Page 168 of Of Empires and Dust
“I didn’t mean…” Erani trailed off as Alrick turned and pulled a second head from a satchel around his daughter’s waist, dropping it beside the first.
The face was sleeker and smoother, clean shaven with long, dark hair; faded eyes; and ears that tapered to a point.
“An elf?”
Turim Arlan’s two navigators whispered something in the Old Tongue, their faces sombre.
“More than just an elf.” Alrick gestured to his son, who handed him what looked to be a crimson rag. He smoothed the fabric on the table. “An elf bearing the sigil of the golden stag.”
“Lunithír…”
Alrick nodded.
The Kingdom of Lunithír had long been dead, but the Freehold had caught word of the elven attacks on the Lorian coast.
“Yarzik wasn’t protecting a tuber field. We came across him on the return journey, meeting with this pretty little bastard.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Oleg Marylin whispered, folding his arms and scratching at his chin. “Until our enemy is dead and we argue over the corpse.”
“What did Yarzik say? What were they planning?” Kira had known Yarzik for over two decades. She’d drunk with him, sparred with him, played dice till her eyelids folded. She hated this. She hated all of this. Dwarves should not be killing dwarves.
“We didn’t do a lot of talking,” Alrick said with a shrug. “Tried to take him alive, but he lost his head.”
Kira gave her uncle an unamused stare.
“They left your tongue intact and took your sense of humour instead then?”
“Uncle.” Erani’s tone was firm.
“Hmm. No, we didn’t glean anything from them. But I don’t think it takes a mage to know Hoffnar is working with the elves of Lynalion. I’d bet the stones between my legs their end goal is to catch the Lorians in a pincer. Crush them from both sides while their lines are thinned. I can’t say I’m not happy about it. With any luck we’ll crush two roaches with one stone and they’ll all butcher each other.”
Kira nodded sombrely. Her uncle was a clever man and a ruthless warrior, but he had a tendency of seeing things plainly. If only the world were as simple as he saw it.
She lifted her hands and pressed her fingers into the creases of her eyes, exhaustion kicking at her, thoughts swirling. As much as she was loath to admit it, she would need sleep again shortly. She looked to Erani. “What about communication? Can we get word out? Aeson Virandr? The Draleid? Nimara and those sent with Dahlen Virandr? The Rolling Mountains? The Marin Mountains?”
One of the dwarves with the sigil of Volkur marked into his pauldron shook his head, gesturing at the map. “Hoffnar has locked down all of Lodhar. We’ve tried for the Southern Fold Gate and every pass we know of, even the ventilation shafts. Every attempt has ended in bloodshed. Any Wind Tunnel that comes anywhere close to the surface is guarded, the Wind Runners stationed there dismantled.”
“We’ve lost six navigators trying to send out messages.” Turim Arlan pressed his fingers into his cheeks, his green eyes meeting Kira’s gaze for only a fleeting moment. The man had always seen his navigators like his children, always taken such pride in each and every one of them. Kira could hear the loss in his voice.
“What about you, Erani?”
“What about me?”
“You entered the Freehold from the Rolling Mountains. Can we not send word out the same way you came in?”
Erani shook her head. The entire conversation seemed to be Erani shaking her head. “The guard was tripled after I slipped through, and with your escape that has since been doubled. Nothing leaves or enters this mountain without Hoffnar’s say.”
Kira closed her eyes for a moment, not bothering to guard the long sigh that left her throat. “Is there any good news? Anything at all?”
“We found Vindakur.”
“You what?”
“Would you like me to repeat myself, sister?”
Erani smiled at Kira’s scowl.
“Our scouts found an entrance two days ago just east of this outpost.” She gestured out the window to the flowers that jutted from cracks in the rock, emitting that yellow-gold light. “The Heraya’s Ward seems to shift colour in proximity to the city. “We’re currently working to unearth what appears to be a Portal Heart buried beneath the rubble. It’s delicate work. We have to be careful not to damage anything, but so far, we’ve exhumed two rings, one intact, one broken beyond repair.”
