Delver Magic Book II: Throne of Vengeance
Page 50
Chapter 23
Ryson was back at Burbon. He surveyed the damage with Sy as he recounted his own experiences in Dunop. The sight of the crumbled wall did little to lift his spirits. The delver thought mostly of Yave, how it was her anger that spilled over to create so many hardships. But that was not his only thought. He thought of the elves and Petiole. He considered the serp and how it gained from the conflict between them all. He thought of the innocent in Burbon and Connel, even the algors in the Lacobian. He even considered the magic and what it was doing to the land. Apparently, it had saved Burbon, or at least it had done so through Enin, but what would happen if such power was controlled by the corrupt? Long ago, the magic was used to create the shadow trees. What would happen now, in a time when evil felt so close at hand? Such weighty reflections chagrined the delver, and he seemed almost despondent as the captain of the guard revealed his own considerations.
"It'll be a while before the wall is complete, but I think with the towers in place, we'll survive." Sy spat on the ground. He kicked dirt over the patch of saliva as he rubbed any moisture from his lips. "With all the training our people received from the elves, most of the civilians can now shoot a bow better than most regulars. More than a handful have volunteered for continued duty, even after what you said about the dwarves not being a threat anymore. I'm putting three to four archers on each platform with the watch. They can do a lot of damage to anything trying to cross the clearing."
Sy took a moment to survey the grounds. Most of the rubble was cleared from the streets. He looked west, he had an unobstructed view of the hills. He gauged the distance between the two broken ends of the unfinished wall. The gap was wide, but it was closing with each plank of wood and each brick of clay and mortar. He considered the resources necessary to finish the job.
"Times are different now," the captain considered aloud. "All these resources put to defending ourselves. We could have used them to build homes, expand. It's funny, though, the people don't complain. The town's about bankrupt. Things are going to be tough the next few seasons. Still, they won't say anything. I guess people realize what's truly important in times like this. We could have built twenty taverns with the brick and wood needed for that wall, but everyone knows none of that is any good if we're all dead. We have to make different sacrifices now. We have to think about just surviving. The people seem to realize that. I think that's why they fought the dwarves the way they did."
Sy cast a heavy breath and then spat again. "Well, we can rest a little easier, for a while at least. I guess the only thing we have to worry about now is an occasional shag or river rogue, and maybe the goblins. But I doubt they'll be trouble anytime soon, especially if they stole as much treasure as you think. I can't imagine why they'd risk a raid at this point. They can pretty much buy any supplies they might need. There are enough carpetbaggers out there that would sell to anyone, or even anything. I guess that's the one thing that won't change, even with everything else that's going on. There's always someone willing to do anything for money, even sell food to goblins."
"Or weapons," Ryson added.
The thought bothered Sy. "Yeah, that's true, too. Maybe I shouldn't stop worrying about the goblins. That sneaky little serp didn't come back this way. I knew he wouldn't honor our bargain, and I know he's out there watching us. If some nut sells him a long range weapon, he won't think twice about attacking us."
"It's something we should all worry about," Ryson replied. The delver looked uncomfortable. He started to speak, but held his tongue.
Sy was quick enough to pick up on it. "Something on your mind?"
"Lots of things," Ryson admitted. He began to expel his thoughts. He let his worries loose, as if speaking them might exorcise his own personal demons. "I have no idea what's going to happen with the elf camp. I left Lief without saying much else to him. He knows what I think of Petiole. I think he feels the same way. But ..."
"But you don't know if he'll do anything about it," Sy finished.
"I don't know if he can," Ryson added. "Petiole's got control of the elf guard. As long as they back him, he remains in power, a little dictator given control because he's the eldest."
"Doesn't make much sense, does it?" Sy replied. "I wonder myself what's going to happen out there. I really appreciated having the elves here. They helped us more than I could have hoped, but with what I've heard of this Petiole character, you just don't know."
"I wish Mappel were still there," Ryson admitted.
Sy never met Mappel, though he heard of the deceased elf's abilities. He knew good leaders were hard to find, even harder to replace. And he knew Petiole was not a close substitute. "I guess that's how the elves feel. Well, it's their problem. They seem pretty straightforward thinkers. I'm sure they'll find a way to do what's right. What else's got you worried?"
Ryson groaned. "Name it. The serp out there in the hills with all that dwarf gold is going to use it against us. I think that's a certainty. Then, there's the algors. They sent out the sand giants to destroy Dunop. I have no idea what will happen if they find out the cliff behemoths destroyed their creations. If they hear the whole truth, they'll probably be satisfied. The dwarves suffered a whole lot of casualties. There's nothing left of their army. And speaking of the dwarves, I left Dunop with Jon basically comatose and no other leader in sight. And then there's Yave. I have no idea where she went, but I know she wasn't happy, or ready to just forget everything."
"I wouldn't worry about Yave," Sy advised. "If things happened the way you told me, she's got nothing left to attack us with. She's on her own."