The Scent of Death

by Shelby Skabelund

  “You have no need to fear me Nick. From what I have heard, my men have just saved you and your friend from an ugly end.” Said the king. “I am Velengar, king of the mountain dwarves. We have been hiding in the shadows for the last thousand years. We are a people of legend to you, but as you can see we are very real.” He paused and looked to his guards. “Guards remove the ropes!” he shouted and waived his hand from the guards to Nick and Rhen.

  “Why haven’t you shown yourselves until now? Rhen asked cautiously.

  “Good question. What is your name?” asked the king.

  “I am Rhen, son of Jon of Ashton.” Rhen answered as the guards freed their hands and feet. “Thank you for saving us from our situation!” he finished with true gratitude.

  “You are very welcome. I feel it was very important to keep the two of you from harm. Especially from what has been reported to me Rhen son of Jon. I have been told that this one, Nick it is?” Nick nodded yes “Nick was seen at times and not seen at others. My men said that they saw him using a magic that has been missing from our world for more than five years. If I remember correctly, the last keeper we knew of was Vidan Oddfellow and you Nick are not Vidan.”

  “You knew my uncle?” blurted out Rhen immediately.

  “Vidan was your uncle?” asked the king.

  Rhen nodded yes “No I did not know your uncle. Like I said we have been in the shadows unknown to men for at least a thousand years. I did know of your uncle. Even though we have kept out of sight, we always need to know what is happening in the world outside. We keep watch to know what is happening in your world as it could affect ours as well. Once we heard of the dragon, we have been more alert and cautious then we have been in a long time. She has already taken over one of our mines. The one you were working in. We have been concerned at how close they are getting to uncovering more of our kingdom. When your uncle went missing we grew even more concerned.” Velengar said as his brows furrowed.

  He continued “We watched as the dragon destroyed the kingdom and enslaved many of the humans. We have not come out of the shadows in fear of what will come if we do.”

  “What do you mean?” Rhen asked.

  “Dragons only have love for two things, riches and power. Our people love to unearth gold and gems and then craft them into the finest riches in the world. We take great pride in our craftsmanship. Our treasuries hold masses of wealth that humans have never imagined exist. If we expose ourselves to help the humans, the dragon would come to know of our people and eventually our craft and riches. The dragon would be consumed by its’ gold lust and would destroy our home and seek our kingdom and wealth as its’ own.” Velengar said as he shook his head.

  “How can you know that?!” Nick stated and asked at the same time. “There were people dying, they have been tortured, and the slaves’ lives are miserable. You could have stepped in and helped us at any time.” As Nick spoke the anger rose inside of him. “You could have eliminated so much suffering!” Nick almost shouted at the king.

  The guards stepped a half step towards Nick at this outrage. “Leave him.” The king waved off the guards. “I take no offense to this. You are correct in that we could have ended the suffering of many of your people, but at what cost to our loved ones? This is not the first time a dragon has come into this world. There has been one before, it is why our people went into hiding. The dragon discovered our people and our trade. She did not waste time in laying waste to our people. She did not spare our little ones. She showed no mercy to our women, and when we called to the other races for help, we received none. Our only hope was from a valiant keeper. He fought for all races, and he vanquished the dragon. Upon the dragon’s defeat, we paid our respects to the keeper, but soon thereafter sealed up the mountain home to ourselves. We cut off the outside world for over one thousand years. We have been focused on keeping our people safe and so we have. For all this time we have avoided the wars of men, the haughtiness of the elves and the blood thirst of the goblins. We have been safe inside our mountain, and that Nick is how we know!” the king said resolutely.

  “Elves? Goblins? My uncle read us stories of the dwarves, elves and goblins, but we thought the stories were just legends. Is it true?” Rhen asked.

  “Do you see my short legs and strong hands? Am I not much different than you Rhen?” Rhen looked at the king’s legs and arms. “Do you see this beautiful throne room? Have you ever seen this type of workmanship in the human realm above? We are dwarves and we are real. The elves and the goblins are just as real. The dragon equally affected their people, and so they too have gone into hiding. A treaty was written between all races and signed after we hid in our mountain kingdom. They would all keep to their own and not interact with the other races. It has been so for all of these years. We stay hidden here in our mountain while we keep watch on the outside world. The only communication we have had with the other races has been with the elves. It has been limited as our races lose no love for the other. We communicate in agreement to never let the destruction surprise either people again. They are the ones that contacted us at the first signs of the dragon Mortes.” Velengar finished.

  “Are there more than the races you mentioned?” Nick asked.

  “Oh yes, there are many races that lay hidden in the islands of the sea, the deep cracks in the earth and the dark forests of the North. We have record of many different types, but no contact with any but the elves since the closing of the mountain.” Velengar answered. “I am sure you have so many questions and must be hungry. We can provide clean clothes and a bath and then we will talk over a feast in your honor Keeper.” The king said with reverence.

  Nick was caught off guard by the reverence towards him. He felt awkward and the only thing he though to do was to bow his head slightly in acknowledgement to the king. “Thank you, King Velengar.” Nick said along with the nod.

  “Owengar, take these two to the guest quarters in town.” said the king. Two guards began to usher the two boys off to the left from the throne room through another pair of finely crafted wood doors. Torches and lanterns lit the corridors. The deeper they went into the mountain the more detailed every room became. The ceilings started to get taller as they walked and eventually they were led into a well-lit corridor with regular height walls but no ceiling. There was just darkness above the walls. Nick thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He realized the further they walked that it opened up into a tremendous cavern above them.

  The corridor led out into what seemed to be streets lined with buildings carved right into the side of the rock walls. Lanterns hung out on huge posts extending from the building faces giving the ere of daylight to the cavern. Nick noticed high above he could see actual daylight streaming in from small archways high up in the cavern roof overhead. Rays of daylight fanned from these archways giving the cavern a regal and elegant touch. Nick could feel fresh air moving slightly in the cavern and assumed it was coming from the arched openings above.

  He realized that the journey to the king must have taken all night. It was deep into the night when they had left the cell in the mines or at least he thought. Ever since they had entered the mines he just assumed they were working during the day.

  Nick snuck a glance back towards the corridor they had just walked out of. It was an amazing sight. It looked like an exterior castle wall. They had just walked out of an archway and onto a polished stone drawbridge. Two huge metal chains were connected to the draw bridge and disappeared into two holes on the castle wall. The links to the chain were about six inches around and the link itself, was about a foot long. On both sides of the drawbridge were the stone carvings of two dwarven soldiers with their battle axes in hand. They were a perfect match to the dwarves that had been guarding the double door they had seen before they entered the throne room. The castle wall was complete with battlements and soldiers standing watch.

  The torches along the walls of the battlements lit more of the castle that was carved right from the stone inside the mo
untain. It was spectacular. Nick wished he could take a picture. The workmanship was flawless and unlike anything he had ever seen.

  The two were led to a small home that was not far from the castle entrance. It was to the side of the street, carved from the stone like the rest of the city. It was detailed with mortar joints and even a flat roof line. It had three stories with windows only on the upper two floors and the lowest level was some type of farmers market full of fresh vegetables and fruit. There were some dwarven women looking at the items but now they were all just staring at the two human boys.

  There was a door just to the side of the market that had stairs leading up to the second floor above. The guards gestured for Nick and Rhen to head up the stairs. At the top of the stairs there was a landing and another door into the house.

  They were told that this would be their guest home for as long as they were to stay. Two guards were posted out front and they were warned that if the needed to go somewhere, that it had to be with their guards. “It is for your own safety.” said the guard. Nick wasn’t so sure about that, and by the look on Rhen’s face, he felt the same way.

  They were shown how to draw hot water from a pump into the tub in what was the wash room, and given towels and clothes to dress in. “The king will be waiting for you at the feast, so do not take too long. It would be rude to keep the king waiting.” said the guard named Owengar.

  Owengar had a friendly face unlike the others. He seemed to look younger as well. His facial features were slimmer and more refined. His nose seemed more normal and not as bulbous as the others. He did not wear the ceremonious armor some of the others had worn, but wore a finely stitched jacket, and leather belt. From the belt hung small hand ax and a small sheathed sword. His dark brown hair was long like the others, but his beard was much shorter and clean cut. His hands and arms were very strong, but he seemed to be lighter on his feet and much trimmer that the others.

  Nick and Rhen took turns in the wash room. Nick went first. He could not believe how wonderful it felt to take a bath with warm water. He wanted to spend the next hour soaking away the soreness in his muscles and the stench of the mine. The dwarves even had bars of soap that reminded Nick of home. Home, he hadn’t had much time to think of it. His eyes brimmed with tears as he remembered his mother and father’s faces. The thought of his family brought a rush of emotion that he had been holding deep inside.

  Nick found himself with his face in his hands sobbing when Rhen started to call his name through the door. “Are you ok in there? We need to be quick. You heard what that guard said right?”

  “Yeah,” Nick said, “I’m just finishing up. I’ll be right out. Sorry, it just feels so good to get clean.” Nick answered as he wiped his hand across his eyes. He jumped from the tub and dried off with a dwarven made towel. As he dried off Nick noticed how familiar this room seemed to him.

  The home they were now in was much smaller than a human home, but it was elegant. Detailed crown moldings and base trim all carved out of the beautiful gray stone of the cavern. Perfectly fashioned wood furniture and beautiful tapestries filled each room. Nick realized he had seen this work before. “Rhen, this is just like your home in the rocks. I think the dwarves must have built it.” Nick told Rhen.

  “That was exactly what I was just thinking. I always wondered about the detail and work that went into it. I wondered who would have taken on such a task. It just seems so odd that it is so far away from here and all by itself.” Rhen answered back.

  “I’m sure the king will know why it is there. We should ask him when we get a chance.” Nick said to Rhen as they slipped past each other in the hall that led into the washroom.

  Nick wandered into the main room of the home. There were windows that faced the street down below. Nick walked to one and pushed the shudders open. Bright light from the torches burst in from the streets. Nick gazed down to the street below. It had been quite when they were led to the small arched door down below in the street, but it was now filling with curious dwarves of all ages.

  Nick smiled to himself as he looked at some of them. They all were so different. The children were smaller than normal children. Their faces were rounder than that of a human child. Their bodies were more round as well. They were the cutest thing Nick had ever seen. They weren’t covered in beards like the men. They dressed in brown and tan trousers with white tunics. From the window, Nick could only tell the boys from the girls by their size.

  Nick was surprised to find that the women dwarves were much thinner than the men. Their hands still seemed to be stubbier and thicker for a woman, but their bodies were thinner. Yes they were still short and brawny, but nothing like the men. They wore beautiful earth tone dresses that had dark embroidery along the cuffs and sleeves.

  The older dwarves that were now out in the street used hooked canes to move slowly about. Their hair was white as the clouds with deep wrinkles cutting into their faces. The old men seemed to have beards that went down past their knees and their noses were much larger than they should be. The old women reminded Nick of his grandmother. They were much less wrinkled than the men with such sweet smiles on their faces.

  A group of adults that had been talking, slowly lifted their gaze to the window. They were all just staring back at Nick. For a moment, it was quiet, and then there was a bunch of murmuring from the street below.

  Nick quickly stepped back away from the window. The chatter was getting louder. He could hear only a few words. “...a human?” “It is true...”. Nick realized that after all these years, he and Rhen were the first humans to enter the dwarven kingdom. Then he heard two voices. “That is enough, back to you homes!” said one as the other was yelling “Clear the streets and back to your business. Order of the king.” Nick recognized the second voice as Owengar one of the guards that had brought them here.

  People had taken notice of the strangers in their city. They were very unsettled it was obvious. Nick thought about what the guards had warned, “...you must be with your guards at all times if you are to leave this home. It is for your own safety.” Nick felt uneasy. He realized that they were surrounded by a people who thought humans were selfish and there was a reason to keep them out.

  Chapter 16

  The Feast

  After Rhen was clean and they had explored the little house for a moment, a knock came at the door. “The Feast is ready.” Owengar called out. Rhen opened the door and the two left with the guards back to the castle.

  They entered across the draw bridge and followed their escorts to the main hall. The main hall had a very high ceiling and seemed to be the size of a football field. Just like the rest of the castle, everything was immaculate. A very long table surrounded by high back chairs, was laid out with a deep red velvet table cloth. Large candle stick holders were placed every five feet along the table. Silver platters and serving dishes filled the length of the table. They were filled with fruits, cooked vegetables and all kinds of meats. The smell made Nicks stomach growl.

  Owengar motioned to two chairs at the very far end of the table near the head. Two dwarves dressed in aprons and funny hats pulled the two chairs out as the two sat down. The table and chairs were smaller than the tables and chairs Nick and Rhen were used to. Nick felt a little too big for his chair as well as the table, but he was able to make himself comfortable.

  As they sat down, the doors opened, and thirty dwarves pushed their way to the table. Half were men in regal robes and the other half were obviously their wives dressed in elegant silk dresses. It was obvious that these men and women were important in the dwarven kingdom. Nick wondered who they were exactly.

  As the chairs were drawn back, Nick pushed his chair back and bowed to them instinctively. Rhen did the same, just following Nick’s lead. This seemed to be the right thing to do if they were royalty. The response by the dwarves seemed to reinforce that it was the right thing to do. They all looked toward Nick and Rhen and smiled and bowed back at them as they sat down in their seats.
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br />   Directly across the table from Nick and Rhen a very strong and weathered looking dwarf sat down with his wife. He had scars on his face and a red beard that was braided into five braids and then connected into one. He showed no signs of graying hair, but his wife’s hair was streaked with silver. Her face didn’t show the wrinkles of her husband, and her brown eyes glimmered in the candle light.

  “I am Ranthor and this is my beautiful wife Oakley.” Said the red bearded dwarf. “I am the general of war, responsible for defense of this great people.” He finished.

  Nick stood again and bowed to him, “I am Nick Channing, and this is my friend Rhen.”

  “A pleasure.” Said the two dwarves nodding in their direction. Before they could be seated again, a horn was sounded, and two ornate doors near the head of the table swung open. Dwarf soldiers filed into the room in perfect military fashion creating a walk way between them, leading to the head of the table. A very fat dwarf with a brown beard walked through the path made by the soldiers and stopped at the head of the table. He was dressed in regal robes of his own. They were made from material that was green and gold.

  He cleared his throat and then announced, “I present Velengar the Great. Son of Rothgar the strong. Ere to the realm of Delenthor and King of the mountain dwarves.”

  At this announcement, all present pushed back their chairs and rose to their feet. Everything was quiet as the king entered. His crown was the same, but his clothes had been changed. In place of the silky white and silver robes he wore in the throne room, the king now wore a brown robe that was embroidered with gold. He wore a golden mail shirt beneath the robe. At the cuffs and neck line there was soft white wool. The robe had a long train that drug behind him as he walked along the clean polished floor of the main hall.

  All present bowed a deep bow as the king walked to his chair. The king waived his hand towards the group and said, “Enough of the pleasantries, as you were.” The fat dwarf that had announced the king reached out and took the long robe from the king’s shoulders and pulled out the large throne like chair for him to be seated. Once he was seated the rest of the group sat down.