Delver Magic Book VII: Altered Messages (39 page)

"It was a war between the algors and the dwarves," Ryson finally stated. "That's the war Enin was afraid of... that's the conflict he wanted to avoid."

If Therese found any insult hidden in the revelation, she hid it well, and she quickly proclaimed her own simple truth.

"Hostilities between the algors and the dwarves have ceased."

"But they could start up again. The algors haven't forgiven the dwarves."

"Such forgiveness is not required. Perhaps there has not been an official treaty of peace between our races, but there has been no reason for conflict. I must say, I'm disappointed in Enin for not bringing this to my attention. This could have been worked out between us. Much of this could have been avoided, and Petiole could have been returned to our custody."

Ryson realized he had to explain it all. Leaving out the details was only adding to the dwarf queen's confusion.

"You don't understand. The serps know where Bol Folarok is hiding."

That detail did not alter Therese's outlook in the least. If anything, she corrected Ryson's revelation.

"He's not hiding. He has chosen a place of exile. I know exactly where Bol Folarok is. He is in the city of
SandsFine."

"SandsFine?"

"It is an underground city near the coast, almost directly beneath Portsans, or at least it was. SandsFine is no longer a true dwarf city. It is nothing more than a vast cavern and a landmark for the dwarves to utilize in our travels."

"What happened?"

"You mean to SandsFine?" Therese asked with a perplexed expression. "Does it matter?"

"It might."

"A very long time ago, during the period of separation between the races, SandsFine was developed as a potential outpost for dwarves to utilize resources nearer the great sea. Unfortunately, humans discovered gold in the hills above the burgeoning city. Their mining efforts proved too unwavering. They could not be deterred. Rather than risk revealing our presence, we wiped the city clean. The humans have still not discovered the cavern, but they have come close on several occasions. But all of this has very little to do with serps and Petiole."

"Not if Bol is hiding in that cavern."

"How many times must I say he is not hiding?" Therese shot back, growing more than a bit frustrated.

"Okay, he's in exile, but the serps said they know where he is. If we demanded Petiole back from the serps, they threatened to take Bol and turn him over to the algors."

Without the slightest delay, the dwarf queen revealed her expectations of such a simple matter.

"Then the algors would have to turn him back over to us and we would allow him to return to SandsFine. I cannot believe that this is the only thing that prevented Enin from returning Petiole to us."

"You don't see it, do you?" Ryson asked, keenly aware of just how shrewdly the serps developed their schemes.

The delver, however, saw it all in Therese's eyes. Every threat the serps made, not one was a bluff. They knew exactly how to manipulate others, and they had done so with incredible skill..

"See what?" the queen demanded.

All Ryson could do was hope to make her realize how her reactions would be used by the calculating serps.

"The algors blame Bol for what happened to them. They were attacked in their sandstone caves. They were slaughtered by dwarf warriors."

"Those were dwarf separatists. They were not under the command of Bol Folarok. Every separatist leader involved in that battle has been punished and removed from authority."

"They were still dwarves."

"If you're looking for regret from me over the incident, you have it, but this is not recent activity."

"It's not me that's looking for anything. It's the algors. Look, it's hard to explain, but the algors have, in a way, adopted me as part of their community. I have an idea of what they're thinking. You may not want to accept it, but they blame Bol for what happened, just like you blame Petiole."

"There is a vast difference!" Therese responded harshly. "Petiole dropped shadow tree seeds on Dunop."

"I'm not arguing that. I'm talking about Bol. He walked away, left Dunop in the hands of the separatists. If he didn't just quit, the separatists wouldn't have taken over."

"There is a great deal of blame to go around. I do not deny Bol's failures as a leader, but to hold him responsible for the separatists in the same way we hold Petiole responsible for actually dropping shadow tree seeds on Dunop is absurd!"

"So what would happen if the algors refused to give up Bol and imprisoned him as punishment for his failures?" Ryson asked.

"We could not allow for such an action. If we learned the algors were holding Bol Folarok against his will, we would view it as an act of aggression that would have to be condemned."

"And then what?" Ryson asked, but he didn't allow the queen to respond. "You don't have to tell me. You'd go to free him. You would do whatever it would take. Even if it meant war."

And there it was, the very consequences the serps threatened. Nothing the serp council did was an accident or some random act of violence. Everything, even Sy's death, was part of a well coordinated plan to create mistrust, confusion, and especially conflict. Even he and Therese were being played, the tension between them purposely fashioned to keep them from finding a way through the maze of deceit.

"We can't allow innocent dwarves to be taken prisoners," Therese responded calmly, but with a tone of absolute authority.

"I guess 'innocent' is the important word here." Ryson shook his head sadly. "I know, you're only doing what you think would be right, and maybe you
are
right..., but so was Enin. He saw all of this before you said anything to me. He knew what would happen. You shouldn't be disappointed with him. Not at all. If he returned Petiole, then the serps would have used Bol to start a war between the algors and the dwarves."

Therese frowned, but did not admonish the delver. Instead, she pointed to the true criminals.

"It is as you said; the serps are causing a great deal of conflict, and that angers me. They still have Petiole and I want him back before he creates even greater harm."

"That shouldn't happen... not now anyway, now that you know what's going on. You can see that they're trying to get you into some kind of war with the elves. That seems to be their main goal. You can keep the serps from manipulating you."

"Is that what you think?" Therese questioned with her annoyance returning. "That we are allowing ourselves to be manipulated? We are not idiots. We make our own decisions based on facts. I admit, at first I suspected elves might have been behind Petiole's escape, but I am not blind. As for the ridiculous ploy with the elf arrow, did you honestly think I would believe the elves attacked our warriors? We have listening posts all over the forest. We can determine if an arrow was shot from a bow, even which type of a bow. We knew the dieruhnes killed our sentries. We are not stupid."

"But you didn't know about the serps."

"No, I did not, but that changes little. It could have just as easily been some human magic caster or some demon from the dark realm behind all of this. Petiole is being used to antagonize us. We understand that, and we are not being manipulated."

"Alright, but I just want to make sure you don't blame the elves."

"But I do blame the elves. If the elves weren't in the trees, this wouldn't have happened. You tell me the dwarves are being manipulated, and I say it is the
elves
that are being manipulated. They are the ones showing mistrust. Do not throw the blame for this on us."

Ryson wanted to scream. No matter how clearly he saw serp exploitation, he couldn't stop it from twisting the lives of everyone around him. He had revealed everything to the dwarf queen, and still she appeared ready to go to war with the algors, the elves, perhaps both, and she spoke with a logic he could not easily rebuke. He wondered if anything he said or did would ever matter again.

"So what are you going to do?" the delver finally asked.

"We will protect ourselves and we will ignore the proclamations given by Petiole. I have already sent an emissary to the leader of the elf camp. Shantree Wispon has been informed of what has happened. In light of Petiole's dangerous claims, I requested that she cease the reconnaissance details of her elf guards."

"And if she refuses?"

"Then tensions shall remain high."

After allowing Burbon's soldiers substantial rest, Ryson prepared to lead a portion of the guard back to Connel. It was too dangerous for the entire force to travel together, as they would certainly attract attention they could not afford.

The soldiers broke into smaller groups and readied themselves for the journey. Though thankful for the shelter within Dunop, they all wished to leave the dwarf city as soon as possible. The dark caverns offered protection, but the gray walls of stone reminded them of their bleak situation. They could not return to their homes in Burbon, but at least they could be reunited with friends and family that waited for them under Enin's protections.

Hoping to avoid any contact with the foul creatures that had overrun his home, the delver planned a cautious and swift route through Dark Spruce that would ultimately bring them to Connel. He used his speed and his senses to scout ahead of the areas they traveled and to avoid ambush. He led the soldiers first to the north before he turned east. Avoiding gremplings dashing through the branches proved to be the most difficult aspect of the journey, but he managed to mask their travels, and eventually they ventured out from the trees and across the farmlands.

His was the first group of soldiers to reach Connel, but several others would arrive soon after, some coming from the south and others utilizing underground passages. The dwarves assisted in mapping out the safest routes and offered guides within the underground passages. Experienced scouts who were part of Burbon's guard navigated the trails from the south.

Upon arriving, the delver saw that Connel had already efficiently dealt with the flood of refugees from Burbon. There was no clutter of tents, no throngs of people littering the streets and alleys. It appeared that the city leaders managed to handle the great influx without issue or delay.

Ryson believed Enin was probably at the heart of such a response. The delver could almost sense the wizard's hand in managing the arrival of the displaced citizens. They were—when the wizard called Burbon his home—his neighbors, and Ryson knew Enin would not ignore their plight. The wizard's magical abilities gave him a unique perspective that could keep such a flood of humanity organized, and he had aided in such matters in the past.

With the help of the dwarves, sturdy housing had apparently sprung up almost immediately. Dwarf construction was not new to the city, and the sustained growth amazed the delver. It seemed as if nothing could stop the steady expansion of Connel's borders.

Ryson felt great relief in finding such a degree of organization. He knew it would help ease the burden of those who had to abandon their homes. They might have been overwhelmed by Connel's size, but at least there was a small level of order that they could grasp for self-assurance.

With Burbon's soldiers being assisted by Connel's own guard, the delver turned his attention to his own desires. He raced to Enin's home hoping to speak with the wizard. He quite joyously discovered Linda and Stomps waiting for him there along with Holli and Jure, as well as several of the wizard's dogs. He learned that Enin was indeed helping with the refugees and had personally seen to all their needs.

While waiting for Enin's return, Ryson revealed everything that had happened. It was not the first time he expressed the grave news. Back in Dunop, he had already told Burbon's soldiers how Sy Fenden had died, but that moment had been one of necessity, to inform the guard they had lost their captain and that they needed to follow new leadership.

Retelling the story to friends and family was a much more surreal experience. The images of the horde engulfing the town remained crisp in the delver's mind. When he spoke of Sy's final moments, it was almost as if he was back on the rooftop staring down at Burbon's southern gate. He tried to make Sy's struggle sound as heroic as possible, but his words rang sad and hollow. Reliving the events left him feeling crushed and empty, like the skin of some fruit drained of its juice.

All those who listened to his tale felt the pain in his words, and they suffered at the news of Sy's fate. A heavy silence fell over them all.

Ryson needed long moments to collect himself, as the retelling of the tragedy forced him to release a great deal of the emotion he had bottled up inside. He still did not wish to believe Sy was dead, but it had to be accepted and the full scope of events needed to be shared with others.

It was not simply out of respect for Sy, but for what the captain would have wanted. Sy would not have been interested in any memorial, but he would have demanded that Burbon not be forgotten. Okyiq remained in control of the town. That was a fact that could not be allowed to endure, and without Sy, someone else was going to have to lead an assault against the enemy goblin.