this instance, it looked as if
they’d taken more than they needed. Every home was constructed of wood and
stone, not the temporary tent dwellings that normally went along with mining
life. Clearly the dwarves planned to stay permanently, which meant more
settlements popping up between here and Kaiya’s village weren’t out of the
question. Shortening supply lines would save them money, and that could spell
trouble for the Ulihi. They might soon be losing more hunting ground.
“We might as well
get settled,” Raad said. “Foreman Daro always goes to bed early, so you won’t be
meeting with him tonight. He’ll be up at dawn, though, so you won’t have to
wait much longer.”
Kaiya sighed and
ground her teeth. She was anxious to find out exactly why Daro had summoned
her. There was more to the story than Raad had revealed, and she was impatient
to learn the missing parts. “Maybe I should wake him,” she said. “He did ask
you to fetch me.”
“Let the man rest,”
Raad said, waving a dismissive hand. “We can enjoy ourselves at one of the
taverns.”
“One of?” Galen
asked.
“We have six,” Raad
replied, grinning.
Tashi shook her
head. “Why do you need so many?”
“We’ve got a large
operation going on here, in case you hadn’t noticed,” he replied. “There’s lots
of mouths to feed and water.”
Uninterested in
revelry, Kaiya asked, “Does this place have an inn?”
“Nope,” Raad
replied, “but you can have a spot in the bunkhouse. It’s meant for temporary
workers, but it’s empty this time of year. You’ll have a little privacy.”
Resigning herself
to an uncomfortable night, Kaiya said, “Lead the way.”
Motioning for the
others to follow, Raad led them into the mining camp. They passed by two
taverns, filled to the brim with sloshed miners. The ones who were still partly
sober took notice of the travelers, mainly Tashi and Galen. They stood out in
this place, even in the dark.
Emboldened by a few
drinks, one man stepped in Tashi’s path and placed a hand on her beaded collar.
“What have we got here?” he asked, his gaze tracing the lines of her figure.
“This is the woman
who will break your hand if you don’t keep it off her,” Tashi warned, her
features stern.
The dwarf withdrew
his hand and wiped it against his chest. “Fiery, aren’t you,” he commented.
“Get back to your
drink,” Raad demanded, stepping between Tashi and the dwarf.
The man peered
around Raad, considering whether he wanted to obey. One look at Kaiya, and he
decided he’d best go back inside. Without another word, he disappeared into the
tavern crowd.
“What did you do to
him?” Raad asked.
“Not a thing,”
Kaiya replied, a crooked smile on her lips. A flash of silver in her eyes was
all it had taken to scare the inebriated miner. Dwarves rarely encountered any
sort of magic, so having it stand in front of them could be rather
intimidating.
As they continued
through the city, Kaiya made note of a small school. “There are children here?”
she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Raad
replied. Seeing her confusion, he added, “You can’t expect men to live way up
here without bringing their families along.”
Raising a family
this far from dwarf civilization seemed strange to her. Shrugging it off, she
decided it was no stranger than her own upbringing. Never having fit in with
the other children, she had chosen to separate herself from them. At least
these kids had each other.
Crossing a narrow
alleyway, Kaiya glimpsed the movement of a cat, its eyes shining in the dim
light. The back of her throat tingled, a salty taste filling her mouth. Tilting
her head, she sniffed at the wind.
“Barracks are to
your left,” Raad announced, pointing. “Door’s unlocked, so help yourself.”
“There’s magic
here,” the sorceress announced, her head lifted high. “This way,” she said,
following the scent.
The others
followed, curious to discover the source. Drawing more energy into
they’d taken more than they needed. Every home was constructed of wood and
stone, not the temporary tent dwellings that normally went along with mining
life. Clearly the dwarves planned to stay permanently, which meant more
settlements popping up between here and Kaiya’s village weren’t out of the
question. Shortening supply lines would save them money, and that could spell
trouble for the Ulihi. They might soon be losing more hunting ground.
“We might as well
get settled,” Raad said. “Foreman Daro always goes to bed early, so you won’t be
meeting with him tonight. He’ll be up at dawn, though, so you won’t have to
wait much longer.”
Kaiya sighed and
ground her teeth. She was anxious to find out exactly why Daro had summoned
her. There was more to the story than Raad had revealed, and she was impatient
to learn the missing parts. “Maybe I should wake him,” she said. “He did ask
you to fetch me.”
“Let the man rest,”
Raad said, waving a dismissive hand. “We can enjoy ourselves at one of the
taverns.”
“One of?” Galen
asked.
“We have six,” Raad
replied, grinning.
Tashi shook her
head. “Why do you need so many?”
“We’ve got a large
operation going on here, in case you hadn’t noticed,” he replied. “There’s lots
of mouths to feed and water.”
Uninterested in
revelry, Kaiya asked, “Does this place have an inn?”
“Nope,” Raad
replied, “but you can have a spot in the bunkhouse. It’s meant for temporary
workers, but it’s empty this time of year. You’ll have a little privacy.”
Resigning herself
to an uncomfortable night, Kaiya said, “Lead the way.”
Motioning for the
others to follow, Raad led them into the mining camp. They passed by two
taverns, filled to the brim with sloshed miners. The ones who were still partly
sober took notice of the travelers, mainly Tashi and Galen. They stood out in
this place, even in the dark.
Emboldened by a few
drinks, one man stepped in Tashi’s path and placed a hand on her beaded collar.
“What have we got here?” he asked, his gaze tracing the lines of her figure.
“This is the woman
who will break your hand if you don’t keep it off her,” Tashi warned, her
features stern.
The dwarf withdrew
his hand and wiped it against his chest. “Fiery, aren’t you,” he commented.
“Get back to your
drink,” Raad demanded, stepping between Tashi and the dwarf.
The man peered
around Raad, considering whether he wanted to obey. One look at Kaiya, and he
decided he’d best go back inside. Without another word, he disappeared into the
tavern crowd.
“What did you do to
him?” Raad asked.
“Not a thing,”
Kaiya replied, a crooked smile on her lips. A flash of silver in her eyes was
all it had taken to scare the inebriated miner. Dwarves rarely encountered any
sort of magic, so having it stand in front of them could be rather
intimidating.
As they continued
through the city, Kaiya made note of a small school. “There are children here?”
she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Raad
replied. Seeing her confusion, he added, “You can’t expect men to live way up
here without bringing their families along.”
Raising a family
this far from dwarf civilization seemed strange to her. Shrugging it off, she
decided it was no stranger than her own upbringing. Never having fit in with
the other children, she had chosen to separate herself from them. At least
these kids had each other.
Crossing a narrow
alleyway, Kaiya glimpsed the movement of a cat, its eyes shining in the dim
light. The back of her throat tingled, a salty taste filling her mouth. Tilting
her head, she sniffed at the wind.
“Barracks are to
your left,” Raad announced, pointing. “Door’s unlocked, so help yourself.”
“There’s magic
here,” the sorceress announced, her head lifted high. “This way,” she said,
following the scent.
The others
followed, curious to discover the source. Drawing more energy into
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