Even after they had entered he kept gazing resolutely at the blue twilight deepening outside his window. From a heavy silver chain around his neck hung a pendant stone: a blood-colored gem scarred by a deep golden flaw.
âTyr, Eldest of Clan Theorn,â Deor said formally, âI bring you guests, a summoner and a thain of the Graith of Guardians.â
âDeor, great-grandson of my motherâs brother,â Tyr replied without moving his head, âhow shall I thank you for such a service? Word has preceded you, though, and I am prepared. Wait outside.â
The younger dwarf left.
âThain Morlock,â said the ancient dwarf, not removing his gaze from the window, âwhen you last left Thrymhaiam you forswore all authority and seniority in our clans, not by our custom but in accord with the First Decree of your Graith. Now! Shall I receive you as kin or as guest? Choose.â
âEldest,â said Morlock defiantly, âI am a Guardian and subject to the rigors of the First Decree. But Theorn is my clan, and no other. I claim from you the rights of kin, which neither you nor the Graith can deny me here.â
Finally the old dwarf looked into the room. He did not smile, but he seemed pleased. âYou will find it rougher than usual in the bachelorsâ warren, Morlocktheorn,â he said. âBut tonight you will sit at my table. This is because the summoner, who must sit there, is your guest. Also: because it is my will, which neither you nor the Graith can deny me here.â
â Harven , I never would.â
â Harven , youâyour memory is short. Go with Deor now, my son, and let him see to your needs.â
Morlock bowed and left.
Earno was briefly annoyed that Morlock obeyed the Eldestâs command without so much as a glance at Earno. But the annoyance was swallowed by a vaster feeling of surprise. The Eldest had called Morlock âmy son.â It might be just a manner of speech, but such a casual use of a kinship term seemed unlikely among this kin-obsessed people. What was it Tyr had called Deor? Great-grandson of my motherâs brother. It was less a term of address than a pocket genealogy, but perhaps the dwarves made little distinction between the two.
He turned to the Eldest with a question on his lips, but he found himself speechless as he encountered the old dwarfâs angry glare.
âNo, donât trouble to introduce yourself, Summoner. I know you as well as I need to. And if anyone but my youngest son had brought you here I would have had the gate thrown shut in your face.â
That answered Earnoâs question, at any rate: Morlock was clearly the foster son of the Eldest himself. That put the Arbiterâs comments to Morlock, back at the Rangan colony, about âyour fatherâ in an ambiguous light. But he had no time to think of these things now.
âI canât guest here under these terms,â Earno said, and would have continued.
âYet you will,â the Eldest forestalled him grimly. âYou can reach no settlement in a dayâs walk, you have no provisions or steeds, and in simple fact, I will not allow you to leave.â
âYou are an imposing host,â Earno observed, confident in his ability to leave if he chose. âBut we have horses.â
â They are not yours,â the Eldest shouted. âI know the Ranga breed, horses and lower animals, too well.â
Then Earno understood the Eldestâs puzzling attitude, at least in part. Somehow Tyr had heard of the events at the Rangan colony. He was simply venting his anger at Earnoâwhom, however, he seemed to resent for other reasons as well.
âIâve promised not to speak of this matter to you, Tyr syr Theorn,â Earno said. âBut I can at least say that Morlock has a plan for settling it which may meet with your approval.â
âEh. Morlock always has ideas. You have not seen how badly some of them work
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