“You are pleased then?” He inquired curiously, motioning for the guards to relax behind him with one hand. One silvery-white eyebrow arched just a little and relief spread across his face.
“Yes I am. Your people have been loyal and dedicated and you have shown your fealty by upholding your end of the bargain long past the time when we last came to you.” Rose smiled at him. “Do not worry, I am pleased.”
She breathed a sigh of relief when the king embraced her in a bruising hug and called out something to his guards and the few kurenai gathered behind him. The gathered all breathed a sigh of relief as she had and each offered Rose thanks in their own language.
After the tense meeting Rose followed the two of them as they left the room and sat at a table in the adjoining chamber. The stone-carved surface of the building would have been cold and unforgiving to Rose if it weren't for the warm light and the people milling around them. She watched on as countless kurenai greeted and welcomed Ruckus home after his long absence. His name was Rokkar, or Rok as everyone called him. Though few in the city spoke the common tongue it was an upheld tradition for a chosen set of the kurenai to learn the language in case her people were to return. At least that's what she had been told by Namia who had been translating for everyone who had come to see them both.
“We must feast.” Namia said through a smile with Rok’s arm under hers. “We feast to celebrate the return of my brother and to thank you for freeing the entire city.”
“It's nothing.” Rose smiled in reply and in truth she wanted nothing more than to go along on her journey to get out of the caverns and back into the world above. Rose wanted to see her friends again and feel the wind against her body. The unforgiving underground was not something she enjoyed. After a moment of pondering she figured that a good rest and food would not hurt the passage home. “I would be honored though.”
“Good! It is settled. I will show you to your room and your belongings will be returned to you immediately.” Namia swatted her on the shoulder, a gesture that seemed to be a custom for them. She gathered that because her shoulder was quite sore from all of the attention she had gotten.
Ruckus took his leave of her for a short time and returned with a shaven face sporting a neatly trimmed goatee with a previously-hidden white streak down the center and short-cropped hair close to his scalp. She realized that was most likely the first time he had been able to shave in years. Without all of the hair he was a rather handsome character for a stone-faced kurenai.
The feast had been prepared in a short order with the king's blessing. Any manner of exotic foods greeted her at every turn. There were odd vegetable and fruit-like plates and several species of what looked like lizards and spiders splayed open for the gathered to pick at and eat. Rather than offend them Rose selected some of the less alien foods. Sitting at the long table crowded by kurenai from all walks of life she felt like a spectacle and indeed she was seeing that none of her kind had been in the city for ages. Nibbling on some form of roasted mushroom she listened as they all talked in their own language and sighed. Precious few spoke her tongue; it was at that moment that she wished she could use her magic so she could speak with them and understand what they were saying.
As she sat at the table she almost laughed at herself when she realized that Leonidus had told her that she could shape her magic to many uses. Rose decided to give it a try. Listening was not the hard part it was the understanding of how to shape the magic was. Rose closed her eyes for a moment and took in the harsh-sounding language. Taking a small part of the magic she had stored while they had been waiting in the holding room Rose superimposed an image of her speaking the same phrases and understanding them in common. A ripple of magic cascaded from her seat and all of the gathered kurenai looked her way suddenly. “Sorry.”
“Amazing.” The king said as he stared at Rose along with everyone else.
“What?”
“You're speaking our language; you were around us but a single day!” He said in jubilation, slapping his thigh and laughing. “You are one of the ancients.”
“So tell us then Rose.” The king inquired as the conversations started up yet again.
“How long do you plan on staying?” He smiled and leaned forward all the while regarding her with a curious gaze through fingers shaped into a fist in front of his face. His head came to rest on his hands as he waited for her answer.
“Actually my goal is to reach the surface; I have a task I must complete and friends waiting for me.” She replied. “I was hoping your people could assist me with that.”
“I am afraid that is a rather difficult request.” His voice had a bit of regret in it and he shook his head from side to side only slightly. “We are surrounded, demons on one side and infernis elves on the other.” The king swept his goblet to the side in his hand and then brought it back around for another drink. “We have not seen the surface world in many years.”
“There is no other way?” She said dejectedly, leaning back in her seat.
“You cannot use your magic to get you back to the surface?” He asked suddenly while his eyes danced with more questions behind that one.
“I was knocked unconscious before being brought down here and I have lost my way, therefore I cannot.” She saw something there behind the king's questioning gaze that made her wish she had not mentioned her intent in the first place. Hopefully her half-truth would not raise suspicion with him for whatever reason that he would have it.
“I see, well my apologies but the best we can do is point you in the right direction and give you supplies to put you on your way. I cannot spare any lives for such a venture.” His gaze had not wavered in the least and he stared at her expectantly.
“I would not think to order your assistance; your people have done enough to merit being free from any master.” Knowing from his reaction that she could have ordered them to assist her, Rose almost regretted freeing the city but not much. It would be against what she stood for to order their assistance and it wouldn't be right for her to represent her people when she herself didn't know enough about them to be an expert. “I thank you for what you can give me and I will set off alone then.”
“You will not.” Ruckus replied in common, drawing eyes from the few present who could speak language. “I have sworn to repay you for your freedom and I am a man of my word. I will escort you to the surface if I can.”
“I cannot ask that of you Ruckus. It will be perilous and I may not make it. Even if I do make it I have no plans on returning.” She stared at the tall kurenai for a moment and sighed when she met only silent resistance to her protests. “I see your mind is set then.”
“It is.” He replied with a nod of his head.
“So be it, I cannot stop you. You are a free man now after all.” Rose sat back in her chair and ignored the stares she got as a nearby kurenai translated Ruckus's words for all to hear. To her surprise a rumble of conversation started throughout the gathered concerning her arrival and what she had done for their people.
“King Corith she has not only freed Rokkar, a lost son of the kurenai but she has also freed the entire city. Our resources are our own and our freedom is complete. Those gathered feel that she deserves any help we can offer and more.” Namia stood up as she spoke, gathering nods and agreement from those seated around her. “We could call for volunteers to the cause. What sort of friends would we be if we did not help Rose in her time of need?”
“Dear Namia, and those gathered, do not believe that I am heartless in this situation but our resources are stretched thin. We have several mining parties out and with them half of the guard. Losing any more of our people could make us vulnerable to attack from either side. Remember that with your brother's freedom came a demon-hound sealed behind a wall of our creation. They are being hunted and the demons do not give in easily. We know that from the centuries of conflict we have endured. Without the aid of the ancients and their magic our people have suffered at the hands of those around us.
” The king was standing though Rose did not remember him doing so. His speech was true to the point.
Watching on and listening even though she would have enjoyed having more than just a one-man escort through Rose knew that taking more of their people from the city could result in hard times for them. “I appreciate the thought but I would not leave your city in peril for my sake. I could not take that on my conscience.”
“My king?” A broad-shouldered kurenai called out as he stood while bowing once before the monarch.
“Roath Ironarms, you may speak freely.” The king gestured with one hand.
“As you know in a fortnight my crew is setting out of the city to head for a deposit dangerously close to the territory of the Infernis elves. We could escort Rose and Rokkar as far as the mining site and direct them from there.” The senior miner recommended. “It would give us two extra hands for the journey in and possibly satisfy our peoples' sense of justice.”
“A wise suggestion Foreman Ironarms and know that I consent to this course of action.” The king nodded his head and all gathered cheered even though some still wore looks of concern or dislike.
“I thank all of you.” Rose replied to them and smiled while trying to look calm as she realized she was about to jump into the fire again.
The celebration went well; the kurenai were a hospitable people and their hearts were definitely in the right place. Though she could not secure a safe passage through to the surface she was glad to at least have some aid. Her time in the city was pleasant at least and during her stay she learned quite a bit of their language as did Rokkar, who was quickly falling back into a comfortable pattern. Rose hated to take him away from the city of his birth again but he was determined.
While there she also took some lessons from one of the local sculptors about how to shape and mold stone, glass and gems to her liking. While she was not an expert she quickly took to the tools of the trade and could produce rudimentary carvings from softer rock and easily-sculpted materials.
She wished she could stay for safety's sake but knew that she could not. Her destiny and her responsibility to the world above were too great. When the day finally came for them to depart she watched the large doors close behind her. She wanted to return to the city with a longing that ran deep. To her surprise the amount of miners volunteering for the expedition was easily quadruple the usual amount of people willing to depart the safety of the city. She was disappointed to hear that the king had limited the amount of people set out on any one expedition depending upon the value of the ore vein they sought and its proximity to danger.
Once again within the tunnels with rations, water and a map drawn by the city's most famous cartographer Rose couldn't help but feel like she was alone. Not far from the city they reached their first four-way intersection and curiously the leader of the expedition called for a halt and had them all wait for a short time. When a second group of miners exited the tunnel to their east Rose arched an eyebrow and approached Foreman Ironarms. “Were we to switch groups possibly?”
“Not at all. It seems that this group of miners has lost their way and they wish to tag along with us so we can show them the way back to the city once we have accomplished our mission.” Foreman Ironarms wore an impish grin as he clasped hands with another kurenai that looked surprisingly like him.
“Senior Foreman Ironarms.” The stranger said with a smile.
“Junior Foreman Ironarms, it seems you've gotten yourself lost.” Roath said through his red-and-white goatee. “My son your navigational skills need some work.”
“I can out navigate you any day old man.” The younger kurenai replied as he slapped his father on the shoulder and indicated the tunnel to the north with a nod of his head. “Let me demonstrate.”
Traveling with a group of kurenai twenty four strong made her feel better about traversing the lightless caverns below the surface. Strangely enough the feeling did not last with the press of thousands of pounds of rock sitting vigilantly above her head. The sensation was putting her off to say the least. Having dropped the spell she was holding in favor of actually learning another language she took to conversing with the miners and having them teach her their ways and their tongue. “Tell me something Roath, who are these elves and why do they hate your people so?”
“There are stories about them but I could not tell you if they are true. The most widely told one is that the Infernis elves made a pact with a demon lord long ago. When they infused the blood of this demonic power into their bodies it changed them dramatically and made them all evil. It is said that the demon lord betrayed them and forced them into servitude and made them live underground near a portal to his realm. There they built a city and remain to this day.” The foreman paused in his story for a moment and shouted a few commands to a returning scout who turned around to follow the direction without question. “Some people say they freed themselves but that they still retain the connection to their demonic heritage. Others say they serve him still, bound to his word.”
“I've been around elves before but what do they look like?” Rose asked while wondering if she might have met one in the city.
“Oh you'd know one if you saw it.” He replied almost as if that would answer her question. “They stand about five feet tall with goat-like legs and hooves for feet. Their skin is known to vary from white to a reddish tint and their hair can range from blonde, black and red on to other colors as well. Plus they're ornery little balls of fire and they see every other race as inferior to them.”
“I see.” Rose definitely had never met an elf with hooves though she had met some rather cantankerous ones for sure. “So they don't just hate you they hate everyone?”
“You've got the idea.” Roath said with a wink. “Though I don't know how anyone could hate someone as pretty as me.”
“Mom would have your head if she caught you flirting again.” His son, Torus said with a wry grin.
“Now see here whelpling I've never been unfaithful to your mother and you know that.” Roath replied as he chuckled lightly. “You're right though; she'd string me up and flog me within an inch of my life.”
“Keep it in the bedroom dad, I don't want to know.”
The friendly jests and camaraderie they shared reminded her of the elves and home. It was strange for her to call a place she had barely stayed in long home but she knew what she felt. Traveling through the tunnels was giving her time to think.
She was still unsure of the passage of time in the underground as compared to the night and day cycle of the surface. Often she would tire before the rest of them but she would press on as long as she could just to keep them going forward. No one complained when she couldn't go on any further, they would set up their camp in a nearby previously carved area not unlike what she and Ruckus had used when they were running from the demons. It took one kurenai to open the hollowed out area and one to close when there were so many entering and exiting at once. The spaces were much larger in this direction and they were ventilated high up in the air through stonework grates.
She had noticed also that several of the rest areas they used were stocked with tools and supplies and sometimes even rations for mining parties or kurenai travelers with the latter being more rare. The one they currently occupied had enough space for one or even two more mining parties to sleep in comfortably. Rose sat leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and her body close to limp. The kurenai ran a tight ship and they had far greater endurance than she had even after her time traveling in the desert with the elves.
“Rose?” Ruckus said from his perch next to her.
“Yes?” She said wearily, opening her eyes just a bit.
“You know we can stop sooner to prevent you from getting so worn out.” He said as he ran a hand across her cheek and frowned with concern. “It's not good for you to push yourself this hard.”
“Agreed.” Roath said from not far away. “You're not used to this type of travel nor this environment. It can be hard to ca
rry on because the air quality down here is different than that of the surface. I've studied what little we know about the topside world.”
“I cannot tell you much about my mission but I trust you enough to tell you that the fate of our world depends on me getting back to my friends.” She closed her eyes again and pulled her legs tight to her chest in an attempt to get comfortable. “I cannot fail.”
“We'll get you there; just don't kill yourself by trying so hard in the meantime.” Roath replied as he stood and headed for the other side of the cavern.
~~~~
“So it was that simple then?” The queen said in reverence as she inspected the newly repaired armor and sword that Liostro was wearing. “I cannot believe that we're related, though from your handsome looks I can see the elven traits I did not see before.”
“Is a half breed so odd?” He inquired off-handedly as he shuffled through his belongings preparing what he needed for his journey.
“Honestly humans have not been among us for a very long time so yes half-breeds are an oddity.” She sat quietly for a moment watching him work and pondering the situation. “So you plan on leaving the council dissolved until you return then?”
“Yes and no. I've put Leonidus in charge of overseeing the details until I finish my mission. When I return he will relinquish power to me and I shall continue to mediate between yourself and the council.” He shrugged at her look of confusion. “Your father was the best possible choice I could think of to take my place. I have not the time to train another paladin in the ways of the court. I must find Rose; I understand now what her destiny is.”
“I don't suppose you can share that with me?” Miralastra inquired more cordially than ever.
“I can't, we are being watched right now but not by any force I recognize. Ware what you say in your own palace, foreign eyes lurk around every corner.” Liostro stood up and pitched his pack around his shoulder, walking out of the door to leave her with her thoughts. As he exited the room he almost ran into Nina who was carrying a similar pack. “Going somewhere?”
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