The Unknown Man: Book 1 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series (23 page)

For two days, Tirene and the others had been heading deeper into the mountain. He could tell they headed down, which made sense after climbing so high up the mountain to even reach the gates. They had spent the previous night in another makeshift village. Tirene's back pained him, and he assumed the others suffered similar ailments. It turned out the Dwarves slept on beds they carved out of stone. Even with the hay and many blankets they had been supplied with, Tirene had found it difficult thus far to get used to the furniture.

They continued and the monotonous beat of the horse’s hooves on the stone floor of the passageway grated on all of their nerves. There had been idle chitchat in the beginning, but the long trek subdued even the chatty Jaeden. One good thing came out of their trek though, Yordrinn had become more accepting of them.

They couldn’t tell what time of day it was, but Yordrinn informed them they were within a short walk to Drognard. He kept inquiring into the point of their journey and their insistence on using the Dwarven passages. They had told him enough to satisfy his inquiries, mostly.

Tirene glanced at Liniana. She looked sick, and the orange glow emanating from the candles in the sconces didn’t do much to help her appearance. Tirene hoped that if anything, she had caught a cold and it wouldn’t last long. He knew there were various illnesses one could catch when entering such a different climate, such as the inside of a mountain.

She spotted him gazing at her and gave him a reassuring smile. She hoped it would be enough to keep his questions at bay. She didn’t want to elaborate any more than necessary. The mission had the highest level of importance, not her own personal problems. He noticed her smile and it seemed to be enough to appease him. She sighed with relief as they both refocused on what lay ahead.

After a couple more hours, and with their stomachs growling, they noticed a set of gates up ahead. Yordrinn halted them all and proceeded to walk up to one of the soldiers. There were four of them, and they all carried devilish looking modified halberds. They were much shorter than the ones used by Humans, appearing to be long axes with a spear on the tip.

They eyed the Humans with contempt, displeased with their presence so deep into the Ironhammer’s halls. They all stared at Tirene with much admiration, though. Much of the interest seemed directed toward Tirene's armor, and of course his sword. The guards stared for a moment, then the one in charge relented and retreated to the gate.

They opened it to let the others proceed through. What lay beyond was much more than Liniana, Jaeden, and Matt had ever expected. Tirene had vague memories of having been in this place before so it didn’t affect him as much. The cavern looked immaculate, with the ceiling rising over a thousand paces. Multiple levels had been carved into the stone. Tirene glanced up and could count at least six levels stretching around the cavern; it was hard to get an accurate count, though. There were buildings occupying all of the levels and stretched for as far as the eye could see.

Yordrinn noticed them all staring, wide-eyed, at what lay before them. “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” He took a deep breath. The air felt clear, considering they were deep below the mountain. “Drognard! It has been too long since I’ve last been home.”

The chasms leading deep into the planet's core meandered throughout the cavern. Bridges covered the cracks in the earth, and the design amazed them—seeming to flow throughout. Many of the Dwarves were inspecting wares the proprietors of the shops had on display. The group caught various glances from passing Dwarves, but not the accusatory stares they received in the military villages.

Jaeden turned to Matt. “If this is his idea of home, I would hate to see his real home.”  Matt snickered at the boy’s comment and jammed his elbow into his side.

Yordrinn let them gaze for a moment, and then guided them down a path leading out of the main chamber, to more twisting and turning tunnels. They walked and turned a few in what seemed a haphazard way. It became very confusing and they were glad Yordrinn had come with them as a guide.

They crossed over a large bridge that took them over a pit leading to lava below. Tirene’s face lit up in surprise when he spotted Goblins wandering through the halls, as well as the elusive Gnomes too. Gnomes were even shorter than their Dwarf cousins were. They rarely engaged with Humans and were known as builders and tinkerers. They were consumed by their craft, caring nothing for conquest and war—although they did supply cutting-edge inventions, many were used as weapons on the battlefield.

Yordrinn guided them to a building Tirene assumed to be a form of stables. “You can let your horses stay here. They will be well taken care of; I can assure you of that. From here we’ll go to validate your claims on the origins of the sword and armor you bear.”

Tirene nodded toward Yordrinn and handed over the reins of his horse—as well as the reins of the other’s mounts—to a rotund and old looking Dwarf. Once the horses were taken care of, the group followed Yordrinn back out to the stone streets of the city. They followed him, taking more twists and turns, leaving Tirene lost and with no idea where they had come into the city. They found a path leading to the second level and took the street, climbing up.

Once on the second level, they could see down to the main floor, and from their vantage point, it continued to impress. What seemed confusing while they walked the streets, looked like a flowing set of streets from above, an intricate pattern weaving in and out. They continued their trek, took a couple of tunnels, and arrived at the front of a run-down shop. It appeared to be the establishment of a blacksmith.

Yordrinn opened the door to sounds of hammer on metal filling the air, and led them in. To Tirene’s amazement, the one holding the hammer was a female Dwarf. She had bright, red hair that she wore braided on either side of her head. She looked middle-aged by Dwarven standards. She noticed the door crack open, before she saw who walked in.

“Yordrinn, ya old galoot. What brings you away from the western gate and through my doors?” The answer to her question appeared as the Humans followed him into the room. “Oh, I see. You’re bringing me
your
problem.” She laughed once more, a rowdy guffaw.

He walked up and wrapped his arms around her. “Aglina, lass, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?” He embraced her and hefted her into the air, spinning her around in a half circle before returning her to her feet. The group watched in amazement in the transformation of joy in their otherwise stoic guide.

He placed her back down on her feet, and she started beating Yordrinn in the back and on his sides. “What was the meaning of that? Tossing me all around. I mean honestly, Yord.”

Yordrinn just laughed. “So sorry, Aglina. It’s hard to not be excited when you get to see your own sister for the first time in well over two years.” He gave her a sloppy grin.

“Well, I was excited to see you too, but you don’t see me lugging you around the room.” With the pleasantries over, her attention returned to the Humans he brought with him. “And what is the meaning of this? You had to go out and bring me some trash to take care of for you?”

He chuckled as he turned to face Tirene and the others. “While I don’t much care for Humans myself, I don’t know if they could be classified as trash.” She laughed at him. “The lady is Liniana and is the daughter-heir of Havenbrook. The men are her companions.”

“So sorry, my lady.” She rolled her own eyes at this statement. “So you have found royalty. Why bring them to me?”

Tirene stepped forward. “If I may, Aglina?” He waited until she acknowledged him before proceeding, which she didn’t do until Yordrinn nodded his approval. “Thank you.” He bowed his head. “My name is Tirene. We’re headed east of the Ruvenka Mountains, in search of the wizard Norlun. We’re trying to seek passage through Drognard so we can save a month on our journey, and to ensure our own safety as the mountain path can be very dangerous.” He noticed her eyes widen slightly when he mentioned Norlun. “I understand Human-Dwarf relations are not the best right now, but we approached the Ironhammer gates to the west in the hopes you people would help us. I figured Liniana's position would hold some sort of weight with the Dwarves, but it appears it doesn’t.” Both Dwarves laughed at this comment. “Some of Yordrinn's guards noticed my breastplate, as well as my sword, and pointed it out to him. They inquired into what kind of metal it was forged from, and I responded that I think it’s Ruvenkan steel.” She guffawed at this statement.

“It cannot be. If it were, I would know about it as I’m one of the few who knows the process to forge it. As I’m sure my brother has already done, I will dismiss your claims.” She waved her hands at him as if to motion them out of her establishment.

“My lady,” Tirene reached his arms up to stop her motioning. “If you would just take a look at it and examine it for yourself, you will see what I speak is the truth.” He unsheathed the sword and held it out to her with both of his arms.

With a mocking grin, she leaned in closer to get a better look at the blade. She noticed the fuller and ran her knobby thumb down the length. “Impossible!” She snatched the blade out of his hands and took it to a table to examine it better. “The folds of the metal are amazing.” She looked up from the blade and turned to Yordrinn. “The techniques used in the forging are like nothing I’ve seen before.” She walked over and grabbed a common steel broadsword from another table and brought it back over to his sword. She turned to Tirene. “If I may, umm, test this?”

Tirene knew full well what the woman intended and nodded his head in compliance. “Yes please. Do whatever you need to validate my claims, but you better let me do it.” This surprised both Dwarves who weren’t sure if they should be offended or not. He instructed Jaeden to hold the broadsword out. “This will sting a little, but not unlike the normal practice drills we run.” The boy nodded his approval and grabbed the sword in his hand. He held it out as he realized what Tirene intended. Tirene raised his sword above his head and arced the blade down, connecting it with the common sword. When the two blades collided, an ear piercing tone rung throughout the room and Jaeden let the sword drop to the floor, creating another rattle. Realizing what he had done, he picked the sword back up and examined the edge. The common sword had a gouge that went halfway into the blade—Tirene's sword appeared unharmed.

Aglina walked over and grabbed the sword from Tirene. She marveled at it, flipping it over halfway through her examination. She looked at the edge of the blade which remained un-scathed. She turned her attention to Yordrinn. “Brother, this has to be Ruvenkan steel. A blow like that should’ve marred the edge in some way, yet this edge is as sharp now as it had been before the blow. Only one kind of steel could withstand that kind of force.” She laughed as she approached her brother. “I’m afraid this man is telling the truth, brother, though I don’t know how.”

He frowned at her. “Just because he has a blade that is made of Ruvenkan steel doesn’t mean everything this Human says is true.”

Aglina cut him off. “That is the curious part of all of this.” She turned and walked toward Tirene. “I’ve never seen this sword before and if we made it, I would’ve remembered it. And his armor, this crest…” She ran her fingers over the engraving on the chest piece. “I would’ve remembered this mark.” She looked up and her gaze met Tirene's eyes. “You have to tell me where you received these items.”

Yordrinn stepped forward. “Yes
Tirene
, please enlighten us as to how you became the owner.”

Tirene gazed down at both of them. “I wish I had a firm answer for you.” He looked around the room and it all seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “I know it was given to me by the Ironhammer Dwarves. Who forged it, I cannot answer.”

She patted him on the shoulder. “Tirene, if these items were made by us, which they had to have been, I would have seen them before, and I’m certain I haven’t.”

Yordrinn started to look annoyed. “I believe my sister above all else. If she states she would remember these items, and doesn’t, well then there has to be something in your story you’re leaving out.”

Tirene chuckled, and then walked forward. “I don’t know how, but I know I came to Drognard and was awarded this sword and a full set of plate mail for my...”

The pair of Dwarves both burst out in laughter. Yordrinn stopped laughing long enough to say, “My friend, now I know you’re lying. Very few Humans are allowed to access our tunnels. When they do, I’m aware of it. If there was a ceremony recognizing you for some deed and being awarded a sword and armor, believe me we would both remember.”  As much as they laughed at the story, they both seemed a little put off by the boldness of his claims.

Liniana stepped forward, feeling the need to help clear the confusion. “I’m thankful you brought us this far.” She looked at Tirene. “I’m afraid there is more to the story than we’ve let on.” Tirene looked worried and shook his head, but she continued. “In fact, Tirene isn't even his name. It was a name I gave him in honor of my brother. I got sick of referring to him as man, or you, so I allowed him to borrow my dead brother’s name until we can figure out what his name is.” They expectantly looked toward the Dwarves for their response.

Yordrinn’s face reddened. “I can’t believe I’ve allowed you to come this far.” He walked forward pointing an accusatory finger toward Tirene. “Be glad you didn’t reveal this information before I brought you in, because I would’ve refused. You’re nothing but a con artist.” He looked toward Liniana. “I’m sorry that you and your father have fallen for this man's lies and tricks.”