Chapter Seven #2
I dug into a pouch on my belt to offer him some moldy berries. The gates opened behind us.
This is all the food I have. You may have them.
He flew up to land on my forearm, the one that was not strapped to my chest. Tipping his head left then right, he chose not to eat the little blackberries.
Those are bad berries. Click wants more dwarf stick.
I cannot give you dwarf stick. I do not have dwarf stick. I am not a dwarf.
The dwarf has dwarf stick. Ask the dwarf. Ask the dwarf. Ask the dwarf.
No, I am not asking the dwarf. You will have to find your own food then.
Click is mad. Click is hungry. Click wants dwarf stick. If Click is hungry and weak, Click cannot fly.
I stared at the bird on my arm in shock.
“Are you blackmailing me?” I asked out loud, stunned to my very core.
I knew this raven was intelligent, but extortion was…
well, it was outstanding. He began doing the starving raven dance on my arm.
“No, do not dance about until you answer the question. Are you blackmailing me?”
Click danced gaily, flapping about, cawing now to ensure he was not ignored.
“Chirp!” Asdren bellowed. I spun about, dancing raven on my left forearm, to find my group, a goat cart behind us with one old dwarf in the seat, and the four guards staring at me as if I were not wholly here mentally. My cheeks flamed. “You think you want to join us?”
“Yes, yes.” I turned to look at the raven eyeing me. “Meet us at the tundra gate. I know not how long it will be. There is food on the tundra. Eat there.” He called me a mean elf before taking to wing. I hurried over to the gate.
“Sorry about that. He’s real pretty, but his light don’t shine all the way to the bottom of his shaft if you know what I mean,” Asdren informed the guards.
My mouth fell open. “Anyways, so this here elf is my personal attendant. I bought him down on the flats from a whoremaster who was tired of him talking to every damn bird he come into contact with. I liked his looks, the ginger root hair and them freckles, so I gave the madame two silver for him.”
“Two silver?!” I asked in outrage. Asdren patted my rump affectionately.
“Yep, two whole silver,” he said to me before returning his attention to the guards.
“Chewed her down from three on account he talks to birds. Named him Chirp since he looks like a red bunting. Also because of his bird shit. But he’s harmless.
Good in the sack. Got no paperwork or nothing, but I can vouch for him.
He’s too daft to steal anything, and I don’t plan to let him out of my room while we’re here.
” Everyone tittered as I coughed and sputtered.
“So, think we can get inside? It’s been a long ride up the mountain.
Damn elf fell off his pony and wrenched his arm bad.
Can’t feel his fingers well, and that’s his good hand.
” Asdren winked at guard one as guard two studied me intently.
I bit down on my tongue so hard it was a wonder I did not bite it in two.
“You ever think of renting him out?” guard two asked. Smuta and the twins were just going through the doors on their steeds, smirking at us over their shoulders. “I’d toss you a couple of coppers for an hour or two.”
My eyes flared.
“Nah, he’s not built for more than one dwarf at a time. Two rowdy stone sons might snap him in two. He’s got bones like an old woman.”
“Pity.” The guard sighed as he waved us along.
“Come along, Chirp, you got trousers to mend and other things to tend to,” Asdren said, giving me a soft shove into the freshly opened gates.
How tedious it must be to do nothing all day but open and close ancient gates.
Fortunately, the constructs did not feel boredom.
They felt no emotions at all. Which was the opposite of what I was experiencing at the moment.
We stepped through the massive doors at speed, Asdren keeping a hand at my back to propel me forward.
He probably sensed an incoming barrage of indignation, so he wanted to press me along.
Twisting from his unsettling touch on the small of my back, I had great intention to whip around and give the pompous arse a good tongue-lashing when my angry words fizzled on my tongue.
We stood in a cave the size of the Temple of Celear, the ceiling craggy rock that held enormous chandeliers secured to the rock with chains forged of mighty links as large as an elf.
The room was silent, aside from the low hum of prayers being offered up by dwarves in dark brown robes kneeling before four statues hewn from the very mountain itself.
The air here was warm, much warmer than outside, and thick with smoke from a dozen or so stone braziers.
“These here are the four main gods and goddesses of my people, Chirp,” Asdren whispered as we slowly made our way past the homages, two on each side of the busy walkway.
We paused in front of a towering male dwarf with a beard of gray rock that touched his bare toes.
He stood behind a large anvil. On the plinth the god stood upon was an anvil atop a mountain carved into the rock.
“This is the Stonefather, father of the forge. These priests are the keepers of the sacred tongs as well as the overseers of all stone lore. By Stonefather’s strike, let strength be true. ”
I nodded in silence, pushing my ire at Asdren aside until we were alone. It would be disrespectful to shout curses at the shithead here in what seemed to be a holy place.
“He is imposing,” I softly replied.
“Aye,” Asdren answered, then we turned to the woman shown across from the Stonefather. “This is the Hearthmother. Keeper of the flame, mother of warmth and family. You’ll see her sigil of a hearth flame enlaced by a rock circle on every dwarven hearth.”
I studied the carving on the plinth and then the lady’s face.
A proud dwarven female indeed but with kind eyes.
We stepped forward, our traveling companions long gone.
“This male is the Ironmantle, warden of oaths and lord of all gems. He’s the one who keeps us true to any vow made, for iron remembers the promise. ”
We turned to gaze on another dwarven female, the same one who had been crafted into the Iron Gates.
“I know this one. She was on the gates.”
Asdren smiled up at me. I nearly smiled back then recalled I was angry, so I pressed my lips tight.
“Aye, good recollection, Chirp. She shows the vein to those with patient hands.”
We took a moment at her feet before being carried along by the crush of dwarves with goods flowing into Grommveldir.
Once cleared of the hall of giant dwarves, which seemed a contradiction, we moved through a narrower tunnel lit with glowing red runes worked into the stone.
Stepping out with the sounds of livestock in my head—goats were particularly talkative—we emerged onto a platform of solid rock, which began to gently spiral downward.
The walkway was smooth, smoky stone with heavy rock banisters.
I moved to the edge, placing my hands on the rail to look down.
The spiraling walkway went down into the very earth, it seemed.
The smells here shifted with hot blasts from below, carrying the strong odor of rotted eggs mingled with burnt rock.
“Come away from the edge lest you tumble over it like you did the path coming up,” Asdren called as I stared downward in awe. “You go arse over tits over that, you’ll bugger up more than your shoulder.” I spun from the railing to glare at him. He gave me a firm look. “Do as you’re told.”
“Perhaps I should make you come get me, Dwarf,” I flung back, my patience with acting his plaything already shredded. My head ached, my shoulder pulsed, and my stomach was tender from vomiting.
That made him chuckle. Several passing dwarves paused as the bickering between us broke out, anxious to see what took place next. Most seemed amused as if they were watching a parent chastise a child. Which I mayhap sounded like now that I thought on it.
“Perhaps you should, but if you did, I’d have to paddle your bony arse for not listening to your patron, Elf.”
He gave me a long look which set my toes to tingling as if he were contemplating spanking me.
My reaction was strong and confusing. My grandma had spanked me numerous times as a boy, and I had not enjoyed it.
This warm flush now made my cock stiffen, and my cheeks flare hotter than the sultry air, which led me to think I might not object to his big, calloused hand settling on my bare arse with a sound crack.
Feeling the curious eyes on me, I relented. We had roles to play here, if only for a brief moment or two. I stalked over to him.
“Now that’s a good lad. Follow me, don’t touch anything and don’t engage with the merchants. They’ll have your coins in their hands faster than you can nock an arrow.”
“I am not a total dullard,” I growled as we stepped back into the ebb and flow heading downward.