Chapter 6 – Neve
NEVE
Ithrust my lantern at the nearest human, who took it with a squawk. No longer burdened by its weight, I gripped my sword with both hands. Ready for what may come. I sucked in a breath as my vision adjusted to the bright fae lights.
I’d thought the attackers would be orcs, but no. They were dwarves. Twelve, in number. I barely had time to process the information when they rushed us, a variety of weapons raised. An arrow snapping against the rock wall at my side made me jump and look up.
“Stars,” I yelped at my stark miscalculation.
The twelve were not alone. Peeking out of small caverns and climbing along ledges with grace that their short stocky bodies shouldn’t possess were at least fifty other dwarves.
We were in serious trouble. Vale might be the Warrior Bear, Caelo a powerful knight, and I had the basics of defense and fighting down, but I doubted our ability to take on so many.
Behind, the humans began to panic, and the horses whinnied and snorted. The skin on the back of my neck tightened. “Caelo! Calm them.”
The last thing we needed was the horses running back through the tunnel. They could trample the humans down the line or break a leg running through the uneven tunnels.
Caelo squinted, dividing his attention from the threat ahead to the horses’ wellbeing.
Another arrow soared my way. Caelo ducked, and I followed suit as the first dozen attackers reached us. Vale pushed me behind him and went on the offense.
One dwarf fell, then another, only for more to drop from above. I gripped my sword, ready to join the fight, when another arrow soared at us, and this time, the archer struck a human woman.
She screamed and fell. Others grabbed her, tried to pull her into the tunnel where the humans were retreating, but before they did so, another arrow hit a man.
My blood ran hot. We’d spent weeks walking here, and these people had lived through it all! I’d not see them die now. My magic surged with my anger and flew from me.
Cries of fear filled the cavern, bouncing off the walls and setting my teeth on edge. However, the sounds of blades hitting blades ceased. As did the clamor of boots on stone.
“Help!” another human behind me shrieked and began jerking in place. The reason became apparent as my gaze dropped.
I’d frozen her feet to the ground, like King Magnus had done during the execution of the Royal Theater actors. My stomach dropped as I put that together with the sudden lack of sound and cast a wide glance. Every single person who stood on the ground was frozen in place, including Vale and Caelo.
Vale met my eyes. “More might drop.”
I looked up and found that he was right. My outburst of magic had not flung itself above us and the archers and more dwarves waited to fall, though now there was hesitation in their eyes.
Knowing this might be our only chance to bargain with them, I sheathed my sword and raised both hands.
“We aren’t here to harm you.” I spoke clearly, levelly, but did not shout. I didn’t wish to appear fearful, for many fae saw fear as a weakness. “We seek sanctuary!”
Arrows lowered a touch, and dwarves exchanged perplexed glances. For the first time, I noticed they were wearing clean uniforms.
They don’t look like nomads.
Before I could question further, a fair-skinned male with a large bulbous nose, a great blond beard, and long blond hair shot through with gray jumped from above. Was he going to attack?
He landed and did not grasp his weapon, answering my unspoken question, though his eyes blazed into mine.
“Sanctuary? Here? When the rest of Winter’s Realm believes my kingdom to be not but coal dust?”
So this is their leader.
I sized him up. Yes, the pride in his face, the uplift of his chin and the fire in his voice would indicate a high station. I sought to match such an effect and tilted my chin up.
“You heard me correctly. We seek safety, not to harm or take anything of yours.”
The dwarf stopped, his hand sweeping the ground. “It appears you’ve already done harm.”
“I—I didn’t mean to do that.” I swallowed, well aware of the whining from behind us. I waved a hand at Vale’s feet. “As you can see, I disabled my best warriors.”
“You cannot release your power to free them?”
“I already have,” I admitted. “Ice and frost do not melt so quickly.”
The leader stared at me, then he pointed up to where others waited for a command. “Would you oppose me bringing down a fire elemental? One of our best?”
Fire elemental? They had one here and hadn’t unleashed fire on us right away? They could have easily done so from a distance. That indicated some reluctance to attack, I supposed, but I had to be careful here.
“Only if you promise not to hurt anyone.” I placed a hand on Vale’s shoulder. “Including those who fought your soldiers.”
And had felled many, despite the short duration of the fight. Though none had died, which I hoped worked in our favor.
“If they try to do harm, I suspect you will be quick to retaliate, will you not, my lady?” The leader again gestured to the shackles of ice around so many ankles.
“I will strike as fast as a viper.”
A smirk broke on the dwarf’s face, and he snapped his fingers. “Utrick!”
Another dwarf, this one shorter and stockier than the leader, with hair like gray ash and enormous, rounded ears, launched into the air.
I marveled, wondering how they landed without harming themselves when they did not have wings.
A split second later, I found my answer.
Nearly hidden by an outcropping of stone, one dwarf was manipulating air to assist their landings.
Utrick approached his leader. “King?”
I tucked that information away. Not only was this dwarf a leader, but a king. Nomadic tribes did not have kings. It seemed that the kingdom of Dergia may have been reformed.
“Heat the ice shackles. Free all—in fact, do these two first.” The king’s chin jerked to encompass Vale and Caelo. “As a sign of our good will. We wouldn’t want this powerful female thinking anything else.”
Utrick’s magic heated the space around Vale and Caelo and with his combined magic and their strength, Vale and Caelo were freed. They came to my sides, like the queensguard they’d offered to be in the depths of Gersemi Mine, as the fire elemental spread his magic. Sighs of relief filled the cavern.
When all were freed from my shackles, the king motioned for his soldiers to get behind him as he stepped closer. I met him, stopping when three paces separated us.
“King Tholin of the Kingdom of Dergia—the Great Rock.” He inclined his head and for the first time, I caught a shimmer of gold dust on both hands crawling up the dwarf’s meaty arms.
“Reformed after all these turns?” I asked, unable to help myself.
“We never truly left.” The king arched an eyebrow. “And who might you be, my lady?”
He had picked me out as the leader, which was both unsettling and empowering.
Now, how to answer the question? He said they’d never left, which meant the dwarves had hidden here. Since the time of Sassa Falk four thousand turns ago when she had demanded their bent knees.
I had no idea of his loyalties, nor if this dwarf’s family had a relationship, good or bad, with my birth family, for it wasn’t Vale’s house that demanded other leaders bend the knee many turns ago. However, the Aabergs also hadn’t returned individual powers to the various fae races.
In passing at court, I’d met one such dwarf, a descendant of a royal line from the Ice Tooth Range and another descendant of the sprite royals. Neither had seemed inclined to want change, to take on the troubles of the realm for themselves.
This king was clearly different. He stood before me proudly, as did those behind him. How many more might there be?
I didn’t know, but I understood one thing: They weren’t fae to be trifled with. For now, I’d hide my birth name until I determined if they’d take offense to the bloodline that had tried to rob them of their kingdom.
“Neve, wife to Prince Vale.” I answered, gesturing to Vale.
The king’s eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything, I added.
“We come with humans, some fated to mine rock as slaves until they died. Others destined for the Blood Court. For collars and chains. They are why we’re here, as we hoped this kingdom—though we believed it to be deserted—could be a home for them.
A place where they might guide their own fates.
Seeing you here both gives me hope, and worries me, for their sake. ”
The king’s attention went to the tunnel, where the humans huddled. Anna stood in the front of them all and not for the first time, I marveled at my friend’s bravery.
“According to your laws, they should be in noble homes and select institutions.”
Your laws. This kingdom did not abide by laws outside their own. Nor, if I was reading him correctly, did Tholin seem hostile to the humans. Not as if he would wish to use them. No, King Tholin looked at them like . . .
Like I do. Like people he was used to being around.
“You’re right, we’re breaking the law. I cannot watch these people, lured here by a malicious lord, put into forced servitude.”
Tholin’s eyes widened. “Interesting.”
“Might I ask why?”
He stared at me, as though I was a puzzle he was hoping to solve.
“You might, but first I wonder—why are you speaking and not your husband? He is the prince, son of King Aaberg and the Warrior Bear, is he not? Have my soldiers got him so out of breath he cannot speak when his rank demands it?”
This king wasn’t just unusual, he was intelligent. He recognized an atypical dynamic between Vale and me, and it raised a flag.
“You used your magic, so you can’t be under the influence of Liar’s Salvation and lying to me,” the king added, “but I do not see why a princess—a new one, if my spies are correct—would speak for the House Aaberg. Those of the House of the White Bear are as proud as mountains and nearly as unmovable.”
Too clever indeed.