Chapter 13 #2
“We should get there in an hour or so. We might be coming back in the dark, but hopefully the Krustavian king will let us stay the night,” Tallu said.
He looked over Mountain Thrown Lake below, his eyes catching on the shape of a white bird that flapped its way low to the surface, disappearing under the surface, only to re-emerge a distance away.
“Perhaps we should have taken the lake,” I said.
Tallu shook his head. “It was too dangerous. If you cross the lake, the only way up to the city is through the depths of the mountains.”
And Saxu had been clear that what lived there was too dangerous even for the might of the Imperium’s military.
Asahi cleaned up, and we remounted. Our horses made good time, the tall trees obscuring how far up we were going into the mountains, so it came as a surprise when we arrived at a massive stone arch, the dark gleam of it familiar from the accents in the Lakeshore Palace.
It resembled two bears, locked in combat, their paws touching at the peak of the arch.
A single dwarf stood under the keystone, his hands resting on the pommel of a massive axe.
In typical Krustavian style, he wore a mix of fur and fabric, gemstones set into the collar of his jacket.
On his face, he had painted thin blue lines that ran from his forehead down to his nose and then out across his cheeks.
It took me a moment to recognize the makeup as mimicking a badger’s marks.
Tallu pulled his horse up short, and the animal muffled a scream, dancing backward. The dwarf raised his axe just slightly, bringing it down onto the stone ground beneath.
Both of the stone bears released each other’s paws, turning as one to face our small party.
“What business do Dogs of the Imperium have with Krustau?” the dwarf asked.
Tallu didn’t even look up at the bears, their claws much sharper now that they were aimed at us. My horse snuffled, stepping backward delicately even as I held the reins tight, urging it to stay.
“I am Tallu, patriarch of House Atobe, Dragon Chosen Emperor of the Southern Imperium. I am here to speak with the head of the Badger Guild, King of the Shadow Throne.” Tallu didn’t quite glare, but his expression was tight when he said, “Is there no welcome from Krustau?”
The dwarf smiled, the expression pulling wrinkles across his face, turning the badger painted on his skin into a snarl.
“The Shadow King has given me leave to offer you hospitality, as long as you obey our rules of it.” The dwarf raised his axe, bringing it down again. The stone bears shifted in position, kneeling, and holding out both of their claws as though cupping invisible bowls.
Tallu swung his leg off his saddle and walked over to the nearest bear. He removed a thin sword from his side, placing it in the bear’s sharp claws.
Asahi and Sagam did the same, removing their swords and daggers, even a small knife that I knew Asahi used mostly to slice open fruit.
I followed suit, taking off my wolf’s claw and the more obvious daggers. I glanced at the dwarf, hesitating. “I’m from the Northern Kingdom and unfamiliar with the customs of Krustau. Am I required to remove all of my weapons?”
“The laws of hospitality dictate that neither of us hold weapons in our hands. To have one on your person is to tempt fate, and there have been many heads removed because of a careless brush of a hand across a hilt.” The dwarf smiled again, and this time I caught a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
He was wondering if he was going to get to remove my head before we even set foot in the Mountain Thrown Palace.
I removed two more blades, putting them inside the claws of the bear.
I had been trained to make weapons out of anything. If necessary, I could kill the king with my bare hands.
The dwarf raised his own axe, and Asahi and Sagam both tensed, but he merely placed it in one of the bear’s claws. Then he stamped his foot, and the bears closed their paws, effectively trapping our weapons in rock.
Turning, the dwarf waved his hand, gesturing for us to follow him. Tallu turned, grabbing the reins of his horse, but the dwarf waved him off.
“Leave them,” the dwarf said. “Horses don’t like the caves.”
He raised his foot again, stamping it down hard. The mountain split open in front of us. A massive bear head rose out of the ground, its jaws opening wide, revealing a cave.
“The Shadow King welcomes you to Krustau,” the dwarf said.
“We cannot leave our horses,” Tallu said. “They might die in our absence.”
The dwarf nodded, his eyes narrowed, as though he respected Tallu’s choice.
He whistled, and two smaller men leapt down from trees further up the mountain, shouldering bows that were nearly as tall as them.
It took me a moment to realize they were children, because their girth and features very closely resembled our guide’s.
It was only the height and the quickness of their movement that indicated how much younger they were than him.
“Care for the horses,” the dwarf ordered.
The boys approached, and my horse stepped back again, nervous at the sudden movement. I grabbed hold of the reins, keeping them tight, and the boy grinned at me.
He didn’t bow, and the lack of it was so strange after so long in the Imperium. Everything there resulted in a bow, the depth and position of the fingers so important that I found myself using it to judge a person more than I’d thought possible.
The boy accepted the reins from me and Asahi, his companion taking Tallu’s and Sagam’s mounts. They started up the path that we had been on beyond the bear arch.
“Come,” the dwarf said. “There is still much walking ahead if you wish to see Inor, the head of the Badger Guild, King of the Shadow Throne.”
He turned, walking into the mouth of the bear, and I followed behind. Sagam took several quick steps, managing to position himself between the dwarf and Tallu.
Inside the mouth of the bear, the walls were still made of the dark black stone, and we had to position our feet carefully not to slip on the path, which narrowed and widened unexpectedly. Our dwarven guide stopped and stamped his foot.
With a massive groan, the cave entrance collapsed down, effectively trapping us. We were left in darkness. I reached out, desperately searching for the wall of the cave, but my hand found nothing.
“Tallu?” I asked, reaching forward and grabbing hold of the fine fabric of his robe. He was continuing to move forward, taking each foot carefully, but when he felt the tug of my hand, he stilled.
“We cannot see,” Tallu said sharply.
Up ahead, there was a rough chuckle. “You cannot?”
Something dark moved against a brighter background, and I could begin to see the outline of Tallu as he shook his head.
Slowly, he seemed to brighten as my eyes adjusted to the dark. We were in a massive cavern large enough to hold a pair of elephants. The ceiling above was dripping with gemstones, and they were lit from within, casting a dim glow.
It was nothing compared to the sunlight outside, but once my eyes adjusted, I could see clearly.
Ahead, the dwarf turned, continuing to walk upon the path that was now lined with clear, glowing stones.
After we passed through the cavern, we circled a lake, the water a brilliant green that cast sparkles onto the walls and ceiling above.
Something dark moved through the water, its back cresting the surface for a moment before it dropped down again, leaving the water as still as a mirror.
The glowing stones that lined the path brightened, then climbed up the walls as we reached a room thick with gemstones. A massive one in the center had been carved into the shape of a badger, rearing back, its mouth open in threat.
It was nearly identical to the seal that the Krustavian king used on all of his messages. He may not have been hearing directly from Tallu, but unless Maki had learned to perfectly imitate the seal, Tallu had been receiving his messages.
I considered what that meant, as we continued on. Finally, as we entered a room dripping with stalagmites and stalactites, I couldn’t help but say, “I was told that the depths of Krustau weren’t safe to travel.”
Ahead, the dwarf chuckled, his voice booming in the cavern, shaking loose some bats who flew over our heads before disappearing into the dark.
“These are no more depths than the cellars of your houses in the north. We are just beneath the city above. True depths are those our miners fear to touch. We would have to walk another full day just to reach them. Come.” He led us through a narrow opening, and the cavern beyond brightened with real daylight.
We emerged at the top in Mountain Thrown City, the entire city built into the mountain peaks.
Each door was an opening that had been dug into the mountainside. We stood on a flat plateau carved under the peak, and from it, we were able to view a spread of land on either side of the mountain.
Looking down, I saw the lake and the Lakeshore Palace, and beyond them I could nearly see all the way to the forest we had spent so long crossing. On the other side, flat plains of grassy farms faded into blackened trees beyond.
I pointed. “Forsaith?”
Tallu nodded. I remembered the smoke that lit the sky for weeks.
Half a continent away, and we could still see the results of the Imperium’s fury.
My mother would stand for hours watching, her face pale from the cold, one hand on my shoulder, one hand on Eona?’s, as she forced us to see what would happen to our nation if we failed.
How much worse to see it closer, to have a view of the burning towns. Now all you could see was the charred remains of the once-prosperous kingdom.
Would they have been able to see the prototypes of Seka Zami’s flying ship from here?
I searched the mountainside. “Where is the path down to the base of the mountain?”
“There is none,” the dwarf who’d guided us said. “To get up here to Mountain Thrown City, you need a stone mage.”