Chapter 9: Dwarven Tunnels

Dodson directed me to a huge stone stable after we entered the gate. Several dwarf lads took the horses to a small corral after I parked the wagon. Green Bow and the other elves waved as they continued towards the large mouth of the main tunnel. I looked at Ellie and she smiled, “We might as well get comfortable, dwarves tend to take their time.”

I smiled and glanced at Little One and Charles as they headed into the barn, “Do not get lost.”

Little One only flirted her tail as she kept going and Ellie laughed. I smiled and went to the wagon to bring out my dirty clothes. I looked around and Ellie laughed again before calling one of the dwarf lads. One came out looking annoyed and she smiled sweetly, “Would you happen to know of a nearby service to clean clothes?”

He looked at her and then me before grinning, “My mother can do it for a price.”

I laughed, “Tell you what. I will give you these and mage Ellie’s robes to be cleaned. I will pay you a silver when they are done.”

He nodded and walked closer as Ellie climbed into the wagon and handed her robe out. I grinned at her bare leg, “Maybe we can find a marketplace to get you a couple more robes or dresses.”

She grinned as I turned to give the lad the clothes. He grinned back at me, “Go inside the tunnel and take the first left. At the arched doorway on the right, go in.”

I took Ellie’s hand and we headed into the tunnel. We found the doorway the lad told us about and walked in. All around us was the hum and murmur of voices from hundreds of dwarves. Light filtered down from high overhead and I could see huge seems of crystal. I grinned and pulled Ellie after me as I headed into the busy market.

I headed through the solid looking shop like stalls walking slowly. I stopped when I saw the emerald green cloth on a counter. I grinned at the two dwarf women, “How long to make a nice dress?”

They grinned and the older of the two looked at Ellie, “An hour.”

I looked at Ellie as I pulled my large pouch of silver and started bargaining. I had noticed several other bolts of cloth in many colors. In the end I bought Ellie four dresses, the other three were to be finished and delivered to our wagon. While I waited for her I looked around the nearby stalls.

I was not surprised when Little One clawed her way up my body and lay draped across my shoulders. I found another shop that was selling capes and bought three. One for me and two for Ellie, one was fur lined. I returned to the dress shop to find Charles draped across the counter while several young dwarf girls pet him.

I smiled as Little One sniffed and meowed in complaint. I reached up to caress her while looking towards the back of the shop. A grumpy looking dwarf with a beard down onto his chest stomped down the isle and looked up at me, “You Samuel Grey?”

I smiled slightly, “At least for today.”

He snorted as the girls giggled, “The counsel wants to speak to you.”

I sighed and glanced at the back of the shop as Ellie peeked out, “I am busy right now.”

I looked at the dwarf, “I will be back at my wagon in a half hour if they still want to talk to me.”

He put his hands on his hips, “This is important human.”

I smiled, “Not to me dwarf.”

His eyes narrowed, “is it money you want?”

I laughed, “Well, right now I am shopping and enjoying the courtesy of these wonderful merchants.”

He looked around and blushed, “yes, well...”

The girls giggled again and he glared at them and then at me, “I will have the counsel meet you at your wagon.”

He turned and stomped off and I shook my head as Little One mewed softly. I caressed her and glanced at the back of the shop as Ellie opened the curtain and stepped out. She was stunning in the long dress and smiled as she walked towards me, “He was a grumpy old man.”

The girls laughed and the one petting Charles grinned, “He is always like that.”

We stopped at a food vender on the way out and carried two meat and goat cheese sandwiches back to the wagon. I set Little One down as Charles meowed at her and they disappeared into the barn. Ellie grinned, “They must be going for lunch.”

I tossed the new robes in the back of our wagon and sat with Ellie to eat. A large group of dwarf men and women approached as we were finishing. I noticed Dodson walking along with those in the lead and sighed, “Another recommendation.”

Ellie laughed and leaned against my shoulder. The group gathered around us and sat down. One old dwarf that looked ancient cleared his throat, “We have a problem and you were recommended as someone that might solve it for us.”

I gestured, “Go on.”

He looked at the others, “We have a nest of goblins.”

I looked at him in surprise, “I thought...”

He held up his hands, “Actually it is in one of the older, higher tunnels off the pass that they found a way into.”

I sat back, “What do you want me to do?”

They looked at each other and the old dwarf cleared his throat, “Kill them.”

I shook my head, “can you just block the tunnel off?”

The old dwarf nodded, “We could but the problem would be protecting the workers. Also they would just find another way in since they know we are here now.”

I sighed and looked at Ellie, “I have always hated doing a job knowing it was to kill and not just protect.”

She nodded and then sighed, “You saw the goblins. They are mindless animals.”

I looked at the dwarves, “I will need a few things.”

The old dwarf looked at another that had a bright red beard, “Tolivar will provide whatever you need.”

Another dwarf leaned forward, “How much?”

I smiled and looked at Ellie, “Beside what I need, I want seven bolts of cloth of my choosing.”

They were looking at each other and the same dwarf cleared his throat, “That is all?”

I looked at him and raised my eyebrow, “That is my price. Do you want me to ask for more?”

The other dwarves grumbled and he blushed. I looked at the old dwarf, “Give me an hour to think about what I need and I will give you my list.”

He nodded and they all stood. Tolivar stayed as the others walked back towards the tunnel. I sighed and handed Ellie my pouch of silver, “Would you mind looking in the marketplace for some of the pipe herbs?”

She grinned as she stood, “I love the smell of pipe herbs.”

Tolivar grinned as we watched her head back into the tunnel. I pulled out my note book and gave him a list of what I needed. It was basically everything I needed to reload and make more bullets. I climbed into the wagon and started pulling out my extra magazines and ammo. I sat and started preparing.

I had only done one mission underground and it was not a pleasant memory. I glanced at Ellie when she came back but kept working. I finally set everything aside and sat back and closed my eyes. She moved behind me and started rubbing my temples like she had done in the past, “Goblins are like weasels Samuel. Once they know prey is there they can not stop themselves from killing. It is a kind of blood lust.”

I sighed and nodded, “Killing is killing El.”

When Tolivar returned, I started making more bullets. It was late when Ellie pulled me to bed in the wagon. I woke to the sound of a lot of voices. Ellie shifted and moved to get up, “A wagon train from Kendal. It sounds like they have wounded.”

I sat up and began to dress as Ellie climbed out of the wagon. The area around the stable was full of wagons and horses, with dwarves and humans moving around both. I started helping with the wounded and was almost sickened at some. The goblins that had attacked them did not try to kill before eating and some wounds were horrific.

The sun was up before everything calmed down. I sat with Ellie and ate some bread and cheese before putting my gear on. Tolivar returned as I was finishing a shoulder bag that held extra magazines. When Ellie stood to come with me I almost told her to stay. Little One and Charles trotted at our feet as we headed into the tunnel.

A small party of dwarves carrying some type of chemical lanterns met us and started leading the way. I smiled at Ellie, “I need to look for those lanterns in the marketplace.”

Ellie grinned and bent to scoop up Charles. Little One leaped and used her claws to climb my body to her perch on my shoulders. Most of the tunnels were well travel until late afternoon when we reached a large shaft. Inside was a pulley operated wooden elevator. Tolivar explained that it mostly used giant stone counter weights.

I think we rose about a thousand feet before coming to a stop. Not even a hundred paces away was a second elevator that took us up another thousand feet. When we got off that elevator we stopped in a large room that looked like a common room and even had a stone fireplace. Of course they used coal they dumped into a basket beside it.

The other dwarves busied themselves and Tolivar sat with Ellie and I. He cleared his throat, “A short walk from here is another lift that will take us up to the level where the goblins are. That set of tunnels extends out to just below the tree line off the trail that leads to the high pass. There are about five leagues of tunnels we will be searching so it is a good idea to be fresh when we start.”

I nodded and glanced around, “Beds and a place to cook?”

He looked towards a far corner, “The kitchen is in the corner. We have a supply train coming with supplies for a week.”

He gestured to the door beside the fireplace, “The sleeping room is through there.”

Little One and Charles both hopped off our laps and went exploring. It was an hour later that Little One scampered back and jumped into my lap, a few moments after that the supplies started arriving. That night I slept lightly with Ellie in my arms and my pistol in my hand. We were up early and ate before the dwarves finally decided it was time to start.

Ellie’s staff had appeared from somewhere as we entered the lift to ascend the shaft. I caressed her cheek and set Little One down, “Stay behind us.”

She mewed and sat but I was not sure she would stay and shook my head as I moved to the front of the lift. When the lift came to a halt I brought the rifle up and looked through the scope. I nodded and gestured before moving forward. I watched as the dwarves set up a hasty position. I had studied the tunnel diagrams and moved forward slowly when the dwarves were ready.