“Yes, so it was made to appear. Only experiences in which you believe life and death hang in the balance can give you the training you needed. In your case, you made situations more malignant through your responses to the events. Your decision to aid Grenab in the prison and your father in the temple fostered the dangerous circumstances you encountered. However, I confess your experience in the prison proved to be more violent and malevolent than was intended. No one anticipated that the warden would assault you. That unfortunate experience was real enough. Your instructors aided you by disposing of the warden’s body after it reached the city’s dump. You and Alexia are not faulted for protecting yourselves.”
“When I was locked in the catacombs, why did no one release me when I knocked?” Myrel asks.
“We thought the catacombs would stress you just enough to allow you to discover your special gift. But you were too clever. You solved the problems you encountered without turning to the Spirit for help. We decided not to release you as planned to increase your stress and force you, when your personal courage failed, to ask for help.”
“That much is true,” Myrel recalls. She discovered her gift only after she found herself sitting in the dark with no way to escape.
Alrik continues, “Do you recall the plot you uncovered to kill your father? We positioned ourselves in the scriptorium so you could overhear what was intended to appear to be conspirators plotting. Your father was never in any danger.”
“What about the Blue Daggers whom the palace guards killed as they waited in ambush?” Myrel retorts.
“We fed you a story. There were no killings. At the end of your trial all this would have been revealed to you, but you fled the city before the trial was complete.”
Was it possible that the dangers she dealt with in the catacombs existed only in her imagination? She wasn’t convinced, but it was obvious that her activities were more closely observed than she previously believed. What is more, the courage Alrik showed in rescuing Krage proves beyond a doubt that he is not her father’s enemy. In the end, Myrel decides to stay until after the coronation.
Alrik Redeyes enters the Main Hive in search of Krage.
Chapter 26
Dragonton, Bretwalda: The Renegades
Trak leads the way down the crudely cut tunnel. A league into the earth, Trak halts when he sees a white goblin sprawled on the floor, an arrow protruding from his back. As Trak approaches, the wraith groans. “Careful, it’s not dead” cautions Ran. “Let me finish him off.”
“Wait!” Trak shouts as he kneels beside the fallen goblin who is weak from blood loss. “I think he will live if he receives care,” Trak suggests.
“Why save him? He tried to kill you and besides, he is just a filthy squid,” replies Ran who immediately realizes his error. He has offended his friend who is part goblin. “I’m sorry Trak, I didn’t think. Old prejudices die hard.”
Trak breaks the arrow shaft before lifting the white goblin into his arms and carrying him back to his broch. None of the men offer to help. Trak removes the arrow’s iron tip and bathes the wound with an astringent. He is relieved to see the arrow is lodged in the shoulder muscle. It hasn’t penetrated the chest cavity. If the wound doesn’t fester, the goblin will survive.
For three days the goblin lies unconscious on a pallet in the broch’s kitchen. Trak is there when he awakes. The goblin is startled to see the cross-breed he tried to kill standing over him. “If you are hungry, I have some broth,” Trak offers.
On the fifth day the goblin speaks, “Why did you spare me? I tried to kill you?”
“There is too much killing in this world, and it is mostly done by good people who believe they are advancing some noble cause. If I find that is not true in your case, I can still kill you. Why did you attack me?”
“I’m afraid it was for the least noble of reasons,” answers the goblin. “You got in our way. We came to find tools and provisions. We found only a sword, but when we tried to climb the stairs to escape, you blocked our route,” the goblin lamented.
“Tools! Why do you need tools?” Trak asks.
Two years ago, my father and a handful of followers fled from the main hive below the city of Ardonbrae. We sought to escape the tyranny of Tironock. We wandered the Underworld until a year ago we arrived at the abandoned hive beneath your iron works. We are attempting repairs on the hive, but without tools the work goes slowly. Others have heard of my father’s plan to build a new hive and every day, more arrive. Our plantation can’t feed all the refugees. My father sent me to the surface to search for tools so that our work can progress.”
“My name is Trak. What is yours?”
“I am Terrin. My father is Ghad Samraet,” replies the injured wraith.
“What do you have to trade for tools?” Trak asks.
“Nothing. We can’t even feed ourselves.”
In another week, Terrin feels strong enough to attempt the journey back to his hive. He thanks Trak for his life, and out of courtesy, invites the cross-breed to visit. To his surprise, Trak accepts his offer. Terrin is forced to qualify his invitation, “Now may not be the best time. My father will be angry when he hears how badly I failed my mission.” Trak says he understands but will accompany him part way to ensure he arrives safely.
In the evening, Trak and Terrin, accompanied by four men carrying large bundles, set off down the underground passage. Trak explains the bundles contain a gift for Ghad. They travel about four leagues when they come to a wide bulge in the tunnel and Terrin sits down to rest. “Here you must turn back; the hive is only a little farther,” Terrin reveals. Trak asks his men to leave the bundles on the ground and start back without him. He wants to talk with Terrin before he returns to the surface.
As the torch he is carrying begins to sputter and go out, Trak generates a blue glow that lights the tunnel. “Are you of dragon blood?” Terrin asks in disbelief. “Only those of Septan’s house possess such a power.”
“Perhaps,” Trak answers evasively.
“At that moment, four armed wraiths enter the layby where Trak and Terrin are seated, and after recovering from their start at encountering a cross-breed talking to Ghad's son, they draw their swords. Trak draws Dragon Fire. It is the first time he has held Dragon Fire while simultaneously generating a blue glow. The effect is startling. The glow travels down Trak’s arm into the sword. Dragon Fire erupts and blue flames spark off the blade’s tip. The display freezes the white goblins in disbelief.
Terrin steps between Trak and the white goblins. “This is Trak; he is helping me return to the hive.” Trak sheaths his sword and asks the goblins to help carry the bundles.
Trak has never seen a goblin hive, but the one before him does indeed look dilapidated. One entire wall of the hive has collapsed into the central cavern that serves as the plantation. It contains only a few mushrooms, not enough to feed a hive. Terrin guides him up a stairway that has recently been shoddily repaired. They proceed through a maze of passages. Trak is quickly disoriented. He should have paid more attention. Dozens of goblins stare silently at Trak as he enters the hive’s hall and approaches Ghad Samraet, who is talking to half a dozen armed wraiths.
Ghad looks up to recognize his son Terrin and stares warily at the cross-breed who accompanies him. “Welcome back, Terrin. What happened? Where have you been?”
“I am sorry, Father. My mission was a disaster. When I attempted to steal iron and provisions from the men on the surface, my companions were killed and I was seriously injured. This half-goblin saved my life. He is Trak of House Dragon.”
Ghad looks skeptical. “That house died long ago,” replies Ghad.
“I am Trak Dragonfire, the sixtieth in Septan's direct line.” Trak remembers his newly discovered trick. He ceremoniously draws his sword and holds it overhead, sending a blue glow up his arm until flames fly from the blade, demonstrating to Ghad the proof of his lineage.
Trak sheaths his sword. “Ghad Samraet, I have heard of your need and brin
g you a gift,” He takes a bundle from one of the soldiers and dumps its contents on the ground. A dozen large chisels and as many iron hammers clattered on the stone. Trak has brought the tools Baron Teiber's craftsmen used to build his smithy. He has already ordered his smiths to manufacture replacements.
Ghad kneels and lifts a worn hammer as though he is holding treasure. “This is a kingly gift. How can I thank you?” he asks.
“No payment is expected. When your hive is repaired and your people secured, we will talk again. Perhaps, there is something we can do for each other. He turns to Terrin and smiles. He likes the white goblin; his forthright manner reminds him of Alrik. “Visit me soon, Terrin Samraet, but next time, please knock at the door. May your shadow follow you always.” A soldier escorts Trak out of the hive and hands him a torch as he commences his journey to the surface.
Chapter 27
City of Neu Ardonbrae: Change in Government
Dorla married Lorring. Her fairytale life continued as she saw her prince crowned the Ard Ri and she became his queen. The boy ruler was inexperienced and turned to Lord Lizardthroat for advice on all issues. Melkerei wasn’t Ard Ri in name, but in power had no equal. From behind the king, he continued to direct the affairs of the kingdom.
When the coronation was over, Meg didn’t return to the Isle of Uisgebeatha. She jested she had grown accustomed to being waited on. Krage and Alrik met often to discuss Tironock's growing threat. It was hard to fashion a plan; the Second Sowing could happen at any moment or it might not occur for a millennia.
They agreed that Tironock had the power to send an army of white goblins to the surface, but probably lacked the strength to bend them to his will once they escaped the Underworld. They could not know how long Tironock would need to gain the power he lacked, but they knew his power grew as the flow of volcanic magma within the mountain increased.
The temple faced a dilemma. No one knew how to defeat Tironock’s minions. The prophecies foretold Tironock could be defeated only if all people united. The temple workers believed this truth, but they saw no possibility of forming an alliance with the men in the south. They listened for the Earth Spirit to speak but heard only silence.
***
Myrel is changed by her journey into the Underworld to rescue Krage. Even Krage is amazed by Myrel’s spiritual growth. She listens politely as the senior temple clerics advice her, but they no longer intimidate her. The clerics realize that spiritually she has moved beyond them. She no longer feels restricted by temple rules. During the day, she wanders the city and meets its citizens. They recognize the Thaumaturgist’s daughter and warmly greet her. She spends her nights in the quarters she once shared with her mother or seeks solace in the caverns beneath the temple. In the caverns, she projects her spirit until she finds the valley where her ancestors are entombed in stone cairns. The ancestors teach her more about Shenal Ken and Tironock Kan than the temple workers know. They tell her stories of ancient battles and works of magic. The ancestors have kept the goblin kingdom safe for three thousand years, but they don’t know how to stop the Second Sowing and defeat Tironock. She calls out to the Earth Sprit for guidance, but receives no answer.
When she encounters Tinga by chance in a temple passage, Myrel asks her childhood friend if she still visits the butterfly cage. Tinga says, “No, without butterflies, it is not the same.” One day Myrel finds herself on the balcony where three years ago she met Trak. The flowerpot where she left messages for the boy is gone. On impulse, she visits the royal smithy to ask Gerum what has become of the cross-breed.
“I’m not sure,” Gerum replies, “but you should ask Baelock. He trained the lad.” Baelock was in the capital and Myrel sought him out. She met Baelock while on Uisgebeatha and considered him a friend.
“Trak? I haven’t seen him since he went south with Baron Teiber,” Baelock replies to her query. He tells her the story of how Trak helped retake the isle, but to end the fighting agreed to be exchanged for the duke and was taken to the Kingdom of Bretwalda as a prisoner. “I fear the lad may have met a bad end at the hands of King Red.” Until that moment, Myrel did not know Trak had ever been on the Isle of Uisgebeatha.
Myrel recalls Dorla’s story of how Baron Teiber captured her and kept her imprisoned until her brother liberated the castle and a kitchen boy guided her to safety. Myrel hasn’t visited her friend since her coronation. She finds Dorla conversing with the ladies of her court. After an exchange of greetings, Myrel asks Dorla, “Do you remember a lad named Trak?”
“No,” she answers truthfully, she never knew the kitchen boy’s name. When Myrel mentioned Trak was the cross-breed who rescued her, Dorla makes the connection. “For all I know, he died in the fighting.”
Chapter 28
While the bread bakes and the barley grows, people have some leisure to tell how the world goes.
Goblin Proverb
Dragonton, Bretwalda: The Goblin Fortress
Trak had been living in his broch for three years when Lord Ran brings him a letter addressed to Aunt Mabol. Trak smiles as he read his mother’s cryptic message. “Good news?” Ran asks.
“The Queen has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. King Red is pleased. But there is bad news. Apparently, his dispute with Queen Fae is escalating. My mother fears there will be war.”
The prospect of war is reinforced the next day when Baron Teiber pays a visit to the smithy. “The king has summoned me to his fortress. I believe he intends to send troops to the eastern border as a display of force. If Queen Fae fails to reign in her knights who are raiding the border, the king will be forced to invade and destroy the castles where the raiders hold up. I bring a command from the king. You are to produce iron weapons to equip eight hundred cavalry. Apparently, his own smithy can’t produce all he needs. Also, Dragonton is to be fortified. The king fears that your smithy is vulnerable to attack from the sea. I cannot offer you any manpower. I must use my resources to strengthen the defenses of Westhaven.”
Trak and Ran have a problem—how to fortify Dragonton and at the same time significantly increase weapons production? Since the night he escorted Terrin Samraet back to his father, Trak hasn’t seen the white goblin. He wonders how the work on the goblin hive is progressing. Perhaps, Ghad Samraet can help him with his problem.
Alone, Trak travels the tunnel to the hive. He carries no torch, relying on his blue glow to light his way and announce his coming. He approaches goblins working in the plantation and asks to be taken to Ghad. As he is escorted through the hive, Trak notes considerable improvement in the hive’s appearance. All the staircases have been recut and the collapsed walls repaired.
Terrin meets him at the door to the hall and accompanies Trak to where Ghad stands waiting. “Welcome, Trak Dragonfire,” he says in greeting. Trak complements Ghad on the appearance of the hive and addresses the reason for his visit.
“When we last spoke, I said the day would come when we might find a way to be useful to each other. I need to build a castle to protect my iron works from a threat from the sea. I need skilled masons, as many as I can find. I wish to know if your masons will work for me.”
Ghad considers for a moment. Work on the hive is not finished, but critical repairs have been completed. The size of the hive continues to grow, and each day he has more mouths to feed. “Can you pay with grain?” Ghad asks. Trak believes it can be arranged.
Ghad puts Terrin in charge of a hundred goblin masons. They come at night and study the layout of the iron works. Lord Ran and the smithy workers watch apprehensively as the goblins study the terrain. A week later, Terrin presents his concept for a castle to Trak and Ran. He is illiterate and cannot sketch his plan; he points at the surface and describes what will be constructed. Ran insists that men will not be comfortable sleeping inside tunnels. They must have sunlight and something to look at. When Trak and Ran are satisfied the design includes kitchens, dormitories, armories, workshops, stables and other components the castle needs, work begins.
> Ran worries. How can they build without reference to sketches? Ran can only half visualize what the finished castle will look like, but he knows it will not be like any castle he has ever seen. Most of the castle will be built inside the cliff; only the battlements and living quarters will appear atop the cliff. Each night the goblins enter the building site through the tunnel beneath Trak’s broch and commence cutting the castle from the cliff’s interior. The workers in the smithy hear the chiseling but almost never see a white goblin. When Trak and Ran visit, they are amazed that each of the hundred masons now leads a team. The goblins begin by digging three massive ventilation shafts, each twenty strides in diameter and spaced fifty strides apart. Around these shafts the goblins carve circular staircases that spiral forty strides down into the earth. A landing is constructed at every turn of the staircase, connecting the stairs to large rooms. The rooms on the seaward side are provided with windows, doors and balconies. The cliff slowly becomes honeycombed with staircases and passages. Tons of rock are carted from the interior of the cliff and used to construct a levy that circles the cove and forms a protective harbor. Each morning, the levy stretches two strides farther out to sea.
When the castle’s principle chambers are complete, the goblins excavate shafts for chimneys and plumbing. Water is diverted from the stream that runs through the basalt field into the castle. It flows into troughs cut from the rock to dispensing points in the kitchens and bathing areas. Toilets are positioned along the cliff face, so waste will fall into the sea and be swept away by the tide. A broad ramp connects the castle to the harbor. A balustrade follows the ramp as it ascends the cliff face. It is reinforced with machicolations for defense and adorned with decorative niches for sculptures. Two fortified gates straddle the ramp at key points.
To satisfy Lord Ran’s need for a commanding visage; a tall tower is built on top of the cliff. On the landward side, a wall encloses the tower and the two smaller brochs. The side facing the sea is left open so the full extent of the keep and its gardens is visible to any ship approaching.
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