves turning water into an amazing aromatic delight which did much to banish their fatigue. The cook had skewered bits of meat, herbs, and vegetables and had roasted them over the open flame, serving them still on the thin stick with which they’d be cooked.
When they were full, Rabel turned his attention to the queen. “There are still roving bands from the wreck,” he cautioned her.
“I’m sure,” Diam agreed with a wicked grin. “But where they thought to take on a group of four, they’ll think twice about a well-armed group of forty.”
“And a group of twenty?” Rabel asked. “Would they stay clear as well?”
“Why?” Diam said giving Rabel a measuring look. “What have you in mind?”
“I was thinking about the ruins of the fort,” Rabel said. “In particular, about the magnets that we made with Geros’ help.”
“And Ophidian’s,” Ellen added staunchly, leaning back against Rabel.
“Indeed,” Rabel said.
“What about them?” Diam asked. “I can’t imagine a survivor would even think about them, let alone…”
“They’re made of dragon steel,” Granno observed when the queen’s voice trailed off.
“And there are some survivors who knew that they were used to lift the fort,” Rabel said.
“But once they know it can be done, how hard will it be for them to duplicate the effort?” Imay wondered.
“Oh,” Rabel said with a wave of his hand and a lazy smile, “I wouldn’t want them not to try…”
“Just not to succeed,” Queen Diam guessed. “What do you propose?”
“Could we send a party to the base of the fort and the cave where we placed the lower magnets?”
“And do what?”
“I was thinking that we could melt the steel, and liberate it,” Rabel said.
“Liberate for whom?” Granno asked suspiciously.
“We could share evenly,” Rabel suggested.
“That’s a lot of metal,” Granno said with a frown. “It would take days to move.”
“If it were melted?” Rabel asked.
“Are you up to the task?” Granno asked.
“No,” Rabel admitted. The others gave him a surprised look. “At least, not all of it.”
“How much? And what about what remains? Would you let Markel’s men have it?” Queen Diam asked.
“I thought that perhaps we could count on them taking it,” Rabel said.
“You plan to trick them,” Imay guessed. The dark-haired man rewarded her with a nod of his head and a smile. He turned to Ellen with a questioning look.
“This is not another lesson is it?” Ellen groaned. Rabel said nothing but his look gave her the answer. She pushed herself away from him and got to her feet, walking around the fire and glaring at her protector. Granno shot a glance toward Rabel, then looked back to Ellen, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Imay, on the other hand, shot her mother a nervous look, asking you aren’t going to do that to me, are you? Diam met her eldest daughter’s unvoiced question was a smirk and Imay groaned.
“We used thirty-six magnets to lift the fort,” Ellen said thoughtfully. She pursed her lips. “And even then it was wobbly.”
Rabel nodded and waved a hand, enticing her to continue her thought.
Ellen stopped mid-stride, turned her head to Rabel and grinned maliciously. “What if they thought we only used twelve?”
Rabel smiled at her in approval and turned his eyes to the queen of the Zwerg. “What would your majesty do with twelve slabs of the finest dragon steel?”
“What would you do with twelve, smith?” Diam asked him in return. Then she turned her gaze to Ellen. “What would you need?”
“We’d have to make it look like we only used twelve slabs,” Ellen said thoughtfully. “Your people would have to remove all evidence of the others.”
“That would require not just removing them but chiseling away any sign of the supports,” Granno said.
Diam nodded.
“And it would be best to remove the tunnel that leads there,” Rabel said, “lest any curious sort find your realm.”
“I agree,” Diam said. She waved to the distant cavern. “And you want this done now?”
“War is coming,” Rabel said. He shook his head as he corrected himself, “War has come.” Diam and Granno both nodded. “It would be unwise not to take precautions.”
“Of course,” Diam said. She nodded toward Granno. “Are you up for this?”
Granno looked at Rabel. “Are you up for it?”
“I am,” Ellen said.
“You are not,” Rabel corrected her. She scowled at him. He raised a hand up, forestalling her protests.
“How long will this take?” Diam asked, glancing at the miners and their work on the ruined turret.
“It will take us ten minutes to get to the base of the fort,” Granno guessed. He glanced to Rabel who nodded in agreement. “When we’re there, we’ll have to figure which slabs to move.”
“What about the magnetic force?” Ellen said, glancing to Rabel.
“It may have dissipated,” Rabel said. “If not, the force will dissolve when we melt the slabs.”
“You won’t need to melt them completely,” Granno said. “Just make the metal soft enough that we can cut it, and we’ll break it up that way.”
“It would be easier if you could shatter it, like iron,” Diam said with a frown.
“But this is dragon steel,” Rabel reminded her, “it is not brittle.”
Diam made a face. Beside her, Imay rose to her feet.
“No,” Diam said, “you wait here with me.”
Imay made a face but sat back down, glancing miserably toward Ellen.
“We’ll be back soon,” Ellen said.
“We will have released your friend by the time you do,” Imay guessed.
“I certainly hope so,” Rabel said, nodding toward Granno. The zwerg chief raised a hand and beckoned the guard lieutenant to his side. Minto’s expression grew less and less happy as Granno explained the new mission to him. Finally, Minto nodded briskly, waved his other officer over to join them conversation and formed up one of his platoons. It took some more time to separate a number of wagons from the miners who insisted on sending five of their own but, finally, the group set off.
Granno had insisted that Ellen and Rabel ride in one of the wagons. Rabel, wisely, did not protest the order. Their driver, Hemin, was a good-natured sort and chatty. Ellen was happy to listen but also willing to explain their mission.
“That’s a good idea,” Hemin said when she had finished. She nodded to Rabel and Ellen. “And with you two sworn to Geros, there’s no fear that you’ll betray us.”
“Betray you?” Ellen squeaked in surprise.
Hemin laughed, a deep, cheerful sound. “Ah, child! Do you how many sky-touchers have tried to force a zwerg to give up gold or jewels?”
“But you worked for them, didn’t you?” Ellen asked. “Why should they get them?”
“Usually they catch one of us, ransom us off,” Hemin said, shaking her head sadly. “And when the payment’s made, like as not, some of the thieves kill their captive.”
“That’s horrible!”
“That’s the way of the ground above,” Hemin said with a sad shake of her head. She glanced toward the stricken girl. “Oh! We know that it’s only a few that treat us this way —” she nodded toward Rabel “— we’ve had plenty of good dealings with you tall ones. It’s just that the few bad ones are hard to take.”
Twin Soul Series Omnibus 2: Books 6-10 Page 27